A/N: Hey guys! I'm back ― under a new pen name, but hey, it's still me! ;-)
I know this chapter took a little longer to write, but my life's been really complicated these days (in a good way, though). Anyways, I haven't had much time to write, so… I'm sorry to keep you waiting and thank you for still being around to read this… I hope you like this chapter; I've certainly liked to write it ;-)
Chapter 16
Games and romance
"Rikku…" I called her, nudging her shoulder. She groaned softly and turned to the other side, covering her head with the blankets.
"She won't wake up like that, Yuna." Paine told me from her side of the room, continuing to fold her clothes.
I sighed and nodded my head in agreement. I had no idea at what time Rikku had arrived at the hotel the night before, for I had already been asleep and I hadn't woken up with her arrival, but I assumed it must've been really late because she was usually one of the first to wake up and today it was being hell trying to get her to open her eyes. I tried once again.
"Give it up, Yuna." Paine said, approaching me. "I don't think she would wake up even if Spira was about to be destroyed right now…"
I looked at her. "Yeah, but that only makes me wonder how much she drank last night… You know Rikku's not used to drink like you do."
She averted my gaze and I regretted what I had said, for what had happened last night was still really fresh on our minds. We hadn't discussed it and Paine didn't seem eager to explain anything, so I was doing what I always did and I wouldn't ask any questions ― when Paine was ready, she would tell me. Even so, I was really curious to know what had that been all about…
"Let me try." She said simply. I took a step back and watched as she bent down and got closer to my cousin's ear. Then she yelled "Gippal's coming here completely naked!"
I had to laugh when Rikku almost jumped from the bed, startled by the scream and not only by that… When she landed again in the middle of the blankets, she looked around, still confused. I almost felt sorry for her ― poor girl, being woken up like that. When she finally began to think coherently once again, she glared at Paine, who was smirking down at her.
"You meanie!"
"You woke up, didn't you?" Paine retorted, turning around and walking away to her own bed.
Rikku then looked at me and was about to say something when someone knocked on the door. "I got it!" I said, almost running towards the door and opening it. "Gippal!"
"Hi, Yuna."
He wasn't naked like Paine had said, but he was wearing white and blue trunks and a blue t-shirt with a huge 'F.B.I.' on it. I had to smirk when I saw what was written in white letters below that. "Female Body Inspector?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Yup, that's me." he smiled broadly.
"Sure… Come on in." I stepped aside and he walked in, saying hello to the girls, and when Rikku saw him her eyes grew wide in disbelief and she pulled the covers over her head before anyone could see how red she had turned.
"What's up with you, Cid's girl?" Gippal asked, frowning.
"Nothing." She said from beneath the sheets. "I'm just… sleeping, that's all."
Gippal laughed. "Well, I'm sorry to spoil your beauty sleep, princess, but we got plans for this morning, so…" He approached her bed and pulled the sheets away from her, uncovering her. "There's no time for sleepers, you sleepyhead!"
"I'm not a sleepyhead!" she said, pouting.
"Can you two stop already?" Paine asked. Then she turned to Gippal "What plans are you talking about?"
"Well, since we can't go to the beach because it started raining a while ago, we were thinking about enjoying the swimming pool. Then we'd lunch and in the afternoon we could make a tour and visit all the important spots for tourists…"
"I think it's a good idea." I smiled "Swimming is always good!"
Paine smirked "Does this hotel have a gym? I really wanted to work out a little…"
"Work out or let out your anger, Dr. P?" Gippal teased her. "According to what I've heard, last night you were quite aggressive…"
Paine's expression fell and was replaced by a cold stone glare. "Who told you?"
"What happened last night?" Rikku asked excitedly.
"It seems that our friend Paine here punched a guy, isn't it? And not just any guy… We're talking about Aleph here."
"Gippal…" I tried to call him and to warn him to be quiet, but he just ignored me.
"Did you really, Paine?" Rikku wasn't sleepy anymore; her eyes glistened and she was anticipating all the juicy details of the story.
"Yes, I did. But it's none of your business, Gippal." She snapped, crossing her arms over her chest.
