Lucky Stars

by Suna Rei

Bartz's hopeless base ball team finally steps up their game with the introduction of a new teammate. Written for one of my best friends. Thanks for being there for me, Jun.

"Lucky Stars"

By: Suna Rei

It was a hot and sunny afternoon, no clouds in the sky or breeze in the air. Two opposing teams were out playing baseball on the local diamond. Up to bat was a nameless group of friends who played for fun. Out on the field was a very well known group who called themselves the Chaos Blitzers. They were the toughest baseball team between the two bordering towns of Tycoon and Zanarkand. They had never lost a game since forming their team and were known to put the opposing team in the hospital. Ironically, the nameless team, however, had yet to win a single a game. That didn't stop them though.

Currently up to bat at home plate was player number five. His name was Bartz. Bartz was a scrawny youth with messy light brown hair and matching brown eyes. The bases were loaded, waiting for him to bring them all home. On first base was player number ten, a wild boy named Tidus. He had bleached hair with brown roots and bright blue eyes. Second base held player number seven, Cloud Strife. Cloud was a quiet blond male with strange glowing blue eyes. On third base was player number one, Wol. He was a male with long gray hair, even though he was still very young, and blue eyes. The pitcher was none other than player number twenty of the Chaos Blitzers, Jecht. He was a large man with long brown hair and red eyes, also the leader of the opposing team. The catcher behind Bartz was player number sixteen of said team. His name was Kefka, a clownish male with yellow hair and dark brown eyes. He was sort of misplaced on Jecht's team, being such a wise guy while the rest were fairly serious.

"Come on, pretty boy! Show me what you've got!" Jecht jeered from the pitcher's mound, hitting his fist into his other hand.

"He's going to CRUSH you," Kefka laughed uncontrollably. "Good luck, Butz."

"Don't need luck," Bartz replied, ignoring the mispronunciation of his name. "What I need is a miracle."

Bartz raised his bat off of home plate, signaling that he was ready to begin. Jecht readied his arm and pitched hard. The ball flew towards the plate way too fast and Bartz didn't have enough time to react. Kefka caught it, wincing at the sting of the powerful throw. He snickered slightly at Bartz's bewildered face. He felt what little confidence he had left disappear. There was no way they were going to win and he knew it.

"SSSTTTIIIRIKE ONE!" Kefka boomed gleefully, tossing the ball back.

Jecht readied his arm again. Bartz tried to completely focus on the big man. He unconsciously stuck his tongue out to the side of his mouth and tightened his grip on the bat. Again came a fastball. Bartz managed to swing at it this time, but he missed. Kefka caught the ball, wincing yet again. Bartz really didn't want to get hit by one of those.

"SSTTIIIRIKE TWO-HOO!" Kefka called. "You're making this waaaay too easy, buddy-boy."

Bartz ignored his teasing. The whole game rested on his thin shoulders, on this last pitch. Kefka threw the ball back to Jecht and he prepared to pitch the matchmaker ball. Bartz tried to keep his focus, but it wasn't working. Instead, he was on the verge of having a nervous breakdown. He regretted ever challenging the team.

"Come on Bartz! You can do it!" Tidus cheered loudly from his base.

"Yeah! Bring 'em home!" Player number nine added from behind the batter's cage.

Number nine happened to be Bartz's best friend. He was a blond boy with a ponytail and blue eyes named Zidane Tribal. Zidane was a bit strange due to the fact that he had a long thin tail that was the same color as his hair. When he started school, everyone ragged on him for it. Everyone save for Bartz and his little group of friends.

"Yer goin' down, pretty boy!" Jecht growled, grinning broadly.

He finally pitched the ball after a few fake out moves. It was sailing straight for home, a decent pitch, though still fairly fast. Bartz swung the bat hard, trying with all his might to make contact with it. The ball did connect with a sickening crack sound, but not with the bat. Suddenly, everything in Bartz's vision faded to black.

. . .

"Bartz…? Bartz! Wake up, buddy!" Bartz heard Zidane's voice call out from somewhere within the darkness that had engulfed him.

Bartz attempted to open his eyes, but the intensity of the sun's light forced him to shut them again. His team was standing around him in a little group, concern on most of their blurry faces. Many of them were talking quietly amongst themselves.

"Wh…what happened?" He managed to say, though it came out slurred.

"That last pitch hit you dead center in the face! Knocked you clean out!" Came a hyper sounding reply from player number three.

He was the youngest teammate, a small male with orange-blond hair and green eyes, nicknamed Onion. His real name was Luneth, though no one ever called him that anymore. Bartz groaned loudly and tried to sit up, but did it a little too fast. Pain shot through his head and continued down his back like a bolt of lightening, causing him to drop back down real fast. Player number two, Firion, brought Bartz a cool bottle of water. He was a calm male with bright hazel eyes and silver hair pulled into a thin ponytail. Zidane helped Bartz sit up so he could drink it. Bartz downed the whole bottle in one go, gasping for air and coughing a little when he finished. He plopped back down onto his back, letting out a distraught moan.

