Love Through Jealousy
By Natsue Arishima
Chapter Two: Pact
With every booming crash, Rikku curled herself into a tighter ball, willing herself to ignore the flashes of lightning and roars of thunder. The light danced across her eyes, behind her closed eyelids, refusing to go away. She snapped at them, waved them off, but to no avail. Another clamor of thunder and she stifled a scream, stuffing a fist into her mouth and clamping a hand over her ears.
Stupid stupid Seymour. He could have been nice for once and waited... but no. He just had to be the bastard that he always was and now... they were in the Thunder Plains. And she wanted out.
Part of her was glad that Seymour that left. She was nervous about Yuna's answer, whether it'd be yes or no. Who would wanna marry that blue-headed creep? But... knowing Yuna, she'd probably say yes...
Lifting her head slightly, green eyes partially hidden by blond bangs, Rikku relaxed, and was about to stand up when another a jolt of lightning and a crash of thunder flickered past the window. She gave off a yelp and dived under a nearby table, her knees to her chest. Her arms over her head, the Al Bhed lapsed into silence.
She suddenly perked up when she heard a familiar voice. Peeking her head out from under the table, she smiled and jumped up. "Rin!"
The man turned towards her, slightly surprised and in a conversation with Tidus, who tried not to smile as he saw her under the table.
Waving energetically at them, Rikku started to head over, but twitched as another roar of thunder passed overhead, and lunged for Tidus's waist, clutching on tightly. The blitzball player looked surprised and gently attempted to pry Rikku's fingers off of his body, but she looked up at him and hardened her grip.
Tidus finally sighed and gave up. "But if I bruise, it's entirely your fault."
She attempted a cheerful smile and reluctantly let go. She was being foolish, she knew, and she needed to stop. As a flash of lightning ghosted past the window, she stiffened and remained upright, but her legs couldn't help but shake.
Looking around, she headed over to the silent Ronso, who flicked his tail to tell her that he was listening.
"Hey Kimahri!" She placed on a bubbly smile, but squeaked again as thunder pulsed against her ears.
Kimahri looked at her and then down to his arm, where she was holding for dear life. "Rikku scared?"
She nodded.
"Kimahri sometimes scared too."
Rikku blinked in surprise and then grinned. "Really?" She hugged his arm with her free hand, never loosening her grip. "That's nice to know." She was surprised to see there was a pained expression on Kimahri's face. "What's wrong?"
"Kimahri arm numb."
"Oh... right." She laughed weakly and let go of his arm. "Sorry Kimahri."
Walking around the room again and trying not to wince, Rikku suddenly frowned. Where was Yuna? She started to head over to the bedrooms but stopped and changed her mind. Maybe… just maybe... she should let Yuna be alone this time. And besides, she mused, watching Tidus head towards the bedrooms, she'd already have company.
There was no one else to talk two. Wakka and Lulu were no where in sight. And Auron… Where was he? She gazed around the room and saw him in the far corner, barely visible, blending so easily with the darkness.
"Auron?" she piped up, walked up to him. His eye peered up casually over his glasses and onto her face. When he realized who it was, he merely grunted in reply.
"We're Mr. Grumpy today, hmm?" Rikku stuck out her tongue, but lost her smugness as lightning once again flashed through the window, and she found herself on her stomach, grasping Auron's leg.
She suddenly blushed as she realized her mistake. Auron raised an eyebrow at her, amused at her dark red cheeks, and she quickly let go, turning instead to sit next to him, fidgeting slightly and playing with her hands.
"We'll be leaving soon," he muttered in his low voice. "You'd best get ready."
"What?" Rikku exclaimed, jumping up. "So soon? Couldn't we stay here a bit longer... please?" She gave him one of her most pitiful expressions and Auron crossed his arms over his chest, not pleased. "Who would have thought that a guardian would be afraid of thunder," he murmured, more to himself.
Rikku pouted, crossing her arms as well. "If you were struck by a lightning spell then you'd be afraid too!" She tried to seem angry but failed miserably as her senses took over her again and she hung onto Auron's sleeve, eyes shut and trying to block out the booming sounds.
