*chews on a spoon and looks quite sheepish* Um… LOOK! I updated finally! … Um… Alright… Life happened, see? I didn't mean this to be so late. I'm really sorry… I get FFX-2 back this week though, finally, so I should be more inspired for the next chapters. I'm really sorry for not getting this up sooner…

As usual, *sigh*, I don't own FFX-2 or FFX. It belongs to Square Enix, whom has no point in suing me, because I seem to give them all my money anyway. *eyes the new FF7AC trailer and begins to cry again*

And here we have yet another episode of addressing the commenters… Whee! No seriously, I love doing this. You people are what make me continue this fic. Thank you thank you and thank you AGAIN for all your reviews.

In answer to Dark Lady of Slytherin's comments…

Hope I didn't mind those eight reviews? Yeee! I was completely blown away. *smiles* You're the first one to write a comment for every chapter… and good comments at that… thank you very much. No, I don't have a beta… not yet, anyway. I try hard to get all the mistakes in the writing by myself…

About the fiend attack, yes, I know it's been done a lot… I probably should have tried something more original, but the idea seemed to stick. And it's a bit too late for me to change it now without people noticing, heh… heh… eee… But yes, thank you very much for all the comments, I didn't mind them one bit. I'm trying hard to improve my writing, and all the input I can get helps incredibly Thanks again.

Another note, yes, I know, that was dumb of me to put a A/N right in the middle… I wasn't' thinking at the time, probably due to the fact it was 4 in the morning… so I apologize about that… When I eventually finish and go through for any errors, I'll cut that out and move it so it's better…

One last note, yes, I know that Yuna was supposed to know about Brother's love for her… but, well, I half figured that with all the fuss going on, she'd have forgotten by accident, and secondly, forgot to add that. So… I'm hoping it's not too big a problem. I might go back and edit it later if it's that bothersome… I was just so busy and my mind was on so many other things I forgot that tiny bit. *hits self in head with the ever handy frying pan* Forgive me… I can barely remember my own name lately.

Thank you again to all of ye lovely people who took the time to comment/review… Please don't stop, the fic isn't done yet.

Enough of my nonsense, you're here to read the fic, not my babble! On with the story! This chapter may seem a bit short and pointless to the plot, but… it… has… a purpose, to a degree. I hope it's not too terrible. Took forever to write. But I am SURE you knew that already. *zips her mouth shut*

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Chapter 8

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"I… I can't believe we lost." Rikku wailed unhappily, her shoulders slumping down as they all walked out of the girl's locker rooms. "We were so close…"

"I'm sorry, Rikku." Yuna said quietly, but she didn't feel very sorry at all. Her cousin seemed to spot the grin on her features and scowled, throwing her hands into the air.

"You traitor!" Rikku wailed loudly, and frowned harder. "If you hadn't done that, we'd have won! How could you, Yunie? You're supposed to be a Gullwing!"

"It's just a game, Rikku." Paine sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Just a game! But…" Rikku's voice trailed off, as Yuna turned away, feeling just a little guilty, but smiling in spite of it. She couldn't help it. It'd been so much fun. Being able to play with the Aurochs, and with him, against the others. She'd never imagined of being able to do such a thing. And yet, it had happened.

"Well, somebody had to help the Aurochs." Yuna looked down to the floor below her feet. It wasn't a very good excuse. She'd told Nooj and Baralai what she was going to do, and they hadn't been pleased. But when she'd added the fact it would probably make everyone quite happy to see the High Summoner playing Blitzball, they lost the argument. But that wasn't a very good excuse too.

As happy as the event had made her, she couldn't help but feel just a little selfish. She had abandoned Rikku and the others, but… she was doing what she wanted.

"I still say you should have helped us instead." Rikku sniffed, crossing her arms. "Brother's going to be so mad when he comes out of-"

As if by the very mention of his name, Brother stormed out of the men's locker room.

"YUNA!" He shouted, pointing at her.

"See what you've done?" Rikku sighed, slumping her shoulders down even lower.

"You were… magnificent!" He cried, falling to his knees in front of her. Rikku stared at him wordlessly as Yuna felt her face go red.

"Thank you, Brother." She managed through a smile, as the rest of the guys started to file out of the doorway.

"Magnificent?!" Rikku sputtered, kicking her brother in the shin. "Yuna turns traitor and you all you have to say is… magnificent?!"

