Oh my gosh...I think I'm going to cry! Seriously. I guess the end of this story really does signify the end of my school year, as well as Yuna's. I don't know if this ending was really the best, but I really kind of liked it. By the way, I added the lyrics to "Exodus '04", by Utada at the end, just because really, that song was my full inspiration for this song. I guess I kind of think of it as the end credits, if you know what I mean...Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed not only this chapter, but my story in general!
Chapter 14: Life Isn't That Simple
"Congratulations, here's your license," the short teacher said, finally handing Yuna her sheet of paper that would allow her to drive.
"Thank you, Sir," Yuna said, as she took it. Somehow, it didn't seem to mean anything though. She walked outside of the government driving building and into her car, which had been fixed already for the second time. Sighing, Yuna drove off, glad that for once, she didn't have to rely on Rikku to drive her places. Especially now. The last thing Yuna wanted to do was bring up the past with Rikku.
Yuna drove along silently, and finally looked into the rearview mirror. Then, with a sharp turn, she turned into a road that she had been down quite a few times in the last year, and slowly drove past the large house that had once belonged to a certain blitzball player.
Yuna stopped in front of it, realizing that it stood there, empty. She found her eyes drifting up to Tidus' bedroom window, where she assumed he would normally be sleeping. Her eyes then drifted the bay windows that overlooked the yard from the living room, where Tidus' father usually sat watching the blitzball games on the sphere. Yuna swallowed and bit her lip. It was easy for her to say that it was over, to say that she would never pass this house again. To do it though, was another thing. But she knew somewhere in her heart that she had to get over it. She had to get over him.
Sighing again, Yuna drove off, leaving Tidus' vacant house. She sighed again, realizing that the next day would be the last day of school. The last day of everything, it seemed.
Her dance stuff had been put in the attic, already, along with a lot of her stuff. After all, she had to clean out her room and get ready to move into the dorms at her new school. She had basically put everything away, except for some items of clothes, and some jewelry. The only piece of jewelry, in fact, that had gone up to the attic was the sapphire bracelet that Tidus had bought for her. It went away, along with her dance stuff. To Yuna, that stuff was forever in her childhood. After all, not only was it the day before the last day of school, but also her eighteenth birthday.
It was time to grow up.
"The last day of school," Yuna murmured to herself, as she drove into the parking lot. She had prepared all night for graduation, and really did feel like a brand new person. It had already been four full days since Tidus had left. He hadn't called or anything, but she liked it better that way. After all, she had never called him, either.
She did see him on the sphere though, and he looked very happy. Why wouldn't he be though? He was now the star player of the best team in Spira. Somehow she felt like that would make him very cocky. He probably had gone back to the way he used to be, which would be a jerk. The jerk-of-a-jock that she knew when he had ran into her months and months ago.
Sighing, she put her sunglasses on her dashboard and walked slowly into the school, ready for the last day. Her day was actually very simple. She had very few tests, and for the most part, spent the day preparing for graduation.
As school slowly came to an end, Yuna couldn't help but feel her mind drift. It didn't really drift to Tidus, like it normally did, but it drifted to the years before. She slowly looked around her class, and realized that many of the faces were unfamiliar to her. It was then that she realized that really, she had spent a very little amount of the year in school, or at least, so it seemed. Seymour, Paine, Gippal, and Baralai, the only people her age that she had come in contact with over the year were all gone. Swallowing, Yuna tried to stop her thoughts, for they were making her feel rather unhappy.
"All I wanted," Yuna thought to herself, as her eyes went from one unfamiliar face to the next in her class, "was to have a normal, typical senior year. Hang out with classmates, have parties, do well in school...But instead, I ended up getting wrapped up in everything I didn't want to get wrapped up in."
The final bell rang then, but Yuna didn't seem to hear it. The students all let out yells of joy, yelling, "No more school! EVER!" but Yuna wasn't listening. She was far too wrapped up in her thoughts.
"You know what?" she finally said to herself, "I'm glad things went the way they did. I wouldn't take one moment back. Not one."
At that, she stood up, and was the last one to walk out of the classroom. She was just too dazed to realize it...
"Oh my gosh Yunie, I just can't believe you're graduating! Already!" Rikku said, and she looked like she was holding back tears, "Next year is going to be so lonely! I...I won't know what to do with myself!"
"Now Rikku," Yuna said, turning around in the mirror, examining how her graduation robe fit, "I'm not going to be that far away from you."
Rikku gave Yuna a shocked look, and said, "You're not...going to Zanarkand?"
