The Echo
Chapter 20: A Different Light

I looked out over the sand from the very top of one of the towers that lay in ruin. The beach rolled out beneath me, and I watched as children built little temples in the sand near the water line. They looked so tiny from where I sat. My skin was pale against the tan coloring of the old ruin, and I shivered despite the sunlight that rained down on me from the sky.

A few weeks had passed since I'd left Djose. I wasn't happy, despite what I told everyone. I continually insisted that I was fine. No one believed me. In the early morning sunlight, I groaned as I felt the familiar nausea returning. I didn't want to be sick again, as was the usual. It was worse now than it had been those weeks before in Djose… before I knew that I was pregnant. When I'd believed I was only sick.

A lone figure approached from the path to the village, his hands clapping together, blond hair shining in the light. He climbed the wall with ease, looking as springy as I usually did. I wanted to feel like that now, but as the world began to spin, I closed my eyes in silent misery. I wouldn't feel better for hours, that was for sure. Especially not after seeing Tidus' hair glinting in the sun. It only reminded me of Bikanel, of Gippal's own glinting blond as we laughed and lounged at the Oasis…

"Rikku… why're you hiding out up here? You can't get away from me, how many times do I have to tell you?" Tidus peeked over the side of the ruin, pulling himself up onto the ledge as swiftly as he could. I peered up at him for an instant, taking in the concern on his face before closing my eyes miserably once more. "Rikku, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

I just sighed in response. "It's okay… I'll be fine as long as I… sit still…"

He came over to me quickly as I lay sprawled on the ledge, spinning in circles whenever I opened my eyes. "No, you're not fine, you look like you're going to throw up."

"And if I open my eyes, I will…" I said, trying to make an attempt at humor and failing miserably.

"Do I need to go and get Lulu or someone?" he asked, completely off guard.

"No… this usually happens, that's why I'm not up before noon… I thought I'd be okay today…" I closed my mouth and covered it with my hand as the bile threatened to come up. I could just imagine my skin turning a sickly tinge of green.

Tidus scrambled over to me as I rolled over, opening my eyes and staring over the edge as I gripped the ledge tightly. I couldn't help it as my body rejected the small bit of breakfast that I'd risked. Tidus pulled my hair away from my face, gentle and concerned as my tiny body bucked with the dry heaving that resulted from the lack of anything else to give up.

I coughed heavily for a few moments, resting my suddenly hot forehead against the cool stone. My breathing was heavy for a long while, as I tried to stop the sickness from coming again. Tidus lightly caressed my arm, comforting me as I rested there silently, my eyes closed against the bright sunlight. When I felt like I could move once more, I opened my eyes for only a few seconds, before I rolled over and placed my head in Tidus' lap.

"Rikku… you alright?" he asked softly, running his fingers through my hair in an effort to comfort me.

"No… no, I'm not. But I'll be okay. Just give me a little while…" I whispered, clinging to him tightly. Hot tears began to streak down my cheeks, making glistening trails from my eyes to my chin.

I lay in his grasp, dizzy and nauseated, until the ledge was covered in shadow.

I stretched out on my bed in the cabin of the Celsius, looking up at the huge screen that Brother had installed over the stage. He was cheering down at the bar, for the Al Bhed Psyches had just scored over the Besaid Aurochs. Hard metal music was playing, flooding the cabin with noise. Gippal was cheering along with Brother. I was glad that Buddy had asked to take Telan for a little while so that we could relax in the cabin. Inwardly, I groaned. Tidus looked absolutely pissed on the big screen as he gave hand signals to the rest of the team about their next play. "Captain of the Aurochs, Tidus, looks like he's going to go strong on the offensive, folks… I have a feeling this game isn't going to be pretty from here on out…" The commentator's voice echoed through the cabin as advertisements quickly flashed over the game during the timeout.

"Drinksh for you?" I could hear Barkeep and Darling pouring more into Gippal and Brothers' glasses. I kinda want some…

"Man, I feel kind of guilty not cheering for Tidus."

"I don't. This is the first time our team has gotten so far in the Gold Cup finals for years. We should win. They won the Luca Tournament last year, we all know they're all right. We have to prove ourselves!" Brother was practically yelling at the top of his lungs, and I rolled my eyes and stood, placing a hand on the railing.

"I think we've already done that!" I called down, a grin on my face, my hand on my hip.

He glanced over at me as I jumped down from the top level. The landing was a little more jarring than it had been about a year ago, but, I told myself, with practice, I'd be a pro again. "We haven't proven ourselves completely. The only way to do that is to win one of these Yevonite dominated tournaments!" He chugged at his glass of beer in triumph as Gippal and I gave knowing glances to one another. It was best not to fight with him when he was dead set on something.

