Aurikku4Eva: I think that perhaps this chapter, might finally make you happy.

Krystyn: Thanks for reviewing! Glad you like it even if it does tend towards OOC. Oh well, eh?

Empress-Eerian-Sadow: Thanks again for reviewing. Yep, our little Auron has been changed by love. (Okay so he's not mine, or little, but I think you catch me drift.)

Chapter Seven
Love and Loathing in the Thunder Plains

Auron didn't get that much sleep that night. He kept thinking about how much Rikku loved the woods, maybe he thought, maybe he would talk to Rin. The sun rose and the group set out and all too soon they made it to the Thunder Plains. Rikku seemed to be handling this a lot better than the last time they passed through this way. Auron was happy he didn't have to hear that chilling laugh again.

They started walking through the thunder plains, it was a bout half way through that Auron began to become extremely worried. First of all lightning all though common, wasn't prevalent and two they hadn't encountered any fiends, at all. Last time they came this way, it was packed with fiends. He must of been scowling deeper than normal for Rikku came up next to him.

You worry too much. Here we are in the Thunder Plains and there are no fiends and no lightning.

Something should be here.

You're just a negative nancy!



No longer than they had finished this repore when Rikku's words came back to haunt her. In rapid succession, lightning starting striking all around and then a gigantic fiend popped out of seeming nothingness. Auron ran to catch up to the front and another fiend appear and then another, three giant fiends all trying to destroy the group. They formed a circle, backs together.

Lulu cast flare on one of the fiends. Then the fiend parried a mighty physical attack on her, Lulu was knocked unconscious and dragged to the center. But before Tidus could caste haste on the group Wakka overdrived on the beast that had knocked Lulu unconscious and overkilled it. Kimhari next tried some black magic on one of the two remaining beasts, the flying beast. It retaliated by confusing Yuna, luckily her physical attack didn't do much damage. Tidus was finally able to cast haste on the group. Rikku quickly threw a frost shard at one of the remaining fiends, finishing it off. The last fiend severely injured Tidus before Auron had a chance to finish it off. But finally they were all gone.

But the team was in trouble. Lulu could barely walk, Yuna was thankfully unconfused, but needed rest. Tidus was holding himself up by his sword. That left Auron, and Rikku healthy and a slightly injured Kimhari and Wakka. However before they even had a chance to heal another fiend popped into sight. Auron wasted no time in dispatching this fiend, but another one just popped up out of no where as they continued to travel.

Hurry to Rin's travel agency. Wakka help Lulu, Kimhari help Tidus, Rikku help Yuna. Get across the plains. Go NOW!

Rikku looked up at him and whispered softly, but you promised.

Your duty as a guardian comes first, you are the only other uninjured one. Use an Al Bhed potion and travel as fast as you can, GO NOW! Get them out of the Thunder Plains before none of us leave.

Rikku quickly grabbed Yuna and they started off. Auron briefly thought that perhaps he had been a bit hard on her, but she was the only competent one left, every one else was injured. But he didn't have time to fully explore this thought before another fiend appeared and he set to work.

Auron slowly fought his way across the Thunder Plains. It seemed as if all the fiends that were missing in the first half of the Thunder Plains had appeared in the same spot. There was no rest, no healing, only the sound of his blade as it sliced in and out. Only the feel of dismay as he dispatched another fiends to only have two appear in it's place. Or so it seemed. He also knew that with the group fleeing most of their battles the rest of the fiends that came searching for them, soon came searching for him.

Finally he crawled up the embankment to Rin's travel agency. He was hurt, and poisoned but he had made it and hopefully the rest of the group had as well. He threw open the door and looked at the group. Yuna, Lulu, Kimhari and...and where were the rest of them.

Where are they? Auron thundered.

Yuna was the first to recover from seeing the guardian show any emotion, much less rage.

We were fleeing, but the fiends soon became so numerous that Wakka, Tidus and Rikku decided to try to fight a few to give us time to flee, it's really what saved our lives.

Auron slammed back an X-Potion and an antidote, and dragged his body back out into the storm. As he started back down the embankment into the pit of fiends he saw Wakka and Tidus in trouble. He rushed to their sides and helped them finish off the fiends. Both Tidus and Wakka could barely stand, but they were almost safe.

Where. Is. She. It was not a question is was a command. And judging by the look on both Wakka and Tidus' face he had scared them and showed them just how he earned his title legendary guardian.

She wouldn't move, Sir Wakka tried. We tried to drag her, but she wouldn't leave.

What wouldn't she leave? Auron's voice had gone deadly calm now and as the rain poured down around him and then thunder and lightning surrounded him, he was past angry he was in the state of true anger, fear and rage.

She was doing great against the fiends, if it wasn't for her we would have died, but then lightning struck her again. We gave her a potion, but she refused to leave the rock she was under. We were almost here so we ran and fled until the battle you came across us in. We would have dragged her, but we were in no shape to.

Auron dragged Wakka and Tidus back to the travel agency and without even going in the building left again. He was sore, he was tired, and he was injured. But Rikku was out there, unprotected, in need of help. His Rikku was in danger. His summoner was in relative safety and now had everyone except two of her guardians around her. So he was free to search for her. And search he did, he bounded to the best of his ability across the plains, screaming her name.



