Chapter 13

Seymour's arrival

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"Why? Is it fun to see my hopes crushed?"

Yuna's nails dug deeper into the cushion as she inwardly cringed at her own comment that occurred not long enough ago. Had she really said that out loud? Hopes? What hopes? Even if she did have hopes, he wasn't suppose to hear or know about it. A thousand thoughts sprinted through her head whilst too many emotions squeezed at her heart. Cry? She did that all ready and she was determined not to shed another tear on him. Laugh? She wanted to laugh at her own stupidity for thinking that he was a changed person, or more so, that she was the one who made him that 'changed person'. Scream? She wanted to scream out her inward frustrations. Why was this bothering her more than it should? Why the feeling of betrayal? Why the feeling of hurt? And most of all, why the feeling of doubt?

As the television presented itself with all its glory, it sadly went by unnoticed as Yuna's mind focused on anything but the T.V. The scenario replayed itself in Yuna's head for the umpteenth time that night, and the more she thought about it, the more she started to believe in Tidus' words. His arms weren't even around her, and his body gestures did show of one being caught off guard.

'No! The fact of the matter is, you saw with your own two eyes that they were kissing. Don't open yourself up to be a fool. Don't open yourself up to be hurt again. Not again. Save yourself from all the unnecessary pain.'

Yuna closed her eyes in a vain attempt to block out anymore incoming thoughts. She was satisfied with the way she was thinking now. Yes, hate him. It was the easiest way out. All along she had held up a barrier around herself, shielding her emotions from being toyed with. For so long now, she had taught herself to be cautious with Tidus, to display a feeling of dislike towards him, and there was no way in hell she was going to let herself believe that all her efforts had betrayed her as well.

Little did she know, a feeling can not be taught, it had to be felt. And she did not feel it.

Finally, her attention was drawn to the electronic box in front of her. It was some kind of soap opera, she realized, a soap opera that was… mocking her.

"We belong together." The tall handsome brunette from the soapie breathed out dramatically.

The beautiful girl's perfectly made up face looked up at her male acquaintance before replying, "I love you."

Yuna lazily slid off the two seater couch and hesitantly made her way to her bathroom. Her bi-colored eyes gazed back at identical ones as she stared at her own reflection. Unknowingly, her hand reached up to touch the side of her face as she shook her head gently, trying to let her hair fall in a more natural style. But her attempt only proved ineffective, coming to the conclusion that she was just another ordinary fish in the ocean compared to Myleena.

'Are beautiful people only meant for other beautiful people?'

"YUNIE!"

Clearing her throat slightly, Yuna yelled back weakly at her clueless cousin, "What?"

"PHONE CALL!" her shrill voice boomed through the entire apartment.

Grudgingly, Yuna made her way to the kitchen, which was right next to the lounge, not once questioning who would be looking for her. As she reached her destination, she mentally noted not to touch that particular flavoured chips as Rikku hungrily licked her fingers before diving it pack into the packet whilst, reading a magazine on one of the kitchen stools.

The brunette picked up the phone on the kitchen counter, placing it against her cheek.

"Hello?" Yuna spoke with the least bit of interest.

"YUNIE?! Guess who this is?! Oh never mind, you know all ready. I'm way too important to be forgotten. Guess who's coming to give you and Rikku a little visit? Don't know? Well it's, are you ready for it? Me, Catherine and your daddy! We'll arrive tomorrow afternoon! See ya soon gorgeous!"

And it hung up.

Yuna didn't even get a chance to utter a sound as she stood there dumbfounded with the phone still next to her ear.

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"Move it! Have you people not eaten today yet?!"

Auron's voice roared through the stadium as everyone once again picked up on their pace with whatever training they were doing. Oblivious to Auron's words, Tidus remained viciously throwing the ball towards Wakka who, without a doubt, noticed Tidus' change of behavior ever since their training started a good half hour ago. As 'big' as Wakka may seem, the ferocity and the intense look in Tidus' eyes shook him slightly. Sure he had seem him like this before, but it was now that the Besaidian had finally decided that he will never get use to it. He caught the ball weakly but never did he falter to keep his guard up. Judging from the speed and force from Tidus' attack techniques, if he wasn't careful, he could seriously get injured.