"Careful. You don't want to hurt yourself any further," Firion said in a soothing voice.

"Yeah, yeah…" he sighed.

Zidane laughed at this, while the others continued talking quietly amongst themselves. Most of them were talking about ganging up on Jecht for what he had done. Everyone knew he had hit Bartz on purpose. That man never played fair, and he tended to rival everyone he played against. Tidus was leading the rant about him. Jecht was his old man after all. He knew exactly what to expect from him.

"Sorry guys…" Bartz said after a minute or two, sitting back up again. "I lost the game and let you all down…"

Zidane brought his fist down on the top of Bartz's head. He fell back with a startled gasp, his head swimming in a fresh new wave of pain. Bartz could have sworn he saw three bright yellow stars swirling around his head. He started to say what the hell, but Zidane cut him off.

"I don't wanna hear it!" He said while sounding extremely irritated. "You tried. That's what counts, not who won the game!"

"Zidane's right. We all tried our best," Tidus added. "At least you're ok, right?"

"I don't know if ok is the word I'd use, but yeah…" Bartz murmured.

"What does it matter if we lost?" Player number four, Cecil, chimed in. "At least we still get to spend our time together."

Cecil was a feminine male with long, curly white hair and purple eyes. He happened to have a brother on the opposing team named Golbez. They were on pretty good terms with each other considering the circumstances.

"He's right, and you know it!" Wol agreed, smiling.

Bartz sat in silence, contemplating what everyone had to say. He wanted to win just once, ONCE! More than anything he wanted to see all of his friends happy and accomplished. He knew they could do it, and he wasn't about to give up. But he knew they all seemed happy enough.

"Yeah… you guys are right…" Bartz finally managed to stand up, still wincing slightly from the receding pain. "We really need to practice more…"

"You know, the Blitzers have a full team of ten players and we only have nine," Firion began. "Maybe it's about time we found ourselves a tenth player."

"That's not a bad idea," Zidane agreed. "If we find someone good enough, we might just level the playing field!"

"It's settled then!" Bartz looked around to his teammates. "We'll get our team another player and with some practice, we'll crush those damn Blitzers!"

"You know, my mother works for a tailoring company…" Number six, Terra, spoke up. "If we could agree on a name, I could order us some uniforms with the money I've saved up."

Terra was the only female of the team. She had curly green hair, pulled up on top of her head. Her eyes were a deep shade of purple. She felt slightly out of place on the team, but tried really hard never the less.

"That's awesome of you, Terra!" Onion said excitedly. "I'll pitch in too!"

"I think the leader should name our team," Cloud's quiet voice broke in.

He looked over to Bartz. The others all turned to face him as well. Bartz returned a shocked look, backing up slightly. Zidane, who was standing behind him, pushed him back forward. Bartz gave him a hurt look, but Zidane only smiled.

"W-why me?" Bartz stammered. "I'm no good!"

"Don't be so modest! Who's the one that put our team together?" Zidane encouraged.

Suddenly the image of the stars swirling around his head came to mind. Outside of those stars his team was there to make sure he was ok. Bartz was lucky to have them. Lucky… He suddenly had the perfect name. He got everyone's attention so he could tell them.

"Fine, fine…" He looked around and saw everyone smiling. "May sound a little cheesy, but I have a name in mind."

"Then let's hear it!" Tidus pressed.

"Can't be that bad," Cloud added.

"Out with it! Out with it!" Zidane persisted.

Bartz took in a deep breath. "…The Lucky Stars."

Instead of the outburst of laughter he expected, everyone clapped and cheered. Bartz had set a new determination in their hearts. He couldn't help but smile along with them. Zidane patted him on the back.

"It's settled then. We, the Lucky Stars, will give the Blitzers a thrashing they'll never forget!"

. . .

Over the next week the team managed to fit in several decent training sessions. Bartz had decided to stay behind after they had all finished up one of the days. He gazed out over the fields, feeling good about the progress their team had made. The Lucky Stars… He was still getting used to his team having a name. And getting used to the thought of beating the Blitzers at what they were best at. The thought had him fairly excited.

The sun had started to set, the sky cast in a reddish tone. Bartz figured that it was time to head back, so he turned around and began walking. A man standing behind the batter's cage caught his eyes. He had his hand up on the chain links, looking out at the diamond as Bartz had previously done. The man had brunette hair with matching eyes, a scar running diagonal between them. Bartz walked over to the man with a curious expression on his face.

"Hey there!" He called out, waving.

The man looked over to him and gave him a slight wave in return.

"You play ball?" Bartz asked, motioning towards the field.

"Used to," he replied in a gruff voice.

He turned away and started walking back towards the road. Bartz watched him for a moment then decided to go after him.

"Wait a second!" Bartz called out.

He slowed a bit so the boy could catch up, but kept walking.

"Want a chance to play again?" Bartz asked when he caught up.

"Not interested in joining your team, kid."

"Aww, come on! We're short one player!" Bartz begged. "Please?"

