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Hi, this is another fanfiction about FFX. It's a lot less tragic than the first one, and no less romantic, I hope, though I tried to get rid of all possible lemons, because lemons are disgusting and sour. Tidus and Yuna are to be performing at the docks in the Philharmonic Orchestra in this fanfiction and it's another, rather poetic piece about the love between them. It's a little longer than the previous one, but I tried to make it all important. I love the flashbacks that I included because those help reveal small snapshots of Yuna's past in accordance with Tidus. Please Rate, please.

Disclaimer: I don't own FFX.

Night of the Philharmonic Orchestra

Professor Seymour stood in front of the orchestra room in a white robe.

Performing Arts Centre; Orchestra Department; Zanarkand High. 10:00 AM.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he announced, "the Philharmonic Concert is being held tonight. I will be collecting the permission slips that I sent to be signed last week. You will need approval before you can attend the concert. It will be held at the docks tonight; the information regarding the event should all be included with your packet. Those who do not have their permission slips or who have failed or forgotten to get them signed will not be going." At this last comment, the entire class seemed to shift nervously and it became obvious that some people did, indeed, forget.

Damn, thought Tidus, what permission slip?

Professor Seymour stood at the front of the classroom and picked up his instrument. "But first," he said, "Let us practice the pieces for the concert. I have asked the students in the other classes about what order we would like the pieces to be performed in, and so far," he pointed to the chalkboard, where several lists had been forming, "this is what we have agreed on. We can discuss it later, though." And he sat down on his stool and picked up a music book. "Let us practice this first."

The entire room shuffled around as the students pulled out their instruments and their music books, flipping to the page that Seymour was on, positioning their bows and tightening their strings.

"I shall provide the cello orchestration," said Seymour, and he began, pulling his bow across the string with vigor as he launched into the piece which was fast paced and methodical. The strings on his cello vibrated from the bow's movement as the air about him thrummed from the sound it created. "Prepare to join in after the introduction," he said, nodding at one part of the class.

The students stiffened their postures and glanced about them, their sweat evident on their foreheads by the bright stage lights that shone from the ceiling, lighting up the floor and the chairs and the instruments spectacularly. This was the final gathering before the concert and it would be the last time to practice and to check for possible mistakes. Nothing could go wrong.

The violins joined Seymour in the piece, bringing forth a high and vibrant tone that sung loud and clear. Tidus looked over at his stand partner, Yuna, and smiled. He was glad that he had her for a partner; for she was talented at the viola and her good music would drown out his, should he make a mistake.

Seymour continued onward as pages were flipped and books repositioned in a rush and the music slipped for a moment. Seymour did not stop, however, and glared as the students in the violin section rushed to catch up with him. The piece had become faster and faster, and Tidus was scared of making a bad entrance when he was called forth with his viola. Yuna looked at him and touched his hand, letting him know that Seymour was drawing closer. He nodded in assent and straightened his posture and his bow, preparing.

"The violas should join me on the next line," he said above the deafening squeak of the violins as the musicians bowed with grace, like swans with instruments.

Tidus scanned the page and found where he should enter. And in an instance, he did so without fault as the rest of the violas were added to the piece, giving it a rich and deeper tone to blend in smoothly. It had slowed and had become much softer, though no less potent as the sound rang in the hall and the lights glared down upon the musicians as line after line was eaten up by the moving bows and the vibrating instruments.

Tidus' eyes followed the course of the music as he turned a page and became lost in the wonderful sound. It was sweet and melodious and it captured his heart in a tight embrace. He looked over at Yuna, who was concentrating too hard on her book to notice him, her elegant arms moving beautifully, her nimble fingers darting forth, up and down the viola to hold the string down and release it in a perfect order. She looked so wonderful, performing, he thought, his mind in a complete jumble, mixed somewhere between his affection for Yuna and his concentration of the piece.

But Yuna was his friend, he knew, and nothing else, and his affection for her was not a loving kind, but a tender and friendly kind that is shared between close friends that have known each other for a long time and have become accustomed to how the other one thinks and acts. He had known Yuna since he was a small child. For an instant, he remembered, and for an instant, his music slipped...

Flashback...

"Mom, what're we doing here?" asked the small boy, sitting on the bench at the train station as he watched his mother comb through her bag. His hair waved in the breeze, messed and untidy. It was blonde; it gleamed in the bright sunlight.

"We're waiting to welcome some friends, Tidus," said his mother. He was seven at the time, and he could not help but wonder whether or not the friends had brought a child. He hoped, in his heart, that they had, for he was a child and he was bored that day and to a child, each day brings different surprises and each day is counted like a separate hour for doing something different. He sat back on the bench and watched the pavement as cars rushed back and forth across the hot road. It seemed all so fast to him. He wondered if, one day, he would be able to run that fast. He marveled at the speed as a car sped past them, feet from where his mother sat with him on the bench, waiting for the train.

