Spira's Dream

Final Fantasy X2 transcript translated/retold by M'jai; Original content written by M'jai

Written 7/2005

Re-uploaded and revised:

31 May 2010

19 April 2019

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Disclaimer:

The setting, characters, and inspiration for the plot all belong to Square Enix. Some dialog is taken from game clips of Final Fantasy X2. Fans of the game will recognize which content is not mine, so I do not even pretend to take credit for it. My appreciation goes out to Square Enix and their wonderful game designers for giving us such inspiring entertainment.

Scenes retold from the movie clips are mostly my own translations of the Japanese game. So if my version doesn't match your version, ... that's why.

Any resemblance between my fan-fic and other FFX2 fan-fics is purely unintentional. We are all playing the same game, after all, so it's easy to draw some similar theories out of it. Hopefully, it will pack a few new surprises, though.

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Chapter 1: Homecoming

"Are you real?" Yuna hugged Tidus tightly.

"Maybe," he answered softly with uncertainty.

Yuna released her hold and stepped back to survey him. Hesitant, she placed her palms against his chest and pressed. He was solid.

Tidus could guess what she was thinking. She did not pass through him this time. His clothing was cold and wet, but his skin was warm and already beginning to dry. He seemed real enough, however, she had been fooled once before by his surreal existence, ... and so had he. She so badly wanted to believe this was real. "Do I pass?" His brows rose with a measure of anxiety. He couldn't trust his own senses to know whether he was alive or not. Was he transparent still? Did he even look like himself anymore? The memory of fading from reality was still too fresh to take anything for granted.

"Mh." Yuna nodded with smile of approval. "You're back."

"I'm home." A wave of emotion overwhelmed him, as he pulled her to his chest, wrapping one arm over her shoulders and the other around her waist. "I'm home!" he repeated with a broken voice. Burying his face into the base of her neck, he hugged her again for a long moment and struggled to control the mist in his eyes. Having been ridiculed by his dad for being a crybaby when he was younger, he refused to let anyone see tears now, even if they were tears of joy.

With a sigh of relief, allowing herself to be wholly engulfed in his embrace, Yuna wrapped her arms around his torso. "Welcome home."

Rikku and a woman with short gray hair grinned to each other where they stood on the landing ramp watching the couple's mysterious, but long-awaited reunion. Tidus wondered who the other woman was until a very familiar voice called out to them from the beach.

"Hey! Please, some other place, gah!" Wakka yelled in mock disgust.

The entire island of Besaid had joined him there.

"Yo!" Wakka called out again with a grin and a wave.

It gave Tidus the excuse he needed to blink away any remnants of tears and smile again. "Don't bother me, alright!" He gestured for him to go away.

"Uh?" Wakka spread his arms in mock confusion and looked over his shoulder to Lulu with a chuckle.

Lulu cradled a baby in her arms and flashed a wane smile at Wakka for his teasing, as if he deserved the curt response.

"Oi!" Rikku called from the ship's ramp and waved to those on the shore.

"Mh." Tidus took Yuna's hand, urging her to jog with him toward the shore from the sandbar in the water where they stood beneath the airship. As she splashed in the water behind him, Yuna's relief melted into unbridled happiness, and she soon took the lead.

"Oh! Uhwa!" Tidus complained with a laugh, as he stumbled keeping up. He was surprised at the normally shy girl's boldness. "I see you've changed!"

"Well, because a lot has happened!" she told him above the noise of their splashing.

"I want to hear about it!"

"Well, for starters, I found a sphere of you." Her eyes began to water, and she lost her voice for a moment. "At least, ... I thought it was you." Stopping on the water's edge, she turned to face him again.

Now he had no idea what she was thinking, but whatever was on her mind moved her enough to no longer hold back the tears.

"I feel so silly for crying. I'm happy you're back. I really am. It's just ... I've missed you so much." She used her fingers to dry her eyes.

Understanding exactly how she felt, Tidus pulled her head to his shoulder to shield her from the crowd running their way. This was a private moment, however brief.

Yuna squeezed her eyes shut, clearing them of the remaining moisture, then straightened with a sniffle and wiped her lashes before smiling at the oncoming throng.

The crowd cheered their return and welcomed them with hugs as they circled around.

Rikku and the gray-haired woman jumped from the landing ramp into the water and ran to the shore behind them.

