Proverbial Revitalization

Written by Whimsical Symphony

Please don't mind the off centre title. All my stories formatting got screwed up with the new FFnet updates and I don't know how to fix it.

Sorry for the four month delay guys. I really couldn't get back into this piece even though I tried. And since I've spent so much time on my FFVII fic in the meantime and the tones are so different, it's been hard getting back into the style of this one. It's hard making Yuna's third person limited sound like her, and Tidus sound like his. I hope I succeeded in this, but feel free to tell me where issues may lie. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 10 – A Fan of More

Yuna didn't know when she'd become so blubbery, wanting so badly to hold back her tears. She concluded that maybe, she'd been that way all along.

Rikku's words meant the world to her, and never did she have companions to spend the passing days with. Bevelle grew so lonely with no one to speak to, tell all her secrets to, and with no one to laugh with. Becoming a Summoner, she thought, meant becoming light itself, embodying all the ideals of Spira. She realized recently, if no one found her important, if she never associated with people, she'd become no one's light. Now, the world seemed so vivid, colours dancing brightly, exuding that light as she spent time with people like Rikku, laughed with people like her.

"Oh, Yunie – there's Tidus! You should watch him play carefully. He's really, really good," Rikku explained to her excitedly. She pointed to the players entering the Sphere Pool. The cheers got louder and louder, just as Yuna imagined them to be from her passing daydreams in Bevelle.

"I can believe that," Yuna told her. She looked at Tidus swim straight through the water, cutting through the water like a bullet cut through air. "It's beautiful." And really, she found herself mesmerized by his playing in no time at all.

The Zanarkand Abes huddled together on one side of the Sphere Pool like skilled war strategists. Their opponents were an unknown team she'd never seen before, not part of the Blitzball Tournament. They also planned with one another, and the captains of both teams initiated a cheer to raise the morale of their teams. Yuna couldn't wait to see how Tidus shot, how he played, how he glided in the water. She wanted to see it.

"Welcome to the Zanarkand Abes Blitzball practice. The opponents are fresh faces like they usually are in a Blitzball practice match. They're the top players from the Abes' feeder team – keep a look out, tonight folks! You might be looking at your future Tidus!" the announcer spoke in his charismatic voice. "They've taken the initiative of volunteering to help the Abes practice for their big match!"

"He just said, 'future Tidus'," Yuna said a little flustered. "Is Tidus… a really big name? I know he's the Star Player."

"Well, Tidus originated from the feeder team. He blew everyone away with his talent. And since his old man is Jecht and all, he's like the new age for us Blitzball fans from Zanarkand. A lot of people unfairly compare him to his old man every now and then though, you know? None of them understand how hard Tidus works for it," Rikku explained, a finger on her chin as she thought about how to best word it. "But most people adore Tidus since he's talented, good-looking, friendly and charismatic. He's a pretty big celebrity actually – in Zanarkand, and in other places in Spira. He got a whole ton of offers for teams when recruiters saw him play." Upon seeing the stunned look on Yuna's face, Rikku laughed and added, "I know, hard to imagine – our Tidus, a big name, right?"

"No, Tidus is very charismatic and friendly, it's not hard at all to think he's a big name," Yuna replied, blushing and fiddling with her fingers in her lap. "I just found it strange is all since we talk to him so much, it never occurred to me that other people might not get that chance."

"He probably thinks the same about you, actually, since you're Braska's daughter," Rikku told her, matter-of-fact. "But, you're the closest to him, so it doesn't matter what chances other people get or don't. Tuh'd oui mega res y fruma mud, Yunie?" Her smirk was absolutely devilish.

Yuna blushed harder and harder, until she felt she'd actually burst. To suggest that between her and Tidus made her head hurt, her heart hurt, and sent blood travelling all through her body. She didn't know how to feel about it, even though, she didn't find it unpleasant. Yuna wondered if she should have thought it unpleasant, to be proper. Would the thought that she was not made uncomfortable by those thoughts disgust Tidus? "Rikku! N-not like that…" Yuna hid her face in her hands, trying to stop the blush.

