My home is in motion,
As darkness unfolds,
The airoverloaded,
The sky stands in gold,
But you went away,
You left me to stay,
We'll see us in heaven,
I'm counting the days.

The End- Groove Coverage

Chapter One

He hated me, and I knew it.
He knew I knew it, or at least... I think.
I mean.. c'mon!
Thinking he's mister some "super-awesome guardian", gimme a break...
Seriously, he thinks of no one obviously but himself.
How can he sit there and lead someone to their death for a second time.
He doesn't care if Yuna's gunna or not!
..What an ass...

--

Sitting there, everyone, all seven of us, huddled around the single magically lit fire in the center, gratitude to Lulu's black magic and a couple logs. It was the night before we reached Zanarkand, the night before Yuna would meet her demise.. Or so she thought anyway, Tidus and I thought otherwise.

I remember that night clearly, for, aside from the sulking faces and the depression that lingered over us, it was the best night of my life.. The one I cherished most.

Yuna sat before the fire, like everyone else, her eyes staring into the raging flame before us; licking the logs we scrounged up from around the area, leaving a charcoal streak behind. Of course, like everyone expected, to her left sat Tidus. It was funny; really, everyone saw how deeply they had fallen for each other, aside from themselves, of course. Wasn't that the way love always worked? Beside me, however, sat the blue-furred Ronso, his strong arms folding over lighter-coloured matted fur his chest, the only source of armor he had aside for his harpoon... if you could call that armor I guess. I sat slouched over, my elbows rested on the corresponding knee, hands dangling lazily between my legs. I had stolen a few looks from the gruff brute across the way, hoping that he wouldn't notice, but secretly hoping that he did. I had taken a liking to him recently, and it baffled me. Only a few days earlier had I wanted to strangle him for being so stuck up, so mean, so… broody. It infuriated me that he could hide his emotions so easily, to seem like he did not give the slightest care of the world around him. I envied him for that, I'd give him that much…

I remembered back to when we were crossing the Thunder Planes, how he deliberately didn't want to stop for me. How he seemed to suddenly brainwash everyone with his logic, geez.. Give me a break. It's not my fault I had a bad experience with water and thunder. If it happened to him, I guarantee he would have acted the same way too! I doubt that stuck-up jerk would like being fried by a thunder spell...

Though, none-the-less, I continued to stare at him, the red-clad man sitting directly across from me, on the other side of the fire. The sun was beginning to set, painting the earth and what was left of what we figured was Tidus's Zanarkand, the tiny pyreflies hovered above the water, giving it an eerie look, yet somehow beautiful.

It was only when the sun had faded, sunken behind the horizon when the ebony curtain took over that I had become strangely tired. I figured it was because of the depression everyone felt that night, causing their lids to fall over their eyes in fatigue, for, Lulu was already fast asleep, her head against Wakka's shoulder. A small grin crossed my complexion, they were perfect for each other, and they knew it, just like Yuna and Tidus, absolutely perfect. I stifled a yawn, sinking down onto the ground so the small of my back was up against the log. It was the best I could do, really, there was nothing else to sleep on. Everyone else was slowly falling asleep, so why shouldn't I? I knew Yuna was coming close to resting, I saw her leaning awkwardly forward a few times, her golden-haired knight told her to rest, but of course, she refused. I slowly fell asleep from their gentle chatter, huddled up against the cold log…

But I had awakened. Why? I was cold. Sitting up, my back was quite sore from the position I was in; obviously, it had been an awkward one. The fire in the center of us was dwindling, only a tiny flame remained. Maybe that was the cause of the cold feeling that ran down my spine, I had no one to hold onto for warmth, where as the other two couples did and, well, Kimhari was covered in fur. It wasn't my fault Sanuba Desert was hot as hell and I had to dress so.. Scantily, some would say. I just never had time to go out and buy anything else.. You know, with the journey and all. Other then that, I never really thought about it.

Usually I would have just curled right back up into a ball and try and catch some more shuteye, but there was something, no, someone missing, however. My swirled hues, looking over the five other people around the fire... Where was Auron? Averting my eyes to the hill that had risen with some debris scattered amongst it, there he stood. The bottom of his crimson jacket billowed slightly behind him from a light gust of wind.

