"Okay, this isn't so… bad." Sitaten took in a deep breath as she stepped through the arc marking the main entrance to the school.
The ceiling of the entrance hall reached the second story, a balustrade* was where students absently leaned on as they talked to their friends. The major arc of the entrance was repeated in a sort of circle, making a much more complicated groin vault*. There were many doorways leading to staircases and the lower level class halls, but the thing that stood out most for Sitaten was the central fountain soaring to a height of thirty feet, a famous blitzball player, Jecht she was sure his name was, spinning a blitzball on his finger as he smugly looked down on the traffic.
The sight of the hundreds of teens pushing past each other, muttering to one another, swearing at one another, and making out off in some corner was enough to send shivers of fear all over her body. They all looked so different.
Her bronze skin, brown hair, and attire set her apart from most of the people in the great hall. What was worst was the fact that she was not with anybody, did not know anybody, did not know where the registration office was, and her style was giving her odd glances everywhere she went. Sitaten continued to search the halls, ignoring the laughs and comments some kids made at her choice of dress and stopped some blond in the hall.
The girl turned, her pinned up braids flying behind as she to greeted her with her jade green eyes. If Sitaten received many stares from her attire, this one sure should have. With a tiny beige skirt with her thong peeking out and a long-sleeved mid-drift with bows, she had to have been the most underdressed person she saw.
"Huh?" the girl furrowed her eyebrows, looking up into Sitaten's eyes.
"I'm sorry, I was just wondering if you could point me toward the registration office?" Sitaten tried to smile warmly.
"Oh!" The girl's face broke out into a smile. She beckoned her to follow, leading her through a pair of doors off to the right of the entrance.
"You must be new here, right? Don't worry…happens all the time." Her cheery voice cut through the racket the shuffling of feet and softness of the voices. She continued to walk down the hall, which dipped down a flight of stairs and continued, the temperature dropping almost imperceptibly. They must be under ground. She was wondering where they would fit all of these students.
"Here we are!" the girl stopped her in front of a door with peeling letters simply stating 'admiss…' 'offi…'
"By the way, my name's Rikku, if you run into any trouble, just come and find me…okay?" the girl smiled.
"I'm Sitaten, thanks for guiding me…" she started, but the girl began to walk back after hearing her name. Sitaten turned around to find her catching up with some blond guy who had his back to her. Funny, he seemed familiar.
"Here goes nothing…" Sitaten held her breath as the administrator she had met earlier pulled the door of the Chemistry laboratory open for her, the buzz of talking falling silent. The brunette quickly ushered her inside as eyes from every corner followed her. The professor, Ms. Keats, pulled on the messy red ponytail in the back of her head as the administrator informed her of the new addition. The blue-eyed woman pulled back, smiling at Sitaten as she glanced around the room.
There were only 16 chairs organized in four columns and four rows, each seat accompanied by a spacious desk and laptop computer with holographic mechanisms and calculators. The Teacher's desk was designed in the very same way, except the computer faced the pupils and a huge white backdrop grazed the back of the table.
"Seems like we have a new student here. Sitaten, is it?" Ms. Keats began in a very soft voice that the students could surprisingly hear. Sitaten nodded.
"Why don't you take a seat beside Peona?" a girl in the front row, sported two black ponytails and traditional Besaidian garb waved at her. Sitaten sucked in a breath and started to move toward the proffered seat in the corner. She immediately regretted the move when she noticed who was seated behind her.
"So, we meet again…" Paine's crimson eyes were boring into her as she reclined lazily in her chair. The gaze was challenging, calculating, and taunting all at once. Sitaten's nose rose higher into the air as she slammed her necessities down on the table and sat down. The emotional impression that Sitaten received from her was amusement.
"By looking at your clothes I can see that you aren't from an allying city-state." Ms. Keats formed her words carefully. She was definitely trying to ask Sitaten about herself without revealing that she was from Bevelle. It would definitely rouse some emotions in the students who were still young and ignorant. Sitaten licked her lips and decided that it would be best to have people know about her background and accept or reject her for it than to be ignorant of it and hate her for it later.
"No, I'm Bevellian. These robes are traditional garb worn by apprentices of the faith." Keats blushed at her words, and Sitaten felt the confusion and immediate ire rise from the students.
"O-oh, so, why have you decided to come to Zanakand, then?" Sitaten felt sorry for the woman. She was only trying to help her.
"My ideas weren't exactly…traditional." She shrugged as she answered truthfully.
"O-oh…" was all she could say. The anger slowly regressed to confusion.
"So, did you consider the war when you moved here?" she asked, still trying to find level ground.
"The war was my reason for leaving." Sitaten answered, leaving the entire room confused and wary. She absently pulled on the strings to her hood and looked down at her paper.
"All right then, since I'm not one of those teachers who give a 'welcome back' speech every year, I'll greet you with a very strong tonic called 'High Potion'!" the professor turned around and typed on a little keypad on the desk, letters emerging as she stroked the board.