"Who do you think you are just popping in on us out of nowhere, ya?" Wakka scolded Tidus, hooking a strong arm around his neck and giving his unruly, wet head a knuckle scrub. "Where you been the last two years?"

"Two years?" Tidus was stunned. Had it been that long? He laughed and pulled away from the head lock in time to receive a gentle hug from Lulu. "I ... It's kind of hard to say." That's when he noticed the baby in her arms had stark red hair. Shocked, but not needing any further explanation, he looked to Wakka. "So, this is why you wanted to retire from blitzball?"

"Hey, now. That's the future star player of the Besaid Auroch's you're looking at, ya?" Wakka proudly grinned before turning to Yuna. "Sorry we couldn't make it to Luca to hear everyone's speeches about what happened, but we got word through the Youth League that the machina had been defeated. Let's have a big bonfire tonight in the village, so everyone can welcome Yuna home!" he suggested to the crowd, giving Tidus a sly glance.

Tidus chuckled at the dig, as a cheer went up from the crowd.

"Meanwhile, you come dry off at our place and give us the scoop on what's been happening," Wakka added.

Lulu greeted Yuna with a hug and a smile, careful not to bump the sleeping baby in her arms. "So, it was him - that sphere you showed me."

"No. But it led me to him all the same."

The crowd began to move away from the shore back toward the village.

Tidus took Yuna's hand and followed.

"The rest of the crew will be coming later." Rikku hopped on one foot trying to pull off a sneaker and pour out some ocean water.

"Brother's being an idiot right now and everyone's having to calm him down," the gray-haired woman explained.

Yuna stopped with mild concern.

"It's nothing for you to worry about." Rikku pushed her shoulders forward, encouraging her to keep walking. "Someone else needs your attention now."

The gray-haired woman smirked. "Nothing like having a rival appear on the scene when you thought you had the playing field all to yourself."

Yuna's expression fell. "But I remember the conversation I accidentally overheard in the cabin between Brother and Barkeep. He never spoke directly to me about it, but I didn't mean for him to feel -"

"Just ignore him. He'll get over it." Rikku continued pushing Yuna forward, not allowing her to spoil the fun by returning to the ship to check on their self-proclaimed, pouting leader.

Tidus found himself and Yuna swept along with the well-wishers down the road to the village. Once there, everyone scattered to their homes to begin preparations for the celebration. Wakka and Lulu led the way to their tiny hut in front of the Besaid temple. It was warmed by the sun, scented with fresh fruit, and cooled with a gentle, tropical breeze - a cozy little place for the new family and their guests to escape the public eye for a moment.

Yuna removed her water-logged boots and set them by the door next to everyone else's upon entering.

Lulu placed the baby on the bed and surrounded him with pillows to keep him from rolling off as she unwrapped him from his blanket pod. He was just beginning to wake, and his little face pinched into a very big yawn as he stretched, kicked, and blinked his eyes. "Wakka, why don't you get the boy a towel and some clothes so he can dry off."

Wakka scratched his head. "You're already changing Vidina's diaper, ya?"

She returned a flat expression. "I was referring to Tidus."

"Oh, so!" Wakka laughed at his own misunderstanding and went to his dresser. "Say, how'd you get back to here, anyway? I know you're a good blitzer and all, but don't tell me you've been holding your breath under water for two years. Here, put these on." He tossed some clothes at Tidus's chest. "We can't have you running around nekkid, ya?"

"Though there's those among us who might think that's not such a bad thing. Right, Yunie?" Rikku winked and nudged the summoner.

Yuna's blue and green eyes widened, and one hand went to her cheek as she blushed.

Tidus opened his mouth to answer Rikku, but Wakka intercepted the inevitably egotistical remark by turning him toward the screen. "Well, none of the rest of us are that glad to see him."

"You're just jealous because you've gotten tubby since retiring from blitzball." The petite, strawberry-blond thief poked a finger into the large man's slightly expanding waistline.

"That's extra presence I told ya," Wakka insisted.

Yuna laughed lightly to cover her embarrassment, but her eyes followed Tidus to the screen before she turned her attention to the baby on the bed.

"So, are you going to tell us what happened, or are you going to make us wait until the bonfire, along with the rest of the village?" Lulu asked of Yuna.

"You mean with Vegnagun?"

"That and Tidus's reappearance."

