Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Until The Day I Die: A Squikku and Tiduna Story ❯ Penpals ( Chapter 9 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: rikku-squall4eva 
Everyone's assigned penpals.
Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 04.29.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 6.5K | Visits: 318 | Status: Completed
Everyone's assigned penpals.
Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 04.29.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 6.5K | Visits: 318 | Status: Completed
CHAPTER 9: PEN PALS
Rikku felt a cold draft blow past her, causing her to shiver and snuggle closer to the person next to her. 'Wait a minute!' Rikku thought, not remembering falling asleep with Yuna. But this person wasn't Yuna either, because the body felt masculine, too muscular to be Brother too. She opened her eyes slowly to find the sun shining brightly in her face. The sky was above her and she noticed she was in Squall's convertible with him. "Huh?" She quickly sat up, looking around, "Where am I?"
Squall woke up, feeling Rikku sit up quickly. "You ok, Rikku?" He asked concerned, sensing her confusion. She looked back and down at him, sighing, "Yeah, just forgot where I was for awhile...waitaminute!" She looked around, panicking, "What time is it? My pop's gonna kill me!"
"Shit!" Squall quickly sat up too, "We must've fell asleep! You think your dad knows your not home yet?" He asked, quickly putting the key in the ignition.
"I don't know!" Rikku said, trying to calm down, "It's very doubtful though!" Rikku knew she was gonna get it when she got home. She not only missed her curfew, but she'd be showing up with a guy, and the guy wasn't even her date. She was in for it...Squall quickly sped off.
RIKKU'S HOUSE
Squall stopped infront of Rikku's house, turning off the engine. He turned to look at her with concern, she looked scared, her head was down and her hands were on her lap.
"It's gonna be ok," Squall said, touching her shoulder comfortingly, "He'll understand that we just fell asleep."
Rikku shook her head, "You don't know Pops...he's gonna jump to conclusions and ground me for the rest of my young life!" Just then they heard a door pull open, Cid storming towards them. "Let the show begin." Rikku muttered, looking up at her furious dad.
"RIKKU! Frana dra ramm fana oui? (Where the hell were you?)" He asked angrily, pulling open the car door and grabbing her.
"Pops, I-"
"I specifically said 10 o'clock! It's 8 in the morning! Tu oui ryja yho etay ruf funneat E fyc? (Do you have any idea how worried I was?)" He asked, grabbing both her arms and staring at her, his face looked very worried and angered. Rikku could tell he was furious because he kept switching from Al Bhed to English.
"Don't worry!" Rikku said, "I was fine I just-"
"FINE! Fine is being home safe and sound! BY 10!" Cid yelled, interrupting.
"Um...excuse me." Squall said, walking up to Rikku and Cid. He knew he shouldn't interfer but he didn't want Rikku to stand there and get all the blame. Plus it was his fault she was late. The only problem was he wasn't good when it came to talking to parents, especially dads.
Cid turned to glare at him, "Who's this?" He asked, looking Squall up and down, "He doesn't look like the boy from last night! WHO IS HE?"
"Calm down!" Rikku yelled back, walking to Squall's side, "This is Squall, pops, I was...er...with him last night."
Yuna and Lulu walked outside, standing in the doorway. Yuna looked worried as Lulu had an amused look on her face.
"WITH HIM LAST NIGHT? WHAT DO YOU MEAN WITH HIM LAST NIGHT?" Cid yelled, outraged, "E CFAYN EV OUI DFU TET YHODREHK...(I SWEAR IF YOU TWO DID ANYTHING...)"
"We didn't do anything, Pops, I swear!" Rikku interrupted, blushing alittle, "We just fell asleep!"
"This just gets better and better." Lulu smiled, watching as Cid's face went from hysteria to fury again.
Yuna looked at her, "How can you find this amusing? Rikku's in deep trouble and Squall's gonna probably gonna get it!" She asked angrily, "We have to do something!"
"Do you see that look in Cid's eyes?" Lulu asked, shocked, "I am not gonna try to calm that guy down!" Yuna sighed, wishing there was something she could do.
"FELL ASLEEP?" Cid asked, looking from him to her hysterically, "DRYD'C ED! OUI'NA KADDEHK MULGAT IB EH OUIN NUUS VUNAJAN! HU TYIKRDAN UV SEHAC EC KADDEHK BNAKHYHD! ACBALEYMMO PO Y PUO DRYD'C HUD AJAH YM PRAT! (THAT'S IT! YOU'RE GETTING LOCKED UP IN YOUR ROOM FOREVER! NO DAUGHTER OF MINES IS GETTING PREGNANT! ESPECIALLY BY A BOY THAT'S NOT EVEN AL BHED!)" He yelled, grabbing Rikku and dragging her towards the front door. Yuna and Lulu quickly moved out his way.
"Hey!" Rikku yelled, pulling out of his grip, "That's very prejudice of you! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HIM! AND WE DIDN'T SLEEP TOGETHER!"
"Lower your voice, Rikku." Lulu said, watching as their neighbors came outside to see what the commotion was about.
"Rikku, get to your room." Cid said, his voice low and threatening.
"NO!" Rikku yelled, stubbornly, "You're getting all hot and angry over nothing! I'm sorry I missed my curfew but you have to understand I fell asleep, nothing more! It was completely innocent!"
"Rikku-"
"Um, sir," Squall decided to try again, Cid turned to glare at him, "Um...this isn't Rikku's fault. Don't be mad at her. I was the one that took her to Calm Lands."
Yuna and Lulu looked down, sighing. They knew he was trying to help but he was just making things worse.
"Everyone inside." Cid said in a low dangerous tone, "Including you, Lionheart."
Yuna and Lulu quickly ran inside. Rikku stuck her nose up stubbornly at Cid, grabbing Squall's hand and walking into the house.
"Fro? Fro luimth'd cra pa y puo? (Why? Why couldn't she be a boy?)" Cid asked sadly.
IN THE HOUSE
"We were right," Rikku whispered, smiling alittle, "Fate hates us." Squall smiled back as they both sat on the couch. Yuna and Lulu were sitting across from them. Yuna looked nervous, like she was expecting to get yelled at too. Rikku didn't understand why she was scared.
Cid walked in, looking very tired and frustrated, "You guys just don't know how hard it is to run a house filled with girls." He sighed, rubbing his temples, "First, Yuna comes home wet..."
"What were you doing wet, Yunie?" Rikku asked, looking at Yuna curiously.
"Rikku." Cid glared at her.
"Sorry, Pops." She smiled sheepishly, "Continue."
"And now Rikku's staying out all night with strange boys?" Cid asked, collapsing into his chair, "Is Lulu the only good one?"
"Oh whatever!" Yuna and Rikku said together, looking at Lulu as she put on her best 'innocent' face. Squall just watched in amusement, there was something about family fights that he found amusing. Probably because it was good to see someone other then him fight with his dad.
"Lulu's the worst!" Yuna said.
"Yeah!" Rikku agreed, "I'm surprised she wasn't with Tubby last night!"
Lulu's eyes widened in shock, "Rikku!"
"Tubby?" Cid asked, sitting up, "Who is this 'Tubby'?"
"His name is Wakka!" Lulu yelled frustratedly, causing Cid to glare at her, "I mean...RIKKU WAS OUT WITH SQUALL ALL LAST NIGHT!"
"LU! You meanie!" Rikku yelled. Cid turned to glare back at her. Lulu smiled victoriously, sitting back in her chair.
"That's right! That's worse!" Cid said.
"WE DIDN'T DO NOTHING!" Rikku yelled, exasperated.
"Rikku, Yuna, Lulu, go to your rooms. I wanna talk to this boy alone." Cid said.
"His name is Squall, mister!" Rikku said angrily, getting up, "Wait a minute!...I ain't leaving you two alone!" Yuna and Lulu already left to their rooms. Rikku refused to leave her dad and Squall together. She didn't trust her dad.
"It's ok, Rikku." Squall said, glancing up at her, "I'll be fine."
"See? You're little boyfriend will be fine." Cid said, looking up at her.
Rikku glared at him, "Fine! But you better not ask any stupid questions!" She replied, storming off to her room.
"How can you deal with that?" Cid asked, turning to look at Squall, "Don't get me wrong, I love my daughter but sometimes her attitude is so...urgh! She does it on purpose!"
Squall smiled, "You gotta be very patient."
