A/N: Just so you know, I took creative liberties with the time. I don't know the exact time that Titanic went down or struck the berg, so I'm using my creative license here. So don't yell at me if you actually, for some reason, know the correct times.
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy, Squeenix, or any of the affiliates.
Rikku, Sunday April 15, 1912, 1:40 a.m.
Tidus led them up a crewman's staircase, and that was the moment that Rikku really saw that the Titanic wasn't as stable as she'd thought. Through all the water, it had never seemed to lose its strong steadiness, but now she could see it was all a façade. Because they had been walking lengthwise along the ship, it hadn't looked any different.
When he turned them into the staircase though, she could see how uneven it actually was. The right side of the staircase rested about five inches above the left. Auron helped her on the walk up and she was grateful for his strong hands on her waist, making sure that she didn't fall. Her body had grown used to the temperature of the water, but as they went up the stairs and hit the open air, everything was so much colder. Her teeth chattered helplessly, the bottom half of her dress and coat soaked and clinging to her legs.
"Are you all right?" Auron asked her quietly, hands continuing to cling to her waist even after they were off the stairs.
She nodded and tried to still her chattering teeth. "It's just…very cold," she said. He nodded and came to a stop, whipping off his jacket and wrapping it securely around her. She tried to shake her head and pushed off the heavy wool.
"No, you'll freeze," she protested.
"You're more important," he assured her. "I'm hardly cold anyway."
She knew he was lying through his teeth, but the jacket was just so warm and she knew arguing would get her nowhere anyway. Auron could be as stubborn as she, if he felt like it. She slid her arms into the sleeves of the coat and pulled it tighter around her, burying her nose in the lapel and taking in his scent. She was glad for it, knowing it would help calm her down later, when they were separated, as she knew they would be.
The deck was severely flooded with people and Rikku couldn't see any boats. The front of the ship was under water. She could remember how high off the water it had been and her throat felt tight. She feared she might start crying, so she scanned the deck for boats instead. She couldn't see any.
"The boats are all gone," she said, trying to keep the hysterics from her voice, her breath puffing in front of her face as she spoke. The night was cold as death and her wet dress didn't help any. Tidus shook his head and climbed nimbly up a pole holding up the captain's quarters. His head turned about for a moment before he slid back down.
"It's no good, there aren't any left on this side. There are a few all the way forward, though. Come, this way." He led them through the crowd, a difficult task as they were fighting against the pull of traffic. Rikku followed, clutching Auron's hand as if it would keep everything stable and upright. Tidus led them straight through another crewman's passage, and someone called to them that they weren't allowed through there. They were promptly ignored and soon, they were on the opposite side of the deck. There were many people flooding this side as well. They wouldn't be able to get through, not with all these men struggling to get to the boats first. They wouldn't be able to break the mob-like crowd.
"What will we do? We'll never get up there in time," Yuna asked, looking paler then usual, her bi-colored eyes trained on Tidus.
"Yes, we will," Auron answered gruffly. He pulled the gun from where he'd stashed it and fired it into the air. There were screams around them and people ducked out of the way.
"Move!" Auron barked. "We've got two women here…"
"I don't care about them!" a bolder man snapped. "What about us…"
"You will move or I will shoot you like dogs," Auron growled, waving the gun threateningly. This seemed enough to influence them, and a path was created, straight up to boat number fourteen. Tidus and Auron ushered them up, not that they really needed convincing. As they neared the boat, though, Rikku began to rethink leaving Auron behind on the boat. She loved him, so how could she just leave him to die? She knew that he wouldn't allow her to stay on the ship with him, but she felt like an awful person all the same. As they moved, she started unfastening her lifebelt.
"What are you doing?" he asked her, hands clamping over hers to still the movements.
"I'll be on a boat," she answered, shaking her hands free and continuing her work. "I won't need this. But you…" she couldn't bring herself to say the words. He looked down at her, russet eyes full of understanding and sadness at the same time.
"Just promise me that you'll put it on," she whispered, pulling the vest over her head and shoving it firmly against his chest. His nod was her only answer. They'd reached the front of the group now, and a crewman was standing near Yuna, looking impatient as she kissed Tidus goodbye, tears streaming down her cheeks. Rikku noticed that now, in the midst of all the terror, no one seemed to notice that a first class lady was kissing a steward. Funny, how fear really put things into perspective. Tidus and the other man helped Yuna step over the edge of the ship, across the gap that led to the churning water below, and into the boat. The women already in shifted around to make room for her, stroking her hair and sharing in their misery.
"You next, miss," the man instructed, holding out a hand for Rikku to take. Rikku looked at him and then turned back to Auron, seizing his shirt and yanking his face down so she could kiss him once more.
