Ch. Ten: Return to Zanarkand

Paine entered the Mika house on Friday afternoon. She, like most everyone she knew, had registered for another semester at Zanarkand University. She wasn't really sure why. Maybe she just realized that she didn't want to spend the rest of her life on the farm after all. Besides, where had it gotten her parents? They had seemed like a miserable couple to her. That's why she had thought the vacation would be good for them. And, if she were going to be on campus, she wanted to be amongst people she at least knew. Being around Mr. Isaaru wasn't going to be a problem for her either. They both had agreed that their relationship was strictly landlord and tenant. She also felt that she had the best chance of catching up to Baralai on the campus as well. She still hadn't heard one word from him, and although his mother had tried to assure her that he was fine, she couldn't help but worry.

She looked longingly at her old room, wishing she could force Darcy out of it, but knew that she couldn't. She left the hall, deciding to go to her room. She found Mr. Isaaru in the kitchen seeming to prepare dinner. She wondered about him. Why did he spend so much time at the house? Was he lonely and looked to his tenants as entertainment? He wore a red and white checkered apron and seemed to be swaying his hips to the sounds that came from the small stereo in the windowsill.

"Something smells good," she couldn't help commenting.

He turned to her from the sink where he was washing vegetables. "Oh, yeah, it's my pasta supreme. It's like a supreme pizza in casserole form. It's really good."

"It sounds like it'll be good."

"Aren't you sticking around for dinner? Or do you and Baralai have plans?"

"No. I'll be here," she said, deciding to leave it at that.

"Well, you're going to be delightfully pleased. Maybe we can gather up a group later and watch a movie."

"Maybe. Who's here?"

"As far as I know, Tidus, Rikku, Darcy, and Chappu. Datto told me this morning that he's moving back in. I almost told him no, but I'm a business man. Yuna's supposed to return this weekend. Lulu came by yesterday and reclaimed her room, so that's everyone."

"What about Wakka?"

"I haven't heard from him, and now the house is full."

She wondered where Wakka would be staying this year. She hadn't run into Lulu yet, so she would have to wait for the details. She continued down the short hall to her room.

"Why did you decide to return to school?" he asked while he shredded a block of white cheese.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess this summer I realized that I wanted more out of life than just attending to the farm. And since I hired some help, there's not really much for me to do there."

"You were bored," he nodded, briefly wondering what had taken so long.

"I guess, so now I can look after the farm, attend classes, and still work my part time job."

"Sounds like a lot."

She shrugged.

"Where does Baralai fit into that schedule?" he asked, keeping his eyes on what he was doing.

"I don't know," she said honestly, and continued out of the kitchen.

Upstairs, the door to Rikku's room crept open slowly. Tidus eased out into the hallway and looked around. He didn't see anyone. He'd left Rikku dozing comfortably in bed. He descended the stairs, wondering what in Yevon he was doing. He had thought that Yuna was the girl for him, but in the past few weeks he wasn't so sure. He wanted to stop what he was doing with Rikku, but he wasn't sure that he could. Or that he even wanted to. He sighed deeply and entered his room. He needed to take a shower. He gathered his things and went out to the bathroom. He could smell something delicious coming from the kitchen. Good. He was hungry. Under the hot spray of the shower, he thought about what had happened upstairs. It had been kind of inevitable. There had always been a mutual attraction between he and Rikku. He knew that the right thing to do would be to break up with Yuna. She wouldn't understand why. Perhaps he could use her negligence this summer as the reason. He sure as hell wasn't going to say it was because he'd had hot sex with her cousin and wanted to continue it.

And it had been hot. Rikku was much wilder in the bed than he could have ever imagined. He paused to ask himself was that the main reason for the interaction. Was it just sex? Only lust? No. He liked her. He decided not to worry about it at this moment. After all, he didn't have to until Yuna returned. Yuna. The girl he'd loved since he'd gotten to Zanarkand. But, he reasoned, there had been no one else special either. He'd dated a few other girls, but none had made him seriously consider the possibility of a life without Yuna. She deserved better. He would tell her when she returned that he couldn't date her any longer. He didn't know if he would then attempt to date Rikku or not, but he couldn't live with himself being a cheater. He wasn't that guy anymore. He turned the shower off and dried off. When he was dressed, he opened the door to go see what smelled so good in the kitchen. He froze. Yuna had stepped into the hall from her room.

