Chapter Ten - Yuna's Memories

Cloud and Hikaru told Morpheus and Yuna of a brief plan that evening. Cloud�s airship would be their �temporary home� until they found Sephiroth, because they wouldn�t know where he was until he left some sort of mark on the planet. Whatever that mark was, they did not want to miss it.

The next morning, Hikaru woke up and went downstairs. She gasped quietly when she saw that the front door of the cabin was open and the screen in the screen door was blowing slightly from the wind outside. She slowly walked over to it and opened it. She looked around on the porch and jumped when she saw Cloud sitting calmly in a wicker chair.

He didn�t look at her, but he saw her jump out of the corner of his eye. �Scared �ya?�

Hikaru shook her head. �Um, no.� When he didn�t reply, she walked out and let the screen door slam. �Why are you out here so early? I figured you�d sleep in for the big day today.�

Cloud snorted. �The �big day?� We might not even find him today.�

Hikaru rolled her eyes. �You know what I mean.�

Cloud looked down. �I�don�t sleep much.�

Hikaru was confused. �Well, why not?�

Cloud winced. �If I sleep, then�I get nightmares.� He waited for Hikaru�s laughter.

But a laugh did not escape from her, as she then walked closer to him. �What�kind of nightmares?�

Cloud turned his head toward her and opened his mouth to selfishly tell her off, and that it was none of her business, when Yuna poked her head through the doorway. �Good morning!� Hikaru and Cloud looked at her, and she smiled happily, then disappeared back into the house.

Hikaru turned her head back towards Cloud. Cloud looked away again. �You should get ready.�

Hikaru raised her eyebrows. �For what? I thought we weren�t going to find Sephiroth today.� She lifted her head up, gave Cloud a good glare, turned around, and walked into the house.

� � �

Hikaru didn�t take a long time to get ready. She wouldn�t need any new outfits or anything. She missed her sword, but she figured that her magic could help her out enough.

Then she remembered, she�s going to be fighting Sephiroth. Other powerful enemies might accompany Sephiroth, as well. She needed at least some type of weapon. But where would she find one?

At one point that morning, she went to the bathroom. When she came back to her room, she noticed a pair of gloves sitting on her bed. But they weren�t just gloves, they were metal-knuckled gloves. Hikaru was curious and excited at the same time, and she slipped one on her right hand. She punched the air several times and eventually heard a swift hum as she picked up speed. Then she slipped on the left-handed glove, and continued punching the air.

�Having fun?� she heard. She immediately stopped and swiftly turned her body to see Cloud right in front of her in the doorway. She nervously backed up a couple of steps.

��Yeah,� she said, looking down.

�Those were Tifa�s gloves. I�m glad I kept a pair, or else I�d have to lend you one of my swords. And that wouldn�t fly by me easily.�

Hikaru looked up at him. Then she looked at her glove-covered hands. "Tifa�s gloves?�She used these in battle? I�m kind of�I�m kind of honored!" �Well, thanks.�

Cloud nodded. �No problem,� and he left her doorway, and closed the door behind him.

� � �

Cloud didn�t have much trouble getting ready either. He walked to his dresser, opened some drawers, received his shirt belts from them, and hooked on his sword sheath. He hooked the belts onto his waist belt, with the sheath on his back. He then grabbed his sword, The First Tsurugi, swung it professionally a few times, and slid it into the sheath. After he slid on his gloves, he was all set.

As he started to walk out of his bedroom door, he suddenly discovered that he forgot his cell phone. He embarrassingly went back and grabbed it from his bedside table.

� � �

Morpheus was exactly like Cloud. All he had to do was slip on his black trench coat, straighten his tie, and slide his sub-machine SMG guns into the inside of his trench coat. He reached for his sunglasses from his dresser countertop, next to his framed photograph of him, a sleek looking man, and a woman who both wore similar outfits. He slipped his sunglasses on, and then he was ready.

� � �

Yuna was a different story. She took the longest to get ready. Her dresspheres were scattered all over her bedroom, and she had to search for every single one. After around forty minutes, all of them were accounted for, and she dropped them into her bag. She hooked the bag up to the left side of her belt, grabbed her two pistols from a drawer in her dresser, and slid them into her bag along with the dresspheres. She was used to the heaviness by now, and walked freely out of her bedroom.

