Author's Note:

I would first like to apologize for how long it's taken me to get this chapter up. Even though I got a considerable amount written on the drive to and from California once I got back to good ol' Arizona I got extremely busy. Plus this chapter kind of ran away with me. Right when I thought I was going to be able to end it, it decided to carry me along for another two or three pages. Anyways I think that this story only has one chapter left and then it will finally be over! YAY! I've been working on it for over a year so I can't believe I'm finally to the point where I'm going to wrap it up.

So back on track, thank you to everyone that reviewed last chapter. I'm am so so grateful to anyone and everyone that leaves me feedback. I feel priviledged to have so many loyal readers. As always, please let me know how you liked this chapter once you're done reading.

Chapter XVII:

The Ballad of Mona Lisa

(Baralai)

"Well that went well," Paine said as I was backing out of my driveway.

"It did," I answered curtly, tightening my hand around the gear shift as I maneuvered it into drive. I almost couldn't believe how well it had gone actually.

"So if you don't mind me asking, what did you and your father talk about all that time?" She asked, turning her head to look at me.

"I told him the truth. I said that I'm interested in becoming a singer. Of course the first the thing that came out of his mouth was if I still wanted to take over the law firm but he wasn't as close minded as I thought he was going to be. I explained to him that I'm not completely opposed to taking the business over but it's not something I want to do right after I graduate. If I can make it as a singer like you and your friends have I'd like to try it for a while until I get stuck behind a desk."

I saw her turn her head to look out the window out of the corner of my eye. "And I'm guessing by the look on your face as you were coming down the stairs, he's going to give you a little freedom?" I didn't have to see her face to know that she was smiling. I could hear it in her voice.

"Yes, but on one condition," I began, briefly looking over at her even though her gaze was still trained out the window. I took a deep breath "I still have to go through a year of mandatory training after graduation."

"Well that's not so bad," she replied. "He could have told you otherwise so I think you should be thankful he's being so generous."

"Oh, I am, there's no doubt about that. I think I thanked him about half a dozen times. I'll have to move back to Bevelle though," I said looking over at her while we were stuck at a red light. I dreaded telling her that because I wasn't sure how she would handle it. Me living in Bevelle for a year was probably going to put a strain on our relationship and I didn't want to end up losing her. I'd tell my father to shove it if something like that as going to happen.

When her silence drew on for longer than I thought it would I started to get nervous. So when I heard her inhale to finally answer I felt the beat of my heart accelerate. "Hopefully I'll be able to ride a motorcycle by then and Bevelle is only three hours away. You'll get weekends off, right?"

I was so relieved by her answer that I almost forgot to reply to her question. "Yeah, I should."

"Then I'll come spend the weekends with you. I'll probably be performing again so I'll have to stay in Luca during the week."

I bit down on my tongue, suddenly becoming a little uncomfortable. I had just been about to ask her if she wanted to move to Bevelle with me. I was actually glad she had spoken because she stopped me from having a very unwelcome case of diarrhea of the mouth. The fact that we were living together right now didn't really mean anything. I was only there to help her while her back was healing. Once she was healed I was pretty sure she wouldn't want me there anymore. But don't forget that won't be for another five or six months, my mind told me. And don't forget that you're together now. She might not want to you to leave.

"I'd like to come down and watch you perform every once in a while," I said, my inner pep talk giving me some of my self confidence back.

"We can switch off then," she replied.

My eyebrows shot up and I was surprised that that idea hadn't even crossed my mind. "Yeah, we can do that. At least then you won't be the one doing all the driving."

"Exactly. I don't want to do all the work in this relationship," she said as we were pulling into her garage. She flashed one of her extremely rare smiles that even Shiva would be jealous of at me. For some reason I couldn't quite put words to how special her smile made me feel. As far as I knew she had never looked at anyone else that way before. At least that's what I was hoping because what I felt for her was a hundred times bigger than anything I had ever experienced in my life.

"Now that was below the belt," I laughed, knowing she was only joking around. "You haven't even given me a chance to prove I can be a good boyfriend."

"Oh, so it gets better then?" She retorted, trying to stifle her laughter.

"Oh yeah, much better. I'm not cut off from my parent's bank account anymore so I can spoil you whenever I want. And before you say that you don't want me to my parents already gave me permission to lavish you as often as I want, which is a pretty big step for them."

She rolled her eyes but one corner of her mouth was pulled up. "Oh joy, like I really need to be lavished upon."

I chuckled under my breath at her enthusiasm. "Don't act so excited. I might change my mind."

"Oh, perish the thought." She smiled at me and I felt my heart jump into my throat. I moved to get out of the car when I felt her hand wrap tightly around my wrist. "Speaking of your parents… I've been meaning to talk with you about this for a while." She met my eyes, asking for permission to continue.

