AN: I'm sorry! I couldn't think of anything else to strip Auron of in the last chapter ^-^;; Umm…he may not strip again for a while ^-^;; Unless he takes off one boot this chapter…hmmm….XD I know! It'll be up to you, the reviewers, but article of clothing Auron looses next! Here's a list of everything he already lost:
-Coat
-Glasses
-Collar
What he has left:
-black tank top
-pants
-boots and socks
-underwear (boxers of briefs? XD)
-his one glove…^-^;;
-sake jug and sword (though he wasn't really wearing them…..)
So, take a vote! Tho' if you go and say "underwear!" right away, we may have a problem ^-^;; So start with the small stuff, and if that works, we'll try this again for the next chappy ^-~
**NOTE: Some events will be skipped, such as Bevelle's temple. Well, just skipped in the sense that I won't be writing them, but they did go into the temple. The events after will change a bit though.**
Thanks to everyone for all the reviews and for the wonderful ideas! I'll keep them all in mind, (and I haven't forgotten that Rikku doesn't have her memory back yet, just need a good place to "give them back")
~*^-^*~
"Where are we going?" Tidus whined as the group trudged through wet sand. It had taken them hours to solve Bevelle's temple puzzle, and everyone was tired and cranky.
"We're looking for Rikku and Sir Auron. I know they're okay, they have to be." Yuna prompted as she scanned the area before them for some sign of their lost companions.
"Khimari see something." He pointed to a lump in the distance. Yuna shook her head, eyes wide.
"Oh no, no, no." She stumbled through the sand, arms flailing as she tried to keep her balance. Tidus hurried after her, followed by Lulu, Wakka, and Khimari. Yuna collapsed next to a red pile, hands shaking as she picked up the red coat.
"That's…Auron's coat." Tidus mumbled before cursing and walking away. Yuna felt her eyes cloud over with tears.
"These are his glasses, ya?" Wakka asked, holding out a pair of small sunglasses covered with sand. Yuna nodded slowly.
"They didn't make it…." Yuna choked on a sob as she turned away, clutching Aurons' discarded coat to her chest, ignoring the water seeping into her own top.
"Yuna, we should move before someone finds us." Lulu said as she took the girls' arm and helped her up. She nodded numbly, but picked up the coat and glasses.
"I can't leave them here. What if they are alive? I mean, we haven't found their bodies yet, so that's a good thing, right?" She forced herself to smile and wiped away her tears. Tidus came up beside her and solemnly placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned to look at him, and let a small smile fill her face. When in doubt, laugh out loud, had been one of her mottos. Suddenly, she didn't think it was a very good one.
~*^-^*~
"We should stop here." Auron said as he came to a halt in a small clearing. Rikku stopped, not really paying attention. These woods seemed awfully familiar. That's when it dawned on her.
"We're in the Macalania woods, aren't we?" She spun around, admiring the trees. It seemed different in the night. Auron nodded, not really listening to her ranting as he tried to start a camp fire. Normally, Lulu would start it with a simple fire spell. But Lulu wasn't here, now was she?
"Ne, Auron, I'm gonna go look around, k?" Rikku pointed down a path. Auron nodded, mumbling something about firewood, before going back to the task at hand. Rikku shrugged and started off.
She had only walked a little way when she stopped on the bank of a lake. The water was a deep blue in color, shadowed by the night and the shielding trees above.
"Pretty." Rikku stopped at the edge and hastily pulled off her boots and socks. Her clothes were slightly wet from her fall the day before, and she could still feel the sand stuck to her skin.
"Ugh, gross!" She whined as she peeled off her tank top and the rest of her clothes and accessories. She shivered when the cool night air caressed her bare skin and quickly walked into the water.
"It's warm. Not cold at all." She marveled at the feel of the water. It was almost magical the way it brushed against her like velvet. She took a deep breath before diving under, trying to remove the grit and sand out of her hair.
~*^-^*~
(AN: Just to remind you, they didn't kill Seymour way back in the beginning, so he's not a "robot")
"M-Maester Seymour!?" Wakka exclaimed, backing up slightly. The Maester chuckled, clearly amused.