He held up his hands in a defence gesture. "Okay, okay, I won't say another word about it. In fact, I'm outta here now. We'll meet in the lobby in thirty minutes, okay?"
And he left the room before Paine would lose her temper again and punch him this time.
"What happened between you and Aleph?" Rikku continued her list of unwanted and indiscreet questions. "Wait! Is he important in the first place?"
"He's just an old boyfriend of mine." Paine answered with a sigh "We dated during high school and now we still saw each other once in a while. That's it, end of story."
Rikku beamed with excitement. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"You never asked."
"I'm asking now."There was a short silence and Rikku continued, her smile fading a little "You don't wanna tell us."
"Bingo! I'll be in the gym if you need me, okay? See ya."
After saying that, Paine just grabbed her keys and left the room, leaving me and Rikku alone. I looked at my cousin and she was looking back at me with curiosity stamped in her big green eyes. "What?" I asked, already knowing what the answer would be.
"What happened last night?"
I sighed. I wasn't wrong.
-----XX-----
"What are we waiting for?" Rikku asked for the hundredth time, yawning as she leaned against one of the atrium's columns. I could tell she was still very sleepy and that she would've stayed in bed if she could…
We were all in the lobby, as Gippal had told us to, and, except for Paine, who was in the gym 'working out' or, as I would say, releasing her energies (I'd gone there and I'd found her kicking and punching like a professional boxer ― I guess I now know how she was able to bring Aleph down), Gippal was the only one missing. He'd been the first there, along with Tidus and Baralai, but after noticing that many people were still getting ready ― Rikku amongst them ― he'd disappeared and hadn't shown up yet.
"You're all waiting for me!" Gippal's voice suddenly said from behind my cousin, making her almost jump.
"Gippal, you zang (jerk)!" she exclaimed, turning around "You startled me!"
He grinned widely. "Yup, I know. It was fun."
Rikku was going to say something else, but I was faster. "Where did ya go?"
He kept his smirk plastered on his face as he showed me what he was holding in his hands ― a blitzball. Oh, no! He couldn't possibly be thinking about playing, could he? Looking in his bright eye, I knew the answer to my question… Not only was he thinking about playing, he also planned on doing it with the rest of us. I sighed heavily…
Suddenly, he threw the ball in Tidus' direction. Tidus, being the excellent blitzer he is, caught the ball almost out of instinct for he had been chatting with Baralai, not really paying much attention to us. He looked at the ball in his hands and then up at Gippal. "You sure you wanna play against me?" he asked with a smirk, cocking his head.
Gippal crossed his arms. "I thought it could be fun…"
I rolled my eyes at their little demonstration of testosterone. Guys! They'd never change, always trying to prove they're better than anyone else, always trying to show off…
We headed to the room where the swimming pool was located. The space was simply enormous and, to my surprise, there wasn't just one pool but several, some larger and deeper, others smaller and… well, less deep. Gippal talked to a girl in a white bikini and a minute later we were all settled in one of the deepest pools… Dona didn't want to get her hair wet and so she just laid on one of the long chairs that were spread about the room, Barthello standing silently behind her and LeBlanc lying on the chair next to her. Apparently they had grown fond of each other and they spent a lot of time together now. It didn't surprise me, though ― Dona and LeBlanc had a lot of things in common and on top of that they were both shallow and futile, so… they had to get along just fine, didn't they?
I was thinking about this while I was stripping from my clothes, so I could get in the water. Suddenly, Gippal's voice filled my ears, waking me from my thoughts. "I don't want Cid's girl on my team! She's a lousy player!"
"I'm what, Gippal?" Rikku asked angrily, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at him.
"You heard me…" he started to say, but Tidus interrupted him.
"Okay, Gippal, in that case, Rikku's mine, you stay with Yuna."
I'd been distracted and only then did I realize they were talking about who was going to play against who. I turned sharply around, looking at them with eyes wide open. "But I…" I began to say, but Gippal and Tidus were already jumping into the pool, splashing everything around. When their heads surfaced again, I started once again "I don't want to play, guys. I just want to rest a little…"
Gippal waved off my comment. "C'mon, Yuna, without you we'll be short by one, we need ya."