Brother shot her a glare, then resumed looking at Yuna adoringly, though somewhat less enthusiastic then he normally was. Perhaps she'd finally gotten through to him.

"I'd have to agree." Tidus grinned, coming up beside Brother with a smirk quite evident in his eyes. Brother snorted something and got up, moving away from Yuna as if by some unseen command. He didn't look happy, but he didn't look as sad as he had been earlier.

'With all that fuss, I forgot about Brother's feelings… I have to be more careful.' She thought as he walked over to Cid, and began boasting about how great his Gullwings were.

"If they're so great, how come they go dashin' to other teams!" Cid roared, and Brother cringed. "Yuna!" Cid shouted, walking over before Yuna could even open her mouth to say something to Tidus. "Well how about that! Go off leavin' your own blood family to frolic with these country bumpkins!"

Yuna smiled shyly and looked to the ground. "Heey, who you calling bumpkins? We just won, ya!" Wakka crossed his arms, a huge grin on his cheerful face.

"Well you wouldn't have if it hadn't been for my niece!" Cid snapped, crossing his arms and looking quite cross.

"I didn't do much." Yuna said quietly, but nobody seemed to hear her, or perhaps, they didn't agree.

"Yes you did!" Rikku cried, jumping up and down. "You just had to pass the ball to your blitzer-boyfriend!" As the words left her mouth, Rikku suddenly stopped. Cid's eyes snapped over to Yuna, then to Tidus, and seemed to be doing math in his head. Wakka did nearly the same thing, though he looked more confused then anything. Brother seemed to struggle against something for a moment, then began to mutter in Al Bhed to no one in particular.

"Uh…" Rikku swallowed, looking over to Cid and Wakka.

"Yuna! Why in tarnation didn't you say something?" Cid finally managed, looking over to Yuna with a cross between a grin and a frown on his face.

"Say…?" Yuna blinked, wondering what to expect from her Uncle, and more importantly, Wakka, who still looked confused.

"Our Yuna!" Cid sniffed, looking suddenly quite teary eyed. "Engaged!"

A long silence hung in the air, as Wakka stared at Yuna and Tidus blankly, while Cid grinned and looked somewhat teary eyed. Everyone else stopped to look at Yuna, all except Paine who was muttering something to herself.

"Engaged?" Wakka said finally, staring at Yuna blankly.

"We're-" She started, when Lulu appeared beside her.

"Wakka, Cid, please don't jump to conclusions. If Yuna was going to do something like that, she'd tell all of you." She spoke softly, though with a command in her voice. She seemed tired of the nonsense.

This appeared to shake Wakka out of his trance. "You're… not engaged, Yuna?" He managed, blinking as if the whole concept was a little too confusing for him to fully understand. "But Rikku…"

"Uhh… I just said he was her boyfriend." Rikku smiled innocently, though not very convincingly.

"But-" Yuna attempted, only to be cut off by Cid.

"Not engaged! Running around unmarried! With a man no less!" Suddenly he paused, then looked over to Tidus who seemed to be taking the whole matter quite calmly. Yuna wondered why for a moment, but didn't get a chance to dwell on it before Cid was speaking again.

"But… I always did like you, yes sir. Fine boy." He grinned, slapping Tidus on the back. "You proved you're not one of those usual idiots. You take care of Yuna, you hear? Or I'm going to make you regret it." Though he was still smiling, the edge in his voice was unavoidable.

"Yes sir." Tidus managed, still recovering from the Al Bhed's back slap.

"Well I-" Yuna tried again, but this time it was Wakka who interjected.

"Yuna! You can't go around with guys when if you're not engaged, ya?" He said, looking somewhat worried, but torn between ideals.

Beside Yuna, Lulu sighed again. "Wakka, please, don't go into this. Yuna's old enough to take care of herself, and what she does with her life is not our business."

"Not our business! We're like family, ya?" Wakka cried, turning to Lulu.

"You didn't object to this two years ago."

"Ya, but…" Wakka looked to the ground, then up again. "But that was different, ya! That was two whole years ago, and it was the pilgrimage… He was a guardian, ya?"

"Isn't he still?" Paine sighed, looking quite irritated that they'd stopped in the middle of the hall and didn't show any signs of moving.

"Well, uh… I suppose so, ya?" Wakka blinked, the thought seeming to derail his argument. "But that still doesn't mean-"

"Enough!" Lulu sighed, though her tone was louder and firmer then before. "Let Yuna decide for herself. No more about this, Wakka."

