A/N: I would like to apologize for the amount of time it took for me to get this chapter up. I hit many snags after returning from the UK that kept me from the word processor. I would like to thank you all for your incredible patience with me. I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 7

First Steps Through the Open Door

+++ Yuna and Rikku's Dorm, 8:00 A.M. +++

Everything happened like in a dream. Through the night and into the morning, everything that had happened on the rooftop kept replaying in Rikku's mind over and over again. It seemed so real, but at the same time it seemed to good to be real. Halfway through the night, she had awoken confused, as if she couldn't remember if what had happened was real or not. But she remembered it all to well.

The look of longing in Paine's eyes. How quickly but gently she had swept her off her feet. How tender that first kiss was. It was too real to be a dream. Too personal. She remembered how she had smiled when she remembered all about that special moment on the roof.

She smiled in her sleep as she dreamed about that night, finally awaking to a sharp poke in her side, followed by an all too familiar voice.

"Good lord, Rikku! Wake up! It's after 8! You can't sleep your entire weekend away!" Rikku opened up her eyes to see her cousin standing near the edge of the bed, hands on her hips. What she was doing fully dressed and cleaned up at just after 8 on a Saturday morning was beyond Rikku's comprehension.

"Just because you like to wake up early all the time doesn't mean we all do, you know." Rikku said as she sat up and stretched. She still had a huge grin on her face.

"Well, there's no reason you need to sleep it away, either. Besides, it's a bright and sunny day and you owe me an explanation."

Rikku heaved herself over the side of her bed and hopped down onto the ground, yawning as she landed and spoke, "What do you mean?"

"You came in last night with that same grin on your face, and you wouldn't tell me why. If you found a huge pot of gil, then would you mind sharing the wealth a little here?" Yuna chuckled, "I could use a new blouse after all."

Rikku stuck her tongue out at her. "Real funny, Yuna. But no, I didn't find a pot of gil. I found something even better." The smile made it's way back onto the blonde's face.

"Well, are you gonna tell me, or do I have to guess?"

"Take a guess and I'll tell you if you're wrong. How's that sound?"

"Oh all right, I'll guess." Yuna tapped her foot and scratched her chin for a minute. "You finally got rid of Gippal?"

Rikku hunched over at the sound of that name, "Unfortunately, no. Though that would be a cause for celebration."

"Oh, well I give up! Just tell me already!"

"You give up too easily, you know that?"

Yuna just huffed, "So what? You're killing me here! Just tell me!"

Rikku chuckled, "Just like a little kid at Christmas. But anyway, I'll tell you. You remember that person that I was talking about the other day?"

"What, you mean the person that almost told you something, then ran off?"

"That's the one. But they wanted to meet me up on the roof last night, which is where I was by the way. Sorry for not telling you. But anyways, they told me what it was they were trying to tell me the other night."

Yuna looked at her cousin with a quizzical expression, "What was they were trying to tell you? You've got me interested now."

"Basically, they used to go to Bevelle and had to leave."

Yuna grimaced, "Oh, Bevelle University. I've heard horror stories about that place. They have one of the worst grade ratings in all of Spira, you know. I'm sure it's obvious, but why did they leave?"

"They kept getting chased by this one guy. Couldn't take no for an answer."

"Hmmm, that sounds like someone else we know, doesn't it?"

Rikku laughed, "Yes, it does. But anyways, they apologized to me for running off and told me that I was a good friend for not giving up on them. And then..."

Rikku held in the last part for a few moments. The suspense was obviously killing Yuna, however. "And then what? What happens next? Come on, tell me!"

"All right, all right. They kissed me."

Yuna about fell over. "They did! Rikku, that's great! I knew you could find someone right for you!" She clasped her hands together, "So who is the lucky somebody?"

Without even thinking, Rikku blurted out, "It's a secret!"

Yuna threw her hands to her side, "What, why?"

"Well, uh..." Rikku hadn't actually thought about what she should have told her cousin until right now. The two had known each other since they were very young, and usually considered each other more like sisters than cousins. So they normally didn't keep secrets from each other. But Rikku began wondering if it wouldn't be such a bad idea to not tell her cousin who it was who had kissed her last night. She didn't know how she would take it, and didn't want to alienate herself from her cousin.

