Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Forever Silent ❯ Bittersweet Victory ( Chapter 3 )

Same disclaimer applies! I own nothing of FFX. Kenzi is mine, the idea was mine…and the rest. Well…I didn't get so luck there.

Bittersweet Victory

Three hours after their arrival in Zanarkand, the Besaid Aurochs stumbled into their locker room, exhausted but wearing bright smiles of victory. Many of them sported ugly bruises and yet those did nothing to lessen their exuberant attitudes. They had beaten the Luca Goers. It had been a long and difficult game, not to mention incredibly hostile, going into 20 minutes of overtime. The final score, 6 to 5, the winning goal executed beautifully by the newest additions to the Besaid Aurochs, Kenzi.

*~*~*Flashback*~*~*

Kenzi winced as she watched a dark man with black hair named Abus slam into Botta. The red headed Auroch doubled over in pain but thankfully kept his firm hold on the blitzball. After making sure his target was clear he passed the ball halfway across the sphere pool to Jassu. When the bleach blond man turned, Bickson, a red head with a wicked smirk and an appalling attitude was right there waiting for him. Using the wither tackle technique, Bickson shot forward. Jassu braced himself, clutching the ball tightly. This was going to hurt.

Bickson hit him hard, dragging him back in the water and forcing the air from his lungs. The wither tackles toxin immediately took effect, spreading through his body like wild fire. But the ball was still in his possession. They could still win this.

Jassu lifted his head tiredly and found Tidus several feet away. `I can get that far. No problem.'

Everything from that moment on seemed to drag out in slow motion. Jassu passed the ball to Tidus. Taking his eyes off of the ball for a split second, Tidus turned his head to the side, his gaze meeting Kenzi's across the pool. He jerked his head up, motioning to the top of the sphere pool and she nodded, propelling herself up through the water. Tidus turned in time to catch the ball. He twisted, hurling it up at Kenzi and praying that she would nail it.

The strawberry blond Al Bhed broke the surface of the water, the blitzball right behind her. `This is it Kenzi,' she thought as she sailed out of the sphere and into the cloudless sky. `Time to show them why they recruited you.' She twisted on her side, her back arching gracefully as she swept her leg around her in a roundhouse kick. She saw the ball, watched as it connected with her foot and went flying back into the sphere pool with amazing speed. The silence stretched out agonizingly then was broken when the buzzer sounded and the crowd filled stadium erupted with cheers. Kenzi smiled as she dove back into the water. They had won.

*~*~*End Flashback*~*~*

"Way to go guys!" Wakka congratulated his team, grinning from ear to ear. "We're on to the finals!"

"Yeah, thanks to legs here!" Jassu exclaimed proudly, wrapping his arm around Kenzi's shoulders.

"No kidding," Botta spoke up, gingerly rubbing the large bruise forming on his side. "Were you watchin' capn'? It was a great shot."

Wakka watched the blond Al Bhed blush and duck her head. "Yeah, I saw it," he replied softly.

He'd seen it all right. He had watched every second of it wondering how it was humanly possible to have the incredible body she had. He hadn't been able to take his eyes off her, not even when the buzzer sounded signaling that they had won the game. All he could do was watch her, swimming with sure strokes, an angelic smile curving her full pink lips.

Then, of course, had come that guilt again. He really hated that feeling but he supposed it was his own fault. Ever since they had left the ship he had been particularly cold to her and he wasn't even sure why. Maybe it had something to do with their little run in on the deck. When her small body had been pressed against his and she'd been staring at him with those beautiful gray-blue eyes something had stirred inside him. He had suddenly stopped looking at her as an Al Bhed and started seeing her for the woman she really was. It had shocked him and ever scared him a little. When Lu had commented on it, she had been nothing short of furious. He'd listened to her insults, staying silent the entire time. He had learned long ago that it was pointless to argue with her.

But when he had gone back to join the team in the deserted area behind the stadium where they were practicing, he had immediately started taking his anger at Lulu out on the unsuspecting Kenzi. He'd cut her down, corrected moves that didn't need correcting over and over again and basically just been a complete ass to her.

He knew he owed her an apology. And he knew he had to do it before their next game. His sudden cruelness had thrown her that much was obvious. Sure she had played good but Wakka knew she could have played better. They probably would have destroyed the Goers and avoided over time all together had Kenzi not been afraid he would yell at her again.

`Yeah,' he thought, watching the guys compliment Kenzi. `I defiantly owe her an apology.' He cleared his throat and called out to her. "Hey, Kenzi."

The perky Al Bhed's head snapped up and her stormy eyes focused warily on him.

"Could you come here for a sec?" he asked. "I want to talk to you about somethin'."

Kenzi shot a look at Tidus. He gave her an encouraging smile and she separated herself from the group, crossing the room slowly to where Wakka stood waiting. "What's up?" she asked cautiously.

