Chapter Five: Powerful Memories
Spiralis...within it are swirls of wind blowing through the streets...
It has become common to Tidus. This city is a cold place to live in even during summer. Who knows how cold it's gonna be when winter comes. But the breezy climate won't make a difference to the students of Zanarkand High.
Some days passed...and surprisingly enough, neither Seymour nor his cronies were showing up but Rikku once caught them pushing a few freshmen around. Zanarkand High will never change too, he guessed.
It was almost morning, and the cold wind blew harder than ever. Tidus got up sleepily on a cloudy, yet bright Saturday. For once, there will be no grueling Math assignments, no song number in Music class, no Rikku pestering Lulu for answers and most of all, no Seymour coming out of nowhere just to caress Yuan's face...
"Get up, Tidus!" His father figure's voice said from behind the door.
"Coming' Auron!" He replied as got off his bed.
After he got dressed, Tidus walked to the living room in his warmest clothes yet. He saw Auron standing in the middle of the room all dressed up but still wearing that long red trench coat.
"Uh...why are you dressed like we're going somewhere?" Tidus curiously asked.
"Because we ARE going somewhere." Auron countered as if it was the most obvious answer.
"Huh!?" Tidus reacted in a surprised tone. "Y-You gotta be kidding around!"
"But I'm NOT kidding around." Auron answered almost impatiently. "We're doing the grocery today and you are to help me carry the bags." He told him as if no questions were to be asked.
Although Tidus looked as though he'd rather stay home and just relax, he just saw this eye to eye and just forgot about arguing with Auron. He never won an argument with his father figure before...not once...
"Alright Auron, I'll help you out. Even a grouchy old man like you won't manage alone." Tidus said rather optimistically, ignoring Auron's gruff "Hmph!"
As they stepped out of their home, it felt like a breezy new world. Clouds were everywhere in the sky and the sun was hardly able to shine through the vast whiteness. Tidus could feel the strong wind blowing past him.
"Where are we going anyway?" Tidus asked while they were both walking alone the streets which were now populated with more people.
"Spiralicore." Auron answered expressionlessly.
"Huh!? And---where's that?"
Auron sighed, as if he was aggravated and decided to give Tidus a short lecture. "It's the city's shopping center. Don't tell me that you haven't been exploring Spiralis since we moved here."
"But with that surprisingly early curfew, how can I possibly have time to just take a little stroll around the park?" Tidus countered back. For once, he made Auron speechless during another argument. Tidus grinned at himself for this and put his arms behind his head as they walked.
Tidus wondered...once they get to Spiralicore, what would Auron probably purchase? He hasn't been to Spiralicore before but he was sure that it would be larger and more enormous than all the shopping malls he has been to back in Okinawa. Sure, he was no country boy but he can't help but feel excited.
"I wonder what Wakka and the others are doing right now?" Tidus asked himself as they were now walking through the people-filled streets. Twice, he almost collided with a car just because he wasn't looking at where he was going. Perhaps Yuna's right. He is thinking too much...
Not for the first time that morning, Tidus just found himself walking absent-mindedly in one direction before realizing that Auron was already walking to the opposite course.
"Maybe you lacked sleep last night." Auron commented his forgetfulness.
Spiralicore was huge---almost twice as large as Luca University. As they stepped into the brightly colored halls, Tidus began to wheel around looking at every store sign.
"Hey Auron! Let's look around for a bit!" Tidus said as he continued glancing through neon signs.
"After we get what we need, that's when you can do whatever you want." Auron told him as he marched past a store selling various stuffed dolls like Chocobos and Moogles. Tidus agreed on this and just followed him to the grocery section...
"So what's on your list?" Tidus looked over Auron's shoulder and saw that it was full of the usual stuff they have in their fridge and in their kitchen. The list was long. It looked like they would have to stroll around the whole grocery area to get everything on the list.
Auron pocketed the list and pulled a shopping cart. After that, he took out his list again and tore it in half.
