DISCLAIMER: I do not own FFX or FFX-2 or any of the characters or places associated with it. I do, however, own the twisted idea for this story.
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Author's Notes: We're getting to the meat of the story now. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Spiraquake Earthquake
TWISTED DESTINY
by akksgurl
Chapter Ten: Party Crashers
Tidus knew going into it that this party was going to be sheer hell on his knee. His doctor had suddenly decided that he should try to stand as much as possible to keep his strength up but the thought of standing all evening was sending chills of dread down his spine. His knee started to ache within five minutes of standing. It would be sheer torture after twenty. He couldn't imagine what it'd be like after a few hours. Thankfully, Shuyin had suggested they bring his chair so he could use it if it became too difficult to walk.
Sliding the crutches under his arms, Tidus slowly made his way toward the door of his bedroom and out into the living room. The crutches kept sliding against the fabric of his suit jacket and pushing away from his arms as he maneuvered his way down the hall so he found the distance to take much more time than he liked. He wasn't used to being so much like an invalid. He couldn't wait until he was 100 again.
"Need some help?" Shuyin asked as he stuck his head around the corner and gazed at his brother struggling to make his way down the hall.
Tidus shook his head and made the last few steps down the hall until he reached the sofa arm where he leaned to rest, "Nah…I gotta do this myself." He looked down at the crutches and sneered, "But I do hate these things. They're just so annoying."
"Keep working on that leg and maybe you'll be able to limp around without them."
"I'm hoping I'll be cured pretty soon."
Shuyin shrugged, "Lenne said she'd give you another Curaga spell if you wanted her to. I don't think it helped much the first time, though, did it?"
"It helped a little. The knee's stronger. I can tell." Tidus took a deep breath and forced himself to his feet, sliding his crutches back under his arms, "My chair in the car?"
"Yeah. I folded it up in the trunk so we can have room for the girls."
Tidus and Shuyin made their way out to Tidus' red car. Since his knee was busted, Shuyin was going to drive but Tidus didn't mind too much. It gave him time to enjoy the ride. He just loved relaxing in the passenger seat of his car and enjoying the smooth ride and the sound system he had so lovingly installed just weeks after buying the vehicle.
Getting out of the car, however, wasn't something he enjoyed much…at least, not in his present condition. Since he couldn't bend his knee, it made climbing out of the lowered vehicle quite difficult. Tidus went through the motions slowly to make sure he didn't forget something and fall flat on his face as he did the first time. He slid the right crutch out followed by the left crutch and braced them on the road against the curb. Then he twisted in his seat and scooted back using his good leg until he was sitting in the driver's seat Shuyin had just vacated.
"I really wish I could bend this damn leg, Shu. It'd make things so much easier."
"The doctor said in a few more weeks he'll take the cast off, but until then you'll just have to deal with it."
Tidus snorted as he began to push with his hands and pull with his good leg until both of his feet were planted on the ground next to each crutch, "I am dealing!" he stated, "Look at me. I'm dealing!"
Shuyin laughed as he took Tidus' proffered hand and helped pull his brother to his feet. Tidus quickly slid the crutches under his arms so he could lean on them and stepped up onto the curb with a self satisfied smirk, "Less than a minute this time. I'm getting good!"
Shuyin rolled his eyes with a grin, "Yeah…I'd almost think you were an athlete."
Tidus made a face at Shuyin and continued along the path toward Lenne and Yuna's house. He was getting more and more excited about the party with each step. Not so much excited about celebrating an anniversary with Zaon and Yunalesca as excited about showing Yuna off and getting to see what she had been so secretive about for the last few days. She and Lenne had gone shopping for their dresses for the black tie event and had refused to show them to the guys. Shuyin hadn't particularly cared since Lenne's signature color was always blue, he could be sure that her dress would be blue and since Shuyin didn't know anything about designers or styles he wouldn't tell one dress from another anyway.
Tidus, on the other hand, didn't know Yuna's signature color and, although he was just as stupid about designers and styles as Shuyin was, Tidus knew that he'd at least appreciate the way it fit Yuna.
