Somewhere In-Between

The hallways of the school were swarmed by a flux of students as the bell rang to signal the end of class, and in moments the once quiet corridors were quickly flooded with the sound of rapid footsteps. The rush to keep with their schedule was met with frustration and impatience from those less inclined, who could spare little more than a grumble of displeasure as they traversed the halls through the busy crowd. But for those more studious, there was a little time for even a brief reunion with friends before they continued to their next period with diligence.

The endless chatter amongst peers resounded throughout and was occasionally interrupted by the abrupt sound of lockers slamming shut. No one really seemed to mind much though; most of the babbling was just gossip: stupid rumors and talks of secret romances – nothing anyone had not already heard many times before by now.

It was just your typical day at the academy.

He turned the dial on his locker, struggling slightly with the combination as he watched the numbers closely. The bag slung over his shoulder started to shift position from his arm movements, causing the strap to burrow into the side of his neck and he was forced to pause as he quickly readjusted it. When he finally managed to get his the door open, it was only met with a light sigh as he began swapping out his books. He should have been in a bigger hurry – the span between bells only awarded them five minutes and he was quickly running out of time. But, for some reason, he was not bothered by the notion. His familiarity with his schedule had built up his confidence, and he was fast on his feet; he could easily traverse the remaining distance to his next class with seconds to spare.

He quietly closed his locker, and not a moment too soon as he was suddenly knocked against it. His mind was immediately overrun with questions, but he had no time to ponder them as he turned to see a brunette male staring back at him, and he felt his stomach drop at the sight. Those mean eyes, neatly styled hair, and the unmistakable scar that marred the bridge of his nose – it was the face of trouble, and in his case, public humiliation. If he had no worries before, they had suddenly overwhelmed him in that single moment.

"Hey, Squirt," the male spoke using the term as if that was his official name.

The name "Tidus" quickly ran through his mind, but he kept quiet on the matter. It wasn't worth correcting him on it anymore. He had done that in the past and it had only resulted in bruises that he could never explain when he finally got back home. It was just better to accept whatever name the guy decided to give him as the result was a lot less painful.

He felt his heartrate increase ten-fold, and could only sigh in an effort to conceal the mounting fear he felt, "Squall… Just leave me alone," he practically begged. He had tried to sound bold when saying it, but even he had heard the shakiness in his voice. He wanted to run away, but his path was blocked both ways by Squall's arms braced against lockers on either side. He could see the muscles of his biceps that his short sleeves failed to fully conceal – a clear bid to intimidate him that did not go unrewarded. Squall had always enjoyed mocking him over their obvious size difference, and he was never subtle in his intentions.

Squall only smirked as he continued to stare down his prey, "Maybe I have a reason for approaching you today. You ever think about that?"

His condescending tone mixed with his thick voice nearly put a lump in Tidus's throat, and he nervously backed down. Lowering his head, he hid his blue eyes under his messy blond hair. "…I don't want any trouble," he yielded, hoping the opposing teen would give in to his request just once.

"Well, that's the thing about trouble," Squall shrewdly replied, "You never know when you're going to find it."

The blond closed his eyes, still holding his head down as he prepared for the worst. It was apparent he was close to starting an altercation and he would much rather avoid another painful incident. Squall's mass was a testament to how tough he was, with strength that he often compared to that of a lion with the utmost pride; he wouldn't hesitate to put those he found to be inferior to him in their place, as he had demonstrated many times prior. Tidus decided it was best not to say any more at risk of invoking the wrath of the lion once more.

"There's a slot open on the wrestling team," he muttered, albeit somewhat grudgingly, "As captain, I'm obligated to scour for potential recruits…"

The implication in his voice did not go unnoticed by Tidus, whom suddenly found himself lifting his head to meet the brunette's face again, "…Me?" He couldn't hide the surprise in his reaction as his eyes made contact with the stern eyes of Squall. There was evidence of disdain in the jock's expression – it was clear the very premise of this encounter was irking every bone in his body. If it hadn't been a factor to his personal responsibilities, he never would have even considered asking; this meeting would have been entirely different altogether. He was a beast whom preyed on the weak by his standards – that was his sole purpose for existing.

