This one's getting longer than I expected...but I don't hear any complaints! ^_^
And to RukiTheSakeFairy: Oac, E tu ghuf Al Bhed...famm, E ghuf ruf du dnyhcmyda ed! mum
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Chapter 8 - True Trial
Even after all the previous hell they had raised in Guadosalam, the group was allowed back into its cold underground chambers to seek out the entrance to the Thunder Plains. As they passed closer to the entrance, Rikku could hear the distant rumble of the thunder and occasionally see one of the brighter strikes illuminate the nearby walls. She cringed at the sound and clutched the moogle tighter to her chest. The others had yet to notice that she was now the bearer of the doll, since Lulu's embrace was usually focused on a more human interest. As they stood before the opening that lead out onto the fractured grounds of the Thunder Plains, Rikku grew more and more nervous about the sounds and sights within. Another loud clap of thunder caused her to shriek and jump back against Kihmari's furry chest. The ronso placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head, "Rikku should not be afraid of thunder, cannot hurt." Tidus kicked at the crusty ground before them and scowled, "Can we please go in and get this over with?" Chappu and Lulu began to walk toward the entrance when Rikku piped up, "We can't all go, it'll distract Tidus. Why doesn't Chappu come with me and Wakka, Yuna and Kihmari and we can show him around Guadosalam? I'm sure Wakka would like a little time to catch up with his brother since Lulu's been hogging him the whole time?" Rikku grinned slightly as Lulu shot her a nasty look.
Chappu opened his mouth to protest, but Wakka grabbed his arm and dragged him in the opposite direction. "Yeah, c'mon bro...we don't need to distract them, ya? Don't think Tidus can take much more 'o those lightning strikes." The group separated the two lovers as Lulu went off to obtain her Sigil and Chappu to spend some quality time with the rest of the party. Rikku looked visibly relieved that they had left the threat of the Thunder Plains and urged the others back toward the middle of Guadosalam where the entrance to the farplane awaited. Wakka played tour guide as they explored the caverns, pointing out various things to the visibly bored and preoccupied Chappu. As they neared the entrance to the farplane and Rikku chimed in. "Y'know, I didn't get a chance to go in there last time," she mentioned, pointing toward the entrance, "can we visit?"
Chappu was the first to protest, "Ah, I'll stay here...too many bad memories, ya?" Rikku shook her head and grabbed Chappu's arm, "Aw, c'mon! You've got to see the inside, the colors are amazing!" He shook his head and jerked his arm free, "I said no. Don't you think I know what the farplane looks like?!" Against her better judgment, Rikku reached into her hip pocket and attached her claws, holding them before her face. "Chappu, I know what's going on...get out of that body and into the farplane...NOW," Rikku growled, flashing the claws at him. He chuckled and held his hands up in surrender, "Guess I can't beat a little Al Bhed girl with a set of claws, now can I?" He gently took her wrist and held her arm down, leaning close to her ear. "So you think you have me figured out, huh? It won't be that easy to get me to leave, not when I've found my happiness again."
Chappu underestimated the young girl's talents as a thief and Rikku quickly escaped his grasp, doing a quick flip over his head to land at his back. With a good shove, she had him sprawling into the farplane entrance in a tangle of limbs and muffled curses. Wakka, Yuna, and Kihmari scrambled after the scuffling pair as they wrestled around in the middle of the platform. Finally, they detangled themselves long enough for Rikku to recover her stance and lunge at him. With a quick thrust she pinned her claws into his shoulder, eliciting a cry of pain from the stolen body. Holding his shoulder, Chappu flashed a menacing grin, "Beat me up all you want, you're only hurting his body." She gasped in horror as she stared, seeing that her claws had pierced a hole in Auron's shoulder. Suddenly, the voice came again, "Don't worry about my body, you need to attack him enough to weaken his spirit from the flesh so I can get back in there and finish the job myself." Auron's voice rang clear in her head as she frowned in disagreement, "I can't hurt you! You're crazy, you'll die!" The moogle doll stirred and jumped from its place on her back, "I'm dead, Rikku. If I don't go back into my body now, I'll never have another chance. This is the only way...it's...do or die."
