*looks around* Okay okay okay alright OKAY! I'm gonna try this whole chapter 10 thing, ya?*
"She's tryin' to figure me out, and I wanna shout,
At the top, of my lungs but oh..
If she hears me she'll come runnin' in..
Look-these are my hands,
These are my faults,
These are my plans-
And these are my nasty little thoughts..."
-Washin' and Wonderin'
~Stroke 9
"Woo! The most romantic moment in that white boy's life, an' he wasn't even awake for it!" -Jassu Korbit
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The group arrived in Luca that afternoon refreshed and ready to go.
..Everyone but our favorite couple, that is.
"How long until this season's over again?"
Jassu shrugged and looked at his red-headed friend.
"Seven games, then the tourneys."
He snorted, "Good."
He shot a look over at Naida, who narrowed her eyes and looked away. Datto leaned over to Keepa.
"Ohhh..Battle of the Dirty Looks begins."He whispered.
Keepa nodded, "I got my money on Naida."
Datto looked at him, "Man that is SO not fair, we both know chicks give the worst looks!"
Keepa laughed quietly as they continued up to the registration counter. Letty stepped foreward to Lacy as they approached, holding
out the papers for their locker room.
"Hey, Dat,"He said,"Sign us up for mornin' practice, ya?"
"Alright."He said, stepping around the small group and up to the clipboard with the practice registration slip on it. He began to fill out
the little piece of paper on it for the next day.
"Hey guys!"Lacy said brightly as Letty handed her their game slips to her.
"Hey Lacy,"Letty said, "How are ya?"
She paused, and looked at him. He raised his eyebrow.
"What?"
She smiled slightly, "Letty Smithson, I think this is the first time you've ever asked me that."
He smiled a little, scratching the back of his neck, "Well..first time for everything, ya?"
She blushed a little, grinning, "Yeah."
"Oh, Oh!"Came Jassu's voice from the back, "Papa Smurf's hittin' on the counter lady!!"
"oooOOOOOOOOoooo!!" Datto called after him.
Letty laughed nervously and felt himself turning red, "Uhh.. I ahhh..."
He stopped when he heard Lacy giggling. He looked up and saw her pushing the keys to their lockeroom to him.
"Here ya go,"She said through her laughter, "Good luck."Her laughter slowed, and she paused for a moment, smiling at Letty.
"I'll be cheerin' for ya."
Letty turned even redder as the rest of his group let out an array of "oooOOOOOooo"'s, then grabbed the keys and took off for the
locker room. Every followed, except for Datto, who still stood at the counter, looking blankly at the chart. Lacy looked at him.
"You alright, Datto?"
He paused, then looked up at her, "Ya know..Letty never told me what time to put down."
She laughed sweetly and pointed down the chart, "9:15's free, go for that one.."
He sighed, "Ya think so? It's a little early."
She shrugged and smiled, "The sooner you get it over with, the sooner you'll get home, right?"
He smiled a little, nodding, "Yeah, guess yer right..."Then he laughed,"But then again...I don't think Letty would mind staying."
He looked at her and grinned as she laughed.
"Yeah, sure. Thanks, Datto."
"9:15 it is,"He said, standing up, pointing at her, "No, thank YOU."
He smiled and ran toward the locker room as Lacy giggled, taking the slip and filling out the rest of it.
As soon as the 19 year old Shooter entered the Besaid Aurochs' locker room, he knew something was wrong.
"Uhh..guys?"
On one side of the room stood the 5'3" blonde Center, while across from her, on the other side of the benches, stood the 5'11"
redheaded Guard, blue eyes boring into the unyeilding tinted goggles across from them.
"Guys..."Datto said slowly,"Calm down.."
"Datto."
He turned to see Letty down in the corner behind one of the shelves.
"Get...down.."
Datto stared at him for a moment, before rolling his eyes.
"Man, yer paranoid, what's going on, they look like they're about to ki-"
He stopped suddenly when he noticed that the only other two standing in the room were glaring at him intensly. He winced.
"Ahh...okay.."He said, kneeling down, "Getting down now.."
Letty nodded at him.
"Told ya,"He whispered.
Datto rolled his eyes and looked back to Botta and Naida, who were back to staring at eachother. The air was tense over their heads,
and for a moment, everyone on the team seemed to hold their breath. Finally, Botta spoke.
"..I don't have time for this."He said,"I've got a game to play. A game to win. And I'm not about to let some air-headed Al Bhed screw
it up."
He glared at her for a moment, before grabbing his stuff and looking around at the rest of the group.
"C'mon guys,"He said,"Game starts in about an hour. Be ready, ya?"
He turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The room was about to move, when Naida let out a frustrated
groan, slamming her fist onto the wooden bench.
"Bloody men!" She yelled. When she saw the rest of the guys staring at her, she narrowed her eyes.
"All a' ya! Yer nothin' but bloody trouble, ya hear me?! TROUBLE!"
With that, she stormed out of the locker room, slamming the door behind her in a similar fashion to Botta, grumbling something
about how she wished she'd listened to her mother.
As soon as she left, the room sighed, and everyone relaxed.
"Point to Naida for scaring the CRAP outta everyone,"Datto said quietly.
"Letty..."Came Keepa's voice from inside the closet, "..What just happened in here?"
"Yeah, man,"Added Jassu, "I come in and two crazy white kids are about to kill eachother."
"Well..."Letty sighed,"From my understanding...they had another fight last night.."
Datto rolled his eyes, "Man, AGAIN?"
Letty nodded, "I think Naida knows about Viranda..but I don't know how."
He shot a look at the guys, who shook their heads immedietly.
"No way!"
"Not me!"
"Man, Papa Smurf, don't look at me like that."
Letty sighed and shook his head.
"Well, I guess Botta musta told her."
They all fell silent for a moment, then Datto nodded.
"That's gotta be it. I mean, the night before last, when she found out about.."
He fell silent, then Keepa spoke up.
"Yer right..he musta told her about that then."
Letty shook his head, "Why would he tell her about Viranda when she's upset about her dead brother?"
The room fell silent again, then Jassu laughed a little.
"..What do ya wanna be he told her when he was sleeptalkin'."
Letty laughed, "What're ya talkin' about? Botta doesn't talk in his sleep,"He paused, then,"..Does he?"
"Actually..."Datto said slowly, "Uhh..guys.."
One by one, the three other Aurochs turned at looked at the young Shooter, who was rubbing the back of his neck.
"I..umm..overheard something...the other night."
Istantly, the rest of them crowded around.
"Spill it, little man,"Letty said grinning.
"Well..."He hesitated, "Botta..he..DOES sleeptalk.."
"Uh huhhhh...."Keepa said, leaning close, "And?"
"I dunno if I should be telling you this."
Jassu raised his eyebrow, "Ohhh..no. No way yer leavin' me hangin', ya? C'mon, white boy, spill the rest."
Datto sighed, then nodded, "Unless Naida sleepwalks, then she went over to him when he was calling out for her."
"Uh huh..."Letty said.
"He..said something about Viranda."
Keepa winced, "Oh! Rule number ONE on the talkin' to fine girls list: NEVER call them by the name of yer ex!"
The rest of them nodded in agreement, but Datto shook his head.
"No..He was talking TO Viranda..told her to stay away from Naida...something like that."
Jassu shook his head, "Man..that's bad, ya?"
The group nodded again, before Letty raised his eyebrow.
"So what'd Naida do?"
"Well,"Datto sighed,"He asked her not to leave him...and she told him she wouldn't. The last thing I saw was him touch her face, and
her reach up and hold his hand."