It did not take long to arrive. It was a beautiful train, painted in a bright red color. It slid around the bend in the road and moved toward the station and the bench and the two people sitting on it with such grace that Tidus was astonished. It looked like a snake, he thought. The black windows at the front gleamed like dull jewels in the brilliant sunlight… like the eyes of a cobra, he thought in his mind. He watched as it shuddered to a stop. One of the doors in the side of the train opened, and a woman stepped forth from within. She was holding a smaller girl in her arms. She was sleeping.

As her mother conversed with the woman from the train, Tidus looked at the girl in her arms… her hair was dark and brown and rich and cut short so that it fell down to her shoulders and stopped, curling around her face, which looked soft and pale and beautiful. Her hand was curled around a small bear. She held the bear tight to her chest, her smooth chin resting on the top of the bear's head. She nudged it in her sleep and Tidus smiled.

"Mommy, she looks pretty," he said.

Both women laughed, but he did not understand.

"She does look beautiful, doesn't she?" said his mother in response, "Like a Faerie Princess."

End of Flashback...

Like a Faerie Princess, thought Tidus, looking at Yuna again. His bow had frozen on his instrument and, as he looked at her, she turned to stare at him. She looked from him, then to the teacher, then back at him, as though trying to tell him something. And then he realised that the rest of the class was still playing the piece and that the music was still continuing onwards in his ears. He was lost in his thoughts as he turned back toward the music book and tried to relocate his position.

He never did find it.

School Commons; Grounds; Zanarkand High. 11:00 AM.

"I can't believe it," said Tidus, "Seymour isn't going to let me go because I forgot to get the permission slip signed." He was sitting with Yuna at the table beneath the wide and sweeping eaves of the Pavilion in the student commons, outside. He looked out at the green grass that sloped down from the hill the pavilion sat on, towards the rushing river that ran through the forest and the trees behind the student commons. It was a beautiful location, one of the most beautiful in the entire school, and Tidus had brought Yuna to the Pavilion often to work on his homework and prepare for his exams.

"Well, ask Seymour if you can hand it in tonight," said Yuna, looking up from her salad.

It's amazing how Yuna manages to eat during her lunch breaks, thought Tidus, all I ever do is work on damn homework. There's far too much of it. Do the teachers expect us to get through this pile at home?

"What?" asked Yuna, her face looking up again as she took another bite.

"Nothing," said Tidus, blushing slightly and looking down at his book and papers, sprawled out before him on the table. "It's just that… I've got so little time to spend on normal things." He said, "I mean, I can't even eat during lunchtimes… there's too much work to do."

Yuna looked at him, "You should learn to finish it faster then," she said, but smiled when she saw him pout and scooped up some more of her salad. "Here then," she said, sticking it into his mouth, "Have some of my lunch."

He gagged on the vegetables and pulled out the fork, handing it back to her, "That's nice of you, Yuna," he said, coughing out the leaves, "But I think I'd rather starve than eat that."

Yuna giggled.

Flashback...

"Hullo," said the boy, looking up at the girl who sat on the wooden stool in his kitchen. She seemed nervous and timid, and he felt that she needed some comforting. He held out his hand, like a friend. "I'm Tidus," he said, grinning.

"Hi Tidus," said the girl, returning the smile and shaking his hand. "I'm Yuna." She looked pleased that he had been the first to introduce, for she did not have the nerve to do so. She was not quite that intrepid and she had not quite that fortitude.

"Care for a game?" asked Tidus. He brought over another stool and climbed onto it so that he and Yuna were at the same level and so that he could look into her eyes without feeling insignificant and lesser. He smiled to show his friendliness and again, Yuna agreed. He explained the rules of the game, which was small and simple and basic. "One of us thinks of something and the other person guesses it. Each time I guess wrong, for instance," He said, "You have to give me a clue to what it is… it can be anything at all. You can go first since you're the guest."

"Thanks," she said, beaming, and then, after a moment, said, "Got it."

"Good," said Tidus, and then began to guess. First, he thought of all the things it might be. He realised that she would think of something that was important to her, and so he remembered the bear that she was holding when her mother had carried her from the train and onto the station where he had sat and observed.

But it was not the bear. She told him that it was a food and so he thought of various foods. He had not known Yuna for a long time and he had never invited her over for a dinner and so he did not know what kinds of food she preferred to eat. He fancied her, however, as a girl who liked what he liked, and so he asked whether it was Spaghetti and Meatballs.

But it was not the Spaghetti and Meatballs. She told him that it did not include meat and so, being an observant friend, he thought she might have liked a sandwich, for she seemed the kind of girl to eat sandwiches in plastic wrapping, brought to school each day in a neat, brown paper bag.

But it was not the sandwich either. She told him that it had various vegetables and fruits in it, and when he heard this, he glanced at his fruit dish and he imagined what the fruit might look like in a larger bowl, filled with carrots and lettuce and olive dressing.

"It must be a salad!" he said, and Yuna nodded.

"Your turn, Tidus," she said.

