And Baby Makes Three
Chapter Ten - A Heated Moment
By: Digi-Esca Girl
Disclaimer: I do not own FFX. Simple enough for ya? lol......
******************************************************************************
"I take it, from your attitude, that you don't want to lose?" Lulu asked, almost cynically.
"What the hell do you think?!?!" Wakka shouted back.
"Well then why did you agree to the deal?!" Lulu yelled in return, as she felt her face flushing with anger.
"What other choice did we have?" Wakka questioned, more to himself than to the mage before him.
"They were going to press charges, right?"
"Yeah..." He grumbled in reply.
"So, if they said anything, your whole team would be suspended, riiiight?" Lulu inquired, beginning to pace back and forth.
"Right."
"So you're right; You didn't have any other alternative than to agree."
"Exactly! Why you up in my case then, ya??" Wakka replied, his thick accent shining through once again.
"Because I......" Lulu seemed at a loss for words, "I.....needed to vent." She admitted at last.
"That's all? You're takin this out on me...cause you need to VENT?" Wakka asked, stepping closer to her.
"Right before you came in I was going to hit the punching bag, but now...." She gestured towards the hanging icicle with a
very slight, but still present smile.
After looking as if thought for a moment, Wakka spoke up, "Use me instead."
"Excuse me?" Lulu said, one eyebrow raised questioningly.
"You said you wanna vent, right?" He continued at her nod, "So vent on me."
"You mean...like hit you?"
"Yeah. Come on; show me what you got, ya?" Wakka said with a smile, getting into a mock fighting poistion.
"I'm not going to hit you, Wakka." Lulu laughed, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Yes you are. Come on, come on! Hit me."
"No."
"Come on, Lu! Hit me!"
'There's that nickname again....' She thought. The idea of the endearment not being so bad surfaced into her mind, and she
almost let it stay afloat.......
"Wimp!"
......and it gets crushed again.
"You know what?" The mage said, a violet fire igniting in her eyes.
"What, loser?" Wakka teased, a smirk plastered on his face.
"You want me to rant? Like, really want me to?"
"Ya...Yeah I do."
"Alright...fine!"
With this, she charged forward, her fists flying with more fury than Wakka imagined she'd have. When her punches landed, they
were solid, but they didn't exactly knock him off his feet.
At first, he pretended to fight back, occasionally throwing in a punch here and there, but it was mostly her that inflicted damage.
Her grunts of 'attack' soon faded into small gasp-like breaths, and it was then that Wakka noticied the change that had taken
place right under his nose.
In the few minutes they had been fighting, Lulu had been ranting to herself quietly, beating on the Besaidian native whilst she
did so. But now, her punches were few-and-far-between, and her words rang out louder than they did before.
"....Stupid...pilgramage... I don't wanna go! And I...can't...figure...out...how to....be ...a...good...parent.....and ...what if I....
let Yuna down and...then.....I...........fail her.........too....."
The message behind the voiced thoughts was clear, and Wakka finally realized why Lulu had such a gloomy personality. She
was only 18 years old, and she was piled with too many things to be healthy.
First, the pilgramage had been weighing on her since day one; It had totally slipped Wakka's mind, however. Secondly, having
to contend with a little girl who wanted ballet lessons and 'good parents'. And lastly.....Lulu had to deal with him.
Angry tears streaked down Lulu's ashen cheeks as all of her anger and frustration poured out through her mouth and slowly
moving fists against Wakka's chest. She had never felt so relieved in a long while, but at the same time she felt very, very
embarrassed as she took into account that Wakka had two ears had could understand all that she was saying.
She stopped her assault on his chest, looking up into deep russet eyes that suddenly relfected kindness in the place of their
usual sarcasm. The mage found herself at once entranced by those eyes, and discovered that she really liked them, despite
what her mind was screaming at her.
"Lu?" Wakka's voice was soft, and he was surprised to find himself smiling down at her when she acknowledged the nickname.
"Yeah?" She replied, in a voice she was convinced was not her own.
"I'm....really sorry, ya?" He said quietly, leaning forward of his own accord.
"I forgive you...." She answered, rising slightly on her toes to meet him.
