FicWad

Touched

A Final Fantasy X-2 fanfiction, By Serenanna

Warnings and Disclaimers: I don't own the Final Fantasy series or any of the characters in there of. I'm just borrowing the cast of X-2 to play with. I'll return them later after, promise. There is adult content and sexual situations in this story. So, if you're under 18, leave now before your virgin eyes are scarred forever, if you're over 18, enjoy!

Story Notes: This takes place after the happy ending version of the game after the four hankies ending of the first game. So, yes, Tidus is back, thank god! I'm certain I'm not the first to continue from the ending of the game, nor will I be the last. But hopefully, above all, I will do it well. Being this is fanfiction, liberties were taken with the actions of the characters and their real life consequences. I think we'll all be happier pretending that no one is getting knocked up as a result for the length of this fanfic. I've also taken the liberty of moving the location of the perfect ending scene in the ruins of Zanarkand to somewhere on Besaid, no big deal there. With that said, enjoy.

****

Sitting at Lulu and Wakka's patio table surrounded by friends, Yuna didn't think it was possible for life to get any better. But one glance at the blond young man sitting across the table, and she knew it could get better, maybe, just a little. He looked at her when not laughing from one of Wakka's jokes, and she smiled back. The radiating beam on her face got bigger and bigger the whole night till her cousin, Rikku, nudged her to say that she was glowing more than her Holy spells. She'd blushed, but kept smiling, unable to help it. It had all seemed like a dream, one too good to be true. Well, she did pinch herself on the beach when he was greeting everyone just to make sure she wasn't dreaming. It felt like a real pinch, so, she supposed it all was truly happening. Two years ago, she didn't think her life could be any worse when Tidus had disappeared after she finally confessed how she felt. Even defeating Sin seemed like an insignificant reward of peace for what she gave up. Who ever said to have loved and lost was better probably never loved in such a short amount of time as they had. To give up love after discovering she had a life back then seemed like a lot. She had drifted those months on Besaid till Rikku showed up with that sphere, then look what happened? And now? Well, it was pointless to say she was happy since it showed in her smile.

After the welcome home on the beach, she had taken Tidus to see the sunset on the small cliffs by the lagoon, and they'd finally talked, after so long. He hypothesized that the fayth had brought him back, just like they said they would when they offered to try. Neither of them knew for sure though, especially when it came to how long it would last, if he was completely real and not just a dream anymore. But when blessed . . . why question it? Somewhere, someone in Spira had taken pity on Yuna's life, and she was not about to argue with them. Breaking up the seriousness and the fear of those lingering questions, she pushed Tidus into the water before following him, deliriously happy as they fought, played, and swam till he caught her and held her close. Yuna had missed his warmth so much that she shivered still in the memories, wondering how she could have withstood being so cold without him. He leaned in to kiss her, and it reminded her of the lake in the woods so long ago as they swam in the lagoon . . . only this time they were interrupted before their lips touched by Lulu's call to dinner.

Thinking back on the memories, she probably should have kissed Tidus. Yuna had lived with two years of regrets since he went away, and it was hard to think of anything else now that he was back in her life. There was so much she wanted to do with him, together, so much she wanted to do before too. But as Tidus smiled back at her before being whacked across the back by Wakka after a particularly funny joke, all her thoughts melted away again as she giggled.

She was grateful that the celebration of their return was small, just Lulu, Wakka, little Vidina, Paine, Rikku, Tidus, and herself. Kilmari was still in Mt. Gagazet, and Auron . . . he was gone for good. It was probably for the best as a second miracle would be asking for too much, not to mention it would be awfully suspicious. The Gullwings had left not long after they were on the beach, instructing them to call when their vacation was over. It was probably for the best as well. She didn't want Brother to be upset, but this was her happiness she'd been hunting for, not his. Besides, while his affections were cute, he was still her cousin too, which made her skin crawl even if she never didn't put her foot down over it. Speaking of feet, she felt a shoe brush against her boots under the table and looked up to see Tidus's smile had turned into an almost predatory grin. Yuna had been touching him somehow in some way ever since they had left the lagoon, if only just for the assurance that he was still corporal. This had, of course, involved playing footsie under the table during dinner to his infinite amusement. Perhaps paranoia could be a good thing.

She blushed slightly at Tidus's grin, looking to Lulu as she handed the baby off to her husband and stood. The older woman started clearing away the plates of the small banquet she had prepared for them, smiling slightly as her eyes met Yuna's, "You three better be up to helping me clean all this up, you may be guests for a little while, but you make enough mess for ten people."

"It's all her fault!" Rikku declared, pointing an accusing finger at Paine who scowled back at her from the next seat over. There seemed to be an air of impending violence till the little thief yelped, jumping out of her seat and to her feet. Her grey haired woman smirked, and Yuna instantly know she wasn't the only one playing footsie with someone else under the table. Lulu turned, chuckling, to carry a load of plates and bowls into the kitchen, soon followed by the other two young women with more items from the table. Silent, the ex-summoner remained sitting, seemingly oblivious to Wakka's jokes as she stared into Tidus's cerulean eyes. His foot had risen up her leg till he was almost touching her inside knee, causing her to blush more in the dim lighting. She kicked Tidus's leg away after a long moment, hiding her giggles behind her water glass as he yelped. "I missed something, ya?" Wakka asked, confused while staring at the two of them, "You ok, brotha?"

Tidus, for his part, grimaced, rubbing the back of his calf, "Yeah, old injury acting up, what was that part about when you chucked a ball and hit a spectator again?"

Yuna nearly choked on her water from the annoyed look on Wakka's face, unable to hold back the giggles anymore. She opened her mouth to comment when they all heard Rikku from the kitchen, "Yunie, help me! They're making me scrub!"

Sighing, she fought the urge to go to her cousin's rescue, her backbone showing as she remained sitting when she normally would have gone running. Tidus grinned at her as she frowned, his foot back next to hers, "You've changed . . . a lot."

Yuna smiled, her heart nearly skipping a beat at his words, "You said that earlier, I'm still waiting to hear if the changes are good or bad."

"I should go, ya?" Wakka interrupted them, cradling the baby in his arms. They both laughed, Tidus talking first as they calmed down, "No, no, it's ok, just a private joke, it's your table anyway, maybe we should . . . get going?"

For a moment, Yuna's blushed before her grin widened, reflecting the predatory one Tidus wore earlier even if it still retained her sweetness. She didn't know exactly what the blitzballer was hinting at, but something in the sound of his voice made her stomach quiver even if that could have been Lulu's cooking. Admittedly, it had been a romantic night sitting under the stars surrounded by the torches and candles, even if they were with friends as well. She did wish they where alone again just for a little while before the night ended. It sounded like a great idea to the summoner. About to open her mouth to agreed, there was a loud crash from the kitchen, "Yunie! Help!"

Lulu stuck her head out of the doorway, frowning upon seeing that she was still sitting at the table, "Yuna! Help your cousin before she breaks all of my plates!"

Groaning in frustration, she stood up from the table, grabbing the few things that remained on the table before trotting off towards the patio door with a dark look on her face. She stopped just short, and turned around again, getting stares from the two men as she put the things down to grabbed the weapon holster from the back of her chair, "Forgot my guns."

"I don't think that's gonna work on the plates, Yuna," Tidus joked, amused as she strapped on the yellow belt, "Besides, I remember you being a lot better with a staff than with guns."

Smirking, she took his comment as a challenge as she drew one of the guns, twirling it around her center finger. Yuna then stopped it as the grip fell into the palm of her hand, pulling the hammer back and firing a shot across the patio. The bullet hit the high wall of the next building over, ricocheted off the masonry into Lulu's garden to hit another plastered wall and scare a cat before rebounding off and up to hit a tile just on the edge of the roof. She blew the smoke from the barrel, and twirled the gun again before holstering it. Tidus's mouth had dropped open at the display, staring as her as she picked up the stack of things again. "Things change, remember," she said softly with a smile as she looked into his eyes.

There was an unquestionable look of desire in the deep blue depths of Tidus's eyes, and it made a shiver run down her spine. About to say something else to him, she was cut short as they heard Paine, "Yuna! Stop showing off!"

"Yunie!"

Growling, Yuna stomped off, muttering to the two men in her wake, "The guns aren't for the plates, they're for my soon to be sent cousin."