The rest of the group immedietly sat back, eyes wide.
"Say WHAT?!"Letty said.
"Yer kiddin', right?" Keepa shook his head.
Datto shook his head back, "No, I'm not. They stayed that way for a while, so far as I know, at least an hour.
"Woo!"Jassu laughed, sitting back, "The most romantic moment in that white boy's life, an' he wasn't even awake for it!"
The rest of the group laughed, before Keepa looked at the clock.
"Whoa!"He exclaimed, "30 minutes guys, we'd better go find 'em, ya?"
"Yeah,"Letty said, "I'll bet money they're both at the cafe too."
Jassu nodded, "Let's go."
With that, the four Aurochs got up, and ran out in search of their two friends.
Naida Dark walked along the wide pathway toward the small cirlce of stores just outside of the Luca Stadium. She felt the eyes of
many, but chose to ignore them...Big mistake. There were more unfriendly strangers than she thought.
(I wonder why it had to end up like this?) She thought, (...Why doesn't it ever turn out like it does in the stories..the way Mom
always told it..)
She paused looking over the rail of the walkway.
(I wonder...if it even exists..)
Suddenly, a voice came from beside her.
"Hey there, Blondie."
Remember those unfriendly strangers I told you about? Yeah.
Naida whirled around to see Bickson and two of his goons with him...again.
"What do YOU want?"
"Oh, nothing.."He said, smirking,"Just to exchange friendly conversation with the only girl of the Besaid Aurochs."
She raised her eyebrow, "Friendly?"
He tilted his head to the side, "Unless you wanna make it UNfriendly."
She leaned against the rail, arms crossed, "What is it?"
He shifted his weight to one foot, eying her all the while.
"Just..wondering."
"Whoa, that's great."
He looked at her, his dark brown eyes trying to pierce through her goggles.
"Do you..have a boyfriend?"
She almost fell over, but luckily, kept her calm and just kept her eyebrow raised.
"Why?"
The two stared at eachother for a moment, before Bickson leaned in close to her.
"..Why do you think.." He whispered.
She only stared at him through the dark of her goggles, glaring. She was about to open her mouth to respond, when she heard a yell.
"Naida!"
Once again, the small group turned around to see Botta, arms crossed a little ways away.
"We're gonna be late, c'mon!"
Naida looked at him, then glanced at Bickson.
"No." She said bluntly, before pushing past him and his smirk. She walked over to Botta, who looked over at Bickson and the others
before turning and walking toward the stadium with Naida. They walked in silence for a moment, before he stopped and looked at her.
"What is your problem?"
She stopped, slowly turning around and looking at him.
"I KNOW you just didn't ask me what my problem is."
They stared at eachother for a moment, before he crossed his arms.
"I thought I told you not to travel alone."
She snorted, "Yeah, you also told me I was an air-headed Al Bhed screw up! I don't listen to everything you say, ya know!"
He rolled his eyes, "Part of it at least."
She glared at him through her goggles, "At least I'M not the one being a immature jerk!"
He raised his eyebrow, "Immature jerk? How'd I manage that one?"
"Ohhhh!"
She shook her head in frustration and turned away from him, "Nevermind!"
She started to walk away, but he grabbed her arm.
"No, Naida. Tell me how I'm an immature jerk."
She turned back to him, looking up his 5'11" into his crystal blue eyes.
"Because,"She said, quietly, but fiercely, "You kissed me.."She took a deep breath,"You..you took advantage of my state, and you
kissed me...and then you acted like it was nothing."
He stared into her goggled face, seeing her surpressed anger. He let go of her arm, and she turned back away from him and
continued to walk away. He stood alone for a moment, before shaking his head, and walking after her.
A few minutes later, he heard a yell.
"Yo, Botta!"
He turned to see Jassu and Letty.
"Thought we'd never find ya!"
"I've been gone for 45 minutes."
"Game's about to start, yer on yer way there, right?"
"Yeah."
Letty nodded,"Good, c'mon! The rest of the group's waitin'!"
Botta nodded back, running after the two toward their hallway into the sphere.
The game started out slow, with the Ronsos scoring first. Letty took Center, and Naida went for Left Shooter. He passed it to her,
who passed it to Datto, who tried to score, but was blocked by the Al Bhed on their team, Ropp. Naida grabbed the ball back up,
and passed it back to Letty. He took it, and threw it back to Jassu. Naida swam to him, taking the pass he threw her. She twisted
around only to run into a Guado. She looked up at him, then past him to Letty, who shook his head. She shook her head back,
confused.
(Gotta pass it...)
She threw it hard, but with no avail. The Guado grabbed it, and swam downcourt. She paused, shaking her head.
(What's wrong with me?)
She turned and looked across the field at Botta, who was looking at her. As the halftime buzzer rang, he shook his head and swam
offcourt. When Naida dropped down onto the concrete of the hallway, the group went quiet. She looked around.
"Okay, I'm sorry! Alright? I don't know what happened, I just..lost my judgement there for a minute..I'm sorry."
The group was quiet, before Datto put a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, it's okay,"He said,"We all screw up sometime."
"Yeah.."
"You know it man."
"Right."
She smiled a little, "Thanks guys."
(Unfortunately...Botta's the only one who I wanted to hear "It's alright" from...and he didn't say a word.)
She looked up, around the group, until her gaze paused on Botta, who began to walk to the sphere.
"Yeah..but don't let it happen again."
He went into the sphere, Datto close behind, then Keepa, then Jassu. Naida stood alone with Letty for a moment, looking at the floor.
"Hey.."He said gently,"..Don't worry about him, ya? He's just bein' a jerk right now."
She nodded silently, and he put a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him.
"I just...can't help it..you know? He gets to me."
He breathed out slowly, "I know what ya mean, Naida..now c'mon, let's go get this game back."
He smiled, and she smiled back. They turned and ran back into the sphere, swimming up into their places quickly. As Naida slid into
her spot on the field, she turned and looked back at Botta, who glanced at her, before turning his attention back to the game. The
buzzer sounded, and the ball was shot up into the water. Letty went up and grabbed it, breaking through two of their guys, then
twising around and passing it to Naida. She took it, then passed it over to Datto, who kicked it in. Naida smiled and looked over at
Letty, who gave her a thumbs up and swam back to the starting position. The ball shot up again, and this time, the blocking Ronso
grabbed it. He swam right through Letty, but was taken down by Jassu and Botta. Jassu grabbed the ball, and passed it up to Letty,
who passed it to Datto. The young Shooter tried to score again, but was yet again blocked by Ropp. The Al Bhed man swam the
ball down toward the goal, broke through Jassu and Botta, but then twisted back around and passed it back to the Guado on the
team. He started to swim past Naida, but she blocked him, stealing the ball back. She passed it over to Datto, who swam downcourt,
almost everyone on the other team on his tail. He stopped to shoot, but was blocked by 4 of the other guys. The ball was stolen, and
Ropp swam it downcourt again. Time was running out as he approached Botta. They stared at eachother for a moment, before Botta
twisted around, attacking him. He swam up...and Botta went right under him. Ropp spun around, kicking the ball.
...It went in.
The buzzer sounded, and the crowd cheered insanely for the Ronsos. Ropp turned around, slapping Botta on the back. Botta
nodded, then looked over at Naida, who looked at him, then shook her head and swam offcourt.
As they entered the locker rooms, no one said a word. Mainly because they didn't want to think about how unhappy Wakka would
be when he got back, but also because of Naida and Botta, who weren't even looking at eachother. The air was tense in the small
lockeroom, and it was finally Letty who said something.
