Thanks for the reviews, as always! I feel so loved. I'm not at all happy with this chapter because this stupid writer's block keeps screwing me over. Well, TRY to enjoy chapter 15 . . . for my sake? (puppy eyes) Just so you know, the band 'Lotus Venom' is an OC band I just made up on the spot, since I hate advertising real bands for some reason. Notice how Tidus is starting to use bigger words? He's learning. ;)
And I apologize from the bottom of my heart for the ridiculously long delay in updating. This chapter will be slightly short, but I promise I will try to make the next one longer.
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TIDUS
Rikku's room is located in the basement, where the smell of cat pee isn't so overwhelming. She had no windows in her room, but she prefers candlelight rather than natural sunlight. Her bed is so huge that we can all sit comfortably on it without being too crowded.
It has been a full hour since Yuna arrived, but I still remember the priceless look on her face when she saw me at the door. As we led her inside, I had told her that Rikku called us and wanted to give her a welcoming committee, so the rest of the gang had headed over right away. Her relatives, thankfully, left before any of us got there; Cid and Brother (none of us can pronounce his name aside from Rikku and Cid, so we just call him Brother) are both sound asleep. Rikku plans on telling them about their new guest in the morning, fully convinced that they won't mind.
So, the seven of us are now sitting on her massive bed. In the candlelight, everything has a sort of eerie quality. More than once I find myself staring at the natural blonde tints in Yuna's brown hair, or the way her pale skin glows almost gold. Her eyes are dark and glittering, but it is still easy to tell their colours.
Paine and Wakka are sitting on either side of me. Rikku is sitting in Gippal's lap for no apparent reason reading a magazine, and Lulu is sitting on Wakka's other side, painting his nails (it took a long time to convince him that it would not compromise his machismo). Yuna is sitting between Gippal/Rikku and Lulu, listening to our idle conversations with a lazy smile on her lips. She told us about her argument with Lord Braska, but she seems oddly relaxed. I don't see any nervous tension in her. It's kinda like she's free, in a way. She seems so much more at ease than she usually is. And I like it that way.
"Wakka, this is a great colour on you," Lulu comments with amusement, applying another layer of dark blue on Wakka's nails. He grunts warily, eyeing the procedure with uncertainty.
"I still think nail polish is for chicks, ya? I dunno how I let you dorks talk me into this stuff," he mutters accusingly. Lulu giggles softly, an uncharacteristic sound.
"Hey, lots of women think nail polish on guys is sexy," she tells him, glancing up at him from under her bangs. Wakka seems to perk up a bit.
"Really, Lu? Even you?" he asks mischievously. Lulu narrows her eyes at him, the smile gone. She rarely appreciates his suggestive humour, especially when it concerns her. We all know Wakka has a crush on Lulu, but up until recently he's been afraid of approaching her. Being Chappu's ex-girlfriend, Lulu is unofficially considered off limits to Wakka. Besides, she still misses Chappu, and as his living brother, Wakka knows better than to move in on her. The time just isn't right.
"So, Paine, when are you and Baralai going to go out?" Yuna asks politely, creating a diversion for Wakka's overstepped boundary. She has her knees drawn up to her chin, her arms wrapped around her legs comfortably. When she arrived, she went into the bathroom and changed into a pair of shorts and a black tank top
"Psssht," Gippal snorts, settling his arms around Rikku's waist. "Forget the dating part. More importantly, when are you going to fuck him?"
Paine (choosing to ignore Gippal's comment) shrugs and shifts her position so that she's lying down on her stomach, propped up on her elbows. "Who knows? I haven't talked to him in a while. I think he's still trying to find a way to leave Nooj's gang without getting himself butchered. But I can wait," she says casually.
Another thing I've come to realize is that Paine has become a bit chattier since Yuna's arrival into our midst. I guess Yuna just sort of brings it out of people naturally. Maybe she's even doing it to me too . . .
"Oh my god!" Rikku cries, nearly dropping her magazine in excitement.
"What?" Gippal demands, annoyed at having her jostle around so roughly on his lap.
"Lotus Venom is coming to town next Friday!" the small Al Bhed girl squeals.
"Shut up," Paine says bluntly.
"You're kidding me!" Wakka gasps.
"Are you sure?" Lulu asks, blinking in surprise.