Once she was gone through the door way, Wakka struck his friend across the chest with the back of his hand, breaking him out of the trance. Tidus jumped, yelping in pain while rubbing the abused portion of his body. As if getting slapped on the back after every other joke that night by his much stronger buddy wasn't back enough. The blitzballer glared back, meeting Wakka's own dark look, "Geez, you'd think a baby in your arms would make you just a bit gentler."

"I know that look in your eyes, jes don't be getting any ideas? Brotha?" Wakka muttered, rocking Vidina gently. As happy as he was for the both of them, the older man still couldn't get over his protectiveness when it came to Yuna. Tidus blinked, playing innocent, "What?"

"The way you look at Yuna, I'm not that blind, ya?" he said as he looked down at Vidina, waving a finger at his little girl as she cooed, "Don't be corrupting her now."

Tidus snorting in laughter, stretching in the chair, "Have you even seen what she's wearing now, Wakka? Or the way she handled that gun? I'm more afraid of her corrupting me."

Giving a dark chuckle, he had to admit his friend was right in that part. His little Yuna had sunk pretty low from the heights of saintly virtue to save them all, and to bring back the man she loved. She may have lost some of her innocence along the way, but she would always be the girl he was friends with since they were little. For her happiness, maybe he could cut her man a little slack now, or maybe he couldn't, "Just don't do any stupid to her is what I'm saying, I don't wanna chuck a few balls at your head during practice to grind a lesson into you."

The blonde blitzballer chuckled, and nodded, deciding it was better to just agree with him rather than face the consequences. "So, I wonder how long it'll take for them to wash up?" he asked, looking curiously at the kitchen door.

"With 'em four? . . ."

****

Sighing again, Yuna dried what felt like the hundredth piece of pottery from Lulu's small collection, one of her many, many wedding presents. Everyone on Besaid must have given them something for their table which, while practical for the amount of guests they usually had, made cleaning them all a chore. The four women worked in silence with the occasion mishap from her hapless cousin or snide remark from Paine. It would have been a pleasant enough if it wasn't for a certain someone waiting for her to finish. Determined, she wiped down another plate quickly, tossing it at Lulu who was putting them away. "Easy, dear, I lost three of these already," the older woman said as she had to bend to catch it.

"Sorry . . ." Yuna apologized, blushing. Rikku glanced over at them and giggled before going back to rinsing the dishes as Paine cleaned them. She picked up another piece to drying, thinking the moment had passed, till the little blond girl's gradually louder giggles became too much. "What? What could possibly be so funny?" she said, an annoyed edge on her voice.

"You, poor Yunie, he really is hot, isn't he?" the thief said as she whistled a cat call. The color in the gunslinger's face rose to a red resembling one of Lulu's terra cotta bowls, and even Paine had to snicker. Yuna glared daggers at them both, only seeming to make Rikku's laughter worse. "Oh stop it already! This is Tidus after all you're talking about," she said as she furiously wiped down another piece of pottery, her jealousy flaring, "I'm sure he knows he's . . . hot."

Her blush had calmed down to a reasonable pink dusting across her cheeks, but it was still a blush. Who was she kidding? It seemed they all knew already, so there was no point in hiding it. "I do love him, ok? And I'd rather be out there right now than doing the dishes with you all," Yuna declared, trying not to wring the rag in her hands, "Happy? Now can you please not pick on me for at least a week till I get used to him being around . . . again?"

She went back to work, ignoring all of them, including her cousin's snickering. Lulu moved up next to her, taking the dish from her hands before she dried the painted pattern right off the surface. Yuna exhaled slowly, grateful now that the out burst was out of her system. "Have you thought about where Tidus will stay yet?" the dark-haired woman asked as she placed the plate on a high shelf.

"I don't know . . ." Yuna confessed before picking up another dish, "I was going to put him up in my little house, I don't want to trouble you and Wakka with the baby and all."

"It would probably trouble him more than us, but you're right."

"Oh, Yunie, having a guy over at your house, how scandalous!" Rikku teased, trying to hide the grin behind her hand, "Not that you don't deserve him, but I do hope he knows how to be gentle."

About twenty shades of red passed over Yuna's face as she froze till Paine shook her free, taking in a great breath as the shock caught up to her mouth, "Rikku! My own cousin! Stop thinking like that!"

Lulu chuckled, removing the dried plate from the ex-summoner's hand while it was still in one piece. "She is right thought in a sense, you should consider it before something else happens," the magess said as she put it away on the shelf, "I'd probably never have married Wakka if I hadn't taken a chance when he proposed, and given your recent changes, you should probably be the one to take the first chance."

Yuna calmed down at the older woman's words, absentmindedly drying off a glass. Before she could think on it any longer, Paine took the rare occasion to ask a question, "Have you actually kissed him before?"

Blushing, she nodded, staring at the glass. Rikku gasped, bouncing up and nearly fumbling the soap-covered pot in her hands, "I knew it! When was it, that night before we entered the Calm Land? Was he good? And you didn't tell me?!"

Her blush got worse again, along with her stare at the glass till Lulu blessedly pried the piece from her fingers, "I'm assuming it did happen then since your were both gone from camp, but I'm also assuming it was probably just a kiss or two, correct?"

Biting the inside of her lip, she confessed, the memory coming back to her in full force as her boots kicked helplessly at the tile floor of the kitchen, "Yes, it was by the lake in the woods, we swam, and yes, our clothes stayed on, before the three of you question me on that aspect too . . . I haven't kissed him since . . .," slumping over, Yuna buried her face in her arms while hitting her head on the counter, "I should have kissed him on the beach, or by the lagoon before dinner, I shouldn't stop kissing him to make up for millions of other kisses we've missed, I shouldn't have been without him for so long, but I was, and I don't even know if we can pick up right where we left off . . ."

The three women looked down on her with equal looks of sympathy before exchanging silent glances with one another. Lulu took the last plate Yuna had been clutching from her hands as the other two grabbed the ex-summoner by the shoulders to push her towards the door. "Go," Paine practically commanded, "We'll be fine."

She started to protest with a yelp till Rikku, in her excitement, practically shoved her into the door way, "For goodness sake, you have a gorgeous man out there being bored to death by the big lug, rescue him, and don't look back! You're wasting time! Something always seems to happen around you, so take this small blessing of peace and run with it!"

Yuna was speechless at her own cousin's insight. As much as she didn't want to acknowledge it, something always did seem to happen around her. Even so, that should have been over by now, right? Could she chance that it wouldn't be over? Rikku suddenly had a very valid point that hit her over the head like a thunder bolt. She glanced over her shoulder at Lulu for approval till the older woman nodded while forcing back a smile. That was all it took as Yuna turned briefly to beam at the three of them before running out the door. Watching her go, Rikku sighed wistfully, wringing her hands, "Poor Yunie, I do hope he is gentle, or else I'll never get the story out of her . . . it does make me wish I had a guy of my own . . ."

"Somehow, I don't think just any man could keep up with you long enough to stay interested, short stuff," Paine teased, smirking as she turned back to work. Hopping around, the thief stuck her tongue out at her friend. She stuck her hands in the tub of water to grab another piece to rinse, splashing some of the soap about, "Yes, well, I don't think any man could make you smile long enough to stay interested, sour puss."

"Girls . . ." Lulu threatened when she saw a loot of annoyance flash across Paine's face.

"Yes, yes," they said in unison before getting back to work in silence. The magess smiled to herself before taking another glance at the door. She hoped everything went right that night for two of her dearest friends, knowing they both deserved it. Muttering a soft prayer in the silence, she took another item from Rikku, taking up the drying now, "You know, I always did wonder if Tidus was as good as his boasts . . . guess Yuna will just have to find out for us."

"Lulu, you're married! Sheesh!"

She smirked at Rikku's sour face, saying cryptically, "But I'm not that dead yet."

****

Yuna bolted out the door before skidding to a halt, obviously startling Wakka and Tidus as they looked up at her. "Something wrong?" the blonde asked, tilting his head to the side.

Just as she opened her mouth, she noticed the purple and gold wrapped bundle in his arms, the blankets of little Vidina. Her heart flooded with warmth at the situation, a little surprised that the baby had taken to him after she always seemed to start crying when Yuna was near. "It's nothing," she said softly, walking around the table to join him, "Just ready to go when you are."

"I just want to hold her a little longer . . . who ever thought a baby could like me," Tidus said as he wiggled his finger at her, making Vidina giggle and coo while squirming in her blankets, "Apparently she doesn't like anyone else, I hear."

He glanced up at Wakka, who nodded as Yuna sighed while leaning over to place her arms around his neck from behind, "It must be all the yellow you wear, I doubt she has developed such refined tastes already."

