Authors Note: *Jumps around* Here you go! Another chapter for y'all!! I have to say.. Jecht really cracked me up in this installment!! *giggles* Oh, and dunno if any of you have noticed.. but all of the songs i put before the story usually have a connection with the content of the chapter! 'Love Is A Battlefield' is so fitting - don't you agree?^.^
Thanks so much to these lovelies:
Tuatha Danaan - ah yesh! The almighty queen of Aurikkus'!! *grins* Loved chappy 24 hun - when's 25 gunna be up? *greedyishness* ^.^
DracusXero - Lol, ya, I do have alotta twists and turns in here huh, hope nobody minds.. I just thrive on drama (and romance too of course - bucketloads of that to come!!). I din mean to make Auron come across as mean or anything before.. just really mixed up with his feelings. After all, he was a monk for years.. and unaccustomed to romance I'm guessing ^.^
faded jae - ARGHH - how long are you gunna keep me waiting for the next chappy of your Aurikku?! *jumps around impatiently* It's totally great! *glomps Jae* Glad you like how Jecht is too - such a sweetie! ^.^
blazingIcEph0eniX - *salutes* sir yes sir! Enjoy dis!!!
Ater Serpens - Aww nah!! You guys aren't slave drivers!! I love writing for everyone (and for me of course!!), so I get annoyed with myself if I don't update fairly regularly anyways! All my reviewers are just wonderful - you're what keeps me going! Feel free to push.. but dun forget to review too!! ^.^
Demon Star - *innocent look* Evil? me? ..curses! I'v been found out! ^.^ But like I said before - I didn't mean to make Auron come across as being mean, just abit suprised and unsure over Rikku's confessed love ^.^ (oh man.. wait till he finds out the extent of it! *grins*)
Rinny Leonhart / Rikku - demanding little thing, aren't ya! Heehee - but ya, Auron will experience jealousy yet! Just wait and see!
Review peoples! I beg of ya! ^.^ oh.. and enjoy the chappy too! (Al Bhed translations & pronunciations at the bottom!)
MAJOR *WAI* ROMANCE NEXT CHAPTER! Teehee! ^.^v *sighs happily*
*************************************************************************************
*************************************************************************************
'The Power Of Change'
*A Rikku and Auron romance*
*************************************************************************************
Chapter Thirteen: 'Unprepared Confrontation'
*************************************************************************************
You're begging me to go, you're making me stay..
Why do you hurt me so bad?
It would help me to know,
Do I stand in your way? Or am I the best thing you've had?
Believe me, believe me, I can't tell you why..
But I'm trapped by your love, and I'm chained to your side.
We are young, heartache to heartache we stand..
No promises, no demands -
Love is a battlefield.
We are strong, no one can tell us we're wrong,
Searching our hearts for so long.. both of us knowing..
Love is a battlefield.
We're losing control,
Will you turn me away or touch me deep inside?
And before this gets old, will it still feel the same?
There's no way this will die,
But if we get much closer, I could lose control -
And if your heart surrenders, you'll need me to hold..
~"Love Is A Battlefield" by Pat Benatar~
*************************************************************************************
The Macalania Woods were simply dazzling during the early morning - pale shafts of light filtering softly through the dense foliage of the canopy above and reflecting brilliantly off of the giant sparkling crystal orbs at their base.
The transformation it brought about the usually gloomy forest was truly breathtaking - all the colours of the rainbow warmly surrounded the group of travellers in a flurry of twinkling beams.
Rikku was speechless, she'd never seen Macalania wood like this before. Leading the group with the occasional twirl of enthusiasm, she only drew to a standstill when the light had receded from it's peepholes into the world below the canopy and returned the woods into its usual mystical gloom. Than the Al Bhed simply smiled and turned to Braska.
'I'm feeling abit peckish.. what do you say we take a little rest and have a snack?' Rikku drew out a few juicy berries from the items pouch by her side that she'd managed to steal from a fiend shortly before they'd come to stop, presenting them to the men with a pleased smile. 'I ate a few of these a moment ago - they taste really nice!'
Braska nodded in reply and led them over to a small clearing just off the path, seating himself against a sturdy tree root and beginning to speak in a reminiscing tone. 'When I was a boy, I used to come into these woods with my friends occasionally - when my duties as a budding summoner weren't too demanding. We'd all go exploring and swim in the springs, than lean up against a tree like this - dreaming about the future and eating these.' He held up the small tart fruits Rikku had given him with a smile, shaking his head gently. 'I knew what would happen.. someday, but despite that.. I'd still dream about the alternatives - you know?'
