XXX: How Long is Forever?
"Lulu and Rikku will be wearing red, actually, more like scarlet..." Yuna said with a carefree smile as she rambled on to Tidus. "And the flowers will be red roses... and there's a designer in Kilika who wants to make the harnesses for the chocobos... Oh! We should have the guys wear red too..."
Tidus scratched his head as his face contorted into a slightly bothered look. "Uhh, sure." Tidus stopped walking, and Yuna stared at him funny for a few seconds. Promptly, she grabbed his hand and dragged him back into movement. She began to ramble on about wedding plans again. They had decided to take a walk through the woods so they could relax, to get away from the wedding plans for a while. He stopped her and scooped her into his arms, twirling around. "Yuna..." She giggled in his arms. "We don't have to decide this right now, do we?"
She laughed as he set her back down. "I guess we could take a little break." She said as she wrapped her arms around him. She lifted her face to his and kissed him forcefully. Her hands found the deep v-neck of his shirt; her fingertips explored his strong chest as they kissed. Alone, deep in the forest, they were absent to everything around them. A thin ray of sunlight broke through the tall trees and hit the ground near their feet. The warm ocean breeze whisked through the tall treetops, and rustled the leaves lying on the ground.
Yuna broke from their kiss when she heard some rustling in the bushes behind her. "Did you hear that?" She asked as she turned around to look.
"It's just the wind." Tidus said as his arms wrapped around her again.
Yuna heard the rustling noise again, and this time she saw the bushes moving. There were still fiends in Spira, but they were extremely rare. Fiends were incarnate from the bodies of the unsent, and without Sin killing people in mass, fiends were somewhat scarce. The Crusaders who once fought against Sin now dedicated themselves to protecting Spira from the remaining fiends. No one thought there were any fiends on the tiny island of Besaid.
Tidus swung Yuna behind his back and walked forward slowly to examine the bush. "No, don't. Let's just go back." Yuna said with worry in her voice as Tidus approached the moving branches. A deep roar came from inside. Yuna let out a shrill terrified scream as a giant fiend jumped from the bushes.
It swung its massive paw and knocked Tidus to the ground, and then went for her. Yuna was completely defenseless without her staff, having no physical strength at all. Tidus dived in front of her as the raging monster lunged forward. Yuna screamed for help as Tidus grappled with the angry beast. Tidus managed to sustain the monster for a long while with his bare hands, despite the fact that it was four times his size and strength.
Yuna screamed until her voice went hoarse; she could do nothing but watch as the huge brown beast pinned Tidus to the ground. Finally Tidus was able to get in one hard punch to the fiend's face, breaking the monster's nose. It whimpered and began to retreat, but before it did, it angrily swung it's giant paw and slashed Tidus across the torso with its razor-sharp claws.
Yuna ran to Tidus as the beast disappeared into the forest. His knees buckled, his face grimacing in pain as he clenched his abdomen; he fell to the ground. "Somebody, please, help us!" Yuna screamed. She lifted his white shirt, stained with blood and dirt, and saw the deep gash across his torso. Yuna began to cry at the sight of the gaping wound.
"Hey, I'm gonna be okay." Tidus said as he tried to sit up. The pain was unbearable, collapsing him back to the ground. He became terrified when he realized how badly he was hurt.
Blood seeped from the long gash on his stomach and fell to the leaves below him, staining them crimson. Yuna kneeled by him, crying, bent over him, clenching his shoulders with all her might; if she held on tight enough he couldn't leave her again. "Shhh... Don't cry, Yuna." Tidus whispered, his voice weak and fragile.
"I'll go get help," Yuna said as she began to stand.
"No. Don't leave me." Tidus said with a desperate look in his eyes. A look of such despair that struck Yuna's soul, it was then that she realized he might not make it. He tried to sit again, his hand reached out to her; he needed to touch her. She was torn; if she didn't go to get help, he would surely die. He held out his shaking arm to her, his frightened eyes begging her not to leave. "Stay with me until the end..." his quivering voice tried to say. Trying to sit caused a spurt of blood to pour from his lips.
Yuna bent down low, still kneeling on the hard ground beside him. "No... always..." She whispered in his ear, and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. 'It wasn't supposed to end this way.' Yuna thought as she ran her trembling fingers through his hair. The diamond on her hand caught the sunlight. Their wedding day was less than a month away.
"I love you." Tidus mouthed in an airy whisper, but no sound came out of his mouth.
"I love you, too." Yuna said. Tidus reached up to touch her face, but he had no strength left in his body. She helped him lift his arm. Her eyes closed as his weak fingers caressed her tear-stained cheek. She kissed his palm; her tears fell onto his hand. She knelt beside him, bent over him, sobbing into his chest. He closed his eyes; she barely felt his chest rise with each shallow breath. She squeezed his hand tightly. "I love you." She whispered again.
The people of Besaid finally heard Yuna's desperate cries. Tidus and Yuna were lost deep in the forest; after Yuna stopped screaming, they had a hard time finding her. The first person to arrive was Rikku. She saw Yuna kneeling by him, his arm lying limp across her lap. His white shirt was soaked with blood. Her cousin's face was pale and empty. "Oh Yunie..." She cried. It was already too late.
Yuna didn't look up; her eyes were fixed solemnly on Tidus's peaceful face. His eyes were closed as he took his final breath. Yuna knelt beside him, tears streaming down her cheeks, his limp hand resting in her lap. Her brave guardian had given his life for her one last time.
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?...
