Chapter 04

As the rays of light began to penetrate the darken sky, it signed the start of a new day for the crew of the Celsius. In these early morning hours, the crew was still soundly asleep except for one of them. During the night, Yuna tossed and turned on her bed unable to completely fall asleep. The many thoughts running thru her head and the anxious feeling she had didn't let her sleep. When a faint light began to invade the cabin, she gave up any further attempts at sleep and sat up while throwing her legs off the bed. 'Damn it! I can't stop thinking about how things are going to be different with Squall around.' Looking out the window above her bed, she saw that the sun was about to rise over the horizon. As quietly as she could, she started to take off her white tank-top and her naval blue pajama bottoms to wear nothing except for her pink underwear before searching her dresser for her usual gunner's outfit. Those days Yuna doesn't wear any bras because it bothers her the way they constrain her ample bosom. After getting dressed she checked the other two beds and saw that her friends were still asleep. Descending the stairs she reached the bar area. It also functioned as an entertainment center with a small stage in the corner and a kitchen. She looked towards the two doors on the opposite end from the bar. One was the bathroom and the other was Barkeep's room. Usually Barkeep would make all the meals for the crew but it was still too early for him to wake up. With nothing to do in the cabin, she went up to the bridge in hopes of finding someone there.

When Yuna got to the bridge there wasn't a soul to be found. Usually, Shinra would be the first one to wake up to get to work on his inventions. However, it was still too early even for him. 'What am I supposed to do now?…Guess I could start taking stuff out of Squall's room.' At that moment, by some strange twist of fate, there was a blinking red light at Shinra's workstation that caught her attention. The red light met there was someone trying to contact them thru the ship's intercom. 'There's somebody at the cargo bay entrance.' She tentatively pushed a button. "Hello?"

"It's me, I have come as per instructions and I'm ready to board." Came a deep gruff response.

Yuna blinked a few times not really sure how to respond to that. "Squall, is that you?"

"No, this is Rikku and I locked myself outside. Of course its Squall, who else can it be?"

Yuna angrily scowled as she released the button and slammed a fist down on the machinery. "Why that sarcastic obnoxious bastard. How dare he speak to me like that?" She didn't appreciate being made a fool by this guy, especially this early in the morning. Whenever this occurred with anyone else, she would quietly accept her humiliation or laugh it off in good humor. But with him, it lit a fire of fury inside her. She pressed the button with more force than necessary and spoke with more vigor. "Alright Squaalll Leonhart! It's kind of early, don't you think? Everyone is still sleeping at this time of day."

"…Oh….okay…I'll just…come back later then." The mercenary stuttered while scratching the back of his head, now he felt like a fool.

The high summoner let out a heavy sigh to calm herself. "No wait. I'll go down and let you in soon. Consider yourself lucky that I was up at this time." She didn't like the way the day was starting out. She took her time and slowly made her way to the cargo bay. The longer she took, the longer she could avoid dealing with Squall. Upon reaching the hatch that opens to the outside world, she prepared herself for the unavoidable encounter. 'It's strange. Ever since I met Squall, I've been acting in the most outlandish ways.' She pressed a button on a panel and watched as the hatch began to open and smoothly descend to the ground outside. Suddenly, she was hit with a case of déjà vu, recalling the time she jumped out this very same hatch and ran into the arms of Tidus after two lonely years without him. '…Strange. For a second, it actually felt like I was there again.'

Yuna's mind went blank the instant Squall came into sight. She just stared at him, studying his appearance. Nothing was really different as he stood there with his arms crossed and the same emotionless face. Except, for the way his long bangs hung freely along his face. If he had been standing in front of her, she would have reached up to brash it aside. Now she looked upon him with rosy cheeks.

"Took you long enough." The mercenary's irritation was evident in his dry tone.

His statement snapped Yuna out of her trance. It was then she caught sight of what was on the ground next to him, a duffle bag and a large rectangular case. The case appeared custom made. It was a black leather case with metal trims and had a lion's cross insignia on one of its sides, the same as his pendent. "Sorry about that. Let me help you carry one of those." She said as walked down the hatch.

