Chapter 14
Our trip to Luca
Have you ever had one of those days in which you don't want to wake up even if your life depends on it? Well, that's the way I felt Friday morning, when Rikku entered my room jumping around and screaming my name in an attempt to make me get up.
"Please, Rikku, please, just five more minutes…" I pleaded, covering my head with the sheets.
Friday morning had come sooner than I had expected ― to be honest, and even though I could really use this journey as a get-away from all the troubles I was facing in Besaid, the truth was that I also had a feeling about this trip that made me fearful of it. I didn't know what it was, or if it was good or bad, but somehow I didn't think those days were going to be as calm and funny as everyone was expecting.
"C'mon, Yunie, we gotta get going!" my cousin pulled the sheets out of my face and the sunlight hit me straight in the eyes, forcing me to open them.
Last week, when we had been at Nooj's, we had decided to accept Tidus' offer and so we were going to Luca in his ship. Because of that, we had agreed on meeting at the airport, where the ship would be ready to leave (Tidus had a private pilot, who had been previously informed about our plans and who was supposed to have everything settled even before we entered the ship). Since the airport was far from our places, Paine, Rikku and I had to get up at least half an hour earlier, if we wanted to be there on time. Fortunately, I'm an organized person and so I'd left everything already packed and ready to go the night before, so that gave me a few extra moments to sleep in if I wanted to ― which was definitively the case. But I should've known that I could never sleep in with a cousin like Rikku yelling in my ear about clothes and make-up and ships and friends and anything else she could possibly remember to talk about…
Yawning, I got up and made my way to the bathroom, where I turned the hot water on and stepped in the shower, allowing the falling droplets of water to wash away my tiredness and completely wake me up. After returning to my room, I realized with a sigh of relief that Rikku had gone someplace else and so I took the time to get the clothes I had chosen to wear that day ― a pair of fitted baby-blue jeans and a turquoise halter under a white shirt tied up above the waistline ― and put them on. To finish up, I spread a soft baby-blue shadow on my eyelids and shiny gloss on my lips and put on a pair of dark-blue high-heeled boots. Looking myself in the mirror I suddenly realized I had been taking extra-time in choosing the clothes the night before and that made me wonder why. There was completely, absolutely and positively no one that I would like to impress, so… Coming out of the blue, a pair of ― how ironic! ― blue eyes crept into my mind, followed closely by the blonde hair, the warm smile and the strong features of an all too familiar face… No, no, no! I don't want to think about him now! Just because he's coming with us and we're riding in his ship, it doesn't mean that I'll have to be with him longer than I must… 'Cause I don't want to spend a single more minute than I have to with him… After all, I'm waaaay over him by now.
Then why was I thinking about him? Why had I been dressing up and applying make-up and all if there was no one to impress, no one to see me?
Because I want to feel good with myself, I want to feel beautiful, I want to feel like I'm much better than any Zanarkandian girl…
Oh Yevon, there I was again! Couldn't I really stop thinking about Zanarkand and Tidus for a single moment in time? I was beginning to feel tired of this and Tidus had not been in Besaid for a month yet. What if he decided to stay a year? How would I react then?
"Yuna, you ready?" Paine asked, opening my bedroom's door and poking her head in.
I snapped my head around to face her and couldn't help but smirk when I saw her all dressed in tight black leather, except for the red low-cut corset she was wearing as a top. Apparently I hadn't been the only one to dress up and that made me somewhat more comfortable. Her dark-silver hair was pulled back as usual and that reminded me that I still hadn't done mine. I told her I needed five more minutes and, unlike Rikku, she obliged, closing the door behind her, while I rushed to my full-length mirror with a can of mousse in my hand.
About ten minutes later we were leaving our street and heading to the airport. Even now I still don't understand how Rikku made her father agree with that trip, but however it was, that morning he just gave us all a goodbye kiss and told me, secretly, to watch out for his little girl. I told him everything was going to be okay, and that Rikku was already a big girl who could defend herself very well, but still I promised I would keep an eye on her. Somehow, I think my uncle had a feeling about that trip too, and that his would prove more accurate than mine…
-----XX-----
"Hey, look who they are!" Gippal exclaimed, looking us approvingly up and down. If I hadn't known him for so long, I would probably have slapped him right there and then, but after so long I just knew it'd be useless. Besides, I also knew that Gippal wasn't exactly checking us out, for he had no second intentions with us ― well, maybe he had second intentions with Rikku… Okay, he definitely had second intentions with that one, but not with me or Paine… ―; he was just showing us that he liked the way we were dressed. And if he did, that meant that other guys would like it too.
