A/N: Okay so I know it took a while, but triple science exams decided to formally abduct my free time. ANyways, thank you, SugarhogRose, OddSakura, XoxoSonamy4440oxoX, SilverDawn2010, TrumpetGirl818 and Delta 2-1. I love your feedback, so thanks guys ;)
Chapter 11 - Aching of the Heart
"Rikku," said Jecht. "You know that this doesn't change anything, don't you?"
Rikku's ears lowered. "What?"
Jecht's eyes gained a hint of guilt as his own ears did the same. His heart ached as he looked at the girl in front of him, knowing that what he would say would be nothing short of the painful truth, and she wouldn't like it. He sighed, searching his mind for a way to say it that might not seem so bad, but it seemed impossible. "I know that maybe now we've... admitted some things but that doesn't change our situation. It doesn't change the fact that we're enemies."
.
Rikku's eyes misted over for a moment as they grew partly clouded with a sudden dread. "But-"
"I wish I didn't have to say this, but it's the truth," Jecht said softly. "We're on totally different sides of a never-ending battle. Surely you know that we can't be together. It just wouldn't work."
"Why wouldn't it?" Rikku said, the pitch of her voice heightening as distress came over her expression.
"Think about it. If anybody found out about it we'd be in a heap of trouble. Your friends wouldn't exactly approve of it and I don't even want to think about what Eggman would do."
.
The lilac feline looked down for a moment, as if an argument for her sake would suddenly appear on the dark, moist soil beneath her feet. A reason suddenly came to her mind and her head whipped up again, forcing her eyes to meet his. "But you even said yourself that Eggman wasn't as evil as he seems," she pointed out desperately.
"Yeah, but you were the one who said that he's ruthless. And have you forgotten everything in the past few days? He tried to kill you, Rikku. If I hadn't got you out of there..." he trailed off. The consequences didn't bear thinking about. His eyes hardened again as he tried to be as firm as he possibly could. "The point is that you were right. Eggman has changed. Whether it's endless defeat or just age or something like that, I don't know, but the fact is that he's a killer.
.
"And there'd be no point in trying to hide something like a relationship; it would be impossible," he said.
"Nothing's impossible."
"This is. And it's not worth the risk. We'd be found out instantly and I don't want either of us to get hurt.
Rikku bit her lip. She swallowed as if to suppress the tears that fought to escape her lime orbs. A quiet, hitched breath escaped her lips. "B-but... we can't just..." A tiny spark of hope still remained in her eyes as another idea formed. "We could run away together!" She put aside Jecht's surprised look. "You and me," she continued breathlessly. "There's so much that I want to share with you, so much that you haven't experienced. We could start again and nothing else would matter."
.
If she hadn't been so focused on him she might have missed the brief flash of desire cross Jecht's expression as for a moment he actually considered the idea. But it didn't last long. She should have known that the miniature spark would be doused by his inability to rely on his dreams.
"Rikku," he said gently. "You know we can't do that. Neither of us have any money, we have nowhere to go, nobody to help us, and what if we were recognised?"
Rikku paused. She had to put all of her focus into merely breathing normally. "But... but then... you could join the Sonic Team!"
"What? Rikku, no-"
"Then you wouldn't have to worry about Eggman, and we'd be with people we know!"
.
Jecht gazed sadly at her. She was just so... simple. She went through life with straightforward morals and relied on her heart to guide her. It was if she just expected bravery and determination to get her through life, and then she thought that everything would be okay? Did she honestly believe that? Jecht knew it wasn't that simple. But it broke his heart to have to break down her faith like this.
Still, it was better if he did it rather than her having to figure it out herself the hard way. He sighed. "I wish I could do that," he said. "But for one thing, Sonic would probably hate that, and for another, I just wouldn't fit in. It'd be way too awkward and Eggman wouldn't let it slip just because I'd be with you guys. No, he'd take it to the extreme and he'd hunt us down and he'd make us suffer in whatever way he wants."
Rikku hung her head but shook it. "There has to be a way," she whispered. "We can't just give up."
