"Hey hey, Boychik. It's time to be rising and shining!"
Tidus felt like he was experiencing Deja vu. He could have sworn that was how he was awakened the day before.
"Yeah lazy bones," Wakka echoed. "Can't you hear the wedding bells?"
Tidus perked up at that, suddenly awake and surprised. "I'm getting married—again!"
"And some people get divorced in between." Wakka chuckled.
Tidus leapt from the bed and put on the rest of his clothes. "You're just jealous."
Wakka rested his hands on his hips. "Honestly, I'm really not. I love Yuna, and I know you two are happy with your decision. But I don't envy what's to come for you."
As Tidus tied his shoes, he gave Wakka a withering glance. "Let's not talk about that today, huh?"
"You got it, bud."
Tidus was whisked away to get fitted for some wedding attire. The seamstresses basically just cleaned him up and made him look presentable. They took away his yellow jacket, and removed his gloves and armor. Then they unzipped the longer leg of his overalls to make him look symmetrical. Finally, they undid one of the straps on his uniform and tucked it away, while covering the other side with a white sash that went over the shoulder and around the waist.
The look was a distinguished acolyte instead of star blitz player.
"I look ridiculous," Tidus grouched, adjusting the sash.
"You looked ridiculous to begin with." The seamstress sassed back, not knowing he mostly understood her.
He met up with the rest of the party, sans Yuna, in the event room. Finishing touches were going up. The tables had navy blue tablecloths, and pots with white and light pink flowers. The rest of the room felt very tropical as the corners were filled with all sorts of plants. In short, enough decoration to feel like a party, without using up any supplies.
"C'mere!" Wakka grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to where the party was waiting, over by the bar. Auron was pouring out shots.
"Really? It's ten in the morning."
"Special occasion."
He made up one for each of them, then held his own out. "Tomorrow, we head for Bevelle. There's no telling where Yuna's journey will go from there. But today, we're going to make it special for her, so that when she gets to Zanarkand, she won't have any regrets. Let's make her story a good one."
They clinked their glasses together and downed the drinks, though Tidus hesitated. Something about Bevelle made him anxious. He hoped that explaining to Mika would be enough, but he dreaded what would happen.
Yuna knew what she was getting into becoming a Summoner, and she was prepared in her heart for that ending, even if he wasn't.
It wouldn't be fair if she didn't even get that far.
Filled with a new determination to see Yuna through to the end, whatever that was, Tidus took the shot and slammed the glass on the counter. "Let's do this!"
—-
Now this felt like a wedding. Standing at the front of a collection of Al Bhed, who were all seated in rows of chairs that formed an aisle. Wearing clothes that were at least sort of formal, while the musicians from the woods played soft, romantic music. Wakka and Cid were just behind him, looking cleaned up and presentable.
The rest of the party sat in the front row, calm, collected, but pleasantly happy.
Except for Rikku, she was bouncing in her seat with glee.
He had asked earlier if anyone was going to be groomsmen or bridesmaids, but no one seemed to understand what he was talking about. Perhaps that was a tradition that had died over the years.
So, besides Wakka and Cid, he was alone at the altar, and growing more and more anxious by the second.
Did he want to back out? No. But it felt different this time. The first wedding was so quick and impromptu, it felt more like a contract being agreed to. More like a formal ceremony for him to be a guardian. 'Husband' felt like a title just above guardian. Like super ultra guardian.
And their journey thus far hadn't felt like a marriage, given all the trials and tragedies that had occurred.
There had been moments that felt like dates, like their dance on the Moonflow, or their first night together at Djose. But given the time they had been separated by someone or other, and the whole ordeal with Seymour, these last few days felt less like a Honeymoon and more like a trial of worthiness.
Tidus' tumultuous thoughts came to a screeching halt as the doors on the other side of the room opened, and Yuna, his bride, appeared.
Festooned in white satin, lace, and pearls, the summoner walked gracefully and delicately down the aisle. Her dress was mid calf length, and flared out. She had a large bow at her back, fashioned in the same manner as her obi. A fine veil draped over her lightly curled hair, and was pinned in place by the diadem he had given her the night before.
