Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.

Chapter 11!

Note: Rippal friendship, no romance concerning them. Just to make it clear. Don't get me wrong, I love the Rippal pairing, I just love the Aurikku pairing more.

Note no. 2: for those of you who haven't played X-2, Gippal is the leader of the Machine Faction (an Al Bhed group that promotes machina) and a friend/ex-thingy of Rikku's (it's not very clear in the game). In this fic it's just friends.

Note no. 3: italics are flashbacks!

Warning: Alcohol abuse. And Rikku is a sad drunk. So OoC-ness. But it's not terrible.

Time setting: the night after you find the samurai-dressphere (yes, I made it a sphere from Auron… cliché, I know, but still… I think there's a reason Rikku has a sword that's almost identical to Auron's in the game). Two and a half years after Auron's sending.

Enjoy!

Drunk

"I think that's enough sake for you, Cid's girl."

I snort.

"Don't mind him, Barkeep, just pour me another one."

He does. He's Hypello, he doesn't know alcohol isn't very good for humans. Nobody told him. Great. Maybe I can get him to give me the entire stock. Then I won't have any trouble sleeping tonight, at least.

I stare at my drink miserably.

Gippal sits down on the barstool next to me. Eye patch and all. What's he doing here, anyway? I don't even remember us stopping in Djose.

Apparently I said that out loud.

"I got an anonymous inside call. Said Cid's girl was drowning her misery with old-people booze. I guess that's the truth, huh?"

I guess it is.

Heh.

Who would have thought, me, of all people, drowning misery.

"Is there some punk I need to beat up for hurting Cid's girl?"

I snort ironically, knowing Auron would have probably called him a punk, but more convincingly. My voice is bitter when I answer him.

"I wish he was still here for you to try, Gippal."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means he is dead, Gippal. Dead. Kicked the bucket. Croaked. Funny thing is, he was already dead when I met him. Funny, isn't it? Isn't that the funniest fudging thing you ever heard? What girl falls in love with a dead guy, seriously!"

He's unusually silent for a while, before softly asking 'Sin?'.

I snort ironically.

"Nope, he actually survived Sin many times. He was killed by some psycho Unsent woman. And in the end, he just went 'poof' in a million pyreflies. Yunie danced him away."

I love how alcohol makes me forget about the pledge to myself to stay cheerful. To stay cheerful around Yunie, even though the sight of her pains me somehow. I know it's not fair of me, but sometimes I think of her as the reason he isn't here anymore. 'Cause she danced him away, and all.

But Yunie's sleeping now. As is everyone else.

I should be sleeping, too. But I'm not.

I'm drowning misery.

"You know, he never let me drink his stupid sake. On my sixteenth birthday, I bought a bottle of this stuff and drank it whole. My body didn't agree with that, of course, and I passed out immediately. After that, I never drank it again."

"I'm not giving you alcohol, Rikku, you're not sixteen yet. It's against the law."

Sure, now he's obeying the rules.

"But it's against the law to ride machina, too, and I've been doing that since I was five!"

"That's different, you're Al Bhed."

"But I just want to know what it tastes like!", I whine, pouting my ultra-cute-Rikku-pout.

He takes a sip from his bottle slowly, a tiny drop of the clear liquid running down his chin. He looks at me again with his eyebrow raised suggestively, his bronze eye sporting a playful gleam.

"Then come taste it."

I bite my lip at the stab in my heart the memory brings, and I sip my drink hastily. The taste (so like him, except it's not) comforts me, while it brings back more memories than my words. But at least my mind gets a little more numb.

"And yet you're drinking it now."

How observant of him.

"Yes."

"Why? You're not the type to get wasted just 'cause you feel like it."

Nope, guess I'm not.

I look up at him with a smile on my face. It's automatic to smile these years. I don't even remember what it feels like to smile for real.

"Paine found a sphere. It was addressed to me. I knew it was from him the moment she said that. You should have seen the look on Yunie's face when I said I wanted to watch it alone. So surprised. Hurt, too. She obviously wondered what could be so important to me that she wasn't allowed to watch it. But now I am alone, and I still haven't watched it. I'm afraid to."

"Why? Don't you want to see what this mystery guy had to say? Maybe it's something important."

