Turbulence

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……EEEeeeeEEeeEEE…

………………….must have…….caffeine……

*in small voice* I've uh..added some t-transaltions for th-the Al B-Bhed d-d-down below…

OH! And I updated the Turbulence pics. EXCLUSIVE! A pic of Auron-Aeon! Yay ! ^_^ (check out chapter 8 for the addy!)

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Vyodru brushed off his sleeves. The Al Bhed he knew had much better hospitality skills than to make an old man wait in a dusty, unfinished cockpit. What business was it that kept Cid so busy? It was nothing, if it were compared to his daughter's safety. Vyo swore that nothing would distract him from his granddaughter's state-of-being today. Not even the plans for the most advanced airship in the world.

The former monk lifted his eyes to the rusted ceiling. If this was all his one-toned son of his could muster, he'd have to hope for a miracle. Considering the amount of money Cid had managed to swindle from his defenseless old man, Vyo's entire scheme for his personal retirement was in jeopardy.

What news he brought…How could he convince the strong-willed leader of the Al Bhed that Auron, 'The Legend', was his business? Besides that, how would he take the fact that his only daughter was missing because of him? A very repellent memory of a day, months ago, straightened the corners of the old man's mouth. That one day Cid found out about Rikku's undying love for an older…much older man…and a former Yevonite.

"Oh great," growled a familiar voice. "It's you."

Vyo smiled, turning to face the open entryway to the cockpit, and the bald man that stood there. "Knaadehk, Cid."

"What is it this time, old man?" Cid wanted to know. He stretched his arms, and proceeded towards the pilot's end of the open room.

"You're not pleased to see me?" Vyo faked a disappointed expression knowing all too well that it wouldn't work.

"About as pleased as sand likes rain."

"Well then."

Cid sighed. "S'bout Rikku, isn't it? What'd she blow up this time?"

"Ran aki." Vyo scratched the gray stubble on his chin thoughtfully. "She's been missing for about three days now. Last one to see her was that Wakka fellow, and he is stumped."

"Gone again, eh?" Cid placed both of his hands on a broken railing. "Didn't think to check her crib, did ye?"

It was Vyo's turn to sigh. "If you are suggesting that I treat her in that way…"

"That's exactly what I'm doing," growled Cid, spinning to face his father. "Yer probably holding her too close again. Don't give'r another day to think about runnin' away, Pa. She'll be in the forest is the most likely thing."

"Macalania is not a small wood, cih."

"Neither is that brain of yours, old man!" Cid barked. "Use it! If ye don't find her by tomorrow I'll lend ye my baby to look. I'd give'r to ye today, but that no-good son of mine's still repairing it."

"A mono-airship will not aid my finding her," said Vyo.

"It will if ye use it right." A sound, unmistakably a personal summoning for the ship's captain rang out from the speakers overhead. Cid swore. "Ye'll figure something out. I gotta get back to work."

"And if she's not found?"

Cid stopped his trek towards the cockpit entryway. A moment of consideration was passed before he sighed. "Then we'll have to improvise, won't we?"


Vyo stood for a long time after Cid left, staring through the open doorway. Carefully, he fixed the miniscule glasses on the tip of his thin nose, and sat down again. Gently rubbing his thumbs together in a considerate fashion, he scowled. "I'd best get packing, then…"

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Auron discovered something interesting about trees.

It began with his realization that sleep would be improbable with his size. Whether he was too large, or the path was too small, the fact remained that he was unable to rest comfortably. Tidus offered to remain awake, if only to keep him company, but Auron refused. Rikku avoided him entirely, finding a soft spot in a gnarl of roots and slipping into a deep slumber. After seemingly no time at all, both she and Tidus were asleep with their backs aglow from the embers of the dying fire. Almost bitter with himself, Auron was left half-roosting on a nearby crystalline precipice

It was indisputable. His new form was devastatingly inconvenient.

Auron shifted his weight, closing his eyes. Perhaps if he grew tired enough, he would drift to sleep whilst standing. But for the next few moments, he found that his mind and his muscles ached with the strain on his back. Without the heavy appendages -- which had not proven useful at all yet -- he just might have found a few moments' rest. They weighed him down. He could not keep them aloft for very long.

Careful to remain silent, the ronin stepped down from his ledge. All around him twisted a thousand vines, roots and branches, all mixed in and protruding from the rocky terrain and cliffs. The canopy above his head was as thick as mud in the Moonflow, intertwining and packed so tightly only the barest moonlight shone through. A moment's grant was given to that scene, as Auron stood with his neck craned in thought towards the sky. He sighed.

That was where he would go.

The task was simple enough, until he remembered something it had already taken him so long to forget. When he turned his attention again on Rikku, a convulsion of nerves and irritating feelings scolded him ever so bitterly for ignoring her. One retreating step sunk his heart like stone. It would be too difficult to simply leave the small camp with her there, and so…unprotected.

Perhaps not to the sky, he thought, but close enough.