"Yeah, Yunie." Rikku added "It'll be fun."
I groaned and looked at them, one at a time. When my eyes met Tidus', he swam to the edge of the pool and rested his arms on the cold stone, his gaze never leaving mine. With a finger, he motioned me to approach him and involuntarily I took a step forward. "You don't have to play if you don't want to." He started, his voice almost a whisper "But we'd love if you played with us, even if for a short time…"
Oh Yevon, how could I say 'no' after that? They were all counting on me and he… well, he probably was just doing his part and playing a little game of his own with my mind. The only problem was it was working and I was beginning to lose my resolve… I was feeling like I could no longer say 'no' to him ― that is if I had ever been able to do it before, which I was starting to doubt. I sighed in defeat and dived into the water, trying to clear my foggy mind and realize what was happening to me. Lately everything had been so weird every time he was near me…
"Does that mean you're going to play?" Rikku asked, as soon as I emerged.
"I guess so… But it's not for long!" I added as I saw my cousin's beaming face.
Gippal swam in my direction and gave me a high-five, passing me the ball at the same time. "Well, since the lady here is in a hurry, we might as well begin to play. Nooj is ours, Yuna, and you're gonna go for the blitz off."
"What?" I asked, not believing I would be the one to initiate the game. Gippal just nodded and I realized I had no other choice, since Rikku was already positioning herself in the centre of the pool. I swam in her direction and asked her "Do you wanna throw the ball up?"
"Nah, you can do it." She smirked, and prepared herself to jump.
From the other side of the pool, Tidus yelled "Blitz off!" and I threw the ball up. Rikku jumped before I did, but I had the advantage of being taller so I claimed the ball easily, throwing it at Gippal.
"Poopie." My cousin complained, falling in the water again.
"Don't worry, Riks, after all, you're teaming up with Tidus…" I tried to cheer her up, before swimming in the other direction.
The game continued for a few minutes. Even though Tidus was a champion when it came to Blitzball, he hadn't been very lucky with his partners. Gippal was right, Rikku was a lousy player, especially because she couldn't hold her breath for long, and Baralai wasn't much better, so Tidus had to do all the work by himself. As for my team, we weren't that bad ― although Gippal had never played pro, he loved Blitzball and played it anytime he could, and Nooj had fast moves and was strong, two good qualities in any blitzer. And me… well, Tidus had taught me a few things before leaving for Zanarkand and I was finally putting them into use…
The score was 3-3 now, Tidus being the one to score every goal in his team. We had scored first, but every time we managed to get through them to achieve a goal, it seemed Tidus could do the same, keeping the score even until now.
The ball was theirs. Tidus had gained it and had passed it to Baralai who was being chased by Nooj around the pool. Feeling trapped, he clumsily threw the ball in Rikku's direction, but Gippal was faster and grabbed it with both hands, sending it to me next. I caught it and started swimming away from the others until I felt two arms slipping around my waist, stopping me from continuing my way. Those same arms pulled me against a bare torso and I didn't need to turn around to know to whom it belonged. Hadn't I been underwater and I would've inhaled sharply, but somehow I managed to control myself, as his hand slid down my side, gently caressing my hip and finally my thigh. My heart began to pound against my chest, as I felt his mouth on my neck, slowly pecking me. His fingertips began their way up and even though they were barely touching me I felt them intensely, tickling me and waking sleeping emotions deep within me.
I couldn't hold it any longer and I opened my mouth and let out the air in my lungs, dropping the ball in the process. Tidus let go of me almost instantly and grabbed the ball, swimming in the opposite direction and scoring the final goal, winning the game. I didn't see it, though, for I had surfaced, gasping for fresh air, still disturbed by what had happened under the water.
Gippal swam towards me. "How come did you lose the ball?" He asked, trying to remain calm. I knew he didn't want to blame me for losing the game, but he was upset with it and it had been somewhat my fault, so…
"I… I…" I didn't want to tell him what Tidus had done to me, firstly because I didn't want to admit it had been because of that and secondly because, even if it was just a friendly game, I doubted they would allow it and they'd probably just start arguing and spoil all the fun everyone was having. So I shut my mouth.
