Recently I've started getting my inspiration back for my other story,
Children of Light, so you may have noticed that I update that one more
frequently than this one. I do apologize to those of you who like this
story better, but I swear that I will keep working on it as well. I just
need to scratch my creative itches, you know? Thanks for being awesome
reviewers, and sorry for the delay! I've been battling with a bit of
writer's block for this chapter. Hope it turned out okay . . . ?
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TIDUS
Sitting in Wakka's basement, ignoring the familiar sound of Rikku and Gippal arguing, my thoughts once again return to the art project, which is due in two days. The two weeks have flown by surprisingly fast.
After Paine agreed, if not impatiently, to show me how to use the photo editing program on a computer, I spent hours going over the pictures Yuna and I took at my place. I ended up deleting over thirty shots, but I still have about forty left to set up the project. It was hard work sorting through the ones I wanted to get rid of and the ones I wanted to keep, but I did have fun editing them.
I decided I didn't want Yuna to see the end result until the due date, along with everyone else in the class. Nobody in the gang really cares about the whole thing, but they are wondering why I am suddenly taking school so seriously. Usually I'm the one who couldn't care less about making the grades.
It's hard to concentrate when two annoying voices keep cutting into my thoughts.
"Gippal, I told you, I am NOT going to flash you!" Rikku snaps, folding her arms over her chest protectively. Gippal sighs with exasperation.
"A bet is a bet, Rikku!" he say, outraged. "YOU said the Bevelle Thunderbolts would win the Crystal Cup, but they lost! The terms were that if you lost, you had to flash me."
"Yes, but you said that the Kilika Beasts would win this year, but the Luca Goers won instead. YOU owe me thirty gil, you cheap ass," she shoots back angrily.
"Give it a rest, you two," Lulu says irritably, pausing her attempts to get her new Moogle doll to sit still. "Neither of you won and neither of you lost. Just leave it at that."
"Or, Gippal could pay Rikku thirty gil to flash him. That way, they both win!" Wakka chimes in with a teasing laugh as he balances a blitzball on his forehead. Both Gippal and Rikku shoot him death glares.
"No way am I cleaning out thirty gil," Gippal mutters.
"And no way am I showing off the goods," Rikku adds.
Most people think Rikku is a total slut, which she usually is, but with us, she can be pretty shy. Especially around Gippal, now that I think about it. Then again, Gippal is always persisting Rikku to let him cop a feel or to 'show him the goods'.
"Boss, help me out here," Gippal says pleadingly to me. Rikku begs me with her eyes to take her side.
"I'm not going to get involved," I say throwing my hands up defensively. "Just sort it out yourselves."
"Leave Boss alone," Paine says next to me, her eyes fixed on the TV. Her expression is slightly amused. "He's too preoccupied thinking about Yuna to worry about our problems."
Instantly everyone begins 'ooohing' at me. I just roll my eyes, powerless to stop the blush from creeping up on me. Oddly enough, I never used to blush until Yuna started hanging out with us. But now, whenever someone mentions her name, I can feel the heat in my face like a fever.
"Whatever," I say, trying to sound casual. "I just don't care about a stupid bet, that's all."
"Aw, come on, Tidus, no sense in trying to pretend. We all know you got the hots for Yunie," Rikku says with a smile, forgetting to be annoyed with Gippal for the moment. 'Yunie' is Rikku's latest pet name for our new friend. To everyone's amazement, besides our own, Yuna seems to really like hanging out with us, and doesn't show much interest in ditching us for someone else. It bothers me that she's still hanging out with Dona, but the more I see them around each other, the more I start to wonder if Dona really is up to something.
"Dude, just ask her out, ya?" Wakka says with a snort, throwing the blitzball at me. I catch it skilfully and hurl it back at him, nearly knocking him off the top of the dryer, where he usually sits. He likes the vibration against his ass, apparently.
"Seriously, what's the worst that could happen?" Gippal asks with a shrug.
"She could say no," I grumble, sinking lower in the couch.
"You mean there's actually a female with the ability to refuse our dashing Tidus Lorac's charms?" Lulu says sarcastically. "She's probably dying to go out with you, you know."
