AUTHORS NOTE: Oh dear lordy! I've finally submitted this thing! ^.~ *sees about 20 glares aimed in her direction* Heeey.. Sorry okay - I honestly didn't mean for it to take this long! ^.^
Ok - after this chapter things will start getting really interesting - you can count on it. ^.^ Some stuff you'll never suspect to happen!
Anyways, I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it, and don't mind Auron's little "reactions". Heehee. I decided that even though he was a monk of Yevon and all - he IS still human, and male and.. ahem.. have I said too much?? *sweatdrop*
Enough talk - read! ^.^ Please review too! I love you all for being so kind as to take the time to post your little messages! I really apprecite it greatly, and where it not for the last few I recieved I would most likely have taken a lot longer in posting this chapter.
The next few chapters should be quicker in coming, I just have to get back into the swing of things!
*glomps all* thanks again!! don't forget - review!!!
*******************************************************************************
The Power of Change
A Rikku and Auron romance
*******************************************************************************
Chapter Fifteen: 'Uncharacteristic Trait'
*******************************************************************************
Right before my eyes,
You are sparkling with delight -
It's making me dizzy and blind,
Baby, tell me, where are we?
Don't fade away into the noises in the background,
I can't hear anything now -
But I can feel you breathe;
It's surprising how we came to this,
'Cause it's unlike me to do this -
But my heart is beating for more to happen to us...
Oh, oh, my heart is beating...
I wanna be here eternally,
Here with you, just wanna look at each other like this;
I can feel you close to me,
But we won't be together forever, you see -
I want this moment to last for eternity...
Take a little rest together,
Before we take on each "battle",
I want to spend this precious time with you -
And make a promise for the next time;
Can you hear me breathe?
It isn't surprising how we came to this...
'Cause we are meant to be,
But I'm moved uncontrollably...
Oh, oh, I'm moved...
I wanna be here eternally,
Here, nobody can find you and me -
I can see you're all I need,
Until tomorrow, I won't need anything else...
But even this moment with you,
Might be just a fantasy...
I can feel you close to me,
Even if I cannot come back here again,
I want this feeling to last for eternity...
~"Eternally" by Utada Hikaru (English translation)~
*******************************************************************************
Rikku remained in her feverish state for some time longer, accepting the soothing green antidote that Auron gave her in small doses with hidden disgust - it tasted like dirty old socks. Thereafter she began relax somewhat, eventually drifting off into a peaceful slumber.
Auron stayed with her for a few moments longer - partly out of concern should her condition worsen, but also for what he would do next.
Satisfied on both accounts, the dark guardian finally walked some meters away and began to unfasten the clips that held his chest armor securely in place over his body - slipping the unbreachable material free of his skin underneath and sighing quietly. A thin sheen of sweat clung damply to his exposed flesh and caused a slight shiver to run through his system as the cool night air softly touched against it.
Quickly moving down to his waist, Auron unbuckled the tightly strapped belt he always wore to prevent any damage during his heavy sword attacks. The durable slip of material was surprisingly effective against the injuries gravity and a weighty swing of his Kotetsu could cause his insides with each swing. No indeed, it wasn't solely to hold his pants up and coat closed!
The belt fell with a metallic 'clank' against the formerly shed armor, causing Auron to glance up sharply in the hope that he hadn't woken the Al Bhed dreamer.
But he had little to fear, Rikku still slept soundly - occasionally breaking the silence within the glade with an odd murmur or grunt and smacking of her lips.
Unsure of whether to undress further, Auron stared down at his pants with a slight frown creasing his brow. The piece of clothing was faintly tainted with the strange iridescent poison of the wasp that had attacked Rikku - obviously having rubbed off as Auron had carried her. Convinced that it was better to rid himself of the garment rather than face the possibility of becoming ill as well, the dark guardian found himself pulling his pants off quickly and throwing them on the ever-growing heap beside him.
