*(Glancing around) Right...umm...chapter 20...? Yeah, the chapter 20 that's been up...ummm (Holds up a sign that says "FRAUD" In capital letters) IT FORCED ITSELF ONTO THE COMPUTER!!! (Beats it, then shoves this chapter 20 in its place) HA! Now...(Takes a deep breath) Here ya go, the REAL chapter 20!*

"She came crawling, one early morning,

She showed her crown of thorns...

She whispered softly, to tell a story,

About how she had been wronged..."

-Wash Away Those Years

~Creed

"Time ta get it on." -Botta Trapper

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



"Hello, Ladies and Gentlemen, and welcome to the 224 annual Blitzball tournament! I'm your host Jim Price here with my assistant, Gabe Adams!"

"Good evening! Wow, would you look at the crowd we've got here tonight Jim?"

"Isn't it great? Stands are filling to the brim with eager fans of both the Aurochs and the Goers."

"And some fans that just love the game!"

"That's right, Gabe. This is Blitzball after all, the game of the Aeons!"



The Besaid Aurochs stood in the open waiting hallway, water dripping from the porclein walls that curved overhead, reflecting the water like a mirror and casting strange yet beautiful patterns on the ceiling and the people standing in the dim lighting that the underwater lights had to offer. It was the Hallway of Champions, the Stadium entrance that only the final two teams got to use in the last game of the Tourneys.

Botta Trapper looked across the dim hallway at Naida Dark. The short Al Bhed woman was staring into the water, green eyes lost in its tranquility as she focused on things unknown to him. He wanted to walk over to her, talk to her, but the silence that hung in the small area seemed almost threatening, feeling like if he even breathed too loud, the walls would come caving in.

So he stood, and he watched her with intruiged interest.





Outside, the stands filled with people, most of them screaming in anticipation for the game they'd been waiting for. Some for just two days, others for years. Nevertheless, they were there, and the game of their dreams was about to be played.

"So I hear that the odds of tonights game seem to be tipping toward the Aurochs, eh Gabe?"

"You know, I seem to be hearin' alot of that too, Jim. The Besaid natives seemed to have won a place in the hearts of our fans."

"Especially after the events that've been happening over the past few games, and those conflicts with the Goers."

"You're absolutely right, Jim. After all that's happened between those two rivalling teams, alot of people are wondering, what's going to become of the Goer Captain, Bickson Edges?"

"Ah, yes, Ruthless Red seems to have twisted his reputation even further over the past few days."

"Well now, after tonight, I'm not sure we can call him Ruthless Red anymore. There seems to be another Rising Redhead Star coming in from the Auroch's side of things."

"That would be the 5'11" Guard, Botta Trapper."

"Once again, you're correct! The beloved underdog of the group seems to be as hard-headed as they get, especially after taking that blow to the knee from the Kilka Beast's Varuja Burton."

"That's right, Gabe, but then again, he had Naida there to fix him back up!"

"Oh, so you believe in those rumors too?"

"No doubt about it! Lady Auroch Naida Dark and Trapper have been seen together more often than not, and some sources have even reported seeing the two kissing on Luca's Walkway."

"Ahh, young love, so sweet. Then again, the Walkway has been said to be a great hangout for young couples such as the two."

"That's right! Now, on to the game! Tonight, we're being sposored by...."



Botta continued to gaze up at the ceiling, wishing to Yevon he hadn't just heard what he had. Feeling the eyes of his teammates on him, he turned his gaze down to the water, not too unlike Naida. The "Lady Auroch" was standing stone-still, except for the natural nervous movement of her gloved right hand rubbing her left arm tensely. She closed her eyes for a second, the lime green orbs disappearing momentarily behind her long dark lashes, before appearing again, narrowed. She was glad for the darkness the shadows offered, it covered the red tint that she felt slowly making its way up her cheeks.

She paused, before slowly looking up. Her eyes didn't connect with Botta's, as she'd hoped, but instead slid into lock with a pair of deep, almost black ones. She smiled slightly as Jassu's face lit up, his white teeth practically glowing in the dark as he grinned at her. She looked back down, not wanting to steal embarassing gazes from her other teammates as they awaited the signal to go into the sphere, in to their game.

"You know, Gabe. More than just romance rumors have been flyin' around about that Ragin' Redhead Botta. Some people have been going as far as to saying that he's the son of the almost famous Hal Trapper."

"Wow, that's a pretty big name to live up to, Jim. Hal Trapper, the greatest Guard in Spira, and the two time winner of the Ohalland Guard Award."

"You got it, Adams, and that's not all. The older Trapper was said to be featured on not so recent decks of Go Blitz cards, placed on the Joker alongside Goer Center Matt Smith and Shooter Adam Dark!"

"Oh my, those are some na- wait, did you say Adam DARK? Say, isn't that the same last name as-"

"Good listenin' there! Fans, if you didn't catch that, Adam Dark is indeed the father of young Naida Dark, the 21 year old Center/Shooter for the Aurochs."

"Well, my oh my Jim, it seems tonight is just FULL of surprises!"



This time, the silence WAS broken.

"Hey Red, is that guy really yer Dad?" Came Jassu's voice.

"Ahh...I'm not sure..."He responded, turning to the older man, "...I knew he played...and I know his name was Hal..but...I never knew he was famous..."

On the other side of the hallway, Letty turned to Naida.

"...You never told us your father played!"

"You never asked," She answered cooly, brushing a locke of blonde hair out of her face and rubbing her hands together, "When is this party gettin' started? I'm gettin' anxious to go kick some Goer tail."

"Matt Smith..." Botta said softly, "There was an old man that lived in Kilika when I was there, his name was Matt Smith. I wonder if that's the same guy?"

"Why didn't Aunt Julia tell us any of this...?" Keepa wondered out loud.

"Well," Datto stepped foreward, short legs shuffling though the water that came halfway up his shins, while on Naida it reached her knees, "No use in worryin' about it now, ya? We can ask, AFTER the game."

"Good idea, Dat," Naida agreed, "Let's just play now, ask later."

Slowly, the rest of the group nodded their agreement, and Naida let out a relieved sigh.

(Man...that was a close one...I really hope Aunt Julia and Uncle Matt are here and seated with Svanda...)

Suddenly, loud screams and cheers filled the air, echoing down the narrow hallway endlessley and signalling the near-starting of the game. Naida snapped to attention, glancing around and listening to the announcers' voices.

"Alright now, folks, hold onto your seats, the Luca Stadium Blitz Sphere is going up!"

"Followed soon after by the appearence of the teams, who will be here to watch as the now-heated sphere is filled!"

"Ah yes, the filling of the sphere...a breathtaking thing to see, that is. I can hardly wait!"

The group jumped slightly as a loud bang was heard, followed by watery footsteps. They stared toward the noise until a man came into view, clipboard in hand, radio clipped to his ear.

"Besaid Aurochs, to the Observation Stand, on the double!"

He turned and walked quickly away, leaving the group in their silence.

"Well..."Letty finally breathed, "This is it guys...you ready?"

"Let's do it." Datto grinned, his small, muscular body shaking with anticipation.

"Yeah, let's go." Keepa agreed.

"Ready when you white people are."

"Time ta get it on," Botta smiled.

"Yeah..."Naida smiled, looking up at Botta, "Time ta get it on, and take 'em out."

He paused, then smiled back, "That's how it's done."

The two continued to smile at eachother, as Letty stepped foreward, following where the man had gone.

"You know...I can see where people are gettin' those rumors."

"Who said they were necessarily rumors?" Jassu laughed a little, walking after him. Keepa and Datto came soon after, but Naida paused before she went, flashing a bright smile at the tall Guard before walking into the darkness.

Botta watched her, then followed, only one thing on his mind.

(Watch her...watch her...)

"Oh, and would ya look now, Gabe, there they are!"

"Wow, they sure look pumped!"

"You sure that's not just shock? Haha, you've got to remember, this is the first time the Aurochs have ever made it to the last round of the tourneys since Hal Trapper was on the team!"

"That was BEFORE he switched to Goers, right?"

"Right!"

Botta's walking slowed as he came to the end of the tunnel, paying little attention to the announcers' conversation. Letty had already opened the door, and was stepping out onto the large metal platform that suspended high above their normal entranceway, at least halfway up the side of the sphere. The Center walked out the door, looking like he was about to stagger. Jassu followed him, then Datto, then Keepa, then Naida.