Noticing the look on her cousin's face, Rikku finally found the right words, "It's like this. They're kinda shy. And they're scared that if it got out we were dating, and it doesn't work out for whatever reason, we may not be good friends anymore. Plus, they don't know what their friends or family would think. So for right now at least, we're just gonna keep it a secret."

Yuna shrugged, "All right, I guess that seems fair. But when you guys do decide to come out of the closet about it, let me be the first to know."

Rikku saluted, "It's a deal captain."

Yuna chuckled, "Alright. So I'm heading out for a bit. Me and some of my classmates are going to tutor someone in history so he can do good on the make up test. I'll see you later."

Rikku waved to her as she ran out of the room, then proceeded to get changed for the day.

+++ Paine's Dorm, 8:30 A.M. +++

While she was still very excited about this new found relationship, Rikku couldn't help but be confused by it also. It was great getting this close to someone, but at the same time there were other people to consider. Talking with Yuna back in their dorm room had made her realize that. While Rikku had never really questioned her cousin about what she thought about two girls going out, she wasn't sure this was the best time to start.

Yuna was a smart woman, and was extremely open minded. So part of Rikku thought that her cousin wouldn't mind, but another part of her told her that telling Yuna might cause her to not like her anymore. Rikku had always called that part of her brain the danger sense. It told her when something was not right, and right now it was sending up red flags in her head.

And just to make things just a little more confusing, Rikku wondered what Paine thought about all of this. And it was because of this that she found herself outside of Paine's dorm now. It seemed like as good a time as any to talk about what they were going to do about telling other people. For some reason, Rikku got this sense that she might want to keep it under wraps for now as well. Paine seemed to like to surround herself with secrets, so this would just probably seem like another layer to add to the wrapping to her. But still, they were in this together, so she wanted to get her input on it.

Finally reaching her destination, she pushed her thoughts aside for a little while. For now, it was time to see her new girlfriend and get to know her a little better. Rikku knocked on the door to the room and waited for a few minutes. No answer. Puzzled, she knocked on it again. After another few moments, she heard a loud groan and someone shuffling to the door. The latch then unlocked, and Rikku was greeted by a single crimson eye peeking through the crack in the door.

"Rikku, what are you doing up here this early in the morning?"

"What do you mean early? It's only a little after 8:30."

Paine groaned again, "Well, come in I guess." She closed the door and undid the latch so that Rikku could get in. Rikku burst into laughter just as soon as she entered and closed the door however. Paine was sprawled out over her bed wearing nothing but black panties and a black sports bra.

"Did we have a rough night last night? You look like you need some coffee." Rikku giggled.

Paine just shot her an evil glare, "And I'm sure you look glamorous this early in the morning too."

"So what's with this business of 8:30 being too early. You get up earlier than this during the week, don't you?"

Paine slowly sat herself up into a sitting position, "Yea, when I have classes. On the weekends, I like to sleep in. But anyways, what brings you here so early?"

"I wanted to talk to you some more, and take you to lunch. Though I suppose we should get you breakfast first, huh?"

"What did you want to talk about." Paine stood herself up and fumbled through her dresser to find something to put on.

"Well, it's about us. More specifically, what should we tell people."

Paine stopped fumbling through her drawer as Rikku said this. "I haven't really thought about that actually." Paine sat back down on her bed. "I guess we should talk about that huh?"

Rikku pulled a chair away from the desk and sat in front of her girlfriend. "Well, I brought it up because I told Yuna that someone kissed me on the roof, but I didn't say who. And I feel kind of awkward keeping secrets from my cousin."

Paine thought about it for a second, "Well, personally I don't mind telling people. It might be funny to look at people's reactions. But I do see your point. Let me ask you this then, suppose we do tell people about us, what would you be the most afraid of?"

"Well, the biggest thing would be Yuna alienating me. We've known each other since we were small girls. I think of her as my sister more than my cousin. She's always been there for me, and I've always been there for her. So I would be afraid that she may not like me or trust me anymore."