"Hey guys...good game. We did our best, and that's what we've got."
Keepa nodded in agreement, and Datto whispered a "Yeah..." Jassu nodded too, and Naida continued to stare into space. Botta
shook his head.
"I'm sorry."
Everyone looked at him but Naida. Jassu shook his head, "No man, wasn't yer fault."
"Yeah it was,"He said quietly,"But don't worry about it." He smiled a little, "There's always the tourneys."
The rest of the group nodded, and he looked around.
"Well...might wanna..get on to bed, ya? Gotta practice early tomorrow."
He walked over and began to set up his place beside the door. Soon after, the rest of the group did so too. After everyone was settled
in, they split up, talking. Except for Naida who began to walk out the door.
"'Ey Blondie,"Jassu called after her, "Where ya goin'?"
"Just to the bridge,"She replied calmly, "I want to see the last of the sunset."
She shut the door behind her before Botta could protest. Leaving him only to stare at where she'd just been. From behind him, came
Keepa's voice.
"Minus one point from Botta's score for bein' a MORON!"
Botta looked at him, "Huh?"
Datto laughed, "Yeah..yer losin' the battle of the Dirty Looks."
Botta rolled his eyes, then looked back to the door. Finally, he turned back to the group to see Letty staring at him.
"What?"
Letty only shook his head as he pulled out a deck of cards to play with.
"Man...yer an idiot."
Naida walked down the wide bridge just past the registration counter of the Luca Staduim. After walking down it about halfway,
she stopped, looking out across the water at the sunset. The area was clear now that all the games were over, and she just leaned
agains the rail, content..almost.
(So beautiful out here..)She thought, ( I wish..Leon were here...) She gazed a bit longer, then, (Kinda reminds me of...Home.)
She sighed jadedly, resting her chin on one hand and gazing out at the multi-colored sky. Absently, she let the other hand rest on the
dogtags hanging around her neck.
"Hey."
She paused for a moment at the voice, almost thinking it was Botta, but when she turned around.
"..Hi."
The Shooter of the Ronso Fangs, Ropp, walked over and stood next to her.
"Thinkin' about Home?" He asked calmly. She paused then nodded a little.
"Sort of..It's just the way the sunlight's makin' the water look yellow..like the sand there."
He nodded, "Yeah.."
She looked at him, "Did you live at Home very long?"
He shook his head, "No..I actually worked for Rin..when it was destroyed."
She raised her eyebrow, "Really? Where were you stationed?"
"Mi'ihen Highroad."
"Oh.."She said, looking back out at the ocean, "Close to where the attack was."
"Yeah."
They were silent for a moment, before he looked at her, "You seem to know about it...do you work for him too?"
She nodded, "Yeah, the Calm Lands."
"Wow.."He said, smiling slightly, "Must be way different...goin' from there to here."
She smiled,"Yeah..it really is."
Suddenly he stood up, "Oh man! I almost forgot!"He extended his hand,"Ropp Hayes, nice to meet you."
She laughed, taking his hand, "Naida Dark, good to meet you too."
The both laughed for a moment, before they went back to looking at the sunset. After a moment, he looked at her.
"So..how long has it been since you put them on?"
She paused, until she realized he was talking about her goggles.
"Oh..about a month now."
"..Have you heard anything?"
She nodded, "I..I actually.." She stood up, taking her hand of the dogtags and holding them up.
"..I'm off bondage now."
He looked at the tags for a moment, before shaking his head, "I'm sorry."
She nodded, "Thank you. It's alright though."
"How.."He hesitated,"..Long ago..?"
She looked down, "I just found out two days ago."
"Oh.."He looked at her, "..They were with the Crusaders?"
She nodded again, "Yeah..it was my older brother, Leon. He was a Chocobo Knight."
Ropp paused, then looked back out over the ocean.
"So...you're all that's left."
She paused, then leaned against the rail agian.
"Yeah I..guess I am."
He took a deep breath, "My parents are gone too. My Uncle...Grippa...he's all I've ever had...but he left..he's with the Crusaders too."
She looked at him, "How long has it been..?"
He sighed, "About 3 months...he was lucky..he was stationed somewhere near the Gagazet..when the second attack near Mi'ihen
happened..."He looked at her, "I don't think he was in the Calm Lands though."
She nodded, "I don't suppose he was. They usually try to stay down near the Temple of the Stolen Fayth..when they go through to
the Gagazet, anyway."
He looked at her, "That's right..."
They stood in silence again, until he looked back out at the ocean.
"..So why do you continue to wear them?"
She shrugged slightly, turning back to the ocean.
"I'm not sure..they just...make me feel stronger..somehow."
He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, "That's not good, you know."
She sighed, "Yeah..I know. I should be strong without them."
"That,"He said, "And you run the risk of having them taken off without permission."
She winced. (Man, he sure does know how to put it bluntly.)
"Yeah...I guess you're right." She said softly.
"Your teammates.."He started, "Do they know about that law?"
She paused, then shook her head, "They know about if an Al Bhed woman WILLINGLY lets them take off her goggles..she has to
let them..yeah. But.."
She trailed off, and he looked at her, "They don't know, do they?"
She looked at him, then shook her head again, "About what happens AFTER her bondage is over."
Ropp shook his head, looking down, "If an Al Bhed's bondage is over..and she continues to wear her goggles..the rule applies even
if she's unwilling for someone to take them."
Naida sighed, "I didn't think about it."
He sighed too, adjusting his goggles, "You'd better watch out..I'm sure the Goers are on to you by now."
She looked at him, "How do you know?"
He laughed a little, "I know..much about them..and how they treat our races' women."
Naida looked down, "...You know..from..someone you know?"
He looked out over the ocean, "My best friend...she used to play Blitzball here..with the Al Bhed Psyches. She was a free for hire
player..her name's Mifurey."
Naida nodded, "She works at the Travel Agency in Thunder Plains..near Guadosalam."
He nodded back, "Yeah..we grew up together..and we both applied to work for Rin together. I was gonna get switched over to
Thunder Plains..after this season's over..just so I can be with her."
She looked at him, "What..happened?"
Ropp sighed, almost as jadedly as Naida, "She played for the Al Bheds, right? A few years back."
"Yeah."
"Well.."He started, "She's..a bit flirty..you know? So when she said that redhead from the Goers was cute..she didn't really mean
much by it." He took a deep breath, "..Her mother died..during the season. She was the last of her family.. died in a Sin attack when
she was visiting her cousin.."
ago.."
"Kilika."Naida said, "I was there."
He nodded, "Yeah..but..Mifurey..she just..couldn't handle it. She came over to Mi'ihen for a while..to be with me, you know..'cause
me..well..I was all she had really..Unlce Grippa too..but I grew up with her."He paused, "..She wore goggles too...and I tried to warn
her..but she always told me to stop being silly..that she could handle herself.."
He looked up at the sky, now dotted with bright stars, sighing again.
"..Bickson and one of his goons cornered her one night...during the tourneys. The guy..Graav..held her so Bickson could take off her
goggles...and he did."
Naida's hand flew to her mouth and she looked at him, "So..she had to."
He nodded, "There was nothing anyone could say about it..because everyone knew the law..."He looked down,"When she told me...
I went crazy..and I swore I'd kill both of them...but she told me that I couldn't..because it was her fault..and they were only taking
advantage of the law."
Naida paused, before she brushed her hair out of her face, "Yevon..I'm so sorry.."
He shook his head, "It's alright..she's better now..she's still a free for hire..but she doesn't wear her goggles anymore." He looked at
her, "You should be quick about getting them off too."
