Of Jasmine Blossoms

Chapter 2

Tidus walked around the halls, completely lost. He took a turn to the right, then to the left, then again to the right, and found himself standing in front of a broken vending machine. Looking at the complicated map handed to him with his schedule, Tidus scratched his head, desperately trying to decipher it.

"So...I take a left here and that leads me to Room 110?" Tidus mumbled to himself, taking a right turn from the vending machine. Again, he found himself completely lost.

He sprinted across the hall, trying to find Room 118. He took a glance at the room number of the room closest to him, and to his dismay, it was Room 138. Confused, he took a left turn, and found that room which was Room 129.

'What the...' Tidus' mind panicked as he took a right turn from Room 129. Looking both right and left, his instinct told him to make a left turn.

'I'm depending on you, instinct!' Tidus told himself as he took a left turn. Miraculously, the room closest to him was Room 110.

'Wow, my instinct does work sometimes!' Tidus marveled, running straight down the corridor. However, as he ran down the hall, he found the room numbers getting smaller and smaller. But Room 110 was at the end of the corridor. It was utterly confusing.

"Damn it," he quickly cursed under his breath, stuffing the map inside his pockets. Taking a quick glimpse at his watch, he found that it was 8:42 already. He sighed at the thought of getting yelled by Auron for arriving hours late.

'Well...I guess I'm used to the old man yelling at me. Won't be too much trouble, I reckon,' Tidus thought to himself as he turned left and walked across the halls, not paying attention to the room numbers written upon the doors of each room.

*~*~

Room 118 was further away than Yuna and Rikku expected. Even if Yuna was tugging Rikku off her butt, the long corridors seemed longer with each step they took. Occasionally, the teachers would give them strange looks as the two girls ran through the halls.

"Yunie...it's so far away!! Can't we just be late this once? This isn't fair! It's all Aniki's fault!" whined Rikku, who was trying her best not to drop her binder with Yuna tugging on her arm.

Yuna sighed, continuing to tug on Rikku's arm. She had taken a glance at her schedule in the office, and to her dismay, it was science with Sir Auron. She had had him for a teacher last year, and his strict teachings still clouded over her mind from time to time.

"Yunie! We are going to get soooo busted!" Rikku whined yet again, now her voice panicking slightly. Yuna nodded, trying to walk as fast as she could. Big yellow posters that said, "DO NOT RUN IN THE HALLS" shone brightly on both Rikku and Yuna's faces.

"Damn those stupid posters! Damn them all!" Rikku swore, trying her best to poke her middle finger out to curse the posters. However, Yuna covered her cousin's fists with her delicate hand, in case any of the teachers saw what Rikku was trying to do.

"Rikku, curse quietly! You'll be suspended if any of the teachers see you!" Yuna shushed Rikku, whose face was brimming with anger and frustration.

"I DON'T CARE! Fru dra ramm lynac yhofyo?" yelled Rikku, glaring at the bright yellow posters. Yuna shook her head as she continued to tug Rikku towards the hall. It was getting hard, for tugging Rikku took more energy than Yuna had, and it was hard because Rikku was yelling Al Bhed insults every five seconds or so.

'I'm going to get in so much trouble!' Yuna's mind frantically cried out. She was starting to panic, with Rikku whining and the hall's clock ticking with each second.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

"YUNIE! WE ONLY HAVE THIRTY SECONDS!" Rikku shouted, looking at the clock with a frustrated look on her face.

Yuna nodded, looking around for any teachers. When she found out that there was no sign of anyone except for herself and Rikku, she raised her pace by running in the hall. As she ran, a glimpse of a young man caught her eye. With her prescription glasses, she could clearly see the young man's lost look upon his face. He looked utterly lost, and Yuna felt great sympathy for him, as she was the one wearing that face a year ago.

Yuna stopped suddenly, and let go of Rikku's wrist, which was now slightly red because she had tugged on it so much. Looking straight at Rikku's confused eyes, Yuna put on her best smile as she pushed her cousin forward.

"You go to your science class Rikku. At least that way, only one of us would get in trouble," Yuna said, continuing to smile. Rikku shook her head violently, grabbing onto Yuna's wrist.

"NO! I'm not going to go free while you have to get in trouble!" Rikku said loudly, determination filling her voice. Her green eyes looked pleadingly at Yuna's mismatched ones. But Yuna continued to smile, gently prying Rikku's fingers off her wrist.