"It was me, Gippal…" Tidus said, approaching us. A little smile played on his lips and I didn't know if it was because he had won the game or if it was because he had realized he still affected me somehow. "I was the one who took the ball away from Yuna. She was too focused in swimming and winning and it was not difficult to steal the ball from her… But it's not her fault, really. She couldn't have guessed I was coming from behind her."
It was partly true and, when Gippal looked at me again, I nodded my agreement. It was better than to have to confess I had been lured by Tidus' touch.
"Well, in that case, congratulations." He extended his hand in Tidus direction "You really are an excellent blitzer."
Tidus smiled at Gippal and took his hand. "I can say the same 'bout you. For a moment there I though we weren't going to win. Your team rocked!"
Gippal and Nooj thanked him, but I remained silent. I didn't even know if I wanted to talk to him ever again ― after the way he had used me to win a silly game, I didn't know if I wanted to… Oh, c'mon what are ya saying, Yuna? Don't be silly, he just did what he had to do to win the game, you were the one stupid enough to fall for it…
"Hey, what 'bout us?" Rikku complained.
"You, Cid's girl, are a lousy player." Gippal retorted with a superior look.
Her cheeks reddened with embarrassment and she glared at him, starting to chase him around and finally trapping him in one corner of the pool. He tried to dodge her and go through her right but she grabbed his wrists and slammed him against the border of the pool.
"Who's lousy, now?" she asked with a devious smile.
He smirked. "I knew you'd come onto me sooner or later, Cid's girl, but I must say… I prefer it this way." And with that he twisted his arms and grabbed her wrists, forcing her to dive with him, resurfacing again ― this time, she was the one who was cornered between him and the stone wall. "Like I was saying," he continued, "you are a lousy player…"
"Poopie." She whined, closing her eyes in defeat.
His smirk widened and he got closer to her, bending his head forward. It was almost as if he was going to kiss her ― and I think he probably was, if Nooj hadn't called him. "Gippal, c'mon, stop picking on her! She just won the game, let her enjoy her victory!"
Gippal turned abruptly, like he had been caught doing something he shouldn't, and released Rikku, who stayed motionless for a few instants, maybe trying to understand what had just happened between her and the other Al Bhed. Then they just swam back towards us, acting as if nothing had gone on with them.
We stayed in the pool for another hour or so, playing around, racing each other, or just relaxing in the water. Finally, it was lunch time and we all got ready to leave. Dona and LeBlanc had already gone to their room to get ready for the afternoon and Barthello had just followed Dona like he always did.
"Guys, let's not forget…" Gippal repeated again, drying his hair with a white towel. "This afternoon we're going to do a tour around the city. The bus leaves the hotel in two and a half hours so you can go and grab some lunch until then. Any questions, I got my cell-phone with me and… well, I'll be at the restaurant so..."
"Yeah, Gippal, don't worry, if we need ya, we'll find ya." Baralai said, punching him playfully in the arm.
"Aren't you comin', Yunie?" Rikku asked me, while she passed her top over her head.
I swam until I reached the edge of the pool. "I think I'll stay a little longer. I need to think a little and I'm not that hungry anyway."
"Okay," she shrugged, "just don't lose yourself in thinking…"
"I won't." I waved them goodbye and watched as they all left the room, Gippal and Rikku arguing as usual. The tension between the two of them was increasing and I was expecting it to explode anytime now ― they could no longer ignore the intense attraction that bond them together. Even a blind person could see they were meant to be… Only their stubbornness kept them apart. I sighed and fell back into the water. When I emerged again, my eyes fell upon a familiar figure and I realized I was not alone. "What are you doing here?" I asked, surprised.
"The same as you." Tidus responded, standing up from the chair he had been sitting on and walking to the edge of the swimming pool. Raising his arms above his head, he dived and swam under water until he reached me. He then came up, resurfacing next to me. "Wanna swim together?"
"Not actually, no." I answered coolly.