"Hi, girls, you're gorgeous." Baralai complimented, as we walked side by side towards them.
We had left the car in the airport's parking lot and then had made our way to where Tidus' airship was waiting for us. Gippal and Baralai were the only ones already there.
"Where's everybody else?" Rikku asked, sitting on top of her huge bag and crossing her bare legs in a tantalizing way.
Gippal couldn't take his eyes off of her while he answered her "Nooj went off to get LeBlanc and Tidus didn't show up yet."
Baralai smirked. "Still, I bet Tidus will be here before Nooj and LeBlanc arrive. As far as I know, she may still be not quite sure which dress to pack…"
Despite ourselves, we all laughed, picturing LeBlanc with two dresses in her hands and her bags still unpacked. Paine was still chuckling when she said "I have to agree with you on that one, Baralai. I still can't understand why Nooj likes her so much…"
"Well…" Gippal started, grinning mischievously "I can see why he likes her so―"
Smack!
"Ouch, Cid's girl! What was that for?"
Rikku sat again, before scolding him "She's your best-friend's girl, Gippal. Don't ya think you should respect her a little more?"
Gippal pouted, but he didn't present Rikku with any of his typical remarks, and Paine diverted our attention by showing us some photos of Vidina ― I had never thought Paine to be one of those persons to walk around with photos of her relatives and my point was proven when she quickly explained "These were taken by Wakka, and Lulu insisted with me to bring them and to show you how Vidina's growing."
"Ra'c cu cfaad (He's so sweet)!" Rikku exclaimed.
"Yeah, he's really a sweet little thing…" I agreed, looking at the pictures.
We were still looking at the pictures and talking about Vidina when Nooj and LeBlanc arrived in his car, the trunk full of LeBlanc's luggage. While each one of us took one bag or two with our personal belongings, LeBlanc took five or six, being Nooj the one who carried them all.
"Hello, loves!" LeBlanc greeted, coming near us and hugging everyone. When she came near Paine though, my friend just glared at her coldly and LeBlanc took a step back, apparently realizing it wasn't a very good idea to hug Paine.
"Hi everyone!" Nooj added "Where's Tidus?"
"Right here." Tidus voice came from behind the airship and his figure came into our view. "I'm sorry I'm late, but I had a little problem…"
"I wouldn't call it a problem, sweetie."
I turned sharply around to see to whom that voice belonged and I was definitely not pleased to see it belonged to none other than Dona. She looked even more stunning today, with her hair pulled up and her black dress clinging gracefully to all her curves. And she had curves that could catch any guy's attention, as I noticed when my gaze travelled from Gippal to Baralai and even Nooj. Only Tidus remained calm and unfazed as if Dona's attributes didn't disturb him anymore.
"Well, I would, Dona." Tidus counter back, crossing his arms on his chest. "After all, you weren't invited…"
I blinked twice. "What?"
Tidus moved his piercing gaze towards my direction and, the moment our eyes met, his blue ones softened and I saw his face became more relaxed and the lines of concern that moments before were there disappeared lightly, making him younger and more handsome… He dropped his arms by his sides and took a step forward, giving me a small smile. Seeing him like that made my mind race back to the last time we had seen each other, two nights ago. Tidus had been in my house searching for Rikku, but she had gone out with some high school friends.
"Well, in that case I think I should get going, now… I don't want to bother you." he had said in a low voice, his head hanging down and his blonde bangs hiding his eyes.
"You don't bother me, Tidus." I had responded, lifting my hand and gently touching his arm. I don't know what made me do it, but it felt so right. "You never did."
