"You're doing well ya?" Wakka asked Tidus as the two sat in Wakka's hut.
"Yeah, I'm just tired," Tidus responded. "With Yuna having to travel to Bevelle a couple times a month, I have to chase the little one around on my own."
"Haha!" Wakka laughed loudly at Tidus' complaint. "The life of having a kid ya? She's getting older at least."
Tidus and Wakka maintained their close friendship as the years passed. Wakka was Tidus' best man in his and Yuna's wedding, and spent the whole day Yuna gave birth waiting outside for the news.
Yuna and Tidus had a beautiful baby girl, whom they named Chandale. Tidus always melted into a butterball when around his daughter, and did anything to make her happy. With Yuna's responsibilities in the quorum forcing her to travel to Bevelle, Tidus forged a very close relationship with his daughter.
"I swear the older she gets, the more energy she finds," Tidus said. "Now that she's ten, all she wants to do is practice blitzball with me."
"Well enjoy your time right now," Wakka responded. "Lulu promised she would give us the whole day and she would watch Vidina and Chandale."
"Chandale was excited. Our kids became pretty good friends."
"Ya, they have. I just hope the so-called war doesn't find it's way here."
Tidus' thoughts drifted off after Wakka mentioned a possible war. As Spira's locations grew into their own nations, the world's leader were forced to try and prevent separation between the nations. Bevelle was being threatened by the Guado in an effort to separate themselves from what had been called the Spira Union. After the Macalania Forest nearly completely died off, the Guado moved in and turned it into their new city while still saving some of the nature. The issue was that they wanted to make their own laws and sanctions, and not be forced to follow the Union's laws. The disagreement led to standoffs with armed soldiers from both sides, but no shots had been fired at that point.
"Yuna doesn't think it will," Tidus said finally. "I'd have to agree with her. The Guado would be stupid to invade an island that holds three of the High Summoner's guardians."
"I hope so," Wakka replied.
"We can't let a ware break out," Yuna pleaded to the panel she stood before in Bevelle.
President Baralai, who was serving his third straight term, sat behind her. He was ready for a war, but Yuna refused to condone such an action. She made it her goal to keep the peace.
"What would you have us do?" Nooj asked from the floor. "The Guado refuse to listen to reason, and we cannot ignore the weapons they have pointed at us."
"The Guado have grown large and powerful the past ten years," Rin, the Mi'ihen leader said. "They have the single largest military force of any one nation."
"I did not bring the Eternal Calm just so we could have wars against each other," Yuna declared. "It was a war that brought Sin in the first place. It was because of a war that a devastating machine called Vegnagun was built. If we let a war begin now, we will fall right back into the cycle that has constantly threatened Spira's existence."
"Then I suggest you meet with the Guado yourself," Leblanc, the Syndicate leader spoke out. "You seem to have a knack for bringing peace, love."
Yuna didn't want to have to step up like that, but Leblanc had a point. She might be the only person who could bring the peace back. Just like any other incident in the past, she was willing to do whatever it took.
"I will meet with them," Yuna finally agreed.
Yuna stepped away from the podium and sat back down in her seat on the floor. Baralai proceeded to step in front of the podium. He was clearly tired and stressed, and wanted nothing more than to not worry about anything at the moment.
"Yuna, you realize there's a chance they could attack," Baralai eventually said.
"I understand," Yuna replied. "But we can't just sit here and wait for someone to take the first shot."
"Very well. I will send a four man escort to serve as your bodyguards."
Yuna shook her head. "No bodyguards. I'm going on my own. If we send soldiers with me, it could be perceived as a threat."
"Yuna, you can't go in unguarded," Gippal spoke up. "That's just not smart."
"Gippal, you, Nooj, and Baralai all should know I can handle myself just fine. If something happens, I will get out as quickly as possible."
Yuna got up from her seat and left the conference room. No one tried to speak out and stop her. If anything was learned about Yuna over the years, it was that once she had something set in her mind, there was no stopping her. She fought what what she felt was right, no matter the consequences.
"Daddy!" Tidus heard his daughter shout from outside the hut.
Wakka snickered as Tidus got up to see what she was shouting about. Once he was outside, he could see Vidina running in the opposite direction, and Chandale right in front of the hut with tears in her eyes. He knelt down and accepted a hug from his daughter.
"What's wrong?" Tidus asked compassionately.
"Vidina stole my toy!" Chandale complained while wiping her tears.
