A/N: I've taken a few liberties with the actual game storyline to help with the scenes in this story, so don't be too mad at me for changing things around. This is AU, so it's to be expected I suppose lol. It's also been awhile since my last replay of the game, so details are always fuzzy.
As always, this is for my chicks over at the Aurikku Facebook Group, whose link can be found in my profile. :D
Did I Dream You Dreamed About Me
Auron's POV
Every breath that I took was harder and harder. I don't remember how I made it up the mountainous path from Zanarkand to Mount Gagazet, all I remember was that it hurt. A lot. And that I was losing blood with every faltered step I took. I leaned heavily on my sword, trying to take some of the weight off of the right side of my body. Yunalesca had dealt me the blow that was now hindering me, and I cursed her, but pushed on, hoping to somehow make it to the Ronso camp in the mountains before I was too weak to go any further.
I stumbled on a snow-covered rock and fell to the ground, my sword now lying at my side. I left it, thinking that it was useless in helping me now. I could not gather enough strength to stand back up, so I crawled on my hands and knees instead.
The wind was bitterly cold and the snow that swirled about in it was blinding. I kept my head bent down against the elements, chanting internally to myself to keep pushing forward. I would not die here, with no one around. I was Auron for Yevon's sake, I could see this through. Just a bit further...
I came upon the mountain pass, a zig-zagging path that looked narrow and dangerous. It was so far down. I knew then that I hadn't the strength to make it. I let out a shudder and fell onto my chest, my face planted into the snow. How long I laid there, I don't know. I thought I saw movement, but surely it was just the blood loss causing me to hallucinate. I looked up, my good eye widening at what I saw before me. It was a young woman, and she was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. I must be dead, I thought. Why else would she be standing here, looking at me calmly? Was this some sort of unknown Fayth, come to take me home to the Farplane? If so, I would go willingly. If the Farplane promised such beauty as she, I wouldn't hesitate a moment.
As I stared at this ethereal beauty, her own eyes widened a bit. I noticed what a striking green color they were, they were hypnotizing. I could see a blond lock of hair blow across her face as her lips parted and she called out without a sound. She looked confused for a moment before reaching out towards me. I summoned what strength I had left and lifted my own hand up at her, groaning all the while. She seemed so close, yet so far away. I wanted to touch her, wanted to grasp her hand with mine.
Her image became fuzzy around the edges and seemed to be fading. "No!" I tried to yell, though nothing came out. My throat was raw from inhaling the cold air and I gulped several times, trying to get my voice back. "Come back," I managed in a whisper, but she didn't hear me. She was still reaching towards me, though she looked farther away than before.
"Don't leave me..." A sudden gale of wind, stronger than before, blew forward and her lovely face disappeared. I blinked a moment, a tear escaping my good eye, as I realized how utterly alone I was now. I put my head down into the snow again, giving up and waiting for the end.
As darkness took over my vision, a pair of blue paws shook me and then lifted me into waiting arms. I opened my eye and saw the worried face of my Ronso friend before I lost all consciousness at all.
Rikku's POV (10 years later)
Though Sin was very much a huge threat in our lives, I still didn't expect it to attack our Salvage ship that night. I don't know why, really. Sin didn't follow any kind of pattern, it came and went where ever it chose, leaving death and destruction in it's path. The sea had been calm as I talked to Tidus on deck, leaning against the railing as he looked unseeing at the waters below, remembering something about his former home, I'm sure.
If I try to recall now what had happened, I would tell you that there was almost a quiet hush in the air before the attack. At least, that's how it plays out in my head. Events from that night are sort of fuzzy, really, though there is one moment that I could never forget.
When Sin attacked the ship, I could do nothing but hold on for dear life to the railing, trying to keep from being tossed overboard. Tidus didn't have the same luck, though. He pitched forward into the dark, churning water and I screamed, knowing that there was nothing any of us could do for him. Sin thrashed about as it released it's Spawn towards our ship, raining water upon us that mixed with the tears that coursed down my face.