To the naked eye, Tidus, the star player, was doing what others expected him, someone of his status, to be doing. Give it everything you've got. Prepare yourself to the fullest. Victory is everything.

Those were the thoughts that were suppose to be running through the blonde's head, but instead, it was clouded by anything but Blitzball. Everything throw represented an inner thought. All the force signified an inner emotion. All the fierceness was a release of anger, frustration… hate... WHATEVER!

As ball after ball was passed to him by another fellow teammate, he would find relief in that split second where he found the opportunity to release the steam in him. But as the blitzball spins out of his grasp and another ball comes speeding his way, in comes all the emotions again, flooding his senses. He couldn't believe it, even Blitzball, his childhood pal, was mocking him. Every time he found solace when discharging his anger, another ball would be thrown back at him, just like the anger re-entering him. The feelings never really leaving, only a vain and childish attempt to run away from his problems.

With that thought, Tidus' eyes squinted even more, gritting his teeth as all his inner emotions finally burst, flooding every nerve and vein in his body. Catching the ball with precision, Tidus' body stretched as he prepared himself for just another attack at Wakka, or so he thought. As his back arched in order to add more force into the attack, Wakka's eyes widened, "Hey Brudda sett-," before the oranged-hair besadian could finish, the blitzball went ripping through the water as it landed square on Wakka's abdomen.

The impact of it all was so great that it sent Wakka flying out the sphere faster than the eye could follow. Sudden realization dawned on Tidus that his throws were more than Wakka could take as the blonde immediately snapped out of his reverie. Whilst doing so, concentration was lost.

"Tidus!"

Just like Wakka's fate, the next minute, Tidus was thrown out of the water sphere, landing on one of the benches not far from his injured friend. He had seen the ball coming, yet he did nothing to stop his fall. His energy was finally drained and his anger finally deteriorated. He ran a hand down his face before he felt someone collapse onto the seat next to him. He vaguely heard someone shout out an apology at him but did nothing to show acknowledgement of it.

Sighing, he began, "Sorry, didn't know I had it in me. Guess I'm stronger than I thought I was." Tidus forcefully chuckled.

Wakka gave him a look, "Don't be laughing and pretending everything is okay. I saw you inside the sphere. What the hell is up with you today brudda?"

"Yeah. What the hell is up with you today?"

The two Blitzballers looked up to see Auron standing over them with a look that could kill.

"Sorry coach I ju-," Tidus tiredly started.

"Don't sorry me son!" Auron snapped, "I don't give a shit if you're the best player, if you go putting one of my other best players at risk, don't expect to be in the tournament."

"Coach it's-,"

"Shut up Wakka!" Auron snapped. "When you're in the sphere, nothing else matters but Blitzball. Tidus, I could not careless if Jecht gave you another piece of his mind or if you didn't get to screw that chick last night, but I DO care if you let these things interrupt yours and the rest of the team's training. Do this again, and I will be seeing my old pal again, got it?"

Without waiting for a reply, he stormed off. They both knew that by 'old pal', he meant Jecht, after all, they were on the same team once upon a time ago.

"Shit Tidus, he may seem crazy at times, but mark my words, he will do it. He'll suspend you from playing if you don't get your act together soon."

Tidus remained silent with his head down, clearly looking overworked.

"Just be careful brudda." And with that, Wakka got off the bench and limped his way to the change rooms.

'Pull it together man. If Yuna sees you like this she'll-'

Halting all of a sudden, Tidus shook his head and chuckled bitterly, 'Like she cares.'

