TIDUS
Like an idiot, I walk down the sidewalk with a grin on my face. I never really believed Yuna would have the guts to go along with my project idea, but I am glad she did. Not just because of the obvious reasons, like the fact that we were alone in my apartment together, but also because I really do want everyone to see how it turns out. I really do want people to look past social status and just see simple friendships.
I have plans for the pictures. I'm going to need a computer genius to help me though. Probably Paine. She's good at shit like that.
I go over the day's events in my mind. I can't help but notice how arrogant I sound whenever I'm around her. Most of it's just for show, since Gippal's really the cocky bastard in the group. I really said most of that stuff to make her smile. She seems to find it a bit amusing, like she knows I don't mean it or something. Maybe I should slack off a bit. It's not really me, anyway.
It's strange, the fact that I've only known her for two days, but already I feel like it's been two years. I hardly know her at all. I don't know what she likes, what she doesn't like, or anything, but I get the feeling that she really opened up to me tonight. I remember the look on her face, talking about her father and the death of her mother. I remember seeing tears in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. I almost wish she had cried. It seems like she almost needed to, like it's been held up inside her all this time.
Ah, what am I talking about? I don't know anything about girls. I act like a major stud all the time, but my knowledge doesn't extend past getting them in the sack. When it comes to talking to them, I usually don't know what to say. It's comfortable with Yuna though. It feels like I don't have to talk all the time. Surprisingly enough, I don't mind listening to her.
I realize then that the sky is much darker than it was when Yuna and I left the apartment. Suddenly I begin to wish I had taken up her offer to drive me home after all, even though there is no one else in the street but me. I don't even hear the echoes of gunshots.
Maybe it's the silence that bugs me. I'm so used to some kind of noise in the background that I start feeling anxious when I don't hear anything around me.
And then I hear footsteps. A bunch of footsteps.
I start walking faster, keeping my face down. The footsteps get louder behind me. To my surprise, I feel my heart begin to pound like crazy. I know better than to turn around and see who's following me.
"Well, well! If it isn't little Tidus, all by his itty-bitty self," a mocking voice says. I grit my teeth and stop. I know that voice. I turn around slowly and paste a careless smile on.
"Evening, Nooj. Out for a stroll with your little pets, I see," I say casually.
Nooj smirks at me. He's standing no more than fifteen feet away, his gang behind him. I see Baralai looking at me warningly, as if silently begging me not to say anything stupid. I am painfully aware that there are six of them against me only, and I'm only two blocks away from home. Damn.
"You're looking a bit pale there, Lorac," Nooj points out, taking a few slow steps towards me. "You feeling all right?"
I take one step backwards, and then I stop myself. No way am I going to show fear for this asshole, even though Logos and Ormi are cracking their knuckles threateningly behind him. I cross my arms.
"Never felt better," I reply, shrugging. Leblanc's fingers are twitching, just waiting to unleash some magic. She's a black mage too, but I know she's not as advanced as Lulu. Still, she has the power to do some heavy damage, especially against one person.
Nooj takes another few steps forward.
"You know, I can't help my curiosity. Would you be a dear and tell me what the hell you think you were doing with Yuna Ressan?" he asks bluntly. I narrow my eyes at him.
"A, that's none of your business, and B, fuck you," I snap, forgetting to be afraid. Nooj just shakes his head and chuckles slightly.
"Don't tell me you're planning to get into her pants. There's no way she'll put out for the likes of you."
"If you bring her into this, I swear I'll-"
"You're forgetting, Lorac," he says, waggling a finger at me, "that we outnumber you six to one. You might want to watch what you say to us."
"You think I'm afraid of you?" I snap. "Whatever you're planning, get it over with and stop wasting my time."
Okay, I am scared of Nooj and his gang, but only because I'm taking them all on by myself. Not exactly a smart thing to do, but no way in hell am I going to roll over and let them beat the shit out of me. It doesn't even occur to me if they plan on killing me or not.
Nooj's smile widens.
"My pleasure. Gentleman . . . Madam," he adds, nodding his head to LeBlanc, who swoons at him. "You know what to do."