"Here." He said as he handed the other half to Tidus. "We're going to have to take separate ways. You take everything on this part of the list and meet me at counter 14 once you're done." He finished before pushing the cart on the aisle full of dairy products.
"Gotcha!"
Tidus pushed a cart with him and headed for the other end of the grocery section.
"So what does Auron have in his list?" He unfolded it and read it from top to bottom. "Let's see.....there are some sashimi here and a handful of tofu. Not to mention some spring rolls and----WAITAMINIT!!!"
There was Sake written in large letters on the list.
"Auron should've handed me the other half! How should I know which to buy!!!?" Tidus asked himself. He never tasted sake before, not once. It was because Auron wouldn't let him, not even a single sip, even if he's almost of age.
After arguing with himself on what to buy or where to go, Tidus pocketed the list and went for the things he needed first. He passed by the aisle with cartons of milk among the shelves. He stopped, checked the list and took two boxes of milk. After that, he pushed the cart towards the next aisle and got two dozen eggs.
Tidus has been asking himself lately...why does Auron need this much on their list? There's only two of them at home. They don't even have any relatives here in Spiralis. It may seem lonely with just the two of them eating dinner or just watching TV every night but fortunately, he found some good friends like Wakka and Rikku to keep them company.
"So what's left?" Tidus took out the list one more time and scanned it. "I guess I got all of them."
His cart was already half-full but it didn't seem enough.
"Maybe I oughta look around for a bit more." He said to himself. He turned the cart sideways and walked down an aisle with some interesting jars displayed on the shelves. They were interesting, alright. Lines and lines of jams in assorted flavors and colors were visible through the rows. Tidus remembered Yuna saying the other day that Rikku loves blueberry waffles for breakfast every morning.
"Nah, Auron wouldn't mind if I take a jar or two." He took two jars of blueberry jam and put them in the cart.
He walked around for a little more and found an aisle with nothing but chocolates. Remembering Rikku's craving for chocolate muffins, he laughed to himself while picturing Rikku filling her cart with piles of chocolate bars.
He finally stopped imagining things and took a couple of bars. Lulu told him once that it was good for the heart.
"That's right!" Tidus could internally hear Wakka's voice from nowhere but his mind. "It can help pump you up if you're feeling romantic!"
Tidus stared at the chocolate bar he was holding..."Romantic, huh?" It was a word that he never expected Wakka to say. Wakka wasn't that kind of guy. Maybe his most recent conversation with Lulu sort of stirred him a little.
He eventually removed his eyes from the bar of chocolate in his hand and looked at all the other chocolates displayed on the shelves. There was a wide variety of it. Ones shaped like Chocobos, some of them shaped like Moombas. Even Malboros played a big part in appearing in chocolate wrappers.
There was a certain brand that caught his attention. Small wrappers with "Moogle Drop" printed on it were scattered among a single rack. He took one and looked at.
"They must be shaped like Moogles from how they look like....
But what would Yuna like...? There are a lot to choose from..."
Now that he was clueless about all this, he just took a handful of Moogle Drops and placed them all in his cart.
"I'll just find something else for Yuna later. Something that she'll probably like..."
Auron was getting more and more impatient with every passing minute.
"Where has that boy gone off to now?" Auron checked his watch. "He should be here about half an hour ago."
He was standing a few feet from counter 14, where Tidus is supposed to be meeting up with him. Tidus can't have just run off somewhere not with his cart full of half his grocery list.
Auron looked at his watch again.
"He's late."
He got fed up of waiting and searched the nearest aisles.
"Been looking for me, old man?" Tidus suddenly turned up from behind his father figure with his cart full of some items not on the list.
Auron sighed irritably. "Where have you been? And where's my sake?"
"Couldn't find them." Tidus lied. He scratched the back of his head and looked at the floor. "Besides, how should I know which to buy? There are varieties beyond varieties of sake, Auron." He reasoned out.