He didn't pull away, but repeated his previous phrase. "We'll be leaving soon. If you're scared, you're free to go."
Rikku's eyes opened in surprise at his fierceness but winced again at lightning. "You're so mean, you know that?" she muttered into his arm, in a slightly uncomfortable position as his sake jar was digging sharply into her hip. "Can't you be nice for at least a few minutes?"
The legendary guardian stood up and Rikku tumbled onto the floor. He looked down at her and scoffed; turning around, he quickly walked away.
For the first time, as she watched his retreating back, Rikku forgot all about thunder.
+++
Shielding his eyes from the bright flashes of light, Wakka continued trudging through the rain. Behind him, the lights of the rest stop flickered with joyful welcome, but he ignored them and took a few more steps, his eyes on a dark figure a few feet away.
"Lu?"
The black mage stood still, as if not noticing the person behind her. Wakka swallowed, feeling dumber than ever as he stood behind her, watching the way the rain slid down intricately tied braids and down her smooth neck, through the matted fur lining of her dress.
God she was so beautiful.
"Lu?" he asked again, now besides her. As if in slow motion, Lulu turned her head towards him, her braids sliding from her pale shoulders, her eye concealed by ebony colored bangs. Her flushed lips parted slowly as she drew in air, and Wakka suddenly didn't know what to say.
He noticed her pale skin and motioned his head backwards, towards the warm lights. "It's cold, ya? You should get inside."
Her crimson eyes were on him, but they were still so distant and cold. He felt like waving his hand in front of her face to see if she'd notice, but resisted. Something told him that that wasn't the right thing to do.
Around them, the lightning flickered in a never-ending dance, in time with the roars of thunder. It suddenly felt unreal, like watching it all behind another person's eyes. He could almost see himself standing next to the black mage, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. His spiked hair no longer stood up in the way that he liked, hanging slightly to one side. And beside him, a dark silhouette with blazing eyes. Lulu...
Lulu's Onion Knight looked at him with dark eyes, and Wakka was suddenly struck with a thought. What if the Knight was Lulu's eyes? What if she could see only through them...? What if her eyes didn't work anymore, only there to gaze endlessly at the plains around them?
That'd be freaky.
He knew that he should be inside, along with the others and thinking about Yuna, but he couldn't. He needed to make sure Lulu was safe first.
There was a crackle and Wakka looked up. His eyes widened. "Lu...!"
Lightning came down from the sky directly on top of them, and Wakka was too surprised to move. Where was his blitzball when he needed it? But it wasn't like a blitzball could stop a bolt of lightning...
Lulu didn't even look up. Raising her hand above her head, she shut her ghostly eyes and a sliver of electricity erupted from her fingers, colliding with the bolt of lightning.
Wakka breathed a sigh of relief as the light faded, but was surprised at Lulu's sharp voice as she turned to face him again. "Why are you out here?"
He blinked, fingering his arm guard and eyeing her furious face, before stammering, "I-I was just seeing... if -"
"I can take care of myself, Wakka," she snapped, her grip tightening on her doll. "I'm not that weak. It's not like I'll drop down dead if I'm unsupervised for just a few minutes."
Wakka narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms. "Lu -"
"I need to concentrate," Lulu interrupted. She tried to reassure herself that she wasn't lying - she did need to concentrate. Her magic skills weren't just going to grow powerful by themselves. She secretly didn't know why she was so angry, but snapping and being cold came so easily to her. Wakka's company was nice, actually, but... it just wasn't the same... "I'll come inside later."
There was another boom of lightning above her, and she heartlessly countered it with one of her own attacks. What number was she on? She had lost track. Back to one again. So much for getting two hundred in half an hour.
The blitzball player stared at her quietly for a few minutes before turning around again, heading back to the rest stop. Eyes now hidden by orange hair, he stopped abruptly, almost near the door.