"Whatever you say, bro. I'm going on deck… you boys have fun watching the game. I don't like seeing Tidus that pissed off. Reminds me of when he kicked Seymour's ass that one time at Macalania… he wasn't a happy camper. Our boy's will be hurting if they get in his way, I guarantee it." With that, I walked out of the cabin and down the long hall to the elevator. I tapped the button that would take me up to the deck and waited as the elevator took me up.

The doors opened in front of me, and I looked out over the expanse of red. I smiled as I remembered the night we performed out on the deck, when Yuna had started yelling about Lenne and we all looked at her as if she were insane. Slowly, I strolled over the deck toward the statue of the seagull that had once been our mascot. The clouds rolled by as we flew through the skies, our pace much more moderate than it had been back in our sphere hunting days. I plopped down without any form of grace in front of the seagull, my legs splayed in a wide V. I leaned down on my elbows and smiled as the warm sunlight hit my face. Beneath us, the landscape was beginning to change from the dark red rocks of the Mushroom Rock area to the lush green landscape of the Mi'ihen Highroad. I'd always marveled at how small everything seemed up here. The ocean went off in an endless arc on the left side of the airship as we followed the coastline north to Luca.

I was nervous about our return to Besaid. It was true, Gippal would be with me, but… would I be willing to leave it again? Lulu had once said that it was the perfect island for families… I could see Telan's bright blue-green eyes that were so much like Gippal's when I imagined the warm ocean currents surrounding the beach. I hadn't seen my cousin and my friends in three and a half months, since I'd left to find Gippal. Would I want to stay with them for longer than the planned two weeks?

I would never leave Gippal again, that I knew for sure. Even if I wanted to stay, I'd go with him back to Djose… but for some reason, I had a nervous flutter in my stomach. As I stared down at the ground I'd walked over so many times, I wondered… Why do things feel like they're going to change again?

Rikku and I walked off the Celsius and onto the Al Bhed dock as the Psyches walked toward their old salvage ship, which had been revamped, decorated, and stylized with the team name and colors. Rikku sniggered as one of them nursed his arm, and I smacked her arm lightly. "Be nice."

"I told you Tidus kicks people's asses when he gets mad."

"He was evil as all hell…"

"I know. You haven't seen him fight."

"Do I want to?"

"… I always find it highly entertaining. Except for that one time when I was in that Summoner's Sanctum machine thingy at the Moonflow. I couldn't walk straight for days." She walked lightly, her step bouncing as we walked toward the locker rooms. The game had just ended, and we'd arranged to pick Tidus up before we went on to Besaid. As I watched her run up the stairs ahead of me, I realized that she must have been holding energy in the entire time we'd been in Djose. She was positively exploding with it now. She vanished from sight as she ran down the stairwell into the locker room corridor.

"That's my girl…" I whispered to myself, sighing with a grin.

"TIDUS!" I heard, an echo that grew louder as I walked down the stairs. "Oh, I missed you!" And a crash… I winced.

"Oof… Rikku! It's good to see you, too!" I laughed as they came into view, hugging each other tightly in the hall. Tidus' hair was still damp from the blitz sphere, and he waved at me as I approached. "You watch the game?"

Rikku pulled back and jumped up and down excitedly. "Yes! When they made those three goals in a row before the end of the first half… oh, you looked so angry! I told them, didn't I Gippal, I said that you'd win it!" I laughed loudly again as she squealed and hugged him again. Tidus was laughing loudly, as well.

"She did say that…" I said, clapping Tidus on the shoulder in a form of hello as Rikku scanned the corridor for any other familiar faces. He looked pointedly at her hand and gave me an annoyed look. I just shrugged helplessly.

Rikku turned her attention back to Tidus when no one else turned up. She began to chatter about all that had been happening, and as the two of them took off into a completely matching mode of animation, I saw something that I hadn't seen before. She and Tidus had a perfect relationship with one another. They were so close in both action and friendship that they were as good as soul mates in my eyes. They were connected, and I'd known that ever since Telan was born… but I didn't mind. Instead of choosing Tidus… she'd chosen me. That had to mean something.

For a moment, as I watched them laughing, she looked back at me and met my eyes, and all my nervousness was gone.

Yuna ran at me and hugged me as I ran onto the beach from the shallow waters of the cove. "Oh, Rikku, I missed you…" We pulled apart and stared at each other for a moment before laughing. Her eyes were shining with happiness.

"Hey, Yuna! Look at this gorgeous little girl right here!" Tidus called out, pointing to the Telan, who was all dressed in yellow for this special occasion with little clips in her white blond hair. She looked like a perfect little angel in Gippal's arms. Yuna looked at me with wide eyes, and I posed proudly.