"Yuna," he said involuntarily.

She smiled at him and walked down the hall. She looked up at him and paused.

"Hey. I'm so sorry I didn't call you. You know what kind of hectic schedule I was working. I know it's not an excuse, but I've been completely unfair to you this summer. Can you forgive me?"

Now was his chance to tell her that things were over. However, looking at her hope filled eyes made him hesitate more than a little.

"Of course I can," he said instead, as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. He closed his eyes and held her just as tightly, inhaling her perfume, remembering how good it felt to have his arms around her.

"Yuna! When did you get home? Why in Yevon didn't you call?" Rikku screeched, also taking notice of the fact that Tidus had his arms around her.

"Oh, Rikku, there's so much to tell. It was hard work, but I'm glad I did it," Yuna replied, half turned toward her cousin as Tidus still held her waist.

"I'm sure you are," Rikku said, her eyes trying to search Tidus', but he refused to look at her.

"But, look at you! You've lost all of the weight. You look fantastic. Wait until Monday, you'll have all of the boys falling at your feet," Yuna grinned.

"She didn't lose the weight to get a guy, Yuna," Tidus said.

"You probably already have one, huh?" Yuna smiled.

"No, not really," Rikku replied, her foot shuffling nervously.

"Just someone?" Yuna guessed, remembering what she'd heard earlier.

"Yuna, stop teasing her. If she wants to tell you something, she will," Tidus said.

"I guess. I'm going to see what smells so good, I'm starving. They hardly feed you on the airship," Yuna said, giving Tidus a quick kiss on the lips and heading to the kitchen.

As soon as she was through the door, Rikku pounced on Tidus.

"What are we going to do?" she panicked.

"Don't panic. I already know what I'm going to do."

"You do?"

"Yeah. I'm going to break up with Yuna."

"For me?" Rikku asked gleefully.

"I…don't want to hurt her," he said carefully.

He wasn't prepared to promise Rikku anything. He was slightly upset about her lack of concern for her cousin's feelings. She certainly shouldn't be happy about the possibility of receiving him. After all, if he could cheat on Yuna, why wouldn't he cheat on her? He ran a hand across his face. He hated to think about cheating on Yuna.

"Do you want to hurt her?" he asked.

"Of course not! I love Yuna. But, don't I deserve to be happy, too?"

"Yeah. But…"

The front door opened and Datto came in carrying two large gym bags. He waved at his friends. It would be good to be in the house with them again. And this time, he didn't have an outside girlfriend to occupy his time. He could finally get to know his housemates.

"So, how is he, doctor?" Pax asked impatiently.

He didn't have time for this. Penance was due to perform in two days and their front man was in the hospital.

"He's got a broken wrist and two broken fingers. But, that's not what really concerns me," Dr. Fowler stated.

"What does then? We've got a tour to finish. Ten more cities, a few interviews in between that, and I have no idea off the top of my head how many photo shoots," Pax explained.

"Well, I'm afraid you'll have to do it all without Gippal. He's in no condition to perform."

"Because of a few broken bones?"

"No, because of his strong addiction to blizzaga. He needs to go to rehabilitation. As soon as possible."

Pax shook his head. "It's not an addiction. He just takes it every now and then to get over stage fright."

Dr. Fowler simply stared. "I'm not releasing him unless he's being released into that particular facility."

"You've got to. We've got signed contracts and…"

The doctor held up a hand. "Who are you again?"

"I'm the manager of Penance. I'm responsible for them."

"But you're not his parent, I'm afraid. I didn't think so and I took the liberty of calling up Mr. and Mrs. Hawthorne. They should be here shortly. Your concern for your performers must be on a very short lease or you would have phoned his parents the night he was admitted."

"They never believed in his career. He's not close to them…" Pax fumbled, stopping when Mallet glared his way.

"They can explain all of this to me when they get here. I'm going to tell them what I recommend for Gippal. Excuse me," the doctor said, walking briskly down the long corridor.

"What the hell are we going to do now? We're going to be out of a lot of gil," Pax complained.

"We can't do anything without Gippal," Mallet tried to reason.

"The timing's all jacked up. But, our publicist will keep this out of the news at least. Let's just concentrate on trying to get Gippal better as soon as possible."