She nodded, "I'll go..to Macalania."
He raised his eyebrow, "Parents?"
She shook her head, "My younger sister...her stone is there. Leon told me..if he died..he wanted his stone in Macalania..next to
Teale's."
He paused, then nodded, "..You'll leave your goggles with the person that bonded you to them."
She closed her eyes, nodding slightly, "Yeah..then..I'll have my final eye color."
The two turned back to the dark ocean, and stood there until he looked at her.
"..It's getting very late."
"..How late?"
"I'd say at least 10. You've got first practice tomorrow too."
She looked at him, he laughed, "We came in later than you, we've got last."
She laughed a little, "Okay..yeah. Well..I guess I'd better be going then."
"Me too."
They stood up, and he looked around, "Wait..our lockerooms are right next to eachother, aren't they?"
She laughed, "Yeah, they are..Well c'mon then!"
They laughed a bit, walking back to their lockerooms. After they got there, he turned to her.
"Well, it's been nice meeting you, Naida."
"You too, Ropp."She smiled, extending her hand. He laughed.
"C'mon, they're so few of us Al Bhed left we're practically family,"He laughed, hugging her. She laughed and hugged him.
"Good night, Ropp."
"Nite Naida, see ya next game."
He walked into his locker room, and she went to hers. Slowly opening the door, she heard the steady encore of snores, and
surpressed the laugh she felt rising in her. Quietly, she stepped through the door and shut it, carefully creeping over to her cot. She
heard a low growl come from Botta as she stepped over him.
"..Where were you..?" Came is voice, thick in sleep and muffled through the pillow.
"Shut up and go to sleep."Was the blunt answer as she finally got to her cot. She snuggled down into it, and closed her eyes. She
was almost asleep, when a voice came from above her head.
"Hellooo...Naidaaaa...hey. psst.."
Slowly she looked up to see Letty's hazel eyes peering out at her.
"..Huh?"
The eyes narrowed, "..I just got one thing to ask you.."
She raised her eyebrow, "..Letty?"
Suddenly, his arm shot out from underneath his blanket. Naida winced, but when she opened her eyes, she saw his hand, and in it
was...The Ace of Hearts.
"Do you like cards?"
She stiffled a laugh and pushed his hand away.
"Letty!"She whispered loudly, he laughed and put them away.
"Good night, Naida." He chuckled, she shook her head with a laugh.
"Nite Letty."
The next morning flew by fast. Luckily, no one woke up with mulit-colored hair or makeup on, and they went through with their
practice like normal..well, if you took out the fact that Naida and Botta still weren't talking. They left for Besaid around noon..which
meant they wouldn't get there 'til early next morning..
The reason I'm telling you about the ride home..is mainly because I wanted you to see the conversation that happened that night..
Naida stood out on the deck of the S.S. Liki, alone for once. She gazed up at the stars, leaning against the side of the boat as it
rocked gently in the dark sea.
(Alone again..)She thought, (Just gotta wait for someone to come get me I suppose..happens every time I'm up here.)
Sure enough.
"Hey."
She didn't even have to turn around.
"..What's up Letty?"
He laughed and stood next to her, "Nothin' really, just checkin' on you, ya?"
She smiled, "Yeah."
"So..why ya up here now?"
She laughed a little, "I'm always up here."
He nodded, "Exactly, that's why I'm askin'."
She shrugged, "Thinkin'.."
"About..?"
She looked at him, "Man yer nosey today aren't you?"
He laughed, "I figured you establised that this morning when I went through yer pillowcase."
She shook her head and laughed, "Yeah..guess so."
They paused, then she shook her head, "Letty..I can't do this."
He looked at her, "Can't do what?"
She looked out over the dark sea, "Just...Blitz. I can't do it."
He raised his eyebrow, leaning against the rail, "Whaddya mean, you can't Blitz, yer the best girl out there."
She shook her head, "No..I mean..It's just..everything..Leon..Botta..just everything."
He nodded, but then looked at her, "Did you say Botta?"
She didn't look at him, but looked down, "Yeah..I said Botta."
"Well..what about him?"
She looked at him, "Letty..I like him..I like him alot..but he's too.."
"Confusing?"
"Yes!"She turned away from the side of the boat, "I mean..one minute he's so close to me, and then it's like..he just wants me to die!"
"I know what you mean."
She sighed, "I..I can't handle being around him..and Leon dying.."She looked at Letty, "I have to go to Macalania."
He raised his eyebrow, "Macalania?"
She nodded, "I have to put up Leon's stone there...next to my sister's. Then I have to leave my goggles there."
He nodded back slightly, "Right..no more goggles..good."
She shrugged, "I guess."
"So.."He said looking at her, "Yer goin' to Macalania..when will you be back?"
"..Probably not 'til after the next game..you know?"
"That's fine..Wakka and Tidus are comin' back day after tomorrow..we'll come get ya after the next game."
They fell silent, then she smiled at Letty.
"Letty..thank you so much."
He raised his eyebrow, "For what?"
She shrugged a little, still smiling, "Just..everything.."
He paused, then smiled back, "No problem, Naida."
They stood for a moment, before she went foreward and hugged him.
"You're one of the greatest guys I've ever met."
He hesitated, shocked, but then wrapped his arms around her, hugging her back.
"Thanks, Naida.."he said softly, "Uh..you are too."
She laughed a little, which prompted him to laugh too. Together, their laughter filled the night, signaling to anyone who heard, that
for a moment, even if it was only brief, that Letty Smithson and Naida Dark were free from all worry..
..And perfectly happy.
Author's Notes: Heya! Hope you liked this chapter! It took frickin' long enough, eh? *lol* Sorry it's long. I was actually wanting it to
be really short..but it just didn't happen! *looks at it* Well..maybe it's a bit shorter than the others..heh.
*wince* I'm so sorry Tio! *lol* I knew you'd be unhappy with the ending to the last chapter! I tried to make it a little better in this one!
I'm thinkin' about usin' the idea you've given me.. with the whole Naida/Letty issue..but never fear! There will be more Botta/Naidiness
to come!
*laughs* You know Tio, how when yer about to go to sleep..you start just..thinking randomly?(Don't know about you, but I do it!)
The other night I was thinking about how you cross the character's names for a romance fic, like CloTi or Reffie or Tiggs, ya know?
And I was thinking about Biggs and Jessie..if you crossed them..it'd be Jiggs..or Bessie... *Rotflol* I'm so sorry, but I had to tell
someone about that! When I thought about it, I just started laughing out loud, and my younger brother thought I'd gone crazy!
I'd also like to thank Dream Angel! Ohhh goodness! I love yer poetry so much! I'm trying to start on yer stories, which I WILL get to!
I'm reading Carter Tachikawa's "Jaws of Love" Right now-VERY good, if I do say so (and yes I do say so..so get over it! *lol j/k)- but
I promise I'll get to readin' yers shortly!
CT, thank you for reviewing, and about the whole puttin' it in the FF section..I have no idea how to do that! If you'd tell me, I'd be
happy to put it there! Thank you, and keep up on yer story! I'm gettin' into it!
*One more thing Tio* What's up in Tupela? I'm gettin' into it, woman! Where's the next chapter?! *lol j/k* But I really am looking
foreward to the next chapter. I've been checking everyone's place here every time I get on to see who's updated.
Last thank you goes to Daemon, who just started reviewin'! Thank you so much! And..whatever's wrong-that yer not wantin' to talk
about, but it's ok!- I hope it gets better soon!
