Chapter Twenty-Five
The temple gates at dawn
Little did the two transfigured men know that their friends, after noting and discussing their disappearance from the party, first Tidus and then a short time later Auron, they sent the 'children' to bed, much to their annoyance, and began to search high and low through Bevelle for them. Tidus had slipped out unnoticed during a very heartfelt, but unreasonably long toast from Wakka, who had become very verbose in his middle years, so much so that Rikku believed that he should seek political office. Then Auron, who had been lingering in a corner for some time, had the feeling that he too should leave, that it was, indeed, time for him to leave as per his instructions from the Fayth, which he had taken great pains to remember. His escape from the celebration was helped along greatly by a bit of impromptu and unaccompanied singing which Jecht had begun after having about five of whatever Pacce was drinking in a more moderate fashion.
They found the streets and alleys of Bevelle to be quite empty that night, except for the occasional sentry outside some great house or important building dedicated to Yevon or the Crusaders or perhaps both. But for all of their scouring, they could not manage to locate the two missing former guardians. This worried Yuna quite a bit, despite the failed sending and even though Bevelle was the safest city in all of Spira.
It was quite fair to say that Tiron, Tida, and Aurie had been sent to bed, grudgingly, in the wee hours of the morning, but they had not stayed there. They were, after all, young and very adventurous. And more to the point, Tida had the distinct feeling that her father had returned to the temple and that Auron had dutifully followed. It was almost light when they sneaked from their room in the guest quarters and wound their way through the streets, carefully avoiding their parents, and found their way to the vicinity of the temple.
The trio, feeling chilly and quite smug, was about to enter the building when they heard a firm and all too familiar voice call from behind them, "Stop right there!"
It was, of course, Lulu, who had the keenest parental instincts, though certainly not the most practice in tailing would-be runaways. That honor went to Wakka who had logged in weeks in his relentless quest to raise Aurie, not to mention Chappu, in the rather rigid Yevonite fashion.
They stopped dead in their tracks and sheepishly turned to face the music, that is to say, their parents, grandparents, and Pacce, who seemed a great deal less unhappy in finding them out and about at indecent hours than the rest.
Tida plucked up her courage and stepped forward to explain, "We were only trying to help. Tidus came here last time we were in Bevelle. I wasn't sure if you'd think to check here."
She was mostly correct in her assumption as they would not have checked the temple grounds if Lulu had not spotted them sneaking down an alleyway and followed them there.
"I see." said the black mage, waiting for Yuna, not to mention Wakka and Rikku, to chime in.
It can be imagined that Lulu was going to lecture them, despite the fact that more than one of them had technically come of age, when the door of the temple behind them swung open. Tida felt a twinge of satisfaction when they all gasped and stared. She had been right, it seemed. Even drunken Jecht seemed to sober at the sight behind them. Then she realized that their surprise was perhaps a bit exaggerated. Tida turned to find out why they were staring and found herself quite literally face to face with the man of her dreams, or one of them actually.
The moment was one that Auron had been waiting for since he awakened that morning and found himself changed. Tida looked more surprised than he had anticipated. He put his gloved hand upon her shoulder. She just stared at him with an open mouth. Recognition flickered across her eyes. For the briefest instant she had not known him. Even when she realized that he was Auron, young Sir Auron who had been the best of guardians to Lord Braska, she could not find words with which to greet him. She was too amazed, too stunned by the transformation.
To Auron that moment was a test, a test to see whether or not she would accept him and whether or not the gift Tidus had given him had been given in vain. His heart was in midst of sinking as she hesitated, or so it seemed to him as she stood there for a moment simply staring at him. Then, rather unexpectedly, Tida smiled and threw her arms around him. He enfolded her in his arms, breathing a sigh of relief into her hair. Words were not necessary. He hesitated a glance at her father, but Tidus was too otherwise engaged to notice.
