Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ A Time for Reflection ❯ Life on the Farplane ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter III: Life on the Farplane

Over the misty horizon, two lone figures could be seen. They seemed to be locked in an embrace, but as the mist faded away, it became easier to distinguish what was taking place.

It just so happened to be two men, one with platinum hair and a shorter build, and a darker man with tattoos strewn across his body, with a much larger build. No, they were not locked in an embrace… they were fighting over a blitz ball.

"Hey, gimme that back, Dad!" yelled Tidus loudly over his laughter.

"Oh no, you're not getting it back you little runt. I stole it fair and square!" shouted Jecht triumphantly. Auron had been watching them from a distance for over thirty minutes, and he was still very amused watching their antics. The saying "like father, like son" certainly rang true to the fullest extent with them.

"Are you two blitzing or engaging in a testosterone driven wrestling match?" Auron asked matter-of-factly. Tidus and Jecht quickly glanced in the direction that Auron was standing, and both smirked ruefully at him.

"Well, now that the little runt is finally big enough to give me a challenge, I'm catching up for lost time," commented Jecht in between sharp gasps of breath. On the other end of the spectrum, Tidus looked rather unscathed and was breathing easily.

At first, it had come as a shock to Tidus that people residing on the Farplane had the same physical attributes and followed the same routines as the living on Spira. They inhaled air, ate food, and lived in homes. The possibility for injury and fatigue was there as well, and Jecht was definitely suffering from fatigue at that moment in time.

"The only thing that doesn't exist here is death, because the Farplane is death," Tidus thought bitterly. The fact that no death exists here because the whole place is death seemed like an extremely unharmonious oxymoron to him.

After contemplating that for a while, Tidus figured he would play along and pick on his old man for a while. "Ha! Is my old man getting tired? You're getting too old for me!" commented Tidus rather ostentatiously.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," said Jecht sarcastically.

Tidus sported a huge grin at hearing these words, which was something that did not happen with enough regularity here on the Farplane. This pleased Auron and Jecht, and it made them want to smile as well.

Jecht and Auron truly felt for Tidus. They knew the pain of death and the feeling of having contact with their loved ones severed… they understood wholeheartedly.

"It's about lunch time. Let's go to my home and get something to eat," Auron suggested. Tidus nodded vigorously at the comment upon feeling his stomach rumble loudly. With that, all three of them headed off to Auron's humble abode.

Tidus' mind wandered back to Yuna during the walk home. He thought of how happy it would make everyone if they could all be together. He imagined everyone, including his father, Auron, and Braska sitting on the beach.

In his vision, he is holding Yuna tightly, whispering something in her ear. Maybe they were taking a break after an arduous day of wedding planning… Tidus and Yuna's wedding. He simply could not stop thinking of marrying that girl, and it made him crave her touch desperately.

"Hello? Anyone home in there?"

"Oh, sorry dad… I was daydreaming," Tidus said softly. Why did it seem like these thoughts, these visions, were a glimpse into the future? He simply knew that he would be with her some day, and he feared he could not wait any longer.

Upon finishing their meal, they decided to relax in Auron's back yard. Making himself comfortable on one of his lawn chairs, Tidus could not help but smile at two pink plastic flamingos casually dug into the ground.

Of all the people, he simply could not imagine Auron having pink flamingos in his yard.

"He's just full of surprises."

Tidus' smiles never lasted long never lasted very long, however. "They always fade away, just like I did."

"You're thinking too hard again."

"Oh… sorry Auron. I was just thinking about her again… I miss her," Tidus stumbled. Auron contemplated his comments, looking at his friend solemnly.

"I miss the way she would laugh to keep everyone happy… I just miss everything about her," he continued forlornly.

"I understand, Tidus," Auron commented. "I certainly know what your loss feels like… like a burning in your heart. One day, you'll figure out a way to extinguish the flames."

"I think the only thing that'll do that is Yuna," Tidus proclaimed with eyes cast downward. "We'll save each other from this loneliness. Having Yuna with me will fix everything, and I'll do the same for her, you know?"

"Don't worry son, I'm pretty sure that you two will find each other. It's only a matter of time." Jecht said in a surprisingly comforting voice.

Jecht had been very quiet and Tidus almost forgot that he was there. Moreover, it simply astounded him that Jecht had spoken in such a fatherly tone. It just didn't seem like the Jecht he used to know, but Tidus realized that his father was not the same man he had been when he was young.

Spira changed him, as it did Tidus, but a young, beautiful woman changed Tidus more then Spira could ever hope to. All Tidus managed to eek out without sobbing was a simple "Thanks Dad." That, it seemed, was an adequate reply, and Jecht simply nodded in return.

The trio's sereneness was interrupted by a very excited man stampeding out of Auron's back door and into the yard. It was Braska, and he was obviously very animated about something. Auron, Jecht, and Tidus looked on, waiting for some sort of an explanation to Braska's unusual display.

"I… I've been looking everywhere for you," Braska said, choking for air. He noticed Auron's flamingos at about that moment, and could not help but comment.

"Auron, I like your flamingos." Auron simply nodded in reply.

"I like flamingos."

Braska flashed a quick smile. "Sorry, I thought it might lighten the mood a little bit." All three nodded in reply.

Jecht looked like he was awaiting a response. "So what's up anyways?"

"I just talked to the high council," Braska said in between breaths. "They heard my, I mean, our story, and they were very intrigued by all of it. They were, however, especially interested in Tidus and his situation. They… Well, what I'm trying to say is, I think they can send Tidus back."