Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy
Chapter 10:
"Yunie, are you sure you want to do this? Because you don't have to if you don't want to?" Rikku asked, for what must be the 47th time in that hour. Alone.
Yuna laughed, smiling. "I'm sure. Besides, you're like the sister I never had, why wouldn't I help you in your time of need?" Rikku's eyes drifted over to Tidus, and Yuna sighed. "I know you don't 'like' him that much, but at least try to get along with him."
Tidus fought to keep the smirk off his face. Cid let him in with a smile, Brother was forbidden to lay a finger on him, he was taking Yuna out, and there was nothing Rikku could do to stop him. Forget what Wakka had said, at this rate, Yuna would be his girl before the month was over!
Yuna then frowned. "Are you sure this looks like a date outfit?"
Rikku rolled her eyes. "For the umpteenth time, YES!"
"I think you look good enough to convince Gippal that this isn't an elaborate set up." Tidus put in, giving her a smile. She did too, Yevon he just hoped no one tried to pick her up tonight. A purple, off-the-shoulder sweater showed off porcelain skin, a light jean skirt ending just below her fingertips showed off her long legs, with purple four inch heels making them look like they went on forever. Her hair was up for a change (he did not know that she only had one ear pieced, or that her mom gave her that earring), and she wore little make up. He liked that about Yuna, she didn't feel the need to cake it on, unlike some girls.
Cid walked in at that point, doing a double take when he saw Rikku. "Rikku, I thought you were going out on a date."
"I am." She replied.
"So why aren't you dressed up?"
She wrinkled her nose. "Why should I dress up for Gippal?"
"Hon, you're wearing jeans that are covered in bleach stains, and that shirt belongs to Brother. Get changed, now, or you won't go out."
"Good, then I'll be up in my room when you tell Gippal that I can't go out." Rikku smirked.
"Have it your way." Cid strolled over to Tidus. "It appears as though your plans are shot, but here," Cid opened up his wallet, handing him several Gil notes. "Go on and take Yuna out. Shame for her to get all dressed up and have no where to-"
"VEHA! E'mm lryhka!" Rikku threw her hands up in the air, disappearing up the stairs.
Stupid Fathers, stupid Tidus, stupid date, stupid outfits, stupid Gippal!
A smile crept across her face. Sure, she was shorter then Yunie, but they were around the same size, right?
Moments later she was in front of a closet filled with conservative clothing. Thank Yevon Yunie looked good in all colours, other wise she might have had a problem, but…
Pulling out a yellow blouse, a flash of orange caught her eye. Cautiously, she pulled it out, gasping in wonder and happiness.
It was a skirt. An inch shorter then what Yuna would usually wear, it ended mid-thigh in layers of orange ruffles sown onto orange fabric. It was cute, sassy, and would make Pops happy, while reminding Gippal of what wasn't his.
She threw off her jeans and slid it on, happy that it did fit. Grabbing a white blouse, she quickly threw on some gold bangles, sparkly orange earrings, make up, and orange converse before running downstairs.
"Isn't that Yuna's-"
"YNKR! SAH! E lyh'd tu yhodrehk dryd'mm syga oui rybbo, lyh E!?" Rikku cried at Cid, throwing her hands up in the air.
"I'm not complaining, just why are you wearing-"
"Because I have nothing to wear!" She shot back.
"How can you have nothing to wear? You go shopping every weekend!"
"That's not the point!" She cried, storming back into the living room.
Tidus looked up. "Isn't that-"
"Oh shut it pretty boy!" She growled, slumping down into a chair. "The sooner this night is over the better."
The door bell chose to ring then. "He's here, finally. Come on, the sooner we go the sooner we can go back home.
Even if Rikku wasn't enjoying herself, answering in short, clipped answers and kept on glaring at him, Tidus was having the time of his life.
Gippal, seemingly getting the hint on why he really came along for, was in a good mood, joining in on the conversation while trying to charm his way back into Rikku's good books.
As for Yuna, well he could tell he was winning her over. He was being charming, polite, funny, Yevon he was even going so far as to being nice to Rikku! In short, tonight was going better then planned.
But why did Rikku keep on glancing at the door, like she was expecting someone?
His mind ran through various possibilities. Chances were that she 'invited' someone to come and crash their date, but who? Paine or Lulu? Nah, Wakka told him that Lulu had absolutely put her foot down to them meddling in Yuna's (lack of ) love life, so chances are that she wouldn't let Paine out of the house. Seymour or his cronies? They probably wouldn't even talk to Rikku, since she was a so called 'heathen'. Brother? Couldn't be, he heard Cid talking to him about what would happen if he lay a finger on him.
Then Rikku got this strange little smirk on her face, and Gippal's face soured.
That should have been the first sign that something was wrong.
"Did I say something wrong?" Yuna's voice interrupted Tidus out of him thoughts, her question aimed at Gippal.
"No. Look." He replied.
Curious, he turned around in his seat, then quickly turned back around. What is she doing here!?
