Best Friends or More?
.::Chapter Four::.
Yuna entered her and Tidus's apartment, tossing her keys limply on to a side table. She lugged her shopping bags upstairs into her bedroom, dropping them weakly beside her bed. Tying her hair in a messy ponytail, she ventured back downstairs to find Tidus lying lazily on the couch and watching a college blitzball game.
"Oh, hey," Tidus greeted, turning his full attention toward Yuna, "You're back early." He lowered the volume on the t.v. and sat up so his friend could sit beside him.
"Not really," Yuna disagreed looking up at the clock on the wall. "It's a quarter after six."
"Well, I guess I would expect you to come back earlier than usual, since Rikku drives around like a speed demon."
Yuna smiled in amusement. "Well, then just be happy I'm still alive."
"Nah, I actually paid her to drive as fast as she could just so I could get rid of you." Tidus laughed at his teasing comment as Yuna smacked him on the chest playfully.
A few moments of silence passed as Tidus averted his attention back to the blitzball game.
Bored with the amatuers she was watching - she'd rather watch Tidus any day! - Yuna sighed loudly, hoping the blonde would notice and begin talking. Indeed, thinking she was getting bored, Tidus broke the silence between them.
"So..." A rather simple remark, Yuna thought. "Why aren't you hanging out with Lulu and Paine?"
"Paine likes to spend time around Baralai and Lulu was hanging out with Wakka today," Yuna growled quietly.
"Oh, so I get to spend all night with you?" Deciding he made himself sound too excited about the idea, Tidus quickly added a sarcastic, "Lucky me."
"Would you rather spend it with someone like Rikku who'd be bouncing off the walls?" Yuna shot back at him.
"Actually... yes," stated Tidus matter-of-factly. "Better than spending it with a grouchy, PMSing Yuna..." he mumbled.
"Excuse me?" Yuna raised her eyebrows at him and thrust a pillow at him. "Don't be jealous I'm more mature than you."
"I'm not the one throwing pillows," Tidus quipped. He placed the pillow she had thrown on his lap so he could balance his arms on it.
After a few minutes, Yuna yawned loudly and blinked a few times. "Move over..." she muttered tiredly as she shoved Tidus' arms away from the pillow. She rested her head on the pillow which still happened to positioned on his lap and closed her eyes.
Tidus almost immediately heard light snoring and smiled lovingly down at the sleeping brunette. "Yevon, she looks like an angel when she sleeps..." he breathed incoherently. If only you knew, Yuna... If only you knew.
-The next day at school-
Yuna slammed her locker door and turned to face a familiar pair of blue eyes.
"Oh, h-hey, Shuyin," Yuna stuttered nervously.
"What's up," he greeted in a flirtatious tone as he leaned his arm against her locker, closing it for her.
"Hey, what class do you have first?" Yuna asked, trying to regain her composure.
"Yevon, I have a writing class right now. What about you?" He playful grin lingered on his face. Yuna could smell the light scent of cologne on him and she couldn't help but inhale deeply, enjoying every breath.
"I, um... I have math first," Yuna said. "With the old Mika."
"Ah, the dinosaur," Shuyin acknowledged, smiling. Yuna giggled at his interpretation of the teacher and felt her cheeks flush. "Come, I'll walk you to your class."
"O-okay..." Yuna agreed quietly, unsure of what to make of his offer. She followed him down the hallway, trying to think of something to say to him.
"So, you're new here, right?" Shuyin asked curiously.
"Yep; I just moved here," Yuna replied nodding as they continued toward her classroom.
"You know that other new guy, too, right? The one that looks like me?" Shuyin didn't seem the least bit confused as to why they looked alike, so Yuna acted like it was nothing, as well.
"Um, yeah, Tidus. He's my best friend. We've known each other for, like, ever." She made sure she mentioned the words "best friend" to him.
"Ah, best friends, you say?" She caught the blonde smiling coyly to himself. "Well, here we are. At Mika's room."
"Oh, r-right." Yuna smiled sweetly at him. "Thanks for walking me over here."
"No problem," Shuyin assured. He resisted his urge to kiss her on the cheek and just waved and continued toward his own class. Yuna stared back at him until he disappeared as he rounded a corner.