The mildly-warm water of the spring felt wonderful against Auron's skin as he waded in up to his waist and felt the dirt and grime of the past few days slowly wash away in the receding ripples. His rigid muscles began to relax bit by bit as he allowed his chest and arms to be completely enveloped by the waters, before plunging his head under and resurfacing to casually wipe away the crystal droplets laced upon his dark lashes with the back of a hand.
Rikku awoke from her nap a short time later feeling somewhat better, besides the dull ache from her wound that was radiating onto the skin surrounding it. Her vision and focus remained clouded for an extended moment before she slowly took note of the magical stillness around her - reminding the petit Al Bhed of what had happened and where she was. It also brought up the subject of Auron's whereabouts - and with some effort and a slight gritting of her teeth, Rikku managed to go against the persistent aching from her stomach and rise to a seated position where she had lain.
Where is he??
A soft splashing sound from somewhere in the spring behind her caught the Al Bhed's attention and she proceeded to turn around somewhat reluctantly - expecting full well to be pounced on by some hideous water fiend at any given second - and as she did, a touch of panic slithered coldly around her stomach and up across her face.
But the look quickly subsided. Rikku's eyes flew wide open at the sight that met them, one delicate hand rising up to cover her gaping mouth as the breath caught in her throat and that ever-returning splash of crimson vividly painted her cheeks.
Some distance away - waist-deep in the spring's placid waters and silhouetted by the shimmering beams of moonlight that shone down upon him - was the dark guardian himself. Presently he seemed to be scrubbing furiously at some dark garment of his, grunting in annoyance when his efforts proved fruitless.
Biting her lip softly and smiling at the beauty of the scene before her, Rikku lowered herself down into the mild spring and slowly waded towards Auron. Every small detail of his turned back was taken in with undeniable interest, her senses now starting to recover from the bout of clouded clarity that the poison had caused her and allowing her to feel more than just a sense of relief at overcoming the problem. Her splayed fingers raked gently at the water as she moved, the cool sensation easing the throbbing of the blood in her veins - but as always that splash of color on Rikku's cheeks remained, ever so slightly highlighting the wonder contained in her emerald irises.
Finally, when Rikku was but half a body-length from Auron, he seemed to notice the sound that wasn't quite right. Obviously his first thought was the same as Rikku's had been - that some hideous fiend was just waiting to pounce on him - after all, he wasn't to know that Rikku had awoken. Auron's muscles visibly tensed at the realization that he was completely defenseless in his current state; could he possibly overcome whatever awaited him with brute strength alone?
Swinging around with features set in hard determination, Auron brought his hand up - hoping to strike the fiend with a heavy blow to the head. Instead, the sudden movement caused him to lose his balance, arms flailing in the air as his legs began to give out. He heard a gasp being omitted from where the creature stood, and moments later felt his elbow being grasped roughly to prevent him from being enveloped by the mild surrounding waters.
"You have no idea how comical that looked!" bright green oculars sparkled with delight as Rikku laughed at the spectacle. "Too embarrassed to wash your underwear in front of me?"
To this Auron felt his chest contract and a slow body blush creep over his darkly-tanned skin.
"Rikku, you mustn't creep up on me like that - I thought you were a--"
"Oh relax! I won't bite! Unless you want me to?" She winked and chuckled quietly, to which Auron only blushed even deeper - forcing a frown to his face in the hope of hiding his vulnerable position.
"Come - now that you've awoken and clearly feel a lot better, we'd best get back to Lord Braska and Jecht. They may be concerned as to our whereabouts." Rikku's grin widened as Auron made to walk past her, only to have his way barred.
"I don't think we'll be doing that... We're all grown up; we can take care of ourselves. Besides, as long as you're with me they won't worry - because you're big and strong, right?" Her delight grew as his dark iris's widened in surprise, all hope of saving this situation being thrown to the wind. Auron began to wonder whether washing his pants had been such a wise thing to do after all, when his train of thought was interrupted by a cool sensation traveling down his chest.