"Listen, Kenzi….I think I owe you an apology," Wakka started off awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I came down pretty hard on you today and I didn't' mean to. Me and Lu, we weren't getting along too well and I took it out on the wrong person."

Kenzi pointed to herself, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Wakka grinned sheepishly and nodded. "Yeah, you," he said, glad to see laughter sparkling in her eyes once again. "I'm sorry Kenzi."

"Apology accepted," she murmured.

They stared at each other for a moment longer, and then Wakka wrapped a muscular arm around Kenzi's shoulders and pulled her close to his side. "You hungry?"

"Starving," Kenzi replied, trying to ignore the erratic beating of her heart.

"Alright then. Yo! Aurochs!" Wakka almost shouted. "We got a while before our next game. You feel like grabbin' a bite to eat? I'll pay."

"Capn's payin'? That means I'll be able to get twice as much food!" Keepa said.

Jassu rolled his eyes and elbowed his husky friend. "You do that and there's not gonna be anything left for the rest of us."

"I could use some food. Last time I ate was breakfast if that's what you can call the junk they carry on the ship, ya?" Datto said while adjusting the green band he wore around his head. "What about you Tidus, Botta? You guys in?"

Botta nodded. "Hell yeah. Can't turn down free food."

Tidus shook his head, slowly backing towards the door. "I think I'm going to…ahh…see Yuna." As he expected the entire team broke out in a chorus of "ooooooo's." Tidus laughed and pushed the door open. "Whatever guys. You just wish you all had a girlfriend as fine as mine!" he yelled over his shoulder as he disappeared.

"Damn kid's got a point," Jassu muttered, his shoulder slumping.

Wakka laughed and reluctantly loosened his hold on Kenzi. "Come on guys. Let's get out of here and find a good place to eat, ya?" He led the way out of the locker room and everyone followed, Jassu and Kenzi trailing behind.

Kenzi slid a sideways glance in Jassu's direction, surprised to see that he was actually still sulking. Had what Tidus said actually gotten to him? It seemed like it. Jassu was much more quiet then he normally tended to be. She could fix that though. "Um…Jassu?"

"Hmm?"

"You know if you wanted a girlfriend all you would have to do is ask a certain Al Bhed with green eyes."

At that Jassu perked up, regarding Kenzi with curiosity. "You mean Rikku? Seriously?!"

Kenzi nodded. "Yup. I think she's been interested in you for a while. She's probably going to kill me for telling you that but I think it was worth the risk, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. Wow, I never thought she would feel that way about me. Always thought she was cute, ever since the day Capn' Wakka brought her back after their fight with Sin. Guess I just didn't know how to go about tellin' her, ya know?"

Kenzi smiled at the taller man, gently bumping her arm against his. "So are you going to tell her then?"

"You bet. I'll think of some romantic way to say it. You girls go for that kind of stuff."

Kenzi started to reply when a group of goggled men walking towards them caught her attention. She stifled a yelp and ducked behind Jassu, keeping herself well hidden from the men. There was no way that she wanted to be confronted by the Al Bhed Psyches, not right now.

"You know, they're gonna see you sooner or later legs," Jassu said, looking over his shoulder and smiling at the way Kenzi was gripping his arm and maneuvering herself around him to keep the Al Bhed's from seeing her.

"I prefer later," she muttered dryly. She moved in front of her blond teammate and walked backwards, looking over his shoulder at the retreating backs of the Psyches. "I wonder if they even know I'm here?"

Jassu shrugged, gently pulling Kenzi back to his side to avoid tripping over her and taking them both down. "I guess we'll find out if they win this next game. Then it's just us and them."

Kenzi didn't like the sound of that. The Al Bhed had become very hostile over the league season. She liked to refer to is as `victory lust.' They were just about as tough as the Luca Goers but not half as sneaky. The way the Al Bhed Psyches went about winning was basically by use of brute strength and it was scary to see how far they would sometimes take it.

Lost in her thoughts, Kenzi almost missed the restaurant they had chosen to stop at. She would have walked by completely if Jassu hadn't reached over and tugged on her arm, pulling her inside. The place they had gone into was more of a sports bar then a restaurant and it was dedicated entirely to the game of Blitzball. Worn uniform framed under glass lined the walls along with several pictures of famous Blitzball players. The far wall was made up of glass windows, looking out over the gigantic stadium and sphere pool. A big screen hung suspended above the bar, playing the previous game taking place between the Al Bhed Psyches and Guado Glories.

Most of the Besaid Aurochs were already seated on bar stools around a large elevated table. Jassu grabbed a seat and the last one left, Kenzi noticed with a waver of nervousness, was the seat next to Wakka. She took a deep, calming breath and slid up onto the bar stool, quickly grabbing a menu and burying her face it.

"Findin' anything you like?" Wakka asked after a while, leaning close to her.

