The boy was so absorbed into the vision that flashed before his ocean eyes that he forgot completely about the game he was playing. Slow motion, his descent was all in slow motion, for his mind floated in a hazy dream. Then the pain coursed through his skin, shots of an uncomfortable burning feeling when his body collided with the water in a wrong angle, absorbing the impact. He would have gasped, but he knew better than to do such underwater, his trained skills at Blitzball.

"Man, what do ya think ya'r doin, yah?" called Wakka in an angered voice, once the players were out of the sphere.

Tidus didn't answer, he was sitting with his head low, still breathing heavily at the loss of air he had suffered from the terrible impact. He raised his head to gaze at the deck where the young angel had been spotted. There she was, observing the horizon and seeing nothing, so sad, so depressed, so lifeless. Suddenly a Guado man came, grabbed her arm and they engaged in a discussion, then they fled from scenery.

"Ah man, forget her, she's not for ya!" the red headed commented, seeing the place where Tidus' eyes had been resting, and finding the deadly mermaid.

"I think he's right Tidus, she's a millionaire, and you are third class, you will never reach her!" Rikku explained worriedly, staring at her best friend with the caring eyes of a sister.

"I know!" Tidus said giving in to the obvious, lowering his head and sighing deeply.

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Lips pursed and blew a cloud of pale smoke, rancid and with a thick odour of burnt plants and acidic substances. Pale eyes gazed at the dark depths of the vast ocean, veiled by a velvet film of dark blue, splashed by millions of glittering stars. Tidus had needed some fresh air, hence he had come out from his room, just to clear his mind and have a cigar. Then destiny raced behind his oblivious back, wearing high heels and a tight, red dress that glittering with purpurine. The young man turned around and saw the girl he had seen before, running rapidly, desperate, her face sprinkled with tears. He pursued her silently, keeping distance only to observe and see her intentions.

The young woman reached the edge of the ship's back. She looked at the enormous height, the raging turbines propelling the monstrous machine forward. She felt tears welling up in her eyes, a knot of fear twisting in the pit of her stomach, and her terrible sadness and loneliness blinding her coherence. The wealthy girl climbed up the railings and stood on the other side, preparing herself, ready to do it, she was going to jump, nothing will stop her.

"It's kind of dangerous being there, you know?" Tidus commented passively, leaning forward to catch a better look at the other side of the railing, and taking a zip of his cigar. "But you have one heck of looks!" he finished with a grin.

"Who are you? What do you want? Go away or I'll jump!" Yuna shrieked hysterically.

"I was just enjoying the fresh night, and anyways, if you had wanted to jump you would have already done it!" the man commented calmly, smiling at the girl through his sparkling, intelligent eyes.

"And just who do you think you are to consider my priorities?" gasped the woman, now more enraged than unhappy.

"Me? Nobody, I am simply a third class passenger who doesn't have the right to give his opinion!" Tidus said tearing his gaze away from the girl, gazing at the black horizon and taking a deep breath of his cigar.

"Then why don't you go and leave me alone?" Yuna gasped annoyed, narrowing her eyebrows and glaring at the boy angrily.

"Because now I feel involved!" the boy cast a sparkling gaze at the woman, "and if you jump I'll have to jump after you, and honestly, I don't really want to do that, I mean it's really high, and the impact could pretty much kill me, and if it doesn't the sharks from this tropical waters would!" Tidus explained looking down with a disgusted gaze.

The girl stared at the boy thoughtfully, something seemed to light in her mind upon observing the handsome boy. Nobody had ever been that thoughtful towards her, in his very own eccentric way, but he was. A smile played on her fresh lips, and the girl turned around, gazing at the extended hand Tidus was presenting her. Joy, happiness, it was a new, welcomed feeling for her, and fear shook her entire soul when her high heels slipped and she was forced down by her own weight. And all she could do was yell, pray help and cry in terror.

Tidus used his magnificent reflexes and caught a tight grip of her before she could fall completely. His face contracted, and his muscles inflated at the effort. The boy used all the strength he could gather, and pulled her back on the deck. They collapsed on the deck, both breathing heavily, Tidus leaning over her with worry and staring at her beautiful figure.

"Are you ok?" the boy inquired with concern.

"Yes!" Yuna answered with a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Hey!" yelled an enraged man.

Three figures appeared all of a sudden, the creator of the ship, Lord Seymour, and a guard. The guard tackled Tidus away from Yuna and pressed him against the railing of the ship, where his hands were tied with spouses. Seymour aided Yuna to stand up, and Tidus saw with an inner delight that the girl grimaced in disdain at the touch.

"Well, what did you think you were doing on MY ship!" gasped Cid angrily, threatening Tidus with a punch.

"I…I was doing nothing, she slipped and I just helped her back on!" Tidus said slightly altered, knowing well it was pointless because this people would never believe a third class passenger.

"Yeah, that's what you want to make us believe! You criminal!" yelled the Guado angrily, staring at the woman with tender eyes.