"I find it hard to believe that she doesn't even like you, Yuna, you're even gentler than Lulu," stopping a moment, the blitzballer then corrected himself, "Or at least I remember you being awfully gentle . . ."

Yuna tried not to frown, but couldn't help it as the corners of her smile kept falling. She knew Tidus would say that eventually, and it cracked that warmth in her heart. Deep down, she knew she was still the girl he remembered, even if he could see it yet. "I still am gentle, just . . ." she said while wiggling her own fingers at the baby in his arms, "I'm stronger than I used to be, and more mature, or at least that's what Lulu says."

As if on a cue, as soon as Yuna's fingers came close, Vidina's big eye welled up with tears as she started crying. Cringing, the young woman backed away while holding down her sigh. Well, at least it did prove that the little one truly didn't like her. Wakka swooped in to take his child back from Tidus, cradling her gently, "Ya, ya, little Yuna's all grown up now, and one day so will little Vidina, till then, I'm gonna spend every second I can holding my baby girl," he said as he rocked her till the crying stopped, "You two better go, night's falling quick, pyreflies will be out though, and watch the path, never know what's out at this time."

Nodding, Tidus stood up and retrieved the Caladbolg where it was leaned on the steps leading up to the patio, sheathing it in the harness slung across back. "I can't believe you guys even kept it," he said with a grin as Yuna followed close behind him, "Where's the Brotherhood then if this is still around? Or the others? Don't tell me you saved them too?"

"Ask Yuna," Wakka said cryptically with a grin before waving at them, and turning to go back into the house. Tidus peered at her curiously as she blushed, wondering what happened to his first sword. "Um . . ." she started as she led him down the steps, "I kind of borrowed them?"

"Borrowed? What could you possibly use a sword for?" He asked as he blinked, adjusting the fit of the harness till he was comfortable with the new weight, "Don't tell me it has something to do with the blitzball lessons Wakka said he gave you?"

Yuna grinned, twirling around in front of him as they walked, almost bouncing across the road, "I can do lots of stuff now, anything, absolutely anything! Yes, I learned to fight with your swords, I still use my staffs too, and the guns, plus I learned blitzball! I even competed with the rest of the Gullwings and did some scouting of my own, we won a few games, but the Psyches are hard, but maybe . . . I can scout you out now! You could play for us!"

"Too late, Wakka wants me for the Aurouchs," Tidus said as the grin on his face only got brighter, "But . . . he hasn't signed me yet."

"I'll just have to offer you more then," Yuna said while walking backward, her arms folding behind her head, "Besides, I beat him once already with my Jecht shot."

"You what?!" He yelled, his jaw dropping open as the girl in front of him laughed softly. She rushed forward to stop Tidus before he yelled more and woke up the whole village, only to be held captive by his strong arms as he pinned her to him. Laughing, she fought back against him, but the blonde wasn't letting go. His hands found the ticklish spots on the side of her waist, and didn't let up. Yuna yelped, trying to push him away as his laugh turned into a dark chuckle. "You little thief! I blame your cousin's influence on you!" he yelled, but playfully, his fingers brushing her exposed back as well as she burst out laughing, "Stealing my swords, and my shot, and putting my symbol on your new clothes! And really! Did it need to hang between your breasts?! Well . . . that can stay but I want my weapons back!"

She gasped for breath between the laughter, finally pulling away from him. Her knees buckled out from under her as her feet slipped, almost collapsing till Tidus grabbed her hand and yanked her back into his arms. Yuna gasped as she was suddenly pressed against his chest, staring up into the cerulean eyes she thought she'd never see again. And then his grin softened into a smile, the emotions changing in the blue from playful happiness to something deeper. Slowly his eyes closed and his head lowered, moving closer as she remained frozen in his arms, part of her heart wanting him so much. And yet, Tidus's words snapped back in her head as she pulled away before he could kiss her. Suddenly, Yuna backed away from him, shivering in the night air as she rubbed her arms.

His eyes dropped in concern, starting after the young woman till she started wandering away as her thoughts turned. Why did she have to be so worried? He kept trying to kiss her after all, he still wanted her, but . . . could he love her, still, even with the new person she'd become? She didn't know that at all. I love you had been her last words to him, but he hadn't exactly said the same thing to her even if she always remembered feeling it in that last airy hug before he dove off the airship. It didn't stop her from hoping though that he felt the same still. That hope was still in Yuna's eyes, one blue, one green, as she looked back at Tidus, giving him a confident smile, "Not yet."

The worry melted away in the blonde man's eyes as he moved forward, holding out his hand. Her smile turned back into a playful grin as she took an even bigger step back. Yuna's retreat continued for every step Tidus took, keeping the same distance between them, and he couldn't help but grinning too as he threatened with her own name, "Yuna . . ."

"You want your weapons back, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Then you gotta catch me first!" the ex-summoner exclaimed as she turned to run. The moment she took off, Tidus's heart leaped in his throat, the feelings coming back and stronger than ever. This was the happiest and most carefree he'd ever seen Yuna. Not even in the year of their journey was she ever this free, and while it was shocking, it struck some cord deep in him. As if he needed any more reason to love her any more than he did already. Tidus took off after her, the weight of the sword on his back feeling like nothing. He finally was beginning to understand how much had changed without him.

****

Tidus had finally caught up to Yuna after scrambling up the rocky path to the top of the hill, colliding into her and tumbling to the ground once they reached the summit. "Gotcha!" he declared, tickling the girl in his arms into submission as she shrieked and fought back.

Her boot connected with his shin and the blond let go as he yelped. That was the second time tonight she had hit him as he rubbed the spot with a scowl. Well, she was feistier, which wasn't a good thing for his legs. Yuna had tumbled away from him and onto her feet after the skirmish, giggling as she turned to offer him a hand. Back on his feet, Tidus shook the dizziness from his head loose and looked up, gawking as he finally saw Yuna's home. It looked more like a tower than the houses in the village, three blocks of white-washed stucco stacked one on top of another then painted with swirling shades of blue and green till it looked like the rising swell of the sea. Wooden beams stuck out from the roof of each level almost hidden under the heavy cobalt blue tiles. Attached to the entrance was a stone and wood beam porch leading up a few steps with a deep blue and gold striped tarp hung over the top. A carved wood table with matching benches sat underneath, surrounded by planters filled with wild growing flowers of pale blue. He could see a stone path leading behind the house to a shaded grove and more flowers, the beginnings of a garden. Tidus stood in awe of it, wondering about the inside as all the windows were covered in wooden shutters painted white.

He snapped out of it though as Yuna tugged on his hand, pulling him up the steps, "This way, I'm sorry if it's not much right now, I haven't spent much time here since I left on my second journey, but Rikku and Paine assured me they cleaned up a little and moved my things back in from the Celsius while we were at the lagoon, don't know why they didn't opened the windows though."

"It's alright, I like it already," Tidus said with a grin as she pulled him across the steps and porch to the door, "How could you afford it though? I don't remember us making that much on all those chocobo races or from hunting."

"It was a gift from the people of Spira after our trip together, I guess they thought their savior needed a place to call home," She said somewhat wistfully, fumbling in her pockets till she found a key to match the brass lock on the door. Opening the latch, Yuna turned the handle and let him in before closing it behind them. "I'll have to get another key made for you," she said suddenly before correcting herself with a slight blush on her cheeks as he turned to blink at her, "This if, of course, if you are staying here."

Her words almost sounded like a question but Tidus didn't answer her as he went back to looking around the house. The entryway lead to two steps up into the rest of the house while to his left was a staircase to the second floor and an archway to the kitchen he assumed as he glanced in to see red tile work and tan walls along with plenty of cabinets and counters. He was caught up in gawking when Yuna brushed past him, her bare feet padding across the wood plank floor cover with woven grass mats. "You better take your shoes off, no scuffing my floors," she said as she moved into what looked like the living room given the darkness of the whole house.

Doing what Yuna said, he took off his boots and socks, putting them next to hers as he sat on the steps. He then unbuckled his armguard and sword harness to add to the pile once he noticed her gun belt sitting as well. Tidus looked up when he was done, watching as she slid open the paper screen doors on the other side of the room then moved to light the series of candles around the room. His mouth had dropped open again in awe, unable to comprehend what she meant earlier when she said that it wasn't much. While the room was sparse with only a low table in the center of the room with a large pile of pillows pushed to one side, the view made up for it. Standing back up, he walked over to the doorway and leaned against one side, watching the moons in the sky as they reflected down into the ocean. He looked down and saw a terrace build around the edge of the hill before it dropping down into the forest, held back by stone blocks. The small stretch of open land was obviously another path to the garden from the flat rocks embedded in the dirt that lead around the corner of the building. Still staring outside, Tidus couldn't see why she would have given this up to go back to a life of danger even if it was for adventure and for him.