Auron just let out a disappointed breath and pushed his cart towards counter 14. Tidus followed by pushing his cart and placing it behind Auron's and waited for the cashier to punch them in.
The line was long...they had to wait for a quarter of an hour for their turn. Tidus was starting to get restless. He couldn't wait another minute to explore the rest of Spiralicore. On his way to the grocery section, he saw a store with the sign that says "The Chocobo Forest" on top of it. Just by glancing at the shelves, Tidus figured out that it was probably selling stuffed Chocobo dolls. Some action figures in the form of Iron Giants and Malboros even caught his eyes.
"Finished!" said the cashier inputting their purchases on the computer. "Thank you for shopping with us!"
"Yeah, anytime." Tidus replied to the cashier who had short black hair. There was "Kisaragi" written on her name tag. From her appearance, she looked like a spunky teenager working part-time as a cashier.
Tidus was right---Auron wasn't a light shopper. He never knew that they will end up carrying six bags all the way back to their apartment which can be a drag. Each bag was pretty heavy.
"Next time you wanna go shopping, don't even think about asking me out..." Tidus managed to breathe out while carrying some of the bags. He was starting to get sweaty and exhausted every minute.
"It's not shopping. It was doing the grocery. Or do I need to give you another lecture about the main difference between shopping and---"
"Skip the lectures, old man!" Tidus managed to interrupt. "Just looking at your complicated Math formulas can tear a brain muscle! I'm just glad you didn't put Rikku in a state of shock!" He laughed out, forgetting the unbelievably heavy weight he was carrying.
Auron simply smiled back, something that he doesn't usually respond with. Most of the time, he would glare at Tidus and let out a gruff "Hmph!". From the point of view of other people, they looked like a compatible father and son although Tidus and Auron themselves weren't able to realize it.
"Hey..." Tidus began. "...what next after this?"
They stopped at the middle of the sidewalk to take a short break, and to have a heart-to-heart talk.
"If you want to, we can go back to Spiralicore and look around." Auron said with a fatherly smile. "I've come across a few stores that sell quality sake when we were on our way to the grocery section. I think it had a sign that says Masamune across the entrance."
"Yeah..." Tidus replied rather heavily. "If only those grocery bags weren't too weighty. I was planning on checking out Melodies of Life."
"And what's that?" Auron asked with a hint of mature curiosity.
"It's kind of a shop that sells CD's" Tidus informed him. It was fun just looking around Spiralicore. "We're kinda short on good CD's, you know? How about if we add some to our collection? Our player's been unused for quite a while now."
Auron took a deep breath before answering. "Suit yourself. Just go wherever you like. We'll meet up at a certain place after you're done..."
"Alright!!!" Tidus shouted out in the middle of the crowded street. "You can be cool sometimes, Auron!" He complimented his father figure. "Well, despite your status as an old man!"
"And so are you, little boy." Auron contradicted him. He just let out a hearty chuckle as Tidus began yelling back.
"I'm not a little boy anymore, Auron! I'm all grown-up now!" Tidus spat. He doesn't want to be called a little boy anymore. But despite his reaction, he gave Auron sort of a friendly pat on the back and then ran ahead with those heavy bags in his hands.
"Come and get me, old man!"
Laughing out loud, Tidus ran faster ahead into the streets with Auron trailing closely behind. Tidus ran on until he was already going through across the street back to their apartment in the usual street. Surprisingly, Auron caught up with him two seconds earlier than Tidus has accumulated.
They both arrived at their doorstep with breaths short and six heavy grocery bags. Although both of them are tired and exhausted from chasing each other through the city streets, Tidus and Auron still had all the fun they wanted and began to unpack the items on their list and stored them in the fridge and some other containers in the kitchen.
After all was in place, Tidus and Auron left the house once more and made their way back to Spiralicore...