We all lean forward to get a better look in the dim light, and I realize that we are looking down at a tour list. Lotus Venom is our favourite band, and has been for as long as I can remember.
"This is huge," I murmur, almost in disbelief. Lotus Venom usually tours all the way in Zanarkand, or in Luca. They haven't played in Bevelle in over ten years.
I turn my attention to Yuna, who is staring at us in quiet curiosity.
"Please tell me you know who we're talking about," I plead, reaching across to grip her knee. She smiles nervously, her eyes briefly flickering down to my hand.
"Um . . . are they a new group?" she asks in her sensually soft voice ('sensually soft'? What the hell? When did I start getting poetic?).
She quickly ducks and shields her head in her arms as we all grab pillows and start flinging them at her, protesting loudly at her ignorance.
"Yunie, come on!" Rikku groans. "Lotus Venom is only the best band that ever existed. They are one of the original metal bands, and they've been around for over twenty years at least!"
"Have we taught you nothing about being cool?" Wakka cries dramatically, throwing his hands up in the air as if in defeat.
"How is it possible you've never heard of them?" Lulu asks, almost in amazement. Yuna blushes deeply, which is obvious even in the low candlelight.
"Well, my father never really approved of metal. He always had classical music in the house, and didn't allow anything else. I suppose I was always cut off from my generation's music," she admits, embarrassed. Instantly I feel bad about getting so worked up. Of course she wouldn't know much about our music. Hell, her dad practically quarantined her for most of her life. Her words sober us slightly.
"Don't you worry," I tell her, nodding firmly. "We are going to pool our money to get tickets, and you're coming with us whether you like it or not. It's time you were exposed to the wonder that is Lotus Venom."
Her eyes brighten. "Really?"
"Of course!" we answer in loud chorus, momentarily forgetting about Cid and Brother sleeping upstairs.
"It'll be real fucking expensive, but damn it, this is Lotus Venom!" Gippal says passionately, clinging to Rikku in his feverishness. "We cannot afford to miss their concert."
"So it's settled," Lulu says promptly, holding her hand out palm down in the middle of the circle. "We are going to combine our money and buy seven tickets."
"Agreed," everyone replies. Six other hands join Lulu's in the center, establishing a pact. I am quick to cover Yuna's hand with my own, amazed at her softness.
"And if one of us can't go, none of us go," I add, my eyes fixed on Yuna. She stares back at me, a slow smile creeping across her lips. Her hand is warm under mine.
"Agreed," came the unified response.
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It is 3:00 in the morning when a small sound wakes me up. The seven of us had fallen asleep on Rikku's bed, and I was comfortably sandwiched between Paine and Wakka, who had one big arm slung across Lulu's back. Rikku and Gippal are nestled together on Paine's other side.
I open my eyes in the darkness, only to find that Yuna's spot is empty. But I quickly realize that she is not far away. The sound that woke me up was that of the door opening, and as I turn around I catch a glimpse of Yuna creeping up the stairs.
In all likelihood, she's just going to the bathroom, but my instincts are telling me otherwise. I have the feeling that something is wrong, but the more rational part of me is yelling at me to go back to sleep and leave her alone.
Then again, I am not the world's most rational human being.
Carefully sliding off the edge of the bed, I tiptoe my way across the basement room and noiselessly pad upstairs, wondering what on Spira is driving me this way. What makes me so protective of Yuna? Why is it that she of all people can stir up these feelings inside of me?
'Lorac, you are a moron,' I tell myself, emerging onto the main floor. The only light I can see is coming from the kitchen down the hall.
I can't help but feel like some kind of spy, following Yuna around like this. Maybe all this worry is just in my head, like some excuse to be near her. Maybe she just wants to be alone. Hell, maybe she's just getting a snack from the kitchen.
Peeking my head around the corner, I am shocked to see that my intuition was correct.
Yuna is sitting huddled on the floor, her back to the cabinet doors, knees drawn up. Her face is buried in her arms, and I can see her shoulder shaking with voiceless sobs.
"Hey," I say softly, moving into the kitchen. She gasps and jerks her head up at the sound of my voice as I kneel down in front of her.
"Oh," she whispers, startled. "Tidus, I . . . did I wake you?"
She reaches up to wipe away the tears streaming down her face, but I quickly grab her wrist to stop her.
"No," I say quietly. "Let me."
