Author: Stormforce
Rating: PG-13 for language
Disclaimer: Don't own either Buffy or FFX. So please don't sue me, all I have is 20 cents, and pocket lent.

Willow opens her eyes to find that she's floating face down in the water. Jerking up she choughs up the seawater. "Buffy!" Willow hollers out to nothing but the ocean. She gets hit in the back of the head, and turns to see a ball.

"Blitzball!"

Looking toward where the ball came from she sees a group of men on the beach.

"Hey, you okay?" One of the men shouts out to her

"Heeey."

Willow dives under the water and kicks off of the bottom, and shoots out of the water with the blitzball on her head. The ball flies up into the air as Willow flips over and her foot connects with the ball. The ball sails right by the man who called out to her. He watched as the ball flew off into the distance with wide eyes, he then looked back to Willow who was almost to the shore.

"Whoa-ho."

Willow walks over to the group of men and shakes the water out of her hair.

"Hey."

"Girl that was a cool move. You wanna try it again?"

Willow smiles at him and nods her head. One of the others gave her another ball, and showed them the move again.

Finally, things were starting to look up. Maybe I had more luck that stayed with me.

"You are no amateur. Who do you play for?" The man asked.

"The Zanarkand Abes."

The group gives Willow a puzzled look as the man looked at her closely.

"What team did you say?"

"Uh, I meant... uh forget that. I got too close to... to uh Sin and my head is all foggy like... ya know. So I don't know where this is... or even where I came from."

"Ah, Sin's toxin got to ya. But, you're still alive. Praise be to Yevon!" The man says as he and the group of men raise their hands out to the side of their bodies, and bring them to the middle of their stomachs, one palm down, the other up forming a circle, and bow.

"All right, back to practice!" He says to the other men, and then turns back to Willow.

"I'm Xander, coach and captain of the Besaid Aurochs."

{Xander is 18 years old with dark hair that sticks up and brown eyes, and he stands at 5'8". He's the youngest coach and captain of any of the blitzball teams. He wears a headband, yellow and dark colored overalls, with no shirt, and sandals. When he is in a fight he uses a blitzball as a weapon.}

"I'm Willow, nice to meet you Xander." Willow said as her stomach growled.

"What? You hungry? Alright I'll get you somethin' at the village. Come on."

I felt like I could trust Xander, so I decided to ask him.

"It's true Zanarkand was destroyed... a thousand years ago. Right? So it's nothing but a big pile of rubble now isn't it?"

"Long time ago, there were a whole lot of cities in Spira. Big cities with machina-machines-to run ‘em. The people played all day and let the machines do the work. And then, well, take a look around. Sin came and destroyed the machina cities... and Zanarkand along with ‘em. Yeah, that was about a thousand years ago, just like you said. If you asked me, Sin's our punishment for letting things get outta hand. What get me though... is that we gotta suffer; cause of what some jerk-offs did way back when! ‘Course, we must repent for our sins, that important! It's just that, it's hard to keep at it sometimes, ya know?"

It was just like Buffy had said. Xander and Buffy couldn't both be lying. Why would they?

Xander laughs and hits Willow on the shoulder. "But you bein' from the Zanarkand Abes... that was a good one! Hey I'm not sayin' that team never existed. But you gotta figure a team livin' in luxury like that would be soft. Eh?"

I appreciated the fact that Xander was trying to cheer me up. But at that time, all I could think about was... everything that had happened to me... all this started with Sin. Maybe if I could find Sin one more time, I could go home! For now, I would just live life until that time came. No more worrying about where, or when I was. Sure it was hard not to think about home. But I'd started to feel better already. A little better... maybe, just maybe.

Catching up with Xander, Willow looks over the end of the land and sees a twenty-five foot drop off into the water. She didn't notice as Xander slowly creeped up on her, until she felt him push her over the edge. She hit the water with a splash and came up just in time to see Xander dive in five foot from her.

"Hey what was that for?" Willow asked as Xander came up.

"Nothin' just playin' ya know." Xander said with a smile. "Come on it's this way."

Willow followed Xander around a bend to see a dark cave going under the water. Before she could go into the cave Xander grabbed her by the neck.

"Hey lemme go."

"Gotta favor to ask ya."

"Let me guess, you want me on your team. Right?"

Xander lets Willow out of the headlock he had her in.

"A big blitz tournament is comin' up. All the team in Spira'll be there. Its huge I'm sure someone there will recognize you. Then you can go back to your old team, right? Come on! It'll be fun. So what do ya say?"

