Tidus hadn't taken a boat since the pilgrimage. Normally the Celsius crew would offer to take him anywhere he needed to go, and they were more than happy to do it.

He grimaced as the ship lurched on a wave, and Yuna gave him a sympathetic look. They stood together, watching the ocean churn beneath them. He didn't get seasick before he came back from the dead – he would have to craft a strongly-worded letter to the Fayth for misremembering that part.

"I thought you liked machina," Snow said, coming up beside them.

Tidus started. "What? No, just… getting used to it again. Also, Yuna's ignoring me."

She jumped. "What?"

Tidus gestured to the councilmen standing a ways off. "You've done nothing but stare at them for the past hour."

"Oh, that?" Yuna flushed. "It's just bothering me; besides what they told me in the temple, they've been very quiet. And Lulu said Chuami's hiding something."

Snow shrugged. "Probably hiding her political opinions, if you know what I mean. Haven't you heard? Besaid is full of complacent idiots. We're the only ones not bothering to get involved with outside politics."

Yuna hummed absently, glancing to the two standing sentry at the point of the ship. Kurgum returned the look with blatant admiration shining in his eyes that evaporated when he caught sight of Tidus.

"He's obsessed with you," Tidus said. "I hope you realize."

"Huh?" Yuna startled, snapping out of her reverie. "Really?"

"Oh, yeah," Snow said, nodding. "I'm willing to bet ten gil that he'll ask for your autograph before the journey's over."

"Yup," Tidus agreed. "In fact, I'll raise you ten gil and say he'll do it before the day is over. Five more if he uses the words 'love' and 'marry.'"

"Yeah," Snow scoffed, rising to his feet. "But I betcha it'll take until the end of the night. Wake me up when I can congratulate you two."

"Snow!" Yuna protested as he sauntered away. Snow waved a hand dismissively and she turned back to Tidus. "You're joking."

"Well… I don't know about marriage."

"You don't have to worry about anything," Yuna said. "I don't reciprocate."

"Of course, you don't!" Tidus laughed. "How could you when I'm here? … Right?"

She pecked him on the cheek, prompting a smile. "I don't."

The horizon glinted in the bright orange glare of the setting sun. The temperature dropped a couple of degrees to something more manageable, but the late summer heat still made Tidus wish he'd gotten a ride on the altitude-chilled Celsius.

"I'm sorry," Yuna said, taking his arm. "I hope you don't feel like I'm leaving you."

"What, in Luca?" Tidus shrugged. "It's the first game since I got back, but these do happen every year. I'll hold you to your promise that you won't miss the next one."

"I hope I don't." Yuna looked away. "So long as this meeting doesn't turn into anything unexpected."

"Baralai's a pampered priest kid," Tidus said. "Tell him you're not doing this again and he won't be able to hold you back."

Yuna bowed her head. "He's not a pampered priest."

Tidus felt a twinge of jealousy. How did the two know each other so well? Yuna told him about the thing with Vegnagun, glazing over several details like Shinra being possessed and put in his current condition, and Paine being an assassin of some kind, but she had made it sound like Baralai was supposed to be the enemy in the story. Why defend him? "He's inconsiderate, at least," Tidus said. "It's his fault you won't be there for the tournament."

She looked him in the eyes. "What if it really threatens Spira?"

Tidus stifled a groan. "You can't really believe that."

"Our track record isn't exactly encouraging."

He sighed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. "It was only twice."

"Only twice that the world was at stake."

Tidus remembered Yunalesca's chilling wail as she dispersed to that plane of nothingness, and the way she pinned Spira's fate on them. "You think it has to do with the spirits appearing in the Moonflow?"

"I don't doubt it. They'll at least bring it up while I'm there."

Tidus wasn't sure what to say to that, so he remained silent and took a moment to simply enjoy having Yuna so close he could smell the incense on her.

"I think I'll also go," Yuna said after a while, disconnecting from him. "I could use some rest."

"I can't come?"

She chuckled and touched his shoulder. "I said I need to rest."

"Fine." He gripped her hand one more time. She leaned in, pressing her lips to his for a moment before pulling away and disappearing below decks.

The deck felt a lot emptier without her. Tidus sighed, resting his head on his hands and staring out across the ocean. Back in Zanarkand, he made excuses to get out of every girl's second date. Looking back on it now, he wondered why.