I shake my head slowly.

"If it was important, he would have given it to me personally when he was still with me. I'm afraid that it's a sphere saying goodbye. I don't want that. I still want to believe he'll come back someday. If it's a goodbye, I don't want to see it. I want to keep hoping."

"But if he's dead, wouldn't it be better for you to find some closure?"

"I tried closure. Didn't work. He's been gone for two and a half years. I still can't stop thinking about him. He is in my head, my mind, my heart, everywhere. Except he isn't. Not him. Just his memory. After giving up closure I took up hoping again."

I feel Gippal's hand on my shoulder, and it comforts me somewhat. But only a little.

I grin.

"So, you don't want to give me alcohol, but you jump at the chance to get in my pants, huh?"

"I wouldn't want to call that thing you wear pants, but that's beside the point. What would you say if I got you drunk and then got in your… shorts? That would be unethical."

I giggle, before crawling over to his spot by the fire. I get comfortable in his lap, putting my arms around his neck and I kiss the side of his mouth, tasting the spilled sake. I make a show of smacking my lips, looking up at him with a mock-thoughtful expression on my face.

"Hmm, I suppose it's not really my type of drink anyway… I'm more of a lemon juice kinda girl."

"That's fine then…", his hand runs up my leg subtly, his fingers playing with the lace of my shorts. Pff, he can complain about how short they are all he wants, he can't deny he likes it.

"You know, Gip, you're the first person I told about him. And this is about my twentieth cup, so I guess I'm not even gonna remember telling you in the morning. Would you do me a favour? Will you please don't tell Yunie about this? She needs me to be cheerful, so she doesn't have to worry 'bout me. And don't tell Brother, either. Or Pops… Not that anyone would believe you or anything. Just don't."

"I can't tell them anything, Cid's girl, you gave me no name.", he says, a smile on his face. He takes the drink he ordered from Barkeep and drinks deeply.

"Auron."

He chokes in his beer, coughing horribly when he spits the liquid back out. I grin.

That was funny. Horribly painful. But funny.

Although I dunno if it was worth it. I empty my cup of sake quickly, the contents numbing the pain in my heart slightly.

Ooh, I wish you could see the look on his face, though. His green eye is wide open, and his jaw dropped. He's still not able to use his voice, and he's moving his mouth quite comically, no words coming out.

I order another fill of sake from Barkeep, who happily obliges, pouring the clear liquid in my cup for the umpteenth time. I wait for Gippal to return to Spira, staring unseeingly at my hands.

His voice is even funnier than his face when he finds it again. Surprised. Shocked. Very shocked.

"Sir Auron?! As in Legendary Guardian Sir Auron? Cred, Cid's girl, that's fucked up. He's like twice your age!"

Ouch. He was twice my age. Thanks for making me think about that, Gippal, thanks a lot.

I sigh. I try to sip my drink again, but realise dully I already drank it without even noticing. Figures.

Realizing he probably said something stupid, Gippal quickly tries to cover it up. Men.

"Uh, I mean, he… I'm sure he was… err… fancy-able…?"

Stupid.

He's an awful lot like Tidus, sometimes. I remember painfully Tidus isn't here anymore either. Yunie must feel the same as I do. But at least she's got me. I'd do anything for my Summoner, just like he would have expected me to. Just like she expects me to.

"Leave it, Gip, I didn't think you'd understand. I just wanted to see your face."

"No! You know I don't care about that stuff! I mean, I just always thought you'd go for the… you know… cheerful type. Rumour has it Sir Auron was all serious and grumpy."

"He was. When everyone else was around."

I don't really feel like sharing any more than that. My heart feels sort of squeezed out, and my head is starting to hurt. Cred, waking up tomorrow is gonna suck.

I slump my shoulders and sigh heavily, biting back a yawn.

"You should go to bed, Cid's little girl."

I scowl.

"Don't call me little. And I have a name."

There's only one person who can call me little. And I only 'belong' to him.

"Now, now, my little thief, you have to get up early tomorrow.", he scolds amusedly when I start taking off his armour and clothes, and I grin in response.

"How can I go to sleep when you're right here being all alone and tipsy? I have a perfect opportunity to take advantage of you!"

Next thing I know I'm flipped on my back and rough hands are pulling my shirt from my body.