Their lips met, softly at first, in a shy gesture of held-back attraction. The brushing of skin against skin in such an intimate
way sent shivers chasing each other up and down Lulu's spine, and her slender hand found itself resting against Wakka's
clean-shaven cheek before her mind registered what had transpired. Wakka's hand settled in the small of her back, the other
one choosing to head north and come to rest at the back of her neck, cradling her head comfortingly.
The passion in their kisses increased ever-so-slightly, and Wakka found himself unable to pull away from her intoxicating
scent. Lulu, meanwhile, was completely enraptured by his every touch, and his embrace was simply entrancing. Every time
her fingertips traced his arm, white-hot sparks of electricity flew up his limb, sending his mind into a glorious haze.
As they finally separated, they looked into each others eyes and................
"Well at least they're going to drop the charges, right?" Yuna offered, watching as Tidus' chest rose and fell with each of his
anger-labored breaths. Truth be told, even though his previous display of anger had not surprised her, it still frightened her
that he was capable of such things on a whim.
"....That's not the point!" He growled, whipping his head up to meet her gaze, "Luca's going to beat us at the one thing we're not
supposed to lose! They'll never let us live it down...." He added the last part as an after-thought, more so to himself than to the
silent woman before him.
"I don't understand..." Yuna ventured after a moment, "Why are you getting so worked up over this? You don't have to go to
jail anymore, and all you can think about is this stupid tournament?"
"Stupid!?! You don't have any idea-" He paused in his ranting, shaking his head and turning away, "Forget it; I wouldn't expect
you to understand anyway.........Where's Kieran?"
At this question, Yuna's attention was piqued, and she had to wonder aloud about his sudden desire to know about the boy that
had been entrusted into their care. She cocked her head to one side, raising one thin eyebrow questioningly.
"He's upstairs in his room, why?"
"I want to take him somewhere." At first, Tidus was going to leave it at that, but for some reason he continued, "I'm going to
go to the blitzball stadium and practice a little before our next game, and I think he'd want to come with me."
Yuna was surprised by Tidus' actions in letting her know right away where he intended to go. In a way, she supposed she was
proud of him for adjusting like that after only a short while.
"I think he would love that. Why don't you go get something to drink, and I'll go get him ready, okay?" She said, smiling a little
towards the flaxen-haired sports star.
Much of his own accord, the athlete found that he was smiling right back, if only slightly. As the young summoner turned and left
the room, Tidus thought briefly about what could have happened had she not been there for him to rant to.
He most likely would have found the nearest bar and gotten himself completely smashed, so as to try and rid himself of the
horrible feeling of knowing that he was going to lose to Luca. Luca, of all people! He would have drowned in his own self pity,
and stumbled home in a drunken-fit like he had a few days ago, spewing random details about Luca that really didn't effect the
situation at all. He'd mumble to himself and become convinced in a heartbeat that going to jail was better than losing to Luca.
Tidus shook his head, reaching up to rub one of his temples wearily. A lot could have happened, but thanks to Yuna, it didn't.
Maybe now he would look at her in a different light? he thought. Then again...maybe not.
"Kieran?" Yuna called gently upstairs, reaching the top step and peering around the corner.
"Yeah?" Came the reply, a faint, barely audible one from a room down the hallway.
Smiling to herself, she continued walking down the corridor, glancing to her sides to observe the paintings placed there for the
single purpose of looking nice. The one portraying a vase of roses was her favorite; She couldn't recall the artist at the moment.
"Can I come in?" She asked, knocking lightly on the white door.
"Yeah, sure!" Kieran answered, appearing in the doorway as Yuna opened the said door slightly.
"Guess what?" She said, kneeling down on the carpeted floor beside him. When he looked at her expectantly, deep prussian
eyes shining with question, she continued, "Daddy's going to go practice at the stadium, and he wants you to go with him. What
do you think of that?"
"Really?" He asked, seemingly astonished at the question.
"Really really."
"Yeah! Yeah, I wanna go!" He replied enthusiastically, a broad smile lighting his face.