Kenzi turned to look up into his liquid amber eyes and smile. `You,' she thought dreamily. "Not yet. Everything looks way too good." Her eyes traveled from the menu to his strong leg only inches away from her own, then up to the arm propped on the table beside her. She had to force herself not to go further.

Wakka moved a little bit closer, unaware that he was even doing it and said, "You should try the behemoth burger. They're pretty good. That's what I'm getting."

"Okay," Kenzi replied breathlessly, handing her menu over to Wakka.

"Keepa…you just see that?" Botta asked quietly, hitting the Auroch goalie none-to-gently under the table.

Keepa smirked. "You bet I did. How sweet huh? Our capn' helpin' the newbie order."

"It's soooo romantic," Botta gushed, batting his lashes like an over flirtatious female. "Yeah, we all know what Wakka wants to order and it ain't nowhere in that menu he's holdin'."

The two enjoyed a good laugh before the waitress came to take their orders. While they waited for their food the team watched the game going on, noticing grimly that the Al Bhed's were killing the Guado's.

"Something tells me goin' up against those guys isn't going to be much fun," Datto muttered, nodding to the waitress as she set his food down in front of him.

Botta looked up at Kenzi, noticing that she was still watching Wakka avidly. She had it bad. Botta just hoped that in the end it would all work out. Kenzi was one hell of a girl. One he would have gone after himself had he not noticed the way she watched Wakka like he was the only man on earth. "Hey legs, what do you have to say about it?"

Kenzi looked up. "Huh?"

"I said what do you think about the Al Bhed. You think we stand a chance?"

Kenzi paused to dip a fry in catsup and pop it in her mouth, chewing it thoughtfully. "They're tough. When I was playing with them it seemed like they just got more and more angry with each game they played. But I think we can do it. Steer clear of their elbows and you should be fine."

The rest of their meals were eaten in quite conversation, most of it revolving around strategy. When they finished Wakka paid for everything and they left the restaurant. Outside the sun was steadily setting, casting gold and violet colors streaking across the sky. People were heading towards the stadium in large groups and children were laughing as they threw blitballs back and forth.

"How much time we got?" Jassu asked, folding his hands behind his head.

"We got about an hour," a voice called out from ahead of them. Tidus pushed through the crowd and rejoined his team. "How was the food?"

"Pretty good," Wakka said. He put a hand over his full stomach and grinned. "How was Yuna?"

Smiling, Tidus rolled his eyes. "Wouldn't you like to know? We should get back to the locker room. Stretch out a bit."

The team agreed and they returned to their designated locker room. After pushing aside bags and benches they all sat in a large circle and began to get prepared for the game.

Kenzi pulled one leg in and stretched the other out to the side, then leaned over it sighing as the muscles began to stretch. She tried to keep her mind focused on the game. It was not an easy thing to do. She kept wondering how the Psyches were going to take it, seeing her with another team. Would they be upset? Would they get her back during the course of the game? God, she hopped not. Then she realized something that made her stomach turn in sickening knots. She was playing center, right across from Blappa. `He is going to be so pissed,' she thought as she finished stretching and pulled on her thick leather gloves, strapping them halfway up her arms.

Tense silence filled the room as each player stretched and started doing their pre game rituals. Botta went off in the corner and placed his elbows on his knees, resting his head on his folded hands. Datto adjusted and re-adjusted his sandals and headband. Keepa sat on another bench, rolling a blitzball back and forth under his foot. Wakka and Tidus talked in hushed murmurs across the room. Jassu however came to sit next to Kenzi, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her into a brotherly half hug. "Doin' okay?"

Kenzi nodded nervously, then changing her mind, shook her head quickly back and forth.

"What's up?"

She sighed, running her hands over her head. "I'm playing across from my ex and we did NOT part on good terms."

Jassu gave her a gentle shake. "No worries, ya? We got your back. The jerk tries anything and he'll have a whole team pissed off at him."

Kenzi smiled. "Thanks Jassu," she said, reaching up and hugging him.

"Okay guys," Wakka spoke up, breaking the tense silence. "Suns down. It's game time."

Each Auroch stood slowly and formed a tight circle around their captain. Hands went in, one over the other. Wakka slowly looked around the small group of faces, pausing on Kenzi. She was worried about something. He could see the anxiety swimming in her eyes. "When you guys get out there remember to have fun. Win or loose were still the best team Spira has to offer, ya?"

"Ya!" The team shouted in unison.

"We should go out there now. I want to get there before the sphere's filled," Tidus said. Excitement practically radiated from him. If there was one person ready for this game it was him. "You guys just got to see it. It's awesome."

Wakka nodded and slapped his friend on the shoulder. "You heard the man. Get out there. Good luck guys!"

The team filed out, Kenzi once again lagging behind. Wakka gently grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. When she raised her eyes to him they were filled with trepidation. He brushed his thumb softly over her jawbone, unable to help himself. "You okay?"