All the while Sitaten stared off into space, every now and then snapping out of her reverie to catch up with her notes. Of course, before she could finish the last paragraph of information on the board, the tone marking the end of first period sounded. Sitaten, adamant on copying every last word, wrote even faster in her shorthand to make sure she copied it all before Keats turned off the projector.
"You certainly wouldn't win a spelling competition with that." Paine snorted over her shoulder and then collected her things to make it to her next class. She was about to say something back, but ended up letting her go as she noticed a group of girls casting dirty looks at her while whispering away. Sitaten had the sudden urge to throw her head up and sigh as she wondered if the critique would ever end. First, it was her faith that was not good enough; now her affiliation with the faith was supposed to be something dirty altogether. She quickly finished her notes and then ran off to find her second class immediately.
Period two, Black Wizardry, would not have been so bad, had the class not consisted of two of her peers from first period. The news of her supposed race spread through the room like wildfire, so quickly that when she arrived, she was met by glares and stares from everyone- including the teacher, Ms. Lucile.
"Settle down, now, quickly." She shooed her as the bell marked the beginning of class.
Sitaten walked towards the back of the classroom, by a window that looked down over one of the sakura paths. Entranced by the beauty of the water flowing sluggishly at an angle, she missed the call and response from the teacher.
"I'll repeat it only once more, and never should I have to do this again… Sitaten Terrai." Sitaten's head snapped up when she heard her name. The fuchsia-haired woman with blue eyes planted her hands on her hips, her roster in one hand, and her feet firmly rooted to the ground.
"If I catch you not paying attention again, Terrai, you're going to severely regret it." The woman bit out.
"Of course, professor." Sitaten, whose father always told her to show kindness in the face of irreverence, started to pull out her books and writing tools.
"Now that I have the attention of our little newbie," her comment was awarded with laughs from the students, "I'll continue…Raphael Mora!"
Sitaten, who knew her fair share of machina operations, set her computer on audio record, so the woman would be unable to catch her off guard again. The woman continued down the row of names, leaving Sitaten to continue staring out at the sea.
"Shuyin… how good to see you again!" Lucile clapped her hands together as she concluded the list of names. Sitaten, who was too engaged with the window outside, failed to notice the arrival of Shuyin, the apathetic teen she met only just last night. The boy nodded imperceptibly and took the seat beside her. Blushing to a deep tawny, Sitaten averted her eyes to the scenery outside, but was unable to keep her thoughts from lingering on him.
She forgot to notice how cute he was.
Of course, her deficiency in observation may have been caused by the fact that dark sunglasses shielded his jade eyes from her last night.
Jade.
She did a double take for a moment, because the next time she looked, they seemed bluer than anything. Must change colors, then.
Really, Sitaten was the type of person who would go 'gaga' over anyone with green eyes, but she had to admit, his were remarkably beautiful. She was immediately curious as to what was going on in his mind, but decided it would be unfair to pry into his emotions like that. The one thing that her father warned her about when he discovered her rare 'gift' was that she should never pry into the emotions of another. She might not like what she learned. But of course, sometimes, when emotions grew too strong, the pathos would roll off of the subject, its energy prickling her skin when someone got too excited.
Take the girl Rikku from this morning for example. The girl gave off waves of happiness and excitement so much, that it was almost painful when she walked away, taking her emotions with her. Although her father and the priests warned her not to grow too attached to someone because if their anger arose strongly, it would send her into shock, possibly knock her out if it was strong enough.
But now, as she put up an anti-emotion barrier around herself, which unfortunately was so large it actually encompassed Shuyin and the empty seat before her, she found comfort without the confusion, excitement, malignancy, and depression intruding her senses. It was odd for her to find comfort outside her bubble, and it was even stranger for her to find it with another person inside, even if it was an apathetic Popsicle. She looked over to Shuyin to see if he could feel its power. Obviously he could not. He continued to stare ahead at the animated teacher, completely oblivious to her magic touch.
"Perhaps Sitaten can demonstrate." Lucile smirked triumphantly at the young girl. Sitaten snatched her attention back and allowed her eyes to scam the keyboard for the request. She wanted her to cast a blizzaga spell, which she asked them to recite. Sitaten, who was unfamiliar with Dark Mage abilities, was unable to successfully conjure a proper ice stone over a flying fiend trapped inside a cage. It was quite obvious that whenever the barrier went up, Sitaten was practically dead to the world.
"Maybe if you paid closer attention to the lesson instead of Shuyin's visage you'd be able to cast a little more effectively." She berated. Sitaten worked to hide her blush that time, sinking her face into her collar. She could almost feel Shuyin's eyes on her profile as his curiosity spiked.
Without any more mess-ups, Sitaten made it through Black Wizardry. It never really was one of her best subject, as she is a member of the faith back at home, but she was never one not to try something. After she collected her things and headed out of the door, she ran into a young girl outside the door.
