Author's Note: Alright, new chapter time! At this point I'm hoping to get one a week done, and I hope you all enjoy what you've seen so far. Perhaps the next one will come out a bit earlier, but we'll have to see of course! Anyway, thanks to all who have reviewed so far. It really means a lot to me, and I thank those who have taken the time to do so. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Feel free to tell me what you like or dislike!

Chapter 5: Foul Play

Perspective: Tidus

Reason No. 11 That My Life Sucks: Having to get up at six in the morning only to get yelled at by my dad.

"Still not dressed yet? Geez, and here I thought you were taking this seriously."

"Get out, dad." I hate him. I hate him so goddamn much. I wish that I could show him that hate, show him how much he's hurt me in the past. Maybe then he'd start to understand that he's trash. Maybe then he could change a little.

But all he did was shrug. "Just giving you a wake up call. Shouldn't need to though. Your responsibility to wake up for tryouts, not mine. Speaking of which, I'll see you there."

"Not giving me a ride?" Then again, that wasn't anything new.

"Heh, nope. You need to warm up before the game actually starts, kid. That's not going to happen if you just sit in my car and leach off me as per usual."

There are many days when I wish I could really kill the guy…this is already shaping up to be one of them. And the really sad thing about that? The day had just begun.

"Fine. More time apart from you the better."

"Heh. You never were one for bonding time with your old man." Thankfully that was the last thing he said as he left my room. I don't think I could have restrained myself for a minute longer. He really does anger me that much. Just knowing that we're related…feels almost like I have some sort of blood curse.

With Jecht out of the way I found it easier to breathe again, the tension literally following him out of the house as I heard the car start up. It was nice to be free of him, free of all the anger that he caused me.

Well, that's a lie. It seems like that can never leave me. Guess my old man just has that much of an impact on me, huh?

It took me a few seconds to remember that I couldn't get angry, not today anyway. Not only did try outs lie ahead, but I also had a, well, date with Yuna that I intended to keep. The weird thing though? Just thinking about the girl got me to cool down, and I had only met her that Wednesday. I guess it's true that some people can just have that big an impact on you.

"Tidus, are you certain you want to, well, have lunch together tomorrow?" It had been lunch the previous day, Yuna asking the question just as I had started to dig into a nice bowl of chicken noodle soup.

"Hmm? Why wouldn't I? Something come up, Yuna?"

"N-Not at all! It's just that, I thought you'd want to be celebrating with your friends after you make the team." It's certainly nice that someone has confidence in me. Unlike a certain man who lives in the same house as me.

"What's to say that I don't want to celebrate with you? I spend a ton of time with my friends as is, so I don't see any problems with getting to know you a bit better, Yuna." I took a nice sip of my soup as my eyes continued to meet hers. "Besides, you'll have something to celebrate as well, won't you?"

"What do you mean?" Man she looks cute when confused.

"This is the first ever real blitz game you'll be seeing, right? Well, I guess technically it won't be a real one, but this'll be your first time inside a stadium and seeing us in action."

"I suppose you're right about that. Hey, Tidus?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for everything. I don't know if it is okay for me to say this, but I'm really looking forward to lunch tomorrow."

Yeah, you and me both, Yuna. The only bad thing is that I have a little trial I need to complete before we can enjoy ourselves.

A quick shower later and I was cleaned off, a few drops of water still clinging to my frame even as I pulled on the blitz suit that Wakka had bought me for my birthday. He must have paid quite a bit of munny for it too, considering how well it's made. Not to mention it's a pretty stylish too. Didn't know Wakka had the eye for that kind of stuff.

Blitzball in hand, I prepared to leave my home, remembering that I had to lock up now that a certain asshole was gone. Of course, the phone just had to ring at that moment.

"Hello?"

"Yo Tidus, where you been man? Try outs start in fifteen minutes! Why didn't you get a ride with your old man?"

"He didn't let me come, simple."

"Wow, harsh man."

"Try living with him. Look, I'll be there soon. Ten minutes tops. I run pretty fast, after all."

"Yeah, yeah. Good luck, brudda."