"You don't look like a patient man." Cid replied, eye-balling him suspiciously.
Squall shrugged, "I'm not. I can get aggravated and annoyed easily."
"Really?" Cid asked shocked, "Then what are you doing with my daughter? She's not exactly the quiet type."
Squall chuckled alittle. Cid was right, Rikku wasn't exactly the type to just leave a person be. If she sensed something was wrong she'd stay with them until they told her what was wrong, no matter what. That's what he needed, though. He wanted someone to listen to him, and actually listen to someone else too. "I know...but she shows me a side of her and myself that I didn't know existed." He replied.
Cid looked at him in shock, "My daughter has more then one side? Well...I do know of another one. Her perky and pissy sides, that's all...right?" He asked, shocked and intrigued that his daughter had another side he has never seen. And that this boy knew about them and saw them.
Squall nodded. People always seem to notice those sides first...why was that? No one knew of her depressed side because she never showed it in public. And now Squall knew of another one, one that he knew she had but he had the pleasure of seeing it and having it to himself: her loving side. Not 'loving' like in family in friends, but 'loving' as in kissing, touching, hugging...love you showed when you wanted someone. She showed him that side and he showed hers his back.
"So...you like my daughter because she's hyper and pissy? You have issues." Cid said, shaking his head. He'd never understand teenage boys these days.
"I like your daughter because she's a fun caring person." Squall responded.
Cid looked at him in shock, this guy didn't look like he liked Rikku's type. And he didn't look like Rikku's type either. Was he missing something here? "So you do like my daughter?" He asked.
"Yeah." He replied, staring at Cid with complete seriousness, "Look, I'm sorry I brought her back late. It won't happen again."
Cid sighed, "I'm good as long as nothing happened..." He looked up, giving Squall a hard glare, "Nothing happened, right?"
"Want the truth?" Squall asked.
Cid's jaw dropped, he quickly got up and began pacing back and forth. "OH NO! My daughter! My precious little Rikku's innocence was taken! SHE'S NOT EVEN MARRIED!" He cried out.
"Woah!" Squall said, putting his hands up, trying to stop Cid's outbursts, "Maybe that was a wrong choice of words. We just kissed, that's it."
Cid stopped to look at him, "You did...? Swear?"
Squall nodded, "I wouldn't take advantage of Rikku like that." He replied, seeing Rikku run back into the room.
"You ok, Pops?" Rikku asked with concern, grabbing his hands and looking into his eyes, "I heard you shouting something about 'innocence' and 'marriage'."
"I'm fine, Rikku," Cid sighed, relieved, "I just went off the rocker alittle."
"Alittle?" Rikku asked, "Try all the way, Pops! You need to learn to trust me...and not judge people so quickly." She walked and sat next to Squall, grabbing his hand and squeezing it lightly in hers, "I like Squall and I plan on seeing him, ok?"
Cid sighed, nodding. Rikku was 16 now, she was now considered a woman and was allowed to associate with boys even if Cid didn't want her to. "I always expected you to be with that Gippal kid you liked so much, though." He muttered.
Squall's face dropped at the mention of Gippal. Maybe it was jealousy, but he didn't like the guy. He was the first person that Rikku actually wanted. If he wouldn't have left, they probably would've been together.
Rikku looked at Squall's mad face. "Pops!" She said, glaring at Cid for bringing Gippal up, "Gippal was just a crush!" That didn't make Squall any happier.
"Yeah...I know." Cid replied, "Squall...you're a good guy. I'm glad my daughter found you." He said as he turned to walk out the room.
Rikku smiled happily, looking at Squall to see that he still wasn't smiling. "Squallie..."
"You know," He spoke up, still mad, "I was beginning to like your dad until he had to bring him up." He wasn't looking at her, he was looking straight ahead, his face hard.
Rikku giggled, he looked so cute when he was mad and jealous. She sat up on her knees, turning his head towards her, "Come on, Squallie, he was just kidding." She smiled.
"It's cute you find this amusing." He replied, grimly.
"I don't!" Rikku lied, "But you just look so adorable when you're mad!" She pinched his cheek, playfully. He glared at her angrily, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Rikku-"
"You're just so adorable, Squallie!" She teased, pinching his cheek in a grandmotherly fashion.
"Rikku, you pinch my cheek again, I swear you'll regret it." He threatened. His threats didn't mean anything to her, she continued messing with him, making little baby sounds.
"Come on!" She smiled, "Start pouting for Rikku! C'mon, you know you want to!"
"You're just asking for it..."
"What was that?" Rikku asked in a teasing tone, "You're not gonna make a pouty face for me?" She reached for his face again but he quickly grabbed it, pushing her down on the couch and pinning her hands above her head. He was on top, smiling down at her.
"Aw!" Rikku pouted, "No fair!"
"I warned you." He smiled, "Plus your 'pouty' face is more adorable."
Rikku stuck her tongue out at him, "Bite me, meanie!" She replied, happiness in her eyes and voice.
"Don't mind if I do." He replied, leaning down to kiss her. He still held her hands above her head as she responded back. He pulled away from her mouth to kiss and nibble at her neck.
"HOLY CHOCOBOS!" Cid yelled as he walked into the room. Squall quickly let Rikku go and sat up. Rikku scooted to the other side of the couch, looking at her dad in shock.
"Uh...it's not what it looks like?" She asked, smiling nervously at her dad. Squall just stared at him in shock, he forgot there were others around.
"We'll talk later." He said quietly, turning the walk back out the room, "My baby...all grown up...boys touching her...she's not even MARRIED!" They heard him mutter.
"I think I made a good first impression." Squall said sarcastically, still staring at the doorway.
Rikku laughed, punching Squall lightly in the arm, "I think he likes you!"
BESAID HIGH
"Ok, class, your next assignment is you will be assigned penpals..."
The class began to groan, complaining about how they hate writing.
"Hey!" Mrs. Lee said, stopping their complaining, "You didn't let me finish. These penpals are special. We used a special system to match you up with the perfect person..."
"Are you trying to hook us up, Mrs. Lee?" A student asked.
"No, Tori. Plus the person will be the same sex as you." Mrs. Lee smiled.
"Cool!" Rikku shrieked excitedly, "When do we start?"
"Today," Mrs. Lee replied, "I want you to sit at the computers I assigned you yesterday. But there are two rules, you must obey them or else."
"Or else what?" Tidus asked.
"Or else your mind will be erased." Mrs. Lee responded, the class began gasping in shock.
"You can't be serious!" Yuna said, concerned, "Can you guys do that?"
Mrs. Lee nodded, "We can and we will."
The class gulped and began staring at eachother.
"What's the rules?" Squall asked, being the only one to not be shocked and worried. He didn't seem to be scared about messing up.
"Glad you asked, Mr. Leonheart," Mrs. Lee smiled, walking to the board and writing two sentences, "You must not tell them where you live, or give them hints of your surroundings. And you must not tell anyone else, that means your family and friends, your person's name. What you share with your penpal is strictly between you two."
Wakka shrugged, walking to his computer, "Seems simple enough, ya?"
"This is gonna be sooo fun!" Rikku said, flopping into her chair with excitement, "I wonder who I got?"
"The thought of another girl like you out there is frightening." Lulu joked, sitting next to Yuna. Rikku stuck her tongue out at her.
"Ok, log on. You should already have mail from your penpal." Mrs. Lee said, walking up and down the aisles.
"YOU GOT MAIL!" Everyone's computer sang as they logged on.
Yuna and Rikku began moving around in excitement, they loved meeting new people. Lulu watched them in amusement. 'Yuna's becoming more and more like Rikku everyday.' She thought, getting up to stand between them. "How about you two settle down before you guys start foaming at the mouth." She suggested, smirking.
"Sorry, Lu!" They said in unison, sitting proper in their seats. Lulu nodded at them, feeling someone watching her.
"What?" She asked annoyed, not even looking the guy.
Wakka jumped, not knowing Lulu knew he was watching her, "Uh...nothing." He responded, looking down. Lulu rolled her eyes and went to go sit in her seat.
Tidus elbowed Wakka in the side, "Real smooth, Wakka." He smiled.
"Shut up! Just because you and Yuna are good again doesn't mean you have game either!" Wakka replied angrily. He hated that Lulu was mad at him and that Squall and Tidus got their girls back. It was Squall's fault he had to go with Dona.