"Well get it back sweetie."
Chandale finally stopped crying. "But Vidina's faster than me! He's older."
"Here's the secret," Wakka suddenly said from the hut's entrance. "You have to sneak up on him and tickle his sides."
Wakka imitated a person tickling another while talking. Chandale started to laugh loudly. She hugged Wakka, then started to run after Vidina.
"Why do I have a feeling she's going to be a handful even when she's older?" Tidus asked through a chuckle.
"Well at least they can grow up in peace, ya," Wakka replied. "I didn't get much of a childhood outside of blitz."
"Yeah, you're right about that. So where's Lulu, the supposed babysitter?"
Tidus noticed Wakka had a nervous smile on his face. Before he knew what was happening, Lulu was slapping the back of his head.
"Ow!" Tidus shouted. "I swear you're getting stronger as you get older!"
"Maybe you're just getting soft," Lulu suggested. "But do you expect me to keep up with these kids at all times?"
"Come on Lu, you were a guardian. You've handled worse."
Lulu shook her head before moving to catch up with the kids. Wakka had stayed back, laughing the whole time. Tidus smirked as he shook his head. He and Lulu had forged a type of relationship based around Tidus poking fun at her, which in turn would try her already short patience.
"You know bruddah, you used to be afraid of her," Wakka poked.
"Yeah, but that was before I knew that she's really a softy underneath that shell she wears," Tidus replied. Tidus looked up at the sky. The sun was beginning to set. "Yuna was expected back this afternoon. I wonder what's going on."
Wakka slapped Tidus' back. "I'm sure it just ran longer. They're trying to stop a war after all."
Tidus nodded, then started to walk back toward the hut. He stopped when he heard a loud roar, followed by a huge increase in wind. Suddenly the Celsius swooped over the village, then landed at the newly built landing pad to the left of the village.
"See, there she is now," Wakka said.
Tidus jogged toward the Celsius and reached it just as the ramp was lowering. His expression changed when he only saw Rikku and Paine walk off the airship. Rikku carried a worried look on her face.
"What happened?" Tidus asked, completely flooded with worry.
"Baralai contacted us this morning," Paine said. "Yuna went to Macalania yesterday to meet with the Guado, but hasn't come back. She refused to bring guards, and she hasn't attempted to reach us on a commsphere."
"We wanted to come and tell you that the Gullwings are going to attempt a rescue," Rikku continued.
"Then I'm coming with you," Tidus replied.
"Daddy!" Chandale suddenly called as she ran toward them. "Where's Mommy?"
Tidus put his hand on her head. "Honey, I've got to go with Aunt Rikku and Aunt Paine for a couple days. Wakka and Lulu will take care of you until we get back."
"But I wanna go! Why can't I go?"
Wakka picked Chandale up and patted her back. "Don't worry, your dad and mom will be back in no time. They're going on a business trip, so they can't have kids with them."
Chandale didn't understand, but she stopped arguing. Tidus mouthed a thank you to him, then ran onto the Celsius. Rikku and Paine followed closely behind. Once they were all on the bridge, the ship jumped into the air at full speed.
"So what's the whole story?" Tidus asked.
"Baralai was preparing for war, but Yuna refused to let that happen," Paine answered. "She agreed to speak with the Guado leader personally, and without any armed guards."
"I guess she hoped her history with Tromell would make it easier," Rikku said. "She forgot that Tromell tried killing her long before he was nice to her. We're going to jump into Macalania from the Celsius and move straight for the capital."
"But what about the war?" Tidus asked, concerned for not just Yuna's well-being, but for the peace of the nations. "If we go in, how will the Guado not see that as an act of war?"
"The Gullwings don't belong to any nation," Buddy replied from his navigation seat. "If we go in, the Guado won't have any reasonable grounds to declare war."
"Well then I'm glad you made me an honorary member of the Gullwings." Tidus pulled the Gullwings patch that was given to him out of his shirt pocket. He carried it with him just about everywhere.
The Celsius blazed through the sky at max speed. It was by far the fastest airship in all of Spira, and proved it by circling the entire continent in less than half a day. Brother, no matter how annoying he was to everyone, had become an excellent pilot. He even made it his mission to remind people of that on a daily basis.