Botta stepped out onto the platform after her, but was stopped when the young woman stepped back, practically leaning on him. He instictively reached up and placed his hands on her shoulders, looking down at her head.

"What's wrong, Naida?"

"L...look..."

She pointed a slightly shakey hand up, and Botta followed with his eyes. After she'd stopped, he looked out to what she was pointing at, and almost fell over.

The sphere was lit a strange mix of yellow and blue, symbolizing the team colors of both the Goers and the Aurochs. It seemed so much bigger on the Observation Stand, and so...up close.

"Naida..."Botta said softly, leaning down close to her so he wouldn't have to yell, "...Yer gonna haveta step to the rail."

She froze, and for a split second, Botta feared she wouldn't move.

"O...okay.." She finally said, leaning foreward out of his grasp, and slowly making her way to the solid silver rail at the edge of the platform. Once she was there, she slid in between Datto and Keepa, linking her arms with theirs and looking out through the sphere. Dimly,she could make out the Goers walking out onto their platform, automatically being bombarded with screaming, the boos outnumbering the cheers without much trouble. Naida smiled slightly, although it quickly faded when she caught sight of a certain green-eyed Goer staring at her from across the sphere. Viranda leaned against the rail, glaring at her opponent through her one good eye. Naida paused, before unlinking with Datto and Keepa, and doing the same.

Botta watched her from next to Letty, watched as she had a silent showdown with the woman he once loved. They continued to stare, even as the announcers annouced the game, even as both teams waved to the crowds, bringing on the roar of applause, and even as the Sphere floodgates were opened, and the playingfield water began to gush into the sphere from the top, thundering first downward to the bottom, then hitting it with such a loud force that it overpowered the crowd, casting their applause and cheers into nothingness as the sound of rushing water filled the air.

However, Naida continued to stare at the woman across the sphere, her gaze almost as unbreakable as her drive to play. She leaned foreward over the rail ever so slightly, stature never wavering even as the sphere grew with the uprising of the water, which was now flying back up to the top, beginning its circular motion around the sphere, staying fresh until it was completely full.

The sphere expanded to the point where it was barely a foot away from Naida's stern face. For a moment, Botta felt the need to run and pull her away from it, or call out to her, even though he knew his voice wouldn't be heard. The roar of the water grew louder as it circled back up, flying past the the small group and to the top of the sphere with such a force it caused Naida's blonde hair to whip around her face, sheilding her eyes every now and then from Botta's crystalline gaze.

As the circulation grew more rapid, Naida's veiw of the taller Al Bhed became obscured, lost in the wall of white that formed along the boundaries of the sphere. With a short sigh, the Al Bhed leaned back, brushing the still whipping hair out of her face, but without much avail. She turned away from the rail, glancing around at her awestruck teammates as they watched the marvelous scene before them. Her gaze stopped on Botta, whose eyes locked onto hers just long enough for him to give her a slight smile. The warmth it brought immedietly sent chills running through her body, and she instictively wrapped her strong arms around herself, returning his smile, then tearing her green gaze away from his. She looked to the crowds, seeing all the screaming people, but hearing nothing but the water. It was almost as if someone had put them on mute, and was listening to a tape of ocean sounds. Her smile widened, and she laughed a little at the thought, amused. She waved to the crowd, and immedietly hundreds of them jumped up, waving back to her. Her smile spread into a grin, and she turned back to the rail in between her two friends, no longer feeling as much malice toward the witch that stood on the other side of the white wall.

Finally, the circulation began to slow, trying to become still as the water reached the top of the sphere, signalling the nearing gametime. As the roar of it died down, the crowd's

screaming became audible once again, causing everyone on the team but Naida to turn around, facing their audience, their judges. However, the short blonde continued to gaze into the sphere, staring defiantly into the nearly translucent liquid as it spun in front of her, mocking her will for it to stop moving. Still, she strained to see through to the other side, to her opponents, even as Keepa touched her arm and yelled his barely audible warning that the game was about to start. She stood a few more minutes, before she felt another grip on her arm, and turned to face Botta, who pointed to the silver staircase connected to the Observation Stand, while mouthing the words, "Game time." She merely nodded, casting one last glance to the sphere she was about to enter, before following him to the staircase that lead up past the crowd and to the sphere entrance.

"And now, the moment we've all been waiting for!"

"Game time!"

"That's right, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Luca Stadium would like to welcome you to the 224th Annual Blitzball Chapionship Game!!!"



Naida turned, staring out at the thousands of people in the stands. The screams grew louder after the speakers announced the game, sending her adreneline pumping harder than it ever had before. Breathing deeply, she pulled her gaze from the stands, once again letting it go around to her teammates. Datto's pale blue eyes locked onto hers momentarily, and he flashed her a smile. She returned it, before turning her head to look up at the Auroch beside her. He walked tall and proud, smiling up at the crowd with the same expression Naida had seen in the pictures of his father.

(Which he'll get to see tonight,) She thought with a smile, (I won't have to be the only one on the team knowing their true past anymore...)

She let out her breath contently. The sheer thought of her friends knowing their past, and knowing she wouldn't have to hide what she'd discovered only a week ago lifted weights off of her soul. Her smiled widened, and she took her gaze from Botta once more, giving it back to the screaming crowds, who seemed to grow louder by the second.

Finally, they reached the top of the sphere, the entrance. Naida looked off of the platform she stood on to the other stand that was placed on the other side of the Sphere holder, where the other team stood. Her eyes narrowed again as she first saw Bickson, then Viranda behind him, her hand locked into his. Naida's eyebrow shot up, confused by the new sight. Bickson and Viranda. Together. She shook her head, visibly disgusted by the thought, then turned away from them, casting once last glance up at the crowds, before turning to face the refferee that stood in front of them.

"Alright guys," He yelled just loud enough, "You know how the game goes, go do your thing. Trust me, pretty much the whole stadium's rootin' for ya tonight."

The team smiled, nodding their thanks, before they turned to eachother. Letty laughed, yelling something about how Wakka would be proud. Naida felt like making a comment about her brother, but was cut short when the buzzer sounded, signalling time to go into the Sphere. She immedietly shook all troubling thoughts from her head, turning to the shimmering plate in the sphere that was marked "Entrance." Without even glancing back, the Al Bhed ran foreward and dove through it, spiralling down into the water that automatically softened the screams of the crowd. She smiled and pulled her arms down to her sides, allowing herself to slide down through the water faster. As she reached her spot as Left Shooter, she twisted up, spiralling what felt like 5 times before coming to a rest not too far in front of Balgerda. She spared the Goer a glance, before turning to look across at Letty and Datto, who both gave her a thumbs up. She returned the signal, then twisted around to face Jassu, who was doing a strange dance around his spot. He came to a stop when he saw she and the rest of his team staring at him, and grinned sheepishly. Naida smiled, shaking her head, and looked over at Keepa, who was looking around the goal, checking to make sure it was placed right. She caught his eye, and offered him a smile. He took it, paying one back to her, then turning back to his inspection.

At last, her eyes slid to Botta, who was already staring at her, waiting for her to look at him. Once again, crystal blue locked onto lime green, but this time, she fought the chills that his smile brought. Smiling slightly, she nodded her "Ready." He paused, before nodding back, then turning to settle down in his spot. Naida gazed at him for a moment longer, before twisting back around to face her opponents.



"And here we go, the final moment before the game! Anything you want to say before they start, Gabe?"

"Just that I'm cheerin' for the Aurochs! Go get 'em!"

"Haha, you heard it there, folks. Gabe Adams it rootin' for the Yellow Underdogs, along with half of the stadium!"

"Here we go!"



"Oh dear!"



From her place behind the counter, Lacy heard the announcers' voices annoucing the start of the game. Throwing the dusting rag she held in her hand down on the floor, she stepped up on her chair and jumped the counter, running at full speed to the Cafe. She reached it, flinging the door open with such a force most of the Cafe occupants fell silent and looked at her. The normally shy Counter Lady flushed red and looked down as she walked to the bar to sit. As she neared it, she saw who she was looking for.

"Drea!"

