Just want to apologize for the really long wait! I just finished playing FFX-2 and got inspired to start writing for this story, again! I hope you all enjoy this chapter! I'm thinking it's going to be more than 3 chapters, but I'm not for sure, yet. I guess we'll have to see! ;)

Enjoy!


Rikku looked on at the happy couple as they danced their first dance as a married couple. She was very happy for Yunie. That whole year without Tidus must have been a nightmare, yet Yuna lived through it and this was her award.

"So beautiful..." She smiled, still watching the dancing couple and Lulu, who sat next to her, nodded in agreement. The older woman had practically planned the whole thing herself, of course, everything went according to plan, and the wedding was prefect. Rikku suspected, though, Yuna would have thought the wedding was perfect even if she had to walk down the aisle in nothing but a box.

"I have never seen Yuna this happy before," Lulu mused with a smile of her own. Lulu rarely smiled and Rikku was glad to see that the older woman had done a lot of smiling today.

"Tidus makes her happy, ya?" Wakka said from the other side of Rikku. He had been oddly silent the whole time and Rikku could tell he was deep in thought. She didn't know about what, but knew that she would be asking him later.

The happy couple breezed past their table, Tidus seemed to give Wakka a knowing look, and Rikku had to look back at the man behind her in hopes to understand what had just transpired between the two. Wakka wore his poker face and she turned back to the dance floor, disappointed.

Once the music ended, Yuna walked up to Kimarhi, giggling and asked him to dance. Tidus went up to Lulu, who surprisingly agreed to a dance, and that only felt Wakka and Rikku at the table. More and more couples walked over to the dance floor. Rikku sighed wistfully, wishing someone would ask her to dance.

"Uh, Rikku?" Wakka spoke, his voice betraying that he was nervous. "Wanna dance?" It was as if he had read her mind and she eagerly agreed. Tidus winked at them once they positioned themselves on the dance floor and waited for the music to begin.

It was a slow number, and Wakka stiffened in her arms. "What's the matter?" She asked, green eyes sparking in mischief. "Don't know how to dance?"

"Course I do." To prove it, he pulled her even closer and led her gracefully on the dance floor. Rikku didn't even know that Wakka knew how to be gracefully. The man always had a large presence and announced himself loudly when he walked into a room. Just like her.

Maybe they were meant to be...

Rikku had to force those thoughts down. Long ago, she had accepted the fact that Wakka would never look at her romantically. There had even been a brief period where he had hated her. She knew he could never come to love her. In the back of his mind, she would always just be the Al Bhed.

"Somethin' wrong?" This time it was Wakka voicing his concerns. "Is my dancin' that bad?"

"No." Quickly she shook her head and gave him a wide smile. "It's great!" Rikku had to look away, though, when his eyes narrowed slightly and began to study her.

"You'd tell me if there was somethin' wrong, ya?"

"Of course!" She was back to her bubbly self. "You're my best friend! Well, best guy friend, anyway." His eyes softened at being called her best friend. Two years ago, after the incident of Macalania, those words would have never been used to describe them.

When the music changed to a faster tempo, both of them didn't notice until Yuna came and whisked Rikku away to dance. It took Rikku a second to realize that she was no longer looking into Wakka's brown eyes anymore. Now, she was watching her cousin's flushed, happy face as they danced around in a circle. Looking over she saw Tidus talking with Wakka off to the side.

"I'm going to have to do a lot of work if I want my wedding to be as good as yours, Yunie!" Rikku talked over the thumping music and hoped her cousin had heard.

"Why, Rikku, do you plan on getting married soon?" From her expression, Rikku could tell that Yuna was teasing. Something she was getting much better at.

Rikku shrugged. "You never know. I'm going to be gone for six months. Who knows, maybe there will be a nice Al Bhed man that may strike my fancy." She winked and Yuna giggled.

"I almost forgot that you were leaving in the morning. Do you really have to go?"

"I've been putting it off for too long. Pop's and brother have been bugging me about it for months." She rolled her eyes.

Yuna leaned in close. "Have you told Wakka, yet?" She whispered. Rikku froze in place, and ignored the dancers that bumped into her.

"No, I haven't. Probably should, right?" She gave Yuna a weak smile. She had been putting off telling Wakka about her leaving and for reasons, she wasn't sure of.

"You probably should." Her friend wasn't smiling, anymore. "He'd be mighty upset if he woke up tomorrow and you weren't around anywhere."