"No way, you guys," I sigh, getting up to grab an ice cream sandwich from the nearby freezer. Wakka's house is always stocked with junk food, making it one of our main hang-outs. "We're on completely different ends of the system. She's the Summoner's daughter, for shit's sake."
"Yeah, and you're the hot bad boy gang leader. What girl wouldn't want that?" Rikku asks brightly. I smile vaguely at her and shake my head.
"Yuna's not like the girls from our end of town. She's . . . classy. She has real expectations."
"What, and we don't?" Lulu asks with a raised eyebrow.
"That's not what I meant. All I'm saying that there's no way Yuna could go for a guy like me when her dad's probably lined her up with some royal hotshot. It just wouldn't work."
They're staring at me in disbelief, and frankly I can't blame them. This is the first time I've ever really doubted my chances of getting the girl I have in mind. Even I'm starting to wonder just how sane I am.
"Let's just drop it, okay?" I say, firmly ending the discussion. They just shrug and continue doing their own things.
As a peaceful silence falls over us, I start thinking about the project, and smile secretively. It's going to be great. I just know it.
--------------------------------
"I still can't believe you're not going to let me see it!" Yuna says, glaring at me as I grab my bag from my locker. "I have just as much right as you do. I am your partner, after all."
I smile down at her and say nothing, which only annoys her further. The two of us begin walking down the hall together towards art class. Earlier that morning I dropped the project off with Professor Faradi and made sure it was locked up tight with everyone else's. Today I would finally be unveiling my masterpiece.
Now that Yuna has made it clear that she means to stay friends with me and the gang, people don't stare at us when we walk together. Before it was some big shocker, and people would whisper and gossip about it. But now it seems that the news is old, and Yuna has established her place. She's becoming quite popular, since she's also been seen with Dona and her little clique.
We enter the room side by side, while she's still muttering under her breath about 'the injustice of it all'.
"Would you relax? I told you it'll be great. You have nothing to worry about," I say soothingly. She just sighs.
"You'd better know what you're doing," she grumbles. I wink at her, which makes her smile a little.
"When have I ever been anything but trustworthy, my dear Yuna?" I ask, elbowing her in the arm.
"Don't call me that," she giggles, pinching me. "People will start getting ideas."
"Oh, don't be ridiculous. Nobody's going to get ideas from that. On the other hand, if I do THIS-"
At that moment I lunge for her and scoop her up in my arms, holding her tightly to my chest. She squeals as I spin her around, unable to do anything but press her face against the side of my head. Her breath tickles my ear and ruffles my hair. I can feel her heart pounding with mine.
"Tidus! Put me down!" she cries, trying not to laugh. The other people already in class are staring dumbly at us, unsure of what to think. I've never been this openly affectionate with her. I can't help but chuckle at their expressions. No doubt I've just spawned a new flame of gossip.
Professor Faradi chooses that moment of all moments to make her entrance. She raises an eyebrow at me with Yuna giggling helplessly in my arms.
"Mr. Lorac, please make an attempt to conceal your excitement. Kindly put Miss Ressan back on her feet," she says dryly. The other students snicker slightly, and I politely place Yuna on the ground again. Her face is ten shades redder than any beet I've seen, and I feel kind of bad for embarrassing her.
As we make our way to our desk at the back of the class, she steals a quick glance at me. Her blush is fading, but I can see the smile on her lips, telling me that she's not mad. I grin back at her. We are the only two people at the back of our class, and more than once I've caught myself wondering just what kinds of things she and I could do together undetected . . .
"Now, I know you're all very excited to unmask your presentations," Professor Faradi says, her eyes lingering on me for a second, "and I don't intend to waste anyone's time. We'll start with . . . Datto and Keepa."
Impatiently, I sit through four other projects. Datto and Keepa did 'cityscapes', which was boring and unimpressive. The next pair did something about poverty. After them, someone did nature scenes on the beach. Then there was a project on birds.
None of them could hold a candle to mine and Yuna's. I snigger to myself, causing Yuna to stare questioningly at me.