Tidus looked at her and took in her face and her beautiful countenance, the locks of brown hair sweeping down from her forehead to cover her eyes. And then, he noticed something strange about her eyes. One was green and one was blue. Odd. "I got it, Yuna. Just remember that it can be anything… even things that can't be touched or felt or seen."

She nodded and guessed, "You were thinking about how strange my eyes looked." She smiled.

"Wow, Yuna," said Tidus, astonished that she could guess so quickly and so accurately, "You're the first person I've ever met that can do that so fast. You must be good."

"It's not that," she replied, and she blushed, "I just noticed you were staring at me in a strange way. People do it a lot."

Tidus looked down and blushed too.

End of Flashback...

"Tidus?" asked Yuna, looking concerned.

He was still sitting at the table and Yuna was still sitting on the bench before him. She placed her hand to his cheek and giggled, "Hello, Tidus? You're not sick, are you?"

"What?" asked Tidus, glancing up in astonishment and touching her hand, pressing it into his cheek. It felt cold and comfortable and cool, and he felt his face turn red at the thought of it, "No, it's just that… I was thinking about something you told me once." He turned even redder.

"Well, I hope it helped with the homework you still haven't started on," she said, pretending to be strict as she tapped a pencil against his book, still sprawled on the table with his papers. "Lunch is almost over and this still isn't finished. It's due next period."

"I know," he said, and he put his head against the book, pressing her hand beneath it. "It's just that… I don't feel like doing it. Not now, Yuna, please. It's too boring and I can't keep up with it. I'm not smart enough." He smiled and turned his face, kissing her palm.

"Oh, come on Tidus," she said, "You're not a bad student. Here, let me help." And she took his pencil and wrote a small set of organized formulas at the top of the page in her neat printing. "See this?" she said, pointing at one of them with one hand as she fed herself from her salad bowl with the other. "This is the most important formula. It links all the other three together in a tight reinforcement. Thus," she circled it and put a mark next to it on the page, "All you need is this one and you can forget about the others. It's a little secret, but you need to understand it before you can use it, or else it's just like cheating." She blushed red.

"Thanks Yuna," said Tidus, taking his pencil and writing down an answer to one of his problems.

"But wait, Tidus… you need to understand it before you can use it," she said.

"No I don't," he said, rushing to answer the next question as Yuna pouted, "What I need to understand is the reason you didn't tell me this earlier."

Yuna took a bite from her salad, then answered, "I…" but a leaf fell from her mouth and onto the paper that Tidus was writing on. There was humour somewhere behind this and, although he could not understand it, he laughed, just as his mother had done at the train station when he had first met Yuna, for she had understood that, although there is often a reason to laugh, it is not always precise, for humour is never precise and the laughter that we give, no matter how intentional, comes from a source that is vague and unclear. But even so, he laughed with Yuna because he felt that there was a good reason for him to feel happy at that moment and that Yuna would have liked him to feel happy, and, because Yuna was his friend and his companion, he felt compelled to agree. And so, on that afternoon underneath the eaves of the Pavilion, he laughed and felt happy.

Performing Arts Centre; Orchestra Department; Zanarkand High. 12:00 PM.

The two friends walked back into the air conditioned classroom and seated themselves at their chairs, adjusting their stands and pulling out their instruments. One was a boy and one was a girl. He smiled at her as he pulled out his bow and his small cake of rosin and dusted it, sliding the bow up and down until it was well rosined and prepared to perform. She sat back in her seat and held her instrument on her lap, plucking strings and turning knobs as she tuned it so that there could be no defect in the noise it created.

"It is wonderful of you to join me again," said Professor Seymour, emerging from a door and moving to the front of the classroom. "This is our second period of orchestra. I hope that you have all had a good lunch and that you are all well fed and are prepared to take one last practice before the concert."

Yuna looked at Tidus, who grinned guiltily.

"Prepare your instruments," he said, erecting his cello once again on its stand and pulling out his bow, "We shall be practicing the Song of the Swans in Love," he said, and he took his bow and began to play, slowly and softly and delicately, as though he were afraid of moving it too fast and breaking the strings on his instrument. It was a beautiful piece that was tender and fragile, and each time Tidus performed it with his orchestra, he felt his heart melt in his chest and he felt his face burn and his mind float into nothingness and he would often become light headed and faint at the tranquility, so great as it was, that reverberated about the room.

As Seymour continued, he looked toward a section of bass instruments and nodded his head. The deep and rich tones that issued forth were perfect and dark, like warmed chocolate. "Let us take care," said Seymour as he continued, with decorum, down the piece, "Let us be patient and slow, for this is a piece of love and it should be sweet and caring," and he thrummed his instrument as he nodded toward the violas and said, "Join me on the next line. The music is about to become lighter and more delicate."

Tidus felt Yuna stiffen beside him, and he sat up in his chair and placed his posture with care, taking the instrument in his hands and relaxing his bow on top of the strings, so as not to cause a disturbance in the beautiful music. He felt his head spin and, as he entered into the music, he imagined a pair of graceful swans sailing and swimming through a lake under a bright moon that was full and brilliant and that waves of incandescence that lit up the water in a shimmering way. He felt his heart throb as he looked at Yuna.