"I'm fine, Rikku. Just get to class. I'll come right after you."

"But---" Rikku began, hesitating to take another step.

"No buts. Go to class." Yuna said firmly, pushing her cousin's shoulders forward gently. Seeing her cousin sprint towards Room 118, Yuna started to run over to the boy that had caught her eye.

"Excuse me! Excuse me!" Yuna called out, making the boy turn his head. As he saw her, he was instantly mesmerized by Yuna's beauty. It took a little over five seconds before he snapped out of his daydream.

Her chestnut brown hair, pale pink lips, and her long, slender arm and legs intrigued him. An aroma of jasmine was emitted from her, and it smelled heavenly, nothing like the strong, pungent perfume the other girls were using at this school. Because of her dark glasses, he couldn't tell what color eyes she had, but he imagined that it was as pretty as she was. Just like Jecht had described, he could instantly tell that her hair was as soft as a feathery pillow...maybe even softer.

Come to think of it, she did look like the girl Jecht had described earlier.

'Is she...the girl?' Tidus wondered, taking a long look at her.

"Excuse me? Are you...?" Yuna asked, concern filling her voice as she looked up at Tidus. Being a few centimeters taller than her, Yuna had to look up whenever she talked to him.

"Uhh...sorry, what were you saying?" Tidus asked, genuinely confused, basically because he wasn't listening to her. He smiled widely and chuckled, because of his stupidity and the expression of Yuna's face.

"Are you lost?"

Yuna's voice was just like larks...high-pitched, but not too high, and blissfully sweet. It was gentle and full of care, and it showed so much emotion in it. Tidus wagered in his mind that he could probably tell what she was thinking by just listening to her voice.

"Uhh...yeah! Where can I find Room 118? Science with...Auron." Tidus asked, trying to look through the dark glasses she was wearing. However, the lenses were so dark that he could only see her eyes, and not the color.

"You have science? I do too!" Yuna said quite excitedly. She was almost captivated by him. Not because he was terribly good-looking, because he was, but how he smiled ever so brightly. It was like the sun...the light of the sky...His cerulean eyes also amazed her, because it was so blue like the waters of Besaid. They seemed so kind, and so full of brightness. His voice was bright as well, reminding her of Rikku. His hair looked so fluffy, she wanted to reach up and touch it. His bronze skin, tanned naturally, went so well with his blonde hair and cerulean eyes.

*~*~

Walking together across the corridors was quite awkward. Both Yuna and Tidus carried their supplies in one hand, and occasionally their hands would touch, with Tidus having his left hand free and Yuna having her right. Tidus and Yuna would both blush immediately, and would carry their supplies with two hands. But then again, they would free their hands and would enjoy the moment of their hands brushing slightly.

"Sorry," Tidus apologized, putting his hand under his binder. Taking a short glance at her, he could see from his position that her eyes were focused, although he couldn't still see what color they were.

"Sorry," Yuna apologized as well, putting her own hand under her binder. Taking a look at Tidus after he looked away, she could see that he was concentrating on to reaching their destination.

There was an odd silence between the two for a while. Only their footsteps would be heard, Tidus' sneakers making a slight squeaking sound, Yuna's heels making a slight tapping sound. Both Yuna and Tidus felt uncomfortable, but they both somewhat enjoyed each other's presence. Tidus especially enjoyed her presence, feeling happy that he sort of made a new friend at Besaid High.

"So...I haven't asked what your name was..." Tidus spoke up, asking a question although it wasn't exactly in a question form. Yuna smiled, looking up at Tidus.

"My name's Yuna," she said softly, smiling brightly towards Tidus. Her smile reminded him of the moon, so quiet and serene.

"I'm Tidus. Pleasure to meet you."

"Mine too, Tidus..." Yuna nodded, smiling once again. He was once again mesmerized by her beauty, and almost dropped his supplies. Balancing his posture to try and stop the supplies from falling, he felt a delicate limb supporting his binder. Turning his neck, he found Yuna reaching her arm to prevent the supplies from falling.

"Uhh...thanks," Tidus said, grinning. Yuna smiled back, feeling her face grow hotter. Shaking her head, she concentrated on the blue floor of Besaid High, hoping she could hide her blush from Tidus.

