Yay, omg, chapter nine! This story is coming out way better than I expected.
Best Friends or More?
.::Chapter Nine::.
"Sorry I'm later, Mr. Seymour," Rikku apologized, walking to the back of the classroom and sitting next to Lulu and Paine. "Hey, guys."
"Did our little 'plan' work?" Lulu asked anxiously. Once again, her behavior startled her, but she ignored it and stared at Rikku, waiting for her answer.
"Well, honestly, I'm not really sure, but there was quite an argument," answered Rikku brightly. She explained what had happened quickly and excitedly.
Lulu and Paine both looked thoughtful for a minute before smirking. "Then they should be getting back together soon, right?" Lulu said.
"I dunno," Rikku replied honestly, "I mean, Yuna might still be attached to Shuyin and Tidus with Dona, too. Though it really didn't look like it."
"Then we'll just have to wait and see what happens," Paine concluded, turning her attention back to the blackboard.
"I guess you're right," Lulu agreed. She then turned to Rikku seriously and said, "But, Rikku, I want you to remember that you can't just go around doing stuff like this – no matter who it's for, okay? I don't want you getting hurt, alright?"
Rikku nodded embarrassedly and bit her lip. "You're right, Lulu. I understand."
"Good. No more charades, then," Lulu said simply and she turned back to the teacher.
Yuna sighed in relief when the final bell of the day had rung. Practically running out of the classroom and to her locker, she forcefully stuffed her books into it and slammed it. After all the day's events, she was happy to finally be free for the weekend. No school, no Tidus… Shuyin, yes, but she planned to have a sleepover with Rikku, so she wouldn't see much of him either – even despite the fact they lived together.
"Hey, Yunie!" she heard Rikku call to her. She was running towards her energetically, with Gippal following slowly behind her.
Almost crashing into her cousin, Rikku continued to speak, "So, you're coming over for the sleepover, right? Right?"
"Yes, Rikku," Yuna replied in a much controlled voice, "What time do I come over?"
"Oh, at about… six, I guess," Rikku answered, smiling.
"Oui'na ryjehk y cmaabujan?" Gippal said pouting. "Ruf lusa oui teth'd damm sa ypuid ed? Huf E's kuhhy ryja du cbaht dra faagaht lumt yht ymuha..."
"Oh, Gippal, you could go out with the boys," Rikku said in a somewhat motherly way, "Besides, a little time to ourselves could be… fun." She smiled brightly.
"Alright," Gippal said in mock disappointment, "But can I at least have a kiss goodbye?"
Rikku rolled her eyes, pretending to be annoyed, but wrapped her arms around his neck and started to kiss him.
"Um, okay," Yuna said awkwardly, "I'm gonna… go home. I'll see ya tonight, Rik." With that, she turned on her heel and started to walk quickly away from the couple.
She saw Shuyin standing in front of his car, glancing at his watch. When he saw Yuna, he waved nervously. She rolled her eyes and walked up to him, passing him when he tried to kiss her and got into his car.
"C'mon, Yuna!" he said in frustration, "You can't stay angry at him forever! Especially when I didn't even do anything!"
"I don't know if you did anything, now do I?" Yuna countered in a tired voice.
"But you saw how Dona and I acted," Shuyin cried as he climbed into the driver's seat. "How could we possibly like each other at all?"
"Listen, just give me some time to get my thoughts together, please," Yuna said, rubbing her forehead, "Can we just go home?"
Shuyin sighed, "Fine..." He started the car up and drove out of the parking lot and down the street.
The two rode in silence for what seemed like hours, even if it was just five minutes. When they reached Shuyin's house, Yuna stepped out quickly and made her way to the door, unlocking it with her own key and rushing up to her bedroom, not allowing Shuyin to say anything to her.
She used her bathroom to shower, blow dry her hair, and apply simple make up. She dressed into a pair of fitting jeans and a t-shirt that showed some of her stomach. She didn't have to look her best - it was just a night with her girlfriends. She packed her PJ's and an extra pair of clothes into a small duffel bag. By the time she was done, it was already a quarter after five. Rikku didn't live that far, but she thought she might as well leave now and arrive early so she didn't have to discuss anything with Shuyin. Preferably, she wanted to talk to her friends about staying with him or not before telling him anything. Then again, if she didn't stay with him, where would she live?
She tried to leave the house as quietly as possible, Shuyin spotted her from his place on the couch. "Where're ya going, Yuna?"
