Although the duo had only departed from the water for approxitely five minutes, Tidus felt as if it had been an eternity. He wondered if it was in his nature to feel that way because he was a star player or was it the adrenaline rush that the victory streak was offering him and Rikku. Whatever it was, the pool offered him solace--a safe haven that he so badly craved for with all the confusion unfolding before his eyes. When he was in the water, nothing else mattered except for the game. No summoners, no Sin, no monsters, no evil--just a relaxing serene atmosphere that he was so tempted to drown himself into.

"Hey, you there. Wha'cha thinking about?"

The female voice startled him. Tidus' sparkling blue eyes snapped open as his moment of peace was destroyed. Looking up from the ground, he spotted Rikku giving him a reprimanding look.

"Is this what star players do? Using a free moment to just lie around?" she joked. "I thought you guys never take breaks." She placed her feet underneath his back and pushed him closer to the edge of the pool.

"Well you know-" Before he even got a chance to finish his sentence, he felt his body flying into the water, landing with a huge splash. "RIKKU!"

"What?" she asked innocently. "Can't handle a little shove?" She couldn't help but laugh at the man in front of her. She stopped when his lips curved into a mischievous grin. Sensing what was going to happen next, she broke into a run but Tidus was faster. In one fluid motion, he wrapped his arms around her legs and pulled the girl into the sphere pool with him.

"AHHHHHH!" The Al-Bhed shrieked as she felt water clogging her throat. Unfortunately, she wasn't given the chance to take in a deep breath.

Tidus immediately stopped when he saw her struggling to breathe. Carefully, he laced his arms around her stomach and gave it a gentle thrust. A gulp of water escaped from her mouth. "YOU!" She turned around and gave him a rather nasty, but playful glare.

"Hey, don't look at me, you started this!" The older Guardian broke into another laughter as he dived into the pool.

HALF TIME IS NOW OVER she heard the voice boom over the speakers.

"Ergh! Wait for me!" Sighing, Rikku dived under and took her position. Across from the duo, Wakka and his team mates were already taking the offensive.


She saw Tidus guarding the goal. It looks like she was going to be the one playing the game. I'll show them what I'm made of. Turning to her partner, she gave him a thumbs up, signaling that she was indeed ready to kick some Aurochs behinds.

A blue and white blur flashed before her eyes when she turned back to the field. The blitz ball zoomed from Gatto to Wakka, giving the red head the first chance to make a shot. Rikku carefully monitored Wakka's movement. Since he was swimming at such a high speed, she assumed that he was going to make the shot on his one instead of passing it to the other members...and she was correct.

The Auroch's leader steadied the ball in front of him as leaned back, preparing his legs to fire at the ball. In one powerful kick, the ball stormed through the water at such an elevated velocity that Rikku nearly missed the capture if her movements were delayed for even one second. She barely caught the edge of the ball with her fingertips, but she did. Quickly, she held it close to her chest, protectively securing it against her as she kicked off from the glass panel of the pool.

Jassu and Wakka nodded in acknowledgement. Rikku could tell that they were both going to go after her. Years of training on the battlefield has heightened her intuition and now she was finally able to take advantage of it. With a smirk, she torpedoed past both Jassu and Wakka, leaving the two males to crash into each other, rendering them immobile for a moment. From the corner of her eyes, she spotted the other Aurochs closing in on her. Luckily for Rikku, speed was her forte. Her slim body allowed her to easily maneuver around the bulky bodies that were closing in on her. Eventually, she had caused half the opposing team to intertwine with each other, creating a jungle of bodies stacked upon each other.

If Tidus was capable of laughing underwater, he would've broken into fits by now. Rikku sure was a fast learner and he couldn't take all the credit for teaching her. She was definitely a natural, a girl born with the desire to succeed and the passion to obtain her dream. A loud ring sounded above him, notifying him that Rikku had successfully scored a goal. The Aurochs looked at her in disbelief. Each of them felt as if a part of their manly pride had just been stripped away by a fifteen year old girl. Well, perhaps "newbie" was a better word, but it certainly did not fit Rikku.

For a brief moment, Tidus shifted his attention to the audience. He was dumbfounded when he spotted Yuna shouting to him behind the glass. She had a look of anguish on her face, but no matter how hard he was trying to make out what she was saying, he just couldn't comprehend the young summoner's words. She pointed a long slender finger to the side of him, urging him to quickly look behind him.

A creature had somehow broken into the sphere pool. Was Luca under siege again? Was this all part of Seymour's twisted plan? He immediately left his post and gathered Rikku in his arms, pulling her out of harm's way as the monster lunged at her. The other Aurochs scrambled towards the edge of the pool, quickly emerging to the surface.

"What the hell is that thing? I thought Seymour was gone, ya!" Wakka grunted in between heavy breaths. He lifted his blitz ball and furiously smashed it down against the beast. "Tidus, Rikku, you two OK?" He quickly extended an arm and helped his companion up. Tidus accepted his gesture with one hand while holding on to Rikku with his other one.

"I got you," he whispered as he used all his might to haul both him and the girl up to the edge.

