~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~

Night was when Zanarkand really came alive.  Lights shining from every window in every building gave the impression of mid-afternoon no matter how late it truly was.  He could hear the shouts of his fans just outside of his home.  They were lining the streets like they did before every game in order to talk to him, or get his autograph. 

Time to go and great them. he thought as he opened the door and stepped into the cool, Zanarkand night air.  The sounds of cheering and shouting urged him on and he approached a crowd of his fans.  Waving and smiling at the attractive girls to his left, he made a move toward them but was stopped by a small group of children. 

"Can you sign this?" asked one, holding a blitzball in his tiny hands.

Although he wanted to talk to the cute girls, he knew he couldn't turn down this little boy so he nodded.  Grabbing the pen the child held in his other outstretched hand, he said, "No prob!" and scribbled his name and number on the ball.

# 4, Shuyin…

"Please!" cried another child.
 
"Alrighty." Shuyin replied, scribbling his signature on another ball.

"Me, too!" shouted a third. 
 
Shuyin took the ball from the child and laughed, "Take it easy."

Once he was finished with the children, Shuyin sauntered over towards the girls.  His piercing blue eyes and blond hair set an amazing contrast to his deeply tanned skin and the girls giggled as he grinned at them. 

"Can I have your autograph?" the girl with a pink shirt asked.
 
Shuyin shot her his most charming of grins, "Of course!"

"Good luck tonight!" the girl in blue said to him.
 
"Nothing to worry about!" Shuyin replied as he signed the girl's blitzball.  He smiled widely and spun the ball on his finger before giving it back to her.  They giggled at the trick and he inwardly congratulated himself. 

Maybe he'd have two dates for tonight? 

At their expectant gazes, Shuyin decided to seal the deal with a trick he knew girls couldn't resist.  He leaned closer to them and said, "Oh, if I score a goal..." he began, trying to stifle his urge to laugh at his use of the word if, "I'll do this!" he raised his hands high in the air and gave two thumbs up.  The girls grinned, "That will mean it was for you, okay?"

The girls giggled again and Shuyin suddenly began to get a little annoyed.  How stupid were these girls anyway?  He shook away the thought and continued, "What seat?"

"East block, in the front row!" shouted the girl in pink.

"Fifth from the right!" the girl in blue clarified.
 
Shuyin nodded and made a mental note of their location, "Got it!" He took a step away from the girls and went into the middle of the large crowd that had formed in front of his home, "Well, gotta go! Cheer for me!"

"...two, three!" came a shout from the kids.  Shuyin turned and looked at them just as they shouted, "Teach us how to blitz!"
 
Shuyin hid a scowl.  He never did like children.  They were annoying little creatures.  Incredibly pushy and rude.  He shook his head, "Hey, I got a game to play!"

"Then teach us after!" begged one.
 
He looked at the girls and sighed.  If he turned these kids down, he knew that he could throw away his chances of getting laid so he relented, "Maybe tonight...um...well..."

Shit!  I promised Zaon I'd hang with him tonight…

 
"I mean...tomorrow." Shuyin said.

"Promise?"
 
"Promise!"

With his promise having placated the children, Shuyin began the half mile jog to the blitzball stadium.  It was a wonderful way to warm up and to get out excess energy so that his mind was focused entirely on the game.  As he jogged up the main street, he heard people congratulating him and wishing him good luck.  He nodded and smiled at them as he passed by.  He didn't feel like signing autographs anymore.  He needed to get his game head on and focus on beating the Duggles from C-South. 

The blitzball stadium was where Shuyin had spent many happy hours as a child.  His father had taught him to blitz as soon as Shuyin was old enough to walk and he had been playing ever since.  It was the one thing in the world that he loved.  After the death of his parents four years ago, Shuyin had put all of his energy into becoming the star of the Zanarkand Abes from A-East and he had succeeded.  Now 19, he openly admitted to not caring about much else besides the game and where he was going to get his next piece of ass.  It was a personality flaw that his best friend, Zaon, didn't understand.

Shuyin had grown up with Zaon and if there was one person that Shuyin trusted in the world, it was him.  Zaon had been there for him after his parents' death and had watched out for him in the subsequent years.  A few years older than Shuyin, Zaon was now almost 22 and ready to settle down with his longtime girlfriend, Yunalesca, providing that he asked her this weekend.  That was the plan, but Shuyin had seen Zaon clam up and instead ask Yunalesca if she wanted to go ice fishing in Macalania too many times to hold out much hope.    

