*~Part Two~*
Chapter Eleven
Four weeks later….
A gunshot rang down from the hills into Besaid village. A few seconds later another one rippled through the early afternoon breeze. Tidus' eyes shot open as he jumped off of his bed. He arced his head and tensed his shoulders. It was if his whole body was listening. Was that a gun, he thought to himself. Slowly a bad feeling started going through the pit of his stomach. They're coming for Yuna again, he thought. A few moments later another gunshot riveted through the air.
Tidus jumped outside his hut not bothering to put on his shirt. As he stepped out he saw a half a dozen people staring up on the mountain trail that eventually leads to the beach. A fourth shot rang out. Without thinking, Tidus took off running up the trail.In his haste he didn't even equip himself, something that he wished he had done. An air fiend rushed out of a tree and dug its claws into the flesh of Tidus' back. Tidus yelled in pain but didn't fight back, just merely waving his arms at the fiend before turning and running back up the hillside. He didn't have time for this.
It had been a peaceful few weeks in Besaid, relatively speaking of course. Yuna's wounds have mostly healed, with her arm brace just coming off yesterday. The first week was touch and go, with her being too weak to even talk. But slowly she started to find her strength and will again. After the second week she was able to get up off of the bed and move around the hut, if only for a few minutes. It was the third week when she showed the most progress, being able to move around and go places for a significant period of time. Tidus knew she was strong, but even this show of will was surprising to him. And all of this time, Tidus had never left her side. And now at the end of the fourth week, all he could think of is that some new threat was coming for her. Something he had to stop.
As he reached the top of the hill he saw two figures with their backs toward him. His breath came in gasps and sweat trickled into his eyes, forcing him to blink. When he did, he failed to see a rock in his path and he tripped on it and tumbled over.
He heard laughter….Yuna's laughter. "Silly," he heard her say. Tidus forced himself up and looked forward. He saw Yuna, with Rikku not too far behind. Yuna was wearing a white spaghetti shirt that came down right above her navel that covered her scarred ribs. She had on a pair of blue, and somewhat revealing pair of shorts. She had on a yellow armband around her right arm that covered the remnants from her once-broken arm. Also, and most surprisingly, she had a gun in each hand. (Click here, if you want to see what she looks like) She took a few steps towards Tidus and then leaned over him. "Are you ok?" she asked.
For a second Tidus' mind didn't work. All of his worst fears had somehow not been the case, and what he had feared had turned into something he never expected.
He heard Rikku's voice come from the other direction. "He obviously seems worried about you Yunie."
"I was, uh," Tidus staggered as he jumped up to his feet. "I heard the shots, I thought someone was in trouble."
"You thought someone was after me," Yuna corrected with a smirk on her face. "Right?"
"Uhhhh…," Tidus responded, feeling warmth come to his face.
"It's ok," Yuna said. "I think it's cute. My night in shining armor came to thwart any danger that could have came to me." By now Tidus' face had turned beet red from embarrassment.
"Awwww…." Rikku said sarcastically. "Isn't that sooo sweet?"
Tidus put his arm up behind his head as he looked down, trying to think of something to say.
"Ok," Yuna said. "That's enough. I think we've embarrassed him enough for one day."
"What are you doing up here?" Tidus asked absently. "What are those, guns?"
"Al Bhed pistols," Rikku answered for her.
"I was just practicing," Yuna said. "I want to be able to take care of myself from here on,"
"Take care of yourself?" Tidus questioned.
"Yeah," Yuna replied. "Something like that. But I think we've done enough for today Rikku."
"Gotcha," Rikku said.
"Besides, it looks like my night in shining armor needs to go clean up."
Tidus looked down at himself again. He still had no shirt or shoes, and a spat of blood had mixed in with the dirt that was covering him from his fall. He felt his face turning red again. "Uhh….sure thing," he murmured.
"Come," Yuna said, extending her hand. Tidus took it and they started walking down the trail, with Rikku already out in front bounding down the slope.
"What are you doing with guns?" Tidus finally asked. "I thought Yevon forbid them."
"I think," Yuna said hesitantly. "I think I'm done with Yevon."
"What?" Tidus asked in shock.
"Remember when I was excommunicated? That started my lack of faith in the religion." she began. "Then we saw forbidden machina in Bevelle temple."
"Hmm-mmm," Tidus mumbled.
"And, well…our fight with Yu Yevon. How he used the entire Yevon religion, along with summoners, guardians, masters, just for his gain. He would have used us, as he used both of our parents."
"Yeah," Tidus said. Actually, now that he thought about it, her lost faith wasn't that much of a shock to him. "But why all of a sudden? And what's up with those clothes?"
"You don't like them?" Yuna asked quietly.
"No, no, no, that's not what I mean at all," Tidus quickly replied. "It's just a surprise that's all."
"It was Rikku's idea. She thought that if I were going somewhere, then it would probably be best if I had a new identity. Especially with people trying to…" she tapered off for a second. "Kill me."
