Yay, here's chapter 9! Thank you all for the reviews! They make me quite happy! In other words, Gackt is performing with S.K.I.N. (his new 'superband') in L.A., but I can't be there. Tragic, huh? However, anybody who read Number Thirty-Seven should know that I'm a huge hockey fan, and today I'm going to go see one of my team's ex-players as he brings the Stanley Cup to town! Yay! Haha, sorry...Enjoy!

Chapter 9: Blitzball

"So there are six people in the pool on one team, three forwards, two defensive players, and one goalie. The forwards' jobs are to score goals, and the defensive players and the goalie try to keep the ball from going into their goal. Got it?"

"Seems simple enough," Yuna said, "I can't believe how big these arenas are!"

"Yeah, and the ones I'll be playing in are gonna be even larger!" Tidus cried, and he waved at some people as they walked to their seats.

"You know a lot of people!" Yuna said, and Tidus led her straight to what appeared to be perfect seats.

"No, they know me," Tidus corrected her, "They're all parents of guys on the high school team, or people I've played with before, or my instructors, or…"

"You have blitzball instructors?"

"Yeah," Tidus said, "I take blitz lessons. It isn't all natural talent, Yuna!"

"I assumed you just picked up a blitzball and you scored."

"It is in the genes," Tidus admitted, "When your old man's a blitz legend, you can't help but follow in his footsteps."

"I want to meet him," Yuna said, smiling, "I bet he's just like you."

"Please don't say that," Tidus said, shaking his head, "It creeps me out enough knowing that he's related to me, let alone the fact that he's my dad, let alone the fact that I act like him."

"Sorry," Yuna said, giving him a strange look, "I forgot that he's a touchy subject."

"Well, what about your dad, Yuna?" Tidus asked, "Is he a stuck-up rich snob?"

Yuna smiled and shook her head, "No, he's a great father."

"He must have you brainwashed," Tidus said, shaking his head.

"No, I don't think so—," Yuna started, only to get cut off by the announcer's voice.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!" a loud, annoying voice burst into the air, "Tonight, your Bevelle Termites will take on the Zanarkand Giants!"

"The Termites?" Yuna cried, turning to Tidus with a look of belief on her face, "They're called the Termites?"

Tidus laughed and said, "Yeah, Bevelle sucks! But did you hear who we're playing? The Zanarkand Giants! Now that's a kick-ass team!"

Yuna laughed and said, "To be honest with you Tidus, I'm kind of scared."

"Scared? Of what?"

"All these people!" Yuna said, looking at all of the people around them.

"Yeah, what about them?" Tidus asked, shrugging.

"Um, besides us, is there a single person here who isn't drunk?"

Tidus looked around and said, "Uh, probably not. What, wanna get drunk too?"

"No!" Yuna cried, "But why are they all drunk?"

"These games are known as some of the craziest in Bevelle," Tidus said, "Why, that a problem?"

Yuna crossed her arms and said, "So for my first game, you take me to the craziest?"

"Yeah, it's fun!" Tidus said, "This is raw blitz, Yuna! You don't see this in the pros! So, want a beer?"

"I should have known you would take me to someplace like this!" Yuna cried, "I agreed to go with you, thinking I would see a nice, PG-rated blitzball game, but instead, you take me to this bar-like place!"

"Bar-like?" Tidus said, "Oh, you mean this place is kind of like a bar?"

Yuna just slapped her forehead softly and said, "Tidus, let's go. I don't want to be here anymore."

"Aw, come on Yuna! It's fun! I swear."

At that moment, the players swam out, and the people in the crowd stood, cheering loudly.

"Come on, stand!" Tidus said, pulling Yuna up with him excitedly, "See that guy on the Zanarkand team? He used to be my neighbor!"

"Ah, so he's the one who had to put up with you before I did," Yuna said, smiling sweetly.

"Yeah," Tidus said, "His sister babysat me."

Yuna laughed and said, "I bet you were a cute little kid."

"I was," Tidus said, smiling proudly, "I was a kid model. 'Til I started playing blitz, of course."

"What time did you start playing?" Yuna asked.

"When I was three, I started a kiddie league," Tidus said.

"At three?"

"Yeah, I think my earliest memory was this time I bit this kid in the pool. Dude, he bled and bled. Turns out he's now my blitz rival, this jerk over at Luca."