Spencer nodded. He could use the break. He wanted to be a star; he just never really realized how much work was involved. He had no idea what he would do in the meantime, though. If Gippal cooperated, they could be back to work in as few as two months. If he didn't, who know how long it would take. But, he was more than certain that the Hawthornes weren't going to let him get back on the road right away. He decided to go with Mallet to grab some lunch while they waited to find out what Gippal's parents had decided.

When they returned, they found Pax speaking to them in the corridor. He didn't look pleased.

"No doubt this is how our son got involved with drugs in the first place. Out on the road with this band, living a wild life," Mr. Hawthorne charged.

Pax held up a hand. "Now, wait a minute. We don't use drugs and we don't encourage our performers to either at Zanarkand Star."

"Then where did he get them?" Mrs. Hawthorne asked, looking at Mallet.

He shrugged. "I don't know, ma'am."

"We think, though we don't know, that he got them before we started the tour," Spencer said.

"You mean right here in Zanarkand?" Mr. Hawthorne asked.

Mallet and Spencer nodded.

"Well, how long has he been on it? Why didn't you tell us?" Mrs. Hawthorne demanded.

"We tried to talk to Gippal. He just kept insisting that it wasn't an issue," Mallet explained.

"Of course he'd say that. He's an addict," Mr. Hawthorne snapped.

"Look, the only person that's to blame here is Gippal. He's the one that needs help and we're willing to do whatever necessary to accomplish that," Pax said.

"We take over from here," Mr. Hawthorne decided.

Mallet exchanged a look with Spencer. He wasn't sure, but it looked as though once again Penance's existence would be put on hold.

"Lulu, I have to admit, you were a wonderful date tonight," Zelton said as they watched the party began to wind down.

"It wasn't a date. I thought a date was when you actually picked a girl up and took her out to either dinner or a movie."

"I could do that. I'll be in the city for a few weeks before I'm heading off for more work."

"Another play?"

"No. I've got some commercial work to do."

She nodded. Though she hated to admit it, she'd had a wonderful time tonight. Zelton had relaxed and let his head deflate a bit to be decent company. She wondered why he wasn't married. He was certainly handsome and sexy enough. She wanted to know more about him. Why had he decided to be an actor? What had been his first job? Did he have any family? Was he originally from Zanarkand?

"So, what would you like to do now?" he asked her.

"I'd like to go get a cup of coffee."

"Really?" he asked, barely disguising his disappointment.

"Yes. I know that you would like to do other things, and I won't stop you from doing that. But, I'm going to go have a cup of coffee before I go home."

He stared at her, wondering what her problem was. Why wasn't she dying to have him in her bed? Wasn't she attracted to him? Maybe that was it. He'd get to the bottom of it. He had to.

"I do feel like coffee, too," he decided.

"Okay. I know just the place," she said, leading him to the door.

At the coffeehouse...

"So, tell me all about yourself," she said pleasantly, pouring cream into her cup.

She had driven them to her mother's bakery. It was late and the bakery would be closing soon, but she knew her mother wouldn't ask them to leave. She'd simply ask Lulu to lock up. There were a few other passengers still milling about, but they were practically alone.

"You haven't read my bio?" he asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

"No. And besides, who says those things are a hundred percent?"

"Well, I was born in Bevelle. I went to the high school and theater arts school there, too. When I was seventeen, I landed the lead spokesperson for Empire condoms."

Her eyes widened. "You're kidding."

"No. I guess you were too young at the time to remember that, huh? My face was everywhere that advertised those condoms. I hope they helped someone. Shortly after that, I did a few plays here and there, and learned that I actually liked it. I could go on to do a few movies. I've had a few offers, but I'm not trying to be a mega star or anything."

"Why aren't you married?"

He gave her a tight smile. Cause I couldn't get as much pussy as I want. "I just haven't met the right woman. You have to remember. I do a lot of love scenes. My wife would have to be very patient and understanding. I don't need the jealous sort."

She nodded. "She should understand. After all, it was your job before you met her."

He smiled. "I like the way you think, Lulu. You're going to make some man an awesome wife."