"Yeah, sure thing."

"Dude! This year our team is gonna ROCK!"

I thought then that Blitzball and Sin were the only two things that Spira and Zanarkand had in common. And I wasn't too far off either.

Five minutes later Willow was again shaking the water out of her hair, as she and Xander walked along the uphill path to Besaid. At the top of the hill Willow looked down on the small village of Besaid. The biggest thing was the temple at the far end of the village.

"This is where I was born. I started playing blitz at five, and joined the Aurochs at thirteen, that was five years ago; I became the captain at sixteen. Five years and we've never won a game. Well after last year I quit the time seemed right."

As they start walking down the slope Xander sighs, and shakes his head.

"So, anyway after I quit blitzball I got this new job. But every time my mind started to wonder, and I would think about the game. Ya know maybe, just maybe... then last year the first match was my big chance. But I had something else on my mind I couldn't focus."

"That's a good excuse."

"Hey, now what is that suppose to mean?"

"Nothing. So, you wanna win this years tournament... and go out with a bang."

"Yes!" Xander said and nodded his head.

"Okay, well then, what's our goal?"

"I can walk away happy, if we just play our best."

Willow looks at Xander like he's a fool. "No, no, no, no, when I say what's our goal, you say "Victory!" When you play a tournament, you play to win."

"Victory, huh? That sounds good."

The continue walking toward the village when Willow spots two men running over to them. Taller one had brown hair with a headband, a green and brown long-sleeve shirt, purple pants and sandals. The shorter one had dark spiky hair, a green shirt, brown and yellow pants, and shoulder guards.

"Hello, you're the one from the sea, correct?" The taller one asked.

"Yes."

"Please be careful. There are fiends on the road today. So be on your guard." The shorter one said.

"Yes, it would be a shame if something happened, after your run in with Sin."

Willow turned to Xander as the two men left. "Who were they?" Willow asked.

"The tall one is Riley and the short one is Oz. They are Crusaders."

"Uh, crews of what exactly?"

"Don't tell me you forgot that too? Hey, it's cool, I was just kiddin' around. Anyway I'll help you out."

"Okay cool, and in return for your help, come tournament time I'll make sure to take the cup."

"Great! Anyway about the Crusaders you can ask them yourself, they have a lodge in the village."

As they continued down the hill Willow un-sheathed her sword, and Xander grabbed his Blitzball. There in front of them stood a brown dog that was foaming at the mouth, and in the air was a blue bird with brown wings, and a long beak that looked like a pointing arrow. Willow looked at the dog.

[Flash]

Name: Dingo
HP: 125
MP: 10

When she looked at the bird another flash.

[Flash]

Name: Condor
HP: 95
MP: 15

Willow dodged to the right as the dog jumped at her, as Xander stepped back to avoid the bird's attack. Xander threw the ball into the air hitting the bird on its chest knocking it out of the air it disappeared in a swirl of multi-colored light. The Dingo had turned and ran at Willow, she again moved to the right as she brought her sword down severing the Dingo in half. It like the bird disappeared in a swirl of multi-colored lights.

At the bottom of the hill Willow saw two large doors standing open, the doors went to a gate. A rather large gate, about fifteen foot tall with sharp points at the top. She and Xander walked between the doors and came to a stop.

"Welcome to Besaid village."

There were five huts on each side of the walkway, and standing proudly at the end of the road was the Besaid temple.

"So, is there any food around here?" Willow asked as her stomach growled.

"I'll get you something later. But right now take a look around. The last hut on the left is the Crusader lodge; you can talk to Riley and Oz there. The first one on the right is the Item shop, you can buy Potions, Phoenix Downs, and Antidotes there, it's all the shop has right now. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Over here." Willow followed Xander to the side of a small hut.

"You still remember the prayer right?"

"No I'm sorry I don't."

Of course I'd never prayed before in my life. But I didn't have to tell that to Xander.

"Sin's toxin must have gotten to ya bad. Ok I'll show you."

Xander raised his arms out to the sides as he bent his right leg at the knee and stepped back with his left leg. The as he straightened up he brought his hands to the middle of his stomach, and over each other, his left palm facing down, and his right palm facing up, then he bowed, and raised up.

"There now you try it."

Willow did exactly what Xander had showed her.

"Not bad. Now go and present yourself to the temple priest." Xander spoke as he turned and walked away.

Any Blitzball player would know that prayer. It was the Blitzball sign for victory.

