Chapter Six: Mayhem in the Mall
"But what color would Lu like? There might be more than a hundred colors available."
Wakka asked as he was strolling with Tidus through the neon-lighted shops of Spiralicore. The two boys were on their way to that dress shop Wakka was talking about to buy Lulu a new sweater. And maybe to buy Yuna a new scarf as well.
"Why are you asking me?" Tidus replied. "I'm no fashion expert."
"Me neither." Wakka answered back. "Amazing how women can pick through different colors and designs."
"That's because they ARE women! And one of the things that I don't understand about women is that they can shop all day as if they're celebrating Christmas! I mean, what's so special about shopping anyway?"
Tidus stated out. For the first time in his teens, he realized his curiosity of the opposite sex now that he's asking questions. He never dared to ask Auron about women either. He would never cross the line of asking Rikku too for she'll probably just make fun of him for the rest of the week.
"That's what you're clueless about? Well you should know this!"
Wakka then cleared his throat.
"Why is it that women eat first then starve second?" Wakka questioned as he scratched the back of his head. "I kinda noticed that when Rikku got an overdose of those chocolate muffins. Now she hardly ever eats! Can't they just eat in a steady course? If us men can do it then women will have no problem doing so!"
Tidus just grinned at Wakka for his naiveté. Lulu is on a diet but she never ever starved herself. Yuna never complained about her weight or her waistline. Rikku is...an exception maybe...
"That's what I hate about women." Wakka continued. "You can't understand them..."
"You'll just have to deal with it." Tidus answered him skeptically. "That's the problem about being a guy: The inability to understand women while women can understand us men."
They both stopped at their tracks...how did this issue about women come up anyway?
"Maybe we'll find out later." Tidus brought himself and Wakka back to reality.
Wakka raised his arm and gave Tidus a hard pat on the back which made him cough out some air.
"Hey! What was that for!?" Tidus shouted while trying to reach out for the area where Wakka hit him.
"That was to lighten you up." Wakka answered with a smirk. "You're worrying too much about women, brudda."
"But you're the one who brought the topic about women up!" Tidus yelled back as he massaged the area where Wakka thumped him. He felt as though it was gonna leave a mark.
"Anyway, let's go buy Lu's sweater now." Wakka said as he pulled his best friend into a headlock. "We'll worry about the color later."
"H-Hey! Lemme go!"
Tidus choked and hardly breathed in air under Wakka's strong grip around his neck. He grasped Wakka's arm struggling for air as Wakka dragged him all the way to the other end of the mall. He hauled Tidus as to not release him. He needed some company now that he was headed for a place crowded with....women....
"Wakka....let go....you're....choking me..."
"Whoa!"
Wakka immediately let go of him after seeing his face now purple. Tidus took hold of his neck and gulped in huge amounts of air. He was breathing faster than he usually would after a Blitzball tournament, as if he was just granted the gift of breathing.
"Wakka....I'll get you for this...."
"Sorry, brudda." Wakka explained rather guiltily. "It's just that I'm scared....
"Scared!!!?" Tidus cried out. "Scared of what!!!?"
"....scared that you'll chicken out. We're going to an all-girls shop. I was worried about you since you got a curiosity for women. You might feel a little uneasy so I had to drag you. And besides, I don't want you chickening out, ya?"
They both ventured deeper into the mall as to seek that all-girls dress shop. Wakka was so nervous about all this that he hardly said a word, only one-liners. Tidus was okay about this but the fact Wakka wasn't was somehow disturbing him. Speaking of Tidus' curiosity for women, Tidus convinced himself that it was Wakka who should be signing up for Women Psychology Class in Zanarkand High. Even his way of speaking was slightly distorted. He now started saying words like "cute" and "romantic".
"Are we almost there?" Tidus asked, looking at his watch.
Wakka eye's suddenly widened and his face turned red. "Y-Yeah. But I'm kinda hoping we won't have to get there soon enough."
"So are you trying to tell me that you're giving up already? C'mon Wakka! I know you're stronger than that!"
He gave Wakka an even stronger pat on the back that he was pushed slightly forward. Tidus did this partly because he couldn't accept to see his best friend back out and partly because he wanted to pay him back for the hard hit earlier.
He held Wakka firmly on his shoulders and looked at him as if his own blue eyes could put some spirit into Wakka's ego.
