As I was writing the next chapter, my mind told me of my mistake. So apologies to all of you for not remembering that the Moonflow comes BEFORE Djose . The issue has been fixed and the next chapter will be up shortly!
So a raise of hands, who thinks I've finally won the battle? ...well you're wrong, Square Enix still holds all rights.
We spent several days at the inn for Jecht's wound to heal. Auron spent his time well away from everyone, mostly in his room. He was still embarrassed by our scene in the kitchen, so was I. Although, I wanted to feel his lips on mine again, that perfect moment was ruined. I spent lots of time with Rin, talking to him in both English and Al Bhed and some time with Braska and Jecht. When Jecht's wound was healed, we spent our final night before we departed.
"Sure feels good to be walking and out again," Jecht said with a heavy intake of fresh air, his clothing already soaked. Auron stood away from us and took his position as point and led us through the Thunder Plains. We walked on high alert, fiends appearing and we cut them down. Walk, fight, walk, fight, walk, take a drink, walk, walk, fight, walk, lunch, and continued until it was time to set up camp. I went with Auron to see if we could find food.
"You ok," I asked him while we were walking and he glanced at me, he had been really quiet all day (more than usual) and I was worried.
"Perfectly fine," he said stopping as he spotted something. I remained quiet while he brought the animal down.
"Are you sure? You've been quieter than usual."
"I have a lot on my mind," he said. I briefly wondered if one of those things was me.
"You want to talk about it?"
"Not really, no." He looked around, scanning the horizon and our surroundings before he spotted water and headed that way. I remained quiet until we came to camp. He prepared our food and set it over the fire as we waited, our stomachs rumbling. When it was done we ate, when that was done we settled in for the night as Jecht took his watch, then Auron, then me. I sat up wondering how many more days it was going to be until we reached Guadosalam, I hoped it wasn't long. I was becoming tired of being drenched.
It took us two more weeks to reach Guadosalam, I ran inside and was thrilled to see it dry. I looked back at Braska, "So are we staying here for a while?"
"Perhaps a night or two. I would like to see my old friend Maester Jyscal, but none of you have to come."
"Where you go we go My Lord," Auron said and Braska looked at him with a smile.
"Then we shall all go. But first, I should like to go to the Farplane." Auron nodded and Jecht looked between them.
"What's a Farplane," he asked.
"Where the dead rest," Auron replied, "Their pyreflies are sent to the Farplane during a sending, or once in a while when someone sends themselves. Their souls rest in an eternal and peaceful slumber, while the unlucky remained on Spira. Those unfortunate are called Unsents, and in time they grieve their own death, and when unable to accept it, they turn into fiends which prey on the living."
"The ones we've been battling," he asked in amazement and Auron nodded.
"The very same, those creatures used to once be humans but no longer. They now prey on the living until someone cuts them down and the pyreflies you see spiraling into the air join in the Farplane." Jecht took that all in and briefly wondered if he would see his son and wife in the Farplane. He closed his eyes as we all turned and took a deep breath and cleared his thoughts for he couldn't handle where they were going. His son and wife had to still be alive, they couldn't be dead.
"Are you coming Jecht?" Braska's voice snapped him out of it and he nodded and hurried to catch up.
"Yeah, sorry, I was just thinking bout everythin' Red explained." Braska nodded as we walked into the Farplane. Auron stopped on the steps and looked up at the great glowing doorway that would take us to the other side.
"Are you coming Auron," Braska asked softly.
"I think I would like to stay here My Lord." Braska nodded.
"Very well, come along Jecht," he said as they ascended the stairs and vanished. Auron sat on the steps and I looked at him as I sat on the railing.
"How come you're not going in there?"
"I don't feel like it."
"You don't have any one you want to see?"
"I have no one to remember," he said and looked up at me and I looked down. I slid down and hesitated but put a gentle hand on his shoulder, he tensed and looked at me, our faces were close and I could feel his breath across my lips.
"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to be insensative."
