Life of the Blitzed
a/n: Chapter two. Cool. We'll see how this goes. You guys just have to review, or I'll lose interest, key?
Chapter 2: Look-alikes and Crybabies
Yuna didn't know anyone in her next class. On her schedule, period three read 'Offence- Range'. She sighed. Yuna really wasn't good at anything offensive. Her father was against violence, even with fiends, so Yuna never learned to use a sword… or a gun… or anything. She just figured she could use her aeons and white magic to stay alive. However summoning apparently had no part in the LAHS curriculum.
She stepped into the classroom. It was an open room with no desks or chairs, just some weapons hung on the walls with other training devices. Yuna felt like she was going to be sick.
Other students were filing in, none of which gave Yuna a second glance. She sighed and turned her attention to the teacher: a tan, muscular man with disheveled brown hair, which he attempted to tame with a red strip of cloth, and a scar across his face. He wore torn jeans and an unbuttoned white-collar shirt, which exposed the symbol for the Zanarkand Abes tattooed on his scarred chest. He was barefooted with scars visible even on his feet. Even through his shaggy facial hair, Yuna could see his perfectly white smile. She remembered him: Jecht, the best Blitzball player in history.
"Hey, hey, kids! You ready for some fightin'?!" Jecht said in his playful but gruff voice. "No one's gonna be slackin' off in this class, kay? This is Offensive- Range, and I'll be you teacher, Jecht."
At that he ripped off his attempt-at-being-respectable shirt, revealing an armored left arm. He tossed a Blitzball up and down with his bound right hand.
Yuna gulped audibly.
"This doesn't look good, Logos" said a teen behind Yuna.
"Oh, quit whining, Ormi. Take it up with the boss." Logos apparently responded.
"HEY, shut up! Now, we're gonna find a weapon for each of ya. You can talk while I go around and organize, or whatever."
Yuna turned around, interrupting the conversation of Logos and Ormi.
"Hi, I'm Yuna. I'm new here and… I just want to know what weapon you think I should put myself down for… I've never done this before."
Ormi, a short, stumpy senior opened his mouth to respond. Logos, tall and narrow-eyed, quickly stepped on his foot causing him to howl in pain. "I wouldn't take advice from him if I were you," Logos explained to the bewildered Yuna. "I fight with double pistols, if that's any help."
"And I-"
"HE has a giant disk… thus my suggestion of the guns."
Yuna smiled and bowed slightly. "Thank you! I definitely would have been at a loss. So you're…?"
"I'm Logos, he's Ormi. If only the Boss were here, you could meet her too."
"The Boss?"
"LeBlanc, the most beautiful and popular senior at this sorry academy. A pity you'll never have the privilege."
"Ah… yes it is." Yuna improvised. These guys were obviously obsessed. 'The Boss'? What in Spira were they, her minions?
As Logos and Ormi blabbered on about their all-powerful 'Boss', Yuna scanned the room. Among the other students, two Al Bhed males were arguing in a corner, one with dark brown skin and goggles and the other with a Mohawk and tattoos across his chest. Jecht was currently speaking to another Al Bhed. He had spiky blonde hair and an eye patch covering his right eye. He stood with his weight shifted to one side with a hand on his hip as he laughed. Jecht moved on to the next person, leaving the teenager to notice Yuna's gaze. He sauntered over to her and saluted.
"Hey. You look new, what's your name?"
"Yuna" she said, friendly.
"I'm Gippal," he said matter-of-factly, "you don't look like you know too many people. If you don't have anyone to sit with at lunch, you could always hang out at my table."
"Oh, thank you very much, but I met this girl who probably wants to sit with me. She's new here, too."
"Ah, and who is this?"
"Uh, Rikku," Yuna remembered, "her name is Rikku."
Gippal smiled as his cheeks flushed. "Rikku, huh? Geez, I never thought that girl would get off of that sandcastle of an island."
"Do you know her?" asked Yuna, surprised.
