Final Fantasy X: Journey
"Lady Yunalesca!" Yuna managed to gasp out, her hands coming up to cover her mouth as she stared, wide-eyed, at the woman standing in the center of the room, arms out by her sides. She appeared as though she were floating.
Lady Yunalesca smiled, different from the one Yuna and Rikku could recall. It was warm, and Yuna could sense a change in the first High Summoner of Spira.
"Do not worry, Lady Yuna. I am not here to cause harm. I am here to present the Chosen One with the Aeon of Light," Yunalesca said, her soft but somehow commanding voice echoing slightly in the chamber.
Tida stepped forward. "I thought I was supposed to acquire the Aeon of Light."
Yunalesca turned her smile on Tida. "Someone else has already accepted and conquered the challenge for you. I almost didn't let him, but he seemed so insistent upon it that I couldn't refuse. He said it was his gift to you because you were his greatest gift."
Tida felt her heart begin to pound in her chest. "W-who was it?"
Yuna began to feel a familiar presence in the room and she whipped her head up as the doors they had passed through so along ago to defeat Yunalesca began to creak open. Yuna felt her heart stop and fell to her knees. Rikku, too, went to her knees. But Tida, on the other, hand burst into tears and raced forward as fast her legs would carry her.
"Dad!" she cried, throwing herself into the blond man's arms. Tidus caught his daughter up into a tight, warm, loving hug, the first he had ever shared with this girl who was his blood. Yuna managed to get to her feet and dash forward, grabbing Tidus like she would never let him go. Tidus smiled and held both his girls, rocking them as they soaked his shirt with their tears of happiness.
Rikku touched her cheek at the scene and pulled it back to discover it was wet with her own tears. She turned around to look at Chappu and Zeoron and almost started to laugh.
Zeoron had grabbed Chappu's shirttail and was bawling into it; Chappu was looking down at her with a look of disgust on his face.
Tida finally pulled back, her tears spent. "Dad, why…how…?"
Tidus smiled as Yuna pushed back as well, studying his face. Tidus's smile widened, his white teeth fully showing. "The fayth decided that they would keep us separated no longer. They felt enough pain had been inflicted on our family and agreed that enough was enough."
Tida swiped away the rest of her tears and turned, facing Yunalesca. "Lady Yunalesca, I am ready to accept the Aeon of Light and defeat the Shadow and Seymour and free Spira from their terror once and for all! I will restore the Eternal Calm my mother once gave Spira. I will preserve it!"
Yunalesca nodded and held her hands up above her head. A rainbow of light engulfed the room and everyone but Tida shielded their eyes from the flash.
* * *
"Lu, come on! Keep up!" Wakka called back over his shoulder as he ran into the Zanarkand Temple. Lulu growled low in her throat and bit back a retort.
The two guardians ran through the first room and into the second, both landing on the elevator at the same time. They rode it down, down into the lower level.
Lulu was the first one off and the first into the Chamber of the Fayth. Wakka pushed the doors and open and they stumbled in just in time to see the light die.
All eyes instantly went to Tida, who was glowing, a strange but powerful-feeling blue aura surrounding her lithe frame.
She opened their eyes and blinked, once, and then twice. Tida could suddenly feel the full power now inside her and she whooped.
"Whoa! Sweetness!" she cried, reaching to high-five Yuna, who was the closet person to her. Tidus laughed and slapped her hand as well.
"What the hell…?" Chappu stared, dumbstruck, at Tida. Tida ignored his remark and jumped on him, kissing him fully on the lips in front of everyone. Tidus's eyes began to twitch and he started forward but Yuna grabbed him and grabbed the hair at the back of his head, forcing him to kiss her. Tidus suddenly forgot what he had wanted to do and pulled Yuna closer to him.
"Oh, isn't this wonderful?" Rikku said, clapping her hands together gleefully.
"Speak for yourself," Wakka said, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes toward the ceiling. Lulu slapped the back of his head with her hand then smiled softly at the two couples.
"Now is not the time for kissing."
"HOLY SHIT!"
All eyes instantly flew to the owner of the voice who was dressed in red and black, a jug of some unknown substance strapped to his belt. A blade was resting on his shoulder lightly and a half-smile was visible just over the collar of his long coat. The dark sunglass weren't enough to the hide the scar vertically sketched across one eye.
"Sir Auron!" Yuna gasped out as everyone else gaped at the older man.
"Surely you didn't think you were rid of me yet, Lady Yuna," Auron said jokingly, moving down the steps to her and Tidus, who was still staring in shock at Auron.
Finally, he spoke, "I don't fucking believe it."
Auron paused for a moment before answering him. "That's too bad."
It was then the daze was lifted and Tida dropped to her own feet, her arms still wrapped loosely around Chappu's arms. Chappu grabbed her upper arms to keep her against him as they watched Auron descend the steps, Tidus and Yuna behind him.