"Where are you going?" Tidus asked hesitantly.
"With you," she replied.
"Huh?" Tidus asked with a confused tone in his voice.
"There's something you're not telling me. Somewhere you want to go, right?" She stopped him and looked at him in his eyes. "What is it?"
Tidus sighed. He had no idea how she knew, unless maybe he still talks in his sleep, something he used to do as a kid. "The night you were pushed," he started. "I had a dream. But I don't think it was dream. I think it was….my old man."
"Ah," Yuna said. "Sir Jecht."
"Yeah, anyway," Tidus said, still not ready to think of his dad as being a 'Sir.' "I think I was at the Farplane with him. He said that there was trouble brewing in the Assembly. He said that Lord Luzzu is planning something big, that his men were the people who pushed you off of the temple. He said that he has a plan, but he needs my help."
"Wow," Yuna said. The answer to her question was far more complicated than she thought. "You think it's true?"
Tidus hesitated before continuing. "Yeah. My old man, he seemed serious this time. I really think he wants to help us somehow."
"What does he want you to do?"
"He wanted me to go to Gagazet first."
"Why didn't you go?"
"I was going to wait on you," Tidus said. "I was not going to leave you again. I had to make sure you were going to be ok. I was going still wanting to go. That is, whenever you feel up to it."
"I see. Thank you Tidus," she said as she leaned in and kissed him. "I love you," she whispered, not really expecting an answer.
For a few seconds, silence was her only answer. However right when Yuna took another step down the trail, Tidus replied to her.
"I love you too," he said.
Yuna's face lit up as a smile extended across her face. She turned back around and kissed him again.
The next day…
"I'm going to need this big man," Tidus said, his voice echoing in the hollow temple. "I'll take good care of it, I promise."
Tidus reached in and grabbed his familiar bluish-green sword from the statue. He swung it around a few tentative times, trying to get the feel back. He hiked it on his shoulder and started walking out of the temple. Right before he stepped out into the morning sun, he turned around once more to look at the stone statue engraved in his honor. "Hmph," he muttered before turning back and walking out the door.
"Are you ready?" he heard a voice call out.
"Yeah…wow," Tidus replied looking at Rikku. Yuna wasn't the only one that decided to go with new clothes. Rikku was wearing a yellow bikini top with a brown, extremely short pair of shorts. She had a blue bandana on with two orange scarves hanging on each side of her head. (Click here to see what Rikku looks like.) Tidus couldn't help but think of how much the young Al Bhed had grown up and matured. She's no longer the happy-go-lucky girl that once had no care in the world. She actually has a position of power now. There's a word that Tidus never associated with Rikku before: responsibility.
But even her sense of responsibility falls second to her sense of commitment to her friends and family. That is why she has anointed her aide Garvis to her position on a temporary basis, so she could be with Yuna and Tidus.
"So why does everybody get a new identity, and I don't?" Tidus asked.
"Because you didn't ask for one!!" Rikku replied.
"We'll, I don't need one," Tidus retorted.
Suddenly he felt a deep rumbling in the air as an Al Bhed airship, the Rekrfeht , appeared on the horizon. He watched in awe as the huge airship circled around and landed outside the village. This airship was the first of many made by the Al Bhed. Since the defeat of Sin, it seems as if every major city has commissioned one, all owned by the Assemby of course. All of this business has been a huge boost to the Al Bhed society and has made them some of the most powerful people in the world. But even so, it all started with the first Airship. The one that Tidus helped recover his first day in Spira. The one they were walking towards now.
Tidus had a small sense of apprehension in his stomach as he watched the bay doors open. It will be the first time that he will step foot on the airship since he died two years ago. He almost didn't want to go. He swallowed hard and looked at Yuna. There wasn't much color in her face. She's thinking the same thing too, he thought.
"We'll, we had better get going," Tidus said reluctantly.
Tidus stepped towards the massive airship, with a sense of adventure and reluctance. A new adventure is starting, he thought solemnly to himself. He could only think of what new dangers await them.
Author's notes:
1—Woah, sorry for the delay. I've not had computer access over the past three weeks or so. Beyond that I've been trying to re-edit the story up to this point. Also, the holidays kinda put me behind as well. That and a trip to Miami over New Years, too. But now that those, ahem, distractions, are behind me now, I can get back to some serious writing.
2—All names, characters, places, and events referred to are copyrighted by Squaresoft.
3—Recommended reading: A Single Prayer, by Sanguine Guardian. A nice X-2 style fic that is developing nicely.
4—Thanks people. Especially Mr./Mrs. Anonymous. That's really flattering that someone would look at my story for pointers on writing their own. Good luck with it there, kid. Thanks to Blurry, Target, and Tidus-DemonStar (cool name btw.) The wait is over, heh. SG, I will definitely check that out, it's about time for me to watch the ending again. It's kind of a ritual, every so often re-watch one of the best endings ever.
5—Hook a friend up and let them in on FFX. They will appreciate it.
6—Rekrfeht? Get your Al Bhed translator out.
