Well hello everyyybodyyyyyy! I am pleased to announce that this chapter is the tenth! Why is that special? 10! One, two digit spaces! YEAH!

…Apparently I am going on another vacation! And my laptop will not be accompanying me…which is why I am going to work on finishing the last chapters before I leave. I will, however, be preparing a special set of chapters that will come before Sin, which I will work on while I'm on said vacation. If you don't pick up the hint in this chapter as to what they'll be about, it's revealed at the end.

Enjoy!

"Well, we got ourselves quite a wait," Cid announced, "Seeing as we're on the edge of the world!"

"How long?" Tidus asked anxiously before adding, "So we know when to expect."

"Err…" Cid hummed as he tried to picture the time. "Forty-five minutes to an hour, maybe."

"That's reasonable," Lulu said, "Who wants to rush?"

That question was a bit awkward; everyone wanted to see the end as soon as possible, but there were two that didn't want to rush to their dooms. Tidus's eyebrow twitched, and Auron suppressed a heavy sigh.

"And what are we going to say to Maester Mika once we get there?" Yuna asked.

"Yuna," Tidus began, "This is one of those things that you sorta have to plan as you go."

That's not entirely true, Auron silently and instantly responded, feeling a tinge of amusement at how fast the contradiction had come.

"Sooo…what are we gonna do until we get there?" Rikku wondered aloud, probably becoming bored already.

"Well I'm not just staying in here," Tidus announced. "I'm going to the roof."

And for some reason, wherever the blonde went the guardians soon followed. Especially Yuna, who was leaning against his side comfortably and staring off into the orange-turning-cerulean horizon with him. Kimahri was leaning against one of the walls to the right of the door. Wakka and Lulu were conversing off to the side while Rikku was pacing back and forth across the span of the airship's roof, occasionally casting glances at Auron who, having grabbed his sword on the way out, was in the process of sharpening it with a very shiny stone that he had produced from his small belt pouch. Each shrill note of the stone sliding across the blade's edge was quickly whisked away by the wind of movement.

Rikku abruptly made the decision to trot over to sit behind him with her back to his, leaning up against him. He expressed no surprise or discomfort as far as she could tell, even when she reached around and stole his sunglasses to slip onto her face—well, he had shown a little surprise there. But he made no move to stop her and hey, it was getting bright out here! He could survive.

Eventually the wind shifted slightly and brought Wakka and Lulu's conversation to Auron's ears. Something about what they were to do after Sin was gone.

"Concentrate on the present," he advised them, having to raise his voice over the howl of the wind. "And contemplate the future when that's done."

They eyed him in thought for a moment before returning to their talk.

"What do you think Mika's gonna be like when we tell him we've killed Yunalesca?" Rikku asked from behind.

"Dismayed to say the least," Auron replied, stroking his blade with the stone. He had his other hand freed for the sake of saving effort. "Mika is a coward."

"Ehh. I'm glad that we kicked Yunalesca's butt. A life for a life just isn't fair!"

Something clicked in the back of Auron's mind, something that he hadn't thought of for a while. He pushed it away but made sure that the thought remained in his memories.

"He will probably flee," he said.

"Wow. You got something against the guy?"

"Not…personally. He was just one of the few who decided to doom my reputation to obscurity for refusing to marry the high priest's daughter."

"Wha?!" Rikku exclaimed. "You were almost married?"

"Almost forced to be married," Auron corrected. "They pressured and badgered me like the fate of the world depended on my marrying that woman."

"Did you…?" Rikku trailed off for reasons she couldn't explain.

"No, I didn't love her. Not in the least."

Relief. Why did she feel a profound sense of relief?

"I don't think I would have married her anyway," Auron continued. "I was young, and I had no desire to settle so early in life."

Did that mean that he was ready to settle now? She shook the following thoughts away like annoying insects. He was probably laughing hysterically on the inside at the fact that he was telling this to her, a mere girl.

The stone slid across the sword in a steady, grim rhythm that would seem ominous in anyone else's hands, whereas in Auron's it seemed as though it could put her to sleep if she relaxed too much.

"So, does that mean that you served in the Yevon army for a while?"

"For most of my life, yes."