Yuna left him to look at the view as she went through to the dining room, opening the shutters there and the sliding door that lead into the garden proper. She hardly used either room when she was home unless she had company, preferring to eat on the porch or in the kitchen, even if she did see the appeal as she looked out at some of the over growth. It would be a lot of work to get the garden back to the way it looked before when she moved in, but it might be worth it. That was assuming her life didn't turn upside down again. Sighing, she turned to walk through the small doorway to open the windows in the kitchen. There was one bright spot to the place in that the kitchen came already equipped, no need for an endless amount of pots, pans, and tableware unlike Lulu. And her friends had been thoughtful enough to stock the pantry with some basics before she could go to the market in the morning. She went back into the living room and saw Tidus still staring out at the water as if mesmerized. There was a golden cast to him from the light of the candles, a contrast to the blues and darkness of night. Sneaking up softly, Yuna leaned against the side of the sliding door across from him. She watched the dreamy expression on his face till he closed his eyes and exhaled in almost a sigh, the night breeze ruffling his unkempt golden hair. "You still didn't give me an answer, you know," she said finally as his eyes opened again, turning ever so slightly to look at her.

Tidus smiled, and turned the rest of his body to face her, holding out his hand. "Barring the next disaster, and if you'll still have me . . . sure, I could get used to this place, a lot," he said with a grin as she reached to take the hand he offered.

He pulled Yuna towards him till her back rested against his chest then turned them both to look out at the beach. His arm embraced her slight shoulders, just like he had hugged her, or at least tried to, before he disappeared. She relaxed finally, leaning into Tidus's warmth while letting out the tenuous breath she had been holding. He bent down to place his head on her shoulder, feeling Yuna's body shiver as if she was cold. Every time he breathed, he could smell her hair, one of the exotic flowers on the island, one of the millions he couldn't name. Whatever the scent was, he loved it, sweetness with a bite of heat that made his mouth burn slightly. If he had to name it, it would have to be fireflower. Just the scent ignited his senses and burned down his skin. For a wild moment, Tidus wonder if tasting her would reveal the same flavor, but it was brushed aside as she shivered again. "I remember what you said of your adventure, against that gun-thing, and Shuyin and Lenne, but . . . was it really that hard with me gone? Before you saw that sphere and thought it was me?" he asked tentatively, a curious edge on his voice.

"More than you'll ever know," Yuna confessed, watching the waters around Besaid as well, "For all I knew, you were dead, and I mourned you for a whole year, everyone walked on eggshells around me, knowing I would jump at anything that suggested if you were anything but gone for good, even I had my doubt about that sphere, but he looked so much like you, and I was so alone . . . I practically ran off as soon as I could pack, Lulu shut the house up not long after, ever since then I was possessed to find you, it was so . . . depressing when I realized it wasn't you in the sphere, and by then it was too late to turn back . . . I don't regret it though."

"You're making me sound like a side effect though," Tidus said with a chuckle as she tilted her head back to rest on his shoulder. She giggled softly as well, lightening up from her dark mood. He did have a point, once she realized it wasn't him, that fact did become irrelevant to saving Spira from disaster yet again, "But, it was a happy side effect, one I wouldn't change for the world."

She snuggled into the blitzballer's shoulder, her head moving lower to rest on his upper arms while exposing her neck. He couldn't resist the glance down, shuddering himself at the yearning he felt to touch her. It was difficult to resist the temptation, but he did with some reluctance. Part of him wanted Yuna ever since he saw her emerge from the temple after praying to the fayth, and it wasn't until much later, when he actually knew her, that the want had turned into love. Underneath all the roughness and strength she had grown without him around, she was still the vulnerable young woman he worshiped and wanted to protect for as long as he had. Softly, he kissed the side of her neck, once, and she sighed, moving in his arms with a roll of her head. Tidus felt her lips at his jaw line, pressing a gentle kiss of her own onto his skin. She stayed absolutely still like that for a long moment, her breath the only sound till she asked, "So . . . you don't remember anything? Only . . . the end? What was it like in the Farplane?"

"No, I remember nothing except what it felt like."

"What did it feel like?"

"Like dreaming, you know, I didn't feel like fading, or falling, just seeing people, Auron, my father, then, going to sleep, not into nothingness because all the time, even if it was a blink of an eye I felt like I was there, somewhere, I did say I'd always be there . . ." he said, grinning to himself as his embrace on Yuna's shoulders tightened, squeezing her a moment, "Then, it just felt like waking up from a dream, the haziness of sleep then . . . all I could feel around me was the water, so I started swimming, if time passed like you said, I didn't dream of it, and I certainly don't feel any older."

Yuna pulled away suddenly as he could see the thinking going on her in eyes, but not the thoughts behind them. She went back to her spot on the other side of the expansive doorway, not looking at the beach and the night sky anymore but at the dark forest below. "I feel older though," she said mysteriously, not saying any more even if her thoughts were caught up in that statement.

She was hesitating around Tidus again, and she knew it, but couldn't help it. Why did his words have to haunt her still? Why did he have to say that she was gentler before? She always liked to think that she improved herself after joining the Gullwings, trying new things, actually living instead of letting her life just happen, but . . . now she wasn't so sure. Looking at her hands, Yuna remembered how once they had been soft like the rest of her body, but now she lost count on the number of calluses she had from the guns and the swords. Sighing, the ex-summoner slumped ever more. She didn't think she could go back now if that was what he wanted from her. Could he love her all over again? Tidus reached out to brush the tips of his fingers over her forearm, causing her to look up at him and see the worry in his face, "Are you alright?"

"I think so . . ." Yuna lied, the bitterness of it on her tongue before she broke, "Just . . . thinking over what you said earlier."

"About what?"

"About me not being gentle anymore," she finally admitted, "I know I changed, I'm not the girl you knew when you went to sleep as you put it, and I just thought that . . ."

She stopped, not wanting to think about it like that anymore as she shuddered. Tidus cringed, not dumb to her implication. He tried to grab her wrist, but she pulled away quickly and turned away, folding her arms under her chest. They were silent for a long moment as he could feel the tension in the air radiating off her. "It's not that simple for me to pick up where we left off, even if I want to, I don't know if you'll like the changes in me, or if I even like the changes myself, but I can't go back to being the girl you remember . . . I know you're probably absorbing it all still, but . . ." Yuna said as she looked into his eyes, "Do you still think you could love me?"

"Yuna . . ." Tidus started to say, the answer as sure in his voice as it was in his heart, but he still couldn't get the words past his lips. He never was good with words anyway as something always didn't come out right. Instead, he took a step forward and placed his hands on either side of her face as she turned towards him. Gently, he placed a kiss on her forehead then on her nose before stopping at her lips. Yuna's eyes were half closed, unable to read the expression on his face, but ever since the first touch of his lips, she had stopped caring. She could feel his thumb close to the corner of her mouth as his hand caressed down the back of her neck, waiting on edge for him to kiss her. What was he waiting for? Why wouldn't he kiss her? It nagged at her until Tidus finally spoke, his voice barely above a whisper, "I do love you, how could you ever doubt that?"

That was all she needed to hear.

Her arms shot up to enfold his neck, pulling his down to complete the kiss she had been waiting for. He was shocked for a moment at her suddenness, but recovered enough drop his hands to her waist to pull her against him. Tilting her head to the side, the kiss deepened, pouring all of the misery, frustration, and sorrow she had felt till it evaporated into nothingness. Desperation took over as she shuddered in Tidus's warmth, love and passion in her sighs till she felt overwhelmed by it and by him. As soon as the kiss hardened, he responded in force, not holding back to be gentle like he had been in the lake. He felt more alive in her kiss than he had swimming in from the ocean, every caress of her tongue against his like a bolt down his spine. His hands were all over her back, feeling the new muscle underneath but still with a layer of softness. He could feel Yuna's hands and arms as well, gripping his blond hair and drifting over his neck and shoulders till the light touches made his skin run with fire. Tidus pulled away first as his lungs burned, a sensation he hadn't felt since his first training session, "Holy shit."