She looks like a swan, he thought, but a swan so beautiful that there can be no other living creature to compare with her. She would make an excellent swan. Yuna glanced up at him for a second, and for that second, as their eyes connected, he felt a great sense of affection for his friend, for she was a wonderful person and a kind person and he could think of no other person that he would rather spend his time with, whiling off the hours, perhaps beneath the Pavilion in the student commons, near the rushing river and the shining sun where the grass was green and luscious and soft and smooth all the time.

"Tidus," warned Seymour as he glared at him from the front of the classroom. "Focus on the music and not on your girlfriend, please."

Yuna giggled at that, and Tidus felt almost compelled to rise and tell Seymour that Yuna was not his girlfriend and that he did not love her as a person might love in marriage but that he loved her as just a friend, if but a kind and compassionate friend who loved him back in the same way, but he could not bear to break the music, for his voice was not fit to intrude upon its goodness, and so, he remained in his seat and did not speak.

"That is good," said Seymour to the class as the music swelled and became louder and more triumphant as the swans in his imagination danced and flirted like schoolchildren. "This is a wonderful Song of the Swans in Love. Let us make it perfect and finish it well." And as the music slowed, the conclusion was finished and the strings were relaxed. The class sighed with happiness at completing the song so well and Seymour beamed at them. "Excellent! We'll be well prepared for tonight. I am proud of how well we have progressed and at how much we have learned. Congratulations all around, ladies and gentlemen. You may pack." And he walked from the classroom, through the door at the back, and disappeared.

Student Commons; Grounds; Zanarkand High. 1:00 PM.

"Be careful, Tidus," said Yuna as the two of them sat in the Pavilion on the student commons, basking in the afternoon sunlight as the sun fell lower in the sky, staining the clouds around it a cheerful yellow and coloring each and every blade of grass on the ground and each and every petal of each flower that mixed among the grass. "Our next period is Politics." She smirked.

Tidus groaned and leaned forward, hugging Yuna around the waist, "Please don't make me go in there, Yuna… please don't make me suffer. I don't think I can stand it."

"No one's forcing you to," said Yuna as he laid his head in her lap. "But I'd like it if you did come."

"Oh, fine then," he said as he curled up next to her, looking out at the beautiful slope and the line of trees that bordered the edges of the student commons. He sighed with pleasure and closed his eyes against the sunlight as Yuna patted his head. "I can't wait for the concert tonight. It'll be so fun, Yuna… I hope I don't make a mistake."

"You won't, Tidus," she said, looking at him, "I promise. Just concentrate on it and you'll do just fine. But keep in mind, it's important to make mistakes sometime… it's a part of the whole learning process…"

Flashback…

The young boy sat at his desk and stared at the teacher. She was returning papers; papers that would decide how much he had achieved this year; papers that would rank how successful he had done and how apt he was at finishing his work. She turned to his table, where he sat with a girl, whose hair was brown and whose face was pale.

"Here is your paper, Yuna," she said as she took a piece of paper from the top of her pile and passed it over to her, sliding it across the table. Tidus looked at the grade and noticed that she had gotten top marks for her written composition. He felt good that she had done so well, and hoped that he had managed something acceptable.

The teacher flipped over another paper in her pile and looked at it. Then she looked at Tidus and frowned slightly. She took the paper and placed it upside down so that no one could see his grade and walked off, without comment, with her pile of papers to attend to another group of students.

He looked at his paper and turned it around. Red marks adorned his composition, all over the page, scrawled in a strange script that he could not read. There was not a single line in his writing that did not have a red mark, and the red marks noted him of his errors and where he should fix something and where he should give special attention and where he should be more careful, for there were many things that he had missed and many points had been taken from his grade because of it. He felt tears well up in his eyes and wiped at them hurriedly, for he did not want Yuna to realise that he had done something wrong. He wanted to be brave.

But Yuna had noticed and she put down her paper so that her grade was concealed and put her arm around his shoulders in a comforting gesture, hugging him tight and whispering in his ear, "It's going to be alright, Tidus. Everyone makes mistakes at some time or another. The most important thing to remember, though, is that mistakes are a chance to benefit. When we make a mistake, we learn from it, and we learn not to make that mistake again, and, in that way, we get better. Mistake is a part of the human nature, Tidus, and it always will be. It's all a part of learning." And she kissed him on the cheek to make him feel better, wiping away the tears that he had missed.

"Thanks Yuna," he said, and he smiled at her to show his gratitude, "I feel much better. I like having you as a friend. It makes me feel comfortable." And he placed his paper back down onto the table and took a pencil from his pocket and began to learn.

End of Flashback…

The bell tolled out across the grounds and shattered through his reminiscences of his past.

"Tidus?" asked Yuna, still holding his head in her lap, "I think it's time you stood up again… Politics is beginning and we can't be late."