"You shouldn't have been freaking with Dona on the dancefloor, you knew Lulu was watching." Squall replied, typing on his computer.
"No I didn't!" Wakka yelled, Lulu, Rikku, and Yuna looked down at them. Wakka blushed and began typing on his computer too.
Rikku got up and walked up to them, standing between Squall and Wakka. "What's the matter, Tubby? Having Lulu problems?" She asked, looking down at Wakka.
"No." He muttered angrily, paying attention to his computer.
"Yes you are." Yuna smiled, walking up to them, "C'mon, Wakka! Let me and Rikku help!"
"You guys will just make things worse." He muttered, glancing Lulu who ignored them.
Yuna leaned down, her hands behind her back, "Do these look like the faces of people that will make things worse?" She asked, giving him her best innocent smile. He looked at her then at Rikku who was also smiling at him. They both looked innoncent and sincere, but he knew underneath that was two girls ready to make things difficult for him.
"Yeah!" Rikku smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder, "We're 'Lulu experts'! We'll have you guys back and arguing in no time!"
"Why do I not doubt that?" He asked. Looking back and forth from Yuna to Rikku.
Squall grabbed Rikku around the waist, settling her on his lap, "Because Rikku's a master at making people argue." He replied.
Tidus stood up, wrapping an arm around Yuna, "And Yuna can help. Come on, let them!" He said, giving Wakka his best puppy-dog eyes.
Wakka looked at him and Yuna then at Rikku and Squall, "Fine...I leave it in your hands." He sighed.
Rikku and Yuna smiled, looking at him with excitement. "No problem, Wakka! Leave it to us!" Yuna said, leaving to settle next to Lulu.
Rikku got up, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Now that we're on the job, you'll get Lulu back!" She smiled, skipping back to her seat.
Squall watched her, then glanced at Wakka, "You're screwed." He said before turning to his computer.
"Yup." Tidus agreed, sitting back down.
"What!" Wakka asked, looking at the both of them, "But...you two just said..."
Squall shrugged, "We were just supporting our girls, man." He replied.
"Yeah," Tidus agreed, "They may seem like they're helping, they're just gonna make things worse like you said."
"I hate you guys!" Wakka muttered.
YUFFIE KISAGARI
Rikku clicked on her mail, seeing she had a note from her penpal, Yuffie Kisagari. She began silently reading it:
Dear penpal person girl,
My name is the Great Ninja Yuffie Kisagari...well, ok, it's just Yuffie Kisagari, but I'm a great ninja too! I'm 16 and I collect materia...even though Vinnie keeps telling me it's not called 'collecting' it's called 'stealing'. Pfft, whatever! What does he know? He's been in a coffin for like over 30 years or something like that! Anyways, enough about him and more about me...I am currently travelling with a group called AVALANCHE, I can't tell you what we're doing because I so do not feel like having my memory erased. But I think I'm allowed to tell you the names of my team members right? There's Aeris, this flowergirl Cloud met, very ditsy. Cid, he's our pilot. What a total jerk and he has quite the mouth on him. Barret, he has an adorable daughter he just adopted named Marlene. Red, my partner in crime, he's a big kitty...literally! Cloud, our 'leader' or whatever. Poor guy's having girl problems. Aeris loves him but he won't show his love back. He keeps saying that he has to keep a promise to a childhood friend. And Vinnie...er...Vincent. He hates it when I call him Vinnie but I have nicknames for all my friends. I just like his the most. He usually likes to be alone but I won't allow that. I won't allow him to mourn over that traitor dead girlfriend of his...what's her name again? Aw, who cares! I didn't even know the girl and she's bugging the heck outta me. He gets mad when I talk about her like that though...but he's so damn polite that he won't yell at me! Dude has problems...well...ttyl. Time to go see what the Vamp boy is up to!
-Yours truly, The Great Ninja Yuffie
Mrs. Lee was right, Rikku had a lot in common with this girl. They were both considered 'thieves' and knew boys who were lonewolves. Rikku began typing back:
Hiya Yuffie!
My name is Rikku, I'm also 16. I know what you mean by the 'thief' thing. I just like to borrow! That's all! My cousin, Yunie, use to disapprove of it but now she's use to it! I got her coming out of her shell, she's using guns now and everything. Your group of friends ain't the only ones having problems. Yuna's getting married to some complete jerk-loser named Seymour. She won't tell me why though! But she's in love with this guy named Tidus and he loves her back. Why won't she leave Seymour for Tidus? He treats her way better! My friend Lulu is currently mad at Wakka, a guy she's in love with, because he was a complete big meanie and decided to take a certain skank to the dance. But don't worry! Yunie and I got permission to fix things for him! Me on the otherhand...I feel a lot better then I did a couple of days ago...I got my Squallie back! He's still alittle distant but at least he's telling me things now. Your 'Vinnie' sounds a lot like my 'Squallie' and I'm kinda sensing you like him...except my Squallie don't have a dead girlfriend...well I hope he don't.
Seeya! -Rikku
CLOUD STRIFE
"Mail from Cloud Strife?" Squall read to himself, "What kind of name is that?" He shrugged, clicking on the message:
My name is Cloud Strife, 17, and I'm currently with my group AVALANCHE on an important mission...but I sense things are just gonna get worse. Sometimes I wish I didn't have to be their leader, that they didn't depend on me so much. Especially Aeris. Aeris expects me to guard her, protect her. I just think I can't handle that...Then there's these feelings getting in the way. I can't allow myself to fall for Aeris...I have to stick to the mission and not get attached. Oh well...I gotta go. That ninja's bothering Vincent again. I gotta stop her before he shoots her, which I know he won't do, but you can never be too sure.
'This guys has problems,' Squall thought, 'And I thought my life was difficult.' He began typing back:
My name's Squall Leonheart, 17. I don't know what to say about myself except for I hate being in charge of others and considered a leader. So I don't know what to say about your 'leader' problem. As for Aeris, I know how you feel. I have a girl too, the problem is she's perfect and I'm falling for her...which is not allowed for me because in a year I'm leaving. She doesn't know about it yet, and I can't bring myself to tell her. She thinks my destiny is to only become a Lionheart...but there's so much more. Something bad's gonna happen and I have to help set things straight when it does. As for the ninja and this Vincent guy...let her bother him. He might like it.
'Hmm...no name?' Yuna thought, 'Odd...' She clicked on the message, hoping there'd be a name in there:
I'm 16 years old and I can't tell you my name because I don't know my real identity. I have changed it so many times that I don't know what to call myself now. I go by a name now, but I don't wanna say because they'll find me. I am not going back to that place again...not without him. The only problem is, I don't know who 'him' is. But I sense I'm gonna meet him soon. How do you know that you're in love? I felt it so many times but it always ends in disappointment. My childhood friend who I was in love with left me, telling me to stay away from a certain boy...but I didn't listen. I wish I had...my childhood friend was completely right about this boy. He said he loved me, then tried to force me to do something I didn't want to...how is that love?
Yuna read the letter, becoming more and more depressed by each word. This girl didn't seem happy at all, something horrible must've happen to her to make her so...sad.
Dear No name,
I'm Yunalesca, Yuna for short. I am 17 years old. I'm sorry to hear about your childhood friend and the boy that betrayed you. Hopefully you'll see your childhood friend and tell him how you feel. And maybe this guy you're searching for is you're soulmate...just an opinion. I'm having problems too. I'm being forced into marriage, I guess it's my fault though. But I wasn't suppose to fall in love...but I did. I want to be with Tidus, but I belong to Seymour now...I just don't know what to do. Maybe we do have a lot in common.
SORA
'Sora?' Tidus thought, he knew a Sora...there's no way it could be the Sora he knew...if it was then this computer must have some weird powers:
Dear Penpal,
My teacher's making me do this but Kairi says it'll be fun so I'm giving it a try. My name's Sora and I'm 15, Since I have to obey the rules I can't tell you were I live. But there's this island me and my friends Riku and Kairi go on. We use to go there with three other people, but they moved away...we miss them. I have been practicing, hopefully to one day beat Riku...which I don't think is gonna happen anytime soon...he's just too strong! But I have to prove myself to Kairi somehow!
'Holy chocobos!' Tidus thought, shocked. It was the Sora he knew...Sora from Destiny Islands! Tidus's first hometown! But that was a different world...how could he be communicating with someone from a different world?