"Wakka. Listen to me." He took a deep breath first. "In Blitzball, once you have the ball, you gotta score! To put it short, once you have the chance then you gotta go for it! Now's the perfect opportunity for you to impress Lulu with a sweater or even a Moogle stuffed toy!" Tidus then hardened his hold on Wakka and shook him lightly. "There's absolutely no way you're backing out in this one. If ever you get in trouble then just remember. I'm your best friend and I'm right behind you."
Tidus then let go of Wakka and put an encouraging hand on the shoulder. All the nervousness and uneasiness were wiped away from Wakka's face and were replaced by confidence and strength of mind.
"Yeah, you're right." Wakka now replied confidently. "You know, you should be sub-captain! It takes real talent to bring out a pep-talk like that! How 'bout it, ya? You up for the position?"
"Let's just talk about later after we buy the sweater, okay?"
They both did their secret handshake ending with their two fists locked together, eventually leading into a hand wrestling match. Wakka had a hard time trying to press down Tidus' arm but still, he managed to win. Tidus was aggravated by his loss that he pummeled Wakka on his upper arm and rushed forward, trying to provoke him into chasing him.
"Come and get me!"
Tidus darted through Spiralicore's wide lobby while taunting Wakka into chasing him! "You can't catch me you rotten son of a Shoopuf!"
"Oh yeah!?"
Wakka boosted his running speed and eventually grabbed Tidus by his neck, putting him in choke slam. "Now I got you!" He then locked his arm tighter around his neck, putting him into the tightest headlock yet. Wakka always treats Tidus in a big brother kind of way that putting him in headlock has become a habit.
"Who's the Shoopuf now!?"
Tidus let out tight grunts as Wakka grasped his neck tighter.
"Wakka.... Let...go....of me...!"
"Say you're a Shoopuf!" Wakka was somehow enjoying torturing Tidus this way. He just wouldn't let him go even if Tidus was now helpless under his grip. Surprisingly, Tidus still wouldn't give up. "Say you're Shoopuf or I'm gonna have to drag you all the way to that all-girls dress shop."
"Umph! You don't....need to, Wakka..." Tidus barely breathed out.
"And why not!?" Wakka demanded.
"Coz....coz we're already here..."
Instinctively, Wakka loosened his hold around his best friend's neck. He just realized that they were now standing before their dreaded destination---an all-girls dress shop. On top of the entrance was a logo in bright red that read Spherical Designers. Tidus and Wakka both gulped down a mouthful of air and acted as if their bodies were paralyzed.
"You---You go first!" Wakka nervously said as he crept closer towards Tidus.
"N-No way! This was your idea in the first place! Besides, I'm not the one who wants to impress Lulu, you are!!"
Wakka did not move an inch on the spot and just stared expressionlessly at the logo. Sweat was sliding down his face as women come and go around Spherical Designers. He wished that they hadn't chased each other to this part of the mall earlier.
"Together! Let's go together" Wakka said irritably.
"Okay, I'm right behind you." Tidus answered as he slowly pushed Wakka past the entrance of Spherical Designers.
The two boys swallowed their restlessness and began to brace themselves to step inside Spherical Designers, the last place every guy would go to...
It was a place absolutely not suitable for men. The walls and the ceilings were painted in either pink or lavender. The place smelled of sweet roses and the song Pure Heart can be heard throughout the shop through the installed sound system. Lines and lines clothes made of wool and cotton were displayed upon the shelves. But the most disturbing of them all is...
"...Women..." Wakka frightfully blurted out "...lots of women!"
"C'mon, Wakka! Put yourself together, man! The sooner we can get Lulu's sweater, then the sooner we can get outta here!" Tidus scolded his best friend and tried every possible way to sound serious even though his face was now slightly in red hues.
They both crept their way deeper inside Spherical Designers avoiding all the women's eyes. They cautiously checked all the signs trying to look for the sweater section. Tidus blushed as he accidentally laid eyes on the Lingerie department.
"You better watch yourself around here, brudda." Wakka whispered to him. "These women have the tendency to mistake us for perverts, ya?"
Tidus' face turned redder and quickly turned his head away from that section. He did not want to be labeled as a pervert or a Peeping Tom for he never was in his childhood.
"Wakka, I got a bad feeling about this. What's worse, these bad feelings of mine tend to come true...."
