Ok. The hella-cool chapter, written and illustrated by me, Spazkit. Inspired by my wonderful feedback, over 200! I wove you guys!! *bawls, grabbing a group hug, recoils then looks around with bambi eyes* To see the illustrated version, check the bottom.
Chapter 19 Broken and Rebound
Rikku half helped, half dragged Auron to the camp. The evening air was warm and soothing, gentle winds billowing over Rikku's hair. As the sun set, it shot golden rays upon the grasses in the calm lands, almost coloring the landscape anew. Auron grumbled softly, running an ebon glove over his face as the strode towards the newly-built fire. He was slightly fevered and light-headed, but nothing serious. His unclothed hand rested around Rikku's shoulders as they entered the ring of guardians.
"How are ya, Sir Auron?" Asked Wakka as the hefty man carried wood to the fire.
"I am... tired. I will be fine after I rest. Perhaps we should all rest in comfort while we can..." Auron looked towards the massive stone in the distance. "Gagazet will not be so merciful to our needs." Rikku helped the swordsman to sit, steading him as his weight shifted downwards. Her hand lingered in his for a moment, and then she took her fingers away to pull up the bedcoverings upon the ill Auron. He rested upon his elbows as she pulled up the cloth up to his chest, like a mother would a child. Auron only watched, a small but sad smile hidden beneath his collar. Lulu found it most odd that the legendary guardian would allow himself such treatment from the girl, but Auron said nothing. Beside him, Yuna also lay down, sighing. Tidus sat next to his summoner, as Rikku plopped next to Auron. She placed a hand upon his upper chest, forcing him back. He could have easily sustained the weak pressure, but he simply sighed, complying. His head met the pillow in sweet embrace,
the cool cloth brushing his ears and soothing the heat and sweat his body was enwrapped in. He watched Rikku remove his glasses, placing them before her eyes.. Tidus and Wakka laughed as the metal frames slid from her slender nose. Auron also chuckled, but the smile became a grimace as he subdued a cough.
Rikku placed the dark frames on the soft grass beside her, and raised her hand to his face. Her tiny hand found his forehead, then slid to his eyes, closing the lids. Even as the sun bathed them in soft light, Auron rolled to his side, facing the girl beside him as he fell asleep. Rikku watched him for a few minutes until his breathing evened out, then she stared into the fire, it's flames competing with the fading sunlight.
*******************************
Yuna woke slowly, aware of a plesant pressure upon her body. When her eyes fluttered open, the sky was dark, the light of the fire flickering over the camp. Her face was pressed into the warm cloth of Auron's scarlet coat, her nose in his back. Behind her, Tidus's arms rested upon her side. The summoner could feel her strength again, her magic returning after the viscous battle earlier that day. She placed a soft hand to the swordsman's shoulder, whispering the words of ensuna. Her voice brought forth light, a soft, swirling energy that penetrated into the man's ill body. Though her nose, she felt his back rumble in the vibration of his voice, the guardian uttering a soft groan. Auron shifted against Yuna, lifting his head. He blinked, his unfocused eye squinting at the firelight. He took in a deep breath, brushing away the cobwebs in his mind. He felt much better now, far stronger. Auron looked down to see Yuna asleep again, tucked in the folds of Tidus's arms. He lifted
himself to his elbows to find something in his hand... the silver feather. Rikku must have left it with him as he slept.
Sliding from the bedcovers, Auron stood and stretched, his thick body reveling in sheer bliss. He glanced around the circle. Wakka and Lulu slept beside each other, as did Tidus and Yuna. Rikku was no where to be seen, and Kimahri stood guard some hundred yards away. He bent down to retrieve his glasses, and made his way to the Rhonso. His boots made no sound in the soft grass, his shadow growing fainter as he left the sanctity of the fire.
"She is there," Rumbled the Rhonso before Auron even asked. "Near small woods with water in middle."
Nodding, Auron made his way to a secluded woods hidden behind a wall of rock. It seemed somewhat out of place, tall trees drawn to a line with the soft grass before.
He entered the trees, the soft grass fading to dirt. A few minutes search found him the still form of Rikku, sitting in the water. He silently made his way to the shore, his boots sinking into the sand that lined the edge of the clear pool. Small moonlight streams filtered through the trees, hitting the water's smooth surface. Quietly, he dipped a booted toe into the water, small ripples echoing out into the pool. Rikku stood rapidly, spinning around in apprehension of a fight. Upon seeing Auron, Rikku's taught lips formed a grin, and she splashed over to meet him.
