It was after Yuna's speech at Luca. People were congratulating her, and thanking her, but everyone noticed the sadness that surrounded the high summoner, and her remaining guardians. They all looked liked they had lost something precious to them, and they all were in pain.
After the ceremony, Rikku and Yuna went to where they were staying. They eased each other's sorrow by consoling each other. They could only hope that somewhere, somehow, Tidu existed.
Time passed by, and the seasons passed by. A year after sin had been destroyed, Yuna and Rikku married. They lived in Besaid, near the water. They had many people help them build their home, and it was beautiful. Shortly after they married, a man came to them.
"Lady Yuna?" The messenger asked.
"Yes?" Yuna replied, still not quite comfortable with her status.
"This was found a few days ago. It belonged to one of your guardians, whom we could not find. We thought it would be best to give it to you" he said, before giving Yuna Tidu's bag, attached to which was the brotherhood. The messenger left as soon as he gave her the package, disappearing down the newly beaten path.
Yuna slid down the wall, staring at the bag before her. Rikku, having heard the messenger arrive, came to investigate. She found a very pale Yuna sitting on the floor.
"Yunie what's wrong?" Rikku asked her. Yuna just pointed to the bag, and Rikku sat down next to her. They stared at it for awhile, before opening the bag. Inside was her curative shield and papers, among other things. The papers were mainly drawings. There were several detailed ones of everyone in the group, and there were a few scenic drawings.
There was also a letter, addressed to Rikku and Yuna:
Dear Yuna and Rikku,
I wanted you to know, that although I don't want to leave you, I know of your dreams to free Spira of sin, I will not allow hundreds of people die, just to save me. I wanted to help save Spira.
You see, I knew I would disappear. The giant Fayth we passed on our way to Zanarkand, it sustained the Zanarkand I knew, the one of the past. I came from there, it told me that. But it also told me that when sin was destroyed, they would stop dreaming, and I would cease to exist in this realm.
I love you both with all my hearts. On the canvases, there are several paintings. There is a group painting of all of us together, one of just the three of us, and an individual one for everyone. I thought it would be a good way to help you remember the good times.
Try not to be sad, try to be happy. Just remember my love for the both of you, and if I survive this somehow, know that I will return to you somehow. Good bye, my loves, and know that I love you, always have and always will.
Tidu
They held each other, and cried. They looked over they paintings, and they were all detailed and full of life. At the bottom of the bag, was a purse, filled with gil. There was over a million gil in it. There were other things, personal things that had belonged to Tidu. They eventually wiped their tears away, and put the bag aside to deal with later. They went outside, and allowed the sun to bathe them in light…
I woke slowly. I was sprawled out on the hard ground. I looked around. I in front of a giant carved mural, which seemed like it was made up of people stuck in stone. I gazed at it for a few moments, before getting up and starting to walk south. I heard something approach me, and I saw a Lupine dash forward. I don't know how I knew what it was, but it was strangely familiar.
It stopped a few feet from me, stared at me intently, before melding back into the brush. It came back a while later, followed by several others. They all stared intently for a few moments, before disappearing into the surroundings.
I shrugged, and continued on south, always to the south.
"Yuna." Yuna woke to hear Lulu's voice. "Yuna, Rikku, wake up. Kimari needs to speak to you. He is being transmitted through the spheres that Cid installed, and he doesn't have long."
"I'm up, I'm up." Rikku said, bouncing out of bed to the sphere, where the image of Kimari standing there was displayed. Yuna soon joined Rikku.
"Yuna, Rikku, have news." Kimari said through the sphere com at Mount Gagazet, "Person came this way. From Zanarkand."
"Kimari, people go to Zanarkand all the time. You know they are trying to find out as much as they can from the ruined city." Yuna said a bit sleepily.
"Not understand. Ronso keep track of who pass through. Everyone who go to Zanarkand pass Gagazet, and come back to Gagazet. Person never pass Gagazet. Person odd. Fiends follow person." Kimari detailed.
That got their attention. "They are followed by fiends?" they both looked at each other.
"Yes. Look lot like Tidu, but eyes all white." Kimari said "Person travel south. No reason why, just south. Thought Yuna want to know." Kimari said, before he turned off his sphere com.
Rikku and Yuna just stared at each other. They thought of the possibilities of it all, of the possibility that it might be Tidu…
I traveled long and hard. Everyone stayed out of my way, although I found this to be a good thing. I gathered many items, and gained much gil, from various things, mainly from defeating fiends.