Tidus sat in the cabin, sharpening his sword with a wet stone. Once they dropped into Guado territory, they had to be ready for a battle, even if they didn't get one. Years ago, he had been offered a garment grid like what the other Gullwings members had so that he could change jobs in battle, but he refused. He wanted to stick to using his Brotherhood sword, a symbol of his friendship with Wakka. It wasn't the most powerful sword he owned, but it was more than enough for anything he would have to face.
"We'll be over Macalania in five," Buddy called through the intercom system. "Gullwings, get to the ramp. I'm going to hover about ten feet above the tree line, and you'll have to jump and use the trees to slow your drop."
Tidus sheathed his sword and ran for the elevator. Once it opened, Rikku and Paine were both already in it. The ramp was on the far end of the engine room, and whenever it would open, an automatic bulkhead would rise up to guard the engines from any debris flying around.
"We go in, find Yuna, and get out," Paine said. "We're not here to start any fights."
"No arguments here," Tidus replied. "We have a daughter to go home to."
The ramp slowly began to open, showing the tall treeline of Macalania. The forest was almost completely dead, but the Guado had managed to preserve a portion of the trees on the north end. The Guado capital was only a short walk from those trees.
"You see what I'm seeing?" Rikku shouted over the wind.
Rikku was pointing at a large crowd of Guado. They were facing the Celsius, all holding weapons. Most held long, narrow swords, but some also carried rifles. The rifles were pointing directly at the ramp.
"I guess this won't go peacefully after all," Tidus remarked.
"Maybe it's just precautionary," Paine said. "Let's wait and see."
The three waited until the ramp was fully extended, and when Buddy gave the all-clear, they all jumped at the same time. As soon as they were in the air, they could hear the Guado firing the rifles off. Bullets whizzed by as they hit the trees, using the branches to slow down until they could safely drop to the ground.
"Rikku, use your alchemist dressphere to fire back on those riflemen," Tidus said. "Paine, use any blade job to flank out the rest of the Guado while they're distracted by Rikku."
"What about you?" Rikku asked as she accessed her garment grid.
"I'm going straight for the capital."
"Alone?" Paine asked. "You're going to want backup."
"I'll have backup once I get Yuna. Go help Rikku."
Tidus jumped into a full sprint in the opposite direction. He stayed off the path and ran through the trees and bushes in hopes of staying out of sight. More Guado were running from the capital to provide backup against Rikku and Paine. Tidus knew those two could handle themselves, so he breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the more the Guado sent toward them, the less there would be for him at the capital.
"You will be released as soon as the president agrees to our terms," a tall, unknown Guado said.
"He'll never agree," Yuna responded. She stood behind a set of steel bars in the bottom floor of the capital building. "Where's Tromell? He's your leader, right?"
"Tromell is a naive old fool," the Guado replied. "He's in his own cage, and has been there for months. He doesn't have what it takes to lead the Guado."
"You're making this harder for yourself." Yuna eyed the room and noticed her guns hanging on the opposite wall. "The Gullwings will be here for me."
"Oh they're already here. I've had soldiers waiting for the past twenty-four hours. I wanted to be sure they had the welcome they deserve."
Yuna's worry increased after he said the Gullwings were already there. Paine and Rikku were incredibly skilled in battle, but two people against an entire army was a near impossibility. She had to find a way to get out of the cage and to her weapons.
A second Guado suddenly burst through the door. "My Lord, Sir Tidus is attacking the capital building right now!"
Yuna's eyes widened in surprise. Tidus was upstairs, but where was Rikku and Paine? Her sense of urgency increased even more.
"Let me out and I promise there will be no repercussions," Yuna said.
"I'm not falling for such a weak trick," the Guado snapped. "I've seen you eying your weapons."
The Guado picked Yuna's guns off the wall, then opened a trapdoor that sat in the middle of the room. Yuna could only assume the door led to the sewage system underneath. The guns were dropped down the hole, and a few seconds later, a splash was heard.
"I am High Summoner Yuna, and I do not lie," Yuna urged. "You want what you feel is best for the Guado. Let us talk about this diplomatically. I'm sure we can come to some kind of accord."
The Guado ignored her and left the room, locking the door behind him. A tear formed in Yuna's eye. Her only hope at that point was for Tidus to survive the assault.
"Where's Yuna?" Tidus demanded as he held a Guado by his shirt collar. The Guado was severely injured by Tidus' sword running through his leg, but refused to talk.
