Standard disclaimers apply.
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Chapter One; Blitz tryouts in Wutai
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The path was gray and rocky. In the distance, a wooden bridge swayed slightly in the early morning air. Rikku, tired from the long boat ride from Midgar, paused on the first of the swaying bridges. She shadowed her swirled green eyes with one hand, searching for any sign of the town she was supposed to be moving into. Her map, crumpled tightly in one hand, was uselessly difficult to understand, and she was starting to think that the merchant who had sold it to her was nothing more them a common creep.
She started foreword, mentally cursing herself for refusing an escort to Wutai. As one of Yuna's former guardian's, she suffered through a privileged lifestyle in Spira. Everyone was always nice to her when she was around, but she knew that behind her back, most of them, still had the same opinion of her as they always did. They hated her because she was an Al Bhed. It was nothing new, but she preferred outright criticism and insults to the ones now whispered behind her back. It had been her reason for moving to the mysterious continent known as the Planet, and accepting an escort wouldn't help accomplish the freedom from Spira and Yevon that she desired.
The bridge swayed violently in a sudden wind, and the battle cry of a large bird engaged the young girl's sensitive ears. Her hand tightened inside her gloved claw, the godhand. The red weapon was her most powerful and therefore, most used weapon in her arsenal. On her left wrist, she braced her silvery white targe. She was ready for battle.
The bird wasn't. After three simple strikes, it hit the ground in a bleeding mass. Rikku paused. Things were really different in here, she reflected. If she had been in Spira, the monster would have been a fiend that dissolved into the Farplane. Instead it became a mass of soon to be rotting flesh. It was rather disturbing.
She looked at the red blood, mingled with deranged features, on her claw and felt her stomach give a violent heave. It was churning at the mere sight of blood; that couldn't be a good sign. She started cleaning her claw, but the gruesome sight of the destroyed monster was turning her stomach, making it wither in a twisting mass of knots. It was making her begin to regret her decision to come to the Planet.
She felt gorge building at the back of her throat and ran off the bridge, retching into the stone outcroppings around her until her throat was sore. Then, when her stomach was empty of all contents, she staggered to her feet, wiping her mouth on her arm.
The rest of the monster's deaths didn't bother her thankfully. The first attack had gotten her used to the presence of blood. She was grateful that she was able to adjust, and by the time that she finally spotted Wutai in the distance; she was in fairly cheerful spirits.
"Nothin' to it!" she cheered softly. She picked up her pace, making her way down the narrow, rocky slope. The gravel was loose under her feet, making stepping uncertain, but the bitter aftertaste of throwing up was still thick in her mouth. She abandoned caution in favor of speed and shot down the path with reckless haste, anxious to get some clean water and rinse out her mouth.
One, two, three, four, the sound of her feet contacting with the hard packed ground thundered in her ears. One, two, thr-! She lost her footing and fell down, tumbling foreword a couple of feet.
"Tysh!" she cursed as she got to her feet and found a rock sized rip in the side of her new green tank top. She put her finger through the hole distastefully and vengefully marched back to the spot where she had initially lost her balance. "That rock is history," she fumed.
Among the small pieces of gravel and sharp chunks of rocks, her eyes fell on a small black stone. It was shaped strangely, completely spherical and smooth, capturing her attention instantly. She picked it up, rubbing her fingers across it curiously. It was warm to her gentle touch, pretty, and completely unable to tear a hole in her shirt. "I wonder," she muttered aloud, eyes falling on the culprit rock, which was jagged and still clasping a bit of green fabric.
She slipped the smooth rock into her belt pouch, intending to see if it had attack purposes later. Then she picked up the guilty rock and flung it as far away from herself as possible.
"There! Go trip up some ill-fated monster!" she shouted after the rock.
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Less then five hours later, her small travel bags safely deposited in the small red roofed house that she was going to be living in, Rikku stood in front of the blitzball arena. Stretching far into the clear, blue sky, it dominated the heights with silver and blue metal. A large banner stretched across the door, declaring tryouts were to be held within the hour.