She then noticed Tidus, who ignored her and pushed past her, looking angered. Rikku followed behind him, but stopped to say a cheerful 'hi' to Yuna. The brunette quickly caught her friend by the arm before she had a chance to walk away from her. Her green eyes looked at her expectantly.
"What's wrong with Tidus?" Yuna asked in a low, concerned tone.
"I think I have an idea," Rikku replied with an accusing glint in her eyes, "But I'll go find out. If you would just let go of my arm, so I could go sit next to him."
"Alright, alright," Yuna said with a sigh of defeat. She released her friend and sat down near the front of the room, afraid that she had done something wrong to Tidus. She wasn't too sure she wanted to sit next to him if he was angry at her.
Heaving a worried sigh, Yuna grabbed out a pen and her notebook and began writing the notes that had been written on the blackboard.
Meanwhile, Rikku had been trying to get Tidus to talk about his problem.
"What's up with you, Ti?" she asked, slightly afraid of the answer.
"Who was that guy Yuna was walking with to class?" Tidus responded using his own question. His voice was icy and held no emotion whatsoever.
"Oh, that was Shuyin!" Rikku replied brightly, but quickly darkened when she caught a glare from Tidus. "I mean... Oh... that was some kid that just annoys Yuna," she reiterrated in an attitude filled voice.
"Doesn't she always walk with us?" Tidus pointed out grimly as he started to copy the notes off the board. "What is it with that guy that's so special?"
"Well, you can't exactly stop a girl from lik-" Rikku stopped midsentence and covered her mouth, widening her eyes in an 'uh-oh' expression.
"She likes him!?" Tidus asked in disbelief. Rikku instantly covered his mouth with her hand when she saw Yuna whirl around in surprise. She turned back toward the blackboard when she heard her ancient teacher step into the room and close the door.
"G-good morning, class," he greeted in a shaky voice. "Today we are going to learn about..."
"Rikku!" Tidus whispered viciously to the blonde, who turned to him expectantly. "D-does... Does Yuna really like this... Shuyin?" he asked hesitantly.
Rikku chewed her lip uncomfortably, before nodding extremely unnoticeably. It took Tidus a minute to figure out that she actually confirmed his worry. He turned away from her, his eyes downcast and his eyelids sinking in sadness.
"Hey, as long as they're not going out or anything, you have nothing to worry about, right!?" Rikku reassured dubiously.
Tidus scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but meanwhile all she's gonna do is chase him. I can't stand when she chases boys..."
"Why not?" Rikku asked with a suspicious smile on her face. "It's not like you guys are anything but friends."
"Y-yeah, but..." Tidus was caught off guard by this statement. Shit, Tidus. Think of an excuse! Anything! C'mon, she's a blonde! She'd fall for just about anything! ...Wait, I'm a blonde, too... Tidus cleared his throat nervously before turning back to Rikku. "I just don't want her getting hurt or anything. She doesn't need any relationship bullshit from a guy."
Rikku chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Okay, big brother, whatever you say. But, don't ya think that's a little overprotective?"
"You can't be too overprotective when it comes to girls," Tidus said, denying her belief.
"If you say so," Rikku sighed as she turned back to her own notebook.
Yuna slumped out of Mika's classroom, feeling as if he had eaten her ears off with his boring lecture. The rest of the class looked the exact same way as she did. When she tried to say 'hi' to Tidus, he just pushed past her and continued down the hallway by himself. She quickly got a hold of Rikku and started asking questions.
"What did he say!?" she asked eagerly.
"Well, he's definitely jealous of you and Shuyin," Rikku answered almost disappointedly. "He says he doesn't want you to have to deal with all that relationship crap. But I doubt that's why he's upset."
"But, then... why would he be upset with me?" Yuna asked completely dumboundedly.
Rikku shrugged hopelessly and continued toward her own class. Yuna sighed sadly again and started toward english - another class she had with Tidus. Luckily for her, though, she also had it with Lulu, too. Avoiding her seat next to Tidus, she sat down beside Lulu.
"Hey, Lu," she muttered sheepishly.
"Oh, hey," Lulu said, smiling faintly. "Why aren't you sitting with Tidus?"
"He's mad at me because..." Yuna trailed off and sighed.
"Because...?" Lulu raised an eyebrow curiously.
"I dunno why, exactly," Yuna clarified, exhaling.
