Hm...I don't have much to say here, except for one thing I think I kind of forgot to mention... DISCLAIMER! Oopsies...Sorry! Okay, I don't own Final Fantasy X or X-2, and if I did, I doubt I'd be posting this...I don't own any of the characters except for a few I put in here and there, so don't sue me, or I'll be sure to go ahead and fight you! (My mom works for attornies, you know!) Okay, now that the disclaimer stuff is out of the way, here is chapter 18! Oh, by the way, the things in this chapter are pretty important for later chapters, I think anyways! And get this: It's finally revealed just what it is with Tidus that Braska doesn't like! (Or at least part of the reason!) Yayness! Okay, anyway, here's chapter 18! Enjoy!
Chapter 18: Pre-Game Problems
"I can't believe she actually slept with me!" Those were most definitely Tidus' first thoughts when he awoke the next morning with a still-sleeping Yuna at his side, breathing softly. He sat straight up in the bed, stretching, and as softly as he could, slipped out of bed. He knew he had a quick morning practice up to the first big game, so he would definitely have to ready himself for that. So, slipping on his uniform quickly, and scrawling out a note, he left Yuna, still in her peaceful slumber.
"Went to practice. Game's at one. Before game, at noon, meet me at the Luca Café. See ya then! Tidus."
Yuna folded the note up and laid it back in its spot, shaking her head at Tidus' horrible handwriting. She could only smile, though, as she found herself basically leaping back to the bedroom to get dressed, wondering what it was that had her up on cloud nine, or maybe ten or eleven...
Yuna grabbed her handbag and dug her cell phone out, dialing Rikku's phone number without thought, gleefully waiting to hear her cousin's voice on the other end.
"Hello?" Rikku's groggy morning voice was heard.
"Hey Rikku!" Yuna chirped happily, tossing herself on the bed, "How are you?"
"Yunie!" Rikku just shouted, not too loud, however, "I'm in the middle of class!"
"Oops!" Yuna said, suddenly feeling bad, "I completely forgot you were in school..."
"Just because you're not in school doesn't mean normal people aren't," Rikku said, the grogginess in her voice disappearing slightly, although a somewhat jealous tone was definitely heard in Rikku's voice, "So, how are you! How was your first night...?"
"Okay," Yuna said, shrugging her shoulders, although she knew Rikku couldn't see, "You didn't happen to see us on the sphere, did you?"
"No. But that's because my pops won't let me watch the sphere. I accidentally knocked over some prized lamp of his when I was practicing my dance moves," Rikku said, and Yuna could just imagine a smile on her cousin's face.
"Oh...Well, is my father after me?" Yuna asked.
"Not that I know of," Rikku said, and suddenly said, "Uh-oh!"
"Miss Rikku," Yuna heard one of Rikku's teachers say, "Aren't cell phones illegal in school?"
"Uh...hee hee?" Rikku giggled, and then whispered quickly, "Bye Yunie! Call me later!" before Yuna heard a click, indicating that Rikku had hung up.
Yuna just smiled, and threw her phone pack into her handbag, and, suddenly eyeing her handbag hungrily, decided that she was going to go ahead and spend some of the money she'd been saving up for some time, and she was going to go shopping.
Dressing quickly, Yuna practically ran out the door, flinging her handbag, a huge smile on her face. She had two hours to herself, and then she'd meet Tidus, and then she'd go to the game, and then who knew what she'd do!
Her smile could only grow wider, however, as she spotted someone directly down the hallway who she immediately recognized as her neighbor to her vacation house in Besaid.
"Lulu!" Yuna called out, almost laughing out her childish way of yelling, her giddiness obviously having took her over completely.
"Yuna?" the older girl dressed in her trademark black clothes said, looking confused as she walked over to Yuna.
"Hey Lulu!" Yuna just said, walking giddily over to her older friend, a smile plastered on her face, "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to watch Wakka, and the Aurochs," Lulu said, shrugging casually, but then looked at Yuna with that certain older-sister look, and said, "What are you doing here? And with whom...?"
"I'm here with..." Yuna stopped, wondering what it would be that Lulu would say or think when she told her. As if she didn't already know...
"So, does your father know about this?" Lulu asked, raising her eyebrows at Yuna.
"Of course he does!" Yuna just said, and decided it best to change the subject, "I'm going shopping! Do you want to come?"
Lulu just shook her head, although it looked more as if in a scolding way than a way of replying negatively to Yuna's question.