She nodded hastily. "Yeah. I just want to get this over with. I have this feeling…it's silly really," she said, trying to turn away.

Wakka used his fingers to pull her face back around so that he could watch the emotions swimming in her eyes. "What is it Kenzi?"

"I just…." Kenzi shrugged. "I have this feeling that they're going to be really brutal."

"To you?"

Kenzi nodded mutely.

"Hey. Don't worry okay? You're gonna be fine. You're the best I've seen aside from Tidus. They wont be able to touch you," he said, smiling down at her.

Kenzi smiled hopefully back up at him. "Really?"

"Yeah, really. Now get your ass up there. Tidus wants all of you guys to see the sphere get filled. He's…kinda strange that way, you know?"

Laughing, Kenzi impulsively threw her arms around Wakka's neck. "I know. Thanks Capn'." She placed a quick kiss on his cheek and before she could spare a second to be embarrassed she ran out of the locker room to join the rest of the team. They were lined up alongside the sphere. Apprehension filled the air. Across from there stood the Al Bhed, each of them crossing their arms over their chests.

"You guys ready for this?" Tidus asked smiling.

Kenzi gave him a strange look. "How is this going to be any different from any other time they fill up the sphere pool?"

Tidus laughed and shook his head. "Just watch."

As he spoke, energy began to build around them, moving in electrifying waves. Kenzi felt her breath leave her in a sudden rush as she watched it collect in the middle of the sphere, moving forward in neon beams of light. The entire crowed stared in awe as the beams moved faster, forming a blinding ball of energy in the middle of the sphere, then is suddenly exploded, the blast forcing people back into their seats.

"Wow…." Kenzi murmured, watching water spill over and around the sphere.

"Told you it was going to be awesome," Tidus said smugly. "Alright guys! Let's do this!"

The Aurochs entered the sphere and moved in to position. Kenzi braced herself for Blappa's reaction and wasn't disappointed. The young Al Bhed swam up, took one look at her and his jaw dropped.

"Kenzi, fryd dra ramm yna oui tuehk rana?!"

Kenzi couldn't resist smirking at him. "I'm playing. What does it look like I'm doing?"

Before Blappa could get in another comment the buzzer sounded and the game began. Tidus scored the first goal after ruthlessly breaking through the Al Bhed's defense and carrying off a perfect sphere shot. Then Blappa tied the score, almost taking Keepa out of the game with a nap shot. After that the game remained tied. Each Auroch team member poured their hearts into the game and just when they though they were getting somewhere, using every technique in the book, something went wrong.

There were three minutes left in the first half and Botta had the ball. He had an open shot for Kenzi, so he signaled to her and passed. Kenzi watched the ball, not paying any attention to Blappa who was swimming up behind her. She caught the ball and spun around, finding herself face to face with her ex. Too late she noticed the malicious smirk curving his thin lips. He shot forward to tackle her and his elbow came down, connecting solidly with her temple. As her body went limp, the ball dropped from her fingers and the buzzer sounded. `End of the first half,' she thought as she blacked out completely.

Immediate chaos broke out. Datto went for Blappa, screaming profanities and Botta held him back doing his own share of vulgar yelling. Tidus started yelling at the refs, demanding they call a foul. Closer to Kenzi then any of the others, Jassu shot through the water and grabbed her sinking body, cradling it close to his. He motioned to the rest of the Aurochs to leave the pool and then swam for the exit. After getting out of the pool he went straight to the locker room, Tidus, Datto, Botta and Keepa quickly following behind him.

The door was jerked open by a fierce looking Wakka. "Put her on one of the tables," he said, trying hard to control his anger.

Jassu looked back at Botta and Datto. The two nodded and moved past him, grabbing a large table from against the wall and pulling it into the middle of the room.

"Do you want me to go get Yuna?" Tidus asked, coming up to stand beside Wakka.

The larger man shook his head, watching as Jassu carefully set Kenzi's unmoving body on the table. "No time. The second half starts in five minutes." With a sigh he left Tidus and went to the table, staring down at Kenzi's pale face. He gingerly ran his blunt fingertips over the nasty bump forming at her temple and cursed. "How hard did that guy hit her?"

"Pretty hard," Datto muttered. "From any other angle I'm sure it looked like he tackled her but from where I was….I saw him hit her. He was smiling capn'. He meant to do it."

Wakka's fists clenched in fury. He actually felt sick. He couldn't believe that the guy had intentionally hit Kenzi! He wanted to hunt him down and beat him within an inch of his life for even thinking about hurting her. "Anyone know why he'd wanna do somethin' like this?"

Jassu nervously cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the group. "She told me the guy is her…ah…ex."

"She dated that guy!?" Datto yelped, earning himself several glares. "Sorry."

