Gin's note: I know I haven't been around for a while. Don't worry, I'll be back soon. Got distracted. And now I post, but it's not even mine. This time around we have Drache giving us the next chapter of Outcast. Hope you enjoy it. I know I did. And as normal, I'll be letting her know what you all think of this, so be nice!

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Cid stared his daughter down, his eyes flashing furiously. "Frana ryja oui paah?" his voice wasn't raised to its full potential . . . yet. (Where have you been?)

"E-E fyc vekrdehk cusa veahtc yht-" Rikku began to reply, but her father interrupted. (I-I was fighting some fiends and-)

"FIGHTING FIENDS?!" In anger, he switched into the common language without meaning to. The whole island must've shook with his roar . . . that, or everyone in Spira could hear them.

"What were you thinking? You could've been injured! What possessed you to go out fighting fiends?" Her father demanded.

For some reason, Rikku didn't want him to know the truth. So she lied. "I was bored."

"Bored? BORED? That's the best you can come up with? You were bored?!" Her father's face was red, now it was turning an ugly shade of purple, and a vein was throbbing under his baldness.

"Vydran-"

"E tuh'd fyhd du rayn ed, Rikku. Oui yna knuihtat. Hu haf sylrehy vun y suhdr, yht oui lyh vunkad ypuid dygehk lyna uv dra syh." Cid's face was still enraged even after he set her punishment. (I don't want to hear it, Rikku. You are grounded. No new machina for a month, and you can forget about taking care of the man)

"Dryd'c hud vyen!!!" Rikku's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in shock. (That's not fair!!!)

"Duikr milg. Oui tu cusadrehk cdibet, oui kad dra luhcaxiahlac, tu oui ihtancdyht sa?" Cid glared at his only daughter. ( Tough luck. You do something stupid, you get the consequences, do you understand me?)

Rikku said nothing, her eyes flashing with anger and she crossed her arms in front of her.

"I said, do you understand me young lady?" Cid's voice was beginning to raise again.

Rikku glared at him, then dashed past, running through the doors into the dim, cool hallways. She ran, angry tears beginning to flood her vision. She kept going until she reached her room, where she flung open the door and then slammed it shut.

Her room was as it had been for years. Piles of various machina parts littered the floor, making walking through the room a virtual death trap. The walls were a dark yellow color, something to remind Rikku of the sun. A machina cooling unit kept the room cool, allowing it to be a safe haven even from the heat. Rikku easily picked her way through the piles of scraps, and pulled on the thin roughly woven blanket that covered the bed under more machina. The machina flew through the air, crashing down onto the floor. Rikku then threw herself onto her bed, sobbing into her pillow at the unfairness of her life. Eventually her tears stopped, and Rikku, emotionally exhausted, closed her spiral eyes and fell asleep.

It was around midnight when a soft knock came at the door. Rikku, whose sleep had became lighter as the night wore on, was awake in an instant. Quietly moving through the puddles of machina, she reached her door and slid it open.

Through the emergency dim lights of the hallway, Rikku saw Melissa.

"Melissa?" Rikku yawned and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"Shhh . . . I heard what Cid said to you." Melissa slipped inside the room.

"Yeah . . ." Rikku really didn't want to remember the yelling she'd gotten.

"But, he put me in charge of taking care of our mysterious guest." Melissa's dark gray eyes (which were unusual for an Al Bhed, but then, nothing about Melissa was normal) began to sparkle. "And I do believe he needs to be re-bandaged right about now."

Rikku stared at her friend in shock and then grinned, before hugging her hard. Melissa laughed and whispered, "Hurry, the night guard are switching right about now. It shouldn't be hard to get there."

"Dryhg oui," Rikku whispered back, and both emerged from Rikku's room. They went together to the beginning of the corridor to the Injury Ward, and then Melissa nodded down the darkened hallway. "I'll wait here, you go hurry and help him."

Rikku smiled and bounded (albeit quietly) down the hall. She approached the door and opened it, letting a bit of light flood out into the hall. Slipping inside, she slid the door shut and turned to see the man turn from starring out the window to starring at her.

"You're back," his tone was emotionless, but his voice was still deep. It was smoother now however . . . almost seductive and very sensual.

Idly wondering whether or not this man knew just how sexy his voice was, Rikku gave him a small smile and motioned to the bed. "Please, sit," she said in common Spiran.

The man sat, his one eye watching her like a hawk as she bustled around and got everything she needed to change his bandages. When she turned back to face him, his black armor was already on the floor beside him. He's changed so smoothly, quickly, and silently that she hadn't even noticed!!!! Her, The Great Thief, Rikku!

But as her jade eyes observed him sitting there, she couldn't help but notice (and admire . . . and okay, mentally drool) over his strong and toned body. One didn't get muscles like those from casting spells, that's for sure. They rippled under his pale skin, which was smooth, with the exception of the bandage around his lower torso.

Reigning in her check out session, she moved behind him and sat. Quickly, she undid the tiny knot and pulled away the old bandages. Her fingers traced the edge of the wound on his back and side. It had been deep, and looked very very disgusting with dried blood and other liquids coming from it. Now, it looked . . . almost healed. Sighing in sadness, because her mysterious charge would soon be gone, she silently and quickly re-bandaged it.

"Something troubles you," his voice echoed off the dimly lit interior of his room. It startled her out of her thoughts.

"Oh, uh, no . . . northing's wrong, I'm fine!" she took back the excess supplies, putting them away and flashing him a smile that looked real but was as fake as possible.

His one russet eye pierced her jade gaze, and her smile faltered a bit, but was still there. He seemed to simply stare at her, until his eye closed and he gave a small chuckle.

"Hey, are you laughing at me?" Rikku asked, her eyes flashing with indignation.

The man shook his head, the small smirk dieing away, and Rikku instantly felt bad. "I uh, didn't mean to-"

"You're a bad liar." He cut across her.

"Wait, what?" Rikku asked, a bit confused.

"You. Are. A. Bad. Liar," he said slowly, accenting each word as though he were talking to a little girl.

She glared at him, and huffed, "Fine, see if I disobey my father again to take care of you, you ungrateful big . . . meanie . . . Hey, what's your name anyway?" she asked suddenly, when it occurred to her she didn't even know.

His gaze smoothed out into a mask of emotionlessness.

"No, seriously, I want to know. I'm Rikku." she introduced herself, holding out her hand to shake.

His eye studied her for a long long while, before he grasped her hand. "Pleasure."

His grip was firm, not overbearing, and strong.

"So, what about you?" Rikku asked, her jade eyes starring at the man and realizing he hadn't let go of her hand yet.

"I am . . . no one."

"Yeah right," Rikku snorted. "Everyone has a name. Should I name you? Do you not know your own name?"

He considered her a bit longer and then spoke so quietly she had to step closer to hear his low words . . . which of course sent a shiver down her spine. Good or bad, she couldn't tell. "I am called-"

"Rikku, let's go!" Melissa hissed from outside the door. "Baubma yna lusehk!" (People are coming!)

"Okay!" she whispered back, and then pulled away from his hand. "I'm sorry . . ." she whispered. "I'll come back tomorrow night, though, okay?"

He simply watched her again, and then before she could do anything else, his lips were by her ear and he whispered one single word.

"Auron."