Disclaimer: I don't own anything that Square-soft or Square-Enix does, nor any of the other Final Fantasy characters and etc…

A/N: the time-frame is the exact same day, same time as the last chapter's. Still in the hotel, Tidus is waiting for Yuna to come down. Okay, now that we understand, lets get reading, it's the longest I've ever written.

::.Chapter Eight.::

Tidus watched her go by without saying a thing. He figured the sooner he got this over with, the sooner everything would be back to normal. He had rehearsed it in his head to perfection, and as soon as she stepped foot in front of him, he would tell her. He just hoped Tifa wasn't with her to observe everything, trying to talk to two rampaging girls was dangerous. He was practically frozen in place but started moving when her eyes connected with his for a millisecond before opening the door to leave. Yuna wasn't planning on telling him that she was going home, but tried to walk faster when she noticed him approaching her from the corner of her eye. Grabbing her wrist gently Tidus took a deep breath before he spoke.

"Yuna, can we talk?"

Yuna seemed completely unfazed by the whole situation, but her heart was pounding and her mind got all soupy. Not bothering to turn and look at him, she closed her eyes as if trying to make everything disappear.

"There's nothing to talk about."

Even Tidus could feel her body tense immediately. Wringing her wrist delicately from his grasp, she looked down so that her auburn tresses hung around her face, creating a curtain to shield his too-blue eyes and soft expression after that task proved unsuccessful. She couldn't help it, but she was naturally a forgiving person, and this time she wanted to stay mad at him.

Tidus couldn't help but notice that she wouldn't even look at him. Did he really hurt her that bad? This was going to be harder than he originally thought. He briefly looked over to Tifa who seemed like she was ready to grab Yuna and head out the door with her. Obviously they had been plotting against him.

"Yuna."

Yuna growled under her breath a little and just snapped at him, "What?!"

Tidus was taken aback by the amount of aggression she held for him. Yuna was never really one to pounce on people, and even when she did it was jokingly. How could he make her understand, make it so that she actually believed him without making things worse?

"I just wanted to tell you that—"

Before he could respond, Yuna answered for him, "—you're sorry? Well Tidus, it looks like that pride was too hard to swallow. Did it take you that long to muster enough sensitivity to apologize or at least to choke over your conceited ways? How can I just magically go from "Nobody" to "somebody" in one day? Well I'd rather stay that way, because obviously you just wanted to stop that little thing called Guilt from gnawing away at you!" Ripping her arm away from him, she scowled at him daring him to look away. Behind those brown contacts, her blue and green orbs were aflame and this time the fire in them wouldn't be snuffed out.

Tidus tried very hard from exploding himself. She knew of his intentions, and what's worse, he thought she would accept the apology. She was making this really hard for him. Tidus frowned in anger and tried to maintain a calm voice but growled when she turned away from him and stalked out the door. Running after her, he turned her roughly around by the shoulders and held onto her, he couldn't tell if he was trying to keep himself stable or her by grabbing onto her shoulders like that.

"Will you let me explain…!? Just for once let me—"

"No Tidus! Why can't you understand that I don't want anything to do with you? I don't even care about that stupid fight. I mean, I wasn't expecting you to even feel sorry after what you said. You meant every word of it!"

"If you didn't care then why won't you let me explain Yuna?! Why won't you let me apologize so we can get this over with and then we won't have to make everything harder?! And why did you look so upset the other night if it didn't matter?"

"Let go of me!"

Yuna ignored his questions and his eyes, which silently pleaded with her. Luckily for them there was no crowd, the rain had scared most people inside with the exception of the two teenagers. Tifa had disappeared some time between their wrestle to get Naomi inside the car away from their fighting, but neither of the two noticed. This was their fight, and theirs alone.

Squirming and trying to wrestle free from his grasp she was able to turn around but he caught her before she could move. Tidus latched his hands gently but firmly onto hers, keeping her back against his chest. Yuna was breathing hard as if she had just gotten all the wind knocked out of her, and struggled against him but stopped after a while, he was just too strong for her. It was raining hard now, and the drops were sharp and painful against her tender skin. It wasn't exactly skirt-friendly weather.

