Well to everyone reading this, I'd like to welcome everyone to my first fic here!
A Grim Reunion takes place directly after the events of FFX-2, so get ready for the ride! There'll be angst and fluff galore, so enjoy!
In addition, I err… "borrowed" some of the lines from the original game in the beginning, so if you recognize it or it rings a bell, that's probably it.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything remotely connected to FFX or X-2 (except my Zanarkand Abes necklace…my precious…) However, I do enjoy using the characters for my own personal enjoyment. Dance puppets, dance!
Prologue- Welcome Home?
"Thanks." The Fayth said blandly, grateful to Yuna and the rest of the Gullwings for ridding Vegnagun from the Farplane.
"You're very welcome." Yuna said in her usual cheery tone. Yuna's main focus was not on the small Fayth child, however. Every few seconds her gaze shifted, carefully skimming every inch she could make out, just in case she could see…
"You heard it, didn't you?" the small Fayth asked, as if directly reading her mind. "You want to see him?" Yuna bit her lip, her body almost shaking with anxiousness.
"Him?" she asked. Yuna knew exactly who the small child was talking about, but she had to clarify, just to be sure.
"Yes." The Fayth replied with almost no signs of interest. "You want to walk together again?"
"Yes!" Yuna replied excitedly, trying her best to contain her happiness. The Fayth nodded.
"I can't promise anything, but we'll do what we can." Yuna stood there silently in disbelief as the Fayth slowly dimmed and faded from view. What could this mean? Could this truly mean that Tidus was coming home…for good? Was that even possible now that the Fayth were at rest?
"Wow...Does this mean what I think it does!" Rikku, Yuna's hyper-active cousin inquired, tearing Yuna away from her thoughts. Yuna was quiet for a moment, just staring up at the darkened Farplane sky, and then replied,
"I hope so Rikku, I really hope so."
The ride aboard the Celsius was filled with activity as usual, with the regular harmless joking between Brother and Rikku, who always seemed to be disagreeing over something. This time it was over Tidus' return.
"Don't you want Yuna to be happy?" Rikku asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Brother, who had let Buddy take over piloting, scoffed.
"Of course I do! But this Tidus guy is bad news! I can feel it!" he shouted emotionally in his broken Spiran speech. Rikku sighed and tossed her braids over her shoulder.
"Bad news? Tidus helped us defeat Sin! How can he be a bad person?" Brother snorted and looked away.
"Because I say so." Regaining his usual confidence he proclaimed, "And because I am the captain! He will not set foot on this ship as long as I am around!" And, to add emphasis, he thumped his chest soundly to show that the conversation was over.
Rikku sighed and shook her head, the beads in her hair clicking gently. She then paused for a moment to think. After a second with no answer, she asked,
"Hey…where is Yunie anyway?"
"Yuna went up on the deck—she said she needed to think." Came Paine's usual terse reply. There was a long pause which seemed to stretch on forever before Rikku huffed,
"Why is everyone so unhappy today? We just defeated one of the scariest machina's in all of Spira! We should be celebrating!" Her gaze shifted to Paine who just glared emotionlessly at her. Rikku slumped her shoulders in defeat and sighed.
"Fine you killjoys. I'll go bring Yunie back down here and we'll be back in Besaid before we know it!" Running off without another word, Rikku dashed to the elevator and headed up to the deck of the Celsius. There, she found her normally cheerful cousin sitting on the edge, her chin on her knees.
"Yunie…?" Rikku asked cautiously, taking a seat beside Yuna. Yuna didn't turn to look at Rikku and said,
"Is this really happening? It feels like some unrealistic dream…" Rikku grinned and threw her arm around her cousin's shoulder for support.
"Of course it's happening! The Fayth wouldn't have asked you about him if they couldn't bring him back." Yuna still didn't seem convinced. She simply continued to stare at the horizon as a light breeze passed over the deck.
"Yuna." Rikku spoke firmly. Yuna turned her head, shocked that Rikku would actual use her birth name.
"Tidus is coming home, the Fayth said so. He'll be there on the beach waiting for you," she started, waving her arms about in excitement,
"And you'll jump into his arms and everything will be okay again!" Yuna laughed at Rikku's antics and rose to her feet.
"You're right Rikku. I shouldn't have to worry about anything anymore! Spira is coming together, all threats that we know of are gone…so why should I be so worried?"
"That's the spirit!" Rikku cheered, pumping her fists in the air.
"All's well that end's well! Now come on, let's go back down—we'll be in Besaid soon." Rikku tugged at Yuna's hand, forcing her to join her back down at the bridge.
When Besaid was finally in sight, Yuna could barely contain her excitement. She found herself pacing up and down the bridge, her boots clanking lightly on the metal floors.
"We're at Besaid beach guys. Should I land here?" Buddy asked in his usual calm manner.
"Got that right! Land her Buddy!" Rikku cheered, barely able to contain her own excitement.
"Hey! I give the orders around here!" Brother snapped. Everyone aboard the Celsius turned to face Brother, waiting for his orders. His face grew beet red as her grumbled,
"…Land her." As the clouds began to thin and the golden beach of Besaid was visible, Yuna flew to the window, searching anxiously below for any signs of human life.