The guy was a savage.

Tidus slinked back against his locker. Rubbing the back of his head in a nervous gesture, he again looked towards the floor, "I don't know…"

There was a lack of reaction from Squall, and then a slight grin on his mug revealed that he was not surprised, "Yeah. You're probably right," he mocked, "All candidates have to engage in a practice match as their tryout. There's no way you could handle this." He patted his bicep in another act of intimidation towards the smaller blond.

Tidus nearly cringed at the thought, feeling his heart jump to his throat as he stared timidly at Squall's bulk. He had never wanted the bell to ring as badly as he did at this moment.

"What's going on here?"

The two boys turned their heads to see a blond with spiked hair walking up beside them, and Tidus soon felt his nerves relax in the male's presence. He was a bit on the short side, averaging shorter than Tidus, even with hair standing tall as it was – but his height was of little issue in regards to his stature. In spite of only standing at a petite five-foot-seven, Cloud was a well-built teenaged male, bearing a solid physique that surpassed even that of Squall by a couple pounds. Without another word, the bulkier blond shot Squall a look of assumption that matched the brunette's intimidating glare, creating an acute discomfort in the silence that followed.

After a moment of awkward tension, Squall backed off and removed his hands from the wall, "Nothing. We were just having a friendly chat." He threw Tidus a wry smirk at his words before casting one last glance in Cloud's direction. "See you around," was all he uttered before finally walking away with his teammates.

Tidus slowly regained his posture once Squall was at a safe distance. Turning towards his stalwart companion, he sighed with relief, "Thanks, Cloud." Though grateful for his friend's interference, he couldn't help feeling a bit embarrassed. It seemed Cloud always had to save him every time he was involved in a precarious position, especially pertaining to Squall. In a weird sense, the guy was both his protector – and his worst enemy.

"You alright?" he asked. He folded his arms in contempt; lingering resent towards the incident that had just occurred.

Tidus struggled for the answer. "Err…yeah. I think so…"

It was a terrible ruse that Cloud saw through instantly. Aside from his body language contradicting his words, Tidus was already a terrible liar – and the situation he had found the smaller blond in only moments ago was reason enough not to heed his words.

"Tidus?"

Tidus could hear the doubt in his friend's voice and quietly conceded to the broad blond. "Well…it's just…" He hesitated; the brunette's words still hanging over him, he glanced back down the hallway in the direction Squall had departed. "What would you say to me, maybe…trying out for the wrestling team? You know, hypothetically speaking?"

The question had come so suddenly that it left Cloud lost for an answer. In his silence, he leaned against the wall of lockers beside them, contemplating the question with a puzzled look. His lack of response was a source of discomfort for Tidus, whom quickly regretted ever bringing up the matter.

"…I didn't take you for the type," was Cloud's blunt response, as he finally supplied an answer.

Tidus sighed at his words, having expected nothing less. Most didn't seem to picture him as the physical type, and it seemed as though even Cloud had his doubts about him engaging in a contact sport. While his answer wasn't exactly the most demeaning Tidus had ever gotten to the notion, it certainly didn't help his self-esteem.

"Yeah, I know…" He chuckled to try and ease his shame, "But, truth be told, I've always had an interest in it. I just could never get a coach." The bane of the moment got to him and he scratched the back of his head in another display of indignity, "I tried asking my dad, but he's always too busy – or so he claimed."

"Your dad?" Cloud nodded. Though he understood Tidus's logic, his tone still implied he sought clarification.

His response was met with a nod from Tidus, whom ignored the questioning tone in his companion's voice. "Yeah, he was the star athlete when he was here. Everyone looked up to him. When I told him I was interested, I don't think he took me very seriously." He averted his gaze from Cloud, leaning against his locker at the crushing memory. "He might as well have laughed in my face…" He looked down at the floor with that last remark, staring at his reflection barely visible on the pristine tile.

Cloud listened to Tidus's plight, the sudden change to a more sentimental air rapidly stirring him. It was all he could do not to sound completely callous towards his friend in need. "Sorry, man," was all he could muster. It wasn't much, but it was enough to show he cared without getting caught up in any emotion.

