"Beautiful Lenne, simply beautiful. You're a fast learner, just like your old man."

Lenne giggled, her bright brown eyes shining as her father praised her dancing. She finished it up and twirled her staff around, bringing it to her center before she bowed her head. Her father clapped at her performance and smiled, rubbing his hand on top of her head.

"Thanks Daddy, did I get it right this time?" Lenne asked, nine years old.

"Yes, much better than last time. This dance-"

"Brock! What are you doing?! How many times have I told you not to teach Lenne these things?!"

"Letty, calm down."

"No Brock! I do not want our daughter growing up to be a summoner! She's going to be a famous singer, just like me! Lenne, don't you want that? Don't you want to be famous and help people with the gift of your voice?"

"Let's not start this again Letty, if you want to talk helping people then why not let Lenne be a summoner?"

"You just said you didn't want to start this again! But since you brought the subject up I don't want my daughter being a summoner because I don't want her fighting in this stupid war!"

"How is being a singer better than being a summoner? How is that helping people more?!"

"It's lifting the spirits of the people! My voice makes them forget about the war and their losses and lets them focus on the beauty in life!"

"Summoners do the exact same thing! We help people and save them!"

"We don't have to risk our lives though!"

Lenne started crying out loudly, like she always would whenever her parents would start fighting like this. Summoner, singer, Lenne didn't know; all she knew was that she wanted to help people like her mother and father did.

"Lenne, Lenne we're sorry dear," her father soothed.

"Look what you started."

"Letty, please let's not start."

"Lenne, you want to be a star right? You want to be just like Mommy and help people with your beautiful voice, right?" Letty asked kneeling down to Lenne's height.

She sniffed and shrugged, hugging her Daddy tightly as he rubbed her head. Letty took a deep breath and stood up, swooshing her hair behind her shoulder.

"At least one good thing comes from teaching her those stupid summoning dances; she'll have more coordination and better timing now." Her mother mumbled under her breath before leaving the room.

Brock sighed and picked up his daughter and his staff, hanging the staff on the wall before he took his daughter outside for a walk. Lenne wiped her tears away and started sniffing, blinking at the beautiful sunset that was setting over Besaid Island.

"Why do you and Mommy always fight about singing and summoning Daddy?" Lenne asked watching the sun.

"It's because your Mother and I have different views on how to help people, that doesn't mean we don't love each other or you Lenne."

"Do I really have to be a singer or a summoner?" She asked gently, looking up at her father.

"Lenne you can be anything you want to be, not only a singer and summoner. Don't let your mother and I decide your future for you; be who you want to be."

Lenne pouted lightly as she looked down, "I like singing and dancing."

"That's good."

"But I also like learning the dances you teach me Daddy! Can't I be both?"

Brock blinked before smiling, "you could, but being a singer and summoner is hard work. Summoners have to go on journeys called Pilgrimages where they meet Aeons while singers have to have concerts and meet all their adoring fans like Mommy does. Are you sure you're going to have time for both?"

Lenne frowned, "true... could I do one then the other then?"

"Like I told you before Lenne, you can do whatever you want to do and be whoever you want to be. A little advice if you plan on doing that though, become a famous songstress first. Your mother would throw a fit if you didn't pick her career first."

"Okay then Daddy, I'll become a songstress and then I'll go on my Pilgrimage just like you did... when did you go on your Pilgrimage Daddy?"

"When I was 18 honey."

"18 then! Will you go with me Daddy?"

"Of course dear, of course. From now on we're going to have our lessons in private though, let's keep them from your mother. Promise?" Brock asked holding out his pinkie.

Lenne smiled brightly and nodded, "promise."

"Promise," Lenne, 17 years old, said to herself as she touched the beads in her earring.

"Lenne! Lenne you're about to go on stage in five minutes! Are you ready?"

Lenne woke up from her daydream and looked at herself in the mirror, nodding lightly. She turned around to face her mother standing in the doorway, her smile bright and proud as she stared down at her daughter.

"I am," Lenne told her getting up.

"Good, now go out and give it your all Lenne! 110% you hear?!" Letty cheered.

Lenne smiled as she walked over and hugged her mother tightly, "I love you Mom."

"I love you too baby, your father would be so proud if he could see you right now."

"I know he would," Lenne whispered before she parted.

Her mother kissed both her cheeks before fixing her hair a bit; Lenne smiled and winked before she walked out and towards the stage. On her way she could hear the fans cheering and calling her name from all the way back here. She had done it, she had became a songstress just like she told her father she would. She was a good one who everyone in Zanarkand loved, even becoming more popular than her mother now. Lenne had achieved her first dream.