I frowned and leaned closer to her, a little puzzled about where she was headed. "What is it?"

She took a deep breath and moved her hand from where it was sitting on my wrist so she could lace her fingers through mine. "When I first met you the fact that you weren't very happy with your parents was blatantly obvious. I would have had to be deaf and blind to not figure that one out in the first ten seconds. Anyways, what I'm trying to say is that I think your parents are great. I just don't want you to take them for granted."

The muscles in my face went slack when she was done speaking and I felt like hanging my head in shame. She was absolutely right. Here I was not appreciating the fact that I still had both my parents while she had lost hers. She had told me that she had gotten into an argument with her father before he had died and I knew for a fact that she wished she could have made up with him. If something like that had happened to my parents I would probably feel the same exact way. I squeezed her hand and smiled at her. "Thanks, really. I needed that."

"Anytime," she replied, leaning forward to kiss me. I hid the tremor that rocked my body as it traveled down my spine and had to stop myself from growling in disappointment when she pulled away. "Let's go inside now. You need to cook dinner."

I laughed as we walked into the house. "Just because I know how to cook doesn't mean I should." I quickly tossed the extra bag I had brought from my house and my keys into my room, stopping in the hallway when Paine paused in her doorway.

"Oh yes it does," she replied. "But I guess I could help you. Just let me take my pain pills first."

She disappeared into her room while I went into the kitchen to get everything started. I remember her saying something about wanting to cook the box of past she had in her pantry so I put a pot of water on to boil then retrieved the pasta. Two jars of alfredo sauce were sitting innocently near the back of the pantry so I grabbed those too. I was standing in front of the counter staring down at the box of pasta and alfredo sauce wondering what else I could put with it when Paine came back into the kitchen, catching my intense gaze at the items of food in front of me.

"Trying to cook the food with your eyes?" She joked, reaching into the fridge to grab a bottle of water.

I smirked and went to stand behind her, circling my arms around her waist. "Not quite. I'm trying to persuade it to cook itself." Right as she was closing the fridge I spied a package of boneless chicken breasts and quickly snatched it. She shot me a weird look as she glanced between my face and the package of chicken I was holding. "Chicken alfredo sound good?"

"Yeah, that sounds fantastic actually," she said as she went to check if the water for the pasta was boiling then she reached towards a cupboard above the stove and pulled a plastic cutting board out. "I'll cut the chicken up."

Half an hour later we were sitting at her small dining room table enjoying the alfredo and making small talk. "I'm not really excited about going back to school tomorrow," she said after a few moments of silence.

I looked at her as I took a drink of water. "Why is that?"

She sighed and set her fork down on her plate, the metal utensil clinking softly against the porcelain. "Everyone's going to be drilling me with questions all day long. They all thought I was dead too after all. I'm probably going to feel like pulling my hair out by the end of the day."

"Well I won't be able help you there. I wish I could."

She smiled but kept her gaze on her plate, picking up her fork again and pushing a piece of chicken around. "I'm a big girl. Just because we're dating now doesn't mean you need to treat me like a damsel in distress." Her smile widened when she lifted her eyes to look at me.

"That is definitely not what I meant," I clarified after swallowing what I had in my mouth. "Do we even want to tell anybody about us yet?"

The corners of her eyes twitched as she considered my question and I felt my left leg start to bounce, a nervous habit that I had never been able to shake. I kind of wanted her to say that she did, in fact, want to broadcast our relationship to her friends. Something told me that she might not be ready to though. She was a celebrity after all so if she decided to keep what we had between us a secret for a while I knew that I was going to have to respect that. When her silence drew on I began to chew on the inside of my cheek, wishing she would say something to alleviate my anxiety. I knew I was getting nervous for no particular reason so the butterflies that were fluttering around in my stomach were not welcome.

"I've been thinking about that for a while now and I honestly have no idea."

I swallowed the lump that had settled in my throat and felt my nervousness double at her cryptic answer. "Well what about Yuna and Rikku? When would you want to tell them?" I figured that asking her opinion on the subject would be better than asking a yes or no question. This way I could get a much better idea about what she was thinking.

"That's a good question," she replied after a few more silent moments. "I do want to tell them. I actually really do, but as soon as Rikku hears about it she's going to start a fire and everyone in the entire school will know by the end of the day."

I nodded and pushed my remaining noodles around my plate, recalling how much her Al Bhed best friend loved to gossip. I understood why she was so hesitant then. She was one of the rare celebrities that enjoyed their privacy. "Well I'm with you whatever you decide."

When she met my gaze the smile on her face was reflected in her eyes and I was stunned by how beautiful that made her look. "Thank you," she said, her voice soft. "For everything."