The last words had been whispered but still he heard them and his head shot up so quickly that it almost startled me. I held his gaze for a few moments while his eyes searched deep in my soul, but he finally averted them, focusing somewhere below. It took me a second to realize he was staring at my lips… Suddenly his hand grabbed mine and his eyes turned to mine again. What's he doing?, I had asked myself, fearing that out of the impulse he would step forward and grab me and kiss me. I don't know if I was relieved or disappointed when he took a step back.
"Thank you." he had said softly, holding my hand to his chest "But I still think I should go now. I'll see you around, Yuna."
And he had turned around, letting go of my hand and disappearing into the darkness, leaving me behind with all my hopes and fears to haunt me again.
Now we were face to face again and apparently I wasn't the only one to relive that memory (and others). Tidus had a dreamy look in his eyes too and even if he didn't, all the signs indicated that he was more at ease and more at peace with me than he had been before. Even if he still felt that he couldn't read me, at least now he knew that we could be… what? Friends?
I thought you had said you didn't want to be friends with him, Yuna.
And I had. What had changed then?
Nothing! Nothing's changed, just you. You're letting your old feelings kick in again, aren't you?
No, it wasn't like that. It was just… Oh Zaon, even I didn't know what was going on with me…
"So, Tidus dear, my suitcases are here. Would you please be kind enough to put them in the ship?" Dona's annoying voice brought me and Tidus back to reality.
"Is she going with us?" Paine raised an eyebrow.
Tidus looked at her, folding his arms once again. "That's the problem."
"I don't know why you keep calling it a problem. After all, it's your airship, isn't it? The one my uncle gave to you?"
Tidus flinched at her words but Rikku, who was beginning to get mad at Dona because Gippal couldn't take his eyes off of her, said matter-of-factly "It may be Tidus airship, but it was me who organized this trip and I didn't count you in, so…"
"And you are?" Dona looked Rikku down, as if she was completely uninteresting.
Rikku's face turned a bright red with fury, but before she could answer Dona evenly, Tidus stepped in the middle and said quickly "Rikku's my best friend ever, Dona. She's like a sister to me and―"
"I got it, baby." Dona interrupted "This girl's important to you."
For some reason I don't know, her eyes fell on me and if looks could kill, I would be dead that moment, for she glared daggers at me.
"Loves," LeBlanc intervened, clapping her hands to get our attention "There's no need to get all picky on this, don't you think?"
It appears that she didn't see the way Nooj was checking Dona out. I suppressed a giggle and looked down so they could not see my smiling face.
"I think LeBlanc's right." Gippal joined in "Where there's room for eight, there's room for nine."
"Ten, actually." Tidus grunted "Dona goes nowhere without her bodyguard. This is Barthello, guys."
It surprised me that I hadn't seen him sooner. Barthello was big enough to be seen even behind Tidus and Dona; yet, his discreetness kept him unseen, like he was no one important until he was needed. Only later would I realize that that was precisely the way Dona treated him ― like he was no one…
Barthello saluted us with a simple nod and Dona immediately waved her hand in dismissal. "So, Tidus, sweetheart, shall we go?"
The girl was definitely beginning to annoy me. Who the hell did she think she was? Just because she had come with Tidus, that didn't give her the right to treat us all like we were inferiors to her…
"Will you hold your chocobos for a sec, Dona?" Tidus snapped at her. "Damn girl, at least let's hear what they have to say about this, okay?"
Dona pouted, but she didn't say anything else while we discussed the subject. Gippal, Baralai and Nooj didn't seem to mind having Dona in their trip, and neither did LeBlanc. Paine's face was unreadable and Rikku was still boiling with anger, so her opinion was quite clear. And to think she was the one who suggested Tidus that we could add one more bed to one of the rooms… As for me…
"I don't see why Dona can't go." I heard myself saying. Rikku turned to me with a shocked expression and Paine lifted one eyebrow in confusion "After all, we can always add one more bed to one of the rooms. And as long as Dona pays her part, I think she can come along…"
"Yuna…" Rikku's swirled eyes were very expressive. She was concerned about me. After avoiding Dona for so long, now I was almost inviting her to tag along and it just seemed so unlike me that my cousin was worried…
Somehow though, I knew I was doing the right thing. Saying I didn't want Dona in our trip was almost saying that she affected me, that she intimidated me, that she was better than me… And I would never give her that pleasure. So she could come with us, and I would prove to her that she couldn't disturb me, that Tidus couldn't disturb me.
