Disclaimer, yada yada.

I'm about nutso at school. Sorry for a late update.

Twilight Gaze

Chapter 7 – Retribution

Over the next week or so, Tidus didn't speak to anyone about anything other than the weather. He couldn't bring himself to accidentally get involved in a conversation that he would regret. He avoided anyone whenever possible, but sometimes contact with people was inevitable, such as the annual community barbeque.

Assembled this year in Selphie's backyard, the parents and neighbors of the area gathered together, drinking cocktails and chatting hastily while Kairi's father, Selphie's dad, and Jecht smoked ham, barbequed chicken and turkey, and deep fried catfish. Potato salad, hamburgers, cole slaw, and other things were spread out on the massive picnic table that Wakka's family had brought along. It was quite a spread, and things weren't necessarily about the food at these kinds of gatherings.

Wakka, of course, was the center of attention, having been one of the few people to have left Destiny Island to go off for higher learning. Zell and Mrs. Dincht, however, caused quite the uproar when they appeared with Mrs. Dincht's infamous barbequed Balamb fish. Everyone who was anyone has had a taste of that treat.

Kairi was off with Selphie, talking about how lovely Selphie's mother's roses were blooming this year. And it was true – Selphie's yard was filled with the fragrant aroma of blossoming red roses and barbeque. It was hard not to stop and appreciate the beauty that Selphie's mother had helped to cultivate here in her own yard.

Wakka and Zell were both being swarmed by people from all over the community with questions about college, Mr. Dincht, if they needed any help with anything, and many other things. The sight was sickening, and it looked like Wakka was about ready to kill the next person who asked him "ready to drop out yet?" Zell, likewise, looked almost ready to cry.

Tidus was sitting on the back porch with his knees drawn up to his chest with his chin buried between them. He was silently watching Wakka being bombarded by people, the entire time the blonde's eyes watering but refusing to let loose their pent up emotion.

"You okay over here?" Sora had asked Tidus at one point. Tidus had grunted his approval and turned his head away from the brunette, which was Sora's cue to leave him alone. He had done so, but not before staring at him in confusion, then in pity, before returning to Riku's side, over by the grilling parents.

Tidus' eyes found their way over to his father, working the catfish. It was odd. Wakka had told Tidus long ago that the kids had come up with a plan to get Jecht to let Tidus be himself at the annual barbeque. And here he was, free to be himself, Tidus, but afraid to do so in fear of being hurt again. Tidus buried his face in his legs again and groaned. He didn't want to be there.

After a little while, Tidus' ears picked up the sound of sneakers on the porch. Without lifting his head, he mumbled something incomprehensible into his knees, hoping that whoever it was would get the picture and leave him be.

There was a pause of silence, but Tidus knew that his watcher was still there, looking down on his sulking form. He finally lifted his head and looked over to whoever it was. He didn't know who he was expecting, but it hadn't been Chappu.

Chappu sat down next to Tidus on the porch and smiled unsurely at the blonde. "It's a nice night," he said lamely. He looked down at the grass of the backyard, well-cultivated and bright green, trying to figure out what to say.

"I though I told you that I never wanted to see you again," Tidus muttered, looking away from his visitor.

"You did," Chappu replied quietly, staring intensely at a blade of grass. That blade of grass was all that was keeping him from crying. "Listen, Tidus, I wanted to apologize."

"For what?" Tidus asked, still not looking at Chappu. "You didn't do anything. You were right. It wasn't your fault that Wakka did what he did."

Chappu almost choked. "I…"

"Don't try to apologize, Chappu, really," Tidus said, his face returning to stare at his knees, still drawn up to his chest. "It wasn't your fault. I guess I kind of owe you my gratitude."

Chappu couldn't figure out what to say. That wasn't exactly what he had expected the blonde to say. "Tidus, I don't deserve any thanks for what I did," he tried.

Tidus shook his head. "If you hadn't told me, I would have kept believing that Wakka was the right one. That's evidently not true – otherwise, it wouldn't have happened."

Chappu didn't know what to say. Just a week ago, Tidus refused to speak to Chappu, and here he was, thanking him. It was hard to digest. "Thanks, I guess," the redhead replied sheepishly.

Tidus loosened up a little after that. "Something smells good," he muttered.

"I'll bet it's your dad's fish," Chappu replied, surveying the scene. "He's the best cook of the three of them, you know."

"I know," Tidus said dully.

Night was setting in, and the stars were starting to dot the sky. Tidus' chin was rested on his knees again when he looked over and saw Chappu lean back onto his palms, looking up at the sky.

"The stars are pretty tonight," Chappu said in a sigh.