"Hey," Tidus called, jogging over to them while paying no mind to their position. "You were in the Yevon army, right?"

It had always been one of Auron's pet peeves to be asked the same question twice or more by different people. "Yes."

"How do these guys fight?"

It was a moment before he found an answer. "Guns and flamethrowers, that's all they have."

It suddenly occurred to him that he would be up against humans soon instead of fiends, and that he was in the process of sharpening his already powerful sword. He set it aside to abandon the task, his stomach churning. Killing fiends was not the same as killing humans; he almost immediately envied Rikku for her claw. She could deal out as much or as little harm as she wanted, while his weapon could only deal maximum damage. Not good for sparing lives.

Rikku still leaned against his back, relaxing, and for some reason it felt good to have her so close. He thought he could feel her strong heartbeat even through her back, and the instinctual envy began to surface. The envy for the fact that the living were flitting about without cherishing the moments that passed, without taking into pride the fact that they were brain and blood and nerve and, most importantly, alive. Pure, precious life was what filled the walking dead with dark, tainted envy.

He clenched his fist as anger rose and he attempted to stifle the flow. Anger for the fact that he was living while at the same time not. He was in a place where he did not belong, and as an Unsent it angered him.

Come.

"Eh- hey, you okay?"

His vision blurred as his head was his with a sudden and overwhelming pain. He felt Rikku move to his side to catch his head as he fell, as his consciousness fell to another avatar. The world swirled around him, its features reforming completely and wiping out the sound of anyone calling his name. The ground became solid first; a white, marble floor, followed by copies of the floor as walls. A plain, white marble room.

Auron took a step back, still dizzy. Dizzy enough, in fact, to fall to his knees.

"I wouldn't bow before me just yet, little one."

The voice was so familiar now that he had no need to look up. The white walls seemed to look down upon the black cloaked man with enmity, willing him to leave just as the pyreflies in Zanarkand had done to Auron.

"You may call me Ender," he said before chuckling as if enjoying an inside joke. "After all, I have ended many things before."

A copy of Auron appeared on the wall behind the man, in the midst of swinging his sword. An arc of light which he now noticed was tinted with blue emerged from the swing, and the image froze.

"Flashfire," said Ender. It took him a moment to realize that he was naming the light that had emerged so suddenly from his sword. Auron looked up at him, curious as to why he had begun to chuckle to himself once more.

"The very essence of life, put into destructive and reconstructive form," he continued. "How very amusing. And so unexpected, might I add."

"What's funny about it?" asked Auron. If anything, the other's laugh became stronger.

"Flashfire only appears in the user," Ender said, "when the user is in love."

Auron's eye snapped open and he felt his face heat, whether from anger or embarrassment he had no idea. All he could see was bright, blue sky above, but the wind in his hair told him that he was back on the airship. He then noticed that his head was slightly elevated, and he suddenly found himself staring into two, spiraling emerald eyes.

"You okay?" Rikku asked. "You blacked out for like, ten minutes!"

"Yeah," Tidus said, "You okay?"

"Sir Auron?" Wherever Tidus went, Yuna followed.

He just stared, unable to speak as Ender's words echoed painfully about his mind.

In love…? I'm in…

Realizing that with his head resting on Rikku's lap he was all too comfortable, he sat up, leaning slightly to the side to avoid a head collision. Was he okay? No, not really. Not anymore. Jecht was right; he didn't know love even when it stared him in the face…oh, how he hated it when that man was right.

"I'm fine," he mumbled. "Must be tired…haven't slept in a while." A bad excuse, but they seemed to accept it.

Rikku crawled around to his front. "Tired, huh? Well, next time we get the chance, you're gonna rest, got it?" She poked his forehead for emphasis on her awesome willpower.

He stood up to head back inside, grabbing his sword on the way. As he was about to touch the panel on the door that would grant him entrance to the inside of the airship, Kimahri stopped him.

"Auron not just tired," Kimahri said. "Auron fall unconscious for other reason."

He paused. "I…"

"Auron not need to tell Kimahri," said the Ronso. "Kimahri respect Auron, trust Auron."

He didn't need to smile to show that he was grateful. The loudspeaker cracked overhead, and Cid's voice blared through.