Spiralicore was still lively even on a cold day like this. Lots of people were walking, glancing at the aisles, or just shopping. At the very center of Spiralicore, there stands a fountain with multi-colored lights under the water. It was beautiful and eye-catching but not as huge as Leviathan's fountain back in Zanarkand High. But despite its physical features, it was still the perfect place to take a break between shopping marathons.
"We'll meet here after we've completed our itinerary." Auron said as they were standing by the fountain's edges. "I'm headed for Masamune at the opposite end of the mall."
"And wacha gonna do there?" Tidus asked curiously.
"To purchase a jar of sake for myself. Why else would I go there?" Auron explained. He sounded as if he was stating the obvious.
Tidus just kept quiet and put his hands in his pockets. "Oh, right!"
He turned and faced the other direction already eager to buy a CD or two from Melodies of Life. He said goodbye to Auron by waving his hand and started making his way to that CD store.
"I just hope I don't get lost."
As he walked on, there were various of other shops that caught his eyes. He once again paced across The Chocobo Forest and examined the Chocobos, Moogles, and even some oversized Shoopufs displayed on the shelves. Even if some of the mellow Chocobos were sort of cute and cuddly, nothing, not even the most expensive Fat Chocobo could ever replace his Chocobo doll that his mom gave him ten years ago...
"Mom..."
Tidus quietly and painfully blurted out as he touched the nearest stuffed Chocobo with his hand. Its soft feathers brought back tender memories of his mom. How she would cuddle and sing to him every time his dad yelled at him.
One of the final moments he had with his mom was one of the happiest in his life. At that time, it was only a week before they just found out that his mom had an incurable disease. He could never forget that very day when he first hugged his stuffed Chocobo doll.
"Wow! Thanks mom!"
Tidus blurted out as he snatched the Chocobo doll with both arms. His mom has just given him a brand new stuffed animal since Jecht yelled at him again for being a loser. His father's attitude toward him will never change...
"Just forget about what your dad said." She sweetly told him as she pulled her sun-bleached son into a motherly hug. "Did you like it?"
"Of course I do, mom!" Tidus ecstatically replied. He was so happy with his Chocobo that he won't stop skipping around. "Can he sleep with me tonight, mom? Can he, pleeeeaaasee?" Tidus begged his mom, almost giving her puppy-dog eyes.
His mom just gave him a warm smile and patted her son on his head. "Sure you can, honey. But does he want to?"
"He wants to, mom!" Wee little Tidus hugged it tighter and cuddled it. "He'll sleep in my bed! And then, maybe you can read us a bedtime story or two! Tell us again about that hardcore Blitzer! The one even dad can't match up with!"
"Alright, dear." She ruffled up his messy blonde hair and carried him to bed. As she lifted the bed sheets to tuck Tidus in, she stood up and walked to the switch and was about to turn off the lights until Tidus got out of bed and rushed to grab his mom's arm.
"Mommy! Don't turn off the lights! Choco is scared!"
His mom now had a look of puzzlement on her face.
"Choco? Who's that?"
Tidus looked at the floor and held his Chocobo closer to his chest. "It's what I decided to call him." He said as he hid Choco's face under his arm. "Besides, I'm scared too! Choco and I hate the dark!" Tidus' young face looked as though he was begging. "Please mommy, leave the lights on! Or Choco and I won't be able to sleep tight!"
Tidus' mom giggled and lightly pinched his cheek. "You silly little scardey-cat! Alright, then. I'll let you sleep with the lights on." She carried Tidus to bed the second time that night and sat on the bedside as she kept an arm around her son.
His mom began telling him the exciting Blitzball Tournaments of Tidus' favorite Blitz team. Tidus gasped, hid under his blankets and hugged Choco tighter as his mom told the story...
...mom was a very good story-teller...he wished that mom would put him to sleep every night like this...
Just a few minutes before midnight, mom finished with the story and kissed Tidus on the cheek, who was now fast asleep with his arm around Choco and the other one holding his mom's hand.
"Good night, honey...sweet dreams..."
