A/N: First, let me start off by saying 'Happy Thanksgiving' to the state side masses that will be celebrating it. Yes, I realize it's tomorrow, but I figured I would get it out of the way now even if it's early. Second, I wanted to get this chapter out so I can take a few days to suffer family and enjoy food and then lay here watching Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead in peace. So with that out of the way, welcome to the fourteenth chapter and I hope you enjoy it!

It took more courage and patience than she knew—sitting amongst Baralai, Tidus and her father—and not utter a single word of contempt for the rather...distasteful dinner, no matter how accidental it might have been. Yet, somehow, she'd managed. The tension was not lost on the four of them, but they all conducted themselves in a civil manner; even a few laughs were had. She had smiled and laughed with them, but caught Tidus' eyes several times in the hopes of suppressing the ever growing flames of anger that bit into her sides with each passing hour the dinner lingered.

It had worked, that is, until the dinner concluded.

Yuna sat, nestled between two marble columns and perched neatly on the railing between them, waiting for Baralai to make his long awaited departure. Blue and green eyes settled on his obnoxious car out in the driveway, unblinking and unflinching as the front door opened and closed just behind her. She knew the time had come, and the smile that grew in her lips at the thought went unsuppressed.

"All things considered," He spoke finally, approaching the steps that would carry him away slowly. "I do believe that made for a nice dinner. We should do that more often, don't you think?"

"Why did you come?" Was all she could offer as a response, still poised in her spot just beside him.

"I was invited. It would have been rather rude of me to decline an invitation from your father—an insult, even."

"Do you really expect me to believe that?"

It was then, in that moment, that she caught chestnut eyes staring back into her own. There was something there, though, she couldn't quite put her finger on it. He just stood there, voiceless and, if she could have guessed, it was no doubt to try and formulate a forgivable excuse. Though, no matter what he divulged, Yuna had already made up her mind that it wouldn't be enough; he'd already done enough as far as she was concerned.

"I wanted to see you." Finally replying as he continued to stare, watching her as she removed herself from the railing and coming to stand face-to-face with himself. It made him quite nervous, honestly. "I was worried about you—your absence didn't go unnoticed this afternoon."

"I imagine it didn't." Her voice bereft of sentiment or sympathy toward his concerns. "But that still doesn't explain why you called my father or ended up in my dining room."

"Can a friend not be concerned?"

"Friends? Who said anything about friends?" Quirking a brow at his attempt to define their relationship under the circumstances. "And since when did you start calling my father? You've never done such a thing, even when we were dating."

"So I'm not allowed to care because we're no longer dating? Is that it?" Baralai challenged her expression with one of his own, taken aback by how easy it was for her to dismiss him now that she had him by her side. "He gets the best parts of you and I get your coldness?"

"I'm not cold, I just want the truth—"

"So do we!"

Rudely cutting Yuna off, she stood, hot under his rather incredulous stare. Curious, though, Yuna squinted as she looked up at Baralai with a suspicious mind. She'd lost count at how many times his face had changed in a matter of seconds, not to mention, the number of shades. Something slipped—rolled off his tongue so quickly and was unable to take back—that he had not wanted to. In spite of it all, it was she who broke their stare first, choosing to turn her back on him whilst running slender fingers through her dark hair.

"I," Finding it in him to speak again once he was free from her watchful gaze. "I meant, 'so do I'."

"You don't have that right anymore, Baralai," Shaking her head. Her index finger and thumb found their way to the bridge of her nose, pinching it lightly as she let a breath fall from parted lips. "You had no right calling my father. If you wanted something, you should have waited and asked me tomorrow."

"Why? So Tidus could make yet, another, scene in front of the entire school?" Feeling a rush of heat bloom inside his cheeks. The entire conversation was starting to play on his nerves despite having a high tolerance for annoyance. "The halls are not a place for such things, and so, I preferred a bit more privacy. Although, look at how well that's serving me."

"I'm going to make this...very simple for you," Turning to face Baralai and all his silent rage. "Do not, under any circumstances, call my father again. I'm done with the FMS and I'm through having these discussions with you. Please, don't come by again. I'm fine; I've always been fine, and I will continue to be fine."