"Ey! We're here!"

"Really?" Rikku leaped up, charging to the edge to get a look at Bevelle. The others followed, though a little more slowly. "Bevelle!"

"I'm bringing us down!" Cid announced just before the ship gave a great lurch, nearly knocking the Al Bhed from the edge of the roof.

"Hey, are you sure you should go?" Tidus asked Auron. "I mean, you just blacked out."

He responded with a look that meant something along the lines of "Are you an idiot? Of course I'm going!" and turned to the girl.

"Rikku?"

She glanced back at him for a moment before she realized what he wanted, pulling off his sunglasses and handing them back over. He pushed them onto his face and braced himself as the ship began a controlled freefall.

"Infidel!"

"Man, don't these guys ever give up?" Wakka moaned.

"You'll regret showing your face here! We'll strike you down in the name of Yevon!" cried a warrior monk.

"Blah, blah, blah," Tidus mocked. "Yeah, so? Guys?"

"If they want a fight, let's give 'em one!" said Rikku.

"Prepare to charge!"

Half of them had already slid into a fighting stance when a door on the far end of the floor burst open to reveal Shelinda, running full speed toward them.

"Stop!" she cried, coming to a halt behind the warrior monks. They did not turn around but they still acknowledged her.

"Captain?"

"Lady Yuna is not to be harmed!" said Shelinda. "She's no traitor! That is an evil rumor spread by the Al Bhed!"

What?!

"What?!" shouted Rikku in disbelief.

"Maester Mika himself told me," Shelinda said as if that would automatically validate the information.

"Then...what are we to do?" one of the monks asked, demonstrating their empty head.

"Stand down!" Rikku ordered in what Auron suddenly thought as an imitation of him.

The monks looked at each other in doubt until Shelinda cut in. "As she says!"

Hesitating, the monks backed off and retreated to the inside of the temple once more. Shelinda sighed and turned to the guardians.

"What was that about evil Al Bhed?" Rikku asked through her teeth.

"I...truly, I do not understand it myself. All Yevon seems to be in a state of confusion. Why, yesterday they called me out of the blue and made me captain of the guard!"

Auron grunted. "Short on believers?"

"Yes, the chaos in the temples is worse than I'd imagined. It's horrible! And all the priests do is blame each other—I worry what will become of Yevon." She raised her hands and began an imitation of someone's 'wise' words. "'But no! I must be the rock that stands against the swirling tides, right?' Lady Yuna, I must tell you, your courage has been a great inspiration to me."

Before Yuna could give her thanks, Tidus rudely interrupted.

"Yeah, that's great, but we came here to see Maester Mika," he informed her. "Is he here?"

"Yes, I shall arrange an audience. Please wait in the courtroom."

She rushed through the doors once more, leaving the guardians well behind.

"Hey, hey wait!" Rikku called. "What was all that about the Al Bhed lying and stuff?"

"Simple," Auron said, seizing the chance to answer. "Yuna has become Mika's only hope."

"Oh…okay."

"Just what does he think he can get away with?" Lulu fumed.

"Time to teach him some manners!" Tidus said.

Learn some first, Auron couldn't help but think.

"Yes," Yuna agreed, a dangerous look in her eye. "Let's."

As soon as Mika noticed them walking in, he turned to face them with a sense of urgency.

"Why are you here?" he asked. "You must go and defeat Sin, quickly! You have obtained the Final Aeon from Yunalesca, have you not?"

"Well, we did meet her," Tidus began, ready to dodge the truth. However, Yuna was not.

"We fought and defeated her."

"What?" The maester's voice cracked with age and fear.

"Summoners and guardians will be sacrificed for the Final Summoning no more!" Auron announced, filling that fact with pride.

"You have profaned and subverted a thousand-year-old tradition? Fools!" His strength seemed to leave him as he spoke. "Infants! Do you realize what you've done? You've taken away the only means of calming Sin!"

"Hey, maybe that's not the only way! We think we've got another." Tidus placed a hand on Yuna's shoulder, indicating the "we." Looking through his Unsent sight, Auron saw the old man's aura begin to rise in a self-sending.

"Why...preposterous! There is no other way!"