Dona had just walked in, three of her followers trailing after her. Yevon, this was just great! The one person who could definitely put a damper on tonight just 'happened' to decide to go to the same pizza place he went, when she didn't even eat the stuff in the first place! Tidus made a mental note to kill Rikku for telling her about tonight. How else could she have known where they were going? Please don't see me, please don't see me!
Too late. Dona spotted him and made a beeline towards their table. "Tidus! Imagine seeing you here!"
He forced a smile, trying to make it look natural. "Dona, I didn't know you liked this place."
"Well you know me, I love many things." She batted her eyes at him, grabbing a chair. "You guys don't mind if I join you, right?" She squeezed it in between him and Yuna, sitting down.
"Actually Dona," Gippal replied quickly. "We have a movie to catch so-"
"A movie? Which one?"
"First Kiss, but I'm sure-"
"I've been dying to see that one! You don't mind if I 'tag along' right? I swear, you'll never know I'm there."
Yuna was not having a good time.
Sure the night had started out well. Tidus was sweet and charming, playing the part of a date to perfection. Yevon, she was even starting to wish they were actually on a date!
But then Dona showed up.
The conversation then revolved around Dona's life, she cuddled up to Tidus, made her feel fat for having a slice of pizza, and effortlessly made her feel like the fifth wheel. On the ride to the theatre, Yuna sat dumbly in the back seat while her taste in clothes was insulted subtly, and strongly wished for the night to be over.
Things came to a boil at the theatre. Gippal and Tidus had left to get snacks, and Rikku went to get the tickets. Dona waited a few minutes, then turned around. "Will you please get lost?"
Yuna's temper flared. "Excuse me? I'm not the one who barged their way into an outing that they aren't welcomed on!"
"You don't get it, do you?" Dona's eyes narrowed.
"What I get is that you weren't invited, so will you kindly leave us alone?"
Dona smirked, shaking her head. "Since you're the new girl, I'll explain something to you. Tidus is mine."
"You already-"
"We had a terrible break up during summer over something stupid. You know, the he said, she said, kind of thing. We've both been trying to get back together ever since. But now you come in." She lost her smile. "Tidus decided to make you feel welcomed because you're pretty, to some extent. But he's lost interest in you now, but you've been monopolizing all of his spare time, trying to fit into a world you'll never belong in."
Yuna's eyes lost their harshness. "What?"
"I don't blame you for that. Everyone wants to be in a world of glamour, fame and attention. There are only a few who can belong though." She paused. "Go home to your books and studies, dear. Because you're the one who's really intruding." She didn't move. "Do you still have some small shred of hope left that he actually liked you? You're only an amusement to Tidus, something he can laugh about with his friends. After all, why do you think I'm here? He wanted to tell everyone about the look on your face after he charmed you for the first hour, then I came along and you had to smile through everything."
"What?" Yuna said softly. "You mean this was all a set up?"
"Fraid so, Yuna. I'm actually being nice telling you this. So why don't you spare yourself the pain and leave, hm?"
Yuna nodded, stepping away. "Of course… that would be the best thing to do. Tell Rikku that I'm not feeling well, that I'll catch a bus home or something." Quickly, she turned on her heel and left.
Dona watched in triumph as Yuna disappeared around the corner. "We got the food… hey, where the Yuna go?"
She turned and smiled sweetly at Tidus. "She said she had a stomach ache and went home. Poor thing must have had some bad pizza."
To many Yuna seemed small, frail, and fragile, soft with emotions being only happy, calm, or upset. She looked like the type of girl who could cry on the spot, the reason being a sad movie or her favourite bracelet breaking. In reality, however, Yuna was tougher. Sure, she preferred to be calm and happy over angry and upset, but it would take nothing short of a miracle to make her cry, especially in public.
Tonight though, Yuna was anything but calm.
She couldn't believe that Tidus would do something like that, that she would fall for it! He had been so nice, so kind to her, was it all a set up just so he could have a few laughs? She cursed herself for being so stupid, for blindly believing his smile and charms. Yevon she should have listened to Rikku in the first place, but no! She just had to believe that there was good in everybody.
She approached the bus shelter, opening her purse and rifling through it. Yevon, she didn't have a bus schedule on her. Just her luck. With a sigh she looked up at the sky. What else could go wrong?
That was when the cloud's burst and rain began pouring down.
With a cry she dashed to the shelter, praying that the rain didn't get at her suede heels. Then again, seeing how the evening was going, they wouldn't be salvageable. She sat down, considering her options. She could call Cid, but he would blow up the place trying to get at Tidus. Lulu's jeep was in the shop, getting its tires changed, and Gippal was at the movies with Rikku.
Times like these made her wish she was still at St. Lesca. After all, nobody there tried to make a fool of her, or betray her like this. But then again, Yuna realized that she was to blame too. She thought that she could trust him, like she trusted Shuyin. I guess that they really are nothing alike…
"Yuna?" Startled, she looked up to see Seymour. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm waiting for a bus to take me home." She replied looking away.