"Tipsy? That's rich. I don't get 'tipsy', little thief. And besides, I've decided that I'll be the one taking advantage."

I giggle, before pulling his head down to press my lips against his while he runs his hands over my exposed chest to my shorts, taking them off as well. My panties are also gone within seconds, and the moment my legs wrap around his waist he enters me in one quick stroke, grunting my name in my ear as I moan his quite loudly. We move together, my nails pressing in his back as we're as close as we possibly can be, until we reach the highest pleasure, my walls tightening around him, Auron's moans muffled by my screams. He rolls on his back when the pleasure passes after a glorious while, his arms wrapping around me as I snuggle his chest cosily, our breathing steadying slowly. I sigh in contentment, grinning when I feel Auron doing the same.

Gippal's worried voice wrenches me from my pleasant memories, and I thank him silently in my head. I'm always afraid I'll never be able to come back to the real world.

"Why do you do this to yourself, Cid's girl? How can you be so happy all the time?"

I'm silent for a while.

"Smiling is a wonderful thing, even when you're faking it."

I get up - deciding I'm going to watch the sphere - and make for the exit, surprised that I make it in a semi-straight line.

I freeze in the doorway at the uncharacteristically serious tone of Gippal's voice.

"You'll break."

I look over my shoulder, eyebrows raised.

"What?"

"You'll break… you'll break the moment Yuna stops needing you."

I smile sadly, swallowing the lump in my throat.

"I know."

I leave Gippal alone with Barkeep, stumbling through the Celsius until I miraculously find my room. I throw myself on the bed and moan when I bump my head against a round object under my pillow.

I pull the shiny sphere out, staring at it for a few moments while biting my lip, before activating it.

I grip the sheets tightly when I see what the sphere is about. A smile takes over my face. A real one.

"Give me that, Auron! Technology is clearly something for the next generation!"

"What did you just say, you little…"

I squeak, Auron's callused fingers tickling my bare body brutally as I drop the sphere on the floor while laughing madly. It continues to record, Auron chuckling as I try to catch my breath unsuccessfully. The tickling gradually changes into gentle stroking after torturous moments, the chuckle into a soft smile, and I sit up, breathing heavily.

My hands find his and our fingers intertwine, and I kiss him softly, our lips barely touching.

I smile, leaning my forehead against his and staring in his eye.

"Meanie.", I giggle, sliding my hands over his chest playfully, my fingers tracing stray scars I know the shapes of by heart, "If only you'd been nicer to me... Now I'm going to have to tell everyone you took advantage of me…"

"Well, you have it on tape."

I smile.

"Great. I want to remember this forever."

Hope you liked it!

Everyone understood the sphere was footage of the aftermath of the lemon, right? I figured Auron foresaw that Rikku would need a cheer-upper.

Note: I am aware Rikku is awfully clear and coherent for that much alcohol. Oh, well. Don't read to much into it.

More notes!: In my country you're allowed to drink at 16, so I stuck with that.

I'm sorry Rikku is so down. It'll get better, promise. I skipped most of X-2, 'cause it would be too sad if I make Rikku go through the entire game without Auron. I don't think I could live with myself if I write an Aurikku in which there is no Auron. So there.

Geez, could I give you any more hints? Seriously.

Anyway, thanks reviewers!

Drachegirl14: I hereby promise he'll be back soon! Don't worry. Oh, yeah, I made the teacher story! It's in a drabble collection I'm working on as chapter 3. You should totally check it out.

AmazonTurk: Yeah, I know! I always cry when Auron gets sent too! Yet I love how Rikku looks when he leaves at the ending. But I still have to cry! Anyways, hope this was likeable enough.

TelcontarianWow, thank you! Sweet! I love reviews! Especially when they're like yours. But, hey, I'm just glad you like my story.

i like vader lots: Hey, you reviewed my SessRin fic, too! Thank you! And you're right, Rikku needs Auron. Plus, I need (to write about) Auron, so I guess I'll just have to do something about that, don't I?

foxygirlchan: Thank you! I hope it wasn't too weird, with it being in X-2, and all. Indeed, Leblanc is very disturbing… But wow, I totally want to see your art!! Do you have a link or something? Me wanna!