"The grand maester, running away?" Auron questioned in a ridiculing tone. The man's strength seemed to leave him completely.

"Spira has lost its only hope…destruction is inevitable. Yu Yevon's spiral of death will consume us all. I have no desire to watch Spira die."

"It won't die!" Yuna protested.

"Who is this Yu Yevon guy?" Tidus asked. Lulu nodded.

"Lady Yunalesca also mentioned him."

Mika began to fade as pyreflies appeared from his body, taking little pieces of his soul with them. Rikku's eyes narrowed.

"Wait, gramps! Who's Yu Yevon?!"

"He who crafts the souls of the dead into unholy armor, an armor called Sin," Mika explained. "Clad in it, Yu Yevon is invincible. And the only thing that could have pierced that armor, you have destroyed! Nothing can stop it now!"

He finally faded away, the pyreflies that were carrying him fading away as well.

"Disappear on us, will ya?" said Wakka. "Rotten son of a—"

Shelinda appeared from one of the doorways to the side, cutting off whatever string of curses that Wakka had been about to concoct.

"Where…where is the grand maester?" she asked innocently. Yuna froze, wondering what to tell her.

"He…umm…"

"He's not here yet," Auron replied, faking impatience. "How long must we wait?"

"That's odd... I'll go look for His Grace." Shelinda ducked back through the door, leaving behind a deafening silence.

"Smart cookie," Rikku said to him. Auron faintly heard Tidus mumbling something behind him, sounding as if he were talking to someone. He turned to see the fayth of Bahamut talking to the couple. Yuna nodded and Bahamut disappeared.

"Who you talking to?" Wakka asked.

"Oh, uh, no one."

Yuna stepped over to Auron, lowering her voice.

"I must go see the fayth," she said.

"I see." He paused. "I will accompany you."

Yuna nodded in acceptance just before Rikku leaped over.

"Oooh! Can I come too?" she asked the warrior.

"That is not my decision." Yes.

"It wouldn't hurt," Yuna replied.

"Yay!"

The Hum of the Fayth was still making its attempt to soothe the visitors in the background, the crystal-encased statue of the mighty Bahamut pulsing smoothly with the child's humming. The fayth appeared hovering above the statue, and the four entered the chamber silently despite the fact that there were no other prayers being made outside. Auron took a place leaning against the wall and Rikku did the same, though a lot less stoically.

"Hello." The child's voice was soft and carried the wisdom of an adult.

"So, what's up?" Tidus asked.

"Have you found a way to truly defeat Sin?"

"Well…I think so."

"Well?"

"We think the Hymn of the Fayth might slow Sin down."

"Hmm…perhaps."

"You mean it won't work?" Yuna asked.

"A very long time has passed since your father became Sin," the fayth explained. "He may not be able to hear the hymn anymore."

"I know it's a long shot," said Tidus, "But we gotta try anyway if there's a chance."

"Yes, you must." The fayth suddenly gave a warm, heartfelt smile. "I'm glad you're doing this. You have a good spirit, truly."

"I'm not just a dream, right?"

"A dream?" Yuna asked softly. Tidus scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Uh…It's a long story."

Rikku leaned forward to look up at Auron, hoping to get an explanation from the man. He merely held up a hand that she took to mean "Quiet. I'll tell you later."

"Promise?" she whispered. He nodded, and she fell silent.

"If it works, what'll you do then? You'll need more than the hymn," the fayth pointed out.

"We fight Yu Yevon!" Tidus replied, the fearlessness in his voice evident.

"Yes... If you defeat Yu Yevon, it will end. Tell me, what do you know about Yu Yevon?"

"He's what makes Sin come back!"

"And Sin is his armor," Yuna said. "It protects him."

"Yu Yevon was once a summoner, long ago. He was peerless. Yet now he lives for one purpose: only to summon. He is neither good, nor evil—he is awake, yet he dreams. But...maybe not forever."

"Yeah, that's right," Tidus agreed. "We're ending it."

"Yes. Even if you defeat Sin with the Final Summoning, Yu Yevon will live. Yu Yevon will join with the Final Aeon, he will transform it into a new Sin. Yu Yevon merges with the aeon...then, protected by this new Sin he has created, he continues the summoning."