The man stopped suddenly and turned to face him. Bartz barely had time to stop before running into him. He didn't see the emotions playing on the man's face that he had expected to see. Instead, the man had some amusement in his eyes. He started smirking. Bartz felt a slight chill on the back of his neck.

"I saw your rag-tag team practicing earlier," he said. "Don't need that kind of attention."

"That's not fair! We're working hard to improve!" Bartz shot back, feeling offended.

The amusement seemed to grow a bit. This guy was toying with Bartz's emotions, but Bartz couldn't see that. He was starting to get really mad.

"Not hard enough, kid."

"Stop calling me that!" Bartz yelled.

The man simply turned around started walking again. Bartz didn't follow after him this time, only watched him mount his motorcycle and drive off. His emotions were messed up. He couldn't decide if that guy was worth getting upset over or not. There was something odd about that guy.

. . .

"Any of you have any luck finding another player?" Bartz asked the others the next day.

"Nope…" Tidus replied sullenly as he kicked around a blitz ball.

"No one wants to join our team. They know we suck," Zidane added, smiling at his remark.

Bartz let out an exasperated sigh. Finding a tenth teammate was turning out to be a real pain in the neck. He hadn't seen that strange man with the scar around either. The people he had talked to weren't interested in the least bit either. Trying to be funny or not, Zidane was right. No one in Tycoon respected the efforts they had made and it frustrated him to no end.. He lied down on one of the benches, twirling his chocobo feather absent-mindedly.

"I do believe we have gotten better," Cecil chimed in.

"No doubt!" Tidus agreed and then proceeded to fall on his back after slipping on the ball. "Ouch…"

"But are we good enough?" Zidane countered.

"We'll never be good enough," Cloud said negatively. "We will always still have room for improvement."

"True, but the real test is in two days," Bartz reminded them. "Our rematch with the Blitzers is coming up fast."

Everyone fell silent. Bartz was very confident with their current skill levels. True, they were still short one member, but the others all worked so hard to make up for the gap. Zidane was their pitcher and Onion was the catcher. Guarding the bases were Wol, Terra, and Firion in that order. In the outfield were Bartz, Tidus, Cecil, and Cloud. The system worked well enough. Bartz had the fastest players in the outfield, the best throwers on the bases.

"Hey guys!"

They all turned to see Terra running over to them. She stopped near Bartz, short of breath. Bartz started to look slightly worried. His thoughts were eased when he saw that she was grinning.

"What is it? Everything ok?" Firion asked.

"Better than ok! The uniforms are done!" She said, smiling cheerfully.

"Alright!" Onion said, grinning.

"Wow! That was fast…" Bartz remarked, his own expression lightening up.

"Come and check them out. I've got them in the locker room," Terra said, turning and walking back.

"Come on guys!" Bartz said, beckoning to the others.

In the locker room were nine boxes, each one containing someone's gear. She handed the first box to Bartz. He took it with a smile.

"My mom and I tried to design them based on the team name. They also have your numbers on them," Terra explained, motioning for him to open it.

Bartz opened the box and pulled out the shirt. He held it up for the others to see as well. Across the chest read "Lucky Stars" in dark blue text. Under the team name were three yellow stars arranged in a half-circle. The shirt was light blue, the sleeves colored with the same dark blue as the letters.

"So… what do you think?" Terra pressed.

"I think… This is awesome!" Bartz said, grinning broadly. "I'll wear this proudly!"

"Look at the back!"

He turned the shirt around. At the top was his name in dark blue letters. Under it was a large number 5. Terra began handing out the remaining boxes to their new owners. Along with the shirts were dark blue pants and helmets. The shoes were white with dark blue laces, a yellow star on the heel. The socks were also dark blue. Everyone seemed to really like them.

"These are awesome, Terra! Thanks!" Zidane said, looking over to her.

"I'm so glad you like them," she replied.

"…My old man's making the Chaos Blitzers wear their uniforms on game day," Tidus said quietly.

The others grew silent, looking to one another. They all knew what this meant. When the Blitzers were in uniform, they played serious. No teasing their opponents, and no let up on striking their opponents out. And usually the opposing team has several members sent to the hospital. Bartz wasn't about to let this news get his team's spirits down.

"A serious game, huh?" Bartz pondered.

"I guess this means people will be coming out to watch this game… Not everyday you get to see that dark uniform," Zidane mused.

"Can you guys still play under pressure like that?" Bartz asked quietly.

The others remained quiet, looking to one another. He saw several faces with worried looks, but some looked unfazed. Tidus was the first to speak up. He was one of the unfazed.

"Of course we can!" He exclaimed. "We've become unbeatable!"

"No problem," Cloud stated. "I'll thrash them."

"We can handle it, no sweat," Firion said confidently.

"No need for worrying, buddy!" Zidane grinned, patting Bartz on the back. "We've been best friends this long, and I'm not about to start letting you down now!"

"Just what I expected from you all," Bartz commented. "Now, let's go break these bad boys in."