Okay okay alright now! I'll shut up!! *lol*
-Keeping it "Real"
~Ari
"She's tryin' to figure me out, and I wanna shout,
At the top, of my lungs but oh..
If she hears me she'll come runnin' in..
Look-these are my hands,
These are my faults,
These are my plans-
And these are my nasty little thoughts..."
-Washin' and Wonderin'
~Stroke 9
"Woo! The most romantic moment in that white boy's life, an' he wasn't even awake for it!" -Jassu Korbit
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The group arrived in Luca that afternoon refreshed and ready to go.
..Everyone but our favorite couple, that is.
"How long until this season's over again?"
Jassu shrugged and looked at his red-headed friend.
"Seven games, then the tourneys."
He snorted, "Good."
He shot a look over at Naida, who narrowed her eyes and looked away. Datto leaned over to Keepa.
"Ohhh..Battle of the Dirty Looks begins."He whispered.
Keepa nodded, "I got my money on Naida."
Datto looked at him, "Man that is SO not fair, we both know chicks give the worst looks!"
Keepa laughed quietly as they continued up to the registration counter. Letty stepped foreward to Lacy as they approached, holding
out the papers for their locker room.
"Hey, Dat,"He said,"Sign us up for mornin' practice, ya?"
"Alright."He said, stepping around the small group and up to the clipboard with the practice registration slip on it. He began to fill out
the little piece of paper on it for the next day.
"Hey guys!"Lacy said brightly as Letty handed her their game slips to her.
"Hey Lacy,"Letty said, "How are ya?"
She paused, and looked at him. He raised his eyebrow.
"What?"
She smiled slightly, "Letty Smithson, I think this is the first time you've ever asked me that."
He smiled a little, scratching the back of his neck, "Well..first time for everything, ya?"
She blushed a little, grinning, "Yeah."
"Oh, Oh!"Came Jassu's voice from the back, "Papa Smurf's hittin' on the counter lady!!"
"oooOOOOOOOOoooo!!" Datto called after him.
Letty laughed nervously and felt himself turning red, "Uhh.. I ahhh..."
He stopped when he heard Lacy giggling. He looked up and saw her pushing the keys to their lockeroom to him.
"Here ya go,"She said through her laughter, "Good luck."Her laughter slowed, and she paused for a moment, smiling at Letty.
"I'll be cheerin' for ya."
Letty turned even redder as the rest of his group let out an array of "oooOOOOOooo"'s, then grabbed the keys and took off for the
locker room. Every followed, except for Datto, who still stood at the counter, looking blankly at the chart. Lacy looked at him.
"You alright, Datto?"
He paused, then looked up at her, "Ya know..Letty never told me what time to put down."
She laughed sweetly and pointed down the chart, "9:15's free, go for that one.."
He sighed, "Ya think so? It's a little early."
She shrugged and smiled, "The sooner you get it over with, the sooner you'll get home, right?"
He smiled a little, nodding, "Yeah, guess yer right..."Then he laughed,"But then again...I don't think Letty would mind staying."
He looked at her and grinned as she laughed.
"Yeah, sure. Thanks, Datto."
"9:15 it is,"He said, standing up, pointing at her, "No, thank YOU."
He smiled and ran toward the locker room as Lacy giggled, taking the slip and filling out the rest of it.
As soon as the 19 year old Shooter entered the Besaid Aurochs' locker room, he knew something was wrong.
"Uhh..guys?"
On one side of the room stood the 5'3" blonde Center, while across from her, on the other side of the benches, stood the 5'11"
redheaded Guard, blue eyes boring into the unyeilding tinted goggles across from them.
"Guys..."Datto said slowly,"Calm down.."
"Datto."
He turned to see Letty down in the corner behind one of the shelves.
"Get...down.."
Datto stared at him for a moment, before rolling his eyes.
"Man, yer paranoid, what's going on, they look like they're about to ki-"
He stopped suddenly when he noticed that the only other two standing in the room were glaring at him intensly. He winced.
"Ahh...okay.."He said, kneeling down, "Getting down now.."
Letty nodded at him.
"Told ya,"He whispered.
Datto rolled his eyes and looked back to Botta and Naida, who were back to staring at eachother. The air was tense over their heads,
and for a moment, everyone on the team seemed to hold their breath. Finally, Botta spoke.
"..I don't have time for this."He said,"I've got a game to play. A game to win. And I'm not about to let some air-headed Al Bhed screw
it up."
He glared at her for a moment, before grabbing his stuff and looking around at the rest of the group.
"C'mon guys,"He said,"Game starts in about an hour. Be ready, ya?"
He turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The room was about to move, when Naida let out a frustrated
groan, slamming her fist onto the wooden bench.
"Bloody men!" She yelled. When she saw the rest of the guys staring at her, she narrowed her eyes.
"All a' ya! Yer nothin' but bloody trouble, ya hear me?! TROUBLE!"
With that, she stormed out of the locker room, slamming the door behind her in a similar fashion to Botta, grumbling something
about how she wished she'd listened to her mother.
As soon as she left, the room sighed, and everyone relaxed.
"Point to Naida for scaring the CRAP outta everyone,"Datto said quietly.
"Letty..."Came Keepa's voice from inside the closet, "..What just happened in here?"
"Yeah, man,"Added Jassu, "I come in and two crazy white kids are about to kill eachother."
"Well..."Letty sighed,"From my understanding...they had another fight last night.."
Datto rolled his eyes, "Man, AGAIN?"
Letty nodded, "I think Naida knows about Viranda..but I don't know how."
He shot a look at the guys, who shook their heads immedietly.
"No way!"
"Not me!"
"Man, Papa Smurf, don't look at me like that."
Letty sighed and shook his head.
"Well, I guess Botta musta told her."
They all fell silent for a moment, then Datto nodded.
"That's gotta be it. I mean, the night before last, when she found out about.."
He fell silent, then Keepa spoke up.
"Yer right..he musta told her about that then."
Letty shook his head, "Why would he tell her about Viranda when she's upset about her dead brother?"
The room fell silent again, then Jassu laughed a little.
"..What do ya wanna be he told her when he was sleeptalkin'."
Letty laughed, "What're ya talkin' about? Botta doesn't talk in his sleep,"He paused, then,"..Does he?"
"Actually..."Datto said slowly, "Uhh..guys.."
One by one, the three other Aurochs turned at looked at the young Shooter, who was rubbing the back of his neck.
"I..umm..overheard something...the other night."
Istantly, the rest of them crowded around.
"Spill it, little man,"Letty said grinning.
"Well..."He hesitated, "Botta..he..DOES sleeptalk.."
"Uh huhhhh...."Keepa said, leaning close, "And?"
"I dunno if I should be telling you this."
Jassu raised his eyebrow, "Ohhh..no. No way yer leavin' me hangin', ya? C'mon, white boy, spill the rest."
Datto sighed, then nodded, "Unless Naida sleepwalks, then she went over to him when he was calling out for her."
"Uh huh..."Letty said.
"He..said something about Viranda."
Keepa winced, "Oh! Rule number ONE on the talkin' to fine girls list: NEVER call them by the name of yer ex!"
The rest of them nodded in agreement, but Datto shook his head.
"No..He was talking TO Viranda..told her to stay away from Naida...something like that."
Jassu shook his head, "Man..that's bad, ya?"
The group nodded again, before Letty raised his eyebrow.
"So what'd Naida do?"
"Well,"Datto sighed,"He asked her not to leave him...and she told him she wouldn't. The last thing I saw was him touch her face, and
her reach up and hold his hand."
The rest of the group immedietly sat back, eyes wide.