Lulu scrunched her face in disbelief. "But you guys are best friends!"
"Y-yeah, I know..." Yuna averted her attention to her hands that were folded on her lap and persed her lips together uncomfortably.
"Maybe... maybe you should go to talk to him," suggested Lulu. "I bet it isn't anything serious."
"Good morning class!" A young brunette teacher stepped into the room cheerfully and bowed.
Tch... Yuna thought with a scoff. She's a cheerful suck up...
"My name is Shelinda. Please, I do not accept 'Mrs' or even 'Miss'. Just plan Shelinda." She smiled happily as she began to write the names of famous poets on the blackboard. "This is the beginning of the year, so we're going to start on our poetry unit."
Yuna quickly lost interest and started to doodle in her notebook. She glanced toward Tidus who immediately looked away from her. She sighed shakily, already on the verge of tears. She hated when people were mad at her, let alone her best friend. She wished he would just stop ignoring her and talk to her again. They rarely spoke all morning and she just wanted to hear his voice.
The class had ended quite quickly, much to Yuna's relief. She stood up and walked over to were Tidus was gathering his books and pens. "Um, Tidus..." she muttered hoarsely. He looked up at her, his brilliant blue eyes glazing over angrily.
"If there's, um... something I did to piss you off," Yuna continued slowly, "or if I did something wrong... Can you please tell me?" She looked up at him with a pleading expression - much like a puppy's.
Tidus, to his surprise, found himself smiling at the look she gave him. He saw her expression turn from guilt to utter confusion. "Nah, it's alright," he found himself saying, "I was... overreacting. Everything's fine." He continued to smile.
The corners of Yuna's mouth curved up and she smiled in relief. "Are you... sure?" she asked doubtfully.
"Positive," Tidus assured, "I feel like I'm having mood swings. Maybe PMS is contagious?" He laughed as Yuna shoved him into a desk.
She turned to Lulu to flash her a toothy smile before walking out of the classroom with Tidus.
Yuna spotted Shuyin while she was walking with Tidus after the last bell had rang. All he did was smile at her and continued on his way.
Probably afraid to say anything to my in front of Tidus, Yuna thought with a smirk. She returned the smile secretly behind Tidus and kept walking with him.
"Hey, I see you guys made up!" Rikku pointed out cheerfully as she approached us with Lulu. Yuna blushed nervously and motioned for Rikku to be quiet about it.
Tidus noticed Yuna's gesture and smiled childishly at her.
"So, what are you doing after school?" Rikku questioned Yuna.
"Oh, um... well," Yuna stared up at the ceiling quizzically, "Actually, I don't know." She giggled sheepishly.
"Hey, I got eight tickets to this night's blitzball game with the Abes against the Duggles!" Tidus announced happily.
Yuna's face brightened at his remark, but the look quickly faded to a baffled one. "Why so many?"
"One for me, one for you, one for Rikku, Lulu, Wakka, Paine, Baralai, and Gippal," Tidus replied casually.
"Hey, you actually thought about Paine and Batalai!" Lulu exclaimed in surprise. "I didn't think you would've. I'm gonna have to call her and tell her about it."
"I'm a caring person if I wanna be," Tidus defended himself.
"Who's Gippal?" Rikku asked, sounding excited for some reason.
"Oh, he's a guy on the blitzball team," explained Tidus coolly.
"His name sounds Al Bhed," Rikku said aloud thoughtfully.
"He is," Tidus clarified.
Rikku's eyes widened and a smile found its way across his face. "Interesting..." she muttered mischieviously.
"Um, I don't think you should've said anything," Yuna told Tidus in a playful tone.
"Oh, I think they'll hit it off great," Tidus approved with a grin.
Oh, Yevon. He's gonna try to matchmake!? Yuna thought in astonishment.
-At the blitzball stadium-
Tidus pulled up to the Zanarkand Blitzball Stadium with Yuna in his blue and white sports convertible.
"Here we are!" he said in excitement. He rushed out of his car and ran to Yuna's side to open her door for her. She looked up at him in surprise, her eyes wide.
"A lady must never have to open her own door when a gentleman is around," he said proudly.
"What?" Yuna asked in a teasing voice. "I don't see a gentleman anywhere."
Tidus grinned at her. "Yeah, he's in the car."
