Misplaced

By: Rikkoshaye

Disclaimer: I do not own nor claim to own any of the characters in Final Fantasy X, or anything Final Fantasy related. Do not sue me, unless you want a moldy cookie and a few pennies.

Updated August 8th, 2007

- - - - -

- Bringing Down the House -

"What the HELL?"

The ride home had been just as uneventful as the first. Tidus was his usual mound of blubbering jell-o, while Rikku tried her best to keep a hold on the bags of groceries we had bought. I think we may have lost some celery and maybe a few canned goods, but that wasn't the worst of my worries. I had suddenly began to realize that I had left five people, four with no experience with machines what-so-ever, in my house. The house my parents go into killing rages over if one dirty shirt isn't picked up off the floor. The house that if anything was to happen to it, I would be killed for.

The house that I found in mortal ruins as soon as I walked through the door.

Dumping my load of groceries on the kitchen counter I stared, eyes wide. I didn't even notice when Rikku dumped Tidus at my feet, who still resembled nine day old mush. All I could see was the house. And how badly I was going to be killed for what had happened.

Pots and pans littered the sink and counter, while food and grease was splattered everywhere. A huge black burn mark scorched one of the white walls, and the dishwasher was partly open, bubbles running freely upon the floor. Sparks shot from the microwave, which was currently cooking something for 52 more minutes, and all the cupboard doors were wide open, everything torn through and looked at. The TV was on as well, turned on some soap opera, and music was playing faintly in the speakers that lined the ceiling. The house was a disaster. And all I could do was sit, and gape.

"What happened here...?" Rikku asked, stepping forward. Mouth moving up and down I just squeaked, a small tear running down my face. I was dead. So dead. Completely, and utterly dead... "Auron!"

Turning my head over in Rikku's direction I saw Auron, who was, by the looks of it, completely knocked out on the ground. A pan was laying on the floor near him, as well as Wakka, who was snoring very loudly. Both had rather large bumps protruding from their heads.

Walking over into the living room I saw Lulu and Yuna sleeping together on the couch, a half-frozen chicken wrapped up in one of my dad's sweatshirts next to them. Turning my head I saw Kimahri sitting calmly on the couch, watching the soup opera. Tail flicking he looked over at me, and then back at the soap opera.

"Auron and Wakka fighting. Kimahri had to stop. Yuna and Lulu doing list." Glancing back at the ruined kitchen Kimahri grunted, grabbing the remote. "They don't do good job." Voice coming back I was beginning to get over my shock, which was quickly being replaced by anger.

"No shit, Sherlock! Look at this! Look! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO???" Looking at my calmly, Kimahri reached toward Yuna, gently unfolding her hand and pulling out a warm slip of paper.

"Do this." And then, he calmly went right back to his soap opera.

Growling I glanced over the paper, looking down at what Yuna had written on it. A small grunt emanated from behind me, but I paid no attention as my heart began to beat faster and faster.

"Oh. Shit."

BBBRRIIINNNNG!!

Mouth hanging open in disbelief I fumbled for the phone, barely being able to take my eyes from the paper.

"Hel..lo..." I mumbled, my mind slowly putting two and two together.

"Hello, Sara? This is grandma..." Eyes widening I tore my gaze from the paper, focusing my attention on the phone.

"Oh, hi grandma. What's up?" I tried to sound normal, but my voice shook anyway.

"Hi Sara. Has your dad called you yet, to tell you about tonight?" Nodding I looked back at the top of the paper, which said 'Things to do Before Grandma Comes Over.'

"Uh... yeah. He just called. What time are you coming over, again?" Without a pause my grandma answered, upbeat and happy.

"Oh, that's what I called you about! Now, due to some sudden changes, I will have to come over a half an hour earlier then we planned. About 7:30, instead of 8:00. Is that okay?

I felt my heart drop silently, rolling across the carpeted floor. "Yeah, grandma, that'll be fine..."

"Great! I'll be over then, to see how everything is holding up! Oh, and I'll be bringing your brother and sister home too. They had a great time at their cousin's house, by the way..." Swallowing I nodded absentmindedly, mind racing over everything I had to do.

"Uh, yeah grandma, that's great. Can you tell me tonight? My dad just called, so I have some stuff to do before you come over..."

"Oh, sure! I don't want to intrude on you, or anything. Oh, and one more thing. About your second cousins..." Setting the list down I looked over at Rikku, who seemed to be rousing Auron.

"Yeah?"

"They will be gone by the time I get there, right? This is a family sort of thing, and I didn't plan on having them over..." I watched as Auron grunted, and shifted a hand or too. What a nasty bump he had...

"No, no, they'll be gone. Now I really have to go, okay grandma? Love you, call me soon, okay?" Making a few kissing noises I slammed the phone down, clutching the piece of paper and stalking over to Auron, who was just lifting his body from the soapy mess that has drifted in around him while he was knocked out. Raising his head he placed his one good eye on me, glasses askew across his face.

"I tried to stop them."

"Tried to stop them, huh? TRIED TO STOP THEM!?? TRIED???" Chest heaving I stared at him, vision blurring in madness. "I have an hour and a half to clean this place up like it was before, and hide you guys somewhere before my grandma comes prancing through that door! Now what, I presume, am I supposed to do? Huh? HUH?"

A loud snort emanated from Wakka, as he turned over in the bubbly slime. A few lone bubbles flew into the air as he breathed out a little, be he didn't wake up. A low groan drifted in from the mudroom, and Rikku stood behind Auron, seemingly shocked.