"Pardon me," someone said and Tidus spun to find Kurgum standing before him, hands clasped together in front of him.

"Hey," Tidus said, forcing a smile. "What's up?"

Kurgum shifted his feet and swallowed. How old was the kid? "I wanted to apologize. I can see this upsets you and Lady Yuna."

Tidus cocked an eyebrow, turning to face the kid full on. He propped an elbow on the ship ledge to look a little more relaxed. He was half-afraid if Kurgum tensed up any further, he would snap like a twig. "What makes you think that?"

"You regard the Council with open disdain." He looked Tidus in the eye with visible reluctance. "And I don't want there to be ill feelings between us."

"Of course, I do," Tidus said. "The Council is a shady group and I don't trust them."

"Even though they united the world?"

"Yevon did the same thing."

Kurgum hesitated. "I'm sorry. I can't change your opinion." His hands trembled despite his white-knuckled grip on his staff and the strength in his voice.

Tidus worked his mouth for a moment. What was he supposed to say? "I don't hate the Council," Tidus said finally. "I just don't agree with everything it does."

Kurgum chewed on his lip. "I'm sorry."

"But I'll try to be more respectful in the future." It took some work to force the words out, and Tidus didn't believe himself when he said it.

Kurgum glanced away. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, man."

The kid took a deep breath. "Did you really come from Zanarkand? I've heard about it from so many others, but I still couldn't believe it unless I asked you. You see, I have ancestors from there, and-"

"Yes," Tidus said. "I came from Zanarkand. I'm a thousand-year-old grandpa."

Kurgum nodded as color returned to his face. "You wouldn't happen to have known a Selendil, would you?"

Tidus tightened his mouth into a fine line. The sun sunk below the horizon, bathing the air in a purple color. "It's hard to say. I met a lot of people in my time – being a Blitzball star makes it difficult to remember faces."

"Oh."

"I don't like it."

Kurgum perked up. "You don't like being a world-famous Blitzball player?"

Tidus shook his head. "Not the player part – I hate that I can't remember everyone's faces."

He didn't elaborate, instead watching the water beneath the boat and studying the way the morning light reflected off the ocean's broken surface. Kurgum joined him, resting his arms across the railing with his staff nestled between his arm and shoulder. He didn't say anything further, and Tidus couldn't help feeling a bit uncomfortable at the silence.

"So," he said. "Bevelle. How is it?"

"I think it's doing well," Kurgum said. "But I worry about our leaders, sometimes. Nooj is unwell, as is the chancellor."

"Aren't they always?"

Kurgum blinked and furrowed his brow. "What does that mean?"

Tidus made swirling motions with his finger. "Aren't they a little crazy?"

"If you're referring to the events surrounding Vegnagun, it continues to affect them both, but only on a shallow level. I've never seen them act out of character from it."

"Huh." Tidus turned back to the ocean. "Never would have guessed."

"A lot of people misjudge them."

"That's exactly what one of their lackeys would say."

"Lackey?"

"Lackey."

"Fair enough." Kurgum chewed on his lip for a moment. "But how would they remain in power if they were crazy?"

Tidus scratched at his scalp. "Yevon pulled it off. And he was pretty much dead the whole time."

"Weren't you, too?"

"Oi." Tidus cast him a suffering look. "Who told you that?"

"Chuami." Kurgum pursed his lips. "But she also has a bad habit of spreading gossip that turns out to false later."

"Yeah. See, I wasn't dead."

Kurgum bowed his head. "I should have known that."

"Nah." Tidus looked out across the ocean, which had grown dark. "You couldn't have known."

None of them could have.

Save us.

"Boss?"

Snow startled back to reality at a nudge from Jassu. After parting with Yuna on the Troman, they'd found a reputable place to eat near their hotel – a small restaurant known for its salads. The tables and floor were made of a nice and polished wood, though it smelled like smoke and must. He could feel the water below them pushing against the floor of the building.

"What?" Snow asked.

"It's good luck," Letty was saying, "Eye on the goal, ya? You can't even see the rim of the roof from here!" He stood and pushed away from the table with Botta following him.

"They're upset about where we sat," Jassu said as Letty and Botta took a spot at another table. "Ignore them, ya?"