Tidus merely brushed of his apology with a frustrated shake of his head, "Ah, never mind. It was a stupid idea anyway." Angry, he spurned himself for having such ridiculous flights of fancy, "I'll see you later." The bell finally sounded as he finished his sentence and he pushed himself off of his locker. Still avoiding eye contact, he threw a quick wave in Cloud's direction before reluctantly making way to his next class.

Time could not tick by fast enough.

He watched the teacher pace back and forth in his lecture, often stealing glances at the clock to count the seconds that passed. To say he was bored would be an understatement; he had tried to paid heed to the lesson, but soon found himself fighting to keep his eyes open. Despite the man's attempts to keep class interesting, Tidus just could not garner any interest in the topic at hand, and the teacher's words gradually became more and more incoherent as he nearly dozed off. He had already forgotten what the lecture was about just ten minutes in; his only thoughts now were towards keeping the sound of his snoring from resonating throughout the room.

He was about to succumb to his weariness, his head nearly sliding off the hand that had been acting as a pillow, when he felt something suddenly hit the back of his neck. It was a small object, but he felt its pointed tip peck at his skin. It was enough to instantly shoot him awake, and reacted by touching the affected spot with a questioning look.

Unable to fully ascertain whether or not he had imagined it, he settled back into his seat and looked ahead. But only seconds later, he again felt the same tap on his neck and quickly turned his head towards the back of the class in agitation. To his chagrin, he was irate to find Seifer Almasy bearing a wicked grin in his direction. He had such an arrogant look to him, with a scar across his nose that perfectly mirrored Squall's and slick blond hair; he donned a navy-blue muscle shirt that let his broad shoulders and muscled arms show to all around, further demonstrating his complete lack of shame. A small pile of folded and crumpled paper sat the corner of his desk in plain sight, leaving little evidence to suggest that he was not the culprit.

Tidus watched as the boy gave Squall a playful nudge in the arm as if to indicate a job well done before turning back around with an annoyed look. He would have said something – but he quickly realized that any verbal reaction from their antics would only trigger negative feedback from the two later, most likely resulting in more humiliation for him. Wishing to avoid any potential run-ins, he kept quiet, if only for his self-preservation.

When the bell finally rang, Tidus practically jumped to his feet as he hurried towards the door, eager to make an exit. There was a light scuffle at the doorway as he pushed through the small crowd of students, discomfort quickly surmounting him; he just wanted to get out of the room and away from Squall and Seifer.

In a matter of moments, he finally made his way out into the hallway, but a blunt force suddenly knocked him to the floor. His books fell from his grasp as he hit the cold tile, and he soon heard a burst of laughter emerge from behind him. A bit dazed by the impact, he looked up just in time to catch a glimpse of Squall and Seifer stepping past him; the blond gave another nudge to Squall in the form of a light punch – yet another celebration at his expense – as they kept walking, completely apathetic towards the fact that they had just left him lying there.

He emitted a low grumble as he slowly climbed to his feet, feeling the eyes of his peers gazing upon him while trying to fight the surge of resent at how none of them had stepped forward to help. They were no better than his tormentors, in his mind. Ignoring the silent attention he had unwillingly attained, he quietly gathered his belongings and proceeded down the hallway towards his locker, all too eager to put yet another humiliating experience behind him.

Seifer gave another laugh as he glanced back down the hall before giving Squall another light bump on the arm, "Did you see how easy he went down? He's such a pathetic little runt." He held his stomach, leaning forward in another spout of laughter that was even louder than the first.

Squall didn't respond, instead giving his silent consent in the form of a coy smirk. While he and Seifer were not exactly pals in the typical sense of the word, their similarities, however few there were, allowed them to develop a mutual respect for one another – and that bond, though frail, had soon given way for a budding friendship. They didn't always get along, but they didn't hate each other either – and unfortunately for Tidus, it was their enjoyment of seeing his grief that was the central link in their relationship.

"Hey, Squall!"

The boys turned their heads to see a raven-haired girl walking up behind them, her dark brown eyes instantly making contact with Squall's. She had to hasten her pace slightly to catch up with them, but that was of little issue in the short skirt of her blue and purple cheerleading uniform. She smiled brightly as she approached the scar-faced brunette, whom was quick to pull her to his side with one arm.