I came to a red city. I stopped there, looking for something, but I did not find it. The guards were a bit forward, but they stopped when I stared at them. I sold much of the items I had collected, and I bought a bag, some better clothes, and some things that would ease the traveling. I learned the city was named Bevelle, and that someone named Yuna freed Spira-this world's name, from an evil creature called sin.
Outside the city of Bevelle, a tiger fiend followed me for awhile. I began to feel that I was different. All the humans looked at me oddly, and I saw no one else being followed by fiends.
My dreams were plagued by vivid images. I kept seeing six faces over and over. I saw the destruction of a monstrous creature, which I thought was sin and they were all haunted by pain. I struggled to remember my past but I could not. I only knew I had to go south, forever south. I passed through some glass woods, which a passerby told me was called Macalania woods. I stopped at the Far Plane. The Guado seemed to respect me, although why I did not know. They gave me a sphere com, and told me that if I heard a buzzing sound, that I was to put it on the ground and press it. I have no idea why they did this, but I accepted the gift anyway, continuing on my way.
I eventually passed through the thunderous plains, getting side tracked exploring a cave, which had many elixirs. I met some fiends, but they shooed me out, and I assumed that they denned there.
I arrived at a great river, but camped along the riverside, enjoying a few days rest. When I was ferried across the moonflow, a giant water fiend kept circling us, only leaving once we got to shore. I continued on my way, but I did not realize that my reputation already preceded me.
Yuna and Rikku kept track of the mysterious person. She made rapid progress south, amazingly so. She was followed by fiends, often the more powerful ones, but that was not the oddest thing about her. The fiends never actually attacked her, but they would later attack others.
Wakka, with the Blitz ball season around the corner, was taking Yuna, Rikku, and Lulu over to Luca for the tournament. They would head out the next day, and stay at Luca for a week or so.
Rikku and Yuna began thinking of children, although they had no idea how they were going to produce them. They wanted to have a family together, and the longing became sharper as Lulu and Wakka had their first child.
The day passed, and they all boarded a boat to Luca. They sailed northward, to the city of games.
I continued moving to the south, avoiding the Machina Temple. I felt as though some of me had died there, and I had no wish to see it. I reached the popular Mi'Ihen high road, and many people gave me a wide berth. Although this was good for speedy traveling, it saddened me. I had started to see the images more clearly in my dreams. If people avoided me this much when I travel, how was I supposed to talk to the people I was searching to find? I eventually reached the end of the high road, and with a bit of trouble, entered the city of Luca. I found someone who was willing to board me for the duration of the tournament, as no ships would be leaving until after the tournament was finished.
I entered the stadium, to watch the first game of the season. The people who I bought tickets from insisted that I buy out a box, so that the other people would not be uncomfortable because of my eyes, whatever that meant.
The first match was between Besaid and the Crusaders, who had decided to enter a team. I watched the players dart back and forth, and I saw a red head on the Besaid team score. The crowd cheered for the player, whose name was Wakka.
With a jolt, one of the faces in my dream became clear, and memories came rushing in. All about this Wakka person. Then the next instant, I saw the Ronso Chief clearly in my mind again, and I began to remember things about him as well. The memories slowed and stopped, and I refocused on the game.
The Besaid team won, wiping the ground with the Crusaders. I waited awhile, before heading down to the locker room, looking for this Wakka person.
I found him in the locker room drying off. He turned when he heard the door open and close. He looked into my eyes. He sat down hard onto the bench and stared at me.
"You are Wakka, correct?" I asked him politely.
"Ya, I'm Wakka. What's it to you?" He replied slowly continuing to dry his hair.
"Do you know me?" I asked him.
"Well, you look like a friend of mine that died as we defeated sin, but no, aside from the resemblance." He said slowly. He turned to leave.
"You thought Tidu might have been your brother, so you gave him the brotherhood. You thought that it may have been possible that Chappu had survived, but that hope was shattered when you went to the Far Plane." I said, recalling it aloud.
Wakka froze. "How did you know that?" he asked.
"I remember it. I just only get them in flashes." I replied. He seemed almost angry.
"Alright, just who sent you? Was it the Yevonites? Them and their damnable search to make a detailed log of Spira's history. Or was it those damned Crusaders? Who sent you!" he yelled at me. I staggered back at the force of words.
"I was not sent by anyone. I don't know who the Yevonites are, and all I know of the Crusaders are that they entered a team in the tournament this year." I said as I attempted to leave.
