(A/N: Ok here it is, it's been awhile coming but, I present to you the results of my little contest as to who opened the door:
The winner: Auron opens the door-3 votes
Gippal opens the door-1 vote
Yuna opens the door-1 vote
Tidus opens the door-1 vote
Ok so I was expecting more votes than that but I guess I get what I get so without further ado, here's what happens next Auron opens the door. YAY)
(Disclaimer: checks important files … nope still don't own it)
Rikku grew weak at the knees, tears falling freely from her emerald eyes; just as she lost her balance and began to fall; Auron caught her and held her close. "Am I dreaming?" She whispered into his red coat, "Is this real?" Her tears were creating a small wet spot on his chest.
Auron gently lifted her head, his single bronze eye looked into her tearful emerald ones, "As real as you are." He said as he carefully wiped her tears away, "And you are so very real."
She tentatively raised her hands up to his cowl and unclipped it, bringing it down slowly revealing the gruff face that had haunted her thoughts for so long. As she visually traced the scar down his face, her tears renewed themselves, and this time, after he wiped them away, he smiled the same little smile that he always gave her before during the pilgrimage, then he kissed her ever so gently on the lips. Again Rikku became weak at the knees, and again Auron caught her and held her close, then he took it one step further and swept her off her feet, never breaking the kiss. Auron took a few steps forward and closed the door with his foot.
(A/N: this spot intentionally left blank due to my cowardice.)
A few hours after dawn, Yuna opened the door to Rikku's room to help her get ready for the wedding, but was surprised to find the room empty. "Rikku," Yuna said looking around the room, "Rikku, where are you?" then her eyes fell on something shiny on the desk. Approaching the desk, Yuna picked up the shiny object and gasped; it was Rikku's engagement ring, something Rikku never removed. Attached to the ring was a note, which Yuna hastily ripped open, ignoring the fact that it was addressed to Gippal.
Dear Gippal,
By the time you read this, I will be long gone. I'm sorry you had to find out this way, you deserved better than this, but unfortunately this letter is the best I can do. Last night the man, who has lived in my thoughts and dreams ever since I met him years ago, returned to me. He has made me realize what true happiness is, and realize that my place is not by your side. I wish for you to find the happiness you deserve and that we meet again one day.
Goodbye For Now, Rikku
Yuna dropped the letter in shock, but managed to catch it before it hit the ground. She ran out of the room and down the hallway looking for the door that would lead to Gippal's room. She found it a few minutes later and pounded on the door as hard as she could, until Gippal opened the door, appearing to have just woken up.
"What's the matter Yuna," Gippal asked mid-yawn, "does the dress not fit or something? I told Rikku to try it on before…"
"No Gippal," Yuna said, pushing him back inside his apartment and shutting the door behind her, "Rikku's gone, all I found were these." She pulled out the ring and the letter and handed them to him.
"Wait, what do you mean gone?" Then his focus shifted to the letter. Yuna watched as Gippal's eye grew wider and wider as he read the letter. Once finished, his gaze shifted to the ring in his other hand; the ring had been his mother's and Rikku had seemed so happy to accept it. What could have changed her mind so drastically in just one night? And who would have the nerve to approach Rikku when everyone knew she was engaged? "Do you have any idea who this guy could be, Yuna?" Gippal had an angry and hurt look on his face.
"I don't know, Gippal," Yuna was trying to be the voice of reason, "but they can't have gotten far, we are in the middle of the desert after all and the only way out is by…" but Yuna stopped and ran to the window when she realized that the only real way off of Bikanel island was by airship and that the Celsius was not parked outside of New Home like it should be. "Ok, now we have a serious problem, the Celsius is gone and Rikku knows how to pilot it. They could be anywhere in Spira by now."
"I'm waking up Cid," Gippal announced after several moments, "we can use the old airship to track them down, and I know the old man's gonna want a piece of the guy that took Rikku." Gippal then opened his apartment door and took off in a sprint to where he knew Cid's area was, with Yuna following close behind.