Yuna giggled at the curse, nuzzling his neck as he recovered. Groaning once his breath was back, he leaned down to kiss her again, almost picking her up off of the ground as his arms tightened over her waist. And yet, Tidus didn't get very far as she broke his hold. He could see the intense blush on her cheeks in the golden candle light, as well as the bite of her teeth on her lips. The nervousness showed in her blue and green eyes as she backed away, saying softly, "I should probably show you the rest of the house . . ."

Her thoughts, on the other hand, wanted to add that she should show him to her bed as well. The blush on her face only got worse till she nearly tripped over the low table in the middle of the room on her way to the stairs. Kissing Tidus, finally, had put things into perspective, firming the resolve she had felt when she ran out of Lulu's kitchen door. His lips hadn't lied. He loved her, and wanted her as much as she wanted him. And tonight she'd put one of her long-standing regrets to rest . . . hopefully, if she could keep her knees from giving out from under her first. The young man's eyes followed her before thinking to move his feet as well, still in something of a daze. Yuna took a candle from the table and proceeded up the stairs with Tidus on her heels, bounding two or three steps at a time to make up the distance between them. The stair case turned near the top, the room dark as he heard Yuna's bare feet on the wooden floor.

Moments later, there was golden light from the lamp on the nightstand by a bed, big enough to fit one person rather comfortably or two people snuggly. His tan skin darkened at that thought, of spending the night in her bed, not that he hadn't thought of it before. Yuna opened a large window across from the stairs, the view as the same from the floor below, and a smaller window to the left of the bed. The added light made him finally notice the rest of the room. She was right, her bedroom was definitely more lived in than the rest of the house. Her bed had another pile of pillow on it along with a small stuffed chocobo that she pluck from on top and tossed onto a chest in the corner topped with more stuffed dolls. Next to it was an armoire left with the doors hanging wide open, the clothes within tossed about or fallen off the hangers. It seemed to match the small dresser immediately to his right as the drawers were partially open with bits of delicate fabric peeking out. There was a mess of knickknacks and sphere photos on the top and hanging all over the plaster walls, obscuring some of the blue and green wave mural underneath. He noticed the only one picture that wasn't covered with something else was a charcoal sketch of him against black surrounded by pyreflies in a simple gold frame. Noticing him staring, Yuna lit another candle then mentioned, "Lulu and Wakka gave it to me when I moved in, they showed the artist one of my pictures of you, and told him the story, he actually made it for nothing and said it was his best work . . . I actually cried when they showed it to me, it seems foolish thinking about it now."

He felt touched by it, smiling as he looked at the resemblance, "Naw, it's not foolish . . . we'll just have to get a new picture made to add to it."

"We?"

"I'm staying remember, the more I see of this house, the harder it'll be to get me to leave," Tidus admitted while stretching, his arms behind his head while still looking at the picture. Yuna smiled too, equally touched as she left the room through the upper door to the left of the bed. He turned to see the room in even more light, seeing a desk and chair were directly under the small window, a series of candles on it as well as papers and spheres. More light grew from the door way near by them, and he could make out curtains and light sea green tiles. He assumed it was the bathroom. There was another doorway behind the staircase, the room beyond empty save for a winding set of curved steps on a metal pole. It piqued his curiosity as he walked into the room and peered up, seeing nothing but blackness.

Tidus took one of Yuna's many candles and walked up the steps, the darkness fading to a soft gold as he looked around the room. He found a window latch and opened it, the view looking back over their path up the hill and the village. With more light now, he could see the series of shelves around the room, each one piled with books and scrolls with another wooden desk and chair in the center, obviously a small library. He noticed a few storage cases below the window, opening one up to see something he almost expected to find, his swords. All of them were there except for his best one, which was down stairs, lying next to Yuna's old staves along with other weapons. Nestled in one corner was also his old pack from their journey, recognizing it immediately as his symbol was stitched on the flap like he'd order so long ago. Putting the candle down in a holder on the desk, he fished the pack out of the case, the weapons on top clattering together from being disturbed. Riffling through it, he found everything except for the rations, packed neater than he remembered it. Patting the very bottom of the pack, Tidus even felt the stuffed moggle he had kept stashed there, "She really did keep everything."

"Tidus!" he heard Yuna's voice shouting, panic in the inflection on his name, "Where are you?!"

"I'm up here! I'll be right down!" he called out before she worried too much, slinging the pack onto his back. The blonde man picked up the candle again and closed the case before climbing back down. Yuna looked relieved when he came down, pushing him on the shoulder once he was standing on the ground, "Don't scare me like that, at least not yet anyway, I'm still a bit paranoid you know."

She pushed him away again, forcefully, and Tidus chuckled, barely moving. He blew out the candle, plunging them into darkness except for the starlight from the window, still laughing softly. His laughter only got louder as she tried to push him away for a third time, only to find him grabbing her wrists and twirling her around the empty room. Yuna squealed as he nearly stepped on her toes, jumping to avoid it before she felt him to her back and place his arms around her. He pulled her around in a circle, swaying slowly as his laughter died away, "I'm sorry, next time I'll check with you before wandering off."

"That's better," Yuna said, nearly grumbling as she pouted. Tidus chuckled and bent his head to kiss her cheek, feeling the blush still there as her skin warmed. Taking another look around the empty room, he asked after a few moments of silence, "What was this room going to be anyway?"

"I never really figured that one out, I suppose it'll be your room, since you're staying, along with the library up the stairs," Yuna said, also wondering herself what the room was going to be for when she first moved in, "We can think about it tomorrow."

"By the way, thank you for rescuing my pack, but I can't believe you saved it, along with all our weapons," Tidus said as he let go of her, shouldering the bag as she smiled. Originally she had saved it all just as reminders of him. She never really expected them to be returned. There was suddenly so much more to think about as she looked around the room too, imagining what he'd want to do with the space, "I'm suddenly glad I did go on that adventure to find you."

"Why?"

"Because it's going to take a lot of gil and a lot of shopping to fill this house up."

Tidus chuckled and kissed her cheek more, "We can think about it tomorrow."

Reluctantly letting go of her, he started walking back towards the bedroom, glancing over to see Yuna following him. He put his pack down by the bed, and she blushed pinker, the implications obviously not striking him as he unpacked it. He threw his spare clothes into the bottom of her wardrobe, covering her shoes as she chuckled before opening the bottom drawer for him and placing them in correctly herself. "I can get them," he offered once he noticed her.

"It's alright," she interrupted, "You don't have to do this now you know."

"I know, but then I'll be settled in," he said as he pulled out more things, including his soap and such, taking them into the bathroom as Yuna packed his few spare clothes in the drawer. Coming back into the room, he saw her holding his little moogle, playing with it and giggling. "Ok, hand him back," Tidus said as he tried to pull the toy from her hands.

Teasing him, she jerked the doll away at the last moment to hug it to her chest instead. "Mine!" he cried, not playing fair as he tickled her sides.

Yuna burst out laughing and dropped it. He dived for the little stuffed moogle, crashing on the floor at her feet as she laughed harder. Tidus snorted in laughter too, banging his head on the wood, before standing back up again. He didn't bother to brush himself off as he walked over to the chest and put the doll on the top of the pile of other toys, flicking the pink pom-pom attached to the spring on its head. Yuna kept on laughing as she collapsed onto the bed by his pack, starting to annoy him as he went back to finish with the bag, "Oh, come on, I know you went through my bag before."

"Yeah, but I didn't think you were that nuts over a toy moggle, I assumed you would have given it to me, eventually," she admitted as she calmed down, stretching out now that she was lying down. Tidus smirked, and plopped the empty pack on the floor at the end of the bed. Yuna reluctantly stood back up as she felt his eyes on her now that his hands weren't occupied.

He opened his mouth to wonder what to do now, but snapped it shut as the words stuck in his throat. It was obviously getting late, he could feel it in the droop of his eyelids, but he could feel the topic of the bed brewing in the air. It was a lot of temptation if she expected him just to sleep next to her. Even when she kissed him down stairs, it was a lot of temptation not to do something about his long-held desire for more than just her heart. Yuna wasn't talking either, biting her lip instead as she wondered how to broach the same exact thing. She didn't want to seem too easy, or shock him too much. But every time Tidus looked at her, she could see something holding him back in his eyes. Standing in the middle of the room, her bare foot idly kicked at the floor, trying to come up with words but all she could muster was, "So . . ."

"Yeah . . ." Tidus started to say as his heart sunk a little from the high he had been feeling all night, "I'll just grab a pillow or two and a blanket and curl up in the library maybe, good night."

