Summary: Tidus x Rikku. Yuna x Auron. An alternate take on the story that is Final Fantasy X.
Spoilers: Final Fantasy X
Disclaimer: Square Enix rocks my world. Hopefully, they won't find this or they will...do bad things to me. I'm only playing!
Author's Note: I've already established that Sandra is evil. This is the part that prompted her to bug me to start posting this. This is for all you Tikku fans out there. :)
**
This is My Story by danakate
First Posted: 2004-02-01
Scene 01 - Where Tidus Doesn't Fall off the Al Bhed Ship
"Sin is come!" a voice cried.
"Under us! Under us!" another exclaimed.
Tidus looked from one Al Bhed to another, not understanding their agitation but knowing something was wrong. And then a huge wave crashed over the sides of the ship and Tidus felt the large boat tilt sharply.
"Whoa!" he cried out as he slid across the deck. He tried to grasp the rapidly approaching handrail...and missed.
Tidus flailed as he started to fall overboard. He thought he heard Rikku cry out and had just enough time to see her lean over the railing, reaching out to him, before he went underwater.
Rikku, having been brought up to be prepared for anything, pulled out a sturdy clip attached to a tether around her waist and quickly secured the line to the railing.
"Well, here goes!" she thought before leaping after Tidus. "Gotta get to him. I promised I'd get him to Luca!"
Executing a perfect dive, Rikku pierced through the rough waters and found Tidus quickly. She saw his eyes widen in surprise as she grabbed one of his wrists.
"Hmm, he's been underwater for a while, yet still conscious...not bad," Rikku mused.
Tidus managed to pull closer to Rikku, his other hand wrapping around the tether line to keep them close. He looked up as the surface of the water quickly approached. They broke through, gasping for breath.
"Thanks!" Tidus said. "That was close."
"Told ya I'd help you out," Rikku said with a wink.
Before Tidus could reply, Sin passed by again and another wave approached.
"Hold on tight!" Tidus exclaimed. They were dangerously close to the hull of the ship and, at the speed they were moving, bound to crash into it.
Suddenly, Rikku found herself intertwined with Tidus, her face pressed against his chest as he held her close to him, arm securely around her waist.
"Here we go!" he shouted. They both had just enough time to take a deep breath before becoming submerged once more.
The waters were rougher this time and Rikku found herself being yanked this way and that. Tidus still held onto the tether line, which was probably a good idea. The pull was so strong she was afraid it would break. Of course, it still might, but she didn't think about that particular scenario. She just hoped that she could keep hold of Tidus. If he broke away from her...she didn't want to think what might happen if he were to go tumbling off into the open sea with these currents.
Rikku tried to look around and see where she was in relation to Sin and the ship. She saw a large object moving away from their position. It was Sin. She hoped it had decided to leave them alone.
But then Rikku looked behind her.
"Yeowch!" she thought, brow furrowing in worry. They were on a rapid collision course with the ship's hull. And if something didn't change quickly, Rikku was going to become an Al Bhed pancake. Literally.
Tidus eyed the fast approaching hull and tried to gauge their speed. He figured if he moved at just the right time, he could maneuver himself between Rikku and the ship rather than the other way around.
Rikku started to brace herself for the inevitable impact when she felt Tidus move, shifting his arms as if to get a firmer grip on her. Looking up at him, she was surprised to see an expression of total concentration on his face.
Suddenly, Tidus swiveled his hips and swung his legs around in a powerful move he'd learned while training for blitzball. He'd reversed his and Rikku's positions, but they'd turn again unless he balanced their momentum. Swiveling the other way, he was able to keep Rikku away from the ship's hull. Which was just about the time his back greeted it at high speed.
Rikku had no time to react to her sudden change in position when she slammed into Tidus. It took all of her strength not to panic and try to breathe...but then she felt air bubbles brush past her face. Blinking rapidly, her heart sank as she saw Tidus's unconscious face lolling from side to side, hair sweeping across his forehead. No doubt he had inhaled a good deal of water. She had to get him out of the sea and fast. Kicking furiously, Rikku managed to swim to the surface of the water with Tidus in tow.
"Rikku!" a voice called. "Rikku!"
"Over here!" she waved to the Al Bhed leaning over the side of the ship.
"You okay?" he called.
"Yeah, but he got knocked out!" Rikku called, pointing to Tidus. "Pull us in, will ya?"
The Al Bhed nodded and, finding the tethered line, began reeling Rikku and the unconscious Tidus back to the ship.
"He inhaled a lot of water..." Rikku said as they were dragged onto the deck.
The Al Bhed roughly turned Tidus on his side and gave him a hard slap between the shoulder blades.
"Hey! Be careful!" Rikku cried out, eyes wide.
The Al Bhed merely looked at her as Tidus convulsed and threw up a lungful of sea water.
"Eww..." Rikku winced, scooting away from him slightly.
"All better," the Al Bhed said and started to walk away.
"Oh, no you don't," Rikku replied, getting angry. She flung a leg out, catching the man behind the knees, and made him fall to the deck.
"Bring him inside," she demanded. "He helped us find the airship for Pops, now it's our turn."
"Keh," the man scoffed, but he complied, hauling Tidus over his shoulder.
Rikku rolled her eyes and followed them inside the ship, making sure he didn't "accidentally" slam Tidus's skull into the bulkheads.
*
"Rikku!" Tidus called out, announcing his return to the world of the conscious.
"Wha-? Where?"