He pouted and whined, for he did not want to leave the comforting embrace that Yuna had given him, but agreed, for the professor in the class of Politics was a dangerous woman that was well organized and neat and did not like to be kept waiting for appointments and classes. He followed Yuna to the classroom and sat down beside her in the class, which was, as was custom to the professor, resplendent and tidy. He looked up at the chalkboard and groaned.

Education Classrooms; Room 290B; Zanarkand High. 2:00 PM.

Line after line of fine text, written in the professor's flawless script had been printed carefully on the chalkboard, each line followed with footnotes and other various texts that had been chalked up beneath, on smaller boards or pieces of paper that had been pinned up beside it. At the top of the board, written in a beautiful cursive hand, he saw the words Love in Politics and sighed. Each day in this class was similar to the last one; hours and hours of repeated copying of long and boring notes that he would bring home and memorize and study to prepare for the examinations that appeared so commonly in this class. There was not much teaching done in this class, but there was a lot of note taking and a lot of reading and writing of information and, in that way, teaching followed suit as an inevitable addition.

The professor walked in from a small door and greeted the class. She smiled and rapped the chalkboard with her measuring stick. "Class," she said, "I trust that you have studied over the notes that we have been taking for the past week. There will be a test on the information within the next few days," she stated, looking around with squinted eyes and Tidus looked down, for he could feel her gaze upon his form.

"Feel free to begin preparing now..." and, at this, several people chuckled. "And," continued the professor sternly, "Please feel free to ask for advice or tips on the test. Do remember that I will not be offering copies of the notes and that all notes must be written in the notebook, and not photocopied or printed from another student, or there will be no points given for that particular set. Your notebooks will be handed in after you finish the test to be graded. No late work is accepted."

The class groaned, but the professor ignored the sound as though she had become accustomed to it. "Let us continue, thus, with our topic this afternoon. The instance of love has occurred often in politics," she said, and then emphasized, "It is not a rare thing, but the event itself is rather shocking and the effects are never quite the same. I shall recount, now, various instances in which it has caused a rather exciting, if not marvelous, change in events. Let us compare…" and on she talked…

Tidus extracted his notebook from his bag and began to write, but felt his head slipping and his mind fogging, though not in a similar fashion as it had in the music hall, for then, he had felt delight and excitement rather than tedium, as he felt it now; so great that he imagined that his mind had been blurred like the lines of an ink pen. The professor droned on about the topic, which was getting less and less appealing with each passing minute. Tidus relaxed in his chair and placed his head on the table in a comfortable position.

Yuna took her pencil and poked him. He looked up at her with a contented expression on his face and then winked, lying back down on the desk. She poked him again, but he reached out with his hand and stole her pencil.

She fumed at him as she grabbed his hand and tried to take it back, but he refused to and held onto her hand as well, smiling. She whined softly and tugged to break his grip, but he was adamant and strong and did not back down. He lowered his face and kissed her hand. She pouted, but sat in that position with him and waited as the minutes dragged past and the class became less and less attentive. Politics had since been known as the class that brought around the downfall of a good career through school. Tidus grinned to himself in his mind as the professor pointed at the board.

"I hope you're all done with these notes?" she said. "I will erase them now."

Not a single student moved. They all stared back at her with their blank eyes and she frowned at them, taking a cloth and dusting off the board, obliterating the fine text that had adorned it previously. "We will continue this topic tomorrow as there is no time remaining. There will be no homework tonight, except to review the notes and become familiarized to what we have discussed." The class smiled and Tidus smiled with them. The bell tolled in the distance. The professor vanished through her small door.

Once she was gone, Yuna yanked her hand and pencil back. "That was mean, Tidus," she said, massaging her fingers and placing her pencil back into her pocket. "I didn't take a single note in the class!"

"Don't worry too much about it Yuna," said Tidus, grinning, "I doubt anyone else did either. You won't be alone when she marks off for this missing set. I didn't write them down, after all, and I'm not that worried."

"It's because you're so carefree," she said, sniffing. "I wonder how you'll react when you realise that you've failed this class."

"I'll be glad that Yuna passed it," he said, and he stood up and hugged her. "Come on Yuna, it's time to go on to our next class. There's no time to think about what we've just done or what we will do. There's just time to think about what we're doing at the moment, because it's the most important thing." And he sighed as he walked out of the classroom with her, "There's not much time for anything fun anymore."

Outdoor Nature Centre; Outside; Zanarkand High. 4:00 PM.

One boy and one girl walked down the street, headed toward the bus stop. The sun had fallen even further through the sky and the light appeared dappled on the sidewalk as it shone through the trees and the leaves. A cool autumn breeze whipped through, scattering orange and red and yellow leaves into a great storm that whirled about and danced and turned eyes and heads and caused shouts of delight. The boy and the girl ignored it and sat down on the benches to wait for the bus as the shouts echoed around them.

"How was it in the class of mathematics?" asked Yuna, looking at Tidus with amusement, for she knew that he did not like mathematics and that he did not perform well.

"Pain in the ass," he mumbled, looking sheepish as he said, "She passed back our tests."

