A/N: Hi everyone! I'm back!

I know last chapter was a bit dark, but things will lighten up in this one, I promise! And I just want to thank my first 5 reviewers. You made me so happy (except for you, Crisyah, you're a bad bad meanie, cous…)! Thanks a lot, hope you enjoy the rest of the story. So, on with the fic…

Chapter 2

Life goes on, doesn't it?

When I finally got home, Rikku was sitting in the living room, looking extremely worried. As soon as I entered the house she ran up to me and hugged me, her long blonde hair swirling around her shoulders and falling all the way down her back.

"What's wrong?" I asked, not expecting that reaction.

"I'm the one who should be asking that, don't ya think?" she snapped back, letting go of me and pouting. "When I went to your room and didn't find you in your bed you know how worried to death I was? I mean… I even thought you could be with some guy but in that case you would have told me, wouldn't you? Of course you would, so I really got worried because you hadn't told me anything and I thought that you possibly would have been―"

"Shh, Rikku, stop." I pressed my hand over her lips. "I'm fine. I'll tell you everything when we get to my room, okay?"

Her eyes sparkled and she nodded in agreement, curiosity growing inside of her. We went to my room, where I began undressing myself and telling her the whole story, or at least what I had understood of it. Sometimes she would ask me questions and I tried to answer the best I could. She was quite surprised to hear about Shuyin's reactions towards me.

"I thought he'd ignore you or somethin'…" she said, grabbing a pillow on her lap.

"So did I." I pulled my sleeping white t-shirt over my head and continued, as I brushed my short hair with my fingers. "I was kinda afraid 'cause I know I haven't been the best friend ever, so I was really relieved when he smiled at me. It kinda reminded me how he used to be before―" I stopped, not wanting to say the words.

Rikku looked at me intently, but she didn't say anything. In those past two years she had changed too, she had grown up. Without ever losing her optimism and her smile and all her craziness, she had become more… Could I really say wise and sensible? I don't think so. In every way, Rikku was just… Rikku. But at the age of seventeen, she was definitely more mature than at the age of fifteen. At least, she now thought a little bit before saying what was going through her mind. Most of the times, anyway…

I smiled, trying to reassure her that I was fine. She kept looking at me and I finally asked "Is somethin' wrong, Rik?"

"No."

"So what is it?" I demanded, growing impatient.

"Nothin'."

"Rikku!" I almost yelled, sitting next to her in my large bed and tickling her until she couldn't take it anymore.

"Stop it, Yunie, pwease!" she begged, through giggles. I laughed too. This was a game we used to play since we were really little, when my mom would bring me to visit my cousins during the holidays. That happened until I was seven, until my mom died. Then I never saw Rikku again until three years ago, when I had moved to Besaid, to live with her and her family.

I stopped prickling her and fell onto the bed next to her. After staring at the ceiling for a while I said "Don't worry, Rikku, I'm fine. After all, life goes on, doesn't it?"

But she had fallen asleep before she could hear any of my words.

The next morning, the doorbell rang loudly and I ran to open the door. It was Paine, one of my closest friends. She was Lulu's younger sister and had come to live with her and Wakka shortly after they got married. She was in college with me and we often drove together. Rikku was still finishing high school, so she didn't come along.

"Hey!" I saluted. "We're eating breakfast. Wanna come in?"

Paine nodded and entered the kitchen after me. Everyone greeted her, Uncle Cid offered her a cup of coffee and Brother, as usually, made a stupid remark about how cute Paine was. She just glared coldly at him and if glares could kill he would have dropped dead promptly.

"We're running late, Yuna." she reminded me as I took one last sip of my coffee. Then we both said goodbye and left, heading towards my car.

"So, I've heard you had to go to prison last night to save that troublemaker of your ex-boyfriend's brother", said Paine, looking sideways at me, when we were already driving through the city.

How the hell did she already know what had happened? News certainly ran fast in Besaid. I just hoped Lenne hadn't got into troubles because of that.