"You don't have to thank me," I replied. "I'm your boyfriend. I'm supposed to treat you like a queen, right?"

She laughed as she leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. "Baralai, if every guy on the planet was like you there would be no such thing as a bad relationship."

I felt my face grow hot at her compliment, surprised that she thought that. "I don't know about that. I'm definitely not perfect, far from it actually."

"I wouldn't be with you if you thought otherwise," she said.

I couldn't help the sigh of contentment that escaped my lungs then, a feeling that I was right where I was supposed to be passing over me. A part of me still couldn't believe that I had found such an amazing girl and I wished I could have met her sooner.

"So I have a question," I said a few hours later when we were getting ready to go to bed.

Paine paused in the hallway and turned to me, an inquisitive expression on her face. "And what would that be?" She asked, folding her arms loosely across her chest and leaning casually against the wall.

I flexed my fingers nervously at my sides, unsure of how she would receive my rather bold proposition. "Well, last night after we…you know… Anyways, I really enjoyed waking up and seeing you lying next to me. If you want you're welcome to sleep with me again. Just sleep though," I was quick to add. "None of that…other stuff."

She grinned and cocked her head to the side. "No," she stated before turning around and walking to her room. I was so shell shocked by her sudden answer that I didn't know how to respond. I certainly hadn't been expecting her to answer so quickly and shoot down my offer on top of it all. Just when I was beginning to feel extremely foolish she stopped in her doorway and looked back at me, the same mischievous grin still on her face. "We're sleeping in my bed tonight."

Only after she disappeared into her room did my legs finally lurch into action and propel me into my room faster than I had moved in a while. I swiftly threw on a pair of loose fitting sweatpants over my boxes then ran down the hallway like my heels were on fire. I paused briefly in her doorway and spotted her lying on her bed on top of the covers staring up at the ceiling. She was wearing a small black tank top that showed off just enough of her abdomen to get my heart racing and a matching pair of cloth shorts. She saw me out of the corner of her eye and shifted her gaze to my face. I noticed that her eyes paused on my bare chest and hung there for a few seconds longer than they should have but I didn't really care. I like staring at her just as much as she likes looking at me. I could probably stare at her all day if I had that kind of time.

"You sure do dress to impress, don't you?" She inquired, that same grin still decorating her face.

My lips curled upwards slightly as I looked down at my current state of undress. "Always," I replied as I strolled over to join her on the other side of the bed. "Especially when I'm around you."

She chuckled and turned towards me when I laid down, propping her head up on her bent left arm. "Oh, really? I was under the impression that you dressed like every other rich teenager in the world just for kicks," she joked.

"Hardly," I shot back and we shared a laugh together.

When our hushed laughter died down a comfortable silence settled over us and we just stared into each other's eyes for countless seconds. I wondered for a few moments what we looked like to an outside observer. Did it look like we were in love? Would the people we went to school with be able to tell we were in a relationship? So many thoughts were flying through my head that I could barely pin any of them down. What does she think about when she looks at me? What kind of feelings does she harbor for me? Does she ever think about the future? Those few questions were barely scratching the surface of the hundreds more that I had. I knew a majority of those particular thoughts would probably be enough to scare her off. Keeping them to myself was in the best interest of everyone until I knew we would eventually get that serious.

"You start Blitzball tomorrow, right?" I almost jumped when she suddenly broke the silence and I continued to stare at her with a semi-vacant expression until her question registered in my mind.

"Yes," I answered, moving slightly closer to her. "If you want I can drive you home before practice starts." I was hoping just a little bit that she would want to stay and watch me practice but I wasn't holding my breath. If she didn't want to stay I wouldn't be upset.

She shook her head and she moved just a little bit closer to me, gently squeezing one of her feet between mine. She was close enough that I could smell her shampoo and just the aroma of her hair was almost enough to intoxicate my senses, making me almost completely lose my control. "No, I want to watch you. Like I said before, it'll give me a chance to get started on that mountain of homework I'll be getting."

I snaked my arm around her waist and pressed her as close to me as she could get, being extremely mindful of her back. Over the last few hours I had been stricken with an insane need to have her near me. It was like I felt a magnetic pull towards her that I couldn't resist for very long. I buried my nose in her and breathed in deeply before sighing in contentment. I was glad that she wanted to watch me practice. While I was with Kiele she only came to a few of my games and that was only when I begged her. "Do you have any idea how amazing you are?" I mumbled into her hair.

"Rikku and Yuna tell me that whenever they want something," she replied, planting a string of erotically soft kisses across my neck and draping her arm across my shoulder.

My skin tingled where her lips touched, causing dozens of goose bumps to pop up all over my neck, back, shoulders and chest. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears and feel it bouncing off the inside my ribcage. I was in awe of the effect she had on me. It was crazy and impossible but I would never be able to get enough of it. I remembered that I had yet to respond to her statement and my breath caught in my throat as I scrambled for something to say.