Shuyin groaned as he saw the entrance to the stadium surrounded by his adoring fans.  He loved being the center of attention, but he hated when they would grab onto him like they would likely do as he tried to enter the stadium.  He slowed his jog down to a quick walk and started to push his way through the screaming mass, "Make way, make way!" he cried as he gently shoved some people out of the way, "Coming through, sorry!" he cried as he accidentally knocked a woman onto her back.  Another woman with a really large bust and equally big hair grabbed his hand.  Shuyin backed away in disgust, "Hey, I'm gonna be late!" he hissed at the woman, "Hey, let go of me!" He pulled his hand away roughly and forced his way through the rest of the crowd until the doorway was in sight.  He took a deep breath and made a break for the doorway. 

He let the door to the locker room slam behind him and he sighed.  He hated having to dodge the crowd, but they were the reason he was able to survive in Zanarkand by himself.  They paid his bills.  That was the only reason he put up with them – except for the opportunity to sleep with a few of his more willing fans. 

"It's about time you showed up, Shu!" cried his teammate, Skirp.  Shuyin laughed and dodged a towel snap from him as he made his way to his locker.

"Sorry, but I had to fight them off with a stick again." He replied.

Goalie, Bruttam peeked from around the corner, "Any cuties tonight?"

Shuyin shrugged, "I suppose."

Skirp pulled on his shorts and poked Shuyin to get his attention, "Coach is out today.  We've got that damned substitute again."

"The one that keeps telling us about stuff that's happened ages ago?" Shuyin asked.  At Skirp's nod, Shuyin moaned.  Whenever their coach, Wargna, was out sick they ended up getting his brother as a substitute coach.  He didn't know anything about blitzball and usually spent most of the time boring the players on the bench until they could barely keep their eyes open.  The man was abnormally obsessed with history and felt that he should give everyone a history lesson all the time. 

Shuyin was just glad that he was rarely on the bench.

"Shh…here he comes." Hissed Bruttam as he finished dressing and pointed toward the entrance to the locker room.  Shuyin followed Bruttam's point and, sure enough, there was Wargna's brother.  The man was wearing a large green hat and long green robe that made him look like a deranged elf.  It also prematurely aged him.  Although he was no spring chicken – he was 55 – his choice of clothes made him look almost 90. 

"Gentlemen!" came the voice of the elder man, "We have a difficult fight ahead of us.  Let us draw upon our knowledge of the difficult fight our land Zanarkand faced during its inception almost 500 years ago when…."

Shuyin rolled his eyes and made a face causing Skirpa and Bruttam to stifle laughter.  Pulling on his yellow shirt, Shuyin clipped his necklace around his neck and focused attention back on the "coach" as he finished, "And that, as they say, is that." He stopped and thought for a moment, "Well, maybe not all of it." He motioned with a wrinkled hand at the entrance to the blitzball arena, "Well gentlemen, good luck.  Let us go and beat those…Duggles!"

Shuyin didn't need to be told twice and, with a leap and a holler, led his team out to start the game. 

Shuyin and his teammates took their places sitting on the sidelines as the Sphere Pool filled with water.  He closed his eyes and began picturing victory.  It was a technique that his father had taught him while Shuyin was still learning the basics.  His father had said that if he sat before a game for just a few moments and visualized victory, then victory would be his.  Shuyin had visualized victory before every game and the technique had proved it's worth every time. 

Shuyin had never lost a game. 

He also never let people forget that fact.  Shuyin called it pride, Zaon called it conceit.  Whatever it was, though, Shuyin had lots of it.

At the sounds of the crowd getting louder, Shuyin opened his eyes and stood.  His fans cheered louder and louder.  His blue eyes surveyed the area.  The stadium was packed full of people to see the two best teams in Zanarkand battle it out to see who would be the champions of this year's blitzball season. 

When the ball was completely full of water, the Abes and the Duggles dove in and took their positions.  The water was colder than Shuyin liked, but considering that the weather had been abnormally chilly, that was to be expected.

Blitzoff!!

Shuyin swam up and grabbed the ball away from the grasping fingers of his face-off opponent.  Diving down quickly to swim under the man's legs, Shuyin threw a pass to Skirp who swam as quickly as possible to the goal only to be tackled hard and lose the ball. 

The Abes cornered their opponent and the young man dove under them and passed the ball to his female teammate on the other side of the sphere pool – right near the Abes goal but the shot was blocked by Bruttam and the ball was back in the hands of the Abes.

Time ticked away during the 5 minute period and when the bell sounded to end the period, the game was a scoreless tie.  One more period would determine who would win.  5 minutes.  That's all the time they had. 

Blitzoff!!

