Tidus/Rikku (Final Fantasy X & X-2)
Title: Brighter than Sunshine
Author: cherrybomb
Fandom: Final Fantasy X & X-2
Pairing: Tidus & Rikku
Spoilers: Both games ^^;
Disclaimer: I own nothing.






OVERVIEW

Final Fantasy X is the story of Tidus, a young blitzball star who finds himself suddenly torn away from his world and into the strange land of Spira. While searching for a way home, he joins a young summoner and her guardians on their quest to vanquish Sin, a mysterious force that terrorizes the people of Spira. Their journey, however, uncovers more than any of them could have imagined about Sin, Spira, and the people they've met along the way.

The end of Final Fantasy X finds the tables turned as our hero, who has found a way to save the summoner who had set out on a martyr's journey, disappears himself instead, having been no more than just a dream brought to life. Final Fantasy X-2 continues the story as the summoner and her cousin, one of her former guardians, seek to find him once more.


TIDUS



Tidus is the 17 year old star player of the Zanarkand Abes. Cocky, confident and generally cheerful, he often lets his emotions get the best of him and rarely thinks before he speaks. Though always stubborn and at times selfish, he's incredibly loyal and will do anything to protect and take care of his friends. He is motivated by doing "the right thing", though that doesn't always mean following the rules; in fact, it rarely does. He's passionate and foolhardy, upbeat and impulsive, and determined to find a way to save the world and his friends, even if it means resigning himself to his own fate.

Tidus' own personal demons include his hatred for his father, Jecht, who left him and his mother when he was only seven. His mother died shortly thereafter, having given up on living after Jecht's disappearance. After being pulled 1000 years into the future into the world of Spira, insult is added to injury when Tidus discovers that Sin is actually his father. Despite his own drama, though, Tidus' optimism and humor make him a real source of strength and cheer to his friends on their bleak journey.

The summoner and her guardians' journey is actually a pilgrimage of sorts, visiting temple after temple in order to pray to the fayth there and acquire their aeons (summoned beasts) to prepare for receiving the Final Aeon. Along the way, Tidus learns from the fayth that he himself is a dream of the fayth, and will disappear once Sin is destroyed and the aeons stop dreaming.


RIKKU



Rikku is a spunky 15 year old Al Bhed with a cheerful disposition and a knack for mechanics and stealing. She is bright and optimistic, and a source of light and life to those around her. Bubbly and energetic, she is also quite stubborn and always speaks her mind. Though young and a little selfish, her energies are always focused on helping and protecting others.

Rikku's father is the leader of the Al Bhed people, a tribe of Spirans noted for their swirling green eyes and blond hair and outcast by the rest of Spira for their use of machina and disregard for the teachings of Yevon. She has one brother, an eccentric and hardheaded punk a few years older than her. She lost her mother in a machina accident when she was young, and during the course of the game loses her home when it is cruelly attacked by the Guado and Yevon. Despite these personal hardships and the prejudice against her people, though, she remains a shining beacon of hope and optimism and spends her time trying to think of a way to beat Sin while saving her cousin, the summoner.

Seeing a summoner's journey as a useless path that ends in death without ultimately defeating Sin, Rikku and her people decide to kidnap all the summoners in order to protect them from a meaningless death. Rikku ends up joining the rest of the party in order to better protect her cousin and to try to persuade her to stop her pilgrimage or else find a way to keep her from dying in the end.


FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Tidus and Rikku first meet in the ruins of Baaj Temple. Tidus, having just been thrust into this strange new world, finds himself under attack when suddenly Rikku and a small team of Al Bhed blast their way into the main hall where he is fighting. Rikku steps up to help Tidus finish the battle, but afterwards he is taken captive by her group and threatened. She prevents them from killing him, though she doesn't treat him delicately; she walks up and presses up against him to whisper an apology in his ear before punching him in the gut and knocking him unconscious.

Despite the mixed messages of this first impression, Tidus doesn't seem to mind so much being held captive and forced to help the not-so-friendly crew of the Al Bhed ship as Rikku steps in as translator for him. He listens to her orders that they're going to dive for an underwater search and eagerly carries them out. In one of my favorite moments of the game, as he's jumping off the ship to dive into the water below, Tidus turns to flash Rikku a smile and a sign. It's so adorable. ^_^

It isn't until the next day, however, that the two are alone and get their first real chance to talk. Rikku greets Tidus with her foot in his side his first real meal since being swept away to Spira, and the moment he stops stuffing his face long enough to breathe he gets up to ask Rikku her name. When she answers, he goes completely blitzcakes at the fact that she actually does speak his language (even though they talked how many times the day before? He's not always the brightest crayon in the box...) and she explains that she's Al Bhed. Shocked at the fact that Tidus has no clue what that means, Rikku asks him about where he's from. He proceeds to show off, just happening to mention that he's the "star player of the Zanarkand Abes" (complete with a little kick in the air for effect).

Tidus ends up telling Rikku everything about Zanarkand and how he got to Spira, opening up completely. Worried, Rikku assumes his memory was affected by Sin and explains that Zanarkand has been destroyed for a thousand years. She's the first one to break the news to him, and it's possible she's also the first to believe his story, as she makes a point to tell him, "Don't tell anyone you're from Zanarkand, okay?" In any case, she immediately explains everything to him and thinks of a plan to help him.