� � �

Coud, Hikaru, and Morpheus were talking outside on the porch when Yuna ran down the stairs, her long red hair tail gliding along behind her, jumping up and down at every step. She flung open the screen door, closed and locked the main front door, and then the screen door shut behind it. She turned around to face her three friends.

Cloud lifted his head a bit. �You ready?�

Yuna laughed. �Ready? Ha! I was born ready,� she smiled a big smile, but when Cloud looked away, the smile disappeared entirely. The truth was that she was scared. She was scared of Sephiroth, just like Hikaru was, even if she didn�t want to show it either. Yuna knew Cloud and Morpheus weren�t scared at all, and she didn�t want to back down and let them have all the fun. She looked at them once again with determination. �Come on, guys! Let�s go kick some Sephy butt!�

They all went into Cloud�s airship. Cloud and Morpheus went straight into the cockpit, and started the engine. Hikaru and Yuna sat in the main room of the ship, with the couches and chairs. Soon the airship was in the air, and they were off.

� � �

Daylight passed, and nights slipped away, one by one. They stopped at places for food, and just to talk to others to see if they�ve spotted the cynical man known as Sephiroth. It seemed as if most people never even heard of him�yet.

Cloud and Morpheus seemed to spend their days mostly in the cockpit, talking about Cloud�s past and Sephiroth�s doings. Cloud tried to avoid bringing up anything about Morpheus�s mysterious past, but he was interested nonetheless.

Hikaru and Yuna got to know each other even better as the days went by. Yuna told Hikaru all about her adventures, both as a Summoner and a Sphere Hunter. They always sat at a small dainty table in the corner of the living room, so they can see each other face to face. Hikaru on one side, anticipating Yuna�s stories, as Yuna sat in the other chair.

It all went awful though when Yuna told Hikaru about Tidus. Tidus was a vibrant and energetic man from the futuristic city of Zanarkand, as Yuna once told Hikaru. When Zanarkand was attacked by Sin, the world of Spira�s monster, he awoke in Spira a thousand years later. He joined Yuna on her quest to eliminate Sin, hoping that when he came face to face with what brought him to Spira, it would be enough to take him home.

During that quest however, a love grew between Tidus and Yuna. Yuna took Hikaru on a journey through her memories of Tidus when she was a Summoner.

�There was the time when he couldn�t stop thinking about Zanarkand��

Tidus stopped walking and Yuna talked to him.

�Are�are you okay?� she asked politely.

Tidus stammered. �I�I don�t know.�

A concerned Yuna looked at him with considerate eyes. �What do you want to do?�

�To scream out loud,� he said as-a-matter-of-factly. He yelled, hoping that would vent his hatred of his father. Yuna let him scream.

Hikaru could picture that young, slender, sandy blonde man from Yuna�s photographs in her mind, with an uneasy Yuna standing right next to him.

Yuna continued. �There was that time in Luca; I remember it like it was yesterday��

�I�m sorry,� said Yuna, trying to pass through a crowd. �Please let me through,� she demanded in a shy, quiet voice. She looked at Tidus then. �Hey, let�s go.�

The citizens looked at Yuna and praised her.

Tidus�s eyes widened. �Hey, you�re really famous!�

They finally reached the edge of the crowd. �I hope we don�t ever get separated!� she exclaimed.

Tidus suddenly had an idea. �Yuna!� He stuck his fingers in his mouth and blew the most terrific whistle Yuna had ever heard.

�What was that?� asked Yuna.

Tidus giggled. �In Zanarkand, we do this to cheer on blitzball players.� He blew another whistle. �You try it, too! Put your fingers in your mouth like this,� he mumbled the last two words as he stuck his fingers in his mouth again.

Yuna tried to do it too. �Like�this?�

�Nuh-uh, not like that. Like this,� he showed her more carefully this time. �Then, you just blow!�

Yuna tried, but no whistle was released. �It�s not working��

�Just practice!� Tidus smiled.

Yuna nodded. �Okay.�

�Hey, use that if we get separated. Then, I�ll come running, okay? Well, I guess we should just stick together then, until you can do it.�

Yuna saluted him and grinned. �Yes, sir!�

Hikaru giggled. �Aww, Yunie, he�s so cute!� She closed her eyes and smiled, thinking of them together. �Did you ever really learn how to whistle?�

Yuna snickered. �Well��

Yuna spotted Tidus after accepting Auron to become her guardian. Auron just told Tidus that Sin was Jecht, Tidus�s father. Tidus wasn�t pleased. Yuna didn�t notice his sadness right away. She waved him over. �Hey, watch!� She blew a whistle with her fingers.