"Yuna," Lulu said, "You're only seventeen. What are you doing here? And with who, exactly? Aren't all Blitzball players at least in their twenties?"
"Not Tidus," Yuna said, although she bit her lip immediately after saying his name. The last thing she wanted was for Lulu to scold Tidus for being out with her. "And here I've always said I didn't have a mother..."
"Tidus...He's that cocky player from Bevelle...You're sure your father allowed you to come?"
"Uh, yeah," Yuna said, "Why wouldn't he?"
Lulu just eyed Yuna with an unbelieving look, and, with a shake of her head, finally said, "Well, Yuna, it was definitely nice running into you...Take care now, okay?"
"Alright Lulu, I will!" Yuna replied, her giddiness returning.
"One more thing," Lulu said, turning and facing Yuna, "Be careful...You mustn't forget who you are, Yuna."
"I'm Yuna!" Yuna just said, putting on a smile, although she knew quite well what Lulu was speaking of. "Gosh Yuna, could you be any more like Rikku?" Yuna found herself scolding herself, before Lulu could ever have a chance to.
Lulu just shook her head again, looking as if she seriously was contemplating on whether or not to discuss some things with Yuna. Finally, she just bid Yuna farewell, and walked down the hallway.
Yuna just shook her head, deciding right then and there that nothing was going to get her down, and she meant absolutely nothing!
She found herself walking down the street quickly, for once she was out the doors of the hotel, she suddenly felt much more unsafe, and she also found herself wishing that Tidus' was there to take her by the hand and drag her from place to place like he often did.
So, walking swiftly, Yuna ducked into the first boutique that came into view, although the sight of the many wonderful articles of clothing was enough to make all of her insecurities disappear.
"Oh wow," she said, walking up to an elegant dress and running her fingers over its silky material, wondering how much it cost.
"Quite a nice article, huh Love?" Yuna heard someone behind her, and turned around, trying to hide the fact that she was somewhat startled, although the somewhat older lady noticed anyway, and gave a laugh.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you!" the blonde lady said, and Yuna just smiled, feeling somewhat embarrassed. The blonde must have been in her early twenties or so, and wore pink from head to toe, and was smiling at Yuna.
"You're not from around here, are you Love?" she asked, "My name's Leblanc. I own this boutique, as well as many others that dot the Luca streets."
"Hi, Leblanc," Yuna just said, shaking her hand, "My name's Yuna."
"Yuna?" Leblanc seemed startled upon hearing Yuna's name, and suddenly began to eye her over before saying, "Ah, the Lord Braska's daughter! Are you here to enjoy the tournament?"
"Yes," Yuna said, nodding.
"Hm, I see," Leblanc just said, and smiled, "Would you like to go to lunch with me?"
"Oh, I'd...uh...love to," Yuna said, noticing that Leblanc had grown extremely friendly at the mention of her name, "but I'm kind of supposed to meet my boyfriend for lunch in an hour at some café."
"No worries," Leblanc said, "We can go have an early little luncheon at the same café, and then you'll be all ready for that special somebody!" She winked at Yuna, and said, "It turns out, my fiancé is going to meet me too. I'll just call him up and tell him to meet me there! It can be like a double date!"
"Well, okay," Yuna said, deciding Tidus probably wouldn't mind missing out on a chance to boast about how the Brutes were sure to take the cup, so, shrugging, Yuna followed Leblanc out the door.
"Is this your first time away from home?" Leblanc asked, as a nice car pulled up, and a rather short and plump man jumped out of the passenger side to open the door for Leblanc.
"Oh, no...but it is my first time away from home without my father," Yuna admitted, climbing in the car after Leblanc, although she suddenly began to feel a little wary. She supposed she shouldn't be climbing in a car with just anybody, but she decided she was more than likely just being paranoid, and decided that she could trust this Leblanc.
Leblanc sat in the seat across from Yuna, eyeing her over and drumming her fingernails on the windowsill, before smiling and saying, "Here we are! The Luca Café!"
The short little man jumped out again, and opened the door for them.
"Thank you, Ormi," Leblanc just said, "But tell Logos not to drive so quickly next time!"
"Yes ma'am," Ormi said, in a gruff voice, as he shut the door after Yuna jumped out, and got back in.
"You took the car just to go down the street a ways?" Yuna asked, as the car sped off.
"Yuna, Yuna, Yuna!" Leblanc just said, shaking her head, "You of all people should know what it's like to live on the higher side of society! I can't be seen walking from my store to a café! Why, what would all the normal folk think of me!"