Eventually, they reached the sweater section of the shop unexposed and this brought enormous relief to their insides. At least they weren't accused of scoping women out.
"Now that we're here, the next thing to do is to pick out the perfect sweater!" Wakka's restlessness was instantly replaced by pure excitement as he happily began to search through the sweaters in multiple colors hanging neatly along the rack. He looked like an excited kid looking for a new toy as he rummaged around sweater after sweater.
"You should check this out!" Tidus eagerly ran to the other end of the rack and took a dark purple sweater with a Moogle's head knitted at the center. The word "kupo!" was seen right beside the Moogle's head. "Lulu likes Moogles, remember?"
"Nah, that's too kiddy! Lu's way too serious for that! How 'bout this one instead?" He took out another one which turned out to be pure black in color.
Tidus returned the Moogle sweater then gave Wakka a look of rejection. "Reality check man, but Lulu isn't that gothic! You should look for something that suits her personality!"
But what will portray Yuna's personality? All the sweaters in gentle colors would go perfectly along with her..... After all, he did promise himself that he'll get Yuna something....something she'll probably like.
Wakka was too busy deciding over the dozen sweaters that Tidus concluded that he was hopeless all along. But he wasn't really sure if he would be as hopeless as Wakka over some sweater.
Choosing the perfect seemed harder and more time-consuming than being able to execute a Sphere Shot faultlessly. Tidus and Wakka spent the next half hour rummaging and arguing over the sweaters.
"How 'bout this one?" Wakka asked, holding a rainbow-colored one.
"Too colorful." Tidus replied, clueless.
"This one?"
"Nah."
"This one then!"
"It's gonna look too tight on Lulu."
"How 'bout this?"
"That's too dull! Nothing but gray!"
"And this one?"
"That's too soft."
"Then which one!!!?" Wakka's voice almost sounded like he would go crazy any minute. "We've picked almost every sweater in this shop already!!! Tell me, Tidus! Why is it that of all these confounded sweaters, not one of them fits Lu's taste!!!"
Tidus looked around Spherical Designers one more time and thought that it would be better if they just buy something else other than a sweater. He searched all sections except for that section but with no luck, a sweater is their only salvation of getting out of this women-populated place.
"You know what?" Tidus said. "Why don't you just settle with that purple one with the Moogle on it?"
"But---But Lu might reject it!" Wakka was unpredictably taking all this too seriously. The only other matter where he was serious about all things was Blitzball.
"Then just tell her that she needs a new style! Besides, I'm sure Lulu has her soft and vulnerable side as well!" Tidus convinced his best friend and once again took out the dark purple sweater with the Moogle and "kupo!" knitted on it.
Wakka eyed the sweater with much ignorance and examined it for a moment. "Are you sure about this, brudda?"
"Trust me on this one! They'll even go along flawlessly with the Moogle Drops I gave you earlier. You know, those bite-sized chocolates shaped like Moogles. Lulu won't say no! I promise!"
Wakka smiled at his optimistic best friend and put an arm around his shoulders. He was so thankful that he ever met Tidus to become midfielder and Star Player of the Zanarkand Abes. He was even more surprised that he can motivate the team to play at their peak performances. Wakka so thrilled about this that he felt as though he and the Abes have already won the Cup against the almighty Luca Goers.
"Alright, I'm paying for it!" He said as he snatched the purple sweater with both hands and brought it to the counter. Tidus closely followed him since he was more concerned about Wakka's awkwardness towards women. The only problem was...
"Uh, Tidus?" Wakka called out for his best friend.
"Yeah?"
"The line....is made up of women."
Tidus stared at the line of girls all patiently waiting for their merchandise to be registered. There were five girls ahead of Wakka meaning that Wakka would have to come in sixth for his turn. In fact, Wakka stood out pretty well now that he's the only guy in the line.
This is it.... Now's my chance to distract Wakka while I go find something nice for Yuna....like a keychain or a hairpin of some sort!
Tidus once again took hold of Wakka's shoulders and attempted to put some courage into Wakka's spirit. "Wakka, listen carefully. All you have to do is blend in and it'll be all over before you know it. Trust me."
Afterward, Tidus left Wakka helpless by the counter and began to look around in the other sections of Spherical Designers.
"Hey! Don't leave me here!" Wakka begged.