"Let's have Tidus and Miss Yuna go next, shall we?" Faradi calls. I jump to my feet faster than lightening and immediately stride to the front of the class. I can tell by the looks people are giving me that they're afraid I've done something gross or shocking, like pictures of naked people or dead animal carcasses. Morons. Wait 'til they see what I've really got in store.
I've arranged the photos on a white piece of cardboard that folds towards the middle, so that I could place all the pictures in the center and cover them with two folds. Yuna stands next to me as I place the cardboard on top of Faradi's desk at the front. She wipes her sweating palms on the sides of her khaki capris, and I can't help but wonder just how shy someone has to be to fear going up in front of a small art class.
"Our project is entitled 'Friday Afternoon'," I begin dramatically. "Yuna, do the honours."
She nods her head and slowly reaches out to pull open the folds. Her hands are shaking with eager nervousness. Then, after hesitating for one second, she pulls the two edges apart and stands back to reveal the center.
There is a moment of dead silence. Yuna stares wide-eyed at it. Professor Faradi's coffee mug freezes an inch away from her open mouth. Then, a slow collective murmur starts rippling around the room.
Our photos are black and white, but they are perfect, if I do say so myself. The lighting and shadows are perfect. The angles and poses are perfect. The expressions on our faces are perfect and natural. Using the editing program Paine showed me, I only filled in the colours of our eyes. My blue eyes and Yuna's mismatched ones.
I enlarged my favourite picture and placed it right in the middle, so that it would be the first one noticed. It's the one of me sitting behind Yuna with my arms around her waist and my head on her shoulder. My legs are crossed beneath her, and her knees are drawn up. I have my eyes closed, with a peaceful expression on my face. She's tilting her head to the side so that it rests against mine, her eyes 'distant', as if she's looking at something far away.
I remember when we posed for that shot. I remember how comfortable it was. After knowing Yuna for only two days, it had been completely relaxed and natural. We didn't even discuss the pose, or planned it out. It sort of happened on its own. She did not hesitate to crawl onto my lap, and my arms just automatically closed around her waist. Her shoulder was too comfortable for my head to ignore. She smelled like jasmine. I remember the smell of jasmine . . .
The other pictures are gathered all around it, overlapping each other, but all clear enough to see. Yuna slowly turns around to stare at me, and I am surprised to see tears in her eyes. Her gaze locks onto me, and I can't look away. I count lots of different emotions in her face. Surprise, pleasure, wonder, gratitude . . . maybe even . . . no, no, of course not. I can't be seeing that . . .
"You made me beautiful," she whispers, loud enough so that only I can hear it as I stand in front of her.
"You did that on your own," I reply, smiling. She blinks away her tears and smiles back, returning her attention to the project. Professor Faradi begins clapping.
"Tidus, Yuna, this is . . . fabulous! It's exquisite! The lighting, the poses, the idea of it . . . magnificent!" she says in an awed voice.
"The idea of it?" I echo. "You mean . . . you understand what we were trying to do?"
"I believe so," she says with a warm smile. She gestures to the photos, and then glances over her shoulder at the rest of the class. "I see two worlds joining together in these photos. I see two people moulding into one, regardless of their social class. I see . . . friendship. I see understanding."
"That's it," Yuna says, nodding her head, grinning with pleasure. "That's exactly what we were trying to show."
"You sure you didn't just want to see Tidus without a shirt on, Yuna?" a teasing voice calls from the back, sparking laughter.
"Or maybe Tidus just wanted to show off!" someone else jibes. The smile dies on Yuna's lips, and she becomes uncomfortable. I bristle at the remarks and try to search out the owners of those voices, determined to make them pay.
"None of that!" Faradi says sharply, silencing the laughter. "I want nobody insulting this piece of art. Regardless of the motives, I give this assignment an A."
She begins clapping, beaming at us. I bow theatrically, and as I do so I nudge Yuna slightly and smile down at her, encouraging her to do the same. Slowly I see her lips move into my favourite grin, and she bows to the class next to me.
--------------------------------
When the bell rings at the end of class, Yuna and I are the last people to leave the class. Professor Faradi is in the back room, storing the projects, so the main classroom is empty.