Five more Guado arrived in the room and started to fire their rifles at Tidus. Tidus dropped the Guado and dove behind a large stone sculpture. Bullets pinged off the stone, chipping away at it slowly. Tidus swung his head around, trying to find a way of escape. A door was open about ten feet away, so he jumped to his feet and sprinted for the door. Just as he dove through the door, a single bullet managed to hit the back of his leg.
"Shit!" Tidus shouted as he slammed the door and locked it. He shoved a large wooden desk in front of the door, then dropped to the ground. He examined his leg, and was relieved to see the bullet only grazed him.
"Where is he?" the leader asked as he reached the large room.
"He's barricaded himself in that office," a soldier replied, pointing to the room Tidus was hiding in.
"Sir Tidus," the leader called. "You have nowhere to escape to. I commend you for your bravery. You live up to your reputation as Lady Yuna's greatest guardian. Surrender and I promise that neither you nor Yuna will be hurt. We do not want war, only our freedom."
"You have freedom!" Tidus shouted through the door. "Just because there are laws doesn't mean you are slaves. The laws established by the Spira Council are there to keep the people safe, as well as uphold the peace."
"You may believe that, however, we only see a system built to keep us from making our own decisions."
"Who are you?" Tidus finally noticed that the Guado didn't sound like Tromell. "Where's Tromell?"
"My name is Naave Guado, the new leader of Macalania and the Guado. I have been accepted by the people, and will bring us into a life of independence."
Tidus didn't say anything back. Now that he knew the Guado's name, he knew that Tromell wasn't the one behind the disputes. His mission now was to find Yuna, then bring the new information to the council. After studying the room, a single window occupied the far wall, but it was too high to simply climb through.
"Paine, behind you!" Rikku shouted. She aimed her weapon a little to the right of Paine and shot a Guado.
"Thanks," Paine replied. She parried two blade attacks at once, then cut them both down.
The two Gullwings were holding their own, but the Guado seemed to keep coming. The Guado were being smart, not attempting too many head-on attacks. They were slowly surrounding Rikku and Paine, cutting off any paths for escape.
"This isn't looking too good," Rikku said as she and Paine stood back to back.
"No, it isn't," Paine said back. "Any ideas?"
"You're the idea girl! I got nothing."
Shots continued to fire toward them. Paine guarded herself with her blade, and Rikku continued to fire back in an attempt to keep them from staying steady.
"I really wish Yunie was with us," Rikku stated. "She'd shoot every one of those riflemen within seconds!"
Suddenly a group of nearly twenty Guado began to advance on them. They all carried blades, and their formation made it impossible for Paine to be able to block them all at once. The Guado began to run toward the two at full speed.
"So this is it!" Rikku shouted nervously.
Right before the Guado would have reached them, a massive flame shot up from the ground and acted as a wall between the Guado and the Gullwings. Confusion filled all of them until the Celsius swooped down from the sky. Lulu stood at the edge of the ramp with her hand pointing outward. A spiked blitzball suddenly flew down and slammed into three different Guado before dropping, then Wakka revealed himself next to Lulu.
"Ha, that's what I'm talking about!" Rikku shouted with excitement.
Wakka and Lulu both jumped off the ramp and repeated the same maneuver that the Gullwings had used with the trees. Once they were on the ground, the Guado began to nervously back away.
"Looks like we got here just in time, ya?" Wakka said.
"Eh, we had it under control," Rikku said unconvincingly.
"Where is Yuna and Tidus?" Lulu asked. She noticed a few Guado trying to sneak closer to them, so she blasted a large thundaga spell toward them. One Guado got hit and passed out while the other two turned and sprinted in the opposite direction.
"Tidus went to the capital building on his own," Paine answered. "We think Yuna's in there."
"I'll go help him," Wakka said. "Lu, cover me."
Lulu nodded, then waved her hand. Two massive fire walls lined the path the Wakka ran down, acting as barriers that protected Wakka from the Guado. Paine and Rikku both watched in awe over Lulu's power.
"I forgot how awesome you are!" Rikku exclaimed.
"Years of practice," Lulu responded with a smile.
Tidus finally stood up after he wrapped his leg injury, then approached the window. He pulled up a chair and tried to climb to the window. Disappointment filled him when he realized the window couldn't open. He grabbed his sword and started to bang on the glass with the hilt, but the glass wouldn't break.
"Great, now what," Tidus whispered to himself. He could hear the Guado beginning to blast away at the door in attempts to open it.
A couple minutes later, Tidus could hear the Guado shouted from the other side of the door. It sounded like the were struggling with something, then a few minutes after that, silence ensued. Tidus slowly approached the door and listened carefully.
