Well everybody, I've decided to update a good 12 hours early! Thank you all for the reviews! The last chapter got the second most reviews since the chapter where Tidus and Yuna hooked up! Anyway though, I'm updating as a present for you, and also because my schedule is going to be messed up if I didn't. I'm going to be away on Thursday and Friday, which means I wouldn't be able to update on Friday morning, but I can on Thursday morning. So chapter 22 will be up on Tuesday morning, and chapter 23 on Thursday, just to give you guys an idea... Anyway, we can all thank Ayumi Hamasaki's "fated" once again for this chapter, since I actually wrote it before I wrote chapter 20! Haha. Enjoy!

Chapter 21: Traces of Tears

"Where's Gippal?" Tidus said softly to himself, his eyes scanning the crowd. He swallowed hard, realizing that it had been a long time since he'd seen such a large crowd. He hated to admit it, but the crowd at this party was bigger than even his record-breaking party that he'd shared with Yuna. "Where the hell is Gippal?"

Tidus didn't want to admit that he was feeling nervous, but he was. He swallowed hard again, his eyes now scanning the crowd not just for Gippal, but for a member of the Lucan team as well. If any of them found him, he'd have to start the fight, even if it was without Gippal at his side.

Tidus started up the velvety red staircase, and into a wide-open area. Gippal was still nowhere in sight.

Tidus pulled his phone out of his pocket swiftly, and typed in "Where are you?" and sent it hastily to Gippal. It had been a bad idea to drive separately after all.

With one last scan of the upstairs crowd, Tidus started back down the stairs swiftly, rather happy for the large crowd. True, it was hard for him to spot Gippal, but it was also harder for people to spot him. He blended in much better with the large crowd.

Tidus walked out the front door, his eyes looking for Gippal's car. There were some people out back, so he followed the trail of new guests, hoping that Gippal had simply gone around back.

"Hey, aren't you Tidus?" Tidus turned around to see a tall red-haired girl standing there, with a stupid grin spread across her mouth.

"Uh, yeah," Tidus said, nodding.

"Can I get a picture with you?" the girl asked, her eyes bright.

"Sure," Tidus said, shrugging. The girl handed her camera to her friend, and ran over to Tidus. Tidus told himself to relax, and he put his arm around the girl and leaned in close, smiling brightly.

"Thank you so much," the girl beamed, and then she rushed back to her friend.

"No problem," Tidus muttered, but he continued to look for Gippal. He took his cell phone from his pocket, shocked that Gippal hadn't texted him back.

There was an area of the backyard that went off to the side, so Tidus continued to follow the path, until he realized that he was in a small courtyard, completely alone. The music from the party was drifting softly into his square, but for the most part, it was eerily silent.

Tidus stood there for a second, checking his phone again. There was still no word from Gippal. He wondered if his phone was broken. Sighing, Tidus turned to leave the area, knowing that Gippal wasn't likely to find him there.

He stopped though, and his mouth fell open, and he saw who stood in front of him.

"Yuna, what the hell are you doing here?" Tidus asked, very slowly, uttering each word as if each individual word was its own sentence.

Yuna stood there, almost dumbly, her eyes full of tears.

"Yuna?" Tidus asked, and he cocked his head to the side, wondering what the cause was of her existence at the party, and her odd behavior.

"Tidus, we have to leave," Yuna said, walking toward him, "Gippal—"

She didn't get to finish her sentence, for she was interrupted by a loud sneer.

"So you made it, did you Tidus?"

Both Yuna and Tidus looked behind them as a group of five young men entered the courtyard. The leader had flaming red hair.

"Bickson," Tidus sneered back.

"Who's the girl?" a guy at Bickson's right asked.

"Tidus," Yuna simply said, ignoring them.

To her shock, Tidus pushed her back behind him, almost violently.

Yuna stumbled back, tripping and falling onto her backside. She let out a little "Oof" when she landed, and the members of the Lucan team began to laugh. Tidus didn't look back at her.

Suddenly, Yuna felt a drop of water on her head. She looked up, and noticed that the storm clouds that had hung in the sky were beginning to give up. It wasn't long before there was a light drizzle of rain.

"I knew you'd be too stupid to not show up here," Bickson said, "You ready to get your head ripped open?" Yuna's eyes opened wide.

"You're the only one getting his head ripped open," Tidus said back to him, "I can take you on."

"But the question is, can you take us on?" Bickson simply said, with a shrug, "Let me guess, your secret weapon is the klutzy girl?"

"Keep Yuna out of this," Tidus said.

"Tidus," Yuna said, finding her voice again.

"Shut up Yuna," Tidus said, turning to face her. His tone was incredibly harsh, and it seemed to seep right into her, like the falling rain. His eyes were full of hatred, matching his tone. "Leave," Tidus continued, "Get out of here."

