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Chapter 12 Simple Truths
Shadows played strange scenes across Auron's dark-clothed chest. He sat rigidly, his spine straight against the hard wooden chair as his gaze remaining unfocused to the fire. It simply made no sense. So many changes in such an unchanging world were simply unheard of. Rikku should have died. For a number of reasons… first, he never received that which he craved most. He never had peace of heart, mind nor body. He always… lost. Everything. Never before had something so precious returned to him.
She should have died… the wounds were too severe. She fell hundreds of feet. Auron should never have seen her eyes again… and yet, there they had been not a moment before, peering calmly into his own. And never, in his entire existence, had he been so grateful to be wrong.
He almost didn't hear her approach.
Her now ungloved hand touched in shoulder, squeezing gently. He took in a gentle breath, gaze inward. She came around to his front, her backside to the fire. He stared for the first time. Not little side looks, not shooting glances from afar. He decided to take her form in now, if ever they were separated again. Her eyes held his as if he were chained to the spot, the jade and dark merging and swirling. Emotion… misted, but there. She reached out a small hand. With little hesitation, he reached for it, his gloved hand engulfing hers. She pulled the worn man to his feet, drawing an exhausted and involuntary groan from his body. He followed in her light footsteps as she opened a darkened door to their right. Another fire burned here, lighting a small room that housed a larger padded hammock.
No words were exchanged, but she led him slowly to that hammock, easing him to its side. Auron hesitated, but leaned into the soft fabric, his weighted frame sinking into a soft cloud of comfort. He moaned softly as his body relaxed, enwrapped inside a tangible feeling of warmth. Rikku smiled, and turned to leave when his hand caught her bare arm. He gasped at it's cold, her skin chilled to the bone core. She hesitated as he pulled her to the edge of what was certainly heaven. He looked up at her, removing his glasses and sliding off his collar. Never did their eyes break their lock.
The word was mere air as it brushed by his exposed lips. "…Stay."
Such a touching scene befell Rikku. She looked down upon the guardian, his hair slightly tossed, dark circles running beneath his eyes, his body sinking into a cocoon of blankets and comfort. And yet, his strength radiated from his body. Rikku remembered the time, not long ago, when she would have wanted nothing more than to leave the swordsman in her dust. Once he had only been the cruel guardian who left her to be electrocuted at the Thunder Plains. But something had changed in this man now… and here he was, the cold and emotionless Auron asking her to stay beside him. And Rikku wanted nothing more than to fall into his embrace forever.
She took his glasses and collar, setting them on the frigid ground. She bent over the man, slowly removing the heavy buckles securing his glove. Discarding the leather to the floor, she sank softly into his awaiting embrace, the hammock swaying slightly at the change in balance. He groaned as her weight settled on his, her hands gripping the soft leather across his chest. His arms wrapped over her shoulders, her head buried somewhere beneath. She listened to the calm rhythm of his hear. Only twenty-four hours had past since they had been in this very same position… but everything had changed. At least to her. She thought he had fallen asleep from his slow breathing when he suddenly spoke.
"I… I should tell you something. Something I didn't have time to-"
"Shhh…" She hushed, tilting her head upwards and placing a tiny finger across his lips. "I know."
Auron shook his head. She did not know. She could not know. And by the gods he was not going to loose her again without saying-
"I love you as well." Auron's eye raced to hers, his emotion guarded, but on his face. She had said this once… and again? His train of thought diverted… something was nagging in his subconscious. Something was off balance, something was not right. He ran his rough hand through her hair, and he could feel his fingers causing shivers to run through her body. He trailed his hand to her shoulder and neck, feeling the slight curvature where tendons and muscle lay beneath her soft skin. His hand trailed beneath her orange top, causing Rikku to gasp in surprise. Continuing its journey, his callused fingers crept farther, his arm wrapping around her side. As his hand neared the end of it's plight, he gently massaged her lower ribcage. She moaned softly, nuzzling her head beneath his chin.
"You were injured here," he said lowly, his deep voice reverberating through his neck to Rikku's nose. She nodded slowly against his warm skin. "Doesn't it hurt?" He inquired, his words steady despite the growing unease in his barricaded heart. Seemingly mesmerized by his hand as it moved in lazy circles on her back, Rikku nodded absently again. "I don't see how you could have survived the fall. You must have hit the water so hard…"
Rikku's eyes snapped open, the hypnotic affect of Auron's voice subdued by his words. She remembered the fall. Of course she did. The impact was more painful than anything she had ever experienced in her entire life. The truth was a searing knife in her mind, cutting away her stability. The truth was a dagger, slicing away her future. The truth was not fair. She felt a tear drip down her cheek, sliding down to hollow of Auron's neck.
