Breakdown

Rikku clutched the handlebars tightly as muttered angrily to herself with increasing venom, her Al-Bhed dialect was punctuated with harsh consonants and came out as erratic as her turning of the machina was becoming. The words that Tidus did manage to make out were rambling swears and the odd mention of 'Wakka' or 'blue beast', and it didn't take a genius to guess what she was saying. After being berated by the yevonite blitzballer and abandoned by the Ronso guardian, Rikku had joined Tidus and Lulu on their snowmobile machina for the journey to Macalania Temple. The fuming Al-Bhed had taken control of the machine as Tidus sat behind, clutching her waist, followed by the black mage who perched side-saddled at the rear.

"I'm sorry about Wakka…" Tidus said as he attempted to ease the tension.

"He's an ass." Came the reply. "I mean what have I done? All the Al-Bhed want is to end the cycle of Sin!" Rikku stated as the machina took another sharp turn to match her tone.

"You mustn't take it to heart…" Lulu said after a considered response. "This has nothing to do with you."

Silence followed for a minute as Tidus sat uncomfortably in the middle, considering how tension had suddenly erupted between the group. He internally berated Kimhari for shooting off on his own after Yuna rather than letting Rikku get on with him. He thought about Wakka's reaction and turned to Lulu behind him…

"So why exactly does Wakka hate he Al-Bhed?"

The machina swerved again following his question as even Lulu had to grab hold of Tidus to keep on-board as Rikku's rage again got the better of her co-ordination. The raven-haired mage steadied herself and paused before replying;

"You must remember that Wakka's brother Chappu fell using a machina…"

Rikku again muttered something before calming slightly, she asked Lulu exactly what happened during the battle with Sin and listened with Tidus as her companion explained the failed operation to bring the Eternal Calm. As Lulu recounted, Rikku's driving steadied and slowed as her conscience eased the rage from earlier, bringing the machina out onto a large frozen lake.

"Oh Chappu…" Lulu whispered to herself quietly as Tidus barely caught it. Her hand reached around to sit on his thigh as she drifted into what he presumed was some distant memory. He looked down to see her fingers stretch and claw at his leg as they inched ever closer inwards…He shuffled slightly in his position with mild concern, he was well aware of his similarities to Lulu's former lover, having seen a photo of Chappu at Wakka's hut. Tidus had caught Lulu's fire-red irises staring through him at times with a burning intensity on occasion and knew there was plenty of unresolved tension burning inside of her…

As Rikku slowly piloted the machina across the frozen lake, Lulu's silence continued as did the movement of her hand. Her palm stroked across Tidus's lap in a massaging circle as he tried to focus on anything but his hardening manhood. He reached a hand back to the mage's legs but it was swatted away before reaching its mark…he sat idly as her fingers rolled over the growing bulge in his shorts and down beneath his groin, the tips coaxing at his undercarriage as she brought her grasp back over to his shaft. She began to pump him slowly through the material of his shorts. He let out a stifled gasp as the friction made him grow and he coughed to cover his desire, hoping that Rikku would remain oblivious to what was going on behind her. The stalwart mage continued to silently toy with her prey as he sat helpless to her desire, watching and feeling the increased pressure that was building beneath her grasp.

As Lulu's attention increased with speed, so too did Tidus' grip around Rikku's waist, and Al-Bhed girl shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Behind them both, Lulu smiled noticing the effect of her actions, and slowly brought her other hand around to Tidus as she began to unbutton his shorts. He quietly begged to himself that the mage was not planning what he knew she was as he felt each individual button ping apart to her long pale fingers…He tried to look behind at his antagoniser but snapped back forwards as she gripped him tightly. As the final button loosened, Lulu opened the way to her goal as the frozen air of Macalania sent a shiver through Tidus' body. Lulu toyed for a moment, holding his shorts open with one hand as the other slowly inched towards his exposed erection, he felt her body behind him push closer as she leant her head over to the left side of his neck…

The machina skidded to a thunderous halt as the three of them froze in place. Rikku kicked the break down on the skis before glancing back over the side of her shoulder;

"Tidus…do you mind?" she said accusingly.

Tidus' perception widened as he recalled the moment before the stoppage…Lulu's lips had reached over to his ear and a flick of her tongue coincided with the ice cold touch of her fingers as they had reached inside of his shorts, the shock of both had made him lurch forward and move his grip on the unwitting Al-Bhed girl from her hips to her chest…where they now resided. He released her immediately and looked down to his cover his exposed manhood as Lulu smirked behind him, the young man quickly pushed the fly on his shorts back over as he raced through his mind for an excuse;

"I'm really sorry Rikku, I almost slipped off…I didn't mean to…" he stuttered.

"Well I think you've left some marks on my hips too!" She countered curtly. "Mind loosening your grip a little?" she demanded while Lulu chuckled.

Tidus nodded behind as Rikku, thumped the breaks off and revved the machina's engine once more, which spluttered and stalled. With a huff she again revved and the power as it failed to start.

"Now what?" she said as she checked the dials in front of her. "It was working a second ago."

"Perhaps it the aggressive way that you have been handling it…" Lulu probed with unsympathetic bluntness as Tidus rapidly fastened his shorts.

"Well it's not the only thing that's been handled aggressively out here" Rikku replied with ire. "Right I had better take a look at it, everybody get off, it looks like we're not going anywhere for a while…"

End of Chapter 1