Best Friends or More?
.::Chapter Five::.
The group of teenagers stepped into the deafening blitzball stadium. They had each given in their tickets and all they had to do was find their seats - which happened to be very good spots.
"Wow, Tidus," Gippal exclaimed wide eyed, "How did you get such great seats?"
"You've seem to forgotten that I'm the son of Jecht," Tidus pointed out in annoyance as he sat down beside Yuna, "The greatest blitzball player of all time for the Zanarkand Abes."
"Oh, yeah!" Rikku squealed in rememberance. "Will he be playing today?"
Tidus' eyes seemed to darken as if the thought of his father pained him. "Yeah..." he muttered sadly.
"Hey, cheer up," Yuna soothed as she put an arm around him and shook him playfully. "Just relax and enjoy the game, alright? Forget about your stupid, drunken father for now and just watch the game." She smiled coaxingly at him. He returned it with his own weak smile. Yuna had always had that effect on him - able to cheer him up even when he was in the worst of his moods.
"I'm gonna go get a hot dog," Tidus informed after a few minutes into the game, "You want somethin'?"
"Oh, sure," Yuna replied, smiling, "Just get me a hot dog and soda. Remember: nothing on the hot dog!"
"Yuna, I've known you long enough to know that you like hot dogs without anything on them," Tidus stated grinning.
Once Tidus, Wakka, Gippal, and Baralai left to get snacks, Rikku scrambled to Tidus's seat next to Yuna and squealed cheerfully.
"What was that for?" Yuna asked in surprise. She had been deeply focused on the game and had hardly acknowledged the blonde until she practically punctured her eardrum.
"Ohmygosh, that Gippal is SO amazing!" Rikku cried, smiling widely. "We have so much alike and he's just so unbelieveably hot!!"
"...very interesting, Rikku," Yuna said unamused as she swerved from left to right, trying to see the game clearly.
"Ugh," Rikku groaned. "You're so... not fun!"
"I'm so... not caring," Yuna answered bitterly as she strained herself to see where the ball had been passed.
"Well, Lulu and Wakka seem to be warming up to each other," observed Rikku.
"We are," Lulu announced with a small smile. "He's really... sweet."
"And of course Paine and Baralai just keep whispering stuff to each other," Rikku said exasperatedly.
"Mhmm..." Yuna mumbled. I wonder when Tidus'll be back...
As if on cue, the brunette heard a familair voice: "Hey, Rikku. Up. I have my hands full." Yuna's expression instantly brightened at the sight of her best friend appearing once more with her drink and hot dog.
"Thanks," she said to him as she bit into it hungrily.
"Y'know, I still can't believe you can eat that without any ketchup or mustard on it..." Tidus remarked as he watched her.
"It took years of practice, Tidus," Yuna responded sarcastically.
"Hey, we're winning," Tidus said happily as he looked up at the scoreboard. "Three to one. Whoo!" he cheered excitedly.
Yuna giggled at his childish act. "You're such a baby, Ti," she said with a smile.
"Is there something wrong with being enthusiastic about the game?" Tidus remarked smirking.
The two teams played intensely, the Duggles catching up quite quickly. By the last minute of the game, they had reached a tie - three to three.
"C'mon!" Yuna screamed at the top of her lungs.
The ball shot upward, the Abes catching it. The Duggles immediately started a defense play. The player passed it to a dark skinned man as soon as possible. The man swam across the sphere pool, dodging every tackle that came his way.
Yuna glanced at Tidus, seeing that he wasn't cheering anymore. He was, instead, staring down at the ground. Must be his father... Yuna thought in pity.
As the man neared the net, he thrust the ball at a player, hitting him on the head. The crowd stood up in anticipation. The ball bounced back to him and he hit it at another player guarding the net on defense, hitting him as well.
Everything seemed to go dead silent as the audience waited in suspense. The player swam to the top of the pool where the ball had shot back, spinning uncontrollably in the water. He kicked it ferociously downward toward the net.
The crowd held their breaths as they watched the ball shoot back toward the net. The goalie reached for it and...
"GOOOOOOOOAL!" the announcer shouted as the buzzer indentified the end of the game. The audience shot up on their feet in a deafening roar, including Yuna and her friends... except Tidus.