"Well, get ready then, silly!" Yuna said, smiling warmly at the excited child before her rushing around the room searching for the
right outfit to wear...
Meanwhile, Tidus had calmed himself down enough to walk over to the phone and pick it up. He dialed the familiar number of
his home stadium, and waited as one...then two...then three rings sounded before a voice answered.
"Zanarkand Memorial Blitzball Stadium. How may I help you?" Came the voice.
"Hey Taylor, it's me; Tidus."
"Oh hey man! You still coming out today? I got the sphere up and running for you, like you asked."
"Yeah, I'm still coming, thanks. I'm bringing my son with me." Tidus thought for a second he detected a small hint of pride in
his voice at that statement, but he concluded that it was probably just his frazzled nerves over-working themselves.
"Your son? I didn't know you had a son, Tidus!" Taylor replied, feeling slightly hurt that his friend hadn't told him prior to this.
"No, he's not really my son, Tay. Haven't you heard of the project they're doing with the high school? They put you in pairs,
give you a kid and let you take care of it for a year. Mine really likes blitz, so I'm bringing him with me." Tidus explained.
"Ohhhh. Now I get it," Taylor said with a smile, "Why don't you bring the wife? You're not sick of her already, are you?"
Tidus was silent for a moment in answer, and he turned to the stairs at the sound of voices. He saw Yuna, walking hand in hand
with Kieran towards the door, smiling brightly as she went. Kieran looked like Christmas had come early.
"You know what? I think I will. See you in a bit."
"Alright. See ya, Tidus!" Taylor hung up his end of the line, leaving Tidus to do the same.
"You be good, okay?" Yuna aid to Kieran as Tidus approached them.
"Why don't you make sure he behaves?" Tidus asked, a slight smirk twisting its way onto his lips.
"What do you mean?"
"Can Mommy come with us?!" Kieran suddenly ventured, hoping to be met with a smile and a nod.
"You know, that is exactly what I was going to suggest," Tidus said, not removing his gaze from Yuna as he spoke, " I think it'd
be a great idea if Mommy came with us. The question is...does she want to?"
After a momentary silence, Yuna replied, "I'd love to."
"Let's go then! Come on!" Kieran said, grabbing Yuna's hand and dragging her out the door.
Tidus chuckled at the child's enthusiasm, grabbing his shoes and keys and walking through the open door. He closed and locked
it behind him, and made his way over to his vehicle, where Kieran was currently trying to use his 'mind powers' to make the car
door unlock. Tidus used his own magic, pushing the button on his remote that unlocked all the doors.
Not seeing this quick movement, Kieran jumped in delight, "Look what I did! I made the doors open Mommy!"
"Yes you did, Kieran," She replied, glancing up to meet Tidus gaze as he slipped into the driver's seat, "Yes you did...."
...............promptly pulled away from each other.
Lulu was looking wide-eyed at Wakka, whose mouth was still open very slightly, with wonder and was appeared to be anger.
"You sick bastard!" She cried, her eyes narrowing, "You took advantage of me!"
"What?!" Wakka roared, "You kissed me back, ya?!"
"Well you shouldn't have even started it, pervert!" She yelled again, a crimson fire sparking in her eyes. She was clearly angry.
"How do you know I started it?! I think it was you! You've probably had a thing for me since we met!" Wakka replied, a fire
burning in his own russet eyes at the accusation.
"You think I wouldn honestly have a thing for YOU?! I've never been so insul-"
"Why are you yelling?"
The quiet voice stopped the mage mid-sentence, and they both turned to see Jade standing in the doorway. The confused look
in her viridian eyes was enough to make Lulu want to burst into tears from the frustration of it all.
Why were you yelling at each other, Daddy?" The girl posed her question again.
The only problem was.......
.....neither of them had any words for the situation at hand......
********************************************************************
Well, what did you guys think this time? I hope you didn't mind the wait too much, I'll try to shorten it from now on!
Thanks again for all your continued support! Over 200 reviews?!?! Gosh...I'm speechless.....
Well, not really SPEECHLESS, but definatly flattered! Keep reviewing and I'll keep posting!