"It's settled then." LeBlanc exclaimed, putting an end to the discussion.
Fifteen minutes later we were flying above the ocean, heading to Luca.
-----XX-----
The hotel we were staying in at Luca was a very enjoyable place, with large bedrooms and suites, beautiful and luxuriant gardens and a huge indoor swimming-pool. The employees were also very nice and helpful and as soon as we exposed our situation, or 'problem' as Tidus continued to call it, they tried to solve it immediately, adding another bed in two of our rooms ― one for Dona and one for Barthello.
"This is so friggin' great!" Rikku exclaimed, throwing herself onto one of the beds in our room.
Paine placed her bags on top of another bed. "If you're jumping on that bed, you can call it yours. I'll take this one."
I entered the room behind them. "Well, I guess that leaves me with the bed closest to the balcony…"
"Are you complaining?" Paine asked.
I smirked. "Absolutely not!"
Paine returned the smirk and went back to unpacking. I was glad that she had decided to stay with me and Rikku in the same room ― I could not picture myself sharing a room with Dona or even LeBlanc, and I think Paine thought exactly the same as me… So she had just decided that the Yuripa, as Gippal sometimes called us, should stay together. When Leblanc had asked her why, she had just responded "Well, since you were the only one to be happy about Dona coming with us, I think it's only fair if you share a room with her."
And so, there we were, unpacking our bags in a very comfortable hotel room in Luca. When I finished taking my clothes out of my suitcase and putting them into the dresser that was beside my bed, I walked into the balcony and rested my elbows on the white stone railing, seeing the beautiful view of the beach in the distance. I was only sad it wasn't summer, or we could have had a great time on the beach; but it was winter and it was cold and rainy ― apparently we would have to stick to the indoor swimming-pool.
"Yunie." Rikku called from the inside.
I turned around to look at her and saw that she and Paine were at the door, talking to Gippal and Baralai. I walked back into the room and headed in their direction "What's up?"
"We're thinking about going to lunch." Gippal said, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms over his chest. "We haven't eaten in almost five hours and I'm beginning to starve…"
I laughed at his dramatic expression. "I agree with you. I'm not starving, but I'm kinda hungry…"
"Where's the rest of the group?" Paine asked, sitting on her bed.
"Nooj and LeBlanc disappeared shortly after our arrival. I think they went on their own private exploration…" Gippal grinned mischievously and Rikku slapped his arm "Ouch! It's the second time today, woman!"
Rikku shrugged and turned to Baralai. "And Tidus?"
"He went to Dona's room and has been there until now." Baralai explained, glancing in my direction.
I averted his gaze, looking outside again. I could only imagine what Tidus and Dona were doing in her room and I didn't like any of the options. They could be just talking… Yeah, like I believed that. They were probably just taking advantage of LeBlanc's absence, doing what they couldn't do in her presence… I cringed at my own bitterness. No, I said to myself, shaking my head softly, Tidus wasn't pleased about Dona coming, so… Could he be pretending? No, I would see through him… wouldn't I?
"Yeah, before we came here I went there to call them, but I didn't even knock. Even from the outside I could hear their voices almost screaming. I think they were fighting…" Gippal added.
I turned my head to look at him, but he wasn't looking back. Actually, none of them was paying any attention at me, which somehow relieved me. That way they could not see what was going through my mind. So, Tidus and Dona had been arguing… Had it been because she had come? Why else?
"So, are we going or not?" Rikku asked all of a sudden.
"Going where?" I asked, snapping out of my thoughts.
"Dah! Going to lunch…"
-----XX-----
We were heading to the stairs to go to the restaurant when a very infuriated Tidus ran past us in the hallway and entered the room he shared with Gippal and Barthello, slamming the door behind him. We all looked at each other and Rikku was about to go back, but Gippal caught her arm and shook his head "Let him be for now. I'll talk to him later, I promise you."
"Okay, but you promised…" she said, putting her own hand over his and entangling her fingers with his.
