A/n: And so, the sequel to Always watching. Wasn't sure if I was gong to write this or not, but the bunnys made me do it. The last one was very dark in nature, but this time around will be a bit lighter. And I will be trying to end on a happy note as well. Since so many of you complained, I have to do it. So don't worry. Remember, Gin owns not. Keep that in mind as you read.
--
He had trouble sleeping that night. Knowing the man across from him was not going to make it through to see morning weighed on his mind. Cid turned his head in the darkness to see him struggling to breath. Auron was gasping in his sleep, his body attempting to bring the much needed oxygen into his lungs. He tried to ignore the sounds knowing that it was more then the fact his body was failing, Auron had already given up on life.
When Cid had found him the day before, he was sporting a gash over his right eye. It did not interfere with seeing and he even doubted the man knew it was there. Ribs had been broken during the fall and it took two potions to heal them enough so that he could move without constant pain.
The tent suddenly grew silent, and Cid knew that Auron had finally passed on. The only sound now came from outside. The wind blew whipping at the fabric as if to pull the dead man along with it off to some far away land.
Turning on a small light sphere, Cid sat up to pay his last respects. He shook his head sadly as he watched pyerflies drift off to join with the wind's call outside. "If only we could have prevented this."
--
This was not the welcome he expected at all. Rikku had run away from him shouting, and now a little boy was standing in front of him apologizing.
"War in heaven?" He scoffed. "As if this is heaven."
"Forgive me." the boy said. "I am the fayth of Bahamut, and the farplane is the place many souls come to rest. It is more of a term of peace then an actual place." He explained. "We fayth are charged with keeping that peace by any means necessary."
"And those means involved erasing a person's memories?"
Though he should have been ashamed, Bahamut was not. "We did not erase them. Merely suppressed them. We blocked out the negative memories that could be used against her. Including those she had of you."
Auron scoffed once more. If he had known death would end up like this, he would have stayed on Spira. He turned to leave.
"Wait." Bahamut called to him. Auron paused, but did not turn. "Perhaps there is something we can do for you after all."
"Not interested." He answered.
"Even if it would mean you would be able to reunite with her?"
He closed his eyes tight as he thought about it. One hand clenched tight at his side. "You have done enough interfering. Thanks, but no thanks." He walked away.
--
Rikku had run away. She wasn't sure where she had gone until she met the person that she had talked to near the falls earlier.
"He had come, hasn't he?" the man asked her as he held out his arms for her to run into.
She shook her head. "How did you know?"
He chuckled. "Little one, I told you. I know everything about you and those around you. He has come to steal you from me once more. He means to hurt you."
"You won't let him though?" She asked as she pressed her face closer to his chest.
He ran his fingers through her hair making her feel calm. Leaning over, he whispered into her ear. "I promise I won't allow him anywhere near you."
--
"Hey, Braska!" the man in question glanced up from his conversation. Jecht was walking closer and he had a guilty expression on his face. He looked over to see who Braska was sitting with. "Uh, maybe we better say this in private."
"Nonsense! You trust Auron as much as I do. Whatever it is, he may hear it too."
"Well, okay." He said as he rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Just got word from that little fayth boy. Seems that Rikku has turned up missing. No one knows where she went."
Both men turned to Auron expecting an outburst of some sort. Something to signal the news upset him. Instead, Auron sat in place and closed his eyes. Braska knew this to be a moment of suppressed anger. He reached one hand out and placed it on Auron's arm.
"I'm sorry. This must be hard for you."
Auron abruptly stood. "I need to talk with the fayth. They are responsible for this mess."
"Hey man, calm down." Jecht stood in front of him blocking his path. "You can't just barge up to them and start pointing fingers. You don't even know yourself where she could be. What if she just wandered off by herself?"
"I highly doubt it's something that simple." Braska interjected. "The fayth have always been good at keeping tabs of everyone that enters the farplane. It's part of their job to know."
With that knowledge, Auron stood waiting for Jecht to get out of his way. He had a 'move, or I'll make you move' glare in his brown eyes.
"Alright. Alright! I get it. Just don't do anything stupid while you're there. I rather like where I am now." Jecht warned as he moved aside. Braska and he watched as Auron stormed off. "Knew I shouldn't have said it in front of him." Jecht mumbled.
"It's not your fault. I was the one who made you say it."
--
"So, what do you think?"
Rikku glanced around as she took in her surroundings. The room was large, big enough to fit a small family of shoopuffs if you tried. The effect was made double as one wall was nothing buy a huge mirror. She had to admit, it was rather lavishly decorated as well. The man held nothing back when it came to decor. "This is all yours?" She asked him impressed.