Wakka looked as if he wanted to argue, but instead just scratched the back of his neck with a sigh. "Alright, Lu. Eh…" He turned to Tidus, somewhat sheepishly. "Ah, sorry about that, ya? Didn't mean to get all uppity, ya?"

Tidus grinned. "No prob, Wakka. You're worried about Yuna, I understand."

"Can we have this conversation somewhere else?" Paine growled, as people from the other teams began to gather and watch the spectacle.

"Oh, ya! I guess we better be getting to the party, ya? Don't wanna miss it!" Wakka grinned, seeming to have put the whole matter behind him.

Yuna wondered if that'd be the end of it, but doubted it. Somehow she didn't think any of them would be happy until she got married and settled down. Then maybe they'd stop worrying. Or maybe they'd just worry more.

'Married…' She thought with a long pause, looking to the ground. She hadn't even thought about that. She'd always had dreams of what might happy if Tidus had ever come back, but when it'd actually come true, she'd forgotten everything. It was more important that he was here. She didn't want to look into the future, not yet. She just wanted to be happy with the present. 'Why does everyone have to be in a rush?'

Besides, her last wedding hadn't exactly gone well. She wasn't entirely sure she wanted to repeat the process. Though granted, it'd be quite different then last time. For one thing she wouldn't be marrying Seymour… She involuntarily shuddered at the mere memory of it. Even after two years, the whole thing still disgusted her.

"Yunie!" Rikku shouted, waving her hands in front of Yuna's face. "YUNIE!"

"What?" Yuna blinked, startled and drawn out of her thoughts.

"Sheesh! You zoned out on us! Come on, we're going to miss the party!" Rikku scolded, then skipped off after the others who she noticed had already begun to leave. Only Tidus still stood nearby, his eyes always seeming to be focused on her.

"You okay?" He asked with a questioning look, as he walked beside her behind the others.

"I was just thinking…" She said quietly, and looked up to the ceiling of the hallway.

"About?" He asked, a slight grin on his face as they began up the stairs.

'Do I really want to say it?' She thought hesitantly, coming to a stop as they entered the large entrance area of Luca's sphere dome. The place was crowded with people, all of which were surrounding the Aurochs and Gullwings as fast as they came down the stairs. Some had already spotted Yuna, and were waving and cheering. She smiled at them and gave a little wave, though it was more of a conditioned response then anything else.

'Do I want to spoil the moment with the future?' As she watched she could see a very excited Shelinda heading her way, a microphone held tightly in her hands. No doubt there would be a demand for interviews. Not something Yuna wanted to deal with at the present moment.

Yuna sighed aloud, and Tidus raised an eyebrow in response.

"Yuna?"

'Not yet.' She didn't want to spoil it. Yuna turned away from the crowd and faced him, ignoring Shelinda who was already making her way up the stairs and clearing her throat to speak.

Grabbing Tidus's hand, she ran down the stairs after the others who were slowly leaving the entrance. Going straight past Shelinda, Yuna felt guilty for a moment until she made herself push it away. She'd do it later. She was far too happy now, she didn't want to be the High Summoner. She didn't want to be fawned over and awed at. She just wanted to be plain old Yuna.

"Yunie! Come on!" Rikku shouted, waving her arms around as if to make herself more easy to spot. Her cousin then turned and began to jog out towards the middle of Luca, no doubt to the house that Lulu had rented for all of them for the night.

As they finally waded out of the crowds, Yuna stopped running. Grinning she looked up to the sky to take in a deep breath of the warm air. The sky was slowly turning orange, indicating that night would soon be upon them. Had the day really gone so fast?

"Ohh come on! Move faster!" Rikku cried, turning around to face Wakka and the Aurochs who had stopped. They were giving autographs out to the fans that had run after them, and seemed to be quite enjoying themselves. "We gotta go party!"

"Aren't you tired of partying yet?" Paine sighed, but she was completely ignored by the Al Bhed.

"Come on Wakka!" Rikku flailed her arms about her, scowling as Wakka kneeled to hand a ball back to a young boy.

"Hey, our fans our important, ya! You guys go on ahead if you want, we're going to stay here for a while. Gotta show em that the Aurochs are back for business!" He grinned, carefully signing a Blitzball a girl had held up to him.

"Don't be too long." Lulu sighed, shaking her head but smiling in spite of it.