Auron reached for her, pulling her into his embrace. She nuzzled her head beneath his chin, face pressing into his warm coat.
"I was worried!" she said, clutching him to her. He sighed, surprised at how comforting a simple embrace could be. It had been many long years since he had been comfortable enough with a person to share such closeness. Even Braska had noticed his boundaries when it came to women.
"I... I was thinking about you," Murmured Rikku from within the folds of his scarlet coat, stirring him from his thoughts.
"You were?" he cooed, feeling the warmth of her arms as she enwrapped his midsection.
"I want to ask you something," She said hesitantly, clinging to his embrace. "I don't know if I should."
Auron didn't move, but waited. "I'm listening."
"It's... um... about your past." Auron felt himself tense against his will. Rikku must have felt it, because she quieted, only holding on.
"I'm sorry," Auron apologized, gently kissing her forehead and stroking her hair. "Go on."
Now it was Rikku who tensed, unsure about how to ask her question. "Um... well, I wanted to know about you... before, you know, you uh... died," How awkward this was! "And um... I saw on the sphere back there about how you became um... a fallen monk?"
This time Auron visibly stiffened, and inhaled. A mask of cold covered his face, one he often wore to the others. But not Rikku. The Al Bhed immediately realized that this was a very delicate subject.
"That is something I try to forget," He stated roughly, suddenly uncomfortable in her embrace. He let her go, and turned away.
Rikku swallowed and looked away to his retreating form. She needed the courage to go against his hard face, his harsh gaze because she knew... she just knew there was something there. Something locked away. It might not be wise to pry, but she knew she needed to do this. For the both of them.
"Did she hurt you?" Rikku asked quietly, scoffing her foot on the forest floor. Auron stopped dead in his tracks, his form rigid. "The priest's daughter. What happened?" She started when he whirled around, a look of rage burning in his eye. Oh tysh, Rikku thought, recoiling. His anger was sudden but ever so potent. It flowed off of him in waves, and Rikku was literally knocked backwards.
"It is none of your concern!" he hissed, the warm man Rikku loved dissolving into some kind of frigid monster before her very eyes. Cold and unfeeling, angry and hostile. Not Auron. Only a mask, and masks could be removed. He turned away, walking a good ten feet and then stopping. Rikku dragged herself up, and took several hesitant steps in his direction. She reached to his arm, but it was unwilling, his muscles wrought and tightened against her soft touch. Rikku turned towards the water, fighting the tears in her eyes. Stupid!
Sighing, Rikku spied the feather upon the harsh floor of the forest. Kneeling, she took it's shimmering beauty into her palm, touching and caressing it's softness. Absorbed in her thoughts, Rikku was pulled away when she heard the soft plop of Auron's collar hitting the ground. He stood away, his back still to the girl.
"...I... I wish it had been you instead, Rikku," Auron said softly, his voice full of a strange combination of emotions. Anger, rage... loss? He took hold of his sake, taking a long swallow of the potent liquid. The jug fell again to his side several moments later. She was silent. "She... I... I loved her. I truly did. She was beautiful. She was the daughter of a priest. We were to be married," He snapped gruffly, anger still in his deep voice. A hand went to his face, or so Rikku thought. His back was still to her.
"She was with another the entire time."
The last sentence came out a hiss, rage boiling below the surface of his words. "I was but a thing, an object in a platonic relationship. I will never go through that again." His final words died out, the sound but a faint whisper on the wind.
Rikku did not approach the man, but simply took in his words. My gods. How horrible. Rikku felt the incredible need to enwrap the man in her arms and soothe his pain. To kiss him, and assure him that never, never would that happen again. At least with her by his side. Rikku swore she woulda kicked the crap out of the... the bitch who would do that to a person like Auron. She had to have been an asshole. To take advantage...? Awful...
"And... I refused her," Auron murmured. "I was disregarded as a monk and lost my position. I lost everything but... my faith. I kept that. I kept my hope, my dreams of defeating sin forever, to change the world. I had Braska..." Auron paused, his hand dropping to his side, sunglasses clutched within it's vice-like grip. "Braska was everything. He kept me going, he spurred my confidence. He was the greatest of friends... and..."
Rikku noticed immediately his irregular breathing. Worried, she walked up to him, risking his anger and wrath. She expected to find an infuriated swordsman, ready to pounce. Instead, she found a destroyed man, pain clearly written on his face. A single tear escaped from his closed eyelid, dripping down his nose as he bowed his head. The pain, the anguish. The loss, and the loneliness...
