TIDUS

I woke up, stretched and yawned. I'm aching all over from spending a whole night sleeping on an uncomfortable chair.

Then I suddenly remembered the girl, Yuna. She had told me her name last night and I told her mine. Turning around, I faced my empty bed. Crap shit! Where has she gone when she's been wounded just last night! God this girl is gutsy.

My part of the city is quite dangerous for a girl like Yuna to be wandering alone. Even though I live quite near the city, my neighborhood isn't quite the place where someone would describe as a pleasant and wonderful place to live.

Everyday is sort of the same as the day before and so on; the sky always seems to be a cloudy grey color and everywhere you go you see people lying on the streets either homeless or on some type of drug.

Everyday there is always screaming and shrieking from others houses around or violent fights happening on the streets so this isn't what you would call a perfect life.

My life has always been like this ever since my mother died years ago, first my old man starts on the alcohol, then he sold our house and brought me to this stupid dump because we had so many debts and at the time he had no job… well it's not like he has one now anyway.

I quickly ran out of my room to try and find Yuna.

I rushed past my old man's room but I doubt she'll be in there somewhere… that room is a whole pile of shit. I decided to start looking in the bathroom.

I turned the doorknob and opened the door.

Inside the bathroom, there on the grimy floor stood Yuna staring horrified at me. I then realized that she was topless. Yuna quickly grabbed her shirt and covered up her front top half.

I suddenly felt a rush of heat rise up to my cheeks but Yuna's face was even worse than mine.

"I'm so sorry Yuna; I really didn't mean to just barge in like that. If I knew you were in here I wouldn't have come in like that. It's just I saw that you weren't there so I started to get worried." I said lamely.

"Hey, it's alright, ok? No harm done. I thought it was you're dad…now that's a problem." Yuna assured and laughed quietly.

"Yeah! My old man would be a problem. So how's your cut? Is it better now?"

"It still stings a little but the blood has clotted. I guess you could say that it's better than last night." She replied.

"That's good then. Here let me put some medicine on it or something, make it less sting." I suggested.

I was surprised when Yuna nodded in agreement.

I walked over to the cabinet near the sink, still feeling stunned and took out a bottle of some medicine that was suppose to help heal cuts and stuff quicker along with some cotton balls.

Yuna was sitting on the edge of the grimy bath tub lightly touching the cut on her back. She must feel disgusted by the sight of my house and at that moment, how I wished I could just click my fingers and everything would be clean.

I dipped some cotton into the medicine and applied it onto her cut. I saw Yuna flinched but still she didn't say a word. It must really hurt.

I seriously wouldn't think that Yuna would agree in letting me put medicine on for her but I guess that she's in too much pain to disagree…or maybe she feels that she can trust me.

I finished applying the medicine on her back and walked out closing the door so she could get dressed.

I walked back in my room thinking about that moment in the bathroom just then. Her skin felt so soft and silky under the tips of my fingers when I touched her back.

"God! I hardly know anything about this girl and now I seem to have this feeling when I'm around her! What's wrong with me?" I said to myself.

But deep inside I know that I can trust this girl somehow.

I went into my room leaving the door ajar and lied down on my bed placing my eyes on the dirty ceiling with lots of marks from leaking rain water.

Just then Yuna walked in. She was wearing her blue blood-stained shirt from yesterday and her black jeans.

"Hey Yuna, you want me to drive you home or something?" I asked her still lying on the bed but with my head turned to her.

"It's too much trouble… I'll just take public transport home." Yuna suggested.

"I insist Yuna. You know, girls like you shouldn't be wandering around this sort of place alone 'cos you never know what might happen. Just tell me where you live and I'll drop you off 'cos I also need to go get some food while I'm at it." I told her.

"Ok…if you're sure."

YUNA'S POV

Tidus parked in front of the apartment I shared with Lulu and turned around to look at me intensely, his crystal blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

"You're gonna be alright, yeah?"

"Yeah, I'll be alright thanks to you. Anyway, I'm glad I met you." I said.

"Hey, I'm glad I met you too. Maybe we could meet up again sometime and you know…hang out."

"That would be nice. Here's my number." I got a piece of scrap paper and wrote down my home and mobile phone number and gave it to Tidus.

I got out of the car and walked towards the front door. Turning around one last time, I saw Tidus still watching me from his car. I got out my keys and opened the door. Before I walked in the house, I waved at Tidus and he returned the gesture.

As soon as I got into the house I heard someone call out my name.

"Yunie! Me and Lulu was so worried last night when you didn't show up at home last night! Where were you!"

"Oh my god! Rikku! When did you come and why didn't I know about you coming to visit? I haven't seen you for ages!" I exclaimed as I saw a smiling face that belonged to my cousin.

I went over to give her a hug. Rikku is my hyper Al Bhed cousin. She lives in Bikanel Desert with my Uncle Cid and I haven't seen her in ages. I let go and had a look at her.

"Wow! You've changed so much. You look really good." I complimented.

Rikku had changed so much since I last saw her. She's daring enough to wear more revealing clothes then she use to and she had some light make-up on, the green eye shadow brought out her green spiral eyes even more. She was wearing a pair of green mini shorts, a white singlet and a pair of white boots to go with it.