"How does your cousin feel about two women going out?"

"I don't really know. That's not really a topic that we brought up. She's smart and open-minded about pretty much everything, but this is something I just don't really want to risk. How about you, what would be the most afraid of?"

Paine sat there and scratched her chin for a minute, "It's hard to say really. I usually don't care what people think of me. I've always thought it was more important to trust in what you think of yourself, rather than what other people think."

Rikku shrugged, "I guess that's a good way to think. But I also think it's important to care about what the people whom you like the most think about you. Like I care what you think about me."

Paine smiled, "And I care about what you think. Which is why I think we should keep this quiet for a little while. Your cousin obviously means a lot to you, so we'll keep her in the dark until you feel ready to tell her."

Rikku breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm glad that's settled. So I guess that means you need to keep the ice queen act up while we're in public then?"

Paine shrugged, "If that's what you want to call it, then yea. I suppose so. We wouldn't want people getting suspicious." Paine got up and started rifling through her drawers again. "Though, it would be funny to see the look on Gippal's face if he found out you'd rather date me than him." Both women burst into a fit of laughter on that comment.

Having finally found something to wear, Paine walked into the bathroom and changed. She came out wearing a red tank-top and black jeans. Rikku looked her over. "Maybe we should call it the Gothic ice queen look." Paine responded by ruffling the blonde's hair with her hand.

"I suppose we should get something to eat, now that I'm awake. I'll buy lunch, you can buy breakfast." As the two began to walk toward the door, Paine stopped. "Wait, I forgot something."

"What did you forget?"

Paine gently pulled Rikku closer and gave her a deep kiss, which prompted Rikku to wrap her arms around the silver-haired woman. When the two finally broke it off, Paine smiled at her. "Forgot to say good morning to you when you walked in."

"You really are a big softie, aren't you?" Rikku asked.

"Only to those who know me best. Now come on, I'm hungry." Paine replied, leading the younger girl out the door.

+++ Luca Town Square, just after noon +++

The two spent all of their morning in Luca, window shopping and walking around the market district. One would think that Rikku would have spent more money on clothes and shoes, but the contrary was true. Rikku currently had only bought a single shirt, while Paine had two pairs of boots, a pair of running sneakers, two tank tops, a pair of jean shorts, and 3 pairs of socks.

"I never took you to be a shopaholic, Paine." Rikku said, ogling all the merchandise Paine had mysteriously fit into two large bags.

"What, this? This is nothing. I've actually been meaning to come down to town and get these things. This seemed as good as time as any." Paine replied casually. She glanced around the town square for a moment. "Anywhere special you want to eat?"

Rikku scratched her chin, "Nope, you pick. You're buying, and I don't want you to overspend."

Paine looked around again and spotted a small cafe across the town square. "There's a good place. Funny name, but you can't argue with one of their sandwiches. Best in town."

Rikku glanced at the name of the cafe and almost fell over laughing. The Tasty Flan. "That has to be the funniest thing I've ever seen. Can't believe I never noticed this place before."

The two walked over and took a seat at one of the vacant tables. "I think most people are turned away by the name. And it is kind of a small, tucked away cafe. But you'll like it, trust me."

A waiter approached the table, asking to take their orders. Paine went first. "I'll just take the special."

"And what could I get for you ma'am?" The waiter said, addressing Rikku.

"I think I'll take the special also." The waiter bowed and walked away.

"So if you don't mind me asking, how exactly can you afford all that?"

Paine looked at her with an odd look, "I have a credit card."

"Well, I know that. But you have to pay the bill at the end of the month, don't you?"

"Now that's a funny story. Remember when I told you that Baralai had his father freeze my credit card when I wouldn't go out with him?"

"Yea, what about it?"

"Well, Baralai had told his father that the reason he needed to do that was because I was committing fraud."

Rikku's jaw dropped, "He lied!"

Paine shrugged. "Yup. But after I got my transfer here to UCL, he found out the real reason why Baralai had him freeze my account. He wasn't happy. So now all of my credit card bills go to Baralai. He has to pay for them." Paine grinned an evil grin. "So every once and a while I indulge, just to show my appreciation."