Wakka swore again and drug a hand over his face. "No wonder she was so worried about goin' out there."

Kenzi stirred and the room went silent, all the guys turning to watch her. "Wakka," she murmured, twisting her head to the side.

If the red headed captain thought it was strange that she had called out his name he didn't say anything. The rest of the Aurochs however gave him interested looks but he ignored them, leaning down and sliding a hand under the curve of her neck. "Kenzi?"

She stirred again, this time turning her head towards him. Her lids slowly drifted open, revealing deep pools of dazed gray. Her thin brows drew together in uncertainty and she tried to move her head further, wincing when the lump above her temple brushed the unyielding surface of the table.

"Careful," Wakka murmured, gently cradling her head in the palm of his hand. "You took a pretty hard hit out there, ya?"

Kenzi made a sound of disgust and winced again, then glared up at the offending lump that was keeping her inhibited. "Blappa is such a freaking ass. I should have seen that one coming."

"You shouldn't have had to," Datto said hotly. "He hit you on purpose Kenzi. That ain't right."

Kenzi smiled at him, touched by the fact that Datto had gotten so angry because someone had hit her. "I know it's not right but that's how those guys work. Or at least that's how some of those guys work." She tapped his arm lightly with her foot and was rewarded with a shy grin. "You want to help me up?"

"Sure." He moved around the table and took her hand, slowly helping her sit up.

Watching her legs dangle over the edge of the table Kenzi took a fortifying breath. "When do we go back out?"

Wakka gaped at her, unable to believe those words had come from her mouth. She'd just gotten knocked out, she could barley hold her head up and now she wanted to go back into the game? Well, that wasn't going to happen. "We're goin' now. You're stayin' here," he said.

Kenzi raised pleading eyes to him, eyes he knew he could never resist. "Please Wakka, let me go out. Just for a few minutes."

"Why?"

"It's a pride thing," Kenzi said, frustration evident in her tone. "I'll be fine. Just give me time to go in there, score and take care of that asshole Blappa. Please? I'll have Jassu call time out when I start losing it. I promise. Just please let me go in there and do this."

Wakka crossed his arms over his muscular chest and simply stared at her, demanding himself to say no. There was no way she could do this. It was amazing that she had even come to after a blow like that. "Why should I say yes?"

Kenzi leaned against his arm and tilted her head up, giving him a melting smile. "Because I was with the Al Bhed for a year. I know their tricks. I can do this. You can run and get Yuna and I promise…PROMISE…I wont be out there longer then five minutes. Pleeeeease?"

He almost laughed. Almost. "Kenzi, you sure about this? What if you black out as soon as you leave the locker room? Then what?"

Kenzi slid off the table as the Aurochs filed out of the locker room. After making sure her feet were firmly planted and she wasn't going to pass out and fall flat on her face she turned to Wakka and placed her hands on his chest. "I'll be okay. Trust me," she whispered, never allowing her eyes to leave his.

Wakka was lost. Lost in her eyes, lost to her words, lost to his own will. Before he knew it he was resolutely nodding his head, giving into the little minx, allowing her too keep her pride as his took a drastic fall.

Kenzi's smile was blinding as she reached up and wrapped her arms around Wakka's neck. "Thank you. I promise you wont regret this."

"Yeah yeah. Get out there before I change my mind," he muttered, smiling as he allowed his arms to wrap around her small waist. If there was no game to think about he would gladly stay like that for the rest of the night, or at least until someone found them. But he couldn't. There was a game to be played. He released his hold on her and she let her arms fall back to her side. "Go," he said, giving her a shove out the door.

Kenzi smiled and bounced out the doorway. It was only far from that door that she cut the theatrics and started to stager. Spots swam before her eyes. Pain exploded from the spot where Blappa had hit her, but she refused to give up. She had to do this.

An arm came around her and she leaned against its owner, looking up into kind brown eyes. "Jassu."

The Aurochs left defense grinned and nodded. "You may be able to fool capn' Wakka with your sweet talk, but not me. Saw right though it Kenzi."

"Only a few minutes, then I'm out. Just tell the rest of the guys to watch their mark and keep them away from me," she said, dragging in an unsteady breath.

"You got it." Jassu helped her to the sphere pool then let her go in on her own. Once in the water Kenzi immediately started feeling better. The cool water caressed her skin and eased the pain throbbing in her head. She moved into position in the center of the sphere, smirking at Blappa's stunned expression and the game began.

The ball flew up between Kenzi and Blappa. Kenzi let the jerk have it, smiling as he moved toward her. He was almost setting himself up for this one. The smirk on her face disappeared, replaced by a cold glare. Blappa stopped in front of her, shaking his head. He didn't think she had it in her to take him down. He was so very wrong.

