Proverbial Revitalization

Written by Whimsical Symphony

Hello everybody. Hope you enjoy this new chapter of the story. All comments and constructive criticism appreciated. My apologies for the late update.

Chapter 4 – Envy

Yuna called out to her reminiscing father softly, almost in fear that if she were to call him too loudly, he would shatter before her very eyes. The sorrow that loomed over him seemed to become heavier as time passed, more burdensome, and Yuna could understand why. No matter how he wished her mother was alive, she wasn't. No matter how he reached in desperation for her, she wouldn't come back. She would remain like that, just a soft whisper upon the wind, a memory. Braska didn't want to forget, never would, but even though she was proud of him for this, along with his decision to remember came pain – Braska's sorrow would grow, his tears would dry up and cease to fall, leaving an irreparable man. Yuna knew she was one of the few joys left for him in Spira, and she vowed to make him happy. Yuna knew her mother wouldn't have liked to see him so lost, so utterly broken, like he seemed to be now. It would spread to her spirit like a disease, and then to Yuna who was quite alive. Yuna would be broken because she would mourn for her father; her mother's spirit would do the same.

"Father," Yuna told him, tapping him on the shoulder lightly, waking him from his spiritual slumber, "I wanted to introduce you to someone." When Braska turned around and looked at her, he made certain that a smile would be on his features to welcome his little girl. Yuna answered in return. "This person helped me very much."

Tidus shifted from foot to foot awkwardly. He felt slightly out of place. Despite the smiles that the two individuals gave to each other, he knew there was sadness that was far greater than the average person had to endure over life. The way he saw Braska look at the Sphere Pool confirmed it. Tidus himself remembered when he had felt insignificant because of his father's fame, and his father's arrogance. He had looked through the Sphere Pool in almost a mirrored way, a flawless replica, just like Braska had done. He wasn't certain why, to this day, the rippling water on the surface calmed his nerves and created an almost tranquil bubble around him, purging all negative feelings. "Uh, howdy," he said sheepishly, running a hand through his blonde locks.

"Tidus… he helped me when I had gotten separated from you. He helped me find my way back," Yuna explained to the curious glance of her father. "If not for him, I wouldn't be with you. He is the Star Player of the Zanarkand Abes, Father!" Yuna was excited. Her face seemed to glow and Tidus felt his stomach perform a few flips, lurching that couldn't be blamed on nausea – or perhaps it could. Cetan had gotten him ill somehow, probably.

"I know, Yuna. I saw him today," Braska said, chuckling. He smiled at Tidus then, one that reminded him so much of Yuna's smile. It was one thing she had most definitely inherited from her father, that saintly smile filled to the brim with innocence. "I would like to thank you for showing my daughter the way. If I had lost her, I wouldn't know what to do." His voice seemed to gain such a minor key undertone that Tidus seemed to understand that if Yuna had been lost, Braska would have been lost as well. They were tied not only by blood, but by the unbreakable bonds of fate and connection, whatever affected one, would ultimately affect the other. "Thank you," he all but whispered. And, so unbefitting of his superior position, he bowed down low to Tidus, making the other male so shocked, his jaw slackened. "I am so happy that you have cared for my daughter and brought her back to me."

"It's no biggie," Tidus said, awed, embarrassed, guilty that someone like him had someone like Braska bowing down to him. That and when he looked at Yuna, she seemed so sad that her father bowed before him, it showed in her eyes, in her tight lips. Or maybe she was just sad that she had caused her father to worry. For someone so transparent, Yuna could be a mystery, Tidus realized. "No need to bow, I was happy to help. Any good person would've done the same." He said this softly, realizing, like Yuna, that her father was truly quite fragile, not really the strong, unbreakable figure he seemed to be when he was untouchable and unreachable.

Braska rose then. "No, I was only right to bow. You have no idea… my daughter is my world, and without her, my existence would be meaningless."

Tidus was almost envious about how easily this man spoke his feelings with such sincerity to a male he barely knew. He could see that trait in Yuna too, in her smile, in her laugh, from her interactions with Braska, and himself. He was envious that they had this kind of relationship, the kind with such selfless, devoted love. Although his own relationship with his father had improved drastically in the past years, the affection there was as brittle as uncooked spaghetti when compared to Yuna and Braska. And Tidus, his mother wouldn't even look at him whenever his old man was about – it sickened him, and he was bitter. No matter how much he loved his mother, when his father was there, he stole the limelight and Tidus was all but a shadow invisible to the woman.