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Yuna fidgeted in her bed, paying no attention whatsoever to the book in her hands. She continuously glanced at the clock placed on her bedside table. 2.30pm. Closing her eyes in annoyance she averted her attention back to the book. It would be another hour before they arrived. Another hour before all hell broke loose. Another hour before Tidus was let out of school. Immediately her back straightened.

'Where did that come from?... Did he realize that I didn't go to school today?'

Yuna had decided to stay home for the day with the, as Rikku had called it, pathetic excuse that her father was coming to visit. She argued back that it would take time to clean the apartment up and other preparations that she just couldn't voice out. Of course Rikku still had not detected the difference in Yuna's demeanor and therefore simply gave her the 'yeah, I don't believe you for a second' nod before leaving Yuna to her sanctuary. Had Rikku known about the incident, she would've at least been able to guess, by the bags under Yuna's eyes, that she had stayed up the whole night contemplating whether to believe Tidus or not. As a result, Yuna opted to believe what she wanted yet at the same time knew that it was anything but the truth and she was only sub-consciously lying to herself… in English: She was still pissed off at him. Placing the book on her lap, she took a peak at the clock again.

2.33pm.

'Oh to hell with this.'

Yuna tossed the book aside as she got off the bed, in search for her jeans.

'I'll just drive really slowly to the docks. Just anything to get outta here.'

Briefly writing a note to Rikku to meet her at the docks, Yuna left the apartment. The clock read 2.44pm.

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"Hey Tidus." A girl seductively said as Tidus walked past her.

"Hey sexy." The blonde smirked back.

Confidently strolling to his last class, Tidus made sure to look his best, knowing that many pairs of eyes were glued to him. Gripping his worn out books tightly, he subtly took a deep breath before walking into the half filled class. As soon as he reached his table, his carefree attitude immediately disappeared, and was now replaced with a solemn expression. For the entire day after Blitz practice, Tidus had tried so hard to remain indifferent, that unknowingly, his acting had worn him out. He felt exhausted at having to smile even though that was the last thing he felt like doing, at having to laugh even though nothing could've been funny to him today, at having to seem unfazed by the fact that Yuna had not showed up at school. He missed her. He missed her… A LOT.

For some reason, Tidus had decided to avoid both the girls today and only approached Rikku to ask where Yuna was after he couldn't take any more of his inner debates. It felt like a boulder had been lifted off his shoulders when Rikku replied with a "Oh, her daddy's coming to visit, so she's a bit busy." At least he knew that he wasn't the reason as to why she stayed at home.

His blue eyes glanced up when the teacher walked in, but his mind was so filled with other thoughts that the presence of the teacher hardly registered. He had no friends with him in this class, and for once, he was grateful for it. He needed the time alone, he needed a break from all the pointless acting. Looking down at his blank piece of white paper, he remembered the incident that seemed too long ago.

"Reciting the alphabet?"

He suddenly felt a tight squeeze at his heart at the thought. How could so much have changed within one day. One fucking day. He hated this. He hated knowing that he had hurt Yuna. Hated the fact that Yuna was angry at him. Hated this feeling of incredible emptiness. The whole day he tried to look good simply so that people would not be able to detect what he was truly feeling inside, however, he knew that when Yuna was around, he tried to look good for her to see. Unlike Yuna, he willingly admitted that this bothered him. He was unashamed that Yuna had this great of an impact on him. After all, she was his first. First girl he had truly fallen for.

His eyes widened. 'What?'

It was now that he finally realized, Yuna was the one for him. Was.

Shaking his head slightly, he decided that he was going to do something to ease her pain. Anything to make this all better. Yes, he was doing this for her and for himself.

…But what?

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"Babe, it's not my fault that I have beautiful hair okay? I'm just gifted alright?"

"Okay okay, but please just try not to get any hair gel on my seats." Yuna begged.

"Seymour," Rikku began, "ever considered cutting your hair?" she asked, fingering the long purple strands.

"Hey hey hey!" He exclaimed, trying to pry her hands away from his hair.