Boy would he appreciate it…
When Lenne opened the door she was wearing blue, as expected. Lenne always looked fantastic in blue and tonight was no exception. Her hair was pulled up in a loose chignon with a few wavy tendrils lining her face. The dress was a deep blue satin with a halter-top and she paired it with a pair of blue Macalania diamond earrings Shuyin had bought her for their anniversary and a matching necklace he had bought her for her birthday.
"You look lovely, Lenne." Tidus said with a wink. He leaned in and kissed her cheek softly and then pulled back to wink at her again.
Lenne laughed, "You are such a flirt. You're horrible." She pushed him away playfully with her hand against his chest and looked at Shuyin, "And you are just gorgeous…"
"Speak for yourself…" Shuyin replied, leaning in to brush his lips on hers.
Tidus made another face, "P-D-A is G-R-O-S-S!" he cried in a high pitched whine that would have made a toddler proud.
Laughing, Shuyin rolled his eyes at Tidus and then proceeded to dip Lenne back and give her an even more passionate kiss, "How do you like that?"
Tidus slapped his hands over his eyes, "Eeeww…"
"Eh, grow up." Teased Shuyin, leaning in toward Tidus, "We both know you'll be doing the same thing…"
"But that's different."
"And why is that?"
"Because," Tidus announced proudly, "I look sexy when I kiss."
Shuyin let out a belly laugh that would have shaken the entire house if it was possible. Lenne joined him and Tidus stood their feigning terrible insult for a few moments until his eyes caught sight of a figure moving out from the shadows of the hall.
His jaw dropped.
Yuna's signature color was black. That became instantly obvious. Black showed off her eyes more brightly and seemed to make her hair's luster more apparent. It set off beautifully against her creamy skin and made her white teeth flash brilliantly. Her hair, unlike Lenne's, was left free about her shoulders with only a few tiny strands pulled back on either side with two small barrettes that had tiny white pearls dangling down. Yuna's ears weren't pierced but it looked to him like she'd gotten clip-on earrings with rubies decorating them. Around her neck she wore a simple chain with a small locket on it. Tidus recognized it instantly as Lenne's.
Only when Tidus had fully examined her beautiful face did he dare look down to see the dress. Black fabric that hung to her ankles with two long slits on either side. The dress was decorated with shimmering beads along the waistline. It clung tightly to her chest with the fabric ending just below the locket and thin straps holding it to her body over the shoulder. On her feet were the sexiest shoes Tidus had ever seen, and he didn't think of himself as a shoe man. However, these shoes were practically a stiletto heel and made her legs look even longer through the two slits on either side of the dress. She moved her leg slightly and the sight of a creamy white calf made Tidus momentarily forget there were others in the room as he moved forward faster than he'd ever moved on the crutches and kissed her deeply, "You look beautiful…" he muttered into her mouth before he kissed her again.
He would have kept kissing her had Shuyin and Lenne not taken that opportunity to start making gagging noises right behind them, quickly remind him that they were not alone. Tidus released Yuna and noted with satisfaction that she seemed totally satiated.
"You guys are so disgusting!" Shuyin squealed, impersonating Tidus' impersonation of a petulant toddler from just minutes before.
Tidus sneered, "You're just jealous cause my girl is so hot."
"Hey, my girl is hot too!"
Tidus looked from Lenne to Yuna and back again as if trying to decide, "I don't know…my girl is pretty damn hot. It'd be tough for Lenne to compete."
"You guys are ridiculous." Interrupted Lenne with Yuna nodding her agreement, "We're both equally hot."
"Absolutely!" Yuna agreed with a giggle.
Tidus shrugged and looked at Shuyin, "That work for you?"
"I suppose."
"Good."
Lenne sighed happily, "Now that that's settled and the macho behavior can stop, can we please get going. I need to finish up a few things before everybody else starts to arrive."
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The party had been in full swing for over an hour in the huge ballroom Lenne had rented on the outskirts of Zanarkand and Yuna still didn't have the courage to approach Zaon and Yunalesca. She stood on the opposite end of the room from them, simply watching. She'd never really thought of them as regular people before. They'd always seemed like something out of mythology to her. Yet to see them laughing and drinking and dancing, Yuna realized that they'd lived a normal life before Sin made it all come crashing to an abrupt halt. It made her hate Sin even more.