I see them come at me in slow motion, like it happens in movie spheres. For a second I was too numb to move or react. Then my reflexes kicked in. Just as Clasko swings at me, I duck and ram into his stomach, sending him backwards against LeBlanc. Ormi comes at me from one side and pounds me right in the side. I groan slightly, not fast enough to defend myself as he pummels me over and over again. I fall over and curl up to cover my chest and stomach. I feel Logos and Ormi kicking me in the back, and Clasko is trying to get a shot at my stomach. He then settles on my face. I feel blood spurting from my nose as his boot crashes down against it. LeBlanc pulls together a little spell and hurls at my head. For one second I am blinded by pain. I can't see or hear or think as the black magic hits me. When my vision clears, all I can do is lie there and watch as they all get up and start surrounding me. All the while they are taunting me, sneering at me like little kids cornering an injured animal. I can see their contempt, their hatred. I am slightly aware that Baralai is hanging back somewhat, inching towards me with a torn expression. He doesn't want to hurt me, for Paine's sake, but if he doesn't do anything Nooj will kick his ass for it.
Nooj hangs in the back, a triumphant grin on his face.
"Get him up," he says confidently. Logos and Ormi lift me up and hold my arms behind my back. I try to lash out with my foot, but the two of them move in to keep my legs down. The rest of the gang backs up, leaving a clear path for Nooj to approach me. Blood is leaking down onto my clothes. I can barely see straight, but I catch a glimpse of silver flashing. A switchblade. Great.
Nooj is about to start towards me, switchblade drawn, when he suddenly stops, staring wide-eyed at something over my shoulder. Before I can turn around to see what's got him so petrified, I feel a rush of heat fly past my head. I duck just as the fire spell hits Nooj full in the face, knocking him down with a yell of surprise. Logos and Ormi let go of me and hurry to Nooj's side. I whirl around to see Lulu striding down the street towards us, each hand holding a ball of fire. Her eyes are bright with fierce hatred. Behind her I see Paine, Wakka, Gippal, and Rikku, all with severely pissed off expressions that mean business. Paine's eyes are fixed on Baralai, who looks torn between running and standing his ground to face her.
Nooj scrambles up to his feet weakly, his face and hair singed from the fire. His small glasses are completely scorched and useless. I've never seen him look so enraged.
"So, you had your little bitches hiding out, did you?" he rages, pointing shakily at me. "I should have known you're too much of a pussy to walk alone, Lorac! One of these days I'll get you on your own, and your little posse won't be around to help you."
To everyone's surprise, Gippal pulls a handgun out of his back pocket and fires two warning shots into the sidewalk pavement at Nooj's feet. He jumps back, staggers, and falls against Logos and Clasko, who catch him awkwardly. Gippal, looking more deadly than I've ever seen him look, aims the gun right at Nooj's face.
Nobody moves.
"Shift your sorry ass, Nooj," Gippal hisses. His good eye is dark with rage.
"Gippal," I murmur. "What are you doing?"
"Did you hear me, Nooj? Get the fuck out of here!" Gippal yells. The gun shakes in his hand. His voice echoes in the quiet street. I can see Gippal's mind, ready to snap and fire a million rounds into Nooj's brain.
It is amazing how fast Nooj can run after having a fire spell hit him right in the face. He takes off down the street like a blur, his gang following close behind. Baralai stops running and turns around to face us.
"I'm sorry," he says softly, staring at Paine in agony. "I . . . didn't want this."
She just stares back, too hurt and too angry to say anything back.
"Fuck you," Gippal snarls, pointing the gun threateningly at him. "Don't come near us ever again."
Baralai swallows and turns away, hurrying after his gang. He does not look back at us again.
Rikku is as white as a ghost as she comes to stand at Gippal's side.
"Gippal, baby," she whispers, putting her hand on his arm. Slowly he lowers his arm under her touch, still glaring after Nooj's retreating gang. "Why do you have a gun?"
"To deal with assholes like them!" Gippal seethes. "I'm sick of taking their shit, Rikku! I'm sick of dealing with them all the time and never doing anything to stop them! What kind of gang are we if we don't even have a fucking gun?"