�Hey, you got pretty good,� he said.

Yuna quirked her head. �You sound sad.�

Tidus looked perplexed. �Yeah, maybe.�

Yuna smiled. �Wanna scream?�

Tidus cracked a tiny smile. �I really don�t think that�s gonna help this time��

Yuna nodded in understanding. �You know what? It�s embarrassing to say this myself�but Summoners and their guardians are kind of like Spira�s ray of light. A lot of people in Spira depend on us. I learned to practice smiling when I�m sad, you know? I know it�s hard.�

Tidus looked up. �Yeah�I understand. I think.�

�Right, now let�s see what you can do!�

�Huh?�

Yuna pointed to his mouth. �Come on!�

Tidus tried to smile, but while doing so, he felt embarrassed.

�This is weird!�

�Next, try laughing out loud!�

Tidus�s jaw dropped. �What!� he exclaimed.

�Come on, show me!�

Slowly but surely, Tidus started to laugh out loud, sounding obnoxious.

Yuna stared at him. �You�probably shouldn�t laugh anymore.�

Tidus kept on laughing, and then Yuna joined in, even louder. Soon enough, they both started to laugh normally.

�Too funny!� she tried to control her laughter.

�It was your idea!� he giggled.

�Um�thank you,� Yuna seriously said to him.

Tidus was puzzled.

�I want my journey to be full of laughter.�

Tidus nodded. �Okay.�

Yuna looked right into his eyes. �If we should get separated, just whistle. I�ll come running, I promise.�

Tidus stared at her for a moment, and then shook it off. �Well, let�s go then.� He turned around to see Wakka giving them a strange look, his arms crossed. �What�re you lookin� at?�

�We were worried you guys might�ve gone crazy!� He chuckled.

Yuna gave an embarrassed smile.

Hikaru laughed out loud. �That is just too cute!�

Yuna blushed. �And then I remember one day, we were on our way to the Djose Temple, and we had to walk on the Mi�ihen Highroad. There was an Al Bhed shop in the middle of the highroad. We rested there that night. I took the time there to�record myself on a sphere, a video device. I was�saying my goodbyes to my guardians on a hill watching the sunset. Well, except Rikku since I hadn�t met her yet at the time. I would have given that to them before the Final Summoning, but Tidus found it before the battle anyway.� She shook her head. �I�m getting ahead of myself. Anyways, I was recording myself on the sphere on the nearby hill, when Tidus walked up and interrupted me. I shut the sphere off and put it in my bag next to me.�

�Watcha up to?�

Yuna shut off the sphere immediately and shoved it into her bag that was sitting in the grass to her right. She then innocently looked out into the sunset. �Pretty�� She hoped he didn�t catch her recording herself.

Tidus sat down next to her, unknowingly. �Sure is.�

Yuna breathed a sigh of relief and continued. �I wish I could live in a place like this. Peaceful�living with a smile on my face every day.�

�You can, once you beat Sin, right?�

Yuna shook her head, and remembered that Tidus still didn�t know she would die while performing the Final Summoning anyways. She made up another excuse. �But then a new Sin will be born anyway.�

�Well then, you can beat it again.�

Yuna looked down and closed her eyes. �I wish I could.�

Tidus looked at her and tried to boost up her confidence. �Hey, you can! Trust me! You are the best Summoner out there!� he looked back to the sunset for a few moments. �Yuna,� he then started to ask. �Why does Sin always come back?�

�Sin is our punishment for our vanity. And it will not go away until we�ve atoned.�

Tidus sighed. �Well, how do we do that? What did we do that was so bad in the first place? Was it using lots of machina or something? Oh� wait. Was that such a bad thing really?�

�It�s funny�ever since I was young, I never questioned it. But now that you ask me if it is that bad or not�I don�t know. There are so many things I don�t know,� Yuna dropped her hands on to the grass and leaned back.

�Well then, we�re the same!� Tidus exclaimed. He then changed his voice to sound like Maester Mika, a wise old man who is incredibly faithful. �Such thinking is very unbecoming of a Summoner!� He smiled. �Do I sound like Mika?�

They both giggled. �That�s not very nice, you know!� Yuna said jokingly.

They both looked back out to the sunset for a few minutes.