The little group were silent for a moment, all reflecting on his words in their own way. Finally, it was Rikku who spoke quietly and drew all of their attention to her.
'You don't have to, you know.. sacrifice yourself.'
She regretted speaking the words immediately, knowing full-well that installing false hope in her friends as well as voicing something which only she ought to know in this time, would inevitably lead to great problems in the future. Oh, why hadn't she thought before she spoke?
Whilst Auron and Jecht continued to eyeball her with unabated surprise, Braska merely waved the suggestion away lightly - a softly saddened smile still shadowing his warm features.
'I have known it from childhood, Rikku - and learnt to accept it long ago. Knowing that I can bring happiness to the population of Spira.. and perhaps the chance that Sin will not be reborn.. this is what I live for.. what I've trained for.'
The young Al Bhed was sniffling quietly to herself, not wanting anyone to see her cry. She was twenty-two years old.. AND a guardian - it wasn't something that she considered right to do in the presence of others. Despite this, she soon found herself wrapping her uncle in a comforting hug.. something she guessed was probably more for her own benefit than his - but Braska understood and patted her back gently, allowing her tears to flow freely against the feathery cloth covering his shoulder.
After some time had passed and the initial emotion had died down, the little group began on their way again - somewhat re-energised from the short break, but all drifting off into their own worlds of thought.
'Fyed..*,' Rikku whispered in her native tongue. Having reached a branch in the path they were walking along, the Al Bhed had hesitated for a moment - picking up on a noise that sounded strangely foreign in the heavy stillness that cloaked them all. It was a constant but barely audible whirring.. that seemed to fill the air around her completely - making it impossible to detect from which direction it was coming, or even to distinguish what was making it.
Just as Braska stepped up to ask what the problem was - Rikku thrust out both arms to bar his way and shrieked, 'YSPICR! - AMBUSH!'
Having been discovered, and fully intent on making the most of the situation while they still had the chance - nine giant wasps shot out from the foliage that had concealed them from view, surrounding the small group with sharp barbs bared.
On instinct, guardians and summoner backed up against one another as they began, forming a tight circle facing their offenders in preparation and slipping into their respective attacking stances.
'These guys are really agile,' Rikku shouted to her companions above the now deafening whirring the fiend's wings made as they circled their prey. 'Magic and surprise attacks will work best.'
Braska took the opportunity to power up a fire spell as himself, Jecht and Auron were eventually confronted with two fiends each - sizing their opponents up momentarily.
The remaining three targeted in on the weakest and most vulnerable of the group - Rikku.
Undeterred by the oozing barbs that seemed to always be facing her, and preventing the most direct line of offence - the agile Al Bhed shot underneath the violent jab that the first icy wasp aimed at her, twisting quickly as the fiend's unprotected back was exposed for her disposal. With a loud squelch, Rikku's Kaiser knuckles buried themselves deeply into its fleshy body - resulting in a splatter of pungent watery blood that rained down upon her arm and upturned face. Shaking off the urge to hurl as some of the oozing liquid was propelled into her mouth, the Al Bhed turned to face the remaining fiends with steely resolve.
Meanwhile, Jecht had successfully managed to cut down both of his oppressors with a single airborne swipe - a technique the guardian had been perfecting in an effort to make up for his lack of playing blitzball lately. 'Yeahhh! That's how it done!' He grinned triumphantly and pumped a fist in the air, despite the fact that he was covered with insect guts and being severely glared at by Auron.
'That's my line!' The dark guardian stated gruffly, attempting another unsuccessful chop towards one of the fiends.
Wasps.., Auron thought dismally as he continued his assault unfazed, haunting me through the ages.. .
As a monk of Yevon, the stoic guardian had been plagued by the insects twice. Once during a gathering - when a whole nest of them were found in the dome of Bevelle temple and he'd been the unlucky one chosen to get them down.. with hazardous results.
Than when the Abbott's daughter had walked with him in the grounds, and he'd followed suit when she'd picked a flower and sniffed it..
with hazardous results.
Therefore, Auron simply hated wasps.
