A/N: I'm suprising myself here, guys. I feel bad when I start a chapter and get half of it done and just don't touch it, like I did with this chapter, so I had to finish it to get rid of that feeling. Thanks to razorstar90 for the heads-up. Honestly, before I started chapter 7, I skimmed the chapters because I forgot some details, so I knew I was going to have some sort of slip-up. I made the small correction in the chapter 9 having to do with Kai's knowledge of Kate, so thanks again. Apprécier!


Tidus stared at his now somewhat-improving team. They were definitely improving with his absence, but you could tell there was so much more potential. Tidus was sitting in the stands during their practice. He had just arrived in Zanarkand a mere 2 hours ago. Kai had rushed him here, and in the process of doing so, had been swarmed by the paparazzi as he was making his way in the stadium. They had walked in during practice, so they decided not to interrupt.

"Their doing…well." Kai said from beside him.

"They'll be fine for a couple more days." Tidus assured him as he examined them closely. He'll admit, they were missing shots that a paid professional really shouldn't be missing.

"The only thing that bugs me is that I can play now; I have no idea why coach won't let me play." Tidus was frustrated to say the least. To see his teammates out there playing the sport that he loved with a passion. His finger was fine; he could bend it without it hurting in the least.

"Tidus, you know he's just being cautious…unlike you. He wants to make sure you're ready to go 100 percent for the game." The game that Kai was talking about was against the Luca Goers. Tidus was sure the coach wanted him to come back for that game on Friday night. What a game that will be with the Abes most hated rival. Tidus remembered one particular game: It was a land-slide victory for the Abes, one in which the Goers wouldn't let go of. They had stalked the Abes team to a local bar, which resulted in a heated confrontation. They had found themselves outside the bar and in an alley alongside it. Punches were thrown and even a couple players had to be taken to the hospital. Liam, the Abe's goalie, was by-far the worst. His head was smashed off the concrete wall when one of the Luca players shoved him back. He had to be put in a medically induced coma from the amount of brain damage he had. He survived, but it took him awhile to get his motor skills back. Needless to say he couldn't play anymore. The Luca player was jailed for a short time, before being released and ordered to do community service and pay a hefty fine by the league. The Abes players vowed to get their revenge, not by fighting, but by winning the upcoming game, in which they demolished the Goers, 5-1

Tidus smiled as he remembered how enthusiastic his team had gotten after the game. They had immediately gone to the hospital, in which the nurse yelled at them for being so loud and told Liam, who had been awake from his coma for 2 weeks, about their win. They as a team, had given a generous amount of money to Liam and his family, which consisted of a wife and 2 daughters.

Tidus never thought about how he and his teammates were so much like a family. He'll admit that he was seriously thinking about going to the Aurochs after the season ends…he still is. In the end, he has to do what's best for his actual family: Yuna and Kate. He wasn't worried about being accepted to the Aurochs with open-arms, he was already good friends with more than half the team, especially Wakka, who he had grown up with. He was worried about how the Abes would take it. He would hope that they accept that fact that he had a daughter, and he wasn't going to be the father who she saw every other week…not like his father.

Tidus shook the thoughts out of his head as he saw that practice was now ending. He knew that he'd have to do and say those things eventually, but not now.

"Come on." He told Kai as he got up and went for the locker room.

When he entered the room, he was greeted with pats on the back. It was clear to see that his teammates were excited to see him after his leave of absence.

"Where the hell have you been, T?" One his teammates asked.

"I went back to Besaid." He told them simply. He knew he was asking for trouble.

"No, we know that. What we don't get is why you're going there all of a sudden. You haven't even visited ever since we've known you. The only time you're there is when we have to play, and even then you bolt it right out of there. So what's up with that?" Tidus didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell them the actual reason.

"I was reminiscing with old friends. I was born there. Thanks for knowing so much about me, guys." He told them, trying to sound believable.

"Old friends, huh? Does that include a girl who you use to date?" One asked, trying to pry for answers.

