Yay!
* * *
Even after Wakka and Rikku had wandered off on their own and long since forgotten him, Tidus just stood with his teeth clenched as he watched Isaaru take Yuna in his arms and kiss her. The chronic knot that so often terrorized his throat jumped up again, bringing not tears to his eyes, but a heart-wrenching glare; his very pupils were aflame with jealousy, anger, and sorrow. He sat down on a rock and buried his face in his hands, for he just could not bear to watch it any longer. Yuna loved Isaaru. Isaaru loved Yuna. There was no hope for Tidus. He continued to wallow and drown in his own self-pity, heedless of Lulu's repeated cries announcing dinner, and heedless of the red and black blur in the corner of his eye.
Auron leaned against this tree, looking on pityingly at the boy and trying to think of something to say that would not just hurt him even more. With a sigh, he briefly closed his eye to reprimand himself silently. He had raised this boy for ten years, yet he was still just as clueless as ever how to react at times like this.
After a long pause, Tidus looked up at him, and the two said in unison,
"You saw, didn't you?"
They both sighed and turned their eyes down.
"I guess I'm just out of luck, huh?" Tidus said, drawing lazily in the dirt with a twig.
"Not necessarily."
Tidus whipped his head up to look him in the eye, a new spark of hope flitting across his expression.
"Huh?!"
Auron gave one of his trademark "humph"s and explained, in his concise manner:
"I can only assume, since you were this far away from camp the entire time, that you did not see Yuna's eyes glaze over as she was kissed, nor could you see the pale shade of her face when she came over for dinner."
"Wait, so you mean that. . . Yuna doesn't love Isaaru?"
"She's reluctant," he said in that wise, omniscient tone. "Yuna is easy to read."
"Why. . .? How?"
Auron turned to leave. "You will understand in due course. Now it is time for dinner."
The knot swelling in Tidus's throat melted away like hot butter. In a hurry he was on his feet, jogging to keep up with Auron's long stride.
* * *
"Yuna, you don't look like you're feeling so well," Lulu said. She reached over her bowl of Ronso Surprise and touched her cheek with the back of her hand.
"I'm just. . . a little faint. . . from all the fighting, you know?"
Indeed, Lulu DID know. She, too, had watched the entire episode with Isaaru.
"We should turn in early tonight." She paused and waited for Auron to object. Something along the lines of, "We have rested enough," but when he continued to eat silently, she remembered that he, too, knew exactly what was going on.
Yuna stuttered, "We can do that, if Sir Auron doesn't object."
Rikku had been listening in on their conversation, worried about her cousin Yunie. She leaned over and whispered to the two of them, "I think he's a little pooped too," raising a quiet giggle from Yuna and putting a small smile on Lulu's face.
This attracted the attention of Tidus and Wakka, who were talking about the "sand-blasted grease monkeys" of Luca's blitzball team, namely, Bickson.
"H-hey! What's so funny?!"
"It's a girl thing, ya?"
Rikku giggled and waved at the two. "What're you two ogling at?"
Wakka, though somewhat tempted to say, "You, ya," decided to change the subject.
"So who's got dish duty tonight? Kimahri, do you have the list?"
"Kimahri have list. Tidus clean."
"Oh, that's tough brudda. Well, have fun!" Wakka said cheerfully as he scooched closer to Rikku.
"Hey, what're you trying to pull off? This is MY Ronso Surprise!!!"
"Not ALL of us are thieves, ya?"
Rikku giggled. "I'm just playin' with ya. You can have some of mine."
Wakka patted his stomach. "No, I'm full. Thanks for the offer, ya?"
Tidus, who was scrubbing the pot that was used to cook dinner, added, "Wakka's already had about 7 bowls of that stuff."
"Hey!" Wakka shook a fist at him. "I got high metabolism, ya?"
He turned his attention back to Rikku. "Tidus. Always the troublemaker, ya? So where are you from? You don't look like you would live in Guadosalam."
Rikku's gleeful smile faded. 'If I tell him I'm an Al Bhed, he'd probably have a fit, much less if he knew I was the daughter of our leader. Then again, if I don't tell him, he'd likely find out sooner or later. . . but if I DO tell him. . . ah, to hell with it.'
She grinned, back to her normal self, and chirped, "Kilika!"
Wakka was too. . . twitterpated, shall we say, to care much about why a girl like Rikku would be hanging out near Guadosalam if she lived in Kilika, and replied, "A survivor? You're one tough girl, ya?"
"I guess. So how old are you?"
"I'm 24, ya?"
"I'm 15, and I'll be 16 next week."
"Wow, I thought you were 17! Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho, I was a little off, ya?"
~* ~* ~
An abrupt ending, sorreeee.