Rikku snickered but didn't respond to her obvious protest before the announcer brought to their attention, the Blitz off. Yuna immediately watched the match. The ball went up in the water, blasting like a torpedo, and landed in the hands of the feeder team who then rushed forward. Kiryl, Cetan and Tidus began the chase of the ball handler, as well as Shaft and Suzam a short way behind. Naya and Toma stayed behind on defence and Luperis guarded the net, an ever watchful guardian.

Tidus' plays began, spectacular as he worked with Cetan's greater strength and Kiryl's speed, tackling the holder of the Blizball and grabbing it from him. He didn't give anyone on the opposing team a chance at all, evading here and there, like an acrobat in the water. When faced with those confronting him, he, Kiryl, Cetan, Shaft and Suzam, began an intricate passing maneuver that Yuna watched, confused. Only then did it occur to her that their passing brought Tidus much closer to the net. Amazingly enough, confronted with three people hoping to block his shot, he did it anyway. He performed a quick, nimbly executed bicycle kick on the ball, sending it shooting like an arrow to the ball, passed everyone, straight into the goal.

The whistle blew, and Tidus waved to those in the audience who cheered, all the pretty, mature women who had eyes only for him, all the boys who grew into loyal fans of the Abes, eyes for no other team. Then, she didn't know what to think when she thought he looked at the VIP box for just a second and waved at her and Rikku. Yuna didn't know why it sent her heart racing, like a horse galloping quickly through the streets, and why she knew her blush hadn't yet receded at all.

"You're blushing, Yunie. You think Tidus is an attractive, cool guy, don't you?" Rikku teased, playfully elbowing her in the side.

Yuna blushed harder, but didn't deny it, caught in the spell Tidus had woven with his Blitzball.

Tidus made it out to the stands, still soaking wet, with his teammates. He scanned the crowd eagerly for Yuna, the cutest girl in the stadium he found himself lucky enough to befriend. He saw her eyes on him from the Sphere pool during all the goals he'd scored, even when he performed a pass or just swam without any sort of fancy trick. She seemed so interested in what he did. Those eyes, he didn't recognize, the eyes which saw his talent. All the other girls weren't ever like Yuna. They couldn't be. Her glance sent shudders down his spine, a feeling he never got while with Dona. She never made him want to blush, Yuna did, and it happened more often than he would have liked, honestly.

Rikku was dragging her by the wrist, down to his little circle of fans, he realized. Her cheeks were flushed, and he couldn't hold back just how cute he found her. It didn't make any sense, and he tried not to make sense of it now. He couldn't hold back his more than friendly thoughts about her, not like he could all the time with just about anyone else, when he'd by flirty, brimming with confidence. Now he felt nervous, just wanted to know whether the interest he saw in her eyes was positive or negative, whether she thought he was a good Blitzball player. He found himself behaving like an awkward schoolboy, back to the days when he cried a lot and his old man made fun of him for it.

The fans surrounded him and he said the obligatory, "Thanks for watching, guys. Couldn't have done it without your support, you know?" even though he didn't really find it natural, and he scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. He signed some autographs with a fantastically fake smile for some awe-struck girls, but really, really didn't find it fun like he used to.

He remembered how he would have been given a phone number, had a drink at the bar with the girl, then probably it might have led to something more for the night at least. And he found it all okay, pretty good actually, until he woke up in the morning with some girl and had to find some way to feel less like a shallow idiot. With Dona, the shallowness multiplied six fold. He didn't know what he'd been thinking back then, actually. Now, he didn't really care even if a couple passed some numbers and he posed for cameras, arms swung around their bodies like he really cared for them. Nah, holding Yuna like that, he found much, much better.

He didn't like wearing wet clothes for this long either. The fabric stuck to his skin uncomfortably and he knew he turned into a prune back in the water. But all he cared about was Yuna right now. Just her.