"Say WHAT?!"Letty said.
"Yer kiddin', right?" Keepa shook his head.
Datto shook his head back, "No, I'm not. They stayed that way for a while, so far as I know, at least an hour.
"Woo!"Jassu laughed, sitting back, "The most romantic moment in that white boy's life, an' he wasn't even awake for it!"
The rest of the group laughed, before Keepa looked at the clock.
"Whoa!"He exclaimed, "30 minutes guys, we'd better go find 'em, ya?"
"Yeah,"Letty said, "I'll bet money they're both at the cafe too."
Jassu nodded, "Let's go."
With that, the four Aurochs got up, and ran out in search of their two friends.
Naida Dark walked along the wide pathway toward the small cirlce of stores just outside of the Luca Stadium. She felt the eyes of
many, but chose to ignore them...Big mistake. There were more unfriendly strangers than she thought.
(I wonder why it had to end up like this?) She thought, (...Why doesn't it ever turn out like it does in the stories..the way Mom
always told it..)
She paused looking over the rail of the walkway.
(I wonder...if it even exists..)
Suddenly, a voice came from beside her.
"Hey there, Blondie."
Remember those unfriendly strangers I told you about? Yeah.
Naida whirled around to see Bickson and two of his goons with him...again.
"What do YOU want?"
"Oh, nothing.."He said, smirking,"Just to exchange friendly conversation with the only girl of the Besaid Aurochs."
She raised her eyebrow, "Friendly?"
He tilted his head to the side, "Unless you wanna make it UNfriendly."
She leaned against the rail, arms crossed, "What is it?"
He shifted his weight to one foot, eying her all the while.
"Just..wondering."
"Whoa, that's great."
He looked at her, his dark brown eyes trying to pierce through her goggles.
"Do you..have a boyfriend?"
She almost fell over, but luckily, kept her calm and just kept her eyebrow raised.
"Why?"
The two stared at eachother for a moment, before Bickson leaned in close to her.
"..Why do you think.." He whispered.
She only stared at him through the dark of her goggles, glaring. She was about to open her mouth to respond, when she heard a yell.
"Naida!"
Once again, the small group turned around to see Botta, arms crossed a little ways away.
"We're gonna be late, c'mon!"
Naida looked at him, then glanced at Bickson.
"No." She said bluntly, before pushing past him and his smirk. She walked over to Botta, who looked over at Bickson and the others
before turning and walking toward the stadium with Naida. They walked in silence for a moment, before he stopped and looked at her.
"What is your problem?"
She stopped, slowly turning around and looking at him.
"I KNOW you just didn't ask me what my problem is."
They stared at eachother for a moment, before he crossed his arms.
"I thought I told you not to travel alone."
She snorted, "Yeah, you also told me I was an air-headed Al Bhed screw up! I don't listen to everything you say, ya know!"
He rolled his eyes, "Part of it at least."
She glared at him through her goggles, "At least I'M not the one being a immature jerk!"
He raised his eyebrow, "Immature jerk? How'd I manage that one?"
"Ohhhh!"
She shook her head in frustration and turned away from him, "Nevermind!"
She started to walk away, but he grabbed her arm.
"No, Naida. Tell me how I'm an immature jerk."
She turned back to him, looking up his 5'11" into his crystal blue eyes.
"Because,"She said, quietly, but fiercely, "You kissed me.."She took a deep breath,"You..you took advantage of my state, and you
kissed me...and then you acted like it was nothing."
He stared into her goggled face, seeing her surpressed anger. He let go of her arm, and she turned back away from him and
continued to walk away. He stood alone for a moment, before shaking his head, and walking after her.
A few minutes later, he heard a yell.
"Yo, Botta!"
He turned to see Jassu and Letty.
"Thought we'd never find ya!"
"I've been gone for 45 minutes."
"Game's about to start, yer on yer way there, right?"
"Yeah."
Letty nodded,"Good, c'mon! The rest of the group's waitin'!"
Botta nodded back, running after the two toward their hallway into the sphere.
The game started out slow, with the Ronsos scoring first. Letty took Center, and Naida went for Left Shooter. He passed it to her,
who passed it to Datto, who tried to score, but was blocked by the Al Bhed on their team, Ropp. Naida grabbed the ball back up,
and passed it back to Letty. He took it, and threw it back to Jassu. Naida swam to him, taking the pass he threw her. She twisted
around only to run into a Guado. She looked up at him, then past him to Letty, who shook his head. She shook her head back,
confused.
(Gotta pass it...)
She threw it hard, but with no avail. The Guado grabbed it, and swam downcourt. She paused, shaking her head.
(What's wrong with me?)
She turned and looked across the field at Botta, who was looking at her. As the halftime buzzer rang, he shook his head and swam
offcourt. When Naida dropped down onto the concrete of the hallway, the group went quiet. She looked around.
"Okay, I'm sorry! Alright? I don't know what happened, I just..lost my judgement there for a minute..I'm sorry."
The group was quiet, before Datto put a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, it's okay,"He said,"We all screw up sometime."
"Yeah.."
"You know it man."
"Right."
She smiled a little, "Thanks guys."
(Unfortunately...Botta's the only one who I wanted to hear "It's alright" from...and he didn't say a word.)
She looked up, around the group, until her gaze paused on Botta, who began to walk to the sphere.
"Yeah..but don't let it happen again."
He went into the sphere, Datto close behind, then Keepa, then Jassu. Naida stood alone with Letty for a moment, looking at the floor.
"Hey.."He said gently,"..Don't worry about him, ya? He's just bein' a jerk right now."
She nodded silently, and he put a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him.
"I just...can't help it..you know? He gets to me."
He breathed out slowly, "I know what ya mean, Naida..now c'mon, let's go get this game back."
He smiled, and she smiled back. They turned and ran back into the sphere, swimming up into their places quickly. As Naida slid into
her spot on the field, she turned and looked back at Botta, who glanced at her, before turning his attention back to the game. The
buzzer sounded, and the ball was shot up into the water. Letty went up and grabbed it, breaking through two of their guys, then
twising around and passing it to Naida. She took it, then passed it over to Datto, who kicked it in. Naida smiled and looked over at
Letty, who gave her a thumbs up and swam back to the starting position. The ball shot up again, and this time, the blocking Ronso
grabbed it. He swam right through Letty, but was taken down by Jassu and Botta. Jassu grabbed the ball, and passed it up to Letty,
who passed it to Datto. The young Shooter tried to score again, but was yet again blocked by Ropp. The Al Bhed man swam the
ball down toward the goal, broke through Jassu and Botta, but then twisted back around and passed it back to the Guado on the
team. He started to swim past Naida, but she blocked him, stealing the ball back. She passed it over to Datto, who swam downcourt,
almost everyone on the other team on his tail. He stopped to shoot, but was blocked by 4 of the other guys. The ball was stolen, and
Ropp swam it downcourt again. Time was running out as he approached Botta. They stared at eachother for a moment, before Botta
twisted around, attacking him. He swam up...and Botta went right under him. Ropp spun around, kicking the ball.
...It went in.
The buzzer sounded, and the crowd cheered insanely for the Ronsos. Ropp turned around, slapping Botta on the back. Botta
nodded, then looked over at Naida, who looked at him, then shook her head and swam offcourt.
As they entered the locker rooms, no one said a word. Mainly because they didn't want to think about how unhappy Wakka would
be when he got back, but also because of Naida and Botta, who weren't even looking at eachother. The air was tense in the small
lockeroom, and it was finally Letty who said something.
