Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Long Way Home ❯ A Calm Lands Night ( Chapter 10 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

[A/N: Ownership of characters and setting does not belong to me, blah blah blah. On with the show.]

The Long Way Home

A Calm Lands Night

I lay in bed for a while trying to let sleep overtake me. It wasn’t working. And it wasn’t because of Brother’s snoring, either.

I just had so much on my mind. Things I’d seen, things I had yet to see. The many moments of laughter we’d had on this journey, and hopefully many more that would happen soon. And a few things that, for one reason or another, I couldn’t quite figure out.

I was dumbfounded when Yuna told me about Cid’s plan to turn Zanarkand into a tourist hot spot, with people climbing all over the ruins and in some cases forgetting their significance. From the way she described it, very few of the visitors were aware of just how many Summoners had given their lives to make it there, all in a futile attempt to save Spira. I think if I’d been there when she found out, I would’ve reacted just the same. Cid may be an okay guy and all, but a place like Zanarkand oughta be treated with a little more respect than he showed. In fact, I’m kinda surprised that that Isaaru guy went along with the plan. He seemed like a pretty straight-laced guy when we first met him on the Pilgrimage; so dedicated to the cause that he even stood against us when we tried to fight the falsehoods of Yevon. I’d never have envisioned him as the type to run guided tours of the ruins.

Oh well, at least the ruins are a bit quieter now. Except for all those monkeys, maybe…

I will admit, a lot of the changes that have been occurring seem to be good ones. It was great to see Kimahri again, and as Elder of his tribe, too! From what I heard, it’s been a bit of a hard task for him, what with the bad blood between the Ronso and Guado, but he seems to have handled it well. Yuna told me she wanted to help out more than she did, but if she had, it would have affected Kimahri the wrong way. She’s right, of course; a leader needs to stand on his own feet, and not have to rely on others constantly. But then, a leader also knows when to ask for a helping hand in a time of need. Something tells me that’s a lesson Brother needs to learn at some point, if he actually wants to ‘lead’ the Gullwings anyway.

I never would’ve expected to see the Calm Lands turn into an amusement park- but this new enterprise, ‘Calm Skies’ or whatever, really seems to be making it work. We’ve probably spent the last three days shuffling around between different games and meeting people at the Travel Agency. We stopped in to visit Clasko, whose chocobo ranch appears to be thriving, but eventually the conversation became repetitive and we made some excuse to be on our way. Even Yuna looked like she was getting a bit tired of hearing about chocobos. Rikku promptly made a beeline for the Feed The Monkey game, which she played repeatedly and with some success until she actually got banned from the booth. Seems her pet Ghiki decided to make some unwelcome advances on the monkeys there… Paine, who almost always seems moody about something, got even moodier after losing a lot of credits on the Lupine races, so I made sure to stay away from her till she cooled down.

Yuna and I took turns playing Gull Force, which I quickly discovered I have a knack for; just a few sessions of that game, and both of us were freakin’ LOADED. I was a bit worried at first about not having any cash for game credits, but that was quickly solved; thankfully both the Brotherhood sword and Caladbolg had been kept at the Besaid temple after Sin’s defeat, so it wasn’t hard for me to saddle up and go on a fiend hunt or two. Fiend bounties are still a good way to make gil these days. Admittedly, I was worried that maybe my skills had deteriorated after my tenure on the Farplane, but after one fight I’d loosened up and was feeling pretty good. It was just like old times, fighting as a team again…

Well, maybe not exactly like old times.

I knew Yuna had more or less come into her own over time, letting the fire I knew was inside shine through… but the first time I saw her in battle, I was stunned. Her poise, attitude, how she jumped in without hesitation- it was overwhelming. It was almost like a dance, the way her side skirt twirled around her bare legs, or how she would bob and weave between fiends while barely getting scratched. There were actually a few points when I had to tell myself to concentrate on the fiends, not gaze at her in awe. I’m still amazed at how accustomed she’s become to using firearms in battle, when just a short time ago nobody except the Al Bhed would have done so. She told me after one battle they were a gift from Cid, something to keep her safe when she had decided to cast off the image of the timid person she used to be. She added with a smile that at first she didn’t know what to make of them, but got used to them quickly when she became a Sphere Hunter.

It still hits me when I remember her telling me about all that happened before our reunion.