When he began to wave, telling the fans it was all over, with all his other teammates, occupied with their own fans– that asshole, Cetan, wanting to bask in it a little longer though, that was when he got sick of his wet shirt, and simply peeled it off, much to the embarrassment and awe of his fans. He didn't care much though, and shook the water out of his hair. He passed the shirt to some blonde girl next to him, giving her a smile and telling her, "You can keep it, right?" even though he had no clue what she'd do with a shirt of his.

She blushed and answered back with, "Maybe we should-" but was interrupted.

"Hey, Tidus, nice job out there – I think you blew Yunie away with your moves, huh?" Rikku called into the crowd, much to Yuna's embarrassment. "Ew, stop stripping, Tidus! You're going to embarrass Yunie!" She hid behind Rikku's form even though there was nothing stopping her from approaching him, face so red after seeing. "Come on, Yunie! Tell Tidus how much you liked his Blitzball. Don't be so shy or else it'll all pass you by."

Rikku pushed Yuna all but into him, and he caught her. Yuna's face looked like a cherry or a beetroot of some kind, he noticed. "S-sorry…" she stuttered. The very thought that now, she touched his bare, wet skin, made her heart beat a mile a minute, made her not know whether to feel uncomfortable or comfortable, though she knew both would lace themselves with a hint of being pleased. Her own audacity made her feel ashamed.

"It's okay," Tidus whispered to her, hugging her even closer and feeling the heat radiate off her red cheeks. He wanted to tell her he liked it actually, but thought that it made him out to be a pervert. Really, he knew he'd get no other chance for her to touch his skin but this one. Pretty pathetic, he knew, but any chances of that happening, let alone her coming on to him was close to nil. "And no, Rikku, you know you enjoy it." He stuck his tongue out at Rikku, who gave him a playful glare back. "Hey, we should head back to the locker rooms, Yuna. You can tell me what you thought about the Blitzball, and maybe we can spend some time back at my place later, okay?" he whispered in her ear. When she blushed ad nodded, he felt his ego inflate, but knew that her answer pleased him. Alone time with Yuna always made his day.

"H-hey! Even if you are Braska's daughter, I told you I liked Tidus. My friend and I said that your skirt was hideous and you aren't good enough…" the blonde girl said loudly, trailing off at the end. "I was just about to ask him out! He's supposed to accept dates from fans!"

When Yuna looked at her, he noticed how her expression stiffened, even though, much to his delight she chose to hide her face in his chest. He'd accept that any day and wrapped his arms tighter around her. But he caught the woman's words – skirt, not good enough for him and knew immediately who the chick was. Wakka told him that some of his fans said some nasty things to her, and Yuna, kind and genuine, just believed it and didn't fight back. This girl must have been one of them. He'd never want a date with her, especially not one that would lead anywhere, really. He strangely pitied his old man for having to deal with idiots like her, not just the normal fans, but then brushed it off when he thought of just how much Jecht enjoyed people loving him, even idiots.

"Hey, you want to insult, Yunie, sayhea?" Rikku retorted angrily, approaching the woman while cracking her knuckles. "I won't let you get away with that! Yunie's y silr paddan kenm dryh oui yna, pespu!" He language shifted half into Al-Bhed through her own fury. Rikku had a tendency to do that when angry. It meant that she meant business. Tidus was lucky enough to never have that tone of voice directed at him. A pissed Rikku meant he'd piss his pants out of fear, more like.

"P-peas-peasypoo?" The woman looked more confused than anything, then shot back with, "That isn't an insult is it?"

"It means you're a bimbo, jerk!" Rikku explained proudly. "You're the one only asking Tidus out on a date after you see him without his shirt on. What, you want to force him into bed that badly?"

Tidus grimaced at the turn that the conversation took

"Why you little! Your Yuna's the one hanging all over him! What difference is that?" The woman approached Rikku too, and the two practically bumped shoulders with one another, glaring at each other harshly.

"The fact that you're-" Rikku began to speak, but Tidus cut her off. He thought that maybe he should have played the knight. Yuna didn't deserve any bullshit said about her, not when she couldn't hurt a fly, so kind. He should have spoken immediately but was too engrossed in the fight between the lady and Rikku. He should have been talking to her about the comments Yuna had to suffer earlier.