Seymour sat down next to her. "What happened? You seem upset."
Silence. "He was just using me, so he could have a laugh." She replied slowly. "I trusted him, and he used me."
"As I said before, Tidus is, quite frankly, an idiot." Seymour stated. "He cares nothing for others, just as long as he can have fun." He stood up. "It's getting late, and this isn't the safest place for you to be at this time. How about I give you a left home?"
Yuna's guards went up, and her eyes narrowed slightly. "How do I know that you won't try to make a fool of me too?"
He let a small chuckle escape his lips. "Because, unlike Tidus, I'm not fast enough to outrun Brother or your friends if Paine and Rikku decide that I deserve to get hurt. Besides," He glanced in behind her. "If I were you I wouldn't want to hang around with them watching."
Yuna glanced over her shoulder, glancing at the group of shady guys watching her. "Alright then, I'll accept your offer." She stood up. "But if this is a trick-"
"Then you're more then welcome to set Cid, Brother, Rikku, Paine and Lulu on me." Seymour replied, giving her a small smile.
"Paine, what's Yunie's status?" The movie was over, thank the Fayth, and Rikku was checking in with Paine, to see if everything went as planned.
"According to Baralai, Seymour gave Yuna a lift home. He hasn't heard anything else, so I'll text you when I have an-"
Her home was ripped out of her hands, and turned off. She spun around, glaring angrily at Gippal. "What, in Spira, is your problem?"
"So this, was just a set up, so you could get Yuna to hate Tidus?" His voice was low as he tried to stay calm.
"Your point?" Rikku crossed her arms.
"Did you even stop to think for one moment, that maybe she genuinely liked him?"
"Are you done Gippal? The movie's over and I want to go home." She made a move to leave.
His arm blocked her way, his hand a fist. "What gives you the right to run her life like that? It's bad enough that Lulu doesn't want another guy in her life and Paine hits guys when they try to hit on her, but you want Yuna to hate them too?"
She gave him a cold glare. "All I'm doing is trying to protect Yunie. Yevon Gippal, just look at the guy. All he does is breaks hearts! All he wants from Yunie is to get into her pants, and once he does that he'll drop her, and she'll-"
"Well what if he's being serious? There's no way Tidus stuck around for so long if he wanted-"
"That's a big 'if' Gippal, and I'm not about to let him get the chance to hurt her." Rikku shot back. "I'm not trying to turn her against guys, but there's no one on Besaid that won't hurt her like you did me!"
His arm dropped. "I hurt you?"
"Don't give me that Gippal!" She snarled. "I'm planning on popping the question to her after our high school graduation, and get married the following year in March."She quoted, remembering that fated conversation between Pops and him. "I would like to start a family with her right away, but that's all up to Rikku you know." He stared at her in disbelief. "We were 13 Gippal, 13! And already you were trying to tie me down. What's worse is that you knew that I wanted to travel for a bit, and settle down later in my life. You knew how I felt, and still you said it, and everyone knows that you can't lie to Pops." She walked by him. "Take me home now Gippal."
"Rikku-
"I said now! I don't want any excuses from you! This date is over, and I want to go home!"
"Yours was a disaster too, I take it?"
Rikku looked up when Yuna entered her bedroom. "I honestly can't believe that guy. But why did you leave so early?"
Yuna sat down, silent. "Dona told me that Tidus was just using me, and everything he did in the past month suddenly made sense. It wasn't a total lose though. I ran into Seymour at the bus stop, and he took me home." She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "He seems so nice, but I can't help but wonder if he just wants me around for entertainment too." She closed her eyes. "You were right Rikku; Boys suck, you should throw rocks at them." Someone sniffed. "Rikku?" She looked over. "Rikku!?
A tear rolled down Rikku's cheek, and she hugged herself. "I liked him so much Yunie, but he tried to take my freedom away from me. How can I be happy if someone planned my life out for me like that?" She looked at her cousin. "It took all my will power tonight not to fall for his act, and when he wanted to know why I was being so cold, he tried to deny that it was his fault!"
"Oh Rikku…" Yuna gave her a hug. "Don't cry! Everything will be alright."
"Stupid boys… where do they get off that they can treat us like that?"
Yuna perked. "You're right; they shouldn't treat us like that." She stood up. "I'll call Lulu and Paine, and get them to meet us at the mall tomorrow. We need to have a conference."
"A conference? About what?" Rikku sniffed.
"At Lesca, Lenne and I knew this girl whose friends kept on getting hurt by different guys. Finally, she took matters into her own hands."
"What did she do?"
Yuna's eyes sparkled. "She got revenge of course."
VEHA! E'mm lryhka!- FINE! I'll change!
YNKR! SAH! E lyh'd tu yhodrehk dryd'mm syga oui rybbo, lyh E!?"- ARGH! MEN! I can't do anything that'll make you happy, can I!?