Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ A Time for Reflection ❯ Epilogue ( Chapter 19 )

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~Epilogue~
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"Lady Yumiko and I are truly pleased to meet all of you once again. It is unfortunate that we must visit each other under such grim circumstances."

Sitting in the living room of Auron's home, they all looked pensively at each other before the discussion of the Farplane's future ensued.

Auron looked at their comrades skeptically. "Indeed," he replied unenthusiastically.

Braska had assured them that they were the Farplane's only hope for salvation; nevertheless, Auron's doubts were getting the best of him, and he had a hard time trusting Kaemon's former associates.

"So," Jecht started abruptly, trying to lighten the mood with his exuberant tone. "What can we do about that bastard?"

Yumiko looked at Jecht unhappily. "Right now, not much can be done. It is unfortunate, but necessary, that we gather a group of people willing to oppose Kaemon's erratic behavior." Braska and his friends looked attentively at Yumiko until Akeno started to speak.

"Kaemon is powerful; he has the entire Farplane, as well as Zanarkand, in his grasp. Yumiko and I can help, but we need the cooperation of many people to make this insurrection a success." Auron looked at him thoughtfully.

"So you're trying to tell us that our only hope is to delve into a full scale war?"

Akeno's eyes cast downward. "Well… yes and no. You forget that we are not of the living… we cannot die. The intention of war is to kill the enemy, is it not?" Everyone nodded, staring intently at the untrustworthy duo for a moment.

Jecht broke the silence by smirking at the comment.

"Yeah, that sounds like a pretty damn big oxymoron if you ask me… heh, killing dead people." They all nodded in response, and Yumiko picked up the conversation where it had left off.

"War does indeed revolve around destroying the enemy. Eons ago, the inhabitants of the Farplane knew and understood this just as we do today. That is why they created… this." She looked at her comrade, and Akeno nodded sternly at her.

Akeno pulled a large blade from the scabbard upon his back and showed it to the trio. Jecht looked at the curious blade… it glowed a bright green.

"So what?" he said thoughtfully. "It's just a sword… I mean, it's a damn weird looking sword, but it's just a sword." Akeno looked at him harshly, apparently offended at his lack of understanding.

"It is not just a sword," he said defensively, eyeing Jecht as he casually swung the blade in swift motions. Satisfied that he had gained their attention, he started to speak once again.

"Long ago, the people of the Farplane created a dimension for… evil people. They would banish them to this place upon their death through the use of potent magic… it is a very powerful, very fear inspiring spell." Auron's eye lit up at his comment, and he looked carefully at Akeno.

"Excuse me," he said forcefully. "But Seymour…"

Akeno didn't need an exclamation, and he briskly interrupted Auron. "Seymour had connections… with the unsent and fiends alike. He obtained and used the banish spell with regularity. I believe he used them on Lady Yuna's Aeons on a number of occasions, if I am correct."

He noticed Auron nod in agreement before continuing. "However… since the Aeons were a part of the fayth, they were confined for a very short period of time. For humans, it is *quite* permanent, and it works on anyone, regardless of whether or not they are dead."

Deciding to elaborate, Yumiko spoke once again. "Needless to say, Seymour is suffering in the very place that he banished so many." Jecht and Braska nodded in reply, but Auron appeared confused.

"Wait a minute," Auron said thoughtfully. If Seymour had this spell, why didn't he just send us all there? He could have made short work of my entire group." Akeno shook his head.

"I do not know… he was a twisted man, and it is hard to say what he had in mind. Maybe he had a use for all of you if his plan had succeeded." Auron thought the reply to be adequate enough, and he realized that it was irrelevant.

Braska spoke up after many minutes of attentive silence. "Sorry to change the subject…" Auron shrugged it off and urged Braksa to continue.

"Out of curiosity… just what does that blade have to do with all of this?" Jecht nodded his head vigorously in agreement; he, too, wanted an explanation.