I hung up, letting out a sigh as I shook my head. Dad hadn't even told me what time it was. Then again, that was probably another thing he considered to be my responsibility: knowing what time it is. I swear, that son of a-

My eyes caught sight of a small picture frame as I found myself looking into eyes so very like mine. Yet they had belonged to a woman who had been dead for a decade now. They weren't happy eyes like Kairi's, or even mischievous ones like Selphie's. They were sad, filled with a pain that had been bottled up within the woman for a long time. It had been that pain that had taken her life in the end.

"Well, I'm off. Wish me luck, mom."

"Tidus! There you-"

"What took you so long, man? Geez, for a second there I thought you wouldn't make it!" I could only offer Yuna a wave as Wakka wrapped an arm around my shoulder, the small crowd that waited outside of the school blitz stadium full of murmurs, cries of joy and other sounds that I really didn't want to concern myself with. Right now, Yuna and Wakka were the ones that mattered to me, and I felt genuinely bad as the latter steered me away from the former.

"I arrived on time. No one said I had to show up a few minutes early, Wakka. Besides, you can't really blame me when I have to run over here."

"Yeah, well, I still got a bit worried. Wouldn't want you to miss your shot at this. The three of us are making it today, Tidus. Nothing's going to stop that."

"Right on! Speaking of which, where's Riku?"

"Hanging out with these two idiots." The silver haired sophomore smirked as he walked towards us, two rather angry looking friends of ours following behind him.

"Who the heck are you calling idiots!"

"Yeah Riku! I mean, I guess Sora might count as one, but I don't think it's fair that-"

"Kairi! What the heck! How could you say that!"

Geez, you'd think those two were an old married couple at times. Doing my best to ignore the two of them, I stretched out my right arm, only to find my fist met by two others. Just as I expected.

"Make sure to pull your own weight, Tidus. Can't pick up slack for a freshman."

"Heh, I should talk. You two get to watch as I break an age old tradition today."

"I'm looking forward to seeing it. This is your first time in a blitz dome in awhile, yah?" While Wakka spoke the truth, I knew that I wasn't going to perform poorly today. After all, if anything it was harder to practice in the salt water of the ocean than the clear water of the sphere.

"Doesn't mean a thing. Alright, let's get going." The gates to the dome were already opening as I watched several of my competitors race ahead, a good number of supporters following behind them. Then again, we had a good few ourselves.

"Alright, good luck guys! We're rooting you on!" Kairi waved at us, Namine nodding as she stood next to her twin. The wisdom the blonde had imparted to me remained in my mind as I gave her a thumbs up.

Geez Namine, no need to blush or anything.

"Come on guys! Go and make the team already!" Selphie was her cheery self as she bounded up and down, the girl actually racing ahead now. I guess she wanted a good seat, not like there were enough people here to fill even a tenth of the stadium…

"You'd better make it, Riku! I did not get pulled out of bed early on a Saturday to see you get your ass kicked by someone that isn't me!"

Sora, same usual self as always.

"Good luck today, Tidus."

"Ah!"

When had Yuna managed to catch up with us? Well, not that I wasn't glad or anything. It was a relief that I'd be able to see the girl before try outs started. As per usual, she wore clothes that I swore she should have been burning up in, but she seemed cheery as she stood before me, even giggling a bit at my reaction.

"I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to wish you luck before you got in there."

I laughed, a hand scratching at the back of my head. "No worries, Yuna. Don't worry, this'll be a piece of cake. You just pay attention to me, alright? Hey, where are you planning to sit anyway?"

"Oh, well, probably over near Kairi and the others."

"Alright then. When I score a goal, I'll do this!" I raised the index and middle fingers of my left hand as I grinned. "That will mean it was for you, okay?"

I found myself lost in Yuna's eyes again even as she smiled at me. "Alright. I guess we're assuming that you are going to score a goal then."

"Hey! You're the one who was saying that I'm going to make the team!"

"And I still believe it." Geez Yuna, you really like to shut me up, don't you? "Good luck, Tidus."

"Yeah, thanks." My eyes didn't stray from her form for a second as I watched her take her seat on the bleachers, Kairi instantly turning to her with a smile.

I was glad that Yuna was making more friends. It certainly helped that they were mine too. I guess…I secretly wanted to hog up all of her attention.

And that's why I was going to pass try outs with flying colors.

When it comes to technology, I have to stop and wonder why some things exist while others don't.

Flying cars? Impossible at this time, right? Time machines? Pssh, yeah right.

But technology advanced enough to suspend a giant sphere of water within the air for hours at a time? Yep, we have that alright.