He grabbed a pillow off the bed and turned to head out before Yuna could even blink. She hadn't expected him to chicken out so quickly after all of their talk tonight. It was almost as if he was avoiding it all together. Either way, her chance was beating a hasty retreat out of her bed room. Before he could get any further than the doorway pass the stairs, she finally got her wits about her to stop him, "Freeze!"

Tidus stopped fast enough that if he had been wearing his shoes, there would have been a long black streak on the hardwood. "Drop the pillow," she ordered, and suddenly he was very nervous and curious at the same time before she added, "Then turn around."

His Yuna had definitely changed.

He did as she said, dropping the pillow at his feet before slowly turning around. His blue eyes widened as he saw her hands unbuckle the belts and pouches at her waist followed by the flowing overskirt then her bracelets and armbands, dropping each of them at her feet. She unwrapped the yellow cord around her high waist, and Tidus had seen enough to know what she was doing. Springing into action, he stopped her hands as she dropped the tie, her shirt billowing out. "You don't have to do this, Yuna," he pleaded with her, ignoring the annoyed look marring her beautiful face the more he babbled on, "I thoroughly understand the temptation, I've been battling it since the first time I saw you, only I didn't know I loved you, and now I do know I love you, and I don't know if I can fight it anymore if you keep doing this, I want you to be happy, and I don't want to hurt you, or make you regret something we've done, and tonight was the first time I remember being happy, and free, and I really, really love you, but we don't-!"

Before he could babble on further, or admit to a little too much, Yuna cut him off with a kiss as her arms pushed him back, forcing him to walk backwards till he bumped into a wall. Tidus remained there, trapped with nothing but her lips, and the only part of him that complained about it was too preoccupied by the feel of her body pressed against his. He murmured into the kiss, too surprised to resist as her tongue slipped into his mouth. Slowly, his eyes closed on their own, drowning in her to the point of ignoring her hands as they slid into the open sides of his uniform. Yuna gasped as Tidus pulled away only kiss down her chin and neck, pulling the pink hood of her shirt aside to bare more skin. His hands lifted the thin material over her back, pulling at her waist till their hips met. Reaching up, she tugged on his blond hair, pulling him away from her skin and towards her mouth. Something in that kiss vibrated down Yuna's spine and straight into her center, her hips moving on their own to grind into his. She could feel heat of him under the layers of thin leather and fabric, and a bulge in his shorts that grew steadily the more she moved in his grasp. Tidus groaned into her lips, unable to deny not wanting her now as his loins harden along with her kisses.

Reason only seemed to snap back when he felt her hands tugging at his belt, attempting to open it while they were still pressed together. The young woman in his arms had it open and the zipper halfway down before he could react, grabbing her hands to still them while trying to push her away before they went too far. "Yuna-," he tried to say before her lips stubbornly covered his again, his words stilted each time between kisses, "Stop-, I mean it-, would you-, wait-! Damn-!"

Tidus's grip on his temptation and frustration with her was thin as her hands pulled open the harness over his waist, touching the skin of his abdomen while he gasped. His hold on her wrists tightened as his control snapped, flipping them over till he pressed her into the bare wall. Yuna gave a startled cry, her arms now pinned to the wall above as his thigh wedged her legs open while she shuddered. The only sound in the air was their panting breaths till he asked, rather obliviously, "That was too damned close . . . what did you think you were doing?"

Glaring back into his cerulean eyes, she muttered with a dark edge on her voice as her hips bucked up to escape his, "I thought that was a little obvious, maybe I should be a little more straight forward?"

He groaned, his skin darkening with a blush as he thrust between her legs to stop her from moving completely even if his back shuddered from the feeling. Yuna moaned, arching her back as she felt every part of him against her, unable to move much more than that. Tidus cursed, his head banging into the wall in an effort to fight not only the woman he loved but also his body's temptation. It was obvious what she was doing, what she wanted, something part of him would willingly give her, just one question, "Why?"

"Why? Two years of waiting for you, and you have to wonder why?" Yuna questioned him, her voice softening as she looked up. He watched the emotion move across her face, desperation, frustration, and love in her blue and green eyes and in the quiver of her lower lip before it dissolved into a determination and heat in her gaze that he couldn't miss. What could he say to that? She didn't have to say any more to prove her point as he understood, banging his head against the wall again. The ex-summoner twisted under him, using her leverage and his lowered head to steal a kiss. Tidus groaned into the kiss, relaxing enough to let her hands slip free. Pulling away, Yuna pulled at the straps of his uniform and his shirt while speaking directly into his burning ears, "I want this, I want you, I shouldn't have let you leave the lake that night, and I've regretted it in hindsight since, please, make love to me, before something else happens."

"Are you sure?" he asked before cringing, wishing he hadn't opened his mouth as her hands pulled rather forcefully on his hair, "Yuna, I'm only asking because, ahhhh, you haven't done this before, have you?"

She pulled on his hair again with a growl of annoyance before kissing his neck, and he took that as a no. Her hands finally pulled off the black leather and metal garment, followed by the yellow shirt till he was left in only his necklace and shorts. Tidus hissed as she touched bare skin, his stomach tightening and sucking in air through his teeth at the feel of her fingers rubbing over his abs. "Yuna . . ." he ground out, braced against the wall as she started to slip down.

The shreds of his resistance were crumbling rapidly, helped along by her lips on his chest. "Are you absolutely sure?" he asked again even if she still didn't stop, "I always thought you wanted to be married again to whoever you loved, even if I didn't picture it being me, you should be married, but I . . . just want you to be happy."

Yuna finally stopped, looking up at him as her eyes widened. A beautiful smile spread across her face, like the one she gave him when they first met, and Tidus's heart melted all over again. She then pulled on his necklace, startling him with a kiss. The last of his resistance sputtered out in the heat of her lips, pushing her back against the wall. His hands lifted her shirt and she raised her arm as he tugged the complex garment up and off before tossing it aside, their kiss stopping only for a moment. Tentatively, he touched her breasts, rewarded with a sigh and a moan as she pulled away to crash back into the blue and green plaster. He leaned into kiss her again, breaking away to whisper into her ear the three words in a chant that he couldn't get out of his head, "I love you, I love you, I really love you, I really, really love-."

She broke off his mantra with another kiss, lightly scratching down his back before whispering in his ear in a smoky voice, "I love you too, and I'm absolutely sure, I want you with me, now and always."

The sight of her naked skin and her voice caused Tidus to move faster, his mouth kissing down her neck and shoulder while her hips ground into his. Before he could stop her hands, they had stopped wandering his well-defined chest to pull at the opening of his pants. In the next instance, the heavy fabric fell to the floor along with the skin tight blue shorts he wore underneath.

He could hear his love's breath stop a moment as his lips touched the top of her breast, and looked up to her eyes glued downwards. From the way Yuna's cheeks colored scarlet, it was apparent she'd never seen a man naked before or as aroused as he was. Tidus silently prayed she wasn't having second thoughts as the red intensified, traveling down her exposed skin till she was entirely too pink for her normal pale color. She tried to fight the blush, but his lips weren't helping as he ignored her stare to kiss the soft peaks. It wasn't like Yuna could help but look. All those late-night chats with Rikku and Paine about men hadn't prepared her for this as he took one of her nipples into his mouth, his tongue rolling over it as she shuddered. She had been stunned into doing nothing but reacting to his touch, marveling still that he was all hers. He was absolutely gorgeous, perfect, like she'd seen before from peeks through the strategic gaps in his uniform. His skin was deeply tanned, appearing even darker against hers, and covered in a fine sheen of blond hairs that reflected the gold candlelight. The muscles underneath were well toned and compact while changing every time she touched him. Apparently all the years of sports and sword fighting were good for something. And the rest? Well, her eyes still drifted down, part of her wondering curiously how to touch him.

Her back arched as Tidus's mouth remained on her nipple while his hand fondled the other breast till her head rolled back. Yuna's hips pressed into his groin, clearly feeling every part of his sex against her folds as she cried out. His hands dropped to her backside as she nearly climbed the walls, trying to push him somewhere, lower he assumed as he dropped to his knees. Tidus kissed down her stomach with reverence, nuzzling her with his nose as he grinned. She was still soft in places, but all that jumping and running around had turned her legs and waist into as much muscle as her arms. Slowing down, he could feel the heat from her center emanating through her shorts the closer he got. As soon as he kissed Yuna's sex beneath the layers of fabric, he felt her slip a little down the wall with a choked cry. Her legs gave way completely when he buried his face in the material, pulling away and springing to his feet to catch her before she fell. She clung to him desperately as he held her up, wrapping her legs over his waist as he grunted. One look into her mis-matched eyes and Tidus could see the wild look in them, his grip on her body tightening. Her mouth covered his, fighting for control as she ground against him. They needed the bed, soon, and he knew it.