* * *
Even after Wakka and Rikku had wandered off on their own and long since forgotten him, Tidus just stood with his teeth clenched as he watched Isaaru take Yuna in his arms and kiss her. The chronic knot that so often terrorized his throat jumped up again, bringing not tears to his eyes, but a heart-wrenching glare; his very pupils were aflame with jealousy, anger, and sorrow. He sat down on a rock and buried his face in his hands, for he just could not bear to watch it any longer. Yuna loved Isaaru. Isaaru loved Yuna. There was no hope for Tidus. He continued to wallow and drown in his own self-pity, heedless of Lulu's repeated cries announcing dinner, and heedless of the red and black blur in the corner of his eye.
Auron leaned against this tree, looking on pityingly at the boy and trying to think of something to say that would not just hurt him even more. With a sigh, he briefly closed his eye to reprimand himself silently. He had raised this boy for ten years, yet he was still just as clueless as ever how to react at times like this.
After a long pause, Tidus looked up at him, and the two said in unison,
"You saw, didn't you?"
They both sighed and turned their eyes down.
"I guess I'm just out of luck, huh?" Tidus said, drawing lazily in the dirt with a twig.
"Not necessarily."
Tidus whipped his head up to look him in the eye, a new spark of hope flitting across his expression.
"Huh?!"
Auron gave one of his trademark "humph"s and explained, in his concise manner:
"I can only assume, since you were this far away from camp the entire time, that you did not see Yuna's eyes glaze over as she was kissed, nor could you see the pale shade of her face when she came over for dinner."
"Wait, so you mean that. . . Yuna doesn't love Isaaru?"
"She's reluctant," he said in that wise, omniscient tone. "Yuna is easy to read."
"Why. . .? How?"
Auron turned to leave. "You will understand in due course. Now it is time for dinner."
The knot swelling in Tidus's throat melted away like hot butter. In a hurry he was on his feet, jogging to keep up with Auron's long stride.
* * *
"Yuna, you don't look like you're feeling so well," Lulu said. She reached over her bowl of Ronso Surprise and touched her cheek with the back of her hand.
"I'm just. . . a little faint. . . from all the fighting, you know?"
Indeed, Lulu DID know. She, too, had watched the entire episode with Isaaru.
"We should turn in early tonight." She paused and waited for Auron to object. Something along the lines of, "We have rested enough," but when he continued to eat silently, she remembered that he, too, knew exactly what was going on.
Yuna stuttered, "We can do that, if Sir Auron doesn't object."
Rikku had been listening in on their conversation, worried about her cousin Yunie. She leaned over and whispered to the two of them, "I think he's a little pooped too," raising a quiet giggle from Yuna and putting a small smile on Lulu's face.
This attracted the attention of Tidus and Wakka, who were talking about the "sand-blasted grease monkeys" of Luca's blitzball team, namely, Bickson.
"H-hey! What's so funny?!"
"It's a girl thing, ya?"
Rikku giggled and waved at the two. "What're you two ogling at?"
Wakka, though somewhat tempted to say, "You, ya," decided to change the subject.
"So who's got dish duty tonight? Kimahri, do you have the list?"
"Kimahri have list. Tidus clean."
"Oh, that's tough brudda. Well, have fun!" Wakka said cheerfully as he scooched closer to Rikku.
"Hey, what're you trying to pull off? This is MY Ronso Surprise!!!"
"Not ALL of us are thieves, ya?"
Rikku giggled. "I'm just playin' with ya. You can have some of mine."
Wakka patted his stomach. "No, I'm full. Thanks for the offer, ya?"
Tidus, who was scrubbing the pot that was used to cook dinner, added, "Wakka's already had about 7 bowls of that stuff."
"Hey!" Wakka shook a fist at him. "I got high metabolism, ya?"
He turned his attention back to Rikku. "Tidus. Always the troublemaker, ya? So where are you from? You don't look like you would live in Guadosalam."
Rikku's gleeful smile faded. 'If I tell him I'm an Al Bhed, he'd probably have a fit, much less if he knew I was the daughter of our leader. Then again, if I don't tell him, he'd likely find out sooner or later. . . but if I DO tell him. . . ah, to hell with it.'
She grinned, back to her normal self, and chirped, "Kilika!"
Wakka was too. . . twitterpated, shall we say, to care much about why a girl like Rikku would be hanging out near Guadosalam if she lived in Kilika, and replied, "A survivor? You're one tough girl, ya?"
"I guess. So how old are you?"
"I'm 24, ya?"
"I'm 15, and I'll be 16 next week."
"Wow, I thought you were 17! Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho, I was a little off, ya?"
~* ~* ~
An abrupt ending, sorreeee.