"Hey guys...good game. We did our best, and that's what we've got."
Keepa nodded in agreement, and Datto whispered a "Yeah..." Jassu nodded too, and Naida continued to stare into space. Botta
shook his head.
"I'm sorry."
Everyone looked at him but Naida. Jassu shook his head, "No man, wasn't yer fault."
"Yeah it was,"He said quietly,"But don't worry about it." He smiled a little, "There's always the tourneys."
The rest of the group nodded, and he looked around.
"Well...might wanna..get on to bed, ya? Gotta practice early tomorrow."
He walked over and began to set up his place beside the door. Soon after, the rest of the group did so too. After everyone was settled
in, they split up, talking. Except for Naida who began to walk out the door.
"'Ey Blondie,"Jassu called after her, "Where ya goin'?"
"Just to the bridge,"She replied calmly, "I want to see the last of the sunset."
She shut the door behind her before Botta could protest. Leaving him only to stare at where she'd just been. From behind him, came
Keepa's voice.
"Minus one point from Botta's score for bein' a MORON!"
Botta looked at him, "Huh?"
Datto laughed, "Yeah..yer losin' the battle of the Dirty Looks."
Botta rolled his eyes, then looked back to the door. Finally, he turned back to the group to see Letty staring at him.
"What?"
Letty only shook his head as he pulled out a deck of cards to play with.
"Man...yer an idiot."
Naida walked down the wide bridge just past the registration counter of the Luca Staduim. After walking down it about halfway,
she stopped, looking out across the water at the sunset. The area was clear now that all the games were over, and she just leaned
agains the rail, content..almost.
(So beautiful out here..)She thought, ( I wish..Leon were here...) She gazed a bit longer, then, (Kinda reminds me of...Home.)
She sighed jadedly, resting her chin on one hand and gazing out at the multi-colored sky. Absently, she let the other hand rest on the
dogtags hanging around her neck.
"Hey."
She paused for a moment at the voice, almost thinking it was Botta, but when she turned around.
"..Hi."
The Shooter of the Ronso Fangs, Ropp, walked over and stood next to her.
"Thinkin' about Home?" He asked calmly. She paused then nodded a little.
"Sort of..It's just the way the sunlight's makin' the water look yellow..like the sand there."
He nodded, "Yeah.."
She looked at him, "Did you live at Home very long?"
He shook his head, "No..I actually worked for Rin..when it was destroyed."
She raised her eyebrow, "Really? Where were you stationed?"
"Mi'ihen Highroad."
"Oh.."She said, looking back out at the ocean, "Close to where the attack was."
"Yeah."
They were silent for a moment, before he looked at her, "You seem to know about it...do you work for him too?"
She nodded, "Yeah, the Calm Lands."
"Wow.."He said, smiling slightly, "Must be way different...goin' from there to here."
She smiled,"Yeah..it really is."
Suddenly he stood up, "Oh man! I almost forgot!"He extended his hand,"Ropp Hayes, nice to meet you."
She laughed, taking his hand, "Naida Dark, good to meet you too."
The both laughed for a moment, before they went back to looking at the sunset. After a moment, he looked at her.
"So..how long has it been since you put them on?"
She paused, until she realized he was talking about her goggles.
"Oh..about a month now."
"..Have you heard anything?"
She nodded, "I..I actually.." She stood up, taking her hand of the dogtags and holding them up.
"..I'm off bondage now."
He looked at the tags for a moment, before shaking his head, "I'm sorry."
She nodded, "Thank you. It's alright though."
"How.."He hesitated,"..Long ago..?"
She looked down, "I just found out two days ago."
"Oh.."He looked at her, "..They were with the Crusaders?"
She nodded again, "Yeah..it was my older brother, Leon. He was a Chocobo Knight."
Ropp paused, then looked back out over the ocean.
"So...you're all that's left."
She paused, then leaned against the rail agian.
"Yeah I..guess I am."
He took a deep breath, "My parents are gone too. My Uncle...Grippa...he's all I've ever had...but he left..he's with the Crusaders too."
She looked at him, "How long has it been..?"
He sighed, "About 3 months...he was lucky..he was stationed somewhere near the Gagazet..when the second attack near Mi'ihen
happened..."He looked at her, "I don't think he was in the Calm Lands though."
She nodded, "I don't suppose he was. They usually try to stay down near the Temple of the Stolen Fayth..when they go through to
the Gagazet, anyway."
He looked at her, "That's right..."
They stood in silence again, until he looked back out at the ocean.
"..So why do you continue to wear them?"
She shrugged slightly, turning back to the ocean.
"I'm not sure..they just...make me feel stronger..somehow."
He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, "That's not good, you know."
She sighed, "Yeah..I know. I should be strong without them."
"That,"He said, "And you run the risk of having them taken off without permission."
She winced. (Man, he sure does know how to put it bluntly.)
"Yeah...I guess you're right." She said softly.
"Your teammates.."He started, "Do they know about that law?"
She paused, then shook her head, "They know about if an Al Bhed woman WILLINGLY lets them take off her goggles..she has to
let them..yeah. But.."
She trailed off, and he looked at her, "They don't know, do they?"
She looked at him, then shook her head again, "About what happens AFTER her bondage is over."
Ropp shook his head, looking down, "If an Al Bhed's bondage is over..and she continues to wear her goggles..the rule applies even
if she's unwilling for someone to take them."
Naida sighed, "I didn't think about it."
He sighed too, adjusting his goggles, "You'd better watch out..I'm sure the Goers are on to you by now."
She looked at him, "How do you know?"
He laughed a little, "I know..much about them..and how they treat our races' women."
Naida looked down, "...You know..from..someone you know?"
He looked out over the ocean, "My best friend...she used to play Blitzball here..with the Al Bhed Psyches. She was a free for hire
player..her name's Mifurey."
Naida nodded, "She works at the Travel Agency in Thunder Plains..near Guadosalam."
He nodded back, "Yeah..we grew up together..and we both applied to work for Rin together. I was gonna get switched over to
Thunder Plains..after this season's over..just so I can be with her."
She looked at him, "What..happened?"
Ropp sighed, almost as jadedly as Naida, "She played for the Al Bheds, right? A few years back."
"Yeah."
"Well.."He started, "She's..a bit flirty..you know? So when she said that redhead from the Goers was cute..she didn't really mean
much by it." He took a deep breath, "..Her mother died..during the season. She was the last of her family.. died in a Sin attack when
she was visiting her cousin.."
ago.."
"Kilika."Naida said, "I was there."
He nodded, "Yeah..but..Mifurey..she just..couldn't handle it. She came over to Mi'ihen for a while..to be with me, you know..'cause
me..well..I was all she had really..Unlce Grippa too..but I grew up with her."He paused, "..She wore goggles too...and I tried to warn
her..but she always told me to stop being silly..that she could handle herself.."
He looked up at the sky, now dotted with bright stars, sighing again.
"..Bickson and one of his goons cornered her one night...during the tourneys. The guy..Graav..held her so Bickson could take off her
goggles...and he did."
Naida's hand flew to her mouth and she looked at him, "So..she had to."
He nodded, "There was nothing anyone could say about it..because everyone knew the law..."He looked down,"When she told me...
I went crazy..and I swore I'd kill both of them...but she told me that I couldn't..because it was her fault..and they were only taking
advantage of the law."
Naida paused, before she brushed her hair out of her face, "Yevon..I'm so sorry.."
He shook his head, "It's alright..she's better now..she's still a free for hire..but she doesn't wear her goggles anymore." He looked at
her, "You should be quick about getting them off too."