"Hey," he uttered, leaving little room for words as he quickly pulled her into a kiss.

She smiled as he made his move, all too happy to plant another show of affection on his lips. The moment easily dragged on, Squall seeming unwillingly to let go of her as they nearly started making out in the hallway. He didn't care about anyone seeing them; Squall may have been subtle about a lot of things, but letting the whole world know that he had a girlfriend was not one of them. It was the one thing in his life he took absolute pride in.

Rinoa Heartilly was her name. She was the girl every guy wanted, and the one every girl wanted to be. Though she wasn't head cheerleader, her academic achievements alone had made her something of an icon in their school, though she seemed rather unaware of her high status. She was smart, genuine, and beautiful – and she was all his.

"See you later, lover boy," was all he heard Seifer whisper before the blond finally walked off, leaving them there to continue romancing one another.

After a few more moments of public affection, Rinoa carefully pulled away from him. There was another smile on her face as they stood close, her staring into his eyes with an adoring look that no one else had ever known. Many boys had asked her out, even attempted to woo her on numerous occasions since her days as a freshman – but she had rejected them, politely shutting them down in her own pursuit of the one guy she really wanted. It didn't matter who chased after her – no one else would ever get the satisfaction of being with her. She had only ever had eyes for Squall.

"I missed you earlier," she said, a light frown forming at the thought of having been apart from him.

"I missed you too," he replied swiftly, "You're the best thing about this place."

His words brought her to smile again, and she tipped her head, her raven hair draping over the side of her face as she looked up at him with a deep appreciation. Squall wasn't known for his romantic side; some might even claim he wasn't capable of loving anybody but himself. But those rumors held no regard when he was with her. She saw the side to him that very few were fortunate enough to experience, and he wasn't afraid to let it show whenever they were together.

"Are you coming to my match later?" His question bore a tone of assumption, and he smiled confidently as he stared back at her.

Rinoa teased him by pretending to struggle for an answer, only to throw him another warm smile as she chuckled at his question, "You know I wouldn't miss it, silly. I'll be sitting where I always am."

A look of pleasure came over Squall's face as he smiled at her answer. He was never one to show much emotion towards anything – and in fact, his lack of emotional response to most events had appropriately earned him the nickname, "Stoneface", amongst his peers – a reputation that he apparently held in high regard. But for some reason, when he was around Rinoa, he could not help but smile. It was a rare treat to see such a reaction from him, and one only she was ever given the pleasure of experiencing.

Slowly lifting his free hand, he caressed her dark locks and gently wiped the hair out of her face; his finger soon moving to her skin, he carefully stroked her cheek as he gazed lovingly into her eyes, "We still on for my place tonight?"

"I'll be there at 8:00," she answered resolutely.

Her reply was met with another kiss from Squall as he quickly pulled her to him. It was brief, but harboring more affection than their minute-long session shortly before. Neither of them wanted to stop; only submitting to the notion when they heard the bell sound off to signal that their time together had run out.

As they pulled away, Squall's hand still pressed against her cheek, there was another tender moment of silence between them before Rinoa finally brought their reunion to a close, "I'll see you later. Good luck tonight."

Her words were met by a sincere grin from the brunette, whom took great satisfaction in knowing he could trust she would follow through.

Her eyes still locked intently on his, she slowly started walking away, briefly glancing back to throw him one last vibrant smile before making route to her next period. Squall watched her as she headed down the hallway, only deciding to finally make his schedule once she had rounded the nearby corner and gone out of sight.

The gymnasium was abuzz with raucous noise and loud cheering as dusk encroached upon the town. Fans waved flags in support of their team – the majority being for the home team, of course; music rang out over the audience as the band played proudly, the sound of their school's anthem bouncing off the walls as it echoed throughout the large room. In the midst of it all, the cheerleaders performed routine after routine, smiling happily as they led the revved crowd into a frenzy of excitement – all in preparation for the big match set to occur in a matter of moments. It was a lively scene, full of thrills and laughter; the only time when the entire student body would seemingly forget about their daily trials and come together in support of something.