The silence stretched on for a moment, and Wakka closed his brown eyes. Well, that was surprising. He felt stupider than ever. Who would have thought that Lulu'd have such a sudden outburst.
Was he really that annoying?
Swallowing, his eyes suddenly blazed with anger that he hadn't felt for a long time. "Hey Lu, chill, ya?" His voice was surprisingly cold, and even he himself was shocked. But there was no turning back now. Wordlessly, he reached forward and grabbed the door handle; there was a click and he headed inside.
After she heard the door close behind her, Lulu sighed and shut her eyes, falling onto her knees. Her Onion Knight looked up at her, and though it had no voice, its question was clear.
Are you crying?
With the rain pouring gently on her face, mingled with her own tears, Lulu shook her head. Was she? She didn't know anymore.
+++
Rikku sat by the window in silence, watching a rejected Wakka drag himself inside, drenched and freezing. Hell, he was practically turning blue. She bit her lip as she noticed his angry eyes and was surprised to see the usual smile wiped off his face. Why was he looking so down?
She peered outside the window, hoping for an answer, and was rewarded with the silhouette of the black mage, her graceful figure bent slightly as she crouched on her knees with her head bent.
The Al Bhed turned back to look at Wakka and then towards Lulu again, as if following a blitzball volley. Then a smile of understanding crossed her face and she quickly stood up, forgetting about her previous rejection from Auron and following the wet blitzball player into his room.
It seemed as if she wasn't the only one having love issues here.
Her brain quickly jumped into action, and a smirk lit her features as she silently trailed an obvious Wakka into his room.
She'd get Auron after all. Oh yes...
Once inside, she closed the door behind her with a snap, and Wakka turned around, surprised. "Rikku? What you doing in here?"
She blinked and then grinned. "I followed you in here. Didn't you notice?"
He shrugged, and she half expected him to smile like he usually did, but he didn't. Instead, he wearily grabbed a towel hanging on a nearby hook and started drying himself off, starting with his hair.
Rikku jumped on his bed, bouncing several times before resting on her stomach, her head placed on her folded arms and legs hanging over her back. Sighing in content, she looked at him squarely in the eyes. He shifted uncomfortably - that was always Rikku's look before she received some sort of brilliant idea, not always good - but found that he couldn't look away.
Her smile widened and there was a bad feeling in his gut...
"What's up?"
He nearly fell over. That was a sudden question.
"Nuthin," he mumbled, trying to forget his previous encounter and sitting down on an armchair, taking off his shoulder guard and hanging it up to dry.
"Really?"
Damn her eyes, Wakka cursed. It was as if she could look through anything. He felt that he couldn't lie to her. Either way, she'd find out in the end.
"That's right, tell me everything." Rikku smirked, and Wakka attempted a small smile.
"Fine. Waddaya wanna know?"
The Al Bhed pretended to be thinking hard, her eyes scurrying around the room, before she looked back at him and smiled mischievously. "Tell me about... oh... let's see... tell me about Lulu."
Wakka found a sudden interest in his pants, brushing away the crinkles a bit too earnestly and unable to hid his burning cheeks.
Rikku blinked, her green eyes sparkling with amusement. She never would have thought it possible for someone's face to match the color of their hair. She had been obviously wrong, staring at a furiously blushing Wakka. She could barely even distinguish his hairline from his forehead.
"Hey... breathe!" She snapped her fingers to get his attention, and Wakka looked up, his blush fading away immediately. "Well? What about her? Tell me!"
He shrugged, and Rikku was surprised at how quickly his emotions could change. "Nothing much. Just old friends, ya?"
"... You're weird, you know that?" Rikku raised an eyebrow. "Just old friends, are we now?"
The buff blitzball player nodded, smirking at her. "What? You thought Lu and I had a thing?" His blitzball popped out of nowhere and he twirled it on the tip of his index finger, still staring at Rikku curiously.
The Al Bhed stared at him for a long time and then sighed. "Look. I'll be honest with you. I know you like Lulu. It's so obvious."
Wakka raised an eyebrow, but Rikku cut him off before he could respond.
