Please Note: I do not own Square Enix or Final Fantasy X-2. All
characters are copyrighted to Square Enix.
Also, do not read this if you do not have any background on the plots in
Final Fantasy X and X-2, or if you do not want the games spoiled for you.
It had been over 1000 years since Tidus and Shuyin met, but the memories still lingered on like a horrible nightmare for Tidus...
"Hmph. That sorry son-of-a-bitch father of mine thinks that he can just get up and leave without a warning, eh? Well, I don't care. He can go shoot himself in the head, and I wouldn't even bother to cry for him!" Tidus roared as he scuffed his feet along the rough pavement to the Zanarkand Dome. It was Tidus's 17th birthday, and his father was supposed to accompany Tidus to his try-outs for the Blitzball team, the Zanarkand Abes. However, Tidus's father mysterious disappeared during a previous night's game, and never left any signs as to his whereabouts. Thus, Tidus dragged himself in line by himself, and waited for over four hours until it was his time to prove himself to the rest of the team. Once his name was called, Tidus lifted his head high in the air, pulled his rage-filled hair off of his face, and dove head first into the cold, murky waters of the dome.
The beginning of Tidus's performance went well, with stunning passes and accurate goal shots, but it all went downhill when he tried to perform his father's famous move: The Jecht Shot. Tidus was able to lift himself high enough in the air, but when he tried to flip upside down, he couldn't build up enough momentum, and thus, crashed back down into the left side of the dome. Blood then poured as swiftly as a ranging river from Tidus's forehead as he laid lifeless in the water. Members of the Zanarkand Abes then quickly jumped into the dome, rescued Tidus, and rapped up his body with some clean beach towels. A few hours later, Tidus regained consciousness, and noticed that he was lying on a bench in the Men's locker room. A young man that looked kind of like him, with a blood-soaked shirt and black short, was sitting on another bench, cleaning up the blood that got splattered around the room. "Hey you! Did you clean me up and bring me in here?" Tidus asked. The young man then got up off of the other bench and sat beside Tidus.
"I sure did. You were pretty beat up, buddy. I had to put 20 stitches on your head just to stop the bleeding. The whole team was worried that you were not going to make it, but you must have been tough enough to survive since you are already awake. And for that reason, I, Shuyin, would like to welcome you, Tidus, aboard the Zanarkand Abes."
"What!? I actually made the team? I was sure that I was going to get axed after that fall, but I got accepted?! This is great!" Tidus cheered as he tried to get up, but soon he fell back upon the bench. "I guess that I am still too weak, eh?"
"Well, once you recover, we'll go out and celebrate, okay?" Shuyin asked as he placed a blanket over Tidus's body. Tidus then nodded back at Shuyin and shut his eyes. "Don't you worry, Tidus, we are going to have plenty of fun together." Shuyin smiled as he got up, lifted Tidus's body off of the bench, and exited the locker room.
When Tidus awoke again, he was lying upon his very own bed in his very own house. "How did I get back home? I thought that I was in the locker room, talking to that Shuyin guy. Was it just a dream?" Tidus pondered as he scratched his head. He then felt the sharp, metal stitches on top his skull, and realized that what just happened to him wasn't an illusion. Still, he wanted to find out how he got back home, so just as Tidus was about to get up out of bed, he heard a loud knock at his door. "Yeah Mom, I coming." Tidus mumbled as he walked over to open the door. To his surprise, the person behind the door wasn't his mother, but Shuyin instead. "Hey, what are you doing here so early, Shuyin?"
"Early? It's 3 o'clock in the afternoon! I just came by to see how you are feeling, and to inform you that our first match of the season against the Ronso Fangs begins in two hours. I'll wait a few minutes for you outside, in order to give you enough time to get ready, and then we'll walk to the match together, okay?" Shuyin replied as he then shut the door. Tidus then frantically searched through his dresser drawers for a decent outfit, plopped on an old pair of boots, and raced out of his room. Tidus then ran down the stairs as fast as a racecar, grabbed a cup of orange juice, and pounded open the front door as if he was a rabies-infected dog. "Took ya long enough, Tidus!" Shuyin laughed as he watched Tidus fumble down the stairs.
"I am so sorry, Shuyin! I guess I just needed the sleep." Tidus sighed as the two of them began to walk down to the dome.
"It's alright. Hey, if we win our game tonight, I'll take you out to eat, my treat!" Shuyin offered.