Rotating her neck to get a couple of kinks out, the Al Bhed girl grinned. "They won't be able to keep me off that team!" she declared cheerfully in perfect unison with someone else.
"Huh? That was weird - " she began to say in surprise.
"Whoa! You said that as the same time as me!" a dark haired girl declared. "So you're trying out for Wutai's Blitz team too?" She was a little on the petite side, dressed in small white shorts and a navy blue top. Her dark brown hair was cut short and pushed back with a gray band. She was grinning broadly and had cheerful look in her dark brown eyes.
Rikku nodded once and grinned. "I'm Rikku bien-Cid. I just moved into town."
"Yuffie!" the girl said with a wide smile of her own. "I'll bet that you're the one who bought the house on the east side of town by the river," she added slyly. "You look like a sucker for sunny places."
Rikku nodded. "Yeah, I bought it and I like sunny places too!" She shrugged shortly and added, "But then, who doesn't?"
Yuffie pulled her pretty mouth into a frown. "Vincent Valentine. . . probably," she answered automatically, thinking of the dark haired man. "He's the type that likes it dark, dank, and quite."
"Maybe he's a vampire," Rikku suggested jokingly. "Either that or he's got sensitive eyes."
Yuffie started to laugh. "Oh, that's a good one!" she gasped between howls. Rikku looked at her perplexed until the dark haired girl managed to contain her laughter. "Vincent . . . . he . . . that is..." she choked back more laughter, "...we found him in a coffin in-"
"A coffin?!" Rikku exclaimed in alarm. "Uhhmmm . . . . is he . . .erm . . dead?" she asked worriedly.
Yuffie shook her head. "Naw, he was just sleeping, forget about it." She glanced towards the banner and started walking then spun back around to face Rikku with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "Say, you wouldn't happen to have any materia, would you?"
"No, what's that?" Rikku asked. "I've never heard of it before."
"Oh, are you from that other place then?" Yuffie asked brightly. "What's it like there? And what do you use instead of Materia?" An insufferably curious expression slipped across her face as she spoke, making it clear to the Al Bhed girl that she wanted to know all about Spira.
"I still don't know what Materia is, but I guess it's okay . . . ." Rikku said with a slight frown as she formulated an avenue for learning about the Planet. She shook her head quickly, and decided to attempt to implement it. "Hey, you're from around here, right?"
Yuffie nodded. "Born and raised in the Wutai area!"
"And you want to know about Spira, right?" Rikku continued growing considerably more comfortable with her upcoming proposal. She felt confident that it would be accepted.
Once again Yuffie bobbed her dark head in an affirmative. "Yep! I'd even like to go there. That's why I'm playing blitzball. That way I can check out all sorts of cities in Spira!" She spun around, flinging her arms to the side as she spoke. "Why'd ya ask?"
"Well, I'd like to know about the Planet," Rikku explained. "Maybe after we make the team, we could tell each other about the different places. It'd make adapting to them easier, you know." She batted her hands lightly in the air in front of her as she spoke, a light and playful look on her youthful features.
"Say, you're pretty easy-going, aren't you?" Yuffie noted. "I think we'll get along great. How about we be friends?"
That was more then Rikku had expected, but she felt warmed by the offer of friendship. Things in Wutai were already looking pretty good. "Sure, if you really want to," she said happily. "Let's get going inside and secure our positions as teammates!"
"Yeah!" Yuffie cheered loudly.
Both girls raced up the steps and into the stadium where the tryouts were being held.
Several people in the street cringed at their enthusiasm
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"For the position of Midfielder......Yuffie Kisaragi," Key, the team captain, called out in a loud voice.
"Yes!" Rikku and Yuffie exclaimed at the same time.
"I made it!"
"You made it!"
"This is so cool! I thought they might not let me play and pick that idiot Fred!" Yuffie gushed, exhilarated. The 'Fred' in question started slightly and began to glower at them hotly.
"I knew they'd pick you! You performed great, much better then that Fred-guy, in any event!" Rikku declared in loud, happy tones. "I mean, the last shot you made was like - Whoa! - and the goalie was like, not even near stopping it and - "
"Ahem, Miss Yuffie, Miss Rikku," Fred called out, trying to catch their attention so he could finish the team announcements.