By the time the ship had landed safely in the water and everyone had filed out, Yuna had seen no signs of her lost love. Rikku herself began to become anxious when there didn't seem to be anyone around at all.
"Alright guys, let's go find Wakka and everyone else! I'm sure they already have some great big feast waiting for us!" The perky Al-Bhed cheered, leading the way up the sandy beach.
Everyone followed, but Yuna found herself bringing up the rear, scanning the area for anything—anything at all. Yuna tried to ease herself, figuring he had already found his way to Wakka, or was playing some sort of joke on her. She slightly grinned to herself, knowing that was certainly a possibility. Realizing that she had fallen behind, she jogged to catch up with her friends.
By the time they had gotten back to the village, Rikku was bragging about how she had been right. Besaid had gone out of its way to welcome their weary troop home, with a feast unlike anything Yuna had ever seen. It even topped the day Yuna and her guardians had defeated Sin, but Yuna simply assumed she had been so numb inside she didn't even know what was going on around her.
However, just being around her village home, the people she held so dear to her heart, she almost found it impossible to be down. The smell of roasting meat and fresh fruit reached her senses, reminding her that she was starving. A giant bonfire had been lit in the middle of the village, while it seemed that every citizen in the village had come to gather around it and celebrate. Even the priest of the local temple seemed to be enjoying himself. And yet, she continued to comb the crowd over and over again, just in case…
"Yuna!" Before Yuna could react, she was swept into a giant bear-hug from Wakka. When he finally released her (due to the fact Yuna could not breathe), Lulu was already in sight, Vidina in her arms.
"It's so good to see you back Yuna. I'm glad you're safe." Though Lulu came off to most as cold and distant, to Yuna she was like an older sister, like Wakka was her older brother. Being back with them had always made Yuna feel at ease.
"Yeah! We brought the whole village together to celebrate you guys coming home! It's not much, but I don't think it's too shabby either." Wakka grinned, bragging in pride as usual.
"It's great! Fanks Wakka." Rikku agreed, her mouth already crammed to the brim with food.
Yuna peered around again to see if she could spot his sunny golden hair in the midst of the group, and grew disheartened when she couldn't locate him. Her face twisted into worry as her stomach churned with uneasiness. Her chest constricted, panic and worry rising within it.
"Yuna? Are you alright?" Lulu asked concernedly, shifting Vidina's weight in her arms. Yuna snapped out of her trance and replied,
"No—nothing's wrong at all Lulu. Sorry I…kind of spaced out there for a second." Lulu raised an eyebrow, knowing in her heart that Yuna wasn't telling the truth. Rikku, sensing her cousin's sadness, chimed in,
"She's…just hungry! That's it! Come on Yuna, let's go get some food in you!" Rikku dragged her cousin over to where the buffet table was set up and forced her to sit. Yuna resisted and broke free of Rikku's grasp.
"I—I don't think I'm hungry Rikku. I'm going to be down by the beach if you want me." Without another word, she rose and left the village, shuffling down the path to the beach. Rikku, knowing it was best now for her cousin to be alone now, set off to find Wakka and Lulu to tell them just what exactly happened on the Farplane.
Yuna sat in the sand barefoot digging her toes into the sand, like she had done so many times as a child. She let her feet soak in the water, letting the waves lap at her feet. The stars shone brightly overhead, twinkling down on her with pity. Even as a child, when Yuna was faced with a problem, she would always travel down to the beach to sort out her thoughts. This time was no different as she sighed glumly, thinking to herself,
'I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up like that. I know the Fayth are busy and want to rest again—but I just wanted to be with him again. I wanted things to be back to normal, like we when we were on my pilgrimage. Whenever I fell, he was always there to pick me up again…' Yuna sighed fondly, remembering the days of her pilgrimage. Even though she was well aware of the fate that befell her, being around her friends and family made it so much easier to bear the weight of her burden as a summoner.
'Still…it was selfish of me to ask for such a wish. I journey and journey and search and search for him, and I still come up with nothing in the end. Maybe I should just admit to myself he's not coming back…no matter how hard I try, I can never find him…maybe this is how it's supposed to be. Maybe…'
Though gloomy and dejected, Yuna knew there was only one option left—one sure test to make sure Tidus had not returned. Placing her index and thumb to her mouth, like she had on that day in Luca two years ago, she blew. A shrill, piercing whistle came from her lips—so loud Yuna could have sworn the Ronso's in Mount Gagazet could have heard. She waited for an eternity and tried again. She tried four more times, and when it was clear no one was coming, she solemnly scooped up a handful of sand and watched as it slipped between her fingers until the last grain had disappeared from her hand.
Disheartened in not finding the answer she wanted to hear, she rose and dusted the wet clingy sand from her skin and clothes. She then followed the path back to the village, determined to have at least a little fun at the celebration.
Eeep…I'm really sorry if this wasn't too interesting, but there's more coming, I promise!
Feel free to review if it so pleases you.
However, all flames sent to me will be instantly extinguished by my buddy Shiva.
Spiran Summoner