Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Dreams Come True ❯ Salám ( Chapter 17 )

Pre-chapter A/N: I know, I know, this chapter's awful and it's going to need serious revision because Shad-deh has some nas-teh writer's block. Be merciful. And don't kill me for what happens later in the chapter. X_o;;

"Sa-lám" is really just an oddball (and, deliberately, incorrect) way of saying "Salaam," which is Arabic for "peace," or, more to Shad's liking - and pardon the almost indefinitely horrible spelling - it comes from "asalaamu alaykum," meaning "peace be unto you" or "god give you peace" or the like. Anyone ever realize that when they heard the name "Guadosalam"? ^_~ Maybe it doesn't have anything to do with it at all, but I noticed. Leave it to me to remember an obscure lesson from seventh-grade history.

Oh yeah, and apologies to the Continuation judge, if he happens to read this...somehow I'm not sure if he was expecting a WAFFy romance. (If you gag, I'm not responsible...really...)

Once again, I repeat: This story will never have anything lemony in it. Saucy, yes. Implied, yes. But not outright lemony.

_____________

"Nav?"

The Guado leader primly turned his head to look at Lulu, who, with Kimahri, sat at his table, in his dining room. It wasn't an extravagant one; his predecessor Lord Jyscal had not been a very material person, and so Nav would not be either. Extremities between rulers were discouraged, even though Nav would have liked something larger. It would have made a better impression on the Maestress and her guardians, he thought; not that Yuna had taken the time to have a tour of his home. Given the circumstances, that was fine, but Nav did have an appreciation for standard formality.

"Yes?"

"Do you think it can be helped? Yevon, I mean."

"Certainly. It is in the Maestress' hands."

Lulu looked grim, or perhaps it was simply her annoyance. "You've promised us your aid. What can you do to help?"

"We'll surely think of something, with Bahamut and Yuna to help."

"Yuna doesn't seem to be taking it too well..."

"That's understandable. We'll help her in any way possible."

"You misunderstand me, Nav. I meant that I very much doubt Yuna could do it right now." Lulu

shook her head. "It's all too much, and not just for her. She's level-headed and inhumanly patient, but not indefinitely so. Yuna needs time away from all this. I doubt she'll want to return unless Bahamut prompts her to -- he's staying, you know. You may have to come to her, instead of vice versa."

"I'm sure that won't be a problem. Everyone's eager to help; those that have seen her ask if she's well."

"Yuna will be fine. She simply needs awhile to settle herself in. She needs to get married, first; surely you've heard they're engaged by now."

Nav nodded, chuckling to himself. "It's a wonder they haven't gone off and gotten over with it already,"

"That's Yuna's doing. She's trying very hard to make everything look...much like a fairy tale, if you will. As correct and sweet and lovely as is humanly possible. Yuna's good at making people happy..."

"A fairy tale, huh?"

"Well, it's really not quite a fairy tale." Lulu grinned. "But very close."

"Yuna -- where is she? I haven't seen her for a good while."

"Oh...she's off sleeping, poor thing."

*****

Yuna was barefoot.

The path was cold beneath her feet, but it hardly fazed her. It was more refreshing than uncomfortable. She couldn't remember going about without her boots since she was a child. The clear, chilly night and Tidus' purpose distracted her from her worries; they lifted off her shoulders like the fading lights of Guadosalam, seeming to dull, or at least become a bit less palpable. She was grateful.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

She smiled to herself. "Good things."

"Well that's really exact,"

Yuna laughed quietly. "I remember taking this road with Kimahri when I was little...it was really warm. Summer. So humid I practically had to pant to breathe. But Kimahri told me that if I was good and didn't complain, I'd get a great surprise when we reached the river. I was so incredibly gullible when I was a kid, you know that?"

Tidus scratched the back of his head. "I'm guilty, too..."