�You know,� Tidus said all of the sudden. �During a game, you have to think of blitz and nothing else, you know?�

�Okay,� said Yuna.

�You can�t think, �That�s a cute girl in the fifth seat from the right!� And you can�t be thinking about where you�re going to go on that date, because the minute you do, that�s when you lose! You see, uh, Yuna, what I mean is, you really shouldn�t worry, you know? After we beat Sin, that�s when you can worry about the future.�

Yuna looked up to the orange horizon. She was brave, and succeeded in not crying. She couldn�t, not in front of him. �I�guess,� she eventually blurted out.

�But, Yuna, how are you supposed to beat something big like that?�

�The Final Summoning. It�s the only way to defeat Sin. The only way. With it, we can call the Final Aeon. That�s the goal of the pilgrimage. The Fayth of the Final Summoning lies waiting in the far north, to great Summoners that complete their pilgrimage. At the world�s edge�in Zanarkand.�

Tidus�s eyes widened. �In Zanarkand?�

�She means the ruins of a city destroyed a thousand years ago,� a voice behind them said. They turned their heads to see Auron standing, his functional arm on his hip.

Tidus glared at Auron. �You sure it�s ruins?�

Yuna shrugged. �That�s what I�ve heard.�

Auron looked down at Tidus. �You�ll see soon enough.� He then looked at Yuna. �Yuna, come back inside.� He walked down the hill and back inside the Al Bhed shop.

�Will you go with us�to Zanarkand?� She knew it was his claimed �home� and she wasn�t sure if he would want to go or not.

�Yeah, I�ll go. I�ll go to Zanarkand to see it with my own eyes.�

�I could sense that Tidus eventually seemed to like me, and then�fall in love with me, throughout the journey. When I decided to accept Seymour Guado�s marriage proposal, I could tell he was upset. When he talked to Lulu once, she even told him �advice� as to not fall in love with me. Lulu told me that he replied �Too late.��

Hikaru grinned.

�Seymour was evil though, and we defeated him. Soon we were in Bikanel Desert�well, I wasn�t. I was kidnapped before, and taken to a place the Al Bheds call �Home.� My guardians journeyed there from the desert, looking for me. They reached �Home� and went inside. There was a war going on between the Al Bhed and Yevonites, including the Guados. Rikku told the group that I was being held in the Summoner�s Sanctum safely. They told me what happened when they reached it. And how Tidus found out about my future death after performing the Final Summoning��

Kimahri yelled. �Yuna!� The group barged into the Summoner�s Sanctum.

Dona, a very sly and slightly rude Summoner was there. �She�s not here. Hello again. Wait there until we have performed the sending.�

Isaaru, another Summoner who was kind and polite spoke up. �They died�protecting us. It�s not much, but the least we can do is give them a proper sending.�

Isaaru began the sending to the fallen Al Bheds.

Pacce, one of Isaaru�s guardians who was very young, went over to Tidus. �Hey, what�s �sacrificed?� The Al Bhed said summoners were being �sacrificed.� That summoners shouldn�t have to do a pilgrimage��

Tidus didn�t care who heard him exclaim, �Why couldn�t they trust guardians to protect the summoners? The Al Bhed had no right stopping their pilgrimage!� Tidus didn�t realize that he just slightly insulted Rikku, who was an Al Bhed.

Rikku couldn�t take it anymore. She had to tell Tidus the truth. �The pilgrimages have to stop!� She yelled to everyone in the Summoner�s Sanctum. They all stared at her. �They might defeat Sin. Yunie could�but then she�Yunie will die, you know? You know, don�t you?!� She looked straight into Tidus�s eyes without blinking. �Summoners journey to get the Final Aeon. Yuna told you, didn�t she? With the Final Aeon, she can beat Sin. But then�but then�if she calls it, the Final Aeon is going to kill her! Even if she defeats Sin, it will kill Yunie too, you know!� Rikku looked down at her boots, and started to blink rapidly. Tears started to stream down her cheeks. She knelt down and sobbed.

Tidus looked at Rikku and put his hand on her shoulder. �Was I�the only one who didn�t know?� he asked no one in particular. He knelt down in front of Rikku. �Tell me why! Why were you hiding it? Why didn�t I know?!� he yelled.

Wakka shook his head. �We weren�t hiding it��

Tidus got u and walked slightly away from the group, in disbelief.