Tears welled up in Rikku's eyes as she jumped at the body once more, the claws connecting with the side of his face with a sickening rip. The blood was flowing in several places now and Chappu just laughed. "Destroy the body...what do I care? My body was gone long ago...you're only hurting your friend!" Rikku shot him an icy stare as she wiped the blood and tiny bits of flesh from the blades, "I won't let you play around with his body or my friends' lives any longer! Give Auron back his body, now!" She dove in hard, running the claws straight into his chest, all the way to her knuckles. The sickening crack of his ribcage shattering brought a grim expression to Chappu's face. He looked down at his impalement and turned pale. "You...you'd kill him? Why?" Rikku wiped the tears from her eyes with her free hand, "Because I love him...and no one wants to see the body of the one they love with another. He'd rather be in the farplane than see you use his body to fulfill your self-centered desires." Chappu ripped her arm from his chest and twisted it, pinning it to her back. "Self-centered? I gave my life to the Crusaders. I fought a losing battle to protect the innocent. You call that self-centered? I lost everything I had, and now I got a chance to get it back, ya? You're the only one in the way." He twisted her arm sharply, making her cringe, "Now, drop the weapon and give up...I've got you beat." "Never" she growled, biting her bottom lip to keep from crying out in pain. Chappu glared down at the determined girl, "Feh, Al Bheds...you people never know when to give up, ya?" His hand came down across her cheek, sending her reeling back toward the edge of the platform, holding the side of her face.
She turned from him to hide the tears of pain as her cheek throbbed, but he ran over and grabbed her by the shirt, lifting her from the ground and flinging her toward the other side. Her body flailed in the air, landing to the floor with a thud, causing her ankle to twist beneath her. She whimpered in pain, but straightened to a sitting position and turned her back to him. Pulling two small objects from her hip pockets, she fumbled around a bit to combine the two pieces into a new concoction. She staggered to her feet, favoring her left ankle, and faced him, "That was the problem with the Crusaders, they always stuck to traditional weapons and underestimated their enemy. Don't forget that not all battles are fought with blades and fists!" With that, she tossed the frag grenade she had created and shielded herself from the blast. As the smoke cleared, Chappu lay on the ground, black streaks of gunpowder and burnt flesh covering his skin. His clothing, or in Rikku's eyes, Auron's coat, was charred a sick gray color and was still smoldering as he wobbled to his feet. With a rasping cough, he cleared the dust from his throat. "Nice try, but I'm stronger than that, ya? This guy, Auron, he had a high tolerance for punishment." Rikku growled and dove for her claws, snatching them from the floor and clipping them back to her glove in seconds. "Did you ever think about what this is doing to Wakka? He loves Lulu, and now that you're back, his chances with her are gone...you stole her back. I don't want to see him, or her hurt again...and if I have to kill you again to do it, I will." With that, she dug the claws into his abdomen, pulled them free, and kicked his body over to the edge where the pyreflies began to swirl about. The moogle doll ran over and laid on top of the dying body as the concentration of pyreflies grew around the pair.
Auron found himself suddenly floating in a black void, facing a winded-looking Chappu. He drew his sword and held the blade toward the possessor. "I believe you have something of mine, and I want it back. You have two choices. Leave quietly as you are, or fight and lose. Either way, you will return to the farplane...but I doubt Lulu will want to visit you with your torso severed." Chappu doubled over, panting with exhaustion, "You...you win. I'll go...but, tell Lulu one last time that I love her, ya?" He looked up to the point of light in the void and slowly turned into a glittering swarm of pyreflies. "Tell her yourself..." Auron grumbled as the void slowly closed in around him and he lost consciousness.
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I could end this with one more chapter, but I may drag it out for two. There will be a censored version of the next chapter placed on this site, and the uncensored lemon versions of any further chapters will be on my friend's site (which is listed in my profile).
