A/N: Hi there, it's me again! And here's the new chapter. It's amazing, I never thought I could reach chapter 11, or 50 reviews, and I must say that it's all due to you. You're the reason why I keep writing. Thank you.
Chapter 11
Meet the gang, Tidus!
This is ridiculous!, I thought as I sat on Rikku's bed. From all the members of my family, she had been the most confused one and as soon as she could, meaning, as soon as Brother and Cid dragged Tidus inside the kitchen to eat breakfast with them, she pulled me up the stairs and into her room, where we had been locked for the last half an hour. Apparently, the explanations Tidus and I had given downstairs hadn't been enough for my little cousin because she still had lots of questions, even after I explained everything again. This was truly starting to annoy me, and I prayed for a little more patience.
"Rikku, I've told you a million times: Tidus and I aren't friends." I sighed, feeling extremely tired. I really needed to get some sleep…
"But didn't you guys decided to try and be friends?" she asked for the millionth time.
"No, we didn't. At least, not friends. It's more like two people who…" I trailed off, not knowing how to explain. Tidus and I… What were we? Not friends, I was sure of that. Not lovers, that was completely out of the question. Then what? With everything that we had been through together, we could not possibly be strangers… could we?
A bang on the door made me jump. Rikku had been startled too. She got up and opened the door with such violence, ready to scream at anyone who was on the other side, that I almost felt sorry for that person. "What the―" she stopped abruptly when her eyes laid on Paine, standing there with her arms crossed. "Uh… Paine?"
"No, the tooth fairy." Paine replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she made her way inside. She sat on a chair across the room and turned to me, concern stamped on her bright ruby eyes "How are you, Yuna?"
I smiled and ran a hand through my hair, knowing very well what she had meant. "I'm okay, I guess. Thanks for asking…"
She eyed me closely. "You do know Tidus is in your kitchen, don't you?"
I chuckled. Paine had never been the kind of person to go beating around the bushes. "Yes, I do know, Paine."
"She was the one who gave him a ride here!" Rikku announced almost proudly. For one instant I believed she kept hoping we would be together someday, even though she knew that was so unlikely… almost impossible. It appeared that my reaction the night before hadn't been clear enough.
Paine raised one eyebrow questioningly at me. "You did?"
I nodded, feeling she deserved an explanation. "Yes, I did. We met at the hospital and talked… like two grown-up people. We decided to act casually around each other. It's the best for now. We're not gonna be friends again," I added, glancing at Rikku "but at least we'll be…"
"Acquaintances?" Paine leaned back in the chair and crossed her legs.
I smiled. That had been the word I had been looking for… sort of. Not friends, but not strangers either. "Yes, that's it."
Paine gave a little nod, not pressing the subject, and I silently thanked her for her discreetness. Sometimes I wished Rikku was more like that… Oh, what am I saying? Rikku's my best friends precisely because she is the way she is. Just like Paine. They're as different as night and day and they're the ones that keep me balanced between cheerfulness and rationality. I couldn't imagine my life without them in it.
"Well," Paine started after a short pause. "I only came here to tell you, girls, that Gippal called me this morning. He said that he and the guys will be at the restaurant at one o'clock."
"Oh… uh… 'bout that, Paine…" Rikku said sheepishly "Do you think that… uh… Tidus could come with us?" She spoke the last five words so quickly that Paine arched her eyebrows trying to understand.
When she finally did, she answered slowly. "I do not mind Tidus coming to lunch with us, Rikku, even though I still don't know him all that well. But do you think it's appropriated to bring him to our group's lunch… with Yuna in it?"
Rikku suddenly blushed, like she had been caught doing something wrong. "I… I… didn't think… of that…" she stammered. Then she looked at me, guilt stamped in her emerald eyes. "Yunie…"
"I already know, Rikku. Tidus told me in the car…" I paused, realizing the meaning of the words I was about to say "…and it's fine by me. Really. It's just fine."
I didn't know if I was reassuring her or just me, but whatever it was, she smiled broadly and it made me smile too. If it made her so happy, it couldn't be that bad, could it?
-----XX-----
It was past noon when we left my place because Rikku had been spending more than half an hour choosing what to wear and how to do her hair, leaving all of us waiting.