"Tida," Auron said, stopping a few feet away from her, "the time is near and you must prepare to fight the battle. A story may end but their legacy will never fade."
Tida nodded and looked back at Chappu, who nodded as well. Tida smiled and Chappu released her. She stepped forward and looked around at them all, addressing each by name.
"Everyone, the time is now. We must fight to protect Spira and bring back the Eternal Calm! We will save Spira—together!"
* * *
"I don't believe it. How could we have been so blind, ya?" Wakka said, staring down into the depths of the Moonflow at the dormant city beneath the crystal waters.
"We couldn't have known, Wakka. No one could have predicted this," Lulu said, her voice soft. Wakka sighed and rubbed his eyes; it had been a long trip in the Titan and everyone was a little grouchy—Yuna had bitten Tidus's head off twice and all considered it a good thing that they had decided to wait until the next morning to dive to the city.
Tida silently wandered off a little into the forest, near Guadosalam. She wanted a moment of peace, a moment to think and understand what was happening. Moving swiftly and deftly now, she found a gathering of boulders and climbed up onto a small overhanging cliff with a perfect view of the Moonflow and the pyreflies floating over its glassy surface.
For a while Tida simply sat there, one leg dangling over the edge of the rocky cliff, the other bent, one arm draped slightly over and around her knee. The other arm was placed on the rock beside her. Tida gazed around then looked at the figures in the hazed glow of the setting sun. She could hear some laughter finding its way to her on the quiet wind and she smiled, bowing her head and closing her eyes gently. Slowly, she brought her head back up and looked out over the Moonflow once more. She spoke.
"This . . . this is my story. I don't care if it's the Eternal Calm, evil will still reign in this world. You can't have peace without there being darkness somewhere lurking, waiting to be defeated so that light will take control once again. People—no, enemies you thought were gone from this world will arise again, more powerful and more ruthless than before. I know this; understand this. I will stop them.
"I will prove to the world that I am my father's daughter."
Tida stopped and glanced back at the camp, noticing the shadows dancing around as Lulu lit a fire with her magic and Zeoron added her own brand, making it bigger. Tida smiled again before turning back to look out at the glowing horizon. Her mouth opened again, she pulled her sphere out to capture her words and the beautiful sight before her, and she remembered.
"The sunset at the Moonflow isn't what I intended to use, but I guess it will have to do since we're not in Zanarkand. There's nothing like a morning sunrise on the beach in Zanarkand. I remember Mama telling me that when I was little." Tida laughed slightly before continuing. "And you know what? She was right; there's nothing more mystical like it.
"But anyway, what I wanted to say was… thank all of you for your help. Words cannot capture how thankful I am to all of you… Chappu, Aunt Rikku, Uncle Wakka, Aunt Lulu, Zeoron, Sir Auron… Mama and Dad, I owe you the most thanks. Mama, for sharing with me and Dad for guiding me when I didn't what to do. Yeah, Dad, I know it was you who was guiding me. I figured it out.
"Chappu… I never thought I would make this far. Thank you for helping to me to get back to my mother. Thank you for everything. For your love. Know that I will love you always… forever, Chappu, and please, any dreams that are broken or faded or people that you have lost… never forget them. Never forget me.
"My beloved aunts and uncle, take care of Mama for me, will ya? I wish I could, but… Well, I'm sure you understand. You guys helped give me the best seven years of my childhood. Thanks for teaching me things no one else could. Remember me always.
"Sir Auron and Zeoron, thanks for your help so far. I remember bedtime stories with you in them, Sir Auron. You were such a wonderful hero, and you fit the part perfectly now I see. Zeoron, please take care of Chappu for me. Help him live and continue to protect Spira in my memory.
"Mama, I love you. You were the person I always admired the most and the person who gave me life. Mama, I know you're proud of me and please don't ever forget me. I trust that you won't because I could never forget you. You're the best… always will be. Keep Chappu and Dad safe, okay?
"And last… Dad… I wish I could have been around you more, really gotten to know you. I've always wanted to be just like you, no matter what. Although we just met for the first time, I love you like I always have. Except this time, you're real and you could really hold me. I know you regret that you never got the chance to hold me when I was born, but please don't. Just remember me always and go on, carrying on the never-ending legacy I began in your honor. Be proud of me, Dad, because I'm really proud of you. I love you, forever and always.
"I want all of you know that I was happy on my journey. There was never really a dull moment. By now, you'll have realized the Aeon of Light has killed me upon my summoning it. I would like to tell you all not to be sad, but grieving is a part of life—but please, go on. Mama, thanks for letting me use Nirvana. I'm sorry I broke it when I summoned. I… I love you all, always, for all eternity."
Disclaimer: All belongs to Squaresoft. Tida, Chappu, Aeon of Light, etc., are mine.