Not like I'm complaining though.

I was close enough to where my friend's sat in the bleachers to notice Yuna's eyes light up with excitement as water started to fill the sphere, a few cheers going up throughout the mostly empty stadium.

I smirked as I watched her clap her hands together. Just wait until she sees this place all lit up at night with the stands packed. I think then she'll feel like she's in an otherworld altogether.

"Alright guys, line up. We're-" The spiky black haired teen stopped as he passed me. Great, this guy again. "Hey, Tidus right?"

"Yeah, that's me."

"…I'm sorry. Look, it wasn't fair of me to compare you to your dad and talk about your…let's not think about it anymore. I'm sure that you're a good blitzer. Didn't mean to offend you and all that, not to mention cause that accident with that girl."

"Yeah, thanks for that." The strange thing was, I wasn't being sarcastic.

"Well, anyway…peace?"

"Alright. Don't go easy on me though." The two of us clasped hands, Zack finally grinning at me as he nodded.

"Of course not. No freshman has ever made the team, you know?"

"Then I'll be the first. Tell my…the coach to keep his eyes on me."

"Got it. Alright, let's form up everyone! I know a lot of you have gathered today, and I'm really happy to hear it. I see Juniors, Sophomores, hell, even a few doomed Freshmen." Guess seniors had already been picked out or something. "Anyway, I'm Zack Fair, a Junior here and blitz captain. I hope I'll get to know you all. Anyway, shall we get to it?"

He grinned as we roared, our fists pumping into the air as, one after another, we climbed up a small tower and jumped into the orb of water. Even submerged, I could hear the screams of those in the audience all around me.

I guess this must have been how dad felt in his prime. Before he became an asshole.

Then again, who is to say he wasn't always one?

Four minutes.

That was my current record for how long I could hold my breath. Twenty five seconds longer than Riku, eighteen longer than Wakka. And in Blitz, every second makes a difference. If you run out, you need to surface quickly, and that not only costs time, but also leaves a team a player down until they return.

And seeing as how long we could last for underwater was our first test, I felt that I had this whole try out thing in the bag.

Zack watched us, arms crossed before his chest as we simply swam back and forth within the sphere. It's rare to ever remain still for long in a blitz game, unless you're playing goal keep I suppose. But trust me, that's not a position I'd ever play.

Only a minute passed before I saw a few of my competitors surface. I almost felt bad for them all, knowing there was no chance that they'd ever be able to make the team now. Honestly, it was a little embarrassing to go down that quickly. I found myself giving Riku a high five as he swam by, my friend not looking like he'd need to go up anytime soon either.

As I continued to swim back and forth, monitoring my breathing as I did, I had to think about my dad once again. The fact that he stood atop the entrance tower certainly helped with that. They say that my old man could hold his breath for nearly five minutes back when he was playing. I have to wonder if that was true. And if so, that's another bar I need to set for myself.

Time continued to fly by as we swam around, cheers from the bleachers continuing to fill my ears as I darted back and forth. It was becoming a bit harder since my oxygen supply was down, three minutes having now passed. I could already see Riku heading for the surface, leaving only a few of us left within the sphere. Aside from myself I saw Wakka, Zack, and two other boys who I wasn't familiar with. One had short blonde hair that spiked up in a rather ridiculous manner. Maybe he and Sora use the same hair gel or something. The other was massively built, his eyes squinty even as he remained submerged.

Eventually the four minute mark came, my head breaking through the surface as I tried to catch my breath. It's not an easy task to hold your breath for so long, and knowing that was the first event didn't make me happy. Still, it must have helped that I was third to break the surface behind Zack and the blonde teen.

"Heh…you're not half bad…only beat you by…two seconds…" The first trial had clearly taken the breath out of Zack too as he panted wildly. I wondered why he was doing all of this too as Blitz Captain before the answer came at once. After all, blitz teams are supposed to work together.

Explains why my dad was just watching I guess.

"Heh, is that all you rookies got? Just a handful of 'ya able to reach four minutes?" Speak of the devil. "Well, whatever. That was the easy stuff. Let's see how you kids do under pressure."

After a minute break, we were all underwater once more for tackle and shot practice. The few guys trying out for goal keep also had to go over their roles, but I didn't exactly care for that stuff. My specialty is scoring points.

