Hey there! This is my first FFX FanFic (I beat it a couple of days ago, and am currently replaying it), so I kind of wanted to add a little twist. Flames will not be accepted, as always, but constructive criticisms are always nice :)

I did some research about the Goers and the Aurochs, since I couldn't remember all the players, and I TRIED to make it fit pretty well. Basically, Aey is just another player, who joined around the same time as Graav (that arrogant little son of a shoopuf that prayed for competition at Kilika Temple). Thanks!

x.X.x

I floated easily by Doram, slapping a high-five as I rolled over onto my stomach to get back into starting position. We were winning three to zero against the Besaid Aurochs, as Graav frequently pointed out, and it didn't look good for them.

"Aey!" My brother's voice was magnified through the sphere pool. "Cover Letty! I'll get Tidus." I found myself rolling my eyes, giving a brief thumbs-up to Graav to let him know that I had heard. I hated the cheeky lilt that crept into his voice as he, once again, gave himself the most instrumental player in the game. I had been the one to get him into blitz: shouldn't I get the credit?

But no. My brother had quickly advanced in the ranks of blitzball, becoming known by some as the best blitzball player in Spira. As if that helped his oversized head at all.

My agitation was lost in the swirling, soothing waves of the sphere pool as they rolled around me, keeping Letty in my sight. I sighed, blowing bubbles and watching as they rose to the surface and popped, closing my eyes and imagining the red-haired native in my mind's eye.

He wasn't going to be a problem, that I could easily tell. The person that was going to make it difficult was the blonde-haired foreigner, Tidus. Graav was no match for him, that was easy to see. I wasn't either, at least alone.

I took a deep, if underwater, breath, zoning in on the knobby, azure-and-white-striped ball that had dominated my life since I was four as it sunk peacefully down to the bottom of the sphere pool.

In the pool, you can be who you want to be. No one knows who you are: only how well you can kick.

Graav's words echoed back to me, one of the few times he had been sensible, not blinded by his arrogance, even though he had been yelling at me at the time. I had gotten angry that he had stolen my glory, stolen the praise of the coach and the screams of the crowd. I was the one that was supposed to be the Goers' star player, not Graav, the wiry six-year-old that had always been stronger and faster than his younger sister.

"Aey! Focus, or you're warming the bench!" Speak of the devil. I rolled my eyes and turned away from him, focusing on the blitzball again as it began to spin until its stripes were all but a blur.

Finally, at its peak, the ball shot up with a loud bang, and I kicked out with my legs, shooting forward to intercept Letty as he dove for the ball.

"Bickson!" Graav called, darting in front of Tidus. I tackled Letty, sending him spinning out of the sphere pool, and turned to my brother, who was just barely holding up against the bleach-blonde blitzer. "I thought you were supposed to be guarding him," Graav growled, jerking his thumb toward Letty, who was just now getting up.

"Looks like I took care of him," I answered, lashing out and slamming into Tidus with a block that sent him reeling. He flipped back up, retaliating easily and leaping up to grab the ball thrown from Jassu. "No you don't," Graav spat, swimming up and ramming into him again. Tidus recoiled, but managed to recover with incredible speed, just in time to snag the ball as it whipped toward him.

He cradled it against his chest as he swam for the opposite goal, and my brother uttered a low curse as he shot after his adversary, colliding with him. Tidus, in an amazing move, flipped up and kicked the ball with all his strength, sending it flying toward the goal and speeding past Raudy, the goalkeeper, too quickly for him to even try to block.

Graav openly swore now, murderous fire in his eyes. "Son of a shoopuf," he muttered, turning to me. Blitzball was one of the few times we were on the same plane, the exact level of understanding, and on certain occasions we were even decent toward each other. "Hey, sis, think you could show him what we're here for?" he asked me, and I nodded with a smirk.

"Sure thing," I answered, slapping a high-five at him as I swam past and back-flipping in the water, locking my gaze to Tidus' and nodding at him. In blitz, you always knew who to watch out for. There were no ambushes, no surprise-attacks. If I was going to obliterate Tidus, he had a right to know.

The ball flew into the water with a bang, and I immediately began circling around the sphere pool, keeping my eye on Tidus. As soon as he caught a pass, I shot forward, blocking him and giving a quick tackle before wrestling the ball away from him and throwing it to Abus.

"Shoot!" I yelled, but before Abus turned away I held up two fingers, low enough that no one else would see. It was a gesture for him to pass instead, to get the Aurochs off their guard. There were no surprise-attacks in blitzball, but that didn't mean that there were no tricks.

He nodded, immediately throwing to Doram, who kicked the ball and sent it spinning toward Graav, who launched it toward the goal.

Then, he appeared. Tidus intercepted the ball, kicking it back across the width of the sphere pool and sending it straight into the goal. Three to two now, and it wouldn't be long before the Aurochs were winning.

"Goers!" Graav yelled, and the team swam toward him. He treaded water as he waited, his gaze centered on Tidus the Aurochs called a huddle as well. Their captain, Wakka, had been injured in the last game. "Alright," my brother began. "You all know that Tidus is going to expect us all to try and stop him, right?" There were murmurs of agreement, and I nodded. "So, what do we do? Aey?" he asked, and I absently cracked my knuckles as I thought.