"I'll be back in a heartbeat!" Tidus replied rather hurriedly.
Before Wakka could shout "Don't leave me here!" for the second time, Tidus tried to get out of Wakka's sight and headed for the accessories section. Checking that he was as far from the counter as possible, he took a deep breath and began surfing through all the charms behind the glass cases.
He was about to examine a hairpin shaped like a Chocobo when---
"Hey!"
---someone seized him by his shoulder and turned him around to face his aggressor.
It was Wakka.
"I thought there were still a couple of girls ahead of you!" Tidus gaped at his best friend, surprised. "How did you finish so soon!?"
"If you didn't leave me looking like a Shoopuf in that counter then I wouldn't have to push my way through! I even got shoved off by some annoying brat with brown hair! I think her friend called her Tilmitt or something...?"
"So where's the sweater?" Tidus asked, bringing the topic back.
"It's right here, all paid for!" Wakka answered, holding a small lavender bag with the logo of Spherical Designers printed across in bright red. "Now let's get outta here before more girls think of us suspicious!"
Wakka now took hold of Tidus' arm and tried to direct him out of the shop. To his surprise, Tidus refused and tried to shake Wakka's hand of his. "Just a few more seconds, Wakka. I still wanna look around for a bit."
"But---" Wakka frantically reacted. "We've been here for more than hour now! Let's just get outta here already."
Tidus still refused, yet he wouldn't tell Wakka the reason why....
The two began to argue, their clashing voices growing louder and louder each second. They were starting to make a scene, making a number of disgruntled women look at them.
"Just....let me stay here for a while!"
"What!? Don't tell me your curiosity for women got the better of you!"
"That's NOT the point!"
"Then what is the point!?"
"I..." Tidus sighed but still continued. "I can't tell you...."
"Well, whether you're telling me or not, I'm gonna get us out of here even if I have to drag you all the way to the fountain!"
Wakka then flung his arms and locked them around Tidus'.
"H-Hey! Let go!"
They both struggled....Wakka tried to heave Tidus away from the spot but Tidus also fought not to be forced out. After some more effort, Wakka managed to pull Tidus some distance away from the Accessories section. He continued dragging Tidus until they were both wrestling by the fitting rooms.
The dragging and resisting continued....until coincidentally, Wakka tripped by a leg of one of the stands.
Wakka lost his balance and crashed, sending himself and Tidus slamming the door to the nearest fitting room open....
"Whoa!"
They both landed on their chests.... They raised their heads....only to see something that undoubtedly threw them into a state of shock.... They both wished they didn't get into this argument in the first place.
Standing before them was Tilmitt, the girl Wakka was talking about earlier. She was halfway through removing a yellow tank top she took for fitting. Tidus and Wakka tried not to look....they could already see the cups of Tilmitt's woman thing....
"EEEEEEEEEK!!!!! PERVERTS!!!!!"
Tidus and Wakka both got to their feet without delay, their faces bright red in color. Now all the women inside Spherical Designers turned their heads to the two boys' guilty faces.
"Arrest those two perverts! They tried to scope me out!" Tilmitt began screaming wildly.
All the women, their sweet faces now wearing looks as if they were ready to kill, were now arming themselves with perfume bottles to throw as tear gas and handbags for the use of slapping their heads off.
"W-Wait!" Tidus spoke, his face still red. "I-I can explain! It-It was an accident! We didn't really mean to---"
"GET THOSE PERVERTS!!!"
In just a matter of milliseconds, all the women rushed forward and attacked both Tidus and Wakka with their handbags. The two boys had to cover their heads as they crouched lower. Some of the girls even tried to spray perfume into their eyes but luckily, they both evaded each spray but that didn't prevent them from being surrounded.
The chaos grew bigger and bigger. Their only way of escaping was to crouch down and crawl their way out of the carnage. They managed despite constant hits of handbags on their heads and quietly and hurriedly ran outside Spherical Designers.
The two ran for it farther down the hallways thinking that they escaped uninjured....
"We gotta hide somewhere!" Tidus panted as they were halfway out Spherical Designers. "Those girls are sure to kill us!"
"The men's bathroom!" Wakka's face lit up! "That's sure to be an anti-girl territory!"
"Good idea!"