And to RukiTheSakeFairy: Oac, E tu ghuf Al Bhed...famm, E ghuf ruf du dnyhcmyda ed! mum
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Chapter 8 - True Trial
Even after all the previous hell they had raised in Guadosalam, the group was allowed back into its cold underground chambers to seek out the entrance to the Thunder Plains. As they passed closer to the entrance, Rikku could hear the distant rumble of the thunder and occasionally see one of the brighter strikes illuminate the nearby walls. She cringed at the sound and clutched the moogle tighter to her chest. The others had yet to notice that she was now the bearer of the doll, since Lulu's embrace was usually focused on a more human interest. As they stood before the opening that lead out onto the fractured grounds of the Thunder Plains, Rikku grew more and more nervous about the sounds and sights within. Another loud clap of thunder caused her to shriek and jump back against Kihmari's furry chest. The ronso placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head, "Rikku should not be afraid of thunder, cannot hurt." Tidus kicked at the crusty ground before them and scowled, "Can we please go in and get this over with?" Chappu and Lulu began to walk toward the entrance when Rikku piped up, "We can't all go, it'll distract Tidus. Why doesn't Chappu come with me and Wakka, Yuna and Kihmari and we can show him around Guadosalam? I'm sure Wakka would like a little time to catch up with his brother since Lulu's been hogging him the whole time?" Rikku grinned slightly as Lulu shot her a nasty look.
Chappu opened his mouth to protest, but Wakka grabbed his arm and dragged him in the opposite direction. "Yeah, c'mon bro...we don't need to distract them, ya? Don't think Tidus can take much more 'o those lightning strikes." The group separated the two lovers as Lulu went off to obtain her Sigil and Chappu to spend some quality time with the rest of the party. Rikku looked visibly relieved that they had left the threat of the Thunder Plains and urged the others back toward the middle of Guadosalam where the entrance to the farplane awaited. Wakka played tour guide as they explored the caverns, pointing out various things to the visibly bored and preoccupied Chappu. As they neared the entrance to the farplane and Rikku chimed in. "Y'know, I didn't get a chance to go in there last time," she mentioned, pointing toward the entrance, "can we visit?"
Chappu was the first to protest, "Ah, I'll stay here...too many bad memories, ya?" Rikku shook her head and grabbed Chappu's arm, "Aw, c'mon! You've got to see the inside, the colors are amazing!" He shook his head and jerked his arm free, "I said no. Don't you think I know what the farplane looks like?!" Against her better judgment, Rikku reached into her hip pocket and attached her claws, holding them before her face. "Chappu, I know what's going on...get out of that body and into the farplane...NOW," Rikku growled, flashing the claws at him. He chuckled and held his hands up in surrender, "Guess I can't beat a little Al Bhed girl with a set of claws, now can I?" He gently took her wrist and held her arm down, leaning close to her ear. "So you think you have me figured out, huh? It won't be that easy to get me to leave, not when I've found my happiness again."
Chappu underestimated the young girl's talents as a thief and Rikku quickly escaped his grasp, doing a quick flip over his head to land at his back. With a good shove, she had him sprawling into the farplane entrance in a tangle of limbs and muffled curses. Wakka, Yuna, and Kihmari scrambled after the scuffling pair as they wrestled around in the middle of the platform. Finally, they detangled themselves long enough for Rikku to recover her stance and lunge at him. With a quick thrust she pinned her claws into his shoulder, eliciting a cry of pain from the stolen body. Holding his shoulder, Chappu flashed a menacing grin, "Beat me up all you want, you're only hurting his body." She gasped in horror as she stared, seeing that her claws had pierced a hole in Auron's shoulder. Suddenly, the voice came again, "Don't worry about my body, you need to attack him enough to weaken his spirit from the flesh so I can get back in there and finish the job myself." Auron's voice rang clear in her head as she frowned in disagreement, "I can't hurt you! You're crazy, you'll die!" The moogle doll stirred and jumped from its place on her back, "I'm dead, Rikku. If I don't go back into my body now, I'll never have another chance. This is the only way...it's...do or die."
