Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ A Time for Reflection ❯ Welcome to Eternity ( Chapter 16 )

Chapter XVI: Welcome to Eternity

Breathing in deeply, he reveled in the crispness of the cool tropical breeze… his bride by his side.

His bride.

It was undeniably a strange thought to him, but he cherished the feeling of being permanently united with the only person he could ever love.

They had just finished greeting the immense line of eager wedding attendees, and it was time for the reception.

"Hey," Tidus said meekly, looking at his wife. "Your vows… they were pretty." Yuna looked at him and grinned happily.

"I… I liked yours too." As she looked at her husband, she started laughing gleefully. He cocked his head in confusion, causing Yuna to laugh even harder at his quirky stare.

"I had this huge vow thought out… this, intricate plan," she said, her voice gaining a bit more seriousness. "I lost track when you started your vows… when you called me my love. I couldn't think of what to say. I… I was happy."

Her laughter and charming comments were very pleasing to Tidus, and he stared into her eyes as he spoke.

"Don't worry, they were beautiful… trust me." They walked together as husband and wife to the reception area, another part of the beach.

"Hey there," Wakka said casually, walking up to the newlyweds. "You ready to party?" Tidus looked at Yuna and shrugged; in all truthfulness, the reception wasn't what they were thinking about, but they nodded slowly at Wakka.

"Yeah," Tidus replied coolly, and he smiled evilly upon remembering his plan with the wedding cake. "I'm gonna make a mess with the cake!" he said mischievously, looking at Yuna. Wakka laughed and patted him on the back roughly.

"Cake? Is… is it time for the cake?" Rikku asked excitedly, bounding up to both of them. "I love cake, but I reallly love wedding cake! It's yummy!"

Tidus laughed and decided to poke fun at the hyperactive teenager. "As long as you don't rip your dress again... wait, you don't get any cake. It's payment for, umm, breaking that flower pot, heh!" Rikku, for some reason, actually believed Tidus' joke, and she drooped her head in dejection.

Yuna smacked Tidus on the arm lightly and started laughing. "Rikku… he's joking. You'll get some cake, don't worry." Rikku's unusual green eyes lit up once again, and she gave Yuna a quick hug before she left. Looking back at them, she ruefully stuck her tongue out at Tidus, which caused him to start laughing once again.

"She likes to do that, doesn't she?" Tidus asked his wife curiously. She shrugged in reply as they approached the reception area.

"Now that you're here, we can begin, ya?" Wakka asked quizzically, and he walked up on the stage to greet everyone in attendance. The reception started in full force.
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As the evening progressed, Wakka walked carefully onto the stage and prodded for everyone's attention… he was the Master of Ceremonies, designated to make any announcements pertaining to the wedding. After Wakka was confident that he had gained the crowd's interest, he began to speak.

"Ladies and gentleman, if you would please direct your attention to the dance floor… Tidus and Yuna will have their first dance." The crowd quickly became silent.

They played their song... the same gorgeous dance they shared together when Tidus first returned to her. They held each other tightly… pure and beautiful love emanated from their slow, romantic movements. Everyone agreed that they looked beautiful and elegant together. It truly was a magical occasion.

After a few minutes of dancing together, Tidus looked at Yuna somberly. He smiled happily at her and kissed her gently on the forehead.

"You know… I don't think I've ever been so happy in my life… love you." She smiled at him and leaned heavily into his body.

"I love you too… I'm happy to be with you too." The dance ended shortly thereafter, and they walked back to their table with arms entangled around each other.

The food was wonderful and the decor was attractive. White and blue flowers mingled gracefully with lush ivy. The wedding party sat in the northwest corner of the reception area, and the banquet table was directly across from them. Everyone received their share of sustenance, and the activities continued throughout the evening.
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As the moon and stars brightly lit the reception area, Tidus and Yuna were relaxing at their table… they had been dancing for most of the evening. Deciding to take a short break, they were sweetly talking amongst themselves and sipping on some wine. Lulu walked casually up to them.

"It's time to cut the cake."

Tidus looked at his wife and grinned widely. Yuna smiled and played along, pretending to cower in fear at the prospect of getting cake all over her face. Their smiles were replaced with loving stares, and they kissed one another quickly on the lips.

Rikku walked up to them and made visible gagging noises. "You two just hafta make *everything* all lovey-dovey, don't you?" Yuna looked away from Tidus for a moment and nodded her head vigorously in between her laughter. "Yuck!" Rikku responded mischievously.

"You'll understand one day, Rikku." Sighing heavily at Yuna, she turned around and skipped merrily to the three tiered wedding cake.

Tidus looked at her and could not keep from commenting. "You don't get any, remember? Hey, come back here!"

"Pek cdibet sayhea rayt!" Rikku proclaimed animatedly as she neared the cake… Tidus concluded that he would have to find out exactly what she was saying one day.

Wakka approached the stage and cleared his throat. "Everyone, Tidus and Yuna are about to cut the cake. If you would like to watch, grab a piece, or get a recording on sphere, please approach the table."

The crowd eagerly headed to the table as Tidus and Yuna picked up the silver plated knife. Together, they cut their first slice, hand in hand. "Well," Wakka said enthusiastically, looking in Tidus' direction. "Give her some, ya?"