Turning around, he carried her across the room, nearly tripping as his feet tangled up in his fallen pants before hopping out of them and kicking them into the rest of the clothes. Yuna broke away from his lips to kiss his neck. One of her hands groped his rear before they could make it to the bed, and this time he did trip. They tumbled and hit the bed with enough of a creak to wake the Farplane, Tidus groaning from the impact and humiliation. "That was elegant," he muttered sarcastically, but Yuna didn't seem to mind, her lips already busy on his neck.

Composing himself, he pulled at the opening to her shorts, a gasp coming from his love as he tugging them off her hips. Looking into her eyes, the blonde could see the nervousness returning, his frenzy calming down as he pulled the garment down a little slower. "Have you done this before?" Yuna asked, her arms enfolding his neck as he stayed above her.

"Twice," He admitted, his skin reddening, "First time was horrible."

She looked at him even more concerned, "And the second?"

"Not as bad, but definitely not as good as this," Tidus confessed further, turning a deeper shade of red, "Ummmm, I guess the third time will be spectacular then?"

Yuna briefly glared at him a moment, before giving an amused smile, brushing her hand delicately down his chest and over his side and abdomen, "It had better be, I'll be expecting an encore."

She hit a particularly sensitive series of already heightened spots on his body, causing him to cry out with a shudder before his restraint snapped into place. Her fingers stopped at the junction of his hip, thigh, and abdomen, grinning in triumph as another gentle brush of his skin brought highly erotic response in the arch of his body along with a groan. Pressing on further, her hand shifted to touch his member, pulling on the skin till it rolled back to reveal the head, red with arousal. He was nearly undone by the delicacy of her fingers, the sensation too good as he pushed her hand away. "Stop doing that," he growled through his teeth, painfully hard against her thigh as he panted.

"Make me," Yuna teased with a grin, and it was on in earnest as he kissed her, hard. The blue shorts and her underwear were gone in an instant, naked as he plundered her mouth. Tidus picked up exactly where he left off, dropping off the bed to his knees. She gasped as soon as she felt his breath tingle her pale brown nether-hairs and moist flesh, drawing her legs closed a little more. "And you've done this before right?" She asked before seizing up at the first touch of his tongue.

"Once," Tidus admitted, not elaborating as he cut off further interruption with a swirl of his tongue. Her eyes rolled back before she shut them completely, her body tensing. She could feel the heat of her center build and flow over her skin, not understanding completely what was happening to her as it only seemed to intensify. Her mind burned with each lash of his tongue as it invaded her folds before moving up to find the hooded nub of her clit, sucking on it. A cry got strangled in her labored breathing, sounding vaguely like his name as her hands gripped the blankets. Her thighs tightened over his head and shoulders, trapping him there while her feet dangled over his back. Some part of Yuna's mind became addicted to the sensations coursing through her blood, willing for more to the point of grabbing his hair to drive him further into her. On the next pass of his mouth, her world shook as whatever held her back finally snapped. Her voice cried out, shuddering violently as her body arch off the bed. She held on as she rode the waves of pleasure out, coming down slowly till she felt the darkness overtake her before collapsing.

Sitting on the back of his legs on the floor, Tidus pulled away and grinned, mentally patting himself on the back for a job well done as Yuna finally relaxed into the bed. The only sound and movement from her form was her quick, deep breaths as he stood up, admiring the glow of sweat on her skin and the salty taste as he bent over to lick a line of it from her torso. Yuna moaned, her eyes shut but fluttering open as she felt the bed move under her. Tidus crawled up next to her and into the center of the bed, waiting till she rolled over and joined him to press his lips into hers. She pushed him down, breaking the contact as something gleamed in her mis-matched eyes. The look sent a fresh rush of blood through his system, followed by the feel of her hips as she straddled his body. She bent over to kiss him, a lingering taste of herself on his tongue, before finding herself dragged down to press flat against him. His arms held her still as he flipped them over, the long tail of Yuna's bound hair brushing their legs.

Gasping as she felt him press intimately against her, the ex-summoner steeled herself up for what was coming next. She'd heard enough to know it was painful the first time, but it all depended. Given the activity in her life after he went away, from jumping, scaling cliffs, to chocobo riding and blitzball, her virginity may have torn over time already. Tidus looked into her eyes with concern, knowing it was going to hurt for her, and nearly terrified now that he was going to ruin what was an otherwise unforgettable night. He always seemed to choke under pressure except for the last fight with Sin, and kissing her, about the only two things in his life he ever got right. Yuna nodded, not needing to say any more as she kissed him. Shifting on top of her, he found the opening of her petals and thrust in, unsure if he even felt her barrier break. One look at the pain in her face though was enough to tell him that she was indeed as innocent as he assumed. Tidus kissed her forehead then the rest of her face, soothing the pain away as she whimpered.

The damage was already done.

Her walls convulsed around him as he tried to remain still, tightening as she shifted under him. He cringed, trying to hold back, but stopped resisting as her hips tentatively moved. "Yuna . . ." he said softly, his voice choking back her name as he started to push deeper within her before pulling out.

Her limb wrapped over his body, curled up tight against him as he moved within her, slowly at first till she bucked up to met him. It took her breath away as the pleasure flooded her senses, her world revolving around him more that she could say. Yuna's hands caressed down Tidus's sides to grope his backside and it spurred him to plow into her further while drawing her knees up, the angle changing as she arched under him. Her eyes slid closed, moving with abandoned as she heard him groan louder to keep up. After so long, she was finally learning what it was like to be with the one you loved. It touched deeper in her heart than even his kisses or words, melting away all the sadness and regrets till all she all could feel was the warmth of her love. Her arms tightened around his neck in a possessive hug, never wanting to let him go, not now, not ever again. Tidus must have felt the same way as his arms embraced her tightly as well, holding her desperately, murmuring her name again as if it was a prayer to the fayth.

All it took was just the sound of it on his lips to undo her completely as she cried out. Tightening and shuddering around him, her release brought his along as well, close to the same time as he burst within her a few moments later. The only sound in the house was their breath calming down. Tidus nearly slumped down on top of his love, completely spent, but stopped short out of fear of crushing her. Yuna relaxed, sighing as she rubbed her cheek into his neck. Finally withdrawing and rolling off of her as he softened, the blitzballer didn't break his embrace while pulling her against his chest. "I love you," Yuna finally said softly, closing her eyes.

"I love you as well," Tidus said before burying his face in the top of her hair, "It's gonna take the greatest force Spira's ever known to wrestle me away from you, and even then I'll defy every fayth and force that stands in my way to get back to you."

Now that touched her sentimentality and irony more that he could know as she giggled, "Don't say that, it just might happen."

He groaned, the sound muffled by the softness of her locks, "Sorry . . ."

"Don't worry, I'd do the same for you," she said as she nuzzled into his shoulder.

"It sounds like you did that once already."

"Technically."

Tidus's hand brushed down between her breast, stopping over her heart, "So big and strong with love for everyone you know and this whole world, it's hard to imagine the largest piece of it is mine."

"It is, you'll always be there, even if we disagree, fight . . . now I know you'll never leave me completely," she said, and he bent over to kiss her, running his hand up her neck before she turned in his arms. Their lips parted and Yuna touched down his body, remember the sensitive part of his hip. He gave a startled cry and pressed into her, "Yuna! That's so not fair! Stop!"

She giggled and pushed him back down into the bed when he started to rise up, touching him again, "But it's kind of sexy that you're so ticklish right there . . ."

"I said stop!" he ground out, realistically torn on the issue, but not about to admit to it. Another brush of her hand followed by a loud groan and Tidus felt his member twitch, rising back to the occasion as Yuna's blue and green eyes looked down to watch it harden. "Yuna . . ." he said again, "Now is a good time to stop . . ."

"Make me," the ex-summoner said, her grin widening wickedly. He could almost picture Ifirt's horns coming out of her head. Groaning, Tidus pulled her into another kiss before whispering, "I've created a monster . . ."

"What are you complaining about? We've got two years worth of experiences to make up for, I thought guys were suppose to be happy sharing a bed with a willing woman and living in sin."

