Thanks to all my reviewers! I appreciate the time you take to brighten my day. In regards to the comment Partial left, no, Tidus and the gang did not accept Yuna simply because they think she's smart. They liked the fact that she stood up to Seymour in Rikku's defence and made him look ignorant. Hope I cleared that up for you, for anyone who cares. Thanks for your patience! Enjoy chapter 3.
TIDUS
I will never forget the look on Seymour's face when Yuna made him look like a jackass back at the school. Not a lot of people have the guts to stand up to him like that, especially with such class. I can tell that Yuna is already a real winner in our book. It's not normal for me to invite people outside the gang to come and hang out with us, but I couldn't help myself. I saw how lonely Yuna had looked at school, and I guess I feel kinda bad for her. Someone with as much money and fame as she has should be the happiest person alive and have the most friends, but strangely enough, most people sort of ignored her, like they already decided she was too good for them. Plus, a part of me really likes her for some reason. I hate to admit it, but she's wormed her way onto my good side, even in the short time I've been around her. She seems real, and not full of shit like most celebrities are. I'm glad she chose to defend us rather than join that idiot Guado's team. It's a rare thing to see a prep sticking up for the thugs around here. And I have to admit, I like having a cute chick like her around for company.
Yuna walks next to me as the seven of us make our way down to 8-Ball's. I notice how she looks around nervously, obviously not used to being in my side of town. I don't blame her; she's lived her entire life in the lap of extreme luxury. Still, I can't help but feel a stab of annoyance. It's not like anything would happen to her in broad daylight while the rest of us are around. Does she think we're totally savage just because we don't have limos and waiters holding silver plates of sushi close at hand?
"Nobody's going to bite you," I say with a smirk as she watches a rough-looking drug dealer walk past us. She looks at me apologetically and smiles, embarrassed.
"Sorry," she says, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I guess I'm being silly. I've just never . . . been down here before, that's all."
"It's not so bad once you get used to it," Lulu said with a shrug. "The gunshots even start to sound soothing after a while."
Yuna stares at her, and I can tell that she isn't sure if Lu is kidding or not. Lulu's always hard to scan, especially for jokes. I chuckle, signalling to her that she should too, and she laughs cautiously.
8-Ball's is an underground place, so we have to walk down a set of stairs into a low stoop where a grubby-looking door sits. I trot downstairs in the lead and push the door open, stepping into a dark room thick with blue cigarette smoke and loud music. Yuna coughs slightly and blinks furiously, trying to look around through the harsh fog.
"Hey, it's the Throwbacks!" someone yells in the back. Me and the gang laugh and wave to a middle-aged Al Bhed guy named Rin, the owner of 8-Ball's, sitting at the bar. We're regulars at the place, so pretty much anyone who hangs out there a lot knows us by now.
"Who's the new set of legs?" a guy nearby asks, leaning forward and eyeing Yuna rudely. She glares at him in a huff, and moves closer to me. I narrow my eyes at him over her head.
"She's not a set of legs," I say coldly. "She's a friend, so back off."
The guy just shrugs and walks away, sipping his beer.
"I'll get our table," Paine says gruffly, moving off to the back corner. Wakka and Lulu go to get our drinks, and Gippal and Rikku head towards the jukebox to pick out some music. Yuna and I are left alone by the pool table. I pick up a cue stick and hold it out to her invitingly.
"Ever played before?" I ask challengingly. She lowers her face, blushing and shaking her head.
"My father would kill me if I did. He thinks pool is a low-class game," she says bitterly. I tighten my grip on the stick for a moment.
"No offence, but your dad sounds like an ass," I say bluntly. She looks up at me quickly, glaring.
"Be that as it may, he is my father, and I don't like you talking about him that way!" she says defensively. "He may have a few narrow-minded opinions, but he risked his life and saved Spira from-"
"Whoa, whoa!" I laugh, holding my hands up in defeat. "I get it, I don't need the history lesson."
She closes her mouth, still scowling at me. Even when she's mad, she's real pretty. That spark in her eye is really something amazing. I sigh and run my fingers through my hair, something I always do out of habit. Rikku always teases me that I'll go bald if I keep it up.
"Look, it doesn't matter anyway, okay? My dad's a jerk too. Just in a different way, is all."
"Well, not everyone's perfect," Yuna says with a shrug. I suppose it's her way of telling me that she forgives me without actually having to say it. "I suppose it wouldn't kill my father to open his mind a bit."
"And I don't suppose it would kill my dad to put the Jack Daniels away, but that ain't gonna happen anytime soon," I say with a grim chuckle. She blinks at me and opens her mouth to say something, but Gippal and Rikku are back from picking out music. Gippal has his arm slung around her waist, and she is playing with his spiky hair. Even though they fight a lot, they both love flirting with each other, especially in public. Rikku lights up another cigarette and lets Gippal have a drag from it.