Each word that fell from her lips made his head dip lower until his eyes met with the stone beneath their feet. The heat that had crept into the tanned flesh of his face found itself retreating very rapidly, leaving only the cold and unforgiving hand of the chilled autumn air in it's place. Those words of hers bit into him and, as he looked up at her, almost woefully, the only look he'd gotten in return was one of severe reproach. The heart that used to swell with pride when he looked upon her now withered away with each visible breath they took; the night was only growing colder, and by the looks of it, so was she, leaving no more room to circle back to the beginning.

"If that's how you feel," Carefully, and cautiously, descending down the stairs with a hand skimming the railing. "Then that's how you feel."

She did and said nothing. All Baralai was supplied with was a small shake of her head, watching her eyes look toward his car and running her hands up and down her arms; an attempt to restore feeling to the otherwise numb limbs, no doubt. Yuna waited until his back was finally turned and watched his shoulders slump in a defeated manner as he, somewhat, hobbled back to his car. How else was she to get him to understand? The words, alone, left a bitter aftertaste but, as was with the inevitable break-up, it had to be done in a slightly harsh way.

"Didn't go so well, huh?"

Warm hands wrapped themselves around her upper arms, running gently up and down where hers hadn't. Yuna turned her head just enough to catch one of his broad shoulders behind her and silently shook her head once again. In return he tugged at her arms, just once, pulling her into him and shielding her back from the night air. Normally, she would smile, but there was nothing to smile about.

"Thank you," Yuna said to him with a shiver present in her voice.

"I did do pretty good back there, if I do say so myself." Tidus responded, along with an arm that crept up and rested on her collarbone. "Kinda surprised I didn't lunge at him half-way through dinner."

His voice carried through the nights stillness, feeling his chest vibrate against her back and the warmth of the sun under his skin that tethered to her skin and began winding itself under it. She stood cradled in his arms, still staring at where Baralai's car had been—able to see the treads his tires had made on the damp and glistening pavement that had carried him out of sight. Yuna wanted to smile—yearned for it—but the way she had treated Baralai plagued her and robbed her lips from curling upward.

"You could just say, 'you're welcome'," Letting her eyes fall to the arms that held her close.

"Yeah, I could," Tidus nodded, looking down on Yuna with soft eyes and turning her carefully to face him. "But I won't. I'll tell you I love you, instead."

"How'd it go?"

"Just as I suspected it would."

"Good."

"Good?" Appalled, he turned to the woman who sat in the passenger seat beside him. "How is any of this good?"

"I took you for a patient man, Baralai." Dark hair falling from her left shoulder as she let a finger slide just under her bottom lip and looking to him with a devilish smirk. "Was I wrong?"

"I am a patient person, Dona, but this..." Shaking his his head before letting it rest on a balled fist. His sights placed just ahead to gaze out of the windshield, he vaguely noticed his knee bouncing just under the steering wheel, still reeling from his conversation with Yuna. "It's not going to work. I should have just left you standing there alone with your coup."

"Spira wasn't built in a day," Dona, still grinning in the dark, reached out to Baralai's tensing jaw and ghosting the outline with the back of her finger. "We'll wear them down in one way, or another. Yuna's heart is far too big, and Tidus? Well, there's nothing he hates more than to see her hurt."

Disgusted by her touch, he recoiled closer to the door of the car and glared in her direction. Everything in him knew this wasn't right—the whole thing made his skin crawl—but she was right about one thing: it stung. Seeing the two of them together in the halls was enough to set him afire with jealousy, but Dona? It spurred her on and on, leaving him to bear the brunt of her vengeance; but, if he were honest, he could easily walk away. He knew this, and yet, stayed, carrying out her outlandish plans willingly.

"We should be getting back home," Breaking the silence and refusing to think about the whole thing anymore for one night. Right hand moving to wrap his fingers around the keys resting in the ignition, his eyes forced themselves forward and turned the engine over. "Make sure you keep your distance from me at school. The last thing we need are rumors being spread about."

"Aw, come on, Yunie," Rikku implored, desperately clinging to the cuff of her cousins jacket for emphasis. "You were so good at the game—everybody thought so, right guys?!"

