Kitteh: Been a little busy recently, school and coursework taking over my life. Exams coming up soon unfortunately. Ah well, here's an update.

Disclaimer:

I do not own FFX or FFX-2

Zanarkand High

Dreaming

Yuna's POV

It was late, past midnight that was for sure, when I finally returned home from another night out with the gang. We had gone out to another bar, it was only a few weeks until the dance now and I imagined Rikku was trying to get the guys to ask us out.

She had offered to let me stay the night but I decided to get home. I had spent a lot of time out recently and I missed home in a way. Sometimes it was nice, the silence. It helped me think.

I wasn't surprised to see Auron in the hallway waiting for me with a stern look, I knew I should've left earlier but I just didn't want to leave. I was talking to Tidus and the time just flew by…

"I would ask you where you have been but I doubt I would want to know," Auron started. "Going by the smell at least."

I frowned a little at him and started to protest but he shook his head.

"All I am saying is to be more careful. You know your father wouldn't approve and there are good reasons behind that. Now go upstairs and get to bed before your father realises,"

I said nothing but shot him a grateful look, I was slightly annoyed at his comment but I knew that in a way he was right. They were a bad crowd, but they were good people. If only they could see how much happier it made me. I let my shoulders drop and climbed the stairs exhaustedly, collapsing onto my bed.

It was still night when I woke up, glancing at my alarm clock informed me it was barely 4am. I groaned and sat up, my eyes heavy. Stumbling to the bathroom, I tripped over my bag and narrowly missed the doorframe.

When I finally got my footing, I flicked the light switch and headed towards the sink. I hadn't changed out of my clothes or even brushed my teeth. I shivered a little as I found my toothpaste, grabbing my toothbrush.

Entering my bedroom I realised my phone was buzzing. I picked it up, seeing 7 missed calls and 4 texts. I had worked out my early alarm. Why was Rikku calling me? I opened the texts, all of them sounding urgent.

Stepping outside onto my balcony despite the cold, I dialled her number. It barely rang before a frantic Rikku answered.

"Yuna! Shit, Yuna! We need your help!" She practically screamed down the phone.

"Whoa, Rikku, slow down, what is it?" I asked, my heart beating loudly.

"It's Paine," She said, her voice breaking.

I swallowed hard and asked them where they were before taking off last nights clothes, digging out a pair of jeans and a sweater. I grabbed a coat before sneaking through the hallway and down the stairs. It wasn't long before I slipped out, running across the driveway towards the gates, avoiding the security cameras and jumping the fence. I ran all the way, feeling my lungs burn in my chest.

I barely knocked on the door before it was ripped open and I was dragged inside by my hysterical cousin. Lulu looked up sombrely as I passed, her eyes desperate.

Paine was in Rikku's room, huddled into a ball, silent tears slipping down her pale face. Her arm was cradling her chest, blood dripping from her fingers eerily.

It was then she looked up but her eyes were different. They weren't hers…

They were mine.

I gasped and blinked, I was looking at me. I shook my head, I didn't understand, everything around me blurred. It was my pale, bloodied face I was looking at. I was curled up on Rikku's floor bleeding out.

I jolted, screaming. My eyes snapped open and I was suddenly home, in my own bed, wearing the clothes I had worn to the bar. I felt myself shake as my mind tried to process what had happened. It was just a dream, just a dream.

But why did it feel so real?

Why was it Paine? Why was I, why was she bleeding?

I shook my head, putting it in my hands before running to the bathroom, promptly vomiting. My throat stung and my stomach ached. I cried, slumping to the floor. More than anything I wished someone was there to hold me.

Tidus' POV

I finished my coffee, walking outside to light a cigarette while the rest of the gang mucked about inside. Rikku was trying to coerce Gippal into playing cards with her, no doubt to settle the previous poker game. Wakka was attempting to make small talk with an amused Lulu whilst Paine and Baralai spent some time alone. Yuna wasn't with us, she hadn't shown up yet. I couldn't help but feel disappointed.

As I took a drag, I heard the backdoor open and the familiar scent of an alluring perfume assaulted my nose.

"Lulu," I said, keeping my face forward.

She stood beside me and turned her calculating eyes on me.

"You really need to cut down on those," She started, but let the sentence fall knowing I wouldn't. "She's a sweet girl, could do you a lot of good. It seems like she needs someone too. Ask her to the dance,"

She didn't need to tell me who she meant, we both knew. She turned to leave but I couldn't hold it in anymore.

"She's special Lu, too special for me, for us, for this. She's better than all of this and I'll just bring her down. She's smart, real smart."

"Love knows no boundaries," I felt her hand on my shoulder. I took a deep breath and looked up at the old tree house we had made. Lulu slipped away, leaving me to my thoughts.