Laterz,
Digi-Ecsa Girl
laurie_22@hotmail.com
Chapter Ten - A Heated Moment
By: Digi-Esca Girl
Disclaimer: I do not own FFX. Simple enough for ya? lol......
******************************************************************************
"I take it, from your attitude, that you don't want to lose?" Lulu asked, almost cynically.
"What the hell do you think?!?!" Wakka shouted back.
"Well then why did you agree to the deal?!" Lulu yelled in return, as she felt her face flushing with anger.
"What other choice did we have?" Wakka questioned, more to himself than to the mage before him.
"They were going to press charges, right?"
"Yeah..." He grumbled in reply.
"So, if they said anything, your whole team would be suspended, riiiight?" Lulu inquired, beginning to pace back and forth.
"Right."
"So you're right; You didn't have any other alternative than to agree."
"Exactly! Why you up in my case then, ya??" Wakka replied, his thick accent shining through once again.
"Because I......" Lulu seemed at a loss for words, "I.....needed to vent." She admitted at last.
"That's all? You're takin this out on me...cause you need to VENT?" Wakka asked, stepping closer to her.
"Right before you came in I was going to hit the punching bag, but now...." She gestured towards the hanging icicle with a
very slight, but still present smile.
After looking as if thought for a moment, Wakka spoke up, "Use me instead."
"Excuse me?" Lulu said, one eyebrow raised questioningly.
"You said you wanna vent, right?" He continued at her nod, "So vent on me."
"You mean...like hit you?"
"Yeah. Come on; show me what you got, ya?" Wakka said with a smile, getting into a mock fighting poistion.
"I'm not going to hit you, Wakka." Lulu laughed, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Yes you are. Come on, come on! Hit me."
"No."
"Come on, Lu! Hit me!"
'There's that nickname again....' She thought. The idea of the endearment not being so bad surfaced into her mind, and she
almost let it stay afloat.......
"Wimp!"
......and it gets crushed again.
"You know what?" The mage said, a violet fire igniting in her eyes.
"What, loser?" Wakka teased, a smirk plastered on his face.
"You want me to rant? Like, really want me to?"
"Ya...Yeah I do."
"Alright...fine!"
With this, she charged forward, her fists flying with more fury than Wakka imagined she'd have. When her punches landed, they
were solid, but they didn't exactly knock him off his feet.
At first, he pretended to fight back, occasionally throwing in a punch here and there, but it was mostly her that inflicted damage.
Her grunts of 'attack' soon faded into small gasp-like breaths, and it was then that Wakka noticied the change that had taken
place right under his nose.
In the few minutes they had been fighting, Lulu had been ranting to herself quietly, beating on the Besaidian native whilst she
did so. But now, her punches were few-and-far-between, and her words rang out louder than they did before.
"....Stupid...pilgramage... I don't wanna go! And I...can't...figure...out...how to....be ...a...good...parent.....and ...what if I....
let Yuna down and...then.....I...........fail her.........too....."
The message behind the voiced thoughts was clear, and Wakka finally realized why Lulu had such a gloomy personality. She
was only 18 years old, and she was piled with too many things to be healthy.
First, the pilgramage had been weighing on her since day one; It had totally slipped Wakka's mind, however. Secondly, having
to contend with a little girl who wanted ballet lessons and 'good parents'. And lastly.....Lulu had to deal with him.
Angry tears streaked down Lulu's ashen cheeks as all of her anger and frustration poured out through her mouth and slowly
moving fists against Wakka's chest. She had never felt so relieved in a long while, but at the same time she felt very, very
embarrassed as she took into account that Wakka had two ears had could understand all that she was saying.
She stopped her assault on his chest, looking up into deep russet eyes that suddenly relfected kindness in the place of their
usual sarcasm. The mage found herself at once entranced by those eyes, and discovered that she really liked them, despite
what her mind was screaming at her.
"Lu?" Wakka's voice was soft, and he was surprised to find himself smiling down at her when she acknowledged the nickname.
"Yeah?" She replied, in a voice she was convinced was not her own.
"I'm....really sorry, ya?" He said quietly, leaning forward of his own accord.
"I forgive you...." She answered, rising slightly on her toes to meet him.