Busted. "I, um, uh..." Yuna tripped over her own words. "I'm going to, uh, go over Rikku's. We're having a, um... slumber party with Lulu and Paine."
She saw Shuyin's features drop in disappointment, but he managed to smile weakly and say, "Well, I'll see ya tomorrow, then, I guess. What time are you getting back?"
"Um, I dunno, really," Yuna answered honestly with a shrug.
"You want me to drive you there?" he offered.
"No, it's alright. Rikku doesn't live that far. I'll walk." She mustered a smile.
"You sure?"
"Yes," she replied firmly and turned to the door, leaving him and the house.
Sighing, finally relieved to be away from such tension, she made her way down the street. In a matter of minutes, she reached Rikku's house. She rang the bell with her free hand and a mohawked blonde Al Bhed answered.
"Fro, rammu, Yuna!" he cried, pulling her into a hug. She stood in his arms awkwardly until he released her. "Oh, that's right: you don't speak Al Bhed. Heh, sorry about that."
"It's alright, Brother," Yuna said smiling, "It's been a long time since I've seen you. How are you?"
"Never better," Brother replied in a rather happy tone. "Rao, Rikku, kad ouin pidd tufh rana! Ouin vencd kiacd ryc ynnejat!" he yelled up the stairs behind him.
"Lusehk!" she heard Rikku call back. She heard her cousin stomping down the stairs and she soon appeared from the second floor.
"Hey, Rikku," Yuna said sheepishly.
"You're here early, Yunie!" Rikku pointed out, "C'mon, follow me upstairs to my room."
"You guys are having a sleepover right?" Brother asked. "Well, keep it down... I'm going to bed soon."
"When did he get here?" Yuna whispered to her blonde cousin as they traveled up the stairs.
"Oh, he moved in with me about a week ago," Rikku explained, "My father was still kinda uncomfortable about me living alone once Paine and Lulu had found a house, so he sent him. I would've told you, but I didn't think you've been in the greatest of moods these past few weeks."
They soon reached the door to Rikku's room.
To no surprise, Rikku's room was painted pink and yellow. She had a big, round bed with lacey curtains surrounding it, pink dressers, and tables with yellow lamps on them. She had about a million stuffed animals and beenie bags to sit on. On the far side of the left of the room were two pink couches with a large, flat screen t.v. built into the wall in front of them with a stereo system and DVD player. Her carpeting was pink as well and she had a whole bunch of shelves with movies, books, and DVD's stacked in them. Even a little refrigerator was stashed over in a corner.
"Wow..." Yuna said, gawking as she looked around the bright room.
"Yeah, I don't think I ever told you, but my brother found a great job, here in Zanarakand," Rikku explained, "He's been promoted to 'Machina Builder' now... Or somethin' like that."
"Okay, so my lovely walk-in closet is over there," Rikku said, pointing to a set of two wooden doors, "Not that you care or anything. The bathroom is over there. It has a, um, jacuzzi, too."
"Oh my Yevon, Rikku," Yuna said, sighing in amazement, "I didn't know you had all this stuff! I look like a bum compared to you!" She dropped her duffel bag in front of Rikku's bed and set her eyes on a pair of french doors concealed by curtains.
"What's over there?" she asked in wonder.
"Oh, that's the best part about my room," Rikku said, smiling, "C'mere." She led Yuna over to the doors, unlatched the handles, and swung them open to reveal a concrete balcony - somewhat castle-like with a railing. Four chairs had been set up on the balcony and there was an absolutely gorgeous view of the city below.
"Oh my Yevon..." Yuna sighed. "It's...beautiful."
"Mm," Rikku agreed quietly, "It really is, isn't it?"
Suddenly, the doorbell rang again, startling the peaceful cousins.
"Oh, I'll get that," Rikku announced, rushing out of her room and downstairs. She returned with Paine and Lulu.
"Agh, too bright!" Paine said, shielding her eyes. "Yevon, Rikku, can you get any girlier?"
"Well, if you want me to-"
"No! No, please. Anything but that." Paine sunk into a beenie bag, her hands still over her eyes.
Lulu chuckled and said, "Paine, don't worry. You get used to it."
Paine scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I don't think I will..."
"Oh, hey, guys," greeted Yuna as she walked inside from the balcony. "You've gotta come check this out. There's such a fantastic view!"
"Yeah, I set up some seats out there for us to talk and stuff," Rikku exclaimed as she bounced out to her balcony.
