Tentatively titled (hey that rhymes!) the bit after Bevelle.

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Darkness Falls

Chapter 17: Love Blossoms

Auron lay against the tree in the clearing, Rikku's head resting against his chest and his arm around her shoulders. After Yuna had healed the girl's wounds she had fallen to sleep almost straight away.

Auron stared at her, not saying a word. If anything happened that would separate them again, he wanted her image printed on his mind now, forever. She frowned slightly in her dreams and wriggled around trying to get more comfortable. Auron smiled a little as the girl settled back down and she relaxed, perfectly at peace with the world. He heard a small cough and saw Lulu looking at them both, a small grin on her face.

"She will be fine," the Black Mage said.

Auron nodded, but did not move. He looked around the clearing where they were camped out. "Where are Tidus and Yuna?" he asked.

Lulu shrugged. "Yuna went to the sphere-pool, Tidus followed soon after," she said.

Auron chuckled slightly. Those two were so obvious. Then again, so was he. He felt a movement against his chest and looked down to see Rikku open her eyes and yawn. She suddenly stopped, stared straight ahead, and then instantly bolted upright, eyes searching. Auron held her tighter and whispered in her ear. "Shhh. It's OK, you're safe now," he said.

Rikku looked up at him. "You came for me, I knew you would," she said wonderingly. Lulu saw the need for privacy and left. Rikku continued to stare at Auron. "What happened?" she asked. She shifted slightly and rubbed her chest, wincing when she felt fresh bruises.

"You were taken by Seymour," Auron said, seeing no reason to hide the truth.

"What did they do?" Rikku asked.

"Better you don't know," Auron said. Rikku seemed to accept his explanation and closed her eyes, leaning back against him.

"E muja oui," she said sleepily.

"I love you too," Auron replied. Rikku smiled at him, then levered herself up so that their faces were level. Slowly, she brought her lips to his, and for a few minutes Auron's impassive façade dropped, as the two shared one long moment of togetherness.

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Lulu and Wakka watched the two. Well, they were trying not to watch, and failing miserably. Wakka looked apprehensive for some reason. Lulu sighed to herself.

"OK, spit it out," she told the taller man.

"It's just, he's old enough to be her father," he said, not taking his eyes off the pair.

Lulu made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "You know what happened to get him ejected from the temple. He deserves some comfort."

"Yeah, but…"

"Wakka," Lulu said warningly.

He gave up. "OK OK, but I don't have to like it!" he said before he walked away.

Lulu watched him leave, then turned back to watch the pair for a second or two before moving off to another part of the campsite, and give them some privacy.

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Auron withdrew from the kiss reluctantly, and looked back at Rikku. She stared back straight into his one good eye for a second, and then lay back down against his chest.

"I didn't know what to do," she said softly.

Auron wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. "I was always here," he replied. "I just didn't know it at the time."

Rikku grinned at that. "All because I stole your glasses!" she exclaimed cheerfully.

Auron just had to smile at that. "Imagine the result if you hadn't," he said.

Rikku stood up and grinned at him. "I better make sure then." Her hand swept by him, and suddenly Rikku was standing a metre away from him, holding his glasses in her hand. Auron looked surprised for a second, then rallied admirably, getting up and attempting to grab them back. Rikku dodged under his arms and came back up near his face.

"Stealing your glasses seems to work," she said impishly.

"Maybe," Auron replied. Suddenly he swung around, and he snatched the glasses from her hand and placed them back on his face. This time it was Rikku's turn to look surprised.

"Meanie!" was the reply. The rest of her sentence was cut short however, as Auron took advantage of her state of shock and kissed her again. Rikku did not even attempt to resist. She put her arms around him and they just stood there in each others arms, quite happy to let the world flow on by them, as long as they could stay together.

This time it was Rikku who drew back, due to the fact that she was trying to keep her eyes open, and also failing. She yawned. "M'Ok," she said, fatigue slowing her senses, and then her legs buckled. Auron quickly put his hand behind her and swept her upwards into her arms. She smiled her thanks and closed her eyes, head against his chest. Auron moved over to the group's single tent. He lay her down on the sleeping bag and she was asleep before she touched the ground. He watched her as she slept, and swept some stray strands of blonde hair from her face. This time she did not respond, exhausted as she was from the doctor's sadistic torture and her rescue. Auron stepped out and pulled the tent flap back into place. He stood to see Yuna and Tidus walking towards him. The two were walking side-by-side and talking. More importantly, they were holding hands. Auron chuckled slightly as they approached. They noticed him looking and instantly let go of each other.

Tidus looked embarrassed. "Hey Auron," he said. Auron nodded.

"Sir Auron," Yuna said, blushing a deep crimson. Auron smiled at the two from under his high collar. It wasn't as if he was their parents or anything, although maybe that was how Tidus saw him… He nodded to them both, then leaned back against the tree he had spent much of the night against, the tent Rikku rested in front of him. He saw something in his peripheral vision and turned to see Yuna looking at him.

