Yay, chapter 4! I had fun writing this chapter, actually, although I wrote it quite some time ago now! Haha, I'm currently on Chapter 10 and moving rather slow, but I'm still full of ideas. I'm not sure how this is going to end though, but I'll figure it out eventually. Oh, and Gackt's new single is out tomorrow! Yay! Haha, enjoy!

Chapter 4: Pool

Yuna was just finishing a chapter in her book when she noticed that Tidus' lights flicked on. Usually she wouldn't take notice in such a thing, but she didn't normally get the chance.

The night was peaceful for once, without Tidus' parties getting in the way. She could sit out on her balcony, sip tea, and read in peace.

Without meaning to, exactly, she looked at the time. It was going on eleven o'clock, and really, she had been planning on going to bed as soon as she finished the chapter she was on, which explained why she stuck her bookmark in her book and stood up and stretched.

She turned her lights on the balcony off, and she noticed that Tidus' inside house lights flicked off at the exact same time. Then, his outdoor lights turned on, and she heard the slam of his sliding door.

She looked onto his deck, just in time to see him marching toward his pool, with his towel flung carelessly over his shoulder.

She watched him as he threw his towel onto the ground and then dove into his pool. Yuna rolled her eyes at him, and started into her house. She walked in and shut the door, and started toward her room, only to stop.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, music began to blare.

Yuna marched back to the balcony, just in time to see Tidus dive back into his pool. His speakers were blaring, as if there was a party, although there was none.

Growing angry, Yuna marched over to the railing, and yelled his name at the top of her lungs. Of course he didn't hear her through the noise his speakers were making.

"That's it, I'm going to march over there and unplug them!" Yuna cried and she stomped back into her house, out the side door, and across her lawn toward Tidus'.

She reached his yard and crossed her arms, and wore a very annoyed expression. Slowly, she approached the pool area, where Tidus was now swimming laps.

She stood by the edge of the pool with her arms crossed, and waited for him to notice her. She hoped he would notice her quickly, for the blaring music was almost too much to take.

It didn't take him long to notice her standing there.

"Hey Yuna!" he greeted her, loudly of course, to make sure he was heard over the music, "What are you doing here?"

"Can you turn down your music?" she asked him, deciding to at least try to be nice about it, despite the fact that she was horridly annoyed.

"What?" he yelled back at her.

"Can you turn down your music?" she repeated, yelling this time.

"My music?"

"Yes!"

"Sure!" Tidus said, and he swam to the other side of the pool, quickly dried his hands, and turned his music completely off. Yuna was shocked at how much quieter it really was without his music. It was almost as if the world had just died.

"Sorry about that," he said, and he jumped back in the pool, "I like to be able to hear it while I swim."

"That's understandable," Yuna said, although she wasn't sure if it really was, "Thanks for turning it off. I'm off to bed now." She froze. Should she have told him that?

"That explains the nightgown," he said, and he floated onto his back.

Yuna looked down and realized that she was indeed in her nightgown—a short and stylish summer nightgown—and flip-flops. She had honestly forgotten.

"Well, thanks for being understanding," Yuna said and turned around to head back to her house.

"Hey, wait!" Tidus called after her, causing her to stop, "Wanna go for a swim?"

"Um, I have my own pool for that," Yuna said, attempting to give him a nice smile.

He swam over to the edge closest to her and leaned on it, saying, "Aw, come on. You never use your pool anyway. Plus, mine's bigger."

"Is not," Yuna said, "They're the same size."

"Yeah, but mine has a Jacuzzi on the island!"

It was true. Yuna didn't see the point of having a Jacuzzi that was only accessible by swimming through the pool.

Yuna just shook her head and said, "I'm all ready for bed. I'm not going to get my swimsuit on."

"Just swim in that then," Tidus said, smiling at her.

Yuna just shook her head.

"Fine, suit yourself," Tidus said, and Yuna realized how intent his gaze was on her.

"I…I should go," Yuna said, slowly. It was true. She needed to leave.

Tidus gave her what appeared to be a thoughtful smile, and he said, "How come we've never really seen more of each other in the past?"