"Whoa, girl! If I didn't know better I'd say you're dressing up to impress someone… Maybe a certain Al Bhed guy who wears a patch?" I teased her, eyeing her yellow miniskirt and her deep-blue sweater. Even though winter was approaching quickly, Rikku couldn't resist using a tiny miniskirt whenever she could ― she was crazy about short skirts; she had a huge collection of them. It was really rare to see Rikku using pants…
"Oh, shut up, Yunie!" she snapped back, light pink coloring her cheeks.
I smiled mischievously, but did as she said, descending the stairs behind her. In the way to the front door, we met Tidus, who was leaving the kitchen, where he had been chatting with Brother and Cid for the last hour, probably about Blitzball. I knew I should have been keeping him company ― after all he was a guest ― but spending another hour with him and in my own house was the last thing I wanted to do, so I locked myself in my room with Paine and we had been there until Rikku came to show us her attire.
"Tidus!" Rikku exclaimed, throwing herself in his arms. "I have great news! Yunie's agreed in giving us a ride to the restaurant…" When had I agreed with that? "The rest of the gang is gonna be there too. I thought it would be a great opportunity to introduce you. I hope you don't mind."
Tidus looked over her head and straight into my eyes. "I don't mind, Riks. But next time, let me know first, okay?"
She nodded vehemently and we all left, after saying goodbye to Uncle Cid and telling him we were using his car… again. We got into the car and I started it, driving away from our block. Paine was in the passenger seat and was really quiet, staring outside the window. Tidus and Rikku were in the backseat, and all we could hear was Rikku's high voice asking so many questions it was impossible for Tidus to answer them all. As for me, I was silently driving and I thought to myself that it was a pretty good thing that I loved to drive, because neither Paine nor Rikku liked it very much. It was always me behind the steering wheel… not that I was objecting in any way.
We arrived at the restaurant in about fifteen minutes, but I wasn't surprised to see that the guys were already there, waiting for us near their car. Gippal, Baralai and Nooj had driven together, since they all lived in the same apartment. There was no sign of LeBlanc, and I wondered if she hadn't come… Paine would just love that.
I parked right next to them and Paine got out of the car, followed suit by Rikku, who turned to Tidus and asked him to wait a little longer while she told our friends he was coming with us. He just nodded and she made her way towards the guys. Now, it was just me and Tidus in the car. I could feel his eyes fixed on the back of my head, but I didn't turn around. I was thinking that the moment we left that car, my life as I knew it would be over. Life without Tidus in it would be over. The problem was that the life that was about to begin was not the one I had wished or dreamt of.
Welcome to your new life, Yuna. I sighed inwardly and looked at Tidus in the rearview mirror. "Let's make this work, okay? For Rikku."
He seriously nodded and I felt his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. "Yes, let's make it work; but not for Rikku… for us."
"Tidus, I―"
"Tidus! Come here!" Rikku shouted, waving and motioning Tidus to join them outside.
He smiled at her and nodded, removing his hand from my shoulder. Then he turned to the mirror once again, searching my eyes in it. When he found them he added slowly, sadly "I still don't know why I'm saying this, but… I'm sorry, Yuna. I really am."
And with that he got out of the car, leaving me alone. I sighed again, leaning back against the seat and closing my eyes. I could still feel his touch on my shoulder and it made me wonder. What was I doing? Where were we going with this nonsense? Who was I trying to kid pretending Tidus didn't affect me? I simply couldn't pretend that nothing had happened between us, but admitting and accepting it seemed just as hard…
"Are you planning on staying there all day long?"
I opened my eyes and saw Baralai smiling at me through the open window. "I was just waiting for you to come and open the door for me. As you can see, I was right…" I joked, smiling back.
Baralai laughed and opened the door, stretching out his hand. I took it and got out of the car, locking it and going to meet the rest of the group, where Tidus and Gippal where explaining Rikku how they had been friends when they were five and then had lost contact.
"I never thought I would meet you again in such circumstances." Tidus said, a boyish smile playing on his lips.
"Yeah, neither did I. Even though I already knew you and Cid's girl were friends…" Gippal added.
"Lemme guess ― she couldn't stop talking 'bout me…" Tidus smile widened and he winked.
"Nah!" Gippal shook his head "She only talks 'bout you when she sees your games… and it's only to criticize you."
"Gippal!" Rikku shouted, slapping him in the arm "I'd never criticize Tidus! He's the best player ever!"
Tidus ruffled her hair. "That's the spirit, girl; that's why I love you!"
"Hey, watch the hair!" she exclaimed, dodging his hand while he and Gippal laughed.
"He seems a nice guy…" Baralai whispered in my ear.
