Disclaimer: The characters used in this fic are the sole property of Square-Enix, Tetsuya Nomura, and anyone else with copyright on the Final Fantasy series and characters. I own nothing, save it be my own plot ideas and original characters.
Day 3: Kahra
A/N: I'm back to playing Final Fantasy X. :) I was playing Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings for the Nintendo DS, and then I moved to Final Fantasy XII, and now I'm back to Final Fantasy X. So, I'm basically rotating between the three. Well... Kind of. FFX currently has my undivided attention.
Tidus and his friends were scattered around the docks, practicing for the third time that week. The blitzball flying between the members of the small group as the tight-knit friends made conversation. Tidus, however, was completely out of it. The star player of the Zanarkand Abes was constantly missing the ball each time it came his way, and was forced to retrieve the stray object each time it flew past him.
"What's with you today, T?" Arlan asked, taking a swig from his water bottle. "You're completely out of the loop!"
The blond shrugged and kicked the ball to Szera, who caught it with ease. "I dunno," he lied. "Just tired, I guess."
But Tidus was far from tired. His mind was simply fixated on the party he would be attending later that night. A party that all the best blitz players in the city would be at. And it would be at said party that he might have a shot at talking a certain someone into going on a date with him. Assuming, of course, that Arlan and Teyron didn't screw things up for him, the way they usually did. And all of this led right back to his little white lie.
"You're full of shit," Teyron piped up, running across the dock and giving Tidus a shove. "You're just lookin' to get in good with Kahra, aren't you?"
Szera's eyes widened as she stared at Tidus, who promptly began to blush. "What?"
"What the hell, Tidus?" Szera shrieked, grabbing him by the shirt. "You were gonna ask my cousin out without so much as telling me? You're a jerk!"
Tidus's blush reddened at every word Szera said. He sighed and hung his head as she continued berating him about not telling her about his plans. Although Tidus would never admit it, he'd been trying to gather up the courage to ask Kahra out since the sixth grade. And each attempt he had made over the past six years to so much as speak to her had ended in an utterly humiliating failure.
His desire to go out with Karha had nothing to do with her social status in school. Not by a long shot. She was just... different than all the other prissy preps that lined the halls each morning. Much like Tidus himself, she was on one of the local blitzball teams, and frequently brought a blitzball to school to practice with during their gym class. And all the while, Tidus would sit and stare at her. At least until she turned around or his friends decided to butt in and drag him away.
The blond grinned as he thought about her. He liked how she was her own person. Never letting anyone else tell her who and how to be. He liked the way her short brown hair fell over her forehead, and the way she gave the preps a hard time about being so shallow and self-centered. Sure, she was a half foot shorter than him, but that didn't matter to Tidus in the slightest. He just wanted a chance to know her the way Szera did. And, hopefully, get a date or two.
"Tidus! Did you hear what I just said?" Szera barked, shaking him as she grabbed his shoulders. "Why didn't you tell me?"
The blond sighed, waving his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry!" he said quickly, hoping to avoid being pummeled. "I just didn't want to freak you out, or have you telling me crap like 'You've got no chance,' or 'She's not gonna go for it,' or 'Don't you fucking dare!'"
The redhead rolled her eyes, shoving the blitzball into Tidus's chest. "Well, you read my mind," she said with a smirk. "I would've said all of that to keep you from asking Kahra out. But, since you're so set on rejection, I guess I'll let you learn the hard way."
"You're totally out of your league, man," Teyron laughed, slapping Tidus on the back as he ran a hand through his brown hair. "Trust me. I asked Kahra out back in junior high, and you know what she did? She fucking slugged me."
Arlan laughed, flipping onto his hands. "As I recall, she slugged you because you called her a bitch after she turned you down."
"I remember hearing about that," Szera snickered as she gathered up her gear. "Kahra told me that she'd sooner loose an arm than go out with you. Especially after what you said to her. And thanks for reminding me." The redhead grinned, taking the ball from Tidus and kicking it at Teyron's head. "I still have to beat your ass for that."
Teyron feigned fear, hiding behind Tidus. "Ooh! I'm so scared!" he laughed.
Szera rolled her eyes and threw the finger at him before focusing her attention on Tidus once again. "T, you'd better be careful what you say to my cousin," she warned. "As you know, she's quite the tomboy. And if you say something completely stupid the way Teyron did, I can guarantee that she'll go out of her way to publicly humiliate you."
Tidus sighed, shoving Teyron away. "Thanks for the help, guys," he muttered sarcastically as he slung his blitz bag over his shoulder. "All this talk of getting slugged and rejected makes me feel so much better. I'll see you later."