"We don't need one, Gippal," Lulu says calmly. I can see her hands shaking at her sides, though. "We've never needed one. We can take care of ourselves without it, just like we always have."
Gippal swears and shoves the gun back into his rear pocket, running his fingers through his hair like I do. Wakka holds his arm out for me to lean on. My leg is sore from where Logos kicked me.
"Gippal, listen to me," I say, using my 'leader' voice. "Get rid of it. I don't care how or where, but I don't want to see it ever again. Clear?"
He nods at me, his jaw clenched shut.
It hits me then, just what this gang is. We are high school friends, standing together to defend each other from the dangers of the world we come from. I've spent my whole life under the impression that we're badasses, tough as nails. It only comes to me now that we are nothing more than kids. Hell, Gippal's right. What kind of 'gang' doesn't even have a gun? I don't even want a fucking gun! I don't want anyone in my group shooting other people.
There are gangs in my neighbourhood that kill people. They steal money and jewellery right from people's homes. They rape and torture girls. They buy and sell drugs. They attack and kill cops, for Yevon's sake.
I've never even touched drugs aside from booze. We've stolen cars before, but only from the school parking lot, and usually it was just for joyriding. Eventually we'd abandon the car on the side of the road and let someone else take over it. I've never raped a girl. None of the guys in my gang have. All the girls I've slept with have been willing. And we sure as hell have never killed someone. We've beaten people up, of course, but never to a really serious degree.
My whole image of a hardcore Tidus Lorac and his gang of badasses has been crushed. Maybe the same thought seems to have occurred to the others, because a heavy silence falls over us.
"You okay, Paine?"
She nods, keeping her eyes down. Obviously she isn't okay, but Paine isn't one to talk about her problems.
"How did you guys find me?" I ask. Rikku, who has her arm around Gippal affectionately, answers me.
"We went over to your place to see how your project with Yuna went, but you weren't there, so we were on our way to 8-Ball's to see if you were there instead. That's when we found you here."
"How you feelin' boss?" Wakka asks me. I stand up straight and crack my neck, rolling my shoulders and stretching as much as I can. My nose isn't bleeding anymore, but there's still some dried blood on my upper lip, staining my shirt.
"I'm all right. It doesn't hurt that bad anymore," I tell them reassuringly. "I could use a drink, though."
I limp home later that night. I feel a bit better with a few drinks in my system, but my leg is still aching and my stomach hasn't stopped hurting since Ormi pulverized it. Wakka and Rikku had offered to help me home, but I told them to just go home. I'm not a helpless cripple.
I push the door open, and not surprisingly, Jecht's passed out on the couch. I walk past him to my room.
"How was the tournament, Pops?" I ask sarcastically as I walk by. He snores in response. The clock in my room says it's almost midnight.
I collapse onto my bed, too sore to get undressed or even to crawl under the blanket. Outside, some drunk guys are staggering around singing, but I don't have the energy to get up and shut the window. I hear gunshots outside, but it sounds further away than my street.
It hits me then: I could have died tonight. If the gang hadn't showed up to save my ass, I could have been killed. I never imagined Nooj had the balls to pull something like that off, but I know he had a switchblade. I saw him holding it as he walked towards me when I was helpless, trapped between Logos and Ormi. I saw the look in his eyes. He wanted me dead.
Most people in my situation would wonder 'Why? What did I ever do to him?', but not me. In my world, we don't ask questions like that. The important thing is that Nooj has the guts to kill me, and almost had his chance tonight. It doesn't matter why he wants to. Maybe there is no reason. Maybe he just doesn't like me and wants me out of the way. I won't make the mistake of walking alone again. I can't afford to.
Would he have attacked me if I had been with Yuna? Would he have hurt her to keep her quiet? No way does he have the nerve to harm her, the famous daughter of High Summoner Braska . . . does he?
But I can't ask these questions. I can't demand answers from him. The best thing I can do is sleep off the pain and face the next day.
I wake up with the sun in my eyes. Moaning, I roll onto my other side to shield my face from the light. Then the memory of last night comes back, and it is then that I notice my body doesn't hurt as much. I sit up and stretch. My stomach still hurts a bit, and when I lift up my shirt I count a lot of bruises, but I can at least sit upright without groaning in pain.