"Yea, we go way back. I was born on Bikanal Island, but I got the chance to travel when I turned thirteen and I ended up here. Haven't seen her since. I actually had last period with her… she made a big scene in the middle of class." He scratched his neck, still a little embarrassed. Yuna laughed. She had known Rikku for less than three hours and she already knew what he meant.
"Break it up, kids, I gotta mark you down for something." Jecht looked at Yuna. "You new?"
"Yessir, just came from Besaid three days ago."
Jecht was looking on his clipboard "Ah, so an island girl, then? You ever take a class like this?"
Yuna turned a little red. "No, sir, my father is… kind of against stuff like this."
Jecht looked up and raised his eyebrows. "Braska?" he asked apologetically.
"Y-Yea… how did you know?" said Yuna, surprised.
"Me, Braska, and Auron have known each other since forever… lemme see your scheduley-thingy."
Yuna handed it over and watched as he scanned it. He returned it a few seconds later, tapping on her period six class.
"That's Auron. Ya can tell him about Braska during that class. Now back to business. Do you have any idea what weapon yer gonna use?"
"Uhh… I think I decided on guns."
"Gunner, eh? Sure, whatever floats yer Blitzball. You better have a set by tomorrow, and not crappy ones."
"Yes, sir!"
Yuna and Gippal walked to their next class: Machina Science. The whole way Gippal wore a smug grin, though he didn't say why.
"Let's see your schedule again… okay, so after this class, there's lunch, and then there's the Defense- whatever class. You have White Magic with that Maester dude, which is on the second floor to the right. Then you haaaave… Temple Studies? What's with that?"
Yuna turned slightly red. "Oh, umm, I'm a Summoner. My father said that I should take it to, uh…"
Gippal shrugged. "Whatever," he smiled and turned back to the paper, "I think it's on the second floor too, but I can't help you after that. Then there's PE… well, PE this semester and Music next. I've had that the last two years and I think I've been scarred permanently. Anywho, heeeeere we are!" Gippal swung the door open and followed Yuna in…
…where a demonic looking Rikku was sitting on her desk, glaring at Gippal.
"Ha ha! I thought Gippy would be a liiittle smarter than the average Spiran in mechanics, but noooo, I guess not."
Gippal kept his grin but his eyes were hostile as he proceeded to the front of the room.
In overacted surprise, Rikku shrieked "Yunie! I'm so glad we have this class together, even though I'm only a sophomore!" Yuna was about to respond before she realized Rikku was really speaking to Gippal. Rikku's tone got louder as she glared at the man in question.
"Yup… SO GLAD, cuz I'm SMART enough to SKIP this class ALL TOGETHER, unlike SOME of my CHILDHOOD FRIENDS that aren't even… GIPPAL!" Yuna jumped at the last part, then turned to see Gippal standing at the front of the class.
"Gippaaaaal! What in Spira are you doing?! The teacher will be here any second!" Rikku hissed.
Gippal gave one final 'victory grin' and said, "I am the teacher. Now everyone, sit down, shut up, and lets go!"
Yuna had to stifle a giggle. She sat down next to Rikku, who had a look of shock and horror still plastered on her face. The boy sitting in front of her turned around, laughing.
"Way to show him who's boss, ya?"
"Oh, shut up, Chappu! How was I supposed to know?! The big meanie…"
Gippal turned to Rikku. "If everyone would be quiet, I could get on with this class."
Rikku scrunched her face up in a pout, causing Gippal to laugh before going on.
"All I want to do is raise chocobos!" someone whined.
"Quiet, Clasko. Now, first thing about machina is-"
Yuna sighed. This class would be very interesting…
Yuna followed a very depressed looking Rikku out of the door, nearly bumping into another girl. "I'm so sorry," Yuna said, turning.
Yuna stopped. She was face to face with a clone.
"Wha-?!" she said in surprise as the girl took off her brand-name sunglasses to look at Yuna.
"It's… Lenne!" Rikku said in surprise.
"Excuse me, but who exactly are you?" Lenne asked Yuna.
"I could ask the same thing… wow, this is kind of creepy!"