"You'll wish that you had never made that promise, 'cause I can eat as much as a Humbra!" Tidus joked. A few minutes later, the two of them finally entered the dome, where thousands of screaming fans cheered for their beloved Zanarkand Abes. "Hey Shuyin, are the fans always this crazy?" Tidus asked as he dove into the freezing cold waters.
"Yeah, and sometimes the fans can get even crazier. One time, after we had just won a match in the semi-finals, a girl jumped out of her seat and broke her neck falling down the stadium's stairs!"
"Well, I hope that nobody gets hurt tonight." Tidus proclaimed as the dome's bell buzzed, signaling the beginning of the match. During the first half, the Ronso's played a hard defense, and would only allow one goal to pass through for the Abes. The score was tied 1-1 when the intermission bell rang. During intermission, the Abes got together in the locker room, and thought of what they should do to break the Ronso's strategy, and score some serious points.
"We should attack the Ronso's more aggressively! They are making us look like helpless Chocobos out there!" A player yelled.
"No! They are just trying to trick us by only playing defense last quarter! I bet that they are going to go on the offense this quarter, and if we don't prepare for that, we're gonna lose the match!" Another player argued.
"Wait! You know what we should do, men? Why don't we pick up our offense a little, but make sure that we have an equally strong defense? That way, there is no way the Ronsos can tell if we are going to go on the offense or defense!" Tidus boasted. The other players then stood speechless, as if they had just seen a ghost.
"Well, this newbie has a good point! I'm up for his plan, how about the rest of you?" Shuyin cheered. All of the other men looked around at each other, and in unison, they shouted, "Let's go kick some Ronso ass!" Tidus seemed to smile as wide as a canyon when he heard the other players backing him up. Soon enough, the buzzer rang, and all of the players exited the locker room, and reentered the dome with a new boost of confidence.
The second round of the Blitzball match was as hot as a jar of chili peppers. The Ronso's strategy didn't change from the previous round, but because the Abes beefed up their offensive power, they were able to sweep through and score the remaining goals required to win the match. In fact, the Zanarkand Abes beat the Ronsos Fangs so badly that the opponent's net was torn to shreds! 'Well, are you ready to pig out, Shuyin?" Tidus laughed as the final buzzer echoed through out the stadium.
"You bet! Let's get out of here as fast as we can in order to beat the lines!" Shuyin grinned as the two of them then raced passed all of the other players, out of the dome, and to a local restaurant called the 'Undying Flame.' At the restaurant, Tidus munched down four sodas, three hamburgers, six hot dogs, and two apple pies, while Shuyin devoured three ice teas, eight bowls of rice, six mini-steaks, and one piece of cheesecake. "That most certainly hit the spot, eh Tidus?" Shuyin asked as he wiped his soy sauce-filled face with a napkin.
"It sure did! And I am glad that I don't have to pay the tab, either!" Tidus grinned as he finished his last slice of pie. Afterwards, Shuyin went up to the register, paid for the feast, and the two of them then left the restaurant, and walked back down to where the rest of the houses were. Before they reached that district, however, Shuyin, toughed at Tidus's shirt, and stopped him underneath a large oak tree.
"Hey Tidus! I hope you don't mind me asking this question, but do you have a girlfriend right now?"
"Nope. Haven't had one of those in a long time. Ya know, Shuyin, I wonder just how men can put up with women, and vice versa. I mean, sometimes it's like men and women are never on the same page, and they can never understand each other. How about yourself? Do you have a special girl in your life?"
"Well, I have given up on women." Shuyin replied as he glanced down upon his feet.
"What do you mean, 'gave up on em'? Are you just taking a break and waiting for the right one to come along, or what?" Tidus asked with a confused look painted upon his face.
"This is what I meant." Just then, Shuyin lifted his head back up, and got closer to Tidus. With one swift movement, Shuyin's sweat-ridden lips touched Tidus and Tidus's face became as red as a ripe tomato. "Now, do you understand, Tidus?" Shuyin asked as he slowly backed away from Tidus.
"Loud and Clear, Shuyin." Tidus smiled as the two of them then began to walk down the street again, except this time, they held each other's hands. Tidus had never felt so alive in his entire life, and his heart had become infatuated with Shuyin's soul. Shuyin thought that Tidus possessed a good spirit, and wished to spend the rest of his life with Tidus. For the next two years, Tidus and Shuyin's relationship grew, and soon, the two became an inseparable duo, until a strange creature called a "woman" came along, and changed the way Shuyin and Tidus felt for each other for the rest of time...
