Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ A Time for Reflection ❯ The Beauty of Love ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter IV: The Beauty of Love

Braska looked at the three of them for a moment. They seemed to be confused, excited, and completely dumbfounded all at the same time. Jecht finally managed to say something. "You've gotta be kidding me! Why didn't they say something a little sooner, Braska? Why leave my boy hangin' like that? For heaven's sake, it's been half a year!"

Tidus, in all his excitement, pondered the revelation brought forth from his father. It had already been half a year since he left Spira; not a day had gone by that he hadn't thought of her.

"I don't know, and it's very hard to explain right now," Braska murmured. "I have no clue what their plans are, but they seem eager to speak to Tidus, especially Master Kaemon," Braska replied enthusiastically.

Tidus recognized that name… everyone here knew who he was. He was the ruler of the Farplane, highly respected among all. Tidus didn't care for anything on the Farplane though, so he wasn't interested in its rulers. He was, however, very interested in coming back to Spira. There was finally a possibility that he could be with her again.

Braska interrupted Tidus from his thoughts. "They want to talk to you today, to hear your story," Braska related.

"It's not just my story Braska," Tidus replied icily. Upon realizing the tone of voice he had bestowed upon his would be father-in-law, he quickly regretted it. "I'm sorry Braska, I'm just, well, overwhelmed! I mean, can this really be true? How can it be true?" Tidus asked earnestly.

"I don't know, Tidus, but the only way to find out is by talking to them," Braska commented.

"Yeah son, you've been achin' all this time to find a way out of this place. Now's not the time to get doubtful!" Jecht urged Tidus.

"You're right dad… let's get me out of this place!" Tidus said very excitedly. On the way to the temple, where they could meet Master Kaemon and his associates, Tidus' mind began to wander once again. "I'll be there soon. I'm coming home to you soon Yuna! I… hope."

~~~~~
In Spira
~~~~~

"Yuna, you're going to be late for an appointment."

She had heard that so many times from her.

"Poor Lulu, she's so good to me, and the only thing I'm good at is missing appointments and ceremonies."

She had been an extremely busy young woman since the destruction of sin six months ago. There were always meetings, ceremonies to attend, or visits to various cities in Spira. Of course, there were those cursed suitors that she had to deal with on a daily basis.

Yuna wished all of her so called responsibilities would simply vanish. She needed time to think, and that was something that had not been given to her… she had become very stressed out by all the cumulative events in her life.

"I'm sorry Lulu. Who am I supposed to meet today?" Yuna asked unenthusiastically.

Lulu looked at her uneasily for a moment. "Well, I'm very sorry about this, Yuna. I tried to keep him away, but it's Roka. He insisted that he see you today."

Roka had been the most determined suitor for Yuna out of the whole bunch, and she didn't take a liking to him. He was arrogant, selfish, and unattractive.

"He's everything that Tidus wasn't..."

"It's ok Lulu, I'll be sure to chase him off quickly," Yuna said with a smirk. Yuna walked in the direction of her home, and Lulu cracked half a smile in return. She saw Wakka off in the distance.

Wakka spotted Lulu and smiled broadly. "Hey Lu, what's up?" he yelled over the sound of the crashing waves.

"I'm fine Wakka… but I constantly worry for Yuna. I understand her pain, but I don't understand why she puts up with the suitors that are continuously bothering her. She's far too patient with them," Lulu said irately.

"Yeah, I know what you mean Lu," replied Wakka passively. "They aren't giving her any room to breathe, ya? I wish they would give her a little space," Wakka commented.

Lulu contemplated Wakka's words for a moment. He was right… it was deplorable how these suitors were treating Yuna like a trophy or a piece of meat. It eased her mind, however, knowing that Yuna didn't give any of them the time of day. Her heart belonged to only one person.

If anyone, Lulu truly understood what it felt like for a woman to lose the man she loves; she only wished she could comfort Yuna adequately. She had never been good at the emotional aspect of human nature. It wasn't her… thing. Lulu could only hope that someone could come along to ease Yuna's pain, whether or not it was Tidus.

_________________________________________________________________ __________

As Yuna's distance to her home shortened, Yuna deeply dreaded seeing Roka. She hated his fake exterior. On the outside, he endeavored to make himself look like a nice person, but she knew that he was unscrupulous and immoral; he only wanted one thing from a woman, and it disgusted her.

When she arrived, Yuna noticed that he had already made himself comfortable on her couch. "Thanks for knocking," she thought angrily.

"Ahh, lady Yuna! You are looking very beautiful today my lady, as usual," hissed Roka.

"Thank you Roka, but I'm afraid that I am very tired today," Yuna proclaimed, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "I've had many issues to address recently. If you would please excuse me, I would like to…"

Roka interrupted Yuna in mid sentence, his outburst shocking and terrifying her. "I'm tired of this! Every time I come to visit you, all I hear is excuses! You're always too tired, or too stressed out, or too sad over that stupid little boy you miss so much! I have had it with your nonsense… you're a complete waste of time! No wonder your little friend wanted to leave you, I would have too!" Roka raged, anger seething through his nasal voice.