Leblanc then waltzed into the café, as if she owned the place, making Yuna wonder just who she was...
Leblanc took a seat without even waiting to be seated, and Yuna took a seat across from her. The waiter came up automatically to take their order, and Leblanc ordered her 'usual', and then turned to Yuna.
"A martini for you too?" she asked Yuna.
"Oh, no thank you," Yuna said, shaking her head, "I'll just have some water."
"Suit yourself," Leblanc said, and with a wave of her hand, sent the waiter off.
The two sat in silence, with Yuna looking into her lap, quite aware that Leblanc's eyes had never left her.
"I suppose you have no idea who my fiancé is, do you?" Leblanc asked, after their drinks had arrived.
"Oh, no, I haven't the slightest idea," Yuna said, shaking her head.
"Hm...You'll find out soon enough, I suppose," was all Leblanc said, making Yuna more curious than ever to know who it was.
They continued on, with Leblanc chatting away about her stores, and how she was thinking of buying out Guadosalam, for that was just how much money she had, and so forth, when all of a sudden a man, who looked quite old, and whom Yuna had never met before came in, causing quite a lot of onlookers. He was using a cane, and Yuna noticed he was missing a leg. She tried not to gasp, of course, and tried not to look at it, either, but was just as alarmed when he sat down across from her, next to Leblanc, and kissed her cheek.
"This is Nooj, my fiancé," Leblanc said then, and then looked at Nooj with an expression on her face that Yuna couldn't quite describe, and said, "This is Lord Braska's daughter, Yuna."
"Ah, the Lady Yuna," Nooj said, reaching his hand across the table for Yuna to shake, "I am Nooj."
"Pleased to meet you," Yuna just said, although truthfully she was finding the entire situation a little unpleasant, for people were suddenly staring at them weird, but both Leblanc and Nooj chose to ignore the looks people were giving them.
"Yuna and me met at one of my boutiques," Leblanc explained to Nooj, "So I invited her here. She's to meet her boyfriend in just a matter of time. Who is your boyfriend, by the way?"
Yuna didn't need to answer, for right then, Tidus came walking on in, smiling here and there at fans, signing someone's napkin, and then finally making his way over to Yuna. He reached the table smiling broadly, only to have that broad smile disappear the moment he saw Nooj.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Tidus asked Nooj, his eyes suddenly blazing.
"Hm, I should be asking you the same thing!" Nooj said, standing up, both he and Tidus staring at each other, as if they were to jump into a fight at any given time.
Tidus looked at Nooj, then to Leblanc, and then to Yuna, before grabbing Yuna's arm, and with some force, dragging her up.
"Come on Yuna," he said, "We need to go."
"Now just wait a second!" Leblanc said, now her standing up, also, "Yuna agreed to have lunch with us!"
"Well I'm afraid lunch is cancelled," Tidus said, starting toward the door, with an iron grip on Yuna's arm.
"Wait!" Yuna just said, trying harder than ever to ignore the stares they were receiving.
"Yes Love, just wait!" Leblanc said, grabbing onto Yuna's other arm, "If Yuna doesn't want to leave, than she shouldn't have to!"
Nooj just stood there during all of this, leaning on his cane, looking angry, and not taking his dark eyes off of Tidus.
"If I say she's leaving, she's leaving!" Tidus said through clenched teeth, and he knocked Leblanc's grip off of Yuna's arm, "Now come on, Yuna!"
"But Tidus!" Yuna just protested, but then realized that it wouldn't be so noticeable if she would just comply with Tidus' wishes.
"I'm terribly sorry!" Yuna shouted to Leblanc and Nooj, who just both stood there, watching as Tidus pulled her out the door.
As soon as they were outside, Yuna ripped her arm from Tidus' grasp, and demanded, "Tidus! What was that for!"
"Nothing, I just don't want to eat there anymore," Tidus said, taking Yuna's arm again, and dragging her down the street, apparently toward the hotel.
"That's not true!" Yuna said, "You knew them! Why couldn't we stay?"
"Yuna, they aren't your friends!" Tidus said, "They're...Well...They're not very nice people."
"And how do you know?" Yuna asked, as Tidus now pulled her into the hotel lobby. People watched them with interest as they passed, and Yuna saw out of the corner of her eye a Blitzball player nudge another Blitzball player, and laugh at the fighting couple.
Tidus just pulled Yuna into the elevator, with a quick, "Look, I'll explain when we get to the room, okay?"
