A/N: Well, here it is, folks, and about damn time too! The next chappie! Yay! Hope you like this one. Lots of craziness going on . . . and lots more to come! So enjoy! Till next time Rhianna

Chapter Seven
I Will Remember You

Part One
When she woke up, she had the strangest feeling. Her mind was muddled, she wasn't really even sure who she was. And yet, she knew that something just felt wrong. She was in an obstinately decorated room, lying in a huge bed amid dozens of soft feather pillows, covered with a thick down comforter.

Such luxury, she thought. It seems – odd. Why did she have this image in her head of a small and cozy room, decorated not with fancy pieces of artwork, but with friendly, smiling photographs? And instead of pillows, dozens and dozens of stuffed animals – where was this image coming from?

She shook her head and rubbed her temples, hoping desperately to clear some of the cobwebs from her mind. It was then that a tall, strangely familiar man entered.

Blue hair? Veiny? Why does he seem so familiar – but unfamiliar? Like – I've seen him in photographs maybe?

"Thank Yevon that you have returned to us, love." The man spoke in a very gentle voice, but the voice seemed to mask something, seemed to have a darker undercurrent.

Love? The thought flew through her mind. This man is my love? It seems – wrong. So wrong. And yet – I don't know! "I'm sorry," she said meekly. "I – I don't remember you. I – don't remember anything, really."

Seymour smiled sympathetically at the girl. "Oh, my poor darling," he said, crossing the room and sitting beside her on the bed. "You have been in a coma for nearly a month. We were fearful that you would not return to us at all. But here you are – with just a bit of amnesia. That's all." He put his arm around her, and she instinctively wanted to pull away. But she didn't know why.

"Rikku," he said, and her head jerked up to look at him.

Rikku! That's my name! Relief flooded through her body to have regained this tiny -- but crucial -- piece of her identity. "Yes?" she asked timidly.

"You do not remember me?" Seymour asked, thoroughly enjoying every minute of this game.

"No. I'm – sorry," Rikku apologized.

"No need to apologize," Seymour said breezily, waving his hand in dismissal. "I am your fiancé, Seymour Guado."

The name was familiar. Rikku finally smiled. She did have a very vague remembrance of being in love – and this must be why! "What – what happened to me, Seymour?" she asked cautiously.

Seymour had been waiting for this. He had rehearsed what he would say over and over again until he was sure that the delivery of the words was absolutely perfect. This was the coup. This was where he hammered the final nail in to LaGuard's coffin.

His eyes clouded over. "A damn crooked cop from Bevelle kidnapped you. A man named LaGuard. He's an evil, sadistic bastard who has always been jealous of everything I have. He wanted to use you to get to me, because you are my most prized possession." For good measure, Seymour took Rikku's hands into his own. "You tried to escape, and one of his goons clubbed you over the head, knocked you unconscious. Luckily, we found you when they took you to the hospital. We were so relieved when you were returned to us."

"Us?" Rikku asked.

"The whole household," Seymour said, gesturing grandly. "Everyone here adores my future bride. Now that you're awake, the wedding can be held on Saturday, as planned."

Rikku smiled, unable to help herself. The fact that she was back where she belonged, and that there was to be a wedding soon – her wedding – made her feel happy. And Seymour seemed genuinely kind, and as though he really cared for her. She just wished, for his sake, that she could remember more.

And if only she could quell the uneasy feeling in her stomach, everything would be perfect.

Part Two
The chocobos were all dead. Every last one of them. Clasko had never felt rage before, but he was pretty sure that he was feeling it now. "That lousy son of a shoopuf!" Clasko muttered as he tried to fight the tears back.

And Rikku! Clasko had willingly handed over a perfectly decent and good person to that monster – all to save his birds. And Seymour had killed them any way. Clasko could only imagine what he planned to do with Rikku.

"I could go to Bevelle," Clasko decided. "I could tell the police – sure, they'd be mad I kidnapped her at first, but I think I'd get immunity for confessing and helping them." Clasko had an affinity for talking to himself when he was flustered.

It used to be, he had talked to his chocobos. But Seymour had seen to the end of that. With resolve, Clasko set his chin high and prepared to make a trip into the city.

As he was walking out of the barn, he saw something shiny on the ground. He went to examine it, and saw that it was Rikku's bracelet – the pretty emerald one she had been wearing when he had kidnapped her. He stuck it in his pocket. "Now they'll believe me for sure. It's proof that I have seen her!"

