Oh my goodness, I just LOVE all of you reviewers! Thank you so much for taking the time to
read and review my story! Right now I'm kind of going through a slight writer's-block, but no
worries, I should still be able to update!
Chapter 8: Abe-Wear and a Plan
Yuna exited Lea's house, feeling somewhat light-hearted, although she was still
somewhat nervous. If Tidus didn't win...Yuna just didn't want to think about it. First of all, she
was hoping terribly that there was some way for Tidus and her to return to Spira, and if that was
the case, this would be the last chance Tidus would have to show up his old man, even though
Yuna knew that if he could remember everything that had happened in Spira that it wouldn't
matter anymore. At least, she hoped it wouldn't.
Yuna walked back toward Tidus' place, deciding to hit some of the shops that were lined
up on the road. She had no idea what to look for, and decided just to buy a nice formal dress and
then something that had the Abes emblem on it or something.
As she entered a shop and looked at the strange outfits that were available, she realized
she had no idea how to pay with the foreign coins. She hoped they were something like gil, and
browsed though the many outfits they had.
"Can I help you?" a cheerful girl said, coming up to Yuna.
"Actually, yes," Yuna said, "I need something to wear to the game tonight."
"You got tickets?" the girl practically squealed, "Lucky you! Well, we'll make you look
the most Abe-ish there! Now, let's see..."
The girl looked through the racks before finally pulling something out, smiling as she did
so.
"Ooh, this will look awesome on you!" the girl said, holding up a blue denim casual
dress. It had one strap, and had a buckle around the waist. The skirt part of it had yellow stripes
down it, and Yuna guessed it was supposed to look kind of like the Abe's uniform.
Yuna smiled and took it from the bubbly girl, deciding that it would look cute. Not only
that, but it would make her match Tidus. Yuna laughed to herself at the thought, and told the girl
that she would buy it. She then decided to ask the girl about a dress also.
"No way, you're even going to the after-party?" the girl squealed, and it was then that
Yuna realized just how big of a deal Blitzball was in Zanarkand. Sure, it was nice in Spira, and
helped people back when Sin was around, but here in Zanarkand, it was literally a way of life.
The girl came running back with a blue dress that matched the color of Yuna's blue eye,
and held it up to Yuna.
The neck on the dress was extremely low, and it looked extremely tight, but Yuna
realized she didn't have a lot of time left. She told the girl that she would take those two outfits,
and asked for a pair of high-heeled shoes for the dress.
The girl rang her up, and Yuna had to try to figure out how to use the money.
"That'll be 963 Z's," the girl said, reaching her hand out for the money.
"Uh, here you go," Yuna said, handing her how much coins it would have been in gil.
"Okay..." the girl said, "But you still need 221 Z's."
"Oh, here," Yuna said, giving her more coins.
"Okay, here's your change," the girl said, handing Yuna a few coins back, "Have fun at
the game!"
"Thanks, I will!" Yuna said, walking out, swinging her bags as she did so, proud of
herself for figuring out how to pay with Z's.
She glanced at a giant clock on one of the buildings, realizing that she only had a few
minutes left until it was two.
Banging her bags on her knees, she walked swiftly toward Tidus' house, feeling quite
pleased with herself that she had found her way around Tidus' district already.
She walked up to Tidus' house, and was about to knock when she saw the door was
already open, and she could hear Zed and Tidus laughing in the next room.
She entered casually, and noticed that Tidus and Zed were in the kitchen, and obviously
hadn't heard her walk in.
"Dang she's hot," Zed was saying, and Tidus was nodding his agreement, "How'd you
meet her?"
Yuna stopped, wondering if they were talking about her, or someone else.
"Long story," Tidus said, "But the best thing of all is she isn't some total slime like most
chicks. Know what I mean?"
Yuna smiled. They had to be talking about her.
"Still, how you came upon her is beyond me," Zed said, and Tidus just smiled.
"Wanna know the best thing?" Tidus asked, raising his eyebrows.