His back arched, his hand unclasping to drop his glasses. His entire body was on the verge of some terrible spasm, his face drawn tightly. Never had Rikku seen such an expression on the confident man's face, never would she have dreamed to. Is this what Auron held inside? Is this the fire that burned at his heart and soul? Rikku stood directly before him, feeling the pressure to speak, to kiss, to love, to do something. But Auron spoke before she had the chance.
"I cared for him so much. Braska kept me alive and I... I worshiped him. I would have given my life in a single heartbeat for him. I... I miss him..."
This long awaited release of Auron's emotion was hard to bear. So much was threatening to engulf Rikku as she stood there, willing herself to stay and hear, listen, comfort. Auron was on the brink of something he had been holding in for ten long years. Rikku stayed, and awaited the explosive release. She would be there for him. Always.
"And still... he died. Jecht died. I let it happen. I could do nothing. Except die in vain in my own pigheaded need for vengeance," his throat was raw now, such misted emotion clogging his deep voice that Rikku felt her own throat clench. "I... lost... everyone..."
Rikku lifted a quaking arm to his shoulder, feeling his tense muscle bunched beneath his scarlet cloak. A look of pure agony ripped across his unprotected face, unguarded for the first time in how many years? His eye opened slowly, tears spilling freely down his rough face.
"No..." Rikku choked as Auron sought shelter in eternal swirling eyes of jade, reflecting the moonlight. "You have me, Auron."
He let out a deep whimper, a strange sound coming from Auron. Rikku pulled him close, her forehead pressed against his. "You will always have me, forever and ever," She whispered, kissing him. Her lips tasted the salt of his tears, and felt his rough tongue as it quickly began its duel with her own. Auron was trying to lose himself in her, his hands running the length of her body. In a strange way, he felt... free. More free than he'd felt in years. He cradled her lips as if they were some precious object, delicate yet so tantalizing.
Before he was aware, he was on his back, Rikku lying atop his frame. She continued her kiss, as one hand began to remove his belt, the other sliding under his shirt and massaging his chest. Auron groaned at her ministrations, and let go of his duties of guardian. At least for a little while.
*** eeee. I'm cruel, I know, but I really don't want to do a lemon simply because
a. I've never done one
b. I have no experience in real life.
c. I'm kinda afraid to, so there.
To see the illustrated version (I recommend! I worked my ass off on the pics) go here
http://blackcatcrossing.ascifi.net/chap19.html
feeedddbaaccckkk! ^_^
-spazkit
Chapter 19 Broken and Rebound
Rikku half helped, half dragged Auron to the camp. The evening air was warm and soothing, gentle winds billowing over Rikku's hair. As the sun set, it shot golden rays upon the grasses in the calm lands, almost coloring the landscape anew. Auron grumbled softly, running an ebon glove over his face as the strode towards the newly-built fire. He was slightly fevered and light-headed, but nothing serious. His unclothed hand rested around Rikku's shoulders as they entered the ring of guardians.
"How are ya, Sir Auron?" Asked Wakka as the hefty man carried wood to the fire.
"I am... tired. I will be fine after I rest. Perhaps we should all rest in comfort while we can..." Auron looked towards the massive stone in the distance. "Gagazet will not be so merciful to our needs." Rikku helped the swordsman to sit, steading him as his weight shifted downwards. Her hand lingered in his for a moment, and then she took her fingers away to pull up the bedcoverings upon the ill Auron. He rested upon his elbows as she pulled up the cloth up to his chest, like a mother would a child. Auron only watched, a small but sad smile hidden beneath his collar. Lulu found it most odd that the legendary guardian would allow himself such treatment from the girl, but Auron said nothing. Beside him, Yuna also lay down, sighing. Tidus sat next to his summoner, as Rikku plopped next to Auron. She placed a hand upon his upper chest, forcing him back. He could have easily sustained the weak pressure, but he simply sighed, complying. His head met the pillow in sweet embrace,
the cool cloth brushing his ears and soothing the heat and sweat his body was enwrapped in. He watched Rikku remove his glasses, placing them before her eyes.. Tidus and Wakka laughed as the metal frames slid from her slender nose. Auron also chuckled, but the smile became a grimace as he subdued a cough.
Rikku placed the dark frames on the soft grass beside her, and raised her hand to his face. Her tiny hand found his forehead, then slid to his eyes, closing the lids. Even as the sun bathed them in soft light, Auron rolled to his side, facing the girl beside him as he fell asleep. Rikku watched him for a few minutes until his breathing evened out, then she stared into the fire, it's flames competing with the fading sunlight.