"Wait," Yuna says suddenly, grabbing my arm. I stop and look down at her questioningly. Before I can make any sort of response, she throws both her arms around my neck.
"Thank you," she whispers. Her voice heats the side of my neck and I feel goosebumps rising on my skin at the feel of it. She always has this effect on me.
"For what?" I reply, dazed.
"For making the project so perfect."
"Hey, you were in those pictures too, you know," I say, swallowing slightly. Gently I let my arms slip around her to return the hug.
"Yes, but you were the genius behind it all. You . . . you really pulled it off, Tidus. I was very proud to be your partner."
No matter how smart Yuna is, she will never know just how much impact those words have on me. Right at that moment I feel my self fall under her spell. I don't even want to try and fight it. Until now I always figured I just felt attracted to Yuna, and that there was nothing more to it.
Now I know differently. I know that whatever it is I feel for her, it is much deeper than just attraction. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but it's there.
When she pulls away from me, she winks and then walks out the door, pausing to wait for me to follow her. This whole encounter has me slightly stupefied. All I can do is walk beside her, silent, aware of every detail in her body next to mine. I catch the glimmer of light in her hair, the translucent glow of her skin, the smell of jasmine. Her elbow brushes against mine.
'Get a grip on yourself,' my brain commands silently. 'Calm down!' It was never this awkward, not even when we had been taking the photographs at my place. It had been comfortable then, but now that I am suddenly preoccupied with new thoughts and feelings, I can't seem to relax around her.
Damn stupid hormones. Damn stupid heart.
"Are you okay?" she asks me suddenly. "You seem kind of distracted."
"I-I'm fine. No worries," I lie, forcing myself to smile brightly at her. The answer seems to satisfy her, because she shrugs and grins back.
I had believed that all I felt for her was a deep attraction. But now I know that I've been wrong the whole time. Whatever it is inside of me, it's there, and all it can think about is Yuna, making Yuna happy, seeing Yuna smile. I don't know what it is, but I can't escape it. I don't want to escape it. It puts a new spring in my step. It makes me quick to laugh and feel a strange sense of belonging.
Somehow, I know for certain that this strangeness will never leave me, no matter what happens between me and Yuna in the future.
--------------------------------
TIDUS
Sitting in Wakka's basement, ignoring the familiar sound of Rikku and Gippal arguing, my thoughts once again return to the art project, which is due in two days. The two weeks have flown by surprisingly fast.
After Paine agreed, if not impatiently, to show me how to use the photo editing program on a computer, I spent hours going over the pictures Yuna and I took at my place. I ended up deleting over thirty shots, but I still have about forty left to set up the project. It was hard work sorting through the ones I wanted to get rid of and the ones I wanted to keep, but I did have fun editing them.
I decided I didn't want Yuna to see the end result until the due date, along with everyone else in the class. Nobody in the gang really cares about the whole thing, but they are wondering why I am suddenly taking school so seriously. Usually I'm the one who couldn't care less about making the grades.
It's hard to concentrate when two annoying voices keep cutting into my thoughts.
"Gippal, I told you, I am NOT going to flash you!" Rikku snaps, folding her arms over her chest protectively. Gippal sighs with exasperation.
"A bet is a bet, Rikku!" he say, outraged. "YOU said the Bevelle Thunderbolts would win the Crystal Cup, but they lost! The terms were that if you lost, you had to flash me."
"Yes, but you said that the Kilika Beasts would win this year, but the Luca Goers won instead. YOU owe me thirty gil, you cheap ass," she shoots back angrily.
"Give it a rest, you two," Lulu says irritably, pausing her attempts to get her new Moogle doll to sit still. "Neither of you won and neither of you lost. Just leave it at that."
"Or, Gippal could pay Rikku thirty gil to flash him. That way, they both win!" Wakka chimes in with a teasing laugh as he balances a blitzball on his forehead. Both Gippal and Rikku shoot him death glares.
"No way am I cleaning out thirty gil," Gippal mutters.
"And no way am I showing off the goods," Rikku adds.
