Ya know, something occurred to me. Since this is supposed to be present day, I gave names to the characters. Perhaps I should have pointed that out better? But just for quick reference, I will list them here for you.

Yuna/Braska Summers

Tidus/Jecht Zanar

Rikku/Cid Targe

Auron...umm, I haven't given him a name yet. Not a good one anyway. To be revealed...eventually.

Wakka/Lulu Draupnir


Yuna wasn't sleeping so well that night. She heard it the moment a knock sounded on the door. Yuna wanted to get up and see who it was, but her father was already up and doing that very thing. She tried to slow her breathing so that she could hear the conversation through the walls. Rikku was the one at the door. That wasn't uncommon, her cousin has been known to show up late at night during exams and such during the semester. What really bothered her was the fact that Rikku was crying.

That fact alone was what did her in. Throwing her light covers aside, Yuna stood from her bed and reached for her robe to wrap it around herself. It hung low enough to hide her thighs, but stopped short of her knees. Slowly, so as not to stumble in the dark, she made her way over to the door. From down the hall, she could more clearly hear Rikku's muted cries.

"Father, what is wrong?" She asked as soon as she reached the living room where the two sat.

Braska looked up from the embrace he now had Rikku wrapped in and smiled. "She has had quite the night it seems." Braska whispered. "You should listen as well. It might do you both some good."

"Is that Yunie?" Rikku asked through her tears. She lifted her face from her uncle's chest to see for herself. Seeing her cousin sitting nearby caused the tears to come back. "Oh, Yunie, it was awful. Samul yelled at me, I saw that guy again and he..." Bitting her lip, she threw herself back into the arms of Braska and cried even harder then before.

Yuna brought one hand up and lightly covered her mouth. It fell back to her side seconds later. "This is getting to be too much." She stood up quickly earning confused stares from the others. "Rikku, tomorrow you and I are going to find this man and have a few words. It's not right that he treats you so badly that it makes you cry."

Braska released his hold on the young woman and smiled. "Yuna is right. We cannot allow this to continue on. In fact, I suggest you take someone else with you in your hunt. I'll call him in the morning. He owes me a favor anyway. Why don't the two of you go to bed now? It's getting late." Braska gently kissed the top of his niece's head and sent her off into the spare bedroom.


Yuna slept fitfully that night. She couldn't help but feel that her cousin's distress was began by her. If only she had been there the night this all started. If only Tidus didn't have to work today, she might have suggested that he join with them. There were so many 'if onlys' but no way to change them.

Yuna sighed at the thought of her new fiancée. He would help them in an instant, even so far as to call off work for it. But she wouldn't want him to do that. Work needed him more then they did. Besides, it wasn't as if they even knew where to begin to find Rikku's stalker. All they were going to do was hope that being with Rikku would force the man to show up, right?

She moaned in annoyance before rolling over and towards her clock. "Seven in the morning. I need to get up..." Not that she really wanted to, but there was no telling when her father was going to call his friend. Best to be up and ready. He wasn't the type to like being delayed.

By the time she did get out of bed it was nearing seven thirty. She gathered some clothing and went straight for the shower. By the time eight rolled around, she was showered, dressed, and neatly done up. In the kitchen, she met up with her father and cousin.

"We ready?" She questioned as she entered.

"I think you should eat first. I'm working on trying to get Rikku to, but her nerves are so shot, I don't think she will unless you join her." Braska answered as he indicated the young woman sitting at the table hands placed on her lap, but with a dull gaze in her eyes. She didn't look as if she slept at all last night.

Yuna took a seat next to her cousin and grabbed her hand. "Rikku, it will be okay. Do you trust us?"

Slowly Rikku turned her head to face the direction that Yuna was sitting. She tried to smile only to fail miserably. "I couldn't sleep at all last night. I'm just so tired." Bringing the free arm to rest on the table, she flopped her head into it. "Are you guys sure this is a good idea? I mean what if this guy really is some freak? What if he tries to kill us or something?"

Braska took the moment to laugh at Rikku's fears. He doubted anything of that sort might happen. He walked over to the table and set two plates down. One in front of each girl. "Like Yuna said, you will be fine. That friend I told you about; I would trust him with my own life. He's a good guy." He gave Rikku a warm smile before leaving the room and getting himself ready for work. He carried a mug in one hand in order not to be parted from his coffee.

As he left, Yuna hungrily began to eat the breakfast he had given her. After the first few bites, she noted that Rikku wasn't eating. "You really should eat. Since we don't know how long we are going to be out, we don't know when you can eat again."

"Yeah, I guess so. I'm scared. I've never had anyone besides my friends see me so often. At least not like this. And he's so rude too! It's not fair that when I want nothing to do with him, I have no choice!"

Yuna took a deep breath before answering, mainly to give her a few extra seconds to think of a response. "Look at it this way. Once we find him, you won't ever have to see him again if you don't want to."