He was in a small room, presumably on the Al Bhed ship he'd been on. Tidus blinked several times, trying to clear his head. He attempted to sit up and turn when he heard the sound of squeaking metal and immediately regretted it.
"Oh, you're finally up!" Rikku greeted, poking her head into the room. "How do you feel?"
"Uh, really bad," Tidus managed, holding his head as the room spun. He somehow managed not to crash back on his bed.
Rikku bit her lip, her brow wrinkling in concern. "You had a rough time, what with being near Sin twice already and, you know, slamming into the hull like that."
"Not to mention nearly drowning and then being tossed around like a rag doll," she thought. Rikku decided to keep that particular thought to herself.
She stepped fully into the room, carrying what looked to be a box of some sort.
"I brought some Al Bhed medicine that should help," she said, approaching Tidus.
It was at that very moment Tidus realized he wasn't wearing much of anything other than the sheet on his bunk.
"Uh, where are my clothes?" he asked, not quite looking at Rikku.
"Drying," Rikku managed, blushing slightly and getting shifty-eyed but looking anywhere but directly at Tidus. "We had to...take, uh, your...clothes...in order to, you know, check you for wounds."
"You did?" Tidus squeaked.
"Oh, no, no, not me!" Rikku replied, waving a hand frantically. "But, I am here to check on you," she continued, smiling sweetly.
"Er..." He blushed...and immediately felt stupid.
"How's your back?" Rikku asked. She turned and put her box on the small table bolted in the corner of the room and opened it to reveal a myriad of bottles and jars. She started rummaging through it.
Unconsciously, Tidus shrugged his shoulders and winced in pain. "Feels like I was thrown out of a blitzball sphere and landed flat on my back."
"Uh, well, I guess it was sort of like that," Rikku remarked, glancing back at him. "The hull of this ship isn't exactly soft."
"Ah ha!" She exclaimed a moment later and held up a jar of something like a prize. "This salve should help, though."
"Ok..." Tidus, still not quite sure what was happening, modestly wrapped the sheet around his waist as best he could before turning so his back was toward Rikku.
He missed the wince on Rikku's face, for not only was his back bruised from colliding with the ship, but there was the slight outline of a handprint where her Al Bhed acquaintance had smacked him. She would have to deal with that one later, though.
Rikku shook her head to clear her thoughts and gently began applying the salve to Tidus's battered back.
"Um, I wanted to say thanks," she said, suddenly becoming shy. She was glad he couldn't see her face.
"For what?" Tidus said, staring intently at the bulkhead in front of him.
"For protecting me," Rikku explained. "You didn't have to do that. Why did you? Now you're all hurt."
Tidus resisted the urge to shrug. "It just seemed like the right thing to do. I didn't want you to get hurt. I mean, after all, you've helped me a lot so far...and you don't even know me."
It was Rikku's turn to shrug, though Tidus couldn't see her. "Well, you didn't seem like a bad person. I can tell these kinds of things about people...call it a gift."
"I hope I don't prove you wrong," Tidus said, smiling to himself.
"You better not!" Rikku threatened, playfully slapping him on the back. And then she remembered exactly why it was she was there.
"Ow!" he hissed.
"Ahh!" Rikku exclaimed. She was really glad he wasn't facing her. "I'm so sorry! I got carried away..."
"It's ok, really. I just...wasn't expecting it," Tidus assured, teeth only slightly clenched. And it was true...sort of...if he ignored the stinging sensation.
Rikku bit her lip and concentrated on spreading the salve evenly on his back. She didn't quite trust herself to say anything that wasn't completely stupid, so she said nothing at all. Finally, she replaced the cap on the salve jar and clapped her hands together.
"There, all done! How does it feel?"
Tidus gingerly moved his shoulders forwards and back. Rikku watched, an eyebrow raising in interest as she followed the movement of his skin.
"Wow, I can hardly feel a thing," he replied in awe, turning to look at her.
"Good, that's how it should be. The salve should numb the pain for a bit while your body heals itself naturally. You probably shouldn't sleep on your back, though...you'll rub off all the salve," Rikku explained.
"Yes, ma'am!"
Rikku couldn't contain a giggle. Tidus smiled at her.
"Um, d'you need anything right now?" Rikku asked, turning serious.
"I don't think so, but I have a lot of questions," Tidus said. "Could we talk later, maybe?"
"Sure! You're probably pretty tired now, huh?" Rikku remarked, noting the droopiness of Tidus's eyes.
"Yeah, I guess everything is sort of catching up to me," Tidus replied with an apologetic smile. And then his face nearly split as a humongous yawn overtook him.
Rikku giggled again. "No problem. You rest up and I'll check on ya later. You're our guest now!" she said cheerfully.
"Thanks, Rikku. For everything," Tidus stated and he meant it, his expression was completely serious.
A moment passed and they just looked at each other. Rikku's ever-present smile faltered momentarily.
"Like I said, no problem. Sleep well!" Rikku said suddenly and made her escape.
*
Outside Tidus's room, Rikku leaned up against the door and willed her cheeks to stop burning.
"No time for this, Rikku," she chided herself. "I gotta convince Pops to go to Luca."
She headed off to the cargo bay where her father would most likely be, lusting after the old airship relic they'd found, and thought up a plan to take Tidus to Luca.
*
Tidus remained looking at the door to his room long after Rikku had departed. Finally, he released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"This just keeps getting weirder and weirder," he thought to himself. "I swear, if I ever find Auron, I'm so kicking his ass."
--
TBC
Revision History:
2004-02-11 - Cleaned up and added words. My goal in life is to have this story have scenes that are at minimum 2,000 words.