"So, you two gonna play?" Gippal asks, gesturing to the pool stick in my hand. I look at Yuna challengingly, and she hesitates. Then, she seems to give in, and reaches over and takes the cue stick from me. I grin at her and grab another one, making my way around the other side of the pool table.
Right away it became clear that Yuna had no idea what she was doing. I could tell from the way she held the stick and tried to position it on her hand that she really had no experience whatsoever. I sigh and move over to her side.
"You're holding it wrong," I tell her, trying to sound patient. "Try it like this."
I put my arms around her from behind and position her differently, adjusting her grip on the stick. I feel her jump at my touch, and I cannot help but smile at her discomfort. Something tells me she's not used to guys being so close to her. No doubt her 'Daddy' doesn't like her to have much to do with the opposite sex.
"All right, give it a shot now," I say, stepping back from her. She thrusts the tip forward and aims the cue ball towards the triangle of balls set up at the center of the table. They break apart instantly and roll around in every direction, and Yuna grins with glee as we hear the clinking of a ball sinking into the side pocket.
"I did it!" she says with a laugh, sounding like a kid who just learned how to ride her bike for the first time. I nod with approval. She tries again a few more times, and I make several corrections along the way.
As the game goes on, Yuna's confidence grows more and more. The gang gathers around the table to watch her skills improve, and even though I hate to lose, I find myself slacking off to let her win. A part of me really wants to see her proud smile directed at me when the game ends, the way her mismatched eyes crinkle slightly at the corners. My own thoughts surprise me.
"Not bad for a first timer," I tell her with grudging admiration as she sinks the last ball into the corner pocket. A few other people in 8-Ball's are watching her with interest. She high fives the gang one by one, and then turns to face me with a pleased glow in her eyes.
"Well, I had a very good teacher," she says shyly, looking down at her hands. Wakka and Lulu return with a new set of drinks, and this time Lulu holds one out to Yuna.
"Care to try it?" she asks, waving it under Yuna's nose. Yuna sneezes at the strong smell and takes it cautiously.
"I've never had any alcohol before," she admits uncomfortably, biting her lip and eyeing the drink in her hands. Rikku snickers.
"First time for everything, right, Princess?" she said invitingly. Yuna takes a deep breath and plunges in for a quick sip. Her eyes widen, and then she splutters into a fit of coughs, blinking back tears as she puts the drink down on the table with a loud clunk.
"I guess it's an acquired taste," she says with a weak giggle, as we laugh at her.
"You'll grow to like it, ya?" Wakka grins, punching her roughly in the arm. She flinches, but manages to keep from moaning in pain. Wakka usually doesn't realize his own strength.
"Uh oh," Yuna gasps, clapping her hand over her forehead. "What time is it? I've completely forgotten about my father!"
"Bad news," Lulu says grimly, glancing down at her watch. "It's after five o'clock."
"Oh, he's going to be so angry," Yuna moans into her hands.
The door bangs open.
I see Yuna look up quickly to stare past my shoulder at the front of the room, where everyone has suddenly gone silent. I turn around and my eyes fall to a familiar group of people. My jaw clenches. My fists tighten.
"Shit," Gippal says, glaring with his visible eye. The cigarette drops from Rikku's lips.
Nooj has entered the bar, ladies and gentleman.
Nooj is pretty big for a nineteen year old, and most people mistake him for a guy in his mid twenties. He stands at the door of 8-Ball's, with his gang appearing behind him. I recognize LeBlanc, Logos, Ormi, Baralai, and their newest member, a wimpy-looking kid named Clasko. I recognize him from school a long time ago, but when it became obvious that he was too stupid to make the grades, he dropped out and got a low-paying job working at some grocery store. He's no real threat, but I am pretty sure Nooj has been teaching him some fighting moves. Besides, Clasko already has some decent muscle tone to his credit.
"Who're they?" Yuna asks quietly from behind to Paine.
"Some old friends," Paine whispers back, but her voice is hard and guarded. I notice Baralai staring at her with a look of longing, as if he wants to say something to her, but he knows better than to speak up before Nooj. Baralai and Paine have a secret together that none of us know about. She refuses to talk about it, and Baralai obviously hasn't said a word to anyone. Something tells me they used to be real close, maybe even in a relationship, but Paine is like a closed book. Maybe we'll never know about the two of them.
It is not long before Nooj notices us glaring at him. He grins slowly and smugly as he walks forward, arms crossed over his chest.
"Well, well," he says in a fake cheerful voice. "If it isn't my old pals the Throwbacks. How's life been treating you?"
"No better than yours has," Lulu snaps. Nooj's eyes rest on her for a minute. No doubt he remembers quite clearly how Lulu once cast a Blizzard spell on his . . . nether region . . . and left him unable to use it for several weeks. He stares at her as if she was something stuck to the bottom of his boot.
