Welcome to Chapter 5!  I'm sorry this took a while to write, but it was a busy weekend and I didn't get a chance to work on it at all…I had to wait until I returned to work so I had some more free time! =)  Thanks for reading, and please review!  Chapter 5:  Live to Fight Your Sorrow

Auron's eyes snapped open only to be greeted by darkness. This darkness, however, held warmth and safety, as opposed to the chilling, menacing darkness of his nightmare.  His heart beat gradually slowed and he forced his tense body to relax as he tried to recall the details of the disturbing dream that had awakened him, but the images faded away until nothing but the merest wisps remained.  All that was left was a vague unease with no source, so he turned his thoughts instead to the soft, warm body that lay next to him. 

He was still in a little bit of shock over what had transpired between Rissa and himself.  He would never have guessed from her past demeanor that her love for him as a friend included desire for him as a lover.  He closed his eyes again and allowed himself to dwell on the incredible night they had shared, but frowned unconsciously at the thought of Tashira.  Why was fate so cruel as to give him a woman who completed him in every way, yet make him marry another? 

You can defy fate, a sly thought insinuated itself into his consciousness.  With Rissa by your side, you could conquer anything life throws in your way.  Let Grevin find another man for his daughter and damn the consequences.

No!  He could not forsake his duty.  Nothing was more important than keeping his personal honor intact and following the path Yevon laid before him, despite his feelings on the matter.

The mutinous thought silenced for the nonce, he turned on his side and drew Rissa in his arms.  She murmured sleepily at his touch, but did not waken.  Before he could close his eyes to continue his rest, however, a bobbing light outside the tent caught his attention and the lantern glow stopped by the entrance.

"Rissa!" Xavier called, a note of urgency in his voice.

Rissa stirred in Auron's arms and lifted her head at the sound of her name.

"Yes?" she inquired sleepily, "What is it?"

"Have you seen Auron?" The captain asked, his worry evident.  "He's not in his tent."

"It's okay, Xavier," Auron replied before Rissa could say anything.  "Come in."

The invitation earned him a disgruntled look. Rissa quickly pulled the sheet up to her shoulders as Xavier ducked in the tent, holding his lantern aloft.  He took in the scene before him and whistled softly.

"Uh, Auron," he said, "When you told me were going to ask Rissa for help understanding women, I didn't know you were going to these lengths."

Auron grinned as Rissa blushed. 

"Out, Xavier," she snapped, pointing emphatically at exit. 

Xavier held up his arms in a placating gesture, 'I'm gone," he assured her, "Just make sure the two of you are dressed and ready to assemble with the troops in half and hour." Shaking his head, Xavier turned and left.

As soon as Xavier was gone, Rissa wrapped the sheet around her, slid from the bed and padded over to the lantern.  Fumbling around in the dark, she got the flame lit and looked back over her shoulder at Auron.

"Can I give you something to eat before you go back to your tent?" she asked, "I've got some bread and fruit around here somewhere."  She started rummaging around in her pack next to the lantern.

"Sure," he replied, as he sat up and grabbed his clothes from the ground.  As soon as he had finished getting dressed she brought over the promised bread and fruit.  Accepting the food with a nod of thanks, he pocketed it in the depths of his robes.

"I had better go back to my tent and finish getting ready," he told her.  "I'll see you in a little while."

He turned to go, but Rissa reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Auron," she said with hesitation as he looked down at her questioningly. "Last night didn't change anything, right?  In regards to our friendship, I mean."

He lay his hand on hers.  "Our friendship will remain as strong as ever," he promised.  He bent down and kissed her softly.  "Nothing will change that," he whispered, gazing earnestly into her bright blue eyes. "Not last night, and certainly not Tashira.  We just will not be able to physically express our feelings again."

Rissa nodded sadly in understanding and let go of his arm. "I know," she said, "I just wanted to make sure you still consider me your friend."

"Of course."  Auron touched her cheek briefly, then without another word, turned and exited the tent.  Rissa stared at the empty spot where he had stood, a single tear tracking down the skin of her face where he had last touched her.  Even she did not know if it was a tear of happiness for what had been, or a tear of sorrow for what could never be.

*          *          *          *          *

Dawn slowly lit the eastern sky as men and women hurried about the camp, preparing for the morning assault.  Auron shifted his grip on the hilt of his sword as he made is way over to the crowd gathering in front of Xavier.  Someone jostled his arm and he glanced down to see Rissa standing next to him.

"I'm sorry," she said with wide-eyed innocence.  "Did I bump you?  I didn't see you there."  She flashed him a gamin grin and he laughed, relief sweeping through him that he hadn't lost his lighthearted pixie. 