Oh no… That was too much. Every fiber of Yuna's being felt like it was about to explode. She did the only thing she could think to do at the moment. She slapped him… hard.

"Get out of my home," Yuna murmured inaudibly, her entire body shaking with anger. This wasn't about her anymore. No one, absolutely no one, talked about Tidus and the love that they shared in such a defiling manner. "Get out of my house, now!" Yuna screamed with ear piercing intensity. Roka held on to his red cheek angrily, shocked that a "lady" would treat someone as prestigious as him like that. He quickly scampered out of the house, cursing Yuna under his breath.

Upon Roka's hasty departure, Yuna collapsed in a ball of tears, sadness, and anger. Sobbing uncontrollably for what seemed like hours, she pleaded emotionally to no one in particular.

"Why Tidus? Why can't you be here to protect me?"

She was broken... the pain became almost unbearable, and she staggered to her bed. In between fits of sobs, reality slowly crept up on her once again.

"I need you... please, come back."

~~~~~~~~~~
In the Farplane
~~~~~~~~~~

The journey to the temple was relatively short for Tidus and his comrades. Tidus eagerly urged all of them to walk faster, and his enthusiasm amused Jecht. Upon entering the temple, Tidus stared at the interior of the temple in awe for a moment. After marveling for a while longer, Tidus slowly followed the three older men toward the inner chamber doors.

"Lord Braska! We've been expecting you! Please, you and your friends come in!" a short, bearded man in temple attire said.

"Thank you, Abram," Braska replied calmly. As the four men piled single file through the door leading to the inner chamber, Abram quickly left to tell the high council of their arrival.

As Tidus walked through the grand doors, he determined in his mind that he would tell them everything, truthfully and bluntly. He would enlighten them about the gorgeous woman that he loves, and tell them why she is the only reason he wants to return to Spira.

The high council consisted of the leader, Master Kaemon, and two other people, Sir Akeno and Lady Yumiko. Together, these three individuals resided over the Farplane.

"Greetings Braska! Auron and Jecht, it's so nice to see you!" Kaemon eagerly said. "This young man that I have not met must be… Tidus. It is a privilege to meet the person who worked so hard to save Spira," Kaemon noted honorably.

Tidus, growing tired of everyone giving all the attention to only his achievements, stammered nervously in his reply. "All of my friends worked together to save Spira. It… it wasn't just me…"

"Yes, of course… I'm terribly sorry. Shall we begin?" Kaemon asked readily.

"Yes sir, Master Kaemon," Tidus replied bravely.

"Tidus," Lady Yumiko said calmly, "May I ask why you are so eager to return to Spira?"

"Yes my lady. There's a girl… a woman, that I had to leave behind," Tidus said dejectedly. "Her name is Yuna. She's Braska's daughter and, well, she's beautiful, inside and out. She saved Spira with me and everyone else. I, uhh, I want to come back to her, you know?"

"Why do you want to come back to her, Tidus?" Akeno asked in curiosity.

"Well, I.. It's because I love her! I can see her every day from the Farplane. It hurts to see her cry every day. I want to be with her… always," Tidus sadly replied. "I made a promise that I would be with her always, and I want to keep that promise!"

"And, this love, are you sure of it?" Kaemon asked curiously.

"Excuse me?" Tidus asked, not understanding completely.

"Are you positive that this is what you want to do, Tidus? Do you love this woman so much that you would leave all of your loved ones here?" Kaemon asked tentatively.

Tidus looked in the direction of the three men that had given him so much comfort during these painful months. For the first time, he was saddened by the thought of leaving them. In quite a few ways, going back to Spira would be a huge loss as well. He then noticed his father nodding at him, urging him to continue. That was all the encouragement he needed.

"I'm positive!" I need to go back to her… I need her by my side!" Tidus proclaimed forcefully. "I can't continue without her, Master Kaemon. I made a promise, and I have to keep it!" Tidus continued, very emotionally.

"Very well Tidus. If you would excuse us, allow me and my associates to discuss this in private for a while," Kaemon replied sullenly. "It should only take a few moments." Upon that, the three high council members slowly walked into a room across the hall.

"I thought you were gonna cry there for a second boy!" Jecht chuckled loudly, trying to lighten the mood a little bit. Tidus smiled in response, but did not reply.

"You did very well, Tidus," Braska commented. "You would have made my daughter so happy if she could have seen it. Now it's the council's decision that will decide your fate."

Auron finally stepped out of his silence. "You did well. You were very convincing." Auron looked at Tidus, proudly contemplating the love that this boy had for Braska's daughter. It was awe inspiring to see the affection he showed for her.

After a few very uneasy moments, the high council emerged from the room. Tidus looked in their direction nervously, anxiously awaiting their decision.

"Sir Tidus," Kaemon said softly. "We have seen, first hand, the beauty of the love that you have for her. It is clearly evident that you have love for this girl that has no boundaries. We have deliberated and decided that a love this strong cannot be torn apart between two worlds, especially for two saviors of Spira. You have a spirit that wants to live, Tidus. You will no longer be a dream of the fayth. Tidus, you are going to be alive once again… we are sending you back to Spira."

The realization hit him quickly. He was going back… to her.