‘It all began when I saw this sphere of you’…

When she told me about the sphere, and what it led her to, her eyes had clouded for a moment. I didn’t know what the matter was, at least until she told me about Shuyin.

Then I realized what the look in her eyes was. I think she was afraid that I’d be jealous or something, that because this guy looked like me and had embraced her on the Farplane, it would hurt my feelings. At least, that’s what I guessed; when she mentioned the hug, and how it brought up a wave of mixed emotion, it was almost as if she couldn’t bear to look at me. Honestly… there was no reason for her to feel guilty at all. If anything, I felt bad that I wasn’t aware enough to pull her away from him, that I wasn’t tangible enough for her to see me or touch me. I hadn’t even been aware of her presence on the Farplane until her desperation became so bad that she let it all out in one scream.

Thankfully, the cloud over her eyes disappeared soon, and she was able to smile again as she told me more about Shuyin and Lenne, and about Vegnagun… which I guessed was the massive presence I had felt during my more conscious moments in the Farplane. Part of me paid attention to the story, the other part paid attention to her. Her smile was so serene, it was captivating. She once told me how she practiced smiling to keep sadness away; nowadays it feels like she smiles because she’s happy. Just seeing that makes things a lot better.

One thing still confuses me, though, and it was this thing that contributed to keeping me awake. When Yuna showed me the sphere of Shuyin in the prison cell, there was something about it that struck me as very odd. Not the tone of his voice or his features, which I’ve got to admit, freaked me out a bit at first. It was almost like looking at a mirror… but not quite, because his features didn’t seem to match mine exactly. Then again, it was an old sphere, so it’s hard to tell… No, the odd thing was his clothing. It was definitely a Blitz uniform, and to make it even weirder, I recognized it.

Not an Abes uniform, actually. This uniform had an assortment of four colors, whereas the Abes colors were yellow and blue, as best as I could remember. Plus, we didn’t have any padded leather collars across the front of our shirts. I knew there was something familiar about it, though, and it stayed on my mind even when we all regrouped at the Travel Agency for dinner that night. Then it hit me- this guy was wearing the uniform of what I remembered as the E- District Bombers. In fact, I’d actually worn a uniform just like that for a year, when I was fifteen. The Bombers, at least in the Zanarkand I remember, were a minor league team, the farm team for the Abes. I remembered how some guys got stuck in a rut and never improved, winding up as minor leaguers for years on end. I was lucky; I was so determined to be better than my old man that I only stayed on the Bombers for a year before being called up to the Abes. After that, I didn’t pay much attention to the Bombers or their players…

It got me thinking, is there a deeper connection? He looks about the same age as me at the time of the Pilgrimage, and he wears the uniform of my old farm club. Is there something about his Zanarkand and mine that I don’t know about???

The other thing that was keeping me awake was the fact that our next stop on the tour is Bevelle. I hope it’s changed from the way it used to be; after all the bad memories of the last time I was there, I could sure use some good ones. Hopefully this Praetor Baralai that Paine mentioned is a good egg, not like the Maesters I met last time. Mika, Kinoc, Seymour… every time I think of them I get a knot in my stomach from the way they acted, especially the way they treated Yuna.

Eventually I gave up trying to sleep; not only was there a lot on my mind, the men’s sleeping quarters was really cramped and Brother was snoring like a suction pump. He and I are on more or less tolerable terms now- he finally remembered the first time we met on board the Highwind- but there’s something about the way he fawns over Yuna that kinda wigs me out. On top of that, he’s still giving me baleful looks any time Yuna and I start talking; it’s like he has some kind of obsession with her. That alone is more than a bit odd, but the fact they’re related puts it beyond abnormal. Rikku says he’s being an idiot. I can think of a few worse names, but I haven’t said them yet.

I ducked out of the cabin and headed for the lift to go get some fresh air. I didn’t bother with my uniform, just a gray t-shirt and some black knee-length shorts Buddy loaned me; I have got to get myself some more clothes in the very near future. I hit the lift, and as it headed up I began to notice a cool breeze drifting down the elevator shaft. Maybe the air conditioner just tripped on? I wondered, but then I noticed the upper part of the shaft was illuminated. As the lift moved further up, I realized the deck door was standing open, and at first I figured Brother had gotten careless again and left it unlocked. Last time that happened, just two days before, a Death Dauber flew right into the ship and onto the bridge, which caused more than a bit of a mess before we killed it. Once the lift stopped, though, I realized it wasn’t his doing. Somebody else was up on deck already. I scratched my head and decided not to startle whoever it was, making my way up the steps as quietly as I could. Then I caught sight of who it was… and I froze in place.