"Uh oh," he whispered.
"Uh oh what?" Wakka inquired, concerned.
"Uh oh, there goes my heart." Tidus laughed helplessly.
Wakka hummed and patted him on the back.
Yuna arrived before him entirely too soon. He hadn't regained his composure.
"Hi," she smiled.
"Huh," he returned, the sound almost like the honking of a goose.
She giggled, holding a hand over her face.
"I lied last night," he blurted. "This is the prettiest thing I've ever seen."
The color on her cheeks only enhanced her unearthly beauty. "You're looking very handsome yourself."
He snorted and held his hands out, allowing her to take them.
Wakka cleared his throat, and spoke in a rehearsed, formal tone that Tidus hadn't expected of him. "We are gathered here this afternoon to unite Summoner Yuna and her Guardian, Tidus, in wedded bliss." Then he paused to allow Cid to translate.
Tidus, the only one of the party, besides Rikku, to be tangentially fluent in Al Bhed, was the only one to notice that Cid's translation was…creative.
"Thanks for coming! My Niece is gettin' hitched, properly, to her guardian, Tidus. If you want to party, you have to sit through the whole ceremony! It means a lot to me!"
Rikku very subtly hid her face behind her hand.
"Marriage is a sacred and serious union, with a foundation built on trust, honesty, commitment, and above all else, love."
Tidus felt his face flush again.
"These two young people come here today to do just that, to embark on a journey of discovery between man and woman."
Thankfully, Cid decided to stop ad libbing and translate more or less exactly.
"Yuna is a summoner, with a grave task ahead of her. In that regard, Tidus also has a grave task. To marry a summoner is to volunteer for a lifetime of heartache. But for the time that comes before, those moments are more precious than any gold or diamonds."
Yuna's hands tightened around his own, her eyes downcast.
"But this life isn't all that there is. In a blink of an eye, the Farplane will embrace you, and you'll be together, forever. So while the looming task is daunting, today is a celebration, for eternal friendship and ultimate sacrifice.
"Yuna, do you promise to cherish and care for your husband, honoring him in this life and the next?"
"I do," she said, earnesty pouring from her.
"Tidus," Wakka addressed him. "Do you promise to protect your wife, upholding your vow as a guardian, as well as honoring and loving her until death?" The look that he gave was severe, and almost threatening.
"I promise," Tidus said, meeting the look with one of his own.
Wakka nodded, pleased. "Then, in Al Bhed tradition, you are now united as husband and wife. You may kiss your bride!"
The Al Bhed audience started chanting, 'kiss, kiss, kiss' after Cid translated what Wakka had said.
Tidus gently lifted Yuna's veil and draped it back.
"A Zanarkand kiss?" she asked, softly.
He nodded emphatically and wrapped an arm around her waist.
The teasing turned into cheers and wolf whistles as Tidus dipped her, and kissed her deeply.
She seemed just as breathless as the first time he did it. But nonetheless smiling brightly.
Before anything else could be said, Brother jumped up on his chair and yelled, "party! Yaaahh! Ya Ya! Party! Yaaahh!"
Music started playing, and Tidus took Yuna back down the aisle before they could get swept up in the chaos.
"We did it!" Yuna sang triumphantly.
"Yeah. Pretty painless, huh?"
She giggled.
Wakka joined up with them. "Well, it certainly didn't take them long to switch into party mode! All that work yesterday, and it's over in a few minutes."
"It's about what I expected." Yuna chuckled.
"So, how did I do?"
"You did a great job, Wakka."
"Yeah, real great," Tidus scoffed. "I liked the part where you were like 'hey, Yuna's gonna die, so this marriage is gonna be short.'"
"Hey!" Wakka defended. "I watched a ton of Al Bhed ceremonies, and the officiant always emphasized that this was a 'lifelong bond' and 'these two are committed to being married until death'. It's like a big thing for them!"
"Because they all live so close together," Yuna said. "It would be painful for everyone if the marriage ended prematurely. Still, I think you did a wonderful job, Wakka."
He beamed, hands on his hips in pride.
Soon after, the rest of the party joined them.