"Listen. There's nothing wrong with that, so calm down." She pushed herself up, jumping off the bed and standing in front of him. Now it was her turn to blush. "Well... I've... uh..." She fidgeted, and took a deep breath. "I... IhaveathingforAuron," she finished in a rush.
Wakka looked at her, surprised, and then smiled wryly. "What? I'm sorry, I didn't hear that." He tapped his ear, mocking deafness. "Say that again, will ya?"
She whacked his head with the back of her hand. "You heard me clearly enough! But... the two of us have something in common. You like Lulu, but she claims that she doesn't like you, correct? And with Auron... well, he just treats me like a pile of crap."
Wakka rubbed his ear. "You're point? Stop dragging, ya?"
"I know Auron doesn't feel the way he acts. I'm not that stupid. And Lulu... she has feelings for you too." She ignored Wakka's disbelieving scoff. "And in times like these... jealousy can be a useful ally..."
The blitzball player raised an eyebrow again, starting to dry his face. "And your point?"
Rikku smirked, grabbing his towel and lowering herself onto his lap. Surprise lit his features, but a flicker of mischief ghosted past his eyes as Rikku slowly took the towel and pressed it against his lips. "I see what you're goin' at," Wakka muttered, his voice muffled against the cloth.
"Well then, I guess you're smarter than you look," Rikku whispered, her eyes glinting. But she suddenly became serious. "We can't let any of the others know that we're faking, even if it's Kimahri. And it has to be persuasive... You know, just to push the others a bit in the right direction..." She let her sentence trail into silence.
He blinked and then smiled, a pair of crimson eyes flaring in his mind. "Sure, whatever. And Rikku, mind getting' up? I can't feel my leg no more."
**********
A/N: Chapter two up! Sorry if it seemed a bit awkward near the end, but I needed to do that to push this story along. Hehe... But anyhoo, please R&R! (And thanks to all of you who reviewed for my previous chapter. I personally thought that my idea wasn't good enough to get any reviews, but guess not, huh? Thankies!)
--Natsue Arishima
By Natsue Arishima
Chapter Two: Pact
With every booming crash, Rikku curled herself into a tighter ball, willing herself to ignore the flashes of lightning and roars of thunder. The light danced across her eyes, behind her closed eyelids, refusing to go away. She snapped at them, waved them off, but to no avail. Another clamor of thunder and she stifled a scream, stuffing a fist into her mouth and clamping a hand over her ears.
Stupid stupid Seymour. He could have been nice for once and waited... but no. He just had to be the bastard that he always was and now... they were in the Thunder Plains. And she wanted out.
Part of her was glad that Seymour that left. She was nervous about Yuna's answer, whether it'd be yes or no. Who would wanna marry that blue-headed creep? But... knowing Yuna, she'd probably say yes...
Lifting her head slightly, green eyes partially hidden by blond bangs, Rikku relaxed, and was about to stand up when another a jolt of lightning and a crash of thunder flickered past the window. She gave off a yelp and dived under a nearby table, her knees to her chest. Her arms over her head, the Al Bhed lapsed into silence.
She suddenly perked up when she heard a familiar voice. Peeking her head out from under the table, she smiled and jumped up. "Rin!"
The man turned towards her, slightly surprised and in a conversation with Tidus, who tried not to smile as he saw her under the table.
Waving energetically at them, Rikku started to head over, but twitched as another roar of thunder passed overhead, and lunged for Tidus's waist, clutching on tightly. The blitzball player looked surprised and gently attempted to pry Rikku's fingers off of his body, but she looked up at him and hardened her grip.
Tidus finally sighed and gave up. "But if I bruise, it's entirely your fault."
She attempted a cheerful smile and reluctantly let go. She was being foolish, she knew, and she needed to stop. As a flash of lightning ghosted past the window, she stiffened and remained upright, but her legs couldn't help but shake.
Looking around, she headed over to the silent Ronso, who flicked his tail to tell her that he was listening.
"Hey Kimahri!" She placed on a bubbly smile, but squeaked again as thunder pulsed against her ears.