Most people think Rikku is a total slut, which she usually is, but with us, she can be pretty shy. Especially around Gippal, now that I think about it. Then again, Gippal is always persisting Rikku to let him cop a feel or to 'show him the goods'.
"Boss, help me out here," Gippal says pleadingly to me. Rikku begs me with her eyes to take her side.
"I'm not going to get involved," I say throwing my hands up defensively. "Just sort it out yourselves."
"Leave Boss alone," Paine says next to me, her eyes fixed on the TV. Her expression is slightly amused. "He's too preoccupied thinking about Yuna to worry about our problems."
Instantly everyone begins 'ooohing' at me. I just roll my eyes, powerless to stop the blush from creeping up on me. Oddly enough, I never used to blush until Yuna started hanging out with us. But now, whenever someone mentions her name, I can feel the heat in my face like a fever.
"Whatever," I say, trying to sound casual. "I just don't care about a stupid bet, that's all."
"Aw, come on, Tidus, no sense in trying to pretend. We all know you got the hots for Yunie," Rikku says with a smile, forgetting to be annoyed with Gippal for the moment. 'Yunie' is Rikku's latest pet name for our new friend. To everyone's amazement, besides our own, Yuna seems to really like hanging out with us, and doesn't show much interest in ditching us for someone else. It bothers me that she's still hanging out with Dona, but the more I see them around each other, the more I start to wonder if Dona really is up to something.
"Dude, just ask her out, ya?" Wakka says with a snort, throwing the blitzball at me. I catch it skilfully and hurl it back at him, nearly knocking him off the top of the dryer, where he usually sits. He likes the vibration against his ass, apparently.
"Seriously, what's the worst that could happen?" Gippal asks with a shrug.
"She could say no," I grumble, sinking lower in the couch.
"You mean there's actually a female with the ability to refuse our dashing Tidus Lorac's charms?" Lulu says sarcastically. "She's probably dying to go out with you, you know."
"No way, you guys," I sigh, getting up to grab an ice cream sandwich from the nearby freezer. Wakka's house is always stocked with junk food, making it one of our main hang-outs. "We're on completely different ends of the system. She's the Summoner's daughter, for shit's sake."
"Yeah, and you're the hot bad boy gang leader. What girl wouldn't want that?" Rikku asks brightly. I smile vaguely at her and shake my head.
"Yuna's not like the girls from our end of town. She's . . . classy. She has real expectations."
"What, and we don't?" Lulu asks with a raised eyebrow.
"That's not what I meant. All I'm saying that there's no way Yuna could go for a guy like me when her dad's probably lined her up with some royal hotshot. It just wouldn't work."
They're staring at me in disbelief, and frankly I can't blame them. This is the first time I've ever really doubted my chances of getting the girl I have in mind. Even I'm starting to wonder just how sane I am.
"Let's just drop it, okay?" I say, firmly ending the discussion. They just shrug and continue doing their own things.
As a peaceful silence falls over us, I start thinking about the project, and smile secretively. It's going to be great. I just know it.
--------------------------------
"I still can't believe you're not going to let me see it!" Yuna says, glaring at me as I grab my bag from my locker. "I have just as much right as you do. I am your partner, after all."
I smile down at her and say nothing, which only annoys her further. The two of us begin walking down the hall together towards art class. Earlier that morning I dropped the project off with Professor Faradi and made sure it was locked up tight with everyone else's. Today I would finally be unveiling my masterpiece.
Now that Yuna has made it clear that she means to stay friends with me and the gang, people don't stare at us when we walk together. Before it was some big shocker, and people would whisper and gossip about it. But now it seems that the news is old, and Yuna has established her place. She's becoming quite popular, since she's also been seen with Dona and her little clique.
We enter the room side by side, while she's still muttering under her breath about 'the injustice of it all'.
"Would you relax? I told you it'll be great. You have nothing to worry about," I say soothingly. She just sighs.
"You'd better know what you're doing," she grumbles. I wink at her, which makes her smile a little.
"When have I ever been anything but trustworthy, my dear Yuna?" I ask, elbowing her in the arm.