"Yeah… and what is this place?" Jecht asked thoughtfully. "Is it hell, or something? I thought that was some sort of myth!" Akeno nodded in reply.

"It is, indeed, a fact known by few… yes, by the definition of the people of Spira, it is hell." Auron looked at both of them impatiently.

"Like Braska asked, what does the sword have to do with this?"

Akeno raised the sword to admire it for a moment and turned his attention back to his allies.

"Right. As we all know, spells can be turned into other things… tangible substances. You could take a potion as an example; it is merely a cure spell in liquid form." Yumiko started speaking before Akeno could get any more words in.

"Many years ago," she started. "The people of the Farplane had very different views as to how it should be governed. They… used the place of banishment for twisted purposes, and a massive civil war tore the Farplane apart. This sword… is a relic of that war. The banish spell continues to burn vibrantly within the blade to this day." Jecht didn't like the sound of it, and his words spoke volumes.

"Hey, wait just a damn minute! You're trying to tell me that I would… go to hell if you were to slash me with that thing?" Yumiko nodded solemnly and looked at them with caution.

"This spell, placed within normal weapons, aided Kaemon in winning the war many years ago. The opposing force was evil, and Kaemon was not. He ruled the Farplane fairly and peacefully… until now."

Auron glanced at everyone. "And what about Zanarkand?"

Akeno took control of the conversation once again. "Our knowledge of what is happening in Zanarkand is very limited. We do know that Kaemon's hunger for power is clouding his judgment. We must act with diligence to amass individuals who are opposed to his oppression before it is too late." Everyone nodded in reply.

Braska eyed their visitors carefully. "How long will it take to put together this… army?"

Akeno looked at Yumiko, who was silently urging him to continue. "Within six months, hopefully; it is our best estimation, but we could be mistaken. We also have… a very important matter to attend to. It is of a confidential nature." Yumiko sighed angrily at Akeno, but Jecht interrupted the uncomfortable moment by yawning loudly.

"I've heard enough of this damned bickering and speculation crap for one day; you two want anything to drink?"

"No thank you," Yumiko politely refused. "We cannot make our visits long… it will jeopardize our plans. Jecht, Auron, and Braska nodded in agreement as they followed them to the door. Bidding farewell to their newfound allies, they walked out the entrance and turned to face them one more time.

"We look forward to a time of peace, Sir Braska."

"Thank you. It was a pleasure to talk with both of you," Braska commented politely. Yumiko and Akeno nodded as they shut the door carefully behind them.

The door quickly opened once again, and Jecht found himself standing at the entrance.

"Akeno!"

Jecht's gaze met Akeno as he ran to catch up to him. "You said you don't really know what's going on in Zanarkand. But you gotta have some clues! Look, what I'm trying to ask is… do you know if my wife is in Zanarkand? Cause if you do, I have to know!" Akeno nodded sadly as he looked at Jecht.

"She is…" He looked around carefully. If caught near the traitors, the rebellion would be over before it started. They had to leave.

"I cannot clarify right now. Everything will be explained within time, but I assure you that she is safe… for right now. We will find a way to free all of them, I assure you."

Jecht began to probe for a better explanation, but he quickly decided against it… it wasn't safe out here. He nodded and walked quickly back to Auron's home. He had a lot to think about.

Once satisfied that they were out of earshot, Yumiko looked sharply at her ally.

"Why didn't you tell them? I thought we had agreed on it!" Akeno shook his head at her comment as he continued walking.

"They do not need to know this right now. We have given them enough information for the time being, and our alliance with them is shaky, at best. We did not need to burden them more than necessary." Yumiko was clearly at odds with his opinion, and she continued to protest.

"Akeno… Sir Jecht *needs* to know of the crucial role that his son will eventually play in this fiasco!" Akeno nodded sternly in reply.

"Jecht will know… within time."

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Six months later, in Spira
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It was lunch time, and they sat quietly at the dinner table. Yuna laughed inwardly at his behavior… watching Tidus eat was always a humorous event.