"You surprised me," said Lulu to Wakka. "I didn't know you had it in you to be so serious."
"What can I say? It was for Yuna, it had to be perfect."
"Aww, ya big softie." Rikku elbowed him.
"Less talking! More dancing!" Brother swept into the group and shoved Lulu into Wakka, Yuna into Tidus, and Rikku into Kimahri.
Tidus held onto Yuna's waist as she steadied herself, giggling.
Wakka and Lulu shuffled away from each other, avoiding eye contact like a couple of pre-teens.
Rikku just rolled with the chaos. She took Kimahri's paws and shuffled back and forth. "What do ya say, Big Guy? Wanna dance?"
Kimahri huffed, then said, "Kimahri not know how to dance."
"It's not hard, I'll show you!" And she dragged him to where all the other celebrants were dancing.
Tidus looked to Auron, only to find him gone. He spotted him over at the bar, behind the counter helping the Al Bhed bartender pour drinks.
"Looks like everyone is having fun," Yuna mentioned. "Would you like to dance?"
"Sure!" his voice cracked.
The Al Bhed music wasn't really…slow dance material. There was a lot of electric guitars and yodeling. Al Bhed dancing was even stranger, mostly flinging limbs in unpredictable ways. This resulted in gratuitous amounts of slaps and smacks that everyone seemed to play off rather well.
As the night went on, the guests got drunker and more rowdy. Tidus and Yuna were asked to dance with all different guests, drunk or sober.
There was no formal dinner. Just a buffet open to pick through when guests were too tired to dance.
Yuna sat at a table by the altar, designated for her and her guardians. "I don't think I've ever danced that much before." She chuckled lamely, rubbing her foot.
"Cid was not kidding," Tidus huffed as he sat beside her, putting two plates down, and then an arm around her shoulder. "These people are party animals!" His gaze moved over to a group at the bar that were chanting 'chug chug' in Al Bhed, a man in the center holding a large wine bottle up to his lips. Auron was near the group, an almost devious smile on his lips. "Does this at least feel more like a wedding for you?"
"Oh yes!" she agreed a little breathlessly. "To see so many people having fun, letting loose for a little while…it's nice. That was…what Seymour was trying to convince me with back then. But now, I'm happy too, and I don't have to pretend."
Tidus gave her a soft smile.
Rikku plopped down in the chair next to Yuna with her own plate of food. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a loud siren sounding.
"What is that?!" Yuna sat up quickly.
A guard's voice shouted over the speakers. "Fiends!"
The most sober guests ran for the stairs and lifts, ready for action.
"Welp," said Rikku. "Party's over."
Something about those two little words filled Yuna with a sense of discontent. She stood. "Not if I can help it."
"Yuna?" Tidus stood as well. He was ready to join the fight with her, follow wherever she went.
It looked like the other guardians shared the sentiment as the other guardians started towards her.
Yuna smiled at her husband. "It's alright. I won't get close." Instead of going to the lifts, she headed over to the large domed windows, where there was a door leading to a small maintenance balcony. She grabbed a broom along the way, and carefully went outside, followed by Tidus and Lulu.
The hot wind was powerful this high up, and they braced against the window. Yuna carefully shuffled over to have plenty of room.
Here in the dying light of day, they saw the several waves of angry fiends cresting the dunes towards home. Enough to cause a problem and overwhelm the guns of the guards.
"Why are there so many?" Tidus exclaimed.
"It's hard to say," explained Lulu. "Perhaps they are seeking revenge for the fiends Kimahri hunted, or maybe they are drawn by the festivities."
"The Al Bhed have been so kind," said Yuna. "I've been trying to find a way to express my appreciation for all they have done. This is the least I can do." She raised the broom over her head, and Tidus realized she was using it as a makeshift staff, so she wouldn't have to waste time retrieving hers.
She raised it high, and then slammed the end down onto the balcony. A new glyph appeared on the window behind her, a deep ocean blue.
"What?" Lulu wondered, just loud enough to be heard.
"What what?" Tidus asked.
"I don't know what temple that's from."
Then the ground started shaking. A massive, crushing rumble that caused everyone else to brace for impact.