"Look, when did my dad change the date to exactly?" the brunette driver asked as she stopped at a red light.

"I can't really remember, it was all so rushed. I was bored out of my brains when it turned out to just be me on the boat by myself. Why they suddenly backed out is beyond me." Seymour stated before he resumed back to looking at his reflection through the car mirror.

"So girls," Seymour clapped, turning to face Yuna and glanced at Rikku, "Miss me?"

No reply.

"I feel the love, no really, I do. No, don't even try to convince me that I matter. No stop, just stop, really, you guys are just too overwhelming." The purple haired man spat out sarcastically.

"OKAY OKAY. Yevon. We missed you all right?" Yuna spat back with the least bit of sincerity.

Smirking, he replied, "Figured. So Riks, I can call you that right?"

Missing the look of disgust on Rikku's face he continued, "Got yourself a man yet?"

"Come to think of it, have you EVER had a boyfriend. The last time I saw you, you were single. The last time I saw you before the last time, you were single. I mean I would help but there are just so little men going around now. I mean, they're precious things you know, gotta treat them right. In fact, I think that male species are starting to decrease. Gees, now that I think of it, I'm kinda worried, I mean what if…"

After knowing Seymour ever since pre-school, they had learned the technique of drowning out his voice which they were ever so grateful for. Sometimes he would talk so much that he wouldn't even realize that no one ever responded.

As Yuna continued driving, she quickly glanced black at Rikku through the mirror to see what she was doing. Yuna's eyes widened slightly when she noticed that Rikku was actually paying attention to Seymour's babbling, although he on the other hand did little to acknowledge his audience. Shaking her slightly, she kept her eyes firmly on the road as they were nearing their apartment. Vaguely she was able to hear where Seymour was up to in his conversation.

"… Watermelons. YES! Watermelons. They are like watermelons, hard on the outside and soft on the inside. I guess watermelons are kinda soft on the inside… well maybe not watermelons, maybe something like…"

Yuna couldn't help but giggle as she left him to contemplate what other types of fruit had a hard outer shell and a soft inside. Turning the last turn, Yuna smiled out of relief as she saw her apartment come into view. Stepping on the peddle a little harder, Yuna drove speedily down the rest of the street before sharply turning into her carpark.

"HERE!" The brunette accidentally shouted.

Seymour suddenly paused from his one on one conversation and looked at Yuna.

"Um, We're here. Our apartment!"

"Oh." Seymour said, giving his head a little tilt, "I'll continue this when we get in Riks."

Nodding her head enthusiastically whilst getting out of the car, Rikku responded, "Yep. Don't forget where we're up to!"

Yuna was so occupied with unloading Seymour's bags that she failed to notice a familiar figure with his car parked against the other side of the wall.

Slowly, almost hesitantly, the figure walked towards Yuna, grasping something tightly in his palm.

As if sensing someone approaching, Yuna turned her head around before accidentally dropping two of Seymour's luggage.

Blue eyes met her bi-coloured ones as they both just stood a few feet apart from each other.

"Hey Yuni- TIDUS! Hey what are you doing here?" Rikku asked excitedly, breaking the two from their sacred moment.

He was about to reply when, Seymour, who was oblivious to Tidus' sudden presence yelled out to Yuna, "Hey babe, hurry up, I need to put all this heavy stuff in your room, remember!"

Yuna quickly diverted her attention back to Tidus as she was suddenly overwhelmed by panic. Her heart nearly cried as she saw the look of confusion, lost and hurt on Tidus' face. Almost like a little child being scolded for a reason he didn't know of. Looking back at Yuna, he snapped out of his trance and looked around awkwardly before uneasily walking towards Yuna. Not looking at her, he grabbed her right hand and placed a folded piece of paper into her palm. Taking one last look at her, and even though the look didn't not last for long, it clearly showed the longing and sadness in him.

