Eternal Love (Final Fantasy X/X-2)

Chapter 11: Reconnaissance

The airship ride to Bevelle had thankfully been uneventful. Brother had been overjoyed to see Yuna, of course, and had even managed to give a pleasant greeting to her fiancé for once, which hadn't always been the case.

When Tidus first returned, Brother had made his displeasure with him quite obvious. It hadn't come as a surprise to Yuna either. She'd been well aware of her cousin's incestuous feelings for her, and had waited far too long to address them. But when he'd threatened to kick Tidus off the Celsius one day—after catching her making-out with him in the cabin area—Yuna had been forced to confront Brother on the matter. And as hurt as he'd been from the ex-summoner's honesty, the wacky Al Bhed learned to accept her decision, and made a gradual effort to be cordial with Tidus from that point onward.

After landing at the dock of the Highbridge, the young couple made their way down the ramp of the Celsius, then came to a sudden halt the moment Yuna spotted Shelinda—along with several other reporters—armed with camera's, sphere recorders, and microphones, waiting for them on Bevelle's famous red and gold, marbled pathway.

"Great..." Tidus muttered. "How'd they know we'd be here?"

Yuna released an aggravated groan. "Someone must've tipped them off."

"Like who? Paine and Baralai were the only ones that knew we were coming." Rubbing the back of his neck, Tidus grimaced then sighed in frustration. "The guys in the ship wouldn't do this to us, would they?" Just then his eyes widened as though he'd remembered a vital piece of information. "Wait! There were some new faces among the maintenance crew!"

"It's pointless to fret about it now. They're here and we need to go through them to get to the temple."

"Like hell we do!" Tidus grabbed her by the hand and began leading the ex-summoner back up the ramp of the Celsius. "We'll have Brother drop us off at the northern pier. That way we can sneak in through the back."

"No—wait!" Standing her ground, Yuna yanked her hand away, prompting Tidus to stop and face her with an alarmed expression as several cameras flashed in their direction.

"What're you doing, Yuna!? They're gonna spin this into some kinda lovers quarrel. You know that, right?"

"Then let's set them straight!"

"The last thing you need right now is stress from the paparazzi."

Tidus wasn't wrong. Up until this point, they'd managed to avoid the press ever since that night of the party. Be it by sheer dumb-luck, or courtesy for her well-being, Yuna hadn't been bombarded by the media vipers, and she knew that wouldn't last for long. They were frothing at the mouth for some juicy gossip. And if she didn't toss them a crumb for now, they'd grow even more insistent, or worse—spin a web of lies. In the end, dodging them would cause her even more stress than the alternative.

"Let's just get this over with," Yuna appealed to him. "We can't avoid them forever."

With a resigned sigh, her fiancé conceded, and laced a hand with hers. "Alright, we'll do it your way. But can I make a couple suggestions?"

"Mm," she hummed with a nod.

"Keep the answers short. Don't give them more than what they're asking. It's a long way up that bridge to the temple. And you know they're gonna follow us the entire way. So, don't be afraid to say the infamous 'no comment ' line."

Yuna shot him a pointed look. "You know this isn't the first time I've dealt with the media."

"Yeah, but I know you. And you're always way too polite with them. Even when they don't deserve it."