Rikku burst out into laughter. "Now that's evil. I almost wish someone would do that to me so they could pay my bill. Right now, my pop pays the bill. He isn't too happy if the bill gets too high, so I have to be careful how much I spend." Rikku switched her voice to sound as close to her father's as possible. "Rikku! What the hell is all these charges for? You're supposed to be studying for school, not go on a shopping spree. You think money grows on trees?"

Paine smirked, "There has to be perks of having the leader of the Al Bhed people as your father. At least he's nice enough to pay for you tuition. I had to kick myself through high school to get a scholarship, and I almost lost that because of someone's selfishness."

Rikku shrugged, "He means well, he just comes across too harshly sometimes. Still, he is my pops, so I respect him. Even if I don't really get along with him."

"I wonder what he'd think of us. We didn't really talk about that, did we?"

A shocked look came across Rikku's face. "I definitely think we shouldn't tell him. I'm not sure how Yuna would take it, but pops would definitely blow a gasket."

"That bad?"

"It's like this. My pops is very outspoken about some things, and same-sex relationships are one of them. If he ever hears about them in the news or something, it sends him off into a rant that's the equivalent to an out of control forest fire."

"Well, we can't just not tell him. You know that right?"

"Yea, I know. But I think it would be best if we tried to break him into it slowly. And it definitely be a good idea to tell Yuna first. She has a way of calming him down. Don't know how she does it, but pops usually listens to her if she has something she wants to say."

Paine smiled, "Going into the fight with all the right assets. Probably a good plan. I'll agree to that. We need to think of a good time to talk to Yuna about it. Any ideas?"

Rikku scowled and racked her brain for a few minutes. "Nope, I've got nothing."

"Ah well, we'll come up with something." It was at that time that the waiter returned with their food. "In the mean time, it's lunch time."

+++ Dorm building, 1:45 P.M. +++

After finishing their lunch, the two walked around town for a little while before returning to their dorm building. Paine walked Rikku up to her dorm room before parting ways with her.

"I'll be at the track at 6 if you want to show up for some more exercise. I want to try out my new track shoes that Baralai bought me." Paine said, adding a smirk at the end.

Rikku laughed, "Yea, I'll be there. It'll be a good way to walk off that sandwich you bought me." Rikku rubbed her stomach. That had been the best turkey and roast beef club she'd had in a long time. "She can buy me lunch anytime she wants too."

Paine leaned in and gave her a quick kiss before whispering in her ear, "I'll see you there." With that, the older woman walked off. Rikku waited until Paine walked around the corner before fumbling with the door to get into her dorm. She was surprised to see Yuna fumbling through her drawers.

"What's the matter, Yunie? You lose your sense of fashion?" Rikku chided playfully.

Yuna just looked up and scowled at her. "Real funny, Rikku. For your information, I lost a pair of my shorts." Yuna continued to throw things out of her drawers.

Rikku looked around briefly before pointing out a pair that were lying in the floor of the closet. "You mean those ones?"

Yuna looked up to look where her cousin was pointing. "What? How did they get over there?" She walked over and picked them up.

"Maybe if you hung them up like your supposed to, that wouldn't happen." Rikku did her best to but as much sarcasm as possible into the statement. Yuna replied by glaring daggers at her, which caused Rikku to laugh. "I hope you don't expect me to clean all this up."

Yuna huffed as she moved into the bathroom to change. "Yes, I'll do it when I come out." She closed to door before continuing. "So what were you up too, besides running up the charges on Uncle Cid's credit card."

"Oh, please. I bought one thing. If that bankrupts him, he was in real trouble to begin with."

Yuna laughed as she came out of the bathroom, throwing the skirt she had been wearing into the laundry hamper. "I know, I'm just messing with you. But seriously, what were you up too? Go out with your new friend?"

"Yup. They went shopping with me and then they bought me lunch."

Yuna looked up in surprise. "Wow! You've known each other for such a short time and they're already buying you lunch? How'd you get so lucky?"

Rikku put her hands up behind her head and leaned back on her heels, wearing a huge smile. "I'm just full of luck I guess. Which reminds me. Did you talk with Tidus yet, or do I have to start writing that forged note?"