She shrugged. She was very similar in personality and ways as her mother, and she wasn't married. In fact, she had yet to have another man after she'd divorced her father. Or maybe Lulu just didn't know about it. After all, her mother was a beautiful and sensual woman. She watched the last couple in the bakery leave. She got up to go lock the door and turn the sign to closed. She grabbed the coffeepot on her way back to the table. She refilled their cups and sat down to engage in more conversation. The time escaped them until she realized the hour.

"We should be going. Let me drive you back to your car," she said.

"I guess it is pretty late, huh?"

He followed her to her wagon and got into the passenger seat. When they were in the empty auditorium, he turned to her.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like to come to my place? I'm not suggesting anything except talking."

"It's getting late, Zelton."

"Please. I enjoy talking to you. I can tell you're a very intelligent woman."

She hesitated. "Okay. I'll follow you."

He turned to get into his car, smiling to himself. He had decided to take her to his apartment. He had rented a spacious, luxurious brownstone in west Zanarkand a few years ago. He led her inside and turned on some soft music and he walked around turning on various lamps. She looked around, wondering if he'd hired someone to do his decorating. It was tastefully done.

"Would you like something to drink?" he asked.

"We just had coffee."

"I meant something that would help you relax."

"Sure," she said, sitting on the small beige sofa.

He poured his own glass and gulped it. He refilled it and joined her on the sofa.

"I like you, Lulu," he said suddenly.

"You don't really know me," she laughed nervously.

"I know enough," he said, sitting his glass down on the coffee table.

She felt very uncomfortable all of a sudden. Why had she agreed to join a man she hardly knew in his apartment late at night, anyway? It was quite foolish, but no damage had been done yet.

"I think I should go," she said, putting her own glass down.

"Why?"

"I just think its best. I had a good time tonight and I don't want to ruin it."

"I'm not trying to ruin it. In fact, I want to make it better," he said, reaching out to hold her shoulders.

Before she could protest further, he pressed his legendary lips against hers. She struggled at first, but soon enough she felt herself returning his kiss.

"Hey, Paine, where's Baralai? I haven't talked to him in a few weeks," Datto said, passing the big bowl of salad to Rikku.

She shrugged. "I don't know. His mother said he took a trip."

"He didn't tell you where he was going?"

"No."

"But, I thought you guys were, you know, dating…"

"We are, but he doesn't have to report to me. I'm not his boss," she said, digging into her pasta.

Datto was confused. He certainly wasn't implying that she had become Baralai's boss. He had just thought when people dated they usually let the other person know that they would be leaving the city. At least he'd let his girlfriend know. He shrugged. Paine and Baralai's relationship was weird to him, anyway.

"When's Lulu coming?" Yuna asked Rikku.

Rikku shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe tonight. Definitely before Monday."

"We'll all be heading back to school on Monday. I'm teaching eighth grade history at Zanarkand Middle School this year," Mr. Isaaru said.

"Thirteen year olds? That's a bit young for you, isn't it?" Paine couldn't help asking.

He gave her a look. "For some reason, my applications to Piedmont and Riley High got rejected. Someone's trying to ruin my reputation."

Yuna turned to Tidus. "Is something wrong? You've been quiet since we sat down."

"It's my parents. They're having problems," he explained, though he wasn't thinking about them.

He was thinking about tonight. No doubt Yuna would expect sex tonight and he knew he had to figure out a way to turn her down. Maybe he should break up with her tonight. Just go ahead and get it over with. Under the table, he felt a stocking foot massage his leg. He glanced across the table at Rikku. She continued digging into her pasta as though nothing was amiss. Well, he definitely knew it wasn't Datto. Maybe it was Yuna.

"I hope it's nothing serious," she said. "I'm done. I'm going to go take a shower and prepare for bed."

"Well, someone else needs to do the dishes," Mr. Isaaru said.

"I'll do it. Mind helping me, Rikku?" Datto asked.

"No problem," she said easily, though she had been thinking 'no way'. It was no real secret that dish washing was her least favorite chore.

"Where are Darcy and Chappu? Aren't they coming home tonight?" Paine asked, though she didn't really give a damn where they were.

"Maybe they grabbed dinner in the city," Tidus shrugged.

"I've got some phone calls to make. I'll see you guys in the city," Mr. Isaaru said leaving the dining room.

"Me, too," Paine said, thinking she'd try to call Baralai's mother again. She left the dining room behind Yuna.