Once in uniform and back out on the fields, Bartz didn't see one worried look. They were more than ready for this.

. . .

There was only one day left before the big match. Bartz had never felt more nervous in his whole life. He wanted with all of his heart to win, but… The other team was undefeated. He wanted to break that record and rub it in Jecht's smug face. This time, he was determined to make that a reality.

He was lying out in the field on his back with his arms and legs sprawled out. He stared up at the sky, watching the few clouds pass by slowly. A shadow moved over his line of sight, breaking the trance-like state he had been in. He focused instead on the cause of the shadow, realizing that it belonged to that man with the scar. He was standing over him with that all too familiar smirk.

"Hey," he said, meeting Bartz's eyes.

"It's you!" Bartz exclaimed, sitting up quickly. "You change your mind?"

"Not a chance."

"Then why are you here…?" Bartz asked, looking slightly confused.

"You should forfeit before you get your team hurt. The Blitzers are going to crush you tomorrow," he said bluntly.

"…Why are you so negative all the time?" Bartz asked, getting ticked off, feeling that strange emotion bubbling up again as well.

"I watched you guys train yesterday, so today I went to get a look at your competition. You guys don't stand a chance." His smirk was gone.

"You won't give us a chance!"

"You give me no reason to."

The two stood still, facing each other with eyes looked. He still had that amused look in his eyes. It made Bartz even more ticked off than he already was. He gritted his teeth, holding back the urge to punch the man in the face. He smiled and suddenly turned away, walking back to his motorcycle. All of Bartz's efforts ragged on, by a total stranger no less. Once the man had walked a good distance from him, Bartz's anger took over.

"MIND YOUR OWN DAMN BUSINESS, YOU JERK!" He yelled.

Even though Bartz couldn't see it, his remark caused the man's smile to broaden. Just the reaction he'd wanted. The boy was going to need a good spine to stand up to the Blitzers.

. . .

The day of the game had finally arrived. It was turning out to be another scorcher. The players were all in their positions, eager to get started. The Chaos Blitzers were first up to bat. They were dressed in uniform, just like Tidus had said they would be. Their uniforms were all black and red. Shoes, shirts, pants, and helmets, all dark and ominous. The numbers, trim, and wordings of the shirts were red, as were the laces on their shoes and their socks. Their symbol was a baseball in the form of a comet. It was fitting, considering how Jecht pitched.

First up to bat was number eleven of the Blitzers, a rather large man named Garland. No one could really tell what he looked like through his helmet. He was taking a few powerful practice swings before the game started. The bleachers were full of eager spectators from both rivaling towns. Bartz didn't see that man anywhere in the crowds, nor was he really counting on it.

The game started and Zidane readied his pitching arm. Garland raised the bat and gripped it hard, anticipating a hit. Zidane proceeded to throw a fastball. Garland made no attempt to swing. He simply let it fly by, even though the pitch was perfect.

"STRIKE ONE!" Onion called out, catching the miss.

At the second pitch Garland swung and hit the ball between first and second. Wol managed to grab it, but Garland had already made it to first before he could tag him out. Number sixteen was already up to bat. Kefka chuckled, looking happy and confident.

"Kefka, huh?" Zidane muttered. "You're goin' down…"

Kefka hit on the first pitch. The ball landed fairly close to Cloud. He was extremely quick to snatch it up and promptly threw it to Wol. As Kefka neared first, Wol darted towards him and tagged him out. Kefka stomped back to the batters cage, cursing to himself.

As the game progressed, number twelve, Emperor, a male with long blond hair and dark eyes, and number fourteen, Golbez, a male with long gray hair and blue eyes, filled first and second bases. Meanwhile Garland scored a point for his team. With a combined effort from Terra and Cloud, number thirteen, Dark, a woman with long gray hair and dark eyes, was tagged out. One more and the teams would switch out. The Blitzers already had two points thanks to Garland and Emperor. By this point however, they usually had more. The Lucky Stars were not letting up in the least bit.

The bases began to fill up again as number nineteen, a male with long silver hair and purple eyes named Kuja helped number seventeen, a male with long gray hair and blue eyes named Sephiroth, and number eighteen, a female with long pale gray hair and brown eyes named Ultemicia get to second and third. Kuja himself made it to first base with no problem. The score was now three to zero as Golbez had previously scored. Bartz still felt confident enough. They could easily double their score.

Next up to bat was number twenty himself, Jecht. He wore a wolfish grin as he tapped the ground with his bat. Zidane pitched his usual fastball and Jecht swung hard. He knocked the ball far into the outfield, giving his teammates plenty of time to score their team two more points. Jecht had made it to second, with Kuja on third.

Number fifteen, Exdeath, was stepping up to home plate next. He wore his helmet brim-down to hide his face. Jecht was tapping his foot impatiently, eager to make it to back to home base. Zidane took a deep breath and pitched. The large man swung, but he missed. Exdeath was Jecht's slowest player, and the Lucky Stars knew this.

"STRIKE ONE!" Onion called, tossing the ball back.