Her mind went to Auron's idea to use Bevelle's massive weapon to defeat Sin and get them back to her time. She still wasn't sure if they should. There had to be a reason why Vegnagun hadn't actually been used and why it was never mentioned all through history. Yuna wasn't sure if she wanted to mess with something that powerful. What if something went wrong and they inadvertently destroyed Zanarkand themselves…?
Yuna's gazed toward Tidus who was currently struggling to remain standing while pouring two cups of punch for them. He'd insisted on getting them himself although Yuna still wondered how he planned on making it back to her with both glasses while using his crutches. Should she tell him about Auron's plan? Maybe he'd be able to talk Auron out of it. Or would he think it was a good idea?
There were more people at the party than Yuna had thought there would be. Lenne had painted a picture of a small and intimate gathering of friends and yet the entire ballroom was filled with people. The entire Zanarkand Abes team was there and Tidus had taken great pride in introducing her to each and every one of them, sans Reanna since Yuna already knew her. Lenne's band was there, currently mingling with the Abes. President Yu Yevon and his entire cabinet where discussing politics in the corner with a few of Zaon's more politically minded friends. Lenne and Shuyin were dancing on the floor with Zaon and Yunalesca nearby, switching partners every few minutes when the music allowed. All total, Yuna estimated about 45 people at the party.
Yeah…really small and intimate…
Yuna looked back over at Tidus and let out a laugh as she saw him. He'd taken his tie off and proceeded to tie both cups to the leg of his left crutch and was trying to make his way through the crowd without sloshing too much of the liquid on the floor. He was doing surprisingly well.
"Inventive…" she said to him when he was within hearing distance.
He smirked as he stopped before her and carefully untied the cups, giving one to her, "I had to come up with something and this suddenly hit me!" He took a sip of his drink and threw his tie back over his shoulders so it hung undone over the collar.
He looked wildly disheveled and handsome but as much as Yuna loved the look, it didn't quite go with the black-tie effect Lenne was trying to create. Yuna sat her cup down on the windowsill to her left and proceeded to tie his tie into submission. She'd only ever worked with a tie a few times in her life. It was always on her father and only during special occasions. Her mother's funeral stuck in her mind as one of the most memorable and yet not memorable in a good way. Her father had been too numb to care so Yuna had tied it for him, hoping it'd make him feel better.
It didn't work.
"Much better." She said with a smile, patting the tie down and admiring her work, "You look almost presentable now."
"Why thank you, Lady Yuna." Joked Tidus, kissing her softly. He ran his hand slowly through her hair and let his finger trail her jawline. She trembled happily. His forehead pressed against hers then, and his lips kissed the tip of her nose, "You haven't met Zaon and Yunalesca yet, have you?"
Yuna shook her head, "I've been too nervous."
"We're just going to have to fix that." He announced, pushing his crutches more firmly beneath his arms, "They don't bite after all."
Yuna was sure they didn't bite. She was sure they were perfectly normal people. Zaon had seemed nice enough when she'd seen him briefly. Yet as she and Tidus got closer to them, it felt like her lungs were constricting and she couldn't breathe.
She froze stupidly when Tidus stopped in front of Zaon and Yunalesca and said, "Hey guys. I don't think you met Yuna yet."
Yunalesca was even more beautiful than she'd been described in all the history text. Long blonde hair trailed down to her ankles. She was wearing a sheer green dress that came to the floor and was set off with ankle-strap sandals and an emerald necklace. Yunalesca smiled, "Hello, Yuna. Zaon told me he met you. It's a relief to know that I'm not the only one saddled with this name."
Yuna didn't quite know what to say. How do you tell someone that you were named after her since she'd done something that she hadn't done yet?
"It's nice to meet you, Yunalesca." Replied Yuna, forcing herself to act like meeting this woman was a normal everyday occurrence…like breathing.
Zaon extended his hand next, "I know we met before, but we'll just pretend we didn't. Nice to meet you, Yuna."
"Nice to meet you too, Zaon."
"I love that dress," Yunalesca complimented her, "I was going to get the same thing but then I saw this one."
