CHAPTER 11

SHOPPING! Part 1

"Bon-jour!" Yuna and Rikku jumped out at Tidus as he sat waiting by his car, obviously waiting for Yuna.

"I mean hey," She added, blushing as he looked around startled.

"I liked the French. And I like their food. Fry?" He said, holding out a brown paper bag to her.

Yuna and Rikku both took handfuls. "I'm starved," said Rikku, helping herself to more fries, oblivious to the fact that it was kind of rude - not that Tidus minded really.

"How was your day?"

Yuna shrugged. "Same old. Oh well. Lucky it's Monday. Another week of torture to look forward to. You're lucky, you're on holidays."

"Yeah, but they're not as much fun when you're not around." He said, mournfully.

"You're the little ray of sunshine aren't you?" Rikku said, now grabbing the bag and peering down in it.

Yuna laughed, and Tidus scowled. Although he cheered up a bit when Yuna pecked him on the cheek and hugged him playfully. "Yep. My little ray of sunshine."

Tidus smiled down at her, and she smiled back up at him, then grabbed the milkshake out of Rikku's hands and then looked at her in disbelief. "You managed to drink a whole milkshake in what... 10 seconds?"

Rikku shrugged. "It was half empty."

Yuna spluttered something neither Rikku nor Tidus could understand. Rikku just shrugged at Tidus. "Mental, she is. Watch out for her, she looks innocent but she gave Melanie a hefty nosebleed the other day."

"That was three weeks ago!" Yuna cried indignantly.

Rikku ignored her and went on. "She'll probably turn into one of those psychopath serial killers too, and kill all of her ex-boyfriends or something. She's tried that too, actually come to think of it."

Now Yuna was fuming. "I told you, it was an accident."

"Didn't seem like an accident to me. Remember the look on his face?" And she dissolved into laughter.

"Squall." She said, for Tidus' benefit.

Yuna could almost have sworn she saw his face darken, and her heart leapt. He liked her. He actually really liked her. This fact was backed up as he asked her "What are you doing on Friday?"

Yuna beamed. "Nothing, I think... why?" She asked grinning and cocking her head up at him.

He looked casual. "Oh, I don't know. My aunts going out again... she needs a babysitter..."

Yuna put on a mock indignant look. "Tell her I'm sorry but I'm busy."

He grinned and bent down to kiss her on the lips again. "Mind if I join?"

Yuna looked over at Rikku who was watching them with interest and chewing on a burger. "Sure" she said shrugging.

"Okay..." Yuna said swinging her arms, obviously searching for a topic of discussion. "Um, yeah."

"Right." Tidus agreed

Rikku just looked at them in interest as they stood there, swinging their arms and shooting her glances with embarrassed expressions on their faces.

"Do you two want some time alone?" She asked, eyebrows raised questioningly.

"No!" Yuna cried in embarrassment blushing harder than ever. "Not that I don't want to be alone with you... just... un-appropriate.. Rikku... shopping?" She said trying to make sense of all the thoughts coursing through her brain.

He laughed her heart lifted; He wasn't offended.

"Say that again?"

"Basically, she is feeling guilty that you are here because we were supposed to go shopping together."

"Oh."

"Yep. Yep yep yeppidy yep yep yep. Wanna come with us?"

"Does she always give you the impression she is doped up?" Tidus asked Yuna discretely, and Yuna grinned.

"Yeah," she whispered back. "She's a bit difficult to figure out."

Rikku was still watching them expectantly, now playing with her hair and smiling a distant smile, unaware that she looked rather odd.

"Um, I don't think I can... It's a girl's sort of thing..."

Yuna looked at him with puppy eyes. "Aww, come on Tidus, pleeeeeease."

"Fine then. But just so you know, I won't be having any fun," he mumbled grumpily, letting himself be dragged away by Yuna and Rikku, both of whom were dithering about tux's and sleeveless dresses.

That was another thing he couldn't fathom about girls. How could they be so obsessed with clothing? It was just a piece of coloured cloth really. It just seemed too special because of the DG logos or LV. Who cared about brands? A dress was a dress wasn't it?

When he mentioned this however, he only got about 100 zillion years of tutting so he decided it was best to just not say anything and let them get on with it.

20 minutes later they were pulling up in front of the mall, Tidus with a growing feeling of dread, Yuna and Rikku with an obvious excitement and haste to get inside the mall.

"Come on!" Yuna laughed at Tidus, pulling him inside and grabbing his hand, linking his fingers in hers. "I've got to pick out a dress!"

"Dress?" Tidus asked bewilderedly as he let himself be dragged across the parking lot. "Dress for what?"

"For the Christmas ball! Come on you need a tux too!"

Still in shock, he started to walk along side Yuna, who was walking at top speed towards the mall, Rikku bounding along beside them.

'I am going to the Christmas ball with Yuna' Tidus thought, trying to make sense of it all.

'I am going to see Yuna in a dress...' Okay, so far it made sense. 'I need a tux,' that made sense too.

However what didn't make sense was a bunch of reporters crowding around the mall, cameras at the ready and a bunch of fans with autograph books.

"Oh SHIT" Yuna and Tidus said together.

MXMXMXMXMXMXMXMXMXMXMXMXMXMXMXMXMXMXMXMXMXMXMX

Hmmm… not very long… sorry about that… I'll try to update soon, but I have about 6 to update… and two extra coming up… plus school work and holidays it's a bit stressful really.