"It's alright," he said softly and we looked into one another's eyes for a moment before we broke away and looked in the oppisite direction. My face was slightly red and I'm sure his was too.
"Can I ask you something," I asked.
"What?"
"H-how did you feel that day at Rin's?"
"I changed my mind, you can't ask me something," he said and I looked at him.
"Are you afraid of telling me?"
"Why must you insist I am so cowardly I can't tell you something?"
"Because you won't."
"Because I don't want to."
"Why? Are you embarrassed?"
"No."
"Then what?"
"It's none of your business."
"Fine," I said pouting and got up on the railing. We were silent for a moment before I heard him say-
"At first I was stunned...then I was embarrassed when we were walked in on." I looked at him.
"Really? That's all you felt?"
"Maybe," he said and I could see he was getting nervous and uneasy. I grinned and slid from my place and onto his lap and he leaned against the stairs behind him and looked at me in shock. "Get off." I grinned at him and he tried to pull away. "Please?"
"Nope."
"Why?"
"It's amusing to watch you."
"You are a very..." he said and cut himself off.
"A very what," I asked leaning forward and I swore I heard a shortness in his breath.
"Nothing," he whispered.
"Fine," I said and slid off his lap and took my place back on the railing. I glanced at him and couldn't help but smile. Braska and Jecht came out soon later.
"We're back, I hope you both weren't too bored," he said and raised an eyebrow between us as he noticed the slight color in Auron's face and his attempts at regaining his breath and the mischief sparkling in my eyes.
"We weren't bored one bit," I said giggling and Jecht looked between us.
"We'll I am glad to hear that, shall we get going to our next order of business?"
"Yes," I said and got off the railing as Auron stood up, I wondered what was going through his head right now. We walked in silence to Maester Jyscal's mansion and Braska knocked on the door. A guado guard answered the door.
"May I help you," he asked unkindly.
"Yes, I have come here in hopes I may be able to speak to Maester Jyscal," Braska said politely with a smile. The guard looked at him.
"Who are you?"
"Summoner Braska."
"Wait here," he said and slammed the door. Braska waited paitently and us guardians glanced at each other. The door opened and the guard was back. "This way please," he said and led us through the door and into the...lobby? foyer? We waited for a while, looking around at everything. Jecht looked at the pictures with a slight interest, Auron busied himself with looking anywhere but at me, and I busied myself looking around and glancing at Auron, Braska just stood there calmly and patiently.
After a while, a door opened and a small boy came out. He had crazy blue hair, fair features, blue eyes, and a freaky combination of human and guado. He stopped seeing us all standing there and his eyes trailed over Braska, Auron, and Jecht before they fell on me. Before he could say anything, another door opened and Maester Jyscal came out beaming.
"Braska! My dear friend! How are you?" Braska smiled and they exchanged a manly hug.
"I am well, how are you my friend?"
"Ah, quite well despite my growing age." While they were talking, Seymour slid over to me and smiled. He was trying to be charming.
"Well hello, what's your name?" I looked down at him.
"Rikku, what's yours?"
"I am Seymour. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Yeah, uh-huh," I said and tried to ignore him, he was giving me the absolute creeps right now.
"You are a guardian," he asked.
"Yeah."
"That must be a fascinating life."
"Yup, sure is," I said and was glad that Braska called us over and we made our way to the dining hall for dinner. I made myself comfortable between Auron and Jecht and noticed Seymour's scowl. He had wanted to sit next to me, haha ruined it! He kept giving cold looks at Auron and Jecht, neither noticed however. After dinner, we said our goodbyes and thankfully went to the inn near the entrance. We slept peacefully through the night and were gone by morning.
Auron let me walk point for our walk to the Moonflow. He walked rear guard with Jecht as escort. We walked and battled like usual, walked and rested. We were growing to be quite a team, working in synch to defeat the enemies that appeared and sent their pyreflies into the air. Days passed as we walked and rested, our bodies growing stronger and we realized how far we really have come since we left Bevelle. It seemed incredible at our progress, including our team work.