*******************************
Yuna woke slowly, aware of a plesant pressure upon her body. When her eyes fluttered open, the sky was dark, the light of the fire flickering over the camp. Her face was pressed into the warm cloth of Auron's scarlet coat, her nose in his back. Behind her, Tidus's arms rested upon her side. The summoner could feel her strength again, her magic returning after the viscous battle earlier that day. She placed a soft hand to the swordsman's shoulder, whispering the words of ensuna. Her voice brought forth light, a soft, swirling energy that penetrated into the man's ill body. Though her nose, she felt his back rumble in the vibration of his voice, the guardian uttering a soft groan. Auron shifted against Yuna, lifting his head. He blinked, his unfocused eye squinting at the firelight. He took in a deep breath, brushing away the cobwebs in his mind. He felt much better now, far stronger. Auron looked down to see Yuna asleep again, tucked in the folds of Tidus's arms. He lifted
himself to his elbows to find something in his hand... the silver feather. Rikku must have left it with him as he slept.
Sliding from the bedcovers, Auron stood and stretched, his thick body reveling in sheer bliss. He glanced around the circle. Wakka and Lulu slept beside each other, as did Tidus and Yuna. Rikku was no where to be seen, and Kimahri stood guard some hundred yards away. He bent down to retrieve his glasses, and made his way to the Rhonso. His boots made no sound in the soft grass, his shadow growing fainter as he left the sanctity of the fire.
"She is there," Rumbled the Rhonso before Auron even asked. "Near small woods with water in middle."
Nodding, Auron made his way to a secluded woods hidden behind a wall of rock. It seemed somewhat out of place, tall trees drawn to a line with the soft grass before.
He entered the trees, the soft grass fading to dirt. A few minutes search found him the still form of Rikku, sitting in the water. He silently made his way to the shore, his boots sinking into the sand that lined the edge of the clear pool. Small moonlight streams filtered through the trees, hitting the water's smooth surface. Quietly, he dipped a booted toe into the water, small ripples echoing out into the pool. Rikku stood rapidly, spinning around in apprehension of a fight. Upon seeing Auron, Rikku's taught lips formed a grin, and she splashed over to meet him.
Auron reached for her, pulling her into his embrace. She nuzzled her head beneath his chin, face pressing into his warm coat.
"I was worried!" she said, clutching him to her. He sighed, surprised at how comforting a simple embrace could be. It had been many long years since he had been comfortable enough with a person to share such closeness. Even Braska had noticed his boundaries when it came to women.
"I... I was thinking about you," Murmured Rikku from within the folds of his scarlet coat, stirring him from his thoughts.
"You were?" he cooed, feeling the warmth of her arms as she enwrapped his midsection.
"I want to ask you something," She said hesitantly, clinging to his embrace. "I don't know if I should."
Auron didn't move, but waited. "I'm listening."
"It's... um... about your past." Auron felt himself tense against his will. Rikku must have felt it, because she quieted, only holding on.
"I'm sorry," Auron apologized, gently kissing her forehead and stroking her hair. "Go on."
Now it was Rikku who tensed, unsure about how to ask her question. "Um... well, I wanted to know about you... before, you know, you uh... died," How awkward this was! "And um... I saw on the sphere back there about how you became um... a fallen monk?"
This time Auron visibly stiffened, and inhaled. A mask of cold covered his face, one he often wore to the others. But not Rikku. The Al Bhed immediately realized that this was a very delicate subject.
"That is something I try to forget," He stated roughly, suddenly uncomfortable in her embrace. He let her go, and turned away.
Rikku swallowed and looked away to his retreating form. She needed the courage to go against his hard face, his harsh gaze because she knew... she just knew there was something there. Something locked away. It might not be wise to pry, but she knew she needed to do this. For the both of them.
"Did she hurt you?" Rikku asked quietly, scoffing her foot on the forest floor. Auron stopped dead in his tracks, his form rigid. "The priest's daughter. What happened?" She started when he whirled around, a look of rage burning in his eye. Oh tysh, Rikku thought, recoiling. His anger was sudden but ever so potent. It flowed off of him in waves, and Rikku was literally knocked backwards.
"It is none of your concern!" he hissed, the warm man Rikku loved dissolving into some kind of frigid monster before her very eyes. Cold and unfeeling, angry and hostile. Not Auron. Only a mask, and masks could be removed. He turned away, walking a good ten feet and then stopping. Rikku dragged herself up, and took several hesitant steps in his direction. She reached to his arm, but it was unwilling, his muscles wrought and tightened against her soft touch. Rikku turned towards the water, fighting the tears in her eyes. Stupid!