Sora? Is that really you? It's your old pal, Tidus! You should already know I'm 17 now. It's also nice to know you miss me! I can't tell you where I live because it's against the rules...but I can tell you I finally met a girl. Her name's Yuna, only problem is she's getting married...as for the 'Riku' thing...you'll never beat him. Like Wakka and I always use to say, he's too strong. Kairi can always depend on him!
"Ok, class," Mrs. Lee spoke up, "Bell's about to ring. Time to log off your computers and get ready for your next class. I hope you liked your penpals!"
"Sure did!" Rikku smiled, jumping out of her seat, "Mine's is a thief just like me!"
"Mine's didn't tell me much about herself..." Yuna responded, "She seemed scared about something."
"Sounds just like you," Lulu said, "You're always scared something bad's gonna happen."
"What was your girl like, Lu?" Rikku asked curiously.
Lulu shrugged, "Some girl that's in some Crimson Squad with three boys." She replied, leaving as she saw Tidus, Squall, and Wakka walking towards them.
"I thought you said you were gonna help me!" Wakka complained, watching as Lulu walked away.
"We haven't started yet." Yuna replied.
"Yeah, you can't rush love!" Rikku smiled, Wakka scowled then walked out the room, his head hung down.
"You guys are mean." Tidus smiled, grabbing Yuna's books for her.
Yuna frowned, "We don't mean to be. We just wanna take precautionary measures first. We're on Lulu's side, you know."
"I kinda do mean to be mean." Rikku said, thinking alittle, "It's Tubby's fault for agreeing to take Dona."
"Actually that's Squall's fault." Tidus said, looking at Squall.
Yuna and Rikku looked at Squall in shock. "It's your fault Lulu's so mad at Wakka?" Yuna asked, placing a hand on her hip and staring at Squall.
Squall shrugged, "Calli promised to leave all of us alone if I went with her, Tidus went with Leblanc, and Wakka went with Dona."
Rikku sighed, glaring at him, "And why didn't you tell us this before? That would've been a lot of help!"
Squall shrugged again, smiling at her, "Because you didn't ask." He knew she was about to get pissy again. He liked her pissy.
Rikku stomped her foot in frustration, "Sah ryja du syga drehkc cu tevvelimd! (Men have to make things so difficult!)" She sighed.
"Fa mega drehkc tevvelimd. Ayco ec vun fayg baubma. (We like things difficult. Easy is for weak people.)" He smiled, looking at her face go from frustration to a teasing smile too.
"Kuut, palyica E's y tevvelimd kenm du esbnacc. (Good, because I'm a difficult girl to impress.)" Rikku said in a teasing tone.
Squall began laughing, placing an arm around her, "I can tell." He replied.
Yuna and Tidus looked at eachother in confusion. "Don't look at me," Yuna said, "I'm still trying to learn Al Bhed."
Tidus looked back at Rikku and Squall who were smiling at them, "Hey, how about we speak English?" He asked, "For all Yuna and I know you guys can be saying some very perverted stuff."
Squall shook his head, smiling, as Rikku gave Tidus a disgusted look and stuck out her tongue.
Yuna smiled at them, then she remembered something, "Shoot! You guys that orientation thingy is starting right now!"
"What orientation?" Tidus asked.
"The orientation honoring the students who passed their missions!" Yuna said, looking panicked, "Which would be us!" She added as they still looked at her in confusion.
"Oh!" Rikku said, "Oh! We've gotta go!"
Yuna nodded, agreeing. They quickly grabbed Tidus and Squall, running down the hall.
AUDITORIUM
Rikku, Yuna, Tidus, and Squall ran into the auditorium, which was crowded already with all the students and staff in the school.
"There you guys are!" Mr. Omni yelled, walking towards them, "I thought you guys were gonna forget!"
"Us?" Tidus asked nervously, scratching his head, "Never!"
"Uh huh." Mr. Omni said, "Well you guys sure are late. Hurry up and get on stage, will ya?" He began pushing them up the stage stairs.
"Take it easy, will ya?" Tidus asked angrily as he was shoved into Squall.
"Ouch! Man, that was my foot!" Squall complained.
"Yuna, you're hands on my butt!" Rikku said, almost tripping up the stairs.
"Not my fault!" Yuna said, turning to glare at Mr. Omni, "Some people are just rude!"
"And here they are!" Principal Percy said into the microphone as he saw them come onto stage. The audience began to cheer. Squall, Rikku, Yuna, and Tidus didn't notice, they were still recovering from being shoved involuntarily onto stage.
"They were the only ones who passed their missions." Principal Percy said, walking towards them. Rikku was the first to recover, seeing how the crowd was cheering for them. She quickly began smiling and took a bow. Yuna was shocked by all the people, becoming embarassed and shy. Squall just stood there, his arms crossed over his chest, not seeming to care about the crowd. Tidus gave Yuna a confused 'what's going on again?' look.
"Uh, don't you guys wanna say something?" Principal Percy asked. Rikku and Yuna stared at him in shock, Tidus was still trying to remember what was going on, Squall just stood there, leaning against the wall with his head down and eyes closed.
Yuna pushed Rikku forward, volunteering her. "Hey!" Rikku yelped, glancing back at Yuna, "Why I gotta go first?"
Yuna shrugged, "You like this kinda stuff!" She replied, smiling.
Rikku sighed, grabbing the mic and looking out into the audience. She really didn't like giving speeches, she always got nervous, "Um...considering we almost died, I'm glad we passed our mission," She began, glancing back at Yuna who encouraged her to go on, "And who's bright idea was it to have us meet up at the Thunder Plains! Thanks a lot, meanie! I have Agraphobia, y'know!"
Yuna sighed, placing her head in her hand, maybe it wasn't a good idea to let Rikku go first. She heard Squall chuckling from where he was standing, at least he found it amusing. She saw Tidus walk past her and up to Rikku, grabbing the mic from her.
"Yeah!" He complained, "Yuna and I were doing perfectly fine until a ugly purple-haired jerk tried to kill us!"
"That's enough." Yuna said, grabbing the mic from him and pushing Rikku and Tidus back to where Squall was. She turned to look at the audience shyly, "We're...honored to have been able to go on these missions and help people...thank you." She quickly handed the microphone to Principal Percy, running back to join Tidus, Rikku, and Squall.
"Er..." Principal Percy looked at the audience in shock as they looked back at him in confusion, "How about we get a word from our leader-to-be, Squall Leonheart!" The crowd began cheering again as Principal Percy handed the mic over the a shocked Squall.
He looked at the mic, then at Rikku, then at the awaiting audience. What the hell did they want him to do...?
"A speech...? Forget it! Cut the mic!" Squall said, walking off stage as Rikku began giggling.
"I just wanna say one more thing," Tidus said, leaning towards the mic, "ZANARKAND! REPRESENT!" He shouted throwing up his arms. Yuna smiled, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him off stage.
Rikku was about to walk offstage until she saw Seymour coming up the stairs. 'What is he doing here?' She thought angrily, moving out his way as he walked past her, smiling.
Seymour walked on stage and grabbed the mic. Yuna looked up at him in shock as Tidus glared angrily. Squall was confused about what was going on as Rikku ran to stand by his side. "What's going on?" He whispered to her. Rikku shrugged, looking at Yuna, "I don't know but it don't look good."
"I, Seymour Guado, would like to make an announcement." He said, smiling at the audience, "Yunalesca and I will be getting married in two days."
Yuna and Rikku gasped in shock. "TWO DAYS?" Tidus asked angrily, about to attack Seymour until Squall grabbed his arm.
"What the hell is going on?" He asked, confused, "Yuna's getting married? Since when?"
Tidus sighed, looking down, "It's a forced marriage. It's a long story."
Seymour walked offstage to grab Yuna and bring her onstage with him. Rikku was ready to attack him too until Squall grabbed her. "Wait." He said.
"Got anything to say, Yuna, my love?" Seymour asked, looking down at Yuna. She shook her head, closing her eyes sadly as tears feel down.
"Good!" He smiled, looking at the audience, "Hope to see you all there!"
--------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I had to throw in some characters from other final fantasy games and kingdom hearts in there because they are connected to what's gonna be happening later on. If you're wondering what, then you're just gonna have to wait to find out : P I bet some people are also wondering why I didn't mention Tifa...it's a secret! Just remember, everything's connect! Plus, I am using quotes from the games, like Squall's and Rikku's. And what color is Seymour's hair? Blue or Purple?