The Lucan team began to laugh.

"I have to tell you something!" Yuna finally managed to cry, her voice cracking as she said it. Tears began to flow from her eyes, although she wasn't sure if she was really crying, or if it was just the rain. She was still seated on the now-wet grass, where she'd been since she'd fallen.

Tidus faced her again, his face full of confusion, when Bickson suddenly rushed toward him. Tidus was too fast though. Tidus ducked Bickson's attempt at a punch and grabbed his shirt, pulling him close to him.

"Tidus it's Gippal!" Yuna cried, and she attempted to stand, but found she couldn't.

"Gippal?" Tidus asked, his muscles relaxing. He turned to face Yuna, and Bickson threw a punch, and this time it hit Tidus square in the jaw. Tidus doubled over, and Bickson hit him hard in the gut, causing Yuna to let out a small scream.

Yuna jumped up, and started toward them, yelling, "Stop it!"

"Stay out of this," Tidus said, while holding his stomach. He then rushed toward Bickson, but Bickson simply hit Tidus again, knocking him onto the ground.

Yuna let out another scream, and Bickson cried, "Hold back the girl!"

One of Bickson's teammates rushed past the fighting Bickson and Tidus, and grabbed Yuna, holding her around the waist with more strength than Yuna could find.

"Stop it!" Yuna simply cried, as Bickson kicked Tidus hard in the side.

Tidus' face writhed in pain, and blood was gushing from his nose.

Bickson grabbed Tidus' shirt and pulled him up, and said, "How does it feel to be the one getting hit, huh Tidus?"

With that, he punched him again in the gut.

"Leave him alone!" Yuna cried, attempting to get out of her captor's hold. Tears continued to gush out of Yuna's eyes, as the rain fell harder.

Tidus fell backwards, away from Bickson, but Tidus rushed him quickly, hitting him hard in the face. It was Bickson's turn to double over, but before Tidus could get another hit on Bickson, two more of Bickson's men rushed Tidus, grabbing his arms and holding him still. Bickson regained himself, and punched Tidus hard in the face again.

Yuna couldn't take it anymore. She managed to kick her captor hard in the shin with the back of her foot, and rushed out of his grasp. She threw herself onto Bickson's back, and held down his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist, on him piggy-back style, and pulled his hair forcefully.

Bickson let out a yell, and attempted to shake Yuna off. He was finally successful, and she flew to the ground, landing on her back.

Tidus pulled hard to free himself, but was unable to do so.

"Leave her alone, Bickson," Tidus said threateningly, "Hit me all you want, but leave her alone."

Bickson stood over Yuna, and sneered at her. "Leave this to the men, girlie."

"You have to let Tidus go," Yuna said, her voice rushed, "His friend is—"

Yuna couldn't finish her statement, for Bickson punched Tidus again.

Yuna stood up quickly, and angrily rushed Bickson, her hands balled into fists. She hit him hard on the back, and shouted, "Let him go!"

"Someone hold her?" Bickson said, sounding annoyed. Tidus recognized this opportunity, and managed to break free from his own captors. He rushed at Bickson, and punched him hard, sending him to the ground, while Bickson's lackeys stood there, looking confused.

"Tidus, come on," Yuna cried, grabbing his arm and attempting to drag him away.

"Not yet," Tidus said angrily.

"Gippal is in the hospital," Yuna finally managed to sputter.

"What?" Tidus cried.

"Just come on!" Yuna cried, and she ran, surprised that Tidus was running along with her. Bickson simply laid there on the ground, watching them as they left.

"What's wrong with Gip?" Tidus asked, and Yuna realized that Tidus wasn't in the best shape. His eye was black, his lip was puffy, and his nose was raining blood faster than the rain was falling.

Yuna didn't answer. She just kept running. She pulled Tidus past his car, and he didn't stop for it. He simply followed her until they arrived at hers, and they climbed in quickly, despite the fact that there was no one following them.

Yuna started off quickly, driving faster than Tidus had ever expected her to drive. She was going a good five miles per hour over the speed limit.

"There are napkins in the glove compartment," Yuna said, her tone serious. Tidus opened it up and grabbed out a handful, and shoved them at his nose.

"Gippal," Tidus said, "What's wrong?"

"He was in a car accident," Yuna said, and Tidus realized that she had tears streaming out of her eyes once again, "Rikku and I got word about two hours ago, and we rushed here."

"It happened here?"

Yuna nodded. She slowed slightly, and she said, "I thought for sure you were with him. So I came too, worried the entire time that you weren't alright."

The tears continued to stream, "Why were you so stupid, Tidus?"

"How the hell is Gippal?" Tidus asked, his tone harsh once again.