"I don't mind Yuna hanging all over me," Tidus told her cheekily, much to Yuna's embarrassment. Stroking Yuna's hair, he narrowed his eyes then, and told her, "You're the one who made Yuna cry earlier. I won't forgive you. She never did anything to you. Yuna's kind and that's the only reason that she didn't say anything back to you." He whispered for Yuna to follow him, and through the group of all the stunned fans, he led her in the direction of the locker room. "Oh, by the way," he turned back to the flustered woman, "I'm not really interested in fan dates anymore. And if I was, I wouldn't go with someone who'd make an innocent girl cry." Well, some truth at least – Dona probably would have made an innocent girl cry, he thought with a grimace. "You think you can handle things here, Rikku? Might want to call Wakka to escort her out."

"Oh don't worry, Tidus. I can handle this girl just fine," Rikku answered him with a smirk. "You and Yunie just focus on having a good time."

Tidus left with Yuna and thought about just how unfortunate the girl was to deal with an angry Rikku. One thing Rikku never forgave, just like him, is if someone insulted a friend.

They walked out of the station, through the streets in the direction of Tidus' home. Cheers still resounded in the stadium, and Tidus himself waved to plenty of people on the streets, exiting the stadium and those approaching him for autographs. The city lights still reminded Yuna of the previous night, not changed at all from daylight to night, because Zanarkand never slept. Women and men walked on the streets, exotic and casual unlike those people in Bevelle, almost as if the night life never ended, as if Zanarkand always remained frozen in time. It still amazed her she saw what she wanted to see from the moment she arrived, a Blitzball game in the stadium, cheering as hard as she could, joining the choir full of voices.

"Your playing was amazing, Tidus! I was cheering as hard as I could for you!" Yuna told him, a smile on her face as they walked side by side. "All the passes, the shooting, all of it was so nice to see. This is one experience I don't think I could forget even if I tried to."

Tidus grinned and scratched his cheek, a little flustered himself. "Hey, thanks Yuna. Glad you liked it. I knew you'd have the best view from the VIP box, and you wanted to see it all, so yeah…" he trailed off lamely. "You look so happy now. Kind of makes me happy too, you know? Even if I'm nowhere as good as my crappy old man." Talking about Jecht made him get all angry, so frustrated. He couldn't really help it even if he tried.

Yuna chuckled a little and continued, a skip in her walk, "I don't know why people compare you and your father. You have your own talents, Tidus, you should recognize them. When I saw, it seemed like you were born to play Blitzball, like you were part of the water itself." Her voice grew so enthusiastic, to whole new levels, enough that Tidus didn't know how he'd run into such a loving girl on the streets. Someone who supported him so well. "I believe in you, Tidus, and your talents." Yuna looked at him with wide-eyes and he smiled a little back, maybe starting to believe in himself a little more. Just maybe. Yuna turned away from him then, blushing as she struggled to say, "Well, I wanted to say thank you, Tidus. You defended me when that girl…" she trailed off, but then finished with, "Just, thank you."

"You're really important to me, Yuna. I don't want anyone telling you things like you aren't good enough," Tidus explained to her, hands on her shoulders. When she looked up at him, tears in her eyes, he frowned. When one trailed down her cheek, he wiped it away. "You're more important to me than a random fan, Yuna. You have no idea."

"But I… I am a fan, aren't I?" Yuna looked up at him, clasping her hands together. She wondered if what he said meant that of course, she was a fan, but an important fan since he knew her personally. She wanted to become friends with this man, but didn't even think it possible.

"Well you are, I hope at least," Tidus joked, "but you're also a precious friend. That's way more important than you being a fan, you know?"

