"He certainly has a nice place," Lana commented as we dropped the heavy packages on the couch. "I've been here countless times on errands, but I've never actually been in the house itself."

"It's small – I think the garden's actually bigger than the house – but it's well maintained," I agreed. "It only took me about 2 hours this morning to clean it top to bottom, or at least most of it. He won't let me touch his room or the office in back. I guess I'd do the same thing if it was my home that was being invaded. Still, I can't help but feel uncomfortable about the whole thing. I know I don't belong here, and he just makes it more intense."

"See, I think that's part of the problem. I don't believe that Auron sees you as an "invader" as much as you see yourself as one. It's just that he has his ways of doing things, and that's easier when you live alone. Now that someone else is here, things are going to change a little. You both just need to learn to compromise."

"Oh, he already made his position clear; I'm to compromise by doing exactly everything he says," I grumbled. "I'm not saying that I have a problem with authority, just dictatorship. Something about people who think they always have to be in charge just irks me."

Lana began to laugh heartily. "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to make light of your situation," she gasped. "I've heard Auron speak to my brother on several occasions, and that sounds almost exactly like something he would say!" She moved toward the tiny kitchen with an armful of produce. I slung the five-pound bag of rice over my shoulder and followed. She opened the fridge and started putting the tomatoes away. I noticed several bins in the corner, one of which contained a small amount of rice. I used a large knife stuck in a butcher's block on the counter to cut open the bag and watched as the grains poured into the bin.

Lana finished arranging the vegetables and straightened. "I'm sorry to take off like this, but my brother will need help closing the store and he always gets testy if I'm not back in time. Plus, Auron should be back soon and I'm not sure how he'll take having me in his house."

"Probably better than he likes having me here," I smiled. "Hey, thanks for everything. You have no idea what this means to me. It's nice to know I have a friend. I hope your brother won't be too upset, but if he is, you can just blame me."

I walked her to the door and watched as she disappeared in the growing dusk. I stood there in the doorway, lost in thought for quite some time. I could hear children playing down the street, and through the gate I saw the couple across the dirt-packed street leaving for an evening out. Traces of their conversation drifted over to me and I heard excited references to "the Goers" and "doing well in the blitzball tournaments." Blitzball? I thought distractedly, but the sting of some night insect's bite interrupted my fog and I realized I had been standing with the door open for a while. I reluctantly wandered back inside, letting the screen slam behind me.

The house seemed small and alone in the evening light that shone through the glass doors. It gave me a lost feeling, as if all our moorings had been cut loose and we were drifting out to sea. I looked around for a place to store my belongings. I had a feeling the more out-of-the-way my stuff was, the better. Finally I noticed a small closet door to the right of the bathroom. Perfect! I thought. The small shelves were ideal for stashing my new things. I decided to take a bucket outside and hand wash the outfit I'd worn the day before.

I was deep into my task when I heard the front screen open and close. I froze for a moment, the serenity I had felt just seconds before shattered. Auron's heavy boots clomped across the floor as he walked to his room. I decided to stay as unnoticed as possible.

Unfortunately, that wasn't very long. I bent over my clothes and began to scrub busily as I heard the door behind me slide open. My heart trembled and I scolded myself silently. This is ridiculous! You have no reason to be afraid of this guy. You've never been afraid of anyone before. I waited for the sound of footsteps, but they never came. Instead, the door closed after a few moments of silence. I assumed he needed some space and continued what I was doing at a slightly gentler pace.

After wringing out my clothes, I looked around for a place to hang them. I briefly entertained the idea of tossing them across the fence, but that seemed a little tacky. I chuckled to myself at the thought of the look on Auron's face if he were to see female clothing draped like a flag in his backyard. Instead, I rose to my feet and searched the area more closely. As I walked towards the back of the house, I found a small strip of yard that ran between the house and the fence. A single cord about thirty feet long was strung up into a makeshift clothesline. I draped the wet items as carefully as I could across the line, and walked back into the house cautiously.

Auron was standing over the stove, and as I walked through the door the smell of rice and grilled shrimp wafted towards me. I felt awkward as I stood hesitantly, wanting to help, but feeling too out of place to ask. I hated that feeling and, for at least the twentieth time that day, wondered again if the old man had got it all wrong. What could there possibly be here for me? I had virtually no cultural knowledge, I barely knew the language, and I had no resources to study either one. This is insane, I thought. People don't just wake up in alternate worlds. There has to be an explanation for all this.