Rikku ran her fingers over his taught stomach with a tightly drawn-in breath. She simply could not have imagined that he would be so wonderfully formed under all that thick armor... but now seeing it with her own eyes....
"Rikku!" Auron quickly brushed her hand away as at last his full vulnerability in this situation dawned on him. His eyebrows furrowed for a moment, confronting the Al Bhed with a harsh glance, but the look wavered and disappeared completely the very moment her misty green oculars stared up into his own. They were filled with such feeling that it made a flurry of butterflies erupt in Auron's stomach. "Rikku..."
"Auron, don't you want to be here with me?" The words were spoken softly, her gaze breaking away from his momentarily as she too felt a slight wave of nervousness. "Don't you want to be here with me as much as I do?"
Of course he did. He knew it was the truth; he'd wanted to be alone with her like this since the very first moment after he'd turned her away. Auron could lie about it as much as he desired, but in the end he could never lie to himself. He could never just switch off his feelings.
He cleared his throat quietly, tossing the saturated pants over by the heap of his formerly shed clothes and armor. "You know I do."
A smile brightened Rikku's soft lips at these words, and her slim arms reached up to encircle his neck gently. Drawing him down to her, their lips met in a tender kiss - surprising Auron somewhat with the suddenness of it.
As her fingers gently began to twirl themselves through his luxurious long hair in its current dampened state, occasionally a strand would catch and the legendary guardian found himself kissing her more fervently - easing himself out of the current discomfort it had caused. Slipping one eye open, he could make out a blissfully contented look on the Al Bhed's face - signifying that she didn't want this to end anytime soon.
It may well have been that way had Auron not suddenly noticed the heaviness of her bust pressing ever so insistently against his bare chest - causing a reaction... ahem... that he had hoped he could keep at bay.
But that just wasn't going to happen, and rather then risk taking it all too far - Auron broke of the kiss right there and then - leaving a very puzzled Rikku to stare up at him in dismay.
"Why did you stop? Did I... did I do something wrong?" her large green eyes darted across his face in search of a clue to why he'd drawn away so abruptly, but the older guardian merely waded to the side and made towards the shore. "What are you doing?! Are you getting out already?"
"I think I heard Lord Braska calling."
"But it's the middle of the n--"
"It's best we head back to camp anyway, I'm sure standing around in wet clothes will hardly help you in your current state - you aren't fully recovered yet...."
"But Auron... the water's really warm - and I can always take my clothes off if--"
"No!" The words were ripped from Auron's throat at the mere thought of clothes-free Rikku - and that familiar stirring down below began again. Oh Yevon....
"...Are you angry at me again?" Rikku asked quietly, a slight tremble marring the sentence as she spoke it.
"Of course not." Auron turned back around to face the Al Bhed as he secured his chest plate firmly back in place, feeling a sense of annoyance at himself for having his bodies reactions make him so vulnerable around her. "Come, you should dry off with some of the cleaner sheets I had you wrapped in so we can head back to camp."
Finally giving in, Rikku waded over to the shore of the spring and trudged out, gently drying her injured stomach when she reached the pile of formerly-shed bedding and trying not to wince at the small stabs of pain it still caused her.
Auron watched her from where he stood, allowing a rare smile to cross his normally harsh features.
Ahh... Rikku had acted so strangely moments before - a mixture of her usual innocence... and the more rare longing. The way she'd barred his way like that - a slight woman like her expecting that that would render him unable to pass. He had no real desire to leave anyway - but it was this simple action which allowed her to think she had the upper hand, and the way she'd taken control like that... heh.
Auron felt himself stir... yet again. He gritted his teeth.
Yevon… this is crazy - how do I stem this desire I keep feeling at the mere thought of that Al Bhed?!
It was times like this that he really began to wish his life as a monk of Yevon hadn't left him so handicapped in the relationship department.
In the future, it would undoubtedly prove to be no less then a complete pain in the butt.