"And the Zanarkand Abes win the game by an amazing Jecht Shot by none other than Jecht, himself!" the announcer cried in excitement. "What a powerhouse kick!"
Yuna stopped cheering to stare down at her blonde friend. He was clenching his fists angrily as the announcer continued to praise him.
"You okay?" Yuna asked in a small voice. She prepared herself for a possible sudden outburst.
Tidus sighed heavily, releasing the tension in his shoulders. His hands uncurled themselves and hung limply. "Y-yeah... I'm fine."
"Alright, guys!" Yuna shouted above her screaming friends. "It's time to leave now." Her friends sighed reluctantly as they started to file out of their row.
"C'mon," Yuna whispered soothingly to Tidus. He smiled faintly at her as he stood up. They left the blitzball stadium together, saying good bye to each of their friends.
As Tidus and Yuna climbed into the blue sports car, Yuna couldn't help but wonder aloud. "Um...Tidus. Why are so sad when ever the subject of your father rises?" She cocked her head to the side in curiosity.
Tidus shook his head slightly as he pulled out of the parking lot. "It's just that... he was a horrible father. When anything is said about him, the memories of him just pour into my mind and when I think about him... I can't stand it."
"What did he do?" Yuna asked in surprise, though she kept her voice neutral.
"It was nothing ever physical, if that's what you're thinking," Tidus assured her softly. "My mother was just so into him... When ever he was around, all my mother did was praise him; talk to him. When I wanted dinner or for her to play with me, it was always 'just a sec, dear!'" Tidus pounded on the steering wheel angrily. "Damn him! All he ever cared about was his precious blitzball and beer!"
Yuna frowned. She could see the tears well up in his eyes, though he quickly brushed them away. "How come you never told anyone?"
"I didn't trust anybody with this kind of information," Tidus explained. "But I trust you, Yuna. You're my best friend. We've known each other forever. I love you."
Did he just say he loved me!? Yuna's eyes widened slightly, but she quickly calmed herself to respond hesitantly, "I...I love you, too, Tidus." He smiled at her and that was when she realized he meant it brotherly. Her heart sank at the thought, but she forced herself to recover from it.
"Y'know," she started cautiously, "You did seem pretty down sometimes when we played. When we were little, remember? You looked like you were gonna cry."
Tidus smirked at her memory. "But I never did... At least, not in front of you." The two friends laughed half heartedly.
Yuna slammed her locker shut and turned to face none other than Shuyin. She backed up in surprise.
"Oh, hey!" she said, straightening herself. He leaned against her locker like he did the day before.
"What's up..." he trailed off, looking as though he was trying to remember something. "Yuna, right?"
"Yep." Yuna smiled sweetly.
"Hey, I was wondering," Shuyin started casually, "You wanna catch a movie together or somethin' sometime?"
"Oh, uh, sure!" Yuna answered nervously.
"Cool. Can I get your number?" He handed Yuna his cell phone and she saved her number into it.
"Thanks." He said his own number out loud, which Yuna mentally noted.
He grinned at her before walking away from her slowly. She stared back at him dreamily until he disappeared out of sight.
"Yunie, Yunie, Yunie." Yuna turned, a light blush staining her cheeks. Her blonde cousin stood before her, her hands placed on her hips. "You just can't stay away from that Tidus-look-alike, can you?"
"Hey, he comes to me!" Yuna defended.
"Well, if you're gonna hang out with him, I would suggest you steer clear of Tidus," Rikku said in a hushed tone, "Because he can be one jealous cookie!"
"Um..." Yuna raised an eyebrow at her expression. "Okay? But it's not gonna be exactly easy. I mean, we do live in the same house, y'know! Besides, I doubt it won't even matter. Me and him - we're just friends. We can date who we want. If he started dating Dona, I wouldn't care one bit."
"Oh, really?" Rikku raised an eyebrow. "Okay, then. If it won't bother you, I guess there's no harm in you turning around right now, is there?"
Yuna rolled her eyes, turning to see none other than Dona clinging to a familar blonde's arm.
"OH MY YEVON!" Yuna screamed. She searched for a way out of speaking to them frantically. Averting her attention to the nearby girl's bathroom, she grabbed Rikku's arm and yanked her into the bathroom with her.
