Okay, I'm not at all happy with this chapter, especially not how it ends. Oh well. Tennis will be over in two weeks at the very latest, and then I should be able to update much more and have my chapters be much more thorough. However, right now, I'm caught up between tennis, school, and the novel that I've been working on for the past two years that I'm finally almost finished with! Anyway, here's chapter 13, and you might as well just consider it a filler for something larger, I suppose. (By the way, do you guys like fluff? I'm not very good at writing it...but I'm thinking of trying...) Anyway, here's chapter 13! Enjoy!

Chapter 13: Never Alone

"Damn," Tidus said, dropping Yuna's hand as they walked into a little place located in downtown Bevelle.

"What is it?" Yuna asked, as Tidus just stood there, looking annoyed, and angry at the same time.

"See those two," he said, pointing to two men around twenty-two who were sitting at the bar, "They're on my team."

"Go say 'hi' then," Yuna said, just smiling, although he just gave Yuna a disgusted look.

"You don't want to be friends with them," he said, shaking his heads, "They're not friendly at all."

"Are they the ones who give you trouble?" Yuna asked, staring at the two thoughtfully.

Tidus nodded. "Yeah," he said then, shaking his head disgustedly at the two.

"Do you want to go elsewhere?" Yuna asked.

"Sure," Tidus just said, and turned around.

"Hey Jecht's Son!" the two heard a voice yell, and Tidus turned around sharply, "What you doing?"

"I was going to grab something to eat," Tidus said, rolling his eyes, "But seeing you two Morons here, I was going to leave."

"Smart move," the darker-haired one said, "'Cause we'd kick the crap out of ya if you stayed."

"An' then we'd have fun with your little friend," the other one said.

Tidus gritted his teeth angrily, shooting a quick look at Yuna, swallowed, and took Yuna's hand, giving it a squeeze, and then led the way toward the door. Normally, he would have engaged in some sort of fight or another, and for some reason it deeply bothered him when people said such things to or about Yuna. As they walked out, he stole another glance down at Yuna, who just had this look on her face as if she was trying to decide whether or not to ask Tidus something. Tidus sighed, thinking of what he'd say to Yuna's question. In his eyes, there she was, the rich daughter of Lord Braska, the sweet, innocent, tiny little thing who'd been sheltered for her entire life. And she was with him. "Yeah, and like I'm a good influence," Tidus thought sarcastically, shaking his head, "I've got to be the worst out there..."

"How come they're so mean to you?" Yuna asked Tidus, interrupting his thoughts.

"You mean them?" Tidus asked, his puzzlement showing.

"Who else?" Yuna asked with a shrug, "They're your teammates, aren't they?"

"Naive...that's what she is," Tidus thought, looking at her in his thought, "She just doesn't realize that..."

"They're jealous," Tidus said out loud to Yuna, "That's what it is. They all hate me."

"Just because you're better than them?" Yuna asked, and now it was her turn to look puzzled.

"Come on now Yuna," Tidus said, "Haven't you ever had anyone hate you just because they're jealous of you?"

"No," Yuna said, and Tidus wanted to laugh. She was so serious.

"Yeah? What about Dona?" Tidus said this as much more of a statement than a question, "And even Seymour."

"Dona? She's my best friend, Tidus!" Yuna said, giving a little laugh, as if she couldn't believe what he'd just said, "She's not jealous of me! And Seymour? He's just some creep!"

"Oh? Then why didn't you try-out for that lead part?" Tidus asked Yuna, giving her a questioning look.

"Because–I told you already! I'm not good enough!" Yuna said, looking angry. Tidus felt somewhat bad about making that angry frustrated look appear on Yuna's face, but he was feeling bewildered at how much Yuna really didn't see the jealously in Dona.

"You are too!" Tidus said, "Dona sucks!"

"Don't say that!" Yuna cried, pulling her hand away from Tidus', "She's my best friend! And, and she's way better than me! She's always gotten the leads before!"

"Probably because you didn't try out," Tidus just said calmly.

"That's...only–," Yuna paused, as if not knowing what to say, "That's only partly true!" she finished quickly.

"It's the full truth," Tidus just said, "And you know it! How can you even know if you don't try? Look, I hate to bore you and all, but do you think I'd be where I am now if I hadn't tried?"

Yuna crossed her arms, looking away from Tidus, a piercing angered look shining in her eyes.

"All I'm saying," Tidus said, before Yuna could say anything else, "Is that you don't know until you try. What's the worst that could happen? Okay, you can either not go for it and not get the part, or you can go for it and maybe get the part, or not get the part. What's the difference? You'll be at the same place or better! It's not like you'll be worse off. I'm just saying that'd be really cool if you got the lead. And I know you could do it."

Yuna was silent, and didn't look Tidus in the eyes. He was right, and he definitely had a point. Still, there was know way anybody hated her because they were jealous. That kind of stuff just didn't happen. So, she voiced this.

"People still wouldn't hate somebody just out of jealously," Yuna said surely.

"Don't be so sure about that," Tidus just said flatly, and, as if finally deciding to change the topic, said, "So, where do you want to eat?"

Yuna shrugged slowly, "I don't care."

