Disclaimer: Well, technically I do own Final Fantasy X-2. I paid $49.99 for it. But I guess all that other legal mumbo-jumbo still kind of applies.
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"I haven't dreamt of them in so long." Yuna said quietly. She sat on her bed with her legs folded before her and her eyes fixed on the wooden floor. "I haven't thought about them either. I'm not saying that I forgot about them, but it's just been so long…"
"It could just have been a random dream, Yuna." He offered gently. "I don't think you should get too worked up over it. Give it some time."
"But I saw Liya." She turned to face him. Tears had moistened her eyes but were not ready to fall. "Why was she there?"
"I don't want to give you wrong answers." He replied softly. "I can't tell you why you dreamed of them again, or why Liya was there. I want to say whatever you want to make it all go away, but I don't want to end up lying to you either."
He raised his hand to her face and touched it gently. Moving his fingers across the smooth skin and over her lips, he gently took her jaw in his hand. Giving her the opportunity to pull or turn away, he pulled her to him slowly and pressed his lips softly against hers.
The kiss ended quickly, but neither of them moved so he pressed her again and she opened her mouth to him. It was soft and slow, almost hesitant like their first at Macalania.
"I love you." He whispered when they paused to breathe. He pulled her closer to him and returned to her lips. Slowly, he laid her down onto her back and her arms went up around him.
When the morning came, she lay content in his arms and smiled slightly at the small sounds coming from the room next door. Blankets were thrown back and a soft thud hit the ground.
Tidus opened his eyes in acknowledgement of the new commotion coming from down the hall. He slipped away from her and out of the bed as she stretched and he moved into their bathroom. She arranged herself, pulling a shirt from the small bureau next to the bed and fishing a small pair of shorts out as well. Slipping the small garments on, she smiled when the knock on the door came softly to her ears.
The door creaked slightly and a small face appeared. Sapphire eyes turned and locked on Yuna as a grin betook the girl. She pushed the door open more and slowly moved across the floor. Her salt and peppered brown and blonde hair had stayed decently well in the braid that reached the small of her back. Yuna could only guess that the stray tendrils were the result of movement because of a dream, or perhaps falling from her bed again.
The girl climbed up onto the white sheets and moved towards Yuna and pushed her face out to touch her nose to Yuna's. Yuna smiled and crinkled her nose, which set the girl bursting into a fit of laughter. She threw herself backwards on the mattress and her white nightgown nearly went up over her head.
Yuna quickly seized the moment and pounced on the girl, attacking the small stomach with her fingers. The girl's small laughs were thrown into shrieking giggles.
"Stop, mom, stop!" She cried between laughs.
"Now why would I want to stop?" Yuna asked teasingly.
"B – Because…" The girl tried to blurt out before laughter overtook her once more. "Can't…breathe…"
"What was that?" Yuna asked playfully.
"Daddy!" The girl cried. "Help me!"
The bathroom door opened and Tidus appeared in the doorway wearing a pair of cotton shorts and nothing more than the silver chain about his neck. "Help you?" He made a face as though thinking. "Now, why would I want to do that? What do I get out of it?" He asked as he slowly moved towards them.
"I'll…I'll give you a kiss." The girl said between breaths.
"Oh, you'll give me a kiss?" He set his hands down, one on each side of the child and moved his face towards hers. Then the playful thinking face graced him once more. "Now, how does that benefit me when I can just take one?" He asked and quickly kissed her cheek. "And another one." He stole another and the girl shrieked.
Tidus looked up at Yuna. "Think she's had enough?" He asked her.
Yuna sighed.
"Yes! Yes enough!" The girl pleaded.
"I suppose so." Yuna agreed and ceased in her tickling.
The girl remained on her back, gasping for air, but her smile never left her face. "You cheater." She said as she shoved her small hand against Tidus' shoulder. The act had no effect on the well-toned man and he stole another kiss from the child.
"I'm allowed to." He smiled down at her.
"Says who?" The girl demanded.
"It says so in the 'Daddy Handbook'." He replied.
"It does not." She said.
"And how would you know?" He asked.
"I wanna see it, then." She countered.
"It's the Daddy handbook. Not the Daughter Handbook."
The girl crossed her arms over her chest and stared up at her father. Tidus moved his face from hers, but she kept her eyes on his.
"Oh. Oh, we're not having a staring contest now are we?" He asked playfully.
She bit her lower lip.
"I don't think Liya would challenge you to a staring contest." Yuna laughed. "You know how terrible she is at staring contests."
"I wouldn't have dreamed she would have wanted to engage in another staring contest." Tidus said and eyed the girl.
Liya tried to bite her smile back, but once again burst into laughter and rolled onto her side. Yuna joined in her daughter's laughter and laid down beside her in a tickled fit. Tidus, couldn't help but laugh at the pair, even as he took a step back and watched them together.
The two were so much alike. In appearance, their voices, gestures – you name it and it was so similar it was almost haunting. He smiled as they tried to regain their breaths, then began laughing at each other once more before Yuna rolled off the bed and onto her feet and leaned over the young girl.
"Come on, lets go eat." She said to the girl and scooped her up off the bed and set her on the floor.
Liya took off like a bolt through the bedroom door and down the hall towards the stairs.
"What?" Yuna asked with a faint smile when she caught him staring at her.
His smile broadened and he shook his head. His arm went around her waist and they moved into the hall and followed the girl's path down the stairs.
"Did you sleep better?" He asked as they descended the steps.
She smiled and kissed him on the cheek and whispered into his ear. He closed his eyes and gave a nod as a grin took his mouth.
"I'll take that as a yes then." He nodded again.
"You can take it however you…"
Then Yuna paused as her daughter's voice came to her ears.
They'll fly to you, even though I can't see
I know that they're reaching you
Suspended on silver wings
The girl had gotten up onto a stool and had pulled a bowl from the cupboard and her voice continued to hum the familiar tune and Yuna paused in the kitchen's doorway.
The dream flashed before her. She felt them rushing through the halls. Saw the look in her eyes as his soul pleaded with her. I never said that I loved you…
Liya's scream rang in Yuna's ears followed by the splitting sound of gunfire. Her vision faltered and Tidus' grip on her hip tightened momentarily. "Yuna?"
She was pulled back to the performance at the Thunder Plains almost seven years ago. The images from the sphere flashed before her eyes and she remembered what it felt when Lenne came to her front and took Yuna over. Emotion had overloaded her receptors then and the familiar flood was threatening to rise again.