"Don't call me that," she giggles, pinching me. "People will start getting ideas."
"Oh, don't be ridiculous. Nobody's going to get ideas from that. On the other hand, if I do THIS-"
At that moment I lunge for her and scoop her up in my arms, holding her tightly to my chest. She squeals as I spin her around, unable to do anything but press her face against the side of my head. Her breath tickles my ear and ruffles my hair. I can feel her heart pounding with mine.
"Tidus! Put me down!" she cries, trying not to laugh. The other people already in class are staring dumbly at us, unsure of what to think. I've never been this openly affectionate with her. I can't help but chuckle at their expressions. No doubt I've just spawned a new flame of gossip.
Professor Faradi chooses that moment of all moments to make her entrance. She raises an eyebrow at me with Yuna giggling helplessly in my arms.
"Mr. Lorac, please make an attempt to conceal your excitement. Kindly put Miss Ressan back on her feet," she says dryly. The other students snicker slightly, and I politely place Yuna on the ground again. Her face is ten shades redder than any beet I've seen, and I feel kind of bad for embarrassing her.
As we make our way to our desk at the back of the class, she steals a quick glance at me. Her blush is fading, but I can see the smile on her lips, telling me that she's not mad. I grin back at her. We are the only two people at the back of our class, and more than once I've caught myself wondering just what kinds of things she and I could do together undetected . . .
"Now, I know you're all very excited to unmask your presentations," Professor Faradi says, her eyes lingering on me for a second, "and I don't intend to waste anyone's time. We'll start with . . . Datto and Keepa."
Impatiently, I sit through four other projects. Datto and Keepa did 'cityscapes', which was boring and unimpressive. The next pair did something about poverty. After them, someone did nature scenes on the beach. Then there was a project on birds.
None of them could hold a candle to mine and Yuna's. I snigger to myself, causing Yuna to stare questioningly at me.
"Let's have Tidus and Miss Yuna go next, shall we?" Faradi calls. I jump to my feet faster than lightening and immediately stride to the front of the class. I can tell by the looks people are giving me that they're afraid I've done something gross or shocking, like pictures of naked people or dead animal carcasses. Morons. Wait 'til they see what I've really got in store.
I've arranged the photos on a white piece of cardboard that folds towards the middle, so that I could place all the pictures in the center and cover them with two folds. Yuna stands next to me as I place the cardboard on top of Faradi's desk at the front. She wipes her sweating palms on the sides of her khaki capris, and I can't help but wonder just how shy someone has to be to fear going up in front of a small art class.
"Our project is entitled 'Friday Afternoon'," I begin dramatically. "Yuna, do the honours."
She nods her head and slowly reaches out to pull open the folds. Her hands are shaking with eager nervousness. Then, after hesitating for one second, she pulls the two edges apart and stands back to reveal the center.
There is a moment of dead silence. Yuna stares wide-eyed at it. Professor Faradi's coffee mug freezes an inch away from her open mouth. Then, a slow collective murmur starts rippling around the room.
Our photos are black and white, but they are perfect, if I do say so myself. The lighting and shadows are perfect. The angles and poses are perfect. The expressions on our faces are perfect and natural. Using the editing program Paine showed me, I only filled in the colours of our eyes. My blue eyes and Yuna's mismatched ones.
I enlarged my favourite picture and placed it right in the middle, so that it would be the first one noticed. It's the one of me sitting behind Yuna with my arms around her waist and my head on her shoulder. My legs are crossed beneath her, and her knees are drawn up. I have my eyes closed, with a peaceful expression on my face. She's tilting her head to the side so that it rests against mine, her eyes 'distant', as if she's looking at something far away.
I remember when we posed for that shot. I remember how comfortable it was. After knowing Yuna for only two days, it had been completely relaxed and natural. We didn't even discuss the pose, or planned it out. It sort of happened on its own. She did not hesitate to crawl onto my lap, and my arms just automatically closed around her waist. Her shoulder was too comfortable for my head to ignore. She smelled like jasmine. I remember the smell of jasmine . . .