From his place in the stands, Tidus watched quietly as the cheerleaders went from one dance to the other. They were so loud and cheerful, and watching the complicated moves they performed, both on ground and in the air, was so remarkable a sight that even he could not look away. With every shake of their pom-poms and every movement of their bodies, their uniforms would flow fluidly in time with their motion – and he could not deny that some of them looked rather mesmerizing in the light of the gym – one in particular…

He watched the head cheerleader as she led the squad from one step into another with perfect execution. Her light brown hair gleamed in the light, her ponytail wildly whipping around with each spin she made; as she danced, she kept her eyes peeled on the crowd, a bright smile on her face as she would watch them get hyped and join in the chant; and her stunning beauty was only further improved by her uniform, which she wore with an obvious elation.

Yuna was her name – and she had no idea of the impact she had made on him in their four years as classmates.

Their school cheer was soon accompanied by the entrance of their wrestling team, whom tore through a banner just as the squad performed the final jump in their routine. The entry sent the crowd into another roaring frenzy of excitement and they wall watched the team gather around the coach. The Lions had made their arrival – and they were ready to pounce and tear their prey.

Tidus stared down at the team wistfully, his expression having changed from the moment the boys had entered the room. He was overcome with anxiety as he watched them in silence; his leg trembled nervously, and he unconsciously twiddled his fingers in the anticipation he felt. It was all he could do to quell the sensation that overcame him – he had to make the team. If anything, it may finally earn him respect among his peers, especially Squall – or so was his hope anyway.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even notice Cloud approach, "Sorry I'm late," he said, quickly sitting down beside Tidus. No other words emerged from his mouth as he immediately began staring towards the center of the room, ready for the match to begin.

"No problem," Tidus replied, feeling a bit more content in the presence of familiar company. As he glanced at Cloud, however, he took note of how his friend sat: still, straight, hands clasped together calmly while his arms lay draped over his knees. He couldn't help thinking the guy had an odd interest in the scene for someone whom supposedly hated school functions – but he paid it little mind in the end.

Squall readied himself, face-to-face with his opponent as he awaited the cue to begin the match. He stood firm, confident, clenching his fingers repeatedly in anticipation; from where he stood, he shifted his gaze towards the audience to find Rinoa sitting in the bleachers with the rest of the cheerleaders. She smiled sweetly as she caught his eye, giving a heartfelt wave to wish him good luck.

Squall smirked in gratitude of her support as he eyed his opponent again. He could do this, there was no doubt in his mind and there never had been – and he would certainly be damned to lose with his girlfriend watching.

The whistle finally sounded and all eyes were on the two athletes as their match finally commenced. It began simple enough – the opposing wrestler lunged at Squall, grabbing him around the waist in attempt to take him to the floor. But Squall held his footing firmly and managed to push the teen off of him, only to respond with a hard ram into his opponent that merely resulted in a lock. The two stood in the center of the floor, engaged in a gridlock, refusing to let go of one another as they both struggled to gain the upper hand. Finally, Squall was able to break the hold as he shifted his body just enough and used his free arm to grab the teen in a headlock before rolling them both onto the mat.

He lay on top of the helpless opponent, pinning the boy under his weight with his arm still wrapped around his head. The whistle finally sounded and Squall climbed to his feet to loud cheers, having won the first round. The referee held his arm up for the crowd to see as Squall stood proud, having hardly broken a sweat.

In the excitement from the rabid fans, Tidus glanced down at the bleachers in a moment of apathy.

The whistle sounded to signal the start of the next round and the match began. This one played out much like the first, with only a moment of struggle between the two competitors again before Squall finally managed to grab the teen's waist pull him to the mat. His opponent tried to break the hold, motioning to get free, but Squall's weight was enough to keep him in check. Reaching towards the boy's head, Squall managed to hook his arms and pull them back behind him, pinning him with a hold and the whistle sounded once more.

Still unscathed in their tussle, he quickly climbed to his feet again and the referee raised his arm to the crowd for the second time. The reaction from the audience was no less enthusiastic than before, and they relished in the moment with the brunette while he stared back at them proudly.

