A/N: hey guys...new chapter! Read!!

Disclaimer: I don't own FF or the characters!


Don't Fall

Auron drug himself out of bed the next morning feeling apprehensive for the day ahead. He sat on the edge of his bed, the dark blankets pooled around his almost naked body. He ran a tired hand through his hair and sighed. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his bent knees and thought about taking a shower. Unbeknownst to him, a small crowd of females had gathered outside his house.

"Is it true Sir Auron is here?" one asked.

"Mina swears she saw him get off the airship with Lord Braska last night" an older woman gossiped. "I wouldn't mind seeing either of those men today."

While the woman gossiped outside, Auron got up and showered, unaware of the dirty minds of some of the villagers. It pleased the woman of the village to no end to know that Lord Braska and Sir Auron were still wonderfully single. When they came to the island, it was always funny to see the woman arguing over who the handsome men would pay attention to.

"What's going on?" Rikku asked.

Lulu and Yuna turned around ans smiled at the young girl. They had come outside to wait for everyone to gather for patrol and seen the lusting flock. Yuna smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Those woman are trying to get a look at Sir Auron I'm sure" Yuna said.

"Why?" Rikku asked. She supposed Auron was good looking enough but his very chilly demeanor more than turned her off and it was a mystery to her why anyone was attracted to him.

"Why?" Lulu repeated. "Have you seen Auron?" Lulu looked away as Yuna and Rikku both raised their eyebrows at her.

"Lulu!" Yuna giggled. "I had no idea!"

"Don't be silly Yuna", Lulu said as she rolled her eyes. "I'm just saying that he is a handsome man."

"And?" Rikku smiled, trying to embarrass her normally not bashful friend.

"And he is not my type" Lulu finished, shrugging her shoulders.

"And what would that be?" Rikku asked, folding her arms across her chest and taking care not to claw herself.

Before Lulu could answer, Braska walked outside and waved at the girls. A few seconds later, the woman in front of Auron's house switched their attention to the High Summoner. Braska smiled at the group politely and said hello.

"You know, Auron isn't the only wanted man in this village." Lulu laughed, amused at Braska's facial expression.

"Ew, Lulu that's my dad!" Yuna said. She smiled as Tidus ran up to them with his favorite sword in hand. He grinned and kissed each girl on the cheek.

"Morning ladies!" he said, standing next to Yuna and taking her bag from her and tossing it over his shoulder. "What's with the crowd of woman around your dad?"

"Admirers" Yuna answered simply. Lulu and Rikku exchanged smiled as Tidus laughed.

"None of those woman has a fighting chance with Braska now. Not since he met-" Tidus' eyes grew wide and his cheeks flushed.

"Since he met who?!" Yuna demanded. Tidus was at a loss for words and looked to Rikku for help. The Al-Bhed shrugged and Tidus tried to cover his mistake. Yuna stood with her hands on her hips and glared at Tidus.

"Since he met...his...wife years ago?" Tidus tried. Yuna glared at him and Tidus was saved by Wakka walking up behind Yuna.

"Morning you guys!" he said cheerfully. He stood next to Lulu and picked up her hand in his and studied her wrist, oblivious to the glares Yuna was still sending Tidus.

"What are you doing Wakka?" Lulu asked, pink tinting her cheeks ever so slightly. Rikku was standing next to Lulu and was close enough to see the faint color there. She tilted her head slightly and put a finger on her cheek.

Wakka looked up from her hand and smiled. "You said you hurt your hand on the door yesterday and I was making sure it's ok before we go patrolling."

The color in her face deepened and she took her hand away. "It's fine", she answered a little colder than she meant to. Wakka looked to the ground and stepped back a little. He sighed a little and looked up at her.

"Sorry Lu-", he started.

