Someday We'll Know

Disclaimer: I don't own nothin'!

xxRikku POVxx

"I wanna go home! I hate lightning! I hate thunder! Let's go rest over there! Please?"

That was the start of a long and horrible chain of events, but some were more horribler (is that a word?) then others. Actually, the events were pretty good till they hit a snag, but that's besides the point. Anyway, my cute little face and sophistimacated (word?) charm finally convinced those big group of meanies to stay in the lodge, if only for an hour or two. Tidus, being the blond that he was, immediately asked me why I hated lightning and thunder, and I did the long version of the "thunder story" as Pops called it. After that, everyone was quiet until Yuna suddenly rose from her seat in the corner and asked for a room, quickly walking down the hallway. Everyone exchanged worried comments and glances before Tidus finally set off after Yuna, and Wakka soon followed, claiming to need a shower, or something like that. Now it was just me, Lulu, Kimarhi, and Auron. After another spell of long awkward silence, the two guys left the room, going to guard the inn against fiends, or as I heard Auron barely mutter; "dumbass teenagers" one of the two, though I'm not too sure at this point. Anyway, it now left me and the black mage standing at opposite sides of the room in silence until...

CRACK

I ducked suddenly, not aware of the table in front of me, crashing into it and causing a landslide of books and papers and that stuff to fall over me, while another couple of bolts fired in rapid succesion after the one that sent me tumbling. I lay where I was, taking deep breaths and counting to ten like my mom always told me to, and I pictured a lovely field with Chocobos and flowers and no thunder or anything remotely related to electricity until I jumped when someone put their hand on my shoulder. My head snapped up so fast, I hit my head on the table again, cursing loudly in Al Bhed, turning more then a few heads and making people raise several eyebrows, Lulu's included as I found her to be the one to break me out of my field.

"Sorry Rikku, its just that you were quiet for more then a couple seconds..."

I looked up at the woman in shock to see her with a small smile on her face. I did a double take, maybe even a triple take, Lulu never smiled. They were a rare treat as I saw it, making her usual somber features and heavy make up seem lighter then they actually were. If she smiled more often I'm sure Wakka would eventually work up the courage to talk to her, heck, even I would if she'd just show some more emotion. But I was also envious because she didn't show emotions. Well, not as much as I did. I had always shown what I had felt, anything from rage to happiness, and all those other things felt in between the two. Lulu was so reserved. Even when she was annoyed, you really had to concentrate on her facial expressions or her eyes. For such a lifeless person, her eyes seemed to always betray her in the end. The soft smile faded when I became lost in my thoughts, snapping me out of them as the room became dim again, now missing the smile.

"Everything alright...?"

I couldn't even talk. The smile had gotten to me.

"Ye- Yeah! It's just eh... lightning y'know, no biggie!"

I hopped up, putting back on my happy face as I looked back at the mage who was looking me over as well, almost as if seeing into me. I shivered and looked away, those eyes were beautiful, but you never knew what was behind them or what was going on inside of them. Mystery...

"Hey Lulu?"

She looked up at me.

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry I dragged us here and all, I just get freaked out easily. You should really see me with spiders though, that's when I bring out the water works."

She chuckled this time along with another smile. Yeah I know I'm good.

"No problem at all Rikku, we're all afraid of something."

"What about you?"

She stopped smiling again, and furrowed her brow, apparently thinking, all the while concentrating on me. I shivered again, even when she wasn't meaning to look at me, those eyes still got to me. But in the good way! Anyway, she finally stopped concentrating on me, and instead looked at the floor.

"I think I'm afraid... I'm afraid of being alone."

I was shocked, my mouth in an "O". She was talking to me. No no no, she was really talking to me. Not just little chit chat that I had come to accept. No no, it was real talking. The kind that friends do. I was freaking out, and Lulu noticed, putting on another smile.

"Never mind it Rikku, just the two cents of an old black mage, don't pay any attention to it."

She became the serious Lulu I knew and left her position near me to browse the small bookshelves across the room, occasionally picking up a book and studying the cover or table of contents. The tension and awkward silence returned with a vengeance, and instead of trying to cut the tension with a knife, I tried poking it away, desperate to start another conversation. Another bolt of lightning and I was hunched over again on the ground, trying to get the image of bright, blinding light out of my head. It wasn't working so I tried visualizing the field again. No good on that either. For some odd reason, the only image that was in my head was Lulu and her soft smile and dark eyes that seemed to see right through me. I shook my head furiously.

