Lost
Rikku hummed along as she shuffled through papers. A pair of stylized headphones hung around her neck, with the volume cranked up so high that music radiated to every corner of the room.
Yuna's bedroom was pretty boring, Rikku thought. It was draped in curtains and wall hangings, all colored with faded blues and purples. There was a large bed by one wall with way too many pillows, and by the other wall was some drawers and a writing desk heaped with papers, which she was currently rifling through. There had to be something interesting in there.
Sharp chords of machina instruments vibrated from the speakers. They climbed higher and higher, before crashing back to its heavy refrain. Rushing water could be heard just above it.
Plenty of time. Now let's see. She grabbed a stack of papers. Letter. Letter. Speech. Letter. List. Picture of Tidus.
"Hey, that's pretty good." The drawing was a little sketchy, but it was definitely him. She flipped to the next sheet. More pictures of Tidus, posing with his sword. Ha, Yuna's got talent… Proceeding through the pile, were some sketches of Kimahri and Auron, and even herself, along with landscapes of places they'd been during their adventure. They brought back plenty of memories. Coming across sketch of the Thunder Plains made her gulped involuntarily. Not all of them pleasant memories, though.
She flipped through the rest of them, stopping when a splash of color caught her eye. She pulled the picture out from the stack. There was Tidus again, holding a girl with medium-length brown hair. Though her face was hidden, Rikku had an idea who it was. Behind the couple was an Aeon, Valefor, with its wings spread around them protectively. A beautiful sunset stretched across the sky. The whole thing was very touching, but somehow... sad. She looked over it again and noticed the airship's hull.
"Oh Yunie…" She whispered.
"Yes?" Startled, Rikku dropped the pictures. She quickly noticed the absence of running water, and presence of Yuna standing next to the door in a bathrobe.
"Oh, hey!" Rikku turned the volume down on her sphere player and tried to casually shuffle the pictures back into the pile. Not casually enough, though.
"What are you looking at?" The pictures got heavy in Rikku's guilty hands.
"Well I was kinda bored, so I thought I'd just take a peak… sorry."
"No it's okay. This is a very boring place. It's just that the pictures aren't very good I'm afraid."
"Same old Yuna." Rikku shook her head, giggling. "You're way to hard on yourself, yaknow?"
"Of course." Yuna smiled at her. Rikku could always make things seem better. "So, what brings you here?"
"Well, it's been a while since we've seen each other, so I figured 'why not?' Besides, I need a break. Working as Lead Engineer is a pretty tiring job." Rikku said 'Engineer' with a hint of pride.
"Wow. Good for you! An engineer, huh…?"
"Lead Engineer." Rikku added.
"Oh, my apologies. 'Lead Engineer'"
"Yep, sometimes I even amaze myself." Rikku said, examining her lime-green fingernails. "By the way, how's the 'ruling the world' business goin?" Yuna walked to the desk and picked up the stack of pictures. She flipped through some pages.
"I'd… rather not talk about it."
"Oh come on, it can't be that bad." She went to sit on the edge of the desk and saw that Yuna was looking at the airship picture. "Oh I see. You're sad because it's over, right? … And you probably miss him a lot too."
"… Maybe." Yuna dropped the pictures back on the table. "But I can handle that. I know it's over, it's just, I didn't want it to end this way."
"But there's nothing that you can do about that." Rikku tried to sound optimistic. "So, you shouldn't stress over it."
Yuna didn't look up from the desk. "You're right. There's nothing I can do. That's why I'm just so… I don't know."
"Angry?" Rikku tried to picture it.
"Yuna angry. Hard to imagine that…" She was about to laugh, but Yuna's expression told her it wasn't the best time. She looked lost and frustrated, staring at that picture. It wasn't like her at all.
"Oh Yunie. I'm sorry." Rikku felt a little uncomfortable. She turned to glance around the room, although she wasn't really looking at anything. "I know this place probably feels kinda… empty right now. Endings are usually like that, even happy ones. But there's other stuff out there, yaknow?" Rikku smiled as the words came to her. "There's always another adventure, but to find it you have to let go of the past." She turned back to Yuna, who seemed to be thinking that over.
