Return of Light
"Tida!"
"Tida, wake up! Please!"
Tida looked up, tears glistening in her bi-colored orbs. Her head went from side to side and her eyes darted around wildly. "What?"
"Tida, can you hear me? Wake up!"
"Open your eyes, damn it!"
Tida scrambled and stumbled to her feet, spinning as she continued to look around. "I can hear you! I can hear you! I'm here! I'm here!" she cried. Apparitions of her friends and family appeared everywhere around her, calling her name, worry written on their faces.
Tida stared as an image of Chappu shot up right in front of her, calling her name. Tida screamed in pain and rage and swatted at it, sobs racking her already beaten frame. She fell forward to her hands and knees.
Aliciantae let out a strangled gasp and reached out toward her, but didn't move from her spot. She felt the girl's anguish and it squeezed at her heart until she felt as if it would cease to beat.
"Tida! Tida, please!"
"Tida, sweetheart… wake up!"
Tears still pouring down flushed cheeks, Tida raised her head and let out a feral scream of agony and rage, clenching her hands so hard into fists that blood appeared, running down her wrists. "I HATE THIS!"
The Light's eyes widened and she took an unconscious step backward. Several emotions flickered over her eyes, among them pity and worry.
"Tida…" she began hesitantly, "you really should—"
"I really should be with my family!" Tida cut her off, eyes now blazing with fires never before seen within them, not even when she looked upon Seymour. "I really should be seeing what's going; restoring things to the way they were before the Shadow wreaked its havoc upon Spira. I really should be marrying Chappu and beginning a family of my own. I REALLY SHOULD BE ON SPIRA!!" she ended with a loud shout and furious fling of a white ball of light that completely wiped out a distant mountain.
Tida whirled back around, still quavering in ferocity. Her chest heaved with every breath and her eyes still burned with angering flames.
The Light bit her lip. "Tida…"
Tida's eyes abruptly fluttered and she fainted.
* * *
Tida let out a soft moan and opened her green eye, followed by her blue eye. Someone appeared over her, smiling with tears in their eyes.
"Oh, baby! You're back!" It was Yuna. A hand brushed one of Tida's cheeks lovingly and Tida leaned in her mother's caress. "Mama."
"Hey there, baby girl," Tidus said, grinning as he leaned over her body. "We thought we'd lost you there for a minute." He pulled her to her feet and hugged her before Yuna took her rightful turn.
Tida gazed around in wonder. "What happened?"
"You and your Final Fantasy. That's what happened. Not bad, huh?" Zeoron answered, grinning and rocking up on her toes, hands clasped behind her back.
Flowers were blooming everywhere over the succulent green grass. Rosebushes were already in full blossom, moistened with dew. Weeping willows, oaks, and cherry trees all thrived around them, creating a clearing surrounded by all other trees. Tida smiled as she spun in a slow circle, taking it all in.
"Where were you?"
Tida stopped her pirouette and met Chappu's eyes. She faced him fully and smiled. "With the Light," she said truthfully. She couldn't quite remember what else there was, but something was pulling at her heart and her memory.
Chappu arched one brow and then laughed. "Okay." He held his arms out and Tida ran into them, burying her face in his chest and hugging him for all she was worth.
—
The party walked back onto the streets of Zanarkand to a large gathering of people in the main square, all screaming and cheering and waving hands. There was laughter and celebration everywhere.
Tida was all smiles as they strolled down along the roads to all the applause and joyous cries from the people of Zanarkand, though many were from other places in Spira. Children occasionally ran alongside them, giggling and waving. The group returned with laughs and grins of their own.
On they went to the Zanarkand Dome where the crowd squeezed itself inside to near bursting as Tida and her party took to the balcony. With a somewhat forceful encouragement from her mother—a shove or two—Tida took position at the central railing, gazing out at all the people. She glanced back at her mother, who said, "Go on! Go on!" while beaming with pride. Tidus slung and arm around his wife, nodding to his daughter.
Tida met everyone's eyes before she held Chappu's gaze for a few moments. She turned back to the crowd and raised her arms for silence. Slowly, the mass quieted.
"Everyone… the Shadow has been defeated. The Eternal Calm is restored!"
A loud roar of jubilance erupted from Spira's peoples. Men, women and children danced in the aisles and on the stone steps, laughing and singing.
Tida smiled and once again raised her hands. "Though lives have been lost, their memories will not be. They live on in each and every one of us. Some of us have discovered things on this journey that will never, ever be forgotten." Tida gave a small laugh. "I doubt we could forget them even if we wanted to.
"Everyone… let your dreams begin again. Make new ones, and live them. But don't ever forget what was given up in turn for them. Cherish every moment you have here, because life is such a precious gift and one you definitely don't want to waste. Thank you."
Applause rang out and with it, cheers and songs praising the Lady Tida.
Wakka and Lulu turned to each other and smiled. Wakka kissed her nose and Lulu turned a slight shade of pink.
Rikku and Zeoron slapped each other's hands and grinned, doing some sort of jig together while Chappu looked on, rolling his eyes and scooping up a surprised Tida in his arms, spinning around and around.
Tidus and Yuna met eyes and kissed sweetly, finally altogether happy.
* * *
Tida had never been so ecstatic about going to sleep. She collapsed whole-hearted onto her bed and curled up, blissfully embracing sleep with every molecule of her body.
"Tida?"
Tida opened her eyes, and, upon seeing where she was, remembered. She sat bolt upright, and, from there, leapt to her feet, narrowing her eyes at the silver-haired woman in front of her.
"No! You can't do this!" Tida said in a strained voice.
"You are free, Lady Tida. Might I also add it is a pleasure to finally meet you. My name is Saspan, and I am one of the Council."
Tida turned bi-colored eyes onto a tall young man, only maybe a year or two older than Chappu. He had hair so blond, it was white, and startlingly blue eyes, matching the sky hit for hit. He bowed to her.
Tida decided to do as she had been taught and curtseyed in kind. "It's a pleasure, Saspan," she said easily, arching one brow in confusion.
Saspan offered her a smile. "We have decided you are not yet ready to be the Light and that Aliciantae is not yet ready to retire. Therefore, you are free to live your life as you wish, so long as it is with the Light. We will bestow with the knowledge of what will be so that you will know what to do when the time comes, although it may be centuries before you are at last called."
"Oh. Oh! Oh, thank you!" Tida cried, flinging herself at Saspan and hugging him. Saspan let out a grunt and a look of mild surprise crossed his features as well as bewilderment. Humans, he decided, could never be understood.
Aliciantae stifled a giggle with her hand. "Until next we meet, Tida, until next we meet."
* * *
"Tida! Time to get up!"
Tida blinked one eye open and smiled into her pillow, giggling. She bounced out of bed, threw on some clothes, and dashed down the hall.
In one jump, she landed on the balcony and slid down. She reached the bottom and jumped, flipping in the air and landing squarely in front of a startled Chappu, who dropped all his papers.
Chappu scowled as he bent to pick them all up. "And to think I'm gonna marry you," he muttered, shaking his head.
Disclaimer: All belongs to Square Enix. You people know what's mine, okay?