It had been over 1000 years since Tidus and Shuyin met, but the memories still lingered on like a horrible nightmare for Tidus...
"Hmph. That sorry son-of-a-bitch father of mine thinks that he can just get up and leave without a warning, eh? Well, I don't care. He can go shoot himself in the head, and I wouldn't even bother to cry for him!" Tidus roared as he scuffed his feet along the rough pavement to the Zanarkand Dome. It was Tidus's 17th birthday, and his father was supposed to accompany Tidus to his try-outs for the Blitzball team, the Zanarkand Abes. However, Tidus's father mysterious disappeared during a previous night's game, and never left any signs as to his whereabouts. Thus, Tidus dragged himself in line by himself, and waited for over four hours until it was his time to prove himself to the rest of the team. Once his name was called, Tidus lifted his head high in the air, pulled his rage-filled hair off of his face, and dove head first into the cold, murky waters of the dome.
The beginning of Tidus's performance went well, with stunning passes and accurate goal shots, but it all went downhill when he tried to perform his father's famous move: The Jecht Shot. Tidus was able to lift himself high enough in the air, but when he tried to flip upside down, he couldn't build up enough momentum, and thus, crashed back down into the left side of the dome. Blood then poured as swiftly as a ranging river from Tidus's forehead as he laid lifeless in the water. Members of the Zanarkand Abes then quickly jumped into the dome, rescued Tidus, and rapped up his body with some clean beach towels. A few hours later, Tidus regained consciousness, and noticed that he was lying on a bench in the Men's locker room. A young man that looked kind of like him, with a blood-soaked shirt and black short, was sitting on another bench, cleaning up the blood that got splattered around the room. "Hey you! Did you clean me up and bring me in here?" Tidus asked. The young man then got up off of the other bench and sat beside Tidus.
"I sure did. You were pretty beat up, buddy. I had to put 20 stitches on your head just to stop the bleeding. The whole team was worried that you were not going to make it, but you must have been tough enough to survive since you are already awake. And for that reason, I, Shuyin, would like to welcome you, Tidus, aboard the Zanarkand Abes."
"What!? I actually made the team? I was sure that I was going to get axed after that fall, but I got accepted?! This is great!" Tidus cheered as he tried to get up, but soon he fell back upon the bench. "I guess that I am still too weak, eh?"
"Well, once you recover, we'll go out and celebrate, okay?" Shuyin asked as he placed a blanket over Tidus's body. Tidus then nodded back at Shuyin and shut his eyes. "Don't you worry, Tidus, we are going to have plenty of fun together." Shuyin smiled as he got up, lifted Tidus's body off of the bench, and exited the locker room.
When Tidus awoke again, he was lying upon his very own bed in his very own house. "How did I get back home? I thought that I was in the locker room, talking to that Shuyin guy. Was it just a dream?" Tidus pondered as he scratched his head. He then felt the sharp, metal stitches on top his skull, and realized that what just happened to him wasn't an illusion. Still, he wanted to find out how he got back home, so just as Tidus was about to get up out of bed, he heard a loud knock at his door. "Yeah Mom, I coming." Tidus mumbled as he walked over to open the door. To his surprise, the person behind the door wasn't his mother, but Shuyin instead. "Hey, what are you doing here so early, Shuyin?"
"Early? It's 3 o'clock in the afternoon! I just came by to see how you are feeling, and to inform you that our first match of the season against the Ronso Fangs begins in two hours. I'll wait a few minutes for you outside, in order to give you enough time to get ready, and then we'll walk to the match together, okay?" Shuyin replied as he then shut the door. Tidus then frantically searched through his dresser drawers for a decent outfit, plopped on an old pair of boots, and raced out of his room. Tidus then ran down the stairs as fast as a racecar, grabbed a cup of orange juice, and pounded open the front door as if he was a rabies-infected dog. "Took ya long enough, Tidus!" Shuyin laughed as he watched Tidus fumble down the stairs.
"I am so sorry, Shuyin! I guess I just needed the sleep." Tidus sighed as the two of them began to walk down to the dome.
"It's alright. Hey, if we win our game tonight, I'll take you out to eat, my treat!" Shuyin offered.
