Hi! Sorry I've been a while, I had a load of assignments piled on all at once – I hope to be updating more regularly now.

Chapter 5 – Rescue

Using the grips on her padded gloves, Rikku silently maneuvered her way up the shoopuf and onto the cabin. Tentatively, she peeked over the top with her 'scope. There were six visible heads poking up above the edge. Only two, however, were female.

Well, that narrows it down! Rikku thought enthusiastically, figuring that the slender dark-haired teenager was her cousin. Laughing, the subject of her attentions turned around, a genuine smile etched across her face. Wow, she's so beautiful! So grown up . . . The last time Rikku and Yuna had met, Rikku had been three. Even then little Yuna had played the polite, calm mediator.

Lowering the 'scope, Rikku cautiously inched over to the side of the box occupied by her cousin and a fierce-looking Ronso. The cabin quaked, rocking on its supports – Brother, don't do that! You'll give the game away! - and everyone stood up nervously, including Yuna.

Rikku's guess as to her identity was confirmed when she took in the delicately embroidered summoners robe and slender staff. "Sit down!" Ordered a stern'looking man in a heavy red coat. Rikku tensed and prepared to leap.

The impact as Rikku and her captive summoner hit the water drove the air out of their lungs. Yuna flailed, eyes wide with horror, as the shock from the sudden change from cool air to sub-zero water took hold. After a brief struggle, the girl went limp in Rikku's arms, exhaling as she lost consciousness.

"Tysh ed!" Rikku shouted into her oxygen tube, panicking. Stupid! I should have anticipated this! Taking a deep breath, she removed her mouthpiece and inserted it into Yuna's mouth, which easier than she had expected, as Yuna's jaw had gone slack. Struggling to get to the Extractor before her breath gave out , Rikku swam hard, slowed by Yuna's weight.

Seemingly hours later, they reached the hulking contraption. Rikku slammed her fist into the switch that would drain the water from the entrance cell, and gasped in the air that was now filling the watertight holding cell, hunched over.

Carefully she laid her prisoner onto the floor, and crouched down beside her, awaiting her return to consciousness. "Hey Yunie! It's me, your cousin Rikku, d'you remember me?" Rikku murmured, taking her hand. Sighing she continued to talk to the motionless figure laid out on the floor. "I s'pose not, it's kinda been a while, hey? Anyway, you're safe with me! We'll be taking you to Home, and the you'll abandon your pilgrimage and live with us, and you'll be safe, and it'll all be ok!"

THWACK! The holding cell shuddered under the assault. Running into the control room, Rikku checked the tinted screen to find the cause of this unexpected turbulence.

Hey! It's Tidus! I'm so glad he's ALIVE! Rikku rejoiced silently, recognizing the blitzer she and her salvage crew had rescued from the ruins of the Baaji Temple.

Biting her lip worriedly, Rikku watched as one of the guardians she'd seen on the shoopuf – a flame-haired islander armed with a blitzball – swam into view to take a swipe at the Extractor. So that would make Tidus a guardian?! Tysh!

"BROTHER!" She screeched. Brother came running into the room. "What did you do, Rikku?! The whole thing's shaking like a water flan!" Squinting crossly at him, Rikku marched her brother over to the viewing screen and pointed out their predicament. ". . . oh." Brother said matter of factly.

Spinning to face Rikku, he then asked, in an annoyingly imperious fashion, "So what are you going to do about it?" Rikku stood on her toes and gave him the most intimidating glare she could muster. Brother continued to grin arrogantly at her. "URGH!" She snarled in exasperation, placing her heels back on the flooring.

Stomping towards the controls, she switched on auto-pilot, and then battle mode. "Come on!" Rikku cried, waving an extravagant hand. "We got some repairs and missile equipping to take care of!"

Sitting forward, Rikku tapped furiously at the controls, as Brother tried vainly to fend off the endless damage that the engines were receiving. The Mana Beam was almost ready to launch yet another devastating attack! "You guardians are SO gone!"Rikku chirped happily, disregarding the fact that there was no one actually in close enough proximity to hear her.

Tidus went into Overdrive and began his attack. Rikku's finger hovered above the switch that would launch the Mana Beam. 10 . . . 9 . . . 8 . . .

Suddenly, the Mana Beam's power gauge shut off. Huh? What's going on? Did they cast curse or something? Rikku fretted. The answer was soon provided when the lights and viewing screen also blanked out. Oh cred . . . There was a sound of shattering glass, and then silence.

"Brother . . . ?" Rikku called quietly, afraid to disturb whatever force was holding the remainder of the Extractor together. Carefully, she stepped into the lobby. She removed the seal that held the door to the engine rooms. The door opened with such force that Rikku was almost thrown off her feet. Water swept in! Slamming the door shut, Rikku slid to the ground, pitting her weight against the water pressure as she resealed the air-tight doors.