Their lips met, softly at first, in a shy gesture of held-back attraction. The brushing of skin against skin in such an intimate
way sent shivers chasing each other up and down Lulu's spine, and her slender hand found itself resting against Wakka's
clean-shaven cheek before her mind registered what had transpired. Wakka's hand settled in the small of her back, the other
one choosing to head north and come to rest at the back of her neck, cradling her head comfortingly.
The passion in their kisses increased ever-so-slightly, and Wakka found himself unable to pull away from her intoxicating
scent. Lulu, meanwhile, was completely enraptured by his every touch, and his embrace was simply entrancing. Every time
her fingertips traced his arm, white-hot sparks of electricity flew up his limb, sending his mind into a glorious haze.
As they finally separated, they looked into each others eyes and................
"Well at least they're going to drop the charges, right?" Yuna offered, watching as Tidus' chest rose and fell with each of his
anger-labored breaths. Truth be told, even though his previous display of anger had not surprised her, it still frightened her
that he was capable of such things on a whim.
"....That's not the point!" He growled, whipping his head up to meet her gaze, "Luca's going to beat us at the one thing we're not
supposed to lose! They'll never let us live it down...." He added the last part as an after-thought, more so to himself than to the
silent woman before him.
"I don't understand..." Yuna ventured after a moment, "Why are you getting so worked up over this? You don't have to go to
jail anymore, and all you can think about is this stupid tournament?"
"Stupid!?! You don't have any idea-" He paused in his ranting, shaking his head and turning away, "Forget it; I wouldn't expect
you to understand anyway.........Where's Kieran?"
At this question, Yuna's attention was piqued, and she had to wonder aloud about his sudden desire to know about the boy that
had been entrusted into their care. She cocked her head to one side, raising one thin eyebrow questioningly.
"He's upstairs in his room, why?"
"I want to take him somewhere." At first, Tidus was going to leave it at that, but for some reason he continued, "I'm going to
go to the blitzball stadium and practice a little before our next game, and I think he'd want to come with me."
Yuna was surprised by Tidus' actions in letting her know right away where he intended to go. In a way, she supposed she was
proud of him for adjusting like that after only a short while.
"I think he would love that. Why don't you go get something to drink, and I'll go get him ready, okay?" She said, smiling a little
towards the flaxen-haired sports star.
Much of his own accord, the athlete found that he was smiling right back, if only slightly. As the young summoner turned and left
the room, Tidus thought briefly about what could have happened had she not been there for him to rant to.
He most likely would have found the nearest bar and gotten himself completely smashed, so as to try and rid himself of the
horrible feeling of knowing that he was going to lose to Luca. Luca, of all people! He would have drowned in his own self pity,
and stumbled home in a drunken-fit like he had a few days ago, spewing random details about Luca that really didn't effect the
situation at all. He'd mumble to himself and become convinced in a heartbeat that going to jail was better than losing to Luca.
Tidus shook his head, reaching up to rub one of his temples wearily. A lot could have happened, but thanks to Yuna, it didn't.
Maybe now he would look at her in a different light? he thought. Then again...maybe not.
"Kieran?" Yuna called gently upstairs, reaching the top step and peering around the corner.
"Yeah?" Came the reply, a faint, barely audible one from a room down the hallway.
Smiling to herself, she continued walking down the corridor, glancing to her sides to observe the paintings placed there for the
single purpose of looking nice. The one portraying a vase of roses was her favorite; She couldn't recall the artist at the moment.
"Can I come in?" She asked, knocking lightly on the white door.
"Yeah, sure!" Kieran answered, appearing in the doorway as Yuna opened the said door slightly.
"Guess what?" She said, kneeling down on the carpeted floor beside him. When he looked at her expectantly, deep prussian
eyes shining with question, she continued, "Daddy's going to go practice at the stadium, and he wants you to go with him. What
do you think of that?"
"Really?" He asked, seemingly astonished at the question.
"Really really."
"Yeah! Yeah, I wanna go!" He replied enthusiastically, a broad smile lighting his face.
"Well, get ready then, silly!" Yuna said, smiling warmly at the excited child before her rushing around the room searching for the
right outfit to wear...