Tidus's eyes saw nothing, and no one else, but Yuna as he walked out of the temple. She stepped toward him, fascinated with the change that had come over the formerly seventeen-year-old blitzer. He was a few inches taller and a bit more muscular. He had matured over night into a man who was at least thirty years old. His eyes had tiny, barely noticeable crow's feet beside them, and his blond hair had faded just a bit, but nothing had been lost or taken away from that which she loved and had loved about him all those years ago. He smiled what seemed to be a sadder, more worldly, more hesitant smile as the two of them met half way between the temple and the crowd.
"Did I do the right thing, Yuna? Can you and I ...? Can we grow old together now?" he questioned her.
Her eyes filled with tears as she nodded, robbed of the words to say to him. Then he leaned down and kissed her just as passionately and as gently as he had kissed her that night at the lake so many years earlier, and when Yuna kissed him back with her eyes closed, he knew that his choices had been the right ones.
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A/N: Thanks for the reviews, Trixie27, Bunny, Shido21, waterff, and Firefly!
Wow, this might be a good opportunity to admit that I've never watched any anime ... and that I don't know anything much about samuris. But thanks for the info, Shido21 and Trixie27. I will look into fixing the inconsistency/ inaccuracy as soon as possible. Although, for what it's worth, I always figured he had had his arm mangled in the one-on-one with Lady Yunalesca ... and that that was why his armor was a bracer (because he needed it for the arm).
To answer Firefly's question about the international version of the game: No, I haven't seen that version, but I have heard that the ending is longer/ better.
Shido21 also has a question: "what are Auron's feelings for Tida in this section? Did he agree to this because he loves her or just to give her a chance?" I guess it was a little of both. I tried to set the stage a tiny bit in chapter 3 with the touch of Aurikku and the regret that went with it. (Just for the record, I do believe in love at first sight, even though it's never happened to me.)
Trixie27 asked, "Anyways, whyyyy did you make him lose the sunglasses?!" I didn't realize anyone had an affinity so great toward the glasses. Well ... and I wore glasses for years and hated them (with an all-consuming passion). I thought I was doing him a favor 'cause of his eye and all ... But, hey, if he isn't wearing them more, I guess you can have them. wink
The temple gates at dawn
Little did the two transfigured men know that their friends, after noting and discussing their disappearance from the party, first Tidus and then a short time later Auron, they sent the 'children' to bed, much to their annoyance, and began to search high and low through Bevelle for them. Tidus had slipped out unnoticed during a very heartfelt, but unreasonably long toast from Wakka, who had become very verbose in his middle years, so much so that Rikku believed that he should seek political office. Then Auron, who had been lingering in a corner for some time, had the feeling that he too should leave, that it was, indeed, time for him to leave as per his instructions from the Fayth, which he had taken great pains to remember. His escape from the celebration was helped along greatly by a bit of impromptu and unaccompanied singing which Jecht had begun after having about five of whatever Pacce was drinking in a more moderate fashion.
They found the streets and alleys of Bevelle to be quite empty that night, except for the occasional sentry outside some great house or important building dedicated to Yevon or the Crusaders or perhaps both. But for all of their scouring, they could not manage to locate the two missing former guardians. This worried Yuna quite a bit, despite the failed sending and even though Bevelle was the safest city in all of Spira.
It was quite fair to say that Tiron, Tida, and Aurie had been sent to bed, grudgingly, in the wee hours of the morning, but they had not stayed there. They were, after all, young and very adventurous. And more to the point, Tida had the distinct feeling that her father had returned to the temple and that Auron had dutifully followed. It was almost light when they sneaked from their room in the guest quarters and wound their way through the streets, carefully avoiding their parents, and found their way to the vicinity of the temple.
The trio, feeling chilly and quite smug, was about to enter the building when they heard a firm and all too familiar voice call from behind them, "Stop right there!"
It was, of course, Lulu, who had the keenest parental instincts, though certainly not the most practice in tailing would-be runaways. That honor went to Wakka who had logged in weeks in his relentless quest to raise Aurie, not to mention Chappu, in the rather rigid Yevonite fashion.