"You got a point there . . . this is still going to be a long night, isn't it?"

"But at least you'll be comfortable."

****

Rikku and Paine trudged up the path to Yuna's home on the top of the hill, from where someone could see almost all of Besaid on a clear day. "Do we have to be doing this?" the grey haired girl asked as she eyed the house suspiciously, "Knowing Yuna, she'll never want to go, not with 'him' hanging around."

"I just want to make sure she's ok after she ran out last night, I still have to yell at her since Lu made us do the rest of them while she fed the baby, and it's almost lunch, she better be awake by now, it's not like her to sleep in," the blonde said as she tried to recover her breath from the hike up, "Besides, don't you wanna know if she actually, you know, followed through?"

"None of my business, and she's your cousin."

"Sour-pussy."

"Nosy."

"Oh, there she is!" Rikku yelled, bouncing up to the porch as they watched the young woman with the light brown hair emerge from the house. They both stopped walking as fast as they noticed her state of dress, clad in the wave patterned blue and white robe she favored with a yellow shirt two times the size of her slim frame underneath. Her shorts were either hiding under the length of the shirt, or missing entirely. She waved at them, a happy but tired expression on her face as she took a seat on the bench in front of the porch table. She winced at the hard surface, delicately keeping her legs together as she blushed. "Does that mean she . . .?" Rikku started to ask.

"Yes," Paine said with a nod as she went up the steps and leaned against the railing, "Feeling ok, Yuna?"

Their friend beamed and nodded, a slight blush on her cheeks as she nodded, "Just a little sore, that's all, but . . . it was worth it."

The girl in black leather smirked, knowing exactly what she meant as Rikku glanced between the two, missing something, "Sore? I thought it was supposed to feel good?"

"Oh, it did," Yuna said with a grin, the blush deepening as she looked down.

"'It' better felt good, after all four times we did 'it'," Tidus said as he walked out onto the porch, the mouths of the two girls dropping open. He was naked from the waist up, wearing only his usual black leather shorts, a bit of the blue trunks underneath sticking out. Yuna blushed, giggling as he moved over to her side to put some plates, utensils, and cups of something hot on the table behind her. Drawing her into his arms before the other women recovered from the shock, he kissed his beloved with as much passion as he could muster while still tired from the night before. She apparently had more energy, keeping her arms locked over his neck and pressed against him for a very long time till he backed away, panting for breath. "Holy shit," he choked back before plopping onto the bench next to her, "You need to stop doing that, or at least kiss me like that under the pretense of blitzball training . . ."

Yuna giggled, hiding her face as she saw the expression on their faces, Paine's one of sickening amusement, and her cousin's one of shock and awe. "Chocobo omelets and hot tea for breakfast, we'll need to go to the market for more food," he said as he took a seat, digging into the sizable portion on his place, "You two are welcome to join us, I can cook up more."

"And 'he' cooks," Paine said as her amusement kept growing.

"Just a little."

"Lu taught him the basics," Rikku said, still too dumbfounded to ask any questions of them . . . almost, "Does this mean . . .?"

"Yes," the three of them said in unison, the two at the table blushing profusely.

"So when Yunie pops a baby out like Lu, can I hold my second-cousin?" Rikku asked as her cousin gulped down her tea hard as her lover nearly choked on a piece of egg. Paine couldn't fight it any more, her smirk turning into a snicker as she had to cover her mouth to avoid being caught smiling. Yuna giggled, noticing the bright red blush on Tidus's skin. "What?" Rikku ask innocently, blinking, "I'm the only one here deadly serious about it, I never get to hold Vidina, and Yuna's baby is bound to like me more."

Laughing even harder, she put the mug of tea down before she spilled it. Tidus groaned and dropped his utensils, chuckling too as he covered his face, "At least you never change, Rikku."

"Good, so . . . what as we doing today?"

"We?" Tidus and Yuna asked together, blinking and shrugging as they exchanged glances and a few muttered words. "Ummm," Yuna started to say, deciding on how to break it gently to her cousin, "We, Tidus and I, were going to go to the market and get some things, then um . . ."

"Contract negotiations," the blitzballer offered, getting a doubt take from his beloved and another snicker out of Paine, "For next season's league, we got what? Two months."

Yuna nodded, a little dumbfounded till he offered, "Heavy negotiations, might take all week to come to a compromise."

Paine couldn't hold back anymore, dying from the innuendo as she snorted in laughter, startling the three of them as Yuna turned beet-red, "Right . . . we'll see you later, Yuna, you know our com number."

With that, she pulled a confused Rikku off the porch with her, waving at the two of them as they left. "That was fairly odd . . ." Tidus muttered, a piece of egg clinging on the corner of his mouth.

Whacking him across the back, Yuna pouted, glaring a little, "Be nice, they both helped me a lot."

"Oh Yunie!" Tidus howled in an imitation of Rikku, glomping onto his beloved with such force that they toppled over on the bench. Yuna laughed, batting him away as he tried to tickle her only to get tickled in return. He was still on top of her as they calmed down, staring into each others eyes. Slowly, Tidus swallowed and tried to speak, looking nervous as her eye brows arched up, "There was something I was meaning to ask of you last night . . . think you can hear me out now?"

As he took her hand in his, Yuna's eyebrows raised up further as she noticed that his ring was missing.

****

After leaving the house of the two lovebirds so quickly, Rikku finally broke Paine's grasp on her wrist, pouting, "What did you do that for?!"

"You have your proof, they really need the week alone now."

"But I didn't get to yell at her!"

"Look-!" Paine's response was cut short as they both heard a feminine yell coming from Yuna's house. They turned around quickly enough to see 'him' down kneeling before their friend on one knee. Confused, Rikku fumbled with her scopes only to have them torn from her hands by Paine who looked through them. "What do you see?!" Rikku cried excitedly, bouncing up and down to get her own look

"He's slid a ring on her finger . . . she's crying . . . they're hugging, almost dancing, now kissing . . ." Paine stopped her commentary, watching the two of them again to make sure she had the scopes focused right. Rikku blinked, just barely making out the pair of them as they tumbled down onto the porch. "Hey, why are they down? What happened?" she asked, tugging on the other girl's sleeve.

That was a question Paine didn't want to answer as she pulled the blonde further down the hill, "Come on."

Her mind snapped over her own situation, thinking back to a certain someone in Bevelle. And if she remembered right, there was someone waiting in the desert for a certain blonde girl to come to her sense. Stopping at the bottom of the hill, Paine flipped open her com link, pounding in the number for the Celsius. "What are you doing? We're on vacation, right?" Rikku asked, blinking.

"I'm getting us a ride."

"To where?"

"To somewhere I should have been before," she muttered cryptically as her friend blinked, "I'm going to Bevelle."

"Bevelle? What's in Bevelle?"

"No one for you."

"But then why am I going with you?"

"You're not."

"Then where am I going?"

"Sanubia Desert."

"Desert!? Why am I going to that crummy sandbox!?" Rikku shouted as she tried to pry the com from Paine. She twisted away, pulling out a note instead, shoving it into the blonde's face. It had the name Grippal on it, along with the numbers for a personal com link. "He told me to give it to you when you weren't so oblivious," Paine explained, the com going live, "Brother, pick us up, we'll be on the beach, no, no Yuna, this is something else . . . just be there."

The realization hit Rikku like a ton of mud bricks as she held the number with both hands, "Does this mean he . . .?"

"Yes," Paine answered, listening to Brother whine into the com over the missing Yuna as Shinra tried to stop him. The blond grabbed the com before the other girl knew what happened. She shouted into it, probably scaring half the island in the process, "Beach! Ten minutes! Or Yuna, your cousin, learns of your personal shrine to her! Be there! Now!" she there sweetly added as it sounded like he agreed, "Love you too, big brother."

Rikku tossed it back to her and walked on, pulling out her own com to press in the new number. After a few silent moments, Paine couldn't resist it any longer, "So, does the mean you're going to . . ."

"Yeah . . ." Rikku admitted as they walked, picking up the pace, "This isn't the end of YPR or the Gullwings, is it?"

"Two months, we have a League to win, remember? And a wedding to plan."

"Brother is going to kill me!"

"Tell him after he's dropped us off?"

"Ok!" Rikku said as she bounded down the path, Paine close behind. Glancing behind her to the top of the hill, she couldn't help but smile, just a little. Yuna had found 'him' again, and she was happy. That was what mattered to all of them. This wasn't the end of their adventures in their touched lives, it was probably only the beginning.

****

The End