Daddy

By parry

Category: Final Fantasy X

Genre: General

Rating: G

Dedication: This one is for Lady Yuna and Lord Braska. And any other little girl without a daddy.

Summary: A most unexpected visit from the last person Yuna thought she would ever see in Macalania Woods gives her the strength to move onward as a Summoner. one-shot

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy X and all copy rights, characters, and Trademarks do not belong to me. I do not own anything and I am not making any profit whatsoever off of this particular work of fan fiction.

She had been standing on the shore for quite some time now, almost as if waiting for something. Her beautiful eyes were burdened now with the truth, the pain of it all nothing short of staggering. I understood how she felt. Everything that she had put faith in...what she had dedicated her life to, Yevon had taken away from her. Yevon stole her tired smile, her pride and her strength. Especially her strength. Her resolve had been unwavering, the fierce determination within her unquestionable. But now, as I watch my little gem wade out into the water, I knew she had been hurt. To have to question your own faith...it was as if they had challenged her very heart.

All I could do was watch from a distance and pray that the Fayth would guide her. I watched her silently, willing her to believe this was all just a test of her faith. Of her courage, of her bravery. And she had to move on...

Her hands were cupped slightly as if in a sign of prayer, and I was oddly reminded of her, a younger Yuna, running towards me, a broad smile on her face and a twinkle of purity in her mismatched eyes as she whispered eagerly:

"I found a soul!"

But, that childlike innocence was absent, replaced with a young woman now, seemingly more strained and more solemn then she once was. The maturity in her had shined through in the past hours, taking control of her once hesitant trait. Her lips were pursed and she closed her eyes, and I felt her pain. I felt her trying desperately to understand why Yevon was the way it was, and why they were sending Summoners like herself to her death. It pained me to see her like this, to see her so upset and so hurt. Hurt by Yevon, her pillar and strength, and perhaps even by Spira itself. I was careful not to move or stir—but not that it mattered. She wouldn't have seen me or even heard me as she was in her own world, caught up in thought.

It was then that she unfolded her arms and let her fingertips dance along the surface of the water, her eyes tracing the calm ripples as they drifted further and further apart. Her lips parted, a pure and unmistakable note echoing from her throat. Her voice sounded beautiful, and it calmed me somewhat, to hear her sing the Hymn of the Fayth.

"Pray, savior
Dream, Child of Prayer
Forever and ever
Bring us peace..."

Out of pure habit, I recited the Hymn with her, my heart hammering as the last note slowly disintegrated into the air. She stopped immediately, her eyes widening in astonishment. She glanced back and forth frantically, as if searching for my voice. I smirked slightly as she twirled around in the water, the faint splash reaching my ears. She held her hands to her heart as she breathed:

"Who's there?"

Yevon...she had heard me. I let out a small gasp and quickly stepped backwards, certain now that she had heard my voice with hers. Yuna, however, followed my move and for one hot second, she turned and through the branches of the Macalania trees and through the various leaves I had disguised myself beneath, she looked past them and met my eyes.

To her it was probably nothing but a moment, but to me...

I could've lived my life over again and wouldn't have noticed.

My heart was immediately shattered, however, when Jecht's son stumbled into view, smiling in a somewhat awkward manner as he absentmindedly scratched the back of his head. I had watched him most of all on the journey as well as Yuna, and noted how amazingly he reminded me of Jecht. And then again, I found that he was—in some ways—nothing like his father. He had been ashamed of what his father had apparently become in his world, and though I didn't understand most of it—mainly due to the fact that I didn't want to understand it—I liked the boy all-around. My hopes of Yuna actually seeing me were dashed, however, when he intruded upon the scene, grinning nervously.

"Tidus..." Yuna murmured.

The boy only frowned and tilted his head to the side, concerned. "Something wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I...I think..." Yuna stammered, her hand cradling her cheek, "I think I did."

I had almost given up. I was turning to leave them now, but when she said that... It made me want to stay.

"Really?" Tidus whispered excitedly, "Who?"

Yuna smiled then, a smile I was almost sure would probably never surface again. It was the smile I was afraid Yevon had permanently wiped away, and her joyous eyes only made the tears sting at my own as she murmured:

"I think...I saw my daddy."