Braska was met with success when fighting his fiends - blasting them with a few shots of fire magic before their scorched corpses fell to the ground and burst into flurries of pyreflies. His elementals had not only saved him from bodily harm.. but also from the state Jecht was currently in.
I wonder if insect innards stain skin? Could give a whole new dimension to Jecht's look.. the walking mosaic! Braska chuckled at the thought.
Rikku was grinning as another fiend fell at her feet - blown to kingdom come with a lightning marble she'd drawn from her items pouch the very moment before it had prepared to attack.
Two down.. one to go! she observed with a satisfactory rush of adrenalin, this is kinda exciting!
The remaining wasp proved not as easy to hit - dodging quickly out of the way of each and every swipe that the Al Bhed aimed at it and still managing to slip in a few jabs of its barb between assaults.
'Tnyd!*' Another miss.. and another. Without realising it, Rikku had slowly been backing off of the path as she ducked and swerved out of the way of the insect's agile counter attacks - soon finding herself in a real predicament.
Her back touched against the unyielding trunk of a tree - hard - and she lost her balance completely, flailing to the ground awkwardly.
Jecht had begun to make his way over to assist the pretty Al Bhed - and Braska headed towards Auron - when it happened.
The wasp's long, sharp barb - oozing plentifully with gleaming poison - met its target, biting deeply into the tender exposed flesh of Rikku's stomach.
Her scream tore the dark guardian from his own attack - snapping his head over to glimpse the crumpled heap that lay at the base of a tall tree with widening eyes. They hadn't exactly been on speaking terms lately - something which had secretly plagued Auron no-end - but he forgot that fact in a heartbeat.
'RIKKU!!'
The very last thing that the petit Al Bhed was aware of at that moment, amidst the searing pain of the poison as it spread rapidly through her bloodstream, was the sight of her beautiful dark guardian as he rushed to her side - features ridden with both fear and sorrow.
Than there was only darkness.
*************************************************************************************
*AL BHED TRANSLATIONS AND PRONUNCIATIONS:
Fyed.. (FEaeeay-de..) = Wait..
YSPICR! (AE-SEE-PEEE-KU-RA!) = AMBUSH!
Tnyd! (TEnae-de!) = Drat!
*************************************************************************************
©Erica Runge, 2nd of April, 2003. All characters, etc ©Squaresoft and FFX. Songwords ©Pat Benatar.
Thanks so much to these lovelies:
Tuatha Danaan - ah yesh! The almighty queen of Aurikkus'!! *grins* Loved chappy 24 hun - when's 25 gunna be up? *greedyishness* ^.^
DracusXero - Lol, ya, I do have alotta twists and turns in here huh, hope nobody minds.. I just thrive on drama (and romance too of course - bucketloads of that to come!!). I din mean to make Auron come across as mean or anything before.. just really mixed up with his feelings. After all, he was a monk for years.. and unaccustomed to romance I'm guessing ^.^
faded jae - ARGHH - how long are you gunna keep me waiting for the next chappy of your Aurikku?! *jumps around impatiently* It's totally great! *glomps Jae* Glad you like how Jecht is too - such a sweetie! ^.^
blazingIcEph0eniX - *salutes* sir yes sir! Enjoy dis!!!
Ater Serpens - Aww nah!! You guys aren't slave drivers!! I love writing for everyone (and for me of course!!), so I get annoyed with myself if I don't update fairly regularly anyways! All my reviewers are just wonderful - you're what keeps me going! Feel free to push.. but dun forget to review too!! ^.^
Demon Star - *innocent look* Evil? me? ..curses! I'v been found out! ^.^ But like I said before - I didn't mean to make Auron come across as being mean, just abit suprised and unsure over Rikku's confessed love ^.^ (oh man.. wait till he finds out the extent of it! *grins*)
Rinny Leonhart / Rikku - demanding little thing, aren't ya! Heehee - but ya, Auron will experience jealousy yet! Just wait and see!
Review peoples! I beg of ya! ^.^ oh.. and enjoy the chappy too! (Al Bhed translations & pronunciations at the bottom!)
MAJOR *WAI* ROMANCE NEXT CHAPTER! Teehee! ^.^v *sighs happily*
*************************************************************************************
*************************************************************************************
'The Power Of Change'
*A Rikku and Auron romance*
*************************************************************************************
Chapter Thirteen: 'Unprepared Confrontation'
*************************************************************************************
You're begging me to go, you're making me stay..
