-(A/N)-: THE REASON! It's been stuck in my head for weeks and I have finally come around to write it. I even put my other fic, Evrae (FFVIII), on hold just to do this. FFX-2 has always been one of my favourite games. I'm sticking with the couple Rikku and Gippal. But generally, there will be TidusxYuna and PainexBaralai. Have fun reading!
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy X-2 characters are owned by SquareEnix. Ah, and I don't own Hilary Duff's song Fly.
-xxxxx-
The Reason
by freakochicko
CHAPTER ONE: Welcome Home
A beautiful girl wearing nothing but a slightly revealing bikini top and a short mini-skirt was looking very flustered at the moment. Her blonde hair glittered in the sunlight as she flipped her head this way and that, face scrunched up distastefully. Young Rikku had been running around frantically, looking everywhere for Yuna. Where could that stupid cousin of mine be? she wondered in frustration, wanting to ask the former High Summoner about the invitations to the 'victory party' they were going to throw at Besaid Island.
Yes, Spira was finally rid of the bad stuff. Sin, that blue-haired freak of a Guado Seymour, the misconception of Yu Yevon, Yu Yevon itself, the dispute between the Youth League and New Yevon and the threat of Vegnagun; all thanks to Yuna and her most trusted of friends. They were now officially the heroes of Spira! And for this, the Friendly Neighbourhood Gullwings decided to celebrate with a big bang.
All in their honour of course.
"Let's invite the whole of Spira!" Rikku had suggested, bouncing up and down in excitement. Typical Rikku.
"Let's not." Paine had said rather darkly. She didn't feel much like meeting the whole world just yet. Especially not at a party where everyone would go all crazy and... whatever. Especially not that.
Yuna had did some quick thinking and she told them she'd do the invitations herself.
That was almost forty-eight hours ago. Meaning, tomorrow's the celebration! And Rikku, being her, was impatient to see who the hell she had decided to invite. If only she could find her...
The Temple! Rikku thought suddenly. Nah, Yunie wouldn't go there. Why in her right mind would she do that? But... it's the only place I haven't yet tried. Besides, she's probably showing him how much the place had changed.
Ah, the other reason why the Gullwing girls had decided to hold a celebration. He was back. For good this time! Rikku grinned as she clearly remembered the day he came back. His familiar messy blonde hair, his light radiant smile and his overall cheerfulness. I still can't believe Tidus came back! Rikku's head was filled with the thoughts of the boy from Zanarkand who traveled a thousand years into the future and stole Yuna's heart. As she skipped over to the Besaid Temple with new-found energy, she stifled a giggle as she imaged Yuna with Tidus. Such a cute, cute, cute couple!
"Whoa there, kiddo!" came a sudden voice which startled Rikku, "Don't want you runnin' into people by accident, ya?"
Rikku blinked and looked stupidly up into the familiar face. And then she realised she almost walked, or skipped rather, into Wakka who had baby Vidina in his arms.
"Oops!" she exclaimed, "Sorry Wakka! I wasn't really watching where I was going!"
"Don't worry about it, Rikku," he said, smiling, "just be careful, ya? Don't want you injured or anythin'. Especially with that gatherin' comin' up. I'd hate for you to miss all the fun."
Rikku laughed lightly and leaned over to tickle Vidina, who gave out a small gurgling sound. And then she recalled that she was supposed to be hunting down for that invitation list.
"Hey, is Yuna by any chance in there?" Rikku asked, pointing to the temple.
Wakka grinned, "Ya, I saw her walk in there with Tidus a while back. Should still be in there."
Thanking Wakka, Rikku walked the rest of the way to the temple, pausing only to pat the dog that came expectantly to her.
-xxxxx-
Yuna sighed, content, as Tidus looked over at her.
"I'm so glad the temple is finally clear of fiends. I was getting tired of helping to fight them off."
Tidus blinked. So much had happened in the past two years he'd been gone and Yuna had been trying her best to update him on things. He'd only been in Spira two days. Yuna told him about her adventures as a Sphere Hunter with the Gullwings and she told him of all the wonderful people she'd met along the way - Paine the dark warrior, Shinra the kid genius, Buddy the co-pilot of the Gullwings, LeBlanc and her cronies, Tobli, Nooj of the Youth League, Gippal the Machine Faction Leader, Baralai the Praetor of New Yevon, even Lenne and Shuyin... And then told stories of what she knew about the Crimson Squad and the creation of Vegnagun.