"Rikku, have you been drinking coffee?" Paine asked as she followed her friends outside.
"Ugh, why am I so bored?" Gippal groaned, banging his head on the countertop in front of him.
"Chill out, man," Tidus said, "Don't you know how to have a good time without your girlfriend?"
"Psh, yeah right," Wakka said, laughing.
"Rao, lid ed uid, kioc!" Gippal complained in a low, bored voice.
"Whose idea was it to come to a club, anyway?" Baralai asked, turning to his friends. "I'm not enjoying this one bit."
"Tidus..." Wakka accused under his breath, which was followed by a glare from the blonde. "Besides, we all have girlfriends, so there really was no point in comin' here, ya?"
"Oh, give it a rest," Tidus said, "You wanted to come here to watch all the dancing girls in mini skirts."
"Hey, I would never disrespect Lu like that!" Wakka contradicted, "You know that!"
"...Whatever," Tidus mumbled, taking another sip of his soda. They were too young to be drinking any alcohol. "Why do the girls up and have a sleepover outta nowhere anyway?"
"Um, why are you complaining?" Gippal asked, "You're girlfriend isn't with ours."
"But Yuna is..." Wakka muttered.
"What?" Tidus asked suspiciously.
"Eh, it was nothin'..." Wakka replied cautiously.
"Man, why don't you just dump that no-good slut?" Baralai suggested, "I mean, we all know you wanna be with Yuna."
"Hey, shut up," Tidus said, scowling and tossing his soda can aside, "I'm dating Dona and that's that. Y'know, I really think she's the one."
Wakka, Gippal, and Baralai all tried to suppress their laughs, but failed miserably. They all laughed loudly at Tidus' comment and recieved glares from him.
"What's so funny?" he demanded, angrily.
"Are you in, like, 'I-lost-the-love-of-my-life-and-now-I'm-trying-to-find-the-same-relationship-with-a-whore-who'll-never-replace-her' denial or something?" Gippal asked, still laughing.
Tidus glowered at him and said, "Hey, listen to me: I like Dona. A lot. And-"
The group laughed even louder at him when he said that.
"Fine, alright!?" Tidus cried, "It's true - I do miss Yuna. I do love her. I do want to be with her forever. I want her to link her hand into mind and kiss her and..." He sighed and folded his hands on to his lap, casting his gaze at the floor.
"That was very corny," Gippal remarked, "Yet... very revealing."
"If you love her so much," Wakka began, "Then what the hell are you doin', ya? Go get 'er."
"I-I can't..." Tidus mumbled with another sigh, "You can't just make a girl fall in love with you..."
"If I'm correct, she is in love with you," Baralai said.
"No... she was," Tidus corrected sadly, "Now she thinks I'm just a big, fat idiot loser who deserves to die..."
"She's Yuna, ya?" Wakka assured, "She'll come back to you. You just gotta make the first move, ya?" He patted his best friend on the back comfortingly.
What if he's right...? Tidus thought, letting his face fall into his cupped hands. Then again, Yuna is a very stubborn person... Well, almost.
"Okay, so what movie do you guys wanna watch?" Rikku asked as she skimmed through her stack of DVD's, "I have a bajillion of 'em, so take your pick!" They had all settled down after a long night of gossiping, pillow fights, and sharing secrets and were garbed in their pajama's.
"Hm... what about a horror movie?" Paine suggested, looking around skeptically at the others.
"But then I won't be able to sleep..." Rikku complained with a pout.
Paine rolled her eyes, "Fine. Then what do you suggest?"
"What about a suspense or action film?" Lulu asked.
"Yeah... it'd be full of cool scenes, but not scary," Yuna approved with a sheepish smile.
"I guess that works," Rikku said, shrugging. She started to skim through her DVD's again and slid one out of its shelf. "How about this one?" she asked as she held it up for her friends to see. "The Legend of the Mythical Creature: Sin. I heard it's really good, so I bought it, but I never really watched it... Heh."
"Is it a documentary...?" Paine asked suspiciously.
"Hecks no!" Rikku answered with an odd look, "Why would I wanna watch a stupid documentary? It's a fantasy movie, obviously. It's about how a summoner and her guardians embark on a journey to defeat the world's biggest threat: Sin. That's basically all I know, right now. I mean, they don't say much more on the back of the case."
"Sounds good," Yuna piped, "Put it in!"
"I've got the snacks," Lulu announced, coming into the bedroom once more with bags of popcorn.