Auron felt her change position, squirming against his torso, causing the guardian to inhale slightly. No, he had to stay focused. His hand stayed still as he asked the question that burned in his mind. How could she have come back to him? What had happened? "How did you survive?" That guttural question, thick and deep, was exactly what Rikku wanted to avoid. She jammed her eyes closed, trying to shut the world away. It would do her no good. The truth would always remain.
"I didn't."
Fire to ashes. Cold to darkness. Time to eternity and time itself stopped. The steady cadence of Auron's heartbeat thumped awkwardly and out of line. No.
They did not speak. Perhaps it was the worst thing Auron could have done, to withhold his comforting voice and his warm breath. But never could he have expected this. Never would he want someone so dear to feel his pain.
Softly, he heard but mostly felt her hushed sobs against his neck. She knew now. She knew the yearning, the absolute agony of a soul in torment. She too was severed, body and soul. Dear Gods, no. Why? Why was she tormenting herself? Why did she not go to the farplane?
"Yuna… She needs me."
Her soft voice pierced his thoughts, drawing him away from his own grief.
"And… and I didn't want to leave you, Auron." She whispered, her voice soft and so much more mature than that of the young girl he'd met at the moonflow. There was a barrier around Auron's heart, placed there long ago from painful times and betrayal of trust. For the first time in a dozen years, it dropped completely, allowing the guardian full expression. A tear made it's way across his face, getting caught in his stubble. He suddenly slid his rough hand over her back, and tilted her head to his own. Rocking the hammock, he turned to his side and took the Al Bhed's lips in his own, his hands running down her back, tracing the contours of her muscles. He felt her surprise, then she tipped her head, her hands grasping his sides. He kissed her hungrily, as if take her whole. Every sensation, every breath, the feel of her tongue and the taste of her mouth, it was all something so very precious. Never would he loose her again, never.
*** :D
-Spazkit
Chapter 12 Simple Truths
Shadows played strange scenes across Auron's dark-clothed chest. He sat rigidly, his spine straight against the hard wooden chair as his gaze remaining unfocused to the fire. It simply made no sense. So many changes in such an unchanging world were simply unheard of. Rikku should have died. For a number of reasons… first, he never received that which he craved most. He never had peace of heart, mind nor body. He always… lost. Everything. Never before had something so precious returned to him.
She should have died… the wounds were too severe. She fell hundreds of feet. Auron should never have seen her eyes again… and yet, there they had been not a moment before, peering calmly into his own. And never, in his entire existence, had he been so grateful to be wrong.
He almost didn't hear her approach.
Her now ungloved hand touched in shoulder, squeezing gently. He took in a gentle breath, gaze inward. She came around to his front, her backside to the fire. He stared for the first time. Not little side looks, not shooting glances from afar. He decided to take her form in now, if ever they were separated again. Her eyes held his as if he were chained to the spot, the jade and dark merging and swirling. Emotion… misted, but there. She reached out a small hand. With little hesitation, he reached for it, his gloved hand engulfing hers. She pulled the worn man to his feet, drawing an exhausted and involuntary groan from his body. He followed in her light footsteps as she opened a darkened door to their right. Another fire burned here, lighting a small room that housed a larger padded hammock.
No words were exchanged, but she led him slowly to that hammock, easing him to its side. Auron hesitated, but leaned into the soft fabric, his weighted frame sinking into a soft cloud of comfort. He moaned softly as his body relaxed, enwrapped inside a tangible feeling of warmth. Rikku smiled, and turned to leave when his hand caught her bare arm. He gasped at it's cold, her skin chilled to the bone core. She hesitated as he pulled her to the edge of what was certainly heaven. He looked up at her, removing his glasses and sliding off his collar. Never did their eyes break their lock.
The word was mere air as it brushed by his exposed lips. "…Stay."