They both ran to the opposite end of Spiralicore to escape to the men's bathroom, occasionally looking back in case Tilmitt rallied some of the girls to hunt them down.
Eventually, they reached the men's bathroom unspotted and looked at the mirror....
They were a complete mess. Tidus' hair was all ruffled up as if his dad patted him vigorously. Wakka's standing hairdo had some strands sticking out. They were both traumatized from shock and relief at the same time and their faces were still beet red..
Strangely, there was an unusual smell filling the men's bathroom.
"Man, I smell funny. Must be from the perfume those women tried to spray on us, ya?" Wakka said. He was still uncontrollably shaking with what he saw earlier in the fitting room....
"Well this is your entire fault!" Tidus screamed. "If you hadn't tried to drag me out of there then none of this wouldn't have happened!"
"Hey, man! Take it easy! I'm sure it wasn't really that bad!" Wakka tried to assure him.
"Not really that bad!? We went through hell just going inside Spherical Designers, spent more than half an hour picking through the sweaters, having to wait for five women in the line, tripped into an occupied fitting room and almost seeing a half-naked girl, and now we barely just got away from a horde of violent women!!! What's not really that bad about all those!!!?"
Tidus breathed deeply after he spoke. When is there bad luck going to end?
Wakka remained silent....he tried to look away from Tidus and just stared at his reflection on the mirror....
...only to find out that something on his face wasn't right...
"B-B-Bro!" Wakka was panicking as he tried to get Tidus' attention.
"What!? Are you gonna try to get me into scoping out women again----W-W-WAKKA!!! Y-YOUR NOSE IS BLEEDING!!!"
Tidus was seriously shocked the moment he laid eyes on Wakka's nose. Blood was dripping out of it.
"Just tilt your head up and keep it like that!!! I'll---I'll get something to stick in your nose!" Tidus tensely tipped Wakka's head upwards and went inside the nearest stall to get a roll of tissue paper. "Here!"
Tidus ripped off a piece, rolled it and stuck them into Wakka's bleeding nose. "That should stop the bleeding!"
"Whoa!" Wakka said as he touched his nose. "That was the worst nosebleed I've had in years!"
"So what caused it anyway?" Tidus asked, sounding relieved.
"I dunno, maybe that time when we saw that Tilmitt girl in her uh....you-know-what!" Wakka then blushed and replaced one of the tissue papers stuck on his nose. He blushed even more deeply.... He couldn't look at his best friend in the eye....
"Boy, Wakka!" Tidus said as he put an arm around Wakka's shoulders. "You really should stay away from women. It's for your own good, you know?"
After waiting for Wakka's nose to stop bleeding, the two made their way out of the men's bathroom and went back to the fountain standing at the center of Spiralicore.
"So, where do you wanna go next?" Wakka asked.
"I haven't thought about it yet...." Tidus quietly replied.
That's because I still haven't thought of what to get Yuna yet......we've been here in Spiralicore the whole morning now and I still can't make up my mind....
"You said something?" Wakka abruptly asked.
"N-Nothing!"
They reached the fountain which was now populated with people. Tidus wished he was back in Zanarkand High, at Leviathan's fountain with the water sprouting from its fins and mouth. He wished that he was just back there talking to Yuna as he looked at the small colorful fountain more.
"Why don't we sit down?" Wakka suggested. "We do need a break, ya?"
They both sat down on one of benches facing the fountain and just relaxed. Spending more than an hour choosing the perfect sweater was as tiring as a two-hour Blitzball practice.
Surprisingly, Tidus hardly said a word....he just watched the water flow throughout the vibrant fountain.
For countless times, thinking has been like a running flash of colorful lights. It would just come in like a burst of sunshine. The rising waters from the fountain seemed like they were ascending into the Sun. For understandable reasons, he kind of likes the Sun since it's the counter meaning of his name. He remembered that it was his mom who named him "Tidus" after the Sun because of his bright and sunny personality....
...No wonder Yuna once thought that Tidus was so warm and gentle....just like the Sun....
"Hey, you seem quiet, ya?" Wakka said abruptly
"Yeah....maybe I am just like the Sun..."
"Uh, you said something?"
Tidus instantly got to his feet. "N-Nothing! I was just....I was....."
He groaned.
"Just forget about it!"
"Thinking again?"
Tidus' eyes widened then looked at the floor. "Well, I uh...guess I was." He answered rather naively.