"If only Sir Auron were still here with us..." Yuna said sighing softly, "He was... a great Guardian. The only Guardian not walking Spira with the rest of us."
"Yeah..." Tidus said, remembering the days before he found out Auron was an Unsent, "he was a great Guardian. To all of us."
Yuna could only stare deeply into space. All those lives lost in the past... Everyone... Just because of what they used to believe in. Yu Yevon, Sin, the Pilgrimage.
"You miss him, huh?" Tidus said, looking at her. It wasn't so much a question as it was a statement.
Yuna smiled back up at him, "Yeah. But I guess he never really did leave us." She tried to lighten the mood, "Anyway, you can't really miss him when you've got Paine around. She acts just like him!"
Tidus thought back to the strong-and-silent warrior. You could almost call her anti-social. But not quite. Just like Auron. Not quite friendly, but not overly serious.
"Come to think of it, the resemblance is striking! I wouldn't be surprised if they were related somehow."
Yuna laughed at this. "That would be something."
They stood staring at the newly-repaired Chamber in companionable silence for awhile. This very Chamber of the Fayth where Yuna received Valefor, her first Aeon. This very chamber that, just days ago, she had faced off with the giant, winged beast.
"Do you... miss him?" Yuna said at last, breaking the silence.
Tidus started. "Huh? ... Auron?"
"No Silly! Your dad!"
Tidus blinked.
"My old man?" It was a sensitive question question... but he should have expected it. "Uh... yeah. Kinda'. But like you said about Auron, he's never really left us. He's always been around, watching us-"
"YUNIE!" Rikku's scream echoed around the chamber, "TIDUS!"
And before anyone knew what was going on, Rikku had launched herself onto Tidus' back, almost making him collapse under her weight.
Yuna smiled and turned around to find Tidus laughing and trying to shake the green-eyed blonde off his back.
"What's up, Rikky?" Yuna asked. She had made that nickname up for her cousin when she wanted payback for being called Yunie. Tidus finally managed to wrestle Rikku to the ground before she answered.
"People. Party. Who?" Rikku said impatiently after picking herself off the ground. This earned her strange look from both Tidus and Yuna. Then it dawned on Yuna.
"Oh! The invitations for the victory celebration! You wanna' know who's coming, right?"
"That's what I said!"
"No, you said-"
"SO WHO'S GOING?" Rikku demanded, cutting Tidus off.
Yuna thought for a moment.
"Well... Let's see. You, me, Paine, Tidus, Wakka, Lulu, the Besaid Aurochs, Seymour, Bro-"
Rikku and Tidus both choked.
"SEYMOUR?"
Yuna laughed, "I was just kidding, silly!"
"Yunie...!"
Tidus muttered darkly and incoherently before Yuna decided to continue, "The rest of the Gullwings are definitely coming. Like Brother, Buddy and Shinra. Then there's your dad," Yuna looked over at Rikku, "Nooj, Baralai and Gippal of course-"
It was Rikku's turn to stare strangely at Yuna. Uh-oh. Hud kuut... Why'd she invite him?
"... Tobli's arranging some performance for us. Leblanc, Ormi and Logos have confirmed that they'll come. Isaaru, Clasko, Nhadala, Calli, Rin, the Kinderguardians, the Youth League guys. Y'know, Beclem, Elma and the rest. Maroda said he couldn't. Lian, Ayde and Kimahri are coming," Yuna said, "But the rest of the Ronso tribe aren't."
"Lian? Ayde?" Tidus asked, confused.
"Ronso kids. Pals of ours," Rikku supplied and she turned back to Yuna, "But if Kimahri comes, the Ronso Tribe won't have an Elder to look out for them!"
"Which is why he put Garik in charge while he's gone."
"Garik?" Rikku exclaimed, "I thought Kimahri didn't-"
"Well, Kimahri said he has had a lot of faith in Garik. And that he trusts Garik with his life."