"I'm glad I could help – Yuna is definitely a very special girl, you know?" Tidus told him honestly. He could see Yuna flush prettily when he said that, it oddly made his ego grow a little, enough for a smug grin at the very least. "She was really kind to me as well. I was lucky to meet her. Plus, it wasn't all that out of the way for me to help her. I enjoyed the walk – time passed a little too fast," he admitted sheepishly. It was the first time he'd ever said aloud how much he'd enjoyed talking to her that day.

Yuna looked almost affronted. "Father, he's truly selling himself short! He didn't have to take time out of his busy schedule to help me, but he did. I was nice to him, but wouldn't anyone be in that situation?" She clasped her hands and looked down at her feet. "He introduced me to one of his good friends, Rikku, who works at a café. She was a very nice girl, and he treated me like a good friend too!"

Tidus could almost put a tomato to shame with the colour he was turning, and it truly wasn't like him to ever blush this much. Yuna seemed to transform confident, flirty Tidus into an awkward, clumsy schoolboy. With Dona, Tidus almost remorsefully recounted, he had never, ever been as shy as he was with Yuna. He was vivacious, the life of the party, not this. It made him almost ashamed to admit he could never be that way around her – Yuna brought out the honest Tidus, not the façade he portrayed to others, who he really was. "Yuna…"

"Well, I can see you're an honest person, and my daughter seems to truly like you. I am grateful for what you did, there is no need to sell yourself short like Yuna said," Braska said chuckling. "And, Yuna," he said, and the girl looked up curiously at him, "I'm glad you have earned some friends. I know I haven't been the most attentive father, keeping you up in Bevelle with no one to talk to… I am glad it has changed and that you can now talk to more people your age," he whispered. Yuna felt a wave of affection for her father then, a torrent within her that amplified all the memories she recounted with her father, the emotions she felt, the happiness, the sympathy, and the thought that he didn't know what he was talking about at all. Braska was selling himself short as well – he was a wonderful father, and one that most people would be burning with jealousy to have even a replica of.

"You are the most wonderful father I could have ever asked for," Yuna muttered so quietly, she was unsure if he had heard. She averted her eyes, for a reason she was blind to, not wanting to see his facial expression, to see how he looked at her.

His tone of voice was sweeter, more loving than any tone of voice she'd heard him use in a long time. "Thank you, Yuna. It means much to me."

Tidus didn't want to interrupt them – he felt left out, almost like he couldn't touch their world. It was built only for those two. But he had no desire to. He knew that their relationship was one that was extremely rare. But again he felt envious. Again he only wished that his father were similar.

Tidus sat in the Machina after his meeting with Braska. It had ended with father and daughter giving him a goodbye with matching smiles. Tidus had given them a farewell as well before heading over to the Machina. Now that the shock had worn off, his ability to remain pissed off at Cetan returned with a burning vengeance. And Yuna, he wouldn't be lying if he said he didn't want to see her soon. And Braska, really made him angry at his own dad, that might've been the main reason for anything that was eating him up inside. He sighed, holding his frothing pint closer to himself – he had never really been a fan of fancy drinks.

"Tidus, fryd dra ramm?" a voice said behind him, surprised. When he turned around in his bar stool, he noticed it was Rikku, staring at him, wondering why he was back so soon. "Sorry, startled me." Rikku often did revert back to Al Bhed when she was startled. "Why are you back so soon? Girl troubles?" She grinned slyly before collapsing on the seat next to him, eager to listen like a child being read a bedtime story. She rested her chin on her hands, her elbows supporting them on the counter.

"Why do you want to listen to my problems so bad?" Tidus asked, scowling. When her grin only widened, he sighed in submission. "You know that Cetan sent me to the meeting for Blitz captains, right?" Rikku nodded in confirmation. "I found out that the girl you met earlier, Yuna, she's the daughter of Braska."

Rikku whistled. "You really know how to pick them, Tidus." She saw then, the look on his face, a little forlorn. "You met Braska then? Are you envious about their situation?"