"Well, when we did get there, it was the middle of the night and I was half asleep. I'd been riding on his shoulders all day, and I remember being really cranky..." she grinned. "I demanded that I be put down...Kimahri put a No Encounters ring on me, set me down, and went to sleep. The first thing I did was run down to the water and try to catch a pyrefly...when I realized I couldn't, I sat on the shore and summoned up an image of my father. I stared at it all night; even tried talking to it. I really thought he could hear me. It was really...therapeutic. I only got a couple hours' sleep that night; when we got to the other side of the Moonflow the next afternoon, I went right to sleep and didn't wake up until the next day. But...it was wonderful. It really helped me deal with it."

"Too bad they couldn't talk..."

"Ah, I had a wonderful imagination. I remember...I didn't know quite everything about pyreflies. I just knew that as long as the pretty lights were around, I could see my father."

Tidus laughed. "Wanna know the weird thing? There were never any pyreflies in Zanarkand. None. I mean, I don't even remember seeing them once."

"Really?"

"Yeah...I guess because people just lived a really long time. Death wasn't very common..."

"How long?"

"Oh, lots of people lived to be about a hundred...not much longer than that, though."

"A hundred! How? They're practically immortal...!"

"I guess, but it wasn't a miracle or anything. You name a disease, they had a cure for it. A lot of people who would have died from this or that didn't, because doctors knew how to fix pretty much anything. I guess that's what brought about the population laws. See, there was one downside: you could live a million years if you wanted, but it's not like you were able to have a zillion kids. You're allowed one, and then any more than that requires some really hard to get permit or something...'course, the government's favorite people got to have as many kids as they pleased. It really sucked...I know my mom always wanted lots of kids."

Yuna frowned. "That's awful. So many people that they had to...is it possible to have that many people in one place?"

Tidus smiled. "Yeah...it gets a little crowded, though."

"I can imagine!"

He placed his hands behind his head, interlocking his fingers. "So, what're the laws like in Spira? I'm still learning..."

Yuna frowned again. "There are none, as far as size of families go." When she saw the look of surprise on Tidus' face, she laughed. "What did you expect?"

"At least some kinda regulation...what, are you telling me people have as many kids as they want here?"

"Well, yes...it's just that so many of them don't live to adulthood...or at least haven't in the past..."

Tidus smirked. "So how many can we expect, huh?"

"A-as many as you like..."

He raised an eyebrow, looking over at Yuna to see her blushing almost comically, hands interlocked in front of her, carefully not meeting his gaze. He laughed.

"I was just kidding, y'know."

Yuna's mouth formed a little grin. "Fiend,"

"Guilty as charged."

"...I'd want...a girl." said Yuna, a few moments later.

Tidus looked at her in mild surprise. Yuna's eyes were heavenward, and her thoughtful smile had returned.

"A girl...with your eyes, of course! Or maybe a boy, with your face...do you know what a

gorgeous face you have?" Her smile had grown bright, rapt. Tidus had to laugh, pulling her close against his side.

"I think you're thinking a little far ahead..."

Yuna pouted, trying - but failing - to maintain a frown. "I think you're not thinking ahead far enough! Really, Tidus, hasn't anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?"

He looked playfully unamused. "Gee, thanks. I can always count on Yuna to make me feel manly."

She laughed in delight, reaching up and kissing him briefly. "You deserved that! And besides, it's true. You've got the most stunning eyes. Didn't any of the women in Zanarkand tell you that?"

"You can mention them without sounding jealous...? How disappointing,"

"Oh, I just hide it well." smiled Yuna, as innocently as she could manage. "But you're not answering me! Hasn't anyone brought this to your attention?"

"Nah."

She grinned. "Impossible; you're just being modest!"

Tidus shook his head. "Since when do women flatter men? You're being silly!" Yuna pouted again, and Tidus found the tiny motion something like addictive. He kissed her, grinning. "Besides, men aren't supposed to be pretty."

"Fine, then...you're a very handsome man, Tidus. Does your ego feel better?"

He chuckled, taking her hand and lifting it to kiss her knuckles. "A bit. Hey, we're close..."

Tidus was right. They had reached the Moonflow, and Yuna didn't seem to have taken any notice at all. The air above the water was heavily littered with pyreflies, all dancing their slow ballet of mindless twists and turns above the river.