"Well I'm saying it because it's true," I said, silently applauding myself on my recovery.

She pulled her head out of the hollow of my throat and grinned up at me, apparently liking what I had said. For a split second it seemed like she was going to say something but instead she reached behind her and turned her bedside lamp off, throwing the entire room into darkness. I was in the process of trying to come up with a believable excuse to get her to turn the light back on when she curled her leg seductively over mine, pressing herself even tighter against me. Just that one action had my head spinning and almost made me come undone. The memory of the other night entered my mind and the fact that I hadn't hurt her still confounded me.

"Shut up," she whispered before planting her soft lips against mine. Her hands crawled over my shoulders and firmly kneaded the muscles of my back, causing the grip I had on her waist to tighten.

I certainly hadn't been expecting her to want a repeat of last night's…activities. I only hoped I was going to be able to show the same amount of restraint tonight. Hurting her was the last thing I wanted to do.

(Paine)

Waking up the next morning and finding Baralai next to me really was amazing. I discovered that there really weren't any words sufficient enough for me to describe exactly how I felt. I clearly understood the reason behind his words the other night. I breathed in deeply and watched the steady rise and fall of his chest for a few moments before looking over my shoulder to check the time. A displeased scowl started to form on my face when I saw that it was nearly half an hour until my alarm was set to go off. I looked back at Baralai, admiring the peaceful expression on his face while he slept, and couldn't stop the scowl from turning into a smile. Feeling any negative emotion around him was nearly impossible.

I went to wake him up but then I remembered how he had let me sleep in the other morning while he made coffee and cooked breakfast. I didn't really feel like cooking this early but I knew that I needed to eat something so I could take my pain pills. I gently rolled over onto my back, wincing only slightly, and stared up at the ceiling for a few moments before begrudgingly getting out from underneath the warm blankets. I switched off my alarm and glanced over my shoulder once more at Baralai's sleeping form, wishing I could climb back in bed with him but knowing I needed the extra time to get ready.

Half an hour later when I emerged from the bathroom fully dressed, sans my back braces, I wasn't surprised to see Baralai still sleeping. Even though we had been living together for a couple weeks I still had no idea what his morning ritual was and I wondered for a moment why I had turned the alarm off. Don't worry about it, my mind told me. He'll enjoy you waking him up much more than an alarm. I snickered to myself as I meandered into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. If I was Rikku I would have been able to come up with at least half a dozen pranks to pull on him before he woke up but I wasn't as evil as her. Her and Gippal messed around on each other like that all the time.

Thinking about one of my best friends only reminded me of how I had yet to tell them about mine and Baralai's relationship. It had been foolish of me to even consider keeping something like that from them. We had always made a habit of being honest with each other and the fact that they couldn't keep their mouths shut shouldn't keep me from telling them. Letting them in on it now is better than waiting until they figure it out on their own, I reasoned as I started brewing the coffee. I stood there in front of the coffee maker for a few moments and watched as the dark liquid slowly dripped into the bottom of the glass container. Before I realized it a thin layer of coffee had formed in the bottom even though it felt like only a few seconds had passed. I quickly shook myself from my trance and returned to my room to wake Baralai.

When I walked back into my room I couldn't help but smile when I saw him sprawled out on my pillow. I gently sat down beside him and swept my fingers through his hair, marveling at how soft it was, then leaned down to plant a soft kiss on his cheek. He groaned, a low sound that rumbled through his chest like thunder, and smiled as he slowly opened his eyes to look up at me. His hands found mine and he laced our fingers together.

"Now I would love to be woken up like that every morning," he said, his voice thick with sleep.

"Well don't get used to it," I remarked, enjoying the feel of his hands in mine. I also wouldn't mind waking up next to him every morning but I was going to keep that little factoid to myself for a while. Baralai might be bold enough to say something like that but I was nowhere near as daring. A statement like that was reserved for a couple that had been dating for longer than twenty-four hours. "We've got a little less than an hour until school starts so whatever you need to do to get ready I suggest you get it done." I rose from the bed and went to my closet to grab a pair of shoes as well as gather the books I thought I would need for my first day back. "Oh and coffee will be ready in about five minutes."

"You're amazing!" He called as he walked out of my room.

While Baralai dressed I finished gathering my school books and both of my back braces then carefully carried all of it out of my room, depositing it on the dining room table. I fastened my braces tightly around me, the small one under my shirt and the bigger one over, hoping I wouldn't have to adjust them throughout the day. I realized early on that the more walking I did the more my brace moved around so I knew I was going to have to fix it whether I liked it or not. Even though I had noticed a difference with how stable my back felt after I put on the compression brace that Dr. Allbrook had given me I had a feeling my back was going to be sore at the end of the day.