Swallowing, she sits absolutely still as I brush away the tears, each one wounding me like a knife to the heart. My face is very close to hers.
"What's wrong?" I ask, finally pulling my hand away.
"Nothing really," she mutters, her cheeks tinged with red. "I'm just being silly."
"Tell me," I order sternly. She sighs and runs her fingers through her hair, the way I do whenever I'm agitated.
"It's just that I'm feeling sorry for myself over silly things," she says tiredly. "Moping about nothing serious. You see, I realized for the first time just how cut off I've been from the world, how isolated my life has been. There's so much I don't know, like what to say or do around people my own age. Oh, it's easy enough around you and the gang," she adds quickly, seeing my confused frown. "I always feel comfortable with you guys. But . . . I have the sinking suspicion that I would be otherwise incapable of communicating like a normal teenager."
We are silent for a moment. Then she gives a small, bitter laugh.
"See?" she snorts. "Pathetic, isn't it. I wonder why I let myself get so worked up over these things."
"Well . . . what do you want to know?" I ask softly. She stares at me for a second.
"Lots of things. I want to see all the movies I've been missing out on. I want to hear the music my father always forbade. I want . . . I want to know how to drink and swear," she says with a weak shrug.
"But, that's not you, Yuna," I tell her, reaching over to take her hand. My knees are starting to cramp up from squatting, so I change to a sitting position next to her. I am intensely aware of the fact that our bare legs are touching, and that her hip is pressed against mine. "I mean . . . the gang and I do stuff like that, but you're . . . you know, classy. You've got style. We're just losers with nothing better to talk about."
"You aren't losers. And I am tired of being 'classy'. I'm tired of people mistaking me for a thirty year old," she admits, letting her head fall against my shoulder. God, her hair is soft. It smells like lilacs. "Goodness, that makes me sound so selfish. I should be more grateful for the life my father gave me."
"You can't help how you feel, Yuna."
She sighs again, and I slowly bring my arm up around her shoulders. Her skin is unbelievably warm.
"I just want to know these things. Like . . ."
"Like what?"
I sense her hesitating, and I give her shoulders a quick squeeze to encourage her.
"I wish I knew how to kiss a boy."
My breath catches in my throat. My body stiffens against hers. I feel the heat rise to my face. Too many things are happening to me at once, all because of that one little statement.
"So . . . so you don't know how to . . . to do that. N-nobody ever taught you." My words come out in ridiculous stammers. Damn it, how can she shake me up so badly?
"Right," she says in a barely audible voice. She lifts her head up from my shoulder and stares directly into me. "Is that bad?"
"No," I say quickly, wondering why the hell the room feels so bloody hot all of a sudden. Did someone turn the furnace up or something? "No, it's not bad at all. Lots of people don't know how to . . . do that. Some people know how to do it naturally. Others just have to learn."
Jesus, with other girls I never get so rattled. Then again, I've never been in love with any of the other girls.
Oh, fuck. So now I'm in love?
"Did you learn, or were you born knowing how?" she asks me, a hint of a smile on her lips. Her eyes are slightly red from crying, but goddamn, she still looks beautiful. I don't know any other girls who can pull off looking so good at 3 in the morning with no makeup on, especially after crying.
I chuckle slightly. "I was born knowing how. I've been making out with girls since I was thirteen. Well, there was that time with Wakka, but-"
She bursts into giggles, clamping a hand over her mouth. "Wakka?" she chokes, her words muffled through her fingers.
"Hey, it was a dare!" I protest, nudging her roughly. "Besides, we were both drunk."
"Wow, I never figured you of all people had homosexual tendencies," she teases, purposefully ignoring what I just said. I narrow my eyes at her.
"I'll have you know I'm all man," I growl dangerously. She raises her eyebrows with intrigue.
"Oh yeah?" she demands airily. "I'd like to see you prove it."
In the back of my mind I know she is just kidding. I know she is only joking around. I know she doesn't mean it.
But as soon as she speaks those challenging words, it's like I lose control of myself. I lean towards her while pulling her towards me at the same time. She freezes with surprise, but she does not move or object. As my mouth nears hers, I see her eyes softening, flickering down to my lips almost wondrously. My hand reaches up to cup the side of her face with a gentility I didn't know I possessed.
I can feel the heat of her lips almost on mine when I hear a loud 'Ahem'.