January 24, 2010. Let me try to write this intro again since Firefox decided to die on me. Again. Anyway, I'm sorry this chapter is so long. I tried ending it about six times but I kept on adding things because there were things I wanted in Tidus' POV and not Yuna's... and if I waited until his turn again, they would just seem out of place. Oh well. I will probably write more when I get Microsoft Office back on my computer (HATE HATE HATE WORD PAD OMG. I miss my red squigglies when a word is misspelled! It makes writing difficult after working a 10 hour day and 1 am approaching... lol) because I had to do a COMPLETE restore on my main HD since it failed on me. Awesome. Anyway, that should be soon. I can't believe I'm already on chapter 14... maybe things will grow a little more interesting soon? I hope you can endure this long chapter... the next one won't be as long, I hope!

XIV

My initial thought about the conversation about Lenne and I was, 'Well, that went well. Yuna could've taken the news about Lenne and I pretty hard and she really didn't. She didn't even give me a single glare! Okay, so she didn't even really make eye contact with me, but still I didn't see any glares!' That, to me, seemed like a successful conversation with a bonus because I didn't get slapped across the face.

The more I thought about it, I realized that maybe she was just absorbing all the information and trying not to give me a black eye for my decisions that I have made. She would be the only person in Spira who would be allowed to do that and I would accept it, even though I know she never would smack me. It really was a lot to grasp onto due to the fact that she really did hate Lenne and she probably saw it as me lowering my standards to 'date' someone like that. But again, we weren't dating. She wasn't my girlfriend and never would be.

Thinking about it even more, I came to the conclusion that while she wasn't mad, she was… disappointed. Knowing that I bluntly told Yuna that Lenne would never be my girlfriend just made me seem like a sex-craved adolescent who only cared about image by sleeping with the head cheerleader. No wonder I disappointed her. Even when I dissected the situation like that, I disappointed myself. Disappointment was worse than her being angry or upset. Much worse. I hated disappointing people... especially when they were people so close to me.

So yeah, after thirty seconds of thinking about it, I saw that the conversation ultimately sucked and I felt like shit. The only upside that I could possibly think of was that she knew now and I didn't have to hide anything from her anymore. Perhaps the news would just take a little time for her to get used to and then she'd completely disregard it after a while, but until then? I had to live with the fact that she'd been in town for a little over a day and I already ultimately disappointed her.

Perhaps I could get away with ignoring the Lenne thing for now until things smoothed over. I didn't have any plans to see the girl unless we, unfortunately, ran into each other on the beach or something, and I was hoping that Yuna would see that I was avoiding Lenne.

Until Wakka's party that is.

Yuna didn't seem like she wanted to go to the party, but little did she know that she didn't have a choice. I wanted her there, so she was going to go. In her best interest, of course. We did have a lot of mutual friends when she lived in Zanarkand and this would be an excellent chance for her to see them all at the same time without having to visit them all one by one. It just made sense! I had a little less than a week to convince her that the party was going to be a lot of fun and wouldn't be the same if she wasn't there.

I just had to think of a way to say that without sounding desperate or to make her think that she would be a shield from Lenne. She wouldn't be a shield. She would be a Lenne Magnet. If Lenne saw me walk in the room with Yuna, she would waltz right over to us and make an instant smart ass remark that would undoubtedly ruin Yuna's night. That reunion was just going to be a messy one, I couldn't ignore that fact. I would just deal with it at a later time because I had six days before it would happen.

In the meantime, dinner was a nice intermission between the conversation we were having. I don't think she wanted to continue it even though I really did. Not about the Lenne part, no no, that was over and done with. If I went without hearing her name for the rest of the night I would be more than happy. I wanted to know more about her boyfriend. I kind of felt like a horrible person, but I wanted to pry a little bit deeper. Something just seemed off with Yuna once the topic of her boyfriend came up, and I almost wanted to ask her if the whole Praetor's son and High Summoner's daughter thing was nothing more than a politician's ploy or an 'arranged pairing.' Maybe they wouldn't get married, but it sure seemed like that question had been thrown around about the two of them before.