Auron turned around at the sound of the door sliding shut and stopped dead, a metal spatula in his upraised hand. I realized he hadn't really seen what I was wearing earlier and stood there awkwardly as his eye studied my new outfit. After a few tense moments he lifted his gaze to my face and I noticed for the first time that he had removed his tinted glasses. We eyed each other in silence, the warrior and the girl, until I remarked softly,

"I think the shrimp's burning."

Auron spun around and grabbed the hot cast-iron skillet handle with his bare hand, hauling it off of the open flame. He cursed under his breath and shoved the pan to the back of the stove. My lips quirked and I fought desperately to keep from laughing. Instead I moved toward the kitchen to see if I could be of any use. I had seen the strange look in Auron's eye and feared there might be more trouble coming; the last thing I needed was to start giggling hysterically.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked hesitantly. There was a moment of silence, then Auron spoke.

"Go ahead and grab a couple plates and silverware. There's butter here and other stuff in the fridge if you don't care for your rice plain. I met Forney on the way in, so we'll have sake tonight with our meal." I nodded and took two handle-less mugs out of a cupboard over the bar, piled them on the plates with the forks, and carried them over to the table. Auron followed with a pot of rice in one hand and a platter of buttery grilled shrimp in the other. He poured us each a generous amount of sake from a jug with an unusual loop of large colorful wooden beads around the neck. We sat down across from each other and began to eat silently.

After a while Auron broke the stillness. "Tiorak and his wife have invited us to the blitzball game this evening. I don't usually attend such things, but they wouldn't take 'No' for an answer. I don't like the idea of exposing you to so much so early either, but apparently he's told Cylie about you and she's anxious to meet you."

He frowned and his voice deepened into a growl. "It's up to you whether or not you go, but if you do I'll expect you to stick close and obey anything I tell you without question. Do you think you can handle that?"

I swallowed hard and shifted uneasily in my seat, then nodded silently. I was surprised to find I was excited about going out. I realized I was anxious to see more of the city and vowed to myself not to cause any more problems that might keep Auron from letting me go anywhere at all. I began to eat faster, washing down mouthfuls of shrimp and rice with the sake, which had a pleasant after-taste my other samples had not. The shrimp that had escaped scorching was crisp and lightly seasoned with something that almost tasted like basil. It was an excellent meal, and it surprised me a little that someone as Spartan-ish as Auron could be such a good cook.

"Where did you pick out the clothes?" Auron's question startled me and I jumped a little. I covered my embarrassment quickly and replied, "Actually, I met this girl, Lana – she said she knows you – and she took me to Makira's shop. Makira was the one who picked the clothes. I just kind of went along with her and Lana.

"Oh, yeah," I added nervously, "Lana recommended charging the clothes, so I have your change and the bill." I rose and walked across the room. I dug around in the pockets of my coat for the bill and change and handed them to him with slightly trembling fingers. To my surprise he accepted both distractedly without checking the total on the slip of paper and slid them into his pants pocket.

"Makira picked them out, huh?" he said to himself, his brow furrowed.

I wanted to ask him what that meant, but his far-away expression told me I probably wouldn't get a satisfying answer anyway. We finished supper and cleaned up. Auron went to his room and closed the door, then reappeared moments later.

"What you have on will be fine for tonight. We have a few minutes before we leave, if you'd like to clean up." I nodded and stepped into the bathroom to run a brush through my hair and scrub my face and hands. I wished desperately for some type of cosmetics just out of habit, then realized I probably didn't need them anyhow. Besides, there's no way I'm going to ask Auron for that! I laughed to myself, my mood improving by the minute.

I finished and had barely sat down to wait for Auron when he stepped out of his bedroom. He had replaced the glasses and changed to pants that looked a lot like mine and a sleeveless shirt. Both were also black. Geez, we look like twins, I thought. "Ready?" he asked, red coat in hand. I nodded again. "Better take a coat," he continued. "The stadium is heated, but it gets chilly out at night." I grinned to myself at the chance to wear my new coat in public and, grabbing it from off the peg by the door where it was hanging, followed Auron out the door.