"You have a blitz rival?"

"Yeah," Tidus said, "But he's not as good as me, so he's not really a rival."

"Are they starting?" Yuna asked, turning her attention back to the game.

"Yeah!" Tidus said, and then he yelled, "Come on Zanarkand!"

Right after Tidus yelled that, Zanarkand took hold of the ball and scored a goal.

Booing was heard throughout the crowd, but Tidus jumped up and said, "Alright, I bet a hundred gil that Zanarkand makes another goal in the next five minutes!"

"Tidus, what are you doing?" Yuna asked.

"I'll take part in the bet!" an older man said, pulling out one hundred gil, "Okay, starting now!"

"Anyone else?" Tidus said, "I can double it!"

"Alright, put me in too!" another man said.

"Tidus, that's two hundred gil!" Yuna said, "You just carry that around in your pockets?"

"Yeah!" Tidus said, pulling out a huge wad of gil, "You never know when you'll feel a bet coming on!"

As soon as he said that, Zanarkand once more got hold of the ball and scored.

"Yes!" Tidus cried, "Pay up guys!"

The two guys shook their heads and handed him his gil, saying, "I should have known better than to bet against you, Tidus!"

"That's right!" Tidus said, taking the money.

Yuna couldn't help but smile as Tidus held up the two hundred gil with a huge smile on his face.

"Victorious once again!" he said, sitting back down, "And Zanarkand's in the lead by two goals!"

"I think I want Bevelle to win!" Yuna said then, smiling, "I hope they make a goal soon!"

"I bet you a hundred gil that Bevelle doesn't score in this half," Tidus said, handing his hand out for Yuna to shake.

Yuna looked thoughtful, but she finally said, "Alright" and shook his hand.

"Yeah, come on Zanarkand!" Tidus yelled again, laughing, "Just so you know, Yuna, Bevelle has been scoreless for the last three games!"

"Yeah, but they have the ball now!" Yuna said, and she managed to get the courage up to yell, "Come on Termites!"

"No, let's go Giants!"

"You guys can do it, Termites!" Yuna yelled, raising her voice louder than Tidus'.

"You got it, Giants!" Tidus yelled, even louder.

"Termites!"

"Giants!"

"Termites!"

"Giaaaaaaaants!"

"Teeeeeermiiiiiiiiiiites!"

At that exact moment, the Termites scored.

The entire crowd began to cheer and jump, and Yuna turned to Tidus with a huge smile on her face and said, "Hand over the gil!"

Tidus shook his head, but handed her the gil.

"Beginner's luck," he said.

"Maybe," Yuna agreed, shrugging.

Soon, though, Bevelle was down by five points.
"Okay, this is getting boring," Tidus said, "Blitz is only good when it's a close match. Obviously Zanarkand is way better."

"Poor Termites," Yuna said, shaking her head, "Who named them anyway?"

Tidus laughed and said, "Really wanna know?"

"Yeah," Yuna said, nodding.

"Okay, in any blitz league, Bevelle and Luca are always huge rivals. So, Bevelle's club team—this team—used to be called the something or other, but then the owner died. Luca bought the team, and changed the name to the Termites, and then sold them again, after making the new owners promise not to change the name. So now they're forever the Termites. See, Luca built the arena and everything. That's why it's so nice."

"All of that just to name the team?"

"Yeah," Tidus said, standing up, "I'm hungry. Let's go eat."

"No, I'm actually enjoying myself!" Yuna said, turning her attention back to blitz.

"Come to open blitz with me, and we'll play," Tidus said, "It's more fun to play anyway."

"I can't hold my breath that long," Yuna said, shaking her head.

"Can you hold it for a minute? We can play for just a minute. Or, you know, you can just come and watch me play sometime. I promise you I'm more interesting to watch than these guys."

"It's true!" the guy next to Tidus said, obviously having been eavesdropping on their conversation.

Tidus just smiled at him, and said, "Come on Yuna, let's go."

Tidus had to drag Yuna up, but she gave in, and followed him.

"You were sure quick to get out of there," Yuna said, noticing an urgency in Tidus' eyes.

"I was afraid," Tidus said, "That that guy was going to start asking me about what college I was choosing."

"What college are you choosing?" Yuna asked, remembering the numerous newspaper articles.

"I don't know yet," Tidus said, shrugging, "And I don't like to talk about it."