That seemed to brighten Rikku's day. She blinked a few times before her first true smile crossed her face. "You're right. You're absolutely right. I mean, Tidus' dad is a cop, right. All I would have to do is ask him to put a restraining order on the guy. Then he won't be allowed near me!"

"That's the spirit! See, you can do it when you want to."

Now that she had a new found reason for going out, Rikku ate her breakfast in a flash. She really had been hungry, just at the time was too depressed to want to eat. Her uncle returned by this time, now sporting a black suit and polished shoes.

"Now that's the Rikku I knew." He said upon his entrance. He looked at his wrist quickly before a knocking sounded at the door. "Right on time. I expected no less. Clean up here and I'll introduce you, Rikku."

Rikku watched him go before taking in her last bite. "So I guess this is it. I think I'm ready then."

Yuna smiled as she nodded her head. "Then I'm glad. Let's get this dishes in the machina." She moved her chair back and stood up grabbing her cousin's plate at the same time. As Rikku wiped down the table she went to the living room to speak with the guest and explain to him what they were doing.

Left alone now, Rikku stared out the window above the sink. "I refuse to back out now. Not when I am this close. With Yunie there with me, I can do this. Then I can get back to a normal life." Licking her lips, she also joined the small group in the other room.

Just after taking the first step in, she would wish she stayed in bed that morning. "What are you doing here?" She hissed at the guest.

"Braska's niece. Why does that not surprise me?" Auron sighed as one hand rubbed his temple.

Rikku gasped. Did that mean he knew exactly who she was? That made him even more of a stalker.

Braska and Yuna watched them interact with very different thoughts. Yuna's were full of confusion, while Braska began to understand. He should have guessed it before now.

"So what if I am Braska's niece? Is that a problem?" Rikku huffed as they continued.

"Not at all. It's not his fault he can't choose who he must be related to."

Rikku screeched in offense. She had never had anyone speak to her like he was now. She angrily stomped her foot and crossed her arms over her chest. "You hear that, Uncle Braska?" One hand was removed so she could point at her accuser. "This is what he does to me! He treats me like a child!"

Yuna was still so confused. She had never seen Auron act in such a way. Her hands were clasped in front of her chest as she wasn't quite sure what to say or do. Her father on the other hand, stepped forward. "Auron, a word if I may?"

Right away, Auron's face softened. "Of course. What is it you need?"

Laying one hand on his friend's shoulder, Braska spoke, "Not here. Come with me onto the back deck please."

Yuna watched them leave before glancing over to her cousin. She gasped as she could see the tears that were threatening to spill down her cheeks. "Rikku?"

Her green eyes shifted so they fell on the older woman. With trembling lip, Rikku took off out of the room. Seconds later, Yuna heard the sound of the front door slamming closed. She winced knowing what this meant. Running, she tried to follow in her cousin's path, but it was too late, Rikku was already gone from sight.


Rikku ran down the street not knowing where she was going and tears streaming down her face. Maybe she was acting a little immature, but she didn't care. That man had been rude and didn't even care about her feelings at all. It was hard to see where she was going because of the moisture blurring her vision. She tried hard to wipe them away as she ran, but it was a futile effort. She paused when she needed to take a breath, only to continue on when she gathered it.

It was about a half-hour later when she finally stopped under the shade of a willow tree. The branches hung low so that she was not easily seen by those passing by. A relief in her mind, the last thing she wanted right now was to be questioned by random strangers.

She sat there for a while eyes growing heavy. They burned and were so dry that she knew staying for much longer would end up having her fall asleep. "Yunie must be so worried about me. I guess I should go back and apologize to her." Rikku struggled to stand back on her feet before heading back down the street from whence she came.

However, since she was so deep in thought (not to mention she really didn't want to face Auron again) she failed to check before crossing the street. All she heard was some loud honking before pain and darkness took over.


"Look, Auron. All I'm saying is that maybe you might want to rethink the way you speak to people. My niece is a very emotional young woman. I can perceive why she was so upset last night."

"And that is my problem because...why?" Still refusing to admit any of this was his fault made Auron wonder why he seemed to be gathering all the blame.

Braska sighed as he sat back down at the patio table. "My point, Auron, is that you need to learn a little discretion. Not everyone sees your advise as tolerable. I've known you for so long that I understand you mean no harm by it, but others, mostly those whom you have just met, do not see it that way." He stood up once again and adjusted the front of his suit. "If you will excuse me, I must be off to work now. Feel free to stay for a while and make yourself at home. Just...don't do anything else foolish?"

Auron scoffed before shaking his head. "Foolish." He muttered repeating the word as if it would ever apply to him.

"Just try." Braska said with a small laugh. It quickly stopped as Yuna came rushing out to them.

"She's gone!" She shouted with her wide bi-colored eyes looking wild. "I looked everywhere, but I can't find her!"