"Sh." The Waitress said, leaning against the counter, eyes glued to the tv, "It's starting."



A small door opened at the bottom of the sphere, and the blitzball shot out, spinning up until it floated in front of Letty and Viranda. The Al Bhed lunged before the buzzer even rang, reaching it only seconds before Letty. Naida's jaw dropped slightly, but the sound of the buzzer shook her from her daze, and she turned to keep her spot down as the game started.

Viranda twisted around as Letty dove at her, dodging him. With more grace than anyone playing the game of Blitzball should ever have, she passed the ball over to Graav, who moved in on Botta to try and shoot. He blocked him, taking the ball to pass it to Letty. The Center caught it, and turned to face Bickson. The Guard looked at him, brown eyes glittering wickedly as he went to tackle Letty. However, the smaller man turned and passed to the nearest person before the redhead could get his hands on the ball.

Naida caught it, twisted around, and swam downcourt. After a moment she slid to a stop in front of Balgerda and Doram. Casting Wither on the ball, she threw it, affecting Doram, and getting it past Balgerda. Datto caught it, flipped it around, then shot. It barely got past Raudy, and into the goal for the first point.

The crowds went insane. Most of them screaming for the young Shooter, others for Naida, and the rest for the Aurochs in general. Naida looked over at Datto, who was looking up at the thousands with the biggest smile she'd ever seen on him. He was thrilled, and that made Naida just as happy.

The buzzer rang again, jolting everyone back to their senses. They swam back to their positions, and awaited the ball to shoot up once again.

The game went on as normal for the first half. The Aurochs scored 5 more points, putting them at 6, while the Goers slipped by with 5. The crowds would boo every time the Goers even got the ball, not that either team noticed, really. Heat had seemed to accumulate in the water as the game neared halftime, right after Naida had scored the Auroch's 6th point.

She turned to face Viranda as she headed to her exit, but the older Al Bhed swam in front of her, staring her in the eyes with such a fierce expression, Naida almost readied herself for another fight. Instead, the younger Al Bhed smiled softly, reaching up and tapping just next to her eye, signalling the place where she had hit Viranda the night before. The Goer winced slightly, before snorting in disgust and swimming down to her exit. Naida looked ahead, seeing Keepa, who smiled and gave her a thumbs up. She smiled back, and followed him offcourt.

"Wow, Jim, did you see that?"

"I sure did, Gabe. From the looks of that little display, we really didn't need to take the day off to heat the Sphere!"

"My thoughts exactly! Everyone knows that Goer Viranda Bennet and Auroch Naida Dark have been rivals since the Al Bhed came in from Guadosalam."

"But why? Could it be just beyond what happened at Luca Cafe last night?"

"I don't know, it could be the fact that Viranda herself dated Auroch Guard Botta Trapper, and now she's dating Goer Guard Bickson Edges."

"Is that so? Well I'll be..."

"Ohh...did you see that Aunt Julia?"

"I sure did, honey. That was a close one."

Svanda nodded, looking back to the Sphere her best friend was exiting.

"Didn't they fight last night?" Uncle Matt asked from next to Aunt Julia.

"They did, but it seems she wants a rematch."

"Well, no offense to the other girl, but my money's on Naida."

Aunt Julia turned to him, "Matt, you're not supposed to encourage them!"

He laughed, "Well, it's not like they can hear me."

"And I won't tell!" Svanda added with a smile.

"That's right!" Uncle Matt smiled at her, "Good woman! Keepa sure does know how to pick 'em!"

Svanda's smiled brightened, "Thank you, Mr. Smith."

"Please, call me Uncle Matt."



"You know, I've got a really bad feeling about this, Ropp."

"What is it, Mif?"



The brunette Al Bhed shook her head slightly, green eyes full of concern.

"Just..something doesn't feel right. You saw the look on Viranda's face. She looked like she wanted to clobber Naida."

"Not that she could," Robert slid in, "I think Naida proved that last night."

"Robert! I'm being serious."

"Well so am I."

"Sweetie, hush," Laura said from next to him, moving closer and covering his mouth with her hand.

"Thank you, Laura." Mifurey said. Laura smiled and nodded.

"So.."Ropp went on, "What do you think is wrong?"

"I already said..I'm not sure. It just..why would Viranda re-approach Naida, if she knew she couldn't win?"

"Mif, babe, you're paranoid. Nothing's gonna happed to Naida. The guys'll take care of her, you know that."

"And plus we're here if they should need any help, "Laura assured.

Mifurey sighed, glancing around at her friends, before leaning over to rest on her boyfriend's shoulder.

"Yeah..I guess you're right."

"Ohhh...if that Viranda chick pulls anything else, I'll help clobber her and her scrawny team's butt again!"

Lacy looked across the counter at Drea, who was tensely filling up glasses with Seaside Suicide.

"Drea..."She said calmly, "Most of their team isn't scrawny. In fact. Raudy is twice your size.

"Well I took him out, didn't I?"

Lacy smiled, stirring her glass of hot chocolate with her straw, then taking a sip.

"Yeah..you did."



Naida dropped down from the sphere into their normal walkway just in time to hear the last of the speakers' annoucement. Viranda and Bickson. Oh joy.

Immedietly she turned to Botta, expecting an outrage from the redhead about "How could she do this to me," Or "I don't believe this, the woman I loved..blah blah blah," ..But instead, she saw him smiling, a true, genuine, Botta Trapper smile. He was laughing with Jassu about something, maybe he hadn't heard what they'd said.

"Man, ain't that somethin'," Jassu laughed, "Viranda and Bickson...Yevon that's funny!"

"Her taste in guys must've dropped since me." Botta grinned.

Naida's eyebrow shot up, and she had to force her jaw from dropping. He HAD heard, and he thought it was funny. He turned her her, and immedietly a smile spread on her face.

"You," He said, "You'd better be careful. I saw that in there."

"Yeah," Letty added, walking up, "We don't need you two to get into another fight before the game's over."

"Notice how he said *Before*." Datto said with a grin.

"Hey Shorty, hush."

Datto laughed, then turned back to the Sphere entrance, "Almost time to go back in?"

"Yeah," Keepa answered, "But we've gotta wait for them to decide who's goin' in for Bickson."

"That's right," Naida said, "He's got to go check in the the probation person, right?"

"You got it, "Letty replied.

They waited for a few minutes, talking of the game, and their strategies. From his place in the hallway, Botta looked over to the Al Bhed Shooter, eyes grazing over her slick beauty, almost forcing him to walk over and apologize for the past few days.

(My Yevon,) He thought (I AM an idiot...) He shook his head and looked back up, noticing he had caught her eye, (Well..nothing's happened so far...I think it's gonna be okay..You hear me Leon? Teale? Yer sister's gonna be just fine.)

Finally, the buzzer sounded once more. With an array of cheers and yells, the team ran to the entrance.

"This is it," Jassu yelled as they ran in, "Last half!"

With that, he entered the Sphere.

"Oh and here they come back for the second half!"

"My oh my, things are getting a bit tense, aren't they, Gabe?"

"You know it!



The two teams positioned themselves for another onslaught of Blitzing once again, only this time Graav was in Bickson's place. The buzzer rang out once more, and the last half of the Championship Game started.

Within and instant, Naida knew that it was going to be rough. Graav flew forward, hitting Datto with such a force the young Shooter went spiralling back, stopped when Botta swam forward and caught him. Datto quickly nodded his thanks, before rushing forward to Letty's aid, who was having trouble keeping the ball from Viranda and Balgerda's grasp.

Naida herself was having trouble finding an opening between the two Goers, swimming around behind them as fast as she could, but with no avail. Balgerda finally went in for the tackle, slipping the ball right out of the Center's hands and swimming for the goal. She passed it over to Doram, who slid in and shot. It went in, and the game was tied 6 to 6.

The crowds went insane with applause. Datto turned to them again, waving a fist in the water with his sweet grin spread on his face. Naida smiled at the sight as she had before, never recalling seeing him that happy before the game.

(..Except when he talked to Rikku on the phone...) That thought made her grin, (I bet he's hoping she's watching.)

With a sound of the buzzer, the blonde Al Bhed turned and swam back to her place.

Botta watched her from across the sphere, the thought of "Watch her," Still running through his head. He hadn't seen anything strange so far, what could be wrong?