Unfortunately, Playtime with Tidus & Rikku™ is interrupted by an attack by Sin that leaves Tidus washed overboard, taken all the way to the waters of Besaid. I think it's interesting that the moment he awakens, he frantically shouts her name. Y'know, in the moment before getting smacked in the head with a blitzball. Yeah.

It's a long time before we come across Rikku again in the game, at the Moonflow, but there are three scenes to note along the way.

The first is Tidus' dream in Besaid, after first meeting Yuna (the aforementioned summoner). Tidus finds himself on a dock with Yuna, who asks him to take her to Zanarkand. Before he can respond, they are interrupted by Rikku, who declares, "Hey! You said you'd go with me!" (Perhaps in all his rambling about Zanarkand earlier he told her he would show her, who knows.) The dream is interesting, because it shows Tidus torn between the two women.

The other two scenes take place after their arrival in Luca. After hearing that Auron is in town, Tidus follows Yuna and Kimahri to search for him. (Auron, if you're not familiar with the story, was a friend of his father in Zanarkand, and the one who brought Tidus to Spira through Sin.) Despite the hugeness of possibly finding someone he knows, Tidus stops in his tracks at the sight of two Al Bhed players in the hallway and takes the time to ask them to tell Rikku thanks for taking care of him.

Of course, the Al Bhed are really after the summoner, and Yuna is kidnapped the moment Tidus' and Kimahri's backs are turned. They go with Lulu to rescue her, and finally find her on the Al Bhed ship. After defeating the machina, Yuna emerges from the ship and is greeted by a very worried Lulu. Tidus, however, walks right past her, examining the ship and showing sympathy for the Al Bhed Yuna left unconscious at the ship's door. He explains how the Al Bhed saved his life, and how he was hoping to find them again.


REUNION

Tidus and Rikku are reunited much later, on the north banks of the Moonflow, after another failed kidnapping attempt on the part of the Al Bhed. Tidus comes across a rather disheveled Rikku on the shore, and there's a nice little cheesecakey scene with Rikku stripping off her wetsuit and Tidus totally gawking. Realizing it's his friend from before, Tidus is absolutely overjoyed to see her and asks how she's been. Rikku gets all pouty and defensive because, well, Tidus just kicked her butt when she was trying to kidnap Yuna, though he hadn't known it was her, and she proceeds to call him a "big meanie" (she's so cute ^_^). They're interrupted by the arrival of the rest of the group, and Tidus introduces her, having already told the other girls back in Luca about how she had helped save his life. After a brief girls-only conversation, Yuna requests that Rikku join them on the pilgrimage as a guardian, and Tidus puts in a good word for her to convince Wakka to let her join.

Along the pilgrimage, there are plenty of cute moments between Tidus and Rikku, and there are even a few special scenes that are affected by which girl you're nicest to.

The first such scene takes place in Guadosalam, as Yuna leaves to respond to her marriage proposal from Seymour, uber-creepy leader of the Guado people. Rikku follows Tidus to discuss the situation with him, and teases him about his relationship with Yuna. Unexpectedly, he replies, "I'd rather have you, Rikku." Surprised and deeply flattered, Rikku playfully punches Tidus in the arm and runs off, responding in Al Bhed, "Maybe someday!"

This is also the moment we learn a lot about Rikku, as she opens up and talks to Tidus about marriage, love, and kids. She even tells him about her mother's death, which elicits a sudden change in Tidus' demeanor, who also deeply misses his mother.

Rikku will also ride to Macalania Temple with Tidus, after Wakka discovers she is Al Bhed and Tidus has to defend her against him (not that she doesn't do a darn well good enough job of defending herself ^^). He apologizes for Wakka's behavior, and, though hurt by the fight earlier, Rikku is grateful to at least still have Tidus on her side. She asks if she looks like Yuna, and reveals that the two are cousins. We also learn a little about the Al Bhed's plan to protect all the summoners, and an unknowing Tidus comments that she should help Yuna, and not say that Yuna is sacrificing herself. Rikku, knowing that a summoner's path leads to their death, suddenly wraps her arms around Tidus for comfort, hoping against hope that he is right.

This isn't the first time Rikku turns to Tidus for comfort, though. The group has to travel through the Thunder Plains to reach Macalania from Guadosalam, and the young Al Bhed has a terrible fear of lightning. Halfway across the Thunder Plains, her fears get the best of her, and as lightning strikes closeby, she screams and crawls over to Tidus, desperately clinging to his leg. Even though the rest of the group is adamant about pressing on, he listens to her pleas and makes sure that they stop at a nearby inn for a rest.

And no matter how you treat the girl, Rikku'll always come on to Tidus under Lake Macalania, and playfully bow to the "star of the Zanarkand Abes" on the slopes of Mount Gagazet. And Tidus will be the first non-Al Bhed to call her "friend", and is always the first to step up to her defense.