Rikku grabbed the remainder dinner dishes and followed Datto into the kitchen. Before she walked through the doorway, she turned to look at Tidus. He nodded. Tonight. He would break things off with Yuna tonight. He got up and went to his room.

Just as he expected, Yuna soon showed up, dressed in a sheer white nightgown, her loose hair brushing her shoulders.

"Yuna, we have to talk," he began, sitting on his bed.

She smiled. "I know you're still mad at me…"

"I'm not mad. I understand. You had to finish your internship."

"What's going on with your parents?"

Tidus sighed. "There was a misunderstanding and Zalora moved out. She's back in Luca."

Yuna frowned. "Why? Was your dad cheating?"

"No. He thinks she was."

"Oh. I hope things turn out okay. I thought they made a good couple."

"Me, too," he said, feeling himself tense as she sat next to him.

"I missed you so much," she said, grabbing his hand and squeezing it.

He nodded.

She nodded to herself. He was still mad. She would have to do something to make amends. She got up and stood in front of him, lowering herself to the carpet.

"What are you doing?" he asked curiously.

"You'll see," she promised, reaching to untie his shorts.

"We need to talk," he said again, though he didn't stop her.

"Stand please."

"Yuna, I don't think…"

"Stand. I hope I do this right because as you know, I've never done this before," she admitted sheepishly.

"Really?"

"Yes, really. You're my first…everything."

He sighed. He really did owe her the truth. "Yuna…"

"What is it?"

"If you don't mind…I just want to lie with you in my arms tonight."

Because it may be the last time.

"Really?"

"Just for tonight. I've really missed you."

"Okay. I missed you, too," she said, climbing into his bed.

In the kitchen, Rikku absently dried another dish and sat it in the cupboard. Datto had gone up to his room, leaving her to dry the last of the batch. She hadn't minded. The truth was, she wondered if Tidus would sleep with Yuna tonight or tell her that things were off. She wished she could confide in Lulu, but there was no way that she would give her a thumbs up on this one. Well, she didn't need Lulu's approval. As awful as she felt about the situation, the facts remained. Yuna had her chance. Her and Tidus' off and on again relationship was solid proof that they didn't really belong together. Sure, you could blame a few interferences such as Darcy, Reevo, and Teenan. But perhaps all of this just meant that they shouldn't force themselves to be together. Well, Rikku wanted her chance with Tidus. Or more precisely, she wanted more of what he had to offer in the bedroom.

She was certain there was something else there as well. If she'd just wanted sex, she could have gotten that from Datto. Something told her he wasn't as experienced as Tidus, but she could have made accommodations. Darcy strolled into the kitchen.

"What was dinner?" she asked.

"Mr. Isaaru made pasta. The leftovers are in the fridge," Rikku explained, placing the last plate in the cupboard.

"Good. I'm starving," Darcy said, heading to the fridge to heat the leftovers.

It had been a long day. She had left work and gone to visit her dad because he was closer than coming all the way back to the house. And she could wait for Chappu to pick her up from there. Chappu had kept her waiting, leaving her no choice except to inform her dad that she'd been accepted at the theater arts school. He had given her no encouragement. It was to be expected. He was a loser and thought she was too.

Rikku wasn't interested in chatting with Darcy so she decided to go up to her room. On the way, she paused at the stairs to look at Tidus' closed door. And then she looked at Yuna's. They could be in either room. Something told her that Tidus hadn't broken things off, or Yuna would be sobbing on her shoulder about it by now. She could go knock on Yuna's door and pretend interest in what her internship had been about. She decided to do that, and walked up to her door and knocked. There was no answer. She eased the door open a bit and discovered it empty. She closed it. She knew now without a doubt that Yuna was in Tidus' room. Doing what, though? Talking…or? She looked down the hall at the kitchen to make sure the coast was clear and then she walked very slowly down to his room and pressed her ear to the door.

At first, she didn't hear anything. Then, she heard low murmurs. She stepped away from the door. She should have known! She resisted her urge to throw open the door and demand that Tidus come clean. But, she couldn't do that without Yuna realizing she was involved. She headed upstairs, fuming.

"Hey, Rikku, want to play a video game?" Datto asked, sticking his head out of his room.

"Yeah, sure," she said, thinking it would at least distract her from what was going on downstairs.