"Hey, watch it!" a girl sporting very short and very tight shorts, knee-high feathered boots and white tank collected her books muttering something under her breath.
"I'm so sorry," Sitaten bent down to help collect the things that spilled out of her purse. When she grabbed the last item and held it out to her, the girl's hot gaze traveled up to meet her yes. One eye green, one eye blue: how odd.
"You should pay attention." Shuyin, who she had not noticed before, walked up to the girls and helped the short brunette up. Sitaten furrowed her eyebrows at him. Something was not right. It was as though his emotions did a 360-degree flop when he came in contact with the fallen girl.
"Sorry, I didn't see her… I was going so fast and…"
"I don't care, just don't knock into my girlfriend again." He pulled his girl off to the side and started walking down the hall with her, not bothering to even glance back. His walk, stance, expression- everything radiated haughtiness. And although her eyes could not fool her, she was sure that something was not right with the picture. Surely this had to be someone else.
"Oh did you see him?" a girl started whispering to her friends, all of which were blushing furiously.
"Oh, Kami…he's so cute…" another cooed.
"Yuna is so lucky that she has a guy like him…" a brunette spoke up.
"Tidus…" the only blond in the group sighed.
Tidus.
The name sounded familiar.
Although it currently escaped her where she had heard it, she was now relieved to find that her assumptions were correct and she was not losing her touch. Shuyin and this guy, Tidus or whatever, were two different people. Obviously they shared an uncanny amount of similarities, but the overall demeanors of the men were so opposite, she was unsure as to how she could have confused them in the first place.
Lunch, fortunately, was mainly uneventful. Since Sitaten was sure she would be unable to find the cafeteria, she opted to find her class at the top of the hour and enjoy an apple outside the door. Although she took pleasure in the break in the amount of people crowding the halls that radiated strong emotional energy, the emptiness of the corridor easily brought the attention of onlookers. And as before, she was graced from stares of curious wonder to glares of dangerous anger.
The last class of the day could not have started early enough for Sitaten, who paced outside the door anxiously, wondering how she would do in her Special Weaponry Training class. She was sure to bring all of her fighting gear and went over every single curing spell she could imagine, her stomach in knots.
"Good afternoon," the Sensei, Sensei Auron, greeted her outside the gym door. The gym, which occupied half of an entire underground wing, was where pupils were trained in katanas, swords, daggers, rapiers (very rare and useless), and battle tactics.
"Hi."
"So you must be the transfer student…the buzz of the school." He smiled warmly at her. Although his dark black hair, which almost seemed blue, and amber eyes full of excitement gave any passerby the impression of a man in his early years, his face, shallow wrinkles forming around the eyes and mouth, gave away his age. He wore a simple white gi, tied with a white sash. She was unsure why he would ever where a white sash, but decided to forget about it. Besides, were people not jeering at her because of what she wore?
"Yes, that's me." Sitaten frowned slightly as he rustled for his card key and unlocked the door, which slid open moments later.
The gym was even larger than she expected. Stretching to at least 300 ft., the floor was completely covered by a mat. The bleachers opposite the door only raised two rows above the ground. As for the training equipment, it was a gymnast's dream- bars, wires, and horses- everything. Noticing the absence of a pool, she figured it was located either outside or on a lower level.
"Must be hard for you then…coming here and leaving your family behind?" he asked.
"It was harder to stay." She replied. He snorted derisively.
"The younger you are, the more you think you have all the right answers." He walked off to the middle of the mat, where protective gear was separated into respective piles.
"You regret coming here?" it was more of statement than a question.
"Not really, well at least not until…"
"…Today when the kids started looking at you funny. Are you concerned?" he asked, although Sitaten got the impression that he already knew the answer.
"Yes and no." Sitaten replied. Sir Auron harrumphed.
With emotion reading comes a sort of moral observation where the possessors of the gift would find themselves unable to lie. Being able to read into a person when they lie (temperature rises, senses are excited, sweat glands activate, or subtle fear awakens) Readers are always cognizant of the fact that anyone around could be a Reader. And spotting them could be as easy as spotting a Blitzball stadium a mile away. Although the rules of lying allows people to tell only half the truth, Sitaten always spoke all truth or did not answer at all because of more sensitive Readers who might sense the even the slightest fear.
"I am concerned because people our age can do very drastic things, and I am unafraid because they are still learning how to offend, while I already excel at defending."
"Interesting insight." Well, the man seemed distant, but sweet enough in his own way.
"What have you planned for today?"
"Well, first, we'll have you and a partner sit out as you observe a sparring match after I explain the rules, then, you'll be free to spar with any challengers after you finish with your partner, agreed?" his voice was deep and scratchy.
"Sure…"
"What weapon do you specialize in?"
"A gilded* staff." She turned and blushed.
"What type?"
"Well, Melissa…I mean…my staff can turn into twin katanas if I twist and unlock it."
