Chapter Sixteen: Twist The Knife Deeper
Amanda's Ramble:
Amanda: Heyo, peeps. Here's another chapter.
Auron: *rubs head where he's been beaten by fangirls* Ow.
Amanda: You deserve it. Now, on to the reviewers!
Arwen Undomiel: You frighten me, lol. As for Auron being a good-fer-nothin' bastard, well…read on, sweets.
Evrae Altana: Glad you like the twist. *evil laugh* Heh, as for who Ophelia ends up with….you'll have to wait and see. I haven't really decided myself. I thought about splitting the story here, and having two different endings…What do you think?
Auron's Biggest Fan: You show him, there, sweetie. He deserves what he gets, don't you think? *nods*
Ben: *huggles and kisses* Thank you so much! That so made my day! You're the best!
DreamShadow: Yeah, I know about the typo in chapter two. I used to write from Son Amanda's perspective, who was my Dragonball Z original character, and I catch myself doing that a lot. -_-* Heh, I love possibilities, don't you? As for the gang here in the real world….*rubs her hands together eagerly* Oh, do I have evil, evil things planned for them. And hurry up with that story! I wanna read it if it has my three favorite FFX hotties in it! *Auron and Braska and Jecht, OH MY!*
Amanda: That's it this go around.
Auron: Ow.
Amanda: Heh.
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Wakka woke on the couch, disoriented, at about seven that morning. He was cold here, with no cover and the artificial cooling system of the house, and he stood, groping for the shirt he'd tossed off the night before and slipping it on. Ophelia was nowhere to be seen, and Wakka hoped she hadn't gone back to bed next to Auron. He really didn't want to walk up there and find Auron with his throat slit open or appendages missing.
With a yawn he headed up the stairs toward the room he was sharing with Tidus, stopping by Ophelia's cracked door. It wouldn't hurt to have a peek, would it? Surely she wasn't in there. As silently as he could, Wakka eased the door open further and stuck his head in, nodding as he found Auron unscathed and alone. For a moment, Wakka contemplated just slitting the older man's throat and being finished with it, but then shook his head at the gruesome thought. That wasn't like him at all. He closed the door once more and moved further down the hall, not really seeing anything.
"Watch it, Wakka." The words were whispered, but they still carried a venomous sting, and Wakka looked down to see a sleep-mussed Lulu glaring up at him with her blood-red eyes. "You're so clumsy."
Wakka scowled deeply. "But I'm not a man-stealer, ya?" He started to move around her, but she grabbed his arm, her nails biting into his flesh.
"What are you talking about?"
Wakka's eyes narrowed further. "You know exactly what I'm talking about." He jerked his arm from her grasp, inwardly wincing as her nails left deep scratches in his bicep. "What the hell's wrong with you, Lu? You can't have Chappu, so what are you doing? Decided you'd hurt someone else?"
It was Lulu who narrowed her eyes now. "What I do is none of your concern."
"The hell it isn't. So, how long you been doin' it, ya?" When Lulu turned to walk away, he grabbed her shoulder and spun her to face him. "Dammit, Lu, you better start talkin'."
Lulu tried to pull from his grasp, but failed, finally giving a deep sigh. "Very well. Come downstairs. It won't do to wake the others."
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Auron opened his eye and then squeezed it shut again, the guilt still heavy on his mind and heart. How could he have let his guard down like that? With an inward groan he sat up in bed and rubbed his face, letting his feet hit the floor with a thud. How was he going to explain the happenstance to Ophelia, without her utterly losing all faith in him?
He dragged himself into standing and absently dressed, not noticing that one sock was different from the other, or that his shirt was buttoned wrong. What did things like that matter now, anyway?
Damn Lulu. Damn her to the darkest pits of hell. Auron felt his stomach churn again with the guilt and had to steady himself against the dresser. This was her fault, dammit. He'd done nothing but offer her civil conversation. He hadn't dreamed that she would come on to him like that. After all, even whores shied from him, with his monstrous scar that only Ophelia knew the true extent of. He sighed and opened the bedroom door, his pace slow and unsteady. He didn't want to face any of them just yet, but it had to be done.
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Wakka waited in silence until everyone had gone about their business, finally cornering Auron in the kitchen. The older man sat on a stool at the bar, his face in his hands, his gaze focused on nothing and everything all at once. Wakka, after a long moment of indecision, cleared his throat, and the older guardian jerked to life.
"Uh, Sir Auron?" Wakka approached cautiously, wondering if Lulu's fantastical tale could possibly be true.
Auron nodded but said nothing, his gaze leveled narrowly on the young blitzer. Wakka swallowed nervously, not really wanting to start a fight and draw attention to the situation, as it would cause a mess of turmoil and guardians charging out in a search and rescue party…Ophelia would just become angrier.