Lulu nodded a little. �It was just�too hard to say.�

Tidus then knelt down and pounded the floor. �Lulu! How could you?� he shouted. �Isn�t she like a sister to you? I thought you were family!� he then turned to Wakka. �Why don�t you do something, Wakka?�

Lulu held out her hands to him. �Don�t you think we tried to stop her?� She then crossed her arms, and closed her eyes. �She follows�her heart.�

Wakka put a hand on Lulu�s shoulder. �Yuna, she knew what she was doing when she chose to be a Summoner. To face Sin, ya? Yuna knew!�

Rikku shook her head violently. �But Wakka, that�s just totally wrong! Summoners shouldn�t have to sacrifice themselves�just so the rest of Spira can be happy, right?�

A monster appeared and Isaaru glared at it. �But that is our choice��

Dona looked to the monster, like Isaaru. �We all live in fear of Sin. You know that.�

�A world without Sin�� Isaaru continued. �That is the dream of all Yevon�s children. And we will use that power, even if it means our lives!� Isaaru summoned a Valefor, which was also Yuna�s first Aeon.

Tidus would never stop being upset and ran towards the Aeon. �And I�ve been telling Yuna, let�s go to Zanarkand together! Let�s beat Sin!� He started to pet Valefor�s fur on its main body. �I told her all the things we could�we could�and all along, the whole time, I didn�t know anything! But Yuna, she�d just�she�d just smile.� Tears started to form in his eyes. Tidus remembered in Luca when Yuna first learned how to whistle, and how they laughed to vent their anger at the world. He remembered her saying that she wanted her journey to be full of laughter. �I can�t let her die! I�ll find her!�

Hikaru frowned. �He was�so dedicated to you, wasn�t he?�

Yuna nodded and looked down at the table pattern. She touched the thin lines of the wood and ran her fingers up and down them. �After that, when they couldn�t find me, they finally met up with me at my wedding in Bevelle. That was where I was while they were at Home.�

Hikaru was confused. �Wedding? I thought Seymour was dead!�

Yuna sighed. �So did we. He should have been, but he came back. To tell the truth, he came back many times after the wedding too.�

Hikaru shook her head in utter disbelief. �I�m trying to think of who is worse; Sephiroth or Seymour.�

Yuna would have laughed, but she continued with a solemn tone. �Tidus was so angry with Seymour. Well, we all were. However, Tidus wanted revenge the most��

Cid, Yuna�s uncle and Rikku�s father, controlled an airship that Yuna�s guardians were on. They were moving at full speed towards Bevelle. While Seymour and Yuna were ascending the stairs, Warrior Monks and Maester Kinoc saw the airship.

�Fire!� Kinoc commanded.

Seymour turned and saw the airship. He looked to Yuna, dressed in a full wedding dress and veil, equipped with a magnificent bouquet. She radiated with beauty. �Come,� he ordered, and grabbed her hand.

The airship fired wired harpoons at the Bevelle highbridge, and Yuna�s guardians slid down the wires to reach the bridge. They all landed safely. �Yuna!� Tidus shouted as the group broke through the enemy defense. They soon were in the presence of Maester Kinoc.

Kinoc pointed his own gun at Tidus. �This has gone far enough!�

Auron yelled to Tidus as Tidus ran towards the Maester. �Stop!�

Tidus stopped. Guards then surrounded the guardians. The guards had guns pointed directly at them. They saw through the defense up to Yuna, who held up her rod and prepared her sending to Seymour, to send him to the Farplane, where ghosts of spirits go after death. Seymour looked down at her. �You would play at marriage just for a chance to send me? Your resolve is admirable. All the more fitting to be my lovely wife.�

Tidus flinched at those words. He and his friends watched as Yuna was going to begin her sending.

�Stop!� wise Maester Mika yelled to her from the crowd. �Do you not value your friends� lives? Your actions determine their fate! Protect them�or throw them away. The choice is yours.�

Yuna closed her eyes and sighed. She tightened her grip on her rod. Then it slipped through her fingers and fell to the ground.

Seymour smiled. �You are wise,� He then slowly, carefully lifted Yuna�s veil. Yuna�s eyes opened and glared at Seymour with rage. Seymour kissed her fast and long so she wouldn�t protest. A tear streaked down Yuna�s left cheek.

Tidus gasped and clenched his jaw and his fists.