I heard the coffee pot ding and I sighed in relief, needing a caffeine boost in the worst way. I grabbed two clean mugs from the cupboard and filled them halfway with the steaming black liquid then topped them off with creamer. I took a few small sips from mine, savoring the sweet taste of the creamer mixed with the bitterness of the coffee, before bringing Baralai his.

After finding both his room and the guest bathroom that he had taken over empty I couldn't stop my eyes from rolling. Ever since he found out about how many different kinds of hair products I had in my bathroom I could barely keep him out of there. I really didn't mind – half the products hadn't been touched in forever – but I was still assimilating him into my life. Having someone from the outside being so close to all my personal belongings still felt wrong in some way. I had to continually remind myself that Baralai was my boyfriend now and allowing him to become a part of my life was something I had to do if I wanted to keep him around. I was going to have to make breaking personal boundaries my new hobby.

He smiled when he saw me come into the bathroom with the mugs of coffee in my hands and gave me a quick peck on the cheek as I handed him his. "So I see you're getting into my hair gel again," I said, slapping a fake glare onto my face for dramatic effect.

Of course he saw right through it. "No, just your hairspray this time." He kissed me on the lips, letting his mouth linger on mine for a few extremely pleasant moments. "And it was even one that was starting to collect dust so I don't think you'll miss it."

I rolled my eyes at him then went to sit on my bed and drink my coffee in peace. We left about twenty minutes later and I found myself getting the nervous jitters the closer we got to the school. I wanted to reach over and hold Baralai's hand for some reassurance but he needed both of them to drive. I settled for weaving my own fingers together and pressing my clasped hands firmly in my lap. This was something I had to do and I wouldn't allow myself to run away from it. I was pretty sure that Rikku and Yuna had told everyone that I was alive and well so I was hoping that I had become old news by now. Wishful thinking, right?

Our small group of friends were already waiting for us when we pulled into the school's parking lot. As soon as Rikku spotted Baralai's car she started clapping and jumping around excitedly, alerting everyone else to our arrival. I groaned and hid my face in my hands. Putting up with an overly excited and very hyper Rikku had not been on the list of things I wanted to deal with on top of everything else today. I glanced at Baralai from behind my makeshift shield, looking for some reassurance, and was rewarded with a playful smirk instead. All of a sudden I wished that I really had died.

Baralai pried one of my hands away from my face and I swore I heard him chuckle. "Don't act like the world is coming to an end," he said, squeezing my fingers tightly. "They're your best friends and they thought you were dead. Go easy on them."

"As long as Rikku doesn't jump on me," I replied as I reluctantly stepped out of the car.

"That shouldn't be too hard."

Rikku and Yuna were instantly at my side as soon as I had shut the car door behind me and, just as I had predicted, Rikku attempted to throw herself at me. Baralai thankfully stepped in before she was able to though. "I really don't feel like bringing her to the hospital again," he said, holding her at bay. His tone reminded me of a parent scolding their child and I had to choke down my laughter. I had never heard him speak like that before.

"Oh whoops," she said, sounding like she just remembered about my back. "Anyways, Painey, we got you a present!"

Yuna handed me a box that was about the same size of my hand and only two inches thick. It didn't leave much to the imagination. The wrapping paper was covered with chocobos and moogles and topped off with a light blue plastic bow. I shot Rikku a disgusted look because I knew that she was the culprit behind that.

"Just open it!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands up into the air. "Does it really matter what the wrapping paper looks like?"

"Only when it looks like this," I responded, taking the bow off the box and slapping it on the top of her head.

I couldn't stop my mouth from dropping open when I saw what was inside the box. The sleek black screen of a high-tech cell phone, the same one that I had been thinking of getting before my crash, was reflecting my flabbergasted expression back at me. I suddenly felt like crying and the strange sensation of tears building up in the corners of my eyes shocked me. I really did have some of the most amazing friends in the world. I take back everything that I thought before I got out of Baralai's car.

"Wow, you guys," I stammered after I had managed to find my voice. "Thanks a lot. You didn't have to do that you know." I wrapped an arm around each of them and hugged them tightly. Because of all the issues with my insurance over my surgery and crash I hardly had time to sit and relax let alone worry about buying a new cell phone.

"Oh yes we did. Yunie and I witnessed firsthand what your old cell phone went through when you crashed. Plus you needed something better than that old flip phone," Rikku said as she pulled the bow out of her hair.

"Hey, I liked that phone," I replied, carefully extracting my new phone from the box. "This thing comes with an instruction manual, right?" I joked, glanced at both my friends.

"Yeah, the rest of that is in this box," Yuna said, handing me the original packaging that the phone had come in. I looked at it for a few seconds then placed it on the passenger seat of Baralai's car.