"Just who are you then?" Wakka asked in a calmer tone.
"I don't know." I said as I disappeared out the door. I rushed away, my ears ringing. I ran aimlessly, until I stopped at the edge of a wharf. Only then did I take notice of where I was. I sat down, allowing my feet to dangle in the salty water.
I sat there for a time. I could feel tears of pain streak down my face. Although I had thought I could handle it if people rejected me, but somehow, Wakka's words hurt, and they hurt a lot. I gazed at the sky, watching the birds wheel and dip in their own little world. I heard footsteps, small, carefully measured footsteps, and I turned to see a spell caster. I knew she was a mage from the doll she carried. She did not appear to notice me.
I watched her for a few moments. The doll somehow looked familiar, and I gazed it intently. Suddenly, my mind was overcome with pain again; and I clutched my head, falling from the wharf. I plunged into the icy water, although I took no notice of it.
I recalled why I thought that the doll was familiar. It was a one of a kind doll, called the Onion Knight, which I had given to Lulu. I remember all I ever knew about her, although there were gaps. I realized the others also had gaps, and I presumed that they were due to the fact that I had only found three of my five missing companions. I had seen Auron at the Far Plane, along with someone named Jeckt.
I began to realize that I was underwater, and had not breathed for the last good while. I broke to the surface with one powerful kick, and took in a lungful of air.
"Cold?" a voice drifted from above me, its tone carefully neutral. I looked up and saw Lulu's red orbs staring at me, an amused expression on her face. I climbed up the support, and back onto the dock, my cheeks flushed in embarrassment.
"Didn't mean to fall. You are Lulu right?" I said, much to Lulu's surprise.
"Yes, yes I am. Have we met?" She said, crossing her arms.
"I think so, although I don't know. I just remember flashes. And if I judge by your question, you obviously don't know me." I said with a sigh. At least I knew that Wakka reactions may have been a bit extreme. I got up and started to walk away.
"You look like an old friend of mine. What is your name?" Lulu called to me as I walked away.
"I don't know if I have one." I shouted to her over my shoulder, and I disappeared into the crowd. The next match was about to start.
"… I could almost swear that the person that spoke to me in the locker room was Tidu, but she doesn't know her name, and her eyes were a creepy white." Wakka said to Yuna and Rikku, who were sitting next to him in their box seats, as they watched the game progress.
Rikku squeezed Yunas hand reassuringly, and replied "Well, if she is Tidu, she would surely seek us out. It is most likely just a fake, trying to get close to us."
"Somehow I don't think so. She didn't even know who the Yevonites were." Wakka said with doubt scrolled across his features.
"I assume you are talking about the person Kimari told us about?" Lulu said from the entranceway. She sat down next to her sleeping daughter, and explained to the others, "I met her as well. She fell off the wharf. And I agree with Wakka, the resemblance is uncanny. I don't think that she even knows who she is, let alone who we are. She told me she gets flashes of memories. I honestly don't think she is a fake, although it is possible that she might just be confused." Lulu gently picked up her child, and began to soothingly rock her.
"Please, even if it is her, she left us, of her own will. I can't handle it if she decided to do so again…" Yuna said, before turning into Rikku's shoulder.
"Uh… Yuna…" Wakka said. Yuna turned to see what the blitz player wanted, and he simply indicated the entranceway. Both Rikku and Yuna turned to see a young blonde woman stand there. "That's her."
The resemblance was more then uncanny. Aside from being thinner, and having longer hair, it was Tidu standing there. Although her eyes had changed, the rest of her was the same.
"I came to talk to you, but I see I am unwanted. I am sorry for the trouble I caused you." the woman said in her melodious voice, before she turned away, and left.
"Tidu!" Yuna cried as she ran to the entrance. The woman, already at the exit of the stadium, simply turned, and smiled sadly.
"I leave the name Tidu behind. I am Fayth." She called, wings erupting from her backside. The people around her scattered in fear. She leapt into the air, and flew in close to Yuna and Rikku, who had followed Yuna.
"I am sorry for wasting your time. I can handle one rejection, but not three. I kept my promise; I came back to you, my loves. But you did not keep faith in me, and so I cannot be Tidu. I am Fayth." She said before she sped away.
"No!" Yuna cried out. She clung to Rikku, and they both cried their grief a new.
They realized then, that they truly had not had faith in Tidu. They had not trusted that she would return to them.