Tidus pulled off his wet, yellow shirt behind the screen and tossed it aside. He used the towel to dry himself, then gave the shirt from Wakka a sniff and made a face. Over the top of the screen, he saw the gray-haired woman sit on the sofa behind the small table. Not bothering to lace the neckline of the white, sleeveless tank with bold, tribal designs, he draped the fluffy towel over his damp head and shoulders and left it there as he changed out of his shorts into a pair of white ones that matched Wakka's shirt.

"Vegnagun has been destroyed," Yuna announced.

"Yeah, we kicked its butt!" Rikku demonstrated a karate kick.

"Down, girl." The gray-haired woman grabbed the back of Rikku's shorts and pulled her down to sit beside her before she accidentally kicked over something valuable in the small hut.

"Shuyin is resting now," Yuna thoughtfully added. "And Vegnagun shouldn't be a problem to Spira anymore."

"What's a ... Vegnagun?" Tidus asked from behind the screen.

"A giant weapon created during the Machina War." The gray-haired woman leaned back and crossed her legs. "But since it proved unreliable distinguishing friend from foe, it was hidden under Bevelle. Shuyin was going to destroy Spira with it. Destroying the world was his answer to purging hatred from it."

"Sounds like Maester Seymour's method of solving Spira's problems - killing everyone in order to have peace." Tidus rubbed the fluffy towel over his head, attempting to dry his hair.

"Maester Seymour probably had some influence on his final plans, considering the sphere in which Baralai asked Maester Seymour to hide him," Yuna quietly agreed. "That sphere left more questions than answers."

"Shuyin even tainted the aeons with his hatred, and they brought fiends into the temples. It was awful!" Rikku exclaimed. "But YuRiPa kicked their butts. Yep, yep, yep!" She grinned.

"YuRiPa?" Tidus picked up his wet clothing and came from behind the screen.

"Us," the gray-haired woman translated.

"Oh. Who's Shuyin?"

"He's the one in the sphere - the one that I thought was you," Yuna explained.

"He looks like me?"

"Uncannily so," Lulu agreed, lifting the baby onto her lap as she sat on the bed. "And what about you? What's your story? How did you manage to come back?"

"I ... don't know," Tidus admitted with a shrug. "I just woke up and found myself in the ocean."

Lulu stood and passed the baby to Yuna as she sat next to her on the bed. The sorceress then took the wet clothing from Tidus to hang on a small bamboo rack in the sunny breeze by the door. "Are you real this time?"

Tidus looked to Yuna with uncertainty. Even if he had passed her inspection, the truth of the matter was that he still didn't know.

"He must be real this time." Yuna lightly bounced the baby on her knee. "When Vegnagun was destroyed, as I was leaving the Farplane, I heard a whistle. The spirit of Bahamut appeared and thanked me. He asked if I heard it, so I knew I wasn't imagining things, and then he asked me if ... I wanted to walk with you again." She looked from the red-headed baby to Tidus.

"And you told him no, but he dumped me on you anyway," he playfully guessed, peering at her from under the towel. "Sucks to be you, huh?"

She couldn't help but be amused, but as he removed the towel from his head to his shoulders, her breath caught.

Tidus appraised himself in the dresser mirror. Wakka's white, island attire contrasted starkly against his sun-kissed skin and brought out the white highlights that streaked his moppish, golden hair. Two years, yet he looked exactly the same?

Clearing her throat in mild embarrassment, Yuna retraced her words, trying to remember what she was going to say. "He promised me they would do what they could."

"So, you're really here," Rikku concluded.

"Just like he promised," Yuna added with a broad, happy smile.

"But if the fayth brought him back, that would make him a dream again, wouldn't it?" Lulu arranged the wet shoes in the sun by the door, and then stood before Tidus to inspect him closely. Nothing slipped past her intelligent, crimson eyes.

"Cut it out, Lu," Wakka complained. "You're raining on everyone's parade bringing this up. Who cares if he's real or not? He's here, ain't he?"

"I'm sorry," she apologized to Tidus. "It's not my intent to put you on the spot about your existence. We're all very glad to see you again. It's just that … when we killed the aeons after defeating Sin, I thought we had also ended their dream. That's why you faded," she stated the obvious. "It's a bit unsettling to know they might still be dreaming again, because that was the whole reason for sending them - to end their eternal summoning. It was the only way to prevent Yu Yevon from coming back with a new Sin. If they were sent, how could they bring you back? For that matter, how was Shuyin able to bring them back and poison them with hate? If the aeons, the fayth, and their dream have returned, will Sin also return?"