Rikku felt a cold draft blow past her, causing her to shiver and snuggle closer to the person next to her. 'Wait a minute!' Rikku thought, not remembering falling asleep with Yuna. But this person wasn't Yuna either, because the body felt masculine, too muscular to be Brother too. She opened her eyes slowly to find the sun shining brightly in her face. The sky was above her and she noticed she was in Squall's convertible with him. "Huh?" She quickly sat up, looking around, "Where am I?"
Squall woke up, feeling Rikku sit up quickly. "You ok, Rikku?" He asked concerned, sensing her confusion. She looked back and down at him, sighing, "Yeah, just forgot where I was for awhile...waitaminute!" She looked around, panicking, "What time is it? My pop's gonna kill me!"
"Shit!" Squall quickly sat up too, "We must've fell asleep! You think your dad knows your not home yet?" He asked, quickly putting the key in the ignition.
"I don't know!" Rikku said, trying to calm down, "It's very doubtful though!" Rikku knew she was gonna get it when she got home. She not only missed her curfew, but she'd be showing up with a guy, and the guy wasn't even her date. She was in for it...Squall quickly sped off.
RIKKU'S HOUSE
Squall stopped infront of Rikku's house, turning off the engine. He turned to look at her with concern, she looked scared, her head was down and her hands were on her lap.
"It's gonna be ok," Squall said, touching her shoulder comfortingly, "He'll understand that we just fell asleep."
Rikku shook her head, "You don't know Pops...he's gonna jump to conclusions and ground me for the rest of my young life!" Just then they heard a door pull open, Cid storming towards them. "Let the show begin." Rikku muttered, looking up at her furious dad.
"RIKKU! Frana dra ramm fana oui? (Where the hell were you?)" He asked angrily, pulling open the car door and grabbing her.
"Pops, I-"
"I specifically said 10 o'clock! It's 8 in the morning! Tu oui ryja yho etay ruf funneat E fyc? (Do you have any idea how worried I was?)" He asked, grabbing both her arms and staring at her, his face looked very worried and angered. Rikku could tell he was furious because he kept switching from Al Bhed to English.
"Don't worry!" Rikku said, "I was fine I just-"
"FINE! Fine is being home safe and sound! BY 10!" Cid yelled, interrupting.
"Um...excuse me." Squall said, walking up to Rikku and Cid. He knew he shouldn't interfer but he didn't want Rikku to stand there and get all the blame. Plus it was his fault she was late. The only problem was he wasn't good when it came to talking to parents, especially dads.
Cid turned to glare at him, "Who's this?" He asked, looking Squall up and down, "He doesn't look like the boy from last night! WHO IS HE?"
"Calm down!" Rikku yelled back, walking to Squall's side, "This is Squall, pops, I was...er...with him last night."
Yuna and Lulu walked outside, standing in the doorway. Yuna looked worried as Lulu had an amused look on her face.
"WITH HIM LAST NIGHT? WHAT DO YOU MEAN WITH HIM LAST NIGHT?" Cid yelled, outraged, "E CFAYN EV OUI DFU TET YHODREHK...(I SWEAR IF YOU TWO DID ANYTHING...)"
"We didn't do anything, Pops, I swear!" Rikku interrupted, blushing alittle, "We just fell asleep!"
"This just gets better and better." Lulu smiled, watching as Cid's face went from hysteria to fury again.
Yuna looked at her, "How can you find this amusing? Rikku's in deep trouble and Squall's gonna probably gonna get it!" She asked angrily, "We have to do something!"
"Do you see that look in Cid's eyes?" Lulu asked, shocked, "I am not gonna try to calm that guy down!" Yuna sighed, wishing there was something she could do.
"FELL ASLEEP?" Cid asked, looking from him to her hysterically, "DRYD'C ED! OUI'NA KADDEHK MULGAT IB EH OUIN NUUS VUNAJAN! HU TYIKRDAN UV SEHAC EC KADDEHK BNAKHYHD! ACBALEYMMO PO Y PUO DRYD'C HUD AJAH YM PRAT! (THAT'S IT! YOU'RE GETTING LOCKED UP IN YOUR ROOM FOREVER! NO DAUGHTER OF MINES IS GETTING PREGNANT! ESPECIALLY BY A BOY THAT'S NOT EVEN AL BHED!)" He yelled, grabbing Rikku and dragging her towards the front door. Yuna and Lulu quickly moved out his way.
"Hey!" Rikku yelled, pulling out of his grip, "That's very prejudice of you! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HIM! AND WE DIDN'T SLEEP TOGETHER!"
"Lower your voice, Rikku." Lulu said, watching as their neighbors came outside to see what the commotion was about.
"Rikku, get to your room." Cid said, his voice low and threatening.
"NO!" Rikku yelled, stubbornly, "You're getting all hot and angry over nothing! I'm sorry I missed my curfew but you have to understand I fell asleep, nothing more! It was completely innocent!"
"Rikku-"
"Um, sir," Squall decided to try again, Cid turned to glare at him, "Um...this isn't Rikku's fault. Don't be mad at her. I was the one that took her to Calm Lands."
Yuna and Lulu looked down, sighing. They knew he was trying to help but he was just making things worse.
"Everyone inside." Cid said in a low dangerous tone, "Including you, Lionheart."
Yuna and Lulu quickly ran inside. Rikku stuck her nose up stubbornly at Cid, grabbing Squall's hand and walking into the house.
"Fro? Fro luimth'd cra pa y puo? (Why? Why couldn't she be a boy?)" Cid asked sadly.
IN THE HOUSE
"We were right," Rikku whispered, smiling alittle, "Fate hates us." Squall smiled back as they both sat on the couch. Yuna and Lulu were sitting across from them. Yuna looked nervous, like she was expecting to get yelled at too. Rikku didn't understand why she was scared.
Cid walked in, looking very tired and frustrated, "You guys just don't know how hard it is to run a house filled with girls." He sighed, rubbing his temples, "First, Yuna comes home wet..."
"What were you doing wet, Yunie?" Rikku asked, looking at Yuna curiously.
"Rikku." Cid glared at her.
"Sorry, Pops." She smiled sheepishly, "Continue."
"And now Rikku's staying out all night with strange boys?" Cid asked, collapsing into his chair, "Is Lulu the only good one?"
"Oh whatever!" Yuna and Rikku said together, looking at Lulu as she put on her best 'innocent' face. Squall just watched in amusement, there was something about family fights that he found amusing. Probably because it was good to see someone other then him fight with his dad.
"Lulu's the worst!" Yuna said.
"Yeah!" Rikku agreed, "I'm surprised she wasn't with Tubby last night!"
Lulu's eyes widened in shock, "Rikku!"
"Tubby?" Cid asked, sitting up, "Who is this 'Tubby'?"
"His name is Wakka!" Lulu yelled frustratedly, causing Cid to glare at her, "I mean...RIKKU WAS OUT WITH SQUALL ALL LAST NIGHT!"
"LU! You meanie!" Rikku yelled. Cid turned to glare back at her. Lulu smiled victoriously, sitting back in her chair.
"That's right! That's worse!" Cid said.
"WE DIDN'T DO NOTHING!" Rikku yelled, exasperated.
"Rikku, Yuna, Lulu, go to your rooms. I wanna talk to this boy alone." Cid said.
"His name is Squall, mister!" Rikku said angrily, getting up, "Wait a minute!...I ain't leaving you two alone!" Yuna and Lulu already left to their rooms. Rikku refused to leave her dad and Squall together. She didn't trust her dad.
"It's ok, Rikku." Squall said, glancing up at her, "I'll be fine."
"See? You're little boyfriend will be fine." Cid said, looking up at her.
Rikku glared at him, "Fine! But you better not ask any stupid questions!" She replied, storming off to her room.
"How can you deal with that?" Cid asked, turning to look at Squall, "Don't get me wrong, I love my daughter but sometimes her attitude is so...urgh! She does it on purpose!"
Squall smiled, "You gotta be very patient."
"You don't look like a patient man." Cid replied, eye-balling him suspiciously.
Squall shrugged, "I'm not. I can get aggravated and annoyed easily."