"Well, where to now?" Yuna asked, "Home?"

"Yeah," Tidus said, opening the door for her. He had a distant look in his eyes, and Yuna knew he wasn't in the mood to talk.

Once the two were in Tidus' car—his third car, the one that "wasn't as cool as others"—Tidus said, "So, did you enjoy it?"

"Yeah," Yuna said, nodding.

"Wanna watch me play at open blitz tomorrow?" Tidus asked her then, smiling.

"Well," Yuna said, leaning back, "I'd love to, but you know, I wouldn't want to get the wrong idea."

Tidus laughed and said, "Don't worry about that. The only time a girl I like is invited to watch me blitz is if they're a cheerleader."

Yuna shook her head and said, "I have to bake and stuff for that bake sale, remember?"

"Ah, forget the bake sale," Tidus said, "Can't you just donate money? Aren't your rich?"

Yuna looked at the floor and said, "My father's only paying for half of my college. He says I need to learn to be independent. So I'm trying to get as many scholarships as I can. I already have quite a few, but I need more. It'd be cheating if I just gave the money!"

"So what?" Tidus asked, shrugging.

"When you blitz, do you cheat?" Yuna asked, giving Tidus a questionable look.

"Of course not!" Tidus said, "But I don't need to!"

"I don't need to either," Yuna said, "So I have to bake."

"I think I want to have a party tomorrow," Tidus said, "I found Gip's list of party stuff."

"Oh," Yuna said, looking at the ground.

Tidus looked as if he was having some sort of internal conflict, when he finally said, slowly, as if it pained him to say it, "Is that alright with you?"

Yuna looked out the window. Clouds had moved in, and she figured it was going to rain, despite the fact that it had been a mostly rainless summer.

"You know," Yuna said, slowly, "The reason I'd never seen a blitzball game before was because my father wouldn't allow it. He said it was a dirty sport and that instead of watching it, it would be better that I studied. And so I studied. Going tonight was…Really fun. Thanks."

"You're welcome," Tidus said, shrugging, "It must suck, never being able to see a blitz game."

"I didn't know what I was missing out on," Yuna said, and she looked at him and smiled, "But it was a lot of fun. I wish I could have watched more games. And I do want to see you play, Tidus, I really do."

Yuna swallowed, took a deep breath, and continued, "I don't mean to sound corny, or stupid, or anything, but when I'm around you, it feels okay to do things I'm not supposed to do." Yuna laughed, "Maybe it's because I realize how well-behaved I am compared to you."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Tidus asked, shaking his head.

"Actually, it is," Yuna said, smiling, "Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that…Maybe going to one of your parties wouldn't be such a bad idea. Especially if it was going to be your last party."

"What are you trying to say?" Tidus asked her, now looking suspicious.

Yuna smiled a little wider and said, "Tidus, I want to have a double-yard party, or whatever you call it."

"Seriously?" Tidus asked, his face lighting up as well, "That's awesome! Tomorrow night?"

"Yeah," Yuna said, "But no alcohol!"

"Yuna, there has to be alcohol!" Tidus cried, "This is gonna be the biggest party in Bevelle! Anybody who is anybody is going to be there."

"Fine, but you're keeping it stashed at your house. Oh, and if my house or yard gets messed up, you're cleaning it!"

"Not a problem!" Tidus said, "Yevon Yuna, you have no idea how much this rocks!"

"Well, I'm glad you're happy," Yuna said, shaking her head, "Because to be perfectly honest, I'm a little nervous."

"Don't be," Tidus said, "I'll take care of everything. It's gonna be a blast, Yuna! Let's see…Damn, I could really use Gippal's help, but I think we'll have it start at six."

"Six?
"Yeah. We'll have to have a lot of food."

"Okay, stop talking about it before I change my mind!" Yuna said, "But you have to promise that you will have no more parties after this one."

"Right," Tidus said, "I promise. Although the rest of the summer is going to be awfully boring…"

Yuna simply smiled and said, "You know, I'm almost excited about this."

Tidus smiled back at her and said, "Me too."

-

"Oh Gippal! Guess what? Tonight, Yuna and I are having a double-yard party! You coming?"

Gippal was silent, but then he said, "Tonight? Ti…Tonight's not good."

"What the hell do you mean?" Tidus cried, sitting upright. He had been slouching on his couch, completely covered in chip crumbs, where he'd been for the last three hours.