Yuna smiled at him surprisingly, and leant her head on his chest. When his arms encircled her, they both flushed, and he knew it. He didn't know why he felt more at home holding Yuna than he ever did anywhere else. He didn't have any memories really, of his old man hugging him or anything else. And Dona's relationship with him had been so shallow, they barely had any soft and tender moments like this between them. Tidus found he didn't need anything more with Yuna. He liked just being with her, talking with her. Pathetic to admit, but without Yuna – he knew he'd keep thinking about his stupid problems, making them bleed more. She healed them for him, he thought, more than anyone else ever did for him at least. And seeing her smile was a lot better than seeing her cry. It made him smile too. He wanted to fix whatever problems she had too.

They continued their walk in silence. Tidus put an arm around Yuna when she shivered, not wanting her cold and they looked at all the sights around them, the lights, the buildings. Whatever Yuna pointed at, he'd explain, almost like a tour guide now that he thought about it.

"What's that building there?" Yuna asked, pointing to a huge building they walked past, decorated brilliantly, with movie spheres projecting films on the side.

"That's the biggest shopping centre in Zanarkand. I'll take you there sometime," Tidus answered her readily. "Rikku likes to go there a lot, so does Lulu. I like it too, we can all go together." Or alone, he added mentally, if she preferred it, because he did. But going together would be nice too, and he knew Yuna needed more friends.

"That would be nice, Tidus. Thank you," Yuna told him shyly. And she really did say many more than you's since she came here. She barely ever said sorry for everything and anything like she did so back in Bevelle. 'I'm so sorry," she would say, regardless of the situation, even if someone did something for her, if Kiryl's grandfather spoke to her and told her stories about Zanarkand. Now she said 'thank you' and felt happy, like she deserved the companionship, just a little.

They reached his home soon enough with Yuna walking beside him, while they both chatted happily about Blitzball, about Tidus' own life. Man, he didn't know he could say so much about himself, but Yuna made him feel so special that by the time he got into it, he couldn't stop. He told her about when he first picked up a Blitzball and placed it on the ground, and when he tried to kick it, he missed. He told her how he tried every day for hours at a time to play like his old man.

Her earnest look when she listened to him flustered him and he ended with a, "Uh, sorry Yuna. Didn't mean to talk about myself that much." But she just smiled, and told him she didn't mind, that she liked hearing about him. Damn, he couldn't imagine anyone getting any enjoyment out of his one-sided conversation. Even if she pretended, she was a skilled actor. He believed it completely.

He talked so much to her that he didn't notice who stood in front of his door, leaning on it like she owned the place. His jaw dropped when he saw her, exotic and beautiful like always, dark hair, flamboyant golden coloured clothing, hand on her hip as he and Yuna got close to her. Even still, her appeal faded. Especially since she acted like such a brat to him all the time. And of course, he preferred adorable to sexy.

She frowned as she looked Yuna up and down and greeted them with, "Oh, so this is the girl you've been frolicking around with, Tidus." Her tone sounded condescending, and Yuna couldn't help but stand closer to Tidus when she heard the words. "Pity."

"Dona – what the hell are you doing here?" Tidus demanded. "You have no reason to be here, just go away."

He really didn't want to deal with this now, especially with Yuna right beside him. He'd prefer it if she never knew what a shallow pig he used to be before he met her. Tidus didn't want her to know what he and Dona's relationship took the form of, nor did he want her to see them fight as they always did – because the world would end before he got along with her. Yuna looked a little disappointed, a small frown on those lips of hers. Damn. He didn't want her unhappy! He cursed his own situation and all the shit he'd been through recently.

Dona approached him, a swing to her hips as she walked. Reaching him, she looked at him from beneath her lashes and trailed one finger down his chest. "But I do have a reason for being here," she whispered huskily.

Tidus frowned, and when he looked at Yuna, she frowned more. With a sigh, he wondered why life had to be so hard. Yevon must have hated him, he concluded, if he made him deal with Cetan and Dona.

Words: 4 071

Al-Bhed Translations:

Tuh'd oui mega res y fruma mud, Yunie?/ Don't you like him a whole lot, Yunie?

Sayhea / meanie

Yunie's y silr paddan kenm dryh oui yna, pespu / Yunie's a much better girl than you are, bimbo