Yuna sat amidst all her friends at the table, noting how much Rikku looked like one of those bobble-headed dolls people put on the dash-board of their cars as she nodded excitedly and looked around for someone to agree with her. Gently wrenching her arm back, Yuna attempted to mask how her lips had upturned as she, too, had noticed that no one joined in and asked her to stay on the dance troupe.

"It was fun while it lasted, Rikku, but it's just not for me," Leaning in to nudge their shoulders together and to, hopefully, turn her frown upside down. "But don't worry, I'll still come support the rest of you and watch you preform. Who knows? You might even get the next lead."

"But I don't want the lead! You should be there rocking the crowd!"

The harder Rikku protested the more everyone around her would snicker until it almost became too much; eventually everyone stopped trying to hide their smiles and giggles which, ultimately, made the display even worse. Yuna felt a small amount of remorse for indulging in her cousins plight, but was briefly reminded that this congenial presence was something she sorely needed as Tidus gave a comforting squeeze to her shoulder. She turned to catch his toothy grin and, in return, rewarded him with a light shove.

"While we wait for Rikku to finish dithering," Lulu interrupted the stagger of laughs—some of which were her own—she let ruby eyes settle upon Yuna with a remarkably rare smile. "Perhaps you'd like to share with us why you failed to return her calls last night."

"Oh, well, I had meant to," Taking a sip of her drink to suppress the last hiccups of giggles, Yuna sat the bottle down and pushed her tray further to the center of the table and sat her hands neatly in her lap before continuing. "I'm sorry, Rikku, really. I must've just gotten so busy that it slipped my mind. But I did see that you called me—all twenty times."

"Hate to tell you I told you so," Tidus managed to blurt out between fake coughs which he covered, unsuccessfully, with his hand. "But I did tell you so."

A sharp turn of her head in his direction and a quick jab to his side with an elbow before turning again with an apologetic expression, Yuna smiled sheepishly under Rikku's glare. Her lips parted several times in the hopes of formulating a suitable excuse, but the tapping of the Al Bhed's nails against the table all but dashed her hopes of smoothing things over so easily. Bi-colored eyes shied away and coming to tuck a strand of dusky hair behind her ear, Yuna could feel the heat rising into her cheeks.

"Just the people I wanted to see," Sliding effortlessly into a seat just beside Rikku and throwing an arm around her shoulders for good measure. "Oh, and you, of course."

His presence didn't go unnoticed as Yuna snapped her head up quite suddenly to identify Gippal as her, rather unlikely, savior. Her stare excitingly switched between the two, noting that Rikku had been deterred by Gippal's presence, she couldn't argue that her shame had ceased and now felt awash with a mirthful disposition. Of course her cousin looked absolutely disgusted but, for the moment, Yuna silently denoted his actions and decided to thank him at some point or another.

"Hey man," Tidus partially stood and raised his hand over the girls to catch a high-five from his friend. "What brings you all the way over here?"

"I heard the commotion on the other side of the cafeteria and decided I didn't like being left out," Placing his arm back around Rikku and, as she shot an incredulous glare his way, Gippal caught it with a wink and a grin. Her nose wrinkling once again, she stopped fighting and decided to slump her shoulders in defeat. "That, and I like ruffling her feathers; it's the highlight of my day."

"Oui pimmo..." Rikku scoffed and, though she put on a repulsed display, you could detect a bit of amusement in her accusatory looks toward Gippal.

The band of friends carried on with their jests for a handful of minutes, but it was short lived as the bell rang out to signal the end of the lunch period. Begrudgingly, each student rose with their friends and made their way to dispose of the lunch trays whilst mumbling their discontent as they started the crawl to class. The sudden mood shift had not been lost on Yuna, Tidus and their friends, but in spite of it all, they gave understanding smiles and allowed the groans to be shrugged off carelessly.

"Don't worry," Tidus was the first to break the silence as his hand reached out to grab Yuna's and craned his neck to catch the attention of the friends following closely behind. "We got the game Friday night and the weekend coming up. That's more than enough reason to celebrate."

"Right on," Gippal nodded, catching another high-five from Tidus with his free hand. "Not even Dona and Baralai could ruin something so awesome."