"He is." I told him back, looking at Tidus while he chatted with Gippal and Rikku "He's an excellent friend and a really sweet boy."
"Is that the reason why you fell for him?"
I turned abruptly to face him, but when I saw his sweet understanding expression, I couldn't help it but smile, even though it was a sad smile. "You're not very subtle in your wonderings, you know?" I said, making an allusion to a conversation we had had a few weeks ago.
"I'm still practicing." He answered, smiling "Maybe one day I'll be as good as you. But until then you could answer my very obvious questions…"
"You wished, boy." I teased, folding my arms and turning my back to him, while trying to pay attention to the conversation that Nooj and Paine were having.
A few seconds later we entered the restaurant and the waiter led us to a round table in the corner. I was stuck between Paine and Gippal. Next to Gippal was Baralai, then Rikku, Tidus and finally Nooj (LeBlanc couldn't come because she had to go to a family lunch ― what a pity, huh? ―, but she was going to meet us later). I don't know if it was just a coincidence or not, but Tidus and I were almost facing each other, so I tried my best not to look at him, focusing on the menu.
We ordered what we wanted and then Nooj turned to Tidus. "I've seen your games, Tidus. You're a terrific blitzer."
"Thanks, I always try to do my best in the sphere pool. And the team helps me a lot." Tidus said humbly, looking down at his empty plate.
"Talking about your team…" Rikku said, grabbing his hand "You think you could introduce me to one or two members of your team sometime? I think Jaher and Kuhn are the hottest ones ― after you of course ― but I don't mind meeting anyone else…"
"Rikku," Tidus's voice showed his concern for his little innocent friend "I don't think you'd like to meet those guys…"
"Why?"
He smirked and winked at her. "Let's just say that Besaidians are much better than those guys from Zanarkand."
Rikku was about to ask what Tidus had meant with that, even though it was quite clear for the rest of us, but our meals arrived at that moment and the subject was lost when everyone turned their attention to the food in the plates. For a few moments no one spoke ― we were all too busy eating. But then, Gippal's voice broke the silence.
"So, Cid's girl, whatcha gonna do tonight?" he asked, leaning forward to look at Rikku.
She lifted her head and looked at him, surprised. "Actually, I was thinking in going out with Tidus." she turned to Tidus and smiled widely. "I thought we could go to a club or we could go dance… Whaddya think?"
She looked at him expectantly and he nodded. "Sure, why not?"
Gippal frowned a little and asked above Baralai's head "Which club are you thinking of?"
"I don't know…" Rikku thought for a second "There's so many new clubs I want to show Tidus…"
"We could always go to Fallen Aeons. It's one of the most popular clubs around." Gippal suggested.
"Isn't that the one we've been to a couple of weeks ago?" Paine asked, taking a sip of her beer.
"Yes, it was." Nooj answered "LeBlanc and I went there last week again…"
But Rikku hadn't been paying any attention to this exchange of words. "We?" her eyebrows arched "Who told you you're invited, Gippal?"
Gippal frowned again. "What do you mean? I thought you were talking about the group…"
"Apparently you thought wrong, Gippal." Baralai chuckled.
"No one asked your opinion, Baralai." Gippal retorted, looking at Rikku once again. But she wasn't paying attention anymore ― she was talking to Tidus. "Cid's girl, I'm talking to ya!"
"Oh, Gippal, shut up! Can't you see I'm busy here?"
And once again she turned to Tidus, resting her hand on his shoulder and saying something about the new night clubs of Besaid.
"Is it me, or are you jealous, lover boy?" I asked in a low tone, only meant for Gippal to hear.
"What?" he snapped his head around to face me.
"Just kiddin', Gip…" I smiled, grabbing his hand and squeezing it.
His face relaxed a little bit. "I'm not jealous."
"Of course you're not." I patted his hand and continued eating.
He continued looking at me for a while, but then Baralai asked him something and he turned his attention to his friend. It was then that I felt another pair of eyes set on me. I looked up slowly and saw Tidus staring intensely at me. My first reaction was to turn my gaze away, but I resisted that urge and kept looking back at him. It was like time had stopped. I could hear Paine and Nooj talking, Gippal and Rikku arguing… but none of it mattered. Those deep blue eyes, and the person to whom they belonged, were all I could think of.
"… isn't it, Tidus?" Rikku tapped his shoulder and made him turn to her.