The door burst open to admit Tidus and a small, blonde girl that trailed behind him. The team erupted into cheers at the sight, and several of them ran to meet him. The waitress – a young, pretty girl with light brown hair tied in a neat ponytail – brought them water whilst casting disbelieving looks around her.

Snow wasn't going to let Tidus stop him from eating. "I'll have the shrimp salad," he said, catching the girl's attention. "And water's great, thanks." The waitress turned to the others, but their words drowned out in Snow's ears as the small girl that accompanied Tidus came Snow's direction.

He didn't have to make room, as she managed to slide in next to Datto, who fidgeted at her proximity. She was a plain girl, with blonde hair pulled into a mess atop her head and wrapped with a tight cloth. Golden locks fell into her eyes and dark splotches smudged her clothes. That, added to the tough and sloppy nature of her clothing indicated a familiarity with either machines or construction or both. The swirling patterns in her eyes left Snow suspecting the former.

"Hey!" she said, looking at Snow. She spoke in a high-pitched and lightly accented voice. "You look like Al Bhed!"

Datto and Jassu looked at Snow, the former with shock and the latter with a raised eyebrow.

"I never met my parents," he said, "but it would have to be only partial. Don't have the eyes, you know."

"You're also a little big." The girl grinned and held up a hand. "Rikku. Nice to meet you."

"Whoa, wait." Snow hesitated. "The Rikku? One of Lady Yuna's guardians?"

"Oh, yeah." Rikku leaned back, looking smug. Tidus kept behind her and took to her left and mouthed "she's crazy" while pointing in exaggerated gestures.

Snow laughed at Tidus, and Rikku took the cue to look behind her. Tidus made a show of innocence, looking at the windows as if they were the most interesting thing he'd ever seen.

"So, what do you do for a living?" Jassu asked her.

"Oh, you know," Rikku said, snapping back to attention. "I'm a mechanic. I've been helping the stadium off and on for the past year or so. Upkeep is a pain in the butt, so they hire a bunch of people like us to keep the stadium in good condition, so nothing goes wrong during tournament season."

"What kind of things go wrong?" Datto asked.

Rikku scoffed. "Nothing, really. It's all safety precautions, like making sure every emergency lever works. Really, the worst thing that could happen is the sphere loses cohesion and hits the floor in a big pool. Or it could get a little chilly if we don't check the temperature control, I guess. Or it could get foggy if the tubes don't get cleaned regularly."

Datto looked satisfied and settled back, though Snow's stomach lurched with the motion of the water below them.

"So," Rikku said, looking at Tidus. "You have a possible Al Bhed on your team."

Tidus shrugged. "Having blonde hair doesn't make you Al Bhed."

"It will add some diversity, though," Rikku said, looking back to Snow, her smile unfaltering. "People have been complaining about the mono-ethnical nature of teams like the Aurochs."

Jassu gave her a pointed look.

"You don't count," Rikku said to him. "You dye yours."

"So does Tidus," Jassu said.

Rikku paused. She looked at Tidus, who grinned, looking smug. "Did you really not know?" he asked.

Rikku continued staring. "No? Geez, I guess that explains your roots."

"What did you think it was before?"

"I don't know! I thought maybe Zanarkand hair worked differently from ours!"

"Where could you possibly get that assumption from?"

"Hey," Jassu said to Snow. "Are you okay?"

Snow paused. "What?"

"You look pale."

Datto nudged Jassu. "He always looks pale. Guy needs to get outside more."

"Yo, I live outside," Snow said. "And I'm feeling fine." His head hurt a little, and the nausea from the ship persisted, but…

"Well, no wonder," Jassu said. "They gave you iced water, ya? Who drinks that?"

"No." Rikku stood. "You really don't look good. We should take you back to your room."

Snow shook his head. "I'm fine, we should-"

"She's right," Tidus said, suddenly serious. "You're turning green."

The room rocked, and Snow grabbed the table. Souls Send him, he thought that the restaurant was based on a boat. Apparently, that was his imagination.

Voices from his dreams echoed in his mind. Too stubborn to -

"Come on, brudda." Jassu and Datto grabbed Snow by the shoulders and hefted him to his feet. Snow only noticed then how little strength he had in his legs.