The night air was nippy and I slid gratefully into the warm black material. Buckles and straps slapped against my legs as I ran to catch up to the cloud of red that trailed after Auron. Fortunately, he noticed my struggle to keep up and slowed his pace. We walked briskly for about half an hour in the opposite direction of where I had gone shopping earlier, heading deep into the city. The streets grew wider and busier, the buildings taller, and people rushed about us. I looked around amazed at the contrasts; ancient Japanese culture and space age technology lived side by side.

Auron turned abruptly into the doorway of a small café/bar I hadn't seen until just then, and I was forced to dodge a woman coming out to keep from losing him. This kept me from noticing a step down, and I tripped, flying into Auron's back. He turned and grabbed my arm, growled "Pay attention," and roughly guided me towards a table in the back.

"Oh, Auron, she's so pretty!" I blinked and stepped back a little, startled at the barrage. "Oh, you poor dear, I can only imagine what you've been through! Look at her, Tiorak, doesn't she look just like a little warrior? Auron, will you be giving her training? She looks just like you, dressed like that!"

Tiorak appeared from behind the large but kind-looking woman who had assailed me and smiled apologetically. "I'm glad you could make it. This is my wife, Cylie."

"I'm sorry, dear, I didn't mean to startle you. Please, have a seat. Auron, you too." Cylie smiled warmly at me and I felt my nervousness ease. It was impossible not to smile back as I settled into the chair she offered me. "Have you had supper yet? There's time for a quick bite before we go," she continued. I started to reply, but Auron cut in.

"We ate before we came. Thank you, though, Cylie," he said in a gentler tone. I was surprised to realize even Auron was susceptible to the woman's genuine warmth. No wonder Tiorak's face glowed when he talked about her, I thought. I grinned and watched Auron shift impatiently in his seat. I could tell he was anxious to be moving on, but figured he must like Cylie too much to say anything.

I was amazed at how easily she drew me into a conversation. It seemed like only minutes later that Tiorak leaned forward and said, "Cylie, darling, we really must get going if we plan on making it in time to get our seats."

"Oh, right, of course, how silly I must seem just sitting here chattering away. Your story's just so interesting," she smiled at me. Auron appeared to have given up hope of ever leaving and stood abruptly at Tiorak's suggestion. Cylie chuckled and patted Auron on the shoulder. "Now don't be upset, Auron. The girl's just starving for some female conversation. You really should bring her over to the house after the game. I simply must get to know her better." She winked at me, then continued, "After all, we can't have her getting bored in that tiny little place of yours."

Auron raised an eyebrow that implied that would never happen, but said nothing. Tiorak wrapped his arm around his wife's waist, guiding her towards the door. Auron waited for me to pass him, then took up the rear of our little group. We stepped out into the busy streets and moved through the clusters of people. I was astonished at how noisy the night was compared to how quiet everything had been the evening before. This whole blitzball thing must be a major source of entertainment here.

We dodged in and out of vehicles and people, and I even saw a few more chocobos. Occasionally, Auron would reach out and pull me out of someone's way and glare at me, but I began to wonder if it really bothered him as much anymore. We continued on past the café for another half an hour or so before reaching a long hill that sloped sharply upwards. When we neared the top, Tiorak and Cylie looked back and grinned at me. I craned my neck to see what was so exciting up ahead. They parted, letting me through. I reached the top of the hill and stopped, stunned. As far as I could see in any direction there were lights and massive structures. I could only begin to imagine what might be in some of them.

In the middle, right below where we were standing, was the large stadium I had seen when I first arrived, except now it was lit up. The arena cast its glow on everything around it. It was like nothing I had ever seen. The city glowed with the same luminosity I had seen in the temple. It was breathtaking. People were flowing into the stadium entrance and Auron nudged me along. I realized I was holding up our little group and moved forward, still awed by the beauty all around me.

As we grew closer to the arena the crowd grew thicker, and I instinctively grabbed a handful of Auron's billowing coat to keep from getting lost in the bustle. He glanced down at me but his face was unreadable. I shrugged to myself. If he doesn't like it, he'll say something. Besides, he'd be furious if I got separated in all this. We were carried along with the crowd through the massive doors and into the arena. Tiorak stopped to show the doorman our tickets, and I realized another reason Auron came must have been a little manipulation on Tiorak's part by buying the tickets before inviting us.