"Interesting. Do you often use the katanas?" his curiosity was genuinely piqued, the scratching of his beard reassuring Sitaten of her evaluation.
"Only when my partner's fast and I'm sure the staff is useless in a match. Once the katanas slide out of the rounded sheath, I need an average of ten seconds to put it back together again."
"So you probably don't have much practice with them." He took in a breath and looked away. His calm demeanor alerted Sitaten that he was ransacking his mind for something.
"Very well, you'll spar with Rikku. I must warn you though, she's an…"
"…Al Bhed. Yes, the name is Al Bhed."
"Do you have a problem with this?" he watched her carefully, and for once, Sitaten was unable to read him.
"How could I expect the people outside of Bevelle to accept me if I am as closed-minded as Yevon would have me to be?" Sir Auron snorted.
"Careful answer, but good."
The truth was Sitaten was actually excited about having Rikku in one of her classes. The girl, whose excitement and energy rubbed off on her, would be just the right thing to lift her spirits.
For readers, any emotion that they are surrounded by for far too long would eventually rub off on them. So the depression, confusion, and anger that Sitaten was subjected to throughout the day began to wear down on her. Rikku, who Sitaten hoped was a naturally cheery person, would be able to help lift her spirits again.
While Sitaten allowed her thoughts to carry her away for the fourth time that day, students began to file in slowly, then in a steady stream. When she finished helping Sir Auron, the ex-guardian of Braska, the one who brought about he current calm, she could hardly move about. In awe of the Sensei, the students crowded around them when she was not looking. She became uneasy when she realized that Auron was not the only person who was being gawked at.
"Ah, so you're the one everyone's talking about." The blond, who looked almost exactly like Shuyin, crossed his arms over his chest, "I guess we could add clumsy to the list guys…"
"What list?" Sitaten furrowed her eyebrows. She did not mean to ask aloud.
"Ku*, the reasons why you don't belong here." He replied.
"What makes you think that I don't belong here?" Sitaten began to taste fury.
"Let's see… you're Bevellian," a girl in the back started.
"You're an apprentice of Yevon," a guy towards the front spat out the name Yevon as though it was dirty.
"You dare come here wearing those god-awful clothes…" A girl that was a little darker than her who had a red dot in the middle of her forehead sneered.
"…Not to mention, you're clumsy." Tidus finished.
"Hey~ back off ya big meanie!" Sitaten felt a familiar presence push through the audience. The only difference between the girl she met this morning and the girl before her was the fact that the radiating happiness was extinguished. Only anger remained.
"Rikku, stay out of this…" The brown girl from before warned.
"No, you leave her alone, Dona! What's wrong with her being a Yevonite anyway?" Rikku's cheeks puffed out in anger.
Sitaten was truly speechless. Here she was, a defender of people of all faiths or lack thereof, and they were spitting it in her face. The only reason why she left Bevelle at all was because of the stupid war! With that thought, her slight agitation sprung into major indignation, and she haughtily turned her nose into the air and refused to answer them. At times like these, she became stubborn, and those who would dare judge her without knowing her would immediately be treated with silence.
"Hello, Rikku." Sitaten pushed back her darker emotions and only allowed her kindness reign free. Her sudden change did not go unnoticed by the students, and as a matter of fact, it only served to anger them more.
"Huh?" she caught the Al Bhed off guard.
"What weapons are you familiar with?" her eyes focused on her. It seemed as though there was no one else in the world except Sitaten and Rikku.
"Oh so you're going to ignore us now?" Tidus snapped.
"Sensei Auron paired the two of us together already and I've been needing to train with my katanas. Do you know how to use them?" the girl was still a little confused as to why she would let the crowd's words slide, but decided to go along with her. After all- she would have done the same thing, only after she gave them a piece of her mind.
"Well, yes, but I mainly train with daggers."
"Then training with a weapon of longer range would be fine with you?" Sitaten raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, yeah, sure. I know how to use katanas… my brother taught me."
"Hey… we're not finished with you yet!" Tidus called to her retreating back. Sir Auron, who was quiet throughout the entire exchange, harrumphed again.
"It would seem that she actually got the best of you." And with that, began to call out the pairs.
"Alright, Terrai… the rules are simple. Blood is allowed, but only shallow cuts. If you can't handle your swords, you'll be put out and given an 'F' for the day. Curing spells are allowed only off the floors, and if you purposely break any bones in your partner's body, you'll be suspended with failing grades…understood?" The rules Sensei Auron explained were short, simple, and to the point.
"Yes, Sensei."
"Now, I want you to watch the match between Tidus and…Shuyin. So get dressed."
Sitaten's heart froze at the mention of the name. Shuyin was here? That must have meant that he had seen everything that happened earlier! Oh, no… what does he think of her now? Maybe that she's weak, feeble-minded? For some reason she knew that he would have handled the situation a bit differently than she. She immediately stopped her self-critical train of thought when she remembered how apathetic and cold he was. Why should she care what he thought anyway? She only just met him two days ago.