"What's that?" Zed asked, and Yuna knew he wasn't the only one interested in knowing.
"She's a total nut!" Tidus laughed.
A nut? Had Yuna heard him right?
"Oh yeah?" Zed asked, "Like how?"
"She says she's not from Zanarkand, and told me some bogus story about me and her.
Let's just say it's some unbelievable story, and she thinks I believe it."
Zed laughed, "I don't know man, how do you know she isn't just playin' you?"
It was Tidus' turn to laugh, as he said, "Believe me, man, the only one doin' the playing
is me."
Yuna didn't want to hear anymore. How could this be happening? Why was this
happening? Was she really lost in some dream? Surely this wasn't the Tidus she knew...
Confusion like none other swept over Yuna, as she staggered backwards, not knowing
what to do. She wanted to go back to Spira. She wanted to never see Tidus again. She never
wanted to hear his voice...
"Yuna?" Tidus' voice. Yuna's inside screamed. She vaguely heard the door shut, and
guessed that Zed must have left.
"There you are!" it was Tidus again, and Yuna realized that he was standing in the
doorway, blocking her exit.
"What's wrong?" he asked soothingly, and again Yuna's inside screamed.
"I hate you...I hate you...I hate you..." repeated itself over and over in Yuna's mind.
Tidus was looking at her with a confused look on his face, and Yuna watched as his face
suddenly lit with realization.
"You heard what I said, didn't you?" he finally asked, although it sounded more like a
statement.
Yuna didn't know what to do or say. She was so torn at what she had heard him telling
Zed that she couldn't even think straight. She wanted to cry, but wasn't about to do it with Tidus
standing right there.
"I want to leave," Yuna said, and she dropped the bags of clothing that were still clenched
in her grasp, "I want to go home. I don't want to see you ever again!"
She was about to turn and go out the back entrance, but Tidus grabbed her arm.
"Hey, wait! Let me explain myself!" Tidus said, but Yuna just tugged her arm out of his
grasp.
She looked at him with tears in her eyes and ran toward the back door, aware that Tidus
was following her.
He grabbed her arm again and this time held on tightly. He looked angry, and Yuna
found herself quite frightened.
"If he's only playing me," thoughts raced through her head, "Then why doesn't he just let
me go?"
"Look Yuna," Tidus said, his cold blue eyes staring at her, "You have to just hear me out,
okay? The things I told Zed weren't true. But I have a reputation to look after, got it? If Zed
thought I was going soft for some crazed fan, and liked her for more than the fact that she was
hot, it would ruin my rep. Got it?"
Yuna tugged her arm angrily also, trying to get out of Tidus' grasp. To her surprise, he
let go of her, and crossed his arms.
"Go ahead, leave," he said, "I just didn't want you to think that it's true that I was playing
you. I just wanted you to know that I only told Zed those things to help my rep. Right now, I
can't worry about you, 'cause I have twenty minutes before the big party. And right now, the
number one thing on my mind is Blitzball. So go ahead, leave, I don't care." He turned around
and went into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
Yuna didn't know what to do. Could she really stay angry at him? Sure, he could have
been a little nicer about it, but it was true that right now Blitzball was the only thing on his mind.
Thinking of the Blitzball game made Yuna remember Lea's words. If Yuna left now, at least
Tidus would be sure to win the game.
Taking a breath, Yuna walked up to Tidus' room and knocked on the door.
"What is it?" he asked sharply from behind it.
"Uh Tidus," Yuna said, "There's something I think you should know."
"What is it?" he repeated himself.
"It's about something Lea told me."
The door opened, and Tidus looked down at her. "Great, what 'id she say?" he asked,
and to Yuna's surprise looked somewhat worried.
Yuna swallowed hard, wondering if Tidus really needed this before the big game. Still,
she decided it would be best to tell him now, while they were still not at best terms.
"Lea told me that unless I dumped you, her dad would make sure you lost the game."