I lowered my eyes again, focusing on my food. A few instants later, though, I couldn't resist lifting my head again and looking at him. He wasn't staring at me this time, concentrating in eating his meal ― a large steak with lots of French fries and a fried egg. I smiled to myself when I saw him taking huge bites and enjoying every single one. He took real pleasure of eating, something I had always found appealing on him, and he ate a lot… he always had. I could still remember the first time he had taken me out to have dinner in a nice restaurant near the ocean. It was then when I found out about his huge appetite ― after all he was a big athletic boy growing up and he needed his diary dose of energy… We had shared a big meal that night, and many nights after that first one, and he had always eaten very much.
I suddenly realized I was staring fixedly at him and quickly looked down… at my salad. Apparently Tidus hadn't changed much when it came to have a nice large meal, but I had. Three years ago I had been a sweet little girl who wasn't really worried about her weight and had been able to accompany Tidus in his large meals, but then, after I had broken up with him, I had lost my appetite and had also lost weight. Then, when I finally thought I was over the love disillusion, I had become used to eat just a little ― salads mainly. Not that I didn't enjoy a big steak once in a while, just not on a daily basis.
Paine elbowed me gently and I gazed at her. She asked me in a low voice "Are you okay?"
I smiled weakly and nodded. "Lunch isn't being as bad as I thought it would be…" I said honestly.
She smiled back and gently touched my shoulder. It was her silent way of saying 'I'm here for you". Paine wasn't a very expressive person, but I knew she was very loyal to her (few) true friends. And I was proud of being one of them. I knew I could count on her for everything, and she knew she could count on me. We would always be there for each other…
"But I want ice-cream!" Rikku whined, hitting her little fist on the table.
"You're gonna be fat, Cid's girl!" Gippal taunted.
"No, I'm not!" she exclaimed, offended. "I never get fat!"
"Well, if you keep eating like that, you are…" he continued "But it's up to you. Eat your ice-cream and get fat and lose all your chances of getting a decent guy, or don't eat your ice-cream and maybe, just maybe, one day I'll take you out."
"Who said I wanted to go out with you!" she made a shocked expression "Not even if you were the last guy on Spira, you hear that!"
"Well, it's official, you lost your chances of going on a date with the most handsome guy in this city." He said imperturbably.
"Hello!" Rikku waved her hand in front of his eyes "Tidus here didn't say I couldn't go out with him, did he?"
"Rikku, I don't―" Tidus began, probably to say he didn't want to be involved in their arguments, but Gippal cut him off.
"What do you mean with that?"
"Exactly what I said, Gippal. Are you so stupid you didn't understand?" Rikku asked with an evil smile playing on her lips.
I knew Rikku had no real interest in dating Tidus and she had just said that to make Gippal jealous and I was sure Gippal was going to answer in an even way, so I decided to intervene before the two of them would start really arguing. But Paine was faster than I was. "Weren't you already dating that other guy… what was his name again?" she asked in a really monotone voice, like the answer had no actual interest.
Rikku blushed slightly, but she didn't lose her composure. She held her head high and slowly announced. "Yes, Paine, I was dating Rhael. But… we thought it would be best if we… stopped seeing each other for a while."
"You broke up with him, didn't you, Riks?" I asked, in spite of already knowing the answer.
"It was not my fault!" my cousin whined "He wanted to meet my father for Yevon's sake!"
Baralai chuckled. "Well, it's only natural that when a boy likes a girl he wants to meet her father and her family and all…"
"You think that, Baralai?" Paine raised one eyebrow and crossed her arms, suddenly interested in the conversation. "Well, I guess that's the expected answer from a future praetor of Yevon."
Baralai frowned in confusion. "Future praetor? You're wrong, Paine. I'm not going to be a praetor of Yevon anymore. That's why I came to Besaid, because I no longer needed to study in Bevelle…"
"Yeah, it's true, we forgot to tell ya that Baralai had changed his mind…" Gippal said, leaning forward to see Paine.
She narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, he sure seems to change his mind a lot."
"Only a fool doesn't change his mind, Paine." Baralai said calmly.
"No, Baralai." She replied evenly "Even a fool changes his mind, the only difference is that when he does, it is already too late."
"Ouch! That was hard, Lai!" Gippal smirked.
Baralai didn't answer. He was looking at Paine straight in the eye and she wasn't blinking either. It seemed like they were having a silent battle. Fortunately Nooj, sensing the tension between the two of them, asked everyone if they wanted to go to the movies after lunch.