Tidus giggled a little, "I'm glad you changed your mind, Lesca. The last thing we needed was two Yunas in the same dress."
"I suppose your right." Yunalesca agreed with a laugh. She smiled at Lenne then, "I think I'm going to steal your boyfriend for a dance if you don't mind."
"Go right ahead." Lenne conceded, "I'm done with him."
Shuyin pouted at Lenne for a minute and then proceeded to stick his nose in the air regally as he led Yunalesca to the floor. Yuna watched them dance and sighed quietly to herself. She'd never danced before. Not once. Not for a moment. There had never been a reason to dance in Spira. There was no music in Spira either, save for the magical band in Macalania Forest and even they were banished to play where no one would hear them. Music signified happiness and happiness was in short supply in Spira. Happiness, however, was anything but in short supply in Zanarkand and for the first time in her life, Yuna felt like everything was wonderful.
"Happy?" Tidus asked in a hushed voice, his breath hot in her ear. Yuna nodded and turned her face toward his. His lips brushed hers softly, "I'm glad to know that."
Yuna wrapped her arms around Tidus' neck and pulled him close to her. She hugged him tighter than she'd ever hugged anyone before. Her heart felt better when he was close to her. Yuna had never felt this way before. Like the thought of never seeing him again would kill her. Her father had once told her that love sneaks up but once it takes hold it grips so tightly that escape isn't possible.
She pulled back slowly. His blue eyes caught hers and Yuna smiled softly, "Tidus…" she whispered, "I…um…I think…I mean…I am…"
The room shook so suddenly that Tidus' crutches slid out from under him and Yuna tried to hold him up but only ended up falling to the floor with him. Tidus squirmed under Yuna a bit to reach his crutches, "What the hell was that?"
"A spiraquake?" Shuyin asked. He'd crossed the room quickly and was helping Tidus to his feet when another quake shook the building, harder this time and with more force. Shuyin held Tidus tightly and maintained both of their stances. Yuna stood slowly and gripped the refreshment table for support.
Lenne gripped the other side of the table and looked concerned at Yuna, "What's going on?"
"Maybe it's a spiraquake like Shuyin thinks?"
Another violent shaking started and as Yuna held onto the refreshment table for support, she thought she heard a buzzing sound. The shaking began to form a pattern in her mind as the buzzing got louder. The shaking was almost like footsteps. The buzzing was louder and louder in her mind and the shaking got more and more forceful.
Yuna slipped as an exceptionally hard rumbling hit the building and she landed on her back with her bottom half under the table. Her head slammed hard on the floor and for a minute she believed she was seeing things. Her eyes were trained on the skylight at the top of the building. She had to be imagining. She just had to be.
The buzzing got louder and louder as the object began to fall closer and closer. Only as it shattered through the skylight did Yuna truly realize she wasn't imagining anything.
"YUNA!" Tidus screamed and Yuna rolled as quickly as she could under the table and out the other side, grabbing Lenne's leg and pulling her along. Lenne slammed down onto the ground with her hands bracing her and the two girls got out of the way just before the object landed on the ground and exploded into a ball of flames.
Yuna had never seen such violence before. The shaking of the building and the buzzing hadn't stopped but now it was accompanied by screams of terror. Lenne got on all fours and started crawling toward the back exit, "Come on!" she shouted to Yuna, "We gotta find the guys!"
Yuna crawled along too until her dress got to be too much of an annoyance. Stopping for just a moment, Yuna tied it between her legs in a makeshift set of pants and continued to follow Lenne. The scraps of glass from the broken ceiling dug into her knees, slicing them until Yuna got so numb from pain that she didn't notice anymore.
Another explosion, this one worse than the last sounded out to Yuna's right and she saw that the back exit was blocked off by falling rubble from the side of the building which was now starting to crumble down around them. Lenne cursed angrily, "What now, dammit? We'll have to cross back to the other side."
"Guys!" came Yunalesca's voice from behind them. Zaon was with her and the two were on their knees just like Lenne and Yuna, "Shuyin got Tidus outside but then brought him right back in. He says it looks like we're under attack."