She nodded in agreement. "There are...many of them. There are so many dead."

"Hey! I brought you out here to be happy. Smile."

"No fair," she declared. "You're using my own words against me!"

"All is fair and love and war," Tidus recited nonchalantly before seizing her and tickling her lightly, happy to see her squeak and struggle playfully to get away. "And I'm certainly not gonna pick a fight with you,"

Yuna wriggled in his grasp, laughing. "Let me go, you fiend! I'll..."

"What're you gonna do, huh?"

"Something so awful I haven't thought of it yet!" she yelped, squirming to try to avoid another barrage of tickles.

"I'm quivering in terror," Tidus laughed, and unable to bottle her amusement any longer, Yuna giggled as well. "because Yuna and her white magic are gonna come get me when I'm not looking! 'Run for your life, it's Cure!'"

"Or Holy," Yuna threatened, wiggling her fingers in a playfully malignant manner.

"Aw, c'mon. You wouldn't be that cruel. Nothing survives Holy!"

"So I'm not harmless, am I!"

"Well, who knows what havoc you could wreak with that terrifying Dispel of yours..."

"Oh, let me down already, you meanie! Before I --"

Tidus silenced her with a happy kiss, setting her down. "What was that?"

She laughed; touched her hand to his cheek. "Absolutely nothing."

*****

Amia stuck out her hand, raising her eyes - squinted against the unremitting downpour - to the grey sky.

"Feels nice,"

"Watch out for the thunder," Jecht advised, "or you'll end up a hamburger."

His wife grinned. "Know that from experience?"

"Nope. I know that from watching Auron figure it out from experience. He was squabbling over some stupid thing and I just turned and walked away from him...that's what you gotta do to the guy, you know? Anyway, he says somethin' else, can't remember quite what, and I turn back around and get ready to shut the guy up once and for all when this huge bolt of thunder just comes down and zaps him. Bam. Bullseye. It was hilarious. Even Braska was laughing."

Amia chuckled. "I hope he was alright."

"Oh, yeah. It's insane what that guy managed to live through. That was barely a scratch."

"Hmm..." She linked her arm through his, resting her chin on her husband's shoulder. "Miss him?"

"Eh, a bit. I kinda wish he was here to see all this. He's a hell of a fighter, y'know...he'd be able to help. But I guess it's alright."

"I'm sorry,"

Jecht brushed a lock of hair from her eyes and planted a light kiss on her forehead. "Nothin' to be sorry about, Mia. And if we stay here another moment or so we're both gonna get fried."

That made her smile. "Let's go inside, then. Besides, you'll catch cold if you stay out here in the pouring rain, wearing what you're wearing."

Jecht looked heavenward in supplication, rolling his eyes. "Women..."

--

"This place gives me the creeps, Jecht."

"Yeah, I know. It's always been full of bad vibes." He rubbed her shoulder. "Christ, you're freezing..."

"I'm not that cold. The rain's nice...and besides, it's warm in here."

"Yeah, well, the rain's also nice until you get pneumonia. Better to stay high and dry. Want some tea?"

"How about coffee?"

"They won't know the meaning of the word."

"Hmm...alright. Tea."

They took their drinks and retreated to the inn, retiring to a blanket-covered heap on the couch consisting of sleepy bodies and dry clothes.

"Where's Tidus?" Amia asked after they'd finished the beverages in relative silence.

"Don't know...and if you think I'm about to get up and go look for him, you've got another thing coming." Jecht yawned. "He's a big boy. He can babysit himself."

His wife smiled, closing her eyes. "Yuna seems very nice."

"Oh, yeah. There's not a bad bone in her body. Yuna's a sweetheart...it's a good match, I guess."

"He has good taste."

Jecht guffawed, grinning. "Well, he certainly didn't get that from you..."

"Hey!"

*****

His hands were splayed loosely on the curve of her hips: his breath, on her neck. It was distracting her. She kept thinking that she should fill the empty void of silence, start a conversation, but couldn't find the words no matter how she tried. She wanted to tell him about Isaaru and the pyreflies, but it might spoil the easy, relaxed mood of the moment: wanted to ask about plans for Yevon, plans for the wedding, plans for exactly what they were going to do when they left Guadosalam. But the mention of any would ruin the peacefulness. Even if her mind wouldn't stop churning out questions and worries, she could at least appreciate what Tidus was trying to give her.