"I guess, you're right." She said.
"Oh wait! I got it." Rikku pulled the headset from around her neck and gave it to Yuna. "Listen to this."
As Yuna placed the speakers on her ears, Rikku turned up the volume on her player. At first, Yuna looked a little skeptical, but after several seconds she began to smile. Rikku grinned, playing through the song in her head. They got to the second chorus before Yuna spoke, loud enough to hear herself.
"What is this?" She carefully lifted the headphones off. "It's… interesting"
"Forbidden Machina." Yuna looked to the player, confused.
"No, I mean the music." She was even more confused when Rikku shook her head, laughing.
"Yes. Forbidden Machina. That's the name of the band." She raised a fist and shouted "Forbidden Machina Rules!"
"Oh" Yuna laughed, feeling embarrassed. "Well they certainly do… rule." That started them both laughing.
Yuna handed the headphones back. "Thank you."
"No problem." Rikku said. "Just spreading the joys of heresy. Speaking of which, shouldn't you be getting ready for that presentation thingy?"
"Oh, right!" Yuna rushed to the changing room and closed the door behind her. Rikku shuffled through more papers on the desk, but didn't find anything else worth looking at. Boredom crept up on her again, so she went to the door of the dressing room.
"So what is this thing all about anyway?"
Yuna shouted back through the door. "Well, it's a speech to commemorate the new Maesters for their contributions since the calm. Like… a big thank-you letter."
"Oh ok." How fascinating. "This may sound like a sorta dumb question, but what's the point of that? I mean, couldn't you just write to them?" There was a rustling of clothes from the other side, and then Yuna answered.
"Well, it's complicated. Since the calm, most people have started losing their faith. The council's goal it to give people something to believe in, so that everyone can be united. And Spira can grow."
"Well that's nice, but I still don't get why you have to give this speech. I mean, it's almost the calm anniversary, you should be out partying or something."
"Hmm. Wouldn't that be wonderful?" The door opened and Yuna walked out, fussing with her damp hair. "I have to do this because it's my life. I don't like it at all, but it is the only thing I have left." She flattened out her dress and brushed her hair back. "How do I look?"
"You're bow's a little crooked."
"Goodness." Yuna muttered, reaching behind her.
"Here, I'll get it." Rikku sighed, realizing this was probably the fourth time in her life she'd done this. She's got to start thinking about a new wardrobe.
"Anyway, Lulu said that the maesters are breaking apart."
"Really?"
"Well, they each have different dreams for Spira's future, but so far they seem to be very understanding of one another. I think this speech is supposed to try and keep everything together."
"How does it go?" Rikku asked. The bow was beyond adjusting, so she started tying it over.
"We'll find out, it starts in about an hour."
"Huh? Don't you have it written down somewhere?"
There was a pause.
"Well, yes. I, just didn't have the time to finish it, so Lulu was kind enough to write the rest."
"But you still haven't read it yet?"
"Mmm, not really. But I'm alright at these things, I can pick it up as I go along."
"Oh well THAT'S a relief." Yuna picked up on the heavy sarcasm.
"Hey! I can do it!"
"Of course you can. I never doubted you… what's this?" As Rikku finished the bow, which was perfect, her hand brushed something sticking out from under Yuna's sash. She looked and saw a small black pouch hiding just beneath the massive bow. It was made out of silk and held in place by a black cord tied around her waist, underneath the sash.
"Wha-? Oh Rikku! Wait-" The pouch was open on the sides, so Rikku decided to check what Yuna was hiding. Her fingers touched cold metal.
"Ouch!" She yelled, grabbing her hand. She hadn't pressed hard enough to cut herself, but there was now a small puncture in her skin.
"Are you ok?" Yuna said with apologetic concern.
"Yea, I'm fine. What was that?" Yuna didn't answer, but reached back to ensure the pouch was hidden. Satisfied, she headed out of the room.