Standing, I stretched my arms to either side of my body before walking towards him silently. I don't know if he had some kind of sixth sense or something, or if he could hear extremely well. Either way, he knew I was there.

"Why are you up?" He questioned me. Auron had not turned around to look at me, his eyes remained on the water in front of him as the small pyre flies danced across it. Parting my lips to speak, an awkward sound came from my throat.

"I.. –I was cold." I replied, nodding in success. It's not like I was lying or anything, I was telling him the truth. I just found it so difficult to talk to him as of late.

"I see.. Try to get some rest…" He told me, but who did he think I was? I wasn't going to back to sleep… I just woke up.

Rubbing my eyes a bit, I blinked and joined him at his side, ignoring his last statement. He glanced at me out of his single, russet-coloured eye over the rim of his ebony-tinted glasses. Why did he wear those anyway? No one knew. I thought he was trying to draw attention away from his closed, scarred eye, but I wasn't entirely sure. Either way, it didn't really do anything at all.

"Tomorrow, huh?" I mumbled, folding my arms across my chest and rubbing either forearm for warmth. I allowed a chilled breath to pass from my lips, and once again he looked over to me. Only then did I wonder if he realized I had been staring at him earlier over the fire.

He said nothing in reply.

I allowed a small, irritated huff escape from within my throat from no responses on his behalf. That was annoying. It was like talking to a wall, a breathing wall. Actually, I don't even think I heard him breathing.

"It came so fast.." I mumbled, glancing at him out of the corner of my eye to see if he had actually heard anything that I said. Though he didn't budge. It seemed like the second I glanced at him, he shifted his eyes to the calm waters below.

Definitely a wall. He didn't really have any shape to him at all.. Well, not that I could see under that crimson garb of his. Well.. His arms did, I knew that much for sure. Like when we were in battle and he sliped his arm out from beneath his clothing to fight properly. His bicep was firm when I had looked, shaped beautifully, he must be incredibly strong and.. Oh no… when were these thoughts popping into my head? And since when did I think of Auron that way?

"She's going to die tomorrow…" I blurted out of nowhere, my voice suddenly becoming grave and depressed. I had fallen asleep to escape those thoughts from entering into my head, but that was just a simple hour or so of false security. I didn't hear him move, I didn't even want to look at him, but I heard a gentle rumble of what I figured was his voice. My mind was already too concentrated on trying to think of a way for Tidus and I to save Yunie. I didn't want her to die, and personally, I didn't care for what he had to say at the moment. That's only when I realized that my eyes began to water. I tried to bat the salty signs of weakness from my eyelids.

I heard him speak again, followed by a frustrated sounding sigh. Only after the fact did I wish I knew what he said to me. Every word he ever said I wish I had memorized..

I gently shook my head, I'm guessing by his sudden gestures and facial expression it corresponded with what he was saying. I slid my hands up my arms so they were now resting on my shoulders, my forearms crossing my chest. My tears seemed to be ignoring my command, begging them to stop from falling. I tilted my head forward, as if to take away from my face, trying to hide my own expressions behind a emotionless mask. It confused me a little why I acted in such a way.. I never usually cried, actually. Yunie was a different matter, but still, didn't I usually hide it behind a dashing smile?

I hadn't noticed it had all fallen silent until the gentle sound of my tear had fallen against the dry earth between my feet. He could continue talking for all I care; he never usually talked much, so why would he speak now? I didn't care about anything right now besides for what he would think if he saw me crying. Would he think I was weak? Most likely, he always thought I was weak. Physically, and emotionally. I was simply a waist of oxygen. Maybe it was because of individuals like me did people look down upon the Al Bhed as such scoundrels, like some sort of inferior race. But if he had heard me sneaking up behind him with silent footsteps, I was so sure that he would hear even the slightest sound like that. It was only when I realized that I spun around, taking in a breath greedily for oxygen. I had been holding my breath so no sudden sobs would catch his attention. Maybe he hadn't heard what I thought he had, maybe I was over thinking.

"Maybe I should go back to sleep…" I muttered after the large sob, which I hoped to bottle within me escaped. I was no use up here anyway; I was only annoying him greatly. I pulled my hands up to my face, shielding my eyes from his piercing stare. I didn't want to think about what he was thinking right now, I didn't want to know.

