A/N Just a little Aurikku for the new year, I've also added a bit, (more fluff!) So Happy New Year folks!
Warning: This is borderline M towards the end, if you find either the couple Aurikku, or scenes more or less aimed at mature audiences, leave now, you have been warned.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Final Fantasy X characters, and make no profit from this one-shot
Sakura Saku
Cherry Blossoms Blooming
This year, Luca was blessed with a white Chirstmas.
On New Year's the snow was still falling.
It looked to be a cold New Year's as well.
But, most people had their loved ones to keep them warm on cold bleak nights infront of the fire.
Rikku however had no-one to keep her warm on the cold winters nights. She would huddle under the uncomfortable rough woollen blankets, all on her own.
Tonight though, she just couldn't escape into a blissful dream, the happy voices of her friends filtered up to her room, adding to her despair. So, throwing the uncomfortable blankets off her and throwing an equally uncomfortable jumper on, she picked out a green hair-tie and pulled back her now shoulder-length hair.
She cut it on the fifth anniversary of Sin's defeat. The fifth anniversary of his Sending.
The blonde hair is now in the shoe box representing his make-shift grave, along with the infamous sun glasses.
She made her way downstairs and found herself in the doorway of her living room. Her friends and fellow Guardians were sitting round the coffee table, the boys playing poker, while their respective girlfriends cheered them on.
Rikku began to inch along the wall, humming the Mission Impossible theme in her head. She suspected that her friends were so engrossed in their game playing that they would never see her and Rikku would've succsessfully avoided her friends again.
Reaching for the brass doorknob, she contained her excitment and laughter at her imminent temporary freedom.
Temporary, because she knew she would have to return.
Her concentration was interrupted by voices directed at her person.
"Hey Rikku! Where have you been? You been up in dat room all evening, ya? Come down, play cards with us, its New Year's eve, time to celebrate, ya?"
She snapped up like a spring released and smiled almost dutifully at them, the smile, like so many before it, never reaching her green eyes. Inside cursing Wakka for not alowing her to escape without being acknowledgedshe answered him.
"I'm going to see the Luca fireworks on the heath tonight, I want to get a good spot, who knows, I might meet some guys!" After so many years of theiving and deceit, lying was second nature to her. She flashed them another pearly smile, gave them an impish wink, and dissapeared into the cold night before her friends could say another word.
The scarlet cloak was beginning to frost. The black boots had left crisp footprints in the fresh snow. The figure on the cliff looked over at the crowd on the heath. Turning to look at the city of Luca itself, he disturbed a branch of the winter cherry tree he was standing under, the soft snow covering the blossoms falling to the ground.
A sharp, chill wind ripped through the tree, individual blossoms being carried along with it. A gloved hand shot out, catching a blossom between thumb and forefinger. He marvled at its beauty, it's delicate petals shining with remaning snow.
The Fayth told him she would be here soon. He would just have to wait.
Pushing her way through the dozens of couples, Rikku made her way towards the heath, Luca's big clock strike 11. Rikku closed her eyes, trying to block out all the happy couples walking hand in hand, arm in arm, laughing, smiling, chatting. All this happiness crap made her feel so sick nowadays. She didn't mind for the first few years, but when it got to year number nine, she was tired of those who had the happiness she wished for.
When Tidus returned from wherever he had disappeared to, Yuna had been so happy, and Rikku had been truly happy for her cousin, who so did deserve to be rewarded for all she did for Spira.
But she had also been insanely jealous, if Yuna had her love back, why couldn't Rikku have hers? It just wasn't fair, so she just stood there smiling, living for the night when she could pretend he was there with her, holding her, whispering into her ear, planting soft wet kisses along the base of her neck, making her feel wanted, making her feel loved and whole...
But the morning always came too fast, and she would be stuck with reality, that she wasn't the one married for over a decade, it was Wakka and Lulu, she wasn't even married for seven years like Yuna and Tidus, she was just the bridesmaid, the one with the box of tissues should either marrige hit a bump, the one who got asked each year if she had a man, the one who each year had to say no, she didn't, the one who no-one ever worried about relationship-wise because she didn't have one.
She was so deep in thought that she didn't realise her feet were taking her past the revellers round the bonfire and machina fireworks.
He stood in the deep shadow of the tree, so concealed that she would only see him if she walked all the way round to the otherside of the tree, but it gave him a perfect veiw of Rikku. He had to almost cling to the tree itself, to stop himself rushing to her and getting rid of that sad look on her face.
Too long had he waited for this day, it had been too long since he had seen her, held her, and had been able to love her in everyway possible. She had known what would happen after Sin, yet she pushed him, past his stone walls, past his defences, she got to him, and he welcomed her, conforted her after her Home was destroyed.
But they were kept a secret. No-one could know, but that one night, the one night they had together as one, was a risk they were both more than willing to take. For had Rikku become pregnant, the world would easily figure out who's child she was carrying. Not that he would've minded.
The dead are dead. Dead people can't have children.
But standing on the cliff, he knew that he was nothing less than alive and by the end of the night, Rikku would know that very well. And tomorrow, the world would know that she belonged to him.
Her breath left small cloudy puffs in the air, and her feet left clear prints in the snow. 'Thank the Heavens I'm wearing my Ugg boots' she looked up at the clear sky, and wrapped her arms tighter round herself.
