Author's Notes: I am officially frusterated with this word processor since when I try to indent my paragraphs... it... it... don't indent! Well, anyway I have returned to bring you a fresh chapter of The Most Odd of Relationships for ye.




Chapter Two: Actions and Re-Enactions



The warm and comfy thing that Rikku landed on after her tremendously long-lengthed leap took a deep breath in, and let out a little groan after being practically tackled. The little skinny teenager could have quite an impact after gaining quite enough momentum. Rikku nuzzled into the thing; which she figured to be a dog or some type of animal judged from the groan and the breathing. She'd shiver and let out a little shriek everytime thunder would consume the uneasy silence. She never took the time to try and figure out what or who she was nuzzling. Rikku didn't even care, she only needed to feel safe.


The thunder would howl continuously...


The lightning would strike constantly...


Rikku would repeatedly shriek in horror...


The memories kept floating back to her...


Her childhood fears stuck with her anywhere where there was thunder or lightning; or even when Lulu would cast her thunder, thundara, or thundaga spells. Those seemingly harmless things turned against Rikku that one day she was a child. It carved a strong, permanent fear inside of her. People do not understand this fear of Rikku's, but she knew exactly that if they were all struck by a big electric shock of any sort, they'd dread the same thing as she.


Her usually cheery; but currently horrified; green eyes shot all around the pitch-black room. Little groans and shrieks of fear would come about every time the thunder and lightening would mix into the extreme silence and the plain darkness. Just the thought of that memory coming back to her ever so vividly made her crave safety-- to make her feel as if these fears of hers were nonexistant. She nuzzled into that thing again... that comfortable and warm thing that she pounced on as if she were a police woman and that thing was a robber trying to escape; or discovering it playing things incognito and high-tail it out of the crime scene.


The storm was getting even more intense, and Rikku shrieked loudly at the sudden raise of storm activity. But then the thing she seeked comfort on in this storm spoke up. Now, apparently, Rikku figured that thing was human!


"Do you mind?" asked the so called thing, in a cold somewhat masculine and manly tone.


"Uh.. eh...," Rikku began.


...Thunder clashed...


"Eek!" squeeled Rikku. She nuzzled into the man, still seeking comfort regardless of if her thought of the man as an animal false or true.


"Hmph...," the man said, settling into the fact that Rikku was scared and needed someone to lean on, even though he thought as himself as the most imperfect choice for comforting of that matter.


"There are matters that we both need to attend to..," claimed the man, in a familiar monotone of a voice.


This is not a time to be about the business stuff. I'm ah-scared! Rikku thought. But then... she thought again. Hey... that kind of sounded like Auron for a... that thought was interupted by continuously loud thunder strikes. "Eh... heh...," Rikku let out in that quite constant full-of-fear tone of voice that she'd speak in since the party came to the Thunder Plains.


The lightning and thunder continued on their streak of frightening Rikku. Each and every time she heard the sound of thunder, she'd remember those moments of her childhood when thunder almost became her ticket to paralysis... or even her ticket to death on the worst note.


With the loudest thunder strike of the whole storm, the lights flickered on again... but they were all ever so dim. With the room now having a little light, the man tackled by Rikku was revealed... it was Auron who she tackled! It was Auron who she seeked comfort in! How could he be so...? Who cares! Let's just get outta here!


As soon as the light flickered on, giving everyone a ray of guiding light, Auron felt entitled to remove Rikku who was practically a leech on himself since he walked out of his room and straight into a power outage. Auron looked in the Al Bhed's eyes-- as he did as they first met. He saw fear-- true fear. He did not let this sighting affect anything, as he spoke his words. "Please get off of me," he said in his serious voice; sounding ever so cold hearted. But yet again, when does this unbreakable Auron sound any other way?


"Uhh... okay...," Rikku said, attempting to lift herself off of him. Her efforts to do so have failed, her ability to move has disabled. She fell ontop of the still laying Auron and gaining the comfort of a strong person. "Eh... heh heh..," Rikku muttered.


"I would imagine that the sound of thunder petrifies you... do you need help up?" asked Auron.


Rikku attempted to stand again. "No, I'm capeable of doing this my--" thunder cut off Rikku's words, as she stumbled over in fear. "... ... ... self... ... ...," she quietly added.


"Ugh, here," Auron offered, pushing Rikku off of himself, then standing himself. Auron offered out a hand to aid Rikku in standing. Reluctantly, Rikku grabbed Aurons and and used his arm and hand to prop herself to a standing position.


"Let's go. The others are probably expecting us...," Auron predicting, turning his back to Rikku and faced the exit of the agency.


"... Bu-but... I didn't even get my food yet!" complained Rikku. She used that as an excuse not to go into that horrible weather.


"We leave," demanded Auron, now slowly walking to the exit.


"It's all stormy out though!"


"So, we must leave... to guard Yuna," replied Auron, showing that work ethic he had.


"Bu-but... it's storming! It's- it's... all...," the thunder came on perfect cue. "Ahh! Heh..."


"Fine then. Nice knowing you," Auron carelessly said, opening the door and attempting to leave. Rikku's voice stopped him.


"You're a big meanie, ya know?! Since when do you ever understand a woman's needs? You truly do not get me, do you?!" Rikku said, using her words in defense of her story instead of directly addressing her fear as the reason.


"I do get you. I do not pity you, however," Auron said, leaving the Agency without Rikku.


"You know what!? I ain't scared!" Rikku jolted out of that door and ran after him.

"Good of you to join me," Auron said, in his usual tone of voice but you could tell he was being sarcastic.


"I told ya I wasn't...," the sound of thunder tortured Rikku's ears once more. "Eh... heh... ... scared..."


"Right. Now, let us not forget about the business at hand," instructed Auron.


"Mmhmm! Rikku present and ready for duty, sir!" Rikku energetically announced. "Uh... you do know where you're going... right?"


...There was no answer.


It was hard for the two to dodge lightning since a few of the lightning rod towers have been burned down. It was even more complicated for Rikku, who would constantly become petrified at the sight of lightning bolts crashing down right in front of her.


... And shortly after she'd have another right to think of this.


"Yunie, we're commin'!" shouted Rikku, having the motivation now to fulfill her duty as guardian. The typical horrible weather drove Rikku to want to find Yuna and the others-- in case they have been injured or have gotten lost. Also, this weather drover her fear even more. Every lightning bolt she would take a fifteen second break to get over the horrible memories in childhood.


However, those fifteen seconds turned to be a little too long in one worst case scenario put into reality. Rikku took that break to recuperate and rid her mind from the horrifying and haunting childhood memories about what happened back in the Home...


Lightning is not supposed to strike in the same place twice...


And so it has been thought by most people...


It is now concluded that it can; since Rikku has been struck by lightning trying to rid horrible memories of thunder. The partners in crime both took their toll on Rikku.


Rikku fell back, first in shock then slipped into a state of unconciousness.






--- --- --- END OF CHAPTER


I hope yall liked it. I do admit it is really bad; so there may be a redo of this chapter shortly. It depends on what YOU think. Vote in your review if you would take the time to review for me... REDO or NO REDO. Enough of that! Excuse the shortness of the chapters of this fic. They will become more lengthy as I get more farther into the fic!