The door opened at the bottom of the sphere, and out came the ball again. Letty dove for it, seemingly immune to Viranda's sneaky attacks for the moment, and grabbed it seconds before she reached it. They collided, and through the tangled mess of Goer and Auroch, Naida saw the ball flash above it all, and out it came.

Instincts kicked in, just as they had that afternoon so long ago on the S.S. Liki when the whole team had been scrambling for the ball. Naida shot foreward, along with Jassu, Graav, and Abus. The four slammed into one, and the crowds stood up, trying to see who would emerge the victor.

Slamming, smashing. Naida heard a couple of pops, not sure whether they were joints in her body or someone's bones snapping in the water. However, she didn't give up. Seconds later, there were three people still in the cluster of people, while one slipped out unnoticed.

Naida swam with all her might to the Goers' goal, and shot straight through Balgerda, and the ball went in.

The crowds screaming jolted the three men out of their tangle, and Jassu shook with his underwater laughter as the two Goers stared at the Al Bhed, dumbfounded. Naida gave a lop-sided grin, winking playfully as she swam back to her spot.

Botta stared at her, a smile playing on his lips. She turned to him, and immedietly her green eyes lit up even more than they already were, causing the playing smile on his lips to split to a grin. His crystal eyes practically glittered through the sphere, and he knew Naida saw it, because her eyes did the same thing.

Across the sphere, Viranda Bennet looked down to her team's Exit. Standing in the doorway, was Bickson Edges. He nodded to her, giving her a thumbs up. She nodded back, an evil smirk dancing across her almost pretty face.

The buzzer rang again, and the door opened. The ball came up, and the two Centers lunged. Only this time, Viranda did something weird. She slid sideways, catching Letty offguard and sending him reeling back. She grabbed the ball, passing it to Graav, who swam it downcourt. He approached the goal, and Botta blocked his pass, but not enough to keep it from reaching back to Viranda, who slid foreward and kicked.

The ball went straight up, and clear out of the Sphere.

Botta stared, confused, as his ex-girlfriend received an array of scolding looks, some of her teammates pointing up to where the ball had gone with expressions that said "Way to go." The Al Bhed merely looked down, shaking her head. Botta shook his head too, looking up at the clock.

(Two minutes left...and we've lost the only ball they've got. Joy.)

He was about to turn to swim back to his position, when something struck him.

(Wait...two..minutes..in the game..)

~*Well two minutes in the last half and it looks like we've lost the ball!"*~

He shook his head, (No... no..)

~*Oh dear, it DOES look like a rough game...*~

"...tonight in Luca."

"Especially for the new player for the Aurochs, rising star, Naida Dark."

Botta immedietly twisted around to face the viewing board, where it showed the announcers.

"That's right, Jim. Just looking at the Al Bhed makes me cold! The rain's about to start falling again, and I'm sure she's glad she's in that warm Sphere!"

He turned and looked at Naida, who looked at the screen, then turned away, rolling her eyes. She looked up at him and smiled, then tilted her head to the side when she saw he didn't smile back. She raised an eyebrow, face turning to concern, when Botta finally realized he was staring at her with an almost shocked expression. Shaking it away quickly, he forced a smile to his lips, visibly easing her worry. She smiled back, then turned from him and back to the screen.

Botta shook his head again, (No way...this can't be happening..it can't..that means the ball...)

A whistle was blown, and Viranda and Letty were signalled to meet on the platform above the sphere. The two swam up to the top, the rest of their teams following close behind to listen.

As the two climbed out to stand with the refferee, Botta noticed Viranda was looking down into the water, past him. He turned to see Bickson in the Exit of their hallway. He raised an eyebrow, then turned back to the conversation.

"Well kids," The man said, leaning against the rail, "This is the Championship Game of Blitzball, but I don't know what good it's gonna do, if you guys don't have a ball. Now, Ms. Bennet, since you're the one who lost the ball, it's your teams natural duty to replace it, if you have one, and the Aurochs are willing to take it. If not, This game is postponed 'til next week when a new ball can be brought in, or the present ball can be recovered and fixed."

Letty stared over at Viranda, sensing something strange about her too calm posture. The Al Bhed psycho stared down into the water a bit longer, before looking up, her twisted thought expression suddenly turning to a calm, almost sweet smile.

"We have a ball," She said, voice level, "And if it's alright with Letty, I'll go get it, so we can finish this game."

Her green gaze shifted to the Center, who merely stared back, his hazel eyes playing between the blue of wanting to play and the green of utter suspicion. He shifted his weight slightly, crossing his arms and holding his head up, thinking.

"What are they doing?"

"I don't know, Uncle Matt, looks like they're tryin' to figure somethin' out about the ball."

Uncle Matt sat back in his seat with a sigh.

"Well, I TOLD them they needed to drop that stupid "One Chapionship Ball" Rule when I played, but NO, they didn't want to listen to Matt Smith!"

"Matt," Aunt Julia said softly, "Calm down, Letty'll fix it, I'm sure..."



The Older man looked down at Aunt Julia, and his face softened. Smiling slightly, he sat back down, sliding his hand over hers as they waited the decision of the Besaid Auroch Center.



"C'mon, Letty, take yer time," Ropp chided softly from his seat.

"Hurry up, you old man!!" Robert yelled, jumping up.

"Robert!" Mifurey yelped in surprise, yanking her cousin back down next to her, "What's wrong with you??"

"Yeah!" Laura agreed, "...Letty's younger than you are!"

Mifurey gave her a "Gee, thanks," Look, causing the Nurse to burst into laughter. Robert looked at the two of them.

"...Right."

"Lacy, your boyfriend sure takes his time."

"Well, it must be hard to make such a big decision like that."

Drea smiled slightly as she slid her friend another glass of hot chocolate. The taller blonde took it, sipping at is as the Waitress jumped up on the bar, legs dangling off the edge next to Lacy, and leaning back on her hands, white rag in one hand.

"Well, hope they don't take too long, Jassu'll start dancin' again."

"Haha, yeah, but you'd like that."

Drea gave a side glance to Lacy, before a slight smile spread on her elfin face.

"Yeah...I know."



"...Okay."



The refferee nodded his approval, before looking to Viranda, who looked like a little kid who'd just been granted the permission to pick out any kind of toy they wanted in a toystore.

"I'll be right back, "She said, walking to the Entrance.

Below the water, Botta waited, swimming as quietly as he could in the slowly cooling water. He dropped down a bit as rain began to fall, slow at first, then moving up to a steady downpour as Viranda made her way back to the Entrance.

(Darkness following the Dark,) He thought sourly, a weak smile tainting his lips. He was about to duck down more to allow Letty back in, when something broke into his hearing.

...Laughter.

He looked up to see Viranda, smirk across her face, as she began to drop into the water. Her laughter cut off as she slid in, but it echoed in Botta's mind.

(No..) He thought, (No more.. no more signs...please...)

"Bloody Goers."

He snapped around to see Letty shaking his head before sliding down after Viranda. The redhead swam back, not sure how to take it. Letty passed the group, motioning them back to their positions as Viranda went to get the ball. Botta turned to face Jassu's concerned brown eyes, but merely shook his head as he swam back to his Right Guard position.

Minutes later, the crowds were heard booing as Viranda came back on, taking her position as Center once again. The buzzer rang, and out came the new ball.

Immedietly, Naida sensed something wasn't right. Letty lunged for the ball, only to connect with Viranda's side once again. The Goer twisted and threw the ball to Graav, who went in to shoot. This time, Jassu AND Botta were on him, preventing him from getting close to the goal, or passing. The Shooter dropped the ball, and Letty retrieved it, passing it downcoart to the awaiting Datto. The already excited Auroch swam foreward to meet it, catching it with ease. He twisted and swam for the goal, only to be stopped by Doram, Abus, and Viranda. He smiled slightly, swimming back a few feet, before preparing to shoot. Naida smiled, because she knew as little as he was, his Shooting skills were unmatched next to Tidus and Wakka.

Suddenly, a strange thing happened. Abus shot foreward as the Auroch went to kick, and tackled him. Naida almost screamed as she heard a loud snap echo through the water, and swam foreward to her teammate as he slammed back into the side of the sphere, face pale with pain.