"Come on, we're going to be late."
---
Tidus stood at the edge of the dock, looking out at the water. The sunlight sparkled on its surface like a field of diamonds. He shook his head. This can't be real.
He'd said that at least twenty times now, but it didn't fit. Everything he remembered and everything his head was telling him made perfect sense, it just didn't feel right. There were still so many questions that he couldn't answer.
Well why can't it be real?
Why…? Because it's over. There's no reason for me to be here.
But you are.
And? That doesn't exactly help anything.
What is this then? If it's not real.
What is this? Good question.
"WHAT IS THIS?" He shouted over the water, but his voice was eaten by the waves. A mist of sea-spray blew around him in response.
Well that was inspiring, though not very helpful. Tidus kicked a small stone off the edge of the dock. It hit the water with a plop.
The confusion finally got to him, and he dropped like the stone onto the dock. He sat there for a while, trying to forget. It would be so much easier to forget. He tried to block out all the buzzing questions and nagging thoughts, but memories still drifted with the breeze and every swell of water was déjà vu.
"Maybe it's just a dream." Tidus said, sitting on the edge. The water didn't have any opinion. It just broke against the dock the same way it always had. Birdcalls accompanied gentle waves. It was perfect.
…Just a dream?
Splashing sounds interrupted his trance. Some kids were playing blitzball by the beach. They seemed to be enjoying themselves, laughing and juggling the ball. They waded out a little, and one of them grabbed it away. He checked to make sure nothing was too close before tossing the ball skyward. He tried to follow it with an unbalanced attempt at a sphere shot that left him landing in the water at an odd angle. His impact was shortly followed by a lighter splash as the blitzball hit. The other kids burst out laughing.
Ha, he could use a little practice. Tidus thought to himself, smiling. His gaze fell to one hand resting on the weather-stained dock.
Actually, so could I. Flashes of Luca stadium moved through his head, and he wondered if the tournaments were still running. He thought about his game against the Goers in the previous season. He remembered the excitement, the crowd; it was the rush that came with blitzing. It was what he used to live for, back then…
Wait. I'm here, and I'm alive. It made sense. Why not live it? Yeah! Not that much could have changed in a year. He just hoped the teams hadn't gotten too soft while he was gone.
He started to get up with his newfound inspiration, but was weighed down again.
What about the pilgrimage? The airship? Yuna? After all the lost seconds and all the things that had happened, was it really the time for blitzball?
…It's the only time. A voice came to him from the edge of his mind.
Finally, a helpful flashback.
"Right on, Wakka." He said, climbing to his feet. He was thinking too much. Who cares if it is a dream? I might as well enjoy myself.
Later on he'd talk with Gatta and get some answers, then move on from there. But the first thing he had to do was go over and teach those guys how to blitz.
For the first time since waking up, Tidus felt better about things. It was good to have a goal, he realized.
Stretching a little as he said goodbye to the sunset, Tidus turned and took off down the dock, promptly crashing into an innocent bystander. The cloaked figure tumbled to the ground
"Whoa! Ha, uh sorry bout that." He said, bending to help them up. The person's face was concealed by the hood of a plain white robe with bright red designs around the sleeves. Something nagged at him as he lent a hand, but he couldn't place it. One more unsolved mental mystery.
The person didn't say anything, but reached out a slim hand. Tidus helped them up without much trouble, immediately noticing it was a girl. She had pale skin and weighed almost nothing.
They were almost eye-level with each other standing up, and very close, he realized. Close enough that when she looked up at him he could see her face beneath the hood. His heart stopped.
She seemed young, with fair skin and shoulder length brown hair tied in braids. She could have been Tidus's age, maybe younger. But he choked when he saw her eyes looking at him. One emerald, and one sapphire.
The girl quickly broke away from Tidus's grip and ran, pulling her hood back down. He was shocked for a second or two, tripping over his thoughts again. His heart promptly told his head to shut up, and he ran.
I really like interesting cliffhangers, and I do think it's about time this story had one ^_^