Shuyin wasn't fast enough this time, and the Duggles center grabbed the ball and threw it quickly to a teammate. 

Shuyin intercepted the pass, and threw the ball toward Skirp while weaving through the other team's players with ease. Shuyin motioned for Skirp to throw the ball back to him but the ball was intercepted and the player made a break towards the Abes' goal.

Shuyin swam closer and closer to the ball carrier, diving underneath the man and popping up in front of him, obviously startling the player. Ramming hard, the player released his grip on the ball and Shuyin claimed it.  He saw Skirp indicate for Shuyin to do his patented Bicycle Kick and he nodded.  Shuyin passed the ball to Skirp for the setup and as he saw the ball burst into the atmosphere just above the Sphere Pool, Shuyin burst through the surface of the pool, flying upwards, and turning over in mid air.  He focused on the ball as he saw it from his upside down position and kicked hard. 

The sound of the buzzer rang out just as Shuyin's kick forced the ball through the opposition's goal.  The shouts of the fans were muffled by the water, but Shuyin could still tell that they were as thrilled as he that the Abes were once again Blitzball champions.

1-0…

1-0…

Shuyin had one more reason to be proud of himself.  If it hadn't been for the one goal he'd scored against the Duggles in the last quarter, the Blitz season would have ended in a tie.  He smiled to himself as he followed Skirp and Bruttam into the locker room.  His clothes were soaked and dripping, but he didn't care.  Once again he'd proven why he was the star of the Zanarkand Abes.

"Shuyin, my son." Came the voice of the "coach". 

Shuyin swallowed the urge to tell the old man that he wasn't his son and forced a pleasant smile on his face, "Yes, Coach Maechen?"

"Young master Zaon is here.  He says he must speak with you immediately." Maechen paused momentarily as if trying to remember something, "Perhaps you should speak with him."

Shuyin frowned for a moment before grabbing his keys and bursting from the locker room without stopping to dry off.  Zaon never stopped by the stadium to see him unless something had happened. 

The last time was when Zaon had stopped by four years ago to tell him that his parents had been killed by fiends outside of Zanarkand…

Shuyin's mind began frantically trying to figure out what could be wrong. 

Was it Yunalesca?  Could she be ill? 

Maybe it was her father?  Yu Yevon hadn't seemed well the last time Shuyin had been invited to the mansion for supper. 

Or maybe the war had started.  Bevelle and Zanarkand had been at odds for as long as Shuyin could remember, but recently the animosity had developed into a passionate hate and talk of war was flying all over Zanarkand.  Those who wanted the war were adamant about stopping Bevelle tyranny while those who were against it demanded this craziness stop.  Bevelle's machine would surely destroy Zanarkand – and their front line defense, Summoners - along with them. 

Yunalesca was a summoner.  If the war started, she would be sent to the front lines.  Could that be the problem? 

Shuyin stepped up the pace and burst into the night air.  He caught sight of Zaon standing with his back to him just a few feet away.  He ran up to him, "Zaon, what's wrong?"

Zaon turned to him and Shuyin was surprised to see joy – not sadness – in his best friends' eyes.  Zaon grasped him tightly and pulled Shuyin into a hug that almost choked the life out of the blitzball player, "She said yes!" he shouted so loudly that Shuyin was sure he'd lose the hearing in his right ear.  Zaon then let go of Shuyin and gave him a puzzled look, "Why are you so wet?"

"I just got finished playing blitz."

Zaon laughed, "Sorry, I forgot."

Shuyin shook his head and smiled.  Zaon was never a blitzball aficionado and didn't care much for the game although he did come to a few just to make Shuyin happy. 

Then the realization of what Zaon had just shouted hit Shuyin and he playfully punched his friend, "Wait a second!  I thought you were going to ask her this weekend!!"

Zaon grinned and pushed his light blue hair from his eyes, "I had the courage to do it so I went to her house and I asked her.  If I had waited, you know she and I would be ice fishing again!"

"But ice fishing is fun!" joked Shuyin as he made a fishing motion with his hands.

"But getting married and spending the rest of my life with the woman I love is more fun." Replied Zaon with a sincerity that Shuyin almost envied.  There were times when he wished to find someone he could love like Zaon loved Yunalesca, but then he thought about having to be faithful and he shrugged the thought off. 

He liked having his pick of women too much to settle down. 

Zaon grabbed his sleeve and rung out some water, "Go dry yourself off, man!  We've got to go out and celebrate my engagement!"

"You mean mourn the end of your life as you know it!" Shuyin corrected.

Zaon laughed, "Call it whatever you want," he replied, "but she said yes!!!"