"You'll wish that you had never made that promise, 'cause I can eat as much as a Humbra!" Tidus joked. A few minutes later, the two of them finally entered the dome, where thousands of screaming fans cheered for their beloved Zanarkand Abes. "Hey Shuyin, are the fans always this crazy?" Tidus asked as he dove into the freezing cold waters.
"Yeah, and sometimes the fans can get even crazier. One time, after we had just won a match in the semi-finals, a girl jumped out of her seat and broke her neck falling down the stadium's stairs!"
"Well, I hope that nobody gets hurt tonight." Tidus proclaimed as the dome's bell buzzed, signaling the beginning of the match. During the first half, the Ronso's played a hard defense, and would only allow one goal to pass through for the Abes. The score was tied 1-1 when the intermission bell rang. During intermission, the Abes got together in the locker room, and thought of what they should do to break the Ronso's strategy, and score some serious points.
"We should attack the Ronso's more aggressively! They are making us look like helpless Chocobos out there!" A player yelled.
"No! They are just trying to trick us by only playing defense last quarter! I bet that they are going to go on the offense this quarter, and if we don't prepare for that, we're gonna lose the match!" Another player argued.
"Wait! You know what we should do, men? Why don't we pick up our offense a little, but make sure that we have an equally strong defense? That way, there is no way the Ronsos can tell if we are going to go on the offense or defense!" Tidus boasted. The other players then stood speechless, as if they had just seen a ghost.
"Well, this newbie has a good point! I'm up for his plan, how about the rest of you?" Shuyin cheered. All of the other men looked around at each other, and in unison, they shouted, "Let's go kick some Ronso ass!" Tidus seemed to smile as wide as a canyon when he heard the other players backing him up. Soon enough, the buzzer rang, and all of the players exited the locker room, and reentered the dome with a new boost of confidence.
The second round of the Blitzball match was as hot as a jar of chili peppers. The Ronso's strategy didn't change from the previous round, but because the Abes beefed up their offensive power, they were able to sweep through and score the remaining goals required to win the match. In fact, the Zanarkand Abes beat the Ronsos Fangs so badly that the opponent's net was torn to shreds! 'Well, are you ready to pig out, Shuyin?" Tidus laughed as the final buzzer echoed through out the stadium.
"You bet! Let's get out of here as fast as we can in order to beat the lines!" Shuyin grinned as the two of them then raced passed all of the other players, out of the dome, and to a local restaurant called the 'Undying Flame.' At the restaurant, Tidus munched down four sodas, three hamburgers, six hot dogs, and two apple pies, while Shuyin devoured three ice teas, eight bowls of rice, six mini-steaks, and one piece of cheesecake. "That most certainly hit the spot, eh Tidus?" Shuyin asked as he wiped his soy sauce-filled face with a napkin.
"It sure did! And I am glad that I don't have to pay the tab, either!" Tidus grinned as he finished his last slice of pie. Afterwards, Shuyin went up to the register, paid for the feast, and the two of them then left the restaurant, and walked back down to where the rest of the houses were. Before they reached that district, however, Shuyin, toughed at Tidus's shirt, and stopped him underneath a large oak tree.
"Hey Tidus! I hope you don't mind me asking this question, but do you have a girlfriend right now?"
"Nope. Haven't had one of those in a long time. Ya know, Shuyin, I wonder just how men can put up with women, and vice versa. I mean, sometimes it's like men and women are never on the same page, and they can never understand each other. How about yourself? Do you have a special girl in your life?"
"Well, I have given up on women." Shuyin replied as he glanced down upon his feet.
"What do you mean, 'gave up on em'? Are you just taking a break and waiting for the right one to come along, or what?" Tidus asked with a confused look painted upon his face.
"This is what I meant." Just then, Shuyin lifted his head back up, and got closer to Tidus. With one swift movement, Shuyin's sweat-ridden lips touched Tidus and Tidus's face became as red as a ripe tomato. "Now, do you understand, Tidus?" Shuyin asked as he slowly backed away from Tidus.
"Loud and Clear, Shuyin." Tidus smiled as the two of them then began to walk down the street again, except this time, they held each other's hands. Tidus had never felt so alive in his entire life, and his heart had become infatuated with Shuyin's soul. Shuyin thought that Tidus possessed a good spirit, and wished to spend the rest of his life with Tidus. For the next two years, Tidus and Shuyin's relationship grew, and soon, the two became an inseparable duo, until a strange creature called a "woman" came along, and changed the way Shuyin and Tidus felt for each other for the rest of time...