"I've been waiting for you. You've spoiled my wedding." He snapped his fingers and two Guado Guards appeared at his sides. Tidus cursed softly.
"Seymour, I hate you!"
Yuna received surprised gasps from everybody except Seymour and his guardians. Tidus hesitated before approaching her. If she knew he was there, she didn't show it. Her eyes were trained on the Guado before her, eyes filled with hatred, something none of them had seen from Yuna before.
"I'll never forgive you." She whispered before summoning Shiva. Seymour's eyes widened slightly.
"Y-Yuna, are you sure-" Lulu was silenced when the summoner raised a hand. She had clearly stated it, though she had not said a word. This was her battle. Her fight. Tidus couldn't help but shiver slightly at the gleam in her eyes.
"Just to let ya' know, Yuna. If you're in trouble, we're not holding back." Tidus had to make that one point clear. She nodded distractedly.
"Shiva! Blizzard!"
Seymour smirked, amused as his guardians set up a barrier around him. The battle had begun. And this time there was no holding back.
~*^-^*~
"Rikku?"
Auron frowned, muttering a string of curses. Where did that girl go? Didn't she say something about getting firewood? Or was that just him thinking to himself? Either way, the Al Bhed was no where to be found.
"When I find that girl the first thing I'm going to do is knock some sense-"
A splash in the near distance caught his ear. Frowning, he turned towards where he thought her heard it and listened. Another splash followed. What could she be up to? He followed down a path where the splashes became more frequent and louder. He had just pushed back some bushes and stepped into a clearing when he froze.
Rikku was in the middle of the water, back facing him. He didn't know what startled him more, the fact that she was naked or that she was singing. He felt an unfamiliar heat rush into his face. Then he realized exactly what it was and almost choked. He was blushing. Him. Blushing.
A shriek made him spin around back towards the lake, eyes alert for the intruder. It wasn't until he saw Rikku's eyes locked on him and her arms covering her chest that he realized he was the intruder. He quickly spun around and could feel the heat in his face intensify. He let out a string of curses.
"W-What are you doing, spying on me!?" Rikku squeaked, voice more high pitched than usual. Auron couldn't think of a good excuse, so he decided to distract her.
"That song you were singing, what was it?"
"Song? Oh! It's an old Al Bhed lullaby my mother used to sing to me before she passed away." Rikku said before humming the tune again. Auron silently thanked God that she distracted easily.
"It sounds nice. You have a good voice." He tried to make the complement sound harsh and gruff to take away some of his embarrassment. Rikku didn't seem to notice.
"Thanks. I sing it sometimes when I'm afraid or sad." She sighed and he heard her moving around in the water.
"Don't look, I'm coming out."
Auron nodded and made sure he was turned completely away from the dressing girl. He heard some rustling fabric before she came over and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Okay. Do you wanna go back to camp now?" Her hair was still wet, her bangs sticking to her face. He realized, with a start, that her hair was down, and it was longer than he had expected.
"What? Is there something on my face?" Rikku noticed his stare and frantically began wiping at her cheeks. He shook his head and chuckled slightly.
"No, it's just…your hair is down." There was no use trying to hide it. He was just stating a fact, so why did he feel so odd?
"Oh, that's just because I took it down to wash all the sand out. How does it look? Personally, I don't like it down."
"It looks…nice. You just always have it up." He motioned for her to follow him as they headed back towards camp. It had been a long day of traveling, but somehow they ended back in familiar territory. It was comforting. The walk back was relatively quiet, each enjoying the others' company. It wasn't until they were lying on makeshift beds of leaves and grass that Rikku spoke.
"I-I'm glad you're okay, Auron. I thought you were….dead….It scared me. It scared me a lot. I'm just really happy you're okay. I'm sorry, I'm babbling. Goodnight."
Auron waited until her breathing slowed and became shallow before sighing.
"If only you knew the truth, Rikku."
~*^-^*~
AN: Ooooh, Auron was peeping! XD A little hyper today. Again, if you hand in your votes for what article of clothing Auron should loose next, I'll get to writing the next chapter. My goal is 100 reviews for this chapter (I mean all together ^-^;;) So that's about, what, 11 reviews? Please? ::pouts:: ^-^
~Neoshipper~