Second pitch.

"STRIKE TWO!"

On the third pitch Exdeath finally hit, but the ball didn't make it very far. Zidane scrambled to get it, tossing it straight to Wol. Wol caught it just in time to tag Exdeath out. The score was five to zero, giving the Blitzers a good start on the Lucky Stars. The two teams switched out. It was finally time for the Lucky Stars to shine.

Bartz made a quick note of everyone's position, trying to devise a strategy. Jecht was the pitcher, and Kefka was still the catcher. That hadn't changed. On the bases were Exdeath, Dark and Emperor. Kuja was in the infield behind Jecht. Ultimecia, Sephiroth, Golbez, and Garland were scattered in the outfield. Bartz couldn't see any planned positioning at all. There were several slower players in the outfield where speed was a necessary. Bartz gritted his teeth. Jecht wasn't expecting a challenge at all.

First up to bat for the Lucky Stars was Cloud. He looked bored as usual, but his eyes showed determination. Jecht didn't wait long before pitching a fastball. Cloud remained completely focused and sent the ball flying back with a clean swing. It landed far in the outfield, near Sephiroth. The silver-haired man grabbed the ball and threw it to Exdeath, but Cloud dodged his attempt to tag him, making it to second. He cursed to himself, returning the ball to Jecht. The large pitcher scowled and turned back to face his next opponent.

"SAFE!" Dark called out in an irritated tone.

Next up was Tidus, facing off against his old man. His adrenaline was pumping hard as Jecht pitched. He too hit the ball on his first swing. It flew to the left, landing near Ultimecia. Cloud darted to third base, while Tidus claimed first. Jecht was gritting his teeth, apparently noticing the team's improvement. He'd underestimated them, which had never happened before.

Bartz came forward with his bat propped against his shoulder. Jecht's frustration suddenly turned to a cruel grin. He figured this one couldn't have improved much considering his skills before. The boy had never made it off home during their previous match.

"Let's kick this game up a notch," Jecht muttered to himself.

"Knock yourself out, kid," Bartz heard Kefka chuckle. "Again."

"Not this time, I'm afraid," Bartz responded.

Jecht's first pitch was faster than he had ever seen before. It shot past Bartz before he registered the pitch. Even Kefka didn't attempt to catch the wild ball. Instead, he spazzed out of harms way. Bartz tried to calm himself down, but Jecht was playing on his already high-strung nerves. The man was going to send him to a gurney. Or a coffin. Bartz gulped, tightening the grip on his bat.

Bartz actually had to move out of the way for the large man's second pitch. It slammed into the batter's cage, rattling the chain link loudly. If this had of been a fair game, Jecht would have been forced to switch with another pitcher for his actions. But things were different now.

The final time Jecht aimed straight for Bartz and pitched. He didn't even have time to think or move. On instinct, Bartz closed his eyes, hoping it would be over quickly. He heard the crack of the ball as it hit something, but Bartz didn't black out this time. Several voices gasped and whispered all throughout the bleachers and from his teammates.

Bartz opened his eyes to see the man with the scar standing in front of him, facing Jecht. He had the end of his bat propped casually against his shoulder. Everyone seemed too shocked and surprised by his sudden appearance to react. Bartz easily fell into that category. The man smirked at his bewildered expression.

"I warned you," he said, looking over his shoulder to Bartz.

"W-what are you doing here?" Bartz managed to ask.

"Savin' your dumb ass." He looked back to Jecht. "You gonna pitch, or what?"

"Who the hell are you?" Jecht growled.

"This team's tenth player," he replied, still smirking.

"You sure are late…" Jecht grumbled, preparing to pitch.

"I usually am," the man replied with a chuckle.

He took his bat off of his shoulder and stepped up to the plate. Jecht pitched one of those deadly fastballs and the man knocked it back with a one-handed swing. By the time the Blitzers in the outfield had managed to recover the ball, he was on second base while Cloud and Tidus had made it home. The score was finally starting to catch up.

"W-whoa…" Bartz stared in wonder.

"Something you're not telling us?" Firion asked as Bartz returned behind the batter's cage.

"I was trying to get him to join the team, but…" Bartz trailed off, looking back to the man on second.

"Well? What?" Zidane pressed.

"To tell the truth, I don't even know the guy's name," Bartz confessed, realizing this for the first time.

After the man had joined in the game, the Lucky Stars took the lead. He made it to home, as well as Firion, thanks to a good hit from Cecil. Cecil was unfortunately tagged out on third, but Bartz and Zidane made it home. Onion got tagged out on second.

The score was now five to six, the Lucky Stars leading with two outs. Jecht was flat out ticked off and his face showed it. The teams finally switched when Terra was tagged out on first, but the Blitzers never really recovered their game. The Lucky Stars stayed in the lead, for the remainder of the play, scoring them their first win. The Blitzers had finally suffered their first loss.

The crowds on the bleachers cheered madly, as did the Lucky stars. The man who was responsible for their win stood apart from the others, smiling as he watched Bartz's happy expression. Bartz noticed him and pulled away from the others to confront him.