"Where could they be?" Tidus heard Wakka's voice say.
Tidus' eyes shot opened, then he threw the large desk out from in front of the door. He swung it opened and saw Wakka standing in the middle of eleven unconscious Guado.
"Wakka!" Tidus exclaimed. "Man, I'm glad to see you! Wait, where's Chandale?"
"She and Vidina are on the Celsius," Wakka answered. "Once they dropped me and Lulu off, they went to Bevelle, so they're safe."
Tidus' heart finally began to steady again. "Ok, we need to search the lower floors for Yuna. I already swept the upper floors."
"Right behind you bruddah!"
Tidus and Wakka ran down a set of stairs that led to a dark hallway. They slowly moved down the hall, hoping there were no ambushes in waiting. Only one door occupied the hallway, near the end. Once they reached it, it was locked with a large padlock.
"Stand back," Tidus said. He gripped his sword, and with all the power he could muster, he swung the blade into the lock. The lock took a scratch, but nothing more.
"You're gonna break you sword doing that," Wakka said. "We could sure use Lulu to break this off with a spell."
Suddenly a gun fired from the other end of the hallway. Tidus and Wakka ducked in surprise, then noticed they had nowhere to take cover. Two Guado stood on the far end, firing the weapons toward Tidus and Wakka, aiming for their bodies.
"Guess we gotta do something crazy," Wakka shouted over the gun shots.
"Well we've never done that before!" Tidus replied sarcastically.
Wakka threw his blitzball down the hall, forcing the Guado to take cover. At the same time, Tidus took off into a full sprint down the hall. Just as the Guado turned the corner to shoot again, Tidus was right in front of them. He swung his sword around and sliced the ends of the guns clean off, then he kicked one of the Guado in his gut, and punched the others face.
"That's how you do it bruddah!" Wakka called across the hall as both Guado lost consciousness.
Tidus wiped his hands on his pants, then returned to the locked door. He studied it, but determined that he agreed with Wakka in needing Lulu. With the flick of her wrist, she'd have that lock off, and possibly the whole door with it.
"So what's the plan?" Wakka asked.
Tidus examined the door carefully. It was made of a type of steel, so there was no cutting through it. Even worse, the hinges were on the inside of the door, so they wouldn't be able to detach the door either. Whoever built the door did it with the intent of no one getting in without their permission.
"We're gonna have to find Lulu," Tidus finally said. "This is the last room, so Yuna has to be in there."
"You're correct on that," Naave suddenly said from down the hall. Tidus turned and pointed his sword at the Guado, who had is arms up in a sign of surrender.
"If you don't unlock this door right now, then I will cut you down right here," Tidus threatened. His voice was serious to a point that Wakka hadn't heard since the pilgrimage five years ago.
Naave slowly walked down the hall, keeping his arms raised. His face revealed that he was willing to comply with Tidus' demands. Tidus could only hope that it was because the Guado knew he couldn't win.
"You must understand why I went to these measures," Naave tried to explain. "We Guado have been looked down on ever since the incident with Maester Seymour and the slaughtering of the Ronso. We've received injustice after injustice because of it, even though Seymour is long gone."
"Well in the rest of Spira's defense, no one exactly tried to prevent Seymour's actions," Tidus replied. "If I remember correctly, you all went along with it when you attacked the Al Bhed home and the Ronso. However, we aren't here to condemn you for something that's in the past. Bring Yuna to me safely, and I'm sure we can figure this out without more bloodshed."
Naave nodded his head and approached the door. With Wakka and Tidus watching closely, he reached into his uniform and pulled out a chain of keys. After a few seconds of shuffling, he located the key for the lock and popped it open. Tidus shoved him aside and swung the door open, revealing Yuna in the cage.
"Yuna!" Tidus shouted.
"Tidus!" Yuna exclaimed happily. Tidus ran to the cage and grabbed her hand and gave her a deep kiss. Afterward, Yuna kept her lips close to his face. "Tidus, you can't trust him."
Tidus pulled away and nodded slightly. "Naave, why don't we all go to Bevelle and sit down with the council. President Baralai is an old friend, so he'll listen to me and Yuna."
Naave's expression was unchanged from before as he moved into the room. Tidus locked eyes with Wakka, who gripped his blitzball weapon tightly. Seconds later, Naave jumped toward Tidus, who reacted by moving out of the way of the attack.