"We'll take it to go, thanks," Jassu said to the waitress, who had returned with their order and watched them get up. She looked confused at first, working her mouth silently, but then after seeing Snow, realization seemed to settle in and she walked away with the food, presumably to put it in a box.

Snow's vision swam and he stumbled along beside Jassu and Datto. The rest of the team started at seeing them leave and leapt to their feet but settled down again at something Tidus said. Rikku and Tidus came with Snow and they stepped out in the thick air of Luca.

"How long have you been ill?" Rikku asked as they hauled him again. "Oh! I almost forgot! Here." She pulled a sphere out of her bag. "For Yunie. Paine wanted her to have it."

Tidus accepted it. "What is it?"

"A dress sphere, dummy. One that Yunie often used during our travels. I think it's supposed to be a gesture of goodwill."

It was a stranger sphere than Snow had seen before, with swirling patterns inside that churned and coalesced into vague shapes reminiscent of different people's faces. Tidus pocketed it. "I'm sure she'll like it," he said.

"So." Rikku directed her attention to Snow. "You're that nervous, huh?"

"What?" Snow said. "Me? Nervous? Who do you take me for, kid?"

"A normal person!" Rikku gestured to the stadium in the distance. "Isn't it your first time? Anyone would be sick to their stomach!"

"It's not that," Snow said. "I must have eaten something bad on the ship."

"Maybe," Tidus said. "That fish they gave us didn't taste really fresh to me."

A teen with a long staff and wearing green stripes stopped Tidus. "Hey," the kid huffed. "Where's the closest hub?"

Snow traded looks with the others. "Hub?"

Rikku shook her head. "If you're talking airhubs, it's in Djose. Sorry."

"How can I get there?"

"Follow the northern road." Tidus pointed behind them. "And keep going past Mi'ihen. It's after Mushroom Rock."

"Right." The kid shouldered past them, swinging his staff.

"Anyway," Rikku said. "I would blame it on the anxiety. Performing in front of people is the worst!"

"Yeah," Tidus said. "But not for you, right?"

Rikku gave a dismissive gesture as they came up on their hotel. "Sometimes."

"I would like to see that," Datto said. Jassu nudged him, but Snow couldn't say he disagreed. Rikku had all the personality for a pop star, even if her hobbies didn't exactly suit the lifestyle.

As soon as they got inside their room, Snow promptly dropped onto the bed, exhaustion taking him.

Tidus and the others took the chance to eat, but Snow couldn't find the appetite. He probably should have at least gotten up and showered, but he didn't want to stand. The world swam in his eyes, and instead he gave in to troubled sleep and dreams.

When Snow woke again, he didn't feel much better.

The sun broke over the rim of the window's ledge, spilling light over the ground surrounding Snow's bed. Tidus was there, stretching nearby, and the room looked larger than he remembered, with four other occupied beds. He yawned, covering his eyes with one arm as dreams faded from his mind.

He'd seen that girl again, the one with the pink hair, though some part of him thought that she acted different to how she usually did. Like she wasn't the same person this time. Instead of giving him gentle words he couldn't remember, he received steely silence. He couldn't say why that still felt so familiar.

"Snow, come on!" Snow let in a crack of light to see Tidus standing over him and kicking the frame. "We need to get a leg up on these guys!"

Snow groaned. "Of course, kid," he said, hauling himself to the edge of the bed. "Yevon, my head is pounding."

"No excuses allowed! Today is the day!" With that Tidus walked away to harass Letty. "Hey, are you even awake? Let's go!"

Snow stood, stretching. The game. Right.

He forgot his headache for a moment as he threw on his uniform and joined the rest of the team leaving the room. They had scheduled a couple of practice rounds before the tournament proper began, so it would be best for them if they got those done before breakfast. They could eat once the sphere started filling.

Outside, Luca was alive with the sound of excitement and anticipation. Despite the early hour, the streets filled with bustling game-goers that took their chance to explore Luca's shops and venues. Musicians showed their skill in the streets to the passers-by in the form of jaunty tunes and dozens of small shops had set up stands along the street to enjoy the easy attention.

Snow smiled as he followed his team out toward the stadium to get their gear. They had a better show to put on.

Kicking his feet up on the table, Tidus dropped his head against the backrest and groaned, "Where did they learn to shoot like that?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Snow said, joining him. "They were last place in the polls only last week."