Auron didn't move, but Braska immediately went over to see if he could find out more. "Who's gone?"

"Rikku! Right after you came out here, she seemed shocked. As soon as I called out to her she ran out the door. I tried to follow, but she was just too quick. I couldn't keep up. What if something happens to her?"

Again, Auron scoffed. This time at the younger Summers'. "I highly doubt anything could hurt that girl. Trouble follows, but can't keep up."

Yuna held back a glare. She knew he didn't mean anything, but she was angry and shocked by the way he spoke to Rikku. "I'm still worried. It's not like Rikku to run off like this."

Braska grinned before patting her head. "I think Auron is right this time. Rikku's a big girl. She can take care of herself. She'll be back. Just wait and see. But I'm now running late for work. I'll see you tonight." He went back inside to grab his briefcase and then the sound of the car starting up could be heard before disappearing into the distance.

Yuna bit the tips of her fingers. "Auron, you have to help me find her. She's been gone too long. And I have a bad feeling about this."

"Very well. If I must." He got up and turned towards Yuna. She could see his face was full of frustration. She could only surmise all the reasons for it.

"Thank you. You can't imagine how much this means to me."

After deciding on a meeting time, the two of them split up to search. Yuna went west, while Auron went east. Yuna called out Rikku's name many times without an answer. Auron simply asked every person he met if they had seen her run by. Each time they were met with negative results and answers.

It was well past lunch when Yuna's cell phone began to ring. She pulled it out of her pocket and stared at the number bewildered. It was Tidus' dad calling her. "Hello? What can I do for you, Mr. Zanar?"

Jecht would have laughed, but he had something more important to worry about then a name. "Yuna, I'm afraid I have some bad news. I already contacted Cid, but since it happened near your home, I think you need to know as well."

"Wait, Uncle Cid? What's going on?" That feeling of dread dropped deeper into the pit of her stomach. Yuna knew without a doubt this had something to do with Rikku.

"It's Rikku. She's been in an accident. You need to go to Luca General right away. Your father is already there. He can fill you in on the rest of the details. I'll be over as soon as I finish the paperwork. And one thing, Yuna."

"Yes, what is it?"

"Just call me Jecht?" He hung up the phone without another word.

Yuna stared at the phone for a moment wondering if this was real or not. She blinked a few times trying to get a grip on reality once more before pocketing the phone again and running for home. On the way, she managed to run into Auron as he too was heading that way. "Auron!"

He turned at the sound of her voice and waited for her to catch up to him.

Yuna was tired and panting by the time she reached him. "You have a car, right? You have to take me to Luca Gen."

"The hospital?" The request caught him off guard and even he had trouble concealing his surprise.

"It's Rikku. She's been hurt! Jecht called me just a few minutes ago to tell me."

Clenching his fist, Auron took the lead without a word. One more sin to add to his list. Braska had been right. He really did need to learn how to communicate with people better. Now a young woman had been hurt because of his brashness. He never checked behind him but could hear Yuna's heels against the pavement and knew she was still behind him.

When they arrived back at the Summers' residence, they stayed only long enough for Yuna to grab her purse while Auron started the car. As soon as she was in and buckled he pulled away making a beeline for the hospital. He rather enjoyed the fact that Yuna was too concerned about her cousin to say anything to him. She simply sat in the seat next to him biting at her nails.

As he pulled in, he left the car under the care of valet parking so they would not have to think about it until they needed it. As he was being handed his ticket stub, Yuna was already heading inside. With a quick nod, he was right behind her.

"Where do we look for her at?" Yuna questioned when he came up next to her.

"Jecht did not say? Then we should ask at that desk there." He indicated to the counter in front of them labeled 'Information.' He took the four steps required and waited to be noticed.

"Might I assist you, sir?" The woman asked calmly.

"Yes, I am searching for a young woman. She goes by the name Rikku Targe."

"One moment please." Tapping a few keys seemed to take longer then it should have. But she had the information they needed. With sympathy she glanced back up at the pair. "I'm sorry. You can find her in room 3487. But be warned, it's in the intensive care unit. You may not be allowed in to see her at this moment."

"Thank you. We will keep that in mind. Come along, Yuna. The ICU is this way." He gently grasped her elbow and led her down the hall to their right.

Neither said a word as they took an elevator to the desired floor and down the hall. As soon as Yuna saw her father she took off. "Father! How is she? She hurt real bad?"

Braska took a deep breath. It was obvious that he had already shed his share of tears. "They had to place her under a drug induced coma. Surgery is planned within the hour. Cid is on his way too. I managed to talk to him. He should be here in two to three hours. Hopefully we will have good news by then." He embraced his daughter as she began crying.

Auron watched them before turning on his heel. He wasn't needed here now. After all, he had caused enough damage as it was. He ignored his friend calling out to him as he entered the elevator that brought him up. The doors closed leaving him in nothing but silence.