"Really?" Cid asked shocked, "Then what are you doing with my daughter? She's not exactly the quiet type."
Squall chuckled alittle. Cid was right, Rikku wasn't exactly the type to just leave a person be. If she sensed something was wrong she'd stay with them until they told her what was wrong, no matter what. That's what he needed, though. He wanted someone to listen to him, and actually listen to someone else too. "I know...but she shows me a side of her and myself that I didn't know existed." He replied.
Cid looked at him in shock, "My daughter has more then one side? Well...I do know of another one. Her perky and pissy sides, that's all...right?" He asked, shocked and intrigued that his daughter had another side he has never seen. And that this boy knew about them and saw them.
Squall nodded. People always seem to notice those sides first...why was that? No one knew of her depressed side because she never showed it in public. And now Squall knew of another one, one that he knew she had but he had the pleasure of seeing it and having it to himself: her loving side. Not 'loving' like in family in friends, but 'loving' as in kissing, touching, hugging...love you showed when you wanted someone. She showed him that side and he showed hers his back.
"So...you like my daughter because she's hyper and pissy? You have issues." Cid said, shaking his head. He'd never understand teenage boys these days.
"I like your daughter because she's a fun caring person." Squall responded.
Cid looked at him in shock, this guy didn't look like he liked Rikku's type. And he didn't look like Rikku's type either. Was he missing something here? "So you do like my daughter?" He asked.
"Yeah." He replied, staring at Cid with complete seriousness, "Look, I'm sorry I brought her back late. It won't happen again."
Cid sighed, "I'm good as long as nothing happened..." He looked up, giving Squall a hard glare, "Nothing happened, right?"
"Want the truth?" Squall asked.
Cid's jaw dropped, he quickly got up and began pacing back and forth. "OH NO! My daughter! My precious little Rikku's innocence was taken! SHE'S NOT EVEN MARRIED!" He cried out.
"Woah!" Squall said, putting his hands up, trying to stop Cid's outbursts, "Maybe that was a wrong choice of words. We just kissed, that's it."
Cid stopped to look at him, "You did...? Swear?"
Squall nodded, "I wouldn't take advantage of Rikku like that." He replied, seeing Rikku run back into the room.
"You ok, Pops?" Rikku asked with concern, grabbing his hands and looking into his eyes, "I heard you shouting something about 'innocence' and 'marriage'."
"I'm fine, Rikku," Cid sighed, relieved, "I just went off the rocker alittle."
"Alittle?" Rikku asked, "Try all the way, Pops! You need to learn to trust me...and not judge people so quickly." She walked and sat next to Squall, grabbing his hand and squeezing it lightly in hers, "I like Squall and I plan on seeing him, ok?"
Cid sighed, nodding. Rikku was 16 now, she was now considered a woman and was allowed to associate with boys even if Cid didn't want her to. "I always expected you to be with that Gippal kid you liked so much, though." He muttered.
Squall's face dropped at the mention of Gippal. Maybe it was jealousy, but he didn't like the guy. He was the first person that Rikku actually wanted. If he wouldn't have left, they probably would've been together.
Rikku looked at Squall's mad face. "Pops!" She said, glaring at Cid for bringing Gippal up, "Gippal was just a crush!" That didn't make Squall any happier.
"Yeah...I know." Cid replied, "Squall...you're a good guy. I'm glad my daughter found you." He said as he turned to walk out the room.
Rikku smiled happily, looking at Squall to see that he still wasn't smiling. "Squallie..."
"You know," He spoke up, still mad, "I was beginning to like your dad until he had to bring him up." He wasn't looking at her, he was looking straight ahead, his face hard.
Rikku giggled, he looked so cute when he was mad and jealous. She sat up on her knees, turning his head towards her, "Come on, Squallie, he was just kidding." She smiled.
"It's cute you find this amusing." He replied, grimly.
"I don't!" Rikku lied, "But you just look so adorable when you're mad!" She pinched his cheek, playfully. He glared at her angrily, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Rikku-"
"You're just so adorable, Squallie!" She teased, pinching his cheek in a grandmotherly fashion.
"Rikku, you pinch my cheek again, I swear you'll regret it." He threatened. His threats didn't mean anything to her, she continued messing with him, making little baby sounds.
"Come on!" She smiled, "Start pouting for Rikku! C'mon, you know you want to!"
"You're just asking for it..."
"What was that?" Rikku asked in a teasing tone, "You're not gonna make a pouty face for me?" She reached for his face again but he quickly grabbed it, pushing her down on the couch and pinning her hands above her head. He was on top, smiling down at her.
"Aw!" Rikku pouted, "No fair!"
"I warned you." He smiled, "Plus your 'pouty' face is more adorable."
Rikku stuck her tongue out at him, "Bite me, meanie!" She replied, happiness in her eyes and voice.
"Don't mind if I do." He replied, leaning down to kiss her. He still held her hands above her head as she responded back. He pulled away from her mouth to kiss and nibble at her neck.
"HOLY CHOCOBOS!" Cid yelled as he walked into the room. Squall quickly let Rikku go and sat up. Rikku scooted to the other side of the couch, looking at her dad in shock.
"Uh...it's not what it looks like?" She asked, smiling nervously at her dad. Squall just stared at him in shock, he forgot there were others around.
"We'll talk later." He said quietly, turning the walk back out the room, "My baby...all grown up...boys touching her...she's not even MARRIED!" They heard him mutter.
"I think I made a good first impression." Squall said sarcastically, still staring at the doorway.
Rikku laughed, punching Squall lightly in the arm, "I think he likes you!"
BESAID HIGH
"Ok, class, your next assignment is you will be assigned penpals..."
The class began to groan, complaining about how they hate writing.
"Hey!" Mrs. Lee said, stopping their complaining, "You didn't let me finish. These penpals are special. We used a special system to match you up with the perfect person..."
"Are you trying to hook us up, Mrs. Lee?" A student asked.
"No, Tori. Plus the person will be the same sex as you." Mrs. Lee smiled.
"Cool!" Rikku shrieked excitedly, "When do we start?"
"Today," Mrs. Lee replied, "I want you to sit at the computers I assigned you yesterday. But there are two rules, you must obey them or else."
"Or else what?" Tidus asked.
"Or else your mind will be erased." Mrs. Lee responded, the class began gasping in shock.
"You can't be serious!" Yuna said, concerned, "Can you guys do that?"
Mrs. Lee nodded, "We can and we will."
The class gulped and began staring at eachother.
"What's the rules?" Squall asked, being the only one to not be shocked and worried. He didn't seem to be scared about messing up.
"Glad you asked, Mr. Leonheart," Mrs. Lee smiled, walking to the board and writing two sentences, "You must not tell them where you live, or give them hints of your surroundings. And you must not tell anyone else, that means your family and friends, your person's name. What you share with your penpal is strictly between you two."
Wakka shrugged, walking to his computer, "Seems simple enough, ya?"
"This is gonna be sooo fun!" Rikku said, flopping into her chair with excitement, "I wonder who I got?"
"The thought of another girl like you out there is frightening." Lulu joked, sitting next to Yuna. Rikku stuck her tongue out at her.
"Ok, log on. You should already have mail from your penpal." Mrs. Lee said, walking up and down the aisles.
"YOU GOT MAIL!" Everyone's computer sang as they logged on.
Yuna and Rikku began moving around in excitement, they loved meeting new people. Lulu watched them in amusement. 'Yuna's becoming more and more like Rikku everyday.' She thought, getting up to stand between them. "How about you two settle down before you guys start foaming at the mouth." She suggested, smirking.
"Sorry, Lu!" They said in unison, sitting proper in their seats. Lulu nodded at them, feeling someone watching her.
"What?" She asked annoyed, not even looking the guy.
Wakka jumped, not knowing Lulu knew he was watching her, "Uh...nothing." He responded, looking down. Lulu rolled her eyes and went to go sit in her seat.
Tidus elbowed Wakka in the side, "Real smooth, Wakka." He smiled.
"Shut up! Just because you and Yuna are good again doesn't mean you have game either!" Wakka replied angrily. He hated that Lulu was mad at him and that Squall and Tidus got their girls back. It was Squall's fault he had to go with Dona.
"You shouldn't have been freaking with Dona on the dancefloor, you knew Lulu was watching." Squall replied, typing on his computer.