It wasn't long before I could see small pyreflies in the air that drifted along the banks of the Moonflow and not long after it came into view. We stopped and admired the scenery before us, the clear water with its many lily pads and pyreflies spiraling from it. I smiled and looked around before I noticed Auron seemed very tense and closed off. My mind wandered to that time we shared in the Thunder Plains and I kept it to myself, silently understanding his discomfort.
That night we spent in the small lodging before we took our leave in the morning. Braska spoke with the few people that were here and I kept to myself, being careful not to draw attention like usual. Auron kept to himself as well, sitting by himself and staring up at the moon before he wandered off to find a place to sleep. One by one we found a place to sleep until the next morning.
Auron was the first one up like usual. He waited for the rest of us to get our butts into gear before we made our way to the Shoopuf. We stopped when we saw it, and gazed up at the tall green elephant creature. However our admiration didn't last long before we heard Jecht cry:
"Don't worry Lord Braska! I'll get it!" Jecht went running past us and swerved around Auron as he tried to grab him and attacked the shoopuf, slicing clean through its leg. The shopuf gave a might roar of pain before it went running into the Moonflow and the Hypello ran to catch it and calm it. Jecht turned grinning but it dropped when he saw Braska's expression and Auron's fury. "What," he asked.
"What? You're asking us what," Auron yelled in anger.
"Hey man! What did I do? I did my job, you was just standing there."
"Because that wasn't a fiend you numbskull! That was a shoopuf, you know the one we've been talking about?"
"It was? Oh man," Jecht said turning a bright shade of red, "I didn't know."
"And by the stench of you, your rational mind had no time to think through all the damn alcohol you've consumed in the last several hours!"
"Look...I-I'm-"
"Save it Jecht, I don't want to hear it," Auron growled and went to join Braska in trying to coax the leading Hypello into letting them cross. They eventually bribed him and he reluctantly agreed to let us cross so as long as Jecht didn't raise any trouble. They agreed and Auron assured him if Jecht tried anything he'd be riding across unconscious. They hypello was satisfied as they brought the shoopuf back to its station. We boarded and crossed in silence. Jecht kept looking around miserably as if trying to get someone's attention so he could apologize but none of us paid attention, not even Braska. When we got off, Jecht wandered off and found himself a spot under the tree and laid down. Braska went to thank the Hypello and apologize once more, and I followed Auron as he had one of Jecht's spheres in hand and turned it on. He paused for a moment, getting a shot of the Moonflow before his finger slipped and he shut it off. He muttered to himself before he turned it back on once he had a good shot of Jecht.
"What are you shooting me for," Jecht asked.
"So you don't do anything stupid again. I can't believe you attacked that Shoopuf! Lord Braska had to pay the handler for damages from his own travel money."
"I said I was sorry! I'm never gonna do it again. I promise!"
"Ah, a promise? Which you'll forget come tomorrow." Braska came back at that moment and looked between the two of them.
"Auron, please. He did apologize. He knows he was wrong." Jecht stood up and looked at both of them, determination burning in his eyes.
"That's it. Only thing I'm drinkin from now on is Shoopuf milk!"
"You're sure," Braska asked.
"We're on a journey to fight Sin and save Spira, right? If I keep screwin' up...and...making a fool of myself...my wife and kid are never gonna forgive me," Jecht said hanging his head in shame as memories floated to his mind.
"That's on the record," Auron said and shut the sphere off and stuck it in his pack. Jecht sighed.
"I guess I do deserve it...that was stupid of me." Auron looked at Jecht but said nothing, I saw that even though he was furious at Jecht he desperately wanted to forgive him but didn't. They sat away from each other and the rest of the night was more than a little awkward.
The next morning, we began our long walk to Djose, Jecht leading point with a new vigor, Auron watching Jecht's every move and holding him to his promise, and me and Braska exchanging glances and wondered if they were ever just going to be friends.