Bursting through the sand dune came a gargantuan serpent, roaring with fiercity as it wriggled up to the sky. It was no Sin, but it could rival the beast. It might have even been bigger than Seymour's Aeon.
From inside, Tidus could hear Wakka cheering and hollering, while Rikku frantically called to the other Al Bhed, "cease fire! That's an aeon!"
But most of what else was going on went unnoticed as he stood in awe of this fantastic beast. It arched, diving back into the sand where the mass of the fiends still gathered, sending up a plume of Pyreflies. Then it surfaced again, and sprayed a blast of water at the remaining fiends.
Then the battle was over. Just like that, the aeon had cleaned up, and not a single Al Bhed had made it to battle.
Cheers rang out from Home, wolf whistles and chants of, "Yuna! Yuna!"
The aeon turned and approached her, now appearing gentle, almost dainty. It lowered its head so Yuna could pet its snout.
"I promised you, didn't I?" she said softly. "And you got to protect your home. Your people."
The aeon huffed, a cool ocean breeze wafting over the balcony. Then it looked to the sky, and faded away into Pyreflies.
"Wh-wh-what was that?!" Tidus shouted.
"Where did you find that Aeon?" Lulu added, less hysterical.
Yuna shyly twirled a lock of hair with her finger. "While we were separated yesterday, Gippal showed me a long buried temple they had uncovered. The Fayth was still intact, so I communed with her."
"That's awesome!" Tidus exclaimed enthusiastically. "And you never would have found her if we hadn't come here! Come on, we should tell the others!" He reached out and took her hand.
As they came inside, there was more cheering as the Al Bhed swept Yuna up with a chair and carried her to the head table.
Tidus watched with pride as she was paraded around the room, some of the Al Bhed even doing the Yevon bow.
And Yuna was beaming. She was shy, of course, half covering her face in embarrassment as the praise kept rolling, but her smile was huge and joyful.
Then, it clicked for Tidus.
Yuna had been happy and smiling all day. But a content, soft smile. What was giving her real joy, was seeing how happy everyone was now. Not necessarily happy for her, but happy they were safe.
Of course, he knew that Yuna wanted everyone to be safe from Sin, or else she wouldn't be doing this pilgrimage. But seeing it in action changed his perspective.
Being a Blitzball star had been his father's legacy, and while he loved the sport, there had always been this expectation to be like him, or better than him. Tidus assumed, up until now, it was the same for Yuna.
But her joy was clear. Bringing the Calm was her true desire. And so it was time to stop trying to convince her to quit, and time to figure out how to get her through Bevelle, defeat Sin, and live to see the Calm after.
How? He was still stuck on the first part. He knew next to nothing about the tenets of Yevon. What about the whole truth would get them into trouble? To them, Seymour was in the wrong, and everything was his fault.
But what about the Fayth? Could Yevon revoke Shiva's power because of what she did? Was that possible? Would they really do that? What if a replacement was demanded? What if Yuna was forced to take Shiva's place as punishment?
Tidus shook his head. No, they couldn't possibly go that far. It wasn't practical. In all likelihood, Mika would forbid her from finishing her pilgrimage, at which point, they would have to find a way to get her to Zanarkand anyway.
"Here," Auron set down a glass of wine in front of him. "You look like you're thinking of something unpleasant. I know what, but it's your wedding day. Leave that line of thinking to the rest of us."
Tidus swirled the wine, before asking, "Will the Fayth that helped us get into trouble?"
Auron's eyebrows raised. "The one in Macalania? No. She doesn't exist on this plane. The worst they could do is shatter her statue, at which point she'd be free to go to the Farplane, and Spira would be down an Aeon. Not a good look for Yevon."
"And they wouldn't make Yuna take her place as punishment?"
"You really have been thinking a lot, haven't you?" He smirked. "A Fayth has to be completely willing, or it won't work. Yevon has never forced someone to become a Fayth because of that. They've strongly encouraged and tried to manipulate people into doing it, but never outright forced. Does that ease your mind?"
"About 50 percent."
"We're going to get Yuna to Zanarkand, with or without Yevon's blessing."