"I'll tell him, tonight," she said. "Probably should have told him sooner. Now, he doesn't have time to buy me a farewell gift." This time when Rikku laughed, Yuna joined her. She hoped that her cousin couldn't tell that it was a fake laugh. Telling Wakka about her departure was going to be hard. Of all the people she had come to know on Besaid, he would be the one she'd miss the most.


The party was winding down. Only Luna, Rikku and Wakka remained sitting at the dozen tables that had been set up for the wedding. They had all just said good-bye to the happily married couple, and if anyone wondered why Yuna hung on longer to Rikku than the rest of them, then they didn't say anything.

"See you in six months," Yuna whispered into Rikku's ear before placing a kiss on her cheek. Tidus took her hand and led her away to the house they would be calling their own. In the morning, they would be leaving as well to go on their honeymoon. A small house in Macalania waited for them. It had been Tidus's wedding gift to Yuna and the location had special meaning to the couple. A meaning they had not told anyone.

Rikku had thought it all romantic.

"Want me to walk you back to Yuna's?" Wakka's voice startled her and she looked to see that it was just them two sitting at the table.

"Um, sure." Yuna had given Rikku her old home, now that she no longer needed it. "I-I have to talk to you, anyway." She hated how nervous she sounded.

"Uh, okay." Did Wakka look nervous, too? No, it was just her overactive imagination playing tricks on her.

Together they began the short trek back to the village. "So, uh, you know how my Pop's is rebuilding Home, right?"

"Yeah, I knew that." Wakka bobbed his head.

"Well, he's been waiting me to help for months, now." She took a deep breath. "And tomorrow, I'll be leaving to help out."

"That doesn't sound t-"

"For six months."

"Oh." They stopped walking. Rikku was afraid to look up at Wakka after hearing the disappointment in his voice.

"Yeah." Was all she offered.

"And you're just tellin' me now?" Now, there was a slight hint of anger in his tone. She should have expected all this.

"Didn't know how to tell you." She shrugged and still refused to look at him. "I know you don't like change and stuff." That was a complete excuse. "I'm telling you, now." She said with weak cheer.

"Little late, huh?" With that he stomped off and Rikku had no choice but to watch him go.


Wakka regretted stomping off almost immediately, but he didn't stop walking away from Rikku until he made it back to his hut. Really, he had no reason to get mad at her. She didn't have to tell him. She could have just left the next morning without saying a word. He didn't want to think about why he was so angry, but knew he had to.

He was in love with her. Had been for a while, now, and there was no more denying it. If Tidus knew the true extent of his feelings, then it was probably common knowledge among the village, anyway.

Moping in the doorway to his home, he stopped his thoughts when he heard sniffling. Looking out the doorway, he saw Rikku walk towards Yuna's old hut and watched as she dragged an arm across her face. Great. He had made her cry. That was one thing he vowed to never do again.

"Rikku!" He called from his doorway and when she didn't acknowledge him, he ran after her. "Rikku, wait." He grabbed her arm before she disappeared inside the hut.

"What?" She was angry.

"I-I'm sorry about earlier." Apologizing had never come easy for him, but it was coming easy, now. "I overreacted and I'm sorry." Wakka hoped that she could tell he was being sincere. He didn't want her to leave in the morning still angry with him.

Wiping away the stray tears, she gave him a smile. Not a full watt one, but it was still a smile. "It's okay. I should have told you, earlier."

"So, uh, when are you leaving tomorrow?"

"Early. Gippal is picking me up and wants us to get there as soon as possible."

Gippal? Rikku's ex-boyfriend, Gippal? She was going to be with him for six months? Wakka saw his chance of ever being with Rikku slipping away right before his eyes. Rikku had been heartbroken when Gippal had ended things with her seven months prior and it had been obvious that she had feelings for him at the time of the breakup. Probably still did, now.

"Well, I'll try to get up to see you off."

"Okay." She smiled. "Well, I should probably get to bed. Hopefully, I'll see you, tomorrow." She went up on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. "Goodnight."

Wakka was stunned by the kiss, but managed a 'Night' before she disappeared into the hut for the night. He stood there for a few minutes before retreating back to his place.

Stripping from his wedding attire, he replaced them with his sleeping clothes and crawled into bed. With all of the events of the day, Wakka knew he should be exhausted but he felt wide-awake and his mind was racing. Racing with thoughts of Rikku.

Their relationship hadn't always been like it was, now. However, Wakka recalled the moments he found himself falling more and more for the Al Bhed woman. Instead of closing his eyes to dream, he closed them to recall each moment in detail.

If he and Rikku were to never get together, at least he'd have his memories.


Thank you for reading!