He smiled and nodded and we started to descend the stairs. When we reached the restaurant and sat at a table, I was still thinking of Tidus. He was really mad, I could tell by the fire in his eyes and the fury that emanated from his every gesture. He hadn't even noticed us and we weren't exactly invisible…
"This place is great, guys!" Baralai complimented, sitting at a small table "It reminds me of our high school times…"
Gippal grinned broadly. "Glad you like it, Lai."
"Talking about high school…" Paine said coolly, taking a look at the menu "If you didn't make any plans for this afternoon, I'm thinking about meeting some old friends."
Rikku and Gippal exchanged glances. "No, we didn't plan anything." Rikku answered "We thought that you guys might want to rest or just check the views before we start any group tour…"
Paine nodded and ordered her meal. We followed her example and less than fifteen minutes later we were eating our lunches and chatting about Luca and the things we were going to do the next three days.
About half an hour later, Paine prepared to leave, telling she didn't know what time she would be back. When Baralai asked her who she was going to meet, she gave him a curious look before answering dryly "Aleph."
Baralai's face completely fell but Gippal didn't seem to notice it, for he said in an excited voice "Aleph! I haven't been with him in ages! Is his twin sister Irina going to be there too?"
"I don't think so." Paine replied plainly, in a way that showed she was tired of questions.
Gippal didn't get it. As he didn't get the look Rikku was giving him. "I would love to see that girl again… She was something special."
"If she was so special, then go with Paine and jump on her when you find her!" Rikku said irascibly, throwing her napkin at him.
Instead of feeling guilty or embarrassed, Gippal smirked. "You jealous?"
"You wished." Rikku responded in a vicious tone, her eyes narrowed to only green slits.
Gippal leaned forward. "Ytsed ed, Cid's girl (admit it)."
She also leaned, getting really close to his face. "Hajan (never)!"
"Guys, guys, c'mon, this trip is supposed to be about fun and friendship, not silly arguments and fights." Baralai reasoned.
Paine nodded her agreement and said goodbye, leaving the restaurant. I didn't pay her much attention, for I was thinking about what Baralai had said about arguments and fights and I was thinking of Tidus. He was alone in his room and he had been so mad… Had he argued with Dona? Why? They seemed pretty close to each other… Don't even thin about going that way, Yuna, I alerted myself, poking at my food with my fork. But I had lost my appetite. I couldn't stop thinking about him… Maybe he needed someone to talk to. Without realizing what I was doing, I put my fork down and stood up.
"Where are you going, Yuna?" Baralai asked, gazing up at me.
I blinked. "I… I need… to go to… to the restroom." I stammered, turning on my heels and getting away as fast as I could. I knew they were staring at me with confusion plastered on their faces, but I really didn't care at the time. My mind was already in big turmoil, full of questions and doubts. Tidus was alone in his room and I was currently heading there. Should I really go meet him? What if he didn't want me there? Or even worse, what if he really needed to talk with someone about his love problems with Dona? Would he tell them to me? And would I be strong enough to listen to him without getting hurt or jealous? Why was I going there in the first place?
I was still questioning myself when I stopped at his closed door. I lifted my fist but hesitated in knocking. Maybe I should just go back to the restaurant and pretend I'd never gone there…
Knock, knock, knock.
During the five seconds it took Tidus to open the door, I thought about running away, felt really sick and even felt like I was fainting, but none of it happened. It seemed I was glued to the floor, unable to do, say or feel anything. I was numb.
"Yuna!"
Somehow I managed to lift my head and look at him in the eye. Surprise was stamped in his blue ones, but there was also something else…
I remained silent.
"Are you okay?" he asked, extending his arm to touch mine.
Now it was concern I was seeing and that made me smile faintly as I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was worried about you…"
He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, giving me a questioning look. "About me? Why?"
I looked around, feeling a little exposed in that hallway, and then turned to him once more. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah, of course!" he moved quickly aside, allowing me to enter his room, which was exactly like mine ― two opposite beds and then another one closer to the white balcony overlooking the city. The doors were wide open to let the bright daylight come into the room.
I stood there in the middle of the room, looking around, while Tidus closed the door and approach me from behind, resting his hand on my shoulder. I turned around instinctively and we faced each other.