Walking out into the kitchen, I see Jecht sitting at the table, drinking coffee. He looks like shit.
He glances up at me.
"When did you get back last night?" he grunts, squinting in the sunlight.
"Midnight. You?" I ask, going to the fridge.
"Around ten. The Luca Goers won the Crystal Cup again," he says, snorting with disgust. "Shoulda been the Bevelle Thunderbolts."
"No kidding," I reply absently. Blitzball was never really a big concern of mine, even though I once played for the school team. Wakka was supposed to be on it this year, but he dropped out of it when he found out that the team mascot was going to be a blue bird. He said he was never going to play for a team with a sissy mascot.
"So, how'd you hold up when I was gone?" Jecht asks, taking a sip of coffee. I feel like laughing at the question, but I decide no to. I know he doesn't care about what I did. He just wants to know if I got into trouble with the cops or something.
"Good," I tell him, shrugging as I pull out a beer bottle. Then, just to see his reaction, I add, "Had a girl come over for a school project."
He narrows his eyes at me. "A girl, eh?"
"Yup. A really pretty girl was here with me. Alone." I know I am grinning as I tell him this, but I don't care.
"Really. Did you get lucky?" he asks, daring me to say yes. I just smile at him and take a sip of beer. He mutters something under his breath and picks up the newspaper.
"I'm sick of you bringing your little sluts around here. Next time, fuck her in a car or something," he says moodily.
I glare at him. I know he only said it to get on my nerves, but I can't help it.
"She's not mine, and she's not a slut," I snap, dropping the bottle in the sink with a loud clatter. "She's a friend. If I ever have her over again, stay the hell away from her."
He raises his eyebrow dangerously. "Don't tell me what to do, boy."
"I mean it. She's a nice girl."
"Whatever. Just remember who the boss around here is."
"Fine."
I go to the phone to call up one of the gang, when it suddenly rings. I answer it right away.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Tidus. It's Yuna."
Like an idiot, I walk down the sidewalk with a grin on my face. I never really believed Yuna would have the guts to go along with my project idea, but I am glad she did. Not just because of the obvious reasons, like the fact that we were alone in my apartment together, but also because I really do want everyone to see how it turns out. I really do want people to look past social status and just see simple friendships.
I have plans for the pictures. I'm going to need a computer genius to help me though. Probably Paine. She's good at shit like that.
I go over the day's events in my mind. I can't help but notice how arrogant I sound whenever I'm around her. Most of it's just for show, since Gippal's really the cocky bastard in the group. I really said most of that stuff to make her smile. She seems to find it a bit amusing, like she knows I don't mean it or something. Maybe I should slack off a bit. It's not really me, anyway.
It's strange, the fact that I've only known her for two days, but already I feel like it's been two years. I hardly know her at all. I don't know what she likes, what she doesn't like, or anything, but I get the feeling that she really opened up to me tonight. I remember the look on her face, talking about her father and the death of her mother. I remember seeing tears in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. I almost wish she had cried. It seems like she almost needed to, like it's been held up inside her all this time.
Ah, what am I talking about? I don't know anything about girls. I act like a major stud all the time, but my knowledge doesn't extend past getting them in the sack. When it comes to talking to them, I usually don't know what to say. It's comfortable with Yuna though. It feels like I don't have to talk all the time. Surprisingly enough, I don't mind listening to her.
I realize then that the sky is much darker than it was when Yuna and I left the apartment. Suddenly I begin to wish I had taken up her offer to drive me home after all, even though there is no one else in the street but me. I don't even hear the echoes of gunshots.
Maybe it's the silence that bugs me. I'm so used to some kind of noise in the background that I start feeling anxious when I don't hear anything around me.
And then I hear footsteps. A bunch of footsteps.
I start walking faster, keeping my face down. The footsteps get louder behind me. To my surprise, I feel my heart begin to pound like crazy. I know better than to turn around and see who's following me.