'This should be interesting.' Squall thought to himself when he noticed her reaching for the case.

The ex summoner grasped the handle of the case with one hand. She pulled on it but it didn't budge. Seeing that it will take more effort to lift, she grabbed the handle with both her hands. With a loud grunt she managed to lift the case a few inches off the ground. "Wwhhat…in...the…world….doyou…have..in..here?" She asked thru gritted teeth.

"Just my weapon and some tools." Squall was taking great amusement in watching Yuna struggle with his case, though he didn't show it on his face.

"It's…heavyyy!" Taking a step proved to be a fatal error as she lost her balance. Yuna immediately dropped the case as she stumbled forward, waving her arms wildly in all directions attempting to regain her footing. But all her efforts were in vain as she soon began to fall face first towards the ground. She closed her eyes not wanting to see the incoming crash. All of sudden, Squall instantly appeared before the high summoner, catching her in the middle of her plummet. The instant she felt something embracing her, she threw her arms around his waist as they collided. For a moment Yuna didn't know what had happened, but once she did, her eyes shot open astounded to be wrapped in his arms. 'Oh my!' She found that his muscular arms were very firm yet at the same time they were gentle. Even his well-toned abdomen, which her face rested upon, was surprisingly comfy. She found herself enveloped in a warm feeling of security.

Once Squall was sure the ex summoner could stand on her own he wordlessly let go of her. After a couple of seconds he began to wonder why she still hadn't let him go from her embrace. "Yuna, you do know that you won't fall if you release me right?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Yuna finally realized what she was absent mindlessly doing and hastily removed her arms from his waist completely embarrassed. 'Why do I keep humiliating myself in front of him?' She mentally kicked herself. But a small part of her was already missing the warmth of his embrace. "Umm…thank you for catching me. Please follow me." It's all she could think to say before hurriedly turning and walking up the hatch in hopes that he didn't notice the redness of her cheeks.

Before following the high summoner, Squall gave her an odd look. 'This is the person that managed to save the world twice?!' Without a second thought he picked up the case with his left hand and threw the duffle bag over his shoulder with other and then proceeded to follow her inside.

By the time they made it to the men's quarters of the engine room, Yuna had managed to recover from her earlier embarrassment. Stopping in front of Squall's new room, she gathered all her determination and focused on not humiliating herself again before facing Squall and meeting his gaze dead on. "The others won't be up for a while longer, so I'm afraid I'll be the only one helping you clear out the room."

"Whatever." The stoic mercenary wasn't expecting any help to begin with.

As Squall set his things down, Yuna watched him as he easily laid the black case on the floor. 'How did he ever manage to carry such a heavy thing all the way from Bevelle?' Lifting it took all of her strength. Taking one step with it almost caused her to fall flat on her face. There was a slight blush as she remembered the reason why she didn't fall. What happened next didn't help her blush, Squall took off his jacket and placed it on the case to reveal his form fitting t-shirt. She admired the sight of his muscular arms, broad shoulders, and brawny chest. 'Whoa! This guy has such an incredible body. I wonder what it would feel like to…?!' She quickly shook her head and focused her attention back to the large case. "What kind of weapon do you have in there? I thought it was a sword, but the damage it did to the Haizhe couldn't have been done by just any ordinary sword." She asked trying her hardest to get her mind off such naughty thoughts.

Squall gave her a slight nod. "Yes, your right. But forget about that, I don't want to talk about it now. I just want to get this room cleaned up." Without another word, he nonchalantly walked by her and entered his room.

'Oh…too bad.' Yuna couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. She was still interested in learning more about him. However, the mercenary was right, there was work to be done. It didn't take them long to move the room's contents to the other storage rooms. "Now all we have to do is dust the place before bringing anything in here." Yuna cheerfully said once the room was empty. She was glad to see that she was finally getting used to being in his presence. Not even the sight of the tight shirt hugging his torso, wasn't affecting her as much as before.

"I'll take care of that. Just leave the room and close the door." Squall said while opening the porthole.