She was about to free her hand from his limp grasp but Tidus let out a small whimper and tightened his hold around his mom's arm.
"Mommy...don't go...I...want...you...here...with...me..."
She smiled and stroke his hair. Tidus must be talking in his sleep again. She leaned closer to his young, innocent face and began to whisper words she believed only Tidus could hear.
"Don't worry, honey. I'll always be right by your side."
A gentle smile formed on her face as she continued to stroke Tidus' blonde hair.
"I'll never ever leave you, Tidus. You're my whole world to me. I'm always right here with you."
Something sparkly came down from her eyes to Tidus' face. His mom was crying...she knew that she wouldn't be staying in this world for long now. She had kept in unknown to Tidus and Jecht she was sick...and she was dying...
She couldn't hold her tears back any longer. There was just too much pain in them. With her face now sparkled in tears, she brought Tidus into a tight hug and wept on his clothes.
"I love you, Tidus! You don't know how great my love for you is! I just wish you knew how much I love you. I may never get another chance to say this to you again. All I can do now is promise that even if I'm gone, I'll never ever leave you. I will always be by your side."
After shedding the last tear, she finally let go of his son and kissed his forehead for the final time...
"Why did you have to go, mom?"
It was a perfect coincidence that no one was around the Chocobo Forest. There were tears running down his face, and all these tears were brought only by memories. He never knew memories could be that powerful. Powerful enough to reveal even the most painful moments.
I will always be by your side...
"Mom...?"
Tidus immediately wheeled around but saw nothing but Chocobos and Moogles lined along the shelves. He could've sworn that he heard his mom's voice. Well, maybe she isn't here but she has to be somewhere...
"Was that you...?"
Tidus kicked himself mentally. He was just imagining things---another powerful kind of manipulation that memories can make you do. He knew that his mom was no longer here and that he didn't need anymore convincing....
...but maybe his mom was living somewhere...somewhere inside of him...somewhere...a place like his heart...
Tidus left the Chocobo Forest and headed for Melodies of Life. It was still unbelievable that he let out his sentimental self back there. He loved his mom so much that losing her was as painful and unbearable as losing his own life. He could never erase the hugs and lullabies that he had when Mom was still there...
Thinking can be confusing, sometimes. Thinking can even make you lose your mind. Tidus kept on walking...and thinking that he absent-mindedly strode past Melodies of Life.
Tidus wiped away the tears that were left in his eyes and took a deep breath. The shop was as interesting as it looks. Lights in soft purple forming the words "Melodies of Life" flashed across the top of the entrance. As he stepped inside, bright-colored neon-lights flashed throughout the shop.
"Wow, cool place."
Tidus looked around the shelves. Get Happy! was playing in the sound system that can be heard throughout Melodies of Life. Tidus remembered that song for Rikku sang it when they were on their way to the Blitzball stadium that afternoon.
"Huh? What's this?"
A certain album caught his attention. "Suteki Dane...?" was labeled on the front cover. There was a colorful logo of a girl waving her staff as if she was dancing on water. The waves swirled gracefully around her which looked nice with the multi-colored design.
"Kind of reminds me of Yuna." He said to himself as he stared at the logo for a little longer.
He flipped it over and read the tracks available on the CD. There was Go Dream. Unlike most of the songs, this was a rock kind of song. Next to the first track was Feel (remix version). Tidus guessed that the original version was a bit boring to listen to, that's why they recorded the remix version instead. Below that was written Endless Love Endless Road. This seemed to be a duet.
"Sounds fun!" Tidus let out an amazed whistle as he read the rest of the tracks.
Next to the previous tracks were Otsuki-sama, a sad and gentle song, and Pure Heart, sort of a vocalized version of a song Tidus heard somewhere.
Other tracks were After Tears, a sweet song which sings about happiness. A Ray of Hope, which is much like Go Dream except that this song is composed of techno beats instead of rock tunes. There was another duet which was And On We Go. It wasn't a romantic kind of song since it talks more on adventure.