"Wow, Yuna… this is great! Heh, if I wasn't blitzing, I'd be fat and happy!" Yuna chuckled at his comment as Tidus gently grabbed her hand. He squeezed it reassuringly as he looked at her.

"Hey… you feel okay? I mean, you were really sick this morning." Yuna looked at him and smiled. Men… why did they have to be so dense sometimes?

"Tidus… I'm late."

He looked at her carefully as he grappled with her comment. "Late… do you have an appointment with someone?" Yuna sighed inwardly; she truly loved her husband, but sometimes she felt as though he needed a good smack on the head.

"No silly, I'm *late!*" she said enthusiastically. She quickly noticed that her voice was dripping with nervousness.

Tidus still looked slightly confused, but the light bulb started to flicker brightly in his mind. His eyes widened with surprise as Yuna's contrasting eyes shone brightly with nervousness and happiness.

"You… you're late? How late?"

He slapped himself mentally… he should have realized it a while ago. Her periods were like clockwork… he should have known she was late. And all the sick mornings… he felt incredibly stupid at the moment.

"I'm… I'm about two weeks late. The sickness in the morning..."

Tidus mouthed the words he wanted to say, but he had a hard time getting them out. "You… you mean we're going to… me, a dad?" Yuna nodded vigorously in reply, but Tidus still wanted reassurance. "We… we're gonna have a baby?" Yuna, amused by his questioning tone of voice, nodded once again.

After a moment of silence, Tidus quickly stood up from his chair and happily picked Yuna up from her seat. He cupped her lovely face in his hands as he looked adoringly at her. A jovial aura enveloped his being, and he laughed ecstatically. "I… I'll be a daddy! We'll be parents… together!"

Yuna looked at him gleefully. She honestly didn't know how he was going to react, but she was happy with the result. "I'm glad you're happy about it."

Tidus looked thoughtfully at her. "Why wouldn't I be? I couldn't be happier! I… I gotta go tell everyone!" Yuna started to protest.

"Tidus, wait! I... oh well."

Tidus bounded out of their home and dashed for Wakka's hut. He… was going to be a father. He wouldn't screw up like his old man did… he promised himself that long ago.

Now, he had the opportunity to turn that dream into reality. And on top of everything, he could be a parent with Yuna; it was an exhilarating thought.

He reached Wakka's home and tumbled loudly into the small hut. "Hey brudda! Haven't you ever heard of knockin'?" Tidus brushed off Wakka's comment as he gasped for breath.

"Wakka… me and Yuna. We... we're gonna have a baby. She's pregnant!" Tidus exclaimed as he started laughing joyfully. Wakka looked at his overly excited friend questioningly.

"Wha… you and Yuna? Parents?" Tidus nodded vigorously in between his noisy laughter. Wakka joined in on the laughter and they hugged each other happily.

"Hehe, go Tidus!" Wakka said jokingly as he released his grasp on his friend. They were interrupted by a large figure at Wakka's door.

"Kimahri be Uncle Kimahri?"

Tidus and Wakka looked at their blue furred friend and burst into heightened laughter. "Yep," Tidus proclaimed happily, "That's right!"

Tidus and Wakka's boisterous behavior gained the attention of many people. The curious villagers didn't know whether or not the noise coming from Wakka's home was laughter or screaming, and they took it upon themselves to find out. Among those people were Rikku and Lulu.

"Hey!" Rikku yelled animatedly. "Just what's goin' on in here?" Tidus was about to speak, but he had a better idea.

"Rikku… you and Lulu go talk to Yuna. She has something to tell you!" They nodded in confusion and Tidus once again started laughing with his friends.
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"Hey Yunie! Tidus said ya' had something to say to me and Lulu." Yuna invited her visitors in and sighed at her spouse's excitable nature. She couldn't deny it though… his attitude about the whole thing was adorable.

After hugging both Rikku and Lulu she politely invited them to sit down.