"So…" he whispered.
"So…" I repeated in the same tone.
"Why did you come here?"
I stepped away from him before answering, going to sit on the edge of the nearest bed. I needed to clear my mind before saying anything I would later regret. Oh Yevon, why had I gone there?
Tidus sat next to me. "Yuna, I... don't understand…"
"I heard you had an argument with Dona… and then I saw you running past us and…" I trailed off, not knowing how to explain.
He turned his head to face me. "You were worried because of that?"
I knew I shouldn't have said that. "Well… I saw you were really mad and I…" I looked at him "I just wanted to know if you were okay…"
He smiled sweetly at me and his hand rested on my knee. I didn't remove it; I was lost in his eyes, in his smile…
"I'm fine." he said in a very soft voice "Now I'm even better…"
I felt myself blushing at the meaning of his words and averted his gaze. I needed to divert his attention somehow. Suddenly I stood up and walked to the balcony, looking out at the horizon.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" I asked when I felt him by my side.
"Yeah."
I didn't know what else to say. My heart was pounding on my chest, my mind was racing with thoughts and yet I didn't know what to say to him. I just didn't know why sometimes I was angry with him and all I wanted was to shut him out, and other times I was like this, completely at peace in his company…
He was the first one to break the silence. "I argued with Dona because I didn't want her to come with us."
"Why?"
"Because of you." he noticed my gaze upon him and continued, sighing "I know Dona can be a pain sometimes and she's a little bitchy when she wants to ― look at how she treated Rikku this morning ― and I just… I guess I didn't want to… put you through that."
"I've already noticed Dona doesn't like me that much, Tidus." I told him quietly "But I wouldn't want to be the reason of your arguments…"
"I know."
"I don't really mind her being here with us." I proceeded "As long as she doesn't pick on me…"
He laughed "You really don't know her. She picks on everyone…"
"And you know her all too well…" I murmured, not looking at him.
I felt his eyes on me. "I don't know her all that well… Not the way I know―"
I turned sharply around, not letting him finish the sentence. I just didn't want to hear what he was going to say, I couldn't take it. I stormed into the room and was quickly walking to the door when Tidus grabbed my arm, making me turn and face him.
"Where are you going?"
"I should've never come here. It was a mistake."
"A mistake?" The hurt was clear in his eyes "Why?"
"Because… because… I don't know, I just…" I trailed off.
We just looked at each other for a few instants and then Tidus let go of me and turned away, going back to the balcony.
"Tidus…" He looked at me over his shoulder, but remained silent. I took a step in his direction. "I'm sorry, Tidus, I really am."
"It's okay…"
"No, it's not okay!" I exclaimed "Nothing's okay! This all story, everything that's going on… It's not okay!"
He turned to me again "Why did you come here?"
"I told you, to see if you―"
"―if I was okay. Yeah, you already said that. What I mean is: what's the reason behind that? You could've sent Rikku or Gippal… Why did you come?"
I could just tell him I didn't want to trouble the others but I knew it was pointless lying to him. I sighed. "I don't know. It was almost like I didn't realize what I was doing until I was doing it. I think I was just so used to…" I let the sentence linger in the air, unfinished.
He nodded. "It's okay. Even if you think it's not, it is. Believe me."
"Thank you." I said softly, all my previous anger now gone. "And I'm sorry about this, it won't happen again…"
He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but then he changed his mind and closed it.
"Well, I think I better go now…" I told him hesitantly.
"Yes, Rikku's probably wondering where you are by now…" he responded, not meeting my gaze.
I laughed a little, but it sounded more like a nervous laugh. "Yeah, we know how she is… Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, I am. You?"
I nodded and gave him a small smile. "Despite all this, I'm fine. I'm sorry again."
"You don't have to be… Really. Your visit was very nice, I liked it a lot." His voice was filled with sweetness again.
"That's nice… So, I'll see you at dinner, right?"
"I'll be there."
I smiled and turned around. This time he didn't stop me and I left his room, thinking about how complicated everything was being… I was doing stupid things that I didn't want to do, Tidus was affecting me more than I thought he was going to, and when the two of us were together… well, things weren't exactly easy ― we could be talking quietly and friendly and the next minute be almost yelling at each other; just like it had happened now.