He read on. The songs were becoming more and more interesting. There was All The Way. Unlike Endless Love Endless Road and And On We Go, this song was a trio. Tidus wondered whether Rikku also plays this in her player. It sounded nice. Next to the last track was a song called Get Happy!, Rikku's favorite song. She always sang or hummed it everywhere she went. After all, it was a very jumpy and happy song, pretty much like her.
Finally, the last song on the list was the one he would never ever forget. Suteki Dane was written at the very last. But to Tidus, this was gonna be the best and the most beautiful song in the album. He could never forget the time when Yuna sang it like an angel the other day, how she made the words flow out of her mouth...how the song brought him to a place not here but somewhere else. He could never ever forget Suteki Dane---
"Excuse me."
Tidus jumped slightly the moment someone called him. He turned and saw a girl dressed in a red uniform. She had long black hair with the tips separated.
"Excuse me but, were you going to purchase this CD?" She asked politely.
"Uh...yeah, I-I was!" Tidus uneasily answered. All this thinking has become a common basis now. He wondered...what got him into the habit of thinking? Yuna is right. He IS thinking too much.
Tidus snapped back to reality and faced the girl again. "I'm just gonna---take this to the counter and pay for it, Miss uh...Lockhart!" Tidus said after looking at her nametag pinned on to her chest. He made his way to the counter and slid in his brand new CD. Now he was too excited to run back home and play "Suteki Dane...?" in his player. He forgot about exploring the rest of Spiralicore. Now the only thing in his mind was to listen to all the songs, especially Suteki Dane.
Tidus left Melodies of Life a few minutes after doing some last-minute shopping. While walking, he always took glances at his CD. He was so anxious that he read and re-read all the tracks. But the only track that he couldn't get his eyes off is Suteki Dane. He just couldn't get the melody out of his head! Even more amazing, he can't get Yuna out of his head! The song perfectly reminded him of her gentle face and her blue and green eyes.
"Dammit! I just can't stop thinking about her!"
He began to reminisce about those moments that night, in the Sphere pool...
"I held her...but she didn't slap me off. She didn't even hold back...."
He took a deep breath. He was even unaware that he had stopped in his tracks. He closed his eyes and began to think.
"Why didn't she pull away? Was it because she was scared that I'd let go of her and let her drown? Yeah, that was probably it.... But....she didn't have to hold on to me around my neck..."
Is he just being hysterical?
"Yuna..."
Unconsciously, he slowly touched his neck and let out a breath. Another wonderful moment he would never forget. His eyes were still closed and they never opened for quite a while. He went on dreaming his fantasy as if he was actually holding Yuna in his arms...
"Hey man!" Someone said from behind him followed with a hand on the shoulder.
Tidus swiftly and quickly opened his eyes and turned around.
"W-WAKKA! WH-WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!!!?"
"What am I doing here? Well, I should be asking you the same question, brudda. What were you doing just standing there and touching your neck? Maybe you're just pretty beat up, ya?"
Tidus face turned red and looked away. He was too embarrassed to face his best friend after those events.
"What's that you're holding?" Wakka asked, looking at recently bought CD Tidus had in his hand.
"Uh...it's a new CD." Tidus answered. His head was still down from embarrassment.
Wakka looked at him skeptically and snatched the CD from his hands.
"H-Hey! Give that back!"
"Not 'til I see it!" Wakka cheekily answered. He read all of the tracks. There was a look of twisted amazement on his face, something that Wakka doesn't usually wear on his face.
"Whoa!" Wakka blurted out, sounding surprised. "You never told me you listen to mellow music! Just look at all the songs listed! Feel, Endless Love Endless Road, Otsuki-sama, Pure Heart, and even Suteki Dane! Why were you hiding it from me all along!? You can just tell me anytime that you're a very sentimental guy!"
Tidus would willingly give up his Blitzball trophies just have Wakka shut up about calling him a "sentimental guy".