He gathered himself back, and leapt with surprising ease onto the trunk of the sturdiest-looking tree. Immediately, as if acting on their own, the Aeon's claws dug into the bark and stuck there. In the fashion of a cat, Auron found himself half-climbing, half-scrambling onto a gnarled limb. Several chips of the moist coating of the tree rained down onto the path below, landing dangerously near Rikku's sleeping form. He held his breath, awaiting a response from the Al Bhed. None came.

Forgetting to breathe a sigh of relief, Auron averted his attention to the thick limb on which he stood. It bent slightly under his weight, creating a soft creaking noise. Had he the time, he would have cursed. Instead, he coiled his muscles again and leapt onto the crooked trunk of another tree. This time, he managed to lift himself higher than before, and easily used his feline reflexes to launch himself again, away from his vertical perch. He landed safely on a thin surface - from his point of view - and collapsed.

He would have rejoiced slightly, quietly, at his accomplishment if he hadn't heard the ratting and creaking of the vines below him. His pathetic attempt at climbing trees had probably broken some wood-like appendage from his 'private' tree, and that was the cause of the fading racket. His face blanked somewhat, a string of temperamental chiding entering his thoughts. A long, seemingly endless silence ensued, but there was no evidence of a disturbance below him. Tidus's snores, however muffled somewhat, were very distinguishable. Only the occasional hoot of an owl broke the silence.

Well, he'd nearly survived his first night…with, and without her. Only a few more hours and the sun would rise again, initiating their pilgrimage. He didn't know if Aeons needed sleep at all, but the ronin inside of him was bickering competitively for a little shut-eye. As long as he could spend a little amount of his remaining time not having…to think about it.

It was strangely cool. The foliage above him was considerably emptier than it had been below. He could spot an occasional patch of starts and the glow of the moon from behind the overcast sky. The night air was a comfort to him, cooling himself and his thoughts. A very angry man with undeniable feelings for an Al Bhed, packed tightly into the form of a monster -- It was so partial and yet straightforward. He could not think of this…he simply tried to make his min rid itself of her, with the cool breeze.

Instead, his thoughts wandered to the moment before they had entered Sin -- their last destination. Whereas he could remember when and how he had given her the crystalline treasure, he scolded himself for why. He was, and could not stop being frustrated over his loss of friends and life. Then again, he felt mutually calm. Why? He was no longer an unsent, but there she was! Twenty feet below, she peacefully slept without any idea who he was, or why he was here, or why he could not let her know…

How coincidental, he thought regretfully. I told her to meet me…there. I didn't know, but I still said it. I still don't know why.

'Where you find this, you will find me,' he had said. Only his intention then had been so different. It was almost ironic! But this was different. That was then, and this was now…

"Hey, what'cha thinkin' about?"

His Aeon's senses had failed him -- his head jerked in surprise when a very conscious Rikku swung out of the thick, interlocking branches overhead and landed on a large knot in front of him. She was smiling politely, but Auron could read the fear and nervousness in her swirled pupils…

So familiar. So like the first day they met…

Rikku must have noticed his dead, relentless stare affixed on her face, for she looked straight down at her crouched legs with humility. "Oh…I'm sorry if I…startled you. I'm not trying to intrude or anything like that! I just…heard you, and then there you were - all staring off into space and all. I thought, y'know, something might be wrong."

Auron shook his head, not quite happy of her sudden arrival nor dismayed in the slightest. "I appreciate your concern."

"No prob!" Again, her face and the smile reappeared. This time, her expression was a little more genuine. She ran her fingers through her long hair, having let it out to sleep earlier. "So? Are you gonna tell me or what?"

"Tell?" Auron tried to look away. He failed.

"I mean, if it's not private or anything. I've just never actually talked to a real Aeon before!" Rikku's smile diminished somewhat, but only briefly. "Something big on your mind?"

The ronin grimaced, forgetting that his expressions in this new form usually appeared quite intimidating. If Rikku cared, she showed no signs. "The subject of my thoughts is much smaller than I am," he said, far from lying. "I will survive."

"Right." She crossed her legs, holding her chin in her hands. "Tough guy, huh?"

The silence that ensued was very unnerving on his behalf. He was sure the feeling was the same for her, but he was powerless to do anything but freeze up and flood his mind with a thousand choices. When she turned her head away, he knew immediately that he should apologize for…for what? For many things. Yes, somehow, he would have to find a way to do it…again.

"I apologize."

"I'm sorry-"

Rikku spoke as quickly as he, an the very abrupt moment as he. After a short pause, she broke into a fit of giggles, clutching her stomach with one hand and covering her mouth with the other. Although Auron felt no humor in the situation, a very customary, growing warmth in his chest told him that he was glad to witness her jovial performance.

When her laughs subsided somewhat, she looked up at him with sparkling eyes. "Okay, okay…you first!'

"I am…" Auron stopped himself. No, it no longer seemed necessary to say what he was saying before. He bowed his head slightly, looking out from the corners of his eyes. "Never mind. I withdraw my comment."

Curious as she was, Rikku let it slide. She cleared her throat and shifted uncomfortably. "Well…I was going to say I'm sorry for that whole grenade thing…and for calling you a fiend…and making fun of your summoner. Tidus is well…a nice guy, huh?"