"You guys really believe those damn tabloid magazines?" He shouted at them.

"It's not just the magazine. I don't want to see your ugly-ass face on the TV when I'm eating. It messes with my appetite." His teammate, Leo, joked. He always got fed up with people obsessed with Tidus's looks, so he always expresses the opposite opinion just to piss Tidus off.

"Well, regardless, they're complete lies." Tidus concluded. He was trying to just get them to drop this whole conversation.

"Good to know. I wouldn't want the paps going around saying I have a kid, either." Tidus froze. They saw that, too?

"Let's drop this whole discussion about stupid tabloids, guys. We need to know when Tidus is going to get off his bum and get back to saving ours." The coach intervened. Tidus let out a sigh of relief. Tidus was glad that the coach always stepped in to help out him.

"Well we all know he's going to come back when we go to Luca to kick some ass."

"I wouldn't want it any other way, guys." Tidus told them, laughing as they cheered as a team.

What a long day Tidus thought to himself as he drove home. It was all media appearances after staying with his teammates a little longer. He was physically and mentally drained to say the least; Kai had talked him into staying a few more days on top of that. He made a mental note to call Yuna as soon as he got home to tell her of his extended stay.

Tidus felt a little angry when he spotted a familiar red Audi parked in the front of his home. Why was she here? Did she not get the memo that they were done when he had confronted her about cheating on him with that sleazy lawyer, and she tried so hard to change the subject on and never once denied it?

Tidus parked his SUV out front and slammed the car door. He noticed that the lights were on in the house, which made him wish he would've switched the locks when he had the chance.

He opened slowly opened the door, checking to see if she was anywhere in sight, but he couldn't spot her. He heard noise coming from the kitchen.

"Dona?" He called out. He stopped just short of the kitchen when he saw the figure of his ex-girlfriend come out. Her face lit up at the sight of him. She shouted his name and ran to him, arms open, only to be stopped by him grabbing her forearms and holding her back.

"What are you doing here?" He said calmly, trying hard not to lose his temper, but finding it hard not to as he couldn't think of anyone who wouldn't be angry at their ex basically breaking into their house.

"Why I'm here to welcome you back from your trip to that boring small town. It's nice to be back to the city, isn't it?" She said, getting her forearms out of his hold and pressing her hands onto his chest, rubbing up and down on it.

"No, it's not. Now please, Dona, get out of my house." He grabbed her upper arms and started guiding her towards the door, but she was resilient as she resisted his efforts.

"But Tidus, I made dinner for us! We can talk about your stay if you want."

"Dona, your definition of talk is completely different from other peoples' definitions," Tidus and she never talked when he wanted to; it would always turn into her distracting him with sex or heated make-out sessions, "Now I'm begging you to please leave and please get out of my life."

"Why? So you can go run off back to Besaid with that girl!" She spat out. She obviously knew about Yuna.

"What I do with my time and who I spend it with is none of your business." He was starting to lose his cool…fast.

"I'm everything she isn't Tidus; I'm beautiful, rich, compassionate-"

Tidus laughed, "She is everything to me! And you're not rich, your father is, and you just keep sponging off of him. And compassionate? Please, Dona! Being compassionate isn't going around having sex with someone while you're in a relationship!

"It was a mistake, Tidus. I thought we talked about this!" Oh, they had, but as Tidus remembered, he specifically told her to stay away from him.

"We broke up. Two months ago, Dona. Get over it and get out." He said, pointing to the door.

She let out a whine before furiously grabbing her purse and marching toward the door.

"We're not done, Tidus! I'll be back, don't you worry." She said over her shoulder before slamming the door shut.

"Yeah, I know you will." He muttered under his breath. He now had a repulsive smell coming from the kitchen (thanks to Dona's fantastic cooking), he had a massive migraine, he was exhausted, and now he had to worry about a psycho ex-girlfriend ruining his life. Yeah, life was great.