Sometime much later, after his voice was almost hoarse, after his body was past the exhaustion point, after he should have given up, he tried on last time.

RIKKU, RI-kku, Rikku her name came out that last time in rasps as he fell to the ground. But a little thing like that was not going to stop him, he dragged his dying body away from Zanarkand and down Mt. Gagazet, he could do this. Slowly he kept crawling along, until he heard the sweetest sound he had ever heard.

Auron, Auron is that you? He looked up and saw his darling girl cowering under a rock. He dragged himself closer and closer. The sight of her made him drag his tired body up to a half standing position and he stumbled closer and closer. Until...

Auron, get down. Rikku screeched. The sheer surprise of it made him drop to his knees and then his Rikku was opening a grenade. Hold up, he knew she was mad but wasn't a grenade taking it a little far. He dropped as fast as he could to the ground as the grenade flew towards...and over him. He heard the sound of an enraged fiend. She threw another grenade.

Come on Auron, I don't have an unlimited supply of these.

Auron restarted his crawling effort for the rock she was cowering under. Ducking every time she unpinned another grenade. But he couldn't make it, he was so close. So close, but his strength gave out about 5 feet from where Rikku was. And then the most spectacular thing happened. To an outsider it would have seemed trivial, but Rikku left the rock she was hiding under and with the thunder and lightning dancing around her ran to his side and helped him under the rock.

They both sat there in shock, they both sat there catching there breath. Auron's shaking hand reached up and offered Rikku a high potion which she quickly drank. He tried to drink on himself but his shaking hand was proving worrisome. And so Rikku grasped it from his hand and feed it to him. Immediate problems over he looked over at Rikku, his Rikku.

I apologize, Rikku. I said I would never--

Hush now Auron, we are both guardians and I think I finally understood what you meant so long ago when you said it. Our summoners come first, I finally understood that.

Auron looked up at her, could it be that she wasn't upset, could it be that she was okay.

But don't you think that once Sin is gone I'm going to let you break a promise to me. And there it was out in the open, the main problem. She assumed they would survive, he assumed he wouldn't. Although it would be a cold day on Besaid before he let her die.

Rikku...I...I care about you. When I finally reached that travel agency it wasn't Yuna's face that I was looking for tonight...it was yours. Auron swallowed and waited for the inevitable, the part where she told him to go away. But it never came.

Really, you looked for me? You didn't look for Yunie? Auron thought that Rikku sounded rather strange as if she was about to cry.

I looked first for you, in looking for you I noticed she was in one piece but I saw that you, Tidus and Wakka were missing.

Did they make it back.

Little one I interrupted my frantic search for you long enough to drag them back the agency.

You, frantic? I don't believe it, the great unflappable Auron was flapped.

Even legendary guardians' worry and all I could think of was you struck by lightning dying while fiends descended and killed you. I thought you were gone. I thought you were dead. At this Auron looked down rather embarrassed.

But then a small hand lifted his chin up and he found himself face to face with her and staring into her eyes. Those eyes that he wanted to possess. This time he didn't stop himself he leaned forward claimed her as his. It wasn't the best kiss in the world and it didn't rate on the most romantic kisses of all time. In fact it was rather awkward but to Auron who had wanted this for so long it was the best kiss in the world, for it was with his Rikku. And she, she was kissing back.

Thunder crashed and lightning struck around them but they didn't move. It was perhaps only when he reached for her hands and found them ice cold that they stopped.

Why didn't you tell me you were cold? Auron softly demanded in a worried tone.

I didn't know I was cold until you brought it up. That was amazing Auron. I've wanted that for so long.

Eh? Auron thought to himself, she's been wanting me to kiss her. Well if I would have know that I would have kissed her long ago, Auron then internally scolded himself. He would have never kissed her if he hadn't thought she had died and he had realized how much he might have lost.

Come here, little one. Let's get you warm. (A/N: not that way you guys, honestly.)

Rikku scooted over. Auron started a fire, and the small cave started to warm up.

I don't think we will be able to travel across the plains at night. The fiends seem to get worse at night, especially since all we can see of them is their eyes.

Auron started to take off his coat to wrap around Rikku.

You can't take that off, if you do, you'll be cold.

I am at least wearing pants.

Can't we share?

Come here then, Auron pulled Rikku's frozen form towards his chest and she settled herself on his lap, we should get some sleep so we are rested for tomorrow morning.

Well then goodnight, Auron, with that she gave him a long kiss goodnight.

Entangled in each other's arms Auron slept all the way through the night.

A/N: well there it was there first kiss! a chapter a little longer than most and with a little fluff. I fear that the rest of this story is going to be rather fluffy. But on the other side of the coin I might end it angsty. (The end is the only part that I haven't finished up yet, all the other chapters are in various stages of proofing and such.) I just don't know. I mean if x-2 wasn't out there I would end it one way, but x-2 does exist and making a slight deviation off of x isn't the same as making a deviation that is totally AU. Grrrr....I don't know what to do.