They stopped dead in their tracks and sheepishly turned to face the music, that is to say, their parents, grandparents, and Pacce, who seemed a great deal less unhappy in finding them out and about at indecent hours than the rest.
Tida plucked up her courage and stepped forward to explain, "We were only trying to help. Tidus came here last time we were in Bevelle. I wasn't sure if you'd think to check here."
She was mostly correct in her assumption as they would not have checked the temple grounds if Lulu had not spotted them sneaking down an alleyway and followed them there.
"I see." said the black mage, waiting for Yuna, not to mention Wakka and Rikku, to chime in.
It can be imagined that Lulu was going to lecture them, despite the fact that more than one of them had technically come of age, when the door of the temple behind them swung open. Tida felt a twinge of satisfaction when they all gasped and stared. She had been right, it seemed. Even drunken Jecht seemed to sober at the sight behind them. Then she realized that their surprise was perhaps a bit exaggerated. Tida turned to find out why they were staring and found herself quite literally face to face with the man of her dreams, or one of them actually.
The moment was one that Auron had been waiting for since he awakened that morning and found himself changed. Tida looked more surprised than he had anticipated. He put his gloved hand upon her shoulder. She just stared at him with an open mouth. Recognition flickered across her eyes. For the briefest instant she had not known him. Even when she realized that he was Auron, young Sir Auron who had been the best of guardians to Lord Braska, she could not find words with which to greet him. She was too amazed, too stunned by the transformation.
To Auron that moment was a test, a test to see whether or not she would accept him and whether or not the gift Tidus had given him had been given in vain. His heart was in midst of sinking as she hesitated, or so it seemed to him as she stood there for a moment simply staring at him. Then, rather unexpectedly, Tida smiled and threw her arms around him. He enfolded her in his arms, breathing a sigh of relief into her hair. Words were not necessary. He hesitated a glance at her father, but Tidus was too otherwise engaged to notice.
Tidus's eyes saw nothing, and no one else, but Yuna as he walked out of the temple. She stepped toward him, fascinated with the change that had come over the formerly seventeen-year-old blitzer. He was a few inches taller and a bit more muscular. He had matured over night into a man who was at least thirty years old. His eyes had tiny, barely noticeable crow's feet beside them, and his blond hair had faded just a bit, but nothing had been lost or taken away from that which she loved and had loved about him all those years ago. He smiled what seemed to be a sadder, more worldly, more hesitant smile as the two of them met half way between the temple and the crowd.
"Did I do the right thing, Yuna? Can you and I ...? Can we grow old together now?" he questioned her.
Her eyes filled with tears as she nodded, robbed of the words to say to him. Then he leaned down and kissed her just as passionately and as gently as he had kissed her that night at the lake so many years earlier, and when Yuna kissed him back with her eyes closed, he knew that his choices had been the right ones.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N: Thanks for the reviews, Trixie27, Bunny, Shido21, waterff, and Firefly!
Wow, this might be a good opportunity to admit that I've never watched any anime ... and that I don't know anything much about samuris. But thanks for the info, Shido21 and Trixie27. I will look into fixing the inconsistency/ inaccuracy as soon as possible. Although, for what it's worth, I always figured he had had his arm mangled in the one-on-one with Lady Yunalesca ... and that that was why his armor was a bracer (because he needed it for the arm).
To answer Firefly's question about the international version of the game: No, I haven't seen that version, but I have heard that the ending is longer/ better.
Shido21 also has a question: "what are Auron's feelings for Tida in this section? Did he agree to this because he loves her or just to give her a chance?" I guess it was a little of both. I tried to set the stage a tiny bit in chapter 3 with the touch of Aurikku and the regret that went with it. (Just for the record, I do believe in love at first sight, even though it's never happened to me.)
Trixie27 asked, "Anyways, whyyyy did you make him lose the sunglasses?!" I didn't realize anyone had an affinity so great toward the glasses. Well ... and I wore glasses for years and hated them (with an all-consuming passion). I thought I was doing him a favor 'cause of his eye and all ... But, hey, if he isn't wearing them more, I guess you can have them. wink