Meanwhile, Tidus had calmed himself down enough to walk over to the phone and pick it up. He dialed the familiar number of
his home stadium, and waited as one...then two...then three rings sounded before a voice answered.
"Zanarkand Memorial Blitzball Stadium. How may I help you?" Came the voice.
"Hey Taylor, it's me; Tidus."
"Oh hey man! You still coming out today? I got the sphere up and running for you, like you asked."
"Yeah, I'm still coming, thanks. I'm bringing my son with me." Tidus thought for a second he detected a small hint of pride in
his voice at that statement, but he concluded that it was probably just his frazzled nerves over-working themselves.
"Your son? I didn't know you had a son, Tidus!" Taylor replied, feeling slightly hurt that his friend hadn't told him prior to this.
"No, he's not really my son, Tay. Haven't you heard of the project they're doing with the high school? They put you in pairs,
give you a kid and let you take care of it for a year. Mine really likes blitz, so I'm bringing him with me." Tidus explained.
"Ohhhh. Now I get it," Taylor said with a smile, "Why don't you bring the wife? You're not sick of her already, are you?"
Tidus was silent for a moment in answer, and he turned to the stairs at the sound of voices. He saw Yuna, walking hand in hand
with Kieran towards the door, smiling brightly as she went. Kieran looked like Christmas had come early.
"You know what? I think I will. See you in a bit."
"Alright. See ya, Tidus!" Taylor hung up his end of the line, leaving Tidus to do the same.
"You be good, okay?" Yuna aid to Kieran as Tidus approached them.
"Why don't you make sure he behaves?" Tidus asked, a slight smirk twisting its way onto his lips.
"What do you mean?"
"Can Mommy come with us?!" Kieran suddenly ventured, hoping to be met with a smile and a nod.
"You know, that is exactly what I was going to suggest," Tidus said, not removing his gaze from Yuna as he spoke, " I think it'd
be a great idea if Mommy came with us. The question is...does she want to?"
After a momentary silence, Yuna replied, "I'd love to."
"Let's go then! Come on!" Kieran said, grabbing Yuna's hand and dragging her out the door.
Tidus chuckled at the child's enthusiasm, grabbing his shoes and keys and walking through the open door. He closed and locked
it behind him, and made his way over to his vehicle, where Kieran was currently trying to use his 'mind powers' to make the car
door unlock. Tidus used his own magic, pushing the button on his remote that unlocked all the doors.
Not seeing this quick movement, Kieran jumped in delight, "Look what I did! I made the doors open Mommy!"
"Yes you did, Kieran," She replied, glancing up to meet Tidus gaze as he slipped into the driver's seat, "Yes you did...."
...............promptly pulled away from each other.
Lulu was looking wide-eyed at Wakka, whose mouth was still open very slightly, with wonder and was appeared to be anger.
"You sick bastard!" She cried, her eyes narrowing, "You took advantage of me!"
"What?!" Wakka roared, "You kissed me back, ya?!"
"Well you shouldn't have even started it, pervert!" She yelled again, a crimson fire sparking in her eyes. She was clearly angry.
"How do you know I started it?! I think it was you! You've probably had a thing for me since we met!" Wakka replied, a fire
burning in his own russet eyes at the accusation.
"You think I wouldn honestly have a thing for YOU?! I've never been so insul-"
"Why are you yelling?"
The quiet voice stopped the mage mid-sentence, and they both turned to see Jade standing in the doorway. The confused look
in her viridian eyes was enough to make Lulu want to burst into tears from the frustration of it all.
Why were you yelling at each other, Daddy?" The girl posed her question again.
The only problem was.......
.....neither of them had any words for the situation at hand......
********************************************************************
Well, what did you guys think this time? I hope you didn't mind the wait too much, I'll try to shorten it from now on!
Thanks again for all your continued support! Over 200 reviews?!?! Gosh...I'm speechless.....
Well, not really SPEECHLESS, but definatly flattered! Keep reviewing and I'll keep posting!
Laterz,
Digi-Ecsa Girl
laurie_22@hotmail.com