"With pleasure," he replied coolly.

He reached for a small piece of cake and kindly fed it to his wife. Noticing his subtle actions,

Yuna decided that she should comment. "I thought you were going to put cake all over my face," she said curiously.

Tidus looked at her, grinning madly. "Naw, I changed my mind just now. I decided that you look too… pretty." Yuna smiled at him as she carefully gave Tidus his piece of the cake.

After they were finished, Lulu took over in cutting the wedding cake, and Wakka proceeded to slice Tidus' chocolate groomsman cake, which was strangely resembled a misshapen blitz ball. The awkwardness of the cake gave all of the guests a good laugh. After everyone received their piece, the wedding was regrettably coming to an end.

"Hey," Wakka said to Tidus and Yuna thoughtfully. "You two should make a speech or something. Thank em' for coming, ya?" They nodded and reluctantly walked onto the stage. Upon seeing the couple, the crowd immediately stopped what they were doing to listen to them.

"You say it," Yuna whispered quietly to Tidus, grabbing his hand nervously. Tidus gave her a playful scowl and lightly cleared his throat as the attendees looked on interestingly.

"Uhh, ladies and gentleman… my wife and I are very glad you were all able to attend. I'm… not really good at stuff like this, but I'd like to thank all the people of Besaid for making this evening so beautiful for me and Yuna." Tidus looked at the crowd for a moment and saw his friends listening intently. Of course, he couldn't forget to mention them.

"I'd like to thank my best man, Wakka, for everything. On behalf of my wife, I would like to thank her maid of honor, Lulu. You two were awesome! Thank you so much for your help." Wakka gave him an encouraging thumbs-up, and Lulu smiled nicely.

"And my groomsman, Kimahri… you protected Yuna throughout the years. If I can do even half as good a job as you at staying by her side, I'll be a happy guy." The attendees looked to the corner in which Kimahri was standing, and the shy Ronso waved to the crowd.

"Rikku," Tidus stated firmly, looking in the direction of the excitable Al Bhed girl. Much to her embarrassment, Tidus caught her at a time when she was greedily stuffing her face with wedding cake; upon noticing the blank stares she was receiving from everyone, she quickly swallowed her dessert and smiled brightly at everyone. Tidus laughed and decided to continue.

"You always tried to make Yuna smile when I was gone. Thank you so much for that… thank you for being so kind. It means a lot to both of us." Rikku swooned at Tidus' kind words and looked dreamily at the newlyweds.

"I would also like to thank Sir Ira for performing the ceremony. Thanks Ira, you did a great job." Ira smiled at the couple as Tidus looked around. Satisfied that he didn't leave anyone out, he continued speaking.

"Well," Tidus continued. "I guess that's it. We'll be leaving in a few minutes for Bevelle, and I would once again like to thank everyone for coming…" The crowd applauded loudly as Tidus and Yuna walked off the stage.

Yuna looked at her husband, surprise written all over her face. "Wow," she said flatly. "That was really good." Tidus looked at her and grinned.

"Aww, well, I'm used to it… press conferences and everything." He looked at Yuna and started smiling. Donning his trademark grin, he started to comment. "After all, I was the…"

"Yeah, I know…" Yuna interrupted sharply. She tried her best Tidus impersonation, commenting in between her laughter. "The star player of the Zanarkand Abes!" Tidus laughed at her, grabbing her by the hand.

"Come on," he said happily. "It's time to board." She followed him closely as they left the reception area and walked in the direction of the harbor.

It was an outlandish idea, but they agreed to go to Bevelle for their honeymoon. Although they didn't have the best memories of the place, they both thought that it would be a lovely place to share their first week as a married couple. The city was full of emerging machina, so it added to the comforts of life. In addition, the hotel that they would be staying at was beautiful. So, it was really a natural choice for them. They were looking forward to creating some *good* memories in the city of Bevelle.

They approached the S.S. Cupid, a small passenger liner that could be more eloquently described as a yacht. They had quickly decided against the airship as a means of transportation. It was bumpy, loud, and it smelled like grease… not at all romantic.

"Good evening Sir Tidus… Lady Yuna. I am Captian Armand, and this young man is my navigator, Brice. Please, make yourselves at home on our humble ship." Tidus looked around and surveyed the beauty of the vessel they were about to board. Humble wasn't the way he would have described it. More like a floating palace, it was a new ship that utilized a powerful Al Bhed internal combustion engine… and Tidus and Yuna had it to themselves. It was surreal, for both of them.

"Hello Armand, Brice. It's so nice to meet you," Yuna said happily, shaking their hands.

"The pleasure is all ours. Our crew is here to serve you. If you like, we will send breakfast to you tomorrow morning." Yuna smiled gleefully and nodded.

"That would be wonderful, thank you very much." She looked at Tidus as they walked on deck, a huge grin plastered on her face. "Isn't this great?" she asked excitedly. Tidus nodded and looked at his surroundings.

He was dumbfounded and absolutely shocked at the beauty and grace of the vessel. Interrupting his thoughts, Yuna nudged him on the arm. They looked at their friends, who were standing on the pier, waving at them.