"Yuna, isn't it?"
I looked over my shoulder only to see Dona right behind me, eyeing me with a superior look. I sighed; after my conversation with Tidus I was feeling emotionally tired… too tired to face Dona now.
"What do you want, Dona?" I asked, leaning against the wall.
"Oh, I just wanna talk to you." She replied too cheerfully, like we were best-friends or something…
I raised an eyebrow, intrigued with her actions. "About what?"
"Tidus, of course." She smiled sweetly, but there was something wrong with her smile, it was almost like she was faking it.
"And what about Tidus?" I was getting tired of this nonsense. Why on Spira would that girl want to talk to me about Tidus? I had nothing to tell her and there was nothing I wanted to hear from her, so…
"He's a really sweet and lovely guy, isn't he?" she continued, not noticing ― or pretending not to notice ― my look of suspicion.
"Do you have a point, Dona?" I asked suddenly "'Cause I don't really have time to chat with you about Tidus right now."
"Yeah, I do have a point… Yuna." Dona's voice had lost its sweetness and she wasn't smiling anymore. She was getting mad at my indifference and that made me smile.
"And that would be…?" I gestured with my hands so she would complete the sentence. This seemed to annoy her even further.
All of my emotional tiredness was gone by now and that surprised me. Being with Tidus had drained my energies because of all the strength I needed to control myself and my feelings and emotions, but arguing with Dona was somehow regenerating ― she didn't affect me as much as I thought she would and so I could remain calm and collected during our conversations; she, on the other hand, didn't last long before burst out with rage. And that was what really amused me: seeing her mad.
"I want to warn you to stay away from my man." Her expression was almost threatening.
I let out a small smile at her arrogance. "And your man is…?"
"Tidus, of course!"
"Right…" I paused before continuing "Well, Dona, I want to tell you that I don't give a damn about your relationship with Tidus. It has absolutely nothing to do with me…"
"Then why were you leaving his room?"
"What are you accusing me of? In case you haven't noticed, it's also Gippal's room. And Barthello's. And I can go visit them anytime I want. Even Tidus. After all, he's an old friend of mine." I knew that was not exactly the truth, but I just wanted to see the look in her face…
"Friend? I don't think so, darling…" She almost spat the last word and that made me smirk.
"Okay, I admit it. We may not be the best of friends right now, but I can tell you this: no matter how close you are to Tidus, you'll never know him better than I do."
The moment I had said those words I'd wanted to take them back. I just wanted to see how far I could go, but now I thought I'd gone too far ― I knew I was being arrogant and conceited, but that girl was bringing out the worst of me. I just couldn't stand her without replying evenly.
"What do you mean? I know Tidus very well."
Now I couldn't take back what I had said ― and even if I could a part of me didn't want to ― and so I had to take it all the way. "Is that right?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course, do you want me to prove you?"
I folded my arms across my chest and smirked. "I wouldn't mind."
A/N: I hope you liked this chapter better than the last one, for I only got four reviews for that one. :-(
Anyways, for the ones who did review, here go my thanks:
Da KeR MysTeRr: Thanks. This chapter was supposed to come out sooner, but then I had a few problems with my computer and… Well, it's here anyway, that's what's important. I hope you like it too…
Duderman: Thank you, but I cannot kill Baralai. I need him in this fic, I've told you… And he and Yuna are friends, really good friends. Nothing more; don't worry, this won't be a YunaxBaralai thing. Not with Tidus in the picture ;-) Anyways, here's the update.
kyritawuv: Thanks. Yeah, Wakka was pretty frantic, but I guess it suits him. And Paine… well, it was a first for her. She's used to deal with things she knows, with feelings she knows, but when something new comes up she has to learn how to deal with it. And even though she tries to hide it behind that unreadable face of hers, the people who truly know her notice the small changes… But I'm glad you liked it.
tidusXyuna637: Sorry for the long wait on the last chapter, but it was really impossible for me to update. And I hope this was soon enough for you. Thank you.
Well, that's all for now. Hope you liked it. See ya soon…