"Um…are you sure this is okay?" Sitaten blushed deeply at the attire she was forced to wear. A deep blue tank top clung tightly to her as her pleated indigo skirt was a bit too short for her liking. Unfortunately, it was the only choice for any katana using females. Rikku, who was the only dagger specialist before she arrived, had picked out the uniform for herself at the beginning of the year without having to worry about the comfort of other students. Fortunately for Rikku, who was skinny and only 2 inches shorter than she, her endowments were not popping out as much as they were for Sitaten.
"Of course, you look so cute!" Sitaten, who was used to wearing long, baggy robes all her life was a bit weary of sporting something so revealing. Sure, she wore that white skirt on the voyage, but it was only because of the unbearable heat- and it still covered her ankles.
"So Sita…" Sitaten's face went a little pale at the nickname her father used.
"Yes," she asked, her voice a little tight.
"Why don't you mind Al Bheds anyway? Are we like your mortal enemies?"
"Al Bheds are enemies of Yevon." Rikku's spirits dropped suddenly at Sitaten's truthful answer, the sadness becoming an aura.
"But I never believed in that." Rikku's emotions spiked as she began to grin from ear to ear. She began to jump and then pulled her through the room to watch the match between her real enemies.
"So, how do you want to lose, Shuyin?" Tidus, who wore a simple white training gi held a glimmering blue sword down and at the ready.
"Confident as ever, little brother." Shuyin, who held his sword over his shoulder, smirked and mimicked his stance.
So of course, they were brothers! Probably twins by the looks of it. That would explain the uncanny likeness and opposing personalities.
"Ooh…I can't watch!" Rikku covered her eyes.
The dark skinned girl, Dona, dropped a flag, and as soon as the cloth hit the floor, the two swords clashed together, a piercing ring reverberating throughout the gym over the clashing of other contestants.
"Come on, Tidus!" Dona yelled out. Tidus pushed his brother back with his sword and then jumped back. Shuyin let down his guard in a nonchalant manner, anticipating his next move.
"Come on, Shuyin, fight me!"
Rikku, who was extremely nervous, chanced a peek when the two brothers clashed together for a second time.
"You're always jumping in too prematurely, Tidus…" Shuyin kicked his brother in the stomach, the latter doubling over in pain and releasing his sword. The blow was so swift and unexpected, that it even surprised Sitaten. Tidus quickly recovered, however, and when they began again, a never-ending dance ensued.
"You little bastard!" Tidus rained a serious of swings on his brother, who in turn blocked every last shot. Tidus' indignation shot through the roof, his anger swelling with each mark he missed. Finally, Shuyin grew tired of the chain of attacks and simply swung his sword to knock Tidus' hand away. Shuyin quickly thrust his sword to his stomach, but Tidus' agility saved him with a perfectly timed parry. Sitaten, who was on the edge of her seat, or in this case, the mat, bit her fingernails. It seemed as if they were trying to kill each other.
"Don't worry, they're always like this." Sitaten craned her neck to see Sir Auron standing over her with his arms crossed. It would seem that he found the boy's rivalry unamusing. Even his words could not calm her down. The two boys were at each other's throats, and they had already drawn blood: Tidus sported a long slash on his stomach while Tidus managed to slightly graze Shuyin's left eyebrow. The latter held his one eye shut, trying to keep the blood from blinding him.
"Has it ever been this… competitive?" Sir Auron watched the fight for some time and then finally answered.
"No."
Sitaten turned her eyes back to the fight as Tidus knocked Shuyin's sword out of his hand. He was about to go for the kill point when Shuyin kicked the brotherhood sword out of his hand. Now, it was a fistfight.
Tidus, whose upper hand was his agility, managed to duck and dodge a few punches and kicks sent his way. On the other hand, he found trouble getting past Shuyin's excellent defensive stance, which made up for his lack of nimbleness. Tidus took a chance on an uppercut, which hit its mark, but the blow went almost unnoticed. Shuyin, who waited for the opportunity to present itself, knocked Tidus into the ground as his fist was pulling back, and crawled on top of him. But Tidus immediately threw him off, and both brothers were on their feet again. But soon, Shuyin grabbed an unsuspecting Tidus.
Holding the younger brother in a tight chokehold, Shuyin forced Tidus onto his knees as the victim struggled to pull his arms off. Panic starting to spike, Tidus' eyes grew wide, and his lips began to faintly turn purple. His strength then grew as he sensed danger, but Shuyin was much stronger than him.
"Stop it, you're hurting him!" Sitaten charged forward and knocked Shuyin off balance. The teen stood in a defensive stance and growled menacingly at her as Tidus choked and sputtered, gasping for much needed oxygen.
"You stupid little girl, I wasn't going to kill him." His words cause her to blush furiously.
