Chapter 2

"Hey, Lulu!" I called, flagging her down as she walked towards the beach early the next morning.

"Yes?" she said.

"What'cha doin'?" I asked, slightly breathless from running a while.

"I was just going down to the beach to see what Wakka's up to," she replied and I beamed.

"That's cool! I won't keep you- but I was wondering if, later, you, me, Yunie, Auron and Wakka could go have lunch in Luca or something? It's such a nice day, you know, we should go out."

"Sure," said Lulu and my grin widened.

"Great! So, meet you at the temple in two hours?"

"Sounds fun."

I left to tell the others- halfway to heaven already. Just wait!! I'll get them together yet!!

-

"So, Rikku, what have you been plotting since I saw you last?"

Have I mentioned how much I hate it when Aurrie sneaks up on me? Because I do. I really, really do.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," I said, tapping my nose with a giggle. "I can't let you in on all my little secrets, can I?"

"There really aren't that many of your 'little secrets' that I don't know, Rikku," said Aurrie complacently. "But go ahead and try to amuse me."

I hmphed loudly and stuck my nose in the air, "as much as you might be accustomed to it, Auron, please refrain from acting like such a smug bastard around me."

"Ouch, Ree. Which 2-star attempt at a comedy did you rip that line out of?"

I just glared and turned my back on him, peering down the path to the beach to check if Lulu and Wakka were coming back yet. A few minutes later, Auron tapped me on the shoulder and I turned to see Wakka and Yunie coming from the opposite direction.

"Where's Lulu?" I asked, pouting.

"Drying her hair," said Wakka and he was grinning widely.

Yunie frowned and shook her head, "Wakka, here, thought it would be funny to pick her up and run her around the beach before dumping her in the water."

I gawped."And you let me miss that, Yunie?!"

"I didn't figure Lulu would want it on a sphere record," she said and I sighed deeply.

"There she is," said Auron gruffly and I perked up as I sighted Lulu coming our way, still combing out her relatively dry but loose hair.

"Aww! Your hair's so pretty down, Lulu!" I squealed happily. "Can I play with it? Pretty please?!"

"No," said Lulu, sounding irritated. "It's going back up as soon as it dries off properly."

I noticed that she was glaring particularly at Wakka as she said this and had to stifle a small laugh as I pictured him toting her around the beach in his arms before finally dunking her beneath the waves. Lulu hated the water.

"So what are we doing today?" asked Yunie in her peacekeeper voice.

"We wanted to see that new movie, didn't we, Yunie?" I asked, kicking her in the shins discreetly as I hopped about on the spot. "You know, the one about the talking dog?"

Knowing better than to debate my awesome plan, Yunie just played along, "today? Great! I've been wanting to see that for months!"

I beamed and continued, "I figure we can split up and then go meet for lunch later."

"And what are we supposed to do while you watch your talking puppy movie?" asked Lulu, folding her arms across her chest irritably.

"I dunno… Play that new Sphere Break game or something- just humour me, won'cha?"

"Hmph…"

"Don't be so uptight, Lu," said Wakka, grinning. "The girls are really excited about this, so I'll just take you somewhere else, ya?"

I smiled and nodded enthusiastically. "Great! Let's go!!"

-

Lulu and Wakka ended up taking a walk around the city throughout the course of me and Yunie's movie- and Aurrie's too, of course, since we had insisted on dragging him along. I dunno exactly what went on but Wakka didn't seem to have any visible burns when we met up with them again so hopefully it went well. I said this to Auron and he laughed at me.

Pfft!!

For lunch we got fish and chips and ate it on the beach and, of course, Lulu refused to sit in the sand and Wakka went to sit with her on a bench a little ways off so it was prime spying time for me and Aurrie. Yuna went shopping 'round about then, I think, because she wasn't there.

When we came up to Wakka and Lulu they were both laughing- well, Lulu was laughing. Wakka was kind of… guffawing is an understatement.

This went on for several very long and annoying minutes… but at least they weren't fighting!!

"So you're telling me Rikku set up this entire day just to try and get us together?" asked Wakka eventually and I pouted because it wasn't at all as stupid as he made it sound!!

"The entire day," Lulu agreed, smiling softly. "She really is desperate."

"Sure she is- she only has until the end of the week to do it," said Wakka. "And you know that she'd never be able to stand losing to Sir Auron."

"Oh, she esteems him really. She just doesn't like losing to anyone," said Lulu, in his defence.

"I know. In fact, I haven't gone back on what I said the other day. I really think that she likes him more than she lets on."

Lulu frowned and shook her head slightly.

"And him, too!" Wakka insisted. "Really!"

"Come now, Wakka. You don't really think so, do you?" asked Lulu with a little sigh. "They're so different."

"And that's why they fit. Like a puzzle, ya?"

Wakka's logic was really quite intriguing. I chanced a glance at Aurrie's face but he was avoiding my eyes.

"Don'cha think, Lu? I think that sometimes love is just funny that way…" Wakka paused and for a moment it looked as though he was going to say something more (admit his love for Lulu??) but he seemed to think the better of it and closed his mouth again.

"I… I feel sorry for them if they are in love."

"How come?" asked Wakka.

"It would make things so difficult," Lulu sighed. "Don't you think?"

"Depends on how you think of it," said Wakka. "As far as I can tell, love is a good thing."

"Perhaps… But every rose has got to have a thorn," Lulu reminded him.