"It's okay, Lu." Tidus continued drying his hair with the towel. "I understand your concern. I wish I could give you answers, but I got nothing. After I faded, I'm not sure what happened. I saw my dad, along with Auron and Lord Braska. And it was like they never left Zanarkand." He hung the towel over the divided screen and looked toward Yuna, who looked surprised to hear of his meeting with her deceased father. Tidus moved to the chair beside the sofa where Rikku and Paine sat. Lowering himself into it, he ran his fingers through his shaggy, damp hair, half-heartedly combing it. "They congratulated me for destroying Sin - for freeing my old man. Not so much in words, but I could feel it."

"Lord Braska and Auron were real people. Are you saying that you saw them in the dream, or in the Farplane?" Lulu gently reminded him of the differences between the world he came from and reality.

"I don't know." Tidus felt frustrated that it was the only answer he was able to give. "When Sin first brought me here, I thought I had time-traveled into the future, or something - the way everyone was talking about Zanarkand being in ruins for a thousand years. But this time, I don't remember going back. Sin destroyed dream Zanarkand that night, so I don't know if there would be anything left to go back to, even if I could."

Lulu placed a hand on his shoulder, letting him know she had not meant for her questions to upset him.

"Actually, we all thought you was a little touched in the head after getting too close to Sin." Wakka twirled a finger at his temple.

Tidus chuckled, knowing it was Wakka's way of trying to lighten the mood.

The gray-haired woman didn't quite know what to make of this conversation. "So, you're saying … you're from a dream created by the fayth over a thousand years ago, when Zanarkand was still alive?"

Tidus lifted his chin to meet the gaze of Yuna's newest friend. Beneath that short, silver-gray hair, she had crimson eyes that reminded him of Lulu, more because of the quiet intelligence they seemed to hold than the color. He nodded reluctantly at her assessment of his former situation.

The woman's black leather armor crinkled lightly as she leaned forward, intrigued by how real he seemed. "That's one heck of a dream."

Rikku dropped her chin into her hands and placed her elbows on her knees. "Aw, come on you guys. You're making Tidus feel bad. There's nothing he can do about where he came from or what he is. We should just be glad he was able to come back." She pouted for a moment. "I'm with Yunie on this one. Who cares whether he's real or not? He's back, and that's all that matters."

"It's okay." Tidus sighed and stood. "I understand Lu's concerns. To be honest, I wish I knew for sure myself. But I didn't even know the truth last time, until the fayth told me."

"Well, perhaps there is a way to find out," Lulu suggested.

All eyes turned toward her.

"Return to the Farplane and ask."

Yuna's shoulder-length, mouse-brown hair made a soft swishing sound as she firmly shook her head. "No."

Lulu moved to her side and reached for the baby. The sorceress's long, black braids spilled over one shoulder until she straightened and placed Vidina on the other. "The guado have returned to Guadosalam. They can probably help with his safety while you use their portal. It may be the only way to test whether he has become real, or if he is still part of the dream."

"I don't care." The young summoner stood and paced to the door, folding her arms at her chest. "What if something happens, so that he can't come back again? Taking him to the Farplane to see if he disappears again is not a risk worth taking. He should be allowed to stay forever this time, if he wants to. Why are we even discussing this? He's only just returned."

Tidus approached from behind, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Yuna, nothing lasts forever - not even in your reality. Whether I'm real or not, all we have is the time between here and there. That's all anyone ever has," he spoke softly. "Lu's right. If there's a way to do it, I should try to find out the truth about who, or what, I am now - for your sake, as well as mine."

Yuna didn't seem convinced. She stared through the crack in the door curtains at the lighting of the bonfire in the center of the village, watching the smoke and ash rise into the air like charred pyreflies. By sunset the flames would be as big as the summoning circle itself.

Tidus gave the matter some more thought and leaned against the door post. "After I faded, every now and then, I would get this feeling you were reaching out for me. So, I'd whistle hoping you'd hear."

"When I was lost in the Farplane, I followed your whistle to find the way out. I could swear that I saw you."