"Uhh..." Tidus said intelligently, feeling left out of the conversation, "how's Kimahri anyway? I remember he wanted to kill me the first time we met."
Yuna giggled, "Don't blame him for it! He's now the leader of the Ronso you know?"
Tidus grinned, "I knew the big guy had it in him!"
"Oh, and you'd never guess. Dona and Barthello!" Yuna said, beaming.
"They're coming?" Rikku asked which Yuna confirmed with a nod.
Tidus whistled, "Those two. Haven't seen them in awhile. I remembered when Dona was a big pain in the-"
"She's not so bad you know?" Yuna cut in, "But things between her and Barthello..." she left it hanging.
"Ohhh, those two make me so mad!" Rikku said, stomping her foot childishly. "Why can't they just kiss and confess their undying love for each other?"
"They're too proud. And besides, it's not as easy as you make it sound, Rikku."
Rikku stared incredulously at her cousin, "What's so difficult about confessing that you love someone?"
Yuna just sighed, "When it's your turn, you'll find out. Being in love ain't no walk in the park!"
Rikku just shook her head. Yuna then summed up the rest of the invitation list saying some other random Spirans were coming, including Hypellos and Guado, "Expect about half a hundred people," she said.
"Woohoo! This party's gonna' be a blast, eh, Tidus?" Rikku squealed, jumping up and down on the spot and nudging him in the ribs.
"Can't wait!" Tidus agreed.
"A victory party to uphold the defeat of Vegnagun, the reunification of Lenne and Shuyin and the return of Tidus!" Yuna announced proudly, clapping her hands together and twirling around.
Rikku calmed down enough to ask, "Where's Paine anyway?"
"I think she went off with Lulu to the beach. They uhh... 'volunteered' to put up the decorations and stuff for the party," Yuna said, trying to hold back a laugh.
"Yunie!" Rikku exclaimed, giggling, "You didn't!"
-xxxxx-
"I can't believe she managed to talk us into being in charge of this," Paine muttered sourly as she gestured around the sandy shore, "how and what is there to decorate on a beach?"
Lulu smiled as the both of them looked out into sea. Seagulls were flying in the crystal clear, blue sky overhead and the breeze was so fresh and cooling. The rolling waves rushed toward and away from the shore with a lazy vigor and the palm trees swayed with the wind.
"I don't know how Yuna does it, but she always manages to get her way. One way or the other."
And she trusts my skills in decorating? Paine wondered darkly.
Lulu's eyes twinkled with humour as she eyed Paine. How did those three ever survive with one another? One's so perky and energetic, the other's so sullen and grim and Yuna's still so... youthful.
"What're you staring at?"
"Nothing."
"Okay, let's get this started then."
-xxxxx-
The next day...
"Oy, you there! Help me with those, ya?" Wakka called as he pointed to a couple of boxes full of Light Spheres. He had one in his arms right now and was lugging them towards the beach. Light Spheres were a new creation that Shinra had come up with. It made pretty, colourful, softly-glowing lights when activated. Just like if you were to put a bunch of pyreflies in a sphere.
Botta sighed as he stacked one box on top of the other and lifted it, following Wakka down to the beach. It was getting dark now meaning the party would be starting in a couple of hours time and Lulu and Paine wanted to add the finishing touches to their 'decorated venue'.
"We'll put a hand full of Light Spheres on each table so that when night falls, we'd all be surrounded by lights." Lulu instructed.
Rikku was thrilled with the idea. "It'd be just like in that cave place at Mount Gagazet with all those glowy rock things that look like fungi!"
"The Fayth Scar, Rikku. Not 'cave place at Mount Gagazet'," Paine corrected.
"Whatever," Rikku retorted, sticking her tongue out at Paine.
Wakka arrived at the beach with Botta close behind. They both dropped the boxes in unison.
"Whoa..." their jaws dropped in awe.
The beach looked festive. At one corner they could see Rikku hanging garlands and baubles on trees nearby. Paine was at another corner sorting out the food they were going to have for the party. But what really caught their attention was the huge platform-looking thing that was placed in front of the many tables, almost like a stage where a performance would be held. Was there going to be a concert? Wakka spotted Yuna and Tidus on the platform with a very odd-looking little creature who resembled a penguin, apparently doing a light-check on stage. No doubt about it.