They both fell silent and addressed their full attention to the front of the room. "What?" Rikku asked suspiciously.
"May I finish?" he inquired. "I hate to break up your well deserved joyous celebration, but I need to announce the last two members of the Wutai Ninjas."
"Sure thing," Yuffie said, forcing herself to lounge casually back into her chair.
He cleared his throat again. "For the position of Right Defense, Rikku - "
"AHHHHHHH!" Rikku screamed in sheer delight. "We both made it!"
They sprang out of their seats and clasped hands, cheering loudly. "We're going be on a blitz team together and - "
"And you two complete idiots?" Fred demanded, sick of their cheery moods and insulting words. "He ain't done calling the team yet, so could ya shut yer holes?"
In response, they stuck their tongues out at him. "No!" they shouted, blowing him a couple of raspberries.
Key sighed, and rubbed his slightly unshaven chin. "And the last position is for Fred Bolvia. You two can cheer as loud as you want now."
Fred turned in his seat, making eye contact with both girls and smirking. He was delighted to have made the team. Although, if the truth must be told, he wasn't a really good player. In possession of modest skills, with a little effort, it was possible that he could be a great player. However, his self-absorbed attitude and ball-hog playing attitude made that highly unlikely.
"Cool," Yuffie said quietly, determined not to cheer now that she had permission. She glanced at Rikku and smiled, barely able to contain her laughter and joy at being picked - and her irritation at Fred's seemingly unavoidable presence.
"Let's go outside," Rikku suggested softly. She was also brimming with good cheer, slightly dampened by Fred's position on the team. "We can go to somewhere and grab a bite to eat..."
"Good idea," Yuffie answered quickly, sharing a brief smile with the blond girl before they stood up and headed towards the door.
"I'll see you later, Rikku!" Key shouted just as they began to open the door. Neither of them paused.
In mid-stride, Rikku called over her shoulder, "Later, Key!"
Moments later, they were outside screaming joyously to anyone who'd listen. "We made the team! We made the team! We made the TEAM!" Several people looked at them with distaste, but nothing could dampen their spirits.
"Hey, let's go to Turtle Paradise!" Yuffie exclaimed abruptly. "I'll race you there!" She took off, humming brightly to herself.
"Wait!" Rikku shouted. "I don't know where it is!" She watched Yuffie round the corner and vanish. "But I'll find . . . . " her voice trailed off as she glanced to the side of the street.
She had caught a glimpse of a man, dressed completely in black. Like a shadow, he flowed down the street, long silver hair blowing slightly behind him. A rainbow colored light spilled from his body for a brief moment, illuminating glowing green eyes.
Rikku felt a surge of recognition, not for him, but for the light, it was the hauntingly familiar light of pyreflies. They meant that he was dead, whoever he was. Then a wave of cold hit her full force in the stomach, doubling her up in pain. She felt her vision blur and caught him staring at her. She fell to her knees, clutching at her stomach as the dreadful, cold feeling in her gut increased.
Her skin felt cold and clammy. She could hear him start to walk toward her, his boots making barely any noise against the road. An uncertain fear, even worse then her phobia of lightning overcame her and she almost passed out.
A group of brightly dressed people passed by, talking and laughing about the great time they had on a recent trip. They broke her contact with the silver haired man. The pain in her stomach vanished along with the cold feeling.
She stood up as the group passed, looking for any sign of the black cloaked man or anything else that might have caused the bad feeling. The streets were busy with the bustle of tourist activities. The stream that cut through the city sparkled brightly, gurgling cheerfully with disregard to her situation. There was no sign of anyone wearing black, and no sign of anything else that might have caused her pain.
"Hey, Rikku, what are you doing?" Yuffie's bright voice filtered towards her in a sudden rush, scattering the remains of her bad feeling. She turned and offered a weak smile that quickly grew into a wide grin.
"I don't know my way around Wutai yet, you know," she responded brightly. "And here you were planning on racing me, that was so not fair. I decided to wait here until you came back." She also decided to keep the disturbing man out of their conversation. "He wasn't walking towards me anyway," she muttered to herself.