She did have a point though; she was 16 years old and marriage was the furthest thing from her mind. A lot of girls would say the same thing, but Yuna's mind was different. She was probably so focused on studying and getting into Lady Yunalesca University that she didn't have any brain power left to process a relationship. For some reason, I couldn't even formulate a picture of the two of them having a romantic evening together. It was so much easier to see them at a table, studying for different subjects with soft, classical music playing in the background.

I had to stop myself from giggling at the thought, so I shoved a forkful of chicken parmesan into my mouth. It was enough to distract me a little because my mom was a damn good cook and I loved it when she made huge meals. It was rather few and far between nowadays since Jecht constantly blew my mom and I off for dinner. Like tonight for example; right as my mom reminded him again that Yuna's family was coming over, he started to stutter and conjured up some excuse that he had to go to practice. My father was a real winner, all right.

However, it made me think that it saved Yuna's dad some torment. It always worked out that the women talked between themselves, so the men had to come up with conversation. I could only imagine that drove Yuna's dad up a damn wall. He's so smart and had a real career whereas my dad was some washed up college blitz star who never made it to the pros because he never tried hard enough. Being a 'semi-pro' was good enough for him, but I knew that it would never be good enough for me.

I guess you could look at it as seeing into the future, because I didn't want my wife to have to work. I wanted my kids to be raised at home without being in daycare. I know how much my mom hated to work and she never had to say anything about it. She always said she was destined to be a teacher, but I saw how envious she was of Yuna's mom. Yuna's mom was able to watch me while my mom was at work, which was good for everyone. Still, I know that my mom felt like she missed out a lot on my childhood and I felt bad for the woman. That's why I wanted to go pro and make enough money so my wife could be a stay at home mom.

My mom and Yuna's mom chatted throughout dinner, but Yuna, her dad, and I were all rather quiet. I think her dad was just enjoying the food, but Yuna was definitely thinking and I wanted to know what it was that she was thinking. I was pretty good at reading the minds of others... except hers was like a steel fortress that I couldn't sneak into.

And it was annoying at times like this.

Completely full and satisfied after two helpings of spaghetti, garlic bread, and chicken, I pushed my plate away from the edge of the table and leaned back into my seat.

"Tidus, there's more if you're still hungry," my mom said, using her fork to point toward the plate in the center.

"Nooo thanks, mom." If I ate another bite, I was going to burst. Eating that much wasn't necessarily unusual, I could eat my mom out of house and home if I really put my heart into it, but I truly was full. I looked over at Yuna and she really didn't eat much. She was more or less pushing things around with her fork and making it look like she ate more than she did. I gave her a nudge, "those who don't finish their meal don't get dessert."

She put down her fork and smiled at me. "Everything is wonderful, but I'm getting full already!"

"Must've been the three pieces of garlic bread before we sat down," her dad said with a smirk. Oh, how I missed her father.

She blushed and took the napkin off of her lap. "Glad we were counting, dad."

Yuna's mom shot her husband a glare and I couldn't help but snicker a little bit. I almost added how Yuna stole a few cookies before dinner as well, but I did want to see my best friend more over the summer and not piss her off. It would've been all in fun, of course. I just didn't know how much Yuna's sense of humor had changed while having her head filled with all the 'wonders of Yevon' and whatnot that they preach in Bevelle and I was still trying to be nice because I dropped the Lenne bomb on her.

I was growing a little antsy sitting at the table with all the adults, so I stood up, grabbed my plate and Yuna's and brought them over to the sink. If she said she was full, I was going to assume that she was finished so we could go upstairs and finish our little chat. She looked pleasantly surprised that I grabbed her plate and I wasn't going to tell her that I was lazy and rarely did any of the dishes around the house. In fact, my mother was wearing the same pleasantly surprised look on her face and Yuna just didn't notice it.

"Okay, Yuna and I will be upstairs! Call us when you bring out the cookie and chocolate silk pie." That pie was beyond the most amazing creation my mother had ever conjured up and I wish she made it every day. I would probably be about 3,000 pounds and never be able to play blitz ever again… and wouldn't complain because it would be worth it. That pie is that good.