"You're still mad because of what I did during the game, aren't you?" he asked, looking at me straight in the eye. I hated when he did that, when he read my mind like it was an open book; and I hated when he looked at me like that, with those big blue eyes begging for me to forgive him…
"You shouldn't have used me like that." I replied, averting his gaze. I couldn't let him know everything I had felt. "You disturbed me under water and you can't do that in a real game…"
"I know, and I'm sorry. It's just that I…" He shrugged, smiling sheepishly. "Well, I guess I didn't even think about what I was doing, I acted out of instinct 'cause I knew how you―"
"You shouldn't have done it anyway." I interrupted him. I knew what he was going to say and I didn't want him to say it, so it was better for me just to cut him off. He just knew me and my body too well, but that didn't give him the right to brag about it.
"You're right, sorry…" He bent his head, but then he suddenly held it up again, as if another thought had occurred to him. Finding my gaze, he held it as he said "But it seemed as if you were enjoying what I was doing…"
"What?" I felt my cheeks warming and I knew I was blushing as I stared at him, mouth open in disbelief. He hadn't just said what he had said, right?
"You heard me…" He got a little closer and I swam backwards, trying to get away from him. I hadn't realized I was so close to the pool wall, though, and soon enough I was with my back flat against the stone, Tidus right in front of me. "Why do you keep running from me, Yuna?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.
"I'm not running from you…" I stammered. I was feeling really uncomfortable right now.
"Yes, you are!" He said, moving his arms to show his frustration. "Back in Besaid you'd been avoiding me, and then yesterday you went into my room and then you ran away, and last night you didn't want to dance with me and…" He trailed off, stopping and looking at me again. "Why are you running from me?"
I didn't answer his question. What could I say to him? Not even I knew why I was so afraid to stay around him… Or maybe I knew and I didn't want to admit it; maybe I just didn't want to admit that my feelings for him weren't completely gone and that I was afraid I might fall again if I stayed too close…
As if my silence was a sign, he got closer to me, one of his hands finding its way to my shoulder and resting there, his thumb softly caressing my skin. "I don't want you to run away, Yuna." He whispered.
I closed my eyes and breathed in and out, trying to find my voice. "I don't want to be around you too much…" I ended up saying, keeping my eyes closed.
"Why?" I could almost feel the pain in his words. Why was he suffering so much with this situation? Supposedly he should be the one unfazed by it; after all now he was a famous superstar who could have any girl he wanted…
"Because I don't."
The silence that followed was threatening to become unbearable and I opened my eyes, if only to see what he was going to do next. He was just standing there, looking at me like he was seeing me for the first time. Then his hands cupped my face and he leaned forward, closing his eyes in the process. I knew what was going to happen next, but I seemed to be frozen and unable to prevent it. Our lips were mere inches apart when I finally put my palms flat on his chest.
"Tidus, stop…" I whispered.
"Shh, it's okay…" He whispered back.
His lips were now brushing against mine, one of his hands behind my head and the other one running up and down my back, pulling me closer to him. It just felt so good that all I wanted to do was give in to the kiss that was about to become true, all I wanted was to feel loved and cherished again. Only when he added more pressure to the soft contact did I realize what was happening ― I was kissing Tidus… well, he was kissing me, but that didn't matter at the time, what mattered was that we were kissing and I had promised myself I would never do it again, I would never fall for him again… So, I had only one choice ― I pushed him forcefully away from me. "Stop!"
He opened his eyes as soon as the contact was broken, blinking twice to try and understand what had gone wrong. "Yuna…"
But I didn't give him a chance to say anything else, for I turned around, climbed out of the pool, grabbed my stuff and left, leaving a very confused Tidus behind…
-----XX-----
The rest of the day had been relatively calm in terms of emotions when compared to the morning. Paine had joined the rest of us for lunch, Rikku and Gippal had calmed down their arguments and Dona wasn't picking on anyone (thanked be Yevon). Tidus and I hadn't exchanged one single word since the pool's episode and I was happy just the way things were going ― as long as he didn't come asking for explanations, I would just act as if nothing had happened… not talking to him in the meanwhile; after all, I had to show him that I was mad with him, hadn't I?