"Uh, well, you see, Sir Auron, uh…" Wakka trialed off, his gaze focused outside of the window.
"Get on with it, Wakka."
"Ophelia's missing." Wakka finally turned his gaze to the older man, and made a helpless gesture with his hands. "I-uh-well, she's been missing since last night."
"What?" Auron was on his feet in a flash and halfway out the door before Wakka caught him. "Dammit, Wakka, now is not the time to be indecisive."
"I'm not!" Wakka gave Auron a venomous glare, his temper having finally snapped. "She saw. She saw and then she waited till I fell asleep and left."
"She…..saw?" Plain flashed across Auron's face before it was quickly covered by that expressionless mask he most often wore. He turned the scarred side of his face to Wakka and straighted, clearing his throat. "I see."
"So, is what Lulu said true? Was that really the only time she's done that?" At Auron's nod, Wakka shook his head. "How could you let her do that, ya? I mean, it's no secret about you and Ophelia." Wakka's voice was thick with bitterness, and he made no attempt to hide it.
"Indeed."
Wakka felt his frustration mount, and he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his new jeans (a/n. Wakka + Tight Jeans = Yum Yum) to keep from striking Auron. "Dammit, why can't you act like you have feelings for once? It makes me sick to my stomach to think about Ophelia wasting her time on a bastard like you."
Auron turned to face the younger man, for once his expression unguarded. Wakka had never seen such sorrow and betrayal in another's face, and he almost gasped. Auron looked as though he'd aged another ten years over the last five minutes, and his good eye was clouded with pain. "For once, we agree."
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Ten o' clock. Why did that seem to be a good time to return? Ophelia pulled into the driveway and left the suv running, the lights glaring off of the garage door. How would she do this? How would she face the man that had betrayed her heart so blatantly and so callously? With a sigh she cut off the lights and shut off the engine, grabbing her stuff from the passenger seat and stuck the half-done cigarette between her lips. She'd quit smoking a year ago, and was convinced she'd kicked the habit for good, but this….This had been too much.
The cool night air caressed her skin as she made her way up the walk and to the front door, but it offered no comfort to her battered heart. She quickly unlocked the door and entered the foyer, letting the front door slam shut behind her.
Many rapid sets of footsteps became audible from the direction of the living room, and the others charged into the foyer, only to receive a careless wave, their shoulders jostled as Ophelia moved through them, not caring who she might piss off.
The living room was lit only by the tv, which was just as well. Bright lights would give away the fact that she had spent the last nineteen hours crying her eyes out. Dragging an ashtray out of a drawer in the entertainment center, she sat down on the couch and placed the small crystal plate on the coffee table before her, tipping ashes into its pristine middle.
"Where the hell have you been?" Auron's voice was cold, and Ophelia raised her eyes to his, amazed that she could do so, her face carefully blank.
"Out."
Auron's scowl deepened and he shifted his weight to one foot. "That is not an answer."
"And you," Ophelia shot back softly, though her voice was a cold as steel, "are not my father. I don't have to answer to you, or anyone else, for that matter." Her icy gaze swept the others, lingering a moment longer on Lulu.
"Ophelia?" Wakka stepped forward, his gait uncertain, and Ophelia felt a stab of remorse. He was the last one who needed to be treated badly, as he was the only one who knew why she was behaving this way. "Can I talk to you, ya?"
With a sigh and a nod, Ophelia ground out her cigarette and beckoned Wakka to follow her up the stairs. When they had reached her room, she shut the door behind them and let the ice princess façade melt.
"What is it, Wakka?" Her voice was soft and weary, and she gratefully leaned against Wakka when he pulled her to him.
"I talked to both of them today. They know you saw." Ophelia stiffened in his arms, but he held her tight. "I know what really happened, and I think you might want to hear it before you go and kill them, ya?" Ophelia nodded against his chest and he continued. "He hasn't been cheating on you, ya? Lulu came onto him last night. She said that when she kissed him, he pushed her away and nearly slapped her."
Ophelia's head jerked up and she looked ready to protest, but Wakka pressed a finger against her lips. "Listen, okay?" She nodded and he pressed a kiss to her temple. "He told the same story. I believe him, even if I didn't believe Lulu. He don't lie, you know that. No matter how bad it is, he never lies."
"So….." Ophelia's voice was rough with unshed tears, and she bit her bottom lip.
"He's not being unfaithful." Wakka's voice held a sardonic note, and the truth finally occurred to Ophelia. Wakka…liked her? "Go talk to him, ya? It's the best thing you can do right now."
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End of chapter sixteen.
Amanda: Mwahahahahahaha! Lulu's a slut! Or is she? Chapter Seventeen soon.