"Shuyin's my friend, Paine", I answered calmly, trying to control my voice. "He's not just Tidus' brother. And I would really like if you didn't refer to him as my ex-boyfriend, please."

"Whatever."

I snapped my head to look at her but she was shrugging her shoulders, as if discarding the subject. I knew it was not her fault. Paine had only arrived at Besaid last year so she never really understood what had happened two years ago and as no one ever talked about it she never really got to know the entire story, although I believed Rikku told her a thing or two.

"So, how's your sister?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Pregnant." Paine answered shortly.

I laughed "I imagine her mood hasn't improved in the last days."

Paine nodded. "I don't understand how Wakka can put up with her when she's like this but then again I can't also figure out what went through her mind when she married him, so…"

I laughed again. Even though Paine was a very reserved and sometimes cold person (she was Lulu's sister, after all), she had a sense of humor that I appreciated. And she rarely asked questions which was perfect for me, for I rarely talked about my past. Well, I didn't question her either, so our friendship was really smooth and calm. With Rikku it was different. She adored Paine, but she was just too outgoing and too curious to let Paine be without being bugging her all the time. This got Paine's nerves and they often argued about the smallest and less important things. But they were pretty close and loved each other, nonetheless.

We arrived at the campus and I parked the car. "What's your first class?" I asked, stepping out of the car and grabbing my books.

"Al Bhed…" Paine sighed and shrugged. "With Gippal."

"Speakin' of the devil." I laughed, pointing over her shoulder to where Gippal was running towards us.

Gippal was a very attractive young man and he knew it. His muscular body, his spiked blonde hair and his incredible green eyes made the girls fall at his feet without him even trying. His clothes were always very stylish too and he wore a patch over his right eye, even though he didn't need it. I still remember the day Rikku had come to him and had pulled the patch up, looking straight into both of his eyes. She then sighed and let go of the patch, which painfully stroke Gippal's face, turning around and saying disappointedly "Yeah, I knew it was nothin'. You're just a fakey fakey guy, Gippal."

We all had laughed at that episode and I still smiled now, as I remembered Gippal chasing Rikku around because she had hurt his feelings. They were always acting like that, teasing each other, playing around... That reminded me of the first time they had met in my presence. We were all at Paine's house doing a paper work to deliver when Rikku suddenly stepped in with a large bowl of popcorns.

"Hi, everyone! Want popcorns? The movie's just 'bout to start!" she said, sitting down on the huge couch and turning the TV on.

"Whatcha doin' here?" Paine asked, lifting her head slightly.

"Came to watch the movie with you, guys…" Rikku pouted and looked at us, but then her eyes locked with Gippal's.

"Well, if it isn't Cid's girl. How you been?" he asked with a rather seductively smile across his lips

"Hey, I have a name!" she retorted, flustered.

"Sure ya do." He smirked at her and she relaxed, smiling back.

That made me think there was more to it than just that and I stated "You seem close."

Gippal turned to look at me and his smiled broadened. "We made quite the couple."

"What!" Rikku cried, jumping off the couch and almost running towards us but she suddenly stopped when she saw his devious smile. "Oh, shut up, Gippal! Hmph. Show-off!" And she promptly returned to her big couch and to her bowl of popcorns, leaving us alone for five minutes, before starting asking questions about what we were doing.

Later, I learned that Rikku, Paine and Gippal had known each other since they were children because they all had grown up in Besaid and that Rikku had had a crush on Gippal since forever. But then, Gippal and Paine had moved to Luca to finish high school and they hadn't returned until the year before.

And since he had arrived, Gippal and Rikku were doing this crazy dance of teasing, playing and annoying each other, but it was clear for everyone to see that there was some kind of attraction between them. She completely denied it, but it was written all over her face that he still affected her somehow.

"Hello, ladies!" he said, moving towards me and Paine.