"He has some head trauma," Yuna said, "He's lucky he's not in worse shape."

Tidus let out a low sigh. "So he's going to be alright?"

"Yes," Yuna said, her voice soft, "He's probably in better shape than you are."

"Why didn't you just call me?" Tidus cried, and he stared angrily out the window.

"I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to take them on without Gippal," Yuna said, shooting Tidus a nasty glare, "What were you thinking?"

"You saw how it happened, Yuna! I didn't mean to."

"I tried to warn you," Yuna simply said, "You just ignored me. And you pushed me so hard Tidus!"

"I'm sorry," Tidus said.

"Sorry?" Yuna cried, "Tidus, I thought you were dead! When the doctors didn't mention your name on the phone, I was sure it was because something horrible had happened to you. Everybody else in the accident died, and I naturally assumed that you two had been together!"

"We decided to drive separately," Tidus said softly, "We thought it'd be easier for us to hide if we arrived separately."

Yuna glanced at Tidus, tears no longer streaming down her face, but very apparent in her eyes. Her hair was dripping wet, as was Tidus'. Makeup streamed down Yuna's face, and something told Tidus that it was from crying, not from the rain. Her eyes were red, and puffier than his lip.

"This isn't the time for this," Tidus said, taking a deep breath in a sad attempt to relax, "But your eyes are beautiful when you cry."

"Don't talk," Yuna said, blinking a few times, "Not now, Tidus."

"I know, I'm sorry," Tidus said, and he stared out the window again.

Yuna drove quickly into the parking lot of the hospital, and she said, "Rikku is in there with Gippal."

"How did you find me?" Tidus asked, following Yuna hurriedly into the hospital.

"That party was easy to find," Yuna said, "There were so many people…"

She led Tidus down a hall, and sure enough, Rikku was sitting on a bench.

"Tidus!" she cried, and rushed toward him, obviously wanting to hug him. She stopped though, and cried, "What happened to you?"

"Tidus was in a fight," Yuna said, her tone harsh.

"How's Gippal?" Tidus asked, ignoring Yuna's comment.

"Still unconscious," Rikku said, her voice sounding miserable, "Thank Yevon you weren't in that car with him."

"What happened?" Tidus asked, his eyes full of concern.

"Drunk driver," Rikku said, "Gippal was on the highway, heading here, when they swerved quickly out of their lane and smashed right into him. There were two of them, both drunk and in their thirties. They died at impact."

"What a bunch of…" Tidus didn't finish his sentence, for he looked at Yuna, who was standing there, breathing rather heavily, tears dripping from her eyes.

"Yuna?" Tidus said, "You okay?"

Rikku looked at her cousin with concern too, but Yuna just forced a smile and said, "I have to use the restroom. I'll be right back." She ran then, past them, and to the bathroom.

Just seconds later, the door to Gippal's room opened, and a nurse walked out, smiling.

"He's come to," she said, her smile warm, "He'd like to see you two. Luckily, there seems to be no damage to his memory."

Tidus looked behind him at the closed door to the ladie's room, but Rikku grabbed his arm and pulled him in hastily.

"Gippal!" she cried, and flung herself at him. He was in the bed, with bandages wrapped around his head. Otherwise, he looked fine.

The door was shut behind Tidus, and Tidus found himself standing there, unsure of what to do, especially since Rikku and Gippal were kissing.

Rikku pulled herself away from Gippal though, and she said, "Tidus is here too."

"Hey," Tidus said, giving his friend a slight wave.

"What the hell happened to you?" Gippal asked, squinting.

"Uh…I was in a brawl," Tidus said, shrugging.

"Do I look as bad as him?" Gippal asked Rikku. Rikku shook her head, tears in her eyes. "Bickson get you?"

Tidus nodded, and said, "Yeah. He had a good five guys with him."

"Sorry man," Gippal said, his voice sounding pained.

"Hey, it wasn't your fault," Tidus said, shrugging and forcing a smile, "You're just lucky you're alive, right?"

"Yeah, totaled my car," Gippal said, "My dad's going to freak."

"The important thing is that you're alright," Rikku said, smiling warmly at her boyfriend, "Oh, Yunie's here too."

Upon hearing her name, Tidus' forced smile disappeared. He looked at the door again.

"We thought that Tidus was with you," Rikku continued, "The nurse that called kind of led us to believe that Tidus was dead."

"Good thing we drove separately, huh?" Gippal asked, and he laughed, although Tidus wondered if it hurt when it laughed. Tidus knew he himself hurt when he laughed.

"Tidus, man," Gippal continued, "Maybe you should have yourself looked at while you're here. You really don't look so good."

"I'm fine," Tidus said, "I'm going to go look for Yuna, okay?"