"It's fine Wakka. Look here comes Sir Auron." Lulu nodded to his house and the group looked in his direction. Rikku looked him over and agreed with Lulu's opinion. He was a very good looking man. He was tall and very built. He had striking features that were easier to see when he wasn't glaring at you coldly. As he walked closer to Braska, the woman started getting louder and restless. Rikku saw Auron open his mouth to the group and saw her uncle nod along. A second later, the two men started to walk over to the group, leaving looks of longing on the faces of their admirers.

"Good morning kids!" Braska said cheerfully. He went over to kiss Yuna on the forehead and she tolerated it for a minute before glaring at her father. He looked at her concerned for a second and then his gaze focused on a guilty looking Tidus standing behind Yuna.

"What did you do?" Braska asked. Tidus shrugged and put on his best innocent face which was spoiled by Yuna turning and hitting his arm.

"Ow Yuna!" he said and Auron chuckled behind him. "Something funny old man?"

"Good left hook Yuna", Auron said. Yuna smiled at Auron and Tidus glared.

"Can we go now?" Tidus asked.

"I think we should. Ok we are going to head down to the beach and break up into two teams and meet around the other side of the island." Braska said. Everyone nodded and agreed to the plan. They started to walk to the beach and Rikku fell behind when she dropped her pouch and her fire gems fell out. She was hastily gathering them when a shadow fell over her. She looked up to see Auron looking at her.

"Sorry, I dropped my pouch" she apologized, hoping he wasn't going to say much. Auron always had the ability to intimidate her. She often wondered how her ended up best friends with her uncle. Braska was warm, comforting, approachable and a bunch of other things that made Braska a wonderful uncle. Auron on the other hand was intimidating, cold, aloof, and many other things that made him who he was. Rikku had asked her cousin about him before and Yuna promised he wasn't as bad as he seemed.

"I can see that" he answered simply. He mad no move to help her, but waited until she was standing again and looked down at her. Rikku gulped and avoided his gaze.

"Let's keep moving" he said, walking off. Rikku sighed and jogged to catch up with him.


Fifteen minutes later the group had broken into two patrolling parties. Braska led one party with his daughter, Lulu, and Tidus. Braska intended to work with the young mages on their magic and Tidus would provide extra protection with his sword skills.

"Ok Lulu, let me see how far you have progressed in your magic" Braska asked. Lulu nodded and aimed at a log on the beach. She raised her arm and cast.

"Nice Lulu. Thundara already? You have learned a lot since our last visit." Braska praised. He was very proud at how far Lulu had progressed. "Ok Yuna, your turn."

Yuna smiled at her dad and watched him pull a gem out of his robes. He grinned at the inattentive Tidus standing a few feet away. Tidus was looking at a smudge of dirt on his sword and was hit in the back with something soft. He looked up to see what it was but a black cloud covered his eyes and he couldn't speak.

Yuna held back her giggle and lifted her staff. "Esuna"

Lulu, Yuna, and Braska watched as the cloud disappeared and revealed a very annoyed looking Tidus. "Not cool Braska, not cool."

"Dad that was easy! I learned that spell when I was ten!" Yuna said.

"I know, but I didn't want to throw my other gems at Tidus. But I may if he slips." Braska said, shooting a warning glance at Tidus.

"What do you two know?!" Yuna asked, hands on her hips.

"Nothing" Braska and Tidus answered. Yuna glared at the men and Lulu laughed next to her.


Walking the opposite way around the island, Auron led Rikku and Wakka. He kept a skilled eye out for any signs of fiends. Rikku bounced around him looking around when she decided to stop. She ran off a few times and came back holding a treasure of some kind.

"Wakka let me see what you can do with that ball of yours." Auron asked of the blitzer.

"Uh, sure!" Wakka agreed and looked for a target to hit. He decided on a hanging tree branch and shot the blitzball. Auron wasn't too impressed but knew that the attack would come in handy for flying fiends.

"Sir Auron?" Auron looked down to see Rikku next to him, looking up at him and holding a few potions she found. He found himself staring into her jade eyes for the second time in less than twelve hours and looked away.