Darcee...
"Lulu and Rikku will be wearing red, actually, more like scarlet..." Yuna said with a carefree smile as she rambled on to Tidus. "And the flowers will be red roses... and there's a designer in Kilika who wants to make the harnesses for the chocobos... Oh! We should have the guys wear red too..."
Tidus scratched his head as his face contorted into a slightly bothered look. "Uhh, sure." Tidus stopped walking, and Yuna stared at him funny for a few seconds. Promptly, she grabbed his hand and dragged him back into movement. She began to ramble on about wedding plans again. They had decided to take a walk through the woods so they could relax, to get away from the wedding plans for a while. He stopped her and scooped her into his arms, twirling around. "Yuna..." She giggled in his arms. "We don't have to decide this right now, do we?"
She laughed as he set her back down. "I guess we could take a little break." She said as she wrapped her arms around him. She lifted her face to his and kissed him forcefully. Her hands found the deep v-neck of his shirt; her fingertips explored his strong chest as they kissed. Alone, deep in the forest, they were absent to everything around them. A thin ray of sunlight broke through the tall trees and hit the ground near their feet. The warm ocean breeze whisked through the tall treetops, and rustled the leaves lying on the ground.
Yuna broke from their kiss when she heard some rustling in the bushes behind her. "Did you hear that?" She asked as she turned around to look.
"It's just the wind." Tidus said as his arms wrapped around her again.
Yuna heard the rustling noise again, and this time she saw the bushes moving. There were still fiends in Spira, but they were extremely rare. Fiends were incarnate from the bodies of the unsent, and without Sin killing people in mass, fiends were somewhat scarce. The Crusaders who once fought against Sin now dedicated themselves to protecting Spira from the remaining fiends. No one thought there were any fiends on the tiny island of Besaid.
Tidus swung Yuna behind his back and walked forward slowly to examine the bush. "No, don't. Let's just go back." Yuna said with worry in her voice as Tidus approached the moving branches. A deep roar came from inside. Yuna let out a shrill terrified scream as a giant fiend jumped from the bushes.
It swung its massive paw and knocked Tidus to the ground, and then went for her. Yuna was completely defenseless without her staff, having no physical strength at all. Tidus dived in front of her as the raging monster lunged forward. Yuna screamed for help as Tidus grappled with the angry beast. Tidus managed to sustain the monster for a long while with his bare hands, despite the fact that it was four times his size and strength.
Yuna screamed until her voice went hoarse; she could do nothing but watch as the huge brown beast pinned Tidus to the ground. Finally Tidus was able to get in one hard punch to the fiend's face, breaking the monster's nose. It whimpered and began to retreat, but before it did, it angrily swung it's giant paw and slashed Tidus across the torso with its razor-sharp claws.
Yuna ran to Tidus as the beast disappeared into the forest. His knees buckled, his face grimacing in pain as he clenched his abdomen; he fell to the ground. "Somebody, please, help us!" Yuna screamed. She lifted his white shirt, stained with blood and dirt, and saw the deep gash across his torso. Yuna began to cry at the sight of the gaping wound.
"Hey, I'm gonna be okay." Tidus said as he tried to sit up. The pain was unbearable, collapsing him back to the ground. He became terrified when he realized how badly he was hurt.
Blood seeped from the long gash on his stomach and fell to the leaves below him, staining them crimson. Yuna kneeled by him, crying, bent over him, clenching his shoulders with all her might; if she held on tight enough he couldn't leave her again. "Shhh... Don't cry, Yuna." Tidus whispered, his voice weak and fragile.
"I'll go get help," Yuna said as she began to stand.
"No. Don't leave me." Tidus said with a desperate look in his eyes. A look of such despair that struck Yuna's soul, it was then that she realized he might not make it. He tried to sit again, his hand reached out to her; he needed to touch her. She was torn; if she didn't go to get help, he would surely die. He held out his shaking arm to her, his frightened eyes begging her not to leave. "Stay with me until the end..." his quivering voice tried to say. Trying to sit caused a spurt of blood to pour from his lips.
Yuna bent down low, still kneeling on the hard ground beside him. "No... always..." She whispered in his ear, and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. 'It wasn't supposed to end this way.' Yuna thought as she ran her trembling fingers through his hair. The diamond on her hand caught the sunlight. Their wedding day was less than a month away.
"I love you." Tidus mouthed in an airy whisper, but no sound came out of his mouth.
"I love you, too." Yuna said. Tidus reached up to touch her face, but he had no strength left in his body. She helped him lift his arm. Her eyes closed as his weak fingers caressed her tear-stained cheek. She kissed his palm; her tears fell onto his hand. She knelt beside him, bent over him, sobbing into his chest. He closed his eyes; she barely felt his chest rise with each shallow breath. She squeezed his hand tightly. "I love you." She whispered again.
The people of Besaid finally heard Yuna's desperate cries. Tidus and Yuna were lost deep in the forest; after Yuna stopped screaming, they had a hard time finding her. The first person to arrive was Rikku. She saw Yuna kneeling by him, his arm lying limp across her lap. His white shirt was soaked with blood. Her cousin's face was pale and empty. "Oh Yunie..." She cried. It was already too late.
Yuna didn't look up; her eyes were fixed solemnly on Tidus's peaceful face. His eyes were closed as he took his final breath. Yuna knelt beside him, tears streaming down her cheeks, his limp hand resting in her lap. Her brave guardian had given his life for her one last time.
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?...
Darcee...