"Huh?" Yuffie questioned. "Were you talking to me? What did you say?"
Rikku looked up startled and shook her head. "No, I just . . . . oh, never mind. I got it figured out already."
"Thinking about cute guys?" Yuffie asked slyly as they entered Turtle Paradise and selected a table by the far wall.
"No, not really." Rikku answered truthfully, although she had to admit that whoever the black cloaked man was......he was attractive.
Yuffie ordered them a couple of drinks. "Speaking about guys, what do you think about Key? Is he your type or what!" she exclaimed.
Rikku scrunched her face up. "No way! What would ever make you think something like that? He's completely the type of guy that I'm not and never will be interested in!"
Now it was Yuffie's turn to frown. "I took you for the type that liked outgoing and cheerful guys. Besides that, I think Key's got the hots for you. He was watching you throughout tryouts. I know, I saw him," she added knowledgeably.
"Oh and I think that you and Fred are prefect!" Rikku shot back sarcastically.
"No way!" Yuffie denied instantly.
"Then what type of guy DO you like?" Rikku inquired in a light, but demanding tone.
"I like . . . . .well, I don't really know. I know that I don't like stuck-up-snobs-who-can't-see-past-the-end-of-their-nose-guys like Fred. How 'bout you?"
"Quiet, mysterious, tall, anti-social, skilled with swords . . . . . " Rikku replied, ticking each point off on her fingers as she said them. "But I'd like him to be compassionate too, you know," she added wistfully.
"Really?" Yuffie said in surprise. "That's astonishing considering your personality. I say you'd make a better match with Key."
Rikku shrugged. "What can I say, opposites attract - "
"Yeah, and in any minute, Key's going to burst through the door shouting your name!" Yuffie snickered. "I think that you should at least give it a shot - "
With a dull thud, the door to Turtle Paradise was flung open at that exact moment.
"I wonder who that is," Rikku muttered, spinning in her seat to get a glimpse of the door. Yuffie, who was already facing it, covered her mouth with her hand and started to snicker. Rikku glanced back at her curiously before she had seen who was coming through the door. "Who?" she asked.
"Rikku! Yuffie!" Key shouted, a wild and excited look on his face. "We got out first game assignment!"
"When?" Rikku asked calmly, ignoring Yuffie who was making kissing noises loudly behind her.
"Tomorrow!" Key exclaimed. He grabbed Rikku by her waist and spun her in an excited circle. The young Al Bhed girl wasn't impressed or even excited.
"Put me down, Key. This isn't good news - "
"Yeah! We get to play our first game tomorrow!" Yuffie cheered happily.
"No, it's bad," Rikku repeated in a concerned voice.
"How could it be bad?" Key asked in surprise. He signaled the bartender for a round of drinks and slipped into a chair beside Rikku - too close for the young girl's comfort. She stood up and frowned.
"Who are we playing?" she asked, green eyes dark with worry.
"The Luca Goers!" Key answered.
"Wow, aren't they one of the best teams in the league?" Yuffie said in questioning surprise. "Do you think that we're ready?"
"Yes!" Key exclaimed.
"Sadly, no," Rikku said shaking her head slightly. "Someone's giving us the short end on this deal. We haven't even had one practice yet..."
"But we'll manage a victory with a team as sound as ours," Key announced confidently. "I mean with Yuffie, Yara, and myself on offense, Rikku and Fred on defense, and Mori at goal..."
"Fred's worth shit for defense, offense, and blitzball in general," Rikku said in irritation. "Don't mention my name in the same breath as my, unless it's to illustrate my superior skills..."
"What type of team are they - the Goers, that is," Yuffie clarified quickly. "Are they going to be really hard to beat or - "
"They're the worst team to get. They know they're good and they're conceited.," Rikku responded.
"I stand by what I said earlier," Key said seriously, standing up and staring hard at Rikku. "We'll win."
"I hope so, losing to the Goers will be practically unbearable..." Rikku muttered darkly. "I hope so..."