The ex summoner was about to object but something gave her the impression that he wouldn't take no for an answer. With no other choice, she reluctantly left and pressed the button to close the sliding door. Out in the hallway, she stared at the door wondering why she was suddenly banished. 'He could have at least thanked me for the help I've given him. Anyway, how is he going to get rid of all that dust without a broom?' Seeking an answer, she pressed her ear against the metal door. The rooms were mostly sound proof, but if she listened close enough, she could pick up faint sounds. Though in this instant, she didn't have to strain her hearing as the door started to rattle in its frame and gush of wind escaped thru the corners. Yuna backed away slightly frightened. 'What is going on in there?' It took about a minute for the door to stop shaking. As soon as it did, she quickly opened the door and rushed inside. She was confused to find Squall unharmed and then became even more confused when she found the room spotless.

Squall noticed her puzzled look and already knew what was coming. "Before you ask, I cast Aero (low level wind spell) to blow the dust out thru the porthole." He said while bushing off dust from his clothes.

"How much black magic do you know?" Her curiosity was peaked. There weren't many practitioners of black magic these days.

"Enough." He monotonously said while leaving the room.

'He isn't taking me seriously.' Yuna grumbled in exasperation. Her hopes for a clear answer were shot down.

-o-

Seeing that her help was no longer needed, Yuna decided to head back up to the cabin and left Squall as he was bringing in some furniture to finish setting up his room. The first thing to catch her attention in the cabin was the smell of Barkeep's cooking. The others girls were already at the bar having their morning meal of scrambled chocobo eggs. While Calli was still aboard the Celsius, no one dared to ask for such a meal out of concern for her feelings. Since her passion for chocobos was almost as strong as Clasko, she eventually joined him in the Calm Lands to raise chocobos, which then allowed the Gullwings to enjoy a larger menu including fried chocobo wings. After the morning greetings, Yuna sat down to eat her meal, satisfying the hunger that had built up while aiding Squall with his room.

Rikku curiously looked at Yuna wondering where she had been. "Yunie, where were you this morning? I saw you waking up while it was still dark outside."

Yuna paused just as she was about fork some eggs into her mouth. "...Well, last night I had trouble sleeping so I got up a little earlier. But it's a good thing I did, Squall showed up shortly afterwards. I've been helping him settle into his room." She really didn't want to go into details.

"WHAT!? He's here! Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Rikku exclaimed as she dropped the fork and jumped to her feet. "I'm going to go help him out."

Yuna quickly reached out and grabbed Rikku's hand. "No wait! He doesn't need any more help. By now he is probably already finished setting up his room and I don't think he wants to be bothered right now."

"I'd listen to her Rikku. He probably wants to get settled in before he interacts with any of us. You would only get on his nerves." Warned Paine. 'That's how I felt when I first got here. I don't know how, but I can tell that he feels the same way I did before.'

"O Poo! Alright, I'll stay." Rikku was greatly disappointed as she sat back down on the stool. She really wanted to go see Squall. 'I guess I'll get some alone time with him later.' Could it be that she had developed a small crush on him or was it simply her flirtatious nature? "Anyway, why did someone like him suddenly decide to become a sphere hunter?"

"That's a good question. You would think that a supposedly powerful mercenary could make a good living. Brother must have offered him something substantial in order to convince Squall to join us." Said Paine while causally playing with the remains of her meal.

Just then, Brother entered the cabin rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He lazily walked up to the bar counter and sat down as Barkeep placed his meal in front of him. "Good morning everyone." Was all he said before he began eating. It didn't take him long to sense three sets of eyes bearing into him.

"Well look who finally decided to grace us with his presence." Said the loving little sister.

"What do you want?" He relied harshly to his sister while glaring at her. Rikku shifted her gaze to Yuna and gave her an expectant look. Yuna was confused, not knowing what was expected of her until Rikku nodded her head towards Brother.