Lenne threw her head back and laughed, sending her long brown hair shimmering. "I'm Lenne, and since you apparently haven't heard, I'm 'the singing sensation of the decade, rising star Lenne'!" she rolled her eyes. "I sing, in any case. May I speak with you for a moment?"
Yuna smiled. "I'll meet you in the cafeteria, Rikku."
"Kay!" Rikku looked from girl to girl before skipping off to claim a table.
"I'm Yuna. I just came here from Besaid with my father, High Summoner Braska."
"Nice to meet you, Yuna. Have you ever sung before? Or danced, for that matter?"
"Umm, in my bedroom…" Yuna said uneasily. What exactly was she getting at? The new girl shifted her weight from leg to leg.
"I'll take that as a yes. I may have to get in contact with you, but nevermind, I'm sure I'll find some way. Heh… I guess if I ever get sick, I won't have to cancel an appearance, now! See you around!"
"Wait, what?!" But Lenne was already halfway down the hall.
Yuna gave up and pushed her way to the cafeteria, looking for her newfound cousin. Rikku was waving with the same vigor as before, disturbing students at nearby tables. She noticed the others Rikku had dragged with her, whether by choice Yuna did not know.
As Yuna went to buy her lunch, she noticed something out of place. The hand that served her food had claws… and it was blue. "Kimahri! You work in the cafeteria too?"
Kimahri licked his fingers. "Kimahri like money. Kimahri like food. Kimahri like getting money for eating food."
"Uh, I'm not sure you're supposed to be eating the food…" Yuna began, hesitating. The sight of a Ronso in an apron was just too much for her sane mind to handle.
Yuna looked at the price of her lunch. "300 gil?! How am I supposed to pay for that?"
"Just take it. Kimahri do so all time." Kimahri was drooling over some of the food.
"Riiiight… okay then. See you around, Kimahri." Yuna left her 300 gil on the counter, making a mental note never to buy her lunch again. She made her way through the throng of people to her friend.
Rikku greeted Yuna with a squeak and began to introduce those at the table.
"Everyone! This is Yunie. Yunie, this is my brother, Brother," the Mohawk-ed and tattooed Al Bhed from Yuna's Offence- Range class looked up, pudding of some sort dripping down his chin, "Buddy," the tan boy from the same class raised his hand in greeting, "and Shinra" a little kid with goggles and layers of clothing was playing with some machina on the other side of the table. He looked up. "Hi."
"Hi everyone! I'm Yuna, like Rikku said, and I come from the Isle of Besaid." These introductions were getting repetitive.
The rest of lunch was spent with small talk about classes and Brother, who could never seem to keep his food inside his mouth, staring at Yuna.
Then the bell rang. Yuna was once again on her own for her next class.
As she stepped into the Defense- Magic classroom, Yuna bumped into a brown-haired man.
"Hello. I'm Isaaru."
"Yuna" she offered. He had a kind face.
They stepped into the classroom together, talking. Yuna followed Isaaru towards a familiar face.
"Lulu! Look what I found."
"We've met," said Lulu as she examined her nails. A white-haired boy joined them.
"Baralai, I missed you at lunch!"
"I'm sorry. Cid asked me to help him with something after Al Bhed 3. Needless to say, it took all lunch. Who is this?" He smiled at the young Summoner.
"She's Yuna" Isaaru explained.
"Nice to meet you, Baralai…?" she responded, unsure of the name.
He smiled. "Yes, you got it right. Nice to meet you, as well!"
Just then, a tall man stepped through the doorway, black combat boots clunking as he walked. He wore black slacks and a long-sleeved white shirt hung loosely off his figure, the outline of two black dragons tattooed on his chest visible through the material. His veined face was framed with layered and slicked-back blue hair that hung to his shoulders.
"I apologize for my tardiness. I am Maester Seymour, and I will be teaching this class in White Magic."
"Isn't he a little young to be a Maester?" Yuna whispered to Isaaru.
Baralai responded, "He is 28, I believe. The buzz in the Temple is such that he is so talented that he breezed through the Academy system in two years. He learned to be a Summoner at eight, but he abandoned the study to become a Maester of Yevon. A truly talented man…"
Yuna shot him a questioning look. "The Temple?"