That was the thing about Rikku. He wasn't sure how, or why, but she could always read him like an open book. Tidus felt more at home with her than he did in his literal house, or his parents' house. Rikku was almost like the little sister he never had. When Tidus had no one to talk to all those years ago, when his old man wasn't the nicest, when his mother paid little to no attention to him, he found Rikku. Now, he could talk to her about anything. For some reason though, sitting like this with Rikku, her comforting presence also reminded him of Yuna. "Yeah, you really know me, huh?" He took another sip of his drink.

"Not everyone's situation that seems really good, is, you know?" Rikku explained to him softly. When Tidus looked at her questioningly, she continued. "Well, I heard that Lord Braska's wife died a long time ago; imagine how he must've felt. And, that event must've brought Yuna and her father closer together, 'cause they're all that they've got left. What you see now is only because of the tragedy that happened – it's not all happy." Rikku looked glum as she explained this. Tidus was always surprised when he heard her being insightful. "What Yuna has is a broken father, no? One who cares for her a lot though, so I know why you're jealous." A silence followed this. Suddenly, Tidus felt ashamed for all his jealousy, his burning envy; Yuna may have had a great father, but she had lost her mother. He still had his, sort of. Rikku continued, "But, you don't really have time to mope around, do you? The tournament is soon! You're good at Blitzball – you care for Yuna so show off to her."

"Their family must've been… really happy before. Her mom and dad must've been really happy together," Tidus mused as he took another drink. He looked at her then, "Thanks, Rikku. You're right, I don't have time to cry right now – I have to win against those stupid Duggles." Surprisingly, she always knew the words to make him feel better. Of course, he still wished he had someone like Braska as a father, someone kind and caring, but it was something that wasn't going to change. He just had to be strong for the tournament – and show off for Yuna, though he'd never admit it to Rikku. Yuna was definitely more than cute. He couldn't help but think: what if she came onto him? He shook away the thought with a laugh – innocent Yuna, no way.

"No problem, you can always count on me, you know that!" Rikku grinned.

"Rikku, kad pylg du fung, oui cmylgan! Oui tuh'd kud yho desa du pa fycdehk ed! Cu, rinno yht cdynd canjehk dra kuttyshat licdusanc!" an extremely loud voice exclaimed. It could only be Rikku's eccentric dad, Cid. Now there was a dad that Tidus was glad he didn't have, he thought snickering.

"Lusehk, umt syh! Fro tu oui ryja du pa cilr y sayhea?" Rikku moaned, and was just one step away from bashing her head on the table. She turned to Tidus, a frown marring her features. "Work calls, Tidus. Come back anytime, though." She got up from her seat and was prepared to go receive orders from her father.

"Work hard then, princess," Tidus said, grinning, "make me proud and I might just go on a date with you." He ruffled her hair then and was pleased to get a frustrated reaction out of her. Rikku was always the best person to rile up. When they met all those years ago, it wasn't so hard to tell that she liked him a bit more than a friend would, though she did outgrow it pretty quickly. Tidus still found ways to tease her about it though, even if her affections were now aimed toward her strange, playboy-esque childhood friend, Gippal.

"Stop treating me like an idiot, you… you big meanie!" Rikku huffed and walked off, her nose high in the air. She turned back toward him then, just for a minute to give him a sinister grin. "Oh, just for that, the drink's not on the house."

"You got it." Tidus sighed and got out his change. Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to piss off Rikku for fun.

"Oh, look who's here, it's my teammate," Tidus exclaimed dryly, though thoroughly annoyed. The next day, almost immediately after Tidus had woken up, there was a tap of his doorbell. It was an annoyance, and he thanked his own common sense that he didn't get drunk the night before or else his hangover would have been killer. What a sight it was to open that door and see Cetan, still obviously ill, at least he hadn't been lying about that, looking pretty apologetic. Normally a well dressed person, he opted for ratty old sweatpants and a tank top, and with the headband around his brown hair, keeping his bangs away from his face, he looked precisely like those thirty year olds still living in their parents' basements. Tidus wasn't going to accept any apologies so soon, not for an idiot who invites a girlfriend over to have fun while he's sick, leaving all the work to him. No way. Though he did find it funny to see the tissues stuffed up Cetan's nose, just like he'd imagined it. He looked quite sloppy, to say the least.

"Sorry about that, 'Ti, I didn't mean to leave all the work to you. You can tell I'm sick though, I wasn't lying about that," Cetan said, no almost begged. "You can't fault me for this, can you?"