"…Kay…" She sounded confused, but still followed me upstairs anyway. Halfway to my room, she whispered, "Were our parents boring you that much?"

I shook my head. "Nah. Not really. I just know that it will take them about an hour or two to clear the table, make a pot of coffee and bring out the awesome pie. Well, the pie and the other twelve desserts my mom made over the past few days." I opened the door for her and allowed her in first. "You should come to town more often."

"So you can see me or so your mom can go on a baking spree?" She chuckled, but I knew that she wasn't sure what I was going to answer.

"Both, of course." It wasn't a lie. It was nice to see her and nice that my mom decided to bake like that. She didn't do it very often because my dad would throw a fit that she was trying to get him fat so he would quit blitz. My father was an idiot all the time, but there were some times where he just dumbfounded me with his stupidity. I sat down on my bed and… did she look at my bed in fear? Before I had a chance to question, she sat in my computer chair and turned it toward my bed. Odd.

"What?" She asked, brushing her hair out of her face.

"My… bed won't bite you, you know," I replied slowly, scooting back so my back was against my headboard. "It never has before."

"I'm quite comfortable here."

"Okay…" I raised an eyebrow at her and grabbed my blitzball pillow to hold onto. It was comfy and I loved that damn thing. I should've told her that my mom washed my sheets and bedspread earlier in the day, yet it just seemed kind of irrelevant. We used to lay in the same bed and have sleepovers all the time when we were younger. I suppose things were just different now that we were out of one-piece pjs. Hell, there were times when I slept naked and who knows, maybe she did too.

"What are you thinking?"

Whoa, my mind wandered much further than it needed to and her tone of voice seemed quite leery on what my answer was going to be. "Oooh, nothing at all." I definitely couldn't elaborate on what my thought was although I did kinda want to know the answer. Did she? Hmm.

Was I going to flat out ask her? Hell no. I would've gotten slapped. Maybe. At least I would've deserved a slap.

"I like how you redid your room."

She was clearly trying to change the subject but I humored her and looked around. "Yeah, I suppose it is a little different than it was five years ago." Now I had a tv, a computer, the desk the computer was on, a couple video game systems hooked up… the works. Not to mention the 12 blitz trophies and the other dozen or so ribbons that I've managed to acquire over the past few years. I loved my collection.

Looking around the monitor of the computer, she picked up Carter by one of its wings and gave it a little shake. "At least some things are still here."

"What do you mean 'still here,' you little thief?" I tossed my blitz pillow at her and she deflected it with her arm. "Nice block, goalie Yuna."

Giggling, she made the chocobo stand up on the top of the headrest on the chair. "I simply borrowed him, remember? Now he's back where he belongs and it makes your room… look like it did when I left."

"Really?" I propped my elbows on my knees. "I have completely redone my room in the past five years and a tiny, raggy looking chocobo is all it takes?"

With a shrug, she continued, "well, yeah. It almost voids out how everything is different. Who actually had a computer in their room five years ago? And you certainly didn't have all those blitzball trophies lined up on your wall before I moved. You've grown up and your room transformed with you. It's nice to see things that I still remember."

Unable to hold myself back, I asked, "so if I were to go into your room, you're saying that your limited edition Yevon Babies collectibles are on a shelf next to your bed?" She blushed. "Your room would feel like home to me too then."

"Those are going to be worth a lot of money someday, Tidus. I can't just get rid of them."

I chuckled at her. I wouldn't want her to get rid of those things. They were so popular when we were seven and eight, so my mom, Yuna's mom and I would each buy one for her birthday and Yevonistmas. Or, my mom would buy two and say one was from me. My mom and her mom had to coordinate on the phone to make sure that we wouldn't get her the same one, then we would all stand outside at six in the morning before the stores opened to see if they had them in stock. That last part I would rather forget, but it was all part of the experience. I would be upset if she threw them in a box and hid them somewhere.

"Good times," I said, watching her get a little flustered because she was embarrassed. I wasn't trying to embarrass her at all. I was just adding onto her point, really.