"Thanks for helping us out," he said. "You were amazing out there."

"Heh… you would've died if that pitch had of hit you."

"Again with the negatives…" Bartz replied, shaking his head. "Oh yeah… You know, I still don't know your name."

"…It's Squall. Squall Lionheart."

. . .

Bartz waited for the locker room to clear out before he confronted Squall again. He walked back to the shower room where the man had just come out, only wearing his lower apparel with a towel draped casually over his shoulder. His hair was still wet, sending drops of water rolling down his muscular chest. Bartz caught his mouth drop slightly and he tried to cover it up quickly by speaking.

"S-so… Uh… What changed your mind?" He attempted to ask casually.

"I don't recall ever actually speaking my mind," he answered gruffly.

"But, you said you weren't interested in playing!" Bartz defended.

"Never said I wasn't gonna show up though," he looked at Bartz, that playful look ever present in his eyes.

"...Why do you always look at me like that?" Bartz asked quietly, backing up, feeling that chill on his neck again.

"Because," he stated simply, walking towards Bartz.

The boy found his self backed up against the wall. Squall was inches from him, his hand against the wall beside his head. He smirked as Bartz freaked out and tried to get away from him, but Bartz was simply forced back against the wall and held there. That smirk on Squall's face had turned into quite a seductive grin.

"L-let me go, damn it!" Bartz yelled while trying to push him off.

Squall lifted the boy's chin up slightly, disregarding the boy's plea.

"Give me a reason to."

He kissed Bartz deeply, stilling the boy's attempts to fight him.

"I showed up because I'm interested in you, not because I wanted to play for your team, Bartz," Squall said, keeping eye contact with him.

"I-I… How do you expect me to respond to that…?" Bartz asked, still feeling scared.

Squall smirked, but his face was gentle. "I don't expect you to."

He leaned in for a second kiss, which Bartz accepted without struggling. He had messed around with some guys before, but he never got serious. Doing this sort of thing was far in the back of Bartz's mind. But not Squall's. He was going to take him right there in the locker room if he didn't do something quick. But nothing came to mind. Bartz simply gave in and returned the affection. This seemed to please Squall and he moved in for some more serious action.

He started by unzipping Bartz's pants and reached inside, cradling Bartz's genitals in his hand. He massaged them to get the boy aroused, but he didn't have to do this for long. Bartz was already good and excited. He felt his heart racing in his chest. Squall unzipped his own pants and pulled out his length. Bartz was a bit worried about the size of it. This was going to hurt. He let Bartz's pants drop to the floor, and then used the wall to support them. Bartz let out a sharp cry as Squall pushed deep inside of him. He kept his legs wrapped around Squall's waist tightly, afraid that he was going to drop him. Squall knew what he was doing though. He started off slowly in order to let Bartz get used to the pain. After the first few humps it started to feel good.

As Squall began to thrust harder, he leaned in and started to kiss Bartz again. His face grew hot as the man slipped his tongue into his mouth, wrestling around with his own. It was a little too soon but Bartz felt like he was going to cum. He attempted to tell Squall, but the man didn't seem to care. In stead, he lowered Bartz to the floor, pulling out for the time being. He placed Bartz's length into his mouth, rolling it on his tongue. Bartz didn't want it to shoot off in his mouth, but what that man was doing to him had put him on cloud nine.

"S-Squall!" Too late.

He came in the man's mouth, but he just swallowed and kept working his magic. When Squall was satisfied, he lifted Bartz onto his lap and pushed back in again. Bartz let out a moan of pleasure as he inserted his full length. Bartz raised himself up and lowered back down on the man's massive length, while Squall nipped at his neck and ears. He kept his hands on Bartz's hips as he moved up and down. Squall felt he was close to coming himself, but he let it be a surprise. Bartz let out another moan when he felt the body fluids shoot up inside of him. He'd never known the pleasures of sex until now.

Squall finally tired himself out and let Bartz go. The two of them were silent for a while, not really sure what they should say to each other. Eventually the man picked Bartz up off the floor and carried him off to the showers so they could clean up the mess they'd made.

. . .

Squall had agreed to join the team permanent and The Lucky Stars were on their way to becoming a professional team. He had taken the number eight and Terra promptly had his uniform made. Jecht had broken up the Chaos Blitzers for good. He was actually taking the loss fairly well, according to Tidus, though some of his teammates weren't so happy. His old man tended to lose interest when he was ranked second in something. Tidus was determined to beat him in blitz ball, but it had yet to happen.

Bartz, Zidane and Squall all sat on the bottom rows of the bleachers, looking out over the field.

"Going pro… I honestly never thought we'd go through with it…" Bartz said.

Zidane had bought a watermelon and the three shared it. They were having a little celebration of their own for winning big. Zidane cut a big pice and took a large bite from it. Bartz cursed to himself when his dripped juice all over his hands. Seeing that made Squall chuckle a little.