"Lady Yuna!" Puffed Shelinda suddenly, who appeared beside Yuna as if out of thin air. "May I ask you a few questions about your appearance at the Blitzball tournament today?" She asked enthusiastically, her companions coming up behind her with sphere-recorders.

"Um…" Yuna blinked, surprised they'd actually caught up. Somewhere behind her she could hear Rikku give a loud sigh and begin to kick the ground in impatience.

"Yuna's busy right now. She'll talk to you tomorrow!" Tidus suddenly interrupted, and Shelinda stared at him in shock.

"Busy?" She parroted, staring at him as if he'd sprung out of no where. "Hey, aren't you…" She paused, then blinked, looking at him closer. "Haven't I met you before?" She asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

"Look, we're all busy. We don't have time for this. Come back tomorrow." Paine snapped, looking just about as bored as Rikku. Though it was more likely that Paine was eager to get back so she could sleep, not so she could take part in any party Rikku might have planned.

"But…" Shelinda blinked, looking rather disappointed. Feeling quite guilty, Yuna opened her mouth to speak when Rikku grabbed her arm.

"Come on Yunie! Run!" Her cousin cried, dragging her along with her as she ran off. Tidus who'd still been holding onto her hand, followed closely behind, laughing at Rikku's antics. Paine snorted and walked behind them, along with Lulu and the Gullwings.

"But she just wanted to ask me a few questions!" Yuna protested, but her cousin wouldn't let go of her arm.

"Questions! Never mind them! Come on Yunie, you don't have time for that! They'll hound you all day if you give them an inch!"

"She's right, you know." Tidus added with a smirk. He probably knew all about that sort of thing. From what she'd heard, the Zanarkand Abes were quite popular. Much like the Aurochs in present Spira…

"Faster Yunie, faster! You're taking forever!" Rikku clutched her cousin's hand harder and increased her pace, nearly sending Yuna face first into the ground. Tidus managed to grab her other arm before she could, and helped her up as they ran.

'What a day.' Yuna thought quietly, as she was dragged along by her near hysterically happy cousin. 'But I don't think I'd have it any other way.' She added to herself, as Tidus ran along beside her, and Rikku giggled to herself in front of them.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, a faint scream echoed. She paused, trying to make the sound out, but it had gone. Rikku's chattered drowned it out, to the point where she wondered if she had even heard it at all. Maybe it had just been her mind playing tricks on her.

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"This is so boring!" Rikku cried, stomping her foot to the floor with a look of irritation on her scowling face. "I thought this was going to be a fun party!" She added, shooting her scowl at Lulu who was calmly passing around plates of food to the few guests that were present.

Tidus yawned and leaned back in his chair. She did have a point. He'd been expecting something like the parties that rang off blitzball games in Zanarkand. But apparently, that wasn't the case in Luca. Or maybe it was the fact that Lulu didn't want anyone getting rowdy.

"It's always something with you, isn't it?" Paine sighed from across the room, sipping a small glass of what looked to be plain water. "First you want a party. Then you get a party. Now you want a busy party." She shook her head slowly and closed her eyes, as if tired about the whole thing.

"Oh come on!" Sighed Rikku, putting her hands on her hips. "Even you could agree Paine, this is one boring party!"

Lulu shot Rikku a look that seemed to be some degree of annoyance, but the black mage seemed to control herself and the look disappeared as quickly as it had come. "If you're not happy, Rikku, you can always leave." She added, her voice carrying a cold edge to it that Rikku knew all too well.

"You're as bad as Paine!" Rikku sighed, sitting down in a chair to watch the people mill around the room.

Tidus grinned but didn't say anything. He knew when to stay out of a conversation. He didn't want to get mixed up in a Rikku conflict with Lulu or Paine. Or both.

Looking over to the middle of the room, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. A real party would have been nice, he had to agree with Rikku. And Yuna would have probably enjoyed one too. Knowing her, the way she'd changed. More willing to have fun.

Fun seemed to be the last thing she was having at the moment.

Tidus sat up straighter, and sighed. Escaping the streets hadn't helped. People had still managed to spot Yuna and were hounding her for interviews or questions or just a chat. She stood in the middle of the room, the center of attention. She looked rather bored, though she was smiling.

'I know that smile.' He thought grimly, crossing his arms. 'That's not a good smile.'

She laughed, and though even though she probably didn't mean it, it still made him smile. Things really had changed.

"Oh, yes! I remember you, you're…" He could catch parts of the conversation filtering over from the general buzz. Yuna's voice cutting through the other voices with a soft edge but one that still seemed to demand attention. "It's so wonderful to see you! How are you?"