Yuna gaped at his comeback and hit him in the stomach. "Oh, shut up," she said pouting as she got out of her car.
"Aw, will a kiss make you feel better?" Tidus asked in a babyish voice.
"Tch, not from you," Yuna said scoffing.
"Alright, then, you got it," Tidus answered kissing her on the cheek.
"Ew, Tidus!" Yuna cried, backing her head away from him. "I told you 'no'!"
Tidus shrugged. "It's opposite day."
"Do that again and I'll cut your head off," Yuna warned in an angry tone, even if he knew she was joking.
"Hey, look, here comes Wakka and Lulu," Tidus cried excitedly as he pointed to the black mustang that pulled up behind his car. "They're with Gippal, too."
"And Rikku, Paine and Baralai are comin' this way, too!" Yuna said as she saw Rikku's yellow convertible pull up as well. Her hair was fluffed and down for once. She was wearing sunglasses - at night!? - and a lot of lipstick and lip gloss from what Yuna could see.
Oh, great, Yuna thought. She got all dolled up for this Gippal guy!
Stepping out of the car, Yuna could see she was wearing a short, tight demin skirt and a pink low cut v-neck shirt that showed her stomach. It looked as if it were covered in glitter... and it probably was!
"Hey, guys!" she said waving as she took off her sunglasses to reveal her mascara, eyeliner, and eyeshadow covered eyes. She actually looked pretty great. Rikku had been wearing make up since she was in the eigth grade, so she learned how to not overdo it.
Paine and Baralai both stepped out of her car, talking together in hushed tones.
"They look like quite the couple!" Tidus complimented quietly so Paine wouldn't hear him.
Lulu shook her head exasperatedly. "They mostly just keep to themselves. They're not even really dating yet." She sighed. "I never know what the hell they're talking about half the time anyway. They're always so hunched together."
At that moment, a tall, muscular blonde with an eyepatch over his right eye stepped out of the car. He greeted Tidus with a high five and smiled at Yuna and Rikku sheepishly.
"Ur so kucr!" Rikku breathed quietly. Yuna turned to her and smiled.
"What is it?" the brunette asked.
"Ra'c cu... rud!" She sighed as she stared at him. He started to walk over to her slowly. Yuna giggled lightly and stepped away from her nervous cousin.
"Rao fryd'c ib?" he greeted almost as cheerfully as Rikku would've done. "E's Gippal. Tidus dumt sa ymm ypuid oui, Rikku."
"Ur, cu oui'na yh Al Bhed, duu?" Rikku asked as if she hadn't heard anything about him from Tidus.
"Oab. Cehla pendr. Cu, tu oui mega pmedwpymm?"
"Tavehedamo! Ev E luimt, E fuimt ajah zueh y bnuvacceuhym days socamv!" The two blondes laughed lightly and continued to speak in their native tongue to each other.
"What the hell are they saying?" Yuna asked Tidus as she leaned closer to him.
"Ya got me," Tidus replied with a shrug.
"C'mon, let's get inside already!" Wakka shouted above the playful conversation of the group. Tidus nodded confidently and the indivdual pairs all walked inside together. Tidus with Yuna, Rikku with Gippal, Wakka with Lulu, and Paine and Baralai, trailing slightly behind them.
And with that, their night began.
Al Bhed Translations:
Ur so kucr: Oh my gosh!
Ra'c cu rud: He's so hot!
Rao, fryd'c ib? E's Gippal. Tidus dumt sa ymm ypuid oui, Rikku: Hey, what's up? I'm Gippal. Tidus told me all about you, Rikku.
Ur, cu oui'na yh Al Bhed, too?: Oh, you're an Al Bhed, too!
Oab. Cehla pendr. Cu, tu oui mega pmedwpymm: Yep. Since birth. So, do you like blitzball?
Tavehedamo! Ev E luimt, E fuimt ajah zueh y bnuvacceuhym days socamv: Definitely! If I could, I would even join a professional team myself!
Sorry if the chapter was a bit cut short, but if I continued to write what should've been the rest of the chapter, it would've been too long. So I decided to cut it in half. So please review more, peeps! Especially since I updated way ahead of schedule!
more people review! cheese and spank you!
okay, i'm off to bed now and i expect lots of reviews when i get home from school tomorrow or else the next update will conveniently take more than a week to arrive:)