"That was your last chance!" Tidus shot.
"Quite the contrary," Naave responded angrily. He approached the wall next to the cage and pressed a small, green button. Suddenly the ceiling above Yuna began to slowly drop. "Your beloved is in her last chance if you don't accept my terms of surrender."
Tidus gritted his teeth as he watched the ceiling slowly approach Yuna. "What are your terms?"
Naave smiled, but was filled with evil satisfaction. "Macalania and the Guado will be accepted as independent. You will sign a treaty that will guarantee you will not attack in the future, under the pretense that if you do, we will retaliate with full force. Bevelle will also fund the repairs to all that you damaged in your little escapade here."
"I can't promise you any of that," Tidus responded. "I'm not in the council. Even so, Yuna wouldn't even be able to promise that."
Naave tossed a commsphere to Tidus. "Then you had better contact your president quickly. I figure you have maybe five minutes until your wife is crushed."
Yuna was kneeling as the ceiling continued to drop. Her heart was racing as Tidus turned the sphere on to call Bevelle. In the past, she would have demanded that he not do it. This time, however, she wanted nothing more than to get out and be with her husband and daughter. She didn't care one bit about the politics.
"President, Sir Tidus has contacted us on the commsphere!" one of Baralai's assistants suddenly shouted as he ran through the office door.
Baralai jumped to his feet and ran to the communications room. Tidus face was on the screen, and Baralai could see the deep look of concern.
"Tidus, where is Yuna?" Baralai asked.
"You need to accept the Guado's terms to become an independent nation," Tidus said immediately. He pointed the sphere at Yuna, who was quickly running out of room. "He will kill her if you don't. You also have to provide the necessary funds for them to repair any damage we caused today."
Baralai hesitated for a few seconds before finally responding. "Very well, I accept the terms. Just get Yuna out of there."
Baralai didn't like accepting the Guado's terms, but he couldn't let Yuna get killed. If she was killed, there would be an all-out war that would end the Calm as they knew it. No one in Spira was more important in his opinion.
Tidus suddenly flipped the sphere off. "There you go, Naave. Baralai agreed, now let Yuna go!"
Naave pressed the button again, stopping the ceiling from dropping. "I appreciate your cooperation. Yuna will be freed as soon as the treaty has been signed. Shall we proceed to Bevelle."
"I'm not going anywhere without Yuna!"
Naave stepped closer to Tidus. "I suggest you come with me to Bevelle. I'm not prepared to negotiate these terms. You can even come back here with me to ensure your wife's safety."
Tidus' rage was flaring, but he had to keep it in check. One slip-up could cost Yuna her life. His only concern was bringing her home to their daughter.
"Tidus, it's ok," Wakka said from the door. He nodded slowly, but Tidus wasn't entirely sure what he was referring to.
"Alright, let's just get this over with," Tidus finally said.
Naave smiled and held his hand out to let Tidus leave first. Tidus began to walk, but was caught off guard when a blaze of fire suddenly engulfed Naave. Naave shouted out in pain as the flames persisted for a few more seconds. Tidus snapped into action by drawing his sword and running it through Naave's left leg. Naave screeched loudly, then fell to the floor. Tidus turned to the door and saw Lulu reveal herself.
"There won't be any surrender today," Lulu said coldly. "You mess with my family, I will burn you."
"Man I'm glad you're on our side!" Tidus called to her. Lulu smiled and nodded in response. "Now, Naave, how about you give me the keys to Yuna's cage?"
Naave hesitated until Tidus began to rotate the blade in his leg. Naave yelled out in pain, then tossed the keys to Tidus. Tidus caught them and tossed them to Wakka, who ran to the cage to let Yuna out.
"Now here are the new terms," Tidus began. "You will surrender yourself and any of your supporters, and you will tell us where you have locked up your real leader, Tromell. There will be no negotiation. You either accept, or I kill you right here."
Naave could tell Tidus was being serious. Fear began to fill him as he realized the mistake he made. He failed to take into account the number of powerful friends Yuna had.
"Fine, I surrender," Naave finally said. "I have no supporters. The Guado only acted in defense because I told them that the council declared war on us. None of them are at fault."
"I'll take your word for it," Tidus said. "But I will not hesitate to come back if anyone else tries something like this in the future. I may not be on the council, but you made it personal when you tried to kill my wife."