Tidus yawned. 'Well, this sucks.' He thought as he stretched and regarded the guests quietly. Brother and Buddy were sitting in another corner of the room, chattering on about the Blitzball game no doubt. Shinra was talking to Rin who seemed to be quite enjoying himself near the food platters. Cid was no where to be seen, though Tidus suspected he was just sulking somewhere on the airship, after Rikku had told him he couldn't go to a party because he was too old.

'What a family.'

Calli was over near Lulu, ogling over Vidina who was quietly sleeping in his crib, despite the noise that was coming from the room. Seemed like the kid was going to have the same calmness of his mother, even though he looked so much like his father.

"So you're the one Yuna was looking for." A voice spoke from beside him, calm and collected yet holding an edge of curiosity.

"Who are you?" Tidus asked, blinking as he sat up again to face the man.

"I'm Nooj." The man sat down in a chair beside him, and leaned his cane on the side of the chair.

"Oh, right. Yuna told me about you. You're the leader of the Youth League."

"Yes, I am. And you are?" Nooj tilted his head, a curious look on his face.

"Tidus. I'm from… uh…" His voice trailed off. Should he even try to explain?

"I heard about it, but I didn't know you were the one." Nooj smiled a little, then looked out to the middle of the room where Yuna was speaking to people still.

"Ahh, you did?" Tidus blinked, frowning.

"Yuna explained it, briefly. There's plenty of rumors going around too." He added, with a smirk.

"Rumors? What rumors?" Tidus frowned more, scratching the back of his neck.

"Well, there were plenty going around two years ago, and in the time between then and now. But now that you've… come back, and were seen tonight, well… Shelinda does have quite the imagination."

"Oh." Tidus looked to the floor, then up to Yuna. He should have known that was going to happen. But then, what did it really matter? Let them spread rumors. "What's the problem?"

"Nothing, really. I was just saying." Nooj shrugged, sipping his drink. "Though it may give Yuna trouble."

So there was something that he thought was a problem. "What kind of trouble?"

Nooj laughed. "They might start asking her about you and her personal life. The people love Yuna. But they'd also love to know all about her. She's not used to this kind of thing. She might find it overwhelming."
"So what am I supposed to do?" Tidus frowned again, crossing his arms.

Nooj shrugged again. "Make sure she doesn't get overwhelmed. There is a lot going on right now, for her. This new business with the Fayth… She has to be careful. It could do a lot of damage to her, if she isn't."

"Yuna's always careful." Tidus said quietly, though somehow he didn't believe that.

"Always?" Nooj laughed and shook his head. "Lately she's been quite reckless."

"Well, she's doing what she wants. You can't tell her not to." Tidus said somewhat defensively, looking to Nooj with a slight frown.

"Just help her stay out of trouble. Take care of her. She needs that, she doesn't look out for herself enough anymore."

Tidus slowly looked over to Yuna again. Maybe Nooj was right. But even so, what he was saying was hardly new. He'd intended to do that from the very first time he'd met Yuna. Take care of her. Protect her. Make sure she didn't get herself killed.

"Don't worry about it." He said quietly, still watching Yuna.

"I didn't think I'd have to." Nooj smiled again, and stood up.

'Well, that was interesting.' Tidus thought to himself as Nooj slowly walked away, heading towards the tables that were set with various foods. There was something strange about the man, that he just couldn't figure out. Not evil, like Seymour had seemed to be, but… something just a bit different then other people of Spira. 'Strange.'

"Well if it isn't Cid's girl!" A voice suddenly exclaimed cheerfully, and Rikku shrieked as a blonde man swept her hair over her eyes.

"HEY!" She cried, sitting up and spinning around to face the tall Al Bhed who had appeared. He seemed to hold himself with an air of importance, yet a reckless confidence. One of his eyes was covered with a black eye-patch, while the other glinted amusement.

"I have a name!" Rikku snapped, rearranging her hair with a look of great distaste aimed in his direction.

"Sure sure, Rikku." He grinned, and sat down where she'd been sitting.

"Hey! That's my chair! Gippal!" She cried, grabbing his arm and trying to drag him off of it. But he wouldn't be moved, and seemed greatly amused at her failing attempts. "Get off!" She cried louder, kicking him in the shin to no effect.

"So, you're Tidus huh?" Gippal said, looking over to Tidus and ignoring Rikku who was rattling off Al Bhed curses at him.