He stood behind her and leaned over to speak into her ear. "This and more. I can share it with you if you stay by my side."
Rikku turned slowly. "You mean it?"
"I do." One hand reached out and wrapped around her waist. "Promise you won't leave me again? I have missed you ever so much."
Leave him? Rikku wasn't sure what he meant by that, but whatever he was talking about really seemed to upset him. And she hated to see him so upset. "I'll be here always." She promised.
Seymour smiled sinisterly into her hair as he gently kissed her cheek. Rikku had played right into his trap.
--
Yuna bolted upright in bed. It had been over two years, and she was now having haunting dreams from the day Rikku died. She couldn't understand why. Wasn't everything settled? It had been hard for them to move on, but they managed.
Cid had taken her death harder then they thought possible. After confronting Auron on the mountain and watching him die as well, he was never the same. He hadn't told them what had happened, but they assumed the worst.
But that was nothing compared to the dream she just had. It had much to do with her cousin and being lost and scared. She leaned over and grabbed her husband's shoulder, shaking him awake.
"Tidus, wake up. We need to talk."
His face was pressed into his pillow and she had to strain to hear him. "Whaizid?"
She sighed as she shook him again. "Tidus. Get up!"
He rolled onto his back and used one hand to rub his face. "Alright. I'm up. What is it?"
"We have to go to Guadosalam. I have to see Rikku."
"You woke me up for that? Yuna, I love you, but that could have waited for morning." He lay back down and tried to pull her down with him.
She would have none of that, and resisted his pulling. Instead she managed to keep him up. "This is important!" She scolded.
Tidus sighed, but consented to her wishes. "Fine. Tell me about it." He yawned once more before listening.
"I think some thing's wrong. I didn't want to say anything before, but now I know I should. I think something big is going to happen soon. I keep having dreams of the fayth begging me to help them. They say that people are starting to go missing from the farplane."
"What does that have to do with us, and why didn't you tell me any of this sooner?" He asked as he tried to hide another yawn.
"I didn't want to worry you. But I think it may be much more then people disappearing. Something bigger is happening. From what my dreams say, all of Spira could be in trouble if we don't find a way to stop it." She rung her hands together in a nervous gesture.
Tidus leaned over to rub her back. "Don't worry, whatever is going on, we will stop it."
"I hope you're right."
--
"Come'on, you know this. Try again!"
"But, vydran, we have been doing this all morning. I'm tired!"
"I don't care how tired you are. We are going to do this until you get it right!"
After the mountain trip, Cid had gone home and began pushing his son. Now that he only had one child left, he refused to see anything happen to him and refused to allow him to work on any projects he deemed as dangerous. Now Aniki was forced to study and work on his political skills. Today, Cid had woken him up early so that he might name all the leaders throughout Spira. Aniki wasn't doing so well though. He was mixing nations with leaders and vice-versa.
"If only Rikku were still here. She knew all this in her sleep." Aniki mumbled when he thought his father wasn't paying attention.
"What was that? Didn't I say never to say that name around me?" Cid hovered over his son in a very threating manner. Aniki shrunk back knowing he was going to get it now. Instead his father back down and rubbed his head before stalking off.
His father's anger has gotten out of control as of late, but at least he managed to keep his cool this time. It was better that he walked away at times like this. Aniki's friend, Buddy, poked his head into the room.
"Hey there. Cid at it again? What happened this time?"
Aniki visibly relaxed when he saw him."Yeah. It's my fault. I mentioned Rikku in front of him again."
"Oh, ouch." Buddy winced. "You would think after two years he would get over it."
"Yeah, it's enough to drive me away. I don't know how much longer I can stay here. It's like there is always a dark cloud when he's around. No matter how hard I try, I can never seen to do anything right."
"So why don't you?"
"Don't I what?" Aniki was confused. What was Buddy getting at?
"Leave. I have an airship we can use. You have the skills needed to fly it. Together we can soar the skies looking for whatever treasure we can find. Who knows what could be out there! We have all of Spira to explore!" He threw his arms up wide as he became more excited.
Aniki thought about it, and the more he thought, the more he began to like the idea. "I'm in! Let's go!"
Little did either of them know, but someone had heard their entire conversation. Neither did they notice him as they ran out heading for the airship hanger. Cid's face fell knowing he had just pushed his son too far. He had come back to apologize, but now it was already too late.
--
"Fayth!" Auron stood at the bottom of a stone building within the farplane. This was the residence of the fayth where they kept track of all that happened. It was impossible to enter though, unless one had permission from the beings themselves.
At his calling though, about three fayth showed up in front of him. Bahamut was the one in the middle.
"We knew you would come back. Are you ready to listen to our idea now, Sir Auron?"