Rikku loved nights like this, when the sky was empty of clouds and you could see each star clearly, she knew all of the constallations, and had great fun in teaching them to him on the nights they spent on the deck of the Farenheit. It was routine, every night, they would sit and star watch amongst kisses and wandering hands, and if it so happend they were flying low enough for there to be a cloudy sky, they would just lay there intertwined, Rikku describing the shapes she saw. And at dawn, he would carry her sleeping form to her room and lay her there, departing for his own room before he was discovered. Lost in these memories she continued to walk
She was getting further away from the bonfire, and was heading for the tree she saw on the cliff, there didn't seem to be anyone up there, she could be alone. Alone with her waiting red warrior.
When she reached the peak of the cliff, she gasped at the veiw, she could see the shining lights of Luca, the glow from the bonfire, they were starting to prepare the fireworks, it wouldn't be long now. Rikku had personally chosen the explosives for the night, and she knew that when they were set off at the strike of midnight, the whole of Luca would be covered in light, almost like a halo.
She walked back to the tree and sat between two roots, looking out over the heath, she brushed at the new snow beside her and uncovered a small cherry blossom, the light of the full moon reflecting off the snow decorating it.
"Beautiful, aren't they?"
For the first time in eight years, Rikku smiled genuinely, marveling at the flower.
She nodded and "Mmmmed" at the voice, her lazy way of agreeing, she only used it with people she was familiar with...
But, wait?
"Beautiful, aren't they?"
She knew that voice...She definatley knew it, she looked up to the side of her and gasped.
"Auron?"
His cowl and sunglasses were gone, so was the armour. He still had his coat, and the scar, well she was looking up into two russet eyes, the only remains of the scar was a pale line running down the side of his cheek.
He smiled gently and sat down beside her. For a moment neither did anything. Rikku was running over and over in her head that he was back, Auron was back!
Auron on the other hand was trying to keep his feelings (and hands) in check, he looked down at what he considered to be an angel in human form, and watched with facination as she looked back up at him.
"Are you really here? Or are you just a dream?"
The words "I am here" were barely out of his mouth when he suddenly had a ball of blonde hair and white faux fur buried into his chest. He wrapped his coat securely around her, the red material muffling the sobs and squeaks she was emmiting. Stroking her blonde locks, he slipped a hand up her shirt and rubbed circles into her back in a comforting way. Rikku responded by tracing circles on his chest where her hand was.
Pulling back, Rikku stared Auron in the eye.
"Why are you back?"
He chuckled. "Can't say I know, but I am here now with you, who am I to question the Fayth?"
Rikku studied him for a moment before leaning forward and placing her lips by his ear.
"E muja oui, E'ja hajan cdubbat mujehk oui"
His eyes shot open and he turned his head to look at the head resting on his shoulder.
"Are you sure?"
Rikku sat up and looked at him, inches away from his nose and smiled.
"One hundred percent!"
He smirked "Thats good then."
"Do you love me?"
He cupped her cheek in his hand and looked straight into her swirling orbs.
"If I didn't love you, I most certainly wouldn't be here, so I suppose the answer to your question, is yes"
And he claimed her lips as his own.
Rikku was unconciously aware of the fire works going off behind her as she ran her hands up and tangled them in his hair, while Auron kept one hand securely on her lower back, gently pulling her closer to him and deepening the kiss, the other hand slipping up to unbutton the white coat. Without breaking the kiss, and using the light of the fireworks every now and again, he managed to undo the zip of her coat and slide it off her shoulders. With the coat more or less out of the way, he ran a hand up her shirt, grunting in annoyance.
He had heard of the 'bra' in the Farplane, a bloody nusciance is what it was.
He undid the clasp at the back and the bra loosened slightly (well, the straps were still on her shoulders) but it loosened enough for him to place a calloused hand over her breast, running his thumb over the nipple, his touch causing it to become errect, an repeating his action on the neglected breast. Rikku moaned and arched into his touch and deepened the kiss. Gaining confidence she kept one hand toying with the delicate hairs at the nape of his neck whilst moving the other down to his belt. She worked off the buckle as well as she could with only one hand and threw the belt away from them. She gasped for air and in pleasure as Auron broke the kiss and started to trail hot, wet kisses down her neck. He pulled away an took off his red cloak speading it on the ground below before gentlly lowering Rikku on to it and covering her with his own body. Soon they were both lost in each other removing their clothes and joining with tenderness which showed the love they held for each other.
The two completley forgot about the fireworks and the locals watching them light up the sky.
Rikku and Auron were undisturbed that night, not many people ventured up the cliff and those who did turned back; moans and screams of pleasure discouraging them from continuing up the hill. And in the morning, Rikku had no airship room to return to, and there was no fear of being caught, to the lovers could just lay there, interwined, cherishing each others presence, wrapped in a blanket of red and white.
Rikku rolled over onto Auron's chest. "Mornin' Handsome"
He chuckled and pushed a stray blonde hair behind her ear. "Good morning Rikku, I hope you slept well." He continued to stroke her hair taking pleasure from just being with her.
She grinned leaning in to his touch, "'Course I did! Anyways, know what today is?"
"Can't say I do"
She lightly slapped his arm.
"It's New Years Day, silly!"
"Well, then, Happy New Year Rikku"
"Mmmmm, you too Auron"
The End
Rikku and Auron were undisturbed that night, not many people ventured up the cliff and those who did turned back; moans and screams of pleasure discouraging them from continuing up the hill. And in the morning, Rikku had no airship room to return to, and there was no fear of being caught, to the lovers could just lay there, interwined, cherishing each others presence, wrapped in a blanket of red and white.