Looking out the window toward her old house, she mused, "I wonder if that shelf is still there…"

"I'm sure it is," I replied, thinking about all the times that damn shelf fell and her father had to fix it. She had so many collectibles of Aeons and Summoners and other religious beings as babies (I do believe Zaon had a bottle and Yunalesca had a blankie) that it started to grow too heavy and collapsed a few times. At first the shelf was right above her headboard, but when it nearly fell on her head one time, her dad moved it to the right so Yuna could avoid head injury. "Your dad eventually used molly anchors to keep that thing from falling. There would be major damage to the wall if they were ever taken out."

Without turning her head away, she let out a sigh. "How are your neighbors?"

I shrugged. "After you moved, the neighbors were pretty quiet and kept to themselves. It made the fact that you were halfway across Spira even harder on my mom because that would've been a long drive to borrow an egg or a cup of sugar. I don't know, they lived there for four years and they never even waved if I passed their house or if they were outside sitting on the porch and I had to get the mail or something." My face fell as I thought about it. "It was just sad."

Moving Carter to her lap, she rested her chin on the top of the headrest of the chair and finally looked at me again. "My mom never really made any effort to get to know our neighbors either."

"We're irreplaceable, duh." She and I exchanged smiles. I knew it was a two way street; my mom said it over and over again after they moved that we would never have neighbors like them ever again. My mom also graded on a curve because she and Yuna's mom were best friends before they moved next door. "I think my mom likes it better now that the house is empty."

She perked up. "Huh? Empty? Why?"

"Wow, you really weren't paying any attention during dinner, were you? Our parents talked about it for a good ten minutes and I thought your mom was going to cry." She still looked confused. "The house went into foreclosure about six months ago. My mom said it was a good thing because the only people who deserved to live in that house was your family and practically protested so there wouldn't be a For Sale sign in your front yard again. The other couple who lived in there were older and never really kept up with the house." That was an understatement and I'm surprised that Yuna didn't notice it the second she saw the house.

Getting up, she walked over the window and pried the blinds apart to get a closer look. It was too dark, so she probably couldn't see much of anything. "Yeah, my dad did say something about how the house needed a new roof, but I didn't even put into consideration that it was in foreclosure. Wow…"

It didn't surprise me at all that her father noticed that. He always had that house in beautiful condition and did it all himself. He repainted the siding, did the yard work, and even spent a summer putting down the paving stones for the patio. The only thing he didn't do himself was reroof the house because he claimed he didn't have the right tools.

Again, let me mention how envious I was to have a father like hers.

"Of course you know this means you just have to move back here." I was joking. Sort of. My mom had been saying it ever since the other couple moved out of the house and I always had to hold back from nodding like an idiot in agreement.

She shut the blinds and conveniently dodged the question. "I've been gone for five years and this is the first time we've ever talked about our neighbors, did you notice that?" I gave her a half smile and a shrug-like nod. "You don't think..."

She trailed off, but I wasn't even going to give her the benefit of finishing that statement if she wanted to. "A lot of things changed in five years, but no." It was a firm answer and she turned her head to look at me, yet her eyes didn't make contact. She was going to say that we just got so out of touch with each other that we never talked about our neighbors and I never brought up the fact that the house was in foreclosure. She probably thought I didn't bring it up because I wasn't going to follow it up with, 'Now you need to move back here!' with some kind of a smiley face or other emoticon via email. It was painful to talk about, that's all. I think my answer sounded so definitive because it was true and I wanted to believe it.

Now I could tell her that she had to move back into her old house because she was standing 10 feet in front of me and we were talking just like old times. Via phone or email... it was too impersonal. Inflection is gone, tone completely overlooked and meant that conversations or even single sentences were misinterpreted. Yes, that was what I tried to convince myself. I was just having a hell of a time believing it.

"I hope you're right," she replied softly, no sign of a smile on her face at all.