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Author's notes;
Al Bhed translations;
Tysh = Damn
Thanks for reading,
Kissa-chan
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Chapter One; Blitz tryouts in Wutai
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The path was gray and rocky. In the distance, a wooden bridge swayed slightly in the early morning air. Rikku, tired from the long boat ride from Midgar, paused on the first of the swaying bridges. She shadowed her swirled green eyes with one hand, searching for any sign of the town she was supposed to be moving into. Her map, crumpled tightly in one hand, was uselessly difficult to understand, and she was starting to think that the merchant who had sold it to her was nothing more them a common creep.
She started foreword, mentally cursing herself for refusing an escort to Wutai. As one of Yuna's former guardian's, she suffered through a privileged lifestyle in Spira. Everyone was always nice to her when she was around, but she knew that behind her back, most of them, still had the same opinion of her as they always did. They hated her because she was an Al Bhed. It was nothing new, but she preferred outright criticism and insults to the ones now whispered behind her back. It had been her reason for moving to the mysterious continent known as the Planet, and accepting an escort wouldn't help accomplish the freedom from Spira and Yevon that she desired.
The bridge swayed violently in a sudden wind, and the battle cry of a large bird engaged the young girl's sensitive ears. Her hand tightened inside her gloved claw, the godhand. The red weapon was her most powerful and therefore, most used weapon in her arsenal. On her left wrist, she braced her silvery white targe. She was ready for battle.
The bird wasn't. After three simple strikes, it hit the ground in a bleeding mass. Rikku paused. Things were really different in here, she reflected. If she had been in Spira, the monster would have been a fiend that dissolved into the Farplane. Instead it became a mass of soon to be rotting flesh. It was rather disturbing.
She looked at the red blood, mingled with deranged features, on her claw and felt her stomach give a violent heave. It was churning at the mere sight of blood; that couldn't be a good sign. She started cleaning her claw, but the gruesome sight of the destroyed monster was turning her stomach, making it wither in a twisting mass of knots. It was making her begin to regret her decision to come to the Planet.
She felt gorge building at the back of her throat and ran off the bridge, retching into the stone outcroppings around her until her throat was sore. Then, when her stomach was empty of all contents, she staggered to her feet, wiping her mouth on her arm.
The rest of the monster's deaths didn't bother her thankfully. The first attack had gotten her used to the presence of blood. She was grateful that she was able to adjust, and by the time that she finally spotted Wutai in the distance; she was in fairly cheerful spirits.
"Nothin' to it!" she cheered softly. She picked up her pace, making her way down the narrow, rocky slope. The gravel was loose under her feet, making stepping uncertain, but the bitter aftertaste of throwing up was still thick in her mouth. She abandoned caution in favor of speed and shot down the path with reckless haste, anxious to get some clean water and rinse out her mouth.
One, two, three, four, the sound of her feet contacting with the hard packed ground thundered in her ears. One, two, thr-! She lost her footing and fell down, tumbling foreword a couple of feet.
"Tysh!" she cursed as she got to her feet and found a rock sized rip in the side of her new green tank top. She put her finger through the hole distastefully and vengefully marched back to the spot where she had initially lost her balance. "That rock is history," she fumed.
Among the small pieces of gravel and sharp chunks of rocks, her eyes fell on a small black stone. It was shaped strangely, completely spherical and smooth, capturing her attention instantly. She picked it up, rubbing her fingers across it curiously. It was warm to her gentle touch, pretty, and completely unable to tear a hole in her shirt. "I wonder," she muttered aloud, eyes falling on the culprit rock, which was jagged and still clasping a bit of green fabric.
She slipped the smooth rock into her belt pouch, intending to see if it had attack purposes later. Then she picked up the guilty rock and flung it as far away from herself as possible.
"There! Go trip up some ill-fated monster!" she shouted after the rock.
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Less then five hours later, her small travel bags safely deposited in the small red roofed house that she was going to be living in, Rikku stood in front of the blitzball arena. Stretching far into the clear, blue sky, it dominated the heights with silver and blue metal. A large banner stretched across the door, declaring tryouts were to be held within the hour.
Rotating her neck to get a couple of kinks out, the Al Bhed girl grinned. "They won't be able to keep me off that team!" she declared cheerfully in perfect unison with someone else.
