Rikku dressed Yuna up in the only silky thing she had. It was short and not elegant enough and was far more suited as a summer dress, but the light blue floral patterns and the straight cut above her legs would just have to make do.

The flowers in her hair were bright pink and clashing, but Rikku smiled anyway and wrapped a cloth sash around Yuna's waist, pulling it tight and tying it into a sloppy bow. At least she looked better than what Tidus dressed her in, and it was a good thing they were just about the same body shape. Sure, she looked a little dumpy – but it was all a game of make believe, anyway.

"There."

Yuna was stooped in front of the mirror, her fingers loosely clasped together. Rikku straightened her up, holding her at the waist and loosely smiling. She looked… "Beautiful!" She could see all the flaws blaring, the mischievous strand of hair, the line that should have been under her breasts riding up, the frayed edges just noticeable above her knees. The worst thing was "His draw is gonna drop. Everyone's are." Yuna's eyes were empty. Her face was slack. Where once all those flaws would fade out with just a little smile, a laugh from her… now they just emphasised one another.

"Everyone's going to be waiting for you outside, okay?" Rikku adjusted her own dress a bit (which was borrowed from the tailor and only three quarters finished) and put a hand on her hip. "I'll be coming with you, of course! Guardians are forever, right?" Even if they're holding flowers instead of swords. "Afterwards, there's going to be a really big party. We haven't had one like that since… everything happened, have we? And this time he'll be there, so it'll be even bigger, won't it?"

Rikku remembered the shift of her eyes, the soft twitch of her smile as wine was pushed down her throat. Even with the fire blazing, the whole world cheering, most of them alive and well and free to do whatever they wanted – Rikku could tell with that one, twitching smile that Yuna wasn't happy.

"That's all you ever wanted, wasn't it?"

Rikku's nails dug into Yuna's side.

She could remember dancing round the fire, sticks tied to her hair. Rikku couldn't let herself not be the centre of attention, especially when it was getting deep into the night and alcohol was the best excuse she had ever discovered.

"To be by his side."

They'd been reciting the pilgrimage. She'd been the only one brave enough to rip her shirt down the middle and pretend she was half Guado. She hadn't even felt the sticks drive into her neck, the scratches in the morning a harsh reminder. She'd flirted and danced and pulled on Yuna to the centre of the fire, where she asked her hand in marriage and dragged her down the aisle.

"We were never enough, where we?"

The booing and the hissing melted to cheering and laughter when Brother suddenly jumped out of the crowd declaring (in Al Bhed) that "no one is going to marry Yunie except me" and punched Sey-Rikku in the face. And so while she lay, half naked and laughing and kicking, Besaid mocked the Guado while they walked into the woods to lie down on their bellies and die. The Ronso in the mountains counted their losses and reassured each other of their strength and swore they would kill. Yuna laughed with all of Besaid, laughed until tears came to her eyes, laughed until she choked and Rikku rubbed her back and pointed at her bruise and made it all the worse.

"I did it all for you, you know."
Rikku knew that her eyes weren't squeezed shut just because of her, that the wheezing in her chest wasn't just because everything was so funny, that the tears were really not for her at all. How could everything be so funny and sad at the same time?

"And you did it all for him."

And now she was a gibbering moron who they all had to dance around. None of them got to have a life, all because she didn't.

"We saved you from one pointless sacrifice…"

Rikku felt something trickle into her nails. A little dab of red had stained her yellow nails.

She pulled her hand away.

"I'm… I'm sorry. I just… I'll go clean up."

Rikku ran to the bathroom.

-

Yuna walked through Besaid as though she had crooked toes. The small crowd that had gathered all cheered her into the square, and Rikku beamed in her place.

She searched the crowd for Lulu, finally spotting her just in front of Wakka. Watching her face, Rikku had expected a scowl. But Lulu just nodded her head and Rikku knew that all was forgiven.