Jecht gave her hands another comforting squeeze. "Our only option is to pretend it never happened. You know that."
.
The cat glanced up at him. Her eyes began to brim with tears and her voice shook. "So... so w-we're just supposed to act like there's nothing between us. Like it doesn't mean a thing?"
"It's the only thing we can do." Jecht looked into the distance for a moment, composing himself. Then he turned back to her and straightened. "I think... I think it's best if we... try to stay away from each other."
Rikku watched him.
"I mean permanently."
There was a pause as Jecht swallowed the way Rikku had done herself only moments ago. "I know it'll be hard, but like I said, there's no other option. We just need to try and... forget each other."
Rikku didn't know what to say. Forget each other? Was he serious? How could they possibly just forget after everything that they'd gone through, together?
.
Never one to hide her emotions, she let the tears blur her vision before spilling onto her cheeks, lightly tracing them with moisture. Everything just felt so wrong. She felt as if she was part of a movie, but the happy ending didn't seem anywhere in sight. They were stuck in a hopeless situation with no way out. All they could do was endure it, putting up with the heartache that it would surely bring.
.
Her hands still encased in his, she could feel the warmth emitting from underneath his gloves and it gave her slight comfort. She inhaled sharply, battling for air against her tears. "So... this is... goodbye, then?"
Jecht nodded, and found his eyes oddly stinging as the unfamiliar sensation of wetness formed in them. He sniffed to try and cover it and gazed deeply at her, knowing full well that it would be the last time he'd be able to. He took in everything. Her lilac fur, the way her bangs bobbed when she moved, and her eyes. Her eyes that were lined with a strong green with the shades of lime weaved around her pupils; intricate designs unique only to her that always seemed to be an unlimited source of hope. And yet now, they were partly filled with tears; something that he hated to see on her. He forced her image into his mind, half-cursing the fact that she looked so distraught.
.
The cat and the hedgehog focused on each other for a moment, before stepping closer. Jecht released her hands and wrapped his arms around her as her own arms linked gently behind his neck, and the two shared what was deemed to be their final kiss. It was sweet and pure, but something in Rikku's mind was crying out as her heart throbbed. This just wasn't right. They weren't supposed to be faced with an unsolvable problem, and they weren't supposed to just leave it. While she kissed Jecht tenderly, her tears continued to roll slowly down her face at the concept of leaving him. Her conscience was practically screaming at her but what could she do? Both she and Jecht were being forced to close the door on the best thing that had happened to them, and there was nothing that they could do about it.
.
They eventually broke from the kiss but Jecht kept his arms around her, holding her close to him. She laid her head on his chest, still stuttering over short, difficult breaths. Her eyes closed as she breathed painfully in attempt to block out the hurt. Jecht gently let his chin rest on her head as he hugged her, making sure to inhale her scent. Whether he was hugging her just to console her or to stop her from seeing fresh tears stream across his muzzle he wasn't sure. It was probably a combination of both. He didn't want her to see him so weak; it would make her feel worse and he didn't want that. He figured that it was the least he could do to protect her from feeling any sadder than she already did. So he gritted his teeth and controlled his breaths, suppressing them and crying quietly so that he wouldn't disturb her.
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The two of them stayed like that long into the night, their eyes tight shut in their final effort to escape reality until it would come crashing down on them. The fog that had drifted around them was suddenly gone, and their situation became horribly clear. There was no way of avoiding it anymore. They knew that they could be stuck in this awful mess forever, with no way out. It was just the way that things were.
Yeah, I know, kinda sad chapter :'( Jecht and Rikku have agreed to try and stay away from each other ... But how long will that last?
This is a short chapter because I felt that it needed to seperate from the next parts. Not much alternating dialogue so I guess the paragraph spacing wasn't all that needed but I can't just change the format half-way through a story! ;) And in my poll, most of you said that you prefer this spacing (with the full stops) so it's probably staying. There's still room for more votes though :)
Reviews are as awesome as the event of Sonic visiting you right now, which is VERY awesome! So review if ya can, please ^_^