Tidus didn't look up. His eyes were stuck on Chappu. The boy's features seemed perfect, outlined by the night sky. His red hair was spiked up in front, held up by hair gel and the bandana that wrapped around his head. He and Wakka shared their infatuation of headbands, and Tidus had always thought that it was cute. Chappu's nose was straighter than Wakka's, but his chin more profound, and his eyes were larger, which was good, because that meant that the stars had more room to twinkle. Tidus' eyes wandered down to the redhead's arms, which were strong and sturdy. Wakka's may have been bulky, but Chappu's were lean and healthy-looking. His chest wasn't as profound as Wakka's, but it wasn't by any means small. He was definitely his brother's blood.

Suddenly, Tidus found Chappu looking back at him with a warm smile. That smile was divine. Much cuter than Wakka's. It morphed his face in such a way that made Tidus' heart leap.

…What was happening?

Still looking at Chappu, Tidus smiled weakly.

"Did anyone ever tell you," Chappu started slowly, "that you have wonderful eyes, Tidus?"

Tidus' eyes widened in surprise. Did…did Chappu just hit on him?

Tidus looked up at the stars without saying anything. He could feel Chappu's eyes on him, but the redhead soon turned his gaze away from the blonde, looking up at the sky as well.

The two of them sat there in complete silence, staring up at the night sky, admiring the stars. Somewhere else, Tidus knew that Wakka could see them.

But he didn't care.

Chappu was enjoying himself. He'd never felt quite this close to anyone before. It wasn't until he felt the warmth of Tidus' hand covering his own that Chappu's smile vanished and his heart quickened. The world was perfect, but something was nagging at him. It took him a moment to figure out what it was, but when he realized what was bothering him, it hit him like a blitzball to the face.

Wakka was watching them from across the yard, his brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed. He was standing next to Sora and Riku, who were holding hands and chatting with Kairi. Wakka didn't seem all that interested in what was being said. Instead, he seemed more intent on staring Chappu down. The younger brother's ears began to burn as his face turned red. His eyes were locked on Wakka's, and even across the entire back yard, Chappu could feel the intense flames surging from within his elder brother.

Tidus was still looking up at the stars, unaware that Chappu had noticed Wakka. Suddenly the redhead's hand slipped out from under his, and Tidus looked down at him. Chappu's face was beet red and he had his arms wrapped tightly around his drawn up knees, rocking back and forth slightly. His eyes were wide and staring down at the grass again. Tidus gave him a concerned look, but Chappu didn't see it – he was too busy trying to ignore Wakka.

Tidus looked up at Wakka and scowled. Wakka's face was harsh and demeaning, but when he saw Tidus look up at him, the tough exterior melted away and utter sadness replaced it. He turned back to the others in a sulk, said something, and headed to another side of the yard, where he braced himself against a tall wooden fence and crossed his arms, his head lowered and his eyes closed in thought.

Tidus shook his head as the scowl vanished. He looked over at Chappu and realized just how much Wakka's stare had scared the young man. His face was pale and he was beginning to sweat cold beads.

"Chappu, are you okay?" Tidus asked. He reached up and gingerly touched the redhead's shoulder. Chappu jerked away and leapt to his feet. He rushed inside the house, leaving one very confused Tidus staring after him.

"Is he okay?"

Tidus turned around and saw Zell standing about eight feet in front of the porch, his hands in his pockets and his head lowered slightly, looking up at Tidus as if to say, "don't hurt me."

Tidus sighed. It was odd how he didn't feel like yelling at Zell. "Wakka gave him a scare, that's all."

Zell looked over at Wakka momentarily and returned his gaze to Tidus. "Tidus, I-"

"Save it," Tidus interrupted, looking away from the blonde.

"But I didn't mean to-"

"I said save it, don't you understand English?" Tidus barked, his face turning hot and his eyes narrowing as he turned to face the newcomer.

Zell's head lowered and he stared at the ground for a moment. One leg was crossed in front of the other so he was balancing on one foot and the toe of the other. "I'm sorry," he whispered. He turned away from Tidus and slunk back to his mother's side. He continued to look as if he was about to cry, but this time no one was speaking to him at all.

Tidus kind of felt bad for acting like that. He hated hurting people's feelings, and even though Zell had ruined his relationship with Wakka, Tidus didn't feel that it was his right to treat him that way.

Zell was sitting on the picnic table, staring at the grass. When two sneakers appeared in his field of vision, familiar sneakers, Zell's head snapped up and he started blabbing.

"Tidus, I, I, uh, don't, I mean-"

"Shut up and listen," Tidus interrupted, not letting the incoherency get to him. He sat down next to Zell and looked over at him. Zell wasn't looking directly at Tidus, but his eyes were locked onto him. He looked almost scared.

