AN- My first Final Fantasy fic. Please be nice, but still, tell me what I could have done to make it better.

Disclaimer: If I owned FF10, the canon pairing would be Tikku, not Tuna.

Rikku was sitting on top of a box hidden away in some forgotten room in the airship. Her reason for being here was quite obvious: She didn't want anyone to see her tears. Of course, she had every right to be crying, since her home had just been destroyed. But still, she was supposed to be the happy, hyper girl of the group, so she couldn't let the others see her crying. She stifled a sob, knowing that if she was too loud, someone would find her.

I saw Home destroyed right before my eyes. There was nothing I could do! So many of my friends were slaughtered… Keyakku (1)…The only ones to make it out were my father, brother, and friends, plus some people I don't know! How could the Guado do this?! It's cruel, even for them! She broke into a sobs and tears once again, no longer caring who heard. Then, there was a knock on the door.

"Anybody in there? I'm looking for someone." Tidus! She unintentionally gasped. Of all the people who could find me, he's the one I want to hide from the most! Luck was apparently not on her side as he heard her gasp and recognized it. "Rikku? Is that you in there?"

Seeing the doorknob turning and knowing there was nowhere to hide, she quickly wiped her tears and tried to make herself look presentable. And then he was next to her, asking her what was wrong and telling her that whatever it was, she'd be okay. He'd help her in any way he could. And why? Because he was quite possibly her closest friend and while he was a bit of an idiot sometimes, he could tell she'd been crying. Tidus…

Giving in to the fact that he knew she was crying, she stopped holding back and threw herself into his arms, tears streaming from her eyes. He was a bit shocked, but wrapped his arms around her in a protective manner.

"Oh Tidus! My home, it's… it's gone. I'll never ever get to see some of my friends again. They're dead. Keyakku… dead. It's truly gone! I'll never see Home again, Tidus, and I…" she broke off, burying her head on his chest, unable to speak anymore because it was just so damn painful. His arms tightened around her, as if trying to support her better. He looked at her, sympathetically.

"Rikku, I… I don't really know what to say. There's no way I can fully understand just how much this is obviously hurting you, but still, I… I'm sorry that it happened. The Guado were going way out of line with this. They've gone too far! Next time I see that bastard Seymour, I'll-" he was interrupted by her shrieking.

"Stop! Please stop…" she took a shaky breath before continuing, "What the Guado have done is truly horrible, and I know it's all because of Seymour, but please don't talk about killing anyone else! Even if they are the enemy, right now, if I have to think of anyone else dying, I'll…I just won't be able to take it, okay?!" You're right, Tidus. You have no idea what I'm going through right now. And the thought of anyone else dying, it just… She continued speaking once more, "Look, don't worry about me. My home was just destroyed and I need a little time to get over it, that's all. You should really be worried and Yuna, because if we don't get to her quick, she be forced to marry Seymour! …and you don't want that, do you?" His eyes widened.

"Of course not! But I see no reason to worry about Yuna now when I know he'll keep her safe for the wedding." he practically spat the word, "I'll worry about them when we're closer to Bevelle. Right now, I'm worried about you. Just let me help you, Rikku, okay?" She looked at him, an unreadable expression in her eyes. Tidus… you're such a good friend, you know that? You're nothing like Gippal(2), that's for sure…But sometimes, I just don't get you. I know you like Yuna, hell, you might even love her! Yet here you are, telling me that right now, I'm the one you're worried about even though it must be killing you to know that she could be marrying Seymour right now… Maybe… maybe you like me, too? At least a little? Really, you don't know how much this all means to me. How much you mean to me. And odds are, you'll never know, 'cause I'd never do anything to hurt Yuna, and I know that she likes you, too. I guess I'm just unlucky in love…She faked a smile.

"Thanks for caring, Tidus. It really means a lot to me." He could tell that her smile was fake, but smiled back anyway.

"Of course I care! We're friends, so we have to look out for each other, right?" Her smile dropped just the smallest fraction at the mention of 'friends'. For once, he noticed. But he chose not to ask.

"Right. Friends. Of course. Um, Tidus? Can I ask you a favor? Do you mind if… can I.." Can I kiss you? She knew she couldn't say those words, so she said the next best thing. "Can we stay like this for a while? You know, just hold me for a little bit? It's comforting." He smiled and tightened his arms around her once more, making sure to see that they were both comfortable before answering.

"Of course, Rikku. Right now, I'll do anything for you." She smiled as she leaned her head against his chest tiredly, already drifting to sleep. Before she completely drifted off, though, she had one last thought.

Hey Tidus? Can you hold me like this forever? It's comforting.

If she had bothered to ask him that, she would have been pleasantly surprised when he said yes.

AN- What'd you think? I think it started out kinda sucky, but got a lot better. I actually really like the end! Review please!

(1)-Keyakku is the boy like right outside the home. In the game Rikku runs up to him and talks to him before he dies. I get the feeling they were good friends.

(2)-Everybody knows who Gippal is! If you don't, shame on you! I tried to make it seem like she's friends with him, maybe likes him a little bit. That's why he was compared to Tidus in the fic.

P.S.-I might continue this. Review and tell me to continue, otherwise it'll stay a one-shot.