Lulu spotted them while draping the last table cloth on the final table. There were, in total, five huge tables placed randomly in front of the stage, each table could easily seat ten people.
"Ah, Wakka. There you are. What took you two so long?"
"Sorry Lu," Wakka apologized, not wanting to go into detail on why he was delayed, "So, where d'you wanna' put these?"
Lulu beckoned to a couple of people. Seconds later, Buddy and Shinra came up to them.
"Let's get to work then!" Buddy said, grabbing a few Light Spheres from the box and placing them on a table.
-xxxxx-
Night fell and everyone arrived eventually via different modes of transport. Brother, who was piloting the Celsius had arrived first, bringing in the first load of people. And apparently, the usual boat schedule from Kilika to Besaid was booked full just for the event.
Already, there was a huge amount of mingling and thus, the party got on its way. Everyone was standing, sitting, eating, deep in conversation. Rikku was chatting up a storm in one corner. Paine was quietly talking to Baralai and Nooj in an isolated corner. They were apparently not too fond of parties.
"This is awesome, Lady Yuna!" Calli praised as she pranced up to speak to the former High Summoner, "Love what you did to the place!"
Yuna grinned, "Don't thank me! Thank Lulu and Paine. They were in charge of this whole 'decorate Besaid Island' mission." I knew they had it in them!
"Hey, High Summoner!" someone called from behind her, "did you just say Paine was one of the people who decorated this place?" the voice sounded incredulous.
Yuna laughed and turned around to see a familiar face, "Gippal!"
Meanwhile, Tidus was seated at one of the tables sipping on his drink and staring at everyone around him. Everyone's changed, he thought bemusedly. His eyes fell on Yuna. The beautiful Yuna. His beautiful Yuna.
"What're you starin' at, pervert?"
Tidus grinned as a familiar figure plopped down beside him on an empty seat.
"Rikku! How you doin'?" he asked the perky Al Bhed.
Rikku's eyes sparkled, "I'm great. But I'd be better if you answered my question," she said with a mischievous giggle.
Tidus looked back at Yuna who was currently deep in conversation with someone. Rikku eyed him with a grin.
"She's really grown up, eh?" Tidus said finally, smiling back at Rikku.
"More than you'd ever know..." Rikku agreed, "But she'll always be our naïve little Yuna!"
"I wouldn't really say that anymore..." Tidus muttered darkly, his eyes going back to Yuna.
Rikku frowned, puzzled, and turned to look at her cousin... before bursting into laughter.
Apparently, the person Yuna was speaking to just happened to be Gippal, who was playfully flirting with her. And Yuna was laughing along. Rikku could barely stop laughing.
"What?" Tidus asked, annoyed at Rikku's reaction.
"Ha! Looks like Tiddy's getting a little jealous!" she said, emphasizing the 'jealous' part, "don't worry, that guy's never serious when he flirts." At least I hope so... she thought to herself sullenly.
Tidus' frown was still visible, "Who is that guy anyway?"
"Oh, a childhood friend you could say. Yadda yadda..." she said vaguely.
Tidus blinked. "You mean like, from Home?" he asked.
Rikku frowned, not wanting to be reminded of the place she had to leave behind. It's gone now anyway.
"Rikku?"
"Huh? Oh yeah," she replied, snapping out of her reverie, "from Home. Before he joined the Crimson Squad."
"Crimson Squad? Oh! Them."
Tidus recalled Yuna telling him about them, "So he's one of the survivors? Which one? Nooj, Baralai or...?"
"Gippal."
"Ah."
And they lapsed into silence, both of them lost in thought which was very unlike them, after all they were so alike in being the most bubbly and cheerful people of all. Tidus' thoughts were on Yuna, naturally. And Rikku found it very annoying that her attention kept wandering to Gippal.
Why Gippal? she wondered bitterly. So much had happened between them both in the past and she was content to let it all remain just that; the past. A mere memory. But ever since she met up with him again at Djose after such a long period of separation, she couldn't help but wonder, does he still-?