"I don't hate you for what you did," Tidus said. "I guess I kind of owe you a thanks, like I did Chappu."

Zell's eyes widened as he turned his head to look at the other blonde. What was that? He couldn't have heard that right.

"Sure," Tidus said, reading Zell's expression and shrugging. "If you hadn't come along, I would have thought that Wakka was the one for the rest of my life, until he hurt me with a total stranger or something like that. So yeah, thanks for showing me that he isn't for me."

Zell was utterly speechless.

"I just have one question," Tidus added.

Zell just stared. He'd answer anything Tidus wanted to know.

"Whose idea was it?" Tidus asked, looking directly at Zell.

Zell's heart skipped a beat. Crap. Sheepishly, Zell replied, "Promise you won't be angry with whoever it was?" he asked.

Tidus didn't answer.

Zell sighed and nodded. Of course he couldn't promise that. He looked back at Tidus and pleaded with his eyes before saying, "It was Wakka's idea." Tidus' gaze shot to Wakka, who hadn't moved from the fence, and hadn't seemed to have noticed that his ex-boyfriend was talking with his playmate. "He was trying to cheer me up," Zell explained. "I don't know what he intended, but nothing happened, Tidus. I swear."

Tidus didn't look back at Zell. His eyes were fixed on Wakka. "So I've heard."

Zell shook his head. More than likely, Tidus wasn't going to listen to much more. He stood up and walked over to his mother. After a moment of shocked gasps from Ma Dincht, Zell nodded and walked back to Tidus.

"We're leaving."

Tidus closed his eyes and looked up at Zell. "You don't have to leave. I'm not mad at you."

Zell shivered. "That's not the point. Things are a bit…tense. Why don't you try talking to Wakka?"

Tidus shook his head. "I'm not interested in him anymore."

Zell's face morphed into something not unlike a worried expression. "What?" he blurted.

"It's okay," Tidus said, standing up and looking over at Wakka. "I'm over it. I'm moving on."

Zell scratched the back of his head and looked over at Wakka, who still hadn't moved. After a moment of silence, he looked back at Tidus. "Well, we're still heading out. Ma has to be somewhere tomorrow morning. I guess I'll talk to you later, then?" he asked timidly.

Tidus nodded but still didn't look at Zell.

Zell nodded knowingly and headed for the back door. As he reached the back porch, Zell heard Tidus behind him. "If you see Chappu on your way through the house, let him know that I said that Wakka isn't important."

Zell didn't know what he meant, but he would do so. He entered the house and made his way to the front door. He heard quiet sobs coming from the living room. He peered inside and saw Chappu in absolute tears on the couch. He thought about going to see if there was anything he could do, but he decided against it. He'd already made a mess of things.

"Chappu?"

Chappu stopped sobbing with a small hiccup and looked over at Zell. His eyes were swollen and red and his hair was messed up. He didn't say anything – he just stared at Zell, waiting. He sniffed a few times while waiting.

Zell rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Tidus said that it's okay. He said Wakka isn't important."

Chappu didn't say anything. Even the sniffing stopped. He just continued to stare at Zell.

Zell felt really bad now. Did he mess that up too? He backed towards the door, keeping eye contact with Chappu. When he reached the door, he opened it and said, "Sorry" before closing it, leaving Chappu alone on the couch.

Zell walked out into the street and stood there, staring up into the sky. The stars were beautiful. He thought that he could see a constellation that looked kind of like Wakka. He lowered his head and shook it in annoyance. What a thought, thinking constellations could resemble people. He looked up again and saw the same constellation staring down at him. A cold shiver ran up the blonde's spine before he turned down the street to head home.

Made a mess of things, haven't you? Zell scolded himself. No, that wasn't going to work. Punishing himself now would do no good. Wakka's silence, Tidus' gratitude, and Chappu's tears were enough to make anyone wish that they could just crawl under a rock.

When Zell reached his house, he stepped up onto his front porch and looked back down the street. He could still see Selphie's house from his porch, but instead of a house, he saw Chappu crying on the couch. He saw Tidus on the back porch, and he saw Wakka leaning against the fence. None of them were saying anything. Instead, the visions were taunting him. They were teasing him.

He felt like shit.

Zell turned to the front door and turned the doorknob, allowing himself into the only solitude he could find on the island: his house. Unfortunately, with that solitude came the ultimate punishment: his conscience.

O.o

Wow, I've had this unfinished for nearly three whole months. Yeah, sorry about the delayed update. I am z0MG busy at school. A single review got me interested in continuing this story. Amazing what one review will do! Thanks, 'Nuo!