"We already charged it and put all of our numbers in your phonebook," Rikku announced proudly. "Oh and I took the liberty of putting a screen protector on it."

I looked over at Baralai and caught him trying to hide a very smug expression. I narrowed my eyes at him. "You knew about this, didn't you?"

He grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "They might have mentioned it once or twice."

"Yeah, of course," I responded dryly, rolling my eyes.

Rikku showed me how to turn it on then left me to fend for myself, confident that I would be able to figure out how to work it if I played with it enough. Gippal and Tidus joined us then, effectively diverting their attention away from me. I gaped at their backs as they went to their boyfriends' sides, marveling at the fact that they hadn't even noticed how close Baralai was standing to me or that his hand had been securely wrapped around my hip the entire time. They had, for the first time, shocked me into silence. I had been hoping they would catch on so I wouldn't have to come out and say it. I glanced over my shoulder at Baralai and he sent me a knowing glance, letting me know with just his eyes that if I was going to tell them about us I had better do it quick.

"Hey, guys," I said, sliding my new phone into my back pocket and laying a hand on each of their shoulders. "There's something I've got to tell you." I looked over my shoulder at Baralai and he nodded his head, encouraging me to continue. I flicked my head towards Gippal and Tidus, indicating that he needed to let his own friends in on our little secret as well. He jokingly rolled his eyes as he got their attention.

"What's up, Painey?" Rikku inquired as she hopped onto the hood of Yuna's car. Yuna followed suit and they both looked at me expectantly.

I sighed heavily and wrung my hands nervously in front of me. It had been quite a while since the last time I had told them I had a boyfriend. We had just started eighth grade when I met the last little bastard. I remember it well only because that was shortly before we hit it big with our singing. It's a shame that such a happy memory was tied in with such a horrible one. My breath caught in my throat when I noticed my lapse and shook the nervousness from my mind. My relationship with Baralai felt right so there was no reason why I should be feeling that way.

"I'm dating Baralai," I blurted, keeping my revelation simple. I had probably rehearsed what I was going to say to them dozens of times and with every scenario I thought of I always ended up rambling, which is something I'm not known to do very often.

Both girls frowned simultaneously, their eyes growing wide as my words registered in their minds. Rikku turned towards her cousin and whispered, "Is she serious?"

Yuna, who looked more happy than shocked, nodded and answered her without taking her eyes away from me. "Yes, Rikku, I think she is."

I huffed, more amused than angry that they were talking about me like I wasn't standing right in front of them. "I definitely wouldn't be joking about something like this and you know it," I responded, crossing my arms over my chest.

Rikku giggled and jumped off of Yuna's car, moving to hug me at a much slower pace than before. "We're happy for you, Paine," she whispered into my ear. "It's about time you found someone worthy."

I hugged her back and one corner of my mouth twitched. "Thanks, I think. And I know you two are getting ready to send out a news bulletin announcing the change in my relationship status so don't try denying it. Just don't go overboard."

Yuna smiled and crossed her legs. "We would never dream of it. Right, Rikku?"

The younger blonde shook her head, the beads in her hair clacking together, and a smile similar to the one on Yuna's face appeared on hers. "Nope, never."

I groaned inwardly when the bell rang, signaling the beginning of my first school day in almost two months. I sighed in trepidation, feeling like crawling back into Baralai's car and hiding. I smiled, relieved, when his warm fingers laced through mine, making me feel just a little bit better.

The day hadn't been as bad as I thought it was going to be. Yuna and Rikku had a two week head start breaking the news to the rest of our class mates so no one needed a recap of my life since my crash. Quite a few people did bring me flowers though so by the end of the day I looked like a walking flower store.

Of course word had spread about me and Baralai so I had to put up with the plethora of questions about that. Although we weren't trying very hard to hide it. Baralai met me outside of all the classes we didn't have together and walked with me to my next one while holding my hand. We had come to a mutual decision not to kiss in front of everyone; I wanted at least a few aspects of our relationship kept private.

By the end of the day my back was screaming for something soft to sit against. The hard plastic chains of the school desks had been far from welcoming and it only took till the end of first period for me to wish I had brought a pillow with me. The school was strict when it came to students carrying medication around with them so I had to leave my pain pills with the nurse and was only allowed to take them during lunch and at the end of the day.

As for all that homework, my teachers showed no mercy even though my lengthy absence had been excused. I really couldn't blame them but once I saw the amount of work I had to get done I felt the urge to crawl into a dark hole and weep. Just to be sure that my place at the graduation ceremony would be saved I made the principal put our little deal in writing. If I finished and turned in all my missing work I would be allowed to walk. If not, I would be graduating a semester late. So I guess you could say the proverbial fire beneath my ass had been lit.

