Living Legacy

Chapter 1: My Story Begins

My name is Ventus, but feel free to just call me Ven, and this...well, this is just the beginning of my story. So much has happened, I was beginning to feel like I was losing my mind. The others were starting to notice, and suggested I try writing in a journal to get all my thoughts out. With Riku and Zack trying to convince me that keeping a diary is something only little girls do, I put it off...but now I'd be willing to try just about anything to get these thoughts to quite down. Besides, I've got a few hours to myself right now anyways, so might as well.

I guess I should start at the beginning, but so much has happened that I almost don't want to think about it...but I guess that's kind of the whole point of this whole 'journaly thing.' Probably would have helped if I had been writing things down from the get go, but hey. Sue me. How was I supposed to know things would turn out like this?

I was just a regular kid, really. Well, kinda. If you can call being the youngest and best blitzball player in the league, as well as the star player of the Zanarkand Abes 'regular.' Uh, but now isn't the time for bragging. It's not even really about that anymore. That was my old life. Now, well...I guess I better avoid jumping around before things get too jumbled.

It was supposed to be another normal day. A game starting at 9:00 p.m., like always. Crowds filling the stands hours early anyway, just hoping for a chance to see their favorite players warming up. It started out just like any other Friday night, just like it was supposed to be...supposed to be.

I had been with the rest of the team all day, going over strategies and game plans. Finally, we were let go to have two hours off to relax before the big game. A lot of the team went out to get food, but I had left my lucky socks at home so I had gone back to get them. Yeah, I know. You don't need to tell me how stupid that sounds. But hey, when you're a professional athlete all you can do is try to find some way to make monotonous gameplay fun and meaningful again after however many years it's been. So go ahead and laugh at me, but I needed my superstitions. Especially on this night, when we were supposed to be playing for the league title and the cup.

Little did I know, socks wouldn't save me tonight.

Dramatics aside, I lived in a boathouse attached to a dock overlooking the city. I loved Zanarkand, but rather than living in the towering, glowing buildings, I liked my small space away from it all where I could see everything from a distance. When I did live in the skyscrapers, it was harder to appreciate how beautiful and calm looking everything could be. I guess you could say that despite it all, I liked the quiet life.

Unfortunately, the life of a pro athlete is far from quiet. Some of the fans had followed me back home, and were waiting outside for me to come out. There were some kids with blitzballs, girls with cameras, and some guys wearing shirts with our team's logo on them. It was honestly a little bit creepy, but what are you gonna do? Tell your fans they creep you out? Obviously not.

I stepped outside my house and saw a mass of people gathered there, just waiting to catch a glimpse of me. Thinking back on it, it really is more creepy than anything, but at the time, I think I was flattered. After stepping onto the dock, three little kids ran up to me, all of them carrying the league's signature blue and white blitzballs.

"Can you sign this!?" A little girl asked, holding up her ball and a black marker.

"Sure thing." I smiled back at her, taking the ball. 'Big swoopy 'V', then squiggle...perfect.' I handed the ball back, and a little boy handed me his, begging with a grin that was missing a few teeth.

"Pleaseeee?"

"Alrighty." Swoopy 'V', squiggle.

"Me too!" The last kid begged, practically shoving the blitzball in my face.