*******************************************************************************
©Erica Runge, 22nd of July, 2003. All characters, etc ©Squaresoft and FFX. Songwords ©Utada Hikaru.
Ok - after this chapter things will start getting really interesting - you can count on it. ^.^ Some stuff you'll never suspect to happen!
Anyways, I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it, and don't mind Auron's little "reactions". Heehee. I decided that even though he was a monk of Yevon and all - he IS still human, and male and.. ahem.. have I said too much?? *sweatdrop*
Enough talk - read! ^.^ Please review too! I love you all for being so kind as to take the time to post your little messages! I really apprecite it greatly, and where it not for the last few I recieved I would most likely have taken a lot longer in posting this chapter.
The next few chapters should be quicker in coming, I just have to get back into the swing of things!
*glomps all* thanks again!! don't forget - review!!!
*******************************************************************************
The Power of Change
A Rikku and Auron romance
*******************************************************************************
Chapter Fifteen: 'Uncharacteristic Trait'
*******************************************************************************
Right before my eyes,
You are sparkling with delight -
It's making me dizzy and blind,
Baby, tell me, where are we?
Don't fade away into the noises in the background,
I can't hear anything now -
But I can feel you breathe;
It's surprising how we came to this,
'Cause it's unlike me to do this -
But my heart is beating for more to happen to us...
Oh, oh, my heart is beating...
I wanna be here eternally,
Here with you, just wanna look at each other like this;
I can feel you close to me,
But we won't be together forever, you see -
I want this moment to last for eternity...
Take a little rest together,
Before we take on each "battle",
I want to spend this precious time with you -
And make a promise for the next time;
Can you hear me breathe?
It isn't surprising how we came to this...
'Cause we are meant to be,
But I'm moved uncontrollably...
Oh, oh, I'm moved...
I wanna be here eternally,
Here, nobody can find you and me -
I can see you're all I need,
Until tomorrow, I won't need anything else...
But even this moment with you,
Might be just a fantasy...
I can feel you close to me,
Even if I cannot come back here again,
I want this feeling to last for eternity...
~"Eternally" by Utada Hikaru (English translation)~
*******************************************************************************
Rikku remained in her feverish state for some time longer, accepting the soothing green antidote that Auron gave her in small doses with hidden disgust - it tasted like dirty old socks. Thereafter she began relax somewhat, eventually drifting off into a peaceful slumber.
Auron stayed with her for a few moments longer - partly out of concern should her condition worsen, but also for what he would do next.
Satisfied on both accounts, the dark guardian finally walked some meters away and began to unfasten the clips that held his chest armor securely in place over his body - slipping the unbreachable material free of his skin underneath and sighing quietly. A thin sheen of sweat clung damply to his exposed flesh and caused a slight shiver to run through his system as the cool night air softly touched against it.
Quickly moving down to his waist, Auron unbuckled the tightly strapped belt he always wore to prevent any damage during his heavy sword attacks. The durable slip of material was surprisingly effective against the injuries gravity and a weighty swing of his Kotetsu could cause his insides with each swing. No indeed, it wasn't solely to hold his pants up and coat closed!
The belt fell with a metallic 'clank' against the formerly shed armor, causing Auron to glance up sharply in the hope that he hadn't woken the Al Bhed dreamer.
But he had little to fear, Rikku still slept soundly - occasionally breaking the silence within the glade with an odd murmur or grunt and smacking of her lips.
Unsure of whether to undress further, Auron stared down at his pants with a slight frown creasing his brow. The piece of clothing was faintly tainted with the strange iridescent poison of the wasp that had attacked Rikku - obviously having rubbed off as Auron had carried her. Convinced that it was better to rid himself of the garment rather than face the possibility of becoming ill as well, the dark guardian found himself pulling his pants off quickly and throwing them on the ever-growing heap beside him.