"Obviously, we're not going to do what he expects us to, but it all depends on if he's underestimating us or not. If he knows we know he expects us to all converge on him, and he thinks we're going to do just that to throw him off, well…" I trailed off, letting my point sink in, then continued. "So, it really all depends on Tidus. If it were me, though, I wouldn't take the risk. We'll keep playing as normal, but don't emphasize on Tidus too much, okay? But if he's got the ball, and he's ready to shoot, do whatever you can to stop him. Got it?" The Goers nodded, and Graav folded his arms across his chest and dipped his head.

"Good. Everyone ready? Then let's blitz."

He swam off, to get into starting position, and I paddled to the opposite end of the sphere pool.

"BLITZOFF!" the referee yelled, and I darted in for the ball, grabbing it from one of the Auroch's outstretched hands and throwing it toward Graav just as a huge weight slammed into my back, popping my shoulder as my arm whipped forward to throw the blitzball. I gritted my teeth, turning around to face Tidus, who was grinning.

"You didn't expect to get away without revenge, did you?" he asked, and I rolled my eyes, but despite myself liked his easygoing personality.

"Kind of," I answered, trying to rub the kinks out of my shoulder and failing with a suppressed groan. "You don't play for the Aurochs, do you? I've never seen you before." Tidus shrugged.

"My dad taught me to play," he said vaguely. I nodded, turning around to intercept a pass to Tidus that I had seen in my peripheral vision. I reached out, then clenched my jaw as the ball glanced off my fingers and sent a fresh burst of pain up my shoulder. Tidus snagged the ball, winking at me and swimming away. I growled, kicking savagely and swimming after him.

"Doram! Cover Aey!" I heard Graav yell, and then she came up at my side and swung around to block Tidus, who was clearly heading for the goal.

"You good?" the girl asked. "I saw that blind tackle."

"Fine," I answered. She nodded, aiming a vicious roundhouse kick for Tidus, whose chin snapped back as he reeled, still keeping a hold on the ball.

I cursed as he flipped backward and kept swimming, this time intercepted by Graav himself. Tidus threw the ball without hesitation, and it left a trail of bubbles in its wake as it raced for the goal, slamming home and causing the crowd to go wild.

"Damn!" Graav exclaimed as the Goers huddled again. He cracked his knuckles, swinging his gaze around the sphere pool. "Alright--"

He was stopped by the crowd chanting, easy to hear even through the water of the sphere pool. My brow creased, and the referee's voice boomed around the stadium.

"I don't believe it!" he said. "It sounds as if the crowd is calling for Wakka! Bobba, do you believe what you're hearing?"

"I'm not sure if I do! Wait--where is that blonde player going?" Tidus began to swim out of the sphere pool, causing the crowd to quiet. "He might be injured, folks!"

Tension, tangible even through the calming water, emanated from the crowd of people. Then, a moment later, Wakka swam out.

Everyone, from Luca or Besaid, exploded. The noise was deafening even in the sphere pool as the captain of the Aurochs swam strongly out, giving a thumbs-up to the crowd. He joined his team in the huddle, and once again the crowd began to quiet.

"Alright," Graav continued. "I've got Wakka. Everyone else, make sure we get this last point. There are two minutes left in the game, but we've won in worse conditions. Agreed?" A cheer of assent rose from the team, and Graav swam off, shaking hands with Wakka before the blitzball spiraled into the water.

Rolling my shoulders, I paddled for Jassu, guarding him as Graav tried to get the ball away from Wakka. The captain of the Aurochs darted away, throwing the ball to Letty, who immediately passed it to Botta, each of them swimming easily around the Goers.

The initial excitement of seeing Wakka again had died down, and half the crowd was once again cheering for Luca.

Jassu leapt up to grab the ball, and I lunged forward to kick him, grabbing the ball away and watching the clock out of the corner of my eye. A minute left.

I threw it to Doram, who in turn passed the blitzball to Bickson. Obviously, we weren't taking any risks. Graav snagged it just in time from Botta again, and was met by two more Aurochs. Thirty seconds.

My brother threw the ball again to me, and I spun away from Jassu, aiming a kick at his face as I threw it to Balgerda, who broke immediately to Letty, giving him a punch he would feel in the morning. Twenty seconds.

"Shoot!" Graav yelled as Wakka rose to meet Balgerda as well, along with Botta. Letty hadn't given up yet, either. I swam for my teammate, aiming a punch at Wakka and wincing as I wrenched my shoulder. Ten seconds.

Balgerda pivoted and launched the blitzball at Bickson. Nine seconds.

It rolled off his fingers, and Jassu began to swim to meet it. Eight seconds.

Doram appeared between him and the ball. Seven.

She passed to my brother, who swam immediately toward the goal. Six.

I paddled to meet him, and he catapulted the ball toward me. Five.

It glanced off my fingers, losing speed, and sank toward the bottom. Four.

"No!" Graav yelled, and Bickson punched the blitzball to send it spinning. Three.