"Okay then, I'm choosing!" Tidus said cheerfully, deciding the tension in the air needed to lighten up.

Yuna smiled at him, and re-took his hand, and the two walked down the street, toward another little place where they could grab a bite to eat.

The two were seated, and Tidus looked through the menu greedily, while Yuna kind of just stared off into space.

"What's up?" Tidus asked, after he'd finally chosen from his three favorite meals, "You look kind of down."

"I don't ever want to go home," Yuna said softly.

"Huh?" Tidus just said, feeling perplexed. What was she talking about?

"I don't ever want to go home," Yuna said again, still staring off into space. Tidus noticed then how tired she looked, and her eyes were moist.

"Are you feeling okay?" Tidus asked, as caring as he possibly could, "Because if you want—."

"Don't take me home!" Yuna said then, closing her eyes.

Tidus didn't know what to think. Was it a mood swing? Was it something else? Not knowing what to say to her, he just leaned back, not really knowing what to do.

Then, he leaned forward and said softly, "I'm not going to take you home if you don't want to go."

Yuna buried her head in her arms then, and began to sob.

"Was it something I said?" Tidus found himself asking himself, and he looked around the small restaurant, as if hoping the answer of what to do was there somewhere.

Taking a breath, Tidus reached over and brushed back some of Yuna's hair with his hand.

"Wanna tell me what's up?" he asked gently.

Yuna picked her head off of the table, and looked at Tidus with red eyes. Then, she looked at the table. Too many thoughts were swarming through her head. How could she ever sort them out herself, let alone explain them to Tidus?

"I'm worried," she finally said, "About what my father thinks of my disappearance. And what he'll say or do when I get home. Not only that, but..." Yuna stopped, still staring at the table.

"But what?" Tidus asked, and could tell that already Yuna was feeling better, getting all of her thoughts off of her chest.

"I don't know," Yuna finally just said, "I just feel so...tired. Like I can't sleep or anything at night, and I'm just so...tense."

"Yeah, I can tell," Tidus said, and tried to give Yuna a little smile, "You sure you're feeling okay?"

Yuna nodded. "I just..." Yuna paused and looked away from Tidus again, "feel so much safer with you. Ever since I met you, everything's just been a question to me. Like, my relationship with my father. He's always gone, and when he's around, he's always too busy for me, and when I do try to talk to him, he always just acts like I'm weird, or strange. And he absolutely despises you, and I thought maybe it was just one of those father-daughter things when they didn't like it when their little girls were all grown up, but he loves it when I'm with Seymour, and he never wouldn't let me see Gippal, and Gippal was even an Al Bhed, but when it's you..." Yuna stopped her rambling, and then smiled up at Tidus, "Know what I mean?"

"I guess," Tidus said with a shrug, "Maybe he's just tense too, though, know what I mean? And at least your old man doesn't sit around drinking all day."

"I guess so," Yuna said softly, "But still, my father just makes me so angry." Yuna gave a little laugh, and said, "You know, I'll bet you anything that he'll still leave bright and early for his meeting in the Calm Lands. Sometimes I truly believe his work is much more important to him than I am."

"Maybe," Tidus said softly, "But I doubt it."

"I don't," Yuna said, "I do everything I possibly can to please him, but it always seems that no matter what I do he's never pleased enough, because I did this wrong, or that wrong, or maybe even that wrong..."

"At least your old man would be happy when you win something, and not happy when you lost."

"Your father gets mad at you when you win?" Yuna asked, trying to suppress a giggle. Just the way Tidus said it...

"Yeah! Especially when we lose to the Abes!" Tidus laughed, although Yuna could tell he didn't really find it funny.

"Does he really like to see you fail?" Yuna asked.

"Oh yeah," Tidus said, and his cheerful voice remained, although the look in Tidus' eyes told Yuna that again, it wasn't as casual of a topic as Tidus made it seem, "Sometimes, I try really hard to make him proud, not because it'll make him proud, but because I love the look on his face that he gets. See, he's jealous of me. And he hates me for it..." Tidus' eyes dimmed, and he looked off into space, "There's proof. My old man-he hates me just 'cause I'm better than him. Just like my teammates."

Tidus' quirky smile had continued to fade as he had gone on, and suddenly he looked at Yuna, and said, "You know, you're my only true friend. The rest...they're all after my popularity, or they hate me. One of the two."

Yuna just kind of nodded. She supposed that she had to agree with him.

Yuna leaned her head in her hand, staring thoughtfully at Tidus, and then burst out in a fit of giggles.

"And what is so funny?" Tidus asked her, an amused look coming onto his face.

"You and I!" she said, "We're both so full of self-pity, you because your father 'hates' you because you're too good, and me, because my father 'hates' me because I'm not good enough!"

"I'm glad you find that funny," Tidus said, his amused look never fading.

"I could only find it funny with you," Yuna said, as she flashed him a little smile. Yuna continued to smile and looked over toward the entrance only to have her smile fade. Standing in the entryway of the restaurant was none other than Seymour Guado, as well as a few of his friends. Although she would have done anything for it to not happen, Seymour's eyes locked ont Yuna's, and he smiled an incredibly evil smile at her, and slowly made his way over...