Yuna laughed at that and caught his arm, "Well, look, if you're confused with something, you can ask me about it. I know we don't have the same class or even the same teacher, but I can tell you what I know about it to make it seem easier."

He smiled warmly, and the smile lit his face up in happiness. "Thanks a lot, Yuna," he said.

"No problem," she replied as the sun and the leaves and the wind danced along with them in happiness. For some time, neither of them said a word and for some time, there was peace and quiet and the air was tranquil and good, but then, Yuna broke the silence.

"Tidus, do you love me?"

"Of course I do, Yuna," he said, as though the question was ridiculous, "And I always will. You're one of the only friends I have and so, yes Yuna, I love you more than anything. I always will."

"Just as a friend?" she asked.

"Well, Yuna," he said, and then he realised where she was going with it, and he said, "Yes, Yuna, just as a friend. Friendship is something that is more important that many people give it credit for. It's a priceless thing, Yuna and it's a passionate and delicate thing. It shouldn't be underestimated at all; it's a kind of love that goes even deeper than romance. To me, that's what makes it so beautiful." He kissed her on the cheek softly. "I'll always be here for you, Yuna and I'll always be your friend. No matter what happens."

"Thanks Tidus," she said, and she kissed him back, smiling, "I appreciate that."

The bus appeared around the corner and moved toward the benches. Yuna stood up and waved to Tidus as she walked toward it.

"Hope to see you at the concert tonight," she said, "Remember, it's at the docks."

"I know," called Tidus and he waved back. He would never leave Yuna, even if it cost him great pain and agony, for he knew that he could not bear to be separated from her, and, in his heart, he felt a gentle throb as he began to wonder what it meant to be in love. He watched as Yuna boarded the bus and left. It picked up speed and began to roll down the hill. He watched it until he could see it no more. And then he left.

Concert Dome; Docks; Zanarkand. 9:00 PM.

Seymour stood at the entrance to the large dome near the docks, greeting the members of the audience as they filed through the doors and into their seats in the hall. Tidus arrived at the door with Yuna and glanced at his professor.

"Ah, Tidus… welcome to the concert. Let me see the permission slip," he said.

Tidus pulled the wrinkled piece of paper from his pocket and held it up. In the bright light of the dome, he could see the lopsided signature that he had begged his father to write. It had not been a pleasant affair, but he knew that he could not miss it and he would not miss it, for Yuna would be there and she would not be pleased if he did not arrive, for he was her stand partner in the concert.

"Excellent, Tidus," said Seymour, gesturing him on as he inspected Yuna's permission slip. Tidus slipped through the door behind his teacher and entered a passage that led to the stage. The dark, red curtains that hung before the stage had not been drawn back, and Tidus could hear the faint chattering of the crowd from behind them as the audience filed into the hall. A neat arrangement of chairs had been placed on the wooden surface of the stage, and the stage lights shone down on the musicians that were seated in their spots and their instruments and gleamed off the black of the chairs and music stands. The chairs were half filled.

Smaller sets of curtains had been raised near the back of the room, and behind them were a row of organized walls that had been arranged like cubicles to allow people to change into their formal dress wear that would be required for the concert. The lights shone bright as people darted throughout the stage, some grabbing their instruments from a tall shelf behind the curtain and some grabbing their dresses and suits to change into.

Tidus found a cubicle and stepped into it, removing his shirt and his jeans, for his shirt was ragged and informal and could not be used for such an occasion as a concert and his jeans were inappropriate and ripped and too long to suit his needs. He removed his white shirt and dress pants from his bag and looked into the mirror as he donned each article of clothing, then smiled. He stepped out from behind the curtain and found Yuna standing before him.

He blushed. "I forgot to change earlier," he said, and Yuna giggled, hugging him. "You look nice in that, Tidus," she said, smiling.

"Thanks," he said, beaming, but he was cut off as Seymour appeared from behind the curtain.

"Please get prepared, ladies and gentlemen," he called, looking irritated as he glanced at them, "Tonight is not a night where we shall flaunt romance behind the stage, but it is a night where we will show that romance amongst the crowd and surprise them and please them with it. The audience is almost settled. We have, perhaps, five minutes." And he left as the musicians laughed.

Soon, the small walls and the small curtains were cleared off and the lights danced without interruption on the smooth, wooden floor. Tidus sat beside Yuna near the front of the wide arrangement of chairs and stands, in which each person had been given their own adequate space to position their instruments and bow freely. He felt content and gleeful and carefree, for this night meant something special to him. It was a stone that marked another step of progress for him and another step he had gone up the ladder of learning. He thought back to when Yuna had first taught him how to learn, and he thought back to the mistakes that he had made as he had climbed the ladder to where he stood now, a rung that was higher up the ladder then the one he had stood on when he had first begun. He felt proud of himself, although it had not been long since he had joined the Philharmonic Orchestra, for he had listened to Yuna and he had learned from each of his mistakes and he had practiced and promised to himself that he would not make those same mistakes again. He never did.