Yuna walked out of the cage and approached Tidus. "It's ok, Tidus. I'm fine, so we don't need to hurt him anymore. That's not our way."
Tidus saw the concern in Yuna's eyes. Even through everything, she didn't want Naave to be hurt more than he already was. Tidus finally pulled the blade out of Naave's leg and turned his back to the Guado.
"You and Yuna get out of here," Lulu said. "Wakka and I will escort Naave to Bevelle. Go find Rikku and Paine. They were organizing the Guado's surrender up above."
Tidus led Yuna out of the room and back upstairs. Yuna held his hand tightly the whole way. For the first time in a very long time, she was truly afraid of losing him again.
Right outside the capital building, Rikku and Paine were standing in front of around forty Guado who had given up their weapons. The damage outside of very extensive with almost every structure in the immediate area damaged in some way. Once Rikku saw Yuna, she shouted in excitement then hugged her.
"Yunie, you're ok!" Rikku shouted. "I was so worried!"
"Are you alright?" Paine asked.
"Yeah, they didn't hurt me," Yuna responded. "This war is over thanks to Tidus and you guys."
Rikku shook her head. "Nah, Paine and I just kicked a bunch of butt! Tidus did the heavy work."
Yuna glanced at Tidus, who was clearly happy, but still shaken up. She reached over and grabbed his hand and gave him a smile. He returned the smile with a weaker one of his own.
"I'm alright," Yuna ensured. "You don't need to worry. You save me, just like you always have."
"Why did you come here on your own like that?" Tidus asked. "I mean, I understand why you did it, but you should have known they wouldn't let you just walk in to talk. You're the ultimate bargaining tool for any enemy."
Yuna's smiled turned to a frown. "I'm sorry, I just had to do something. Baralai was ready to go to war, and I couldn't let that happen. We didn't fight to destroy Sin for good just so we could go back to fighting each other. I'd sooner see Sin back before I let that happen."
Yuna's words struck heavy when Tidus heard them. She had always been against conflict, but Tidus had never realized just how much until he heard that statement. Through the near ten years of peace, they hadn't really spoken much on the topic.
"Ok, then next time, tell me first," Tidus said with a compassionate smile. "I'm your husband and your guardian."
"I think I can agree to that," Yuna said with a smile of her own. "You handled negotiations pretty well on your own today. Maybe I should bring you to the council in the future."
Tidus threw his hands up. "No no! That's your territory. If you weren't involved in this, I'd still be on Besaid."
Yuna chuckled at Tidus' reaction. She knew he would say no, but loved hearing his response to it every time she brought it up. He even knew that was why she did it, but it was just another way to make her happy in his eyes.
"Well, another conflict solved thanks to High Summoner Yuna!" Rikku exclaimed. "The Celsius is coming around now, so let's get you guys back to Chandale!"
"Mommy!" Chandale shouted as she ran into Yuna's arms on the Celsius bridge.
"Oh I'm so happy to see you!" Yuna exclaimed as she squeezed her daughter tightly. Tidus knelt down and joined in the hug as well.
"I thought I wouldn't see you again," Chandale said as she began to cry. "I heard Brother say you were in trouble!"
Tidus shot a frustrated look at Brother for him opening his mouth around her. Brother gave a nervous apologetic face, then quickly turned to the pilot seat.
"I wasn't in any trouble," Yuna ensured. "Your daddy was with me. Wait, this is your first time on the Celsius! You like it?"
Chandale's crying almost immediately stopped. "I love it here! Can we live on this ship!"
Tidus jumped forward. "No, we don't want to do that."
"Your daddy gets airsick on the Celsius," Yuna joked.
"It's just because of Brother's flying!" Tidus insisted.
"Hey, I'm the best pilot in Spira!" Brother snapped loudly. "You were fine on Cid's ship when we left home!"
Everyone laughed as Tidus and Brother got into their traditional arguing. Eventually Yuna took Chandale down to the cabin and laid her down for a nap. With all the excitement of the day, she was out in a matter of minutes. Shortly after, Tidus arrived in the cabin as well.
"Drink?" Barkeep asked Tidus as he walked by the bar.
"Oh please," Tidus responded with exhaustion.
Barkeep poured a drink, then handed it to a grateful Tidus. Yuna sat down next to him and put her head on his shoulder. Tidus smiled and put his arm around her shoulders.
"If Baralai doesn't let you take a vacation after this, then I'm kidnapping you," Tidus said.