"Datto!" Svanda screamed, leaping from her seat, "What did they do to him!?!"

"It's okay, it's alright sweetie," Aunt Julia stood up, patting the young Chocobo Breeder on the back and coaxing her back to her seat, "Naida and Keepa are right there with him, I'm sure he'll be alright..."



She rubbed the young womans arms as Svanda leaned over on her shoulder, brown eyes still wide with shock. She glanced over at Uncle Matt, who shook his head and looked back to the sphere.

"Something's not right.." He said softly, "..In fact...I feel as if something's very..very wrong."

"Can you move it? Datto? Dat? C'mon man, answer me!"

Datto only groaned as Keepa hoisted him out of the water. The two sat on the platform, next to the referee, as the two examined Datto's swelling arm.

"It's..not broken," He finally managed.

"It isn't?!" The Goalie replied incredously, "You made it look like someone'd ripped it off!"

The Shooter grinned sheepishley, "..My bad."



"Well?"

The two looked at the ref, who was waiting, "Got a 4-1-1 on if he can play."

They looked back to eachother, Keepa taking in a deep breath.

"Datto if you stop, we'll be short a player."

"I know, I know, "He replied, already scooting back to the Entrance, "Just...make sure it doesn't get to me."

"Umm...Dat? You're gonna have to do that," Keepa answered, coming up behind him, "...I'm the Goalie."

Datto laughed softly, before sliding back into the water, Keepa soon after.

Minutes later, Datto was back on his..well..back swimming with his feet. The teams went back to their positions, and Naida made sure Letty knew not to pass it to the now-gimpy Shooter. She looked up at the clock. One minute. Good.

The buzzer rang, and the groups sprang foreward once again, this time Letty grabbed the ball. All they had to do was keep it from the Goers for a minute, and they'd win. He twisted around, passing it to Naida, who caught on to his plan, and swam foreward, until she was over halfway downcourt, then went and passed back to Jassu. The dark-skinned man smiled slightly as Doram and Graav made their way to him, dancing around his spot and passing the ball around him.

Drea smiled from her seat on the bar, "Showoff."

The dark man gripped the ball finally, and prepared to face the little onslaught of blocks the two put up. He smiled slightly, turning to face the weaker of the two as she prepared for a tackle.

He didn't even suspect Graav to go first, before he could even prepare to block. The large man hit him from the side, and then it was Jassu's turn to scream in pain.

Botta's jaw dropped in complete horror as he saw his best friend sink in the water, left leg clearly broken. No blood was flowing, but the lower part of his leg was twisted in such a manner, Botta could only stare.

Naida's screech filled the water as she swam down and caught her friend. She locked her arms into his, straining with all her might to pull him up, and so she did. Letty swam down to assist her, grabbing the Guard up with one hand as he went down to look at the leg. Naida was about to go get the ref, when she heard Jassu's water yelp. She looked at him, seeing him pointing. She turned to see the ball, floating through the water. Then it occured to her. The time-out buzzer had never rang.





"Oh I KNOW he just didn't!"

"Drea, calm down..."

Without even answering, the Waitress jumped off of the counter, storming toward the door.

"That Goer Freak just broke my baby's leg, and SOMEBODY'S gonna die!"

With that, the fiery blonde slammed the cafe door, leaving it in silence. Lacy paused, before running out after her with a groan.

"Sorry!" She called to the stunned customers left in the small room.



As she watched the ball float, Naida saw a certain Goer swim up to it in the midst of the confusion, that Goer was Viranda Bennet. And as she watched, one more thing occured to her.



Datto had been the last time they could stop the clock. There was 10 seconds left in the game, and Viranda knew it. She would score, and they would tie, and go into overtime without all of the needed players, and the Goers would win.

Her jaw dropped slightly, and she shook her head.

(They planned this.) She thought, eyes widening, (They knew it..all along.)

As if she could hear the Auroch's thoughts, Viranda looked down at Naida, and as soon as eye contact was made, she grinned. She grinned the most wicked, evil grin, Naida had ever seen. And as she did, she mouthed something.

"I win."

Without even looking back, Naida shot up through the water as the older Al Bhed's hands closed around the ball. She swam as fast as her short legs would allow, falling behind the taller woman by a few feet.

(There's no way it'll go in,) She tried to reassure herself as the clock hit 5 seconds, and Viranda hovered in front of the goal, (Keepa's stats are too high, way too high!)

But as she neared her destination, she noticed something strange. The ball Viranda held, suddenly began to glow. Only, it wasn't a specific status color...it was all of them.

(A..Multi Status Ball...) She thought, (Those..are..illegal...) She shook her head, (They banned those because they're too strong! That could kill Keepa!!!)

A new, unknown adrenaline rush suddenly hit Naida, and strength she never knew she possesed shot through her body. Powering her legs even more, she shot straight up through the water.

Botta stared at the ball. There was no way..no way this was happening. He looked down as he saw Naida begin to swim, and froze when he realized what she was doing.

(She's going to take the status..no! She'll..!!)

~*Flash*~

~*"...I'd better not see my sister anytime soon, or I'll make sure you come soon after."*~

~*Flash*~

5 Seconds.

Viranda finished pulling Mult-Status out of the Blitzball, and smiled at the wide-eyed Keepa.

4 Seconds.

Naida gritted her teeth and swam, and Botta sprang to get there before her.

3 Seconds.

Viranda hauled back, kicking the ball as hard as she could.

2 Seconds.

Someone shot up in front, and suddenly the ball became neutral colored.

1 Second.

Keepa slid over, catching the now harmless ball in his big gloved hands.

The buzzer sounded, and Viranda's jaw dropped as Keepa held the Blitzball, inches away from its target. The Sphere literally shook with screaming, and for a moment, time was very, very slow.

Letty floated with Jassu in one arm, as both stared up at Viranda, who looked at them, then to the floating person in front of her. She shook her head, smirking slightly, then turned and went down into her Exit after most of her teammates.

Datto swam in place, glancing at the scene, and to the crowds, who were still screaming and cheering. He looked at Keepa, who still held the ball, but looked as if he didn't feel it.

The screams continued on, but they hit deaf ears as the team stared at Botta, who swam, eyes wide.

In front of him floated Naida, her body limp in the water, but her eyes still holding some conciousness as she began to sink. Her skin glew a strange rainbow color, signalling her infection of the Multi-Status.

Slowly, Letty signalled the rest of the team out of the Sphere, and soon, it was only Botta and Naida. The crowds still screamed as the Lady Auroch began to sink slowly, Botta watching.



"Oh my Yevon," Svanda shreiked, jumping up,"Naida!!!!"

"Oh no," Aunt Julia whispered, "No.."

"Come on, let's go meet them in the lockeroom," Matt said, helping Aunt Julia up, then tugging them both through the stands.

"Yevon, what have they done?!?!?!" Mifurey screamed, clinging to the rail in front of her.

"Let's go!" Ropp yelled, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her to the exit.



Robert looked down at his girlfriend, "L, they might need you there too."

Laura paused for a moment, before looking down at the pair in the Sphere. Finally, she nodded, royal blue eyes bold with the longing to help.



"Let's go."

Botta continued to stare at Naida's sinking body, so many thoughts screeching through his head, and one main one screaming above them all. One voice.

~*"Naida!! Naida, no!! I told you to watch her!! To watch her!!! Oh, Yevon, Naida..."*~

Teale.

Shaking everything from his head, Botta looked down at the woman. Slowly, he reached out, sliding foreward ever so slightly, and letting her fall into his arms. She continued to shimmer different colors, the strange infection dancing on the surface of her skin like the light reflecting from the water in the Hallway of Champions had only an hour ago. Her gaze had become blank, green eyes glazed over like she was..dead.

But he knew she wasn't. He just knew it. Staring at her body in his arms, he heard the soft clinking of her dogtags as they floated above her chest, Leon's name visible in front of him. He shook his head again, pulling her closer, and looked at the crowds. Some of them had become quiet, removing their hats or caps if they had them, others were still screaming, but mainly in anger. Anger for the Goers, anger for the injury, anger for Viranda.

Viranda.

Before he could even start, Botta gripped Naida even tighter in his arms, pulling her close to him. He took one last glance at the crowd, before making his way offcourt.