"So," Lulu asked calmly. "What is the big news that your husband is going on about?" Yuna breathed in heavily and started to explain.

"I'll just be straightforward, okay?" Lulu and Rikku nodded in reply, and Yuna breathed in heavily. "I… I've been sick in the morning for the past week, and my period is two weeks late."

Lulu and Rikku made the connection immediately, and Yuna winced as Rikku's gleeful scream pierced her ears ruthlessly. She bounded up to Yuna, latching onto her neck fervently.

"Oh Yunie! You're pregnant! You're gonna have a little Tidus or a little Yuna running around, hehe! Ackk, I'm sooo excited! Congratulations Yunie!"

At about that time, Wakka and Kimahri bounded inside… Tidus was following closely behind them.

"Heh," Tidus laughed humorously as he scratched his head. "Rikku's scream was our cue to come inside." Yuna wrangled herself free from her cousin's grasp and made her way to Tidus.

"You just couldn't wait to let everyone know, could you?" she asked in a foreboding tone. Tidus shrugged weakly in response as Yuna wrapped her arms around his slender waist. "It's okay… I understand; I'm relieved that you're happy about it."

Tidus nodded and looked at all of their supportive friends. Rikku was bobbing up and down happily, giggling excitedly, while Wakka and Lulu talked quietly amongst themselves about the newfound revelation. Kimahri was standing in the corner, silently contemplating… being an uncle.

"Well," Yuna said sweetly, gently releasing her grasp on Tidus. "Since you're all here, I'll get some drinks together. We can all have dinner later tonight. Rikku and Lulu looked at her carefully.

"Oh no you don't!" Rikku exclaimed forcefully. "You're expecting! Me and Lulu will do it. Right Lulu?" Lulu grudgingly nodded in reply, and Rikku headed for the kitchen. Yuna sighed, but she slowly nodded in compliance as she gratefully collapsed back into Tidus' comforting grasp.

"I'm tired love… let's sit down." Tidus nodded and cautiously picked her up. He placed her gentle form on their plush sofa and sat carefully beside her as Yuna snuggled closely to him. She quietly dozed off in his arms, and he gently stroked her soft cheek.

As Tidus held Yuna in his arms, he had a stunning realization; he was holding his wife and child… it was a sobering thought.
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"They look peaceful, ya? Should we wake them up?" Rikku and Lulu shrugged at Wakka's question as the trio silently looked at the couple sleeping blissfully on the couch.

"Mmmn… I'm up," Yuna exclaimed groggily as she wiped the drowsiness from her eyes. Rikku's bright green eyes lit up when she noticed that Yuna was stirring.

"Hiya Yunie…" she said stridently. "Me and Lulu made an early dinner for you two!" she exclaimed proudly. "Wake up your husband!" Yuna nodded and she turned her head to meet Tidus'. His eyes slowly opened, and his lips curled upward to form a smile.

"It's okay… Rikku's voice is enough to wake anyone up," he said tiredly. Rikku scoffed at his comment as she walked back to the kitchen, and Tidus' gaze shifted to meet Yuna.

"Was… this whole baby thing a dream?" Yuna shook her head left and right slowly, and Tidus grinned widely.

"I'm glad… I can't wait to have a child with you." Yuna smiled brightly and buried her head deeper into his chest. His thoughtful expressions comforted her and made her want to fall asleep in his arms all over again.

"You better not even think about it!" Rikku exclaimed angrily, completely ruining Tidus and Yuna's blissful newlywed moment.

"Okay okay… we're up!" Tidus said jadedly as he broke his embrace with Yuna and stood up slowly.

"Gawd," Rikku muttered vehemently. "*Somebody* woke up on the wrong side of the couch!" Rikku once again returned to the kitchen, and Tidus kindly urged Yuna to rise. After finally succeeding, he drudgingly led Yuna to the dining room to eat.