"You know what brudda? I think you got this bad habit of thinking."
Tidus' face turned red and looked at Wakka in disbelief. "How....How did you know!?"
"Lu told it to me some time ago. She's been saying that Yuna's always talking to her about your bad case of being in deep thought." Wakka explained. "Amazing how that girl can talk about such things. She must've gotten those traits from her cousin Rikku."
Tidus just couldn't believe what Wakka said. "Yu....Yuna was....she was talking about me...?"
"Heck yeah, Yuna's always talking about you. Lu even said that every time the topic's changed to you, Yuna would go happy and then just say things like how you're just like the sun with your bright and sunny personality. Funny how she compares you to the sun of all things."
Hearing those words made him smile, probably the same smile he once had when reminisced about his mother....and that made him glad about everything else, and it casted a bright sunny hue on everything he laid eyes on.
"Hey Wakka, I'm going to The Chocobo Forest. You wanna come?"
It was now Wakka's turn to be shocked. "The Chocobo Forest? But....but that place gives me the chills! Even more than Spherical Designers can! I mean, why would you want to go there anyway? Let's just check out the other stores, like Melodies of Life!"
But after minutes of convincing and arguments, Tidus managed to persuade Wakka into visiting The Chocobo Forest.
"Hey! This place isn't so bad after all!" Wakka grinned and looked around the stuffed Chocobos and Moogles displayed upon the shelves. "Whoa! Check this out!" He scampered towards an area where there was nothing displayed on it but...
"...Shoopufs?" Tidus eyed Wakka curiously. "But I thought you don't wanna go this place! Now you're literally acting like a kid who just found a new toy." He remarked as Wakka examined each and every one of the stuffed Shoopufs sitting behind a glass case.
Wakka didn't seem to listen to his best friend's comments and continued staring at the Shoopuf keychains with much interest.
"Wow! These Shoopufs are cool! I like Shoopufs!"
Tidus let out a disappointed sigh. Wakka was now in his world of Shoopufs. He just left Wakka playing with the biggest stuffed Shoopuf and went to the Chocobo section, where Chocobos of all shapes, sizes and colors were sitting on one shelf. There was this Fat Chocobo and a number of other smaller ones in different colors.
"But not even one of them looks like Choco....Yuna seemed to like Choco that night....when she cuddled him, so how about if I give her something that looks like him?
He began to look at the soft feathery Chocobo keychains in a wide variety of colors but the common yellow has become his most favored one now that it's Choco's color, but....he wasn't sure whether Yuna would like a keychain or not.
The small Chocobo plush dolls seemed like a better choice. Tidus took one and examined. It does look a lot like Choco, only smaller. Tidus just noticed that the Chocobo plush doll's belly seemed kind of....lumpy.
"Maybe it'll squeak or say "Kweh" if I squeeze it."
Tidus pressed the plushie's stomach and just as he guessed, it gave off a small squeaky sound that said "Kweh!" He squeezed it again and another high-pitched "Kweh!" came out of it. Tidus grinned at this new toy and eventually played with it just as a kid would play with a squeaking plushie...
"Kweh Kweh Kweh Kweh Kweh!"
"Kupo!"
"Huh!?" Tidus looked around trying to see where the sound came from.
Wakka came running excitedly towards Tidus holding a small Moogle plush doll in his hand. "Hey man, take a good look at this one!"
He squeezed the Moogle's stomach and just like the Chocobo plush, it made a mild "Kupo!".
"Kupo Kupo Kupo!"
"But I thought you wanted a Shoopuf." Tidus said after they finished fooling around with their new toys.
"I was, but these Moogles kinda caught my attention. Besides, they are kinda...cute...especially when if I see Lu cuddle them at least."
Tidus sighed then looked at his best friend with sort of an impassive face. "There you go again..."
Strangely enough, the two boys enjoyed having fun with the plush dolls. Before they brought them to the counter to be paid for, Wakka took one last trip to the Shoopuf section of The Chocobo Forest and took a Shoopuf stuffed doll about the size of Choco.
They were now lining up with their new toys in hand...
"...And I thought little boys never play with dolls!"
Tidus and Wakka both jumped and wheeled around. Rikku, along with Yuna and Lulu were standing by the entrance of The Chocobo Forest. Rikku was wearing a naughty grin on her face as she watched Tidus and Wakka hide their stuffed toys from view.