Kimahri looked at her and then down to his arm, where she was holding for dear life. "Rikku scared?"
She nodded.
"Kimahri sometimes scared too."
Rikku blinked in surprise and then grinned. "Really?" She hugged his arm with her free hand, never loosening her grip. "That's nice to know." She was surprised to see there was a pained expression on Kimahri's face. "What's wrong?"
"Kimahri arm numb."
"Oh... right." She laughed weakly and let go of his arm. "Sorry Kimahri."
Walking around the room again and trying not to wince, Rikku suddenly frowned. Where was Yuna? She started to head over to the bedrooms but stopped and changed her mind. Maybe… just maybe... she should let Yuna be alone this time. And besides, she mused, watching Tidus head towards the bedrooms, she'd already have company.
There was no one else to talk two. Wakka and Lulu were no where in sight. And Auron… Where was he? She gazed around the room and saw him in the far corner, barely visible, blending so easily with the darkness.
"Auron?" she piped up, walked up to him. His eye peered up casually over his glasses and onto her face. When he realized who it was, he merely grunted in reply.
"We're Mr. Grumpy today, hmm?" Rikku stuck out her tongue, but lost her smugness as lightning once again flashed through the window, and she found herself on her stomach, grasping Auron's leg.
She suddenly blushed as she realized her mistake. Auron raised an eyebrow at her, amused at her dark red cheeks, and she quickly let go, turning instead to sit next to him, fidgeting slightly and playing with her hands.
"We'll be leaving soon," he muttered in his low voice. "You'd best get ready."
"What?" Rikku exclaimed, jumping up. "So soon? Couldn't we stay here a bit longer... please?" She gave him one of her most pitiful expressions and Auron crossed his arms over his chest, not pleased. "Who would have thought that a guardian would be afraid of thunder," he murmured, more to himself.
Rikku pouted, crossing her arms as well. "If you were struck by a lightning spell then you'd be afraid too!" She tried to seem angry but failed miserably as her senses took over her again and she hung onto Auron's sleeve, eyes shut and trying to block out the booming sounds.
He didn't pull away, but repeated his previous phrase. "We'll be leaving soon. If you're scared, you're free to go."
Rikku's eyes opened in surprise at his fierceness but winced again at lightning. "You're so mean, you know that?" she muttered into his arm, in a slightly uncomfortable position as his sake jar was digging sharply into her hip. "Can't you be nice for at least a few minutes?"
The legendary guardian stood up and Rikku tumbled onto the floor. He looked down at her and scoffed; turning around, he quickly walked away.
For the first time, as she watched his retreating back, Rikku forgot all about thunder.
+++
Shielding his eyes from the bright flashes of light, Wakka continued trudging through the rain. Behind him, the lights of the rest stop flickered with joyful welcome, but he ignored them and took a few more steps, his eyes on a dark figure a few feet away.
"Lu?"
The black mage stood still, as if not noticing the person behind her. Wakka swallowed, feeling dumber than ever as he stood behind her, watching the way the rain slid down intricately tied braids and down her smooth neck, through the matted fur lining of her dress.
God she was so beautiful.
"Lu?" he asked again, now besides her. As if in slow motion, Lulu turned her head towards him, her braids sliding from her pale shoulders, her eye concealed by ebony colored bangs. Her flushed lips parted slowly as she drew in air, and Wakka suddenly didn't know what to say.
He noticed her pale skin and motioned his head backwards, towards the warm lights. "It's cold, ya? You should get inside."
Her crimson eyes were on him, but they were still so distant and cold. He felt like waving his hand in front of her face to see if she'd notice, but resisted. Something told him that that wasn't the right thing to do.
Around them, the lightning flickered in a never-ending dance, in time with the roars of thunder. It suddenly felt unreal, like watching it all behind another person's eyes. He could almost see himself standing next to the black mage, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. His spiked hair no longer stood up in the way that he liked, hanging slightly to one side. And beside him, a dark silhouette with blazing eyes. Lulu...