"Well, Wakka, I have to get back to Zanarkand. I did enjoy spending time with you in Besaid, though," Talynda said, very reluctantly putting her things together to leave.

Despite the fact that Wakka had ended his relationship with Lulu a few weeks ago, he hadn't succumbed to her advances just yet. She could tell that he was weakening, though. She'd hoped to make love to him before returning to Zanarkand, but he hadn't initiated anything yet. She was patient, though. She could wait. She was planning to visit him every other weekend. She wasn't going to allow him to forget about her.

"I did, too. But, you got school, and stuff…"

"Yeah. Don't worry, though, you're not getting rid of me so easily," she warned.

He smiled. "Ya? You coming back?"

"Of course. I want to see you as much as possible. You may not think so, but I think we make a pretty good team, Wakka."

He didn't say anything. He wanted to get involved with Talynda again, but not on the rebound. Right now, he was still very much in love with Lulu. It would take some time to get her out of his system. He wasn't at the restaurant yet because things had finally slowed down a bit as the old man had predicted. The tourists had gone, and only the regular islanders remained. There was still enough to demand business, but mostly they got a breakfast and dinner rush.

"Well, I'm about to go to the airship station. I'll call you during the week," Talynda promised.

Wakka nodded. "I'll be waitin', but if you meet the right guy at school, don't worry about me."

"I already met the right guy a long time ago."

He followed her out of her parent's rental hut and decided not to go to the airship station with her. It would just prolong things. He watched her start down the path. She sat her bag down and turned back to him. She ran down the hill and threw her arms around his neck. Before he could protest, she pressed her lips against his. He accepted her long and deep kiss. It definitely stirred something deep inside of him.

"Bye, Wakka," she said, releasing him.

"Bye. Call me."

She nodded and retrieved her bag again and heading down the path once more. He watched until she disappeared from his sight. Then, he walked the opposite path to the restaurant. Just as he suspected, there were only a few diners during the lunch hour. He went to his office and looked over paperwork to seem busy. Things were going good. He had a good staff that was very dependable, sales were up, and he had negotiated a good working relationship with his suppliers. However, during down times like this, he missed school. He had hated writing term papers and doing research, but it had given him a purpose.

He missed his friends. Sure, the islanders were friendly enough, but it would never be the same. He even missed Auron. They'd had several differences of opinions over the years, but he had lived with him longer than his own parents. He'd spoken to him yesterday, and he'd said his health was okay. He thought about Chappu briefly. He wondered why the boy never called him. He called him several times, but he always kept the conversations short. Wakka was trying to make an effort to get to know him. After all, if anything should happen to Auron, they only had each other. He thought about Lulu. For some foolish reason, he'd thought they would eventually wind up getting married. Why had he thought she would want to marry him?

He didn't know. The chemistry was there, especially sexual. He almost got excited thinking about her naked body. He took a sip of soda and idly glanced out the window. His phone began to ring. He picked it up on the second ring.

"Ya? This is Wakka."

"Wakka! You have to come to the city," Tidus said.

"Why? You know I got to run this restaurant here. If this about blitz…"

"It's about Auron."

"What about him?" he asked quickly.

"I don't know the exact details, but Chappu said he collapsed at the restaurant last night."

"Why the hell didn't he call me?"

"I don't know."

"I'm on my way," Wakka said, hanging up quickly.

He ran into the kitchen to find Ben, his head chef.

"Ben, I got to go to the city for awhile. You think you can handle things here until I get back or until I get somebody else down here?"

"No problem, Wakka. Lock up your office. I'll lock the register at night."

"We got enough supplies to last…"

"I'll take care of it, Wakka," Ben said, noticing that his boss looked beside himself so he knew that it had to be very important.

"Don't let me down. I gotta go," Wakka said, running from the restaurant to his hut.

He hastily packed a bag and made sure that his safe was secure. He never left any extra cash in the restaurant. He always brought it home and deposited into his safe. He made sure the hut was locked up and ran to the airship station. A million thoughts ran through his mind. Why hadn't Dr. Zeep or Chappu phoned him? Did they think he thought the restaurant was more important than Auron? Or were they trying to keep him from finding out something? He would get to the bottom of it.

Treat granted! End of Ch. 10. Thanks for reading.