"Yeah, well how long do you have to wait until you realized you'd won, huh? Until he was rendered unconscious?" she spat back. He took two threatening steps forward and then stopped himself. The two continued to shoot daggers at one another when Dona cleared her throat.
"That is enough. Match point goes to Shuyin." Sir Auron announced. His voice was what caused her to look around the gymnasium. Everyone was staring at the two of them, some wanting to see Shuyin attack her, while others fearing for Tidus.
"Hey, I didn't ask for you help." Tidus, who was bent down on one knee before, suddenly stood and balled his fists at his side.
"Oh yeah, and you were just waiting for the opportune moment- maybe before you suffocated- to turn the match around. Sh-yeah! Oh, and not to mention the blood oozing from your wounds. Oh and Shuyin, Mr. High-and-Mighty…the blood coagulating around your eye couldn't be too healthy either, so excuse me from trying to save your hides!" She crossed her arms over her chest.
At first, she was trying to be nice, but now, these people were really starting to tick her off. Although Sitaten realized that the only reason why she allowed their words to get to her was because of the dark emotions she had been surrounded by all day had worn her down, she allowed herself to rant at the boys. Oh, Yevon, she was starting to taste bile, which only meant one thing.
She had to calm herself. It was the only way to drive it back.
"Rikku, have you seen enough?" she turned to the sweet blond again.
"Too much…" she whined.
"Okay, I need your help with this move I've been practicing…" So she went back to ignoring them completely.
The training match with Rikku was invigorating. The girl sure could handle her katanas a lot better than she. And in the midst of the battle, Rikku gloated that she swiped a bottle of high potion she had made earlier today! All in all, Rikku won the match because Sitaten was being so careful as not to cut her.
"You can't be afraid to hit me, Sita!" there was that name again.
"I'm sorry, I just couldn't!" Sitaten giggled when Rikku pretended to berate her.
"I think you could be really good if you just train a little more. What's with the staff, anyway?"
They were in the midst of the main hallway now, pushing through the large crowd of students. Although Training was the last class for her, to some, it was the beginning of the day. So as the two girls made their way through the main entrance, their screaming lowered to a regular conversational volume.
"Well, it's easier to handle, if you ask me. I actually incorporated my very on fighting style I call 'Divine Wind'.
"Sounds cool, maybe you could show me next time." Sitaten was not paying attention to where Rikku was leading her, but she was aware of the fact that it was not in the direction of home.
"Where are we going?" Sitaten furrowed her eyebrows when Rikku led her off campus grounds.
"I was thinking, y' know… you really shouldn't be wearing those robes around the city." Rikku started.
"I don't care what other people think. I'm not going to change my manner of dress to make them more comfortable." Sitaten was a little disappointed in her. She honestly thought that Rikku did not mind her affiliation with the Temple.
"No, no!" sensing her change in mood, Rikku shook her head for emphasis, "I didn't want you to change at all, in fact I think you should be able to wear whatever the hell you want, but… it's really a safety issue."
"What do you mean?" Sitaten repeated. Rikku carefully chose her words when she next began.
"You see, you know how people guessed you were a Yevonite at school and got all mean and icky?" she squinted one eye, anxious to hear her reply.
"Yes…"
"Well, they couldn't do anything to hurt you because they could have gotten expelled from the school. But for people on the streets… they would seriously hurt you without a thought and people wouldn't care because they would sympathize with 'em."
"So you're saying that people would hurt me just because I'm from the Temple?" Sitaten furrowed her eyebrows.
"Honestly, though, if the Bevelle guards saw me walking down the streets minding my own business, they wouldn't think twice about shooting me down, right?"
"Oh…" Sitaten became silent.
"Yeah, so I was thinking that maybe we should take you out shopping, y' know, no drastic changes or anything, but no apprentice robes?" Rikku was genuinely trying to help her, and Sitaten understood. What would the point of leaving Bevelle be if she only came here and got martyred?
"Okay," she smiled, eliciting a sigh of relief from the Al Bhed.
"Good… I know this great place…"
And that was how she ended up here, extremely exhausted, and mentally shut down. After the first half hour of dress-up, the room began tipping after all of the spinning around in the mirror she had done for Rikku to approve or disapprove of the chosen article.
"Hmm…nope. I just can't see you in any of this stuff!" Everything Sitaten picked out was long, baggy, and modest.
"Come on, when you pick a new style, you pick a new style! No one would tell the difference between those moldy robes and these!"
Before Rikku could bring her to the 'great place' she spoke of, Sitaten spotted a maternity shop and dragged her inside.
"These are gorgeous!" Sitaten started to get defensive.
"But you aren't pregnant!" Rikku let out a frustrated sound and then rubbed her eyes. The place was beginning to bore her.
"Okay, I've got an idea… why don't we walk around for a bit, and if you don't find anything you like, we could just come back here and buy this stuff then?" Rikku suggested. Sitaten was getting annoyed with her disapproval, so she agreed.