"How is she?" Yuna asked. She was slightly worried. Her white magic could cure wounds and destroy infections, but internal injuries and broken bones they couldn't do anything about, and they were something they could not detect with what they had.

"She is fine Yuna, get some rest," Auron said. Judging by her brief performance earlier, Rikku was fine. She was better than fine. She was amazing.

Yuna nodded and left in the same direction as Tidus, leaning against the boy as he slept against the tree. Auron smiled. They looked like the perfect couple, and it had taken them this long to realise it. He looked across and saw Khimari watching them all. The Ronso glanced at him slightly and nodded his head in private greeting. Auron nodded back, then sleep overtook him and he shut his eyes.

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Lulu watched the sleepy panorama from a soft patch of grass near the clearing's edge and smiled. She had been wondering how long it would take for Yuna and Tidus to realise they matched up, and had been holding a private bet with herself. Auron and Rikku now, that had been more unexpected. The two could not have been more different in their attitudes, but something had happened there, and they seemed happy together. She sighed.

Even through all the pain and hardship, everyone seemed to have found something that made life in Spira worth fighting for.

Turning from the scene, she lay her head against her moogle doll she had propped up against a nearby rock as a pillow, pulled her makeshift blanket over her, and tried to get some sleep before facing the Calm Lands in the morning.

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Rikku awoke in bed, and opened her eyes to see light streaming into the room. Cursing softly, she was about to pull the sheets back up over her and go back to sleep when she heard a familiar voice outside, and remembered where she was. Not in a nice cosy bed at Home, but stuck in a tent in freezing Macalania. Tysh. Slowly she levered herself up and wandered outside to greet the morning. Tysh the morning.

Lulu looked over as Rikku left the tent. "You're up bright and early," she said. Rikku glared at her with a look of such hostility that she wondered what she had said. It hadn't been that sarcastic a comment had it?

Rikku saw the look of surprise on the older woman's face and waved her hand in Lulu's general direction. "Sorry. I hate mornings," she said as way of an apology and explanation. She still couldn't think clearly though. She cursed again, drawing a slightly shocked glance from Lulu, but smiled and shrugged. She went over to the nearest tree and lay back against it, closing her eyes against the harsh glare of the sun being amplified through all the clear crystal. She just stood there silently for a few minutes, ignoring the world, until she heard someone approach. She opened her eyes and smiled. "Hey Auron," she said quietly.

"Hey. Are you feeling OK?" he asked.

She nodded. "I'm fine. Tyshat Yevon torturers," she said with venom in her voice.

Auron started. He had never heard her talk that before. Ever. He shrugged it off. "We move in a few minutes, be ready to go," he said. He turned to go.

"Auron, wait!" Rikku said suddenly. Auron turned back to see Rikku's gaze on him. "Did you mean that, last night?" she asked.

Auron just looked at her for a few seconds, then realised she wasn't talking about what he had said, but what he had done. He nodded. "All of it," he said.

Rikku grinned, then ran up to him and hugged him. Auron looked pleasantly surprised for a few seconds, then hugged back.

Rikku stood in tiptoe. "Don't leave me," she whispered into his ear.

"I won't if you won't," Auron said, then smiled to show it was a joke.

They heard a whistle, and turned to see Yuna smiling at them and waving cheerfully. The others stood by, Tidus also looking rather put out about being waken so early, Wakka and Lulu just staring at them, a look of amusement on her face. Auron sighed and walked over to them. He felt Rikku's arm thread through his own and turned to see he hanging off his arm. He shook her off, but she only re-attached herself like some kind of blonde-haired limpet. "I'm not going to walk for you," he said.

Rikku stuck her tongue out at him, and then ran ahead to join the others, her brief annoyed spell forgotten. Auron shook his head. She could go from serious to carefree in a second, and not see anything wrong with it. He moved off to join the others, and together they moved off down the path, away from Bevelle, and towards the Calm Lands, and their destination: Zanarkand.

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Tidus and Lulu hung back slightly as the others walked off, Tidus looking at Yuna, Lulu looking at Auron and Rikku.

"So what's your opinion?"

Surprisingly, the question came from Tidus.

Lulu smiled slightly. "Whatever makes them happy," she said simply.

Also to her surprise, Tidus nodded. "Yeah," he said simply, then turned and caught up to Yuna, who saw his approach and smiled at him as he ran up to her.

Lulu resisted the urge to laugh. She knew how they felt. Just because she put out the personality aura on an ice queen didn't mean she was totally unfeeling. She watched the two couples and remembered how she and Chappu had been much the same, not caring how the world felt. She said a short prayer. Not to Yevon (not anymore) but to whatever benevolent deity might be watching the group.

Let them have their time together in happiness while they can.

There would not be much opportunity for it later.

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I've been taking lessons in much from Rin, and am still trying to make it work. 0_o Tell me how I did.

Tysh = damn

Tyshat = Damnit