Seymour appeared a last time to check on his students as he whispered some final pieces of advice and tips of preparation. "Remember the different melodies and rhythms of each song. We must make sure that they fit with the music, or else it will sound awkward and out of hand. I hope we have all tuned our instruments and rosined our bows?" He asked, looking around as though to check his fine musicians. For an instant, his eyes settled on Tidus, and Tidus looked back at him in a calm and deferential manner, and so his eyes moved on. "Excellent. Good luck." And he disappeared.

Tidus could hear him walk out on the stage in front of the thick curtains. The noise silenced as he called the members of the audience to attention and began his introduction to the Night of the Philharmonic Orchestra.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, his voice rising to be heard in the far corners of the hall, "There is a great performance that is to be held tonight." He paused for effect, and Tidus could imagine him as he looked around at the hall. He could almost imagine as each and every voice died down and was replaced with silence, a silence so absolute and so suspenseful, it was chilling. "It is a collection of music that our students have been working on for the past several months now." His statement was subtle, and in his voice, Tidus detected a sense of sadness and a sense of time that had passed and time that could not be recollected, but also, a sense of time that need not be recollected, for it was time well spent. "Our efforts have been placed well, and we hope that, through determination and practice, they have not been in vain. Tonight, in this concert at the docks, we shall present our experience and we shall flaunt our expertise," and here he paused as the crowd gave a small chuckle of humour, "in the form of a glamorous orchestration…"

The introduction continued for some time, and the musicians behind the curtain began to chatter in hushed tones, ignoring the voice that issued loud and clear from the other side. Tidus turned to Yuna and grinned feebly, and Yuna could see that he was nervous and sweating.

She wiped his sweat off his forehead with her sleeve and smiled encouragingly, "Just concentrate, Tidus… You can do it… don't let the temptation of success get to you, for then, you will play too fast and you will trip and stumble and fall. Success is the peace of mind you get from knowing that you did your best. Do your best, Tidus. Concentrate and do not be tempted to rush."

He set his instrument and bow down in his lap and leaned over to Yuna. He reached out his arms and held her face in his hands and looked at her with kind and caring eyes. He paused, for a second, to let her reflect and think and wonder. And then, he kissed her, pressing his lips to hers in a soft and tender kiss that made her blush a deeper red than the rich curtains before them. He touched her neck and held it close to his and he could feel her pulse quicken as he deepened the kiss and moved his fingers across her cheek. He could feel her heart beat and it felt solid and strong and good beneath her skin, so soft and pale and beautiful. He could feel the rush of her blood as it trickled through her veins, bringing color to her cheeks and brightening her countenance like the scarlet sun. He could sense her happiness and her joy and it was so great and so powerful, that he could almost feel it. It was almost tangible. He could almost touch it.Their tongues touched and intertwined and he could feel that her mouth was wet and moist; filled with liquid love.

But then, he leaned back and held his instrument and his bow again in his hands, still warm from the sudden burst of heat that Yuna had brought to him. "There," he said, "that ought to get rid of the temptation for a while," and he grinned at her like a child, like the child that he had been when she had first kissed him.

"That's not quite what I meant," she said, a little breathless, "But… alright then. If it helps..." And she turned and pecked him on the cheek. "Good luck; do well," she said. Several students giggled. Tidus ignored them. He had set his goal tonight. Success is the peace of mind you get from knowing you did your best. He wanted to do his best. He wanted that peace of mind.

The thick curtains were swept back and the house lights were dimmed. A strong beam of light concentrated on the figure that stood before the audience, clad in a long black suit and tie. He smiled and pulled a thin baton from a pocket, holding it in his hands as he said aloud to the audience, "And so, ladies and gentlemen, it is time. Tonight is the Night of the Philharmonic Orchestra. Let us begin." A gentle applause filled the concert hall as Seymour turned around and stepped onto his podium, holding his baton aloft as he looked around one final time, his eyes darting around with concern. This time, he did not glance at Tidus.

The concert that night was magnificent and it was stunning and it was excellent and beautiful, but to Tidus, it was emotional. Tidus felt many emotions on that night, and each passed with such speed that he could not control it and he could not define it or clarify it, but he realised, in his mind that it had, indeed, arrived and so he moved on and allowed it to be replaced with another emotion that too, in turn, was replaced as soon as it appeared and as fast as the one before it had come and gone.

He felt, that night, Pain...

For the music was shrill and high and keening in his ears in a way that he did not find normal and he wondered throughout the piece whether or not he or another musician had done something wrong or had missed a step or had played too high on the strings. But whether it was his mistake, or his peer's mistake, or another person's mistake, it did not matter; the blame was shared, for, in an orchestra, each individual musician does not function alone and individually, but as a group; as a single person with a single purpose and a single intent; to create a beautiful thing together.

He felt, that night, Sadness...