The mildly-warm water of the spring felt wonderful against Auron's skin as he waded in up to his waist and felt the dirt and grime of the past few days slowly wash away in the receding ripples. His rigid muscles began to relax bit by bit as he allowed his chest and arms to be completely enveloped by the waters, before plunging his head under and resurfacing to casually wipe away the crystal droplets laced upon his dark lashes with the back of a hand.
Rikku awoke from her nap a short time later feeling somewhat better, besides the dull ache from her wound that was radiating onto the skin surrounding it. Her vision and focus remained clouded for an extended moment before she slowly took note of the magical stillness around her - reminding the petit Al Bhed of what had happened and where she was. It also brought up the subject of Auron's whereabouts - and with some effort and a slight gritting of her teeth, Rikku managed to go against the persistent aching from her stomach and rise to a seated position where she had lain.
Where is he??
A soft splashing sound from somewhere in the spring behind her caught the Al Bhed's attention and she proceeded to turn around somewhat reluctantly - expecting full well to be pounced on by some hideous water fiend at any given second - and as she did, a touch of panic slithered coldly around her stomach and up across her face.
But the look quickly subsided. Rikku's eyes flew wide open at the sight that met them, one delicate hand rising up to cover her gaping mouth as the breath caught in her throat and that ever-returning splash of crimson vividly painted her cheeks.
Some distance away - waist-deep in the spring's placid waters and silhouetted by the shimmering beams of moonlight that shone down upon him - was the dark guardian himself. Presently he seemed to be scrubbing furiously at some dark garment of his, grunting in annoyance when his efforts proved fruitless.
Biting her lip softly and smiling at the beauty of the scene before her, Rikku lowered herself down into the mild spring and slowly waded towards Auron. Every small detail of his turned back was taken in with undeniable interest, her senses now starting to recover from the bout of clouded clarity that the poison had caused her and allowing her to feel more than just a sense of relief at overcoming the problem. Her splayed fingers raked gently at the water as she moved, the cool sensation easing the throbbing of the blood in her veins - but as always that splash of color on Rikku's cheeks remained, ever so slightly highlighting the wonder contained in her emerald irises.
Finally, when Rikku was but half a body-length from Auron, he seemed to notice the sound that wasn't quite right. Obviously his first thought was the same as Rikku's had been - that some hideous fiend was just waiting to pounce on him - after all, he wasn't to know that Rikku had awoken. Auron's muscles visibly tensed at the realization that he was completely defenseless in his current state; could he possibly overcome whatever awaited him with brute strength alone?
Swinging around with features set in hard determination, Auron brought his hand up - hoping to strike the fiend with a heavy blow to the head. Instead, the sudden movement caused him to lose his balance, arms flailing in the air as his legs began to give out. He heard a gasp being omitted from where the creature stood, and moments later felt his elbow being grasped roughly to prevent him from being enveloped by the mild surrounding waters.
"You have no idea how comical that looked!" bright green oculars sparkled with delight as Rikku laughed at the spectacle. "Too embarrassed to wash your underwear in front of me?"
To this Auron felt his chest contract and a slow body blush creep over his darkly-tanned skin.
"Rikku, you mustn't creep up on me like that - I thought you were a--"
"Oh relax! I won't bite! Unless you want me to?" She winked and chuckled quietly, to which Auron only blushed even deeper - forcing a frown to his face in the hope of hiding his vulnerable position.
"Come - now that you've awoken and clearly feel a lot better, we'd best get back to Lord Braska and Jecht. They may be concerned as to our whereabouts." Rikku's grin widened as Auron made to walk past her, only to have his way barred.
"I don't think we'll be doing that... We're all grown up; we can take care of ourselves. Besides, as long as you're with me they won't worry - because you're big and strong, right?" Her delight grew as his dark iris's widened in surprise, all hope of saving this situation being thrown to the wind. Auron began to wonder whether washing his pants had been such a wise thing to do after all, when his train of thought was interrupted by a cool sensation traveling down his chest.
Rikku ran her fingers over his taught stomach with a tightly drawn-in breath. She simply could not have imagined that he would be so wonderfully formed under all that thick armor... but now seeing it with her own eyes....