It was one week before her 18th birthday.

"AND THERE GOES THE BUZZER! ZANARKAND ABES WIN! ZANARKAND ABES WIN!"

When that last goal went in securing their victory, everything went silent like it always did whenever they won. Shuyin couldn't hear the fans cheering or the announcers announcing their victor or his teammates yelling his name and ruffling him around. No, everything went silent when Shuyin won the game and he would just lay there in the water peacefully, letting this feeling overwhelm him. It never lasted long before everything came rushing back, a minute, five minutes, this one lasted ten as Shuyin woke up back at the locker room.

"There you go again Shuyin, showing off your mad skills!"

Shuyin laughed as he messed with his teammate, pulling off the soaking wet and sweaty jersey off of him.

"And again, like always, Shuyin's not going to go out celebrating with us. Tell us the truth Shuyin, do you just not like us or is it just one person in particular?... Is it Tsubasa?" One teammate whispered.

"HEY!" Tsubasa yelled leading all the teammates into laughing again.

"Guys, really, it's not any of you or anything like that at all. I'm just not into the party scenes, I'm not into having one-night stands with girls or drinking until I vomit or anything like that. I don't like noise, I like peace and quiet." Shuyin explained himself, like he always did.

Like always though his teammates didn't understand and ridiculed him for it.

"Then you shouldn't have became a blitzball superstar idiot!"

Shuyin faded away again into the back of his mind and woke up when he exited the stadium, covered up in a huge sweater with a Zanarkand Abes hat on as he blended in with the crowds. Once he was finally walking down the streets away from the crowds and attention he finally felt at ease. His friends were right, if he didn't like the loud noises then why was he a superstar?

It wasn't that he didn't like the noises or the fans or the cheers or the parties, it's just that Shuyin preferred peace and silence more than all of that. It didn't mean he couldn't deal with the noise and make some either; having a peaceful life is pretty much impossible living in a place like Zanarkand, the city that never sleeps.

Prime example number one, women screaming at men right in the middle of the street no matter what time of day. Shuyin watched and sighed as three thugs tried to, in what they thought was, ask a woman out who walked right in front of them... or at least that's who Shuyin thought it was, a woman. He couldn't really tell because of the cloak and hood she was wearing.

"Hey I said leave me alone! I'm not interested!" She screamed ripping her arm out of one of the thug's grasps.

She started crossing the street, having no idea that a machina was heading straight towards her. What a machina was doing driving so close to the corner, Shuyin had no idea, but before he could think more about that his feet started moving on his own as he ran towards the woman. Without a second thought he leaped at her and pushed her out of the street, the two of them landing on the sidewalk with a thump. The driver of the machine screamed a sorry out the window as it dove passed, the woman seemed to not hear it though because when she looked up at Shuyin there was fire in her eyes.

"AAAHHHH PERVERT!" She screamed kicking Shuyin where it hurt.

Shuyin gasped and groaned, kneeling and falling over on the sidewalk. The woman stood up and huffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared down at one of the thugs who tried to pick her up... wait a second, he wasn't dressed like one of them...

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?! I JUST SAVED YOU'RE LIFE FROM THAT MACHINA ABOUT TO MAKE YOU ROAD KILL!" Shuyin yelled at her.

The woman blinked and leaned down, paling at the face.

"How was I supposed to know that? You just suddenly jumped me, I thought you were one of those thugs. I'm sorry, here." The woman whispered.

She casted a Cure on the man which helped, his pain subsiding. He got up slowly to his feet and dusted himself off, the hat on his head slipping off as he stood. The woman blinked once and tilted her hooded head, her eyes narrowing. As Shuyin dusted himself off he looked at the hooded figure and found out she was definitely was a woman. Her hair was peeking out of her head slightly, a dark brunette color with what looked like beads tangled in it.

"You look... familiar," the woman whispered gently.

"I take it you don't watch bliztball," Shuyin snorted lightly.

This was a first. She must have been a tourist from a low unpopulated island or something because no one who lived in Zanarkand didn't watch blitzball and no one in Zanarkand didn't know who he was. The woman blinked and placed her fist over her open hand as she hummed.

"Oh, Tsubasa."

"Shuyin! I'm Shuyin, player 38!"

"Shuyin, that's right. Um, well... thanks for saving my life... bye." The woman said turning to leave.

Something about this left a sour taste in Shuyin's mouth, and although he didn't know why, he reached out and grabbed her shoulder.

"Hey! Wait a second!" Shuyin said.

