The Children of Legends, Pt. I: Vidina
It was the perfect day for a blitzball tournament. Vidina remembered when these were small events, at least the Besaid ones. Sure, the games at Lucca always drew in the crowd. His dad knew how to make them all cheer for the Aurochs too. Vidina and his mom would scream until they were hoarse — which was about as energetic as his mom ever got.
Now the world was getting smaller. Besaid was packed with people who moved to be close to High Summoner Yuna, but never left once they realized how peaceful the island itself was. Blitzball became an even bigger sensation, to pass the time. It also allowed locals to become pros and see the rest of Spira. They became celebrities.
Today was Vidina's time to shine. He would show the world that he was Wakka's son.
The match looked promising at first, but it was obvious the newly reformed Zanarkand Abes outright dominated the scene in the second round. Just like that, the Aurochs lost.
Vidina kicked his locker. The white pain snapped through his whole leg and he cried out in even worse frustration, jumping up and down on one leg, holding injured foot in the other.
"Your father was fond of hurting his toe after a bad match, too," his mom said. She smiled even when Vidina didn't. "He'd be proud."
"A loss still is a victory because you did your best, you know?" Vidina heard the words in his dad's lighthearted tone, not his own. "I know."
"But you wanted to perform as well as he did."
"Yeah. I mean, he came out of retirement and everything, never lost a single match after that."
"That was largely a certain uncle's fault."
"What? No way," Tidus said as he walked in. He winked at Vidina's mom. As always, the two never hugged. Smiles were as far as Lulu went anyway. Tidus turned to Vidina with a thumbs-up. "Great loss. Because, you know —"
"The Zanarkand Abes are using your son's stupid-awesome skills to boost their wins?" Vidina said, frowning.
Tidus lifted his finger up, mouth wide open, but no sound came out. Then he shrugged in helpless agreement.
"Thanks, Uncle Tidus. You always knew how to make it better."
"I… think I'll go check up on dinner," Tidus said.
"That would be nice." Lulu gave him one of her signature glares as he all but hopped away from her grasp. She still was, after all, the strongest mage in all of Spira next to Aunt Yuna.
"Dinner?" Vidina asked with an almost-groan. That meant a family gathering, and having to be around the victor and his stupid lackeys.
"How often are you and the others home at the same time Rikku and that idiot of hers visit?" Lulu asked.
"You mean how often do they visit when Brecht and Kala are here? I never leave." He slammed his locker door for emphasis, even though he was painfully aware of how immature it was.
"You will," she said sadly. "But if I can keep you for another dinner, so be it."
"Mom." He hugged her. "Are you okay?"
"When you play you remind me of him all the more. So yes, I'm okay. Proud, even." She smiled.
Vidina blushed.
They walked from the arena to their village in relative silence. Lulu traveled the path, which was finally paved three years ago, with a familiar distance. Vidina knew it as her memory walk, where she looked at the trees and saw different days, ones where she wore an entirely different dress and strolled along with a certain Auroch.
Now his mom wore a long, gray dress that didn't have the belts. It also clasped around her neck like a choker, leaving her shoulders bare. Her hairstyle was the same. She even wore the same purple lipstick. But she never carried around any of her strange dolls anymore. There was silver in her hair now, in graceful lines, and two set wrinkles on the sides of her mouth. All in all she was still beautiful.
"It'll be nice," Lulu said once the familiar walls of their still-secluded village came into view, "to see the others again."
Vidina knew she meant Yuna's former guardians and their kids. He knew she was remembering all those adventures, but all he could think about were his own problems. Namely, that idiot dream-boy.