"Ow, Yunie," Rikku said, wincing as she examined her arm. There was a red mark where Yuna had grabbed her. "What the hell was that for?"
Yuna felt the tears sting her eyes. She blinked them back and started to drawl. "I can't believe he's hanging around that whore! Can you believe this, Rikku? I mean, who would even wanna go out with her? Just look at how she acts! I know she'll cheat on him! I know it! I have to break them up before Tidus gets hurt!"
"Yunie, calm down!" Rikku cried, gripping her friend's shoulders. "Now listen to me." She noticed the tears in her cousin's eyes and softened a little bit. "We are going out there to see what Tidus and Dona are up to. If they are dating, though, you will not start to make a scene or anything, okay?"
Yuna nodded weakly.
"Besides," Rikku continued, dropping her hands to her sides, "Worst comes to worst, you have Shuyin to go to."
"I-I guess you're right," Yuna agreed sniffling.
"Now, let's go." Rikku led Yuna out of the bathroom and straight into Dona.
"Hey!" Dona shrieked in surprise. "Watch it, freak!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Tidus objected. "This is one of my best friends, Dona. What's up, Rik?" (pronounced REEK, people)
"Um, Tidus, can I talk to you...?" Seeing the glares that Yuna was giving Dona, Rikku tugged on Tidus' shirt, pulling him backwards and around a corner.
"What is it?" Tidus asked in an annoyed tone.
"What the hell are you doing with her?" Rikku whispered fiercely.
"Who?" Tidus asked dumbfoundedly.
"Oh, c'mon, Ti!" When he gave her a confused look, she nearly shouted, "Dona!"
"O-o-oh," Tidus said in realization. "We're, um... we're kinda dating."
"WHAT!?" Rikku shouted. The students in the halls stopped to look at the two blondes.
"Okay, people, this isn't a show!" Rikku announced before turning back to Tidus to glare icily at him.
"What? I'm not allowed to date girls, now?" Tidus asked in defense.
"Not if you wanna remain with Yuna!" Rikku countered.
"Oh my Yevon," Tidus said, sighing, "Yuna and I are not dating. How many times do I have to tell you? We're. Just. Friends! Besides, if she's allowed to hang around that Shuyin kid, then I can hang around Dona."
"Fryd ec drec? Cusa geht uv najahka bmud!?" Rikku muttered to herself.
"Look, Rikku," Tidus whispered in his deep drawl, "I am not dating Yuna. I am with Dona. Let Yuna be free as a chocobo and date Shuyin for all I care. I love her, yes. But I'm not in love with her. Understand?"
"That doesn't make any sense at all!" Rikku squealed, stomping her foot.
"Wow, you really are a blonde, aren't you?" Tidus commented, grinning.
"Cu yna oui!" Rikku quipped accusingly.
"Whatever," Tidus mumbled as he walked back to Yuna and Dona.
Rikku stomped away, swearing in Al Bhed in frustration.
"Hey, Yuna," Tidus murmured to her. Yuna stared at him wide eyed as he began talking to Dona.
Trying to hold back tears, Yuna quickly rounded the corner and yanked out her cell phone, dialing Shuyin's number. She tapped her foot impatiently as it rang three times.
"Hey, Yuna. Why are you calling me so soon?" She knew he was grinning.
"Yeah, I wanted to let you know that I'm free tonight," Yuna replied, trying to mask the anger in her voice. "When do you wanna pick me up?"
"Oh, hey, that's great!" Shuyin practically shouted. "How about I just meet you outside the school when the last bell rings? We can hang out. I wanna get to know you better before anything else. Then we can catch a movie and dinner, if you want."
"Okay, cool," Yuna agreed happily. "I'll see ya then."
"Bye."
She closed her phone, an evil smirk across her face. "He wants to play at revenge?" She rolled her eyes exasperatedly.
"I'm game."
Sorry for such a short chapter this time, guys, but I was able to get the plot to thicken here! Plus, I wanted a cliffy...kinda. So, I expect more reviews since I updated extremely fast! I would've tortured you to get more reviews, but I just had so much fun writing this today!
REVIEW PLEASE!!!