"Yes, I work there in my off time from school. I wish to become a Maester like Seymour someday."
Yuna watched Seymour as he explained the rules of his class. She knew all about White Magic already, but the idea of such a young Maester held her attention. He caught sight of her near the end of his speech, holding eye contact. Yuna felt a plunging in her stomach and looked away.
The sound of someone falling through the door caught the attention of the class. Yuna looked over to see Jecht standing over his son, who he had thrown through the door.
"Tidus! Get your ass into class! What the hell's wrong with that? And don't come cryin' to me cuz you suck at magic!"
"What the hell was that? I don't get why I can't just do what I'm good at. This magic junk is for-" he looked around at the wide-eyed students "Lulu! People like Lulu."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lulu growled.
Tidus put his hands up in a defensive position as Seymour cut in. "If you are quite done, Jecht, I would like to teach my class." He spoke coolly.
"Yea, I gotta get back, too." Jecht scratched his neck. "Uh, stay in school, kids!"
With that lame attempt at a parting remark, Jecht exited, leaving his son in a heap on the ground. "Owwww," he complained before falling flat against the carpet.
Seymour rolled his eyes and ignored him. "Talk amongst yourselves" he commanded before striding towards Yuna.
"Yuna, I presume."
"Y-Yes… how did you know?"
"You are Lord Braska's daughter. I could tell from your face. I have worked with him number of times, after all. He always spoke of you."
"Umm, yea, my father is kind of possessive like that, I suppose…" Yuna looked around the room, trying to find something to rescue her from this conversation. Lulu was watching with her eyebrows raised, Baralai in amazement, and Tidus in curiosity from his heap on the ground. She was trapped.
"As he should be," Seymour continued, "you are very beautiful, Yuna. He never said anything about that."
"I-" Yuna's face and ears turned a burning red. Baralai, sensing her plight, rushed up to the awkward couple- well, awkward Yuna, in any case.
"Maester Seymour, I have heard, but I want to get the facts; did you really complete your academy work in less than two years?"
"Well-" Seymour's eyes followed Yuna before giving up on any further conversation with her. He stayed in conversation with Baralai until the bell rang.
Lulu, Baralai, and Isaaru walked to their next class with Yuna. "Thank you so much for saving me back there," she was saying, "I was starting to get kind of creeped out."
"No problem." Baralai finished looking at Yuna's schedule. "Well, Isaaru and I can go with you to Temple Studies next. I don't know about Lulu…"
"I have science next, but I'll meet up with you during PE. Goodbye!" Lulu turned down the hall and was gone.
The trio was (were?) the first in the Temple Studies classroom. There were no chairs or desks; just low tables and floor pillows. They sat, waiting for the remaining students to file in. The teacher stood at the front of the classroom. There was a scar across his right eye, over which he wore dark sunglasses. His short black hair was uncombed and was subject to grey strands. He wore loose-fitting black pants tucked into his boots and a sleeveless black turtleneck. A crimson coat was draped across his shoulders and bracers protected his forearms. A belt around his waist secured his clothing.
"That's Auron," said Paine, just now coming through the door. She sat next the Yuna, giving a small wave to Baralai. Yuna eyed the teacher's giant sword, propped up against the wall, with uncertainty.
As class was about to start, Yuna noticed Lenne slip into the class. The twins exchanged smiles before Auron began to speak: "Welcome back to most of you. This is Temple Studies. This is the class where you will learn about summoning, Yevon, and all that temple-stuff one would expect. I know Lenne is a Summoner… anyone else?"
Yuna raised her hand sheepishly. Auron turned his head to look at her.
"You're new. What is your name?" His tone was blunt and rough, but friendly in its own way.
"I'm Braska's daughter, Yuna. Jecht said I should-"
Auron snapped back up; "Ah, that devil. Jecht was hiding this from me all of lunch. Braska is in Luca, then?"
"Yes, he's-"
"Then I will have to visit him. I'll take you home today, alright? I hope this isn't too sudden…"
"I guess it's okay…" Yuna was pretty taken aback- Auron had seemed like such a stiff, and now he was going to give her a ride home to meet her father… public school was weird.