"Hey, Sara... calm down, okay?" Rikku said timidly, shoulders hunched. "We can help you clean this up, you know?"

Anger beginning to fade I looked over at the movement in the mudroom as Tidus walked out slowly. Seeming to have passed out from the shock he looked at me fuzzily, shaking his head.

"What... time is it, anyway?"

Feeling despair fill my stomach I sank to the ground, rubbing my forehead. There was no way I would be able to clean this up before my grandma came. Not in a million years. Looking up at Auron, who was now standing, I gave him the saddest look I could muster, and sighed heavily.

"What does the list say?" Looking down at the piece of paper I opened it, straightening it on the floor.

"Cook meal for grandma. She likes potatoes." Glancing over at the mounds and mounds of dishes that littered the kitchen, I saw that Yuna and Lulu weren't the best of cooks.

"Make sure to dress chicken for tomorrow night." My mind flashed back to the chicken that had my dad's sweater wrapped around it. I felt the corners of my mouth tug up a little, but continued reading.

"Put dirty dishes in Dishwasher." Wakka snorted again, turning face down into the bubbly puddles. His cloths were soaked, and he seemed to enjoy it. I felt my lips tug up a little more, but still felt Auron's gaze on me.

"One more... Cook a pie for grandma. Use microwave." Sniffing a little I noticed an odd smell in the room, and quickly stood as I realized what it was. The microwave! Running over to the sparking machine I tugged the door open, coughing as a wave of smoke escaped into my face. "They left the knife in here, from cutting the holes in the top of the pie..." I said, pulling it out. I felt a tap on my shoulder, and slowly turned.

"Hey, this place is a mess. How are you going to clean it up?" Smirking at Tidus's question I looked over at the couch, at Auron and Rikku standing behind me, and at Wakka who was just beginning to get up.

"Oh, I'm not the only one who's going to be cleaning this place up..." I said, trailing off. "You guys are going to be helping too..."

- -

Chaos. Udder Chaos. But it was working, and that's all that counted.

Wakka was vacuuming and spot cleaning with a steam cleaner. Having inhaled a few bubbles from the soupy water he was acting a little weird, and had put on one of my sisters pink shirts that said 'Princess' over the front. I had tried to make him take it off, but he pushed me away rather forcefully and said 'Don't go there, girlfriend!' This had been enough of a response for everyone to keep there distance.

Yuna was busy dusting, twirling and jumping about the house as if it was one huge dance. It was cool to watch, and she had the odd knack of blending it perfectly with rock songs, like 'Balls to the Wall' which was currently blaring through the speakers.

Lulu was busy cleaning the dishes by hand, because I really didn't trust the dishwasher after what Yuna had done to it. Although she didn't seem to mind the scrubbing, you could tell by the lines in her face that she wasn't having the best time of her life, anyway.

Kimahri was cleaning up the mudroom, sweeping and humming in his deep baritone voice. He was very good at cleaning out corners, for his tail acted a lot like a dust magnet. Then, he'd just shake it off outside, and continue.

Rikku was bouncing around, given the job of picking up the kitchen and living room. I hadn't even given her any sort of caffeine, and she was literally bounding off the walls. Or she used to be. I had told her to stop after finding a few foot marks across the clean white paint. Now she was just bouncing, if not incredibly high and peaking at almost impossible lengths.

Tidus was washing the floor, down on his hands and knees because I couldn't find the Swiffer. Mumbling as he always did in the game he scrubbed a particular dirty spot on the wood. He was a very good cleaner none the less, but still, very annoying.

And Auron? He was cooking. Coat thrown over the couch and shoes kicked off, it accrued to me he looked very weird barefoot. I had told everyone to take off their shoes, because it was marking up the carpet, and making Wakka's job harder. But Auron almost looked... naked without his shoes. But cooking? I had never even thought he would be a good cook. But according to the rest of the team, he made the best food around. So, I had given him the job of cooking dinner, for all of them as well as my grandma. It smelled pretty good, I would admit that.

Me? I was busy painting over that huge scorch mark on the wall. Lulu had done it, apparently. She had turned the stovetop burner on to fry up some chicken, but it hadn't gone exactly as planned. I quickly noticed that the wall would need several coats, but was almost finished, as was everyone else in the house. Glancing over at the clock I saw it was 6:58. Half and hour left. Sighing I dipped my paint brush in the can, and continued.

- -

"Finally, we're done!" I said, throwing the now-clean paintbrush back into the drawer I had found it from. Smiling I looked at our work, the crew of seven standing behind me. The floors were clean, the dishes were done. Dinner for nine was packed away in the fridge, and the wall was pure white. Everything was literally sparkling, and I was glad. And with 10 minutes to spare. Turning to my group I smiled, a huge weight lifting off my chest.

"Satisfied?" I turned to Lulu and nodded, which seemed to, oddly enough, make her happy.

"Now, all we have to do is hide you guys up in my room, and then we will be set!" Smiling I heard a small creek from the mudroom, and then a squeak that sounded oddly enough like 'Sara!' Smile fading I turned, my features quickly turning from happiness to horror.

It was Zach and Emily. My siblings. And that could only mean...

"Sara, it's me, grandma! I came over early!"

- - - - -

Oh no! What will I do? If my grandma sees my 'second cousins' still over, she will freak! Will I get them away in time? Or will my parents be getting a surprise phone call...

Rikkoshaye