When he grabbed her she kept walking, Shuyin pulling at her cloak and ultimately pulling her hood off. It fell off revealing more beautifully long brunette hair, those beads he saw earlier actually earrings. Brown eyes clashed with blue and Shuyin pulled his hand back like he had just been electrified.

"You're- you're- you're-"

Lenne smiled lightly, "if you pretend you don't know me then we'll be even," she giggled.

"Karen!"

"Lenne!" Lenne yelled.

Shuyin grinned and chuckled a little bit, "I knew that, Lenne, yeah. You're that singer everyone in Zanarkand is going crazy about. You're the reason why it never calms down at night, though I can't see the reason why," he went on.

Lenne blinked lightly, "excuse me? What did you just say?"

"Oh, did I not say it clear enough? I'm saying I can't understand why people like you're music." Shuyin stated clearer this time.

Lenne's cheeks puffed out and turned a bright red color, "how dare you! I am a great singer!"

"I give you that, but your music sucks. I mean, come on? Your lyrics? Not that great, please don't tell me you write them yourself because that would be just sad. If so I suggest you find a real writer, like your mother for instants. She has something not a single one of your songs have had yet." Shuyin began to lecture.

"Thanks for your advice, STUPID JERK!" Lenne screamed at him before putting her hood back on and walking down the streets again.

Shuyin grinned and started laughing out loud to himself. Who knew that Zanarkand's favorite songstress had such a temper and loud mouth; usually Shuyin stayed away from loud women, but this one... he didn't seem to mind as much. He looked around once before walking after her, staying ten steps away, but still close enough to hear her mumble over and over again.

"Stupid jerk, stupid jerk, stupid jerk."

Shuyin grinned to himself and put his hands in his pockets, following right after her. Lenne heard footsteps constantly behind her even though no one was walking passed her and peeked behind her shoulder, glaring when she saw the stupid jerk following after her.

"Why are you following me stupid jerk?! Haven't you insulted me enough?" Lenne demanded.

"Whoa, calm down. No need to bite my head off."

"I am calm!" Lenne yelled.

Shuyin chuckled while Lenne blushed of embarrassment, huffing as she looked the other way and crossed her arms over her chest again.

"Look I'm just trying to make sure that Zanarkand's favorite songstress gets home safely, alright? I don't want a repeat of what happened earlier to happen."

Lenne felt an emotion. She turned back to look at Shuyin to see if he was serious and telling the truth; his face looked honest enough. There was nothing he could gain from being around her or sending her home; there weren't any photographers and he was already famous without her. Without a second thought Lenne turned around and continued her walk back home.

Shuyin followed right after her without a word. The two of them didn't say anything as she walked back to her hotel, one that Shuyin himself has stayed at many times before with his team. Lenne stopped at the door, grabbing the handle and opening it up. Shuyin stood there and was planning on waiting until she was inside safely before heading home.

"You... thanks," Lenne mumbled peeking behind her shoulder.

"No need to thank me, like I said I couldn't let Zanarkand's favorite songstress get kidnapped or anything like that," Shuyin grinned.

"Zanarkand's, but not yours."

"Nope."

Lenne frowned and pouted, completely turning around now.

"Why? What am I missing? What do I not have in my music?"

Shuyin hummed and blinked, tapping his chin lightly. He thought it over and Lenne started getting irritated the longer it took him to come up with it, glaring at the man.

"Just forget it! Stupid jerk!" She huffed turning around to go in.

"Real emotion," is all she heard him say before the door closed.

Shuyin watched her walk in then turned on his heels, heading back to his apartment. Perhaps he was too harsh on the singer? She did kick him in his goods though so maybe he wasn't harsh enough? Whatever though. The chances of him meeting her again were slim to none, even though they were both famous and lived in the same city. Hopefully she would take his advice seriously about the real emotion in her songs; if so then Shuyin wouldn't mind catching a show or two in the future.

"Lenne? Where have you been? The sunset ended an hour ago." Letty asked when her daughter walked in their hotel room.

"I ended up taking the long route... Mom, do I have real emotion in my songs?" Lenne asked, the blitzball player's words getting to her.

"Real emotion? Why of course you do dear, that's what all songs are made of. Emotions, thoughts, feelings that we express to the audience."

"Oh, okay. I'm going to take a shower then, excuse me," Lenne whispered walking into the other room.

She was mad and irritated, but it wasn't really at Shuyin. It was because she believed in his words, somewhere in her heart she knew what he had said was true. Her music, her lyrics... Lenne didn't think they had any real emotion in there either. It wasn't her fault though, she has yet to experience all the emotions in the world.

There were still a lot that she did not know about.