*~*~

A few seconds later, Tidus heard another tapping sound, not made by Yuna's heels.

"Hey...hear that?" he asked, stopping in his tracks. Yuna also stopped, closing her eyes to concentrate on the faint tapping sound Tidus had heard.

"I can't...wait, isn't that the..." Yuna gasped, realizing what it was. Tugging on Tidus' arms, she ushered Tidus away from the hall.

"Oh Tidus, we're going to get in trouble! That's the principle! And we don't have a hall pass!" Yuna cried out slightly, panicking. Tidus raised his eyebrow, remembering how many times he got in trouble with the principle for not having a hall pass. His mind screamed at him, telling him to hid somewhere. Not that he needed to know that.

Tidus put his arms around her and quickly led her into what seemed to be an empty closet. Sighing of relief as he closed the locker, he turned on the light switch and grinned over to Yuna, who looked somewhat surprised.

"Thank you..." she whispered, not believing that she had just slightly broken a rule of a school yet was in a small room with only Tidus. For many, many years, Yuna had obeyed the school law. Whether it be a boring lesson or a horrific one, Yuna always paid attention, and the knowledge came in handy from time to time. She was one of the goody-good shoes, earning the likes from the principle and teachers from every school. And here she was, breaking a school rule.

"Hey, don't mention it. He'll never catch us here. Anyway, you were helping me go through all the halls and stuff anyway!" Tidus grinned, proceeding to open the door. As he began to turn the golden doorknob, he found that it wasn't budging even the slightest bit.

He tried turning the doorknob several times, concentrating his whole strength on the doorknob. However, the doorknob remained firm as a wall.

"What the---"

"Is there something wrong?" Yuna asked, coming over and putting her head above Tidus' shoulder. Instantly, the jasmine aroma filled his nostrils.

"The doorknob is jammed, dammit." Tidus cursed slightly, pulling and pushing on the doorknob. He was getting pretty annoyed with the doorknob, and he got frustrated even more thinking about Auron.

"What are you saying? The doorknob was jammed? Stop fibbing, and detention for the whole week!" Tidus mimicked Auron, continuing to tug on the doorknob. He was surprised to hear Yuna giggling beside him.

"You sound...exactly like...Sir Auron..." Yuna managed to say between her giggles. Hearing her laugh relaxed Tidus' muscles and soothe his feelings, eventually making him laugh along with her.

"What do you mean, it was an accident? You're late for 35 minutes! I will not tolerate that!" Yuna imitated Auron, although it sounded nothing like him. It sounded much gentler and prettier than Auron really was.

"Do you actually expect me to believe that the door was jammed?! Detention for a MONTH if you talk back!"

"Both of you, sit down! Detention will start at quarter to three, sharp!"

After bashing Auron for several more minutes and laughing, the two finally stopped and concentrated on how to open the door.

"This thing must be rusted inside..." Tidus muttered, crouching down to take a long look at the doorknob. Yuna nodded beside him, crouching down beside him. A few strands of her hair brushed across Tidus' cheek, and he marveled how soft it felt.

"Tidus...what are we going to do?" she asked, taking a glance at the doorknob and looking into Tidus' eyes. She felt like she was outside in the beaches of Besaid, looking into his cerulean eyes. The looks on them right now were full of determination, and it suited Tidus really well, in her opinion.

"Hmm...beats me," he replied, looking truly puzzled. A wide grin spread across his face as he ran back to the end of the closet, facing the door. With Yuna looking at his curiously, Tidus ran right into the door, pushing it with all his might. A slight cracking sound was made, and sawdust filled the closet. With all the force, Tidus fell back, to be caught by Yuna with her delicate arms. However, with all the force and Tidus' weight, they both fell back, with Yuna landing on Tidus' chest. As they fell back, Tidus protectively put his hands around Yuna's tiny shoulders, thus avoiding any injury to her.

For a few seconds, the two of them remained in their positions. Yuna enjoyed the warmth of Tidus' embrace, hearing Tidus' steady heartbeat as she pressed her ear against his chest. She felt so protected in his arms, so warm, and it felt like she was in a dream.