No, bad Rikku. Slaps hand. You DO NOT think about someone like that, and if you do, please think it about someone of the opposite sex. I mean that's just disgusting.

I shook my head in circles, up and down, side to side, anything to shake out the image of her eyes and voice. I guess my head shaking got so violent I slammed it into the table... again. And I was down for the count this time, lying on the ground face up as I traced the intricate patterns carved into the agency ceiling. Lulu didn't spring into action immediately, instead she exchanged glances between the book and me, another amused expression on her face and in her eyes. I sighed a little at the thought, truly drawing her attention. She put her book back where she had found it and walked towards me, my eyes now closed, trying to think of an excuse or some sort of alternative explanation. I was aware of the soft light that filed into my eyelids became distinctively darker, and I opened one eye to see her standing over me, eyes filled with concern. I smiled sheepishly.

"This has nothing to do with lightning does it?"

I was shocked again, I guess I was pretty easy to read like Pops always said.

"Er, I- Um, meh..."

Her eyes smiled, but her face remained concerned.

"Anything I can do to help?"

"Stop standing on my leg?"

Her eyes widened, and she quickly stepped away from me (damn!) and apologized quickly. We stood there (well she did) in silence, me taking stolen glances at her from time to time, trying to burn it into my memory to save for a rainy day. Lulu however was looking straight at me, eyes piercing me. I felt them searching me even when I had my eyes closed. I finally willed my eyes open to lock stares with hers. Her eyes this time were unreadable, a cross between fascination and something else... Want? No. I shook my head again. Finally, Lulu reached her hand out to me, and without even thinking, I grasped it with both hands, enjoying the strange warmth that her hands lent me. She pulled me up quickly enough, but when I was standing straight up, both my hands were still on her one hand. I almost pulled them off, but she made no movement to tell me to get my hands the hell off of her. We stood there, with no sound but the mad driving sound of rain crashing down above us, and the lightning strike every now and then. But the funny thing was, I didn't jump or cringe when I was near Lulu. She was like my anti-lightning charm or something.

Rikku, you get your hands off of Lulu this instant! She has Wakka! Let go now!!! You disgusting little-

I turned off that annoying little voice in the back of my head, and stood there with the black mage, hands still together, and really close to each other. I took solace in her closeness, wishing this moment could go on forever, the little radiation of heat from Lulu, and the most certain comfort of her hands under mine. I needed conformation of this feeling and this moment, so I brought my eyes up to hers, and found the same emotions that were inside of me, swirling inside of those perfect orbs of red. I didn't need to think of the consequences or if someone walked in, or if Lulu would get excomminucated from the Temple or if my entire family and population of Al- Bhed bretheran hated me and kicked sand and machina grease in my face, I knew we both wanted this. I leaned in slowly at first, but the abyss between us was so vast, I just moved my head all the faster, seeking her pale lips. I never found them, only her cheek, and that had all of a sudden lost its warmth and comfort. My hands were no longer accompanied by hers, but dangling in space with no partners. I stepped back, and looked up at her. Her eyes were now closed, and she was taking deep breaths. She finally opened her mouth and I called what she was going to say before she even drew breath to talk.

"Rikku, we can't do this..."

"No."

She looked at me with sympathy, eyes full of regret, and I knew my eyes were full of tears. We had wanted this, both of us I thought...

"Rikku, it was a lapse of judgement on my part, please do not repeat this to anyone."

My eyes closed, trying to fight back the tears and emotion that was welling up inside them. I couldn't do it and I bolted out of the agency and into the rain, past the two male guardians calling after me and that certain mage that looked at me with eyes full of as much emotion as I was showing, standing in the doorway of the agency. I ran hard and fast until I lost sight of that beacon of hope I once wanted. I stopped under a lightning shelter and collapsed on the ground as the water from my eyes mixed with the ones from the sky. Maybe the sky had had her heart broken too. As I cried my heart and soul out, curled up in a ball to retain what little was left of my body heat, thunder and lightning struck the rod above me, and I didn't cringe or run away in fear, I just sat there, continuing to tell the ground how I felt.

After that moment, I never once cringed or feared thunder and lightning...

A/N:

I'm not sure where this of all things came from, but I was stumped with An Epic in the Making, and had some ideas in my head, and so this was born. Not the most popular or well documented pairing, but I sometimes saw it while I played the game. This story could go either way, tell me what you think.

And happy Christmahanakwanzaka to everyone, and a happy new year!!!