"That wench!" Tidus yelled, "I knew she'd do something like that! Okay, no problem,
her dad's like totally fair. Maybe..."
Great, now Yuna had done it. She really had made Tidus worried. What if he couldn't
concentrate on the game now?
"I have a plan, though," Yuna said, deciding that it would go against everything she
hated, but she had to go for it, anyway. For Tidus' sake.
"What's that?" Tidus asked, looking at the clock anxiously.
"We need to pretend to break up," Yuna explained quickly, "We could do it at the end of
the before party. Then, I'll just pretend like Zed and me are a couple. Surely you could talk him
into doing that?"
"Yeah, no problem," Tidus said, "But then what?"
"Then, you'd have to invite...invite Lea to the after-party." Yuna bit her lip. She had so
been wanting to go to the formal, gorgeous after-party, but not exactly with Zed as her date.
"When would I have to invite her?" Tidus asked, looking angry.
This was when it suddenly hit Yuna. She knew exactly how to go through the game
without having the Abes lose on purpose.
"Invite her before the game!" Yuna said happily, "But then dump her as soon as we get to
the after-party, and then you and I can magically return together! How does that sound?"
Tidus seemed to think it over, and something in his eyes told Yuna that for some reason,
he wasn't liking the whole idea too much, but he suddenly nodded.
"Okay!" he said, shaking Yuna's hand, "I'll talk to Zed about it at the before-party. Then,
we'll go with your plan. It'll finally be my chance to get back at Lea!"
"What did Lea do to you?" Yuna asked quickly, wondering why Tidus had wanted a
chance to get back at her.
"Oh, nothing really," Tidus just said with a smile, and then said, "Hey, go change clothes,
we have to leave soon!"
"Okay," Yuna said, slowly, and went over to where she had dropped her clothes, and took
them carefully out of the bag. She then went and changed into the "Abe wear" and actually
rather liked it.
She smiled to herself the entire time, realizing that no matter what Lea threw at her, she
could always outsmart her.
She didn't realize that she was the only one on her side.
read and review my story! Right now I'm kind of going through a slight writer's-block, but no
worries, I should still be able to update!
Chapter 8: Abe-Wear and a Plan
Yuna exited Lea's house, feeling somewhat light-hearted, although she was still
somewhat nervous. If Tidus didn't win...Yuna just didn't want to think about it. First of all, she
was hoping terribly that there was some way for Tidus and her to return to Spira, and if that was
the case, this would be the last chance Tidus would have to show up his old man, even though
Yuna knew that if he could remember everything that had happened in Spira that it wouldn't
matter anymore. At least, she hoped it wouldn't.
Yuna walked back toward Tidus' place, deciding to hit some of the shops that were lined
up on the road. She had no idea what to look for, and decided just to buy a nice formal dress and
then something that had the Abes emblem on it or something.
As she entered a shop and looked at the strange outfits that were available, she realized
she had no idea how to pay with the foreign coins. She hoped they were something like gil, and
browsed though the many outfits they had.
"Can I help you?" a cheerful girl said, coming up to Yuna.
"Actually, yes," Yuna said, "I need something to wear to the game tonight."
"You got tickets?" the girl practically squealed, "Lucky you! Well, we'll make you look
the most Abe-ish there! Now, let's see..."
The girl looked through the racks before finally pulling something out, smiling as she did
so.
"Ooh, this will look awesome on you!" the girl said, holding up a blue denim casual
dress. It had one strap, and had a buckle around the waist. The skirt part of it had yellow stripes
down it, and Yuna guessed it was supposed to look kind of like the Abe's uniform.
Yuna smiled and took it from the bubbly girl, deciding that it would look cute. Not only
that, but it would make her match Tidus. Yuna laughed to herself at the thought, and told the girl
that she would buy it. She then decided to ask the girl about a dress also.