As we made our way to our seats, I noticed people giving way in front of us. The two warriors were apparently regarded with deep respect, and I began to realize what a powerful man Auron was. We walked up a long wide staircase until we were about halfway to the top, then turned into a large row. Tiorak and his wife inched in first, then Auron motioned for me to go next. We found our seats and settled in.

For the first time, I had the chance to look around at the inside of the stadium. There was a huge circular platform in the middle, and some structures off to the side, but other than that, the area seemed empty. I leaned over to ask Cylie where the teams played, when a roar went up from the crowd. There was a strange force field hovering over the platform, and it was filling up with water. It continued until a sphere of water was created, reaching as high as the tallest seats.

People stood to their feet cheering as the players entered the hovering globe. They're going to drown! I thought frantically. Instead they began to swim around, egging on the crowd by waving to different fans and making challenging gestures to the opposite team. They had been fully immersed for over a minute now, and showed no signs of needing to come up for air. I heard a man over some type of public address system begin to announce the teams and players as they lined up into position.

Suddenly a funny-looking ball was tossed or dropped – I couldn't tell which – into the arena and the players began swimming after it. The game had started! I watched closely and picked up the basic points of the game. A goal was at either side of the sphere, one in front of us, and one directly across on the opposite side. The goals were marked out with some type of hologram image. The teams each had a goalie, and they were trying to hit or kick the ball past the other team's goalie into the goal. So it's kind of like underwater soccer! I thought, intrigued.

The score was displayed on what looked like a large plasma screen on four different sides of the arena, so it was easy to see who was winning. I decided to cheer for the team Tiorak and Cylie were cheering for. Auron didn't seem to care who won, and sat watching quietly. At half-time, Tiorak dragged Auron with him to get food and drinks for all of us. Cylie turned to me the moment the men left.

"Finally, some girl time!" she leaned in towards me. "Tiorak told me Auron wasn't very pleased that you were staying with him. He also said you didn't look too happy yourself. How have things been going between the two of you?"

I rolled my eyes. "Well, I managed to wander off my first night, met some guy named Lobax who wasn't very pleasant, got reamed by Auron, and probably spent a fortune of his money on clothes. All told, not too bad."

Cylie chuckled. "Speaking of clothes, I wanted to ask you about them, but I didn't want to embarrass you in front of Auron. Are you okay on everything? I know Auron's very responsible, but it's hard to ask a man for feminine things."

"I'm okay for now. I went to Makira's yesterday, and she set me up pretty good. I have enough that I'll only need to wash them once a week."

"Makira's, huh? Did she pick out the clothes?"

I nodded. "She was kinda weird about the whole thing. Lana seems to think she believes I should be a warrior. Auron looked like he was going to split a seam, though."

Cylie laughed. "I can imagine. Well, listen, if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to let me know. And who knows, maybe this will be good for both of you. You can loosen Auron up a bit, and trust me, if he was to decide to train you, it would be the chance of a lifetime. Oh, and not that I'm trying to tell you what to do, but I'd avoid Lobax if I were you. He's been trying to get back at Auron for quite some time ever since…" she trailed off. "I guess it's Auron's to tell, not mine, but there's no telling what Lobax might do to you if he thought it would aggravate Auron."

"Don't worry," I shivered. "That guy looks cold clear through. I don't think I'd want to run into him down a dark alley, that's for sure." I paused, then looked up at Cylie uncertainly. "Do you really think Auron'd take me on as a student?"

"Well, it'd be more as an apprentice, since, ironically enough, women are allowed to be guardians and warriors, but not train at the temple. So if he did, he'd have to do it on his own time. You'd go along with him on his outposts and various missions to get experience, but other than that, all your training would be at home. That's why there are so few female warriors. Unless one is considered exceptional, most trainers don't bother taking the extra time. You simply never know with Auron. He hasn't taken on a woman before, but who's to say he never will?"

She straightened up as the two men returned, arms loaded. Auron looked vaguely uncomfortable juggling four large cups and a tray of food, and as I caught Cylie's eyes we both burst into laughter.

"You could take a couple of these," he grumbled at us. He passed me two of the drinks and waited for Tiorak to reach his seat before handing him the tray with the other two cups on it. Auron sat down and accepted one of the cups from me while Cylie, still giggling, passed down two paper bags of food. I handed Auron one and peeked into mine curiously. There was something that looked like fries, and a large wrapped sandwich. I nibbled at the sandwich cautiously, then took a large bite. "Mmmm…..thanks, guys, this is great!" I gushed. Auron gave me a sideways look, but I ignored him. Besides, he has no room to talk; his mouth is as full as mine!