"Yep, that's my baby."

"She got so big! Oh my gosh… I can't believe it! And she's holding her head up by herself and everything!"

Gippal handed Telan over to Tidus and gave Yuna a huge grin before hugging her tightly. "Hey, you… how ya been?"

She laughed and hugged him back. "Great! And you look good, yourself!"

"Yep." He glanced over at Telan and cocked his head to the side. "What do you think? I even did the hairclips."

Yuna giggled along with me and nodded. "She looks great. Give her to me, Ti."

"Nope, baby's mine. You can have her later."

"I want her now!"

"Nope. Mine." Tidus glanced over at the two of us, and with a pointed look at Gippal, he began to walk away. "You two chill for a while, have some time… alone. I'm kidnapping your daughter."

Gippal glared at him for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you drop my girl, you're a dead man."

"I won't drop her! Who the hell do you think I am, Wakka?"

All four of us laughed at that, and as Yuna and Tidus walked off across the beach bickering over who got to hold Telan, I looked over to Gippal, my eyes sparkling.

"Come with me… I wanna show you something." I tugged on his hand and pulled him along across the sand.

He looked to where Yuna and Tidus were swiftly vanishing as they walked toward the village. "We just got here… don't you want to see Lulu and Wakka?" He stuck a hand into his pocket as I continued to drag him across the sand.

"I'll see them soon… just come on." He sighed heavily and shook his head as he stopped resisting my pulling and ran with me. I hadn't known that I even possessed enough energy to run any longer, let alone gallivant around the island, but as I led him along the hidden path to the west side of the island, I wasn't even winded.

I stopped running when I reached the end of the path. I could hear Gippal coming down the path behind me. "Come on, slowpoke…"

The entire grassy slope was bright with the sunset, oranges and pinks making the island glow. Far below was a deep cove. Wakka had once told me that 700 years ago, Sin had come and attacked the island, leaving this huge indent in the cliff face. I was grateful for that attack, because without it, none of the beauty that rested here would have been created. Far above were the rope bridge and the pathway to the village. The tallest waterfall in Besaid fell all the way to the cove, occasionally catching in other rock faces. Numerous waterfalls rained down on the side of the island, a glowing flourish of liquid that followed the entire cliff. Gippal finally emerged from the undergrowth, catching his breath. "Damn, Rikku, you run like a mad- woah." His eyes were wide as he looked out at the waterfalls, which were glowing in the light of the sun.

"Pretty, isn't it?"

He nodded and sat down next to where I stood, staring ahead at the natural wonders of Besaid Island. I sat next to him. "How did you find this place?"

"The little kids showed it to me a long time ago… I used to sit here when I was thinking about you." He wrapped his arm around me, distractedly sticking his hand into his pocket once more as he turned toward me. He was quiet for a long moment.

Finally, he cleared his throat and gave me a tiny grin. "Special place, hm?"

"Yep!" I frowned and held my hand against his forehead. "You okay? You're all quiet. And I know, you, Mister, you're not a quiet person."

"I'm fine…" he said, glancing out at the waterfalls again. "Rikku?" He turned toward me.

"Yes?" I asked, waiting patiently as he looked out at the scenery.

"I, uhm… well, I just… this place is gorgeous." I almost thought I saw the shadow of a blush graze over his cheeks, but before I could be sure, he broke out the lady killer smile. "Just like you."

"Oh, you… I hate that." He smirked as I pulled him closer to me and kissed him soundly. "It gets me every time…"

I watched the women fawning over Telan in the big circle around the camp fire. Rikku held her up proudly, and I could hear Telan's excited squealing as Yuna tickled her. Mentally, I smacked myself. I'd had the perfect opportunity, and then I'd gotten nervous yet again. The waterfalls, the sunset, the whole atmosphere… yeah, just how I'd wanted to propose. I wanted everything perfect for her. But I was stupid. I messed up again.

I could always re-create it… couldn't I? It wouldn't be too difficult to get her back there at sunset. No, it wouldn't be difficult at all, but it would be planned… I felt a hand clap heavily on my shoulder, and I allowed myself to be steered into Tidus' hut without a word.

"You, my friend, are the biggest little chocobo chicklet that I've ever met." I nodded, staring at the floor, wincing.

"Yeah, shut up."

"What are you waitin' for, ya? Just ask her!" I looked up quickly and glared at Tidus. Wakka and Brother were sitting on the couch, as well.

"You told Wakka?"

"No, that would be your future brother-in-law." And so I glared at Brother. "Why didn't you ask her? I took the baby, even! I fought with Yuna over the baby so that you could do your thing, but no."

I plopped down on the couch, feigning anger to cover my embarrassment. "You try it and see how intimidating it is!"