She nodded, "I'll go..to Macalania."
He raised his eyebrow, "Parents?"
She shook her head, "My younger sister...her stone is there. Leon told me..if he died..he wanted his stone in Macalania..next to
Teale's."
He paused, then nodded, "..You'll leave your goggles with the person that bonded you to them."
She closed her eyes, nodding slightly, "Yeah..then..I'll have my final eye color."
The two turned back to the dark ocean, and stood there until he looked at her.
"..It's getting very late."
"..How late?"
"I'd say at least 10. You've got first practice tomorrow too."
She looked at him, he laughed, "We came in later than you, we've got last."
She laughed a little, "Okay..yeah. Well..I guess I'd better be going then."
"Me too."
They stood up, and he looked around, "Wait..our lockerooms are right next to eachother, aren't they?"
She laughed, "Yeah, they are..Well c'mon then!"
They laughed a bit, walking back to their lockerooms. After they got there, he turned to her.
"Well, it's been nice meeting you, Naida."
"You too, Ropp."She smiled, extending her hand. He laughed.
"C'mon, they're so few of us Al Bhed left we're practically family,"He laughed, hugging her. She laughed and hugged him.
"Good night, Ropp."
"Nite Naida, see ya next game."
He walked into his locker room, and she went to hers. Slowly opening the door, she heard the steady encore of snores, and
surpressed the laugh she felt rising in her. Quietly, she stepped through the door and shut it, carefully creeping over to her cot. She
heard a low growl come from Botta as she stepped over him.
"..Where were you..?" Came is voice, thick in sleep and muffled through the pillow.
"Shut up and go to sleep."Was the blunt answer as she finally got to her cot. She snuggled down into it, and closed her eyes. She
was almost asleep, when a voice came from above her head.
"Hellooo...Naidaaaa...hey. psst.."
Slowly she looked up to see Letty's hazel eyes peering out at her.
"..Huh?"
The eyes narrowed, "..I just got one thing to ask you.."
She raised her eyebrow, "..Letty?"
Suddenly, his arm shot out from underneath his blanket. Naida winced, but when she opened her eyes, she saw his hand, and in it
was...The Ace of Hearts.
"Do you like cards?"
She stiffled a laugh and pushed his hand away.
"Letty!"She whispered loudly, he laughed and put them away.
"Good night, Naida." He chuckled, she shook her head with a laugh.
"Nite Letty."
The next morning flew by fast. Luckily, no one woke up with mulit-colored hair or makeup on, and they went through with their
practice like normal..well, if you took out the fact that Naida and Botta still weren't talking. They left for Besaid around noon..which
meant they wouldn't get there 'til early next morning..
The reason I'm telling you about the ride home..is mainly because I wanted you to see the conversation that happened that night..
Naida stood out on the deck of the S.S. Liki, alone for once. She gazed up at the stars, leaning against the side of the boat as it
rocked gently in the dark sea.
(Alone again..)She thought, (Just gotta wait for someone to come get me I suppose..happens every time I'm up here.)
Sure enough.
"Hey."
She didn't even have to turn around.
"..What's up Letty?"
He laughed and stood next to her, "Nothin' really, just checkin' on you, ya?"
She smiled, "Yeah."
"So..why ya up here now?"
She laughed a little, "I'm always up here."
He nodded, "Exactly, that's why I'm askin'."
She shrugged, "Thinkin'.."
"About..?"
She looked at him, "Man yer nosey today aren't you?"
He laughed, "I figured you establised that this morning when I went through yer pillowcase."
She shook her head and laughed, "Yeah..guess so."
They paused, then she shook her head, "Letty..I can't do this."
He looked at her, "Can't do what?"
She looked out over the dark sea, "Just...Blitz. I can't do it."
He raised his eyebrow, leaning against the rail, "Whaddya mean, you can't Blitz, yer the best girl out there."
She shook her head, "No..I mean..It's just..everything..Leon..Botta..just everything."
He nodded, but then looked at her, "Did you say Botta?"
She didn't look at him, but looked down, "Yeah..I said Botta."
"Well..what about him?"
She looked at him, "Letty..I like him..I like him alot..but he's too.."
"Confusing?"
"Yes!"She turned away from the side of the boat, "I mean..one minute he's so close to me, and then it's like..he just wants me to die!"
"I know what you mean."
She sighed, "I..I can't handle being around him..and Leon dying.."She looked at Letty, "I have to go to Macalania."
He raised his eyebrow, "Macalania?"
She nodded, "I have to put up Leon's stone there...next to my sister's. Then I have to leave my goggles there."
He nodded back slightly, "Right..no more goggles..good."
She shrugged, "I guess."
"So.."He said looking at her, "Yer goin' to Macalania..when will you be back?"
"..Probably not 'til after the next game..you know?"
"That's fine..Wakka and Tidus are comin' back day after tomorrow..we'll come get ya after the next game."
They fell silent, then she smiled at Letty.
"Letty..thank you so much."
He raised his eyebrow, "For what?"
She shrugged a little, still smiling, "Just..everything.."
He paused, then smiled back, "No problem, Naida."
They stood for a moment, before she went foreward and hugged him.
"You're one of the greatest guys I've ever met."
He hesitated, shocked, but then wrapped his arms around her, hugging her back.
"Thanks, Naida.."he said softly, "Uh..you are too."
She laughed a little, which prompted him to laugh too. Together, their laughter filled the night, signaling to anyone who heard, that
for a moment, even if it was only brief, that Letty Smithson and Naida Dark were free from all worry..
..And perfectly happy.
Author's Notes: Heya! Hope you liked this chapter! It took frickin' long enough, eh? *lol* Sorry it's long. I was actually wanting it to
be really short..but it just didn't happen! *looks at it* Well..maybe it's a bit shorter than the others..heh.
*wince* I'm so sorry Tio! *lol* I knew you'd be unhappy with the ending to the last chapter! I tried to make it a little better in this one!
I'm thinkin' about usin' the idea you've given me.. with the whole Naida/Letty issue..but never fear! There will be more Botta/Naidiness
to come!
*laughs* You know Tio, how when yer about to go to sleep..you start just..thinking randomly?(Don't know about you, but I do it!)
The other night I was thinking about how you cross the character's names for a romance fic, like CloTi or Reffie or Tiggs, ya know?
And I was thinking about Biggs and Jessie..if you crossed them..it'd be Jiggs..or Bessie... *Rotflol* I'm so sorry, but I had to tell
someone about that! When I thought about it, I just started laughing out loud, and my younger brother thought I'd gone crazy!
I'd also like to thank Dream Angel! Ohhh goodness! I love yer poetry so much! I'm trying to start on yer stories, which I WILL get to!
I'm reading Carter Tachikawa's "Jaws of Love" Right now-VERY good, if I do say so (and yes I do say so..so get over it! *lol j/k)- but
I promise I'll get to readin' yers shortly!
CT, thank you for reviewing, and about the whole puttin' it in the FF section..I have no idea how to do that! If you'd tell me, I'd be
happy to put it there! Thank you, and keep up on yer story! I'm gettin' into it!
*One more thing Tio* What's up in Tupela? I'm gettin' into it, woman! Where's the next chapter?! *lol j/k* But I really am looking
foreward to the next chapter. I've been checking everyone's place here every time I get on to see who's updated.
Last thank you goes to Daemon, who just started reviewin'! Thank you so much! And..whatever's wrong-that yer not wantin' to talk
about, but it's ok!- I hope it gets better soon!
Okay okay alright now! I'll shut up!! *lol*
-Keeping it "Real"
~Ari