"Well, you decided I wasn't 'hot' enough for you, remember?" Yuna said, not meaning to sound bitter.

"Right," Tidus said, "But we still should have seen each other, right? We live right next door…"

Yuna shrugged and said, "Aren't you usually at blitzball camp around this time."

"Yeah, I guess," Tidus said, and he laughed, saying, "I bet you wish I was there right now, don't you?"

"Yes, I do," Yuna said, throwing him a sweet smile.

He smiled sweetly back at her and said, "Well, I'm not leaving until August!"

"Great," Yuna said, her smile fading and her voice full of sarcasm.

Tidus leaned further on the ledge of his pool and said, "You know, I have morals, more than you seem to think."

Yuna snickered beside herself, and said, "Well, you certainly fooled me."

"I'm really a nice guy," Tidus continued.

"Wow, you really fooled me," Yuna said again.

"Well Yuna, why do you think I'm a jerk?" he asked then.

Yuna sighed and found herself sitting down, just about a foot away from him.

"Perhaps," she said, "I decided you were a jerk two years ago when you told me flat-out that you removed anything blocking your view from my window because you thought I was hot, only to discover that I wasn't hot. Perhaps it's the fact that while I try to read, you and your friend Gippal yell obscenities at each other and you pretty much have sex with your girlfriend right in front of my eyes. Perhaps it's the fact that you party every single night with no care whatsoever as to how I'm sleeping. Perhaps it's the fact that you won't even compromise with me about your partying habit."

Tidus shrugged and said, "Fine. You want to compromise?"

"Yes," Yuna said, nodding.

"Swim with me, and then we'll talk." He gave her a challenging smile, and then floated onto his back again.

"No," Yuna said.

"Fine, come to my party tomorrow and then we'll talk."

"No."

"Alright, throw a party with me, and we'll definitely talk."

"No."

Tidus stood up and walked back over to the ledge.

"Why don't you want to compromise?" he asked.

"I'm asking you to just throw parties on the weekends. Is that so hard?" Yuna asked.

"That's not a compromise! What do I get out of it?"

"What do you get out of it if I swim with you?" Yuna asked, shaking her head.

"I get to see you in a bikini."

Yuna wanted to hit him.

"You're a pervert," she said, standing up, "And besides, I don't wear bikinis."

"You do too," Tidus said, "I saw you sunbathing yourself not too long ago."

"You spy on me?"

"Not any more than you spy on me."

"I don't spy on you!"

"Then why were Rikku and you looking at me the other day?"

"That was Rikku's doing!"

"Sure it was."

"Whatever, I'm going to bed!" Yuna said, and started off again.

"Alright, but I'm just going to turn my music back on," Tidus said, giving her yet another challenging smile.

Yuna stopped and faced him, and said, "Why can't you just be a normal, considerate neighbor?"

"I am a normal, considerate neighbor!" Tidus said, "But I have to think of myself before you!"

"Ah, so you're a normal, considerate, selfish neighbor," Yuna said, "What would your father think?"

"He'd be proud of me," Tidus said, but Yuna noticed instantly that she hit a soft spot with him. His challenging smirk had disappeared from his face, and he almost appeared hurt, as if she had hit him.

"Sure he would," Yuna said sarcastically, "Anyway, I'll be here bright and early to discuss a real and non-perverted compromise tomorrow morning, just like you asked me to do this morning."

"Whoa, I'm done coming up with compromises!" Tidus said, "I've tried three times now to come up with a compromise, and you've turned them all down."

"That's because they're all compromises that I simply cannot partake in!" Yuna said, "And you don't want me to break my word now, do you?"

Tidus leaned against the ledge again and said, "I guess not."

"Okay, then I'll see you tomorrow!" Yuna said, and she smiled at him, and started away.

"Yuna!" Tidus called after her, causing her to give an annoyed sigh.

"Yes Tidus?" she asked, attempting to make her voice sound sweet.

He smiled serenely and said, "Good night."

"Good night," Yuna said, in a very annoyed tone.