When the final bell rang I was so happy that I nearly tried running out of the classroom but settled for calmly shuffling out, my many bouquets of flowers in my arms. I backed up against the wall outside the door and watched the halls for Baralai over the tops of the colorful petals. It wasn't long until I spotted his signature white hair bobbing through the crowd. I fell in step beside him, handing him a stack of flowers, and looped my free arm through his.

"So what are you going to do with all these flowers?" He asked, playfully swinging the bouquets I handed him in front of my face.

"As soon as I get home I'm throwing them away," I answered, idly smelling a bouquet of lilies.

"That's not very nice. You won't even keep any?"

I eyed the lilies, they were my mother's favorite flower after all. "I'll probably keep the lilies, but that's it. I don't want my house looking like a flower pasture." I paused and looked over at him. "I kind of wish you didn't have Blitzball practice. My back is killing me."

"Do you have your pain pills?" He asked, concern filtering into his voice.

"I need to go get them from the nurse. You can go get ready if you need to."

"Nope," he replied, adjusting his arms so that it was wrapped snugly around my waist. "I'm definitely not leaving you by yourself. I'd feel horrible if you fell on your way over to the pool."

I tilted my head up slightly to look at him. "You're absolutely right. That would be horrible. Thanks." I was trying to sound sarcastic but I really was glad that he was going to stay with me.

"Don't mention it," he said, quickly planting a kiss in my hair as we were walking into the nurses' office.

The nurse, an older woman with thick glasses and gray streaks in her dark brown hair, looked up when we walked in. She flashed me a warm smile then reached inside a side drawer of her desk procuring my pill bottle from it. I handed Baralai the rest of my flowers as I went to take the small orange bottle from her.

"Are you going home right away, dear?" She asked, reaching into another drawer on the opposite side.

I pursed my lips, the idea of asking Baralai to just bring me home passing through my mind. Would he understand? Don't forget that you promised him you would stay. I bit down on the inside of my cheek, chewing on it for few seconds. "No, not for a while," I replied, looking back and smiling at him.

The expression that appeared on his countenance then was nothing short of pure joy and pride. I knew that I had made the right decision. A little discomfort on my part was worth it to watch him practice. I wasn't staying just so I could get homework done even though I had told him otherwise.

"Alright then," the nurse replied, bringing my attention away from Baralai. "Take these." She placed two chocolate chip granola bars and a bottle of orange juice on the desk and slid them towards me. "You need to take those pills with food, correct?" She asked, her soft eyes grinning at me from behind her glasses.

"Yeah," I answered as I took the items from her desk. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it, dear."

I opened the orange juice as soon as we left the nurses' office and took a huge gulp. I hadn't had anything to drink since lunch and my throat was as dray as the Bikanel desert. "Where am I going to sit?" I inquired as I twisted the cap back onto the bottle.

He narrowed his eyes and chewed on his bottom lip like he was in deep thought then smirked playfully down at me through his eyelashes. "I've got an idea. I'll show you before I go to dress out," he said, holding the door that led to the pool open for me.

The swimming pool was absolutely immense. It was two hundred meters long, one hundred meters wide and nearly thirty feet deep on one side. I've been it a few times before for gym class and it made me feel like I was swimming in the ocean. Baralai took my hand and led me towards the deep end, descending a staircase that blended in with the wall on the far side. The staircase was pitch black and got darker the farther down we went so I wrapped my hand around his shoulder for added security. I found it amazing that he was able to traverse the stairs with his arms full of flowers. I would have ended up on my face. At the bottom he flicked a switch and small fluorescent lights lit up all around the perimeter of the room, supplying just enough light to see by. A plush L-shaped couch was sitting in front of a window that allowed you to see inside the pool. I gaped at it, kind of surprised that I hadn't even known about this place.

"Wow," I said in awe, walking around and sitting down on the couch. "You sure I can be down here?" I glanced up at him as he placed all my flowers on the floor then leaned over the back of the couch.

"This room is usually reserved for coaches during swim meets and since the swim season doesn't start until after Blitzball is over no one will be coming down here for a while. I figured you'd be more comfortable down here anyways. We'll be mostly underwater today."

He leaned down further and planted a soft kiss on my lips. "Need anything else before I leave?"

I wrinkled my nose slightly, only one question swirling through my mind. "How do you blitzers hold your breath for so long?" Even though I had been friends with Tidus and Gippal for years I had never asked them that before.

"We actually don't hold our breath at all. The water is oxygenated. It's harder to push out of your lungs so we can't stay under for very long. It's tough to get used to," he answered matter-of-factly.

"Interesting," I replied, feeling kind of dumb that I hadn't come to that conclusion myself. "I don't play Blitzball so I wouldn't know that."