"Tonight's not good," Gippal simply repeated himself.

"Gip, this is gonna be the hugest party in Bevelle! Why the hell is it not a good night? Yuna's not going to go for just any night!"

"First of all, what the hell did you do to her?" Gippal asked, changing the conversation around, "I mean, you had to have drugged her or something to get her to go along with that!"

"Dude, she's in love with me," Tidus said, smirking despite the fact that no one could see him.

"Yevon, what the hell did you do?" Gippal said once again.

"This isn't about Yuna," Tidus said, "Why the hell can't you come?"

"It's Rikku and my one-week anniversary," Gippal said, "I'm taking her out to dinner."

"Yevon, please tell me you're kidding!" Tidus cried, "One-week? You're going to miss this for a one-week anniversary? Yevon, she has you whipped!"

"Ti, this means a lot to us," Gippal said.

"You sound like a girl!" Tidus said, "Shit, Gip, Rikku's got you wrapped around her finger! Break it up and get over here to help with this party!"

"Look Tidus, I don't know what you did to Yuna, but Rikku is not going to be happy when she finds out. She's pretty protective of her."

Tidus laughed and said, "Whatever, Yuna's not going to admit that she's in love with me."

"Look, I gotta go," Gippal said then, "Have fun at your party."

"What, so you think you're totally more mature than me now 'cause you have a seventeen-year-old girlfriend?" Tidus just said, shaking his head, "How lame, Gip. You even been in her pants yet?"

"It's not all about that, Tidus," Gippal said, "I don't mean to sound like a jerk or anything, but you really need to grow up, okay? And leave Yuna alone, will you? She's not your type. You should have figured that out already."

"Gip, after this party, she's outta here! You know that!"

"Stop playing her, Tidus!"

"No, Gip, trust me," Tidus said, "I'm not playing her. I told her how it was flat-out. I said, "Yuna, don't get the wrong idea. I am not interested in you as anything more than a friend."'

"Yeah sure," Gippal said, "More like you said, "Hey Yuna, I'm good-looking and awesome in bed. Come on over."'

"Dude, you know she wouldn't go for that," Tidus said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, hey! Rikku's here. Gotta go man. Good luck at your party!"

"Gip wait!" Tidus cried, but Gippal hung up.

"Yevon damn you," Tidus said, and he slammed his phone shut.

Rolling his eyes, Tidus stood up and brushed the crumbs off of himself, and opened his phone again, and began to make phone calls. It was going to be a long afternoon.

-

"A party? You? No way Yunie!" Rikku cried.

"I know," Yuna said, "Hey, where are you? Are you at home?"

"No, I'm at Gippal's," Rikku answered, "He's on the toilet though. I guess he had some leftovers for breakfast that aren't really sitting right in his stomach. Poor guy!"

Yuna rolled her eyes despite her attempts not to—although it didn't really matter, since Rikku couldn't see her anyway—and said, "Well, um, are you going to come to the party?"

"Can't," Rikku answered, "Gippal and I are going to dinner tonight! Sorry Yunie!"

"Can't you come after dinner?" Yuna asked, biting her lip nervously, "I'm kind of scared."

"You'll be alright Yunie!" Rikku said, "Although, why are you having a party with him anyway? Didn't I tell you he was dangerous?"

Once again, Yuna rolled her eyes. How had her cousin gone from stalking Tidus to being the one to tell her that he was dangerous?

"See, I'm nervous," Yuna said, "I don't know what to expect!"

"Then why'd you go along with it?" Rikku asked, "Go tell him you're not interested."

"I…" Yuna started, only to trail. She never did get to finish for then she heard another voice in the phone.

"I gotta go, Yunie. Gippal and I are going to help my dad work on his new airship! Talk to you later!"

Rikku hung up before Yuna could even say goodbye.

Yuna sighed and shut her phone. Her eyes glanced outside and toward Tidus' house, where she saw people moving things into the house. She knew it was time to get ready for the party, whether she could prepare herself or not.

Part of her wanted to call him and tell him to cancel, but she just couldn't. Biting her lip again, she stood up and decided to simply not worry about it.

She just had to trust Tidus. And of course, keep in mind that it would be the last party, and the last time that she wouldn't be able to get to sleep. Knowing that made her feel a little bit better, and she began to prepare herself the best she could.