"We're sorry to interrupt you during your meal but can you please tell us how you convinced Squall to join us?" Yuna sweetly asked. She knew that she could manipulate him into doing anything. She rarely ever used that power to her advantage, it never felt right to toy with someone's feelings. However on this occasion, she had no problem with it since the mercenary was involved.

Brother's face lit up the second he heard Yuna's voice. "Yes of course, anything for you. Well, there really isn't much to say. After I had the brilliant idea of inviting him to join the Gullwings, I went out to search for him. I found him along the way to Bevelle…"

-o-

Brother's Proposal to the Mercenary:

Brother aimlessly wandered around thru the many trails of the Macalania Woods searching for the man he met early that day in the Celsius. After a while of searching, he finally spotted a figure in the distance on a trail that led to Bevelle. Brother was overjoyed and started to run towards the retreating figure. He called out as he closed in on the man. "HEY WAIT. I have something important to talk to you about."

The man glanced over his shoulder to see someone approaching him. 'Just great! One of those idiots again. Maybe if I pretend he isn't there, he'll go away.' So the man continued on his hike, ignoring all the noise coming from behind. A few moments later Brother ran pass and stopped right in front of him. 'Damn it.'

"Please…this…will only…take a…few minutes of your time." Brother was panting heavily because of the run.

The man glared at him before crossing his arms. "Make it quick!"

Brother took a few moments to think of a proper way to present his proposal, making sure not to take long enough to test the man's patience. "I am here to offer you the once in a life time opportunity to join the legendary group of sphere hunters that have saved Spira called the Gullwings. You have heard of us haven't you?"

"…" The man remained silent looking unimpressed.

Brother took that as a yes. "…Well…Oh…If you join you'll get good food and your own room. You'll also get to travel around the world for free, and get an equal share in all the profits." He watched as the man breathed out heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose, appearing to be frustrated. 'Maybe I should tell him that he'll be in the company of three beautiful ladies, especially the goddess Lady Yuna. He is a man, right? And for good measure I'll offer him Rikku as well.' Brother considered these options before speaking again. "There will also be…" he didn't get a chance to finish.

"Fine, I'll join your little group." The man said as he cut Brother off. Seeing that nothing more needed to be said, he turned around and started to hike back to the airship.

Brother just stood there trying to figure out what just happened. 'E lyh'd pameaja ed fyc dryd ayco.' (I can't believe it was that easy) When he noticed the man walking away, he realized he forgot something. "Hey, what should I call you?"

"Just call me Squall." He answered without turning.

-o-

"You mean to tell me that's all it took for Squall to join the Gullwings. I thought it would have taken a lot more to get someone like him to join." Paine was finding this difficult to accept. 'He must have a hidden agenda like I did.'

Brother nodded in agreement. "So did I. I was even about to offer Rikku to him but he didn't give me the opportunity to mention it." After those words left his mouth everyone in the cabin fell silent. Yuna covered her mouth with a hand as she silently gasped. Her face turning red because of the images those words brought to mind. Paine kept her laughter under control, as she earnestly waited for Rikku's reaction.

Rikku could only manage to produce slight choking sounds as her mouth hung open with a seriously flushed face, having lost the ability to speak. She knew that Brother and her weren't the best example of an ideal brother and sister, but for him to try and offer his own sister to another man was just a little too much. She wasn't some object that could be used to bargain with. However, another part of her was flattered about being an offering to someone as handsome as Squall. That was most likely the only reason why she didn't attack her brother that very moment. "…EEEXCUSE MEE! You tried to offer your own sister to another man?" She growled thru gritted teeth.

"Pop has been doing the same thing for years now. He's still trying to find a man stupid enough to marry you. And the sooner a man takes you away, the sooner I can get rid of the pain in the ass that you are." He coldly shot back.

"DIE!" Rikku yelled as she jumped off her stool and then nailed Brother across the jaw with a vicious right hook. The blow sent him flying, landing several feet away from the bar unconscious. Rikku, still not finished, began to mercilessly kick him repeatedly. This scene was all too common in the Celsius. With nothing more to discuss Yuna and Paine turned back to finish their meal even as the sounds of the beating filled the room.