"Yeah." At a lack of anything else to say, Tidus watched the two Al Bhed curiously. He'd never seen the man before, or even heard his name mentioned outside of Yuna's story. Yet it seemed clear that Rikku knew him, and had known him for quite a while.

"That your boyfriend, Rikku?" He grinned, chancing a guess and suspecting that it was wrong just the same. Not that it mattered. It'd be fun to see how she'd react, maybe stir some life into the party.

Rikku made a high pitched shriek, but was cut off before she could say anything more by the sudden appearance of Cid.

"Gippal! Good to see you!" He grinned, slapping his hand on Gippal's shoulder. Gippal grimaced, but still appeared to be quite amused by Rikku's antics.

"Heyy, Cid! How've you been?" Gippal shook the older man's hand, much to the disgust of Rikku who muttered something quite foul sounding in Al Bhed.

"Rikku! Watch your mouth you lady!" Cid snapped, turning to Rikku who had her arms crossed and was looking smug. Gippal laughed, but Cid didn't seem as impressed. "Apologize, right now!"

Rikku shut her mouth, and shot poisoned glares at the three men who were now watching her intently to see her reaction. She looked quite angry, and Tidus doubted the chances of her apologizing to anyone, any time.

"Ah, don't worry about it." Gippal said finally, waving his hand at Rikku as if she wasn't there. "She's always like this, I'm used to it."

Cid glared back at Rikku, who was now pacing the floor with her eyes locked on Gippal. It seemed almost as if she were some sort of fiend waiting for her chance to strike. Tidus wasn't sure he wanted to be around when she finally did.

"I tried to raise her good! But look what happened." Cid sighed, crossing his arms and shaking his head.

"You didn't raise us at all!" Rikku hissed, practically foaming at the mouth as she glared daggers at him.

"You keep saying that! It's not true! I paid plenty of attention to you and your useless brother! You just wouldn't behave." He muttered something else in Al Bhed, which Tidus couldn't catch.

Rikku didn't say anything, and continued to glare at him. "Meanies." She finally sniffed, turning away and crossing her arms as if she were upset and hurt.

"Aww, now look what you've done! You've gone and upset her." Gippal shook his head, chuckling away. "Poor Rikku. Don't worry, I still like you."

Rikku snorted, and didn't turn around.

Cid sighed, and shook his head. "Ah, forget it." Sitting down beside Gippal, he leaned back in the chair and regarded Rikku with a curious look. "You know, it's time you settled down, Rikku." She spun around and glared, but seemed to keep herself from snapping at him. She probably knew it was a futile effort, her father was just going to keep saying it no matter what she did.

"Look at Gippal here! You don't see him running around without any common sense." Cid continued, nodding to Gippal who just smiled at Rikku somewhat enthusiastically. Rikku sneered, and put her hands on her hips.

"He was just the same as me until he decided to get a big head and start giving orders to everyone!" She snapped, looking over to Gippal who shrugged.

"Hey, you could have done the same thing, if you'd learned how to get a little bit of control."

"Control?!" Rikku sputtered, throwing her hands up in the air. "I'm having fun! You two old grumps can sit around and pretend you're so important, but the Gullwings here are going to enjoy life! Right, Tidus?"

Tidus grinned and nodded, and Gippal seemed amused by it.

"She's dragged you into the Gullwings huh? Should have known that was going to happen. Rikku doesn't let anyone have a break until they do things her way."

Rikku stuck her tongue out at him, and turned away again. "You're just jealous of all the fun we're having." She muttered, and sat down a ways away from them.

"Phew." Cid sighed again, and closed his eyes. "I don't know where I went wrong with that girl."

"Ah, you didn't do anything wrong. She's just that way. It's what makes her Rikku." Gippal grinned, grabbing a drink from the table behind him. "It'd be wrong to see her any other way." He added, gulping down the drink.

"No kidding." Tidus grinned as well, standing up. He wouldn't lie to himself, he was getting bored with the whole thing. Yuna didn't seem to be finished yet, and nobody else seemed interesting enough to talk to. How dull. Maybe he'd just go out for some air…

"You throw a party, without inviting Leblanc?!" A woman's angry voice suddenly broke through the party, and everyone fell silent as they turned to the now open door. A blonde woman stood there, looking quite irritated, her eyes searching the room as she scowled. Two men appeared behind her, somewhat hesitantly peering around the room from over her shoulders.