"No I didn't!" Wakka yelled, Lulu, Rikku, and Yuna looked down at them. Wakka blushed and began typing on his computer too.
Rikku got up and walked up to them, standing between Squall and Wakka. "What's the matter, Tubby? Having Lulu problems?" She asked, looking down at Wakka.
"No." He muttered angrily, paying attention to his computer.
"Yes you are." Yuna smiled, walking up to them, "C'mon, Wakka! Let me and Rikku help!"
"You guys will just make things worse." He muttered, glancing Lulu who ignored them.
Yuna leaned down, her hands behind her back, "Do these look like the faces of people that will make things worse?" She asked, giving him her best innocent smile. He looked at her then at Rikku who was also smiling at him. They both looked innoncent and sincere, but he knew underneath that was two girls ready to make things difficult for him.
"Yeah!" Rikku smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder, "We're 'Lulu experts'! We'll have you guys back and arguing in no time!"
"Why do I not doubt that?" He asked. Looking back and forth from Yuna to Rikku.
Squall grabbed Rikku around the waist, settling her on his lap, "Because Rikku's a master at making people argue." He replied.
Tidus stood up, wrapping an arm around Yuna, "And Yuna can help. Come on, let them!" He said, giving Wakka his best puppy-dog eyes.
Wakka looked at him and Yuna then at Rikku and Squall, "Fine...I leave it in your hands." He sighed.
Rikku and Yuna smiled, looking at him with excitement. "No problem, Wakka! Leave it to us!" Yuna said, leaving to settle next to Lulu.
Rikku got up, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Now that we're on the job, you'll get Lulu back!" She smiled, skipping back to her seat.
Squall watched her, then glanced at Wakka, "You're screwed." He said before turning to his computer.
"Yup." Tidus agreed, sitting back down.
"What!" Wakka asked, looking at the both of them, "But...you two just said..."
Squall shrugged, "We were just supporting our girls, man." He replied.
"Yeah," Tidus agreed, "They may seem like they're helping, they're just gonna make things worse like you said."
"I hate you guys!" Wakka muttered.
YUFFIE KISAGARI
Rikku clicked on her mail, seeing she had a note from her penpal, Yuffie Kisagari. She began silently reading it:
Dear penpal person girl,
My name is the Great Ninja Yuffie Kisagari...well, ok, it's just Yuffie Kisagari, but I'm a great ninja too! I'm 16 and I collect materia...even though Vinnie keeps telling me it's not called 'collecting' it's called 'stealing'. Pfft, whatever! What does he know? He's been in a coffin for like over 30 years or something like that! Anyways, enough about him and more about me...I am currently travelling with a group called AVALANCHE, I can't tell you what we're doing because I so do not feel like having my memory erased. But I think I'm allowed to tell you the names of my team members right? There's Aeris, this flowergirl Cloud met, very ditsy. Cid, he's our pilot. What a total jerk and he has quite the mouth on him. Barret, he has an adorable daughter he just adopted named Marlene. Red, my partner in crime, he's a big kitty...literally! Cloud, our 'leader' or whatever. Poor guy's having girl problems. Aeris loves him but he won't show his love back. He keeps saying that he has to keep a promise to a childhood friend. And Vinnie...er...Vincent. He hates it when I call him Vinnie but I have nicknames for all my friends. I just like his the most. He usually likes to be alone but I won't allow that. I won't allow him to mourn over that traitor dead girlfriend of his...what's her name again? Aw, who cares! I didn't even know the girl and she's bugging the heck outta me. He gets mad when I talk about her like that though...but he's so damn polite that he won't yell at me! Dude has problems...well...ttyl. Time to go see what the Vamp boy is up to!
-Yours truly, The Great Ninja Yuffie
Mrs. Lee was right, Rikku had a lot in common with this girl. They were both considered 'thieves' and knew boys who were lonewolves. Rikku began typing back:
Hiya Yuffie!
My name is Rikku, I'm also 16. I know what you mean by the 'thief' thing. I just like to borrow! That's all! My cousin, Yunie, use to disapprove of it but now she's use to it! I got her coming out of her shell, she's using guns now and everything. Your group of friends ain't the only ones having problems. Yuna's getting married to some complete jerk-loser named Seymour. She won't tell me why though! But she's in love with this guy named Tidus and he loves her back. Why won't she leave Seymour for Tidus? He treats her way better! My friend Lulu is currently mad at Wakka, a guy she's in love with, because he was a complete big meanie and decided to take a certain skank to the dance. But don't worry! Yunie and I got permission to fix things for him! Me on the otherhand...I feel a lot better then I did a couple of days ago...I got my Squallie back! He's still alittle distant but at least he's telling me things now. Your 'Vinnie' sounds a lot like my 'Squallie' and I'm kinda sensing you like him...except my Squallie don't have a dead girlfriend...well I hope he don't.
Seeya! -Rikku
CLOUD STRIFE
"Mail from Cloud Strife?" Squall read to himself, "What kind of name is that?" He shrugged, clicking on the message:
My name is Cloud Strife, 17, and I'm currently with my group AVALANCHE on an important mission...but I sense things are just gonna get worse. Sometimes I wish I didn't have to be their leader, that they didn't depend on me so much. Especially Aeris. Aeris expects me to guard her, protect her. I just think I can't handle that...Then there's these feelings getting in the way. I can't allow myself to fall for Aeris...I have to stick to the mission and not get attached. Oh well...I gotta go. That ninja's bothering Vincent again. I gotta stop her before he shoots her, which I know he won't do, but you can never be too sure.
'This guys has problems,' Squall thought, 'And I thought my life was difficult.' He began typing back:
My name's Squall Leonheart, 17. I don't know what to say about myself except for I hate being in charge of others and considered a leader. So I don't know what to say about your 'leader' problem. As for Aeris, I know how you feel. I have a girl too, the problem is she's perfect and I'm falling for her...which is not allowed for me because in a year I'm leaving. She doesn't know about it yet, and I can't bring myself to tell her. She thinks my destiny is to only become a Lionheart...but there's so much more. Something bad's gonna happen and I have to help set things straight when it does. As for the ninja and this Vincent guy...let her bother him. He might like it.
'Hmm...no name?' Yuna thought, 'Odd...' She clicked on the message, hoping there'd be a name in there:
I'm 16 years old and I can't tell you my name because I don't know my real identity. I have changed it so many times that I don't know what to call myself now. I go by a name now, but I don't wanna say because they'll find me. I am not going back to that place again...not without him. The only problem is, I don't know who 'him' is. But I sense I'm gonna meet him soon. How do you know that you're in love? I felt it so many times but it always ends in disappointment. My childhood friend who I was in love with left me, telling me to stay away from a certain boy...but I didn't listen. I wish I had...my childhood friend was completely right about this boy. He said he loved me, then tried to force me to do something I didn't want to...how is that love?
Yuna read the letter, becoming more and more depressed by each word. This girl didn't seem happy at all, something horrible must've happen to her to make her so...sad.
Dear No name,
I'm Yunalesca, Yuna for short. I am 17 years old. I'm sorry to hear about your childhood friend and the boy that betrayed you. Hopefully you'll see your childhood friend and tell him how you feel. And maybe this guy you're searching for is you're soulmate...just an opinion. I'm having problems too. I'm being forced into marriage, I guess it's my fault though. But I wasn't suppose to fall in love...but I did. I want to be with Tidus, but I belong to Seymour now...I just don't know what to do. Maybe we do have a lot in common.
SORA
'Sora?' Tidus thought, he knew a Sora...there's no way it could be the Sora he knew...if it was then this computer must have some weird powers:
Dear Penpal,
My teacher's making me do this but Kairi says it'll be fun so I'm giving it a try. My name's Sora and I'm 15, Since I have to obey the rules I can't tell you were I live. But there's this island me and my friends Riku and Kairi go on. We use to go there with three other people, but they moved away...we miss them. I have been practicing, hopefully to one day beat Riku...which I don't think is gonna happen anytime soon...he's just too strong! But I have to prove myself to Kairi somehow!
'Holy chocobos!' Tidus thought, shocked. It was the Sora he knew...Sora from Destiny Islands! Tidus's first hometown! But that was a different world...how could he be communicating with someone from a different world?