The murmuring of the crowd died down as Xavier cleared his throat.  Auron turned his attention back to the captain.

"As you know," Xavier said, his voice easily carrying across the camp, "There has been an unusual amount of fiend activity in this area.  Completely eradicating the fiends would require the destruction of Sin, but we can cut down their numbers significantly with strategic, concentrated efforts.  It is just such an effort that we are to embark upon today." Xavier outlined the battle plan in detail and then proceeded to divide everyone up into small groups of three or four. Each party was assigned their own area to concentrate on. 

Auron found himself with Rissa and a young man who introduced himself as Deynu.  He looked the Crusader over with a critical eye and was satisfied by what he saw.  The redhead had two light swords sheathed across his back and he carried himself with the unconscious balanced grace of a trained warrior.  Auron's lip quirked up in amusement as he saw Deynu's hazel eyes assessing him in the same manner.

"Are you two quite done?"  Rissa asked, a delicate eyebrow arched and a slender hand wrapped around the hilt of her own sword that rode at her hip.  "We have some fiends to kill."

Deynu laughed.  "Yes, we do," he said.  "Let's go."

The trio left camp, heading out to Mushroom Rock Road and their assigned area. Other parties assigned to the areas they were passing through engaged any fiends they came across, so they were not forced into a skirmish until they neared their destination.  As the fiends closed in on them, the three grinned at each and readied themselves for the attack.  Auron dispatched the Bunyip in one powerful blow.  Deynu's swords jumped from their sheaths and flashed forward in a blink of an eye to decimate the hovering bite bug.  The two men then turned and watched as Rissa easily dodged the attack of a garm while her blade licked out to kiss its throat.  Its body faded and pyrefiles danced up into sky, another fiend destroyed.

Alert for further attacks, the two Crusaders and the warrior monk continued on until they reached the section of Mushroom Rock they were responsible for cleansing.

"I haven't seen a larger number of fiends than normal," Deynu commented, scanning the dry ledges of Mushroom Rock.  Auron only grunted.  He was sure the fiends would soon make their presence felt.

Suddenly a high-pitched scream pierced the silence of the morning.  All eyes turned upward to see a large winged form descending on them.  Rissa rolled out of the way of its attack but Deynu was thrown to the ground as the immense beak of the bird drove into his body.  Auron dodged, but was buffeted by the Garuda's powerful wing and found himself sprawled in the dirt, his breath momentarily knocked from his lungs.

Rissa darted in to attack the huge bird.  Her sword sliced along its neck, but its tough hide offered protection from the stroke and she only scored a shallow cut.  It lifted itself off of Deynu's body, however, and ponderously rose back up into the sky, an angry yellow eye focusing on the woman.  By now, Auron was on his feet again, and before the fiend could attack Rissa, he gathered his energies around him.  A red glow began emanating from his body as he ran forward, striking the Garuda a powerful blow that diminished its attack power.

With the bird's attention now shifted to Auron, Rissa took the opportunity to hurry over to Deynu to check his condition.  He was only barely alive.  She quickly gave a healing potion that revived him somewhat, but he needed more. But before she could administer further aid, she heard Auron cry out, "Move, now!"

Rolling out of the way of the descending bird, Rissa jumped to her feet.  The Garuda, disoriented by her quick movement, missed its intended target and Deynu sustained no further injuries.  As the bird rose again in the air to hover above them, Deynu struggled to one knee and drew a dagger from his boot.  Muttering under his breath he imbued the dagger with a darkness attack and flung the blade straight for the Garuda's eye. 

The dagger planted itself in the bird's neck behind the eye.  It screeched in pain and shook its head, vainly trying to dislodge the dagger and escape the roiling black cloud that now obscured its vision.  Deprived of its keen eyesight, Auron was now able to attack the Garuda with little danger to himself.  His powerful strokes took their toll on the large fiend, but it was incredibly tough. 

While Auron engaged the bird, Rissa once again planted herself at Deynu's side.  Fumbling in her pack, she withdrew another healing potion and gave it to him.  Nodding his thanks, Deynu regained enough strength to stagger to his feet, but he was still weak and she knew he couldn't take another hit. 

Looking up at the Garuda above them, she noticed with dismay that the darkness spell had worn off.  Stepping nimbly away from Deynu to give both of them some fighting room, Rissa grabbed one of her own daggers and threw, watching with satisfaction as it buried itself up to the hilt in the fiend's eye. 

The screech of pain from the Garuda reverberated through her head.  The bird flopped down to the ground, its strength waning, but still dangerous.  Auron struck at it again, but the Garuda ignored his attack in favor of striking at its original prey.  Deynu's injuries did not allow him to dodge the beak that sped towards him and Rissa gave a small cry as she saw his body crumple under the Garuda's attack. 