KINDRED SPIRITS

I suppose one of the reasons that Tidus and Rikku work so well as a couple is that they are kindred spirits. They are both cheerful and optimistic, rebellious and hardheaded, and protective of those around them. Together they keep the spirits of their summoner and fellow guardians lifted, and spend most of the pilgrimage thinking together for a way to keep Yuna from dying. They're both also very honest about speaking their mind, and Rikku is always the first to say to Tidus what the others cannot bear to put into words. And maybe that's also why they so easily confide in one another. I love how playful they are, and how either one will jump up to support the plans and dreams of the other. And together, they are the breath that keeps hope alive amongst their friends.

I just wish there was more weight given to the affection levels present in the game, because nothing you can say or do can stop Tidus from kissing Yuna in Macalania, or Yuna being the one Tidus comforts as he disappears. I think Tidus' relationship with Yuna, however, is based deeply on the fact that Yuna needs a protector, and Tidus feels a need to fill that role. Had Yuna not been dying and in need of a guardian, I think the story would have turned out much differently. And I don't think that Yuna's love for Tidus is seen as an unreproachable claim to him in the eyes of Rikku. Even seeing her cousin's feelings for him, Rikku doesn't back down, and I think she sees it as Tidus' decision.

One of the most striking moments in the game to me doesn't even involve words. After the scene where Tidus goes to comfort Yuna and see if she will be quitting the pilgrimage, and they share an affectionate moment together, the two return to the rest of the party, waiting at the campsite. Tidus is the first to walk up, and an anxious Rikku jumps up at his approach, and runs up to meet him. Tidus, however, doesn't even look her in the eye, he just shakes his head apologetically and pushes past her. It seems obvious that he is apologetic that Yuna has decided to continue on her pilgrimage, but I first noticed this moment around my fourth play through, and it struck me hard as a Tidus/Rikku fan. He couldn't even look her in the eye.

Despite all of the evidence against them, though, I hold onto the fact that Tidus never returns Yuna's "I love you" (or "Thank you", in the Japanese) at the very end, and take special note at Rikku's "We're gonna see you again...?" brimming with hope, even as he is disappearing in front of their eyes.


FINAL FANTASY X-2

While the sequel isn't particularly kind to the couple, it keeps things just vague enough to leave room for hints of the pairing. Most noteable is the secret love Rikku has developed in the two years or so between first starting on the pilgrimage with Yuna in Final Fantasy X and the end of Final Fantasy X-2. Fanon almost always dictates that she is talking about Gippal, but it seems to me that Tidus is just as likely a candidate. After all, she probably hasn't seen Gippal since childhood, as the Crimson Squad events between games don't exactly leave Gippal free for meeting up with Rikku between games, so either she fell in love during Yuna's pilgrimage or during the events of X-2. And Last Mission finds a very pissy Rikku upset with her cousin for living a lazy quiet life in Besaid with Tidus, which makes me giggly, even if it seems the reason for her drama is her being pushed out of her friends' lives.

I won't go into how I think the "good ending" of FFX-2 is totally retarded, what with Rikku standing on the ship doing nothing, grinning like an idiot and Tidus saying hello to everyone BUT Rikku (even though at the very least the two were best friends), but I will mention that there's an interesting theory that the good and perfect endings of FFX-2 are all just a dream, and there's actually some pretty good logic to it if you take the time to think about it.

Probably my favorite thing from FFX-2, however, is Rikku's song "Without You". It's an uncharacteristically serious piece, and the more I listen to it the more I'm convinced she's singing about Tidus. It's a beautiful song, and definitely my favorite from the second game's soundtrack.


FANDOM

Though Tidus/Rikku is an often overlooked (or at least underrepresented) pairing and the fandom for the couple seems rather small, there has been a sudden flux of fan-made videos over the last couple of months, and the fandom seems to be rapidly growing, at least at YouTube. I would, however, really love to see more activity and support from the FFX fandom at large, especially here at lj and over at the pit. It makes me sad that such a wonderful pairing could still be so largely overlooked, at least it seems that way to me.

That said, here are some of my favorite stories and videos (along with some shameless self-promotion), and a few resources you may find handy. Most of these are also linked at Syopa Cusatyo, my Tidus/Rikku fanlisting that I'm in the process of moving over to Crazy Sunshine.

Sites
Crazy Sunshine - Tidus/Rikku shrine and fanlisting, complete with video game scripts, media gallery, lj icons, fan-made videos, fanfiction, and other stuff
Pineapples Romance - Japanese Tidus/Rikku coupling union, ran by Tama and home of some very gorgeous and adorable fanart
syopacusatyo - Tidus/Rikku lj community

Special Scenes
Tidus and Rikku - Guadosalam
Tidus and Rikku - Macalania

Fan Soundtrack
Fast Dreams

Fanfic
Al Bhed Blue - FANTASTIC fic, by runscottie
Home - one-shot by Galloway
Unsent - FANTASTIC prequel to Home, by Galloway
Love Shine - by myself
Days like this keep me warm - by myself, mostly 30_kisses themes
(more)

Fanvids
Memories are nice... - by myself
See ya later, Tidus - by myself
Bumble Bee - by Sawnah
(more)

Etc
Without You lyrics