"Rikku!" Auron quickly brushed her hand away as at last his full vulnerability in this situation dawned on him. His eyebrows furrowed for a moment, confronting the Al Bhed with a harsh glance, but the look wavered and disappeared completely the very moment her misty green oculars stared up into his own. They were filled with such feeling that it made a flurry of butterflies erupt in Auron's stomach. "Rikku..."
"Auron, don't you want to be here with me?" The words were spoken softly, her gaze breaking away from his momentarily as she too felt a slight wave of nervousness. "Don't you want to be here with me as much as I do?"
Of course he did. He knew it was the truth; he'd wanted to be alone with her like this since the very first moment after he'd turned her away. Auron could lie about it as much as he desired, but in the end he could never lie to himself. He could never just switch off his feelings.
He cleared his throat quietly, tossing the saturated pants over by the heap of his formerly shed clothes and armor. "You know I do."
A smile brightened Rikku's soft lips at these words, and her slim arms reached up to encircle his neck gently. Drawing him down to her, their lips met in a tender kiss - surprising Auron somewhat with the suddenness of it.
As her fingers gently began to twirl themselves through his luxurious long hair in its current dampened state, occasionally a strand would catch and the legendary guardian found himself kissing her more fervently - easing himself out of the current discomfort it had caused. Slipping one eye open, he could make out a blissfully contented look on the Al Bhed's face - signifying that she didn't want this to end anytime soon.
It may well have been that way had Auron not suddenly noticed the heaviness of her bust pressing ever so insistently against his bare chest - causing a reaction... ahem... that he had hoped he could keep at bay.
But that just wasn't going to happen, and rather then risk taking it all too far - Auron broke of the kiss right there and then - leaving a very puzzled Rikku to stare up at him in dismay.
"Why did you stop? Did I... did I do something wrong?" her large green eyes darted across his face in search of a clue to why he'd drawn away so abruptly, but the older guardian merely waded to the side and made towards the shore. "What are you doing?! Are you getting out already?"
"I think I heard Lord Braska calling."
"But it's the middle of the n--"
"It's best we head back to camp anyway, I'm sure standing around in wet clothes will hardly help you in your current state - you aren't fully recovered yet...."
"But Auron... the water's really warm - and I can always take my clothes off if--"
"No!" The words were ripped from Auron's throat at the mere thought of clothes-free Rikku - and that familiar stirring down below began again. Oh Yevon....
"...Are you angry at me again?" Rikku asked quietly, a slight tremble marring the sentence as she spoke it.
"Of course not." Auron turned back around to face the Al Bhed as he secured his chest plate firmly back in place, feeling a sense of annoyance at himself for having his bodies reactions make him so vulnerable around her. "Come, you should dry off with some of the cleaner sheets I had you wrapped in so we can head back to camp."
Finally giving in, Rikku waded over to the shore of the spring and trudged out, gently drying her injured stomach when she reached the pile of formerly-shed bedding and trying not to wince at the small stabs of pain it still caused her.
Auron watched her from where he stood, allowing a rare smile to cross his normally harsh features.
Ahh... Rikku had acted so strangely moments before - a mixture of her usual innocence... and the more rare longing. The way she'd barred his way like that - a slight woman like her expecting that that would render him unable to pass. He had no real desire to leave anyway - but it was this simple action which allowed her to think she had the upper hand, and the way she'd taken control like that... heh.
Auron felt himself stir... yet again. He gritted his teeth.
Yevon… this is crazy - how do I stem this desire I keep feeling at the mere thought of that Al Bhed?!
It was times like this that he really began to wish his life as a monk of Yevon hadn't left him so handicapped in the relationship department.
In the future, it would undoubtedly prove to be no less then a complete pain in the butt.
*******************************************************************************
©Erica Runge, 22nd of July, 2003. All characters, etc ©Squaresoft and FFX. Songwords ©Utada Hikaru.