"Well, well! If it isn't little Tidus, all by his itty-bitty self," a mocking voice says. I grit my teeth and stop. I know that voice. I turn around slowly and paste a careless smile on.
"Evening, Nooj. Out for a stroll with your little pets, I see," I say casually.
Nooj smirks at me. He's standing no more than fifteen feet away, his gang behind him. I see Baralai looking at me warningly, as if silently begging me not to say anything stupid. I am painfully aware that there are six of them against me only, and I'm only two blocks away from home. Damn.
"You're looking a bit pale there, Lorac," Nooj points out, taking a few slow steps towards me. "You feeling all right?"
I take one step backwards, and then I stop myself. No way am I going to show fear for this asshole, even though Logos and Ormi are cracking their knuckles threateningly behind him. I cross my arms.
"Never felt better," I reply, shrugging. Leblanc's fingers are twitching, just waiting to unleash some magic. She's a black mage too, but I know she's not as advanced as Lulu. Still, she has the power to do some heavy damage, especially against one person.
Nooj takes another few steps forward.
"You know, I can't help my curiosity. Would you be a dear and tell me what the hell you think you were doing with Yuna Ressan?" he asks bluntly. I narrow my eyes at him.
"A, that's none of your business, and B, fuck you," I snap, forgetting to be afraid. Nooj just shakes his head and chuckles slightly.
"Don't tell me you're planning to get into her pants. There's no way she'll put out for the likes of you."
"If you bring her into this, I swear I'll-"
"You're forgetting, Lorac," he says, waggling a finger at me, "that we outnumber you six to one. You might want to watch what you say to us."
"You think I'm afraid of you?" I snap. "Whatever you're planning, get it over with and stop wasting my time."
Okay, I am scared of Nooj and his gang, but only because I'm taking them all on by myself. Not exactly a smart thing to do, but no way in hell am I going to roll over and let them beat the shit out of me. It doesn't even occur to me if they plan on killing me or not.
Nooj's smile widens.
"My pleasure. Gentleman . . . Madam," he adds, nodding his head to LeBlanc, who swoons at him. "You know what to do."
I see them come at me in slow motion, like it happens in movie spheres. For a second I was too numb to move or react. Then my reflexes kicked in. Just as Clasko swings at me, I duck and ram into his stomach, sending him backwards against LeBlanc. Ormi comes at me from one side and pounds me right in the side. I groan slightly, not fast enough to defend myself as he pummels me over and over again. I fall over and curl up to cover my chest and stomach. I feel Logos and Ormi kicking me in the back, and Clasko is trying to get a shot at my stomach. He then settles on my face. I feel blood spurting from my nose as his boot crashes down against it. LeBlanc pulls together a little spell and hurls at my head. For one second I am blinded by pain. I can't see or hear or think as the black magic hits me. When my vision clears, all I can do is lie there and watch as they all get up and start surrounding me. All the while they are taunting me, sneering at me like little kids cornering an injured animal. I can see their contempt, their hatred. I am slightly aware that Baralai is hanging back somewhat, inching towards me with a torn expression. He doesn't want to hurt me, for Paine's sake, but if he doesn't do anything Nooj will kick his ass for it.
Nooj hangs in the back, a triumphant grin on his face.
"Get him up," he says confidently. Logos and Ormi lift me up and hold my arms behind my back. I try to lash out with my foot, but the two of them move in to keep my legs down. The rest of the gang backs up, leaving a clear path for Nooj to approach me. Blood is leaking down onto my clothes. I can barely see straight, but I catch a glimpse of silver flashing. A switchblade. Great.
Nooj is about to start towards me, switchblade drawn, when he suddenly stops, staring wide-eyed at something over my shoulder. Before I can turn around to see what's got him so petrified, I feel a rush of heat fly past my head. I duck just as the fire spell hits Nooj full in the face, knocking him down with a yell of surprise. Logos and Ormi let go of me and hurry to Nooj's side. I whirl around to see Lulu striding down the street towards us, each hand holding a ball of fire. Her eyes are bright with fierce hatred. Behind her I see Paine, Wakka, Gippal, and Rikku, all with severely pissed off expressions that mean business. Paine's eyes are fixed on Baralai, who looks torn between running and standing his ground to face her.