The girls stepped out onto the street and made their way west, through the Providence strip mall located east of her home. Since it was so early in the day, not very many people were visiting other than teens and college students. The girls ran into a few people who gave the pair odd glances. Obviously a Yevonite and an Al Bhed was an uncommon sight.
"This is the place, come on!" Excited, Rikku pulled Sitaten into a store that she dreading- one where the outfits were short and skimpy.
For the next half hour, the two girls were picking through racks in search of something appropriate. Of course, there were very few outfits, and even then, they found some way to reveal a lot more than Sitaten was willing to. This was beginning to bore her, and she was sure that Rikku was feeling the same until-
"Aha!" Rikku shrieked in triumph. She pulled out a really baggy pair of Capri pants with an ankh pinning up two red belt straps that circled the clothing and finished back at the symbol of life. The peach pants were held up by a thin white string that tied through the belt loops and hung down under the weight of colorful beads.
"They are so cute! You absolutely have to try them on!" Sitaten caught the garments after they left Rikku's hands.
"They are pretty nice." And they were, but the pants were low-rising and it still showed off her ankles. She had never let anyone in on her secret, but Sitaten did not think that she had a 'great' body, at least it was not as nice as the girls in Zanarkand or Bevelle.
"Okay, now for a top!" Rikku cheerily continued to raid the racks until Sitaten pulled something out.
"This is nice. Showy…but for some reason, I don't mind." Sitaten held the white top out at an arm's length. One spaghetti strap hung loosely on the right side, the boarder dipping down to the other. There was a repetitive triangular pattern in the boarder that connected a peach fishnet type fabric to the top. Between the breasts were two strings that perfectly matched the pants with colorful beads at the ends.
"Ooh! It's beautiful, Sita!" Rikku snatched it from her and held it out, jumping up and down in glee. Sitaten had to giggle at the display of childishness. The mirth soon subsided and pulled it back from her.
"Hmm… but something's missing." Rikku began to rub her chin and search the ceiling of the clothing store for a while and then looked around. The racks of clothing were neatly organized into even spaced rows and the changing area off to the right were for girls only. As for the counter, which was located at the front, only one woman was waiting for the clerk to ring up her purchases.
"Aha!" Rikku walked over to the Kimono section and inspected a white pleated sleeve of one in particular. She stroked the silky fabric for a moment and then pulled out her dagger. Before Sitaten knew what she was doing, she quickly swiped the blade across the red boarder and handed it to her, patting it with a reassuring smile.
"We'll get into trouble!" Sitaten whispered urgently.
"Don't worry…I do it all the time. Where do you think I got this yellow pouch from?" Sitaten eyed the article warily.
"Oh just go ahead and try it on, will ya?" Sitaten, a little uncertain, slowly made her way to a changing stall and tried it on, self-consciously checking to make sure that her 'unmentionables' were unseen and her private areas still kept private. After all that she had done, when she stepped out, Rikku stared her down.
"Uh…too much?" Sitaten felt her hopes sink. She knew she had a funny shape, but she did not know it was that bad.
"Are you kidding?" Rikku looked back and forth between her breast and Sitaten's, a little despair showing through.
"Alright, enough!" Sitaten giggled, covering her chest while blushing furiously, "So you like it?"
"It's perfect! Okay, now let's just find some more clothes and we'll be done!"
In fact, it only took them another hour and a half to locate a clothing rack with tons of short pleated skirts in white, teal, jade, pink, black, and dark blue. To match, they discovered tank tops in indigo, white, butter yellow, black, pink, and lilac, respectively. Then, they came together to find all sorts of flare jeans, pedal pushers, baggy shorts, and carpenter jeans. When they searched for matching tops, the girls just pulled out whatever they felt looked nice, buying two of one in particular so she and Rikku could go as 'twins' one day.
When the girl rang up the overall cost, Sitaten's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Who would have known that Zanarkand was so expensive! But luckily, she had a credit limit that her father gave her before she had left, and luckily, she had just enough to buy some shoes and a week's worth of food before her first paycheck.
"Thank you," Sitaten smiled warmly at the woman, pulling the many bags down off the blue counter. Rikku, who saw that she needed a little help, grabbed half of her bags.
"We'll get some shoes and catch a cab to your place, 'kay?" Rikku pulled her out of one store and into another.
Finally done with all her purchases, Sitaten had 10000 gil left. She was relieved to have found that she could manage to spend only 450 gil on comfortable walking sandals in black and in white that had wonderful support with two satin ribbons that tied all the way up to the back of her knees. It was a wonderful change from the hot silver grieves she wore almost all her life. And luckily, Rikku thought that she actually had cute feet- imagine that!
"Wow…I'm spent." Rikku sighed heavily as they slumped lazily in the back of the machina. Sitaten let out the loudest laugh ever, one that she had never been aloud to release in the peaceful halls of the temple where she once devoted all of her day.