As soon as his feet hit the concrete of the old hallway, Botta knew that it was going to be rough. Naida's full weight hit his arms, not that he felt it. He pulled her water-slick body closer to his as he began to make his way down the tunnel, already hearing the screams coming from the end. Before he reached it, he heard a voice.

"Botta, Naida!"

He glanced up to see Lacy, who walked in front of him.

"I didn't see it, but Letty told me to-..."

Her words were lost in the mix of screaming Botta walked out to. He barely heard her yelled order to go to the lockeroom where everyone was waiting, but he followed it nevertheless. Pushing through the crowd behind Letty's relatively tall girlfriend, he never took his eyes off of the woman that practically hung in his arms. Not even when they entered the lockeroom, and not even when Letty took her from him and layed her on the cleared benches. Mifurey immedietly set to work on examining her, while Laura stood in the corner with Datto and Jassu, taking care of their wounds as best as she could. Loud screams were heard from Jassu as his leg was snapped straight onto a splint by Robert and Laura, Drea holding his hand, while Datto's cries were minimal.

Svanda stood near Naida, half of her tear-streaked face buried into the wet fabric of Keepa's uniform as she watched her best friend twitch and groan on the benches. Aunt Julia stood with Uncle Matt, not too far off beside them. Aunt Julia had one hand hard-pressed over her mouth, while Uncle Matt stood with one arm around her, and the other hand rubbing his chin. Ropp and Robert stood near their girlfriends, handing what was needed to the young nurses and helping when and however they could. Lacy had gone to notify the hospitals, Letty with her just in case the need for help through the crowd arose.

Of course, nothing that was going on around him ever reached Botta's senses. The only thing he focused on was Naida. Her tortured face, eyes half open, her multi-colored skin shimmering dimly in the bright light. Everything about her yelled "Pain, pain," And it twisted him inside to see her like that.



"Laura, Laura are you through over there?"

Mifurey's voice broke through Botta's trance, and his gaze shifted to the short Nurse in the corner, who was putting the finishing touches on Jassu's leg.

"Yeah," She got up, jogging over to Naida's other side and kneeling down, "What's up?"

"Her pulse is still going, but it's really weak, the sickness seems to be attacking her core."

Laura's eyebrows creased as she pressed a hand to the younger woman's face.

"Well, she's burning up too..there's nothing we can do for her here, she needs a hospital."

They both stood up, Mifurey looking to Ropp.

"What's the word, Nurse Tummons?" He asked, stepping foreward.

"We need to get her up and to a hospital."

"Letty and Lacy should have it set up already, we just need to get her there."

Before anyone even asked, Botta went foreward, scooping up Naida's body and heading out the door. The room fell silent.

"Well," Uncle Matt said, "...Got that part covered. Let's go!"

He left, Aunt Julia right behind him. Once again, silence. Until Datto raised an eyebrow, standing up.

"...Who's he?"

"That's Uncle Matt,"Svanda answered as she and Keepa walked out the door, "Well..Mr. Smith. But he wants you to call him Uncle Matt."

"Oh..okay."

They left, followed soon after by a quiet Ropp, Mifurey, Robert, and Laura, which left Drea and Jassu.

"...Man," Jassu said softly, looking at Drea, "...This is bad.."

"I know, sweetie.." She replied gently, placing a hand on his face, "But..it'll be alright, okay? I just know it will."

He paused, then nodded, kissing her lightly as she helped him up.

"I sure hope yer right, Drea. I sure hope yer right..."

"Sir, we're going to have to ask you to leave the room while the Doctors and Nurses attend to the girl."

Botta stared into the black eyes of the security guard blocking his way to the back of the room, where they'd taken Naida. His eyes were cold and hard, showing no signs of caring for what the man was saying. All he could think about was Naida. All he wanted to see was Naida.

"Botta, she'll be fine, go on back in the hallway with the others."

He looked past the man to see Mifurey, dark blue scrubs and latex gloves now covering her normal clothes. Laura stepped out beside her, dressed in a similar fashion.

"We'll take good care of her, Bot. Promise." She smiled slightly, "If I'm lyin', you can kill Robert."

Mifurey elbowed her, signalling that that hadn't been the best thing to say. Botta continued to stare, when another voice hit his ears.

"Geez L, way to encourage a guy."

He looked over to see Drea chuckling softly, blonde lockes falling in her face as she shook her head slightly.

"Come on, Red," She said gently, looking up at him and placing a warm hand to his cold skin, "She'll be fine...just let the people do their jobs."

She was answered with cold crystal eyes, but she didn't move, returning the gaze with her own blue brand.

"...Please?" Her voice was softer, pleading. Though Botta didn't want to say it, it made him think of Naida that night on the overlook of Besaid, begging him to tell her what was wrong. To this he caved. Anything that made him think of Naida would make him cave at this point.

Defeated, he nodded, still silent, and walked out of the ER. Drea gave a "Good Luck" glance to her best friend, who nodded her response, before disappearing behind the curtain. Drea paused, before turning and walking through the double doors to the small hallway.

The little area was quiet as the Waitress entered it. Lined up against one wall were Letty, Lacy leaning over on him, Aunt Julia and Uncle Matt, and Datto. On the other wall were Keepa, arm wrapped around Svanda as she stared blankly at the marble floor, Ropp and Robert, who were talking quietly, and Jassu, who was the only one who looked up as she stepped in after Botta, who walked over and slid down next to Robert, next to the door.



"Hey woman," He said softly as she walked over an slid down next to him, "How's it look in there?"

"It looks," She answered with a sigh, leaning over on him, "And that's about all there is to say."

"Well, Laura and Mifurey are in there with 'er, she should be okay, ya?"

"Yeah..I know."

The two sat in silence for a moment, Jassu shifting and grabbing one of the decent-sized pillows off the end of the bench Ropp and Robert sat on and placing it on his lap, allowing Drea to slide and rest her head on it.

"So.."He started converstationally, resting one hand on the side of the pillow above her head and the other on her arm, "..you ever seen something like this before?"

"..Once," She replied, shifting onto her side to be comfortable. Some of her blonde hair hung down in her face, but she made no effort to move it away, "When I was back in Guadosalam...it was a Laura's little brother actually... Erik..he..stumbled over a ball that had rolled out of the Farplane. One of the more callous spirits had gotten ahold of it when some of the Glories had kicked it in there on accident, but the spirit had thrown it back out, after casting Multi-Status on it... Erik found it, he was only 5 at the time, and naturally, picked it up..."

She trailed off, obviously sinking back into a memory that hurt.

"...He died." She finished, voice staggering slightly. Jassu looked down at her, seeing the tears in her blue eyes. Instictively, he reached up with a hand and pressed it lightly to her cheek. She closed her eyes, nuzzling her chin into his hand, and kissing it gently as he moved his other hand up to stroke her blonde hair.

"He..was so young.." She choked a little, "..Almost 6...Laura and me were 10, Nero hadn't even been thought of yet, and my parents were still alive..."

He knew she was on the edge of crying, so gently he leaned over, coming close to her neck and wrapping one arm around her. She shivered slightly as his warm breath hit her skin, then curled closer to him, allowing his comfort to come welcomely. She didn't like thinking about Erik Sky, especially when his older sister was around. The little boy had haunted her dreams since the day he'd died 13 years ago, all from a simple Blitzball with a spell cast on it.

She'd been so glad after she moved out of Guadosalam, away from the Night Club, away from the Farplane. Her parents had died when she was 18, and she'd often visited them in that sacred place, but it never made her regret her choice to move to Luca with Nero, not once. Every day she came home to the firey little 5 year old she'd been raising since he was born. He wouldn't ever grow up knowing his mother or father, much like Jassu, and that upset Drea beyond words..Knowing something so young, so innocent, was already scarred for life over something it didn't have a single bit of control over.

She sighed, once again snuggling down into the pillow that lay on her Auroch's lap. The dark man continued to run his fingers through her hair quietly, the sound of his steady breathing hung in her ears, relaxing her with the comfort of knowing someone who cared for her was so close. She blinked slowly, causing one single tear to roll down her tired face, before she closed her eyes.

The two stayed like that, so lost in their thoughts of the past and eachother that they didn't even notice when Laura walked out of the ER. Botta was the first to jump up, fighting back the urge to run and ask her hundreds of questions about Naida.