With a powerful kick Kenzi shot forward. She tackled him hard, slamming her body against his with jarring impact. `Now for the pain,' she thought, shoving her shoulder up hard into his chin and snapping his head back. But it wasn't enough. Kenzi's fingers closed around the ball and she did the one thing she never thought she would do to a man. As she came out of the tackle she brought her knee up between his legs and it connected hard with its target. Kenzi silently congratulated herself as the ball slipped from Blappa's fingers and into her possession.

She didn't spare a moment to make sure the Al Bhed was okay. Why should she? He had brought it upon himself. With a laugh she swam forward, increasing her speed and surprising her entire team but adapting Wakka's freestyle stroke and easily making her way to the goal.

She stopped several feet away and looked down at the blitzball. `Now what was it that Nimrook just hated?' She looked up at the Al Bhed goalie and smiled. "Venom," she whispered. The blitzball responded to her words and started glowing a filthy green color. She saw Nimrook's eyebrows shoot up and laughed. "Sorry Rook! I've got to make the capn' proud." She released the ball, kicking it as hard as she could and it sailed through Nimrook's hands and into the goal.

Kenzi laughed and floated on her back, reeling with the euphoria of her victory. Not only had she proven herself to be much stronger then she looked but she had shown her captain that she was a woman of her word. Her joy didn't last long though. As soon as she straightened up and started to swim back into position her head began to pound with an almost lethal force. She looked up at Jassu, not surprised to see him watching her avidly. She gave him the nod and he called time, allowing her to exit the sphere.

While she was swimming away someone grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She swung around and stared up at the face of an Al Bhed with dark circles around his eyes, a bright yellow mohawk, and worn gray overalls. Brother.

The handsome Al Bhed looked back to where Blappa was floating, clutching his stomach and muttering several curses in Al Bhed. With a chuckle he turned back to Kenzi. "Good shot Kenzi. It's nice to see you again," he said in thick Al Bhed.

Kenzi offered him a weak smile. "Thanks Brother. It's good to see you again too. Nice to know the entire team doesn't hate me for leaving."

"No." Brother shook his head. "I didn't believe a word of it."

Giving his hand a quick squeeze, Kenzi said goodbye, turning to leave the sphere. She trudged to the locker room, feeling weaker with every step she took. She wasn't even sure she was going to make it. She could just picture herself falling flat on her face, unconscious in the middle of the walkway. It wasn't a pretty picture. When she reached the door it opened for her and she fell against the solid wall of Wakka's chest.

"You did good Kenzi. Now it's time to rest, ya?" he murmured close to her ear while rubbing her back with his hand.

The blonde Al Bhed could only manage a small nod as Wakka picked her up and carried her back to the table, setting her down gently on top of it.

"Heal her, will you Yuna?" Wakka asked, unable to tear his worried gaze from where Kenzi lie.

Yuna stepped forward from where she had been standing quietly against the wall, a casual observer of the goings on. She placed a hand on her good friend shoulder, trying to get his attention. "Wakka, go. I'll take care of her. By the time you get back it will be like nothing happened."

The tall man stared at the woman on the table a moment longer, then with a curt nod, turned and left the room.

Yuna smiled and shook her head at Wakka's retreating back. "So there really is something between you two," she said softly, turning back to the unconscious Kenzi. "Well, I honestly hope it works out. But I don't suppose it will if I don't heal you."

Quickly conjuring up a cura she placed a glowing hand over the swelling lump on Kenzi's head, smiling as the bruise subsided and the lump disappeared. As Yuna had promised it was like nothing had even happened. "You can wake up now," Yuna whispered, laughing when Kenzi scrunched up her nose.

"But sleep feels so good!" the blond Al Bhed cried. Slowly she opened her eyes and experimentally turned her head from side to side. The pain was gone. "Thank you Yuna," she said, smiling up at the summoner.

Yuna pulled up a bench and sat down, turning to the screen that hung in the corner of the room so that she could watch the game. "You're welcome Kenzi. Anything to help a friend."

"So are they playing yet?"

"Wakka just entered the sphere pool now," Yuna replied, pointing to the screen.

Kenzi flipped around on the table. She propped her shoulder on the surface and rested her chin in her hands, watching Wakka as he swam through the water. Heat spread through her as she thought back on all of the moments they had shared today, recent one most defiantly included. Oh, the things he made her feel. She wished she could tell him, explain how deeply her feelings ran for him. Explain that every time he touched her she had difficulty breathing and resisting the temptation his arms held.

"Kenzi," Yuna said, breaking her from her wistful revere. The young Al Bhed turned to her soft-spoken companion expectantly. "I'm not really sure how to ask you so I'm just going to come out and ask you, okay?" At Kenzi's nod Yuna tentatively continued. "How…how long have you had feelings for Wakka?"

"Six years," the blond replied flippantly, turning back to the game.

Yuna almost fell off of her seat. "Six years?!"