"Oh Seymour, stop it! It's true, I leaned too much over the railings and slipped! It was a luck Mr… er… Mr…" Yuna explained, getting rid of the grip her fiancée was placing on her.

"Tidus!" the young boy introduced himself with a light grin.

"Exactly, Tidus!" Yuna smiled embarrassed, her long conversation with the boy and she ignored her name.

"Oh, all right, let him free!" Cid ordered severely, hence his eyes still gazed at the boy with a terrible look of distrust.

"Why Seymour, aren't you going to price the boy for saving your fiancée?" inquired Yuna knowingly.

"Oh…well, ok dear!" Seymour seemed annoyed by this remark from his girlfriend, "Mr Tidus, you are invited to dine with us tomorrow!" the guado said motioning at the man, hence not even looking at him.

Then the group retreated, hence a last, sparkling glance was sent from Yuna. Tidus smiled to himself, feeling all of a sudden as if he had won the lottery. He would have yelled, he would have screamed out his joy, but that would make matters far more suspicious than they already where.

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"That she did what?" shrieked Rikku in her hysterical, high pitched voice.

"She invited me tomorrow night for dinner!" Tidus exclaimed all too excited, he was back at his chambers, and his face was illuminated with some sort of delight Rikku had never seen. "Not even when he is with me!" the girl thought depressively, feeling a slight pang of burning pain scratching her insides.

"Oh, come on Tidus!" Rikku snapped regaining her humour, "you are pulling it on me, the whole story is too…unbelievable!" the young girl finished with a knowing smile, placing her hands on her hips.

"I'm serious, you'll see tomorrow!" Tidus pointed out, feigning hurt.

"Ok, ok, I'll believe you then, but anyways I don't think it's such a good idea!" Rikku commented now more seriously, tossing her feet nervously.

"Why not? She's such a wonderful woman, delicate, beautiful, well mannered, and with that innocent personality!" Tidus' eyes were directed to the ceiling dreamily, his words spoke nothing but wonders about the young Summoner.

"And is annoyingly wealthy!" snapped Rikku angrily, narrowing her eyebrows and staring at the boy with her spiralled eyes fixed on his aqua blue ones.

"So what?" snapped Tidus detecting her voice, and oblivious about the reasons that impulse this change, "That's not bad, she'll pull us out of the streets!" he finished.

"She'll pull YOU out of the street, and anyways, you are not serious about having a relation with her, are you?" the Al Bhed inquired, now gazing at her friend with disbelief.

"Why not?" inquired Tidus raising an eyebrow, innocent tones playing in his voice.

"Oh Tidus, you can't be serious!" snapped Rikku frustrated, raising her arms abruptly, "She is rich, you are poor, she will marry a rich man and you will marry a poor woman, unless hunger kills you first!" the girl pointed out sharply.

"Maybe she'll want to be with me!" Tidus snapped defensively.

"Maybe she'll do what she was told to, and marry that Guado guy!" Rikku pointed out angrily, raising her voice and glaring at Tidus.

"Will you two shut up already? We want to sleep!" the forest eyed Guado yelled from his bed.

Both huffed angrily and glared at the Guado for a brief second. Rikku then walked towards her bunker and climbed up, her paces careful as to not touch Tidus any bit. The boy did the same, getting under the dusty covers of his bed and not even directing a gaze at the woman who was his best friend.

"What's gone to her?" thought the boy angrily, his illusions faded when he realized Rikku was not going to leap of joy for his excellent luck.

On the upper bunker Rikku was coiled on a little ball, her knees pressed against her small breasts, her hands gripping the rough bed cloth tightly, almost painfully. She bit her leap strongly until it turned white, the metallic flavour of blood colonizing her mouth. Spiralled eyes squinted several times, and the vision of darkness blurred. She didn't know why, but she felt a terrible ache tearing her from deep inside. However, she kept her sobbing silent, feeling spasms from time to time, yet keeping her shameful animosity into the other men's oblivion.

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Tidus sat on one of the new and polished benches of the deck. He was drawing, a dusty paper and a piece of charcoal did the wonders of his entertainment. The boy was portraying one of the wealthy men's pet, an elegant and proud Vihur with a rather sharp temper. He was alone, having woken up this morning and finding Rikku was gone from her bed. Searching for her would have been futile, she was a master at hiding, and would never be found if she didn't want to. Eyes were placed with attention on his work, however busy mind ran through last night's scene. What went over her, he ignored, but deduced that she cared for him much than to let him get hurt. This assumption made him even more furious, egocentric soul telling him that he could take care of himself.

"Those pictures are very good!" Said a voice behind him, a shadow falling upon him, darkening the paper into a bluish grey.

Tidus looked up to meet the bearer of such shadow. It was…

To Be Continued…

AN: Ok, it's been so long since I last updated this fiction, but now I'm back to the battle. I believe it was just one of the reviewers from my last FF fic, Human Spirit, who unknowingly convinced me to continue this. I can't remember his name, and I'm sorry, too bad for names :p. Anyways, please read and review, I know it's not like my best work, but I thought it would be nice to finish it and see what came of it.