Sin moved closer, causing the ship to rock against the wave it created. I was sure we wouldn't last the encounter, but I did nothing to help the rest of the crew. I was stunned, braced onto the railing as I was, staring our deaths in the face. I wonder now if the toxin created by Sin was affecting me even at that point, but I couldn't be sure.
There was even more water, even more waves, even more rocking. The crew around me was yelling, fighting, screaming...
I was knocked back by a huge lurch of the ship and my head hit the metal deck with a loud bang. People ran past me, Sin's Spawn ignoring me as everyone on the deck caught their attention. I looked up into the water that was still coming down, actual rain this time as it had begun storming since the fighting started. It swirled about me as lightning lit up the sky and a deep rumble sounded not a moment later.
Everything felt hazy. My head hurt like nothing I'd ever felt before and I'm sure Sin's proximity was already causing some of the haziness with it's Toxin. It's the only explanation I have for what I saw that night.
At some point I rolled over and used my strength to push myself into a sitting position. I grabbed the rails nearest me and pulled til I was standing upright again. Turning, I looked towards the bow, trying to assess what was happening at that moment. Instead of seeing the other Al Bhed, I saw only a man, lying, it seemed, on the deck, but he looked like he wasn't there, either. It was confusing. How could he be there but not be there at the same time? I knew then I was probably high on Toxin and having some sort of hallucination.
But hallucination or not, I continued to stare at him. He looked up and met my eyes, looking as though he were shocked by my presence. After observing him a moment, I noticed the cut that started above his right eye. I knew not how far it went, but there was so much blood soaking his clothes that I knew it was more serious than I could possibly see. I called out to him, though I don't know why I didn't move in his direction. It felt as if I was welded to the deck. He made no reply and I looked on, confused, at the entire situation.
I reach out for him, thinking that at such a distance he would be able to reach out and grab me. I still couldn't move and it nearly made my heart break that I couldn't go to him. I didn't even know who this stranger was, but I wanted...no, needed to grab onto him and never let go. He reached out for me, as well, though I could tell it took every ounce of strength he had to do so.
Another peal of lightning and thunder interrupted the moment and a torrent of even heavier rain came down upon us, nearly obscuring my view of the stranger. His mouth formed words, but I heard no sound. He looked panicked as he said something yet again. I reached further and further, straining my arm. If only I could move closer, if only my arm was long enough. He seemed to be fading away when a huge wave hit the ship and washed over the deck, knocking me to my side. When the water cleared away, the strange man was gone.
I stared unseeing at the place he had been and I wept. One of the crew appeared in front of me, taking hold of my shoulders and shaking me hard. Their lips were moving, but I didn't comprehend anything they said. I was still looking, hoping he would be there again, but he never came back.
The crew member shook me harder and my attention snapped back to what was happening. Sin had retreated, though why, they didn't know. The Al Bhed rattled off what damages and losses we had taken, but I tuned them out.
"Rikku?" they asked. My breathing was ragged and I met their eyes again, wet with so many tears.
"Rikku!" I heard several Al Bhed shout before I passed out.
(A short time later...)
When I dragged myself out of the Moonflow and saw Tidus standing there, the events of that night came back to me in an instant. I laughed and hugged him, happy that he'd survived Sin's attack and looked no worse for the wear.
We were both talking excitedly over each other when the rest of the group showed up, curious about me, I'm sure. Yuna's eyes met mine at the exact same moment and we both smiled at each other, eliciting a squeal from me and a laugh from her. She motioned me towards her and her mage friend, who I learned was called Lulu, and we had a quiet conference about my joining their group.
"We'll have to ask Sir Auron, though," Yuna said, looking only slightly worried. She walked meekly up to a stoic-looking man that I hadn't seen approach the group and began speaking to him. It was hard to see what he thought of the discussion, as his eyes were covered by sunglasses and a cowl shielded the bottom half of his face from anyone that looked. There were worry lines etched into his forehead, though, and I was sure that he probably wouldn't allow me to join after he found out I was Al Bhed and had just attacked their party in my (now broken) machina.