I found myself kicking ass when it came to speed and skill, swiftly dodging the clumsy tackles of my competitors as I held onto my blitzball. They failed one after another as I zoomed past them, their efforts futile. Maybe if they went after someone else they'd get points, but me? In the water, no one can catch me.

The goal was soon in sight, the larger guy from earlier managing to deflect and catch several blitzballs sent at him. He turned as I made my presence known, although by then it was too late for him. The sharp whistle of the scoreboard went off, indicating that someone had scored. I grinned, giving him a thumbs up as well before I swam towards the surface. I was prepared to signal Yuna, but realized that wasn't a real goal. I had to do something way better than that when the mock match began.

"You're pretty good." The blonde guy from earlier was also catching his breath, the water failing to keep his spikes down despite what logic should have dictated. "I'm Cloud."

"Tidus…hey, you're not bad yourself…I saw you throw a nasty tackle at my friend Wakka…usually that guy doesn't go down."

"Been training a lot." And with that he was back underwater. I guess Cloud isn't exactly all that talkative.

I didn't remain on the surface for long before I was back inside the blitz sphere, Zack now dividing us up into teams for a mock game. Luckily I found myself paired with Wakka, although Cloud, Riku and the large guy from earlier were on the opposite time. Zack used his hands to signal that he'd be the referee before raising one arm and cutting down.

We were off a second later, the blitzball shooting through the water as I watched Riku catch it. The boy smirked as he raced towards our goal, something that it didn't seem Wakka was going to let him get away with. My two friends faced off, their eyes meeting as they remained in place, both planning their next move.

While standoffs are cool, I figured that I might as well intervene. I shot at Riku, tackling my dazed friend as I ripped the ball from his hands. Wakka smirked as the two of us now raced through the sphere, dodging whoever it was that attempted to throw themselves at us. Too bad they were all amateurs next to us.

Well, until the last two guys. Before the goal was the large guy from earlier, and between him and us was Cloud, the blonde coming at us at full force. I turned to Wakka, only to see him still smiling as he threw himself before me, taking the blow that was meant for me.

An idea was already forming in my hand as I swam, not towards the goal as was expected of me, but straight up. To the surprise of both the audience and my competitors, I threw the ball as hard as I could as it broke the surface. A second later and so did I, my body doing a flip as I soared through the air.

And then my foot found the ball.

The loud buzz sound that echoed throughout the stadium signaled one thing: I had scored the first point in this mock game.

The first point that Yuna had ever seen scored in a real match. Or at least semi-real.

Speaking of which, I quickly raised my left hand, middle and index fingers raised as I turned to watch her. It was from a distance, but I could at least see her waving back at me.

"Alright! I think we know who is going to make this team!"

And I thought that Wakka was the one with a strong headlock.

"Oww! Zack, let me go!"

"Seriously, you're embarrassing yourself." Cloud stood a few feet away from us, having just left the sphere himself. "You're pretty good though, Tidus. Best freshman I've ever seen try out."

"Yeah, you're right! And here I thought that we'd be keeping that tradition, but after seeing you? Geez, I'll protest the coach myself if you don't end up on the list."

I turned to look at the tower, only to find that my dad was nowhere to be seen. Yeah, figures he'd leave us all when we were finished without a word of encouragement. Typical.

"Umm, excuse me." The three of us turned to look at the rather well built teen who stood before us. The goalkeeper that I had scored on a total of three times throughout the mock game crossed his hands across his bare chest before smiling. "You all did very well-"

"Complimenting your competition? You really need to grow a pair." I turned to look at the darker skinned woman who had descended down from the bleachers above, a hand resting on one of her hips as she threw back her head. "Honestly, and I thought you were supposed to be good at this."

"But Dona! These guys-"

"That's quite enough. Barthello, we're leaving." Man, this guy is royally whipped. I turned to watch the two go, Barthello turning back to us to wave before he and this Dona girl left.

"Tidus man, that was awesome! You really kicked ass today, yah?"

"You were pretty awesome yourself, Wakka. And you too, Riku." While the mock game had started out with me dominating, enough time had been provided for the others to prove themselves. Riku had scored a few points even when Wakka and I were playing defensively, and Wakka hadn't been a pushover either.

I just hoped that they would make the team as well.

"Hmph. You were the show stealer, Tidus." I grinned even as Riku rolled his eyes, although he turned to look past me as his smile returned.