Auron, the Auron that lived only in the depths of the Aeon, half-grinned. "If you wish to put it in those terms…"

Rikku giggled again.

"I accepted your apology, although it was rather redundant. My appearance fools many, other than yourself."

"Yeah," she said. "Is…Tidus really your summoner? I mean…he's not really that…summoner-like."

Auron grunted, the closest to the laugh he wanted to express. "You made a similar observation about my being an Aeon."

"Well, that's because…y'know, I don't know you that well." Rikku titled her head, as if uneasy. Auron understood why. "But I've known Tidus for months! Sort of. My older cousin, Yunie -- sorry, Yuna, kind of…you know. Loved him. Well, loves him, I guess, now that he's…back."

"And his sudden appearance is a bad thing?"

Rikku shook her head vigorously. "Oh, no! Definitely not! He's my buddy-old-pal, y'know? But…well, first off, you're an Aeon and you don't act like a real Aeon. And I thought becoming a summoner took years and years of training!"

Auron 'hmphed', and peered at her. "Well, for one, I do not know how an Aeon is supposed to act. For another -- apparently not."

"Well, if he can summon you, can't he summon others?" Rikku inquired.

The ronin sighed. "That would depend. Are there any others to summon?"

This made her think. "Oh. Good point."

"Perhaps." Auron placed his massive head on his forelegs, finding it much easier to maintain their conversation without having to make eye contact. "I only assume."

Rikku, not wanting another silence to lapse in that time, whistled a long note, and then brought it up a few notes. The tune dropped to the note below the second, and the one above. Almost before she had finished the long, haunting verse of the melody, Auron recognized it. And strangely, it invoked a sensation in the pit of his mind and stomach, as if he wanted to lift his own voice and sing it out loud in a chilling, beautiful voice. He was shocked to find that it was not he with that feeling, but the Aeon. And the song Rikku pierced the air with now was nothing but the Hymn of the Fayth. He, the Fayth. She, the song…

It bled on him…the notes, the song, until the very last note. Only, before she could draw out the last pitch, he voice cut it off, breaking his trance.

"Hey, Jakkan, where did you get that?"

Auron noted that he was pointing to the right side of his face. Through many years of being asked the same question a million times by a million different people, he knew what she spoke of. In any case, he raised his head again to look into his blurry reflection in the depths of a large crystal nearby. Ah, so it was there still. He'd not really looked long enough before to see the details…

"A trait I gained through foolishness," he replied, returning his head to its former place. "A reminder of what I am not supposed to do."

"I see…" Rikku, however, was looking thoughtful. "I knew someone with the same thing. He told me that, too."

Auron's stomach jolted with her mention of himself, but he said nothing.

"Y'know, he'd really like you. I mean, if he were still…" She dropped her voice like a stone into a dirt pond. When she did not continue, Auron swallowed his arrogance and spoke.

"I am sorry for your loss, Miss Rikku."

"Oh, don't call me that," she said quickly, tightening her lips. "Just Rikku, please. And it's…okay, I mean…I did meet him long after he died."

The ronin feigned an expression of amusement, tilting his head. "He was unsent?"

"Yeah. He didn't even tell me! Of course, I figured it out on my own, but…"

For a while, neither said anything at all. Finally, Auron broke the sereneness. "He was dear to you."

Rikku was most likely taken aback a little by the assumption, but again, did not show it. She nodded. "Yeah, in a big way. Only, he had to go…"

The guilt was almost unbearable. However, he dragonish features aided him graciously in veiling his turbulent thoughts, and he managed to press on without break of tone or posture. "He should not have left you, Rikku."

She inhaled deeply. "I'd have agreed with you three months ago, Jakkan. I think…I think I understand why now, though, and he…well, I know how he felt no matter how stupid he acted."

Something kept Auron from being offended. Perhaps, he thought, it's the truth. It was official -- he could no longer speak about it. So tightly was his throat closed now, he could hardly accomplish a stiff nod.

"Geez, listen to me!" Rikku suddenly snapped at herself. Laughing uneasily, she scratched the back of her neck. "Here I am, reminiscing to someone I've known for three hours! I know I sound like a moron"

"You do not," he said, much easier than before.

"Oh, stop being modest." Rikku grinned, standing with a wide stretch. "Well, I've been up here for a while! I guess I'll go sleep while I can. I can't wait to meet up with Yunie again! I know she'll be happy to meet you, too."

Auron did not respond.

Rikku seized a stringy vine in both hands, curling her feet and legs around it. "Night!"

He nodded, hardly managing that. "Until morning."

She slid down her makeshift rope, into the darkness. Auron lay quietly, listening with his acute sense of hearing and knowing that she had fallen asleep again very quickly. It left him feeling worse, deader and more separated from her and this 'world' than he'd known before.

But, as he thought when he discovered sleep. It would all change. As long as she did not suspect him, or ever begin to realize the truth. How he wished she would be this protected. Forever.

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Knaadehk, Cid -- Greetings, Cid.

Ran aki -- Her ego

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*snoozes* Ah…so. Nothing to say. See the pretty new pic! Fun….^____^