Gippal burst into Cid's office, "Cid, Rikku's missing!"
Cid was enjoying his morning coffee when Gippal slammed open the doors. Spilling hot coffee on himself, Cid practically roared in pain and anger, "Boy, where do you get off barging into my office like…" but then he realized what Gippal had said, "What do you mean Rikku's missing?"
"She's gone, the Celsius is gone, and Yuna found a note and Rikku's engagement ring in her room." Gippal said handing the note to Cid.
As Cid read the letter, his face got redder and redder, and the telltale vein on his left temple started throbbing, "I'm gonna kill that little punk, no one runs off with my little girl and gets away with it!" Cid crumpled up the note and tossed it over his shoulder, not caring where it fell. "Gippal, gather up a crew, we've got a runaway to track down."
It took all of thirty minutes to track down a suitable crew; most of the Al Bhed rallied behind Cid, outraged that someone had the gall to run off with Rikku right before her wedding; and prep the unused Highwind for take off. By the time all the pre flight procedures were completed, Yuna had rounded up all of their friends who were attending the wedding and got them on board, all of whom wanted to hear the full story, and couldn't help but wonder who the mystery man who ran off with Rikku was.
Once the Highwind had taken off in search of the Celsius, Yuna brought the rest of the group up to date on what she had found. "And the note basically said that Rikku had found true happiness with this man and that she wished Gippal luck in finding his own and that maybe they would meet again someday."
"Then what happened?" Tidus asked with equal amounts of urgency and curiosity.
"Well I immediately went to find Gippal, gave him the note, then I noticed that the Celsius was gone, so Gippal decided to wake up Cid so we could track them down in the Highwind."
"And so here we sit." Paine finished with little enthusiasm; she was still annoyed at being woken up so early.
"Where do you think they went?" Lulu asked with a level voice, still cradling a sleeping Vidina, "I'd wager that she and her mystery man would avoid large populated areas where they would be recognized."
"I also doubt they'll stay on the Celsius for very long." Gippal said entering the room where everyone was gathered, "She knows the Celsius draws more attention than she does."
"So that eliminates all the major towns and cities as possible places, what does that leave us with?" Tidus asked the group in general.
"Maybe we should find the Celsius first, ya," Wakka responded, "They won't be far from it if they are on foot."
"What do you think we're trying to do, Wakka," Gippal yelled across the table, then caught himself, "Sorry, sorry," He sat down in one of the unoccupied chairs and looked at the ring in his right hand, "I'm just so pissed off right now."
"We understand that Gippal," Yuna said putting her hand on Gippal's shoulder, "But getting angry won't find them any faster, why don't we all go to the bridge and help think of places Rikku would go to hide."
(A/N: Parentheses mean they are speaking in Al Bhed)
The Highwind flew over the Mi'ihen highroad just under the clouds, all sensors scanning for the Celsius. Gippal was pacing back and forth across the bridge annoying an already pissed off Cid.
"No, boy, we haven't found them yet, SO STOP PACING!"
Gippal stopped mid-step and was about to say something in return when one of the techs flying the Highwind shouted, "(We found it, Cid, we found it.)"
"(Where?)" Cid rounded on the tech, anger still leftover in his voice from Gippal.
"(The Moonflow Trail, sir)" The tech said, used to Cid's rage and knowing it wasn't meant for him, "(The Celsius is hovering halfway between Djose Temple and the Moonflow docks.)"
"(Full speed ahead.)" Cid commanded and the Highwind flew immediately for the Moonflow Trail.
Everyone except the techs disembarked when the Highwind pulled up beside the Celsius; Brother, Buddy, and Shinra went aboard the Celsius and, using the Comspheres, quickly determined that Rikku had not passed the Djose sentry nor had she crossed the Moonflow. Cid ordered the boys to take the Celsius and, along with the Highwind, circle the area looking for places where Rikku and her mystery man might be while Cid and the others walked the trail looking for them on the ground. An hour and forty-five minutes later, the group came to the Moonflow and noticed a trail, leading away from the docks and into the woods, had recently been made, so the group followed it. Another hour later the group saw a clearing in the distance, but what shocked them was who was in the clearing.