"What was that you're buying?" Lulu asked Wakka curiously.
Wakka gulped in a mouthful of air before answering. "It's uh....I, well....it's somewhat like uh..."
"A plush Moog---"
"Shut up!!!" Wakka grabbed Rikku by her mouth just in time right before she mentioned the words "a plush Moogle doll!"
Lulu eyed the two of them with more suspicion. "A what!? A Moog? What are you trying to say?"
Tidus immediately stepped forward and tried to make up an excuse---
"Kupo Kupo Kupo!"
---Rikku somehow managed to free herself from Wakka's grip around her mouth and seized the Moogle plush. Yuna and Rikku both broke into giggles while Lulu in some way gave off a sweet smile. Tidus and Wakka both blushed and looked away from the three girls, especially to Lulu in Wakka's case.
"Wow! This plushie is so adorable!" Rikku purred as she held the small Moogle and caressed it against her face. Luckily, the Chocobo plush was unspotted and Tidus was able to hide it in his pocket on time.
"This Shoopuf is pretty funny." Lulu said as she took it in her arms. "Is this yours Wakka?"
The girls went on hugging and giggling over the dolls until Tidus noticed that Yuna was just smiling at her two friends. He thought that this might not be the right time to approach her yet...
All five of them walked together across the hallways of Spiralicore. Tidus still won't let Yuna know about the stuffed Chocobo plush doll. Even more surprising, he still won't talk to her yet.... Wakka and Lulu were already enjoying a private conversation while Rikku skipped ahead as usual.
"Yuna seems quiet today." Tidus said to himself. "If I try to talk to her now, Rikku might probably make up ideas. Wakka still doesn't know anything about how I think of Yuna and I don't want him to know anything...."
"Tidus...?"
He suddenly turned to his side to see Yuna walking beside him.
"Yeah...?"
"Um, I just wanted to thank you....again...."
"Thank me?" Tidus asked, puzzled. "For what?"
They both stopped....hardly aware that Rikku and the others were already leaving them behind.
"For saving me....from those steel pipes that day... I mean, I wasn't able to thank you properly after you risked your life. I just fell asleep then I just woke up in your home. After that, you walked me home even if you had to be late for Math the next day.... Rikku told me everything."
Tidus' face softened as Yuna looked at his blue eyes with tenderness. Just as he did that night after their unforgettable moment in the Sphere Pool, he tenderly placed his hand on her shoulder, and just as Yuna did that night, she wrapped her hand around his, closed her eyes and felt it against her face.
Yuna held his hand closer and tighter, not wanting to let go....
"You two!" Someone called from behind them.
It was Auron holding a recently bought sake jug.
"If you want to hold hands, do it somewhere else, not where we can clearly see you do it."
Tidus and Yuna were both stunned, still holding each other's hand. They only became aware a second later that Wakka, Lulu and Rikku were watching them all along. They both blushed so deeply that they let go of each other's hand right away, unable to look at each other in the eye.
Everyone reacted to this bizarrely. Wakka grinned at Tidus, Lulu just gave Yuna a serious yet playful smile, Auron just let out an intended "Hmph!" and Rikku was once again parading around Tidus and Yuna singing "Get Happy!".
"Let's move on, before these two start taking advantage of their time alone...." Lulu said, that cunning smile still on her face. Tidus and Yuna still avoided each other's eyes and pretended that nothing happened.
Author's notes: As all of you have noticed, I wrote this chapter mainly to portray the friendship between Tidus and Wakka, which not many authors usually do. I just noticed that Wakka tends to put Tidus in headlock almost always in the game, and that they like goofing around a lot! You see, I want this story to be as reminiscent to FFX as possible
To my dear reviewers, I've been wondering lately. The reviews are getting shorter and shorter! I mean, I don't mind short reviews but at least speak up! Be creative! Sora loves long reviews! Don't you know how much your sweet reviews mean to me? Make them more special by making them longer! My chapters are long so why not send in a long review too? You know, to make it a done deal! But at the bottom line, you don't have to if you don't want to but give it a try at the very least!
To the Male reviewers, I've got a note for you guys in my bio. My bio's pretty long so just skip ahead to the bottom! You'll find my note there! It's just that Sora here needs some answers about uh, questions!