Yuna. She was something else, she really was. She was the kind of girl who'd go to a top University, get a high paid job. Go somewhere in life. She'd be rich, I'd see her in the paper winning an award or something. Me? If I ever ended up in the paper it'd be for a crime. I just wasn't good enough. I was a street kid who did all the wrong things. If I lived long enough…

I looked down at hands, the skin taunt and pale. I knew there was something wrong and it was something big. I didn't know what it meant. I had a bad feeling.

Looking back at the tree house, I remembered building it. It wasn't long after I had met everyone. Wakka and I had met first, we were in the same class. I remembered going to his house and seeing the two sisters across the road. We'd play with them sometimes, Blitzball normally but Lulu wasn't very good. Wakka always used to tease her. Paine was quiet and they both never seemed to want to go home. It was a few years later we understood why when the cops came by and took their dad away. I wondered if one day the cops would come for my dad. I think Lulu knew, she was always good at figuring things out but I was good at hiding things.

Baralai joined after, having moved from somewhere up North. He ended up becoming friends with us after having a fist fight with Wakka, Paine took a shine to him and they always ended up spending time together. Becoming an item was no shock to anyone. Gippal and Rikku came next; they were at our new school. Gippal had teased Rikku and she retorted, beating the crap out of him. The feisty blonde had certainly caught his attention. I don't even know exactly how we ended up getting involved, but we did. Despite the blonde's bubbly attitude she fitted in well with the two Goths and we all ended up friends. We all had our stories, we all had our differences but we were closer than blood.

It was many years after that Yuna arrived. She had slotted straight in like no one else had. No one had been able to fit in ever since Gippal and Rikku, we were closed then, no one came in, no matter what. I smiled a little, the gang had grown up together, through everything and we were never going to grow apart.

I flicked my cigarette to the ground, stamping it out before leaning against the wall, hearing the laughter from inside. I closed my eyes contently before I doubled over in pain when my stomach cramped, as if knives were being ripped through my insides. I gasped, not expecting this. I coughed a little, blood appearing on my hand again. My vision began to swim. I took a deep breath, collecting myself. I knew I needed to do something but I couldn't. I didn't want to know. I really didn't want to know…

"Tidus?"

I turned, recognising the timid voice. Yuna stood with a worried look on her face. I immediately noticed the dark circles, something was up.

"Hey Yuna," I grinned. "You not sleep last night?"

"Oh, um. I did, just, erm… Late night," She said hurriedly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, fine," I said brushed away her concern. Shit. She hadn't seen the blood had she?

"Oh… You just look... I mean, you don't look well."

"Late night for me too. We're going out later if you want to come?" I said, changing the subject.

"Sure," She said, not looking as if she wanted to drop the conversation.

"Want to go to the dance with me?" I asked bluntly. Wait. Had I just said that!?

"Wha- I mean, erm…" She blushed, looking a bit shocked. "Y-yes."

I grinned, walking over to her. I was Tidus, I was a leader of a gang and I could get any girl I wanted and yet I was like a lovesick child around her. It was time I sucked up, I wanted her, I needed her and it felt right. Before any logic or reason entered my mind I had her lips against mine and I knew in that moment nothing could ever feel as right as this did.

Yuna's POV

When we finally pulled away, needing air, I was breathing heavily and knew I was redder than a tomato. It was so…sudden but exhilarating. Tidus. Tidus! Tidus had kissed me! He asked me to the dance! I felt like a teenage girl in some trashy teen romance novel but I didn't care.

I heard the wolf-whistles behind us and couldn't help but giggle, Tidus looking up to see the gang. I turned to see them grinning, Wakka making kissing noises. Tidus flipped him off, wrapping his arms around my waist. I leant into him, he was warm and it felt so… comfortable, so natural.

"About time!" Rikku called, clasping her hands together.

We laughed as we walked inside, Tidus' hand slipping down into mine and I felt my cheeks break out into another blush.

*

It was nearing 9 and I knew there was something wrong with Tidus. It had been a long time now and he just didn't seem to be okay, he was always so pale, so tired and gaunt. I figured it was probably all the late nights and all the drinking; it was a gang after all…

"I better get home," I said quietly, knowing Auron would have a fit if I was late home again.

"I'll walk you back," Tidus said, getting a few wolf whistles from Gippal and Wakka.

I laughed and took his hand before he could flip them off and thanked him, thinking over whether to confront him or not. I didn't want to make him angry; I knew he was sensitive about his health – especially drinking and smoking. What was I thinking? We had only just got together, if we were even together… I couldn't start throwing out accusations. I shook my head and let him take my hand as we walked out of the bar and towards the other side of town.

We walked in silence for a while, a comfortable silence. It was quiet out and it wasn't too cold, just a breeze. It reminded me of the nightmare I'd had and I felt myself shiver a little at the thought. I still didn't know what it meant and it was scaring me. It was just a dream, dreams weren't real, right? Everyone has bad dreams, right?

I just couldn't shake the bad feeling.