"There's a great movie that I want to see ― it's a mixture of science fiction and horror and it has even won a Golden Chocobo and everything…" he said, but then he quickly added "But if you'd want to see another one…"
"You know what, Nooj?" Baralai asked, his eyes finally leaving Paine's "Count me in. I think it's an excellent idea."
"Me too, Nooojie." Rikku added, nodding.
"I'll drive." That was Gippal's way to say that he agreed.
"How 'bout the rest of you? Paine? Yuna? Tidus?"
Tidus looked up from his plate with a surprised look. I understood at once that he wasn't expecting the invitation to extend itself to him. He thought it was probably something between friends, and friends alone, and now he was being invited.
"I… I would like that, Nooj. Thank you." He said shyly. I smiled at his boyish reaction. He hadn't changed at all.
"Yuna?"
I looked at Nooj. "Sorry, Nooj, I got other plans. Got a History essay to deliver Monday morning. My last test wasn't very good, so I need to make up for it. Five thousand words about the construction of Besaid Temple…"
"Poor Yuna." Gippal mocked.
"Paine?" Nooj repeated.
"I think I'll pass, Nooj." She replied, unfolding her arms. Everyone kept looking at her, waiting for an explanation, but she didn't give one. I think that all of us thought she was skipping the movies part because of her previous exchange of words with Baralai, but none of us could be sure of that.
We finished our lunch and started to divide the bill, but Tidus stopped us, saying that he would pay everything. We all protested, but he was determined to do it and finally Paine said "If he wants to pay it, then let him or we're not leaving anytime soon…"
"She's right." Tidus supported "Besides, think of it as a way to thank you for the warm welcome you gave me. After all, I'm nothing but a stranger and you took me as a friend. That means a lot to me."
I know it does. You lost every friend you had in Besaid… and your brother… and your girlfriend. Only Rikku remains. And Wakka and Lulu, but they have new responsibilities now… You sure need new friends. And you can't find any better than mine. And even though it hurts, I don't mind sharing them with you. Right now, you need them more than I do. I regretted those thoughts the moment they entered my mind ― I shouldn't feel sorry for him, being sympathetic led to the development of feelings and I wasn't interesting in reviving my feelings for Tidus.
"I insist." He added, pulling out his wallet. The rest of us ended up agreeing and he paid everything and even gave a nice tip to the waiter ― after all he was the Zanarkand Abes star player now…
We were about to leave the restaurant and return to our respective vehicles, when Tidus hold my arm, making me stop and look at him. The rest of the gang was already near the cars, so they didn't see us.
"Thanks for letting me come." He said in a low tone "I just hope I didn't ruin your lunch…"
I don't know why I did it, but I found myself smiling at him ― the first smile I gave him. "You didn't ruin my lunch, Tidus. In fact, it was a really pleasant lunch. I liked it."
"I'm glad you did. I liked it too."
He was still holding my arm and once again it just felt so right that I didn't want him to let go, even if I knew it was the right thing to do. What am I doing?, I screamed inside my head. Why do I let him get to me? I quickly took a step back, in the direction of the restaurant's door, and he released his hold on me. I sighed inwardly, both relieved and disappointed, and stepped out of the restaurant into the sunlit street. Tidus followed me and we headed for the cars, where the rest of the group was gathered (except for Rikku, who had gone to buy an ice-cream).
"I guess, since Paine and you don't come with us, I could take Cid's girl and Tidus in my car." Gippal said as soon as I got near him.
"Yeah, it's the best."
"But I don't let her eat anything inside the car!" he exclaimed next, looking at her approaching figure, a huge vanilla ice-cream on her tiny hands.
"That's between the two of you. I got nothing to do with it." I said, unlocking Cid's car.
I was about to climb behind the steering-wheel again when someone shouted from behind me "Tidus!"
I closed my eyes and silently prayed it wasn't another crazy fan of Tidus. But then I opened them and saw the recognition in Tidus' eyes. Even if it was a crazy fan, at least he knew her… or remembered her from his time in Besaid. Maybe an ex-girlfriend?