We'd gone on a tour around the city and I'd realized Besaid was indeed a small town when compared to larger cities like Zanarkand, Bevelle or even Luca. Next to them, Besaid looked just like a tiny village or something like that… Still, it was my beloved Besaid and I wouldn't trade it for any other city, not even Bevelle, my hometown.
We'd just been in the Luca Theatre and now we were near the Benegas Gardens, waiting for the bus to come and pick us up. Rikku, who was sitting on a wooden bench next to me, started complaining she was hungry. We were all tired and there wasn't much patience to listen to her so I tried to solve the situation the best I could ― I offered her a bubblegum to keep her stomach working until we could get to the hotel.
"Thank you SO much, Yunie! I was starving here!" she said dramatically, while I searched in my bag for the bubblegum packet.
"Hey, Yuna," Gippal approached me, "since you're being so sweet and handing out gums and all, you wouldn't happen to have one for me too, would you?"
I laughed. "Of course I do, Gippal. Look, here it is."
I gave the packet to Rikku and she opened it immediately, taking two gums from the inside. She then looked at Gippal, who was looking at the gums, and smiled evilly. "Oh, Yevon, there are only two! And I'm so hungry, I think I'll have both…"
"Oh no, Cid's girl!" Gippal made a dash for the gums, but she popped them both into her mouth before he had the chance to get to them, smiling as she chewed.
"You're so dead…" Gippal said, grabbing her by the arm and forcing her to stand. He opened the little sachet and confirmed what Rikku had said ― there were only two gums in the packet.
"What are you gonna do now? Take the gums from me?" She asked daringly, looking him in the eye.
"Are you daring me?"
She held her head up high. "Oac, E tyna oui (Yes, I dare you). What are you gonna do about that, huh?"
It was his turn to smirk. "I'm gonna do what I have to do." And with that said, he crashed his lips against hers, pulling her to him. She fought for a few instants, before her arms flew up around his neck, and what had started to be just a dispute turned into a passionate kiss that lasted for several moments, until they both ran out of air. When they broke the kiss, Rikku's face was flustered and Gippal's breathing was erratic, but they were both smiling, like that had been a thing they wanted to do for a long time now.
"Well, that was about time for you two to hook up, loves." LeBlanc said, leaning against Nooj. He smiled, passing an arm around her shoulders and nodded his agreement. Apparently, everyone had already noticed the feelings Rikku and Gippal had for each other.
Rikku's cheeks turned crimson, but Gippal smiled, pulling her to him and pressing a gentle kiss on her lips before pulling away again and releasing his grip on her. "The bus is here." He said with a smirk, walking to the vehicle. Before climbing in, though, he turned and yelled over to Rikku "I told you, Cid's girl, you're a lousy player…"
"Why do you say that?" LeBlanc asked, surprised.
Gippal smirked once more and stuck out his tongue to show everyone the white bubblegum in his mouth, turning around and disappearing inside the bus.
"Stupid Gippal!" Rikku groaned, rushing after him, maybe to make him take back what he had said.
We all laughed and started climbing one by one into the bus, taking our own seats. I was talking to Baralai, both of us agreeing on how Gippal and Rikku were perfect for each other, but both of us believing they would be a royal pain in the ass during the next few days.
"You're right," I said, looking at him over my shoulder "I don't know if I'd prefer them together or apart."
"Well, right now I don't think you really have a choice…" Baralai chuckled, pointing somewhere ahead of him.
I turned and understood at once what he was talking about. Rikku and I had seated together during all the tour, but now she was seated next to Gippal and they were whispering to each other… that is until Gippal pulled her into another kiss… I realized that I couldn't go there and ask her to come and sit with me again, so I just shook my head and started heading to my seat.
Suddenly I stopped, seeing Tidus seated on Rikku's place. I turned to Baralai again and pleaded "Please, please, Lai, sit next to me. Tell Tidus that you were sitting with Gippal and that now―"
"Yuna," he interrupted me, "I really think you and Tidus need to talk. You haven't spoken to each other since this morning. I understand that he probably shouldn't have tried to kiss you, but―"
"How do you know about that!" My eyes widened with shock.