Then, out of nowhere, a very well-timed Cid appeared.
"Well if it ain't the boy from Zanarkand who died!" Cid said loudly.
Rikku blinked and looked at her father, "And came back to life, vydran," she corrected.
"Right. What are these things anyway?" Cid asked, pointing to the Light Spheres on the table they were at.
And the three of them engaged in comical banter.
Somewhere else, Paine, Nooj and Baralai were engaged in conversation and there was nothing comical about it.
"So, what're you guys going to do about this new alliance with new Yevon and the Youth League?" Paine asked.
"We're kinda' taking it slow for now," Baralai answered when Nooj decided to remain silent, "there's so much that we can and could do now. In fact, Nooj here was thinking of merging both political groups and forming the 'Spirans United', which I'm pretty interested in as well."
Pained snorted, "Spirans United? Sounds like some Blitzball team. You've got the Besaid Aurochs, the Luca Goers, now the Spirans United. But..." her eyes were full of mirth, "I like the sound of it."
Baralai grinned. Nooj just rolled his eyes.
"Hey, guys! What the heck're you all doing all the way here?" Gippal said loudly, having suddenly appeared behind the rest of the ex-comrades, making them jump.
Baralai laughed, jumped up, and shoved Gippal good-naturedly. "Don't scare us like that. Jeez, Gippal!"
Gippal smirked. "I'll try to remember that. Well, just to let you guys know, Yuna's starting her performance soon. She's singing up there."
Paine nodded, looking over to where Yuna was, now onstage preparing to sing and glowing under the bright multi-coloured spotlights. Tobli's done a good job, Paine thought, amused, and he rarely pulls it off. "We better go get us a seat at the tables. We'll see it better from there."
-xxxxx-
Yuna took in a deep breath. Everyone was watching! Their eyes followed her everywhere. Calm down, Yuna. You've done this before. Smiling under the spotlight, Yuna lifted her microphone and tested it tentatively before speaking, "Everyone?" the silence that greeted her was absolute, "Everyone. Good evening! I hope you all have had a wonderful night so far at this festive celebration, held in honour of the defeat of Vegnagun and the peace in Spira!"
"And in honour of the Gullwings!" Rikku's voice rang out loudly, cutting through her speech.
Yuna laughed, "Yes, Rikku. And the Gullwings. This victory party also signifies the end of the dispute between New Yevon and the Youth League," her eyes looked down upon Baralai and Nooj who nodded back at her in agreement, "as well as the wonderful return of Sir Tidus!" she announced, gesturing to the said blonde.
Everyone cheered loudly.
"This celebration would never have been made possible without the help of Paine and Lulu who had so meticulously put up the decorations, and of course, Tobli!"
Another loud cheer.
"And now my friends, this song I am about to sing embraces all the changes that Spira has endured that have made us what we are today. Please, enjoy this special song."
And the music started.
She lifted a hand, and started to sing.
"In a moment, Everything can change. Feel the wind on your shoulder.
For a minute, All the world can wait. Let go of your yesterday.
Can you hear it calling? Can you feel it in your soul? Can you trust this longing, And take control."
Yuna let her eyes slowly sweep over all of her friends down below while she sang. Everyone. They were looking back with equal intensity. Her eyes lingered on Wakka and Lulu who were cuddling each other with Vidina in Lulu's arms. My former guardians, she thought. My friends. And she smiled as her eyes traveled on to Dona and Barthello. Then to the Kinderguardians, who stared up at Yuna in awe.
"Fly. Open up the part of you that wants to hide away.
You can shine. Forget about the reasons why you can't in life, And start to try...
'Cause it's your time...
Time to fly."
She continued to sing as she spotted Kimahri in the crowd and waved at him with a small smile. He nodded somberly back at her. She caught sight of Leblanc, who smiled back at Yuna approvingly.
"All your worries, Leave them somewhere else.
Find a dream you can follow.
Reach for something, When there's nothing left.
And the world's feeling hollow.
Can you hear it calling? Can you feel it in your soul? Can you trust this longing, And take control."
Paine, Baralai, Gippal, Nooj, Rikku, Tidus, Cid, Brother, Buddy, Shinra. All ten of them were seated at the table closest to the platform Yuna was on. Just the sight of them made her pour her heart out in the song.