Tidus pressed his lips near her ear in an attempt to calm her down and actually hear him over the rain. He didn't hear or see anything except Yuna and all his attention would be focused on her.

"Yuna please let me explain. I never wanted to hurt you, I'm sorry. I—"

"—No! You're being insincere. I don't believe you, Tidus. After all the times you hurt me, why should I accept your apology now? Why?"

Up until this moment, Tidus never thought he would be telling her the complete truth, but now she was spilling it out of him. Then it hit him: he had hurt her more than once. The feeling overwhelmed him with grief. He really and truly hadn't intended to make her suffer like this, ever. But getting the proper words out of his mouth was proving to be difficult.

"I swear I never meant to hurt you Yuna. I could never mean what I said that night," he sighed shakily, "and if you don't want to look at me or speak to me after this, I understand. I just want you to know that I care about you. I promise I'll never harm you again."

Tidus rested his head on the crook of her neck, showing he was willing to change if only for her. Yuna closed her eyes and tried to ignore his warm breath on her skin, his blond hair still managed to tickle her skin even when wet. Her lips quivered and her whole body trembled from his proximity but she assured herself it was just because of the cold. She bit her lip as she felt his hands move up her arms unconsciously to warm her skin, sending a shiver through her body. How could she trust him now? But he seemed so morose…What should I do?

Yuna brought her own hands up her pale arms to cover Tidus's and with hesitation, guided them down so that she was clutching his hands. Turning slowly to face him, hands still entwined she looked up at him.

Tidus gazed into her eyes, picturing her beautiful green and blue eyes instead of the brown ones. He couldn't tell if she was crying because of the rain but her eyes were pained and hesitant as if she was having a hard time deciding on something. Yuna gave a sad sigh half in amazement at the softness of Tidus's ocean blue eyes and then looked down to the floor. It was astounding how fast things can change, how easy it is to inflict pain with words rather than actions. Tidus wanted to encourage her and make her feel special just like she should. But most of all, he needed her acceptance, he didn't know why, but he cared about what Yuna thought of him. Maybe establishing a closeness with her would lead to a better relationship as friends, maybe they could finally pull this case off.

It seemed so natural, so right, like it was meant to happen when he leaned lower and held her chin up with a finger. Her eyes wavered slightly, but calmed down as she noticed the peace and tranquility in his.

Tidus was so close he could smell her faint fragrance of rosewater and morning mist. Everything about her seemed so perfect, so natural. He wanted to breathe in her scent always and remember the way her lips were so perfect and pink, and the way they smelled faintly of peaches.

He didn't realize what he was doing at all; it felt as if he was in a trance.

Yuna instinctively closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax a little in the loose embrace. He smelled like the hot summers in the beaches of Besaid, warm and welcoming, so intoxicating. His hair brushed against her face and she swore she could almost feel the hot Besaid sun beaming down on them or maybe it was just her cheeks that were aflame. He had her spellbound just by being near her; it was stimulating and exhilarating all at once.

The two moved closer still as if in a hypnotist's spell, lips ready to render warmth and the drugging sensation of a time-altering enchantment. It wasn't until Yuna could feel his hot breath on her quivering lower lip that she vaguely realized what was happening.

Their noses touched as he shifted closer still. Her lips moved so close that they just barely brushed his but not close enough to touch his own willing ones that followed her movements eagerly.

It was too late to back out of this, he had already her drugged her with his proximity. As much as she wanted to, she avoided his lips touching hers, it was almost too hard to do.

It was almost cruel to Tidus, like she was trying to tease him, but that wasn't the real reason. Because of that Tidus was awoken from the trance.

He opened his eyes in time to see her half shut eyelids widen a bit in awareness. She gasped quietly in surprise at what almost happened, and searched his face for a reaction. She almost fainted from the desire and affection in his eyes.

Tidus cupped the side of her face and traced an invisible line from her cheek to her chin ever so lightly in an attempt to regain the moment, almost successfully. He didn't feel the slightest restraint in Yuna to which he was blind.