"It can't be," Tidus said with disbelief. They all saw on the other side of the clearing, Rikku sleeping peacefully on a red coat with her head resting on Auron's lap as he lay against a tree with his ungloved hand stroking her hair.
Auron looked up from Rikku to the group, put his hand up signaling for one moment, then slowly and gently lifted Rikku's head off his lap to allow himself to leave, then put Rikku's head gently back down. The movement however woke Rikku up slightly, she grabbed Auron's arm but after a quick word and a kiss between them, Rikku released her grip on his arm and went back to sleep.
Auron approached the group as quietly as his steel-toed boots would allow in the underbrush, when he got there he was immediately grabbed around the collar by a fuming Cid, but the first one to speak was a very surprised Tidus. "Auron, what happened to you," he said looking at Auron's now raven black hair and far less care-worn face, "you're young again?"
"The Fayth saw fit to return me to Spira in this form." Auron stated with the same stoic tone he always used never taking his eye off Cid. Cid, still furious, released his grip on Auron's collar and moved to throw a punch, which Auron easily caught. "I understand your anger towards me, Sir, but the fact of the matter is that Rikku no longer wishes for the life you or that young man Gippal can offer her."
Gippal had been eyeing the sleeping Rikku, until he heard his name, "how do you know what I can or can not offer her. You don't know how much I love her." Cid had reluctantly moved aside for Gippal to get in Auron's face.
"In that aspect we are the same, we are both victims of her thievery." Auron's face softened ever so slightly as she spoke and averted his gaze to Rikku's sleeping form. When Gippal looked confused at the last statement Auron explained, "She has stolen both our hearts."
"So you're saying that it's up to her to choose?" Gippal asked frusterated with Auron's lack of a strait answer.
"Shouldn't it be?" Auron replied still as calm as ever, "It is her future after all."
Gippal was dumbfounded, but Cid stepped in, angry as ever, "I don't approve of this! Gippal is the one who asked for permission to marry my daughter, so he's the one who is going to wed her."
"I regret that my arrival was too late to ask you for her hand first, but none the less, it is no longer your place to decide her future."
"It's like talking to a stone wall, isn't it Auron?" Rikku said as she stifled a yawn and approached the party now wrapped in Auron's red coat, "I told you that talking wouldn't accomplish anything." All eyes were on her as she walked up to Auron and threw her arms around his chest. She then glared at her father, "Now listen here Pops, you can either approve of my marriage to Auron, or you can go away and never see us again. Now make your choice."
Cid's jaw dropped, his daughter had argued with him many times in the past, but she had never outright defied him, let alone issue him an ultimatum like the one she just had. Then the true meaning of her words kicked in and he realized something, by the laws of the Al Bhed, Rikku was old enough to make her own decisions, and from what she had said, she had already gotten married to Auron, and no amount of yelling would change those two simple facts. Cid closed his mouth, turned away from the couple, and said, "If you EVER make her cry, there will be no hiding from the hell I'll bring down on you." Then Cid walked off leaving everyone, except Auron, visibly stunned.
Gippal recovered from the shock first and left in a huff, while the others quickly asked what Rikku and Auron would do next. "Well," Rikku said looking up at Auron then back at the group, "I think we'll head to Luca and get officially married there, then come back here and maybe build a home right here on the Moonflow, I've kinda grown attached to this place. What do you think, Auron?" she asked returning her gaze back to his.
Auron smiled that same little smile and replied, "It's a plan then."
(A/N: there it is finished Woo-Hoo (throws random papers in the air), and what's even cooler is that I have this awesome idea for a sequel to this that focuses on Rikku and Auron's first child a young girl, or more accurately this would be a prequel to her story telling how her parents got together. Anyway that story is still in outline and character development mode so It might be awhile before you actually see it (plus it will be posted in the FFX-2 section) so please wait, it will be well worth your time. Catch you all on the flip side)