"For eternity, huh?"

"But you know, there is no such thing as eternity if you end it, is there?"

"Uh-huh."

"Yu Yevon lives inside Sin," the boy repeated. "Yuna, listen. When you fight Yu Yevon, we will help you. Promise me you'll summon us. I'm afraid your swords and magic won't be enough. Please, call us. Promise?"

"Yes." The summoner bowed in a silent vow.

"But, you know...when it is all over...we will wake, and our dream will end. Our dream will vanish."

"Yeah. You've been dreaming a long time, haven't you?" There was almost a tinge of pity in the blonde's voice, but pity for what? Himself, or the fayth?

"I'm sorry," said the boy. Tidus smiled.

"I'm grateful."

The fayth began to fade away, but Auron pushed himself from the wall.

"Wait."

Bahamut regained what little form he had already possessed. "Yes?"

"On the subject of the dream—" he avoided casting a glance at Tidus, "—I have a question."

The fayth frowned and floated to land gracefully on the floor in front of the man. "Go ahead. They can't hear you."

Rikku watched as Auron ducked his head inside his cowl to conceal his mouth movements as he spoke, but no sound came. When he was done, Bahamut's frown grew.

"I knew you were going to ask such a thing. Yes, it is possible. But why?"

"To keep a dream alive," Auron replied with all simplicity. He turned away and strode from the chamber with Rikku trailing close behind. The three watched them leave before the fayth faded away, leaving only Tidus and Yuna.

"What was that all about?" Rikku asked, having to speed up to a trot to keep up with the man's long stride.

"Later."

"But—"

"Later."

She stopped and hunched her shoulders at the coldness of his tone, giving him a hurt look. He stopped as well, turning to look at her.

"I promised, did I not?" His tone was considerably softer, softer even than his normal voice. He walked, and she followed.

"Where's Yuna?" Wakka asked upon their entry. Auron nodded his head in the direction of the Chamber of the Fayth and the blitzer fell silent.

They didn't have to wait long for Tidus and Yuna to come strolling from the path to the chamber, both with troubled looks on their faces. Auron's breath caught; had he told her that he was a dream of the fayth? He would talk with the boy before the day was over.

Sunlight shone through the arches over the highbridge, spraying patterns of light across the floor. Auron savored the heat of Bevelle, letting go of the now second-nature concentration he had to put into producing his own warmth. His skin instantly turned to ice, but the sun would fix that.

Shelinda hurried over to them, looking as rushed as ever. "I'm afraid the grand maester is nowhere to be found!" she informed them with dismay. Tidus waved it off.

"S'okay, we were just leaving."

"Oh…I see."

"Hey! Maybe you could help us with the Hymn!" Rikku suggested.

"Oh, good idea!" Tidus said, suddenly remembering the plan, it seemed.

"It's like, we need you to tell as many people as you can."

"What should I tell them?" asked Shelinda.

"A ship in the sky will sing the Hymn of the Fayth. When they hear it, we need everyone to sing along!"

"Everyone in Spira!" Wakka said, being specific.

"I'm not sure I understand."

"You don't have to!" Rikku said. Ahh, the code of the military. "Just tell everyone!"

"A ship in the sky will sing the Hymn of the Fayth?" the priestess repeated. "So when they hear it, everyone should sing along, correct?"

"If they do, we might be able to defeat Sin!" said Tidus.

Shelinda's eyes widened. "Truly?" Disbelief filled that word.

"Yes!" Yuna sounded happier than she had ever been before, and that seemed to settle the other woman's doubts. She placed a hand over her heart.

"That's wonderful! You can count on me!" she promised. "I shall tell all of Spira!"

The airship's control room still remained the ideal place for discussion, as the party had settled themselves in that room to discuss their battle plan. Sin was mighty, and they couldn't attack it head on. Weaken it, perhaps? Yes, that would be essential. But how to do so without using all of their energy? That stayed in the air as an unanswered question throughout the whole time; many hours had gone by before Yuna pointed out something very important.

"But wait, everyone," she interrupted, "We shouldn't attack right away."