The last round was upon them, and all eyes were on Squall in the heat of the moment. The brunette braced himself for the final bout, his confidence boosted from his two prior victories and his body now running on adrenaline. He had no concerns or doubts of any kind as he stared down the opposing wrestler with a light air of arrogance. He was so close; victory was within his grasp yet again, and he reveled in the mere thought of his final win for the evening.

From her seat, Rinoa watched intently, her wrecking nerves only masked by an encouraging smile in her boyfriend's direction. The whole cheerleading squad was quiet as they waited, their mental cheers aimed in support of their star athlete. Even Tidus could not contain his interest as he gazed upon the two competitors, eagerly awaiting the finale. Meanwhile, Cloud's eyes remained locked on the match, still sitting in the same position as before as he watched the scene with a straight face.

The whistle sounded once again and everyone felt their hearts thump heavily as the final sequence officially commenced. Another lurch at his opponent's torso almost instantly gave Squall the advantage; the boy tried to pull him off, using all of his effort to remove Squall's hold on his body – but Squall held his grip, only strengthening his hold when he felt the teen resist. There was a moment of scuffle as Squall briefly struggled to pull the guy down – but the delay was resolved when he finally managed to lift the wrestler off the floor with all of his strength and turn around, pulling him to the mat beneath him. No sooner had they hit the floor, Squall immediately encountered more resistance from his opponent. The teen fought to break his hold and Squall was surprised to find it was actually appearing to work as he felt his grip begin to loosen.

Unwilling to let such a close victory escape his grasp, Squall shifted position to where he was lying horizontal across the boy's body and quickly hooked the male's arms behind his head. Using his other arm, he hooked the boy's legs and rolled onto his side, pulling his lower body off the mat while pinning the upper body under his weight.

There were a few seconds of suspense as Squall held his opponent in place…and the whistle finally sounded for the final time, signaling the end of the match – and Squall jumped to his feet in celebration of his victory. There was a genuine look of delight on his face at the outcome, and he threw both arms into the air in his excitement, only for the referee to grab one moments later and keep it aloft for the crowd.

Boisterous clapping and cheering erupted from the bleachers as everyone jumped to their feet with the brunette in a moment of absolute joy. Even their coach could not contain his excitement, unhesitant to run onto the floor and proudly grab Squall's other raised arm. Fans raved and cheered endlessly, pom-poms waving in the air as the cheerleading squad performed a celebratory cheer in honor of Squall's victory.

As Squall headed back to the sidelines, he was soon greeted by Rinoa, whom quickly ran up to him and gave him a congratulatory kiss for the whole crowd to see. Squall just smiled as he held her close, basking in his moment of triumph as he continued kissing her passionately. It was a night he would never forget and another match he could add to his memoirs. The roar of the fans was all for him, and he relished in the thought with the utmost pride. It was his night, his victory, his girl – and a satisfaction that would stay with him forever.

Tidus stared incessantly at Squall and Rinoa, the two lovebirds still engaged in their affection, not caring how many people were around or who saw them. He couldn't quite explain it, but in watching them, he was overcome with an odd fixation. His heart thumped heavily in his chest, pounding so hard he could hear it beating in his ears; he felt a swell of relief from the result of the match – yet, oddly enough, the overall event had sparked a kindle of dread within him as he had watched Squall in action. As he continued to observe the couple, he realized that the feeling only got stronger – and in a bid to quell it, he suddenly got the urge to leave and quickly climbed to his feet to make route for the exit, not even sparing a word to Cloud as he quietly left the gym.

It was a quiet walk home, but Tidus compensated for his loneliness with memories of the night's event playing in his head. He almost wished he had Cloud to keep him company – but he had left him alone amongst the lauding crowd in his haste to escape from the scene. He still could not quite understand why he had fled so quickly – he just wasn't able to take it anymore, for some reason.

The gentle autumn breeze felt cool against his skin as he traversed his small lawn. It was a quaint, two-story house that stood positioned at the head of the neighborhood, and a small brick path to the front door gave off a friendly and inviting atmosphere. As he approached, he took note of how few lights were on, the only visible glow coming from a single window of the living room. It was getting late, and his parents were never ones for evening loitering; he figured they must have gone to bed.