"Hey, Jassu! You don't think the Beasts were cheating today, do you?"

"Not from where I could see. They got pretty good, boss."

"Got good." Tidus scoffed. "Right. But we're going to get better, aren't we?"

"Yes, sir!"

Tidus nudged the table with his feet. "Not gonna do us much good for this one, though. If we can't take this next game, we're toast."

"That's why we're going to take it," Snow said. "No point in not…" Snow looked up to the ceiling, then down to the floor, then at Tidus, then back to the floor, and finally fixed his eyes on the entrance to the arena. "… Winning."

Tidus pretended not to notice the strange delay. "You're right! Who do we think we are, guys? The Besaid Losers?"

"No, sir!" came the rallied cry.

When Snow blinked again, his hands twitched in a slight startle. "What?"

The PA interrupted their conversation. "Kilika Beasts and Besaid Aurochs, please report to the arena. I repeat, Kilika Beasts and Besaid Aurochs, please report to the arena."

Squaring his shoulders, Tidus stood and led the team out to the entry bubble. With a reassuring pat on the shoulder to Snow, he turned his gaze to see the Kilika Beasts floating toward the center of the stadium. Signaling to the team, Tidus leapt from his position and water enveloped him as he plunged into the sphere.

The water felt colder to Tidus than before, but within moments, they wouldn't notice, not with the workout they would get.

They gathered at their respective stations while the other team's captain, Vuroja, flicked his fingers in either a mock salute or a sign of good fortune – Tidus assumed the former – and too soon a whistle sounded while the ball whizzed through the water.

Letty got the ball first, earning some leers from the enemy, and dove out of the way of the initial grasps.

Following the patterns that they had established, Tidus made for the path between Letty and the enemy goal, meeting up with Datto halfway. He took Tidus' signal to protect the path to their home goal.

Turning his attention back to Letty, Tidus watched him prepare a shot. As he did, one of the Beasts appeared out of nowhere and tackled Letty in the stomach.

Tidus didn't wait to see who ended up with the ball. Abandoning his post, he shot forward. He kept moving even as the Beast took a napshot at Snow and the goal. It connected with Snow's torso but bounced backward. Letty took the ball back.

Snow was out. Letty took a quick survey of his surroundings.

Tidus bit his lip. They couldn't afford to let the Beasts approach home until Snow woke up.

After a signal from Letty, Tidus took a shot from him. Catching it with ease, he watched Letty gesture behind Tidus. Some of their tacklers must have been coming up on him. Tidus made to pass to Datto, who caught it. The ball sailed through the water and then Tidus went for his position right by the enemy goal again, hoping Datto would get the idea.

The two or three Beasts narrowed in on Datto, who could take all of them. Tidus tensely waited to see what Datto would do and treaded water to keep steady. He had to keep moving or the cold would settle in.

Datto passed.

If he weren't underwater, Tidus would have sighed in relief. Instead he watched the ball skip past all Beasts, with barely one or two hands touching it on the way. Tidus caught it and turned to shoot it into the goal.

His skin prickled with cold, which he found a little annoying as he'd expected to warm up by now. He landed the ball in the goal while the enemy keeper tried in vain to knock it away.

Tidus returned to position and tensed in preparation for the ball.

It released again, shooting through the water like a huge, white bullet.

Vuroja grabbed it this time, but Datto wasted no time barreling into him, leaving a trail of sparkling bubbles in his wake. Tidus motioned for Botta to take the goal while Tidus followed Datto.

Tidus stopped again, blinking. Tiny crystals sparkled and floated all around him, and he looked to see Letty, Botta, and Jassu moving to cut Vuroja off before he could reach their goal. Datto was farther off, moving to flank their goal with Botta.

Tidus grit his teeth against the cold and watched Vuroja break free of all three of his blockers. Datto broke from his position and moved to tackle Vuroja while the edge of the dome behind him turned frosty white.

Tidus hit his nose on something sharp. Eyes refocusing despite stars appearing in his vision, he grabbed a jagged icicle from the ball's path. Tidus glanced toward Jassu, who targeted Vuroja. Blood pumping with magic, Tidus melted the icicle with a small fire spell.