Yuna shifted her eyes from side to side for a moment, then giggled under her breath. "If I said yes, would you believe me?"

Rikku just sighed and shook her head from side to side. "Yunie, Yunie, Yunie. What am I gonna do with you?"

"Well, it's not as easy as I thougt it would be. I was actually in town around 10 this morning, and I saw him while I was heading back to the campus."

"Why didn't you talk to him then?"

"I was about too. I was about 10 feet from him when I saw Wakka walk up and start talking with him."

"Are you afraid of saying something to him in front of his friends or something?"

Yuna looked down and blushed a little. "Kinda. I mean, what if he says no, or laughs at me or something. I mean, it be one thing if we were by ourselves, but in front of other people? I don't want to look like a fool."

Rikku put her hands on her cousins shoulders. "Ah come on, Yunie. It's like you've always told me. Sometimes you just need to have faith and take the leap. If he says no to you, then so what? At least you'll know, instead of sitting around going 'what if'."

"I wish it was that easy. I had all the confidence in the world, and then I just lost it. I guess I'm just a coward."

Rikku gave her a hug. "No, you're not. You're just in love and don't know how to express it. Give it some time." The two broke up the embrace. "What we're you planning to do that involved you changing?"

"Some friends and I were going to do some window shopping downtown, then stay for a concert. I just didn't want to wear the skirt." Yuna suddenly looked up. "Any chance you wanted to see the concert?"

Rikku stuck her tongue out. "Not if it's what band I think it is."

Yuna just laughed. "What's wrong with Aeon Fayth?"

"They sing weird, religiousy music! It's just not my thing!"

"Alright, alright. It's fine. Anyways, I'm gonna go now. Just leave the mess, I'll clean up when I get back." With that Yuna left, waving at her cousin.

Rikku huffed as she looked around the room. "She should know by now I can't leave it like this! This is messier than anything I can make!" The blonde proceeded to move around the room, picking up clothes and returning them to their proper place. As she finished, she got on her computer and started surfing the net. As she did, she recalled her conversation with Paine.

She thought about their talk about what to tell Yuna. Then about how Yuna was having trouble talking to Tidus. And that's when the idea she was looking for hit her.

"THAT'S IT!"

+++ Track, 6 P.M. +++

"Wait, wait, wait. Slow down, Rikku! What are you babbling on about?" Paine asked, trying to calm her jumpy girlfriend down.

"Well, I was surfing the internet when I hit on an idea of how we could break it to Yuna about us. It's so simple, I can't believe I didn't think of it before!" Rikku exclaimed, not even trying to contain her excitement.

The two had met at the track for their seemingly daily run, wearing the usual attire for such an event. Paine had opted for the all black look ("Does she wear ANYTHING besides black?") as usual, but Rikku had shown up wearing a pair of bright yellow shorts and an equally bright yellow top, complete with a pair of white running shoes. Rikku had been so anxious to tell Paine her idea that she was barely making any sense until about right now.

"Should I sit down for this?" Paine chided.

Rikku just stuck her tongue out at her. "Oh come on! I'm not that bad, am I?"

Paine just laughed. "Alright, alright. What do you have?"

"It's simple, really. You know Tidus, the blitzball captain?"

"Who doesn't? He's captain of probably the best college blitzball team in all of Spira? You'd have to live on some small, remote island to not really know who he is. Why, what about him?"

"Well, it's like this. Yuna has the hots for him."

Paine sighed. "I can see where this is going. I'm going to take a wild guess and say that we should try to hook the two of them up, right?"

Rikku smiled and scratched the back of her head. "Well, that's the gist of it, yea."

Paine started stretching for her warm-up. "Anyway we could think of another way? Matchmaker isn't exactly my strong point."

Rikku proceeded to stretch as she responded. "Well, how about this. I'll explain a plan and an explanation as to why I think this plan works as we do our run. If you think it can be better, or have another plan, let me know and we'll decide."

Paine shrugged as she stood, "Fair enough, I suppose. We'll keep it to a jog. To hard to talk and run at the same time."