0 - + - 0 - + - 0
When Tidus arrived home at seven that evening, he was completely wiped out from several long hours of blitzball practice with the Abes. The teen dumped his bag on the couch and headed straight to his room, not even bothering to check and see if Auron was home. He didn't want to see or talk to anybody about anything. Especially not dating or Kahra. It would just make him feel worse, if he did. The blond walked into his room, closing the door before he flopped onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling with a heavy sigh. At the rate things were going, he was seriously considering skipping out on the party just to avoid the ridicule his friends would give him, as well as the possibility of being turned down by Kahra.
The teen groaned, rolling over to grab the sphere remote. "Maybe watching blitz will take my mind off of things," he told himself, switching the sphere on.
Tidus quietly watched the East Side game for well over two hours, not bothering to once glance at the clock for the time. Besides, the party was going to happen with or without him. His friends, and Kahra, would go to the party and enjoy themselves. And Tidus would sit at home watching blitzball or some science fiction movie while Auron read the newspaper, or did whatever it was that he did on a Tuesday night.
Finally giving in, Tidus turned his head slightly to catch a glance at his alarm clock. It was already about nine-thirty. Tidus rolled over, lying on his stomach and burying his face deep within the soft confines of his pillow. The party would be starting at any minute now, and there was nothing he could think of that would entice him to go. After a few minutes, the teen began dozing off, only to be awakened by a loud knock on his door.
"What the hell do you want?" he grumbled, rolling over to face the door. "I don't wanna talk about it!"
The door opened to reveal Auron, who was holding the phone. "Someone wants to talk to you," the man said, tossing the phone onto the teen's bed.
Tidus grimaced, staring at his guardian as he grabbed the phone with a snort. Quite frankly, he didn't want to talk to anybody. But he reluctantly pressed the phone to his ear, wondering all the while why the hell Auron was still standing there watching him. "Hello?"
"Hey, T." Szera's voice came through the receiver, and Tidus rolled his eyes. "I just thought I'd check up on you."
Yeah, right, Tidus thought. You're just calling to beg me to come to that stupid party.
"Bullshit," he replied, ignoring Auron's glance. "You didn't call to 'check up' on me. You're just trying to get me to show up at that fucking party. Well, forget it, Szera. I'm not going." With that said, Tidus promptly turned the phone off. "What're you looking at?" he demanded, glancing at Auron.
His guardian merely shrugged. "That's what I was wondering," he said calmly. "I had no idea you still had such a temper. I thought you'd have gotten over it by now."
Tidus groaned and hopped off the bed, pushing past Auron as he headed to the kitchen to set the phone back on the counter. Heavy footsteps indicated that Auron was following him, but Tidus was too upset to give a damn. The teen turned to the refrigerator and grabbed a soda before heading around the counter to the front room where he planted himself firmly on the couch in front of the sphere. He popped the can open and took a drink, perfectly content to remain silent.
"Something's wrong with you," Auron said, blocking the teen's view of the sphere.
Tidus groaned loudly, placing his soda can on the floor before rolling over on the couch, his back facing Auron. "Gee, thanks for noticing," he muttered. "It sure as hell takes a real genius like you to figure out that I'm pissed off. So, congratulations. You're officially in the same league as Sherlock-fucking-Holmes."
"Does this, by any chance, have something to do with that Kahra you're always talking about?"
Blue eyes widened as Tidus rolled off the couch, crushing the soda can with his body. "What the hell?" he shouted, jumping to his feet. The teen's eyes were wild as he grabbed his guardian by the shoulders, pushing him into the wall. "How the hell do you know that?"
Auron shrugged, pushing Tidus away with little effort. "Let's just say that you're not too discreet with your secrets," the man replied, taking a seat in the chair by the window. "Then again, you never have been good at keeping things to yourself."
"Why the hell do you always do this?" Tidus demanded, pacing about the room. "Can't you ever just come right out and say something without turning it into some fucked up riddle?"
"You're too loud," Auron said simply. "You sit out here with your friends and talk loud enough for me to hear you from outside. A fault that's entirely your own."
Tidus's jaw dropped and he smacked himself in the face. "Dammit!" he shouted. "And you're telling me this now? Why the hell didn't you tell me sooner? What's wrong with you?"
"I could ask you the same, but the answer's obvious."
Before Tidus could start screaming and pulling his hair out, a knock came from the front door, cutting off his tirade. "Who is it?" he shouted, not bothering to open the door.
"Yo, Tidus!" Arlan said from outside. "Open up! There's someone here who wants to see you!"
Tidus turned to Auron. "What now?"
Auron smirked and stood up. "This is your problem," he said, retreating towards the back door. "But, for starters, you should probably open the door."
The blond sighed and reluctantly approached the front door. He glanced out the window and saw only Teyron and Arlan. "You guys are full of shit!" he said, opening the door. "There's no one else here!"
"Yeah, sorry 'bout that," Teyron laughed. "We just didn't know how else to get you to open the door."