"Not funny! Aww! This mess is sticky!" Bartz whined.

"Heh… Yeah, but seriously! We're gonna be huge!" Zidane said with a wide grin.

"I hope so!" Bartz agreed. "By the way… Squall, why'd you quit playing before?"

"Got injured," he said, pointing to his scar. "When up against a tough team like the Blitzers. We lost miserably. I guess I just lost interest after I got out of the hospital."

"I would have never guessed…" Bartz said in awe.

"You two are a lot alike!" Zidane teased.

"What's that supposed to mean, monkey boy?" Bartz laughed, punching his arm playfully.

Zidane just laughed and pushed him back. Squall agreed with Zidane. He was afraid that Bartz was going to end up like he had. Luckily for the boy, he had stepped in just in the nick of time. He watched as Bartz and his best friend wrestled around, picking fun at each other and laughing. He felt happy to be a part of something again.

. . .

Bartz was out walking one evening, unaware of what was about to take place. The sky was cast in various shades of magenta and purple as the sun slowly set. The clouds were deep shades of red, almost the same color as blood. He whistled a tune softly as he walked, not realizing that he was being followed. He turned down the street next to his own, heading for home. Either side of the street had white privacy fences, only roof and tree tops visible behind them. His pursuers knew this spot would be perfect for what they had in store for the boy.

"Bartz…" A deep voice called out from behind him.

Bartz spun around really quickly, a slightly frightened look on his face. Standing behind him were Emperor, Exdeath and Sephiroth. Sephiroth was holding a metal baseball bat in his hands. Bartz backed up slowly, confused as to what was happening. The silver-haired man stepped forward, grinning and tapping the end of his bat in one hand.

"H-hey guys…W-what's up…?" Bartz stuttered, while continuing to back up.

"Oh nothing. We're just here to repay you for the humility that you brought to us," Emperor responded, smiling.

Bartz felt his body grow cold. He turned and tried to run away, but Exdeath cut him off. He threw a punch, hitting Bartz in the face. He staggered back, holding his nose as it bled profusely. Emperor came up behind him and wrapped his arm around his neck, choking him. He tried to pull away from him, but couldn't. Sephiroth came forward and swung the bat into his stomach. Bartz fell down on his knees, clutching his stomach and coughing up blood. He struggled to look up as the three surrounded him.

"Hold him…" Sephiroth ordered.

Exdeath brought the battered boy to his feet. Blood was running down the corners of his mouth and his vision was turning black around the edges. The rest of his vision was spinning madly as he fought the pain that surged through his body. Sephiroth unzipped his pants and walked towards him, a horrible grin displayed on his face. Bartz screamed but no one was there to help him this time…

. . .

It was completely dark out when they left him on the side of the road. He had lost the will to move and couldn't manage to fully regain consciousness after what had happened to him. After a while of silence a loud engine roared down the road. It came to a sudden stop not too far from Bartz's limp body. He heard the engine stop and footfalls approached him. Some one came over and lifted him up, moving him away from the alley wall. He felt like he had been placed inside of an eggshell for lack of a better description. That same engine roared back to life and he felt the wind blew through his hair as he was taken away.

. . .

Images of Sephiroth and the others kept flashing through his dreams. He tossed and turned as if still trying to fight them off. Then suddenly Bartz shot up into a sitting position, startled badly and sweating. He looked around and discovered that he was in an unfamiliar place, no longer in that alley. He was on a large couch with a blanket draped across his midsection. A ceiling light illuminated the room, but it wasn't very bright, giving the place a cozy feel. Bartz noticed someone sitting at a desk on the other side of the room beside sliding glass doors that overlooked a well kept back yard. He was busy typing something at his computer and hadn't noticed Bartz sit up. He knew immediately who it was.

"Squall…" he said quietly.

Squall stopped typing and turned around to face him, a smile forming on his face.

"So you're finally awake… How do you feel?" He asked.

"I-I… I don't know…" Bartz shut his eyes and let his head hang.

He didn't really know what to feel. The wounds those three had given him had been bandaged up, and he was sure there was some sort of painkiller running through him. Bartz kept his head down for a long time, not wanting to speak. He heard Squall push his chair back and walk over to the boy.

"What did they do to you?" Squall asked, sitting beside him.

"Th-they… beat me up…" Bartz suddenly felt like crying, making it harder to talk than it already was. "Th-they…rr…"

"Were you raped?" Squall suddenly looked very serious.

Bartz nodded his head, the tears finally escaping and rolling down his face. Squall pulled the poor boy to him, hugging him for comfort. Bartz buried his face in the man's chest, hiding it from him. Squall waiting patiently for him to calm down before asking him anything else. Finally, Bart sat back up, wiping the tears away with the back of his hand. He was still avoiding eye contact with Squall.

"…Who did this? Did you see them?" He asked calmly.

Bartz nodded. "They were from Jecht's t-team… umm… E-Exdeath…Emperor… a-and Sephiroth…"

Squall nodded once and stood up. Before walking away he draped the blanket around Bartz's thin shoulders. He grabbed his keys from the desk and a coat from beside the door, indicating that he was heading out. Bartz didn't want to be left alone, fear still plain on his face.