CRED! The engine room's broken off! BROTHER!!!!! Oh Fayths, is he ok?Maybe he made it out, before . . . ?". . . Brother." Rikku whispered desolately, not expecting an answer. Instead, she was greeted by an ominous creak from the ceiling.

"Oh shit!" Rikku swore, horrified, glancing up at the reinforced steel walls, which looked as though they were about to buckle. She cast about wildly, looking without hope for the emergency kit. Or the first aid kit. Or maybe a lifejacket would be good.

The emergency exit was cut off – it required power to open the door, and even the backup system had busted when Tidus had delivered the final blow. Arrrgh . . . I can't believe this! Brother designed this pile of crap himself – he told me he'd done all the necessary safety precautions – that we'd be invincible – dammit, he said it'd be SAFE!!!

The tortured iron's creaking and moaning had ceased. "Uh oh . . ." Rikku said softly, as the first screw surrendered to the enormous pressure. It hit the ground with a sound so fatally final that Rikku screamed.

Tidus and Wakka swam desperately towards the surface, splitting the task of carrying Yuna between them. Seamless teamwork! Tidus thought with a triumphant grin. Spira's never seen the threat that could stop us now!

They continued to push up, and suddenly their heads exploded into the air. "BOOYA!" Wakka shouted, doing a victory punch whilst trying to tread water and keep Yuna afloat. He looked like an idiot. "YEAH!" Tidus shouted exuberantly. Yuna sputtered to life as the fresh air shook off her previous inanimate state.

Victorious, the three swam back over to their comrades, who were leaning anxiously over the side. They slowed the pace a little, though, 'cause Yuna wasn't that great a swimmer.

Without warning, the water back where they had surfaced arced up in a great mushroom cloud. The machina had finally imploded.

Rikku screamed as she was bombarded with flying shards of metal. Water rushed in and jagged chunks of scrap metal dragged her down still deeper, now so deep she'd never reach the surface. Terrified of being incased in the claustrophobic metal coffin that was threatening to engulf her, Rikku struggled to escape, and when freed swam furiously towards the sky.

The sky . . . can I . . . can I reach? Her tired mind queried, before relenting to the black wave of exhaustion that swept over her.

Somewhere close to the west bank of the Moonflow, a bedraggled and waterlogged Rikku, seemingly an infinitesimal speck against the vast land, rose unsteadily to its feet with a groan. Unable to hold herself up, she fell back into the soft, muddy sand. And a pool of blood, which she failed to notice.

Feebly, Rikku dug her nails into the mushy ground, and with much effort, pulled herself weakly along in an army-crawl of a kind. After an hour had passed, she had managed to drag herself the 100m to shore.

I'm alive?! She thought disbelievingly. YES!!!! Now was the time for a victory dance, but there was no strength left in her. She collapsed on the sandy bank.

As Rikku lay there a while, the adrenaline rush triggered by the need to survive faded, and she became aware of a sharp, stabbing pain in her shoulder. Lifting her head to check it out, an agonizing shock of pain rippled through her, and she retched, vomiting into the sand. Bracing herself, she tried again, ignoring the cloudy haze that fogged her vision.

NO WAY! Her mind screamed in protest as she took in the long, wickedly sharp metal shard that pierced her flesh all the way through, right below her left shoulder blade.

Fighting off the urge to scream, Rikku collapsed back onto the sand, nauseous. How . . . how did I miss THAT?! She puzzled, disinterestedly. I've come this far, fought my way out of my iron tomb and watery grave, and I'm gonna die now because I got a metal SPLINTER!!! No way. She thought furiously.

Gritting her teeth, Rikku forced herself into a sitting position, swaying slightly, with teeth clenched, eyes shut tight and face contorted with pain. When the initial shock of pain had worn off, she opened her eyes and searched with a shaky hand for a healing item of any kind. All had fallen out except one vial.

Bringing it up to her face, she examined the small glass bottle carefully, trying to figure out what it contained with her fogged mind. Yes! Now what were the chances?! "An X-Potion! YES!!!" She shouted, elated.

Carefully, she wrapped the fingers of her left hand around the end of the metal spear protruding from her shoulder. Steadying her herself with her right hand, she ripped it out. Overcome with pain, Rikku fell back into the ooze, crying quietly.

Feeling around blindly for the miraculous potion, she enclosed it with her fist and brought it to rest on her stomach. Rikku pulled the cork out, and poured the potion into the wound. There was the sound of sizzling flesh, a holy light, and the wound slowly closed up, leaving no trace of its existence but a small, circular scar.

Her mind regained most of its former clarity, and gladly she drank the last dregs of the potion that had saved her life.

Feeling like herself again, Rikku jumped up and punched the air, yelling delightedly. "Eat that, Yevonite bastards!" She crowed. "We Al Bhed don't kill easily!" Walking over to a shady place close to the shore, Rikku sat. Her body was wracked with a jaw-breaking yawn, and she lay down beneath a tree and exhaustion from her ordeal overtook her.

Ok, so I'm pretty much sticking to the story line . . . for now. Please review!