When He Smiled

By Windy McDohl

Disclaimer: All characters portrayed in this story belong to Square Ltd., but the fanfiction belongs to me. Thanks!

Note: SPOILER warnings for all who have not completed FFX. Now, I don't tolerate flames in this case… Oh, wait. I do. Anyway, just to tell you - the names of the characters may be spelt wrongly because I DID NOT PLAY THE ENGLISH VERSION OF THE GAME. I don't have it. And the dialogue of the characters may not follow the English version that isn't (?) out yet. So, please bear with it? I'll give you a cookie… 6_-
I hated the ending, but at the same time, I loved it. Poor Tidus… ;_; Oh, and this was written while listening to Suteki Da Ne, so… SORRY! It should be SAD…

______________________________


"… That."

"Oh, this?" Azure eyes gleamed with slight mischief as the young man turned to look at her. He grinned, and then shook his head. "This is how we greet fellow Blitzball players in Zarunokant. It's easy! Just put two fingers into you mouth… wrike wdish…"

The shrill sound of a piercing whistle was heard. Yuna giggled, her eyes shining with happiness. Tidus… never seemed to hide anything from her. He shared everything with her -- his happiness, sorrow, worry, and anxiety… They shared the same interest and zest for life. He never pretended to be smug or anything.

And he always smiled.

Yuna may have seen him unhappy at times, but he usually smiled when she was around. Maybe she was imagining it, but she believed that he was somehow troubled by her fate… the burdensome responsibility she held upon her shoulders.

He wanted to make her pain go away.

For that she was thankful. She had to admit it - but there was something about him that drew her to him. Maybe it was just girlish fantasy, but she knew in her heart, that deep down inside, this relationship was more than just an infatuation.

"Like this?"

"Wyeah, wrike wdish!" He grinned through his teeth. Yuna blew hard, but she ended up, instead of whistling, spitting out air. Tidus' grin grew wider. "It takes time… Practice."

_________________________


"It's just that… You know, even though we're sad or anxious, we would try hard to smile, laugh, when in front of everyone…"

"Right! So…"

"It's time I practiced my daily routine of public laughing!"


They continued laughing for hours to end. Yuna felt secretly happier, despite her anxiety, around the blond. He was full of life, determined to do what others couldn't do, go where others failed to tread, say what others never uttered…

"How I wish that we could go on our journey, laughing all the way…"

He just smiled in reply.

__________________________


Yuna scanned the horizon, the blue ocean reflected in her eyes. She remembered how his name fitted his profession as a Blitzball player, how good he was in holding his breath and swimming, and how his emotions seemed to roar and calm down, like the waves of the sea. In him was an ocean, so deep that no one could have touched the base of it…

But she did.

The sky was so blue that day, so clear, not fitting her gloomy mood then. In it she saw his eyes, shining with the life and mischief as they always did.

In the waves, reflecting the golden rays of the sun, she saw his hair, flowing like a golden stream of water as a breeze passed by. The clouds that streaked the cerulean sky made her imagination soar - in them she saw his brows, arched as he smiled, furrowed when he was annoyed or angry, sad or worried.

The ocean breeze pressed gently, teasingly against her ears, and she felt as if she could hear him whispering to her, telling her the millions of things that had happened to him in Zarunokant. The sun shone down warmly on her cheeks, and she felt his kisses…

Yuna put two fingers into her mouth, and blew as hard as she could. A shrill sound of a whistle pierced the calm peace of the jetty where the young Summoner stood staring out into the sea.

The wind blew, carrying away the sound to the ocean. With it went her memories, of their happier times, when they had laughed and cried…

And when he smiled.

_________________

The End
_________________