"Why can't I blame you? Inviting her over to have some fun while leaving me with the work – you idiot, who made you captain? Let me at him," Tidus said, glowering. Nonetheless, Cetan all but pushed passed him and made himself at home in Tidus' flat.

"You can't blame me because you did the same thing a long time ago," Cetan said, smirking, arms crossed. The 'cool' effect was all but ruined because of the snot running down his nose. Tidus looked at him, repulsed. "You know how sexy Dona can be, you did the same thing, and therefore you can't fault me for it, so there!" He looked awful proud of himself.

"Her being sexy," Tidus said with disgust, "is not a reason for you to push work onto me. Plus, now that I think about it," he said while shutting the door behind him, "she isn't all that great looking, not compared to…" He flushed red like a tomato, and then wondered why he was about to say what he was. Dona could be incredibly sensual, it's that her charm wore off quick. Yuna was much better looking, really cute, was what Tidus couldn't help but think.

"Well, to each his own, but I think Dona's the hottest of them all – you had pretty good taste choosing her, 'Ti," Cetan said, shrugging. "Though I am pretty curious about who the new girl you've chosen is. She's probably a real babe if she's got your attention." He spaced out then, probably imagining some blonde, incredibly well-endowed bombshell. Hormones really owned a man, Tidus admitted.

He thought then about when Cetan had said. The first part, he completely disagreed with – Dona was not a good person to date in any way, shape, or form. And Yuna being a 'real babe' just made him want to collapse in laughter. No, she was too good for that. Being a 'real babe' would mean that she'd be remotely similar to Dona, which she wasn't, not by a long shot. She wasn't even on the same totem pole, and was probably more than a hundred times sweeter, more compassionate, caring, innocent, and much, much, much cuter. Anyone with eyes could see that. Tidus definitely did, the first time he saw Yuna. Tidus wondered when he became such a sap, but it was easy to see he had a soft spot for her, though she wasn't the 'new girl' he'd chosen. He wanted to become friends with her.

"Not really a babe, but…" Tidus said absentmindedly. He turned to Cetan for a minute and realized the man was rummaging through his fridge before reaching for a six pack of beer. "Dude, what the hell," Tidus exclaimed and grabbed the pack of beer. "You're acting like my old man."

"Well it isn't a real insult to be compared to Jecht, World Class Blitzball player," Cetan answered and grabbed the pack back, ripping one can away from the others, hurriedly snapping it open by the tab, watching it fizzle. He took a huge gulp. "Don't you want a can too?" he said, almost offering Tidus' own cans of beer to him, before collapsing on his loveseat. "Make yourself at home." Well of course Cetan never knew that Tidus' father was a chronic alcoholic and pest. He would feel insulted then if he did know. He didn't try to get his teammates involved in his personal life, though if they knew anything, he wouldn't particularly care. He just liked them a lot more in the Sphere Pool than on his own couch acting like they owned the place.

Tidus sighed. "Fine, whatever." He snapped one can open and put the rest back in the refrigerator. He even wondered why he tried to reason with Cetan, no one could. He turned on the television and watched it, realizing slowly that it was a biography on legendary Blitzball players. The first face that popped up was his own father's, and Tidus cursed his own luck as they sang praises for him and his godly talent in the Sphere Pool. "Damn, my luck sucks."

Cetan, took another sip of his beer. Tidus wondered nonchalantly, how much money he was actually spending on beer for Cetan and his father? Probably a number he wouldn't want to ponder on any longer than necessary. "Oh, 'Ti, does this mean I'm forgiven?"

Tidus didn't grace him with an answer, still wanting to be annoyed with him, but too tired to do so. He wondered then what advice Rikku could give him on dealing with the guy – he was such a pain in the ass.

Words: 3 525

I realized it was a pain not having any Al Bhed translations, so I'll do it here and then edit for my previous chapters. Here you are:

Al Bhed Translations:

"Tidus, fryd dra ramm?/ Tidus, what the hell?

Rikku, kad pylg du fung, oui cmylgan! Oui tuh'd kud yho desa du pa fycdehk ed! Cu, rinno yht cdynd canjehk dra kuttyshat licdusanc!/ Rikku, get back to work, you slacker! You don't got any time to be wasting it! So, hurry and start serving the goddamned customers!

Lusehk, umt syh! Fro tu oui ryja du pa cilr y sayhea?/ Coming, old man! Why do you have to be such a meanie?