Disclaimer: Hey, the setting, backstory, characters, and RPG gaming market are owned by Square. Still, the rest is mine (OCs and, well, the story) and it's all I have so please don't take it.

WARNING!!!!!!!!!! Spoilers- This fic is based on the events of Final Fantasy X, and therefore reveal events of Final Fantasy X. If you haven't beaten the game then you may want to avert your eyes…

One more warning, this is actually a repost of something I had written a while ago called 'spira's dream' under the name madcow, its been a little edited and cleaned up, and I intend to start back up where I left off, but just so you know this isn't plagiarism. Or it is but it's against myself and I'm sure I can settle that outside of court^^

And to the admins, yes this is the only copy uploaded at this time

Tidus plunged into darkness. Ice water ripped at his skin and flooded his mouth, pounding through him like thunder and breathing life into his lifeless form.

FEELING. The sensation flooded down every nerve and pumped through every vein. His eyes snapped open and he choked as the water gripped his throat. Arms moved on instinct and legs kicked out.

He thrashed his head around, trying to spot something, anything, in the blackness, but it closed in from all sides. There was nothing but his burning lungs and the cold numbing his skin.

No! Tidus fought against the water, pushing, kicking, thrashing, trying to get away. The darkness didn't move. It continued to swallow him, eating through mind and body. His arms and legs weakened. The burning in his lungs began to fade, and he became tired. A bubble escaped from his lips and rolled across his cheek. It seemed far away.

Wait. He turned over and looked again. The bubble drifted towards a pale blue light, barely shining through the darkness.

The buzzer signaled wild cheering from the stands. Bone-crunching music pounded through the stadium like a tidal wave. Neon flashed and the earthshattering beat pulsed through the crowds.

Yuna cheered, letting herself get caught up in the stadium's raging energy. She leaned over the balcony and shouted into the storm, with the sphere-pool's cool light splashing over her.

The buzzer sounded again and the players flew like hawks. Cutting through the water in a dive, a center impacted his pray. He rolled to kill momentum, chucking the blue ball across the sphere where it thudded securely in the reciver's hands, but a tackle from below sent it spinning again and the player reeled backwards. The ball sailed back over the centerline as whisp of blood trailed from its captor's mouth. The crowd screamed applause.

Tidus swooped in, ripping the ball from the waiting hands of a defense. The girl caught his foot instead, right in the gut. He rightened himself as she fell away, just in time to spot the other D closing in, positioned for a full tackle. Tidus didn't miss a beat.

Twirling past lunging arms, he kicked off the startled player's back. Then using the stolen momentum he launched into a twisting summersault. Frantic hoots and whistles poured from the stands. At the peak of the second turn, Tidus uncurled upside down in the water and let the ball fall.

His eyes met the goalie's. Sphere-cams caught his cocky smile on the overhead displays for everyone to see. Time slowed. The crowd quieted. A blitzball hovered before a stunned goalie and Tidus hung at the climax of his last flip. Two thousand eyes focused on him.

Legs sliced down in a tight arch, and the buzzer's tone was almost lost in roaring cheers.

Yuna strained to shout above the crowd as Tidus bowed to his fans. They all screamed and clapped and whistled for him. They loved him for moments like that.

The star turned in her direction and she could feel him glance up at her, if only for a second. She smiled and waved and he smiled back. The buzzer blared again and the ball was launched. A thousand people watched as it soared through the water.

The game lasted another half-hour before the last buzzer cut the air. The heavy music subsided, leaving only the weary applause of the crowd. The teams shook hands and the players began exiting the pool. People filed out of the stadium in a daze, with the last rock chords echoing in their ears and lights burning in their eyes.

Yuna weaved her way down to the sphereside boxes where some people crowded, hoping to get a glimpse of the winning team. They pushed each other to get a better look, but Yuna was able to slip through to the front. Two girls next to her giggled.

"Oh my god! Did you see that shot?"

"Oh yea! He is amazing!"

"And sooooo cute!"

She ignored them, looking over to the sphere exit where a player approached. The girls got quiet as he climbed through the portal. His face broke water's surface and he stepped onto the platform.

Tidus took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Water ran from his hair and dripped down his face. He opened his eyes and the people cheered.

Smiling and waving, he walked towards the locker rooms.

"Hey thanks. No, really, you guys are the best. Thanks for coming." Yuna put two fingers in her mouth and whistled. Tidus turned and spotted her. Blue light from the sphere still glowed in his eyes.

"Hey!" As he walked over, Yuna could feel the other girl's eyes on her.

"Hi." She said. "That was really great!" that had sounded a little girlier than she'd wanted it to, but he smiled.