The meal was pleasant. When Tidus and Yuna finally climbed out of the tiresome stupor that had consumed them, they livened up and socialized a bit.

"So Yunie," Rikku started. "What do you and Tidus want to call the baby?" Yuna looked at Tidus and smiled.

"We… we haven't even got to discuss that yet," she said flatly. "But," she continued. "I'm sure we'll have fun deciding what to name the baby."

Tidus nodded at her in agreement and laughed when Kimahri suggested a Ronso name for the child.

"We'll uhh… keep that in mind, Kimahri," Tidus said in between chuckles.

The rest of the night was uneventful. Several hours of idle chitchat was the plan, and they moved their conversation to the living room where they all enjoyed a bottle of wine… everyone except Yuna, of course. Before long, it was getting late. Wakka yawned and looked at the clock on the wall.

"Man… time flies, ya?" Everyone nodded in reply, and their friends shuffled out of the living room to politely take their leave.

"Hey, thanks for coming over guys… it was fun," Tidus said contently.

"Wow… we have some great friends. So happy for us, so willing to help."

Everyone said their goodbyes, and Tidus tiredly shut the door as he looked at his exhausted spouse.

"I've got a game in two days," he said unenthusiastically. "I better sleep tonight and get some practice tomorrow, huh?"

Yuna nodded, and Tidus smiled happily at her. "Come on… let's go to bed." With that, he picked her up and took her to their bedroom.

It had become a nightly ritual, so to speak. Tidus would pick Yuna up and carry her to bed almost every evening. It made her feel extremely spoiled… in a good way, that is.

She realized soon after they were married how he *totally* suited her. Six months alone with Tidus made her aware of both his strengths and weaknesses. He wasn't perfect, of course; neither was she. She knew, however, that he suited her personality perfectly. Now, she had the opportunity to have children with him. She wouldn't trade it for anything.

"Hey… whatcha thinking about?" Tidus asked curiously, interrupting Yuna's wandering thoughts. She smiled at him as he gently nestled her on the bed and crawled under the covers with her.

"How great you are," she said cutely as she kissed him on the forehead. "I'm just so happy that you want this baby." Tidus looked hurt by her comment, and she apologized by the look in her eyes.

"Of course I want this baby… Rikku has a point you know," he said quietly as he attempted to change the subject. "What are we going to name it?"

Yuna shrugged as she pressed her body closer into Tidus'. "Well," she said thoughtfully. "We'll have to think of names for a girl and a boy. We don't know what it will be." Tidus nodded and started to speak.

"You know, we had something in Zanarkand that could look into the mother's belly and see whether it was a boy or a girl. I think it was called a sonogram, or ultrasound… or something." Yuna sighed at his comment.

"That just takes all the fun out of it... I would rather leave it as a surprise." Tidus shook his head in agreement and his eyes met Yuna's.

"Yuna?"

"Hmm?"

"Have I been a good husband to you so far?"

Yuna smiled at him. "The best one I've ever had…" Noticing that Tidus didn't find her little quip very amusing, she looked seriously at him.

"You… have been a *great* husband. Why do you ask?"

Tidus looked solemnly at her. "I… I wanna be a good father too." Yuna looked at him, her lively smile hidden in the darkness.

"I know you will, don't worry." Tidus tightened his grip on Yuna and looked at her in amusement.

"So," he said casually, a mischievous smirk forming on his lips. "Would it be okay for a guy like me to make love to his pregnant wife?" Yuna couldn't help but laugh at his tone of voice, and she nodded hastily in reply.

"Enjoy it while you can… you won't see me *this* thin for a while," she proclaimed humorously.

"Nah," Tidus scoffed, brushing off her comment. "You'll always be perfect…" Yuna swooned at his sweet comment and lustfully crawled on top of him. The darkness enveloped them, giving into the passions that claimed them as they had done so many other nights.

Upon falling asleep that evening, locked in a tight embrace, they both knew that they were ready… ready to face anything as their newfound nine month adventure began.

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The end…