FicWad

Disclaimer: FFX, FFX-2 - neither of them belong to me, I'm just a poor, starving fan : )

A/N: This story is set a month or so after the perfect ending of FFX-2. It's also already finished, so I will be updating (hopefully) once or twice a week. Hope you enjoy it!

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Rikku's Story

Prologue

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Everyone has their stories. The events that shape their lives; that take them from one place to another and then back again. That draw them closer together and some, that push them further apart. Life is a never-ending barrage of stories as people's collide, adjust and then depart again, sometimes changed and sometimes not.

Tidus had a story. Well, I suppose you could say that we were all involved but there was no denying that his life was at the heart of it. Though I was actually there for most of it, it wasn't until looking back that I really began to understand what a tragedy that story had been. On the one hand there was Tidus; a young man who we believed was from the past, who had come into our world and - I noticed this a long time before anyone else, except maybe Lulu. But honestly, the male Guardians were clueless! - had found love with Yuna. On the other hand, there was the actual truth. That Tidus was little more than a dream that the Fayth were using to destroy Sin once and for all. That once Sin - Tidus's father, would you believe it? - was destroyed, the Fayth would stop dreaming and Tidus ...

Well, you all know what happened there.

So forgive me if I think that his story was something of a tragedy. I mean, yes, he did find that one perfect love and yes, he did save the world, but in the end, was it all really worth it? None of us realised until afterwards that he had known about his true nature for some time. Well, none of us that were living that was. I always suspected that Auron knew far more than he was letting on, but he returned to the Farplane before I had a chance to annoy it out of him. Sometimes I really hate that in adults - the fact that they take the responsibility upon themselves for what you should and shouldn't be told. As if they think that because you're younger than them, you wouldn't be able to cope with the truth - or simply can't be trusted with it.

Actually, I think maybe that was it, more than anything. I do have a tendency to blurt out things without thinking - and maybe that's why Tidus never told me the truth about himself. I was closer to him than any of the other Guardians ... looking back I am a little surprised that he didn't tell me. I mean, finding out that you didn't exist? That you were just a dream? How do you cope with something like that, you know? Surely he needed to talk to someone about that?

Oh, maybe he talked to Auron. Hmm ... I hadn't really considered that but Tidus did that a lot. I can't imagine that many of their conversations were very happy ...

"Hey, did you know that I don't exist?"

"Well I'm dead. Deal with it."

Huh. It's kind of funny if you think about it like that.

I wonder just when it was that he found out? Because it must have taken tremendous strength to continue, you know. I mean, Tidus knew that even if we managed the unthinkable and beat Sin ... he and Yuna would never be together. So what was he doing it for? You can preach about how it was the 'right thing to do' and everyone 'expected him to do it' and it was 'to save Spira', but me? I think he did it for one person.

Yuna.

And I think she knew that too, which made it even harder when he left. She didn't show it of course - Yuna has never been one to indulge in her emotions - and she knew that her duty lay in leading Spira towards a better future. But when you've known someone as long as I've known her, you get to recognise the signs. That's why when Kimahri brought that sphere to us, I think we were all willing to believe.

Which of course, led to Yuna's story.

Well, if Tidus's story was a tragedy then Yuna's was the comedy to end all comedies. Or a story with a happy ending at least. And once again, I was right there by Yunie's side, ready to see it through to the end. Ringside seats at the Blitzball tournament of the century.

I don't really have to tell you about what happened, do I? I mean, you know, right? In some ways it felt like I had been there before; making new friends, catching up with old ones. Oh and the whole saving Spira from total destruction. Can't forget about that.

Do I sound negative? Because I honestly don't mean to be. I mean, no matter what happened, we still won through in the end. Vegnagun was destroyed, Shuyin and Lenne were finally able to be together and Tidus came back to Yuna. Could you think of a more appropriate happy ending?

And me? Well, I've made a couple of decisions since we returned to Besaid. I'm done with waiting around for my story to be told. I'm sick of being a part of everyone else's. I look around me and see that everyone else is moving on, so why I am still standing here? Why am I still waiting for someone else's story to sweep my off my feet and lead me on another exciting adventure?

I'm not. Not anymore. It's time to take matters into my own hands. Someone once told me that waiting around never did anyone any good and you had to get out there and forge your own path. And that person was right, you know, and I wish I had listened to them then but I guess we're never too old to learn new things.

So I, Rikku, am taking a stand. It's time to look to the future and you know what? I think it's my turn. I'm gonna have my say.

This is my story.

And it's gonna be fun.