"Yuna is right," Lulu said, bringing the floor to her. "If we attack too soon, then all our efforts will have been in vain."

"'Rush this and we'll lose everything,'" Rikku quoted.

"We need time," Lulu continued. "Two weeks?"

"That's too long." Tidus crossed his arms. "My old man won't be able to keep enough control for that long. I say we go for it in three days."

"We need more time than that!" Rikku countered. "One week!"

They all fell silent, counting the preparations that had to be made before they made their move.

"One week," Yuna repeated. "That's good." Auron suddenly jerked himself from his inattentive state.

"I agree," said Lulu.

"So do I, ya?" Wakka punched the air.

"Fine with me," Tidus said.

"Are you sure?" Auron asked. Six pairs of eyes locked on him. "Not any sooner? Say…six days?"

"Why?" Tidus raised an eyebrow. Yuna stepped forward.

"Why six?"

Anything less than seven, Auron thought. "Nevermind. It was a selfish request; forget it."

"It's decided, then." Lulu put a hand on her hip, sighing. "We attack in one week, not counting today."

Tidus began to head out, but Auron said something to him that stopped him. He pushed himself from where he had leaned against the wall, walking off with the blonde. The door shot open and the two strode through. Rikku looked around and, deciding that everyone was too busy to notice her, sneaked under the door just before it hissed closed.

The two continued to stroll through the halls while giving each other the silent treatment, which made it harder for the thief to follow them without being noticed. She had passed through a few rooms without revealing herself when an Al Bhed child ran up to her, grinning and ready to blow her cover. She clapped a hand over the boy's mouth, smiling and placing a finger over her lips to indicate silence. The boy nodded, and she sneaked off without a word or a blown cover.

It was the next room in which they began to speak, for the hall was devoid of anyone but themselves—or so they thought. Rikku had to slow down as they did.

"Did you tell her?" Auron asked. Tidus shook his head and the warrior cast his gaze to the cold, metal floor.

"But—"

"But I have to eventually. I know," said Tidus.

I don't get it, Rikku thought. Tell who what?

"But the truth is that I don't really have to, you know."

"Then she will find out eventually," countered Auron. "Lady Yuna is not dull. She will realize what you are when you begin to fade away after—if—we defeat Sin forever."

Tidus was silent.

Tidus is going to fade away?

"She loves you."

"I know."

"Are you going to try to save yourself? Keep yourself in existence?"

"…No," Tidus replied. "I can't. There just isn't a way to do it."

"You sound like our enemies."

"What?" Tidus stopped and so did Auron, and Rikku had to back away to safety.

Auron chuckled. "Each one of our enemies had told us 'there is no other way,' or 'there's no way you can stop this from happening,'" he said. "Before, you were so unwilling to accept what they thought: that there is no way to overcome the obstacle that is Sin anymore with what we've done. You're acting just like them now; you believe that your fate is sealed because of events that were out of your control."

Tidus hung his head in embarrassment. "Well, yeah…but…"

"But what?"

He paused before speaking. "How do you make a dream a reality, huh? It's impossible!"

A dream? Rikku thought. Auron smiled.

"Apparently destroying Sin without the Final Aeon is, too."

Tidus's ears reddened and Auron put a hand on his shoulder.

"I must admit…in the beginning, I was worried. But you've done well." He gave a pause before adding, "I'm proud of you."

Tidus looked up in surprise. "Promise me that you'll at least try to find a way to stay with the world," Auron said.

Tidus nodded. "Fine. But what about you, huh?"

"What about me?"

"You're an Unsent," Tidus said, pointing out the obvious. "After we've defeated Sin, you'll have gotten rid of your reasons for being dead but still here, and not in the Farplane, right? What are you going to do then? Are you gonna make Yuna send you?"

"Lady Yuna will perform the sending of her own free will," Auron replied. "If she will not send me, then I will send myself."

Rikku's heart plummeted. Wh-what? Auron's going to leave? No, no!

"Do you have to go?" Tidus asked. Auron raised an eyebrow. "Everyone would miss you."

"Do you have to fade away?" he retorted. "Everyone would miss you more; I deserve my death, and you are far from deserving your own."

