Meilan Firaga inspired me to do this one. Meilan likes Rikku/Auron pairings, or Aurikku as she calls them. I've read one or two Aurikku fics, and they're not bad, really. I've decided to try (note the try) and do my own.



"TYSH!"* Cid's angry voice thundered. He stumped to the intercom system and grabbed the microphone. "Rikku! Get your ass down to the engine room, there's a malfunction down there! AGAIN!" Rikku's highly pissed off father threw the microphone, growling. "Them damn engineers! They can't do anything right!"

"Okay, Pops, I'm onto it!" Rikku called cheerfully, sprinting down the corridor towards the engine room, toolbox in hand. She rounded the corner and crashed into something tall and red. She bounced back with a squeal. "Auron!" she cried in exasperation, picking up her toolbox, which had fallen out of her hand and spilled its contents. "Don't lurk round the corners like that!"

Auron 'hmphed,' his eyes on Rikku, bent over, retrieving her tools. "What has happened in the engine room?"

"Hell, I don't know. Pops shouting at me as usual, it's up to li'l ol' me to sort everything out." Rikku heaved a sigh, putting the last tool in the box and straightening up, brushing her hair out of her eyes, but not noticing a few stray strands. Auron had to fight not to reach out and brush them back himself. Instead, he said, "I will accompany you to the engine room, if you do not object." Rikku raised an eyebrow, but did not comment. She motioned with her finger, and the two of them went down the stairs to the room where the Fahrenheit's internal workings were. Rikku pushed open the door and looked at the turning machina, head tilted to the side. "Now, what's wrong...?" She moved closer and inspected the cogs and wiring. "Ah, here we are!" Rikku dropped her toolbox and rummaged through it, while Auron watched her intently, eyes on her small behind.

"No, I should not be thinking this..." Auron mentally slapped himself. "She is young, too young..."

"Hey, Auron, what'ya staring at?" Rikku spun her wrench in her hand, laughing. "You were spacing out there, for a minute."

"Brilliant observation," Auron retorted. Rikku laughed again, and went back to work, muttering to herself in Al Bhed on the odd occasion. Auron closed his eyes, leaning against the wall, berating himself in his mind.

"What am I doing? Of all people, I fall for an Al Bhed teenager! How did this happen? If I had a sense of humour, I would probably consider myself a pervert! But Rikku...she is kind, considerate, gentle, and she even makes me laugh sometimes. Is this why I am falling for her?" A smacking sound of metal on skin, a clatter as a wrench was dropped, and a cry of pain roused Auron. He started towards Rikku, who was knelt on the floor, clutching her right eye and cursing in her language. Auron knelt beside her, and his strong fingers closed round her slender wrist, gently tugging. "Let me see your eye, Rikku." Rikku shook her head, tears of pain leaking from her tightly closed eyes.

"Rikku, I need to see the damage. Remove your hand so I can see," Auron said, a slight commanding side to his voice. Rikku gulped and slowly moved her hand, which was coated in a thin layer of blood. Auron brushed his fingers over the wound by her eye, and Rikku cried out again. "Don't!" she yelled, her hand covering it again. Auron sighed, and wrenched her hand away without consent. He noticed a large, extremely jagged piece of metal lying beside Rikku, and he realised it must have flown out of the machinery. He looked at the wound again; it wasn't deep, but it was long and bled profusely. It extended from directly beside her eye to above it, dripping blood into her eyebrow and eyelashes. Making a slight movement of his hand, a white light glowed on his fingertip. He traced his finger over the wound, and the light healed the bleeding cut.

Rikku probed around where the cut would have been, mouth opening in surprise. "What did you do?" she asked, amazed.

Auron chuckled. "I used Cura, what else? I may be a swordsman but I do know white magic to some degree." He touched the patch of skin beside her eye. "Does it hurt?"

"Not at all! Thanks!" Rikku hugged Auron gratefully, but she was surprised when she felt Auron's arms come up to pull her tighter. Auron even surprised herself. But Rikku relaxed and snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his chest, making Auron more comfortable. Now amazing himself, he kissed the top of her golden head. Rikku pulled away sharply, a gasp escaping her lips. "I-what the hell-?"

Auron dropped his gaze to the floor. "My apologies," he muttered.

"No, it's okay." Auron looked back up, finding that Rikku's delicate face was inches from his. "You surprised me, that's all."

The now slightly nervous katana wielder breathed out heavily. His eyes lingered on Rikku's rosy lips, and he thought about what it would be like to bring his own to hers...

"Hey, Auron? You're spacing out again!" Rikku giggled. Her giggle was stifled when Auron brought his hand up to gently caress her soft cheek. "Auron? Are...are you okay?"

"Never been better..." he murmured, leaning forward slowly and letting his lips just brush the girl's.

Rikku gasped again, but she got over her surprise quicker this time. "Oh, so that's how you wanna play, is it?" she said, and in one swift motion she had captured the older man's lips with her own. As she did so, she wrapped her arms round his neck, her hands playing with his short, greying hair.

Never had a kiss felt so good...Auron let a low groan escape his throat, resting a hand on Rikku's waist as he cradled her face with his other hand.

"RIKKU!" The intercom crackled into action, and Cid's voice boomed angrily. Rikku and Auron broke their kiss, looking around warily.

"Rikku! Fryd dra ramm yna oui tuehk? Oui't paddan pa sygehk cusa bnuknacc tufh drana!" **

"Keja sa cusa desa, Vydran! Ihmega oui, E ryja bydeahla! E's cdemm pico!" *** Rikku shouted.

"Rinno ib!"**** Cid irritably shut off the intercom. Rikku giggled.

"Well, I'd better get back to work then." She went back to the cogs, while Auron closed his eyes, savouring that moment forever...


Just in case you were wondering, here are the Al Bhed translations for what Cid and Rikku say, in the order they are spoken.

* "DAMN!"

** "Rikku! What the hell are doing? You'd better be making some progress down there!"

*** "Give me some time, Father! Unlike you, I have patience! I'm still busy!"

**** "Hurry up!"

R+R please! xD