Why do you hurt me so bad?
It would help me to know,
Do I stand in your way? Or am I the best thing you've had?
Believe me, believe me, I can't tell you why..
But I'm trapped by your love, and I'm chained to your side.
We are young, heartache to heartache we stand..
No promises, no demands -
Love is a battlefield.
We are strong, no one can tell us we're wrong,
Searching our hearts for so long.. both of us knowing..
Love is a battlefield.
We're losing control,
Will you turn me away or touch me deep inside?
And before this gets old, will it still feel the same?
There's no way this will die,
But if we get much closer, I could lose control -
And if your heart surrenders, you'll need me to hold..
~"Love Is A Battlefield" by Pat Benatar~
*************************************************************************************
The Macalania Woods were simply dazzling during the early morning - pale shafts of light filtering softly through the dense foliage of the canopy above and reflecting brilliantly off of the giant sparkling crystal orbs at their base.
The transformation it brought about the usually gloomy forest was truly breathtaking - all the colours of the rainbow warmly surrounded the group of travellers in a flurry of twinkling beams.
Rikku was speechless, she'd never seen Macalania wood like this before. Leading the group with the occasional twirl of enthusiasm, she only drew to a standstill when the light had receded from it's peepholes into the world below the canopy and returned the woods into its usual mystical gloom. Than the Al Bhed simply smiled and turned to Braska.
'I'm feeling abit peckish.. what do you say we take a little rest and have a snack?' Rikku drew out a few juicy berries from the items pouch by her side that she'd managed to steal from a fiend shortly before they'd come to stop, presenting them to the men with a pleased smile. 'I ate a few of these a moment ago - they taste really nice!'
Braska nodded in reply and led them over to a small clearing just off the path, seating himself against a sturdy tree root and beginning to speak in a reminiscing tone. 'When I was a boy, I used to come into these woods with my friends occasionally - when my duties as a budding summoner weren't too demanding. We'd all go exploring and swim in the springs, than lean up against a tree like this - dreaming about the future and eating these.' He held up the small tart fruits Rikku had given him with a smile, shaking his head gently. 'I knew what would happen.. someday, but despite that.. I'd still dream about the alternatives - you know?'
The little group were silent for a moment, all reflecting on his words in their own way. Finally, it was Rikku who spoke quietly and drew all of their attention to her.
'You don't have to, you know.. sacrifice yourself.'
She regretted speaking the words immediately, knowing full-well that installing false hope in her friends as well as voicing something which only she ought to know in this time, would inevitably lead to great problems in the future. Oh, why hadn't she thought before she spoke?
Whilst Auron and Jecht continued to eyeball her with unabated surprise, Braska merely waved the suggestion away lightly - a softly saddened smile still shadowing his warm features.
'I have known it from childhood, Rikku - and learnt to accept it long ago. Knowing that I can bring happiness to the population of Spira.. and perhaps the chance that Sin will not be reborn.. this is what I live for.. what I've trained for.'
The young Al Bhed was sniffling quietly to herself, not wanting anyone to see her cry. She was twenty-two years old.. AND a guardian - it wasn't something that she considered right to do in the presence of others. Despite this, she soon found herself wrapping her uncle in a comforting hug.. something she guessed was probably more for her own benefit than his - but Braska understood and patted her back gently, allowing her tears to flow freely against the feathery cloth covering his shoulder.
After some time had passed and the initial emotion had died down, the little group began on their way again - somewhat re-energised from the short break, but all drifting off into their own worlds of thought.
'Fyed..*,' Rikku whispered in her native tongue. Having reached a branch in the path they were walking along, the Al Bhed had hesitated for a moment - picking up on a noise that sounded strangely foreign in the heavy stillness that cloaked them all. It was a constant but barely audible whirring.. that seemed to fill the air around her completely - making it impossible to detect from which direction it was coming, or even to distinguish what was making it.
Just as Braska stepped up to ask what the problem was - Rikku thrust out both arms to bar his way and shrieked, 'YSPICR! - AMBUSH!'
Having been discovered, and fully intent on making the most of the situation while they still had the chance - nine giant wasps shot out from the foliage that had concealed them from view, surrounding the small group with sharp barbs bared.
On instinct, guardians and summoner backed up against one another as they began, forming a tight circle facing their offenders in preparation and slipping into their respective attacking stances.