"Looks like the damn Garuda is back!" Rikku managed to speak out in between the thick breaths. She held on to her arm, which was bleeding from being grazed against the monster. She was lucky that her entire arm was still attached to her body. Just a few moments too late and it could've been permanently handicapped.

"You're bleeding, Rikku..." Tidus quickly took her arm into his hands, examining the deep gash the Garuda left. He searched his pockets and cursed softly to himself. "Damn, I don't have any potions on me. Wakka?" he asked hopefully.

"Sorry, I don't got any on me either, ya."

"I'm OK. Let's just get that thing before it causes any more ruckus!" She stood up, ignoring the hot pain that was cutting through flesh by the moment. Tidus could tell she was in severe agony from the winces she made every second or two and he couldn't stand it.

"This way." He gently scooped her into his arms and carried her into the locker room. He set her down on the bench while opening his locker, digging until he found what he was looking for. The steel blue blade came into view as he released the weapon from its confinement. "Stay here, we got this!"

"But-" Rikku protested.

"No buts. You're hurt. We'll take care of this."

She realized there was nothing she could do in her condition. If anything, she would only hinder their battle. "OK, be careful then..." Rikku hated being stranded in a position where she couldn't offer any assistance. She could only watch Tidus storm out the room with Brotherhood in his hands. Reaching out, she grabbed a bar for support, pulling herself up. She limped towards the door. If she was incapable of participating in battle, she at least wanted to watch what was going on.

"Rikku! Are you ok? a familiar voice asked from behind.

Spinning around, she was confronted with her older cousin. "Yunie!"

"I came as quickly as I can. I don't know how the monster got into the sphere pool. Here, let me tend your wounds..." She ran her fingers over the bloody lines on the other girl's arm. Closing her eyes, she concentrated as a beam of white light flashed momentarily. After the light dispersed, a fresh layer of skin replaced the wound. Yuna raised her hands, forming another light, which she sent towards the injured leg.

"Thanks, Yunie!" Rikku smile gratefully. She flexed her arms and legs, making sure they were back to normal. "I gotta learn healing spells one day."

"Hehe, in time you will. Come on, let's help out the men!"

The two females dashed out and found Tidus and Wakka struggling with difficulty fighting the monster. For some reason, it was stronger than anything they came across on their journey so far.

"Rikku! You're healed!" Tidus exclaimed as he narrowly dodged a blow from the creature. Forcing himself up from the floor, he whizzed pass the two females and slashed the creature with his blade. Unfortunately, it did not deal as much as damage as he expected and was forced to withdraw the sword.

Yuna followed up with a strike with her staff. The damage was intensified thanks to Rikku's metallic arm. The two girls smiled, each silently congratulating the other on a well attack. In that instant, the beast lunged forward, creating a schism in the ground as the earth beneath them violently shook.

"RIKKU! MOVE!" Tidus' keen eyes immediately that the girl was about to lose her balance. He caught her in time and pulled her out of the demon's path for the second time that day.

Yuna collapsed on the ground with hard thud. The monster towered above her, preparing to strike down on the summoner and yet, she couldn't do anything. She couldn't move. All she could do was stare at her Guardian as he nearly sacrificed his life to save the female in his arms. Her own cousin. She was relieved that Rikku was alright, but the fact that Tidus had just indirectly favored Rikku over her was causing her head to fill with confusion and her heart to fill pain and envy.

"AWAY!" Auron's voice filled the surrounding area as he plunged his might masamune into the beast, ending its life and the destruction that it brought.
Multiple pyreflies expanded from the corpse as it faded into the air. Within seconds, the pyreflies disappeared--its soul finally finding peace.

"Are you alright, Yuna?" Auron extended an arm, helping the young woman up to her feet.

Yuna nodded and formally bowed. "Yes, thank you Sir Auron. I am fine."

"We're ok too..." Tidus confirmed while still holding the younger girl in his arms. When he finally realized that all eyes were on him and Rikku, he departed from the embrace and picked up his sword as if his actions never took place. "Um...I guess we better get going now."

"We'll wait for you outside of Luca. No more playing around. In case you forgot, we have a mission." Auron coldly walked away with Yuna following closely behind. She gave Tidus one last look but the blonde did not even take notice. He was too focused on the Al-Bhed and her well-being.

"Come on. I guess we'll have to finish the game after we kill Sin, huh?" Tidus tried to speak with a cheerful tone, attempting to break the silence in the room.

"Yeah, we will..." Rikku replied softly with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Is...there anything wrong, Rikku?"

"No. No not at all." She smiled brightly and turned around. "I had a lot of fun Tidus. We definitely gotta finish the game someday!" she quickly said in order to change the subject.

Tidus returned the smile although something told him things were not quite right. Whenever he brought up the subject of Sin, all the happiness seemed to vanished. It was obvious that Sin brought terror among the people of Spira, but there had to be so much more. So much more that the entire group was hiding from him...but he will eventually learn within time. Yes, he will...and that thought scared him. "Hey Rikku?" He walked up to her and tossed an arm around her neck, bringing her closer towards him. "Whatever happens, just stay close to me...okay?"

-End

Author's Notes: Finally, after 3 years...I am happy to say that this fanfic is FINALLY done. Thanks for sticking with me and I hope you enjoyed this fic! Please leave a review/comment.