Narkness: Here ya go. Another chapter. Damn I need to get a social life.
Warnings for this Chapter Mild Language, Adult themes, Mild Sexual References (meaning the breif mention of the 'S' word) (Overal rating for story is subject to change at any time, I'll give ya's some warning of when.)
Disclaimer : I do not own anything to do with FFX or FFX-2. BUT I DO OWN ANIKI! He's my little creation. I also own Alex. (I don't even own my laptop, I'm still paying it off.)
As always if there are any grammar or spelling errors let me know. I hate them and I'm sure you do too. Ooo and give me suggestions of which characters you'd also like to see in this story. I'm unsure of just how messed up to make the other characters.
It's been four years now, four long years since the downfall of Yu Yevon and the destruction of Sin.
For three months, just three, people were happy. I saw children smile again, I saw adults laugh again. For those three months what we fought for was worth it.
But I couldn't fill that void in my heart that he left. Just like the people who lost their families, nothing can replace them.But, as I always did, I put on a happy face, smiled because everyone else was. Then the world turned, the man leading the nation of Spira went mad, mad with power.
Then no-one was smiling.
Besaid was demolished; Kilka was obliterated, just to make room for bigger cities. I watched all I'd fought for, all we'd fought for, cleared away. Those smiles were wiped away in an instant.
Everyone from those towns were left homeless. We all did what we could to survive in a growing world, which meant moving into a small dilapidated apartment in the city of Besaid after a long stay in Luca.
With the new cities came the problems all cities have. Over-population, unemployment, homeless people, drug abuse, plain-old abuse, prostitution, theft, gang violence, poverty.
The world was corrupt once more.
The Albhed nation flourished in this place of crisis, people wanted machina again. But with high demand and plenty of 'lost in translation' problems, the prices were high for these machines. Those who could afford machina, bought them. Those who couldn't, didn't buy them, just struggled along in the world.
For a whole year, I fought the government that was mistreating the world. Then someone tried to assassinate 'Lord' Tokoroa, I was blamed for the unsuccessful attempt. I wasn't even given an attempt to prove myself innocent. I spent two years in a grubby prison before they caught the real assassin.
Prison desensitized me, cold walls, cold food and cold people.
I had never felt so empty. I spent my time in that cell writing. Writing letters to my friends, writing letters to him. I imagined what their responses would be like, whether they laughed and smiled, or frowned and cried. I wrote them long letters about what I had done during the day, what prison life was like. I found a great serenity in writing.
Then I'd fold the letters up and put them under my thin mattress.
It made the meager existance that I had easier to deal with.
But now, looking back, I see that there was more order in that prison than in reality.
Once Rikku had calmed down, she set to making dinner like nothing had even happened. She looked like a ghost, thin and pale, always nervous and silent. She reminded me of a neglected doll. Her once well kept blonde hair was disheveled and dirty. Her clothes hung off her almost skeletal frame. She sneaked instead of walking, always looking over her shoulder, like someone was going to jump out of nowhere and abuse her.
Time had changed her.
For one the Rikku I remember was never mottled with bruizes. She was never fearful, always brave, not timid like a mouse.
What happened?
Aniki happened.
The vindictive bastard that had taken pleasure in hitting her, making her cry, then storming off in a huff. Then he'd come back, Rikku was too fearful to do anything about him. He'd tell Rikku he was sorry, that he loved her. They'd have sex, then Aniki would hang around for a week or so, eating our food and using Rikku's body, then the cycle would begin again.
I learn't the hard way not to get between Rikku and Aniki when Aniki was mad, twenty stiches, a broken rib and a broken wrist from being pushed, head first, down the stairs of the apartment block.
The only reason Rikku wanted him around was that she didn't want her son to not know his own father.
This time Aniki was mad because Rikku was raped while getting home from her job at night. Aniki was mad at her, not the attacker. In his eyes it had been, somehow, her fault. The rape had been over a month ago, Rikku had finally mustered courage to tell him about it, hoping he'd do something to help her. But Aniki had blown up into a rage, then futher angered by the fact that she was now pregnant with the attackers child.
Whenever Aniki was gone, Rikku would be a little bit happier but still fearful of his return.
"Yuna, can you pass me that strainer?" Rikku whispered in her usual quiet voice as she stood by the stove. I handed her the blue plastic strainer, Rikku then proceeded to drain the water from the pasta, letting the steaming water go down the sink. "Is Alex okay?" She asked, looking over at me.
"He's asleep." I replyed calmly. I knew any mention of Aniki would upset her. Sometimes even traits that Alex had that were similar to things Aniki did would make her cry.
"Tomorrow I need you to go down to the market, we're almost out of food." She stated this as if it were a simple thing.
"We..don't have any money left." I whispered, our finaical situtation was precarious.
"I have a few gil tucked away." She assured me quietly as if it was a great big secret. Rikku mixed the small amount of cooked mince in with the pasta.
I missed the old Rikku everyday.
Time had changed everything about her.