For the music was, at times, deep and rich and soft and smooth and, as a human, he could not help but feel sad and he could not help the tears that trickled from his eyes as he heard the music and, as a man, he could not help but feel ashamed, but he remembered what Yuna had once said about human nature and that it was apart of their nature to feel these emotions and so, because of Yuna and because of her comforting words, he felt comforted.

He felt, that night, Shame...

For he often wondered, throughout the music and the performance, whether it would matter much if he were to stop or halt or break, for his music seemed so insignificant and so flawed that perhaps, even, the general outcome would improve if his sounds were removed, and perhaps, even, he would feel happier if he were to stop, for the general orchestra would feel happier because their music had been better and the conductor would have been happier because the audience was happier and because he existed to appease the audience and because he was one with his orchestra and his conductor, he, too, would feel happier. But then, he remembered Yuna's praise of determination and success and he realised that he would not feel successful that night for he had put in no determination and he would know, in his heart, that he had not done his best and that he had not tried his hardest, and so, despite his shame, he continued and he did not stop.

He felt, that night, Love...

For he was with Yuna and to him, Yuna meant life and Yuna meant happiness and Yuna meant goodness and peacefulness and all things that he did not feel that night and so, in feeling the love and comfort and closeness of Yuna, he felt good and peaceful and happy. To him, that night, Yuna meant more than he could ever imagine and he loved her more than he had ever done before, for she was his friend and she was there to comfort him and she was close and near and so, because she was content that night, he, too, was content.

Never once, that night, did Tidus stumble...

Not knowing the correct string or where he should place his bow or how hard or soft he should play, for he knew that Yuna was beside him and, though his love, he felt confidence and in his confidence, he felt godliness and trust and he knew that what he had done was right and perfect and as good as he could do, and thus, he felt successful.

Never once, that night, did Tidus trip...

Not knowing which finger to hold or which string to press onto or how long or short he should hold each string to make each note lasting or abrupt, for he felt the radiant trust that Yuna had in him, and he knew that no matter what he did, she would follow him and trust him and love him and that, no matter his mistakes, she would not mind, for she knew that he was a human and that he would learn and she would care for him as he learned and became better and became more experienced. And so, because he felt her trust, he felt courageous, and in that courage, he found the ability to continue and go on despite his fears and his worries and the mistakes that might be or the mistakes that would be.

The music increased in tempo as the piece continued, but Tidus did not fail as he waded through the jumbled mix of notes and lines and pieces that was in his mind and he extracted each, in turn and without mistake, to be exposed and performed with professional care. He did not once look at Yuna that night, for he knew that she would not like his concentration diverted and he knew that he could not bear to do something that she did not like and so, he kept his eyes tied to his page and his music book as the song fell and slowed and stopped. The conductor's hands became soft and gentle as the last note was held for a second longer. And then his arms dropped and his baton fell.

Never once, that night, did Tidus fall...

Not knowing where he should place his feet as he stood or how he should keep his balance or how he should hold his posture, for he knew that Yuna knew that he was scared and nervous and relieved and that he could not control his emotions and feelings as well as she could, and so, she felt for him, compassion and in this compassion, he felt fortitude; the fortitude to walk forth without caring and the fortitude to step past the seats of his peers and musicians with triumph and the fortitude to form a line and bow to the audience.

Never once, that night, did he leave Yuna's side;

He did not leave her side as he walked to the front of the stage and formed a long line along the ledge with his peers and his musicians in the orchestra as the crowd clapped and clapped and applauded, giving forth a grand and standing ovation. He did not leave her side when he bowed, with grace and with patience, and basked in the warm goodness of the success that she had given him. He did not leave her side when the house lights were relit and the great, red curtain was slid back to conceal the arrangements of seats and stands, now lopsided and jumbled from the night, and the group of students that had done so well in that night; the Night of the Philharmonic Orchestra. He did not leave her side when she hugged him tight to her, kissing him passionately on the lips, sealing him to her as he felt her heart beat against his, with his, as though it were one with his, and he could feel, in that instance, the happiness that spread from her to him on a thin thread of love.

She laid her head on his shoulder and he mumbled against her soft, smooth neck. "How did I do, Yuna?" He touched her neck and slid his fingers along the thin bone that ran beneath her skin.

She moaned softly in his ears and said, in a hoarse voice, "You did… wonderful, Tidus. I love you." And in that moment, it was as though no one else was there on the stage and that, in the entire hall, there were just the two of them, locked in a loving and tender embrace that neither wanted to break. In that moment, Tidus and Yuna were lost in their own minds, which had become one with each other, and nothing else in the world mattered and nothing else in the world could stop them from doing whatever they wanted to do. No other person had presence in their mind and no other voice was important.

He waited for a moment. "We'll still be just friends, right?"

"Yes," said Yuna, "Forever; we'll always be friends. And I'll always be here for you. No matter what."

And in that moment, he felt love

End Notes:

I loved writing this piece and I couldn't be happier with it. Please rate!

Success is the peace of mind you get from knowing you did your best...
a Philosophical Statement of a teacher of mine, Mister L. Stevens;one of his favorites.

Signed, thecorrespondent