"Rikku, whatever gave you that ridiculous idea?" Yuna said, although to be truthful, she was very surprised at her cousin's remark.
"Well, Tidus is in Zanarkand, so I just assumed..."
"Well, you assumed wrong," Yuna said, biting her lip and looking back into the mirror, "I'm staying here."
Rikku was silent for a while and then smiled and said, "I'm still sad you're graduating. But valedictorian of your class? Yunie, that's awesome! Are you going to say a speech? Oh Yunie! What are you going to say?"
Yuna smiled and said, "You'll just have to find out at the graduation, won't you?"
"Come on Yunie, just a little inside?"
"Nope," Yuna said with a smile, "You'll just have to wait and see."
"Are you excited Yunie?" Rikku asked then, examining her cousin's robes, "I mean, about graduating? You're no longer a highschool student!"
"Of course I'm excited," Yuna said, "But...I don't know...I guess it seems like it did come really fast."
"Yeah, waaaay to fast," Rikku said, "I'll be graduating next year! How crazy is that?"
Yuna just smiled, but didn't remark on her cousin's remark.
"Well, Yunie, I guess you officially graduate in about an hour," Rikku said, glancing at her watch, "So I guess I'll go find a seat. Cid and Brother are here too."
Yuna smiled and said, "Tell them I say hi!"
"Will do!" Rikku said, as she left the bathroom.
Eying herself in the mirror again, with her cap on and all, something made Yuna feel like she was making the wrong decision. She didn't know what about though. What decisions were being made, after all? It's not like she could turn down her diploma, after all. She graduated top of her class. That was the most important honor of them all. She couldn't just turn down the diploma. Still...something told her that life wasn't that simple.
"What's wrong with me?" Yuna said then, throwing on a smile, "I'm not making the wrong decision about anything. Nothing at all. My life...my life is perfect. Perfect."
"Then why do you have tears in your eyes?" Yuna cried out loud then, as tears rushed down her cheeks. She cursed herself, and grabbed a tissue, trying to wipe away the tears without smudging her makeup. Sighing, she decided to at least go over her speech, just one last time, before it was time to go out. Her speech was about school in general, how hard everybody had worked, how wonderful the teachers were, how wonderful the students were, and finally, how she was going to miss them all. She would be talking about people she didn't know. Saying things that seemed to have been written for her by somebody else.
Sighing, she went over the speech anyway...
The band was playing loudly, and everything seemed to be all a-buzz. People were cheering, although some were crying, as Yuna followed her senior class out toward the stage. Their names were called, and each student went to get their diploma. They were all smiling. Everybody was smiling. Even Yuna, was smiling.
After some time, everybody was lined up on the stage, all holding their diplomas. Everybody but Yuna. She vaguely heard her name called then, and as if it were all a dream, Yuna felt herself climb onto the stage. She smiled and received her diploma, and then heard applause as she knew it was her time to give the senior speech.
Sighing, Yuna stepped in front of the microphone. Usually, she felt scared and timid in front of an audience, but for once, she didn't even notice that they were all there. Everything just seemed like a dream.
The band had stopped playing, and everybody's attention was on her.
Yuna saw Rikku waving at her, as well as her uncle Cid and cousin Brother. They were seated in the back. Yuna also saw her father, sitting there, watching her. Her father's colleagues were all around him, and they were all watching Yuna intently.
"Hello everybody, and welcome to this year's graduation," Yuna said, forcing a smile, "I'm here to say that all of these graduates really deserve to say a speech as well. All of them are wonderful, and no matter where they go in life, they will all be successful..." Yuna's voice slowly trailed, and she suddenly couldn't think of anything. She stood there, in silence for a long time, and people began to whisper to each other.
Biting her lip, and then narrowing her eyebrows, Yuna decided she was tired of doing and saying what people expected her to do. She was going to do things her own way. At least this time.
"You know, I was going to come out here and go on and on about...well, normal stuff. But...I can't."
The crowd murmured to each other, but Braska's cold eyes never left his daugher.
Yuna looked down and took a deep breath, and continued.
"This year has been...the most crazy year I've had. I don't know anybody in my class, it seems. Oh sure, I know their names, but I don't actually know them. I assume they're all good people, but honestly, I don't know."
Again, there was an almost uncomfortable murmur that went through the crowd. With another deep breath, Yuna continued on again.
"I realized that the world we live in is not nearly as perfect as you would assume it to be. Even I, the Lord Braska's daughter, doesn't lead a life that's even close to perfect. I can't do what I want, can't say what I want. I live in an almost trapped world. But I'm not here to talk about myself. That's why...That's why I don't think I deserve to represent my class."