"Huh? That was weird - " she began to say in surprise.
"Whoa! You said that as the same time as me!" a dark haired girl declared. "So you're trying out for Wutai's Blitz team too?" She was a little on the petite side, dressed in small white shorts and a navy blue top. Her dark brown hair was cut short and pushed back with a gray band. She was grinning broadly and had cheerful look in her dark brown eyes.
Rikku nodded once and grinned. "I'm Rikku bien-Cid. I just moved into town."
"Yuffie!" the girl said with a wide smile of her own. "I'll bet that you're the one who bought the house on the east side of town by the river," she added slyly. "You look like a sucker for sunny places."
Rikku nodded. "Yeah, I bought it and I like sunny places too!" She shrugged shortly and added, "But then, who doesn't?"
Yuffie pulled her pretty mouth into a frown. "Vincent Valentine. . . probably," she answered automatically, thinking of the dark haired man. "He's the type that likes it dark, dank, and quite."
"Maybe he's a vampire," Rikku suggested jokingly. "Either that or he's got sensitive eyes."
Yuffie started to laugh. "Oh, that's a good one!" she gasped between howls. Rikku looked at her perplexed until the dark haired girl managed to contain her laughter. "Vincent . . . . he . . . that is..." she choked back more laughter, "...we found him in a coffin in-"
"A coffin?!" Rikku exclaimed in alarm. "Uhhmmm . . . . is he . . .erm . . dead?" she asked worriedly.
Yuffie shook her head. "Naw, he was just sleeping, forget about it." She glanced towards the banner and started walking then spun back around to face Rikku with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "Say, you wouldn't happen to have any materia, would you?"
"No, what's that?" Rikku asked. "I've never heard of it before."
"Oh, are you from that other place then?" Yuffie asked brightly. "What's it like there? And what do you use instead of Materia?" An insufferably curious expression slipped across her face as she spoke, making it clear to the Al Bhed girl that she wanted to know all about Spira.
"I still don't know what Materia is, but I guess it's okay . . . ." Rikku said with a slight frown as she formulated an avenue for learning about the Planet. She shook her head quickly, and decided to attempt to implement it. "Hey, you're from around here, right?"
Yuffie nodded. "Born and raised in the Wutai area!"
"And you want to know about Spira, right?" Rikku continued growing considerably more comfortable with her upcoming proposal. She felt confident that it would be accepted.
Once again Yuffie bobbed her dark head in an affirmative. "Yep! I'd even like to go there. That's why I'm playing blitzball. That way I can check out all sorts of cities in Spira!" She spun around, flinging her arms to the side as she spoke. "Why'd ya ask?"
"Well, I'd like to know about the Planet," Rikku explained. "Maybe after we make the team, we could tell each other about the different places. It'd make adapting to them easier, you know." She batted her hands lightly in the air in front of her as she spoke, a light and playful look on her youthful features.
"Say, you're pretty easy-going, aren't you?" Yuffie noted. "I think we'll get along great. How about we be friends?"
That was more then Rikku had expected, but she felt warmed by the offer of friendship. Things in Wutai were already looking pretty good. "Sure, if you really want to," she said happily. "Let's get going inside and secure our positions as teammates!"
"Yeah!" Yuffie cheered loudly.
Both girls raced up the steps and into the stadium where the tryouts were being held.
Several people in the street cringed at their enthusiasm
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"For the position of Midfielder......Yuffie Kisaragi," Key, the team captain, called out in a loud voice.
"Yes!" Rikku and Yuffie exclaimed at the same time.
"I made it!"
"You made it!"
"This is so cool! I thought they might not let me play and pick that idiot Fred!" Yuffie gushed, exhilarated. The 'Fred' in question started slightly and began to glower at them hotly.
"I knew they'd pick you! You performed great, much better then that Fred-guy, in any event!" Rikku declared in loud, happy tones. "I mean, the last shot you made was like - Whoa! - and the goalie was like, not even near stopping it and - "
"Ahem, Miss Yuffie, Miss Rikku," Fred called out, trying to catch their attention so he could finish the team announcements.