I tapped my fingers on my leg nervously. I really didn't know what the hell to say next that wouldn't upset either of us any further. Her moving away was always a sore subject so I rarely talked about it or I tried to avoid it like the plague whenever it was brought up. Wakka used to try to talk to me about it to work with me and try to make it easier... or he was trying to make sure that my friendship with Yuna wasn't going to disappear because I sure was making it go down that path. It grew harder to talk to her. I really did feel abandoned in a way. She and I had plans to be friends forever but when she moved, I started to wonder if that was only possible when I saw her every day. Being a 10 year old boy, I really didn't want to work for a friendship; I just wanted it there in front of me.

Yuna really did become out of sight out of mind and it never hurt me until this very moment. If I didn't know any better, I'm sure she was thinking the same exact thing. It was completely mutual and we both started to write shorter emails instead of the multi-paragraph novels of every moment of every day and started to send short text messages instead of talking on the phone for hours. I bowed my head.

It was truly depressing to realize that once she moved, we simply didn't have anything in common anymore. I had blitz, she had her studies. At first it wasn't hard to talk about blitz and she certainly could gush about what she was learning about in school... but then I didn't know anyone she was meeting and that was hard. Then things got worse when she met her boyfriend. Every time she mentioned his name, I hated it. Not like I had romantic feelings for the girl or anything, but I always thought I would be the only man in her life.

But I wasn't jealous. No. Definitely not.

Playing with the material on my shorts, I looked over at her. "I'm sorry, you know. For..."

Without even asking what I was apologizing for, she nodded. "I am too."

I watched three minutes tick by on the clock on my wall as I tried to think of the right thing to say. Or... anything to say to break the curse of silence. At least she didn't look like she was going to cry, but she was pretty upset. I didn't blame her. I felt the same way.

I was pleasantly surprised when she was the first one to say something. "Apparently things weren't that bad if we're both here right now."

Chuckling, I added, "and I suppose I wouldn't have driven over to your house in the middle of the night last night if I didn't want to see you."

At least a smile appeared on her face like she believed me. She should've believed me... it was the truth. "It wasn't the middle of the night. It was 10 o'clock or so."

Folding my hands behind my head, I rested against the headboard. "Yeah, true. If it was the middle of the night, your dad would've called the cops on me or something. I mean, someone sneaking up to your door the first night you were in town at three in the morning? Who else would it be besides a burglar?"

She shrugged. "That's a very good point."

Again there was silence.

And again she was the one to break it.

"We have a few weeks to get things right back on track." She finished her sentence with a very confident nod of her head. I smiled at her and returned the nod. "We're mature enough to handle this."

It almost sounded as though we were trying to be friends after a breakup, but I didn't want to laugh at her. She had a point. We knew what we had done wrong and we would be sure not to make the same mistake again. All we really needed to do was secure our friendship for now until I moved to Bevelle next year for college.

That reminded me. "Oh hey, I have a favor to ask of you."

She perked up and said, "hmm?"

This was important, so I sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed. "I was wondering if you could help me write a few short papers for college applications. Or at least the one at University of Bevelle. I suck when it comes to grammar and being wordy and all that fun stuff that college administrators get all giddy over, and you're a genius at it."

Blushing, she cleared her throat. "I'm not a... genius."

"Ah, you're being modest." I put my hands together and bowed my head slightly to be funny and plead. "Please help me write it? Or proof read it and mark it up with fifteen billion red marks after my terrible attempt at it?"

Looking up between the mop of hair that seemed to fall in my face, I could see her wave her hand dismissively. "Oh stop. Of course I'll help you."

I didn't think she would say no, but that made me so happy. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I know if you help me, there's not a chance that Bevelle would say no. To my paper at least. I can do my best on the blitz stuff during my camps."

"I'll do what I can." Then she said something that made my whole day, "I want you to get into the University of Bevelle... then I'll be able to see you all the time."

I was about to make some kind of a smart ass remark about how she'd be able to help me write all my papers then too, yet I didn't think it would be the right thing to say when she was being sincere. It would seem like I didn't care about seeing her all the time, which would've been a terrible lie.

However, before I was able to say anything else, her phone rang... and she looked rather happy to receive that phone call when she pulled the phone out of her pocket. Great. It was her boyfriend. So much for our sentimental conversation we were having.