"That was amazing you guys!" Kairi rushed over to us, the girl all smiles as she gushed on and on about how well we had played. I looked past the redhead to see Namine give me a thumbs up that I happily returned.

"Wow Riku, I guess you aren't bad after all. Although Tidus totally schooled you!"

"Sora, I swear I'm going to kill you!" We all had our laugh as things returned to normal, my friends with their normal zany antics. It was nice, having people who I could relax around. I needed the time after having to deal with my dad.

"That was amazing, Tidus." I turned, smiling at the brunette before me as she clapped her hands together. "I-I loved it…it was everything I was told about and more. And you…you were amazing!"

"Well, thanks Yuna. I just did my best. Hope you liked the shot I scored for you."

"It was incredible! You…you just shot out of the water like that." Seems I'm not bad with the ladies after all. Or at least Yuna.

"Yo Tidus, we gonna go celebrate or something?"

I shook my head as I turned to Wakka. "Sorry Wakka, have plans already." I waved off the groans from my friends, not caring if I had blown them off for the day. This was well worth it. "Well, shall we-"

"I'll race you outside!" Yuna smiled at me, the girl already heading towards the door. She has a lot of spirit in her, that's for sure.

"Hey! Star players first!"

"So, how do you like it?"

"Well, if you ask me it looks rather similar to just a plain cheese sandwich, except that the bread seems to be toasted and the cheese is melted."

"Well, yeah, but you've never had one before. Trust me Yuna, it is way better than it sounds." To demonstrate how right I was I bit into my own sandwich, the tasty mix of bread and cheese perfect as I chewed away at it. I had to use a hand to brush away the few strands of cheese that had managed to escape my mouth afterwards, hoping Yuna hadn't noticed that I was a bit sloppy. "I-I'm-" I took a drink of my water before I started to choke. "I'm telling you Yuna, grilled cheeses are awesome!"

"Well, if you're sure." Yuna continued to study the sandwich in her hands before shrugging and taking a bite. "…wow, it ish pweddy gwood!"

"Yuna, table manners." Man was she cute, the girl's face going scarlet as she realized her mistake. She was quick to rectify the situation as she swallowed, chasing it down with some water of her own.

"S-Sorry about that. Just, well, it was much better than I expected it to be."

"And they don't have them in Bevelle. Geez, the things that the Church of Yevon teaches, am I right?"

Yuna gave a simple nod as she sighed, shaking her head from side to side. "I don't even know anymore…"

A brief silence followed as we sat in the small little roadside café that I enjoyed frequenting on the weekends, mostly due to their French toast special. Still, today was a bit different in that I wasn't in here alone for once. I had Yuna with me, and what a difference that made.

"Sorry, I guess that's not the right sort of topic I should be bringing up, huh? Forget I said anything." As if to reinforce my point I gave a little wave of my hand. "So Yuna, how did you hear about blitzball, well, at all when in Bevelle? Crap, that's a bit similar isn't-"

"It's fine! Really!" Yuna's smile reassured me that she spoke the truth. "Before my father vanished, he had a few friends over at our house for a couple of weeks. I was quite young at the time, but I remember the things they taught me. It was probably the most exciting week I had ever had. Probably the most exciting one I've ever had."

Well, I'd just have to change that, now wouldn't I?

"One of them was a man who worked within Yevon's governing body. I heard he had very high prospects at the time, but after my father…vanished, he was demoted and eventually fired."

"Wow, tough break. Hope he's alright now."

Yuna gave me a small smile. "He's doing alright. Sometimes he drinks a little too much, but for the most part he's fine. The other man I remember visiting was a blitzball player who had come to visit Bevelle. He became quick friends with my father, although he and Auron were always fighting."

It took me a few seconds to realize what she meant. So, this Auron guy was both Yuna's guardian and an old family friend or something. But did that mean-

"Yuna, are you…when Auron gets drunk, does he…"

Yuna looked at me as she tilted her head. I could tell she was a bit confused by my question. I guess my rather poor phrasing was reason enough for that.

And then it hit her. "O-Oh! No! Not at all! Auron has never once hit me! Whenever he drinks too much he usually acts a bit subdued if anything. There's nothing to worry about at my house, Tidus."