Wakka seemed frustrated by her persistence. "What you got against love, Lu? Jus' b'cause it didn't work out for you and Chappu, it doesn't mean that it can't work out for anyone else!"

"I never said that," Lulu replied indignantly.

"An' you, Lu!!" Wakka went on, ignoring her. "Someday there's a guy gonna come along who loves you like anything and you're not even gonna see it because you're too busy looking for the thorn!!"

"Don't be ridiculous."

A disgusted look passed over Wakka's face and he stood up angrily. "Believe me, Lu. I know what I'm talking about," he said meanly and then he walked off and left Lulu sitting by herself.

I wanted to cry but Lulu just sat there, completely still for a while. Me and Aurrie were completely still too. I think she was in shock. And then, all of a sudden, there was a little sniffle and I realised that she was crying, very quietly!! I started crying too because I hated to see her upset and Auron held me because I looked sad. I don't think he cared about the bet just then. He doesn't like seeing his friends sad- I like that about him. I wiped my eyes on my top and looked up at him appealingly. "Please help me fix Lulu and Wakka," I begged softly. "I've mucked up and I could really used a hand putting things back together."

Auron nodded silently and I understood that the bet was totally gone. Thank you, Auron… You're such a good friend…

-

When we met up with Yunie later she couldn't seem to figure out why everyone was so miserable. She had done quite a bit of shopping but I was too sad to even see what she'd bought. I promised to look after dinner. Maybe cooking with Yunie would cheer me up? Auron could help. That would be nice… Yeah. Auron could help. And then he could help tidy up too!!

When we were cooking Auron whispered to me, really sweet-like, "It's not your fault that they're fighting," and I had to smile at him sadly.

"Yeah, it is. I shouldn't have tried to force them together," I said.

Aurrie shook his head determinedly. "Wakka is upset because Lulu doesn't realize his feelings for her. He has been for a long time. That's not your fault."

"It's my fault for today."

Auron rested an oven-mitted hand on my forearm gently and I felt a little tingle of joy all of a sudden. Just a little one. "You're right," he said. "It is your fault. Your endeavours today got them talking and made them laugh. Their fighting is totally down to the both and them, and it's probably been bubbling away, ready to boil over, for a while now. Don't you think?"

"Yeah… Thanks, Aurrie."

Auron smiled a little smile into the soup he was stirring. He seemed determined to hide it, but I saw. I'm probably too vain, but I like to think that I can make him happy, so I brightened up too.

-

"Lu, I'm sorry."

I froze in my tracks.

"I'm sorry… I wasn't trying to hurt you, ya? I love you."

Hoshit!! Where are they!! I can hear them, but where are they?! What's she saying?! I looked around desperately, then-

"Rikku?"

Wakka appeared from behind some bushes. Funny place to admit your love for someone, but still! HAPPINESSNESS!!

"Where's Lulu?" I asked excitedly but he just shook his head.

"Not sure. I think she's still mad at me, ya…"

"But you-"

"Err, please don't tell anyone about that, ya… I kinda didn't want anyone to know…"

I blanched. "Wakka!! EVERYBODY knows!! EVERYBODY!!" I cried out in exasperation. "The only person who DOESN'T know is LULU!!"

Wakka hung his head shamefully.

"She loves you so much, Wakka… Please just tell her the truth," I tried, more gently. "She wants to be with you too."

"I dunno if she does, Rikku-"

"Of course she does! She always has!" I pleaded. "But you've got to talk to her- you know she's too proud come crawling back-!"

"So you think that I should?!"

I sighed loudly. "Wakkaaaaaa…!"

"I-I shouldn't have yelled at her, Ri… I shouldn't have said anything against Chappu. His memory is sacred to her- worth a lot more than I ever will be…"

"Wakka, if you believe that, then you're more of a fool than I thought you were."

I looked up excitedly and there was Lulu. She gave me a small smile as she walked over toward Wakka and leaned up to kiss him cutely.

I ducked away and stumbled backwards into Wakka's bush, finding Auron there in his place. Well, not so much "finding" him as, uhmm, falling on top of him.

Auron's arms came around me to secure my place and he reached up to put a finger to my lips- a sign to be quiet.

"I love you, Wakka," Lulu told him. "I don't know if I was scared or just being stubborn before… but I do. I love you. And you mean infinitely more to me than Chappu ever did, I'll swear on that."

Wakka stared at her disbelievingly and then pulled her back to kiss her again.

Satisfied, I turned in Aurrie's lap to face him. His gaze fell to my eyes.

"You win," he said at last, with an odd look on his face. "Congratulations."

I smiled widely. "It's finally happened, hasn't it?" I agreed happily.

"It has."

Smiling widely, I hugged him around his waist from where I was sitting in his lap and put my cheek on his shoulder softly. He's so sweet to me, he deserves a hug! Hesitantly, he hugged me too, very cutely, but then something changed and my belly… it got all twisted and tumbly! And when I looked up, Auron must have noticed because he was looking at me funny.

"My tummy," I tried to say, but no words came out.

I couldn't speak, all that I could do was stare at him.

And when he kissed me… suddenly I could do that too.

Oh my Goodness. Oh my Goodness…

Gambling is wrong, I know.

But it's effective.

-

Fin

-

An. Ohmighee, finally an end to this little ficlet . I am so tired of it laying around, you won't believe!! Hope you liked! –Rissy