Behind Me

March of Year the First (prologue)

A young girl sat on the grass in the middle of the football field, letting her skirt spread out, and angling her head so it caught the rays of the dying sun. The day was ending, and so was the year. Clouds were cast out against the multicolored canvas that was the sky, in unforeseen, drunken patterns, ending finally in tufts of blue-white at the end of the horizon.

She sighed and looked up at the dragonflies hovering above the green, green grass. The late afternoon wind was cool against her skin, and the sounds were those of the trees, as well as the after-school noises of boys playing noisily in the basketball court, and volleyballs bouncing harshly on the asphalt ground.

“Hey! Yuna!”

A white, ribbed ball rolled suddenly into the grass, making a beeline for where she sat. The girl turned, smiling, and stood to pick up the ball, throwing it somewhat awkwardly back to whoever had rolled it into the field in the first place.

A short blonde grinned and saluted her, gathering the ball into her arms and running back to the court. The sounds of a game resumed, and Yuna stretched and settled into the grass, feeling the prickly blades brush against her. She closed her eyes and wondered if it would ever change.

o

They were running, and so was he. The cement bounced against his leather shoes, and he leaped into the air, craftily stealing the ball from Gippal. Rubber on fingers, and the smell of victory. The other players stood in formation to block him, and he bared his teeth, steeling himself and dribbling the ball.

“Tidus! Pass it to Seymour!” Voices floated in the humid air.

He glanced above the heads, and found the face he was looking for. Blue hair with blue eyes. With a practiced movement of the wrists, he seemed to flick the orange ball towards the other boy, who caught it and began advancing to the other court. It was late afternoon. The air smelled of dry grass and sweat, and dribbling pounded steadily in his ears.

“Tidus!” His name being called by familiar lips, and a deep, rumbling voice.

A car door slammed, and the game died down. The ball went limp, bouncing off into the tall grass that grew by the side. Moist, wide-eyed faces turned their attention to the vehicle that had appeared in the parking lot beside the court. It was painted sleek black; a jaguar. A man stepped out carefully, and fixated his eyes on the young man who stood in the middle of the cemented basketball court, wiping the sweat from his glistening skin.

“Tidus.” He jerked his head towards the car, and the boy replied with his eyes, rolling them, and then nodding to his friends. Wordlessly, he picked up his bag and climbed into the vehicle, and the black door closed with a click of finality. The dying sunshine bounced off the heavy window tint, momentarily blinding the other boys. And then the jaguar pulled away and vanished.

o

“Sir.” The chilly female voice sliced the air in half.

The man standing at the large window didn’t move, except to rearrange his hands which, currently, were folded behind his back. His stern eyes were fixed on the students leaving the school grounds, and it wasn’t until she cleared her throat that the woman got his attention.

“Ahem. Sir Auron.”

He turned to her briefly, as if surprised that she was there. The woman’s lips tightened, and her eyes flashed dangerously.

“…Lulu.” he said.

“Yes. Sir—“

“Would you like to have a cup of coffee on the way home?” he cut off smoothly.

“…”

“That’s a yes, isn’t it? Excellent. I want you to meet someone. The board of trustees has been able to secure a new Officer in Charge for this campus. That is, until I finish my work abroad.” His voice was low and gravelly, and one eye scanned her critically from beneath a deep gash.

Lulu nodded stiffly. Once. Auron smiled at her, and there was nothing forced about it. A gentle sort of mischief glinted in his eyes. It looked very uncharacteristic for the usually serious man...the Director. The dark-haired secretary found herself beginning to grow suspicious.

“His name is Wakka, Miss Lulu, and since you two will be working closely together for the next few months, I find it absolutely mandatory that you meet. Tonight.” Auron opened the door to his office, and ushered the woman out. He didn’t give a sign if he had noticed that her eyes had narrowed to slits.

“…I’m sure you will find his personality pleasing. Wakka is a very…enjoyable fellow.”

Her heels made sharp clicking noises against the floor, and in the depths of her twisted, complex soul, Lulu found that she doubted the Director’s words very very seriously. From his name alone, it seemed that this new person—Wakka—was going to be nothing short of a pain in the ass.

Little did she know that she wasn’t very far from the truth.

o

Notes:

Hello! First FF fic EVER. :D Advice and comments are very much appreciated, since I’m new to the section. ;P Oh right, please please tell if anyone’s OOC...this is NOT the typical high school fic…at least, I hope not. ;-)