Auron strode away and around the corner, and Tidus turned to head in the opposite direction. Rikku held back a gasp and ducked around the corner into a doorway to wait for him to pass without noticing her. She heard his sneakers hit the metal down the hall as a result of stepping on a grate, and she stepped from her hiding place. She cast one last look down the hall before jogging after the crimson clad warrior.

Auron was in the room before the lift up to the roof of the ship, gazing out the window. She suddenly stopped at the stairs, still using her thief skills to be silent. What was she going to say? She leaned against the wall and sank to the floor. What, was she going to beg him not to leave like some lovestruck schoolgirl whose boyfriend was moving away?

"You can come out now, Rikku."

She jumped, not at all expecting him to know where she was. With reluctance she slowly climbed the stairs, turning on her heel to face him at the top. He was still gazing at the passing clouds absently, seeming unaware of her presence.

"It is impolite," he began, his voice lowered, "to eavesdrop on others."

Her face heated with guilt as inexplicable anger rose within her.

"How much did you hear?"

"Enough to know what Bahamut was talking about when he said 'dream,'" she replied through her teeth. "And pretty much everything after that."

Auron's eye closed as he turned to her, and when it opened she found that she was able to easily read it for the first time. Regret filled his russet stare, and she looked away.

"Why?" she asked. "Why do you have to leave?"

"I would have to leave eventually."

Neither expected it when Rikku launched herself at him with a cry, fists at the ready. She knew that she had almost no chance of damaging him, nor did she want to. He blocked the first blow she threw, directing it to the side and beginning to back up as she followed up again and again and again, and soon he was forced to free his other arm to protect himself from her onslaught.

"So?" she came close to shouting. "You don't have to leave, you know!"

"Rikku—"

She assaulted him with more jabs, not even aware of what she was doing anymore. He continued to block.

"Rikku, stop—"

"Nobody deserves death! How can you say that?"

His back hit the wall; enough was enough. He caught her small fist in his hand, holding it tight so she wouldn't jerk it back to punch at him again. She paused before letting out a cry and drawing her other hand back to strike, but Auron caught it in his other hand. She began to try to pull them back, but he raised both hands slightly so it would be impossible for her to struggle efficiently. He hated using his superior strength against her, but the woman was attacking him!

"Stop." It was just one lousy word; yet she obeyed and abandoned her attempts to get away, looking up at him.

"Why would you just leave us?" she asked. "There are people who care for you, here! People who would miss you really really much if you left, you know?"

Her eyes glazed over with tears, but none escaped. "You could live out the rest of what would have been your life! So why would you leave? Why would you want to die? Ever?"

Auron stared deep into her spiraling eyes, trying to swallow what she had said. Confident that she wouldn't try to get away, he lowered her hands to just below her eye level and brought them together where they uncurled to clasp together underneath his large palms.

"Rikku," he began, "I can't go on in this state. My heart doesn't beat and my soul is in a thousand little pieces that I can manipulate at will. I have to concentrate to give off warmth; every day, every second is a constant and painful reminder that I am dead."

It hurt for her to realize—to know—that he was right. "But don't you have some other reason to stay on Spira? Anything?"

He hadn't had time to really think about it, but…there was.

He lowered his and her hands ever so slightly. "What I want…" He stopped, unwilling to give it words. "What I want would take a life and a lifetime that I do not possess to acquire."

"Fine," said Rikku "But what about the people you'll leave behind? Do you even care about how we feel?"

Those words hurt, but Auron just chuckled, dropping her hands and wrapping his arms around her slim form to pull her into a close embrace.

"I care," he said softly, "more than you will ever know." It was true. And I only just now realized it.

Rikku's eyes widened before they squeezed shut, and she put her ear to his heart, listening for a small sign that he had been lying about the first fact.

Silence.

And then, just as silently, Rikku began to cry.

Guu, I hate cutting off on a sad note.

Did you get the hint? That's right; Celestial Weapons, baby! Prepare yourselves! (insert Mortal Kombat theme here)

I leave soon for my second vacation, so I can't continue for about a week. What's terrible is that school starts soon! My goal is to finish this story before that happens and work on the sequel over the weekends when school starts. Gah…I'm nervous.

-Ari Elisianete