"How is she?" The first one on his mind.

The young Nurse looked at him, breathing out slowly and pulling down the small cloth that covered her mouth.

"We're..not sure,"She said slowly, watching Botta's face for signs of panick. When none came, she went on, "We're about to do a scan, and see how far into her body the infection is, and see if we can't draw it out somehow."

Silence. Botta nodded slowly, before slumping back down in his seat. Letty raised an eyebrow.

"So..is..that it?"

Laura stared at him blankly, before shaking her head, snapping out of her trance.

"Oh, sorry. No, it isn't actually," She lifted up the back of her shirt and dug into her pocket, pulling out a card, "We found this tucked into the front of her bathing suit..it's the Joker of a Go Blitz deck..didn't know if any of you knew why she had that..."

"My Joker was in her bikini top?" Letty's eyes widened a bit.

"That'd be somethin' that happened when she was with me and Botta." Jassu finally spoke from the end of the line, looking up at Laura, "She took it out of my hand and put it there so we couldn't get it, I don't know why..."

"I do."

Everyone turned to face Uncle Matt, who had been quiet up until then. Slowly, the older man stood up, taking the extended card from Laura and looking at it in the dim light.

"...Just as I thought..one of the old ones.." He chuckled softly, sitting back down, "Look, Julia. Remember these?"

Aunt Julia looked at the card, and a smile immedietly broke out over her face.

"My, it's been some time since I've seen one of those. You three were so young..and just look at Hal, those green-blue eyes..not too unlike Botta."

"Ah yes..Trapper's freakshow eyes..not to mention..Adam was quite intimidating himself, being as tall as he was."

The two stopped when they noticed everyone in the hallway staring at them. Aunt Julia smiled softly, looking at Uncle Matt.

"Matt..I think it's time we told them..everything."



"Umm...me..too?" Came Keepa's voice from across the hallway.

"Yeah, I agree," Datto added.

Slowly, the rest of the Aurochs nodded, even Botta.

"Umm...I'm going back in.." Laura said, pulling the cloth back over her mouth, "I'll be back out later with more updates."

"Thanks, babe," Robert said from the floor, "Take care of everything."

"I will," She smiled with her eyes, then walked back in.

"...Well then," Uncle Matt started, shifting in his seat to a more comfortable position, "Where to start..? Let's see.."

He looked around the room, until his gaze stopped on Datto, who raised an eyebrow in his uneasiness of the older man's gaze.

"Datto Perigan..." He smiled, "Son of Neil Breeden, correct?"

The young Shooter paused, before nodding slightly, "I..think that was my Dad's name..."

"And your mother's name was Raida, correct?"

"Yessir."

Uncle Matt smiled, running a hand through his hair.

"Ahh..Raida..Raida Perigan..the half Al Bhed."

Immedietly the room went silent, and all eyes locked on Datto, who's mouth dropped slightly.

"The..what?" He managed, "...My..mother..was half..Al Bhed?"

"Ah yes.." He replied, "And..you think that's something? You just wait until we show you the pictures..."

Aunt Julia pulled out the photo album that Uncle Matt had given Naida. It had been in her pillowcase, and they had gotten it out to bring along for their little storytime.

What a surprise it would be, because for the next few hours, the Besaid Aurochs were going to hear all about their past. About the lies they were told, about the secrets that were kept, and every last thing they could possibly want to know about their parents, and who they really were.

***

"Laura..."

The Al Bhed nurse turned to the older woman, goggles clinking under her scrubs as she moved.

"Yeah Mif?"

"..How's it lookin' over there?"

Laura looked down at the charts that were coming up on the screen next to Naida's left side.

"Some detection, but not much. It looks pretty minimal, for such a hard impact."

The green-eyed Al Bhed nodded, looking back down at her screens and writing down a few things.

"Doctor Evans should be back any minute now, shouldn't he?"

"Yeah..." She replied slowly, watching Mifurey's face expressions change every few seconds from worried to panick and back to worry, "...What's wrong?"

"Oh..nothing really.." She said softly, "It's just...I know why your readings are that high."

Laura began to feel the panick rising in her body, even though she wasn't sure what Mifurey was going to say yet.

"What..what is it?"

"Come here."

She hesitated, before making her way over to stand next to the other Nurse and looking down at the screens. Immedietly she knew what was wrong.

"The ball hit her on this side...didn't it?"

The screen in front of her was almost completely green. Before Laura could say anything, the set of double doors that led to the employee hallway swung open, and in came an elderly man clad in a white coat, stethescope dangling around his neck as he scribbled down various things on the clipboard he held in his aged hands.

As he approached the two, he looked up at them, soft blue eyes warm and full of wisdom.

"How is she?" He asked, "And tell me honestly, I need to know the situation correctly so I can see if I can fix it."

"Two..notches above Advanced," Mifurey said, turning back to the screen, "That ball was drenched in Status-Killing spells. If..if I didn't know any better, I'd say it was more than one spell."

"My..." The Doctor set his clipboard down on the table next to Naida's bed, examnining the screen, "..And the other side?"

"In the normal range," Laura answered,"The ball must have hit her on this side."

"Hmm..." His response wasn't comforting, but it wasn't discomforting to the two either. He leaned up, adjusting his thin glasses before picking his clipboard back up and writing a bit more.



"It seems to me that the ball hit her at a rather fast speed, automatically placing the spell somewhat deeper inside her body than normal. Ms. Tummons, I believe your theory of two spells in one is dangerously positive, and that explains why her infection level is so high."

"So.." Mifurey said slowly, "What you're saying is...she's really bad."

"The worst I've seen," He said bluntly, shaking his head, "I do believe I'd have to say that whoever did this..they won't be playing Blitzball for a long time."

"And if I didn't know any better," Laura added softly, "I'd say that Viranda knew that..and she had every intention of killing whoever that ball hit."

***

"And so..Naida left for Macalania, and before she did, I promised her I'd be here on the last game, and that when I came, Julia and I would tell all of you everything."

The hallway sat in silence, some of them dumbfounded, others just happy that they knew who they were.

As usual, the silence was broken by Datto.

"So..because of Naida..you're here..and you're telling us all of this..because she talked you into it.."

The older man paused, before nodding slightly.

"Yes..I suppose that would be the reason."

Botta looked up at him, seeing the slight pain in his face at the thought of the woman that was unconcious in the room next to them. He understood that pain. He understood it and felt it completely, if not more. Even though his body was in the hallway, surrounded by his friends, his mind and heart were just through the doors he leaned on, next to her.

(Naida..) He thought, looking down, (...Naida...please..be alright..please..)

Suddenly, one of the doors swung open, and out came the two Al Bhed Nurses, tired and jaded as they stood. Drea pulled herself to her feet to go meet her best friend as she shut the door softly behind her.

"How..how does it look?" She asked quietly.

"She's..breathing." The Nurse replied, breathing out wearily. Drea nodded and moved next to her, watching her every move, should she collapse right then and there.

"So.." Svanda chimed up from her rest on Keepa's shoulder, "...When are we gonna hear what's going on?"

"Right now." Mifurey replied, pulling her haircap off and letting her chocolate hair fall down.

She took a deep breath, glancing over at Laura, who nodded as she linked an arm with Drea, who merely looked down as if she already knew what was about to be said.

"She's..almost three notches above the advanced infection scale," She started, already feeling the urge to turn and run back into the solitude of the ER, but she didn't, and continued on, "There was oblviously more than one spell on that ball, and..it hit her with such a force, that it's already so far into her body..it's either going to run one of two ways..."

She looked to Laura, nodding. The short Nurse gave a wry smile.

"Leavin' me with the hard part?" She tried to laugh, but nothing came. Taking a breath, she looked down at the group, "...It's a Multi-Status poisoning, combined with something else that makes it stronger...it'll either run its course, and leave her body to heal, or..."

She paused, swallowing hard. Drea reached over and gripped her hand, letting the shorter woman squeeze it for support and comfort.

"..Or she'll die before the night's over."

The hallway fell silent, with the exception of the small cry that came from Svanda, who silently stood up, hand over her mouth, and walked down the hall, away from the group.

"Svanda, honey," Lacy started, getting up to go after the young woman.