Why was he even doing this? He didn't recognize the feeling at all. It made him feel desperate for her, like lightning through his body whenever she was near. And it was only 'til now that he embraced the feeling instead of ignoring it. Whatever this sensation was, it was guiding and controlling his actions now, and there was no stopping it.

Moving closer to her, he bent forward to press a kiss on her lips only for it to land on the edge of her lips.

Turning her head ever so slightly, she was flooded with uncertainty and confusion.

This was Tidus here, her mortal enemy, and the one that for some reason was making peace with her right now. Tidus didn't know what he was doing, he probably forgot it was her standing there. He was probably picturing his girlfriend instead of her. There was no way they were about to kiss. Insecurities again. Her mind almost completely convinced her that those were the true reasons. They had to be, right?

But the real surprise was that she felt as if she wanted to, and he was just as willing. No, she didn't want this…did she? She lowered her head and fiddled with her fingers.

"I…"

Shaking her head a bit to herself, she dared not make eye-contact with him. Tidus's grip on her loosened and she walked past him. He watched her disappear into the car and off into the distance.

Sighing quietly he looked up at the gray sky. Rain splattered down on his face and he imagined it was Yuna's kiss touching his eager, aching lips. How he desired to taste her, share that one thing with her that never happened. In his dreams he would picture that moment, with Yuna kissing him back, the trance never once shattering like it just had. A friendly kiss was all it was though, nothing more. It had to be.

○♥○

"Are you okay Yuna?" Tifa cast her a worried glance as soon as she stopped at a red light. They had taken Tifa's car and left Tidus with his, it seemed fair, after all she wouldn't be bringing him with her to her house.

Yuna was off in her own little world, peering out at the fogged up glass of the passenger side window. The rain was stopping a bit she noticed dimly, before resting her head against the glass. What had just happened between them? It was nearly half an hour ago but Yuna could still feel his heat on her lips, hers begging to be pressed against his. The truth was she was so nervous and confused that she avoided his fervent display of affection. She wouldn't be able to kiss him that would just be weird. But why did it feel so natural? They didn't even like each other and then they almost…

"Yuna?"

She turned to look at her best friend, her crimson eyes lit up with worry. Was she talking to her the whole time?

"Huh?"

"Did you even hear me Yuna?"

"Yea, you said…something about…Cloud."

Tifa shook her head wearily, annoyed that her best friend hadn't even been listening to her. She switched lanes on the highway before turning her attention back to Yuna.

"I said, what happened back there? Ever since you and Tidus had that argument you've been lost in your own dream world."

Yuna studied her friend carefully, as if determining whether she should tell her or not. Biting her lip she responded, "You'd never believe me if I told you."

"Try me. I've been through some pretty crazy things myself. Remember the time when I hid inside Cloud's closet because I thought he was hiding something from me?"

Both girls laughed at that, it was pretty funny and crazy on Tifa's part. After taking a second glance at the back seat to where Naomi was napping soundly, Yuna decided it couldn't hurt that much to tell her. They always told each other everything, even if it was a family secret, that's how close they were.

"Tidus…he…"

"Did he hurt you Yuna? 'Cause if he did—"

"No, no."

Yuna couldn't hide the smirk that was beginning to form on her lips very well. Why was she so happy though? They weren't a couple really, not even close. For the longest while they had been enemies. If she got this excited over an almost-kiss, imagine if he really did kiss her! But they had still touched each other in an intimate way, so close but not quite there yet. Why had it happened at all? She was acting so stupid to let him get that close to her, but another side of her almost yearned for that. It was so weird because a tiny part of her wanted to return the gesture but most of her screamed that it shouldn't happen. Being so close to him, it was like she couldn't back out of the situation. He probably didn't realize what he was doing himself. Yuna decided to leave it as an unsolved mystery.

"Tell me already!" Tifa whispered impatiently.

"Tidus…I…we almost…kissed."