Their names caused Yuna to halt her carefree stride and, before anyone else could blink, she felt the weight of several of them against her back. Tidus had meant to continue forward but was met with resistance, followed by the confused sounds of those following behind. Turning to figure out exactly what had happened, he caught Yuna's eyes first and then watched as the rest filtered around her as she mumbled what could best be described as a vacant apology. A few pats on his back drew his attention away briefly but, when he turned back, she was steadily rooted, looking up only when someone tugged at her hand.

"Hey," Pulling her away from the doors of the cafeteria, Tidus finally snapped his fingers and watched as she blinked. "You alright?"

"Y-Yeah," Shaking her head at first, but then realizing her actions were very contradictory, she nodded instead before pulling her hand from his grasp and wiping both palms against her pant legs. "I'm fine."

"You sure?" His brows knitting together as he heard the warning bell ring; not that he cared. "You look pretty spooked to me."

"No, I just..." Yuna paused, took a deep breath and let it settle in her lungs for a moment or two before releasing it. "...Well, not really spooked. I guess it was just something that Gippal said that kinda surprised me maybe?"

"You mean the whole, 'Dona and Baralai', thing?"

"Yeah, sort of."

Yuna looked up to see Tidus staring down and her head dipped, causing her hair to fall around the frame of her face. Watching her hands take on a life of their own, she wrung them nervously, turning to see the last of her peers finally disperse further ahead and into the halls. His gaze still heavy on her, she peered up, almost regretfully, offering him what little of a smile she could.

"It's silly, I know," Feeling the cool wall find its way against her back while her arms crossed themselves against her front. "I just get a little restless when I hear their names—especially after last night."

"Don't let it bother you so much, Yun. If I had to guess, I would say he was just joking around about what happened a couple of weeks ago," Chortling a tiny bit at her reaction. Reaching out and grabbing one of her hands, he watched as they unfurled lazily at her sides before pulling the both of them toward the hall. "Besides, let's just say, for arguments sake, that he wasn't talking about that. What else could he have possibly meant?"

"I don't know," A tinge of laughter found its way into her voice. "I told you it was silly!"

"So you find another way," Holding long, onyx tresses back from falling into the small stream of water that cascaded from the drinking fountain, Dona suppressed her vicious grin. "Must I hold your hand the entire time?"

An icy glower burying itself into her back, Baralai stood deliberating his position in this noxious little game of hers. In all of his years, no one had ever gotten under his skin to this degree and, much to his dismay, Dona had, quite effectively, marooned him. His hands may not be clean, but he'd make sure to be the one to dispel the belief that she would way away unscathed—that much was certain.

"What's your plan, Dona?" The query posed so smoothly that he almost believed he didn't feel slighted by the young woman.

Baralai watched as her finger removed itself from the button, hearing the water cease and her slightly choke on his words. Dona rose slowly and, only when she was sure her lengthy hair would clear the drinking fountain, released the hold on her tresses. Maintaining a rather dignified stature, she turned to face him, smiling coolly and wiping the remnants of water droplets from her upturned lips. As much as he would have liked to see an angered response, Baralai was sure he'd touched a nerve somewhere.

"You already know what I'm planning," Letting her arms curl into each other and resting them on her chest. "Unless you're referring to my intentions with Tidus."

"The latter," Sharp on his response, "You seem so interested in my every move and, quite frankly, if I'm going to participate any further, you need to be willing to disclose."

"Fair enough," Her voice betraying the mounting ire she was beginning to feel toward him. "I intend to make an appearance at the match Friday night—ideally alone with him, which I'm sure an opportunity will present itself."

"And?"

Dona's smirk begin to spread, raising a single finger to wave back and forth as she tutted. His sudden inquisition raised silent alarms—ones that she downright refused to ignore. This would be all she'd afford him for now, taking a mental note for herself as a direct result of this conversation: those claws of hers were about to lose their grip. Before he managed to free himself entirely, she would have to dig into him a little harder.

"And you'll just have to wait and see."

Clearly displeased with what she offered, Baralai continued blathering on about sharing the burden, to which Dona countered with some philosophical quote as calmly as ever. Who knows how long the pair would stand there dickering back and forth but, for the fly on the wall, the intriguing bits of intel they had just acquired was more than enough. Sometimes it paid off to be silent and somewhat transparent.