Balgerda caught it, racing through the water as fast as her body would allow. Two.

She shot. One.

The blitzball spun toward the goal, enveloped in the net. Zero.

The buzzer went off just as the score changed, and I shrieked my exhilaration, adrenaline pumping through my veins from just watching. Graav punched the air, swimming over to meet Balgerda as the crowd went insane.

"And the Goers win again folks, but that was the closest game I've ever seen!" Bobba exclaimed, his voice magnified through the microphone. "I tell ya, I think we were all on the edges of our seats, there! Great game, amazing way for the Aurochs to go out, but the Goers bested them again!"

I slapped a high-five to Graav again, nodding as our team swam for the changing rooms. The two genders filtered into their respective rooms, and Doram and I talked as we toweled off.

"That was crazy!" she exclaimed. "That Tidus guy is some blitzer!"

"No kidding," I answered, addressing my other teammate. "That was a great shot, Balgerda."

"Thanks," she answered, and I could hear the blush in her voice. Doram and I walked out, and I waved, telling her that I'd catch up later and heading for the Auroch's area of the stadium. Three people were already there: a Ronso, small for his species and with a broken horn, a brown-haired, odd-eyed summoner, and another woman in a black dress that was woven from the front with belts of all kinds.

"Hello," the summoner said pleasantly, nodding.

"Hey. I'm Aey," I said, sticking my hand out. She nodded, shaking, and replied, "I am Yuna, and this is Lulu and Kimahri."

"Your guardians?" I asked, and Yuna dipped her head with a smile.

"And Tidus and Wakka as well," she answered. I chuckled, just as the two walked out.

"Hey!" Tidus said easily, recognizing me. "How's the shoulder?"

"I really want to punch you," I answered with a laugh. He grinned. "Nice play."

"Thanks. You, too."

"Hey, it's the Goer!" Wakka exclaimed, walking out behind him with the rest of the team. "What are you doing here?"

"Congratulating you," I answered, and he raised his eyebrows, clearly disbelieving. "More to annoy Graav, anyway. My brother, you know," I clarified, and the captain shrugged.

"Well, as long as it gets that little punk angry, I'm all for it," Tidus said with a shrug, and I smiled.

"Oh, it does. Especially since I do it every game," I answered, and the blonde blitzer grinned.

It faded, however, as he looked behind me. His eyes widened, and my brow creased. "What is it?" I asked, and Tidus pointed.

"Whoa!" Wakka exclaimed, backing up as I whipped around. Fiends had filled the sphere pool, and I stepped away, pulling my gloves out from my pack that was slung over my shoulder. Usually, it carried my blitzball, a change of clothes, my towel, and two pairs of gloves. One was meant for fighting, with spikes along the knuckles, and the other was meant for blitz, padded and comfortable. The spiked ones were what I searched for now, tightening the strap of my pack as I yanked them out and pulled them hurriedly on, following Tidus, Wakka, Lulu, Kimahri, and Yuna as they ran into the main streets of Luca.

Fiends swarmed everywhere, and were quickly overwhelmed. Acting on instinct, I lashed out against the huge creatures that snapped for Yuna, but we couldn't do much.

I ran forward in an attempt to fight my way through them, but I got less than twenty feet before my rather rusty combat skills became less than a match for the dozens of fiends around me. Just as I fell, the dinosaur-like creature that had been clawing viciously at me roared and crumpled to the ground, dissolving into a cloud of pyreflies. Standing just behind it was a man in a dulled scarlet coat, still swinging a huge katana and warding off the creatures around me.

"Planning on sitting there all day?" he asked in a skeptical voice, spinning to cleave straight through a vulture that had swooped down to drill its ferocious beak into his collarbone. I scrambled up, beginning to fight despite the fact that my arms felt like lead, when a huge shockwave expanded over Luca, killing every fiend in its path.

Maester Seymour, commanding the aeon Anima, cut down every Sinspawn in Luca until there was nothing but pyreflies flying into the air and disappearing into the clouds.

I stumbled, shaking myself to clear my head, which only served to unbalance me further, and would have fallen had a strong hand not wrapped around my upper arm and kept me upright.

"Are you alright?" The question was not one of concern: more of mechanical curiosity. I nodded.

"Fine," I said tersely, and the man nodded, hoisting the katana over his shoulder. "I'm Aey," I began, and he nodded.

"I suppose you expect me to give you my name in return," the man sighed.

"That's generally polite," I answered rather harshly, my anger flaring up despite myself. He raised an eyebrow, and from behind his raised collar I heard a sardonic laugh.

"If you believe in formalities so much," he began with another pitying chuckle, "most call me Auron."

x.X.x

Tada! Please review, I love them! I don't care how many times you review, either! THEY MAKE ME FEEL LOVED! ;)

Also, I know the first chapter may have been a bit boring, but it'll get better! I promise! If I get enough REVIEWS, I'll try to update as much as I can. Tell me if Aey seems like a Sue, please. I have a problem with that, and I'm desperately trying to break that habit.

Oh, and I'm also a little unsure about Auron's personality. He's not easy to keep in-character, you know ;)

Thanks a ton!