Tifa clapped both hands over her mouth, causing the car to swerve a little before Yuna grabbed the wheel, scared senseless. Tifa made short surprised, gasping sounds which Yuna smiled at. Tifa would only get this way when they spoke about something sexy Cloud did, and with Tifa acting the way she was, it made Yuna feel a little ecstatic herself. Yuna tried to steady the car but it was hard to because of her sideways-grip on the wheel.

"Tifa brake, brake!"

Tifa was too shocked to control the car and Yuna had to remind her to slow down before her expensive Benz rammed into a truck. Finally placing shaky hands on the wheel, her expression was one to remember.

"How…? When…?"

Tifa was practically speechless. Yuna removed a brown tress that had fallen into her line of vision. "Gees Tifa! You'd think I had," Yuna glanced to the back seat before she continued in a hushed voice, "intimate relations with him the way you're reacting."

"No, but…you guys absolutely hate each other! How did that happen?"

"I don't really know…it just happened. I was so mad at him and then when I looked into his eyes…Oh god. I don't even understand how we could've…"

Yuna slouched in her seat, completely embarrassed and felt like a 4-year-old again, caught doing something bad. She let her thoughts run away with her imagination for a moment. If we just let ourselves completely go, then all of the barriers would be broken. What we almost did felt so exhilarating, but deep down we both knew it was wrong. It was as if we tiptoed around the borderlines just to be safe, but somehow we knew reality would catch us just in time. I can't help wondering if crossing the boundaries, was exactly what we needed. Oh Yuna, what did you get yourself into…?

"Yuna do you lov—"

"No! No! Tifa, when did I --if ever-- show affection towards him? Seriously Tifa."

"Relax Yuna. I'm just giving you some possible reasoning here. Well…do you think he has some feelings for you…?"

"He can't. It's completely and utterly impossible. The day shoopuffs fly is the day I fall in love with him."

Tifa backed off from the conversation, Yuna was stubborn and arguing with her would be pointless because once her mind was made up there was no changing that.

○♥○

Yuna pushed the key to her apartment through the slot, thinking about all that had happened. At least Tifa understood how precious time was to her, and spending time with her family was what she needed most to distract her from the turmoil. Tifa agreed without hesitation to take care of Naomi and have a talk with the Anizans'. There were some things that needed to be discussed, however Yuna just dismissed the nervousness that followed with that after Tifa informed her.

Shoving the door open with her left shoulder and turning the knob with her hand (the wooden door was stiff), Yuna was greeted by the familiar surroundings of her home and an eerie silence. It was strange to come home and not hear the blasting of heavy metal, the smell of burnt toast (Squall could never work the toaster properly, it had a few glitches that only Yuna was accustomed to). The familiar sight of Squall surfing through channels, sitting on his black recliner was not present as Yuna entered the apartment.

"Squall? I'm ho-o-o-me!" she yelled as she shrugged off her coat laying it haphazardly on the couch. Yuna frowned thoughtfully, hoping she hadn't come back to an empty home.

Yuna went into the kitchen and wiped the table clean, a habit since Squall didn't like cleaning things so that even the last molecule was spotless. She picked up a half- finished glass of orange juice, "A sign of life" she stated out loud.

Running to Squall's room she rolled her eyes at the sign, Do Not Enter. Like anyone actually took that advice. She actually preferred to stay out of his room since it was so dreary and dark, not to mention she was barely allowed to step foot in it, but this time was an exception. She just hoped he wasn't in the midst of performing open-heart surgery in there, with the house being this quiet, he could've fainted or murdered someone in that room, for all she knew.

Yuna yelped as she opened the door: he had put the skeleton in front of the entrance again. Squall was studying to become a doctor, and it was taking awhile since they didn't have the money. It was sad really, he had the talent, education and potential but it was hard to make it out there without the money. Yuna was lucky really to even make it through law school; Squall gave up all he had so that she could move ahead despite her objections.

Yuna moved around it and found him staring out the window, smoky fog wafting through the room. She dashed around the clutter of abandoned books, strewn clothes and messily thrown sheets.

"Squall!"