"There. You see? We're connected." He smiled. "I'll always be with you in one way or another." When she didn't respond, the smile faded. "Wouldn't you want to know the truth, if you were me?"

Rubbing a chill from her arms, as if the warm island breeze suddenly felt cold, she turned to face him, but didn't look happy.

"And though it hasn't been a whole decade yet, my return could somehow mean the end of what we thought would be an Eternal Calm. Sphere hunters search all over Spira hunting for clues to the truth about Spira's past because, as a people, you don't know very much of your own history. Yuna … you know it's the right thing to do."

She searched his azure eyes with sadness. "But why does doing the right thing always hurt so much?"

He gently took her into his arms again. "I don't know that, either."

"If it's what you really want, we'll go to Guadosalam and ask to use their portal," she quietly agreed. Then she pulled back and pointed a stern finger at his nose. "But if any part of you starts to fade, we leave immediately."

Tidus smiled. "Yes, ma'am!"

Rikku bounced off the sofa. "Woohoo! We can fly to Guadosalam tomorrow morning, first thing!"

Tidus waved his hands. "No! Uh, Rikku, no offense, but ... it's been two years since I left. I want to see what I've missed. If all I have is the time between now and then, I'd like 'then' to last a little more than a day. Maybe the ship could take us island hopping, but allow us to go on foot from the Mi'ihen High Road. Would that be all right?"

"Sure! Can we come with?" She hopped to Tidus's side.

"Rikku." The gray-haired woman frowned slightly at the younger girl for not minding her own business.

"Well, he's my friend, too, you know. Yunie's not the only one that missed him," Rikku pouted.

Touched by Rikku's unexpected plea, Yuna looked to Wakka and Lulu. They had been a tight-knit group on the pilgrimage to defeat Sin - the summoner and her guardians. These were the people who were willing to die to protect her until she could accomplish her goal at the final summoning. "I would be honored to have my friends accompany us and make sure we get there safely, ... making memories along the way, like we did before." Yuna glanced at Tidus to be sure it was okay with him.

He shrugged with an easy-going smile. "It's okay with me." He punctuated his decision by elbowing Rikku aside, as if she were a pest for asking.

Rikku giggled and bumped him back with her hip, nearly knocking him into Yuna.

Wakka chuckled at their interaction. "Well, I know I haven't said much, but I've felt like I lost two little brothers, the way the Farplane claimed both you and Chappu. It's good to have my little buddy back." With a clap, he changed his tune. "And now that all that is settled, and Lu is done popping everyone's balloons, maybe we can have a celebration around here, ya?" He rubbed his strong hands together, ready for some food and fun.

"Right," Lulu agreed with a smile, again offering a nod in apology to Tidus and Yuna for being, perhaps, overly concerned about extenuating circumstances. "What are your favorite foods? I'll fix them tonight for the festivities."

Rikku suddenly had visions of tables full of desserts. "Oooh, how about some palm fruit pies and some berry swirlies and some -"

"She's not asking you. You'd eat her out of house and home." The gray-haired woman interrupted and stood to approach Tidus. "I'm Paine. It's nice to finally meet you. I'll go see what's keeping the rest of the crew and tell them the travel plans. Just be warned about Brother."

"Brother?" He side-stepped to let her pass.

Rikku leaned back, clasping her hands behind her head in a stretch. "He's probably still pouting that you've returned because he's got this really big crush on Yunie."

"In a jealous fit, he's more likely to hurt himself than you, trust me. But we don't want him to pounce you without warning." Paine smirked, then bowed to Lulu and Wakka, excusing herself from their small home.

Tidus blinked at the mild threat. He remembered Rikku's big brother. ''But ... isn't he your cousin?" he asked of Yuna.

Yuna nodded with embarrassment.

"Okay, ew.'" Tidus made another face.

"Come on you." Wakka hooked an arm around Tidus's neck again. "I gotta borrow him a few minutes to say hello to the guys on the team," he half-apologized to Yuna before dragging him outside.

Once outside, though Wakka was twice his size, Tidus managed to escape the head-lock and jog toward the blitzball team's hut on his own. "Hey! How about a game on the beach, Tubby? You up to it?" he called back over his shoulder.

Wakka stopped in his tracks and shook a fist toward him. "Who you calling Tubby? You just bring it on, ya! I've changed diapers that look better than your score sheets!"