"Right. Now then…" The rest of class was spent going over the ground rules and expectations of the class, which were stricter than any of Yuna's other classes.
On the way out of the door, Auron caught Yuna with his rough hand. "I'll meet you out in the front of the school after your final class, and please, don't be late." Yuna nodded and began walking very fast. Paine and Baralai had to run to catch up with her.
"What was that? How do you know Auron?" Paine asked, looking Yuna in the face.
Baralai tried to keep up. "What I want to know is how Auron, Jecht, and Lord Braska know each other so well. I mean, they must have been pretty close, you know?"
Yuna sighed, "This is all coming too fast. I just want to be normal!"
Paine laughed. "Wow, that would be boring."
Lenne caught up to the now almost running group. "Yuna! I didn't know you could summon, too. Next you'll have my voice, I bet!"
Yuna flushed. "I don't think-"
"In any case," Lenne continued, "I have PE next as well. I've heard it's pretty bad, though I wouldn't know. It's my first day here as well. Part of some publicity stunt or something." She rolled her eyes.
The upperclassmen made their way through the gym doors and joined the mass of students in the bleachers. Lenne left to sit with Dona, her boyfriend Bartello, a tall blonde girl with an extremely low-cut pink top, and a few other similarly dressed students. Yuna noticed Brother and Shinra from earlier and sat beside the older of the two, who looked like he might explode with excitement. On her other side sat Paine, Baralai, and now-rejoining Lulu.
Jecht stood at the foot of the bleachers, fingering a bulky machina as the bell rang. He lifted it to his lips: "Okaaaaaay, kiddies," his voice boomed with the mechanical enhancement, "time for PE with yours truly. Today it's-"
A carefree laugh announced the arrival of a late student. Jecht rolled his eyes and let the machina drop to his side. "TIDUS!" Jecht definitely didn't need the loudspeaker for this. "GET YOUR LATE ASS IN HERE BEFORE I TELL THE CLASS WHAT A CRYBABY YOU ARE!"
A disheveled Tidus appeared in the doorway. "Hey, old man! Guess-"
"SHUT YER TRAP AND SIT, BOY!"
"Okay, okay, yeesh…" Tidus lazily made his way towards the Dona-and-co. mob. "I fell asleep during Customization. The Commsphere woke me up and-"
Jecht growled; an in-all-seriousness growl.
"Shuyin's coming to Luca!" Tidus wore a strange look on his face. Yuna could not tell if he was excited or disappointed.
"That little…" Jecht grumbled under his breath. He looked down at his feet, then raised his face to the fluorescent ceiling lights. "Well, Yu Yevon, he's not my son, now is he? Whatever that crazy kid wants…"
Lenne had pulled Tidus next to her, a concerned look on her face. "It's no secret she and Shuyin are going out," explained Paine in a whisper, "it's been plastered all over the tabloids for months… I'm so sick of hearing about it."
Jecht raised the machina again. "Sorry kids to deny you of two minutes of this class, but… I've decided to give ya the period off. Go… mingle, or whatever kids do these days." Jecht jogged over to talk with his son and Lenne as the room exploded with noise.
"That whole family is full of drama," Lulu complained, gesturing to Tidus, Jecht, and Lenne, "there should be a rule saying only one celebrity per family."
a/n: yea, the Tidus parts are the best methinks. Hmm… that may be because I like him the best so review!!! The next two Chapters are shorter, so I'll probably post the first later tonight (its like three pages). Also, the main pairings are TidusxYuna, RikkuxGippal, and ChappuxLuluxWakka... though we haven't gotten to all of those yet. Tell me if you want any other pairings to be focused on, as the story is near the beginning and can be altered. Stuff like NoojxPainexBaralai, NoojxLeblanc, DonaxBartello, LennexShuyin, ClaskoxChocobo, and KimahrixRandom-Lunch-Lady/Staff will be there, just not the central focus. I don't have Braska, Jecht, and Auron paired up with anyone, so I guess they're open…
-bucky