Before the fiend could orient a further attack on herself or Auron, the woman poised her sword for a deep thrust in the base of the bird's long neck.  Its head swung around to snap at her but death glazed its eyes and the fiend finally faded away. 

Rissa sheathed her sword and ran over to Deynu to check for any sign of life.  There was none.  She felt Auron's hand rest on her shoulder and she looked up at him.

"He's dead," she told him, shaking her head, a sheen of tears glistening in her eyes.

Auron nodded, his face set in grim lines.  "We need to return to camp," he said, "We cannot stay out here with only the two of us; it's too dangerous."

Rising to her feet, Rissa looked sadly at the fallen Crusader.  "It was too dangerous for three." She swallowed heavily then turned to Auron, her distress evident.  "I don't want to leave him here," she said. 

"I know," Auron replied sympathetically, "I don't either, but we cannot take him with us.  It would compromise our safety.  Perhaps we can return later with a summoner to send him."

"Yes," Rissa agreed, "We will do that."  Looking around the cul-de-sac they were in, she continued, "I would like to at least move him over to where there is a little more shelter." She pointed to an overhang in a corner.

Auron nodded and bent down to pick up Deynu.  Scooping him up in his arms, Auron made his way over to the niche in the cliff wall while Rissa grabbed Deynu's swords from where they lay on the ground.  Suddenly Rissa heard a rumbling and glanced over her shoulder to see a dual horn charging up behind them.  Her eyes widened in shock and time seemed to slow down as she watched the fiend bearing down on Auron's unprotected back.  There was no way the warrior monk could avoid the attack.

"No!" she cried, and without thinking, sprinted towards Auron.  Her body crashed into his and he fell heavily to the ground.  Trying to bring Deynu's swords to bear on the fiend, Rissa pivoted to face the charge but it was too late.  The dual horn's bulk collided with her body and an indescribable pain tore through her right side. 

Auron leapt to his feet, the sight of Rissa's body crumpled on the ground between the dual horn's legs enraging him.  He grabbed his sword and dealt the dual horn a tremendous blow.  The fiend bellowed and backed off of Rissa, turning its attention to Auron.  Before it could orient itself, however, Auron struck again, staggering the great beast.  A third strike followed closely on the heels of the second and the dual horn's body collapsed and faded away. 

Anger drained from Auron's body and fear set in.  Throwing down his sword, Auron ran over to where Rissa lay and fell to his knees beside her.  Please, Yevon, he prayed silently, please don't let her be hurt too badly

"A-Aur-on?" Her breathing came in quick, shallow gasps and Auron felt a knot of dread twist in his stomach as he took in her blood-flecked lips and eyes glazed with pain. He looked her over frantically to assess her injuries and he saw with horror that the dual horn had gored her right side. In addition to leaving an open, gaping wound that bled profusely, the fiend had also managed to puncture a lung. 

"I'm here, I'm here,"  He tore his gaze from her for a quick moment to scan the area for anyone who might be able to help, even though the logical part of his mind knew there was nothing anyone could do. He still tried to staunch the bleeding in a futile effort to stay death's hand.

"Don't die, Rissa," Auron pleaded.  "I don't think I could stand it if you left me."  The pain in his voice penetrated Rissa's agony and she slowly turned her head to look earnestly into his russet eyes. 

"Do…not grieve – for me," she gasped out, before a bout of coughing cut her off. 

"Don't talk," Auron tried to silence her but she shook her head weakly as he attempted to wipe the blood from her face.

"There is…so much left for you to do…for this world," she continued, the rattling in her breath getting steadily worse. Her free hand rose shakily to his face and rested on his cheek as she visibly gathered the remainder of her waning strength.  Her eyes locked on Auron's and he held his breath to hear her rasp, "Live…live to fight your sorrow, Auron.  Don't let sorrow conquer you…as it did your f-father."

A great shudder wracked her body and her bloodstained mouth opened in a silent cry.  Her hand dropped back down to her side and she fought one last time to speak.  "I-I'll always…love…you," she whispered brokenly, tender emotion shining from the depths of her cerulean eyes. Then that, too, faded as the last spark of life fled.

Auron shook his head in a mute denial even as his fingers gently lowered her lids.  His breath catching roughly in his throat, he did something he had not done since his mother had died…he cradled Rissa's lifeless body in his arms and wept.

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*Sniffle*  I'm sorry I had to do that…but something had to jar Auron onto his proper path!  And yes, I know dual horns don't normally frequent Mushroom Rock, but it's a rogue from Mi'hin Highroad, k?

Only one chapter left…Auron does some soul-searching and comes to a decision that ultimately transforms him into the crimson-clad warrior we all know and love!