"What's so funny, I wanna join in, too!"
"It's nothing…" she forced her laughter to subside. The ride home was spent in comfortable silence, both girls a little exhausted from the hours spent inside the mall. The sun had set long ago, and the night was refreshingly cool and calm. It was still spring, so people where outside enjoying the first moments of warmth.
When the girls arrived at their destination, the driver helped them bring in some of their purchases. But before they even stepped in, Rikku's mouth dropped and her eyes grew wide in surprise.
"You live here?" Rikku furrowed her eyebrows.
"Yeah, why?" Sitaten asked, handed the driver a tip.
"My brother's wife runs this place!" she began to trot to the doors. When she stepped inside, Sitaten heard two shrieks, and the emotional energy surged throughout the compound.
"Korista! Hey~" Rikku was hugging the landlady so tight, that Sitaten was sure that she might explode.
"R-Rikku!" she managed to squeeze out.
"Oh, man, who would've thought!" Rikku stepped back, just as Sitaten stepped in. The latter dropped her bags onto the grate and watched the two sisters interact.
"You haven't been by the shop in a while, what brings you here?" the older woman smiled.
"Oh, Sita and I were just coming back from a shopping spree, and here we are! I thought you guys closed this place down when you separated?" Rikku whispered the word separated, unsure if she should have mentioned her brother to his ex-wife.
"Oh, well, Brother wanted to shut it down, but I liked the place too much. And Rin, (well he and I have been dating for a while), well, he believes that this place has some great business and we'd make more money by keeping it." Korista blushed.
"We, huh? It would seem you've been a busy girl." Rikku smirked devilishly.
"And it would seem that Sitaten made a great friend on her first day." Korista returned the smile.
While the two got reacquainted, Sitaten neatly put her things away upstairs. She never would have guessed that being in Zanarkand would change her so much. If only you could have heard the laugh she gave earlier! She had never laughed like that! She began to giggle to herself again when a single image stopped her.
Shuyin's flashing green eyes.
That alone brought her mind to the other horrible things she had to put up with during the day. All of the stares and glares she received, not to mention the biting remarks. What had she done that was so wrong anyway? Sure, lying about her origin would have made it a lot easier for her to get through the day. But if she did that, then what would have been the point of her leaving Bevelle if she had to pretend to be someone else here as well?
Screw them. She thought, and immediately covered her mouth with her hand. Maybe the experience was getting a little too liberating. First, she stopped dwelling on her past mistakes, and now starting to care less about what others thought of her. Not to mention the 'screw them'- how did that god-awful phrase get into her vocabulary? Sitaten sighed and then traveled back downstairs to find the two women engaged in conversation.
"Oh yeah, he's doing better, but you know he's been so distant ever since he lost her." Rikku's face fell.
The women were seated around a small coffee table out on the back porch where Korista stored her plants. Three cushions surrounded the table, and the warm, inviting smell of fertile earth greeted her nostrils.
"What about everyone else?" Korista's voice was low and gentle. Sitaten was unsure whether or not she should intrude. Whatever the topic of conversation was for them, it was painful.
"Well, Paine mainly sticks to Shuyin, agreeing with him on the subject, while Lulu, and Wakka side with Tidus and Yuna. Shuyin and Tidus now hate each other and Shuyin won't even look Yuna in the face. It's almost as if she doesn't exist to him."
"And you?"
"I've tried to stay neutral…but there is so much pent up anger, and neither Tidus nor Shuyin will tell anyone what happened."
Sitaten had heard enough. Prying was not the most honorable thing to do, and she was sure that everything said was not meant for her ears, so she politely rapped on the posts marking the back entrance.
"Oh, Sita!" Rikku looked up in surprise.
"I was wondering where you went off to." Korista narrowed her eyes jokingly.
"I was just unpacking. Is anyone hungry?" she asked.
"When did you have time to go out for food?" Korista, who remembered her laboring all last night, raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, really late last night. I wanted to make sure I had everything I needed."
"Watcha got?" Rikku asked.
"Anything you want!"
Weeeellll… that's the end of this chapter. I know, I've been a little mean to Sita, but, hey, she couldn't be perfect, right? And as for the Shuyin vs. Tidus storyline, it's really good, but ya got to wait for it.
Anyways…
Groin Vault- you'll have to look inside a gothic church in order to get what I mean. It's like when two halls of the church intersect, and lines one the ceiling form an 'X'. They look really cool… you should look them up on the internet.
Gilded- Sitaten's staff is gilded, which means that it was dipped in some sort of metal, usually bronze. But instead, her staff is silver with gold inside the relief. I'll describe it in detail next chapter.
'Ku'- is actually not a word. In fact, it's a laugh, an evil laugh. (Ever watch Japanese animation? Well, all the bad guys' laughs are like 'kukukuku'- really slow and drawn out, you know.)
Balustrade- a banister that goes all the way around one story… think of a round porch, but square hereJ