Wakka, though – he didn't look so good. Tubby was about as good at hiding his emotions as he was his belly, so Rikku didn't look at him for long and instead focused on smiling at the rest of the villagers.

Kimarhi obediently in the middle of the square, arms folded. He'd not been too happy about being dragged down from the mountain, and unhappier still when Rikku kicked him out of the room and told him he couldn't be a bride's maid. He didn't seem to understand that none of this was real, anyway – he didn't get that Yuna couldn't be happy or sad or upset about it at all and it wasn't his place to protect a corpse any longer.

But the real hook line and sinker was Tidus.

He was dressed way too fancy and Rikku wondered where the heck he got clothes like that on such short notice. On top of that, it really wasn't him – it was uncomfortable seeing him in a super fancy robe. She had to stop herself laughing, she really did.

His face though, when he saw her… it lit up. Dead trees fuel fires.

Tidus bounced, waving a hand, and Rikku had to shake her head for him to cut it out. Tidus just whistled. He'd been doing that a lot, lately. Rikku felt a bit of happiness surge back into her, and laughed and whistled back, playing along with whatever game it was he was setting up.

Stepping into the square, she lead Yuna's hand into Tidus's, and stood before them.

"Yunie's my cousin, so I think I'm the only one who should get to give her away." Rikku put her hands on her hips. "Since you two have been living together for… ever, it looks like Yuna's told me her choice." Rikku brought a finger to her lips, tapping it. "Not that you're my first choice for her… She could do a lot better than just a Blitzball star and a legendary guardian." Winking towards Tidus, she shrugged. "But, no one's good enough for my Yunie, anyway. And I guess you've made a pretty good effort."

Tidus placed his hand on Yuna's back, rubbing it in circles. He had a smile on his face.

"Sooo, point is, you two are already like a married couple. Everyone can see it, everyone thinks it."

He looked towards her, and she looked towards nothing.

"And I caught Yuna watching wedding spheres all day, so, I think it's prettttty obvious what she's been thinking about."

Looking around the crowd, Rikku shuffled on the spot.

"Yevon's gone now. We don't need priests or nuns or any of that today. All we need to know is that these two are lovebirds, and that's all that ever mattered anyway, right?"

Rikku grinned.

"Alright! So, enough chit chat."

"Yunie, are you going to take this guy to be your husband?"

Rikku leaned forwards, grabbing one of her hands and squeezing it, looking at her right in the eyes. "Yeah?" Rikku leaned back, releasing her hand. "Yeah!"

She heard a slight cheer mumbling through the crowd.

"So… Tidus?" Rikku placed her hands on her hips, leaning forwards. "What about you?"

Tidus looked up, a wavering in his smile.

Rikku knew the punch before it came.

"I…" He looked back to Yuna, back at the girl who swayed in one place, who wriggled and jived and didn't squeeze the hand that held hers. This wasn't the girl he saved.
The girl he saved had danced over corpses, had laughed when the world collapsed in around her, had fought her way tooth and nail to the end – all so everyone could be given a year of peace, a moment of happiness. The girl he had saved hadn't needed help bathing, hadn't been so thankless, empty and hollow, handn't needed him to wipe her mouth or her bottom. She could dress herself in the morning, she could talk to him, or not talk at all and at least still look alive. But… so what? So what if she couldn't eat well or do next to anything for herself, that was what he was there for. He tightened the grip on her hand, the surge of anger and guilt and… everything, everything else bloated his throat. "I…"

Rikku's eyes flickered off, the guilt snapped on. The same guilt she felt that night when she lay bruised and laughing, the too-soon hard hit guilt that made her want to rip herself open and ask why she had been so stupid.

"I… do."

The crowd cheered, and Rikku slowly roused herself to look him in his sad eyes. She mouthed a 'thank you' before bouncing forwards and embracing him. She kissed his cheeks as though she was the bride, and Yuna's lips hung dry and untouched.