I had to wonder as I looked at her long sleeved shirt. Could Yuna have been hiding something from me? Maybe bruises? Was the whole Bevelle thing just an excuse?

"A-Anyway, the second person was a blitzball player as I said. He told me all about the game, saying that he was the very best of the best." Sounds like something dad would say. "He said that back home he was the star player of the Twilight Terrors, that-"

"Woah, hold on? He was from Twilight Town?"

Yuna nodded. "Yes. Have you heard of him? I don't remember his last name, but I remember that he said his name was Jecht."

I was glad that I hadn't been eating at the time, or else I would have probably joked to death.

There was no way that it could have been him. No way that she could have known my dad. Sure, he was the only Jecht to have ever played on the Twilight Terrors, but that didn't mean it had to be him. It could have been someone claiming to be my old man, or-

"This was ten years ago, right?" It was only when I saw Yuna's surprised expression that I realized I must have snapped at her, the hurt and confusion in her eyes something a blind man could have sensed.

"D-Did I say something wrong? I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine, Yuna. Your dad vanished ten years ago, right?"

"…that's correct."

Damn him. Damn him to hell.

That was where he was the entire time. That was what had happened to him. He hadn't been kidnapped or anything. He hadn't gone missing out at sea. He had just shown up at Bevelle one day and-

"T-Tidus! What's wrong?" I couldn't even control myself as I rose from my seat, my legs moving faster and faster as I moved to the door. I was pissed, pissed that for all those long years I had been deceived. He had never told me where he had been. Hell, he hadn't told anyone. And now I understood why.

"But he's already been missing for two days, Mrs. Zanar. I promise that we'll continue to search the shores, but I'm afraid that the chances of your husband's survival have already dropped quite a bit. That was a rather nasty storm that hit us last night."

My mom had brought me to the city's coast to ask about my dad's whereabouts. The day before he had gone out to train at sea, and since then no one had seen him. The Twilight Terrors had already organized several search parties to look for their star member, and it seemed that the coast guard also saw the rescue of my dad as a top priority.

I had watched as my mom paled, her eyes lacking the little glow to them that they had had beforehand. "Please, you have to find him. Without him, I-I just don't know…"

One of the coast guards placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll keep looking for him, don't you worry. The last thing we want to see is you as a widow, maam."

"Thank you." I looked away from my mother as I continued dribbling my blitzball, ignoring that my little body wasn't all that well developed for the job. "Don't worry, Tidus. We'll find your father."

I knew only anger as I turned to her. "Who cares whether he comes back or not?"

My mother paled even more at my response. I guess as a kid, I really couldn't control my temper. I guess some things still haven't changed.

"He might die, Tidus! Your father, h-he might." She choked back her tears as she continued to watch me with those sad eyes.

"Then let him! I hate him!"

"…if he dies, you'll never get to tell him how much you hate him though…"

"Sir, you need to pay for your meal." I turned to the rather stern looking man who was usually quite friendly around me. It was only then that I realized what sort of situation I was in.

"Right, my bad. Seriously, sorry about that. Just…something came up." I made sure to leave a good tip as I handed him the cash, the man nodding as he returned to his business.

"Tidus, please!" In my bout of rage, I had nearly forgotten that Yuna was present, the teenager gently grasping the back of my shirt as we exited the restaurant. "Please, tell me what's wrong. I-I've never seen you this angry." In fairness, she'd only known me for a few days, although I guess my angry scenes weren't well known. Still, I was certainly angrier now than I had been at Zack a few days earlier.

"It's nothing, Yuna. I just need to go home. Sorry to cut this short, but-"

"Please." The only thing I could see were those two eyes of hers as she placed herself in front of me. "I want to know what I said…or at the very least, why you got so mad."

"…Jecht is my dad, Yuna…and he's a total asshole…"

Yuna gasped as she pulled away. I couldn't blame her for being surprised. Hell, I was surprised that she knew him at all.

"B-But Jecht was always very kind to me. He always tried his best to play with me when he was around, and told me all about blitzball and how fun it was. He said that he'd take me to see several games before him and my father vanished."

Not only does my dad bale out on my family, but Yuna as well apparently. Anger…it consumed my mind as I thought only about my dad.

The caretaker had opened the door for me as I stepped inside, tears still dripping from my eyes as I entered my home. It hadn't been a nice event to attend, but then again, when is a funeral ever a nice thing?