"Hi, Gippal. How ya doin'?" I smiled at him. He was kind of conceited and cocky and he was always trying to seduce the girls, but he could also be very funny and it was nice to be around him.

"Check for yourself", he answered me. What had I said? That was Gippal. He continued, looking at Paine "Dr. P.! Guess what's new?"

Paine looked over his shoulder and saw Nooj, another friend of hers and Gippal. She then turned once again to him. "Nooj finally dumped that stupid bitch of LeBlanc?" she asked hopefully.

"In your dreams, Paine!" he chuckled "They're so in love with each other that it even makes me sick…" And Gippal trailed off about how perfect Nooj's romance was.

Nooj was another friend of ours. He was a little older than us, he was about twenty, twenty-one years old, but he had been in the same high school as Paine and Gippal and they had become really close friends. Paine always looked up to Nooj as an older brother and Gippal did the same even though he would never admit it.

When Paine and Gippal had returned to Besaid, Nooj had come with them for he had no family and now he was living with Gippal. He then started attending college with the rest of us but he wasn't around very often because he started dating this girl, LeBlanc, who constantly kept him away. She and Paine could not stand each other and I kept thinking it was just jealousy, but I kind of understood Paine; LeBlanc wasn't my favourite person either…

"So, what did you want to tell me, Gippal?" Paine cut off Gippal's little speech and he seemed annoyed by that, but didn't say anything because he caught her expression and we all knew better than irritate Paine when she looked like that.

He hesitated and looked at me. I didn't know what he was expecting, so I locked the car up and moved to them. "Yeah, Gippal, what's this news you have to give us?"

"Well…"

At that moment, Nooj approached and saluted us in his serious tone of voice. He then turned to Paine, who had her arms crossed over her chest, and said, smiling a little "So, Paine, what would you pay to have the whole group reunited once again?"

Paine's arms fell to her sides and she opened up her mouth as if she was going to speak, but then she changed her mind and closed it again. I had absolutely no idea of what was happening. What did Nooj mean by saying "the whole group"? Weren't they the group? I really did know little about Paine's and Gippal's past. They usually didn't talk much about it. Paine didn't.

We stood there in silence until Nooj decided that we had waited long enough and made a sign to someone who was inside his car. That person stepped out and moved towards us, removing his coat in the process.

It was a boy, about our age, with short white hair and very tanned skin. But what captured my attention the most were his beautiful features. He was definitely the most beautiful guy I had ever seen. I mean, I had met gorgeous guys in my life. Gippal was very cute, Shuyin was so handsome and Tidus… well, Tidus had been perfect in his time. But this guy who stood in front of me was breathtaking. He could have been a statue or something…

"Hello, Paine" he said, his voice calm and controlled.

"Baralai…" I could tell Paine wasn't expecting this reunion and she was quite nervous with it. "What the hell are you doin' here?"

"I'm attending this college, this year." he explained.

"So I take it that you've changed your mind…"she retorted.

"Yes, I have. Does that displease you in any way?" he asked, but she didn't answer. Apparently, she had lost her words.

I had never seen Paine like that before but I knew she wouldn't like being seen in that state of uneasiness so I stepped forward to give her my support, accidentally drawing the attentions to myself. Gippal cleared his throat and introduced me.

"This is Yuna, Baralai. She's a friend of ours."

"Yuna, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am Baralai…" Baralai said, taking my hand in his and kissing it gently. Oh my Yevon, the guy was not only the best-looking but also the most polite guy in the story of Spira.

"Yup", said Gippal once again, punching Baralai's arm in a friendly way "This is Baralai, the fourth member of the Crimson Squad."

A/N: So did you like it? Gimme your opinions, they mean a lot to me… Cia soon.

PS: I just saw your review, Vdeoxgames, and I must say that you'll have to wait a little bit longer before that happens… You know, Yuna's life doesn't revolve around Tidus anymore, so… But thanks for reviewing anyway.