Yuna was furious now, Squall had promised he would give up smoking a long time ago. Her brother only gave her a cold glare for a moment before staring out at the gray sky outside.

With a speed she didn't even know she had, Yuna grabbed it from him and ran to the kitchen, annihilating it under the rush of water from the sink, with Squall growling behind her.

Yuna was only half surprised when Squall shoved her roughly to the side. "What is wrong with you!?"

She couldn't deny it, they were rough with each other like normal brothers and sisters were, but it was usually more on her part. Squall usually remained calm but when he was angry like this, it intimidated her, but this time she was angrier than ever.

"Are you trying to kill yourself Squall!? Because if you are, you're just destroying me, you're destroying this family!"

"What family, Yuna! We're two people who live in the same apartment who share a common bloodline. That is not a family!"

Yuna was astounded. So that's how he actually felt about them. But he was right, and as much as she hated to admit it, they were drifting apart. The separation would be gradual, but it was there.

"What are you doing with that?"

Squall watched in horror as Yuna grabbed a knife. He never realized how much she cared about his health, how much it was killing her inside until she couldn't take it anymore. This was her last chance to get through to him.

"Family love each other Squall, they sacrifice everything for each other. If you want out of this family so bad, then so do I."

Squall saw her with the knife, he wouldn't let her suffer like this, not physically not mentally.

Yuna stared down at the twin slashes on her arm and on his. He had moved just in time to intervene, but now both of them were hurt.

"I am so sorry, T."

Yuna felt slightly nauseous at the sight of blood but didn't like Squall's unusually morose attitude.

"Shut up" Yuna said it nicely though to break the somber mood. It was then, the tears started to fall from her eyes. It was Emera and Leonhart blood that was going down the drain, turning the water pink. Squall had changed his last name, for a reason unknown to his sister until now. He didn't want to carry the family name, and for once in her life, she truly felt alone. It was true, they were strangers now. Just Yuna Emera and Squall Leonhart living together, trying desperately to remain together as a family should, but they were already divided.

"Y-You're right Leon. We aren't a family…"

"Stop it T. We're together, isn't that enough?"

Yuna couldn't take it any more. Her whole world was crashing down and there was hardly a chance it could be fixed again.

"When did you start?"

"What?"

"When did you start smoking again?" Yuna asked furiously, sarcasm and sadness dripping from her voice.

"Since Rinoa left."

How much more could she take in one day. She left Tidus and the Anizan family just to come back to her own broken one. And the only reason everything was like this was because of their infamous parents, the ones she never grew to know or love. She hated them now.

" You know, it's all Mom and Dad's fault! If they were still here you wouldn't keep trying to ditch this family and I wouldn't have to work a million different jobs just so that I could get into law school and support us. Squall…"

Yuna was sobbing quietly now, but her brother could offer her no support. His eyes were fixated on the water tinged with blood, swirling down the drain.

"I have to tell you something T…"

○♥○

A/N: all I have to say is this whole story isn't just about romance, and slight humor. It's all about drama and hopefully, what I wanted: family issues that are as close to reality as they can get. To:

Lady Complicated – Yes, we all want romance, but at least there was some interaction between the two ;) They're both going through a transition though…so don't hold you're breath

AMC – Hopefully this was intense enough for you?

Preview: I never knew that a family could cause so much pain. What I felt then was a betrayal that would never extinguish. Looking up at the stars with him I wondered how much of a Leonhart or how much of an Emera I am. Probably none, I'm probably no one now. This was strange to think about at a ball held in my honor I know…but what should I think, really?

 I never knew that a family could cause so much pain. What I felt then was a betrayal that would never extinguish. Looking up at the stars with him I wondered how much of a Leonhart or how much of an Emera I am. Probably none, I'm probably no one now. This was strange to think about at a ball held in my honor I know…but what I think, really?

"Yuna, do you know about love?"

His voice breaks the uneasy silence. Love. Love? What do I know anymore…? I look at him noticing the distant look in his eyes, like he's searching beyond the stars, beyond the darkness.

"I know about pain."