Arlan grinned sheepishly and peered around Tidus. "Hey, where's your shadow?" he asked suspiciously, glancing around the room. "He's not spying on us, is he? 'Cause that'd be fucking weird."
"No, dumbass," Tidus replied, shoving his friends out the door as he locked it. "He went out the back door. Now, if you two are done being idiots, let's the hell out of here."
0 - + - 0 - + - 0
The three boys ran full speed to the Dome, the largest teen rec center in Zanarkand, quickly presenting their tickets to the bouncers before bounding through the doors. The instant the boys waltzed inside, they were met with a loud cheer, the sounds of loud music and clinking bottles, and a flash of vibrant ceiling lights and glow sticks. Tidus slapped his friends on the back with a laugh, pleased that he'd decided to tag along after all.
A loud scream rang through the room as Tidus approached the refreshment table, and a joyful blond girl bounded up to him, jumping up on his shoulders. Clearly, she was another die-hard fan of the Zanarkand Abes. Or, to be more precise, the star player of the Zanarkand Abes. The girl screamed in Tidus' ear, nearly causing him to tumble backwards into a large group of people with drinks. He yelped as she began smothering him with kisses.
"Check it out!" someone yelled, grabbing the attention of several party goers. "T's got a girlfriend!"
Several people, who were close enough to bear witness to the incident, began laughing. The predicament in which Tidus found himself was anything but funny. The teen flushed a bright red, nearly the same shade as his silent guardian's massive coat, as he continued to constantly bump into people as he tried to pry the squealing female off of his back. But she refused to relinquish her prey. The girl clung to him like a mousetrap, refusing to release the screaming creature that was Tidus.
Her arms abruptly tightened around Tidus' neck, cutting off his air in an instant. The already wobbling teen began gasping for breath, doubling over as the girl on his back squeezed him tighter with each passing second. He fell to the ground with a thud, his blue eyes rolling up into his head as he neared the darkness that he recognized as unconsciousness.
A multitude of loud shouts, like that of the roaring ocean currents, reached his ears as he felt himself slipping into the void. The whites of his eyes were surely visible now, like the pale surface of the full moon on a dark night. The sound of his own choking frightened him immensely, and he found himself welcoming the dark embrace that stretched towards him, hideous fingers motioning him towards the blackness.
Tidus gasped, sucking in large amounts of air as Teyron, Arlan, and the burly bouncer from the door managed to tear the girl from the blitz star's body. The girl's screams could be heard as Teyron and Arlan heaved Tidus to his feet as the bouncer dragged the deranged fan away. The blond heaved again, as he tried to compose himself. So far, the party had been horrid. If things continued like this, Tidus guessed that his body would end up being delivered to Auron by morning.
With his friends at his side to steady him, Tidus headed towards the refreshment table, eager to get some substance into his body to settle his stomach before he started heaving. As Tidus hurriedly drained a bottle of water, he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He turned, expecting to see someone, or something, that would lift his spirits. Instead, he felt his stomach and jaw drop along with the water bottle that had been in his hand.
"Are you okay?" Kahra had seen everything, and had come to check up on him, despite the fact that her group of friends had been laughing loudly at Tidus' misfortune.
He nodded slowly, not wanting to speak out of fear of looking like more of a fool.
She smiled and began speaking to him. But Tidus was unable to hear her words, for he was far too caught up in the idea that she had actually been concerned about him. He sighed heavily as he stared into Kahra's green eyes, instantly forgetting that Arlan and Teyron were still with him. His friends would probably give him hell if they ever learned what he was thinking: Kahra's eyes, it seemed, were the same deep shade of green that was seen for an instant in the sky at sunset each evening.
His gaze darted to her lips: soft, perfect, and colored a naturally light shade of rose. Tidus' breath caught in his throat as he stared, utterly oblivious to the rest of the world. It was as if he and Kahra were the only two people in existence. As if everyone else had simply dropped off the face of the planet just to give the rising blitz star some privacy with the girl of his happiest, wildest dreams. A bright smile crossed his youthful face, and a deluge of warmth and happiness flooded through is veins.
"Tidus?" Her smooth voice snapped him out of his mental fit of ecstasy. He grinned sheepishly, hoping that she wouldn't be able to decipher the reason behind his constant staring. Kahra stared at him, her eyes clearly trying to make sense of his fit of silence. "Are you feeling all right?"
The blond nodded furiously, trying not to appear too suspicious. "Yeah," he said quickly. "Just fine."
The gears within the teen's mind began whirring furiously as he tried to come up with a plan to keep Kahra's attention focused on him. If everything went well, then Auron would have to sit through his lengthy explanation of why everything was suddenly right in the world.
This chapter was much longer than either of the others, but there was a lot to write. I thought about breaking this chapter up into two separate ones, but I couldn't find a good place to break off.