"Oh, come on now, where's the old friendly hospitality you guys are so generous with?" he asks, strolling around us in a small circle.
"You tell 'em, love!" LeBlanc, one of the biggest skanks in town, pipes up from the door, fanning her almost completely bare chest with a sappy love-sick expression on her face. Nooj glares at her and tells her to shut up, and then turns around to look at us again. He stops when he sees Yuna.
"Well!" he says, raising his eyebrows. "I never expected to see Lord Braska's daughter traipsing around after you kids. Now I've seen everything."
"That is none of your concern," Yuna says airily, lifting her chin up defiantly. Nooj laughs at her prissiness, and signals his gang to laugh too. I narrow my eyes at him.
"Shut your mouth, Nooj," I snap. "We don't need you around here. Get lost before we take you outside."
Nooj's lips curl into a sick little smile. "What's stopping you, Lorac?" he says dangerously. The gang and I start walking forward.
"Cut it out, kiddies," Rin yells from the back, pointing to the door. "I don't need this in here."
I turn and look at Yuna with a sigh.
"Maybe you should go home," I tell her quietly. She stares at me and hesitates.
"Will you be all right?" she asks me anxiously. I give her a half smile and a nod, ignoring the fact that everyone is watching this little exchange.
"Yuna!" a deep voice says gruffly from the open door. Everyone looks to the front of the bar to see a tall figure standing there, dressed in a long red coat with dark sunglasses over his eyes. Even Nooj and his gang step back from him, staring at him almost fearfully. I glance at Yuna quickly and see that her expression is sad and embarrassed.
"Auron, what are you doing here?" she asks timidly. Auron? That name sounds oddly familiar to me.
"Rin called me and told me you were here. I didn't believe him when I heard it, but I had to come down here and see for myself," Auron says coldly. The rest of us turn and give Rin a death glare, and he smiles back sheepishly.
"I must say I am disappointed in you, Yuna," Auron continues, taking a step inside. "You're father is very displeased with you, and you are going to have a talk with him when you return."
"I'm sorry, Auron, but I-"
"Just let me take you home," he interrupts harshly, turning on his heel and marching out the door. Yuna sighs and hangs her head.
"Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow. Thanks for inviting me," she says to us with a worn out sigh.
"Bye, Yuna," I reply, watching as she heads towards the door after her pissed off body guard.
"Damn," Wakka whistles, chuckling softly. "What a night, eh?"
"Hey! Where did our little friend Nooj get to?" Rikku pipes up, looking around the bar. Only then do rest of us notice that Nooj and his gang are gone. Paine stares at the door with unreadable red eyes.
It is midnight when I finally come home, slightly drunk and very tired. After Yuna left, the gang and I wandered down town to a party and trashed the place, taking their booze and snagging some gil off the people who were passed out on the floor. We almost got stopped by the police, but we gave them the slip like we always do, even though Wakka was in the mood for more trouble.
"Boy, where the hell were you?"
I sigh and stop, seeing my old man in the hallway. Even though it's dark inside, I can tell already that he's is drunker than I am. He always is.
"None of your fucking business," I mutter, trying to make my way to my room. I dimly see him stagger towards me, fist raised. I step aside and watch as he stumbles forward, losing his balance and crashing to the floor.
"You're a mess, you know that?" I tell him, shaking my head in disgust. "Get yourself a job or something."
He makes a loud coughing wheezy noise, which I guess is supposed to be laughter.
"Me, get a job?" he hiccups. "I had a fucking job. What about you, boy? What've you got to brag about to your old man?"
"I make money at least," I snap. "What have you done since blitzball?"
"Shut your hole, you little shit," Jecht growls, rising up to his hands and knees shakily. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"I know damn well what I'm talking about!" I yell. "I'm out there every day looking out for myself, but when I come back to this dump all I see is you passed out on the couch, or I know your out screwing some hooker who's too high on acid to know what she's doing! What have I got to be proud of? I'm proud of the fact that I am making my way forward even though I have a wash-out father who's back home rotting away after all that fame and glory!"
His arm shoots out faster than I can see. Before I can stop him, he trips me and sends me to the floor next to him. He crawls over and manages to pin me down, so that his nose is almost touching mine.
"I was the best," he hisses. I gag at his breath, even though the smell of alcohol is all too familiar. "Don't tell me I'm a wash-out. I carried that team, everyone knew it. I was on top of the whole goddamn world, boy. And if it weren't for me, this place would have been destroyed Remember that."
I shove him off me roughly and he rolls to the side, letting me get up. He stares at me through hazy eyes as I feel my way down the hall to my room. When I slam the door behind me, I can still hear him shouting,
"You have no idea how well I served this city! You have no idea, you hear? I was the fucking king!"