"Where are you going?" Bartz asked, his voice cracking slightly as he tried not to cry again.

"Don't worry about it. You rest up," He said with a smile. "I'll be back soon."

With that, he went out, locking the door behind him. Bartz heard his motorcycle roar to live and speed down the road. He was officially alone again.

. . .

Squall parked his motorcycle near an abandoned parking garage. He had tracked down the three responsible for harming Bartz to this location. They headed inside, laughing and talking rather loudly. Squall made a mental note that they had probably been drinking. He crept up to the door, peering inside and locating them. The small group had found a way to turn on the power, the garage lit with pale glowing strips along the ceiling. This must have been a common hang out spot for them.

Sephiroth finished off a beer and tossed the can, laughing wildly.

"You see that brat's face?" He slurred out in a carefree way. "When I stuck my dick in his mouth?"

"That was priceless," Emperor chimed in. "Pro'ly never had something that big before… heh… HIC!"

Exdeath was too busy chugging from a beer can to make a remark. The other two were too busy laughing their heads off to care. Squall walked out towards them, making no attempt to conceal his self, hands casually in his pants pockets. Emperor heard him approaching and turned around to see who the intruder was. He sneered and stepped towards the brunette. The other two did the same, Sephiroth still laughing. He seemed to be the most drunk.

"What the hell do you want?" Emperor asked, his words slurred.

"…" Squall didn't respond.

"I'd advise you to answer his question, scar face!" Exdeath said fiercely, but Squall kept his mouth shut.

Exdeath ran over and attempted to punch Squall, but he missed. Squall grabbed his shoulder brought his knee up into the big man's stomach. Emperor snatched up an old pipe from a pile of rubble and swung it at Squall's head. He blocked it with his arm, and then proceeded to kick Emperor in the chest. He was sent reeling back into a pile of old tires. Several rolled in various directions. Sephiroth had recovered from his laughing fit and made an attempt to cut Squall with a pocketknife that he had produced.

Exdeath grabbed Squall from behind, pinning his arms to his sides. Sephiroth approached with a sadistic grin. Squall waited for the right moment then he brought the heel of his foot up, nailing Exdeath in the groin. The big man let go instantly, falling over and holding his wounded genitals. Sephiroth lashed out with his knife, but Squall simply sidestepped. He kicked the silver-haired man in the back, sending him face first into the pavement. Emperor grabbed the metal bat he had propped against his car and stepped forward. It was the same bat they had used on Bartz.

He attempted to swing it at Squall but the man was too quick for him. Sephiroth had gotten back up, as had Exdeath and the three attempted to surround him. Squall watched each of them carefully, anticipating an attack at any second. Sephiroth made the first move. He rushed forward and tried to stab Squall in the chest. Squall grabbed his wrist and knocked the knife away. He then kicked the man in his jaw. He fell out cold. Emperor roared and swung the bat at Squall's mid section. He simply backed up then rushed the blond, punching him dead center in his face. He fell over, screaming wildly.

Exdeath picked up the knife that Sephiroth had dropped and attacked Squall from behind, not caring that he had already taken out his comrades. Squall kicked his legs out from under him and stomped his foot down on his face. His nose had definitely broke and possibly something else. Emperor struggled to prop himself up, horrified by what had just happened to them.

"W-what do you want from us?" He squealed, scared out of his wits.

Squall turned to face him, his eyes full of hatred and rage.

"If you ever lay a hand on Bartz again, I'll kill you," he replied, and then turned to walk away.

. . .

Bartz sat back up as he heard the motorcycle cut off outside. Squall walked in soon after, looking a bit flustered, but otherwise ok. Bartz watched him curiously as he took off his jacket and walked over. He sat back down beside Bartz, letting out a sigh. He had been sweating a bit and there was blood on his hand.

"…You ok?" He asked the man with a worried expression.

"I'm fine. You feeling any better?"

"Yeah… thanks. You saved me back there. Again…" Bartz looked down, feeling slightly sorry for his self.

"I guess that makes me your knight in shining armor, huh?" Squall said with a chuckle.

"Pfft! In your dreams!" Bartz said, managing a weak smile, eyeing the blood. "So… Are you gonna tell me what you suddenly went out for?"

"I was just making sure that those three wouldn't mess with you again," he replied, looking smug.

"Y-you beat them up?" Bartz said, shocked.

"I prefer to think of it as a "friendly" warning," Squall said, smiling slightly. "They got the point well enough."

"Helluva warning, don't you think?" Bartz watched him in awe. "…Why are you so protective over me…?"

"I dunno… You just make me feel… happy."

Bartz looked slightly shocked at this remark. Squall looked over to him and noticed this. He pulled the boy close to him and kissed him. Bartz felt like he was melting from the pleasure that simple action gave him. Squall pulled back, and the two looked at each other, smiling. They were going to end this day with a t least one good memory.