They both fell silent and addressed their full attention to the front of the room. "What?" Rikku asked suspiciously.
"May I finish?" he inquired. "I hate to break up your well deserved joyous celebration, but I need to announce the last two members of the Wutai Ninjas."
"Sure thing," Yuffie said, forcing herself to lounge casually back into her chair.
He cleared his throat again. "For the position of Right Defense, Rikku - "
"AHHHHHHH!" Rikku screamed in sheer delight. "We both made it!"
They sprang out of their seats and clasped hands, cheering loudly. "We're going be on a blitz team together and - "
"And you two complete idiots?" Fred demanded, sick of their cheery moods and insulting words. "He ain't done calling the team yet, so could ya shut yer holes?"
In response, they stuck their tongues out at him. "No!" they shouted, blowing him a couple of raspberries.
Key sighed, and rubbed his slightly unshaven chin. "And the last position is for Fred Bolvia. You two can cheer as loud as you want now."
Fred turned in his seat, making eye contact with both girls and smirking. He was delighted to have made the team. Although, if the truth must be told, he wasn't a really good player. In possession of modest skills, with a little effort, it was possible that he could be a great player. However, his self-absorbed attitude and ball-hog playing attitude made that highly unlikely.
"Cool," Yuffie said quietly, determined not to cheer now that she had permission. She glanced at Rikku and smiled, barely able to contain her laughter and joy at being picked - and her irritation at Fred's seemingly unavoidable presence.
"Let's go outside," Rikku suggested softly. She was also brimming with good cheer, slightly dampened by Fred's position on the team. "We can go to somewhere and grab a bite to eat..."
"Good idea," Yuffie answered quickly, sharing a brief smile with the blond girl before they stood up and headed towards the door.
"I'll see you later, Rikku!" Key shouted just as they began to open the door. Neither of them paused.
In mid-stride, Rikku called over her shoulder, "Later, Key!"
Moments later, they were outside screaming joyously to anyone who'd listen. "We made the team! We made the team! We made the TEAM!" Several people looked at them with distaste, but nothing could dampen their spirits.
"Hey, let's go to Turtle Paradise!" Yuffie exclaimed abruptly. "I'll race you there!" She took off, humming brightly to herself.
"Wait!" Rikku shouted. "I don't know where it is!" She watched Yuffie round the corner and vanish. "But I'll find . . . . " her voice trailed off as she glanced to the side of the street.
She had caught a glimpse of a man, dressed completely in black. Like a shadow, he flowed down the street, long silver hair blowing slightly behind him. A rainbow colored light spilled from his body for a brief moment, illuminating glowing green eyes.
Rikku felt a surge of recognition, not for him, but for the light, it was the hauntingly familiar light of pyreflies. They meant that he was dead, whoever he was. Then a wave of cold hit her full force in the stomach, doubling her up in pain. She felt her vision blur and caught him staring at her. She fell to her knees, clutching at her stomach as the dreadful, cold feeling in her gut increased.
Her skin felt cold and clammy. She could hear him start to walk toward her, his boots making barely any noise against the road. An uncertain fear, even worse then her phobia of lightning overcame her and she almost passed out.
A group of brightly dressed people passed by, talking and laughing about the great time they had on a recent trip. They broke her contact with the silver haired man. The pain in her stomach vanished along with the cold feeling.
She stood up as the group passed, looking for any sign of the black cloaked man or anything else that might have caused the bad feeling. The streets were busy with the bustle of tourist activities. The stream that cut through the city sparkled brightly, gurgling cheerfully with disregard to her situation. There was no sign of anyone wearing black, and no sign of anything else that might have caused her pain.
"Hey, Rikku, what are you doing?" Yuffie's bright voice filtered towards her in a sudden rush, scattering the remains of her bad feeling. She turned and offered a weak smile that quickly grew into a wide grin.
"I don't know my way around Wutai yet, you know," she responded brightly. "And here you were planning on racing me, that was so not fair. I decided to wait here until you came back." She also decided to keep the disturbing man out of their conversation. "He wasn't walking towards me anyway," she muttered to herself.