Part Three
It's fucking horrible, Lulu thought to herself on Day Fifteen. There had been no ransom note, no telephone call, nothing. And Rikku had been gone for over two weeks. Yuna was practically catatonic, and Auron had apparently decided that drinking himself into a stupor was the best way to handle the situation. Lulu had seen this pattern in him before -- right after Jecht and Braska had died. She hadn't been able to stop it then, but hopefully she could do something about it now.

Every night, he went home and drank until he passed out. And then, to get rid of the hangover in the morning, he'd drink his breakfast. And he figured carrying a flask around all day couldn't hurt either. Anything to keep him from having to think lucidly about the horror of the present situation.

Rikku could be dead – probably was dead by this time. And nobody had any ideas, nobody had any leads. And even if it was Seymour – he'd be long gone by now. He'd eluded the authorities for so long, it was just another hobby to him.

Auron was at home on the evening of Friday, Day Seventeen when there was a knock at the door. Standing up, he ignored the fact that the room seemed to be in a perpetual state of motion, and staggered to the door.

Lulu stood on the other side, arms crossed in front of her in an impatient manner. Auron opened the door.

"Lulu, great," he slurred. "You're just in time for a drink."

Lulu glared at him and pushed past him into the apartment. She ignored the reeking stench of alcohol that invaded her nostrils as soon as she entered. She marched straight over to the bottle of Jack Daniels on the table and proceeded to pour it down the drain. Then she opened every cabinet in the kitchen until she discovered all the other bottles of liquor, and she dumped them all too.

When she was finished she looked Auron squarely in the eye. "Are there any others?" she said coolly.

"What the fuck, Lulu?" Auron spat. "Why'd you do that, you stupid bitch?"

Lulu let the remarks slide off her back. She knew he was shit-faced – had been shit-faced for the past week. "Because you're completely fucking worthless to us right now, LaGuard. You're our top detective, but you haven't been able to detect anything here lately, you've been so damned trashed."

"Mind your own fucking business!" Auron roared.

"This is my fucking business," Lulu shot back hotly. "Because this is my case too, and Rikku is my friend also! You're not the only one who's worried about her! You're not the only one who's scared. Yuna's terrified, but have you been there for her? No, you've been too busy getting plowed! I came here to knock some fucking sense into your head, Auron! Rikku needs you to be strong now, and sober."

"She's probably fucking dead by now, Lulu, for fuck's sake!" Auron snapped.

Without thinking, Lulu reached back and slapped Auron – hard – across the face. And then she did it again. And again. And again. He staggered back, apparently shocked, but his eyes seemed a little less glassy, and he seemed a little more together.

"We don't know that she's dead yet, Auron," Lulu hissed, fighting back the tears that were forming in her eyes. She'd be damned if she was going to let him see her cry now. "And you are damn lucky that I am the only one you've said that to. Because if you had said that around Yuna, I probably would've fucking killed you."

Auron stood back and regarded Lulu solemnly. He knew what she was saying was the truth, and he knew he'd been acting selfish. He'd just never expected anyone to actually call him on it.

Lulu stared him down, not backing down, not even blinking. Then, wordlessly, she went to the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee.

An hour later, they were sitting at the kitchen table, going over every possible scenario in their head. "We know Seymour used to hang out at the Omega Ruins, but last time Wakka and I went there, the place was empty, so he's obviously moved on by now."

"We're still not entirely convinced that Seymour's even behind this," Auron pointed out. The coffee – and the slapping – had done wonders in sobering him up, but now he felt like he was going to be sick.

"You're right, but until I know differently, he's my number one suspect," Lulu said. "But I don't know why – if it is Seymour – he'd go for Rikku. I mean, he doesn't know a whole lot about her."

Auron shrugged. "Why does Seymour do a lot of the things he does? We don't know. He's purely psychotic, that's all that we do know."

They talked awhile longer, and then Lulu's cell phone rang. Frowning, she looked at the number that had popped up and smiled a bit to herself. "Wakka?" she said into the mouthpiece.

Auron only heard her side of the conversation, and it didn't consist of much.

"Okay, Wakka, we'll be right there," Lulu said finally. She ended the call and turned to Auron. "Wakka's working the late shift tonight, and he said some guy just came in. This guy says he's seen Rikku."

Auron jumped up and grabbed his jacket and followed Lulu out the door. They were both hoping against hope that this wasn't a false lead, and that they would find Rikku soon – safe and sound.

What none of them knew was, at that precise moment, Rikku was in the midst of a flurry of last-minute details, preparing for her wedding at one p.m. the next afternoon.

And everyone was powerless to stop it.