Such a touching scene befell Rikku. She looked down upon the guardian, his hair slightly tossed, dark circles running beneath his eyes, his body sinking into a cocoon of blankets and comfort. And yet, his strength radiated from his body. Rikku remembered the time, not long ago, when she would have wanted nothing more than to leave the swordsman in her dust. Once he had only been the cruel guardian who left her to be electrocuted at the Thunder Plains. But something had changed in this man now… and here he was, the cold and emotionless Auron asking her to stay beside him. And Rikku wanted nothing more than to fall into his embrace forever.
She took his glasses and collar, setting them on the frigid ground. She bent over the man, slowly removing the heavy buckles securing his glove. Discarding the leather to the floor, she sank softly into his awaiting embrace, the hammock swaying slightly at the change in balance. He groaned as her weight settled on his, her hands gripping the soft leather across his chest. His arms wrapped over her shoulders, her head buried somewhere beneath. She listened to the calm rhythm of his hear. Only twenty-four hours had past since they had been in this very same position… but everything had changed. At least to her. She thought he had fallen asleep from his slow breathing when he suddenly spoke.
"I… I should tell you something. Something I didn't have time to-"
"Shhh…" She hushed, tilting her head upwards and placing a tiny finger across his lips. "I know."
Auron shook his head. She did not know. She could not know. And by the gods he was not going to loose her again without saying-
"I love you as well." Auron's eye raced to hers, his emotion guarded, but on his face. She had said this once… and again? His train of thought diverted… something was nagging in his subconscious. Something was off balance, something was not right. He ran his rough hand through her hair, and he could feel his fingers causing shivers to run through her body. He trailed his hand to her shoulder and neck, feeling the slight curvature where tendons and muscle lay beneath her soft skin. His hand trailed beneath her orange top, causing Rikku to gasp in surprise. Continuing its journey, his callused fingers crept farther, his arm wrapping around her side. As his hand neared the end of it's plight, he gently massaged her lower ribcage. She moaned softly, nuzzling her head beneath his chin.
"You were injured here," he said lowly, his deep voice reverberating through his neck to Rikku's nose. She nodded slowly against his warm skin. "Doesn't it hurt?" He inquired, his words steady despite the growing unease in his barricaded heart. Seemingly mesmerized by his hand as it moved in lazy circles on her back, Rikku nodded absently again. "I don't see how you could have survived the fall. You must have hit the water so hard…"
Rikku's eyes snapped open, the hypnotic affect of Auron's voice subdued by his words. She remembered the fall. Of course she did. The impact was more painful than anything she had ever experienced in her entire life. The truth was a searing knife in her mind, cutting away her stability. The truth was a dagger, slicing away her future. The truth was not fair. She felt a tear drip down her cheek, sliding down to hollow of Auron's neck.
Auron felt her change position, squirming against his torso, causing the guardian to inhale slightly. No, he had to stay focused. His hand stayed still as he asked the question that burned in his mind. How could she have come back to him? What had happened? "How did you survive?" That guttural question, thick and deep, was exactly what Rikku wanted to avoid. She jammed her eyes closed, trying to shut the world away. It would do her no good. The truth would always remain.
"I didn't."
Fire to ashes. Cold to darkness. Time to eternity and time itself stopped. The steady cadence of Auron's heartbeat thumped awkwardly and out of line. No.
They did not speak. Perhaps it was the worst thing Auron could have done, to withhold his comforting voice and his warm breath. But never could he have expected this. Never would he want someone so dear to feel his pain.
Softly, he heard but mostly felt her hushed sobs against his neck. She knew now. She knew the yearning, the absolute agony of a soul in torment. She too was severed, body and soul. Dear Gods, no. Why? Why was she tormenting herself? Why did she not go to the farplane?
"Yuna… She needs me."
Her soft voice pierced his thoughts, drawing him away from his own grief.
"And… and I didn't want to leave you, Auron." She whispered, her voice soft and so much more mature than that of the young girl he'd met at the moonflow. There was a barrier around Auron's heart, placed there long ago from painful times and betrayal of trust. For the first time in a dozen years, it dropped completely, allowing the guardian full expression. A tear made it's way across his face, getting caught in his stubble. He suddenly slid his rough hand over her back, and tilted her head to his own. Rocking the hammock, he turned to his side and took the Al Bhed's lips in his own, his hands running down her back, tracing the contours of her muscles. He felt her surprise, then she tipped her head, her hands grasping his sides. He kissed her hungrily, as if take her whole. Every sensation, every breath, the feel of her tongue and the taste of her mouth, it was all something so very precious. Never would he loose her again, never.
*** :D
-Spazkit