Eternal Love (Final Fantasy X/X-2)

Chapter 1: Incandescent Bliss

Yuna sat at the bar on the Celsius, toying with the straw in her soda bottle. The rays of the setting sun filtered in through the windows, lighting up the cabin in a fiery glow. It had been a little over a week since Tidus had returned. He hadn't changed. He was still the same cheerful, outgoing guy she knew and loved, who would throw in the occasional snide remark when it suited him. Most of their time together had been spent getting reacquainted with everyone in Besaid and Yuna briefing him on her latest adventure. Recently, they'd visited the Zanarkand Ruins where they'd pondered the mystery surrounding his return. At first, Yuna had been terrified he would fade again. But a gut feeling had led her to believe otherwise—not that she ignored logic, but Tidus' existence in itself kind of defied it to begin with.

The past week had been almost torturous. They'd kissed and even made-out. But Yuna could sense something was holding him back from initiating anything further. And honestly, she couldn't take much more of the sexual tension. Yes, she was still innocent. But she'd waited over two years for him, never knowing if he'd return. She'd suspected part of his hesitation had to do with her inexperience in bed. With Tidus having been a star blitzer in Zanarkand, she was certain he'd been with other girls—only they'd never discussed the subject and not knowing was driving her insane.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the mechanical hum of the elevator door sliding open. Staring at her soda bottle, Yuna held in a breath, and hoped it was the man she loved—not Rikku or Brother who was about to walk in.

"Hey beautiful," a sensual voice whispered into her ear.

The gentle caress of his breath made her shiver. Tidus had never done that before and it surprised her a little. Releasing her breath from earlier, she watched as he sat on the stool next to her wearing his famous grin. Did he have any idea how aroused she was at that moment? He must have from the smug look that was now plastered on his face.

"So...anything good on the menu?"

Yuna wasn't sure if his question was meant to be suggestive, or if she'd just interpreted it that way. Regardless, she'd never been very good with witty come-backs, so she embarrassingly stumbled over her words instead. "Oh—I—uh...haven't looked. I'm not very hungry at the moment."

With an amused chuckle, Tidus tapped the silver bell provided on the counter then shot a flirtatious smile her way. "Well, you know me—I'm always hungry." When no one showed after a few moments, he frowned in confusion. "Where's Barkeep and Darling?"

"I think they're on a break."

"Figures." He groaned.

Worrying her bottom lip, Yuna contemplated whether to broach the subject of Tidus' past with him or not. She'd been agonizing over this for a while now. What she needed was answers, even if they weren't the one's she wanted to hear. "Um...can we talk?"

"I thought we were already doing that," he quipped with a chuckle.

His response wasn't very surprising. He was intertwining his hands repeatedly on his lap, which suggested he was nervous about this turning into a heavy conversation. And Yuna knew how much he dreaded those. If she wanted to get answers, she would have to fish them out of him. "I'm curious about your life before in Zanarkand."

"Well, whatcha wanna know?" Tidus looked somewhat relieved, now resting an arm on top of the wooden counter. "We talked a lot about that time during your pilgrimage."

"I know, but..." she paused, hesitant to voice her question, worried not only of his reaction to it, but of the answer, "we never talked about your past...relationships."

Clearly she had struck a nerve from the way his eyes slightly widened at her suggestion. He sat up straight and winced as if he were in pain. "Why do you wanna talk about that?"