Tears welled up in Rikku's eyes as she jumped at the body once more, the claws connecting with the side of his face with a sickening rip. The blood was flowing in several places now and Chappu just laughed. "Destroy the body...what do I care? My body was gone long ago...you're only hurting your friend!" Rikku shot him an icy stare as she wiped the blood and tiny bits of flesh from the blades, "I won't let you play around with his body or my friends' lives any longer! Give Auron back his body, now!" She dove in hard, running the claws straight into his chest, all the way to her knuckles. The sickening crack of his ribcage shattering brought a grim expression to Chappu's face. He looked down at his impalement and turned pale. "You...you'd kill him? Why?" Rikku wiped the tears from her eyes with her free hand, "Because I love him...and no one wants to see the body of the one they love with another. He'd rather be in the farplane than see you use his body to fulfill your self-centered desires." Chappu ripped her arm from his chest and twisted it, pinning it to her back. "Self-centered? I gave my life to the Crusaders. I fought a losing battle to protect the innocent. You call that self-centered? I lost everything I had, and now I got a chance to get it back, ya? You're the only one in the way." He twisted her arm sharply, making her cringe, "Now, drop the weapon and give up...I've got you beat." "Never" she growled, biting her bottom lip to keep from crying out in pain. Chappu glared down at the determined girl, "Feh, Al Bheds...you people never know when to give up, ya?" His hand came down across her cheek, sending her reeling back toward the edge of the platform, holding the side of her face.
She turned from him to hide the tears of pain as her cheek throbbed, but he ran over and grabbed her by the shirt, lifting her from the ground and flinging her toward the other side. Her body flailed in the air, landing to the floor with a thud, causing her ankle to twist beneath her. She whimpered in pain, but straightened to a sitting position and turned her back to him. Pulling two small objects from her hip pockets, she fumbled around a bit to combine the two pieces into a new concoction. She staggered to her feet, favoring her left ankle, and faced him, "That was the problem with the Crusaders, they always stuck to traditional weapons and underestimated their enemy. Don't forget that not all battles are fought with blades and fists!" With that, she tossed the frag grenade she had created and shielded herself from the blast. As the smoke cleared, Chappu lay on the ground, black streaks of gunpowder and burnt flesh covering his skin. His clothing, or in Rikku's eyes, Auron's coat, was charred a sick gray color and was still smoldering as he wobbled to his feet. With a rasping cough, he cleared the dust from his throat. "Nice try, but I'm stronger than that, ya? This guy, Auron, he had a high tolerance for punishment." Rikku growled and dove for her claws, snatching them from the floor and clipping them back to her glove in seconds. "Did you ever think about what this is doing to Wakka? He loves Lulu, and now that you're back, his chances with her are gone...you stole her back. I don't want to see him, or her hurt again...and if I have to kill you again to do it, I will." With that, she dug the claws into his abdomen, pulled them free, and kicked his body over to the edge where the pyreflies began to swirl about. The moogle doll ran over and laid on top of the dying body as the concentration of pyreflies grew around the pair.
Auron found himself suddenly floating in a black void, facing a winded-looking Chappu. He drew his sword and held the blade toward the possessor. "I believe you have something of mine, and I want it back. You have two choices. Leave quietly as you are, or fight and lose. Either way, you will return to the farplane...but I doubt Lulu will want to visit you with your torso severed." Chappu doubled over, panting with exhaustion, "You...you win. I'll go...but, tell Lulu one last time that I love her, ya?" He looked up to the point of light in the void and slowly turned into a glittering swarm of pyreflies. "Tell her yourself..." Auron grumbled as the void slowly closed in around him and he lost consciousness.
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I could end this with one more chapter, but I may drag it out for two. There will be a censored version of the next chapter placed on this site, and the uncensored lemon versions of any further chapters will be on my friend's site (which is listed in my profile).