"Thanks Yunie. Well first of all, it seemed like so long since we've last seen each other so I asked pops if he could get me a plane ticket from Bikanel to Zanarkand so I could come see you. So I got here last night and Lulu said that you weren't home yet. Oh Yunie! I was so worried!" Rikku cried.

Lulu appeared from the kitchen and stared at me and finally said "Yuna what happened to you last night? Rikku and I was scared to death! Are you bleeding!"

"Lulu I'll explain later, please, let me get a shower first. I feel all disgusting." I said to Lulu.

"Ok then." Lulu agreed.

"Yunie you gotta explain everything. Ok?"

I walked slowly down to my little room near the end of the apartment and took out some comfortable clothing and went to the bathroom.

After the long hot shower I felt much better. I walked in the laundry room and dumped all my dirty clothes into the washing machine.

As soon as I walked into the living room, Rikku pulled me down onto the couch with her.

"Yunie, you have to tell us everything that happened now!"

"Alright Rikku, you didn't have to pull me so hard ya know." I complained.

"Yes, so Yuna what really happened last night?" Lulu asked curiously.

I sat there for a while telling Lulu and Rikku all about getting followed and hurt by some stranger who was after the stone. Then about meeting Tidus but I left out the part where he had applied medicine on my back.

Even though I only met him yesterday, I have a feeling that I could trust Tidus with anything. My skin felt all tingly when he traced his fingers on my skin lightly. It was like he had left a trail wherever he touched me.

It's weird but I found that I was blushing when I told Lulu ad Rikku about Tidus.

"I also… uh…gave him my number and told him to call me because he said he wanted to meet up sometime…"

"Oooooooo… Yunie's got a little crush on somebody and they like her back! Yunie and Tidus sitting in a tree K-I—"

"Stop it Rikku! I don't like him. I hardly know who he is, alright."

"Aww… But you were blushing Yunie. Hehehe." Rikku mocked.

"You were blushing Yuna and it seemed like he just asked you out." Lulu joined in.

I stared at Lulu, my mouth widely opened in surprise. "You too, Lulu? I told you guys I don't like him!"

"Whatever you say Yunie! Fine. Me and Lulu will drop it for now. Ok?"

"Yeah. Anyway, how's Uncle Cid doing in Bikanel?" I said turning to Rikku.

"He's fine and everything. He wanted to come along with me but something came up and he couldn't make it."

"That's too bad. I really wanted to see him. Can you tell me more about living in Bikanel a little later, I'm just really tired now. I think I'm gonna go to bed ok?" I suggested.

"Sure Yunie. Have a good rest."

I walked to my room and fell onto my bed, the comfortable feeling of the soft covers washing over me. My eyes fluttered shut and I fell into a deep sleep.

TIDUS'S POV

Did I just ask Yuna out or something? It just suddenly came out…asking her to meet up with me sometime. But I guess meeting up and going out on a date is totally different things, right?

I looked over to my desk where lay a piece of paper with Yuna's number written on it. Should I call her? I really needed to talk to someone…or does it make me sound too desperate. If I call her, she might take it the wrong way and think that I like her or something.

In the end I decided not to call her. She's had a rough night already, she's gonna need her sleep.

I went downstairs and took out a packet of original flavored chips I just bought from the shops and started to munch on them.

"Oi, kid." came Jecht's voice from the living room couch.

"What do you fucken want me to do for you now old man?" I replied angrily.

"Get me a damn beer while you're in the kitchen will ya!"

I hate it when he orders me around to get him all this crap shit! My anger began to rise.

"I've had enough of this! Stop ordering me around like a fucken slave! I haven't seen you do anything around this house before, ya know. How about you lift your bloody lazy butt off the couch and fucken do things yourself for a change!"

"Don't you give me that attitude boy or I'll fucken damn screw your head off your neck!" Jecht shouted making the photo frame on the desk fall to the ground, glass shattering over parts of the wooden floor.

"Whatever you say old man! Like you're strong enough to do that with all the alcohol in your body!"

I couldn't take it anymore. I stormed out of the house and got into my car. Where am I meant to go now, my friend has gone on some road trip and isn't home. Maybe I could drop by Yuna's house, she wouldn't mind.

I parked in front of the quiet apartment and walked up to the door. I knocked and a young girl with blonde hair opened the door.

"Hey…um…is Yuna in? I'd kinda like to see her." I told the girl.

"You must be Tidus, the guy that Yuna's been talking about all day. She told me you saved her life."

"Uhh…She's talked about me?" I asked, feeling heat rising up to my cheeks.

"Of course she has…couldn't stop ya know. I'm Rikku by the way. I'm Yuna's cousin. Come in and I'll call her out." The girl Rikku introduced.

I walked into the welcoming apartment and stood waiting in the little hallway waiting for Rikku to call Yuna out.

Then I heard Rikku's voice.

"Yunie! Someone's here to see you. Hehehe."

"Who is it?" came Yuna's voice from a room somewhere at the back.