"No way, you're even going to the after-party?" the girl squealed, and it was then that
Yuna realized just how big of a deal Blitzball was in Zanarkand. Sure, it was nice in Spira, and
helped people back when Sin was around, but here in Zanarkand, it was literally a way of life.
The girl came running back with a blue dress that matched the color of Yuna's blue eye,
and held it up to Yuna.
The neck on the dress was extremely low, and it looked extremely tight, but Yuna
realized she didn't have a lot of time left. She told the girl that she would take those two outfits,
and asked for a pair of high-heeled shoes for the dress.
The girl rang her up, and Yuna had to try to figure out how to use the money.
"That'll be 963 Z's," the girl said, reaching her hand out for the money.
"Uh, here you go," Yuna said, handing her how much coins it would have been in gil.
"Okay..." the girl said, "But you still need 221 Z's."
"Oh, here," Yuna said, giving her more coins.
"Okay, here's your change," the girl said, handing Yuna a few coins back, "Have fun at
the game!"
"Thanks, I will!" Yuna said, walking out, swinging her bags as she did so, proud of
herself for figuring out how to pay with Z's.
She glanced at a giant clock on one of the buildings, realizing that she only had a few
minutes left until it was two.
Banging her bags on her knees, she walked swiftly toward Tidus' house, feeling quite
pleased with herself that she had found her way around Tidus' district already.
She walked up to Tidus' house, and was about to knock when she saw the door was
already open, and she could hear Zed and Tidus laughing in the next room.
She entered casually, and noticed that Tidus and Zed were in the kitchen, and obviously
hadn't heard her walk in.
"Dang she's hot," Zed was saying, and Tidus was nodding his agreement, "How'd you
meet her?"
Yuna stopped, wondering if they were talking about her, or someone else.
"Long story," Tidus said, "But the best thing of all is she isn't some total slime like most
chicks. Know what I mean?"
Yuna smiled. They had to be talking about her.
"Still, how you came upon her is beyond me," Zed said, and Tidus just smiled.
"Wanna know the best thing?" Tidus asked, raising his eyebrows.
"What's that?" Zed asked, and Yuna knew he wasn't the only one interested in knowing.
"She's a total nut!" Tidus laughed.
A nut? Had Yuna heard him right?
"Oh yeah?" Zed asked, "Like how?"
"She says she's not from Zanarkand, and told me some bogus story about me and her.
Let's just say it's some unbelievable story, and she thinks I believe it."
Zed laughed, "I don't know man, how do you know she isn't just playin' you?"
It was Tidus' turn to laugh, as he said, "Believe me, man, the only one doin' the playing
is me."
Yuna didn't want to hear anymore. How could this be happening? Why was this
happening? Was she really lost in some dream? Surely this wasn't the Tidus she knew...
Confusion like none other swept over Yuna, as she staggered backwards, not knowing
what to do. She wanted to go back to Spira. She wanted to never see Tidus again. She never
wanted to hear his voice...
"Yuna?" Tidus' voice. Yuna's inside screamed. She vaguely heard the door shut, and
guessed that Zed must have left.
"There you are!" it was Tidus again, and Yuna realized that he was standing in the
doorway, blocking her exit.
"What's wrong?" he asked soothingly, and again Yuna's inside screamed.
"I hate you...I hate you...I hate you..." repeated itself over and over in Yuna's mind.
Tidus was looking at her with a confused look on his face, and Yuna watched as his face
suddenly lit with realization.
"You heard what I said, didn't you?" he finally asked, although it sounded more like a
statement.
Yuna didn't know what to do or say. She was so torn at what she had heard him telling
Zed that she couldn't even think straight. She wanted to cry, but wasn't about to do it with Tidus
standing right there.
"I want to leave," Yuna said, and she dropped the bags of clothing that were still clenched
in her grasp, "I want to go home. I don't want to see you ever again!"
She was about to turn and go out the back entrance, but Tidus grabbed her arm.
"Hey, wait! Let me explain myself!" Tidus said, but Yuna just tugged her arm out of his
grasp.