"But some of the songs here aren't that soft!" Wakka continued. "There's Go Dream and A Ray of Hope! But you should check out And on We Go! It's my recent favorite song! It's got a nice beat to it, ya?"
Wakka excitedly unwrapped the CD, took out his portable player from his oversized side-pocket on his cargo pants and inserted the CD in. He plugged in the earphones and put one in his left ear. He handed the other earphone to his best friend, which he slotted in his right. Wakka then switched the player on and skipped to And On We Go.
Wakka was right. And On We Go was a good song. Wakka always sang the lyrics as they walked. After listening to it for what seemed the seventh time, Tidus finally got the hang of the lyrics and sang along with Wakka. They took turns in singing the lines and there were times when they sang together. From what they were doing, Tidus and Wakka looked as though they were having the time of their lives.
Tidus and Wakka arrived at the fountain after listening to And On We Go for a dozen times in a row. Wakka finally switched his player off for the loud volume almost made their ears deaf and because they were out of batteries already. They sat by the fountain's edges and took their break.
"Hey Tidus!" Wakka called him.
"Yeah?"
"I...I-I've got a favor to ask. Man-to-man, alright?" Wakka told him calmly although Tidus could sense that he wasn't feeling alright.
Tidus hesitated for a while but since he was one of his best friends, he agreed and would help him out in every way he can.
"Okay then. Shoot!"
"You see..." Wakka gulped before talking. "There's this shop here which sells apparels and other get-ups for women."
"And...what seems to be the problem."
"I...I can't go inside!"
"Why not?"
Wakka kept quiet for a while as if he lost his tongue until finally, he answered "Lots of girls, man! I can't go in there! I'm a guy!"
Tidus quickly got to his feet and gaped at Wakka. "Why would you want to step inside an all-girls shop anyway!?"
"Listen." Wakka kept his voice low that Tidus had to lean closer to hear what he has to say. "Just between you and me, brudda. You have to promise me not to tell anyone."
"Not even---Rikku?"
"Especially that stubborn brat! She'll probably run around the school telling everyone!"
"How 'bout Lulu? She's the quiet type." Tidus suggested.
"Not even her! It's gonna be a living nightmare for me once she finds out!"
Tidus' eyes widened and a mischievous grin was forming on his face. Wakka was finally admitting his secret.
"So..." Tidus naughtily began. "...are you trying to tell me that you've got something on Lulu? You know, a cru---"
"YEAH!!! Now that you got the picture, keep quiet about it!" Wakka told him, half-shouting and half-whispering.
Although they were somewhat just fooling around, Tidus knew this was no joking matter. A promise made by men is much more confidential and much more critical than a promise made by women.
"You can count on me, Wakka."
Tidus now stood up. They held each other's hand in front of their faces as they made the pledge. It's what men do when a promise is made between them.
"But what does it have to do with that dress shop?" Tidus curiously asked, bringing the topic back.
"I was gonna buy Lu a new sweater." Wakka told him. "And I need you to come with me. I don't wanna be the only guy in a horde of women."
"And...why a sweater? You can just buy her chocolates or a doll."
Wakka looked at the floor. "Lu doesn't want chocolates. She told me at Leviathan's fountain that she was on a diet. She also told me that she wanted a new sweater, though. I don't know why she would want a sweater. She already looks cute in that gray poncho of hers..."
Tidus stared at Wakka for a heartbeat. "Cute, huh?" Tidus thought that it was pretty unusual for Wakka to say the word "cute". It was even unbelievable now that it's Lulu he was talking about. But despite all that, Wakka is still his friend and he would never let him down.
"Alright, Wakka. I'll go with you to that dress shop. You can even give these to her along with the sweater." He put his hand in his pockets on his shaded white cargo pants and took out a handful of Moogle Drops and handed them to Wakka.
"But Lu's on a diet! She wouldn't want those chocolates!"