"Yo, kid."

The caretaker had gasped and ran off while I had just stood still, looking at the muscular tanned man who sat in his usual chair. He waved over at me, smirking as he rose. "Where's your mom? It's dinner time soon, right?"

"She's dead…"

"…what's that?"

"I SAID SHE'S DEAD! SHE'S DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU! Y-YOU JUST VANISHED AND THEN SHE GOT REALLY SAD AND DIED! I-IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF YOU! I-I HATE YOU!"

"When dad was away, mom…mom didn't do well. She didn't eat much, didn't leave the house much…she just shut herself away…"

"I'm sorry, Tidus…it almost sounds like she lost her will to live."

"That's my mom you're talking about." Apparently I had inherited my dad's anger issues more than I had thought as I snapped out again, feeling terrible immediately afterwards as I saw the pained look on Yuna's face. "I-I'm sorry, that-"

"I-I'm the one who should be sorry. You're right…that wasn't something I should have said." Even so, I knew that what Yuna had said…it was the truth. Without dad, mom hadn't had the strength to go on. I can't imagine why she'd be so dependent on him…how she could ever love him, but that wasn't something for me to think about.

"He just showed up again right after her funeral like it was any other day. I don't even know if he had realized that a full year had gone by. Yet he had just been off, not even stopping to care about his wife or son."

"I-In Bevelle, they don't have phones, and-"

"Why are you trying to defend him, Yuna? You hardly even know the guy. I'm the one who has had to live with him."

"C-Can you really say such things about your father?"

"I have the right!"

"…I guess you do." It took me a few seconds longer to realize that I was indeed being just like my dad: a jackass. And it hurt, especially to see Yuna look so dejected. I didn't want to ruin things with her. Hell, she's probably been the best thing to happen to me in a long time.

"I'm sorry. It's just…I can't stand the guy…he's put me through a lot since I was born, and it feels like it only gets worse as things move on. I'm sorry, Yuna, but I think I need to go home and think about things for a bit."

"I understand…I'm sorry, Tidus. I-I'll see you on Monday, okay?" I gave her a nod before pulling her into a hug. It was only then that I felt her tremble a little as I hugged her back.

"Don't worry…it'll be okay…I'm sorry for snapping at you."

I knew that Yuna was crying as I felt her head give a gentle nod. Crying because of me.

I didn't look at her as I pulled away and ran, my anger returning as I thought about my dad. He had just…abandoned us…caused my mom to die…if there was even a part of my dad that I liked, it was destroyed.

It took me about five minutes before I was home, my hands throwing the door open as I stepped inside. "DAD!"

I received an answer quite quickly, although it wasn't one I had expected.

My thoughts rattled around wildly after I received a blow to the back of the head, the door slamming shut behind me before I felt a powerful kick slam into my stomach.

"Well, look who it is. Little Mr. Showoff!"

I couldn't hold back a groan as he picked me up by the collar and shoved me against one of our hardwood walls, the stench of alcohol strong as my dad seemed to exhale the putrid stuff. And it wasn't even three in the afternoon. "I can't stand shit like you. The fuck were you trying to prove today, boy!"

I planned to tell him that I knew his little secret, that I now knew that he was even worse than I had imagined. Sadly those plans died as a fist rammed into my already hit stomach, the blow causing me to cry out again as I slumped to the floor. I could barely see, fading in and out of consciousness as my dad grunted.

"Pathetic, kid."

I'm not sure how long it took until I regained consciousness, my entire body sore as I pulled myself onto my knees. I didn't even need to look under my shirt to know I'd be all bruised up there. Thank God it didn't seem like anything was broken.

My dad was nowhere to be seen as I staggered into my room. Guess he was off drinking again. Whatever…as long as I don't have to put up with…that again. That monster he became when he drank. As if he wasn't bad enough sober.

The soft sheets of my bed offered me little comfort as I tried to fall asleep. Too many answers had come to me today, answers that I hadn't wanted. That Yuna's guardian was a drunk with the potential to beat her, just like my dad. That my dad left me and my mom for a year to visit Bevelle, resulting in mom's death. And that I…

That I could be as bad as my dad.

Chapter 6 Preview:

"You'd better like the cake I prepared for you! It's extra moist!"

"Aqua, what are you doing here?"

"Don't you know a sword from a toy?"