Yuna sprang up from the couch to take a few sodas out of the fridge. Rikku dimmed the lights and they all sat down again to watch the movie.
About two hours into the movie, Lulu had dozed off, leaning her head on the arm of the couch. Rikku was staring at the screen teary eyed and sniffling, - it was quite the tragedy - Paine was looking at the t.v. blankly, and Yuna was watching the movie intently, her eyes wide open. She was still stuffing popcorn into her mouth slowly.
Rikku's cell phone suddenly gave off a brief ring and she reached into her pocket quickly and checked the caller ID.
"Ugh, Gippal..." she groaned softly. She got up from the couch and flipped open her phone, hopping on to her bed. She held the phone to her ear and said quietly in her Al Bhed drawl, "Rammu?"
"Rao, pypa," an equally Al Bhed accented voice came from the other end, "Frydlry tuehk?"
"Gippal, fro yna oui lymmehk cu myda? E's dnoehk du ahzuo y sujea fedr so vneahtc!" Rikku whispered angrily.
"E lymmat du damm oui ypuid Tidus' hajan ahtehk muja vun Yuna," Gippal replied, chuckling to himself.
"Muug, E tuh'd naymmo lyna ypuid Tidus yht Yuna nekrd huf. E zicd fyhhy ku du cmaab. E'mm dymg du oui dusunnuf ypuid ed, ymnekrd? Kuut poa." She closed her phone and trudged back to the couch, plopping herself down next to Yuna, who had also become teary eyed. The credits were rolling and she switched the television off with the remote. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and sniffed.
Turning to a tired Rikku, she asked, "What were you guys talkin' about? I heard mine name in there... And Tidus'."
"Oh, nothing," the blonde replied in a drowsy voice. She yawned and continued, "Just about Tidus' never ending love for you..." She stretched herself out on the couch, leaving a stunned Yuna, wide eyed and wide awake now, for that matter.
Gently moving her cousin to the other side of the sofa with Paine, who had also dozed off, Yuna stood up and stretched. Looking around for a place to sleep, - she found it rude to sleep in someone else's bed - she yawned, blinked, and absently laid down on the soft, smooth mattress anyway.
She sighed dreamily and closed her eyes, attempting to fall asleep.
Tidus' never ending love for me...
That was her last thought before falling asleep peacefully.
Al Bhed Translations:
Oui'na ryjehk y cmaabujan? Ruf lusa oui teth'd damm sa ypuid ed? Huf E's kuhhy ryja du cbaht dra faagaht lumt yht ymuha...: You're having a sleepover? How come you didn't tell me about it? Now I'm gonna have to spend the weekend cold and alone...
Fro, rammu, Yuna!: Why, hello, Yuna!
Rao, Rikku, kad ouin pidd tufh rana! Ouin vencd kiacd ryc ynnejat!: Hey, Rikku, get your butt down here! Your first guest has arrived!
Lusehk!: Coming!
Rao, lid ed uid, kioc!: Hey, cute it out, guys!
Rammu?: Hello?
Rao, pypa. Frydlry tuehk: Hey, babe. Whatcha doing?
Gippal, fro yna oui lymmehk cu myda? E's dnoehk du ahzuo y sujea fedr so vneahtc!: Gippal, why are you calling so late? I'm trying to enjoy a movie with my friends!
E lymmat du damm oui ypuid Tidus' hajan ahtehk muja vun Yuna.: I called to tell you about Tidus' never ending love for Yuna.
Muug, E tuh'd naymmo lyna ypuid Tidus yht Yuna nekrd huf. E zicd fyhhy ku du cmaab. E'mm dymg du oui dusunnuf ypuid ed, ymnekrd? Kuut poa.: Look, I don't really care about Tidus and Yuna right now. I just wanna go to sleep. I'll talk to you tomorrow about it, alright? Good bye.
Notice: I know I made Brother completely OOC, but I didn't like his normal personality and didn't want it to get in the way of the storyline, so I just made him nice and friendly to Yuna.. Not absolutely infatuated with her. I hope you guys don't mind. I kind of like him better this way. I think everyone does... O.o
I wouldn't exactly consider that a cliffy, but it's your opinion, now isn't it? The good news is that I found time to update this chapter because my brother didn't feel well and had to go to sleep so I had the computer all to myself... and I still do! Yay for me! I'm here to see all your lovely, compimentary reviews:)
Remember: reviews make updates come faster!