"Oh great." Paine sighed, rolling her eyes. "Just what we needed."

"Hey, who invited her?" Rikku glared, her anger towards Gippal and Cid forgotten as she turned to Leblanc's direction.

"Nobody did. She invited herself." Paine snorted, gazing up at the ceiling as if it were the most remarkable feature in the entire room.

"I've never been so insulted!" Leblanc continued, sweeping into the room and looking about in distaste. "How… boring!" She cried, spinning around to face Yuna. "This is your idea of a party?"

Yuna's face went slightly red, but she managed to keep a smile on her face. "Well, it's not my party, actually-"

"Hah! That's the funniest thing I've heard all week! Isn't it boys?" Leblanc turned to look at the men behind her, and they quickly nodded.

"Oh yeah, boss! Real funny!" The shorter of the two nodded, not looking at all like he meant it.

"Indeed." The tall one said quietly, looking quite bored but eager to stay out of her range of temper.

"Hah!" Leblanc turned back to face Yuna, who was swallowing carefully. "Not you who threw the party! Well! You run around saving Spira, then go swimming about in some water pool, raise all of Luca into a fuss, and then you say you didn't throw the party? Stop trying to be funny! We all know you're trying to steal the spotlight from Leblanc!"

"That's not what I meant to do." Yuna continued to smile, though she looked as if she'd like to just disappear, or better yet, have Leblanc disappear.

"Yes it is!" Leblanc cried, and suddenly looked quite devastated. "You're trying to ruin my wedding plans!" With a dramatic sob, Leblanc turned and swept across the room, until she spotted someone who caught her eye. "Oh! Noojie-Woojie! This is where you've been hiding!"

"I had to come to pay my regards to Yuna, Leblanc." Nooj said quietly, standing up and looking as calm as ever.

"Oh, of course!" Leblanc smiled, looking somewhat distracted. It seemed she was more concerned with him then with what he was saying.

"Wedding plans?" Yuna echoed, blinking as she watched the woman swoon over Nooj.

"Oh! Haven't you heard?" Leblanc sniffed, spinning around to face her. "Noojie-Woojie and I are getting married!"

Yuna stared at her for a moment, then looked over to Nooj who nodded simply.

"So soon?" Yuna managed, looking somewhat shocked.

"Why wait? We've found true love!" Leblanc cooed, smiling dreamily at Nooj.

"But…" Yuna's voice trailed off as she slowly came out of the daze. "That's wonderful news! When?"

"Oh, we don't know yet. Around the end of the month, no doubt." Leblanc smiled silkily, as Logos and Ormi sighed behind her.

"You're all invited, of course." Nooj added, smiling a little in Yuna's direction.

"Thank you, we'll be sure to come." She smiled back, bowing her head a little as she spoke.

"Doesn't waste any time does she?" Paine snorted, as she sat up and began to walk towards the door that led to the sleeping rooms. "That's it, I've had it. I'm going to bed." She sighed, and paused to look over to Yuna. "Don't stay up to late. We have to leave early tomorrow. Remember we're here to figure out what's going on, not party." With that said, Paine didn't pay any more heed to anyone in the room, and left quietly. Rikku sniffed and rolled her eyes.

"No appreciation for fun."

Grinning in spite of himself, Tidus walked over to where Yuna stood. She was watching Leblanc wearily, as if she'd had quite enough of the loud woman.

"Having fun?" He asked, leaning closer to her as the party slowly began to drift away from Yuna and hover around Nooj and Leblanc, asking various questions and offering congratulations.

"Not really." Yuna said, smiling at a woman who passed by and greeted her.

"Wanna scream?" He grinned, and she looked up at him with a smirk.

"That'd be nice." She said, and laughed a little, looking suddenly happier.

He smiled back at her, and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the door. Nobody else seemed to notice, they were too busy with Leblanc and Nooj. Even Rikku was distracted.

Yuna frowned a little in curiosity, walking to keep up with him. "Where are we going?"

He didn't say anything, and led her out of the room. Heading towards the stairs and past all the rooms, he finally stopped in front of the door that opened out to the balcony. Opening the door, he was amazed by the sight. He'd never been there before, but somehow, he'd just known it was there. As Yuna walked up behind him, she gasped.

Luca was laid out beyond the view, the night filled with the twinkling lights of the city. By the look on her face, she'd never seen it before, though, neither had he. Walking over to the railing, he leaned over and looked around below them. The streets were filled with lights, but lacking the large crowds he was used to seeing. Seemed everyone was at home, enjoying quite time after all the excitement at the Blitzball game.

