Title: Unattainable

Authors: Anya and Shiva

Rating: R (for language and sexual content)

Genre: Romance/Drama/Humor/Adventure

Summary: After the gang has defeated Sin, the ones left (Yuna, Rikku, Lulu, Wakka and Kimahri) are forced to feel the aftershocks. Summoning has taken its toll on Yuna, who has been struck by a fatal illness. The team must now journey to find the cure. Meanwhile, the heartbroken Rikku must find a way to move on after losing the man she loved, Auron. She finds comfort in an unlikely friend. Love triangles (and sometimes quadrilaterals), surprising revelations, vibrating machina, and shoopuff/chocobo humor galore. Auron/Rikku, Wakka/Rikku, Yuna/Tidus.

Disclaimer: We don't own these characters, if we did, Wakka would get a haircut, Tidus would get some normal clothes, and Auron would be modeling underwear for us at this very moment. But alas, we own jack shit.


Unattainable

Prologue

The news hit me like a tidal wave, crashing down over me, leaving me saturated with shock, my heart hammering in my chest. The only comprehensible thought running through my head was How? How did this happen? How could it have happened? I stared at her openmouthed, amazed that my legs were still holding me up. She was crying, tiny spheres of moisture running down her cheeks. Tiny sobs wracking her fragile frame. I knew I should go over to her, to comfort her, try to offer her some sort of reassurance that everything would be okay but I was paralyzed with shock and all I could do was stare. I cursed myself for my powerlessness but knew I would never be able to go over there and give her reassurance I knew I didn't have: false reassurance. A tornado of thoughts suddenly whirled around my head: What are we going to do? What happens now? And the most prominent one was: What would Sir Auron have done? Sir Auron…oh Yevon.

I backed away from her and she looked at me, puzzled.

"Wakka, I-" she started but I did not let her finish. I turned around and ran not knowing where I was going, not caring that there might be fiends about and I would have to take them on by myself should there be an encounter. I concentrated instead on the feel of my feet slamming down into the ground, the sound of my blood roaring in my ears, my heart thudding painfully in my chest. I needed to get away. Get away from her, get away from the thoughts in my head, and the feeling of my heart being torn to pieces. No! What I really needed was to not feel anymore, to not think anymore.

I became vaguely aware of my surroundings. I was approaching the lake. Swim! I needed to swim. Reaching the water's edge, I quickly yanked my shirt off and jumped into the water, gritting my teeth against its icy temperature. I didn't care that the cold was biting into my skin, touching my bones with its intensity. I plunged myself underwater and swam until my arms felt leaden. I swam back to the shore and heaved myself out, collapsing on the ground, my breath coming in short, quick gasps.

I turned over onto my back and stared up at the sky, the silent stars seeming to mock my helplessness. I closed my eyes against them and thought How did this happen? How did we get to be like this?

And as I lay there, staring at the veil of darkness before my eyes, memories of the past flooded my mind...