We sat forward as the players re-entered the water sphere, and I suddenly remembered I had meant to ask Cylie how they could breathe under water. They had on no special gear as far as I could tell. I decided there was no way I could be heard over the roar of the crowd and decided to ask her later. The game resumed and I soon became lost in the excitement. Occasionally, a player would be thrown out through the walls of water, splashing the fans. The first time it happened, I was startled and rose halfway out of my seat, but the girl who was thrown simply extracted herself from a fan's lap and rejoined the game. Cylie laughingly pulled me back down.

"It happens all the time," she yelled into my ear. "Only once in a while does someone actually get hurt." I nodded to show I understood and we both returned to the game.

Our team was down by one point with three minutes to go. One of the players made a quick right and tied up the game with less than a minute left. The crowd was going insane! People were cheering for their team all around us, and the roar was deafening. Nearly everyone was on their feet. A red-haired guy made a sudden break and intercepted the ball, heading towards the goal. With five seconds left in the game, he punched the ball towards the hologram net. It whizzed past the goalie and landed square in the middle of the goal. The buzzer went off, but it couldn't be heard over the cheers and groans. Our team had won the game!

The crowd began to disperse quickly and we were carried out with the rush. I saw one of the players from the team I had been cheering for and stopped to yell "Good game!" to them. When I turned around, my group was nowhere to be seen. Oh great, I thought panicked, Auron's gonna kill me! I started moving through the throng as fast as they would let me, apologizing and excusing myself as I sideswiped and collided with most of them. I glanced around frantically for a hint of red, anything that would help me find Auron and the others.

Suddenly, I heard some people yelling. I looked around, confused, then realized what was happening. A couple guys, angry that their team had lost, were arguing with a supporter of the winning team. People began to join in on the argument, and before I could get away, blows were being thrown. I searched for a gap in the mob to slip out, but people were shoulder to shoulder all the way around. I began dodging and weaving around fighters and had nearly made it out of the tight group when I ran smack into a large, angry-looking man.

He stood there glaring at me, his expression unchanging, even when I apologized profusely. I tried side-stepping, but he weaved back and forth, effectively blocking my path. After a couple of seconds, I stepped back.

"You're a Goers supporter, aren't you?" he growled. I stared at him, confused. "What kind of person would root for a cheating team?" he continued to rave. "You Goers need to be taught a lesson!" He started towards me.

He's insane! I thought, but before I had the chance to contemplate further, he started swinging at me. Okay, I've had enough. I dodged his next clumsy attempt and sent a right fist straight to the chin. It landed with a sickening smack. His head snapped back and he collapsed, out cold.

I suddenly realized that the crowd had grown silent. I looked up from where I stood over the man's prone body rubbing my sore knuckles, and saw Auron standing on the other side of the circle the rioters had formed. Tiorak was at his side, Cylie farther back with an anxious look on her face. The expression on Auron's face was one I had never seen. I had no idea what it meant. The crowd began to break, except for a couple of men who slunk forward to collect their unconscious friend. Tiorak stepped forward as they drug the man off. He placed an arm on my shoulder and guided me towards the rest of the group.

He kept me between Cylie and himself with Auron taking up the rear and we headed up the large hill we had come down about an hour earlier. We walked in silence for about five minutes; then, to my surprise, Tiorak and Cylie erupted into laughter.

"Did you see the look on his face when your punch landed?" he roared. Cylie grabbed me in a big hug, giggling helplessly. "We were so worried when we lost you," she gasped. "Auron looked like he was going to explode when we saw that big guy swinging at you." She paused and caught her breath. "He'll never admit it," she shot Auron a sly look, "but we're all proud of you. Tiorak was right when he said you looked like someone who could take care of herself."

I glanced over at the silent man in red and saw a mixture of expressions on his face. Some of them I recognized; there was definitely anger and frustration (I wasn't sure if it was directed towards me or not), but there was also respect, and Cylie was right – there was pride. Others I wouldn't understand until much, much later. At the moment, though, none of that mattered. Somehow I knew that I had gained favor in Auron's sight, and for some reason, I didn't feel quite so out of place anymore.