Tidus still insisted and shoved the whole handful on his hands. "Trust me on this one. Lulu will like them just the same." He said after giving Wakka a hard and friendly pat on the back. Wakka grinned back at his best friend and pocketed the Moogle Drops.
They gave each other their secret handshake and made their way to buy Lulu's sweater. Perhaps Tidus is bound to buy something for Yuna too.
"Well, only time will tell..."
Author's notes: About the songs mentioned in the story, you can listen to them on the other albums! Other than the Final Fantasy X Original Soundtrack, there are two others: feel/Go dream and Final Fantasy X Vocal Collection. To those of you who have the CD, then no explanations are necessary. But to those who haven't heard some of the songs then let Arcanum herself give you a brief explanation about each and every one of the tracks available!
Feel: A song sung by Yuna (Mayuko Aoki). It can be found in feel/Go dream. It sounds very much like The Hymn of the Fayth. The original version is alright but can get pretty boring but the remix version is way more colorful and way more fun to listen to! The remix version can be found in the album Final Fantasy X Vocal Collection.
Go Dream: This song is by Tidus (Masakazu Morita) this time! The tune is great and jumpy! It's really fun to listen to but Tidus' voice isn't that impressive here. Maybe he's just inexperienced. This song is listed on feel/Go dream.
Endless Love Endless Road: A duet by Tidus and Yuna! This one is really sweet to the core! You'll love the part at the end where their voices blend well! This song is in feel/Go dream.
Otsuki-sama: Just a song sung by Rikki! To those who don't know who Rikki is, she's a famous Okinawan singer! Otsuki-sama is pretty hard to translate but its melody can make you sad. It can be found in feel/Go dream.
Pure Heart: Another song sang by Rikki. It's sort of a vocalized version of Aeris' theme from Final Fantasy VII. At first, I never really cared about since it represents one of my least favorite characters but when I found out that it was performed by Rikki, I changed my view on it and eventually, it became a habit for me to play it. This song is in feel/Go dream.
After Tears (Naru no atoni): Another song by Yuna! This is much gentler than Feel! I ran out of things to say about this. This time, it can be found in Final Fantasy X Vocal Collection.
A Ray of Hope: Whoop-dee-doo! A song by Tidus! His voice has greatly improved in this song. His voice in Go Dream was uh...unpolished. It really hurts when I say something negative about my huffleduffin! Back to the topic! This song is made up of techno-beats! It's really fun! Check it out! Oh yeah! This song is recorded on Final Fantasy X Vocal Collection.
And On We Go: A duet by Tidus and Wakka! Another fun song to listen to! Wakka sounds like a big guy here but it's nice! One of my favorites! It's in Final Fantasy X Vocal Collection. (I wrote the part where Tidus and Wakka were singing while listening to this song! Ain't that cool!?
Get Happy!: Yahoo! Rikku's song! Probably the jumpiest and the most fun song in the album! Just wait til you listen to it! It's gonna make you smile coz it's sooooo funny! This song is pretty much like her! I LOVE THIS!!! It's in Final Fantasy X Vocal Collection!
All The Way: A song by Yuna, Lulu and Rikku! This is also a fun one but Get Happy! is waaay better! Lulu's voice might need a little improvement. Rikku is probably the best vocalist out there! She sound mature and kiddy at the same time in this song! By the way, this song is in Final Fantasy X Vocal Collection.
Suteki Dane: Now who could I ever leave this out!? This song revolves around Final Fantasy X! It's the pure essence that pivots around the love of Tidus and Yuna! Rikki is such an excellent vocalist! If only this song had an English version.
Additional notes: Watch out for my new AU medieval fic! It's still under construction but fear not, for Arcanum is already working on it! It's gonna be fun since it takes place in the medieval times! Once it's available for reading, check it out when you can!
Just for fun: Did you spot out the two guest stars from Final Fantasy VII? If you did then congratulations! How about if I sneak in a few more characters from other Final Fantasies? Won't that be fun?