I wasn't sure if I wanted to turn around, but I did it anyway and my eyes laid on the most exotic girl I had ever seen in my life. She wasn't Besaidian, that was for sure. Her glistening skin was as dark as chocolate and her black hair fell smoothly down her back. Her dark eyes were brilliant and the perfectly applied make-up around them made them look deeper. Her clothes were almost non-existent; I used to tease Rikku because of her miniskirts, but this girl in front of me was ten times worse ― she wasn't wearing a skirt, she was wearing a large belt that covered the first five inches of her thigh… And that top couldn't possible be considered a top, could it? It barely even covered her breasts… Oh no, the worst of it all ― she was walking in a pair of killer stilettos that made her four inches taller, at least…
She walked over to us (the guys were completely drooling, especially Gippal; strangely enough, Tidus was only smiling condescendingly like he had seen that scene many times before) and threw herself in Tidus arms ― she was almost as tall as him.
"Tidus, where the hell have you been?" she asked in a dramatic tone "We've been looking for you all around… Auron was beginning to think that you had been kidnapped or something."
Auron? Well, that explained a lot. That girl was from Zanarkand and had come with Tidus to Besaid. She must be really special, otherwise I don't think he would bring her to Besaid, I thought. Maybe she's his new girlfriend…
"Where's Barthello?" was Tidus first question.
"Oh, he's somewhere back there." She waved dismissingly and hugged Tidus. "I missed you, baby."
Yeah, she was probably his girlfriend. And suddenly I felt that my day was ruined. Damn! I was the one who broke up with him; I shouldn't be feeling this terrible just because he found someone to replace me. I'm sure she's not the first one after me… oh boy, how sure I am of that!
"Yeah, well, I'm here, Dona." He replied, grabbing her arms so she couldn't hold him again "Oh, by the way, everyone, this is Dona, she's from Zanarkand. Dona, these are Gippal, Nooj, Paine, Baralai, and Rikku, and Yuna." He pointed his finger in my direction and somehow I knew that he had chosen me to be the last for some reason.
"Yuna, huh?" the brunette named Dona turned to me with a superior look in her eyes, looking me up and down, like she was checking me out "I've heard a lot about you."
I hated when people thought they were superior to me; I just couldn't stand it without replying in the same tone. So, I just forced a polite smile, looked straight in the face and told her, with my best Bevellian accent "Funny, I can't say the same. You are…?"
Tidus tried not to laugh but he couldn't. When Dona heard him she turned to him, a shocked expression plastered in her beautiful sculpted face. "Tidus! Are you gonna let her mock me?"
"She's not mocking you, Dona. Are you, Yuna?" he asked me, an amused smile enlightening his features.
"Of course not. I was just trying to…" I waved my arms, searching for the right word "…understand who this lovely girl is."
This time Tidus was able to prevent the laugh that was about to escape his lips. And before Miss I'm-from-Zanarkand-and-I'm-so-much-better-than-you-all, a.k.a. Dona, could say anything else, I called Paine and told her we were hitting the road. We said goodbye to the guys and Rikku (no one really cared about the brunette girl ― or should I say slut?) and got in the car, driving away from them and at the time, from all of my problems. Well, all of my problems, except for my History essay, that is.
A/N: Yup, this was chapter 11. At first I wasn'ttoo pleased with it, but then I think I managed to make it not too boring… This last part, especially. Oh, and by the way, just two more things. First, I'm not used to inches and miles- in my country we use kilometres and centimetres, so... I'm sorry if I'm messing it up. If there's anyone who can explain them to me, I would appreciate it. Second, I don't know if you think the same, but every time I try to imagine Bevellian accent, I think of British accent. What do you think? You know what to do… just review. ;)
Thank you's:
Da KeR MySteRr: Thanks. I know it's not funny to do our chores, so I hope that my story helped you to get through them without much boredom. Lol.
Rachel XXX: Everyone hopes that they'll get together soon, but… I don't know. She's pretty determined not to fall again, don't you think? Anyways, thanks.
tidusXyuna637: Don't cry, I've updated… :) And I hope you liked this chapter as much as you liked the last one. Thank you.
LennesLostSoul: Thanks, I'm so happy you think that way. And yes, my summer's being great, thanks again.
kyritawuv: Thank you so much! And you're not sounding weird – just a little bit, I guess… :) About Tidus and Yuna, well, I can say I have a lot in store for them before their fates will be determined. But hopefully you'll like it – and I hope I'm not torturing you too much… ;) Oh, and by the way, is this quickly enough for Suzie? Lol.
Sum1special: Thank you; it means a lot to me. Here's the update you've been expecting.
grappelkat: Oh, Tidus has a lot of things to tell Yuna, so I'm sorry, but you'll have to stick around if you want to see what it is… (Great way to tell you that I want you to keep reading my story, isn't it? ;) Just kiddin'.) Anyways, thank you.