When I Met You…
—Wakka
When I first met you it was at a Blitzball game in Luca. I was coaching the Baby Goers in one of the tournaments and we were playing the Zanarkand Sugar Abes—a strange match up for the championship game if I do say so myself.
The game was just beginning and I remember this little blond kid zooming around the sphere pool as if they'd been born in it. Quite a shock to find a five-year-old kid plays better than you do after 27 years of experience.
I'd never seen anyone play like that before—or have moves that were performed with such perfection—it was sad! But then I remember getting a really good look at one part of the game.
They'd just scored another point and were swimming a victory lap around the perimeter of the pool. They halted not too far from where I was standing and looked up, straight at me. I felt like I was gonna faint, ya?
Blond hair floated around their face in soft wisps and two colored eyes held my own, one a twinkling sea green and the other a deep Prussian blue.
Was it Tidus or Yuna?
It was then I noticed the three women standing in the Zanarkand box, each shouting their hearts out for this one player. I blinked a few times, rubbing at my eyes.
Rikku waved at me enthusiastically, grinning as she pointed to the kid.
"Tidus's daughter!" she shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth. She nodded again to the blond-haired Blitzer. My head whipped back around, staring at the child, who blew a kiss to Yuna.
Tidus had a daughter? With Yuna?
Ya know, I think I'm losing my mind.
Halftime soon arrived and I herded my Baby Goers into the locker rooms, soothing sore egos and trying to convince Bicker not to go after the Zanarkand baby Blitzer star—which wasn't easy. His attitude was just like his father's; obnoxious and conceited.
I wish he'd been older so I could have walloped him a good one over his behind.
I knew we weren't going to win; the Zanarkand Sugar Abes' defense was too good. How they'd put it together was a mystery together.
But I did know Tidus's daughter was as great as he had been. There was no doubt about it, ya? I mean, she'd only scored four goals in five minutes. She wasn't that good.
Shit.
She was better than I was. And that's a major insult to my ego. It's sad, pathetic, and all those other nice words than describe a downed man.
Sure enough, we lost and I went to congratulate the coach only to discover there wasn't one. The kids simply played and did things as they went along. The parents only supervised.
Damn it, another insult to an already insulted ego.
And then there she was, blond hair dripping with water and she hugged an ecstatic Yuna, with a smiling Lulu and Rikku behind the pair, looking proud as could be—if not smug, when their eyes met mine.
I praised Tidus's kid with all the dignity I could come up with. She smiled at me and then, to my surprise, wrapped her arms around my waist and hugged me tight as her bony little arms could.
I glanced at Yuna, who only nodded and asked me to be the godfather. I gaped for a moment before answering.
Sure. Why not?
Her name was Tida, I learned, and she was just like Tidus—I found that out later. I became the Zanarkand Sugar Abes' coach and we went undefeated for two years, until…
Until Tida was gone.
Lost, found, and then lost again.
I love you, ya little squirt, always.