"Yes Rikku?" he asked, avoiding looking at her and casting his gaze on the tree line.

"Have there been many fiends around? I know places like Bikanel and the Calm Lands have lots still, but what about the cities? What about Besaid?" she asked, making him look at her again. The last time Auron had seen Rikku, she was barely thirteen and was crying to her uncle that Tidus had pushed her down in the dirt. Tidus had pushed her in the dirt and as his father figure, Auron had scolded the boy. Not that it did any good, Tidus still pushed Rikku over all the time.

"Well, you're right about Bikanel and the Calm Lands," Auron told her. "Open areas seem to attract more fiends thankfully than the cities. Besaid seems to be pretty safe but one can never tell."

"I've been checking around Besaid every time I visit and I've only seen one part that looked a little dangerous." Rikku told him. "We're almost there so I'll show you in a minute." Auron nodded and the three walked in silence. Auron looked around and saw a few of the women from the village walking towards his group and cursed under his breath. They were still a little way away and Auron tried to think of another route they could take.

"Over here" Rikku said, tugging on his coat arm and pulling him toward a path in the trees. Wakka and Auron followed as Rikku led them up the path and Auron glanced back to see the women looking after them. Rikku led them higher up the path and they ended up very close to the waterfalls on the south side of the island. Rikku jumped up on a rock and extended her claw to point at something.

"Look over there Sir Auron" Rikku said. Auron followed her claw and saw that she was pointing at the high plateaus that rose above the beaches and were covered in plants. In the middle of one of the lower ones, there was a small dip in the land that looked suspiciously like...

"A lake?" Auron asked.

"Yes a small one. It's hard to see from airships because of the trees, but you can see that's what it is from here." Rikku said. She jumped down from the rock and tightened her claw. She spun around and looked at Auron. He looked troubled.

"Sir Auron? Do you think that is what Datto was talking about last time you came?" Wakka asked.

"Very possibly." Auron nodded at Wakka and the two started to walk down the path, leaving Rikku behind.

"Hey! Wait for me! What did Datto say?" she called as she ran to catch up.


The two groups met back up on the other side of the island. Yuna ran over and hugged her cousin and told her how they practiced casting on Tidus. Rikku laughed and Tidus pushed her over on the ground.

"Hey!" Rikku cried. She tried to get up to hit him, but was surprised to see Auron extend his massive arm and give Tidus a firm push over.

"Argh!" Tidus called out as he fell in the sand. Yuna, Lulu, and Wakka laughed and Tidus kicked sand at his attacker. Auron reached down and offered his hand to Rikku. She took it and he pulled her up. He overcompensated and she ended up very close to his body. She mumbled a thanks and backed away.

"So find anything you guys?" Lulu asked. Wakka told the other group of Rikku's discovery and they decided to go investigate. On the way Wakka informed everyone that his teammate Datto had heard strange noises from the area the lake was in and thought he saw a fiend in the trees. The group set off to climb up the ridge and indeed found themselves at the edge of some water.

"This is a lake?" Tidus asked, eyeing the small body of water.

"Ok, maybe it's a pond" Rikku shrugged.

"Or a puddle" Wakka added.

"Keep an eye out everyone" Braska warned. The group moved around the pond but found no evidence of fiends. They did find a bunch of blitzballs though.

"Hey! So this is where they go when we kick them too hard!" Wakka grinned. Tidus picked up a few and tossed them in the general direction of the beach. Wakka joined in and even Yuna helped out. Rikku and Lulu walked around and looked at a large pile of rocks on the far side of the pond, talking in low tones.

Braska walked over to Auron and touched the distracted man on the arm. Auron looked up and shook away his thoughts. He was just contemplating how Besaid was truly beautiful. He always held a fondness for the small island and felt much better here than he ever did in Bevelle. New Yevon had yet to reach the tiny island and given Auron's history with the temples, he preferred it that way. There was also less political pressure here. No one was hounding Braska and no one was bothering Auron, with the exception of their "fan club" as Tidus worded it. More specifically, she wasn't here.