A rather enthusiastic sports commentator could barely be heard as annoying static interference overtook him, and just as he was going into critical play-by-plays during overtime. A disgruntled curse came from under a rather large machina, only to be followed up by a piece of scrap metal sent flying in the direction of the outdated sphere. With exceptional precision it hit the intended target, moving the sphere just enough so that the static fell away, leaving the commentators voice a little clearer than before.

"Easy there, killer," Another voice reached the unsightly person beneath the metallic contraption. "Rikku would be crushed if you injured that notorious shoulder arm of yours."

"Don't worry," Grunting, the man beneath the machina gave one last twist to a secure bolt and slid himself from under it. "I'd still have one to work with."

"Pft," Cardinal-colored eyes couldn't help but to roll at his dry sense of humor; the amusement was lost to herself. "I'm sure she'd be ecstatic."

Throwing a wrench haphazardly into an unkempt tool-box and rising to reveal himself to be much taller than the young woman before him, his singularly good eye looked down upon her. Argent tinged strands of hair styled stiffly into a strange sort-of mow hawk and skin paled against obsidian clothes, she stood under his stare impatiently.

"Paine," Unable to suppress the deep, baritone chuckle that escaped him, he turned to grab a rather tattered and dirty rag from his work bench in the hopes of removing some of the oil stains on his hands. "We both know you're not here for a tune-up and you haven't grabbed any sharp objects yet. You have my attention."

"Why thank you, Gippal," Her voice teeming with sarcasm, she stood languidly in the same place he'd left her. "When was the last time you talked to Rikku and Lulu?"

"Today. Why?"

For once he hadn't cracked a joke or tried to be smooth; it was an honest answer to which she couldn't, or rather, shouldn't, follow up with a disparaging remark. Instead she chose to take a few steps in a random direction, carefully minding the various tools that laid forgotten on the oily concrete pad beneath their feet. He watched her mull over something and, before long, discarded the filthy rag with a huff as he leaned against the table.

"You plan pacing back and forth in my garage all night?"

"No," Paine replied a little, too, quickly just before stopping and turning to face him. "I'm just trying to figure out exactly what it is I'm trying to say."

"I don't have all night," Gippal began, lolling his head back with a deflated sigh. "The next blitz match is starting in a few minutes."

"People talk."

When she answered him, his head fell forward with nothing more than a dead-panned expression. Sharp objects or not, Paine was dancing around her true intentions more than he ever had. When she hadn't gotten a quirky response from him, she casually glanced in his general direction to gauge his reactions; apparently he'd completely missed the serious undertone she had chosen to broach the subject.

"What do you know about Baralai and Dona besides the obvious?"

"Well now," His lips hastily finding their way into a half-cocked grin. "This conversation just got a little more interesting."

"Ok, I think I got it."

Yuna leaned back on her calves to make sure Rikku had enough room. The two had knelt down by a flower bed and, before she could give her cousin the go-ahead, Yuna turned to see if Tidus and Lulu were paying attention. Gaining a nod from each, and then herself, she turned back to Rikku with a confident and encouraging smile.

"Kay, give it a shot!"

Determined to get this right, Rikku turned her attention to one, specific, flower and closed her eyes. Yuna watched the Al Bhed's hand drift slowly outward so that her palm hovered just above the delicate petals, suddenly overwhelmed with a want to bite at her own lip. Noting the strained expression on her cousins face and how tightly her eyelids were squinting together, she desperately wanted to offer her some sort of comfort; a gentle hand to her shoulder earned a sudden turn of her head and, sadly, gaining the disapproval of Lulu.

Admittedly, Lulu was right—if she said anything now it would only serve as a distraction to Rikku and, ultimately, do her no favors. So she chose to sit idly by and continue chewing lightly on her bottom lip in a nervous fit as Rikku stretched her fingers to their limits. Tidus, on the other hand, would have much rather been doing other things. But he stood still and waited like the others, albeit, not on baited breath like they seemed to be. At least until he felt Yuna grab his hand and squeezed a little harder than she had probably intended; he could only assume it was to keep from bursting with excitement as he looked down on Rikku.