Seymour released Yuna from his grasp and looked to Kinoc. �Kill them.�

Kinoc looked towards the guardians, ready to attack. �I am sorry, but it is for Yevon.�

Auron lifted his eyebrows. �Aren�t those weapons forbidden by Yevon?�

Kinoc smiled. �These are exceptions.�

�No!� a voice cried. Everyone looked to the edge of the platform, where Yuna was, thinking about jumping to her death. �Throw down your weapons! Let them go, or else�� She stepped back a little closer to the edge. The soldiers and Yuna�s guardians were alarmed. Seymour commanded the soldiers to stop pointing the guns at the guardians. Tidus was finally a little free and ran closer to where Yuna was.

�Leave now!� She said to him. �Please!� she pleaded.

�You�re coming with us!� he wouldn�t leave her there by herself.

�Don�t worry! Go!�

Seymour shook his head. �This is foolish, Lady Yuna! If you fall, you�ll die.�

Yuna looked at him, then back to Tidus. �Don�t worry,� Yuna tried to reassure all of the spectators. She seemed to show a small smile. �I can fly. Believe�� and she let herself fall off of the bridge�s platform.

�Yuna!� Tidus screamed.

As Yuna fell, she closed her eyes and awaited a miracle. Valefor flew by and caught Yuna just as she was about to crash into Bevelle�s city floor.

�Oh, how I�d love to see Valefor! It seems like such an incredible creature!� Hikaru exclaimed.

Yuna smiled and nodded. �Valefor was my first and utmost closest Aeon. After the�awkward wedding ceremony, my friends and I had to go on trial at the High Court of Yevon. We had different sentences. I had to journey through the Maze of Sorrow, and eventually caught up with Lulu, Kimahri, and Auron. Tidus, Rikku, and Wakka found each other as they were sentenced to an enclosed water arena. After much time, our two groups met up again.� Yuna giggled all of the sudden.

Hikaru quirked her head to the side and giggled at Yuna�s sudden laughter. �What?�

�I remember Rikku hugging me and asking if I was all right, and saying that it was so good to finally have me back. But, Tidus, he�� she smiled. �He stammered as he saw me, not knowing what to say. But I remember soldiers and Seymour barging in, interrupting Tidus, and showing us how they killed Kinoc. Seymour wanted me to go with him to Zanarkand instead of my friends, making him become the next Sin. We defeated Seymour, for the second time. We finally escaped after that. We fled to Macalania Woods�� she stopped for a moment.

Hikaru looked at her as she trailed off. �What is it?�

�Macalania Woods will always be special to me, because of what I�m about to tell you right now. Tidus asked Auron where I went off to, and Auron told him that I said I wanted to be alone. Tidus went off to find me. I was in a different chamber than the rest of them, standing in the water. It was a beautiful chamber, and it will always be my favorite sanctuary. It had a vast ceiling; everything had a blue tint to it, just like the rest of the woods. The water was crisp and clear, and it was very shallow near the edge. Kimahri was with me, watching me just standing in the water, protecting me like always. He saw Tidus come in, and didn�t bother me about it��

Tidus spotted Yuna standing in the water and walked towards her. He walked next to her and looked out in front at the crystalline chamber, where Yuna was staring off in front of her. �Maybe�you�re just trying too hard. They told me�everything. At Home.�

Yuna gasped. �Everything? Well, so then�you know.� She looked down at her feet standing on the rocks in the water.

Tidus sighed. �Yeah, I�m sorry. It�s just, you know�all those things I said. Like �Let�s go get Sin!� or about Zanarkand�I didn�t know what would happen to you, Yuna. I guess�I hope it didn�t make you sad. Forgive me.�

Yuna smiled. �I wasn�t sad, I was happy.�

Tidus nodded. He then dived into the water, resurfaced, and laid on the surface. �Yuna, just�don�t do it.�

�The�pilgrimage?�

Tidus stood up on the rocks below him. �Yeah, that�s right. Forget all about Sin, about being a Summoner. Forget all that. You know, live a normal life. Come on now, Yuna, what do you say?�

Yuna thought. �Maybe I will. Wouldn�t everyone be surprised?�

Tidus shrugged. �Yeah, but except Rikku. She�d be with you. Lulu and Wakka wouldn�t hold out long.�

Yuna nodded. �Kimahri would say yes too, I know. But Sir Auron��

�I�ll make him understand, Yuna. It�s the least I can do for you.�

�No, I should tell him. He deserves it.�

Tidus and Yuna watched pyreflies rising from the water, like cottonweed on a summer day. Yuna laid on the surface then, just like Tidus before. �What�ll I do if I give up on my pilgrimage?�

Tidus immediately had an idea. �Hey! Zanarkand! Let�s go to Zanarkand! Not the one in Spira, the one I�m from.�

Yuna nodded, knowing which one he meant.