"Sorry Braska" Auron apologized automatically.

"I am the one that should be apologizing friend. It was rude of me to shake you from your thoughts." Braska argued. "Care to tell me what is on your mind?"

Auron would later wonder what possessed him to share this thoughts. He wasn't very open, even with Braska. "I was thinking about life in Bevelle compared with Besaid."

Braska nodded and smiled as his daughter tossed the blitzballs to Wakka. "I know what you mean. I wonder if our duties will ever be finished. Or at least few enough to relocate here. Have you thought about what you are going to tell-"

"Please don't mention that woman's name to me right now." Auron asked, a hand going to his temple.

Braska held his hands up in defeat. "I understand. I would like to talk to you about another woman if you don't mind."

"Who?" Auron asked curious.

"Rikku" Braska answered.

Auron looked at Braska sharply. "Wh-what about her?"

Braska sighed and looked over to his niece. "I'm worried about her. My brother in law is a very unreasonable man at times and Rikku can be very stubborn. I know my little Rikku as well as I do Yuna. That girl is very prone to trouble. Remember me telling you about her fighting her way out of that cactaur village last year?"

Auron nodded. Braska had yelled a lot that day. "I remember"

"Well I don't have to worry about Yuna too much anymore. That girl has her mother's smarts. Plus she had Tidus, who would protect her with his life if I wasn't there to do it. Rikku, on the other hand, I think she needs to be looked out for." Braska told his friend. "Auron I'm asking if you will help me. I can't keep track of her myself and it would really put my mind at ease to know she is safe."

Auron nodded. "Of course Braska. Have you talked to Cid yet?"

"No, but I'm sure I know what he's going to say already" Braska shook his head. Auron could hear the Al-Bhed leaders voice in his head now... "Don't tell me what to do with my daughter Braska! Rikku will do what I tell her to do and she'll like it!"

"I will keep an eye on her" Auron promised. Braska smiled and patted Auron on the shoulder.

"Great! Maybe you two will rub off on each other! She can learn to be a little more cautious and you can be a little more fun!" he joked.

"Funny Braska" Auron said, watching the kids throw the last ball. Lulu and Rikku rejoined the group and they all walked down to the village.

No one looked back to see the red eyes peering out from the rocks Lulu and Rikku were standing by. The fiend woke up at the commotion and slithered out, ready to follow the group for it's next meal.

"Wait up you bullies!" Rikku called from the back of the path. She had stopped to pick up one of the balls that didn't make it as far as the beach and Tidus and Lulu walked ahead. Rikku sighed and jogged , catching her foot on a small branch and falling into the grass. She moaned and sat up, tossing the ball aside in anger.

"Stupid ball" she mumbled as she jumped back onto the path and started to walk down, careful not to put too much pressure on her ankle. She made it a few steps and saw Wakka turn around a bed about forty feet away. She started to yell again when she heard a low rumble behind her. Rikku froze and turned slowly to see a large fiend looking at her hungrily. She narrowed her eyes and clutched her claw harder. "Guys!" she yelled. The fiend jumped at her and she extended her claw as the fiend caught her on her bad side, making her fall to the ground.

Auron had heard Rikku's call and thought it was troubled, not her usually annoyance at Tidus or Wakka. He turned on his heel and ran back towards her, aware he was going to look like a fool if she was fine. Unfortunately, Rikku wasn't fine. He turned to bend to see her on the ground, a large gash oozing blood from her abdomen and a hungry looking fiend above her, it's teeth inches above her neck.


A/N: Dun dun dun...what is going on? Who is this woman Auron is running from? And what is Braska hiding from his daughter? I know! You don't so you gotta keep reading to find out!