As his hand touched the knob of the front door, he suddenly considered taking a detour – Cloud only lived three doors down, and he figured he owed the guy some sort of explanation. But his concerns were quickly allayed when he realized that Cloud wouldn't even be home yet. He had left his friend to endure the long trek home alone because of his own personal turmoil. He felt guilty when he thought about it – but when he considered the circumstances of the evening, he knew it was alright and that Cloud would understand in the long-run.

He could always tell him tomorrow.

Quietly, he pushed the door open and stepped inside, his hand quickly finding the switch to light up the darkened room that greeted him. He had no idea what time it was, but the fact that he did not see either of his parents waiting for him brought him to believe his prior notions were indeed accurate. They were not exactly what one would consider a "close-knit family" - with a workaholic father and his mother always between jobs; they never had any time for each other, or time for him. Still, despite their strained relations, coming home to the quiet residence was better than being in school. It may not be much…but it was still home, nonetheless.

Tired from the long day, he made his way to the stairs with the intention of getting to bed.

"Hey," he heard a gruff voice from behind.

Tidus turned around to find his father standing at the bottom of the stairs. He was still wearing his suit from work, and there was a fatigued look in the old man's eyes; it was quickly apparent to the teen that he had worked himself to the point of exhaustion once again, "Hey…" he muttered with disinterest, unwilling to engage in any small chat at this hour.

"Your food is still on the table if you want it," his father noted. He glanced towards the kitchen with a look of doubt, "Though, I'm pretty sure it's gotten cold by now…" Their conversation was quickly becoming uncomfortable to him, as Tidus observed his father scratch behind his head to ward off the awkwardness he felt. It was just another quirk he had managed to pick up from the old man.

"I'm not hungry," Tidus replied, glancing down at the stairs to avoid looking at him, "I'm just gonna go to bed. I'll see ya'." He instantly turned back around and continued marching up the carpeted steps towards his room, all but ignoring his father as he left the elder man alone.

He opened his bedroom door to the faint glow of his beside lamp illuminating the space around his bed; he hadn't realized he had forgotten to turn it off before he left this morning. Tossing his backpack to the side, he quietly and quickly traversed the small room to his bed before flopping onto it halfheartedly. There was absolute silence as he lay on his stomach – and for just a moment, he was content, doing little more than staring at the adjacent wall as he reflected on the day.

When his musings ended, he emitted a heavy sigh under his breath before finally reaching up and turning out the light, instantly consuming the room in a veil of darkness as he drifted off.

*Author's Note* - Okay. Originally, this wasn't going to be a full-fledged story and was entirely different. But only after a few minutes of brainstorming, it suddenly developed into this. Thus, I have taken elements from the rough draft of this story and basically expanded on them to create a whole new universe.

A few things you should understand about this story:

1) Yes! I like Squall; he is my all-time favorite video game character! But he is also a character I feel can fit the role of protagonist or antagonist, and he fit the antagonistic part best for this story.

2) I apologize, here and now, for the odd depiction of Squall - but it is just a story! Also, in putting him in such a role, it will allow me to be a lot more creative with his character, and his relationship with Tidus.

3) Other Final Fantasy characters will appear in this story, and possibly characters from RWBY and Xenoblade Chronicles - though the latter two will take a backseat in this tale.

4) I will still be working on my other stories! But as this is a topic I know a lot about personally, I was eager to get started on it and feel very confident it will turn out well.

5) A while back, when I first started writing fanfics, an FFX tale was actually going to be my first one - but I could never come up with an idea. With this story, however, I can now write something consisting of my two favorite FF couples in the franchise!

6) I give credit to a friend's role-play in which this story is loosely based on.

7) I know absolutely NOTHING about Scholastic Wrestling - and despite my research for this story, I was not able to acquire all the information I sought. I am very sorry for any inaccurate depictions of the sport, but I am doing my best.

I am sorry for posting yet another new story when I haven't completed my other two. I just have a lot of ideas and it is very hard to keep them in my head for too long anymore. I still hope you will continue reading my fanfics and that you will especially enjoy this one, as I'm sure bullying is a topic a number of people can relate to on a personal level.