The two of them set off down the track as their discussion continued. "So it's like this. I think if Yuna found out that you and I were seeing each other before she gets a date, she might get the whole jealousy thing going, which is why we should maybe try and get them together."

Paine decided to play counterpoint. "I don't really see how that'll work out. Your cousin doesn't strike me as being a jealous person. She seems too shy."

"That's what concerns me. She's tried talking to him herself, but she chickens out every time. If we left her to her own devices, she'll grow up to be a crazy cat lady. Plus, look at it this way. She might be more accepting of us if we helped her get together with Tidus."

Paine nodded slightly, but decided to keep playing devil's advocate. "That's all good reasoning, but the only flaw in it is a scathing one. What if he doesn't like her, or it doesn't work? We won't exactly be conquering heroes if that becomes the case."

"Well, if that's the case, then that's the case. But I look at it like this, would you rather take the chance and ask him, then know the truth, or would you rather live the rest of your life wondering 'what if I had gone up and asked him'? I mean, you took that chance, didn't you?"

Paine cracked a smile, "Yes, I suppose I did. Glad I went against my instincts for a change. So I guess you win this one. What was your plan, exactly."

"It's not overly complicated, actually. It's a simple 'force them to be in the same room near each other scenario'."

"So what do you want me to do?"

"You need to talk to Yuna and get her to go to some location. Just make something up, like you need help studying or something."

"Where should I get her to go too?"

Rikku scratched her chin for a minute as they slowed to a stop. "Hmmmm. It'd have to be somewhere easily accessible, but at the same time devoid of large numbers or people. Any ideas?"

Paine snapped her fingers, "Is your cousin much of a temple-goer on Sundays?"

Rikku shook her head, "No, not really. She used to go back at home, but since we've been here, she hasn't gone. Probably too busy studying until her eyes bleed to bother attending. Why, what's your idea?"

"Why not just have the meeting at the park at the same time the temple is in session? Pretty much everyone in town is going to be there, so it'll be pretty empty."

"IT'S BRILLIANT!" Rikku proclaimed. Paine covered her ears in surprise, which caused Rikku to giggle innocently, "Sorry. Sometimes I have trouble controlling the volume of my voice."

"Don't worry about it, I didn't need my eardrums anyways." Paine said playfully. "Anyways, I guess this means we'll need to do all this tomorrow then?" Rikku simply nodded in response. Paine sighed, "Guess that means another early morning tomorrow. What are you gonna do?"

Rikku just smiled, "Easy, silly. Set up my end of the deal."

+++ Student Activities Center, 7:30 P.M. +++

Rikku left the track with Paine around 7 so that Paine could get an early night's sleep. This left Rikku to her planning, which all in all was rather simple. Tidus was a rather hard person to find. Between classes, team practice, games, studying, and doing whatever else he felt like in his free time, it was nearly impossible to find him. Though while Tidus might be a hard man to find, there was someone else who knew Tidus that was much easier to find.

Wakka, the team's second-in-command, was far easier to locate at any given time. While he didn't share in the same level of celebrity as his captain did, Wakka was still well known to the students at UCL. He tended to get out a little more and be spontaneous, and was more visible. And every Saturday at 7:30, he met some of his friends in the Activity Center for a weekly game night.

Rikku knew Wakka fairly well. In high school, the two were friends. Not super close friends, but close enough where they could tell each other secrets and not feel insecure about it. The two were also gamer buddies, as Rikku also frequented this meeting every Saturday night. So right on 7:30, in walked in Wakka.

"You're never a minute later to this place every Saturday, are you?" Rikku smirked.

Wakka burst out laughing, "I wouldn't want to be a minute late. Knowing you, you'd probably steal my high score in a heartbeat, ya."

The two started laughing and gave each other a quick hug. "So how's all that training going? Last time I saw you here, you looked like you were about to fall asleep."

Wakka shrugged, "Ya, well that was right before the semi-finals, see. We're kinda cooling off soon, otherwise we'd all pass out, ya see. No reason to kill yourself about it, eh?" Wakka chuckled to himself for a moment. "So anyways, what did ya want to play tonight?"