Nooj scrambles up to his feet weakly, his face and hair singed from the fire. His small glasses are completely scorched and useless. I've never seen him look so enraged.
"So, you had your little bitches hiding out, did you?" he rages, pointing shakily at me. "I should have known you're too much of a pussy to walk alone, Lorac! One of these days I'll get you on your own, and your little posse won't be around to help you."
To everyone's surprise, Gippal pulls a handgun out of his back pocket and fires two warning shots into the sidewalk pavement at Nooj's feet. He jumps back, staggers, and falls against Logos and Clasko, who catch him awkwardly. Gippal, looking more deadly than I've ever seen him look, aims the gun right at Nooj's face.
Nobody moves.
"Shift your sorry ass, Nooj," Gippal hisses. His good eye is dark with rage.
"Gippal," I murmur. "What are you doing?"
"Did you hear me, Nooj? Get the fuck out of here!" Gippal yells. The gun shakes in his hand. His voice echoes in the quiet street. I can see Gippal's mind, ready to snap and fire a million rounds into Nooj's brain.
It is amazing how fast Nooj can run after having a fire spell hit him right in the face. He takes off down the street like a blur, his gang following close behind. Baralai stops running and turns around to face us.
"I'm sorry," he says softly, staring at Paine in agony. "I . . . didn't want this."
She just stares back, too hurt and too angry to say anything back.
"Fuck you," Gippal snarls, pointing the gun threateningly at him. "Don't come near us ever again."
Baralai swallows and turns away, hurrying after his gang. He does not look back at us again.
Rikku is as white as a ghost as she comes to stand at Gippal's side.
"Gippal, baby," she whispers, putting her hand on his arm. Slowly he lowers his arm under her touch, still glaring after Nooj's retreating gang. "Why do you have a gun?"
"To deal with assholes like them!" Gippal seethes. "I'm sick of taking their shit, Rikku! I'm sick of dealing with them all the time and never doing anything to stop them! What kind of gang are we if we don't even have a fucking gun?"
"We don't need one, Gippal," Lulu says calmly. I can see her hands shaking at her sides, though. "We've never needed one. We can take care of ourselves without it, just like we always have."
Gippal swears and shoves the gun back into his rear pocket, running his fingers through his hair like I do. Wakka holds his arm out for me to lean on. My leg is sore from where Logos kicked me.
"Gippal, listen to me," I say, using my 'leader' voice. "Get rid of it. I don't care how or where, but I don't want to see it ever again. Clear?"
He nods at me, his jaw clenched shut.
It hits me then, just what this gang is. We are high school friends, standing together to defend each other from the dangers of the world we come from. I've spent my whole life under the impression that we're badasses, tough as nails. It only comes to me now that we are nothing more than kids. Hell, Gippal's right. What kind of 'gang' doesn't even have a gun? I don't even want a fucking gun! I don't want anyone in my group shooting other people.
There are gangs in my neighbourhood that kill people. They steal money and jewellery right from people's homes. They rape and torture girls. They buy and sell drugs. They attack and kill cops, for Yevon's sake.
I've never even touched drugs aside from booze. We've stolen cars before, but only from the school parking lot, and usually it was just for joyriding. Eventually we'd abandon the car on the side of the road and let someone else take over it. I've never raped a girl. None of the guys in my gang have. All the girls I've slept with have been willing. And we sure as hell have never killed someone. We've beaten people up, of course, but never to a really serious degree.
My whole image of a hardcore Tidus Lorac and his gang of badasses has been crushed. Maybe the same thought seems to have occurred to the others, because a heavy silence falls over us.
"You okay, Paine?"
She nods, keeping her eyes down. Obviously she isn't okay, but Paine isn't one to talk about her problems.
"How did you guys find me?" I ask. Rikku, who has her arm around Gippal affectionately, answers me.
"We went over to your place to see how your project with Yuna went, but you weren't there, so we were on our way to 8-Ball's to see if you were there instead. That's when we found you here."