Tidus marveled once again on how delicate Yuna felt in his arms. She was so fragile, it felt like he was holding a porcelain doll. Just as he assumed, her hair was softer than a feathery pillow. A heavenly aroma of jasmine filled his nostrils, and her warmth felt like it entered his body.

Yuna first snapped out of her dream, getting up quickly from her position. Hiding her face so that Tidus wouldn't see her blushing furiously, she went to the doorknob and turned it. It turned smoothly, and before she knew it, it opened.

"Tidus! The doorknob opened!" she said happily, smiling over to Tidus. Tidus smiled back, getting up from his position. Brushing away the sawdust that got onto his clothes, he picked up both Yuna's and his supplies. He easily managed to carry it with one hand, using the other to turn off the lights.

"Come on, there's still 10 minutes left for science," Tidus said somewhat happily, pulling her hand. Yuna, surprised by this action, felt her face going hot again.

Together, they walked slowly across the corridors, enjoying the time they had left before getting yelled by Auron.

*~*~

"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?! THE DOORKNOB WAS JAMMED?! STOP FIBBING, AND DETENTION FOR THE WHOLE WEEK! BOTH OF YOU!" Auron roared, banging his katana on his desk. Both Yuna and Tidus cringed, trying to predict Auron's next move.

"Sorry Sir Auron..." Yuna said quietly, looking down at the ground.

Tidus nodded as well, but quickly fired up as he faced Auron.

"It was an accident! We were locked in! Is that so hard to believe?" he retorted, looking angrily at Auron for the unfair treatment. To him, he didn't care if he got two months worth of detention. But not to Yuna.

The whole class gasped as they heard Tidus talk back to Auron. For one, Auron was one of the most feared teachers in Besaid High. And for two, they were impressed that Tidus actually had the courage to talk back to him.

"What do you mean, it was an accident?! You're late for 35 minutes! I will not tolerate that!" Auron growled, banging his katana onto the floor.

"So what? It was an accident, it already happened, so believe it," Tidus replied angrily. He felt Auron's eyes boring into him as Auron glared at him ""Do you actually expect me to believe your phony story?! Detention for a MONTH if you talk back once more!"

Yuna quickly grabbed Tidus' arm, tugging it slightly. He peered at her, curious at her fright.

"Wha--, wait Yuna, aren't you...angry?" he asked, confused. Yuna shook her head in disapproval.

"Huh, you're such an old man," Tidus mumbled under his breath, however it was heard by Auron.

""Both of you, sit down! Detention will start at quarter to three, sharp!" he barked, pointing to the back of the classroom with his katana. The two looked down at the ground, padding quietly to the back of the classroom. Tidus felt uncomfortable, with all eyes staring at both Yuna and him. He heard a blonde haired girl whispering "Yunie" in pity of Yuna.

"Anyway, as I was continuing until these two came barging in, tests will be 50% of your grade, your quizzes 20% of your grade, projects 10% of grade, and homework 10% of your grade. However, do not, and I repeat, do NOT take my marking system easy because every mark you get will affect your grade, got that, Tidus?" Auron asked, his voice somewhat impatient and annoyed as he saw Tidus slumped in his desk.

"Yeah yeah old man. I got that," Tidus mumbled, his voice bored. Auron shook his head as he gave an exasperated sigh.

'That boy will never change...' Auron thought to himself as he handed his students the textbooks. Tidus looked through the textbook with disgust as he flipped the pages.

'Inertia? Gravity? Calcium Carbonate? What the hell?' Tidus' mind spinned as he flipped from page to page. From that moment, he knew that science was not going to be easy, and that it was going to be a very long year with Auron.

*~*~*

[Tailight]*: So chapter 2 is up! Yay!!!!! Tidus and Yuna get fluffy in this chapter, blushing and stuff. Yeah. That's cute. I had fun writing this chapter, it seemed as if time flew by, like WHOOSH! Lol, I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Auron was pretty harsh, wasn't he? And is Yuna the mystery girl Jecht saw at the pharmacy?

In Chapter 3, Wakka and Lulu will make their appearance. And Chapter 3 focuses on Tidus and Yuna's day. Maybe around Chapter 4 I'll write about Yuna and Rikku's home, because I had fun writing stuff in Al Bhed and talking about Cid and Brother. Aniki's cool xDDDDD

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Al Bhed Translations:

Fru dra ramm lynac yhofyo?: Who the hell cares anyway?