One hand in Tidus' and the other curled tightly into a white-knuckled fist, Yuna could barely contain the girlish squeal that threatened to escape. Her eyes narrowed in on Rikku's hand and, cautiously, began to lean closer—she could almost feel the energy exuding from her cousins palm and seeping into the petals of the garden flower. And that's when it happened.

"Ow, ow, ow!"

"Put it out!"

"Don't look at me!"

Briskly shaking off the disorientation, Yuna raised herself up and watched in horror as her prized rose rapidly wilted against the flame it had become consumed with. Her presence of mind overruled the want to mourn the freshly cultivated beauty, outstretching her arm and wiggling her fingers above it. Droplets of water fell from her fingertips, quenching the fiery flames before they'd had the chance to spread further into the rest of the garden bed. The angry hiss of the extinguished fire had not been lost on deaf ears as the four of them looked on at the charred remains.

"Well," A newly composed Lulu was the first to address the issue. "That certainly wasn't water."

"Not even close," Tidus quipped as he reached out to help Yuna up off the ground.

Rikku held her hand closely to her chest, nursing the throb that still lingered. Casting a warning glance in their direction while blowing on the offending pain, she looked over to Yuna and started to try and formulate an appropriate apology.

"I really tried," Voice cracking and eyes misting, her bottom lip pooched. "But, in my defense, I did warn you—I'm no good at magic!"

"You tried and that's all that matters, right?" Yuna offered a comforting smile. "So you confused thunder with water; it happens from time to time."

"I guess so but, Yunie, can't you just water the flowers like a normal person?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Lulu chuckled as a thin eyebrow rose. "You just need more practice, that's all. No harm done."

"I dunno. That rose looks pretty done to me."

The three women looked to Tidus. To his surprise, he was spared from swats and, instead, rewarded with laughter. The sigh of relief that came from him was almost palpable, Yuna noticed, finding it a bit more amusing than the rest and chuckled a bit harder when he pulled her into his arms to shield her from the temperatures descent. As the four made their way toward the front of Yuna's house, Rikku noticed an unread text that was sent at some point during the commotion.

"Alright guys, it's been fun but we need to get going," Rikku saluted them and subtly motioned for Lulu to do the same. "Sorry again about the rose, Yunie. I'll...buy you a new one—promise!"

Lulu simply shook her head and shrugged, bidding farewell to both Tidus and Yuna as best she could before Rikku began ceaselessly tugging at her sleeve. Before either of them could return the gesture they were in the car and down the street, leaving Yuna slightly baffled as the stood in the glow of her porch light. She looked up to Tidus and he down at her, but she could tell he didn't share her concern.

"What do you think that was all about?"

"Hm?"

"Lulu and Rikku," Bending her knees just enough so that she slipped from under his arm and moved to stand in front of him. "They left rather suddenly."

Letting both his hands slide into his pockets, Tidus let his head fall back slowly and caught the stars in his sights. Inch by inch his lips curved upward into a thoughtful smile, taking a breath in through his nose and letting the cool fall air settle in his lungs. He could smell the telltale signs of the approaching frost that would soon befall Spira and, shortly after, the powdery blanket of snow glistening ice. There was just something so fun and exciting that gripped him when the seasons started to change; so much so that it wasn't until he felt her warmth on his front that he came back down and remembered.

"It's getting pretty late, Yun," Unable to suppress the smile hidden in her hair as he placed a chaste kiss to the top of her head. "You shouldn't worry too much."

The thrumming of his voice against her ear pressed so close against his chest elicited a contented sigh. So he got lost for a little while—she would worry enough for the both of them and let him enjoy a quiet moment with mother nature; she wouldn't tell anyone. Arms encompassing as much of his broad back as they could and hands splaying to their limits, she smiled brightly into his shirt as the steady thrum lulled her eyes closed. Yes, she would worry enough for the both of them, but not tonight.

Tonight, like every other night, was theirs and only theirs to behold.

A/N: Just a cautionary warning: I still need to update 'Evanescence', so I'm not sure how long it'll be before I update this story again. Hopefully no more than a week-two at best (but hopefully not). I hope you guys enjoyed. Feel free to review, as always, and be safe during the first of many crazy holidays.

Sincerely,

Yunasdestiny