"You're in thought again," she heard him comment, and instantly felt a pang of guilt.

"I'm sorry..."

"What's on your mind?"

Yuna leaned against him, sighing lightly. "Lots of things. What's going to happen...what we're

going to do with this."

"You shouldn't worry so much," he advised gently, tone fading from slightly frustrated to empathetic. Yuna's answering smile was half sarcastic.

"Well, if I don't, who will?

"Everyone else."

"See! And that's not good..."

"But they worry anyway. So you'd be fine."

"You've got strange logic, Tidus," she mused in jest, closing her eyes. "I know I should relax. Or something. But...I can't take my eye off of where I want to be. Do you understand? I can't stop trying to think of a better way. A safer way. What if I miss something? What kind of Maestress would that make me? I'm sure the Guado are all terrified...well, what's left of them. This is yet another endangerment to them...and to us. And --"

"Yuna, your scrutiny wouldn't miss an ant's burp. There's only so much that can be done. Relax!"

She chuckled softly. "Don't know the meaning of the word."

He pressed a playful kiss to her neck. "You need a...distraction."

Yuna's smile grew into a grin. "You're too much of one already."

"Well, good! You need it. That's my job." Attentively, he gave her skin an affectionate nip.

"I'm just dying to see what else is on that job description of yours,"

"Oh, lots of things. Like kicking Yevon's ass into last year. And making Yuna lose sleep at night for one devious cause or another."

She laughed at that. "I get your point already. You're insistent, aren't you..."

Tidus kissed her jaw once, resting his cheek against the top of her head idly. "Only because I can be. Really, I don't mean anything by it."

"Sure you do. You'd be all the happier if I agreed."

"Hmph...well, I'd never insist on it. I'd never make you, if it makes you feel any better."

The smile that appeared on her lips then was one that Tidus hadn't seen before - a secret little smile, a smirk, almost conniving.

"Maybe," she began, and he thought he could hear laughter in her tone, "that's your problem right there."

Tidus was, for a moment, too surprised by her response to throw back a witty comment.

"I hope you know I was kidding," Yuna chuckled a moment later.

"No you weren't,"

"Didn't your father ever teach you never to give up?" she beamed, however enigmatically.

Tidus snatched her up into a tight embrace, grinning. "Yeah, and he taught me how to tell a summoner from a temptress, too - go figure!"

She laughed then, delighted with the knowledge that she could so easily provoke such a response from him. "Put me down...!"

"Not a chance."

*****

When they walked the path back to Guadosalam, both were far quieter than they had been approaching it. Nothing needed to be said - the mood between them was calmer, but the air snapped with an electricity of sorts that was altogether strange and wonderful to Yuna. He walked closer to her; made a point of touching her, brushing her more often: arm, or hip, or hand, or neck. It was a simple display of possession that sent the butterflies a-fluttering in her belly again, even if she was reading too far into it. And despite her outward naivety she knew precisely what she was doing and what she had chosen. And she welcomed it.

Guadosalam was asleep. The torches burned low, left lit only for the occasional passing traveler. The innkeeper dozed in his seat - Yuna and Tidus walked softly, not wishing to disturb anything. Kimahri lay curled up at the end of the corridor, apparently fast asleep as well. Human beds and Kimahri's claws didn't mix well - he most often ended up playing the part of sentry instead of sleepyhead.

It felt to Yuna as if it had been rehearsed. Kimahri opened a single sleepy, slitted eye at the pair when they approached - Yuna pressed a finger to her lips, silencing any questions, and he closed his eye again; his opinion on the matter was anyone's guess.

She stepped with a strange sort of confidence into her chamber, turning and tugging on Tidus' hand when he was slow to follow.

"Yuna..." he began softly, once she'd closed the door.

