Hi Everyone

This chapter contains some Al Bhed, but don't worry, translations will be directly under it.

Oh yes Disclaimer time ahem

I don't own squaresoft or any of it's characters ... because if I did we would have X-3

Chapter 3:

"How quick the sun can, drop away

And now my bitter hands cradle broken glass

Of what was everything"

- Black by Pearl Jam

In my first days of 'awareness' I begun to take note of how my parents interacted with each other. I knew I shouldn't doubt my parents relationship.

I mean if my parents marriage had lasted almost eighteen years they must love each other right?

But deep down in my heart, a little flicker of wiseness told me to stop being so damn niave.

I would do anything to prove myself wrong, absolutely anything.

I stopped jogging and collapsed into a heap on the pleasantly warm sand, then took this moment in an attempt to relax and atleast least try to forget the problem that continued to plague me, I closed my eyes and begun to think, but my thoughts immediately snapped back to how happy and affectionate Tidus and Yuna looked that night.

Part of me wished I had never gone to Besaid.

I still had my eyes closed when the all too familiar sound of my brothers sniggering snapped them open

"What ar -" I started but stopped at the sight of the current object of my lust, as cliche as it was, my brothers best friend.

"G'day Gippals girl" Jame said.

Jame had borrowed that notorious nick name from my father who used to call mum "Cids girl" but he hadn't called mum that in quite a few years.

Khan rolled his eyes "Dad wants ya"

"Later Neeks" Jame said as him and Khan begun to trudge through the sand.

"Where are you two going?" I asked in a high pitched yell, I couldn't help the words from falling out of my mouth.

"No you cant come!" Khan yelled back no even turning around

"Meanie" I muttered.

As I made her way up the house, I noticed how ugly it was, I wish they'd paint it.

When I came to the door of the house I heard slight snippets of my parent's private conversation,

I knew it was meant to be private because Dad kept speaking in a low voice and looked edgily around the room.

"I wish you'd just tell me about her" Mum said in a low hiss, I heard the acid in mums voice and cringed

"It's not like that I - " Dad tried

I interrupted the conversation by noisily opening the worn screen-wire door, I knew I shouldn't of done that, but a part of me just didn't want to know.

"Princess" Dad stated loudly, relief evident in his voice.

"Dad" I said warily

Mum was leaning against the fridge, she had her arms crossed looking plainly furious and glare etched upon her sickened face.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, playing the part of an innocent child.

"It always is" Mum spat sarcastically and stalked out of the kitchen

My body went numb and I begun to feel slightly sick 'I wish you'd just tell me about her' echoed loudly in the depths of my mind. I wasn't stupid, I wasn't that naive, my legs begun to move and I found myself in my room, I slammed the door and fell against it.

The sun streamed through my window but nothing felt right anymore, I no longer felt motivated to even prove my insecurities wrong.

Everything was as clear as water in a jar, why should I even bother?

Desperately I wanted Mum and Dad to come up to my room like they used to, and say that it was just a silly argument and when two people are so alike they can't help but argue sometimes ... but they didn't.

I could hear my mum crashing around in the kitchen, messily preparing dinner, and dad slamming his workshop door.

I leaned against the door, just wanting to hear the noise of my parents playfully chasing each other around the house, or even just to laugh, like they were happy

I wanted dad to apologize for what ever he'd done and for mum to accept it.

I knew it would never happen like that though, I had never seen such a disgusted look on my mums face, this is what made me scared more then ever.

Mum was too angry this time, and dad was just too stubborn to care, I wished Khan would come home.

Dinner was the worst

I tried to eat in some sort of attempt to make mum happy

Dad thrashed around with his food noisily making me and mum jump.

Mum didn't eat at all.

Khan came home, finally, halfway through dinner, tried to apologize for being late but was silenced by mums glare, he sheepishly grabbed his plate and sat down quietly like a terrified kitten.

Minutes passed and the tension was so suffocating that one of us had to speak so we could all breath again.

"Why don't you call mum 'Cids Girl' anymore dad?" I asked innocently

I heard the knifes and forks of the entire table clatter as everyone dropped them.

I expected mum to quickly change the subject and give me a 'warning look' but she simply stared at dad with big, innocent child like eyes and waited for him to answer.

I had certainly caught dad of guard, it was such a rare thing and it might of been amusing under other circumstances.

"Because we're married ... and we're forty" Dad said awkwardly

"Thirty nine Gippal, I'm thirty nine" mum snapped

"I know that Rikku" He said rubbing his temples.

"What has being married got to do with anything" I pressed

"It just does okay Neeka!" He only ever used my full name when he was angry

"What the hell is wrong with everyone tonight?" Khan said angrily

Mum glared at Dad

"What!" He demanded

"Tell your son what is wrong with everyone tonight"

"Your mother and I have had a slight disagreement and we are both sorry you had to witness it" Dad said calmly

"slight, you call what you did slight?" Mum said in a voice so cold I would preferred her to scream.

"Fro tu oui ymfyoc ryja du zisb du luhlmiceuhc?" Dad shouted furiously
"Why do you always have to jump to conclusions?"

""Fro fuimt druca baubma dryd fymgat eh uh oui dfu mea?"" Mum said quietly, she didn't sound angry just hurt.
"Why would those people that walked in on you two lie?"

I knew then it just wasn't some simple argument, because whenever mum and dad begun arguing in Al Bhed it meant that they were trying to shelter us from something, of course Khan and I were fluent in Al Bhed but they seemed to be forgetting us.

"Fuimt oui zicd keja sa druca 'baubma' hysac?" Dad demanded
"Would you just give those 'people' names?"

"Mega ramm E femm" Mum snapped
"Like hell I will"

"Cu oui dnicd dras suna dras sa ec dryd fryd ouin cyoehk?" Dad asked
"So you trust them more them me is that what your saying?"

Mum didn't bother with Al Bhed this time

"Yes Gippal, quite frankly I do trust them 'people' more then you"

Without another word she got up and walked out of the kitchen, leaving me and Khan in a stunned silence.

Dad got up, went to his workshop and slammed the door so hard the entire house shook.

A/N: can you guess what Gippal done?) heh, anyway I tried to make this chapter longer but it felt right to end it here, personally this is my favourite chapter and i'm proud to of completed it, i hope it's not too rushed)

Review Replies

Randomcat23
Great you noticed tension, I tried as hard as I could to get that across, you've made me a very happy girl

Madmaz
Glad you liked the journal idea, I was afraid switching from third person to first person would confuse people ... and Yunies family might possibly make another appearance wink

FlyHigh4Life
Thanks for the lovely review, yay you think i'm orginal! lol