Tidus got excited. �Yeah, we can fly there. Everyone can go! Then we�ll have a big party at my place!�

Yuna grinned at the thought and stood on the rocks below once again. �And then we could see blitzball! Your Zanarkand Abes would play! We would all watch you play, in the stadium all lit up at night. I�d cheer and cheer until I couldn�t cheer anymore!�

Tidus smiled. �Right on!�

Yuna moved her head to the side, put her hands behind her back and watched her feet flow gently in the water. �Well, what about after the game?�

�We�d go out and have fun!�

Yuna giggled. �In the middle of the night?�

�No problem! Zanarkand never sleeps!� Tidus exclaimed. �Let�s go to the sea, before the sunrise. The city lights go out one by one. The star fade�it�s kinda like rose-colored, right? First in the sea, then it spreads to the sky, then to the whole city. It gets brighter and brighter, till everything glows. It�s really�pretty. I know you�d like it.�

Yuna�s eyes dropped a little. �I�d like to go see it, someday.�

�Well you can, Yuna. We can both go!�

A few seconds passed, and tears started to flow from Yuna�s eyes.

Tidus turned and looked at her. He walked closer to her. �Yu�?�

�I can�t,� said Yuna as the tears flowed. �I just can�t! I can�t go!� Yuna started to cry gently.

Tidus tenderly touched her shoulders with both of his hands. �Yuna��

She briefly looked up at him and her crying subsided, but only for a moment. Slowly he moved even closer to Yuna, and their lips met. Tidus�s arms went around her neck as they kissed, and they dived into the water. Yuna had never seen anyone so dedicated to her in her life, and that was when she knew that she loved him back.

Later, they resurfaced from the depths and Yuna�s crying had completely stopped. They both sat at the edge, their feet in the water.

�I�ll continue,� said Yuna. �I must. If I give up now�I could do anything I wanted to, and yet�even if I was with you, I could never forget.�

�I�ll go with you. I�m your guardian. Unless I�m�fired?� he smiled.

Yuna touched his hand. �Stay with me until the end. Please.�

Tidus looked directly into Yuna�s two different-colored eyes. �Not until the end�always.�

Yuna nodded. �Always, then.�

In the distance, Kimahri smiled as he listened to their conversation. He left them alone and walked out of the chamber.

�Maybe you should head back to camp first,� said Yuna.

�Roger!� Tidus stood up.

Yuna stood up too. �Wait,� she said. Tidus turned around. �I�ll go with you.� Yuna walked to him and held his hand. Tidus smiled, and they walked out of the chamber.

It was a night when Yuna told that last story to Hikaru, and they both thought that Cloud and Morpheus wouldn�t be able to hear them from the cockpit. Morpheus was already asleep in the room up the stairs, but Cloud was still sitting in the cockpit, pressing buttons and steering the airship. He sighed. �Why can�t I be like that to Hikaru? I�m just not that kind of person�but, that Tidus guy sure pulled it off good. He must have really loved Yuna,� Cloud thought as he scratched his head. �Hikaru knows how I feel, but ever since that night we kissed, I�m so nervous around her, and I just push her away.� He decided to save his thoughts for another day, put the ship on autopilot, walked by Hikaru and Yuna as they were laughing and giggling, and went to his room.

Hikaru jumped and stopped laughing as she heard the door shut. She stared at his door then�so still, so bare. She focused her eyes on the doorknob, as if he was to open it all of the sudden, rush over and embrace her like she desires him to. However, she knew that wouldn�t happen.

Yuna got up from her chair, yawned, and stretched. �Well, I�m going to bed too. Good night, Hikki!� she walked over to the couch and laid down.

Hikaru sighed. �Good night, Yunie.� She turned off the light in the room for her, and then walked to the guest room. And as she tried to fall asleep, all she could think about was Yuna�s stories, especially that last one. She dreamt about Yuna and Tidus, and soon Yuna changed into Hikaru, and Tidus changed into Cloud. There they were in the water of Macalania Woods. Hikaru was crying. But Cloud, unlike Tidus and his embrace, walked away.