Baralai sighed, realizing he had talked too much. "I saw you two. I'd forgotten a towel and I came back and I saw you two. You didn't see me, so I just left again. Sorry. But I really think you should talk to him." He added, his hands resting on my shoulders.
I looked at him again. "Why?" I whined.
"Because." He answered with a smile. "Now go."
"Okay." I turned and obediently walked over to my seat. "Excuse me, will you let me pass?" I asked Tidus, trying to keep my voice cool and collected.
"Sure." He sounded a little surprised, as if he didn't expect me to really come and sit next to him.
So I can still surprise him… That's good. I thought proudly, as I sat on the window side, looking out. I might have to sit next to him, but that didn't mean I had to talk to him.
"Yuna…"
Oh, well, there goes my plan not to talk to him… I turned to face him. "Yes?"
"I'm sorry…"
I knew exactly what he was talking about and I didn't even pretend I wasn't following him. "I told you to stop." I said in a whisper.
"I know, but I thought…"
"You thought wrong." I held his gaze firmly. "Why did you do it?"
"Because… because I needed to know something…" he sighed, bending his head "I needed to see if you… if you still cared."
"If I still cared?" I asked surprised.
"Yes, if you still cared. I mean… coming back to Besaid and seeing you again… I… I don't know how to explain, but I…"
"Stop, Tidus." I asked him "I don't want to hear it. What happened between us was two years ago."
"I know, but what if―"
"No! Don't you understand ― it belongs to the past, just the past… I buried it all away when you left. You left, remember?" I couldn't help the accusatory tone in my voice.
"But that didn't mean I didn't love you!" he said evenly "We always said 'come what may'… and I believed it. Until you broke up with me… Remember that?"
I bent my head. Of course I remembered. How could I ever forget? Breaking up with him, by phone, was one of the worst things I had ever had to do… It was like cutting my air supply, the link to my happiness… I felt like my heart was breaking in pieces with every word I said. And his pain, it seemed so real… That was what hurt me the most.
"We could no longer be together…" I whispered, looking down at my hands, bangs of hair falling to my face and covering my eyes.
"You never told me why." His voice was cold, like he was trying to conceal the pain. Strangely he sounded just like Shuyin and for one instant that scared me. I never wanted Tidus to go through what Shuyin had gone through…
Tentatively, I looked at him and sighed inwardly with relief. His eyes, even clouded by the hurt, were filled with softness and gentleness, but also with sadness… A single tear rolled over my cheek and I reached out my hand to hold his own, drawing a pattern on his palm with my index finger. "I'm sorry."
He squeezed my hand in response and let out a sad smile. "Like you said, it's all in the past."
We remained quiet for a few moments, just holding hands. But I needed to make one more thing clear. "You know we can't go back, Tidus…"
He took his time before answering slowly "I guess I know."
"Things will never work out between us again…" I was almost expecting him to ask why, but he kept his silence "We're both different people now and our lives just aren't the same, so… just don't kiss me again, okay?"
Silence.
I turned my head to look at him. He had a peaceful look with his eyes closed and he was breathing steadily, as if he was asleep… Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't… All I know is that I never got an answer to my request.
-----XX-----
The atrium was calm when we returned to the hotel, for most of the tourists had gone out to have dinner or to enjoy the night life in Luca. It was one hour past nightfall. We were supposed to arrive at the hotel a couple of hours before, but the bus had had a few mechanical problems on the way back and we had to stop at a gas station for an eternity. Fortunately, the gas station had a restaurant and Rikku was able to get something to eat, as well as the rest of us who were starting to get hungry as well…
Apart from the forced stop, the trip was nice and quiet. After my conversation with Tidus, we had both fallen asleep, hand in hand… Then the bus had stopped and we had woken up, releasing our grip on each other. We'd gone to the restaurant and when we'd returned to the bus, Rikku had asked to sit next to me again, and so Tidus returned to his former seat… I found it strange that my cousin wanted to sit with me and not with Gippal and so I asked her during the journey to the hotel.
"Well, it's just that…" she started to explain "A while ago… I was supposed to come and sit here with you but… Gippal grabbed me and then… I ended up staying there but… this is my place."