"I guess that's the other 50 percent then," Tidus chuckled humorlessly.
Auron hummed, patted his shoulder, and went back to the bar.
—-
Hours later, while the party was still raging, Rikku escorted Tidus and Yuna to their room. It had been several early mornings and full days. The exhaustion was apparent on both of their faces.
"Here we are! The Honeymoon suite!"
It was a little room, nothing special about it. A large bed and a circular window on the wall.
"The communal showers are at the end of the hall. Lulu and I will be in my room, three doors to the left, if you need anything."
"Thanks Rikku." Yuna smiled.
Rikku grinned before singing, "have fun!" And skipping off.
Tidus shook his head at her antics. "Yuna, don't feel pressured to do anything you don't wanna. I want you to feel safe and comfortable with me. So we don't gotta like…y'know." He was so confident when he started, and then got embarrassed halfway through.
"Thank you." Yuna gave a little sigh. "It's nothing against you, I'm just…still getting used to kissing."
"I understand."
"But…I don't know when we'll have another chance…"
He shook his head. "Don't force yourself. We'll find time when you're ready."
She didn't seem so sure.
Tidus noticed the pajamas left on the bed. A white silk nightie, and a black silk robe. "Here, wanna get changed out of that dress?" He held the nightie out to her.
"I'd like to take a shower…if you could help me out of this?"
"Gladly!"
Carefully, he set the diadem and veil on the dresser, untied her obi, and undid the several buttons down her back. "There we go."
"Thank you, I'll be back in a minute."
"I'll go down with you, I'm kind of sweaty from all that dancing."
"Okay."
Tidus draped the robe over his arm and walked with her down the hall. She seemed shy again, and he wondered if it was because he brought up the topic of intimacy. Well, Rikku actually had. He could blame this on her.
Tidus finished first and returned to the room to wait. As he returned, he noticed their belongings had been placed in the corner of the room. Her staff leaned against the wall, with his sword crossing over it.
He laid on the bed, relaxing in the quiet and enjoying the cool air from the duct above. After a while, he could hear the party faintly from upstairs. Not enough to bother them if they fell asleep, though.
Yuna returned a few minutes later, timidly knocking on the door.
"Come in!"
The nightie looked way too good on her. The skirt was high on her thigh, and the neckline and back both scooped deliciously low. Her hair was damp, but towel-tussled.
"Wow," he blurted.
"What?"
"Uh I just…haven't seen so much of your legs before."
She looked down at herself, and then up at him. "Do you like my legs?"
"Yes! They're uh, very nice!"
She chuckled, and gave a snort, which made Tidus chuckle. "Don't make fun of me."
"I'm not! I think it's cute." He scooted over on the bed and patted the space next to him.
"Oh! Um, just a minute…" she went over to her bag and fetched a brush. Thankfully, there was a small mirror on the dresser, and she got to work untangling her hair. As she worked, she hummed softly.
"What song is that?"
"What? Oh hmm nothing really."
"Did you come up with it? You wanted to be an entertainer if you weren't a summoner, right?"
She gaped at him. "You remembered that?"
"Sure! It was one of the first things I learned about you. So…?"
"Yes, it's my own tune," she admitted, shyly.
"Can you sing it?"
"No, it's not ready. I have some idea of what I want to do with it, but it needs work."
"Ah. Well, I'm no musician, but I'm willing to help."
She giggled. "That's alright. It doesn't ever need to be completed."
He didn't seem willing to let this go. "What's it about? A love song?" He waggled his eyebrows.
"I suppose…it could be. The lyrics are a little ambiguous. More or less, it's about how exhausting all the fighting in Spira is. We have Sin to worry about, and yet…people can't help but find a reason to be upset with their neighbors. The Al Bhed and Yevon, other summoners, even the Blitzball teams have more animosity than friendly competition."
He couldn't argue with that.
"It's written like a quarrel between lovers, and in a way, it's like I'm quarreling with the world I love. I have one line I'm certain about, that goes…" she took a sharp breath and sang, "let's not fight, I'm tired, can we just sleep?"