<This place is so different.> Willow thought as she walked to where Xander pointed out the Crusader lodge. Stepping inside the lodge she said Riley and Oz sitting at the only table in the small room. There was a woman with dark brown hair behind the counter, and from where she stood she counted ten beds, and a glowing sphere at the back of the room.

"Hey, you were attacked by Sin, right?"

Willow looked over and saw that Oz was the one that spoke.

"Yeah."

"Recently was it?"

"Uh, yeah I think so."

"So Sin can be that far away. Hey, you're not hiding something are you?"

"Now why would I do that?"

"You see if Sin's near by it'll attack the island for sure. But it hasn't... I wonder why?" Riley said.

"I'm sorry. I don't really know anything. And to tell the truth, I don't know what the Crusaders are."

"What! You're kidding me."

"Sin's toxin! Oz tell her who we are and what we do!"

"Yes sir! The Crusaders are sworn to battle Sin. We have chapter throughout all of Spira accepting all who wish to join our struggle. The hero Mi'ihen formed the Crusaders eight hundred years ago as the Crimson Blades. Later our ranks grew and we called ourselves the Crusaders. We've been fighting Sin ever since." Willow learned a little more about Spira, from listening to Oz speak.

"What! You've been fighting for eight hundred years and still haven't beat it?" She asked with wide eyes.

"Well, we have steered Sin away from towns many times. And that's all we can do. Nobody's ever been able to defeat it. Our mission as Crusaders is to protect the Temples, towns, villages, and all people of Spira." Riley said.

"Well then who's job is it to defeat Sin?"

"Is Sin's toxin really this bad?" Oz asked looking at Riley.

"It does seem rather bad... We could just tell you what you want to know. But I think that you should try and remember on your own. Go to the Temple and pray. Perhaps Yevon will hear your prayers and help with your memory."

Sighing Willow turned and left the lodge she walked up the four steps to the Temple walkway. There were ten pillars on each side, and a ten-foot tall door in front of her. Pushing open the doors Willow found herself inside a circler room with a vaulted ceiling going up a good twenty-five, to thirty-feet high. There were statues of men and women all around the room, and some people in front of certain ones on their knees, praying.

It was then... standing in that place. That I began to realize how different this world was from my own.

She walked over to a statue of a beautiful woman and began to study it, as a priest walked over to her and stopped.

"It has been ten years since Lady Mythe became a High Summoner. And two weeks ago we finally receive a statue for our Temple."

"What's a High Summoner?"

At the startled gasps and looks she got when she asked that, Willow took a step back.

"Uh... I got too close... to Sin and I don't remember much."

It was funny hearing myself say the same excuse all the time... funny and a little sad.

"Praise be to Yevon, that you are still alive." The priest spoke doing the prayer. "High Summoners are practitioners of a sacred art, sworn to protect the people of Yevon. Only a chosen few can become Summoners, who call forth entities of great power: the Aeons. The Aeons hear our prayers and come down to us. They are the blessings of Yevon."

So what he meant... was that we should respect some kinda great men and women or something like that. Atleast that's what I figured.

Willow left the temple thinking about all that she'd learned. She only stopped to ask a young woman where Xander's hut was. When she walked in Xander looked up, he was sitting at a small table reading a book.

"Hey there, sorry no time for lunch yet. Say, why don't you take a nap... you look beat."

"Yeah, thanks."

Willow laid down on the small cot Xander used as a bed, as Xander went back to reading. After a couple of hours the Temple priest came in.

"You could atleast go in and see how they're doing."

"You know I can't interfere. It's the rules, and anyway there are guardians in there already." Xander says as he and the priest walk outside.

"But it's been nearly..."

Dream

A man and a woman are standing in front of a boat talking, while an eight year old Willow listens.

"But it's been nearly... it's been nearly a day already." The man says.

"Perhaps you could look for us."

"Ma'am there is people searching as we speak."

"Thank you." The woman says as the man walks away.

"Who cares whether he comes back or not." The young Willow says.

"But he might die!" The woman says as she turns to Willow.

"Fine, let him! I don't care!"

"Do you... do you really hate him so much, that you don't care whether he lives or dies?"

"Yes!" Willow says and nods her head.

"But if he dies, you won't be able to tell him how much you hate him."

End of dream

Willow rose up in the cot to find herself alone. "Xander?"

A small boy pokes his head in the doorway, and smiles. "Xander is at the Temple."

Willow thanks the boys and walks over to the Temple. Inside she sees Xander and the priest talking, walking over she can see Xander has a worried look on his face.