"Oh, and Yuna!" he called after her again, "I think your friend Rikku really wants to come to my party. Is it really fair to hold her back?"

"I did some talking with her, Tidus, and she has no care to go to your party."

Tidus let out a laugh and he said, "Really now? What did you tell her?"

"I reminded her that you were fake and untrustworthy."

Tidus laughed again and said, "You think that will stop her from wanting to see me?"

"Yes, I do," Yuna said, "Now goodnight, Tidus. I suggest you go to bed too."

"Alright, new compromise," Tidus said, "It's lonely here, so how about you come sleep with me."

Yuna ignored him and started to walk away.

"Hey, I don't mean like that!" he called after her, "It's just that it's been a while since I've been without a girl in my bed."

Yuna continued to ignore him, and was getting further and further away from him.

"Alright, suit yourself!" she finally heard him call after her, "I'll see you in the morning!"

It wasn't long before Yuna reached her house, which she entered, and went straight to bed, attempting to get her blonde neighbor out of her head.

Especially since he was just making her upset.

-

Tidus stomped into his house still dripping wet. He threw his towel over a chair and went into his kitchen, which was surprisingly neat. He figured his maid must have been in.

He quickly dried his hands on a towel and reached in a cupboard, revealing a brand new phone book that had never been used before except for occasional calls to order pizza.

Humming softly to himself, he quickly looked up and number, grabbed his phone, and dialed.

The phone rung for some time, before he finally heard a slightly groggy, "Hello?"

"Hello Yuna!" Tidus said, a smile creeping across his lips, "I take it you were sleeping?"

There was silence, before she finally asked, "Is this Tidus?"

"Yes it is," he said, leaning against the counter.

"Why are you calling me?"

"I was wondering if you could give me Rikku's number," Tidus said, "I'd like to call her."

There was a pause, before Yuna said, "Tidus, it's midnight. And I'm not giving you her number."

"Alright, I can find it out myself…"

"How'd you get my number?"

"I looked it up."

"Then look her number up."

"I want her cell phone number."

"Go to sleep, Tidus."

"Not until you give me her number."

"I'm just going to hang up on you."

"I'll just call again."

"I'll just unplug my phone."

Tidus laughed and said, "Wouldn't it just be easier to give me her number?"

"Why, so you can call her and convince her to come to your party?"

"Yeah," Tidus said, nodding despite the fact that Yuna couldn't see him, "I really want her to come."

"Why?" Yuna asked, her voice sounding less groggy by the second.

"I don't know," Tidus said, shrugging, "She's cute."

"My answer is no. Now goodnight, Tidus."

"Alright," Tidus said, "Goodnight, Yuna."

She hung up then, and Tidus leaned further against the counter.

"Okay," he mused softly to himself, "Be like that. I'll get her number some way…"

With that, he decided to call it an early night, and he went to bed.

-

Yuna wasted no time the next morning. She got dressed, and made her way to Tidus' door, and rang the doorbell once, and then twice. She figured he was still sleeping, but she didn't care. She rang it again.

Soon enough, Tidus came and answered the door, looking as groggy and sleepy as he had the day before.

"Can't you come back later?" he asked, not coming out the door.

"Nope. We'll discuss it right here and right now," Yuna said, crossing her arms, "I rather enjoyed last night—well, almost did, had you not interrupted it with your loud music—and I'd like to keep it that way."

"You already turned down all of my ideas for compromise," Tidus said, and he walked outside.

"Yevon, get some clothes on!" Yuna said, as Tidus emerged wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.

"What?" he said, shrugging, "What's the big deal."

Yuna shook her head and said, "Go get dressed, and that includes wearing a shirt, and then we'll talk."

"Wanna come in?" Tidus just asked, ignoring her comment.

"No. Just…Why can't you be halfway normal?" Yuna cries, exasperated.

"I am normal. I'm just lazy. I sleep nude, you know."

"I don't need to know that," Yuna said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, I was too lazy to throw shorts on."

Yuna just rolled her eyes again and said, "Look Tidus, I don't know if you know this or not, but I am a very busy person. So, I need to get up early every morning."