"No, no, Lace, I got her." Keepa said, already up and walking after his girlfriend. The blonde Counter Woman paused, before sinking back into her seat leaning against Letty, tears silently welling in her hazel eyes as he wrapped his arms around her.

Aunt Julia was silent, calloused older hands wrapped in those of Unlce Matt, who was trying his hardest to comfort his old love as she fought back the tears she knew would come later. Drea looked over at her best friend, and saw she was still in her trance. Slipping her arm gently away, the Waitress strode over to kneel next to Jassu, who was sitting with his head leaning back against the wall, brown eyes focuses on the ceiling, but mind obviously elsewhere. She reached over and took his hand, rubbing it gently.

"Jassu..?" She said softly, "Honey..you alright?"

He merely closed his eyes and nodded, tears rolling down his cheeks as he ran a hand over his face.

Datto watched the scene unfold, before finally standing up and walking down the hallway after Keepa and Svanda, unable to take the own pain building up inside.

Ropp stood up, walking to Mifurey and taking her in his arms.

"Mif.."He breathed into her hair, "..You guys did your best, ya know? No matter what happens..it's not your fault."

She paused, before wrapping her arms around his waist, swallowing down the hard lump she felt rising in her throat.

"I know.."She responded hoarsley,"..I know.."

Laura looked up from her corner in the hallway, her eyes connecting with the white-blue of Robert. He knew what was going through her mind, she didn't have to say it.

"Erik.."She whispered, pressing a hand over her eyes as she looked back down, "I..can't lose another one..to this..I..I can't..lose.."

Immedietly Robert jumped up, rushing to his girlfriend as her knees buckled and she dropped to the floor.

"Please Yevon.." She choked, "Don't take another one, don't take her from them like you took Erik from me," She gasped for air, tears rolling down her face, "Please..please I beg of you, don't take her.."

Robert wrapped his arms around her, letting her grip his shirt as she fought back the choking sobs that threatened to wrack her small body, should she allow them to. Drea looked over from her spot in front of Jassu, her blue eyes connecting with the now deep dark blue of Laura's.

"Go to her," Came Jassu's deep voice. Drea looked at him, his brown eyes focused on her, tears still in his eyes. She paused, pressing a hand to his face and kissing his forehead, before standing up and making her way to kneel beside her best friend, who took her hand as soon as she reached her. Robert moved one of his arms, allowing Drea to slide in and embrace her friend. The Waitress held her friend, as Robert hugged both of them, cacooning them in his muscular arms as they both cried.

Botta stared blankley ahead, not knowing what to think. His crystal eyes were eerily stable, and his face stone-still. As all was silent, with the exeption of the ones crying, he looked around at them, feeling their pain, and then so much more.

He stood, letting them have their silence, before turning to Mifurey, who glanced up at him when she saw him move.

"Is she staying in there?"

Her eyes widened at his calm voice, and almost everyone in the hallway looked up at him.

"Y..yeah," She finally answered, "...The guys that take care of the machines should be done movin' 'em out by now, so..she's just hooked up with the IVs and all..."

"Could I...go see her?"

Mifurey paused, before nodding, "Yes..you could..but only you..for the moment."

He nodded back, before turning and walking through the double doors, leaving the hallway to its silence.

"My.."Lacy said softly, "..He's so calm.."

"No he isn't,"Letty responded, holding her tighter, "He's hurtin'...he's hurtin' more than anyone here right now..because that's Naida dyin' in there..and he still hasn't told her how he really feels..."

Botta walked to the middle of the ER, which didn't look like an ER anymore, save the glass door in the back that led to shelves and cabinets full of medical equipment. There was another door on the wall to the left that led out to another hallway, and the sign "Employees Only" Was nailed to it. The walls were an off-white color, with no windows, and a white marble floor, not unlike the one that had been in her last hospital room.

(And she had just gotten out of here yesterday morning..)

His gaze finally came to a rest on the bed in the corner. It was smaller than the one that she'd been in last time, but higher elevated with plastic guardrails. He approached it, looking down at the small body that lay under the thin sheet.

Naida's face was pale, matted blonde lockes hung down over her still half closed eyes. The green orbs that were barely visible beneath it all were dull and empty, lifeless. If it weren't for the steady rise and fall of her chest, Botta would have thought she was already dead.

He stepped foreward, pulling the small chair that sat against the wall with him. He sat down next to her, watching her face for a sign of movement that never came. Just her silence, and the soft breathing that he strained to hear.

He gazed at her for a moment, reaching up with a hand to brush some of the hair out of her face. His hand brushed the oxygen tube that was strapped below her nose, causing some of the air to blow a few strands back over her eyes, but she never moved, and he made no effort to try to fix it.

His hand slid down to hers, where it rested. Her fingers were ice cold, sending chills down his arm the second he touched her, but he never let go, and the chill only caused him to grip her hand, desperate for a chance to warm it. He looked up her arm to her ID bracelet, strapped loosely around her wrist. It made him sick to remember that she'd just had one on the day before, when they thought she would be gone because of someone attacking her, and now here she lay, dying because of an infection she got playing the game she loved.

"Naida...?" He said quietly, looking up at her still but beautiful face, "..It's me, Botta. Look..I know..I know you're not concious...but I remember..growing up..that my adopted Father told me..that even when you think they can't hear you..they can...so..I'm gonna just talk to you, alright..?"

He paused, taking a deep breath, before placing his other hand over hers.

"Naida..I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being the jerk I am..and I'm sorry I hurt you," He paused, swallowing hard,"..Yevon knows that if I could go back in time..I'd take it all back.. make you feel better...and maybe..maybe you wouldn't be here, like this, right now."

He scooted foreward to the edge of his chair, watching her face carefully.

"You know I..I had a dream the other night..your brother and sister..got ahold of me..told me to watch you...beause somethin' bad was gonna happen..Your little sister..she showed me pictures..pictures of our game..bad stuff was happenin'..to the game..to the team...to you..."

He stopped, running a hand over his face,"..I didn't take it as seriously as I should've..and by the time I did..it was too late..I..I tried to stop the ball..but it was too late.."

He stared at her face, praying for some sort of sign she could hear him. None ever came, and the only response was the dull glow of her green eyes.

"Naida.."He looked down, feeling the hot tears burning in his eyes, "Naida..you can't leave us..you can't leave me..you can't die..I won't let you, you can't. Because..."

He looked back up, the tears finally pushing down his chizzled face as he gripped her hand tighter.

"Because I love you, Naida Raine Dark," He whispered,"..My Yevon I love you..and I'll die if you ever leave me.."

~~~~~~~Author's Note: Good NESS, I had to type the ending twice because my computer shut down right after I'd typed it the first time, erasin' everything, so the ending you guys have now probably sucks! I'm really sorry, I tried!

*Sigh* I know I know, bad ending anyway, but I ran out of ideas, so I just did what I could to wrap it up quickly, because I know I've been puttin' this chapter off for WAY too long! And I know it's really sappy too, sorry about that, but I've just been in one of those moods lately I guess ^_^! Please don't flame me too hard, and maybe you could even give some constructive critisism, that would rock! God knows I need it bad when it comes to stuff like this!

Okay now, I would do Thankios right about here, but I figured in order to keep you guys from killing me, I might want to hurry and do the next chapter! But I will do a short one for you guys, just so no one feels left out! ^_^

Thankios to Carter(Have fun on yer vacay!), Tio(Go Strange Glue!), Daemon (Heehee, you couldn't find yer own site ^_^), Echo (Sweetie!!),FlamingCross(Still readin' yer awesome fic!), Dream Angel, Nikki Ash(Full Fic, all the way!), sean, and Drea(TMNT RULES!! ^_^)!!

Okay, I think that's it..gonna check, gonna check...Oh yeah! Thankios DragonScales! *Waves to the new reviewer* Can't forget new people! ^_^

Now then, I'm goin' away! But before I do I'd like to beg mercy to not kill me for doin' a cliffhanger ending! I'll see ya when I see ya, and with school all out and everythin' now, YOU GUYS STAY SAFE!!! ^_^ But have fun! Biya!



-Keeping it "Real,"

~Ari

P.S. Also a big thanks to Howard Shore, who composed the Lord of the Rings song "Evenstar," Which inspired me to write the more saddened parts of this chapter! You rock!!