"How you feelin' boss?" Wakka asks me. I stand up straight and crack my neck, rolling my shoulders and stretching as much as I can. My nose isn't bleeding anymore, but there's still some dried blood on my upper lip, staining my shirt.
"I'm all right. It doesn't hurt that bad anymore," I tell them reassuringly. "I could use a drink, though."
I limp home later that night. I feel a bit better with a few drinks in my system, but my leg is still aching and my stomach hasn't stopped hurting since Ormi pulverized it. Wakka and Rikku had offered to help me home, but I told them to just go home. I'm not a helpless cripple.
I push the door open, and not surprisingly, Jecht's passed out on the couch. I walk past him to my room.
"How was the tournament, Pops?" I ask sarcastically as I walk by. He snores in response. The clock in my room says it's almost midnight.
I collapse onto my bed, too sore to get undressed or even to crawl under the blanket. Outside, some drunk guys are staggering around singing, but I don't have the energy to get up and shut the window. I hear gunshots outside, but it sounds further away than my street.
It hits me then: I could have died tonight. If the gang hadn't showed up to save my ass, I could have been killed. I never imagined Nooj had the balls to pull something like that off, but I know he had a switchblade. I saw him holding it as he walked towards me when I was helpless, trapped between Logos and Ormi. I saw the look in his eyes. He wanted me dead.
Most people in my situation would wonder 'Why? What did I ever do to him?', but not me. In my world, we don't ask questions like that. The important thing is that Nooj has the guts to kill me, and almost had his chance tonight. It doesn't matter why he wants to. Maybe there is no reason. Maybe he just doesn't like me and wants me out of the way. I won't make the mistake of walking alone again. I can't afford to.
Would he have attacked me if I had been with Yuna? Would he have hurt her to keep her quiet? No way does he have the nerve to harm her, the famous daughter of High Summoner Braska . . . does he?
But I can't ask these questions. I can't demand answers from him. The best thing I can do is sleep off the pain and face the next day.
I wake up with the sun in my eyes. Moaning, I roll onto my other side to shield my face from the light. Then the memory of last night comes back, and it is then that I notice my body doesn't hurt as much. I sit up and stretch. My stomach still hurts a bit, and when I lift up my shirt I count a lot of bruises, but I can at least sit upright without groaning in pain.
Walking out into the kitchen, I see Jecht sitting at the table, drinking coffee. He looks like shit.
He glances up at me.
"When did you get back last night?" he grunts, squinting in the sunlight.
"Midnight. You?" I ask, going to the fridge.
"Around ten. The Luca Goers won the Crystal Cup again," he says, snorting with disgust. "Shoulda been the Bevelle Thunderbolts."
"No kidding," I reply absently. Blitzball was never really a big concern of mine, even though I once played for the school team. Wakka was supposed to be on it this year, but he dropped out of it when he found out that the team mascot was going to be a blue bird. He said he was never going to play for a team with a sissy mascot.
"So, how'd you hold up when I was gone?" Jecht asks, taking a sip of coffee. I feel like laughing at the question, but I decide no to. I know he doesn't care about what I did. He just wants to know if I got into trouble with the cops or something.
"Good," I tell him, shrugging as I pull out a beer bottle. Then, just to see his reaction, I add, "Had a girl come over for a school project."
He narrows his eyes at me. "A girl, eh?"
"Yup. A really pretty girl was here with me. Alone." I know I am grinning as I tell him this, but I don't care.
"Really. Did you get lucky?" he asks, daring me to say yes. I just smile at him and take a sip of beer. He mutters something under his breath and picks up the newspaper.
"I'm sick of you bringing your little sluts around here. Next time, fuck her in a car or something," he says moodily.
I glare at him. I know he only said it to get on my nerves, but I can't help it.
"She's not mine, and she's not a slut," I snap, dropping the bottle in the sink with a loud clatter. "She's a friend. If I ever have her over again, stay the hell away from her."
He raises his eyebrow dangerously. "Don't tell me what to do, boy."
"I mean it. She's a nice girl."
"Whatever. Just remember who the boss around here is."
"Fine."
I go to the phone to call up one of the gang, when it suddenly rings. I answer it right away.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Tidus. It's Yuna."