The Truth Beyond the Dream (A Final Fantasy X/X-2 Fan Fiction)

Chapter 16: Ever Dream

The ride home on Leviathan had been considerably less turbulent than the journey to the ruins. His daughter had finally grown accustomed to controlling the serpent and seemed to do so with ease. After vanquishing such a beast, he assumed it would generate quite an animated conversation, however, no one spoke of the battle at the sunken temple—or at all really, until they arrived home.

Drake burgers seemed to be a fitting late night meal. And with Darling's Delicious Burgers offering swift twenty-four hour delivery service, it wasn't long before they had some fat, juicy, drake patties to sink their teeth into. He really hadn't eaten much over the past couple days and it had begun to take its toll, leaving him more fatigued than normal—then again, he had just helped slaughter a massive dragon.

Stuffing the crumpled wrapper from his burger into the empty bag, he leaned back in his seat, and watched his daughter fuss over her boyfriend at the dining table. Luckily for Vidina, the dragon hadn't crushed any of his bones, but his occasional wincing indicated he was still sore from the whole ordeal.

"I'm fine, Tris, really."

"You should've been resting, not out there fighting a dragon." His daughter shot him an icy glare, obviously displeased by his earlier insistence on Vidina joining them in training.

"We've already been over this, Tris. It's too dangerous for him to be alone."

"Which is why I should stay near Vidina, tonight."

"No—absolutely not!" Had he known his words would be used against him, he would've phrased them differently.

Yuna pursed her lips to the side and shook her head in protest. "Your father and I already agreed on the sleeping arrangements. This is not up for debate."

"We'll stay on the sofa with the lights on," Trista pleaded. "Trust me, I don't wanna turn off the lights after what happened earlier tonight."

Man, was she persistent. Another dominant trait she had inherited from both him and his wife. "We're all staying under the same roof. He won't be alone."

"We were all here earlier when Zak was taken," she retorted.

His daughter's words served as a slap in the face. And what was worse, he couldn't argue them. At this point, he was already exhausted with no desire to expel any more energy fighting his daughter on the issue. With an exasperated sigh, he stood, and gave her a stern look. "See to it those lights stay on. And don't forget how good my hearing is."

Trista scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Don't test me, young lady," he warned.

"Heading to bed?" Yuna quickly interjected, obviously trying to diffuse the situation before it had a chance to escalate.

"Yeah."

"I'll be up soon."

With a nod, he retreated down the hall and made his way up into the bedroom, lit by only the soft glow of the crescent moon. As he prepared for bed, he thought about all the grief he had caused Auron back in Zanarkand with his wild ways. This must've been how the legendary guardian had felt when his warnings fell on deaf ears. In a lot of respects, Auron had been a father to him. Maybe that's why he sounded so much like him as he aged. Deep down, he loved and respected the man—something he never expected to admit to himself.

The moment he climbed under the covers, his wife entered the room, and gently shut the door. "I didn't think you'd be in bed already."

"What should I be doing, then?"

"Sorry, I guess I expected you to be brooding by the window or something."

An amused smile inched across his lips. He had habit of doing that, didn't he? "Nah, I'm too tired to stand by the window. Much more comfortable to brood in bed."