"I love you," she murmured between kisses. "I love you so much. Survive through this, please. Meet me on the steamer that picks up the survivors. We'll be married as soon as she reach land," she begged of him, kissing his face. He answered with consoling words; words that they both knew might be lies.
"Of course, Rikku. Of course I will. I love you. Always remember that."
"Yes, yes, I will. You'll tell me every day," she whispered. A pair of hands clamped around her waist and lifted her away from Auron. She tried to cling to him, but his hands gently pried her fingers from the folds of his shirt. The quartermaster lowered her into the boat next to Yuna, who was still sobbing openly. Rikku found, though, that she couldn't cry. She just didn't have the energy. She pulled Yuna into a hug, stroking the brunette's hair, eyes never leaving Auron's. A few more women were loaded in and then the quartermaster yelled,
"That's all for this one, lads. Lower away, left and right!" The boat began its tumultuous trip down towards the inky black water. There were many people already thrashing about in its dark depths, and Rikku feared they might be swamped if others tried to climb aboard. One of the crewmen was fiddling with something in the bottom of the boat and the other was instructing them on how to paddle the boat away. Some of the women seemed downright affronted at the fact that they would have to row, but the third class girls, the ones with brains, were copying the motions being shown to them with their hands. Rikku would have helped, but Yuna was clinging to her so tightly, she probably couldn't have pried her away with a crowbar.
The boat rocked as it settled into the water and Rikku took one final glance up, dismayed that she was unable to see Auron on the deck. Perhaps he had already left, looking for a way to survive the ship, or maybe they had pushed him back to wait with the other men. To wait for what, Rikku didn't know. Death, most likely. She didn't like to think that way, though, so she concentrated on Yuna. She was still crying, though the tears were falling silently down her face now. It was almost as if she didn't have the energy to gasp and sob.
It was a lot colder, down on the ocean. There was nothing to block the harsh winds. Rikku, being half soaking wet, was shivering and had already lost feeling in her toes. She felt bad for the women who were wearing pajamas and slippers, rather then substantial shoes. Rikku buried her nose in the lapel of Auron's jacket and breathed in his scent deeply. It helped her calm down, and maybe even warmed her a little.
The girls that were paddling had sheens of sweat about their foreheads. Rikku wondered if it was worth it, to keep the cold away. They were all silent, listening to the screams and cries from the grand ship that had been their home for the past few days. From the outside, it was even easier to see how bad things were. The entire front end had been submerged, and the back was beginning to lift from the water. Rikku wondered how much longer Titanic would be on top of the ocean. A loud snapping noise resounded, followed quickly by another and the sound of crunching metal. There were screams of terror as one of the steam pipes ripped from the ship and fell sideways, hitting the ocean with a resounding splash. It created such a wave that it rocked their little boat, making some of the women scream. When they finally settled and started pulling away even farther, Rikku started to feel antsy.
"Shouldn't we stay close?" she asked. "So we can take on more passengers later?"
"It's no good," the crewman said with a sigh. "If we stay, either Titanic's suction will pull us down, or the people themselves. If we stay here, we'll all die. We must keep moving and get away."
"But…we'll come back, right?" Rikku asked desperately. "After the ship's gone down and we're safe from the suction, we'll come back, won't we?"
He didn't answer, and Rikku knew what that meant. They weren't going back. They were going to sit safely in their boats and listen until the screams for help of a thousand dying people faded away. Rikku looked out to the horizon, praying to see the lights of a steamship making towards, them, but all was dark.
Over the next hour, the sound of snapping and crunching metal ripped through the night and, one by one, the rest of the pipes fell, crushing people beneath their mighty weight. Rikku didn't know how long she sat there watching, but eventually, the ship's front end was fully engulfed and the back lifted from the water, the ship becoming perpendicular to the water's surface. The strangest part, though, was that the lights were still on. Not for long though, after a minute or so, there were more sounds of snapping and crunching metal. The tail end of Titanic started to fall back towards Earth, and screams ruptured the night once more. Almost as soon as it hit, though, it lifted back up, once again rising high and mighty over the ocean like a marker to represent their position. The water around the bottom began to bubble as the ship slipped silently downward. Rikku could see people standing on the very end, waiting for the water to engulf them. It took only moments for the whole ship to sink under. First there were only bubbles to show what had once been there, and then nothing. Nothing but the people the ship had left behind.
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A/N: Hm…so I like this one better then the last one. It seemed better, more emotional and I thought it came across pretty well. Then again, I might just be biased. So, help me out here people. Let me know what you think by pushing the 'go' button.