She smiled and wrapped her arms loosely around his neck, reaching up to kiss him lightly. She knew the tone in his voice, and spared him the awkwardness of the 'you sure about this?' moment.

"Hush," she said happily, "or you'll wake Kimahri."

*****

Yuna watched him sleep.

Months of pilgrimaging had trained him well: he slept long and deeply, taking the chance while he had it. It was nice - she could curl up against his side (marveling at how warm and, excusing the expression, comfortable he was) and not worry about whether she would wake him. She mused that maybe she should follow his example, but there was something peaceful and pricelessly beautiful about the moment, and so she committed herself to just a few more moments of waking.

She didn't regret anything; after all, it had been entirely her decision. And maybe between all the dropped hints, blatant invitations and stolen glances, that was what Tidus had been waiting for. A little lovers' secret wouldn't hurt...and Yuna was firmly unwilling to let her relationship with him become a primarily public one. Albeit she wasn't expecting to have any sort of significant other at her side when she took power, she still wanted her privacy. What Tidus had done for her over the course of the evening had had the effect of Curaga on her frazzled morale, and she was grateful beyond words. But that was just between her and Tidus - the danger that people might pry or intrude unsettled her. Tidus had mentioned the possibility of stepping down - she wasn't sure if she wanted that, but in her heart of hearts she knew she was unhappy where she was. All the grandeur didn't suit her: she wanted to live as she had always lived, modestly, and none too easily at that. But the issue of a successor...

Amid all that she thought back to how happy he - and she, for that matter - had been at the shore of the Moonflow.

Take away all our burdens, and we're still just a couple of lovestruck teenagers. That's comforting. But I wish...I do wish that we could stay as unburdened as we are. My life is my own - that's the lesson I've been learning lately. I want it to always be as tonight - peaceful, happy, free. I want the choices I make to be my own business...and Tidus', of course.

I want the rest of our lives to be full of laughter; full of smiles.

But...

I need to make sure there's something to smile for first.

______________

I've set up a Yahoo!Groups group-thingy so you beloved readers will just get an email when I update or post a new story or whatnot. I think it might be better than hacking through FF.net just to find that I've not posted a word :P http://groups.yahoo.com/group/shad_update

There's a really big fanfiction contest coming up in December on MM.org...all genres, including originals, are accepted! So why aren't you submitting stuff already? :P http://www.mediaminer.org/forum/index.php?t=thread&frm_id=22 Look at the "We need Judges!" thread -- the first post. Choose your victim/category, and PM the judge...You can nominate your own fics or other people's - just nominate them! The application goes like this:

Name of fic:

Author's name:

Link to fic: (MM.org link preferred...FF.net's chronic downtime and all)

Award: (Which categories/awards are you aiming for? Some judges are doing two categories, so be sure to be specific...)

Excerpt from fic (Why does it deserve this award?):

Mind you, this is in Private Messaging; you don't submit your application in a thread. If you have any questions, just PM/E-mail me and I'll get right back to you on it. I'm the original and drama judge, so I would know the goings-on rather well. :P

Yeah, I know it's been almost three months since the last update. And I'm really sorry. It's having my fic totally, efficiently and thoroughly (not to mention, most shameful of all, reasonably) shot down by someone and subsequently getting writer's block, and then not being happy with what I DID write so that I rewrote the chapter five times (no joke) and then it's reformatting the computer and having it hate me when I try to install Windows again and then water polo practice, which only leaves me two hours in the day to do what I need to do. Which means all of that is homework time.

OH! And read 'semper fi!' And review it! Ehehe...happy birthday, Timmehs and Noelle :D And thanks to Kelseh-love for beta-ing! It gave me a much-needed boost of confidence. And kudos to Ashbear and Wayward Tempest (the temptress!)! Hehe...they're both such incredibly wonderful people. That reminds me. If you haven't read everything ever published by Ashbear - or Wayward, or both - you're a horrible human being :D Just kidding. But I HIGHLY recommend that you get yer butts over to their work, because they're both amazing authors. (Ashbear's 'Crimson Lies' made me burst into tears at more than one point. Maybe that's an indication...)