"Huh?" Yuffie questioned. "Were you talking to me? What did you say?"
Rikku looked up startled and shook her head. "No, I just . . . . oh, never mind. I got it figured out already."
"Thinking about cute guys?" Yuffie asked slyly as they entered Turtle Paradise and selected a table by the far wall.
"No, not really." Rikku answered truthfully, although she had to admit that whoever the black cloaked man was......he was attractive.
Yuffie ordered them a couple of drinks. "Speaking about guys, what do you think about Key? Is he your type or what!" she exclaimed.
Rikku scrunched her face up. "No way! What would ever make you think something like that? He's completely the type of guy that I'm not and never will be interested in!"
Now it was Yuffie's turn to frown. "I took you for the type that liked outgoing and cheerful guys. Besides that, I think Key's got the hots for you. He was watching you throughout tryouts. I know, I saw him," she added knowledgeably.
"Oh and I think that you and Fred are prefect!" Rikku shot back sarcastically.
"No way!" Yuffie denied instantly.
"Then what type of guy DO you like?" Rikku inquired in a light, but demanding tone.
"I like . . . . .well, I don't really know. I know that I don't like stuck-up-snobs-who-can't-see-past-the-end-of-their-nose-guys like Fred. How 'bout you?"
"Quiet, mysterious, tall, anti-social, skilled with swords . . . . . " Rikku replied, ticking each point off on her fingers as she said them. "But I'd like him to be compassionate too, you know," she added wistfully.
"Really?" Yuffie said in surprise. "That's astonishing considering your personality. I say you'd make a better match with Key."
Rikku shrugged. "What can I say, opposites attract - "
"Yeah, and in any minute, Key's going to burst through the door shouting your name!" Yuffie snickered. "I think that you should at least give it a shot - "
With a dull thud, the door to Turtle Paradise was flung open at that exact moment.
"I wonder who that is," Rikku muttered, spinning in her seat to get a glimpse of the door. Yuffie, who was already facing it, covered her mouth with her hand and started to snicker. Rikku glanced back at her curiously before she had seen who was coming through the door. "Who?" she asked.
"Rikku! Yuffie!" Key shouted, a wild and excited look on his face. "We got out first game assignment!"
"When?" Rikku asked calmly, ignoring Yuffie who was making kissing noises loudly behind her.
"Tomorrow!" Key exclaimed. He grabbed Rikku by her waist and spun her in an excited circle. The young Al Bhed girl wasn't impressed or even excited.
"Put me down, Key. This isn't good news - "
"Yeah! We get to play our first game tomorrow!" Yuffie cheered happily.
"No, it's bad," Rikku repeated in a concerned voice.
"How could it be bad?" Key asked in surprise. He signaled the bartender for a round of drinks and slipped into a chair beside Rikku - too close for the young girl's comfort. She stood up and frowned.
"Who are we playing?" she asked, green eyes dark with worry.
"The Luca Goers!" Key answered.
"Wow, aren't they one of the best teams in the league?" Yuffie said in questioning surprise. "Do you think that we're ready?"
"Yes!" Key exclaimed.
"Sadly, no," Rikku said shaking her head slightly. "Someone's giving us the short end on this deal. We haven't even had one practice yet..."
"But we'll manage a victory with a team as sound as ours," Key announced confidently. "I mean with Yuffie, Yara, and myself on offense, Rikku and Fred on defense, and Mori at goal..."
"Fred's worth shit for defense, offense, and blitzball in general," Rikku said in irritation. "Don't mention my name in the same breath as my, unless it's to illustrate my superior skills..."
"What type of team are they - the Goers, that is," Yuffie clarified quickly. "Are they going to be really hard to beat or - "
"They're the worst team to get. They know they're good and they're conceited.," Rikku responded.
"I stand by what I said earlier," Key said seriously, standing up and staring hard at Rikku. "We'll win."
"I hope so, losing to the Goers will be practically unbearable..." Rikku muttered darkly. "I hope so..."
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Author's notes;
Al Bhed translations;
Tysh = Damn
Thanks for reading,
Kissa-chan