It was only then when I began my decline, when I had been moving away did I hear a few hurried footsteps from behind me. I never really paid any attention to them until I felt his strong, solid arm slip around my waist followed by his other one. I'm guessing he slipped it from within his garb before he grabbed me, because I never noticed it out of its sling before. I took in a sharp breath as tears continued to stream down my face, I heard his heavy, shallow breathing I would have never noticed before in my ear, his hot breath traveling down the side of my cheek and against my neck. To tell you the truth, I didn't really know what to think at that moment, I was completely and utterly confused.

Moments later, I turned around in his arms, burying my face into his chest. My fingers slipped from the side of my face and gripped his crimson clothing. I shook a bit, or so I think. It might have been quite a bit, but my heart was beating profusely. His scent was invigorating, seeming to begin to relax me. It reminded me of ancient texts and incense, a mysterious scent with a bit of the damp smell of the Macalania Woods. Maybe before when he was speaking to me, he was trying to convince me that there was a way to actually save Yunie, but I don't know… I wish I did.

I didn't say anything to him; I just stood there with him, continuing to sob against his chest. I never really realized how firm and shaped his chest and abdomen was until I was pressed against him.. Not that I noticed it then, but I can remember it now. I was too busy crying before, and it was all so sudden. Maybe from him suddenly taking me into his arms.. Maybe that's really what made me begin to cry.

As I began to calm down, I felt his chest begin to rumble as he spoke. It reminded me of the rolling thunder across the dark sky in the Thunder Planes, but this time, it did not scare me, his voice only pulled me closer into his warm, inviting embrace.

"Rikku…" He called my name. It seemed like that was only the third time that night I had listened to him. I lifted my head slowly, much like the time when I had originally met him, when he asked me to raise my head to look at my emerald eyes. He was correct about me, I was an Al Bhed, and it surprised me… Wakka did not realize until we were attacked later on.

I raised my head, but not my eyes however. I was afraid to look at him. I was afraid to see the expression on his face… Then he called my name again.

"Rikku.." He said softly. I could tell he wasn't angry. I realized that I had been analyzing the tone of his voice recently. When he was angry, his voice dripped with that venomous growl. When he was cocky, he usually didn't talk much, adding an odd, soft chuckle in.. You never really saw that part of him though. But now, It was a different voice, a supportive one.. it was weird, but I liked it.

Once again, I didn't raise my head to meet his single chestnut eye with both of mine. He waited patiently for me to do so, though I never did. There was another thing he preformed that startled me, never once had I seen or ever thought he would do such a thing. I could feel his bare arm slip from the exposed skin of my lower back. He moved slowly… Fluidly. I felt his unusually cool fingertips press against my cheek, followed by his palm flattening out against the even surface. His hand traced down to my chin, lifting it so I was looking up at him. I took a quick glance at his face, my eyes slightly reddened from crying, and because of that, I looked away immediately. His eyes seemed pained and full of sorrowful. An expression I never read on his face before.

A heard a gentle sigh from his mouth as he spoke my name one more time, though in a greatly softer tone. "Rikku.. Look at me…"

I looked up at him like he had asked. Tears began to well up beneath my lids again. Why was I suddenly so weak? I never felt like this before, it was a foreign feeling, as I figured it would be for him. I felt like my knees were going to suddenly give out from beneath me.

As the tears began to surface again, I felt his hand swiftly slip beneath my chin, angling my head up towards him. I felt his lips lock with mine. He captured my bottom lip, nipping it once, perhaps by accident, either way, it was a movement I would not have expected and it stunned me. I did nothing other then close my eyes in response, my tears seemed to have halted there. Not once in that day… no, through the entire journey did I see myself ever becoming anything with Auron, not once did I think of anything like this ever happening. One of my hands, which were still clinging to his loose crimson clothing, shifted to his tear-stained ebony shirt beneath the garb. I felt him tug at my lower lip before releasing it followed by him leaning in again and taking it within his grasp. His foreign movements only caused my heart to race. I wanted this moment to last forever, but every good thing came to an end… it was always like that. But not now, please not now…

I felt him tug away as shuffling was heard below. Damn you Tidus, and to hell with you too, Wakka. The first time I had seen any other kind of affection, and to me of all people and it had to end to suddenly. I felt his arms tighten around me before he released me. They were waking up. Him and I both knew this moment had to come to an end…

But that was so long ago.. Though I remember it like yesterday…