"Why are you stuttering, Riks?" I asked her, knowing she wasn't telling me the whole truth.
"I'm not stuttering."
"What's wrong? C'mon, you know you can tell me…"
"N-nothing, really."
I frowned. "Okay… well, if you need to talk, you know you can count on me, don't you?" she nodded "Okay, that's what matters." I gave her a hug and she returned it, giving me a kiss on the cheek. She was definitely not acting like herself…
Finally we had arrived at the hotel, and everything was calm and quiet. We were going straight to the elevators to go to our rooms ― we had decided that later we would all meet in Gippal's room for a little private party (we had the drinks, we had the music, and we had the spirit…) ― when someone called my name. I turned around and saw it was a brunette receptionist, holding a phone in her hand.
"Miss Yuna," she called again. "Would you mind coming over here, please?"
"Wow, that's strange…" Gippal said in a low tone "What do you think she wants with you?"
"I have no idea." I answered him, while I started walking in the reception's direction. But I'll find out…
"I'm sorry I've called you from this far, Miss Yuna." the receptionist said when I approached her "It's just that I've got a message for you and it sounds really important, so I decided to call you. I'm sorry once again, but I―"
"It's okay." I was starting to get concerned and her babbling was starting to get on my nerves "Who's the message from?"
"Oh, it's from a boy who called you nine times this afternoon."
"What?"
"It's true, he tried to call you nine times, but he only left one message though. Would you wish to hear it?"
I sighed inwardly, trying to keep my patience. "Of course I do!"
She handed me the phone. "Then you must press this button, please."
I did as she said and, as soon as the message began, I immediately identified the voice on the other side. "Yuna, it's me, Shuyin. I need you… now. Please." That was what the message said, but that was all I needed to hear.
I gave the phone back to the receptionist and walked away. When I reached my friends, Rikku asked at once "What was it?"
"Shuyin tried to call me." I answered.
"What happened?" Tidus questioned, taking a step closer to me.
I looked at him. "I don't know, but he says he needs me, so I'm going. I'm sorry, guys, but I'm leaving tomorrow morning."
Nobody said anything, because everyone knew that nothing could change my mind.
A/N: So, what did you guys think? I know what you're probably thinking: "Damn, I thought Tidus and Yuna were going to make up in this chapter!" Well, they made up, somehow… Anyways, there's still plenty of story ahead, so we'll see… ;-)
And now, on with the "reviews corner":
Da KeR MysTeRr: Thanks for your review. It's good to know that at least some people like my story… Anyways, this was the soonest I could update, because now, with school and all, I'm having very little time to write. I have no idea when the next update is coming, but, hopefully, it'll be soon enough…
kiritawuv: Thank you for your support. I promise I'll keep writing this story until the end, don't you worry… :-)
Duderman: I'm sorry this update took so long. I have two things to tell you: firstly, yes, Paine has a lot of mystery in her past; I like complex characters and so I gave Paine a story of her own. But don't worry, everything will be revealed in its due time… Secondly, you didn't bother me at all with your e-mail; I appreciated it. It's true, I haven't been on msn, because I don't have time to, but everything's okay and nothing bad has happened. And don't stress, I'm not gonna give up on this story just because some people don't review. You do review and that's important to me… Thank you.
tidusXyuna637: Yes, I do live in Portugal, Lisbon actually, but it's not that cool, believe me. But we do have a lot of sun, and that's good… ;-) Anyways, thanks for your review, hope you didn't grow tired of waiting for this chapter. And I hope you like it too…
SarahCharrolette: Don't worry, I will continue writing this story; I would never want to leave you "hanging and bored". And I'm glad my story got you interested, and I'm glad you reviewed… Thanks.
bbychrangel: Thank you for reviewing and thank you for loving the story. I try my best to keep it like the real life, because I think that the most interesting of all is to watch the characters acting differently in different situations and trying to solve their own problems and stuff… Anyways, hope you like this chapter too.
So, guys, I think that's all for today. I have no idea when the next chapter's coming out, so… I'll see you when I'll see you. ;-)