Sora? Is that really you? It's your old pal, Tidus! You should already know I'm 17 now. It's also nice to know you miss me! I can't tell you where I live because it's against the rules...but I can tell you I finally met a girl. Her name's Yuna, only problem is she's getting married...as for the 'Riku' thing...you'll never beat him. Like Wakka and I always use to say, he's too strong. Kairi can always depend on him!
"Ok, class," Mrs. Lee spoke up, "Bell's about to ring. Time to log off your computers and get ready for your next class. I hope you liked your penpals!"
"Sure did!" Rikku smiled, jumping out of her seat, "Mine's is a thief just like me!"
"Mine's didn't tell me much about herself..." Yuna responded, "She seemed scared about something."
"Sounds just like you," Lulu said, "You're always scared something bad's gonna happen."
"What was your girl like, Lu?" Rikku asked curiously.
Lulu shrugged, "Some girl that's in some Crimson Squad with three boys." She replied, leaving as she saw Tidus, Squall, and Wakka walking towards them.
"I thought you said you were gonna help me!" Wakka complained, watching as Lulu walked away.
"We haven't started yet." Yuna replied.
"Yeah, you can't rush love!" Rikku smiled, Wakka scowled then walked out the room, his head hung down.
"You guys are mean." Tidus smiled, grabbing Yuna's books for her.
Yuna frowned, "We don't mean to be. We just wanna take precautionary measures first. We're on Lulu's side, you know."
"I kinda do mean to be mean." Rikku said, thinking alittle, "It's Tubby's fault for agreeing to take Dona."
"Actually that's Squall's fault." Tidus said, looking at Squall.
Yuna and Rikku looked at Squall in shock. "It's your fault Lulu's so mad at Wakka?" Yuna asked, placing a hand on her hip and staring at Squall.
Squall shrugged, "Calli promised to leave all of us alone if I went with her, Tidus went with Leblanc, and Wakka went with Dona."
Rikku sighed, glaring at him, "And why didn't you tell us this before? That would've been a lot of help!"
Squall shrugged again, smiling at her, "Because you didn't ask." He knew she was about to get pissy again. He liked her pissy.
Rikku stomped her foot in frustration, "Sah ryja du syga drehkc cu tevvelimd! (Men have to make things so difficult!)" She sighed.
"Fa mega drehkc tevvelimd. Ayco ec vun fayg baubma. (We like things difficult. Easy is for weak people.)" He smiled, looking at her face go from frustration to a teasing smile too.
"Kuut, palyica E's y tevvelimd kenm du esbnacc. (Good, because I'm a difficult girl to impress.)" Rikku said in a teasing tone.
Squall began laughing, placing an arm around her, "I can tell." He replied.
Yuna and Tidus looked at eachother in confusion. "Don't look at me," Yuna said, "I'm still trying to learn Al Bhed."
Tidus looked back at Rikku and Squall who were smiling at them, "Hey, how about we speak English?" He asked, "For all Yuna and I know you guys can be saying some very perverted stuff."
Squall shook his head, smiling, as Rikku gave Tidus a disgusted look and stuck out her tongue.
Yuna smiled at them, then she remembered something, "Shoot! You guys that orientation thingy is starting right now!"
"What orientation?" Tidus asked.
"The orientation honoring the students who passed their missions!" Yuna said, looking panicked, "Which would be us!" She added as they still looked at her in confusion.
"Oh!" Rikku said, "Oh! We've gotta go!"
Yuna nodded, agreeing. They quickly grabbed Tidus and Squall, running down the hall.
AUDITORIUM
Rikku, Yuna, Tidus, and Squall ran into the auditorium, which was crowded already with all the students and staff in the school.
"There you guys are!" Mr. Omni yelled, walking towards them, "I thought you guys were gonna forget!"
"Us?" Tidus asked nervously, scratching his head, "Never!"
"Uh huh." Mr. Omni said, "Well you guys sure are late. Hurry up and get on stage, will ya?" He began pushing them up the stage stairs.
"Take it easy, will ya?" Tidus asked angrily as he was shoved into Squall.
"Ouch! Man, that was my foot!" Squall complained.
"Yuna, you're hands on my butt!" Rikku said, almost tripping up the stairs.
"Not my fault!" Yuna said, turning to glare at Mr. Omni, "Some people are just rude!"
"And here they are!" Principal Percy said into the microphone as he saw them come onto stage. The audience began to cheer. Squall, Rikku, Yuna, and Tidus didn't notice, they were still recovering from being shoved involuntarily onto stage.
"They were the only ones who passed their missions." Principal Percy said, walking towards them. Rikku was the first to recover, seeing how the crowd was cheering for them. She quickly began smiling and took a bow. Yuna was shocked by all the people, becoming embarassed and shy. Squall just stood there, his arms crossed over his chest, not seeming to care about the crowd. Tidus gave Yuna a confused 'what's going on again?' look.
"Uh, don't you guys wanna say something?" Principal Percy asked. Rikku and Yuna stared at him in shock, Tidus was still trying to remember what was going on, Squall just stood there, leaning against the wall with his head down and eyes closed.
Yuna pushed Rikku forward, volunteering her. "Hey!" Rikku yelped, glancing back at Yuna, "Why I gotta go first?"
Yuna shrugged, "You like this kinda stuff!" She replied, smiling.
Rikku sighed, grabbing the mic and looking out into the audience. She really didn't like giving speeches, she always got nervous, "Um...considering we almost died, I'm glad we passed our mission," She began, glancing back at Yuna who encouraged her to go on, "And who's bright idea was it to have us meet up at the Thunder Plains! Thanks a lot, meanie! I have Agraphobia, y'know!"
Yuna sighed, placing her head in her hand, maybe it wasn't a good idea to let Rikku go first. She heard Squall chuckling from where he was standing, at least he found it amusing. She saw Tidus walk past her and up to Rikku, grabbing the mic from her.
"Yeah!" He complained, "Yuna and I were doing perfectly fine until a ugly purple-haired jerk tried to kill us!"
"That's enough." Yuna said, grabbing the mic from him and pushing Rikku and Tidus back to where Squall was. She turned to look at the audience shyly, "We're...honored to have been able to go on these missions and help people...thank you." She quickly handed the microphone to Principal Percy, running back to join Tidus, Rikku, and Squall.
"Er..." Principal Percy looked at the audience in shock as they looked back at him in confusion, "How about we get a word from our leader-to-be, Squall Leonheart!" The crowd began cheering again as Principal Percy handed the mic over the a shocked Squall.
He looked at the mic, then at Rikku, then at the awaiting audience. What the hell did they want him to do...?
"A speech...? Forget it! Cut the mic!" Squall said, walking off stage as Rikku began giggling.
"I just wanna say one more thing," Tidus said, leaning towards the mic, "ZANARKAND! REPRESENT!" He shouted throwing up his arms. Yuna smiled, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him off stage.
Rikku was about to walk offstage until she saw Seymour coming up the stairs. 'What is he doing here?' She thought angrily, moving out his way as he walked past her, smiling.
Seymour walked on stage and grabbed the mic. Yuna looked up at him in shock as Tidus glared angrily. Squall was confused about what was going on as Rikku ran to stand by his side. "What's going on?" He whispered to her. Rikku shrugged, looking at Yuna, "I don't know but it don't look good."
"I, Seymour Guado, would like to make an announcement." He said, smiling at the audience, "Yunalesca and I will be getting married in two days."
Yuna and Rikku gasped in shock. "TWO DAYS?" Tidus asked angrily, about to attack Seymour until Squall grabbed his arm.
"What the hell is going on?" He asked, confused, "Yuna's getting married? Since when?"
Tidus sighed, looking down, "It's a forced marriage. It's a long story."
Seymour walked offstage to grab Yuna and bring her onstage with him. Rikku was ready to attack him too until Squall grabbed her. "Wait." He said.
"Got anything to say, Yuna, my love?" Seymour asked, looking down at Yuna. She shook her head, closing her eyes sadly as tears feel down.
"Good!" He smiled, looking at the audience, "Hope to see you all there!"
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AUTHOR'S NOTES: I had to throw in some characters from other final fantasy games and kingdom hearts in there because they are connected to what's gonna be happening later on. If you're wondering what, then you're just gonna have to wait to find out : P I bet some people are also wondering why I didn't mention Tifa...it's a secret! Just remember, everything's connect! Plus, I am using quotes from the games, like Squall's and Rikku's. And what color is Seymour's hair? Blue or Purple?