'These guys are really agile,' Rikku shouted to her companions above the now deafening whirring the fiend's wings made as they circled their prey. 'Magic and surprise attacks will work best.'
Braska took the opportunity to power up a fire spell as himself, Jecht and Auron were eventually confronted with two fiends each - sizing their opponents up momentarily.
The remaining three targeted in on the weakest and most vulnerable of the group - Rikku.
Undeterred by the oozing barbs that seemed to always be facing her, and preventing the most direct line of offence - the agile Al Bhed shot underneath the violent jab that the first icy wasp aimed at her, twisting quickly as the fiend's unprotected back was exposed for her disposal. With a loud squelch, Rikku's Kaiser knuckles buried themselves deeply into its fleshy body - resulting in a splatter of pungent watery blood that rained down upon her arm and upturned face. Shaking off the urge to hurl as some of the oozing liquid was propelled into her mouth, the Al Bhed turned to face the remaining fiends with steely resolve.
Meanwhile, Jecht had successfully managed to cut down both of his oppressors with a single airborne swipe - a technique the guardian had been perfecting in an effort to make up for his lack of playing blitzball lately. 'Yeahhh! That's how it done!' He grinned triumphantly and pumped a fist in the air, despite the fact that he was covered with insect guts and being severely glared at by Auron.
'That's my line!' The dark guardian stated gruffly, attempting another unsuccessful chop towards one of the fiends.
Wasps.., Auron thought dismally as he continued his assault unfazed, haunting me through the ages.. .
As a monk of Yevon, the stoic guardian had been plagued by the insects twice. Once during a gathering - when a whole nest of them were found in the dome of Bevelle temple and he'd been the unlucky one chosen to get them down.. with hazardous results.
Than when the Abbott's daughter had walked with him in the grounds, and he'd followed suit when she'd picked a flower and sniffed it..
with hazardous results.
Therefore, Auron simply hated wasps.
Braska was met with success when fighting his fiends - blasting them with a few shots of fire magic before their scorched corpses fell to the ground and burst into flurries of pyreflies. His elementals had not only saved him from bodily harm.. but also from the state Jecht was currently in.
I wonder if insect innards stain skin? Could give a whole new dimension to Jecht's look.. the walking mosaic! Braska chuckled at the thought.
Rikku was grinning as another fiend fell at her feet - blown to kingdom come with a lightning marble she'd drawn from her items pouch the very moment before it had prepared to attack.
Two down.. one to go! she observed with a satisfactory rush of adrenalin, this is kinda exciting!
The remaining wasp proved not as easy to hit - dodging quickly out of the way of each and every swipe that the Al Bhed aimed at it and still managing to slip in a few jabs of its barb between assaults.
'Tnyd!*' Another miss.. and another. Without realising it, Rikku had slowly been backing off of the path as she ducked and swerved out of the way of the insect's agile counter attacks - soon finding herself in a real predicament.
Her back touched against the unyielding trunk of a tree - hard - and she lost her balance completely, flailing to the ground awkwardly.
Jecht had begun to make his way over to assist the pretty Al Bhed - and Braska headed towards Auron - when it happened.
The wasp's long, sharp barb - oozing plentifully with gleaming poison - met its target, biting deeply into the tender exposed flesh of Rikku's stomach.
Her scream tore the dark guardian from his own attack - snapping his head over to glimpse the crumpled heap that lay at the base of a tall tree with widening eyes. They hadn't exactly been on speaking terms lately - something which had secretly plagued Auron no-end - but he forgot that fact in a heartbeat.
'RIKKU!!'
The very last thing that the petit Al Bhed was aware of at that moment, amidst the searing pain of the poison as it spread rapidly through her bloodstream, was the sight of her beautiful dark guardian as he rushed to her side - features ridden with both fear and sorrow.
Than there was only darkness.
*************************************************************************************
*AL BHED TRANSLATIONS AND PRONUNCIATIONS:
Fyed.. (FEaeeay-de..) = Wait..
YSPICR! (AE-SEE-PEEE-KU-RA!) = AMBUSH!
Tnyd! (TEnae-de!) = Drat!
*************************************************************************************
©Erica Runge, 2nd of April, 2003. All characters, etc ©Squaresoft and FFX. Songwords ©Pat Benatar.