The Purity of Love and Friendship:
Chapter Four: What's Wrong Rikku?
The next morning, Rikku was roaming around searching for Auron. She checked the crusaders lodge, she checked the temple, and he was nowhere to be found. Rikku thought of asking Wakka if he's seen him, but he doesn't know that Auron's back yet. "I guess I'll just have to keep looking." As she continued her search she wandered, "I wander why he's not her, doesn't he want to see everyone else, or is that the reason why he wander off alone."
As she walked out of the Besaid village, Kimahri came over to her and asked, "Kimahri wanders why Rikku leave Besaid village." "I'm just going to look for someone that's all," she replied. "Are you looking for Auron," questioned the Ronso guardian. "Um…yeah, but how did you kn…" "Kimahri saw Auron leaving Besaid earlier this morning," answered Kimahri. "Did he say where he was going?" "Kimahri wander why Rikku so worried about Auron," questioned Kimahri. "Um…well...uh." "Kimahri can show you which direction Auron walked towards."
Rikku followed close behind Kimahri as he walked towards the path that leads to the waterfalls. "Kimahri needs to go back to Besaid village, now." "Okay, thanks Kimahri," replied Rikku as she ran up the winding path to the waterfalls. As she got closer to the waterfalls, she could see that he was just standing there. Rikku wandered, "I wander what's wrong with Auron?" So she continued to run towards him when she slipped and fell off the edge of the road. Rikku was clinging to dear life to the edge of ground that she slipped from, and immediately yelled, "AURON!"
Auron was taking away from his thoughts, when he heard someone yell. Then he thought about it for moment and said, "Oh god…that's Rikku's voice." He quickly ran back down the path yelling, "RIKKU, where are you!" "Uh…over here." Auron refrained from running as he looked down over the edge to see Rikku clinging to the edge of the road for dear life. As he knelt to grab hold of her hand, her hands were beginning to loose their grip on the road. Auron could see the tears forming in her eyes, as he could feel his tears begin to fall from his eye.
Just as Auron was about to grab her hand, her hands came free from the edge of road. "No…Rikku…" he yelled, as he noticed that there was a little lake down below. So he dove off the edge the road, and immediately got a hold of her. He pulled her against his body as the both fell swiftly through the air and down into the lake below. When they hit the surface of the water, they were immediately separated from one another.
As Auron regained his strength to move he swam down to where he saw her fall to. As he got closer to her, he soon realized that she was unconscious. When he got to her he wrapped his arms around her and swam to the surface of the water. Immediately after he reached the surface he looked around to see where the nearest shoreline was, and when he found it he made his over towards it with Rikku still in his arms.
A couple of minutes later on the small shoreline of the lake, Auron immediately gave Rikku CPR in hopes that she was still alive. He tried and tried at it, but there was no response from her. So Auron held her close to him as the tears continued to flow down his cheeks, as he mentioned, "Why does always turn out like this, why am I unable to tell her how feel, when we're not in life or death situation?" Auron closed his eyes as the tears kept falling freely from his eye and said, "Rikku, please be okay."
Rikku suddenly awoke at the burning sensation that was falling onto her cheeks. "Auron…" He opened his eye to find that Rikku was looking up at him. "Rikku, your okay." "Um…I guess so…" "Rikku, what's wrong?" "I can't feel my legs, and that scares me, Auron," replied Rikku. Auron examined her legs and all the joints, as she asked, "Auron, what's wrong with my legs?" "They're both broken, Rikku." Tears started running down her cheeks, but Auron reassured her that her legs were going to fine as soon as they are all healed.
Rikku reached her hand up and touched her hand to his face, and said, "Auron, why did you leave the village this morning?" Auron lifted his hand to his face and entwined his fingers with hers, and said, "I just wanted a little time alone to think some things over, that's all." "Oh, I thought maybe you didn't want to see the others at the small reunion Yunie's planning to have one for Tidus. Although if they knew you were back, it would be for the both of ya," explained Rikku, as she used her other hand to wipe the tears from his eye. "Rikku, to tell you truth I was thinking about you," replied Auron, as he removed his collar.
A couple moments later, Rikku asked, "You were thinking about me?" "Well yes, but I was actually trying to decide how to tell you something very important," he replied. "What did ya want to tell me, Auron?" Auron untwined his fingers from hers and he cupped his hand against her cheek. Rikku started to say something, but Auron cut in and said, "Rikku, you're all I think about sometimes, and I was beginning to realize that I was falling in love with you. Although when I had to leave for a while at the end of the final battle, I saw you standing they're crying. It made me realize that you loved you me, and also the fact that I never got to tell you that I…"
Auron then stated, "Rikku, I love you." "I love you, too, Auron," relied Rikku. Auron gently brought her closer to his face to kiss her. Rikku willingly accepted his kiss, and soon he began to slide his tongue into her mouth. After a little bit their tongues were battling one another as their kiss deepened into a very passionate one. As they kissed Auron gently laid down on his back pulling her down with him, and he wrapped his arms tightly around her.
They broke the kiss, and Auron said, "I better get you back to camp so I get your legs splinted up." "Okay," replied Rikku as she reattached Auron's collar back on for him. As he gently picked her up, she said, "Thanks for saving me, Auron." Even though his collar hid part of his face, Rikku could see that he was smiling. Auron replied, "You're quite welcome, Rikku," as he started to walk up the nearest path of the village.
Meanwhile Kimahri heard the loud yell so he ran to Wakka's hut and said, "Wakka come quick, someone's in trouble." Wakka walked out of his hut, followed by Lulu and asked, "Who's in trouble?" "Kimahri thinks its Rikku," replied the Ronso guardian. "Well let's get going then," mentioned Lulu, as Tidus and Yuna walked out of her hut. Tidus said, "We'll go with ya." So they were now following behind Kimahri, as he led the way to where he told Rikku she could find Auron.
As the walked down the path to waterfalls, they all stopped where Kimahri thought the scream came from. Yuna asked, "Where is she?" Tidus looked over the edge and said, "Is that them over there?" Yuna turned around to look over the edge and stated, "It's Rikku and Auron." "Well let's go down there and see if they're okay," mentioned Tidus. Wakka looked over the edge and said, "It looks like they're on their way back to the village." Lulu questioned, "I wander if he's just carrying her, or if she's hurt." "The way she clinging to his coat, I think she's hurt," stated Yuna. "Kimahri say we should hurry back to camp so we can help Auron with Rikku." So they all hurried back to the village.