"Fly. Open up the part of you that wants to hide away.
You can shine. Forget about the reasons why you can't in life, And start to try...
'Cause it's your time...
Time to fly."
The Besaid Aurochs were looking at Yuna with new-found hope. The song itself that she was singing gave them the aspiration to win again at the Blitzball Tournament. They would shine. They would forget about the reasons why they couldn't succeed. They will try. They will fly.
"And when you're down and feel alone, you Just wanna run away.
Trust yourself and don't give up, You know you better than anyone else."
Yuna vaguely recalled the time she was so afraid; so alone when she was on her High Summoner pilgrimage. She wanted to run away but she couldn't. And she never gave up fighting, putting her trust in Tidus and her guardians and herself. She was strong. And she made it through.
"In a moment, Everything can change. Feel the wind on your shoulder.
For a minute, All the world can wait. Let go of yesterday."
TidusHer eyes landed on him. Yuna was engulfed by emotion as she sang and she was so sure Tidus was too. Yes, in just two years, everything has changed. The life we once knew... me, you... us. But... just for this moment, all the world can wait. We'll let go of our yesterday; our past. We'll start a new story. OUR story.
"Fly. Open up the part of you that wants to hide away.
You can shine. Forget about the reasons why you can't in life, And start to try...
'Cause it's your time...
Time to fly..."
Rikku had suddenly lost concentration on Yuna's beautiful voice. Blood was pounding in her ears and she lost orientation. She looked around quickly, sensing that something wasn't right... Something wasn't right!
"Forget about the reasons why you can't in life, And start to try...
'Cause it's your time...
Time to fly."
Yuna blinked back the stinging sensation in her eyes as her voice dropped to a whisper.
"In a moment... Everything can change..."
And her tears fell freely onto the ground. Not tears of sorrow, but tears of happiness. She smiled at everyone, her vision blurry. And the whole crowd erupted in cheers.
But an abrupt shriek filled the air.
"YUNIE!"
Tidus heard the desperation and utter fear in Rikku's voice.
And everything after that was a blur to Yuna. She felt herself being knocked to the ground by Tidus, who flung himself onstage at Yuna. And then it all became clear when a loud gunshot was heard and something whizzed right past Yuna to where she had been standing just a second ago. And the bullet hit Tidus in the shoulder, bringing him down.
She screamed.
Chaos erupted throughout the beach. Everything stopped, time seemed to stand still. All that registered in Yuna's head right now was a single fact. Someone's trying to kill me. Someone's trying to kill me.
Someone's trying to kill me... TIDUS!
Rikku, almost as shell-shocked, wanted to run over to Yuna and Tidus to see if they were okay. But then, out of the corner of her eye, she spied a suspicious figure darting away up on a small cliff of bushes nearby. Without warning, she ran. Ran after the person who tried to hurt her cousin.
"Rikku!"
She could hear her name being screamed off in the distance. But Rikku didn't listen. She didn't even turn back to say anything. She just ran.
"Tyshed!" Gippal swore before taking off after Rikku. Why do you always do this to me, Cid's Girl? Don't you DARE get yourself hurt.
Paine growled, "Idiots! When will those two ever learn...!" and she turned to Yuna who was huddled on the floor clutching Tidus' hand and sobbing. Tidus didn't seem to be badly hurt and he was still conscious. That was a good sign.
"Nooj, Baralai. Take care of these two. I'm going after them."
They both nodded gravely as Paine started off.
"Wait!"
Paine turned.
"Be careful, Paine."
Her heart sped up but she could only reply Baralai with a small nod before following after Rikku and Gippal.
-xxxxx-
-(A/N)-: There you go, chapter one for you!
In case you're wondering what the full summary for this fanfic is, it goes like this: "At a victory party, the joy is shattered when an assassin makes it obvious he's trying to kill the former High Summoner, Yuna. Rikku has a new-found talent for sensing danger and feels guilty that she has no way of helping prevent that danger. It turns out a former member of the Crimson Squad is still alive. And he wants to murder Yuna... But he loves Paine. Baralai won't allow it and all hell breaks loose."