She looked at him with tears in her eyes and ran toward the back door, aware that Tidus
was following her.
He grabbed her arm again and this time held on tightly. He looked angry, and Yuna
found herself quite frightened.
"If he's only playing me," thoughts raced through her head, "Then why doesn't he just let
me go?"
"Look Yuna," Tidus said, his cold blue eyes staring at her, "You have to just hear me out,
okay? The things I told Zed weren't true. But I have a reputation to look after, got it? If Zed
thought I was going soft for some crazed fan, and liked her for more than the fact that she was
hot, it would ruin my rep. Got it?"
Yuna tugged her arm angrily also, trying to get out of Tidus' grasp. To her surprise, he
let go of her, and crossed his arms.
"Go ahead, leave," he said, "I just didn't want you to think that it's true that I was playing
you. I just wanted you to know that I only told Zed those things to help my rep. Right now, I
can't worry about you, 'cause I have twenty minutes before the big party. And right now, the
number one thing on my mind is Blitzball. So go ahead, leave, I don't care." He turned around
and went into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
Yuna didn't know what to do. Could she really stay angry at him? Sure, he could have
been a little nicer about it, but it was true that right now Blitzball was the only thing on his mind.
Thinking of the Blitzball game made Yuna remember Lea's words. If Yuna left now, at least
Tidus would be sure to win the game.
Taking a breath, Yuna walked up to Tidus' room and knocked on the door.
"What is it?" he asked sharply from behind it.
"Uh Tidus," Yuna said, "There's something I think you should know."
"What is it?" he repeated himself.
"It's about something Lea told me."
The door opened, and Tidus looked down at her. "Great, what 'id she say?" he asked,
and to Yuna's surprise looked somewhat worried.
Yuna swallowed hard, wondering if Tidus really needed this before the big game. Still,
she decided it would be best to tell him now, while they were still not at best terms.
"Lea told me that unless I dumped you, her dad would make sure you lost the game."
"That wench!" Tidus yelled, "I knew she'd do something like that! Okay, no problem,
her dad's like totally fair. Maybe..."
Great, now Yuna had done it. She really had made Tidus worried. What if he couldn't
concentrate on the game now?
"I have a plan, though," Yuna said, deciding that it would go against everything she
hated, but she had to go for it, anyway. For Tidus' sake.
"What's that?" Tidus asked, looking at the clock anxiously.
"We need to pretend to break up," Yuna explained quickly, "We could do it at the end of
the before party. Then, I'll just pretend like Zed and me are a couple. Surely you could talk him
into doing that?"
"Yeah, no problem," Tidus said, "But then what?"
"Then, you'd have to invite...invite Lea to the after-party." Yuna bit her lip. She had so
been wanting to go to the formal, gorgeous after-party, but not exactly with Zed as her date.
"When would I have to invite her?" Tidus asked, looking angry.
This was when it suddenly hit Yuna. She knew exactly how to go through the game
without having the Abes lose on purpose.
"Invite her before the game!" Yuna said happily, "But then dump her as soon as we get to
the after-party, and then you and I can magically return together! How does that sound?"
Tidus seemed to think it over, and something in his eyes told Yuna that for some reason,
he wasn't liking the whole idea too much, but he suddenly nodded.
"Okay!" he said, shaking Yuna's hand, "I'll talk to Zed about it at the before-party. Then,
we'll go with your plan. It'll finally be my chance to get back at Lea!"
"What did Lea do to you?" Yuna asked quickly, wondering why Tidus had wanted a
chance to get back at her.
"Oh, nothing really," Tidus just said with a smile, and then said, "Hey, go change clothes,
we have to leave soon!"
"Okay," Yuna said, slowly, and went over to where she had dropped her clothes, and took
them carefully out of the bag. She then went and changed into the "Abe wear" and actually
rather liked it.
She smiled to herself the entire time, realizing that no matter what Lea threw at her, she
could always outsmart her.
She didn't realize that she was the only one on her side.