I am SO sorry that it's taken me so long to update! My computer's been broken and my life's been a living hell. (Then again, one could argue that I never really "had a life" in the traditional sense to begin with, so I suppose the statement 'my life or lack thereof has been a living hell' is more appropriate.) Anyway, now that I've concluded my obsessive-compulsive ramblings, I would like to thank those of you who have decided to stick with me even though you probably figured that I'd either died or run away to Switzerland. Contrary to popular (and well-justified) belief, I do plan on sticking with this story and I hope that you enjoy it!

"Come, Rikku," Auron called impatiently. The girl was now intently ogling at a strange creature that appeared to be a cross between a hypello and a chocobo.

"Is that, um, normal?" Rikku cocked her head slightly as if deep in thought while the unusual critter trotted off after a similarly out of place hybrid of indiscernible origins.

"Everything is normal here."

"Oh, right. Heh, heh..." Rikku chuckled nervously. As soon as the pair was out of sight, she was able to recall the task at hand and sprinted ahead to catch up with Auron.

After about a minute or so (or 30; who can say for sure when immersed in such an environment?), Auron halted abruptly, causing Rikku to collide forcefully with his back.

"Oomph! What was that for? Owwie..." Rikku rubbed her head in pain.

"You should've been paying attention. I stopped for a very good reason."

"Oh, yeah? And what would that be?"

"We've reached the port."

"...Port?" Rikku looked around her, but saw no signs of what the man claimed. "I don't see any boats or even WATER for that matter."

Auron heaved out a deep sigh, his irritation even more evident that before. He remembered that Rikku still had no idea how things worked in this world and that, unfortunately, he was going to have to be the one to explain them to her.

"Not that kind of port. It's a teleport. No one uses ships, machina, or chocobos for transportation here. Everything's done by teleport. It's much more efficient." Making sure not to allow time for questions, Auron spoke the necessary commands and became enveloped in a bright flash of light.

"Hey, wait for me!" Rikku yelled as she hurled herself at the beam and braced herself for what was sure to be an interesting ride.

"AHHHH!!!" Rikku shrieked at the top of her lungs as she found herself being thrust through the air at unimaginable speeds straight towards a large gathering of people.

"Calm down." No inflection whatsoever could be sensed in Auron's tone.

"I, we, AHHHH!!!...huh?" Rikku's body passed directly through the crowd as well as the building behind them.

"See?" Rikku could've sworn that Auron accompanied this snide remark with a proud smirk behind his collar for a split second before returning to his normal expressionless visage.

"You could've at least warned me! Geez..." She remained silent for the rest of the brief journey, although she couldn't help but flinch every time they approached an obstruction.

They reached their destination promptly and the world, previously speeding by, ceased its hurtling roller coaster ride, startling Rikku into falling backward and crashing onto the ground. Refusing to acknowledge Auron's terse fit of snickering, she stood up, wiped herself off, and started walking ahead without looking back.

"May I remind you that you have no idea where you are going?"

"No, you may not." Rikku continued to move forward without pause until she glimpsed Auron turning and traveling in the opposite direction.

"All right, all right! Which way do we go, Mr. Smarty Pants?"

"'Auron' would be just fine, thank you, and Braska lives down this way." He proceeded to take up the exact same path that Rikku had been following just moments before.

"Ooooh..." Rikku growled angrily under her breath. "If he weren't already dead, I'd kill him!"

"Here we are," Auron announced a few minutes later. They had arrived at a quaint little ocean blue cottage that, against all odds, seemed to stand proudly and shine with a certain strength rather than being dwarfed by the intimidating structures that towered over it. Rikku smiled at its unique presence. Even from the little she knew of her uncle, she had pictured something very much like what she now saw before her.

"Can I go ahead?" she asked rather timidly and un-Rikku-like, even under the circumstances.

"I see nothing stopping you." Auron began to head towards the entrance, but Rikku beat him to it. She bounded up the patio steps and knocked eagerly on the door. She was emanating excitement, clearly looking forward to meeting her uncle more than she had originally let on.

However, when her overzealous poundings were finally answered, it was not Braska's warm and welcoming smile that greeted her.

"Hey, Cid's girl!"

Rikku hit the floor for the second time that day.