"It's a trade secret," he said as he kissed me again. "I'll see you in a little bit, alright? We get a break every half hour so if you need anything let me know."

"Okay," I said, watching him ascend the stairs and disappear from sight.

After he was gone I sighed heavily and sank into the plush cushions of the couch, glaring down at my binder with distaste. I didn't want to do any of the homework that was waiting for me but I didn't have a choice. I wanted to graduate with my friends and I'd get the work done even if it killed me. I groaned as I snatched my binder off the couch and got started, idly chewing on my granola bars so I could take my meds.

It was about twenty minutes later when a dull knocking pulled my concentration away from my homework. I lifted my eyes and saw Baralai grinning at me from the other side of the glass. I jumped involuntarily, not expecting to see him and waved back awkwardly. As I rose from the couch and approached the glass I took note that his uniform was nothing more than a short sleeved black wetsuit with the school insignia on the front. I vaguely recalled Gippal telling me that, because the pool was so deep, it was hard to keep the water at a consistent temperature so it got pretty cold. I smiled at him through the glass and briefly wondered if he could see me clearly. He smiled back then looked over his shoulder like someone was trying to get his attention. I followed his line of sight and saw Tidus waving him over. Baralai held up the index finger of one of his hands, signaling that he would be right over, then turned back to me. We locked gazes and his eyes softened, resembling melting chocolate. He lifted a hand to his mouth, pressed his lips to his fingers then placed his hand on the glass, a smile slowly spreading across his face. I felt my cheeks grow warm at his simple gesture before repeating what he had done. He winked at me before planting his feet against the glass and pushing off of it, his body moving swiftly through the water toward the rest of his team mates.

I tried focusing on my mountain of homework while the team practiced but found that it was impossible. Watching Baralai play Blitzball felt like a privilege. He was simply amazing. He moved through the water so effortlessly that I thought he had turned into a fish. I was willing to go as far as saying that he could probably give Tidus a run for his money. I reminded myself to discuss that with Baralai later. Every time they had a break he would come down and see how I was doing, which probably wasn't a good idea because he was tracking water everywhere including on me. Seeing him sopping wet with droplets of water dotting his dark skin was kind of captivating.

"Enjoying yourself?" He asked as he sat down on the floor in front of me. He was on his last break of the day and I was glad; I was looking forward to going home.

"I am. I love watching you play."

He smirked, an expression of uncertainty like he didn't believe me formed on his face. "You do? Really?"

"Yes, really. I wouldn't lie just to make you feel better, that's for sure."

His smile softened and the expression of disbelief melted off his face as he started to chew on his bottom lip. I could tell that he was getting ready to say something emotionally charged so I only braced for it. I knew that as long as I was with him these occurrences were going to happen more and more often.

Right when he was getting ready to say what he was thinking he stopped and stared down at his lap, a smile spreading across his face that looked vaguely sardonic. "You must think I'm a huge sap," he remarked, looking up at me through his eyelashes.

I frowned, wrinkling my nose at him. "I've never thought that about you. What makes you think that?"

He sighed and crawled over to me, kneeling in front of me and resting his arms on my knees. "When I'm in a relationship I like telling my girlfriend what I'm feeling. I try to be as open and honest as I can because I hate not feeling like I'm not trustworthy." He paused and looked away from me, pursing his lips like he wasn't sure he should keep going.

The fact that he was having a rough time with whatever was running circles through his mind was blatantly obvious. I took the initiative to help him calm down and cradled his face between my hands, leaning close enough to him so that our noses were touching. "You don't have anything to prove to me. Like I said before I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't trust you. I don't doubt you so you shouldn't doubt yourself."

He averted his eyes away from me, his tan cheeks reddening in embarrassment. "I know. I'm sorry." He acted like he wanted to say more but before he had the chance someone knocked sharply on the glass window behind us, making us both jump.

When I looked over Baralai's shoulder and saw Gippal and Tidus making kissy faces at us I felt my own cheeks flare white hot. I hid my face in my hands, completely mortified. Those two catching us having a moment was the last thing I needed. They were going to hold this over my head for a very long time, I just knew it. I felt the pressure of Baralai's arms leave my lap and dared to move my hands away from my face. Baralai was standing a few feet away from the window gesturing wildly to the two on the other side. I wished for a moment that I knew what he was telling them. When his hands stopped moving Tidus and Gippal swam away with smirks on their faces.

"They sure do think they're comedians, don't they?" I remarked as I joined Baralai by the window.

"Yeah, probably a little too much. I have to get back. It won't be too much longer." He kissed me on the cheek then quickly left.

I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest, and started to wonder what I had gotten myself into with him. The realization that I was beginning to fall in love with him already should have scared the hell out of me, but it didn't.