"Alright," Gippal said, giving his friend a small nod. Tidus gave him a meek little smile, and then left the room, expecting to see Yuna waiting on the bench. She was nowhere in sight.

A nurse was standing down the hall a ways, jotting something down in a notebook, and Tidus approached her hurridly.

"You didn't happen to see a girl around, did you?" Tidus asked, "Around eighteen years old, brown hair, mismatched eyes?"

The nurse smiled and said, "She went that way. I think she was heading outside."

"Outside?" Tidus cried, and he hurriedly started the way that the nurse had pointed.

Tidus rushed down the hallway, until he came to doors that were marked 'exit'. Tidus ran through the doors, noticing that the rain had stopped. He looked to his right, and saw Yuna down a ways from him, sitting on a picnic table, her back to him.

She was looking down, and Tidus wondered what she was doing.

"Yuna?" Tidus asked, approaching her slowly, "Do you want to see Gippal?"

Yuna quickly brushed at her face, and Tidus wondered if she was trying to get rid of traces of tears.

"That's alright," Yuna said, "He's your friend more than he is mine."

Tidus swallowed and said, "Yeah but…"

"I'm actually thinking about going home," Yuna said, and she turned to face him. Even though she'd tried to destroy evidence of tears, Tidus knew that she'd been crying, and that she was trying hard to keep herself from continuing to cry.

"The nurse called and got us two hotel rooms," Tidus said, "So we can stay overnight."

"It's alright," Yuna said, "Gippal doesn't need me. He has you two."

"But this isn't about Gippal, is it?" Tidus asked, and he pulled himself up on the table next to Yuna, "Yuna, I'm sorry that you thought I was dead."

To this, Yuna closed her eyes tightly, and she took a deep breath.

She finally reopened her eyes, and faced him, and said, "Tidus, do you have any idea how horrible it would have been if you were dead? The entire way here, all I could think about was what I would do. I'd have to try to get a hold of your father, and whoever else you had contact with. I felt so responsible, Tidus! Like I should have tried to stop you or something!"

"But I'm fine," Tidus said, smiling. Tidus' smile was instantly wiped off of his face though, for Yuna faced her, her eyes piercing and violent.

"You're not fine!" she cried, "Have you looked at yourself? Tidus, how could you be so stupid? If I hadn't come…"

"Whoa, wait just a second," Tidus said, his tone growing angry as well, "If you hadn't come, I wouldn't have been in that mess!"

"You would too have been!" Yuna cried.

"No, it's your fault that Bickson got that initial punch!"

"My fault?" Yuna shrieked, "How was it my fault?"

"You distracted me!"

"I did not! Tidus, I'm the one that got you out of there!"

"No, you're the one that got me in there!"

"You did that yourself!"

"But I wasn't going to fight if Gippal didn't show!" Tidus cried, "What took you so long to tell me what was wrong with Gippal anyway? I couldn't even fight because I was worried about him!"

"Tidus, how could I tell you something like that when I was afraid of losing you!" Yuna shouted, tears beginning to stream down her face again.

"And how the hell was I supposed to back away when I was afraid they'd hurt you?" Tidus demanded.

"They wouldn't hurt me," Yuna said surely.

Tidus laughed, an antic he instantly regretted, for it was painful to do. "You don't know them," he said.

"If they wanted to hurt me, they would have," Yuna said surely.

"Yuna, what does it matter? I'm fine. Gippal's fine. You're fine. Everybody's fine!"

"You're such an idiot," Yuna said, her voice calm, "What did going to Luca even solve? You ran out on the fight, didn't you? What did it solve? Nothing! Now Gippal's lying in the hospital, and you are sitting here with what is probably a broken nose and a swollen lip, and a black eye!" Yuna was silent then, but she set her jaw and said, "And an ex-girlfriend."

She stood up then, and said, "Tell Gippal I hope he gets well soon. I'll call and have your car towed to the hotel. You'll probably have to drive both Rikku and him home."

Tidus simply sat there, completely dumbfounded.

"Yu-Yuna!" Tidus finally cried, jumping up, although he almost fell, for it hurt him to jump, "Yuna, come back here. Can't we just talk? I can explain…"

"I know," Yuna said, turning to face him, her tears completely gone, "It's three words: Blitz rivals. You know what Tidus, it's not three words. It's two!"

She turned angrily, walking toward her car again.

"I know it's two!" Tidus cried, "Yuna!"

Yuna didn't answer him. She crawled into her car, and started the engine, and backed out quickly.

"Yuna," Tidus said, his voice just a whisper. As if on cue, he felt a few raindrops on his head. He began to run, as fast as he could, toward the parking lot. But she was already out of sight by the time he reached the lot.

His mind was numb, frozen. He couldn't think. He couldn't move. The only things that moved were the tears that slipped slowly down his cheeks.

It was over.