The other pictures are gathered all around it, overlapping each other, but all clear enough to see. Yuna slowly turns around to stare at me, and I am surprised to see tears in her eyes. Her gaze locks onto me, and I can't look away. I count lots of different emotions in her face. Surprise, pleasure, wonder, gratitude . . . maybe even . . . no, no, of course not. I can't be seeing that . . .
"You made me beautiful," she whispers, loud enough so that only I can hear it as I stand in front of her.
"You did that on your own," I reply, smiling. She blinks away her tears and smiles back, returning her attention to the project. Professor Faradi begins clapping.
"Tidus, Yuna, this is . . . fabulous! It's exquisite! The lighting, the poses, the idea of it . . . magnificent!" she says in an awed voice.
"The idea of it?" I echo. "You mean . . . you understand what we were trying to do?"
"I believe so," she says with a warm smile. She gestures to the photos, and then glances over her shoulder at the rest of the class. "I see two worlds joining together in these photos. I see two people moulding into one, regardless of their social class. I see . . . friendship. I see understanding."
"That's it," Yuna says, nodding her head, grinning with pleasure. "That's exactly what we were trying to show."
"You sure you didn't just want to see Tidus without a shirt on, Yuna?" a teasing voice calls from the back, sparking laughter.
"Or maybe Tidus just wanted to show off!" someone else jibes. The smile dies on Yuna's lips, and she becomes uncomfortable. I bristle at the remarks and try to search out the owners of those voices, determined to make them pay.
"None of that!" Faradi says sharply, silencing the laughter. "I want nobody insulting this piece of art. Regardless of the motives, I give this assignment an A."
She begins clapping, beaming at us. I bow theatrically, and as I do so I nudge Yuna slightly and smile down at her, encouraging her to do the same. Slowly I see her lips move into my favourite grin, and she bows to the class next to me.
--------------------------------
When the bell rings at the end of class, Yuna and I are the last people to leave the class. Professor Faradi is in the back room, storing the projects, so the main classroom is empty.
"Wait," Yuna says suddenly, grabbing my arm. I stop and look down at her questioningly. Before I can make any sort of response, she throws both her arms around my neck.
"Thank you," she whispers. Her voice heats the side of my neck and I feel goosebumps rising on my skin at the feel of it. She always has this effect on me.
"For what?" I reply, dazed.
"For making the project so perfect."
"Hey, you were in those pictures too, you know," I say, swallowing slightly. Gently I let my arms slip around her to return the hug.
"Yes, but you were the genius behind it all. You . . . you really pulled it off, Tidus. I was very proud to be your partner."
No matter how smart Yuna is, she will never know just how much impact those words have on me. Right at that moment I feel my self fall under her spell. I don't even want to try and fight it. Until now I always figured I just felt attracted to Yuna, and that there was nothing more to it.
Now I know differently. I know that whatever it is I feel for her, it is much deeper than just attraction. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but it's there.
When she pulls away from me, she winks and then walks out the door, pausing to wait for me to follow her. This whole encounter has me slightly stupefied. All I can do is walk beside her, silent, aware of every detail in her body next to mine. I catch the glimmer of light in her hair, the translucent glow of her skin, the smell of jasmine. Her elbow brushes against mine.
'Get a grip on yourself,' my brain commands silently. 'Calm down!' It was never this awkward, not even when we had been taking the photographs at my place. It had been comfortable then, but now that I am suddenly preoccupied with new thoughts and feelings, I can't seem to relax around her.
Damn stupid hormones. Damn stupid heart.
"Are you okay?" she asks me suddenly. "You seem kind of distracted."
"I-I'm fine. No worries," I lie, forcing myself to smile brightly at her. The answer seems to satisfy her, because she shrugs and grins back.
I had believed that all I felt for her was a deep attraction. But now I know that I've been wrong the whole time. Whatever it is inside of me, it's there, and all it can think about is Yuna, making Yuna happy, seeing Yuna smile. I don't know what it is, but I can't escape it. I don't want to escape it. It puts a new spring in my step. It makes me quick to laugh and feel a strange sense of belonging.
Somehow, I know for certain that this strangeness will never leave me, no matter what happens between me and Yuna in the future.