"Why?"

"Because. Unlike you, I have things I need to do each day. So, I'd like to get some sleep. I'm tired of not being able to sleep because of the noise from you parties."

"Why don't you just come then?"

"I'm not interested in coming!"

"Oh, that reminds me…" Tidus said, and he began to glance around Yuna, as if looking for something.

"What are you looking for?" Yuna asked.

To answer her, Tidus suddenly took his left arm and wrapped it around her, holding her arms to her side. Then, he took his right arm and reached into her back pocket, taking her cell phone from it.

"Hey!" Yuna cried, "Let me go."

Although he was just holding her with his arm, his grip was quite tight, and Yuna found herself unable to break from it.

Tidus meanwhile flipped open her phone and went through her contacts, and seemed to be trying to memorize something, before he flipped the phone shut and slid it back in her pocket.

He let her go then, and she staggered away from him, glaring deeply at him.

"What was that for?" she asked, brushing herself off.

"It's a blitz move," Tidus said, "It's a way to hold someone without getting a penalty." He then pulled out his phone, and typed something into it.

"Thanks for Rikku's number," he said, then, and snapped his phone closed, and tucked it into his back pocket, "I didn't think you'd be the type to carry your phone around in your back pocket, but you proved me wrong."

"Can't I file harassment charges against you or something?" Yuna asked, and she crossed her arms and continued to glare at him.

"I guess you could try," Tidus said, shrugging, "So anyway, a compromise…?"

"Forget this compromise stuff!" Yuna said, "You are only throwing parties on the weekends, and that's it."

"Nope, can't do that," Tidus said, shaking his head.

"Then I'll call the cops," Yuna said, but Tidus was no longer listening. He pulled his phone back out and began to text someone.

"Hey, listen to me!" Yuna cried, but it was no use.

"How's this?" Tidus asked, and showed his phone screen to Yuna. Yuna backed away from it and skimmed it quickly, and noticed that it read, "Hey, it's Tidus. Just wanted to know if you were coming or not" and there was a cute little smile face after it.

"Is that to Rikku?" Yuna asked, annoyed, "She's just going to text back that she's not interested.

"Well, we'll see about that," Tidus said, and he pushed the send button, "Sorry, what were you talking about?"

"Tidus, stay away from Rikku," Yuna said, "She's my younger cousin, and she's like a sister to me. I'm not going to let you take advantage of her."

Tidus gave Yuna a blank look, and he said, "Take advantage of her…? What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb," Yuna said, "I don't know what you want with my cousin, but I suggest you leave her alone."

"Ah, how cute. A protective older cousin," Tidus just mused, "Anyway, if you don't mind, I need to hop in the shower. I'm heading over to open blitz in about an hour and then I have to get ready for the party. See, I'm a busy guy too."

Yuna simply shook her head and said, "Well, as long as you don't mind the cops showing up tonight…"

Tidus closed his eyes and shook his head, and said, "Yuna, all I'm asking is that you come to one party."

"Why do you care if I come or not?" Yuna asked.

"Because, I don't think you've realized how fun it is. Just relax, and let yourself go. It's fun."

"I don't think it's fun to get drunk and act like an idiot."

"You don't have to drink," Tidus said, "Sometimes I don't drink."

"I find that hard to believe."

"It's the truth!" Tidus said surely, "Tonight, I probably won't drink. Come, and I'll prove it to you."

"I refuse."

"Yuna, look, I need to out-do myself. If we could just combine our yards and houses, I would throw the biggest damn party Bevelle has ever seen. And then I swear, I'd have to stop. Think about it Yuna…One night of nothing but fun. What could it hurt?"

"A lot," Yuna said, "I don't believe in giving in to peer pressure, Tidus."

"It's a compromise, Yuna, not peer pressure. Anyway, I have to go. You keep thinking on it, alright? And if you still don't want to party, I go swimming every night I don't party." He laughed and walked back into his house, before Yuna could say anything.

Yuna stood there for some time, debating on what she should do. Finally, she gave a sigh of defeat, and started back toward her own house.