Lulu's Onion Knight looked at him with dark eyes, and Wakka was suddenly struck with a thought. What if the Knight was Lulu's eyes? What if she could see only through them...? What if her eyes didn't work anymore, only there to gaze endlessly at the plains around them?
That'd be freaky.
He knew that he should be inside, along with the others and thinking about Yuna, but he couldn't. He needed to make sure Lulu was safe first.
There was a crackle and Wakka looked up. His eyes widened. "Lu...!"
Lightning came down from the sky directly on top of them, and Wakka was too surprised to move. Where was his blitzball when he needed it? But it wasn't like a blitzball could stop a bolt of lightning...
Lulu didn't even look up. Raising her hand above her head, she shut her ghostly eyes and a sliver of electricity erupted from her fingers, colliding with the bolt of lightning.
Wakka breathed a sigh of relief as the light faded, but was surprised at Lulu's sharp voice as she turned to face him again. "Why are you out here?"
He blinked, fingering his arm guard and eyeing her furious face, before stammering, "I-I was just seeing... if -"
"I can take care of myself, Wakka," she snapped, her grip tightening on her doll. "I'm not that weak. It's not like I'll drop down dead if I'm unsupervised for just a few minutes."
Wakka narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms. "Lu -"
"I need to concentrate," Lulu interrupted. She tried to reassure herself that she wasn't lying - she did need to concentrate. Her magic skills weren't just going to grow powerful by themselves. She secretly didn't know why she was so angry, but snapping and being cold came so easily to her. Wakka's company was nice, actually, but... it just wasn't the same... "I'll come inside later."
There was another boom of lightning above her, and she heartlessly countered it with one of her own attacks. What number was she on? She had lost track. Back to one again. So much for getting two hundred in half an hour.
The blitzball player stared at her quietly for a few minutes before turning around again, heading back to the rest stop. Eyes now hidden by orange hair, he stopped abruptly, almost near the door.
The silence stretched on for a moment, and Wakka closed his brown eyes. Well, that was surprising. He felt stupider than ever. Who would have thought that Lulu'd have such a sudden outburst.
Was he really that annoying?
Swallowing, his eyes suddenly blazed with anger that he hadn't felt for a long time. "Hey Lu, chill, ya?" His voice was surprisingly cold, and even he himself was shocked. But there was no turning back now. Wordlessly, he reached forward and grabbed the door handle; there was a click and he headed inside.
After she heard the door close behind her, Lulu sighed and shut her eyes, falling onto her knees. Her Onion Knight looked up at her, and though it had no voice, its question was clear.
Are you crying?
With the rain pouring gently on her face, mingled with her own tears, Lulu shook her head. Was she? She didn't know anymore.
+++
Rikku sat by the window in silence, watching a rejected Wakka drag himself inside, drenched and freezing. Hell, he was practically turning blue. She bit her lip as she noticed his angry eyes and was surprised to see the usual smile wiped off his face. Why was he looking so down?
She peered outside the window, hoping for an answer, and was rewarded with the silhouette of the black mage, her graceful figure bent slightly as she crouched on her knees with her head bent.
The Al Bhed turned back to look at Wakka and then towards Lulu again, as if following a blitzball volley. Then a smile of understanding crossed her face and she quickly stood up, forgetting about her previous rejection from Auron and following the wet blitzball player into his room.
It seemed as if she wasn't the only one having love issues here.
Her brain quickly jumped into action, and a smirk lit her features as she silently trailed an obvious Wakka into his room.
She'd get Auron after all. Oh yes...
Once inside, she closed the door behind her with a snap, and Wakka turned around, surprised. "Rikku? What you doing in here?"
She blinked and then grinned. "I followed you in here. Didn't you notice?"
He shrugged, and she half expected him to smile like he usually did, but he didn't. Instead, he wearily grabbed a towel hanging on a nearby hook and started drying himself off, starting with his hair.