"Good bye!" Yuna proclaimed joyfully, waving at them in return. Tidus also waved at them merrily, and they walked to the bow of the vessel.

"Yuna," Tidus said calmly as they gazed at the stars. "How much did they pay for this?" Yuna looked at him and shrugged, the white fabric of her wedding gown flowing gorgeously in the wind.

"I don't know. I… I wasn't expecting something *this* nice. It's… beautiful." Tidus saw her shiver slightly; he took off his tuxedo coat and put it on her slender shoulders.

"Mmmh, thank you," Yuna replied contently, enjoying the warmth of the coat on her. Tidus wrapped his arm around her as they continued to stand there, and they felt inertia take over as the boat started to move. They looked at their friends one last time and waved goodbye. It was *their* week now.
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They stood at the bow of the ship for some time, gazing lazily at the stars.

"Wow," Tidus said… he was awestricken by the beauty of the sky. "The stars are really pretty out at sea." Yuna nodded as the put her arm around his husband.

"Yes, they are. There's no light for miles and miles, so you can see all of them." Tidus nodded in response, trembling slightly due to the chilly wind. It had become much colder outside, especially since they had left the tropical waters of Besaid.

Yuna looked at him for a moment. "Poor thing, I stole your coat! Come on, let's go to our cabin… we haven't even seen it yet."

Tidus nodded and they started walking to their cabin. "Sure thing… hmm, they better not have forgotten our luggage…" Upon reaching their room, Tidus scooped her up in his arms playfully and carried her through the threshold.

"Wh… what are you doing, Tidus?" Yuna asked curiously. Tidus looked at her, confusion plainly written all over his face.

"What? Don't tell me that the newlywed husbands in Spira don't carry their wives over the threshold! It's an old Zanarkand tradition!"

"Well, no they don't, but… if it makes you feel any better, I'm glad you did," she said encouragingly as Tidus softly set her down. Tidus smiled and gave her a quick kiss as they thoughtfully surveyed the room for a moment.

"Man," Tidus said, undeniably impressed by their surroundings. The furnishings were elegant, made of the finest timber in Spira. The room smelled lightly of roses, and an iced down bottle of champagne was waiting patiently in the corner of the room. Sure enough, their luggage was ordered neatly in front of the large bed.

Tidus plopped lazily onto the bed, surprised at the luxuriousness of it… a beautiful queen sized mattress, made of the softest chocobo feathers. The sheets were of silk, and the pillows were also made from lush chocobo down. Tidus quickly concluded that their friends and the people of Besaid had gone all out with the honeymoon arrangements.

Yuna looked around the room excitedly. "It's so romantic, Tidus! It's what I always dreamed of..." She walked to the bed and sat down beside Tidus, carefully gripping his hand.

"Of course," she continued. "I... I'm happy no matter where I am, as long as it's with you."

Tidus looked at her lovingly and started gently placing kisses on her mouth, neck, and cheek. Yuna stopped his gentle caresses for a moment to look at him.

"Umm, hold on one second… I have something to show you." She picked up one of her suitcases and walked quickly into the small bathroom. Tidus looked around, and his eyes lingered upon the champagne. Not wanting to waste the bottle of bubbly, he reached for the alcohol and popped the cork with ease. He proceeded to pour two glasses for him and his wife… he almost spilt the bottle's contents onto the floor when Yuna opened the door to the bathroom.

She stood seductively in the doorway of the lavatory. Wearing beautiful, snow white, sensuous lingerie that left little to the imagination, Tidus swooned at her unbelievable beauty.

"Well," she said sweetly, her contrasting irises twinkling adoringly at her husband. "What do you think?" Tidus walked up to Yuna and handed her a glass of champagne. Taking the beverage, she quietly sipped on her drink as she awaited Tidus' response.

"You… you're incredible… you've always been *so* beautiful."

He followed Yuna as she made her way to the bed, and she looked happily at Tidus. Upon setting her glass on an elegantly crafted end table, she wrapped her arms tightly around him. Yuna proceeded to shower her husband with hot kisses as she pressed her body passionately into his.

Completely caught up in the moment, Tidus whispered passionately in her ear. "Y-You're so pretty. Now, I… I'm married to you now, and I…" Yuna interrupted him as she kissed his hot lips fervently. She broke the kiss long enough to whisper avidly into Tidus' ear.

"Tidus," she moaned, her heavy breathing escalating her husband's excitement. "Please… help me take this off." Tidus laughed softly.

"But you just put it on…" She shrugged with a smile and put her lips to his again.

Despite his mischievous remark, he lovingly removed her evening gown as Yuna passionately unbuttoned his furrowed tuxedo shirt.

"I love you so much," she whispered hotly, as they continued to caress each others bodies ardently.

"Love you, Yuna… m-more than anything."

They made love that night for the first time as a married couple… pure and exquisite. It was different… better. They were bonded in every way, and their love finally felt complete. It was… total ecstasy, for both of them. Falling asleep on the soft bed, their exposed bodies keeping each other blissfully warm, they anxiously awaited to greet the morning… as husband and wife.