"Fine," Yuna just said, as Tidus dropped her arm. She crossed her arms across her chest, and leaned on the elevator wall, deciding she wasn't going to talk to Tidus until he gave her some answers.
Finally they reached the room, and Tidus shut the door behind him, before finally sighing and saying, "Nooj used to be kind of an old friend of mine."
"He did? Did he use to Blitz?" Yuna asked, imagining his missing leg.
"No. It's...A long story," Tidus said, sitting in one of the chairs, "But I think it can also explain why your father's so against me..."
"You...Know?" Yuna asked, taking the seat next to him, wondering what Nooj could possibly have to do with her father and Tidus...
Tidus sighed, and said, "When I was young, my father was a member of the Youth League."
"The what?" Yuna asked, feeling kind of confused.
"The Youth League was made up of people who were injured fighting in the war. My father hadn't fought, being that he was a Blitzball player, but his best friend had. Anyway, when he was only fifteen, Nooj engaged in the battle, where he lost his leg. But...you see...the Youth League...Uh...Let's just say they're the ones who probably planned that assassin on your father a year ago.
Yuna's mouth seemed to drop. How did Tidus know about that? The year before, there had been a foiled plot against her father's life...One that had not been released to the public.
"Anyway, my father dropped out after his Blitz career went down the drain, and when we moved to Bevelle. But in the meantime, Nooj became known as Meyven Nooj of the Youth League, and it's basically his job to plan assassinations of politicians, such as your father. So you see, Yuna, who knows what they wanted with you! That's why all of those people were looking at you weird, too, 'cause here you are, Lady Yuna, daughter of Braska, lunching with the very man who tried to kill your father!"
Tidus' words didn't seem to completely soak into Yuna, although he was giving her this pleading look, as if begging her to understand.
"So you mean," Yuna started slowly, "That my father dislikes you because of your father?"
"Yeah," Tidus said, shaking his head, "I mean, I guess I don't blame him, but..."
"And there's people out there who don't agree with my father?"
"Yuna, there's people out there who want to kill your father, and maybe kill you too."
"But why?" Yuna seemed so confused at the thought of someone wanting to kill her father, or her.
"Because, they just do," Tidus finally said.
"Do you think Nooj and Leblanc would have killed me?" Yuna asked, her eyes suddenly wide.
"Nah, but they probably could have tried to get information out of you, or held you for ransom, or...who knows!" Tidus said, shaking his head again, chewing on his lip softly, "But it was stupid of me to leave you by yourself. I forget how...Sheltered you are."
"I'm not sheltered!" Yuna cried, standing up, as if to look defiant.
"Sure you're not," Tidus said, putting on a smile, and standing up also, "So, ready for the big game? We're gonna kick their as–." Tidus paused, noticing Yuna was going to cringe at his choice in words.
Yuna, noticing that he had noticed his cringe, just avoided his eyes and said, "Sorry, I don't care much for fowl language...I guess..."
"Sheltered!" Tidus just said, laughing.
"No...," Yuna just said, looking thoughtful as she tried to come with an excuse.
"Fine then, say a 'bad word'," Tidus taunted, his eyes wide.
"No!" Yuna said, shaking her head.
Tidus rolled his eyes, but then his cheeky smile dropped, and he said, "I wish I wouldn't swear so much."
"Then don't!" Yuna said, her smile wide.
"It's kind of a habit," Tidus just said, "I got it from hanging out with my teammates. Did you know you're the first person my age that I've hung out with since I was in like seventh grade?"
"Really?" Yuna just asked, and then said, "How about your many girlfriends? How old were they?"
"Twenties, I don't know," Tidus said with a shrug.
"Oh," Yuna just said softly, as silence consumed them then. There was so much on both of their minds, they didn't really know what else to say.
Finally, Tidus put on a huge smile, and placed his hands on Yuna's hips, and said, "Guess who we play?"
"Who?" Yuna asked, returning Tidus' smile.
"The Beasts!" Tidus said, "And you know what that means, right?"
"Haven't a clue," Yuna teased, although she knew quite well exactly what it meant.
"It means," Tidus said, "That we're going to win!"
"If you say so," Yuna just said, resting her arms around his neck.
"You know it!" Tidus said, and leant in, as to give Yuna a kiss.
However, she pulled back, and taunted, "I only kiss winners, so you'd better win!"
"Oh yeah?" Tidus said, "You'd better prepare yourself for a kiss, 'cause we're gonna win!"
Then, with that, he wrapped his arm around her waist, and side by side, they walked out the door, on their way to the first big game of the tournament.