Tidus' pulse quickened at the beautiful sound of her singing voice. Just a little taste, and he was hooked. "Wow!"
"I know. It's very heavy subject matter—"
"No no, I meant, wow, your voice is beautiful!"
She blushed and turned back to the mirror. "It's not that special."
"I think it's really amazing."
"…thank you."
"So it's settled. We're getting you to Zanarkand, you'll defeat Sin and survive, and then go on tour as a performer and High Summoner."
She balked at him. "What?! I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself."
"On the contrary!" He popped up on his knees. "If we plan for the future, then we have something to look forward to!"
She sat at the end of the bed. "Yes, it's a very nice thought, but…the final summon…"
"Is supposed to kill you, yeah yeah I know, but I'm working on it. There's gotta be a loophole."
Then she smiled at him. A sad smile, but one still full of gratitude. "I appreciate the sentiment all the same. I always did. Even before you knew what would happen. You would say things like, 'after we defeat Sin, we'll go and do this.' It made me really happy. Imagining the 'what if's.' I love Wakka and Lulu, but they get so caught up in the seriousness of it all, the mourning period…it hurts."
"I'm sure it does."
"It's like…what if I was sick instead? What if I only had a few months to live? I would want those months to be full of fun and adventure and laughter and meaning…not grieving."
"I am serious though, Yuna. I'm gonna find a way to save you. I'm not just saying that."
"I know. You never 'just say' anything. You declare intentions, and then you follow through. It's very admirable."
"Auron would say it's foolish."
"Auron just wishes he could be so confident."
"He'd call it impulsive."
"I call it assertive."
He smiled at her. "Well, thanks."
Her smile was brighter this time. Eyes alight with mirth. Her previous shyness had seemed to wither, now that she grew comfortable with him again.
"So…"
"So…?" She tilted her head, interested in what he had to say.
"What's next? What's the plan for Bevelle?"
She looked down to her lap, thinking.
"I mean, I'm sure tomorrow Auron, Wakka, and Lulu will argue about a plan that consists of 'leave it to us' but I wanna know what you want to do, Yuna. What do you think?"
"I…have been thinking about it. But I don't know if it's a good idea."
"I want to hear it anyway," he persisted.
"Well…what if just you and I were to go, and the rest of the guardians wait behind? I could throw myself at Mika's mercy, and appear as non-threatening as possible. We give the others a time limit, so that if we don't return in a few days, they need to come and…I don't know, break us out of the dungeon or whatever punishment Mika sees fit."
Tidus crossed his arms, mulling it over. "What would you say?"
"The truth. That Seymour murdered his father, and that we went to confront him about it, and he summoned an Aeon against us. We didn't even have the chance to fight back before the Fayth became enraged by his actions and destroyed her temple, killing him in the process."
"And why we hid after?"
"The fear of retaliation, even if we were innocent."
He nodded. "And why did we feel the need to confront Seymour?"
"In Guadosalam, I went to the Farplane to visit my parents. While there, Lord Jyscal appeared to me of his own accord. He looked unwell, even from the Farplane. He told me where to find evidence of Seymour's treachery."
"Do you still have it?"
"Rikku does. I'll get it from her tomorrow."
"And I still have his signet ring," he added. "Which was the indicator that he was murdered. And, I wonder if we could find that other Guado that was in the background of Jyscal's sphere, the one that put it behind the portrait?"
"It's likely he is in hiding. If Seymour hasn't already killed him too. I am unsure how deep this runs."
"Welp," he flopped onto his back. "Looks like another couple of busy days coming. We better get some rest."
Yuna hesitated a moment, and then laid down beside him. She hummed as she stretched out on the mattress. "This is nice."
"Yeah." He turned to face her and gave her a little kiss to the lips. "Good night."
She stared at him, eyes glistening.
"Yuna?"
"Thank you, for everything."
"Oh, sure thing." He gave a confused smile.
"Do you mind if I…?"
"What?"
She shuffled closer, and manually moved his arm out of the way so she could rest against his chest. "I just…wanted to be close."
He hummed, the sound vibrating in his chest next to her ear. He wrapped his arm around her. "I'd like to be close to you too."