Kenzi nodded, sending her gaze to the floor with a secretive smile. "Mm-hm. I've liked him since the first time I laid eyes on him. Something about him was so…different from other guys. I couldn't stop myself from adoring him. Even when Sin came and I went years before I ever saw him again, the feelings never went away." She looked up at Yuna, her blue-gray eyes sparkling with warm pleasure. "I can't really explain it. Sometimes I think it goes much deeper then a crush, but I…..I'm not sure what to call it."

Yuna smiled. Young love, that's what she would call it. "I understand. I felt like that about Tidus once. I was so torn between what I should and shouldn't call it." She took a deep breath before she continued. She never liked to remember what had happened after they had defeated Sin. The memory was still too fresh in her mind. "Before he left I figured it out and the last thing I told him was that I loved him. And since he's come back I haven't gone day without telling him just how much I love him."

Kenzi sighed and laid her head on her arm, the silken strands of loose hair from her ponytail trailing over her skin. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to tell Wakka how I feel about him. He would probably laugh and tell me I've lost it."

"I guess you'll never know unless you tell him," Yuna said with a smile.

Kenzi merely scoffed and turned her attention back to the screen in time to see Wakka brutally take out Blappa and pass the blitzball to Tidus who scored another point putting the Aurochs ahead by two. The time wound down, Kenzi and Yuna cheering from their spots in the locker room, and the Aurochs held their ground playing mostly defense to keep the Psyches from scoring. They were determined to win and in the end their determination paid off. The Besaid Aurochs were the winners of the tournament.

After giving Kenzi a hug, Yuna left to congratulate the team and Kenzi started packing up her belongings. For some reason she was sure that the group of men would want to return to their island home instead of spending the night in the crowded town of Zanarkand. She tossed her gloves in her bag and zipped it up right as six rowdy men came barging through the door.

"Legs! We won!" Jassu yelled, picking her up and swinging her around.

Kenzi laughed and hugged him back. "I know. Yuna and I watched the whole thing. Congratulations guys!"

Botta snatched her away from Jassu and gave her a suffocating bear hug, complete with a friendly pat on the back. "Wanted to tell you that tackle you pulled off on Blappa was great."

"Bet he's really regretting that he taught me how to do that," she muttered. She ruffled Botta's hair and moved out of his embrace, grabbing her bag off the floor and giving Keepa, Tidus and Datto hugs before she started to head for the door where her tall captain waited.

She stopped in front of him, content just to stare up into his gorgeous amber eyes. "Good game capn'," she finally said, breaking the silence.

Wakka smiled, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah. I think you really shook up that Blappa guy. Shoulda seen the look in his eyes when I came after him." He looked at Kenzi, unconsciously lifting a hand to brush his fingers over her temple where the lump had once been. Not even the slightest bruise marred her soft skin. "You feelin' better?"

"Much better, thank you." Kenzi felt like pressing her cheek into his palm and kissing the salty flesh of his wrist. The idea came out of nowhere, stunning her and leaving her breathless. Again she saw desire flash in Wakka's tawny eyes and knew she had to get out of there before she did something she may regret. "Are we….going back to Besaid?"

"Yeah. We'll leave as soon as everyone's packed up."

She held back a sigh of disappointment as his hand dropped away; leaving the skin that he had been touching feeling cold. "Okay. I'm going to go wait on the ship. I'll see you guys there in a little bit." She offered him a shy smile, and then pushed the door open and walked out of the locker room.

Kenzi found her way around easily after being told by one of the few security guards patrolling the area where she could find the correct dock. She strolled lazily along, smiling as children with cotton candy ran past her, giggling as their parents tried to playfully chase them down, and nodding to people she recognized from previous blitzball games. Harsh white lights illuminated the walkway, helping spectators to feel safe as they made their way back to their homes for the night.

Kenzi sighed and hugged herself. She loved the game of blitzball but even better was the feeling that came after a well-fought game. The satisfied weariness, the happy families passing you by and congratulating you on your victory, the feeling of a long day well spent. Nothing could possibly ruin this night. Well, almost nothing.

As Kenzi passed by a large pillar a hand snaked out and wrapped around her arm. `Is it just me or is this happening a lot today?' she wondered as she was slammed against the stone wall of the pillar. She slowly raised her head and smiled with feigned sweetness at her captor. "Why hello Blappa, what a surprise," she muttered bitterly.

"I should beat the hell out of you for that little stunt you pulled today," he hissed, his thick accent slightly distorting his speech.

Kenzi sighed and slapped impatiently at his hands. "Oh as if you actually could. You tried that before, remember? And as I recall you didn't get very far." She ducked under his arms to get away but again her grabbed at her, holding her firmly in place.

"So you finally got what you wanted, huh. You're such a slut." He smirked at her shocked expression and continued, resentment dripping from his voice. "Didn't think I noticed how you were always watching him? It was sickening Kenzi. Your obsession for that freak Wakka was so obvious."

