Tidus and Yuna have to be my all-time favorite pairing, not just of Final Fantasy, but of all of my fandoms. Their story, though I can't all together say is unique, it holds a special place in my heart. They have a tragic love story, and even though they eventually found each other in the end, there's still enough sadness implemented into it to make your heart twist in five different directions. If you didn't cry the first time you saw the ending to Final Fantasy X, there's something wrong with you. Their love story is one that you can easily become attached to, and secretly wish to have--without the tragic element, though, right?

It seems kind of like the typical "boy meets girl, love at first sight" story, but if you actually take the time to look deeper, you'll see that it's not. Tidus lost his world and ended up in a completely different one, not knowing if he'd ever see home again or if there ever really was one to begin with. Yuna was preparing for the journey that would lead to her death, knowing she'd never see her own home again once she left it. The two of them were a bit too preoccupied with their inner turmoils to be thinking even a little about love. When they met, though, that doesn't mean that there wasn't some sort of attraction, because clearly there was.

When people are connected, whether or not they consciously know it, when they come face to face they can feel that they already have some sort of bond between them. Or at least a foundation of one. In my opinion, and solely that, soul mates have a life-long connection. Small things, like they grew up together, they were neighbors, or their family members were close at one time or another. Some random thing like that. Tidus and Yuna are no different. Their fathers were best friends; Jecht became the Fayth for the Final Summoning and he and Braska defeated Sin. It took an incredibly strong bond to pull that off, so it's really no wonder that Tidus and Yuna were attracted to each other. They had that strong of a connection to each other already and didn't even know it!

But was it love at first sight? I really don't think so. Love takes time, though it didn't take all that much time for Tidus and Yuna, it's not as if they just fell for each other right then and there. You have to remember, also, that they were both only 17. Being 17 myself now, though not the typical 17-year-old, I understand how much of a blow to your ego and your confidence that liking someone takes. Especially without experience, haha.

Yuna clearly had no experience in romance, or at least that we know of. But honestly, is there any reason to believe she did before she met Tidus? Aside from her crush on Seymour, there's nothing to go on. So, for her to be attracted to Tidus had to have taken a pretty big toll on her. The awkwardness is all there, with her saying stupid things at random moments, nervously giggling, avoiding eye contact and then sneaking it in at random times. Giddy as a school girl, folks, Yuna was a school girl with a crush on the boy that sat in front of her in English class! How's that for awkward?

Tidus, on the other hand, seems to have had quite a bit of experience. He was popular with the girls in Zanarkand, and had probably gone on dates every night. I'm sure he was used to the giddyness and the giggling, but I don't think he was ready for the feelings he started to feel for Yuna. So it was all pretty much new to him, as well, as I doubt he really wanted to treat Yuna in the same manner he would've with other girls. Because he wanted more from Yuna than what he probably got from other girls. "So, Yuna... wanna come to my place?" It's pretty safe to assume what he meant by that, and that it wasn't the first time that line crossed his mind.

So, generally, they were both stuck in the same boat, sailing into territory unknown to both of them. But the thing about Yuna is, when it came to her feelings for Tidus, they were always second to what she wanted. She may have been all weak in the knees and head over heels for Tidus, but not once did she consider putting that before her pilgrimage. Up until she found out it was all a lie, anyway, but even then she refused to quit. And that is what I admire the most about Yuna.

As their feelings grew, their bond strengthened and they put their feelings for each other into saving the world together. As lame as I may have just put it, don't let that lame-ify the story. Their love allowed them to pull of something that wasn't ever done before. They defeated Sin, indefinitely. But at a very high price for Yuna that no amount of money could possibly pay. Even so, she hid that pain for two years and tried her best to find a way to live her life without him.

And for the first time, she gave herself the freedom to run free... and again, I made that sound incredibly lame. But, we all know that she ran off, became a sphere hunter, and all of that. She went on a journey to find, not only Tidus, but herself. And in doing so, in the end, she found Tidus and went on to live the life they dreamed of having.

(And I completely apologize for the lack of... epic-ness and the abrupt way I ended it. I'll fix it whenever I feel more inspired.)