"Well, before I start kicking your butt at any game, I need a favor."

"Uh oh. Last time yous asked me for a favor, it wasn't good."

Rikku huffed, "Let's not talk about that time. That was...odd. But before I ask you this favor, I need to ask you question. It's about Tidus."

Wakka raised an eyebrow, "About Tidus, eh? What'cha want to know about him?"

Rikku glanced around really quickly looked around before continuing. "Before I ask you this, you can't tell anyone I asked you this."

Wakka waved his hands in front of him, "Hey now! I'm no snitch, you know. Your secret's safe with me, ya."

"Okay, good. It's like this. Yuna has a huge crush on Tidus. I don't know if you noticed it yet or not."

Wakka laughed, "Oh, trust me. I've noticed. She doesn't exactly do a good job of concealing it, ya. So I suppose the next question your gonna ask me is does he have a crush on her, ya?"

"Am I that transparent?"

"Kinda."

"Well, then yes! That's exactly what I wanted to know."

Wakka thought about it for a moment, "Well, I'm pretty sure he does. He does say nice things about her sometimes, ya know. I don't know why he doesn't go over and talk to her, though. Yuna's a nice girl."

"Well, that's what this favor is for. I was wondering if you wanted to help play matchmaker."

"Oh boy, here we go. Ya know what, I'll do it. What do I need to do?"

Rikku jumped up in excitement, "Thank you Wakka! I promise you won't regret it! All you need to do is get him to go to the park just as Temple services start." Rikku's expression changed to worry for a moment, "Uh oh. He doesn't go to the service does he?"

Wakka shook his head, "No. He usually don't. Plus if I make something up, he'll go to that rather than the service, ya. Anything special you want me to say to him?"

Rikku just smiled, "Just tell him that someone special has something they want to tell him."

Wakka shot Rikku a thumbs up, "No problem! Now let's play some games! I've got a high score to keep!"

+++ Yuna and Rikku's Dorm, shortly after 9 P.M. +++

"I'll get him next week, I swear!" Rikku had lost to Wakka no fewer than about 10 times at Counterstrike, a record that was impressive for him. But Rikku didn't dwell on that fact, she had other concerns. Like what to do if her plan fell apart. She was confident that it wouldn't, but it never hurt to have a contingency plan. As she walked into her dorm, she was surprised to see her cousin back already.

"I thought you were going to that convert, Yunie." Rikku said, surprised.

"Well, I did. I was just getting tired and crowded, so I came back early. Besides, they played all my favorite songs first, so I got my wish. So what trouble did you get yourself into tonight?"

Rikku acted innocent, "Me? In trouble? How could even suggest such a thing?" Both women broke out in laughter before Rikku continued, "But seriously, nothing much. Paine and I went down to the track and did a little running, then I went to the Game Club meeting."

"Speaking of Paine though, she asked me to help her with her Magical Arts studies. She didn't say anything about it to you later on, did she?"

"No, she didn't. Why's that noteworthy?"

Yuna shrugged, "It isn't really. I just don't know her very well, and she wants some help from me. She didn't strike me to be the kind of person to ask for help."

"Now, Yunie. It's like you've always told me, no matter how tough you are, you're gonna need back up. Maybe you get to be her back-up this time."

"I'm fine with it. It was curious though. She asked me to meet her in the park shortly after Temple services started. Wonder why she would do that?"

Rikku had to struggle to suppress a smile before responding, "Maybe she just likes the quiet in the park when it's empty. She doesn't talk much, as you may have noticed."

Yuna nodded, "Well, can't say I blame her. Anyways, I'm gonna go to bed. Need to get up early if she wants me to meet her at that time. Don't you be up too late either."

"I won't. Have a good night!"

Yuna yawned, "You too." With that, Yuna laid down on her bed and fell asleep.

"She is so gullible, I swear!" Rikku said to herself as she got dressed for bed. She had an early morning too.

Ending note: I hope this was worth the wait for you folks out there. For those of you wondering, I'm not intentionally sidetracking myself with the Yuna/Tidus pairing. It will play into the story later. I will get cracking on Chapter 8 with all do haste.