Under attack…
The war…
It started…
And all Yuna could hear was screaming all around her. People dying all around her. Lenne gaped at Yuna and she could almost hear the other girl swallow hard. Yuna's senses were advanced in her fear, "You…were right…" was all Lenne could manage before she let out a chocked cry. Whether of anger or sadness, Yuna couldn't tell. All she wanted was the ability to be wrong. Just once she wanted to be wrong.
The loud siren sounded then, drowning out the sound of the gunfire and bombing for just a moment. Yunalesca bit her lip, "The warning siren." She looked at Lenne, "Call to arms. You ready?"
"Do you think it'd make much of a difference?"
"It might just get us out of here alive."
"Then let's go." Lenne and Yunalesca stood and the songstress smiled down at Yuna, "Find Shuyin. Tell him I'll meet back up with him as soon as I can."
Yuna nodded dumbly, unsure of what the girls were going to do. They ran back the way Yunalesca had come and then they were out of sight. Zaon crawled up closer to Yuna and gave her a lopsided smile, "Well, I'm kinda tired of partying. You ready to get out of here?"
The former summoner laughed a little, "Yeah, absolutely."
Zaon took the lead just as Lenne had done, leading Yuna passed the back exit and around. They hugged as close to the walls as possible. Yuna strained to see anything, but the smoke and dust blocked her vision of anything besides what was immediately in front of her. The smog chocked her and clogged her lungs. Yuna fought to keep her panic down. She hoped with all her strength that her friends were safe…but most especially Tidus. The thought of something happening to him squeezed her heart so tightly she thought she'd die.
"I won't leave without her!"
"You've got to! She's with Lenne. They'll be fine!"
"I'm not going anywhere without Yuna!"
She heard their voices before she saw their faces. Shuyin had Tidus near the front exit, trying to pull him out but Tidus had grabbed tightly onto the doorframe and was refusing to move. Her hair was getting caught in her mouth and her eyes, but Yuna kept going until she knew he'd hear her call to him, "Tidus!"
His head shot up and he sighed so deeply Yuna could see it through the smog, "Oh thank goodness. Are you okay? What about you Zaon?"
"I'm okay." Yuna said, crawling the final few feet to him.
"Me too." Replied Zaon.
Shuyin frowned and looked around. Yuna could see his fist tightening on the doorframe. His knuckles went white, "Where…where's Lenne?"
Zaon smiled, "She's with Yunalesca. They heard the Call to Arms siren and went off together."
"She wanted me to tell you that she'll meet up with you as soon as she can." Yuna had almost forgotten to deliver the message. So many other things were happening then.
Shuyin's grip relaxed almost instantly, "Okay then." He said with a sigh, "We'd better get somewhere safe then so she can get to us."
Yuna grabbed Tidus' left arm, Shuyin grabbed his right and the duo pulled him to his feet. He had lost his crutches in the shuffle somewhere, so Shuyin and Yuna helped to support him by putting his arms over their shoulders. Zaon reached for the door through all of the shaking when a loud jingling noise was heard above the other sounds. They all froze and listened intently. Through the smog, Yuna could see several players from the Abes struggling to make it to the exit, including Reanna. The shaking got more intense and Yuna soon realized that the jingling came from the chandelier that hung from the middle of the rooftop, just to the right of the busted skylight.
Yuna knew what was going to happen before anyone else did. The other players had fallen away from Reanna and were struggling toward a table for support, but Reanna was still trying to walk forward. She was directly under the chandelier when Yuna saw the first support cables snap. She dropped Tidus arm and ran forward, "Reanna! Move!" She screamed. Reanna heard her, but Yuna knew she couldn't see her. The girl's hair was stuck in her face, dust in her eyes. Reanna moved but it only put her in an even better alignment with the chandelier. She heard Tidus shouting to Reanna as well when the second support cable snapped. Only one more to go. The chandelier shook in time with the room, "Reanna! Run!" Yuna screamed again but her words were drowned out by an exceptionally hard and thunderous movement of the building. The final cable snapped and Yuna dove forward, hoping to be able to push Reanna out of the way. A loud thump echoed in Yuna's ears and she felt something hard hit her back, forcing her to the ground. Her head slammed onto the floor and she knew no more…