The moon was high in the sky, just peeking over the cliffs we were facing. And standing at the end of the deck, right by the gull figurehead, was Yuna. She was facing away from me, dressed in a long white garment that resembled a sleeveless robe of sorts, tied at the waist by a thin cord. It was very fine material, almost gauze-like, and with the light of the moon beyond, every curve of her slim figure was clearly visible. A light breeze picked up, causing the hem of her thin dress to dance slightly, playing across her calves and making her long braid undulate and twirl. For a few moments I did nothing but gaze upon her, overcome by the sheer radiance of her body. How a person can be so beautiful both in body and in spirit, I don’t think I’ll ever know.

I still didn’t want to startle her, so I took a short breath and tried to walk towards her as quietly as I could. Somehow, though, it didn’t quite work, because after the first few steps she turned around and looked right at me. “I knew you were there,” she said in a lilting tone with a smile on her face. “I guess I’m not the only one who couldn’t sleep,” she added as I approached her. She leaned back against the figurehead, and I had to tell myself not to stare at the way her dress fell away from her leg.

“I had a lot on my mind,” I said, leaning next to her and taking her hand in mine. “Plus the snoring was getting to me.” We both laughed at that, then we settled back and stared up at the sky together.

“Are you… worried about our next stop?” she asked.

“No, not really. It’s just hard to fully erase some old memories.”

She moved her hand, lacing her fingers and mine together. “I know.” She turned her head and looked at me, the moonlight dancing in her eyes. “We’ll have to make some new ones that can overshadow the bad ones.”

“I’d like that,” I replied. “I’d love to find out what Bevelle has to offer besides what I’ve seen.”

“I’d love to show you.”

Our faces were inches apart by now. “Have I told you yet how wonderful this trip has been so far?”

“Oh… once or twice,” she said with a smirk. “But my memory is a little hazy…”

“Then let me give you a reminder,” I whispered as we closed the gap. The kiss was gentle at first, not much more than our lips brushing against each other, and I could just make out the strawberry lip gloss she had taken to wearing. She pulled herself closer then, a sigh escaping her throat as our kiss deepened, lips and tongues moving in synch with each other. I could feel her heartbeat quicken as I caressed the small of her back and she wrapped her arms around my neck. My own heart was pounding, and I knew she could feel it too. For a few moments, we just stood there, arms entangled and lips on fire.

Soon, though, I could feel her body begin to tense up and a wave of concern started to hit me. I didn’t want to let go of her, but something in the back of my mind told me that this wasn’t the right place. I wanted to be with her closer than we ever had before, but I wanted it to be perfect. I wanted it to be just the two of us, some place cozy and inviting, not the cold steel of the airship deck with the others sleeping below. But I didn’t want to push her away either…

We broke off our kiss and each took a second to get our breath back, and I knew I had to bring it up then. “Yuna…” I stammered, but before I could continue she interrupted me.

“I know… I want to just as much as you… but not here, please. I… I just wouldn’t feel comfortable with the others asleep right below us…”

I blinked a few times, then smiled. You were thinking the exact same thing as me. “Yuna, it’s okay. I was… actually about to ask the same thing of you, if you wouldn’t mind waiting…” The moment I said that, she blinked and started to giggle, pulling close and resting her head on my chest. I began to laugh, too, and eventually the two of us wound up leaning against the side of the entryway, arms around one another and laughing.

She wiped a lone tear away from her eye and looked up at me. “Thank you for understanding.”

“It’s all right,” I said, gently brushing her hair away from her eyes. “I want our first time to be special, something where we won’t have to worry about anything else. Where all I’ll need to think about would be your happiness.”

She smiled, resting her head on my shoulder. “I love you, Tidus…”

“I love you too, Yuna. More than anything in the world.”

A moment passed before she looked up at me again. “Even more than Blitzball?” she asked with a chuckle. “Yes, even more than Blitzball,” I laughed, wrapping my arm around her.

That’s how the two of us finally fell asleep. The sun’s starting to come up; it’s a matter of time before someone figures out where we are and comes to get us. Right now, though, I just want to let Yuna sleep a while longer.

I’m not worried anymore. I’ve made up my mind.

First, though, I’ll need some help from Rikku…


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