Something was wrong. Silently cursing, Tidus moved to signal, to catch Datto's attention, but instead Datto moved to catch up to Vuroja before he could reach Botta. The Aurochs had a goal. They only had to make it two more minutes to win. Tidus broke formation to protect base. Two minutes to keep them from scoring. So long as they didn't tie and risk allowing ten to twenty minutes for the-

The distorted sound of a loud ding rolled through the water and Tidus felt his heart sink to his stomach. Vuroja scored and they were almost down to one minute. Glancing around, Tidus saw the edge of the sphere had grown noticeably whiter. Tidus darted for the center of the sphere. Arriving almost right on top of where the ball would launch again, he waved his arms as long and hard as he could despite the force of the water.

Both teams looked at each other, then looked at him. Confusion rippled through the players and outside the muffled sound of the announcers quieted.

The ball didn't appear again.

Tidus rubbed at his shoulders, curling in on himself. How was the cold spreading so fast? He pointed to the edge, where the white kept spreading, faster than before.

More confusion. Some of the players shrugged at each other, a couple of the Kilika Beasts appeared to be holding back laughter. Tidus looked pointedly at Datto, whose eyes narrowed in confusion and then widened in realization. Datto nudged the first player to his side – Botta – and made an inflating gesture after pointing to the white splotch. Snow had woken and joined them, and he helped to spread the word.

Tidus glanced to the outside again. Where only a pale tinge had colored the pool, now a thorough and possibly thick layer had made its way around a fourth of the outside perimeter. The water nipped at his toes, biting into his skin.

Something cracked. Tidus and one the players looked up to see a solid, frosty layer spread out across the upper surface of the dome.

Finally, the realization hit, and chaos erupted. Tidus darted out of the way as both teams leapt to life as a crystal formed in the center, its thin spikes crawling outward in a steady growth of crackling frost.

They weren't moving fast enough. Fingers shivering as they curled inward, Tidus reached deep inside his core, enough for the flame to emerge as a stream of heat bubbles rising from his palms. It burst into a full blast that melted nearby ice and slowed the spread enough for one of the Beasts to swim free of an encroaching ice patch.

That was it. Tidus bit his lips to refrain from gasping as he turned and shot for the exit where the team had slowed down and flailed in a panic.

The exit had frosted over.

Snow moved to punch it, his large fists banging against the ice. Joining him, Tidus summoned heat to wear it down. The fractured image of one of the technicians could be seen working at the control panel. Fear fueled Tidus' veins and he pushed another flame spell on the exit. The ice immediately gave way and the team finally fell into warm air.

Choking, Snow was the first to get up again. "What about the others?" he gasped. "How are they going to get back?"

The technician, an older man armed with a radio and some varied tools, said, "The other side has someone superheating the entrance bubble."

A deep rumble sounded behind them and Tidus looked to see the entire sphere lose form and collapse into a torrent of rain that crashed into the ground far below them, carrying with it the Kilika Beasts.

Ice floated and broke apart once the stadium filled, though screams of shock filled the air. Emergency personnel filled the pool, providing rafts and floaters to attendants.

Tidus panted, still cold despite the adrenaline gushing through his veins. He gasped out a laugh. "I guess we'll have to call that one a tie."

"They're not gonna continue the tournament, brudda," said Jassu. "Not after this."

"Huh?" Datto jumped to his feet. "They can't cancel it, ya? What will they do about all the tickets and stuff?"

"I don't know." Jassu pulled himself to his feet and walked to the guarded ledge where the entrance bubble was. The Beasts each climbed into the stands, which was slowly evacuating despite numerous gawkers.

"They'll take care of it," Tidus said, wiping water from his face. He shook his hair out before accepting a towel from one of the staff workers. A lot of them were Al Bhed, but there was the occasional Spiran mixed in, and they all appeared remarkably calm save a few impatient shouts down the hallway.

He looked to the pool at the bottom of the stadium, where the water level slowly receded. The built-in drains on the floor would take care of that.

"That's weird," Snow said. Tidus glanced at him, noting the sickly pallor of his skin. Snow looked back with an apology in his eyes and Tidus pursed his lips before shaking his head. No one would believe them for mentioning the possibility anyway, but he didn't dare voice the suspicion.

"At least they didn't win," Tidus said. "That would have been disastrous."