Author's note: I'm extremely frustrated right now. I've been trying to draw a certain scene from my story 'Bracelet no Chikara.' Maybe I should pause to tell you that I'm a perfectionist. So, all day I've been working on that stupid picture and I'm still not finished. Now I decided to take a break and work on this, even though I'm still ticked off. At least its chapter five of my story . . . ^_^
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'Days swiftly come and go.
I'm dreaming of her.
She's seeing other guys
Emotions they stir.
The sun is gone.
The nights are long.
And I am left while the tears fall.'
~Swing Swing
All-American Rejects
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Auron stood up and shook his head, an uneasy laugh escaping his lips. "No . . . you can't have a boyfriend. I mean . . . ." His eyes darted back and forth across the room. Without another thought, he stormed from the hut. He hadn't even realized that his ankle was bleeding slightly because of the shattered mug that hit him. Ignoring the pain, he ran back into the woods, his mind focused on nothing.
Because he wasn't looking to where he was going, Auron's foot caught in a root and he fell face first into the dirt. It was then that the whole scenario finally caught up with him.
"Does she really even like him? Can she truly be over me?" a flash of Rikku's face as she snuggled into Kyo's arm flashed through his mind. Auron bit his lower lip and pounded a fist into the ground. "Why was I so stubborn? Why couldn't I have just told her I loved her when I had the chance? Yuna's still waiting for Tidus."
Auron closed his eyes as they stung with unwanted tears. This was just like that situation with Lina, the Priest's daughter. He remembered how Lina had cornered him, telling him how it wasn't necessary to marry her at all. How she already was in love with another man, a fellow warrior monk with Auron.
He had had a crush on her all those years, and she'd dismissed him for another man. Although it hadn't hurt him as much as this, it was the same deal as this. This wasn't some high school crush. He'd given his heart to Rikku, so to speak. And she hadn't even bothered to wait for him, as if he'd even come back. Auron knew he was being selfish, but this was Rikku he was thinking about.
Footsteps resounded through the woods, leaves crunching as the person approached. Auron stood up, his back still turned. "Tidus, what's your problem? What do you have against Kyo?" Rikku grabbed Auron's wrist and spun him to face her. Her face was hardened and expressed anger and annoyance. Her eyes were narrowed to slits and were dimmed. Auron was surprised at how scary she looked when she was upset.
He was lost at what to say. Somehow he found his voice and responded. "Rikku, it's not that I have anything against Ryo or anything. But . . . what about Auron?"
"What about Auron? I can't help it if he's gone and I'm still here."
"Didn't you love him though?" Auron pulled his hand away and tried to remain calm.
Rikku inhaled sharply, her eyes brightening with tears. "Tidus, he never once told me he loved me. I wasn't about to make the first move. Auron was . . . very reserved and all that. How could he have truly loved me when he never expressed it?" she whispered. She smiled sadly and looked up in Tidus' aqua-blue eyes. "It was really hard for me to get over him, but when I met Ryo . . . he was just . . . everything I wanted."
Auron felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. He never realized how Rikku truly felt about their relationship. In fact, he thought she was quite happy with the way things were going. How could I have done this to her?
Ryo came strolling through the woods, interrupting 'Tidus' and Rikku. He stood back and ran a hand through his jet black hair. "Um, did I come at a bad time?" he asked.
Rikku wiped her eyes and fell into Ryo's embrace. "Nah, I was just headed back. Tidus and I had a few issues we needed to work out." She stated coldly. Ryo looked past Rikku's head, glaring at Auron dangerously.
"Why don't you go on ahead back to the village and get warmed up? I'll catch up in a few minutes." He sent her ahead. Then, he stalked towards Auron. "If you ever make my baby upset again, I'll personally kill you. Nothing you say will change her feelings towards me. Don't attempt to mess with me . . . Tidus . . ." he warned before striding away.
"She doesn't love you." Auron hissed loud enough to grab Ryo's attention. Ryo spun around, his eyes narrowed. Auron walked past Ryo while continuing to speak. "You're her rebound. She is still in love with someone else."
Ryo only stood, dumbfounded.
~*~*~
Meanwhile, back in the Farplane, Tidus, Braska, and Jecht were thinking of ways to get everything back to normal. They all sat around a deserted area near the cliff, thinking of any ideas. Tidus was constantly slamming the palm of his hand to his forehead as if it'd do anything to make him think better.
"Y'know, this wouldn't have happened if Auron hadn't've jumped over that cliff." Jecht complained.
Braska brought his head up slowly as an idea formed in his head. "Wait a minute. 'This wouldn't have happened if Auron hadn't've jumped over that cliff'? Do you think that, if Tidus jumps over the cliff, they might switch back?"
Tidus grinned. "Should we try it? Should we try it? Should we try it?"
Jecht put his hand on the teenager's shoulder. "Calm down, boy."
"Well, what do we have to lose? I mean, Tidus won't die anyway, regardless. C'mon Tidus, what do you say?"
Tidus jumped up and ran to the cliff's edge. "I'll see you two later. I'm getting back my body!" he called behind him. He sprung into the air, pulled himself into a ball, and plummeted into the black void below. Then, before he could even let out a scream, a chilling sensation overwhelmed him and he was thrust into nothingness.
~*~*~
When Tidus awoke, he was washed ashore, sand and water coating his skin. His eyelids fluttered open and he sat up. He looked down at his outfit and groaned. Apparently the trick didn't work. Tidus was still clad in red with silver-streaked hair and bad eyesight. He looked out onto the horizon and sighed.
"You've got one week to get everything worked out, Tidus!" Braska cried out to him in his head.
Tidus looked to the sky. "What are you talking about? Is there a time limit to this body switching thing?"
"Sort of. Do you remember hearing that, those who are unsent for too long become fiends?"
Tidus' heart dropped when he realized what Braska was getting at. "You don't mean . . ."
"If you and Auron don't hurry up, you'll both become fiends!"
~*~*~
Author's note: I have a lot to talk about today! (This bottom AN is written a week later than the one above) I'm officially 15 now! YAY! *throws confetti in the air* I is so happy! I got Final Fantasy VIII and have been playing that for some time now. *sigh* Why are the guys so hot?! I want them! I want them! *ahem* Anyway, I'm really glad I got as many reviews as I did the last chapter. To be honest, I was going to discontinue the story because it's getting kind of hard to write and I didn't have an ending planned out. But now I do. So . . . yeah. And to Andreyla Dragon about where I got my Trigun episodes . . . well . . umm . . . I don't have any. -_-' Can I cry now? *sigh* I wish I did. But if I get any info on where to get them, I'll be sure to rely the message to you. Yet another reason for me to travel to Japan.
Well, stay tuned for next chapter. What do you think will happen? Will Rikku and Yuna figure out Auron's secret? Will the two become fiends? Well, you'll have to wait. ^_^
LOVE AND PEACE!