"Come here," he called over to me gruffly. I blinked in surprise, looking shamed at having been caught staring at this man. I stepped forward, my hands behind my back and my head down, my eyes looking at the tips of my boots as I walked.
When his boots entered my view, I stopped but kept my head bowed. He would have none of this, though.
"Look at me."
I tilted my head up, my eyes screwed shut.
Auron's POV
She was determined, this little one, though I could tell she was frightened of me, as well. When she looked up at me, her eyes closed, I stopped myself for a moment. Something about this was familiar, but I couldn't quite figure out what it was.
I decided not to drag out this any longer than it had to be. The quicker I spoke to her, the quicker we could be on our way.
"Open your eyes," I demanded quietly, trying not to scare the poor thing beyond what she already was. She looked for a moment as though she wouldn't cooperate, but after sighing audibly, opened one of he eyes.
Green.
That striking green color. And the swirls that had hypnotized me so. I could never forget such eyes, even after ten years of being an unsent. She looked the same, at least from what I had seen at the time. The same petite figure that stood before me, the same blond hair that was now sweeping across her face as it had done in my vision. She cracked open the other eye after a moment and I found myself lost in her stare. This is the image that haunted me for so long. Even after Kimhari found me and watched over me while my soul died but my body remained, I couldn't shake that vision. And here she was, standing before me. Someone that I had never expected to see again. I wanted to reach out to her, but there had been no recognition in her eyes. Did she know me as I knew her? Or was this some cruel trick that fate was playing on me?
I remembered then that I was wearing my sunglasses and cowl. I would never know if she recognized me or not if I stayed so hidden from her eyes. I may have aged ten years, but the scar from the fatal wound that had taken my life was still as prominent today as it had ever been. I reached up and unbuckled the straps on my cowl, removing it to the stunned expression of the entire party. Dropping it at my feet, I then removed the sunglasses that I hid my unused eye behind. I looked at her again, almost afraid to see what her reaction was. I was mostly afraid there would be none at all.
I need not have worried. As I slid the sunglasses into my pocket, a small gasp sounded from her mouth and tears welled up in her eyes.
"It's you..." she whispered, covering her mouth with her hand as though she'd spoken without meaning to.
"Yes," I said gruffly, clearing my throat as so many different emotions took over me. She stood as still as a statue for a moment before launching herself at me. The others looked even more shocked than before to see this small flighty girl attach herself to a man as intimidating as myself. I hugged her tightly to me, her feet dangling above the ground.
Her mouth was near my ear and she whispered to me, her warm breath on my skin making me shudder, "I looked for you. I didn't know if you were real or not, but I looked."
She pulled back and I looked into her eyes once again. So much emotion in such innocent looking eyes. "You've found me."
She nodded, smiling through her tears and rested her head on my shoulder once again. I closed my good eye, reveling in the feel of her in my arms.
"Soooo, I take it I'm part of the group now?" she joked, burying her head even further into my neck. I shook with laughter, something I hadn't done in...well, a very long time.
"Yes, you're stuck with us, I'm afraid."
She giggled, "That's not so bad, as long as you're here."
"I'm here," I reassured her, smiling into her hair. Whatever may happen down the road, whatever bad times we may encounter as a group, I knew that I would be alright as long as I had her with me. She was there watching over me as my soul died and I would make sure that I watched over her on this long, hard journey.
The end, which I tried not to think about, would come soon enough, but until then, we could at least have here and now.
~fin~
A/N part 2: I'd like to think that since Sin can suck Tidus in at one point in Spira and spit him out somewhere else, like in Besaid, that it also has the ability to make fractures/openings/whatever in time. Thus the breach where Auron and Rikku were able to see each other.
Maybe I watch too much Doctor Who... XD