"Don't you dare talk about him like that," Kenzi growled, moving forward and jabbing her finger into Blappa's chest. "He's more of a man then you will EVER be."

"Oh, and I suppose you would know that too, wouldn't you? You probably begged him to screw you once you got within five feet of him, didn't you? But I suppose the poor moron hasn't had a good piece in a lifetime being stuck on that island with a bunch of idiots. Probably thought your hero worship was cute."

"I said don't talk about him like that!" Kenzi hissed, pulling her hand back to slap him.

Blappa laughed and grabbed her hand before it made contact with its target. He brought his other hand up, digging it painfully into her hair and yanking her head back. Kenzi winced, tears of pain gathering in her eyes. But she wouldn't give in. "What's the matter Blappa? Does it make you jealous that the entire time I was with you I was thinking about him? Wishing that I was with him instead of some slimy shit head like you?"

That wiped the smirk right off his face. He growled and yanked her head back further. God, he was going to break her neck. Where was everyone? Hadn't the streets just been filled with people not even ten minutes ago? Kenzi closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the jerk to hit her, but he never did.

Suddenly his hands fell away and Kenzi stumbled back. She looked up, her jaw dropping when she saw Wakka holding Blappa up against the pillar by the collar of his shirt. The powerful Auroch loomed above Blappa, his hard gaze boring into the Al Bhed's. "You ever lay a hand on her again and I'll break every damn bone in your body, you got that?" he asked in a low, menacing voice. The Al Bhed nodded his head jerkily, shaking with fear. With a sound of disgust, Wakka tossed Blappa aside and waited for the shorter man to run off before turning back to Kenzi.

When he started walking towards her it was with slow, deliberate steps and Kenzi knew that he was beyond angry. She forced herself not to run, planting her feet firmly and standing her ground. If he was going to decide to be mad at her yet again at least this time she would be ready for it.

He stopped in front of her, staring down at her with those gorgeous golden brown eyes. Tense silence stretched between them. Suddenly Wakka gave her a strange look and started laughing.

Kenzi's breath left her in a relieved rush and she slapped his arm playfully.

"Thought I was gonna yell at you?"

"Well, can you blame me?" she asked quietly, lowering her head to avoid his piercing gaze. She hated feeling vulnerable but Wakka's presence always seemed to evoke that emotion.

"No, I guess not," he replied, his deep voice sending a wave of sultry heat washing through her. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Kenzi shook her head. "No. Almost ripped a chunk of hair out of my head but I'm sure I'll live."

"You're getting into a lot of trouble with that guy today. Why is that?"

"He's…umm, he's my ex boyfriend." She shrugged her delicate shoulders while releasing a helpless sigh. "I knew he had issues from day one but he just kept bugging me every day until I just couldn't take it anymore and….and I caved."

"Did you even want to be with this guy?" Wakka asked, taking a step forward and leaving nothing more then an inch of space between them.

Kenzi swallowed hard. He was too close. She couldn't think straight. She lifted her eyes to his, stormy gray clashing with liquid amber. Kenzi's breath caught and she knew right away that she was in trouble. "No. I wanted to be with someone else….but it was impossible," she murmured as she clasped her trembling hands before her, willing them to stop shaking.

Wakka's gaze flickered to her hands and back to her face. "You cold?" he asked, his voice much softer then it usually was.

"No," Kenzi replied breathlessly.

Wakka's hand came up, gently gripping her upper arm. She knew what was coming. She knew and she didn't care. He murmured her name, she responded with a sigh of complete surrender, swaying close to him.

"Hey Wakka! Is that Kenzi with you?"

The two jumped apart at the sound of Jassu's voice and Wakka took a step back, turning to face the younger man and the four other Aurochs that trailed behind him.

"Oooh! Busted!" Botta exclaimed, lightly elbowing a laughing Keepa.

Wakka held his hands up in front of him. "It's not what it looks like guys. Kenzi had another run in with Blappa. I was just makin' sure she was okay, you know?"

"Riiight," Tidus drawled, earning more laughter from the group.

Even Kenzi smiled, but it was forced. She was trying hard to fight off the sting of disappointment that Wakka's careless words had caused. She should have been ready for it. She had known that she could never have him but for one second she had dared to dream.

~That was a mistake my dear. You should really be more careful.~ The voice of evil filled her head and Kenzi bit back an agonized gasp as it painfully ripped at her insides. `Cool it Kenzi,' she silently commanded. There was no way she would allow herself to fall apart in front of her team. "I….I'm going to go back to the ship. I'll see you guys there," she muttered, turning on her heel and quickly walking away before any of the guys could question her.

The laughter from the group of Aurochs died away as they watched her retreating form, wondering what had just happened. Only Wakka understood the reason for her hasty retreat. He had hurt her.