"Glad you liked it." A drop of water ran down his chin and dripped onto the ground. "Uh, I need to go dry off," he said, glancing over his shoulder. "But I'll meet you out front in a few minutes, okay?"

She nodded and he walked through the exit. Yuna looked after him, smiling to herself, when she noticed the other two girls gaping at her with stunned expressions. Blushing, she turned and made her way back through the crowd.

Outside, the evening air was cool. People talked and laughed around the stadium. Post-game chatter hummed under lightposts and couples walked together down the streets.

Yuna sat on the pavement with her head tilted back, looking up at the monstrous buildings. They reached all the way into the sky, their lights gleaming like constillations against the star-dusted horizon. She closed her eyes and sighed.

Loud footsteps broke the trance. She looked around to see Tidus running over.

"Hey." He stopped to catch his breath as she got up.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing." He straightened up and stretched. "You ready to run?"

"Huh?" She heard yelling coming from the stadium gate. A mob of crazed fans flooded onto the street, shouting and yelling Tidus's name.

He looked at her grinning. "Lets go!" they turned together and ran down the street.

Yuna struggled to keep up. Tidus stopped every now and then so they could catch their breath before the crowed sent them running and laughing. They passed lit up signs shining from the sides of buildings and waterfalls that cascaded down bottomless towers, twinkling in the sunset. Phosphorescent lines lit up the roads and giant airships lit up the sky.

Tidus stopped again under a streetlight and leaned over to catch his breath. Yuna ran up beside him and also fell over in a winded haze. They both stood there panting for a while before relaxing a little. Tidus looked over at Yuna and started to laugh. She looked back at him and started laughing too.

"You ok?" he panted. She stood up, wiping her forehead

"I'm fine. Thanks." She glanced over her shoulder at the sound of the crowd. "You have some very devoted fans."

"Yeah." He straightenend up and walked across the street. The crowd was coming closer "Come on!"

He jogged into a dark ally between two towering buildings and Yuna followed. As soon as they crossed into the shadows, Tidus crouched down and pressed his back against the ally wall.

Yuna looked at him with amusement. "What are you doing?"

"Shhh!" The crowed was coming around the bend. Yuna moved next to Tidus and pressed her back against the wall too. The crowed got louder as it approached the alleyway. Yuna could see some kids at the front slow down and eventually stop altogether, glancing around in confusion.

After several moments the cheering mob dispersed, uttering sounds of disappointment. Tidus pointed to a corner of the ally where Yuna could barely make out a ladder in the wall of the building. Trying to get up without making much noise, he walked over to the ladder and started to climb. Yuna followed.

It was twilight at the top. Tidus reached down and helped Yuna stumble off the ladder, then he turned and walked over to the roof's balcony. She came up next to him and looked out. The height was startling, and she had to step back to steady herself. Tidus laughed again, softly.

"I know, amazing isn't it?" She gave him a nervous glance and nodded. He leaned against the barrier and looked up at her.

"So… you liked the game?" His cocky smile still lingered on his face.

"It was… Amazing." She went to lean on the balcony, but changed her mind and instead just looked out at the tops of the buildings. "I could never do anything like that."

"Sure you could." He said it in his optimistic tone. She gave him a doubtful look and he thought about it. "Ok, maybe you couldn't." He shifted around and looked at the sky, leaning his hands on the balcony. . "But you're amazing already, so you don't have to." She smiled in spite of herself

The last members of the cheering mob were wandering away down the street. "You know," Yuna said "It's a little sad that they didn't get to meet the star." Tidus chuckled

"You haven't seen what happens when they catch you." They both laughed again.

The last gigles died down, leaving only a faint echo of music drifting from somewhre in the city. Yuna noticed he was still looking at her, and she began to blush. She turned back to the balcony..

"It really is beautiful…" Her voice was far away as she gazed into the horizon. The buildings formed a majestic silhouette against the fading light. From there it was hard to distinguish the lights from the stars; they could have been the same, like a city made of sky.

"Yea, it is." Tidus was standing next to her and she felt his hand on her shoulder. She turned as his other arm moved around her. Yuna looked up at him. His eyes had a gentle gaze and he was smiling a stupid half smile. He was so close she could feel his breath. He tilted his head and moved closer. So close. She leaned towards him and closed her eyes.

"Yuna?"

"Mmm?"

"Yuna, wake up!"

Though every feeling and instinct told her not to, she opened her eyes. Lulu stared back.

"Come on now, Lady Yuna. You've got a long day ahead of you." Yuna moaned in protest but Lulu pulled the sheets off her bed and headed for the door.

"I'll cover the schedule over at breakfast, then we can begin working on the guest list for the calm anniversary." with that, she left.

Yuna waited a second to be safe, then buried her head into her pillow. Lulu poked back through the door.

"You've got three minutes before I send in Kimahri"