"You won't need to kidnap me," Yuna responded. "I'll run away. I've been wanting to take Chandale to Gagazet for a while. She's been asking me about Kimahri for a while."
"You should retire."
Yuna turned her head to face Tidus. "I'm a little young to be retiring."
Tidus shook his head. "You've done more for Spira than pretty much the rest of the world combined. I think you deserve to live in peace now."
Yuna understood where Tidus was coming from. It seemed like every time Spira had a problem, she was the first person to act, and always ended up being the one solving the problem. It felt like a burden at times, but it also made her happy to help her world.
"If I don't do something, who will?" Yuna asked.
"I don't know, but that's the problem," Tidus answered. "Everyone's so used to you jumping in to solve their problems, they almost expect it from you now. You get visitors from all of Spira even when you're in Besaid trying to just live with your family. Maybe it's time Spira had a new savior."
"I don't think I could ever completely quit helping." Yuna rested her head back on Tidus' shoulder. "But I am considering resigning from my position on the quorum."
"Who would take your place for Besaid?"
"I'm surprised he didn't tell you. I spoke with Wakka about it before I left."
Tidus was a little surprised at her statement. "Wakka as the Besaid leader?"
"Sure, why not? He's always been very dedicated when it comes to his job and beliefs. He's also a natural leader. I know a lot of the Aurochs players come to him for advice all the time, even with you on their team. People flock to him."
"Yeah, that's true. He and Lulu are doing a great job raising Vidina too. Maybe you're right, and he's the perfect person for it."
Tidus finished his drink, then let out a long yawn that was followed by a stretch. Yuna took it as a sign that Tidus was ready for bed. The sun wouldn't set for another few hours, but after the day he just had, it wasn't a surprise that he was exhausted. Yuna took him by the hand and led him to a room in the back of the cabin. The Gullwings had built the room in specifically for Yuna and Tidus when they would be on the airship together. It gave them the privacy that everyone felt they deserved.
"Oh it feels so good to be on a bed right now," Tidus exclaimed through a long sigh.
Yuna smiled as she laid down next to him. "You still don't sleep well when I'm gone?"
"Never have." Tidus took Yuna into his arm so she could rest her head on his chest. "It's been a little easier lately just because Chandale has the occasional bad dream, then she wants to sleep in our bed."
"She is daddy's little girl," Yuna giggled. "She becomes more like you every day, and I think that's a great thing."
"Yeah, but she's inheriting both of our stubborn attitudes. Put our separate attitudes in one girl, and we have a very free-minded girl."
"She's sure going to be something when she's older."
Yuna began to picture what their daughter would look like as an adult. She had inherited a lot of Tidus' features. Her hair was a darker blonde, which Tidus and Yuna assumed it was because of her already brown hair, coupled with Tidus having darker hair in his younger years compared to the blonde he had now. She was also already growing taller. She was looking to get even taller than Tidus if she kept growing at her current pace. The only noticeable traits she got from Yuna was her skinnier physique, and even though both her eyes were blue, they had a faint look of the swirl of an Al Bhed.
"She says she wants to be a professional blitzball player when she grows up," Tidus said while he kept his eyes closed. "She practically demands I take her to the beach every day to practice."
"Just like her father," Yuna giggled. "She should go for it if that's what she wants."
"Yeah, I feel bad for her though. With the league raising the minimum age from thirteen to sixteen, she still has six years before she can join a pro team. At the rate she's practicing, she'll be playing at the pro level by the time she's thirteen or fourteen."
"Then she'll be an ace just like you when she finally starts. I never asked though, when did you start playing?"
Tidus started having flashes of his life in Zanarkand. Jecht had been playing blitzball even before he was born, so he had blitzball around him all the time. Even though Jecht never really supported him wanting to play the game, he still wanted to play like his father.
"I tried for real when I was around six," Tidus answered. "I started shooting in a sphere when I was ten, and joined the Zanarkand Abes when I was sixteen. They signed me after they saw me in a pickup game, then they found out I was Jecht's kid, so they didn't even care if I was really good or not. I started as more of a publicity move, but I was their top scorer from my first game on."
Yuna noticed that Tidus' words were drifting as he told his story. Before she tried to continue the conversation, she lifted her head and saw Tidus was pretty much completely unconscious. She smiled, then laid her head back on his chest and closed her own eyes.
"Thank you Tidus," Yuna whispered softly. "You rescued me again, just like I know you'll always do."