Again, and even louder and more uncomfortable murmur swept the crowd.
Yuna looked down, almost in disgrace.
"I can't even choose my own school," Yuna said, looking down, "I'm just a disgrace to everybody, and everything..."
Yuna looked down again. Everybody was silent, dead silent, in fact, as if they couldn't believe what they were hearing.
That was, until a voice broke through the silence.
"No you aren't," it said.
Yuna's head lifted, and she looked straight ahead, to see none other than Tidus coming down the walkway.
Everybody stared, as if not knowing what else to do, and Tidus bounded up the stairs to the stage, and put on a smile, although it was a strange, forced kind of smile.
"T-Tidus?" Yuna said.
"Who else?" Tidus just said, and for some reason, Yuna sensed he was about to break into tears. But the honest truth was that Yuna too, wanted to break into tears.
"You deserve this," Tidus said, "You did graduate top of your class, after all."
Suddenly, Yuna ran over to him and hugged him.
"Awwws" went across the audience, but Yuna guess her father wasn't "awing".
"Why did you come back?" Yuna whispered.
"Because I couldn't leave you behind," Tidus said.
"But I have to stay here," Yuna protested.
"Not necessarily," Tidus said, breaking her embrace, "A Zidana Webs contacted me after your dance show. She gave me this." Tidus pulled out a card, "Said you wouldn't take it."
Yuna took the card slowly in her hands and stared at it. Then, she looked back at Tidus, and said, "Let's go."
Tidus smiled, and together, they walked down the stairs.
"Miss Yuna!" a teacher yelled, "You can't just leave!"
"I have my diploma, and I delivered my speech!" Yuna said, "Oh, but I did forget something!" At that, she smiled widely and yelled, "Hooray! You've all graduated!" At that, cheers went out from the stage and hats were thrown in the air.
Braska was making his way down the aisle toward Tidus and Yuna, and the rest of the parents were rushing toward the stage to hug their children.
"Father," Yuna said, stepping forward, "I'm going to school in Zanarkand."
"You can't live in that...that wretched place! Doing something as wretched as dance!" Braska roared, "And you're going to get it, Missy, for embarrassing your name in front of half of Bevelle!"
"I can do as I please," Yuna said, "Even if it is live in wretched Zanarkand!" At that, Yuna hugged her father, which must have surprised him, for he staggered backwards.
"I'll call you when I get there!" Yuna said, as Tidus and her continued on, "But I've got to stop and get my dance stuff out of storage! Goodbye Father!"
Then, knowing she couldn't help it, she threw her arms around Tidus again and said, "It was crazy of you to come up on stage like that!"
"Hey...It's my way of graduating too!" Tidus said, smiling.
"You're right," Yuna said, smiling also, "Come on, let's go."
At that, they walked out, leaving the students cheering and the parents cheering along with them.
"Yunie!" a voice cried out, and Yuna turned to see Rikku rushing toward her, "Goodbye!"
"Goodbye Rikku!" Yuna said, and hugged her cousin.
"You be good to my cousin now," Rikku said, pointing at Tidus, "Or I'll beat you up!"
Tidus just gave an amused smile, and said, "It's not like we could get any naughtier."
Rikku's mouth dropped open, and her eyes popped wide in disbelief.
"Don't listen to him!" Yuna cried, as Tidus took her hand and dragged her away, "He's making it all up!"
Rikku just stood there, in the grass, watching them. Then, she smiled and shook her head.
"I sure hope my graduation is as exciting as this one," she finally just said, and waved to her cousin, although by then, Yuna was already out of sight.
With you, these streets are heaven
Now home feels so foreign
They told me I was mistaken, infatuated
And I was afraid to trust my hunches
Now I am ready...
Daddy don't be mad that I'm leaving, please let me worry about me
Mama don't you worry about me, this is my story
Through mountains high and deserts low,
The ocean through the desert snow
We'll say goodbye to the friends we know
This is our exodus '04
THE END
A/N: There's just a few more things I want to say! First off, thanks to everybody who reviewed and/or read this story! You guys make me want to write, you know that? I loved every one of your reviews! Thank you! Also, yesterday after I wrote this, I started thinking about maybe a little suppliment for it? Like a little summer story! It won't really be a sequel, but it'll be like an addition...If I get the time, and if you guys are interested, I may just type up a Part IV! Anyway, just the same, I do hope you all enjoyed this! Bye for now!