Wakka glanced at me and nodded in acquiescence. "Ya, the kid has a point."

"Thank you."

"No problem."

I handed Telan to Lulu once she fell asleep, as the gathering around the center fire began to disperse. Yuna stood with her, chatting about the party in three days time to celebrate the Eternal Calm. I walked across the now quiet village and stared at the village gates. I could almost see the ghosts of my arrival here nearly a year ago, my silent vigil outside the gates of the village as I watched the people dancing in joy around the fire. I left the village, walking up the pathway to the beach. Quietly, looking out over the dark ocean that glittered with the reflection of the sparkling sky, I leaned on the old traditional prayer statue.

For me, the realization that Telan would have been with me for a year in a certain way on the anniversary of our defeat of Sin had been slightly overwhelming. I was positive that she'd been conceived that first time we'd made love after the party last year. We'd come so far. Last year, we'd been teenagers with responsibility… now we were adults with even more responsibility. Gippal would be turning twenty in three months time. I'd be nineteen in six months. Telan would be one in eight months. Time was flying, or so it seemed to me. It was difficult to adjust to time when it repeatedly went from hyper-drive to speeding snail.

I heard a stick snap nearby and I looked up quickly. I'd forgotten to bring any sort of protection from the wild wolves that still roamed this side of the island. But when I saw that it was only Gippal, I calmed down and scooted over, patting the soft earth next to me. "You scared me."

"Sorry." He sat down next to me and kissed my cheek smoothly. "Didn't mean to."

"S'alright."

He ran his hand through his hair and looked out over the ocean as well. "I saw you walk off… you alright?"

"Yeah… I'm alright. Just thinking."

He laughed, a sound I always loved to hear. "Uh-oh, we're all in trouble now." I smacked him lightly and chuckled.

"Be nice to me."

"Can't… it's not possible. The teasing can only progress from here, my darling."

I flushed happily at that. "Since when do you call me 'darling'?" I asked, my voice playfully mocking.

"I could call you my little hyperactive idiot instead, but for some reason I think you might hit me for that." I smacked him again. "And thus why I called you darling." He fiddled around in his pocket for a moment before holding out a shining coin. "Gil for your thoughts?"

I took the coin from his hand and held it up under the moonlight. "You're turning twenty, I'm turning nineteen, and Telan will be one in eight months. Time's moving along… I remember, when I was pregnant… it felt like it was crawling. There was this one day when I was out on those ruins over there-" I pointed "-and Tidus followed me, and I was getting sicker and sicker by the day… I ended up getting ill all morning, and he just held me tight while I rested. It felt like a lifetime."

He frowned. "I wish you would have let me have been there for you… Time was crawling for me, too. I missed all of it, and other people got to… nevermind, I'm sorry."

I caught his fingers in mine and frowned back, my eyes sad. "Don't apologize for that. I deserve to hear it, because you're right." With a sigh, I looked back at the dark water. "I wish there was a way to stabilize it all, you know? And a way to turn things back or forward…"

"Me, too," he said wistfully, watching the stars twinkling far above. "So, you feel like time's moving too quickly, now?"

"Yeah… like… everything's happening too fast… I don't know. It's stupid, I just…" I turned to him and held my knees into my chest, resting my chin upon them. "Do you ever get that weird anticipation feeling, and you don't know why?"

He met my gaze for a few seconds. "Yeah. All the time."

"Well, I've got it right now, and it's getting stronger and stronger, and things are moving faster and faster, and I just don't know where it's all going."

He held my eyes for a long while before I broke the stare and lay back on the ground, my head resting in his lap as I watched the stars. "Where do you want it to go?" he asked, his voice tentative and deep, serious.

I sighed and closed my eyes, breathing deeply in the cool night air. "I don't know, really. I just don't know." He trailed his fingers through my hair distractedly as we both looked up at the heavens… I didn't even notice when I dozed off.

I'm so sorry this took so long. Things just kept popping up. My great-grandmother died, and I wasn't able to write, school picked up and I wasn't able to write… everything's just picked up. But, now that I'm back in order, and school is almost done for the semester, I'll be updating quite a bit. I think I might finish this fic before Christmas Break is over. And guess what? I think there might be another sequel. Exciting! Anyway… thanks for dealing with the wait, guys, I'm so sorry. You are all amazing reviewers, I love when you all leave comments, it helps me get through the hard stuff. I hope you liked this chapter. I especially like that last section, its so real! Thanks so much to FairyIce for reading and giving commentary and correcting all my unusually bad spelling. I'm sorry for reading that fic when I said I wouldn't, lol, but when Cloud Strife is involved I can't resist. You got me addicted. Alright… finals tomorrow, and an autobiography to finish. Goodnight, and thanks!

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