Sighing, Rikku spied the feather upon the harsh floor of the forest. Kneeling, she took it's shimmering beauty into her palm, touching and caressing it's softness. Absorbed in her thoughts, Rikku was pulled away when she heard the soft plop of Auron's collar hitting the ground. He stood away, his back still to the girl.
"...I... I wish it had been you instead, Rikku," Auron said softly, his voice full of a strange combination of emotions. Anger, rage... loss? He took hold of his sake, taking a long swallow of the potent liquid. The jug fell again to his side several moments later. She was silent. "She... I... I loved her. I truly did. She was beautiful. She was the daughter of a priest. We were to be married," He snapped gruffly, anger still in his deep voice. A hand went to his face, or so Rikku thought. His back was still to her.
"She was with another the entire time."
The last sentence came out a hiss, rage boiling below the surface of his words. "I was but a thing, an object in a platonic relationship. I will never go through that again." His final words died out, the sound but a faint whisper on the wind.
Rikku did not approach the man, but simply took in his words. My gods. How horrible. Rikku felt the incredible need to enwrap the man in her arms and soothe his pain. To kiss him, and assure him that never, never would that happen again. At least with her by his side. Rikku swore she woulda kicked the crap out of the... the bitch who would do that to a person like Auron. She had to have been an asshole. To take advantage...? Awful...
"And... I refused her," Auron murmured. "I was disregarded as a monk and lost my position. I lost everything but... my faith. I kept that. I kept my hope, my dreams of defeating sin forever, to change the world. I had Braska..." Auron paused, his hand dropping to his side, sunglasses clutched within it's vice-like grip. "Braska was everything. He kept me going, he spurred my confidence. He was the greatest of friends... and..."
Rikku noticed immediately his irregular breathing. Worried, she walked up to him, risking his anger and wrath. She expected to find an infuriated swordsman, ready to pounce. Instead, she found a destroyed man, pain clearly written on his face. A single tear escaped from his closed eyelid, dripping down his nose as he bowed his head. The pain, the anguish. The loss, and the loneliness...
His back arched, his hand unclasping to drop his glasses. His entire body was on the verge of some terrible spasm, his face drawn tightly. Never had Rikku seen such an expression on the confident man's face, never would she have dreamed to. Is this what Auron held inside? Is this the fire that burned at his heart and soul? Rikku stood directly before him, feeling the pressure to speak, to kiss, to love, to do something. But Auron spoke before she had the chance.
"I cared for him so much. Braska kept me alive and I... I worshiped him. I would have given my life in a single heartbeat for him. I... I miss him..."
This long awaited release of Auron's emotion was hard to bear. So much was threatening to engulf Rikku as she stood there, willing herself to stay and hear, listen, comfort. Auron was on the brink of something he had been holding in for ten long years. Rikku stayed, and awaited the explosive release. She would be there for him. Always.
"And still... he died. Jecht died. I let it happen. I could do nothing. Except die in vain in my own pigheaded need for vengeance," his throat was raw now, such misted emotion clogging his deep voice that Rikku felt her own throat clench. "I... lost... everyone..."
Rikku lifted a quaking arm to his shoulder, feeling his tense muscle bunched beneath his scarlet cloak. A look of pure agony ripped across his unprotected face, unguarded for the first time in how many years? His eye opened slowly, tears spilling freely down his rough face.
"No..." Rikku choked as Auron sought shelter in eternal swirling eyes of jade, reflecting the moonlight. "You have me, Auron."
He let out a deep whimper, a strange sound coming from Auron. Rikku pulled him close, her forehead pressed against his. "You will always have me, forever and ever," She whispered, kissing him. Her lips tasted the salt of his tears, and felt his rough tongue as it quickly began its duel with her own. Auron was trying to lose himself in her, his hands running the length of her body. In a strange way, he felt... free. More free than he'd felt in years. He cradled her lips as if they were some precious object, delicate yet so tantalizing.
Before he was aware, he was on his back, Rikku lying atop his frame. She continued her kiss, as one hand began to remove his belt, the other sliding under his shirt and massaging his chest. Auron groaned at her ministrations, and let go of his duties of guardian. At least for a little while.
*** eeee. I'm cruel, I know, but I really don't want to do a lemon simply because
a. I've never done one
b. I have no experience in real life.
c. I'm kinda afraid to, so there.
To see the illustrated version (I recommend! I worked my ass off on the pics) go here
http://blackcatcrossing.ascifi.net/chap19.html
feeedddbaaccckkk! ^_^
-spazkit