Without a word, he turned around, leaving Rikku utterly confused and somewhat shocked. Finally, just as Seymour was about to express his displeasure with the long wait, his attention was finally drawn to Tidus' retreating back. Dropping his bags almost immediately, he sprinted towards Tidus.

"Hi!"

Surprised and a little taken back, Tidus merely managed a smile and a 'hi' in return.

"You must be Yunie's friend. I'm Seymour!"

'Yunie. Well that confirms that they're surely close.'

"Uh," Tidus glanced back at the still dumbfounded Yuna before looking back at Seymour, "yeah, you can say that. I'm Tidus. I uh, kinda havta get going."

He felt like he was suffocating. He had to get out of here. Without waiting for a reply, Tidus got into the safety of his car and sped off, leaving Seymour waving him goodbye from the parking lot.

Yuna remained standing frozen next to the car, watching with unblinking eyes as his scratched car left her. Rikku didn't know what happened, but without a doubt, she knew something wasn't right with the two.

"Anyhoo." Seymour said, spinning around with a stupid smile on his face, "where were we Riks?" he asked as he lifted his abandoned luggage once again, making his way into the apartment.

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After Rikku had called it a night, she retired back into her bedroom, leaving Seymour and Yuna alone in the small lounge room. Glancing at Yuna, Seymour smirked, "Boy was that Tidus a looker!"

Yuna remained quiet, just like she had been throughout the night.

Seymour continued, "Nice strong build as well."

Nothing.

"SO! What did he give you?"

This Yuna was surprised. How did Seymour know? Wasn't he too occupied with his luggage?

The purple haired man chuckled, "I have a sixth sense with this sorta stuff, now spill it."

In actually fact, Yuna herself had not read it, "What? This?" she asked, pulling the piece of paper out of her pants pocket.

Her companion nodded.

"I don't know. Nothing important." She announced as she made her way to the kitchen and carelessly put it in her recycling bin.

"Well, it's pretty late and I have school tomorrow… so…"

"Yes yes, I get your point. So my bed's in Riks' room?"

"Yeah, careful not to wake her up when you walk in. She's really…dangerous."

Laughing quietly, he nodded, "Right. G'night gorgeous." He said softly, kissing the roof of her head and exiting the lounge.

After getting himself in a comfortable position in his inflatable bed, he waited for Yuna to enter her own room. Minutes went by and still he heard shuffling around, but he was a patient man. He would wait.

Finally, all the lights were switched off and the soft sound of Yuna's door closing was heard. With that, he remained still for a few more minutes, making sure that Yuna was definitely not going to walk back out to the kitchen. Ensured that the coast was clear, he cautiously slid off his 'bed' and tip toed out of the room.

A string of light curses slipped from his mouth as his left foot continuously made contact with objects in their home. He smartly chose to switch on the stove's light instead of the kitchen light to avoid being caught.

Searching through the plastic bag, he finally found it, only this time, it was all ready unfolded. He smirked to himself and asked sarcastically.

'How can a piece of paper unfold itself. How can it unfold itself FOUR times.'

Taking a quick glance at the note, Seymour smiled.

'My Yunie's growing up.'

Folding the paper four times, he placed it in his Pajama pocket and walked back into his room after switching off the light.

'She'll thank me later for this.'

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Just before slumber claimed the exhausted soul, four words were imprinted in her mind and… heart. I'm not giving up.

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AN: Hi people!! Just like to say that I have re-read my entire fic and let me just say that I now have wrinkles around my eyes from the amount of cringing I did from reading chapters 1-10. 11 onwards are okay, but the others are just disappointing. So let me make it clear here… DO NOT read those chapters. And I am not doing the reverse psychology mumbo jumbo. If you have forgotten the story, I will post the summary of chapters 1-10 on my bio page. Thanks

On a side note, I plan to finish this story by this year so expect more frequent updates from now on. I believe I will be starting a new fic soon. Maybe when chapter 14 comes out for 'Changing me'.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS!!!!!!!! Very nice, sweet and inspiring.

SkyeLight