"It's beautiful." Yuna whispered, leaning beside him as she stared out at the city. "It looks like… Zanarkand did, in that sphere." She added quietly after a moment, resting her elbows on the rail.

"Yeah." Tidus said softly, and suddenly felt a little sad. It did look a lot like Zanarkand, but not as bright. "More lights in Zanarkand, though."

"I still wish I could see it." Closing her eyes, she leaned her head on his shoulder, and he felt suddenly at ease.

"It's better here." He said finally, sighing as he looked up to the star filled sky. "It's quieter."

She smiled a little, but didn't say anything else. They stood there for uncounted moments, quietly leaning against one another and staring out over the city. Tidus couldn't recall when he'd felt more at peace. It was a good feeling. He could get used to it.

Suddenly, something changed, and Yuna pulled away, her brow furrowed as if in worry.

"Yuna?" He asked, turning to face her and realized she was in pain. So much for getting used to it being at peace.

"It's… screaming again…" She whispered, opening her eyes a little to look at him.

"But you haven't been around any fiends…" His voice trailed off. It was getting stronger. Nooj was right, it was hurting her. She just hadn't been showing it, until it got to this point.

Hugging her tightly, Tidus couldn't help but feel somewhat helpless as she clenched her teeth and gripped him tighter. After what seemed like an eternity but couldn't possibly have been more then a minute or two, Yuna relaxed.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly, brushing a strand of hair that had fallen in her eyes.

"Now I am." She managed, closing her eyes and burying her face in his shoulder, hugging him tightly. "I don't know how to tell it I'll end it's pain…" She sighed, sounding overwhelmed and tired.

"Just hold on, Yuna. It'll be okay." Tidus heard himself say, trying to convince both her and himself. He wasn't going to let anything take her away without a fight, not after all that'd happened.

"Thank you." She said softly, and he smiled down at her, wishing he could take the burden away from her.

"Hey, that's what I'm here for. I'm your guardian, remember?" He grinned a bit, and she smiled in reply. She gazed up at him quietly, her face still flinching from the pain, but struggling against it. She wanted to be happy, happier then she already was. But now this… thing, was trying to steal it away from her. He felt useless, having no way to tell what she was going through.

"I'm glad." Yuna spoke finally, wrapping her arms around his neck and smiling up at him again. Though tears glinted on the edge of her eyes, he suspected they were happy ones.

Carefully leaning down he kissed her softly, and she felt him relax in his arms. Holding her carefully he refused to think about what might happen if the Fayth really did hurt Yuna. He didn't dwell on the thought. Instead he pushed it away and held her tighter, never wanting to let go. That was a moment he wanted to last for eternity, but the good moments never seemed to last.

"Ah, Yuna? Where are-" A voice suddenly interrupted, and Yuna pulled away from Tidus after a moment of hesitation.

"Brother?" She asked, blinking, as the Al Bhed poked his head out of the door and stared dumbfounded at her and Tidus.

"I… uh… Lulu… was… looking for… you?" He managed, still staring at them as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I'll go right away." She forced a smile, then looked back to Tidus who found himself also, trying to smile. "I'm sorry…"

"It's okay." He smiled reassuringly at her, squeezing her hand a little as she walked towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes." She nodded, smiling again at him, as she walked around Brother and disappeared into the hall.

'Why does it always have to end like this? Why can't we just have some peace for once? Just once?'

"Goodnight, Brother." Tidus sighed, turning back to look out to Luca. Brother mumbled something ineligible, then quickly scurried away from the door, back into the hall.

Tidus gave a long sigh, and crossed his arms over the railing. He was really starting to look forward to the time when all this would settle down, and he'd have some time alone with Yuna to talk, without being interrupted by Fayth or some particular Al Bhed family.

~~~~~~~

A/N:

… My apologies if this chapter seemed rushed, short, out of character, pointless, repetitive, or … something else bad I can't think of right now. I've been trying to get it done for a long time now and it was driving me insane. I just had to finish it. It's finally done, and I'm somewhat happy with it. I hope it's not too disasteriffic, and is actually readable.

Chapter 9 coming soon, I promise. *collapses* Next chapter will be ADVENTURE type, I promise. No more constant talk talk talk talk talk. The Gullwings get to run around in the Underground of Bevelle again. Doesn't that sound like fun?