Rikku jumped on his bed, bouncing several times before resting on her stomach, her head placed on her folded arms and legs hanging over her back. Sighing in content, she looked at him squarely in the eyes. He shifted uncomfortably - that was always Rikku's look before she received some sort of brilliant idea, not always good - but found that he couldn't look away.
Her smile widened and there was a bad feeling in his gut...
"What's up?"
He nearly fell over. That was a sudden question.
"Nuthin," he mumbled, trying to forget his previous encounter and sitting down on an armchair, taking off his shoulder guard and hanging it up to dry.
"Really?"
Damn her eyes, Wakka cursed. It was as if she could look through anything. He felt that he couldn't lie to her. Either way, she'd find out in the end.
"That's right, tell me everything." Rikku smirked, and Wakka attempted a small smile.
"Fine. Waddaya wanna know?"
The Al Bhed pretended to be thinking hard, her eyes scurrying around the room, before she looked back at him and smiled mischievously. "Tell me about... oh... let's see... tell me about Lulu."
Wakka found a sudden interest in his pants, brushing away the crinkles a bit too earnestly and unable to hid his burning cheeks.
Rikku blinked, her green eyes sparkling with amusement. She never would have thought it possible for someone's face to match the color of their hair. She had been obviously wrong, staring at a furiously blushing Wakka. She could barely even distinguish his hairline from his forehead.
"Hey... breathe!" She snapped her fingers to get his attention, and Wakka looked up, his blush fading away immediately. "Well? What about her? Tell me!"
He shrugged, and Rikku was surprised at how quickly his emotions could change. "Nothing much. Just old friends, ya?"
"... You're weird, you know that?" Rikku raised an eyebrow. "Just old friends, are we now?"
The buff blitzball player nodded, smirking at her. "What? You thought Lu and I had a thing?" His blitzball popped out of nowhere and he twirled it on the tip of his index finger, still staring at Rikku curiously.
The Al Bhed stared at him for a long time and then sighed. "Look. I'll be honest with you. I know you like Lulu. It's so obvious."
Wakka raised an eyebrow, but Rikku cut him off before he could respond.
"Listen. There's nothing wrong with that, so calm down." She pushed herself up, jumping off the bed and standing in front of him. Now it was her turn to blush. "Well... I've... uh..." She fidgeted, and took a deep breath. "I... IhaveathingforAuron," she finished in a rush.
Wakka looked at her, surprised, and then smiled wryly. "What? I'm sorry, I didn't hear that." He tapped his ear, mocking deafness. "Say that again, will ya?"
She whacked his head with the back of her hand. "You heard me clearly enough! But... the two of us have something in common. You like Lulu, but she claims that she doesn't like you, correct? And with Auron... well, he just treats me like a pile of crap."
Wakka rubbed his ear. "You're point? Stop dragging, ya?"
"I know Auron doesn't feel the way he acts. I'm not that stupid. And Lulu... she has feelings for you too." She ignored Wakka's disbelieving scoff. "And in times like these... jealousy can be a useful ally..."
The blitzball player raised an eyebrow again, starting to dry his face. "And your point?"
Rikku smirked, grabbing his towel and lowering herself onto his lap. Surprise lit his features, but a flicker of mischief ghosted past his eyes as Rikku slowly took the towel and pressed it against his lips. "I see what you're goin' at," Wakka muttered, his voice muffled against the cloth.
"Well then, I guess you're smarter than you look," Rikku whispered, her eyes glinting. But she suddenly became serious. "We can't let any of the others know that we're faking, even if it's Kimahri. And it has to be persuasive... You know, just to push the others a bit in the right direction..." She let her sentence trail into silence.
He blinked and then smiled, a pair of crimson eyes flaring in his mind. "Sure, whatever. And Rikku, mind getting' up? I can't feel my leg no more."
**********
A/N: Chapter two up! Sorry if it seemed a bit awkward near the end, but I needed to do that to push this story along. Hehe... But anyhoo, please R&R! (And thanks to all of you who reviewed for my previous chapter. I personally thought that my idea wasn't good enough to get any reviews, but guess not, huh? Thankies!)
--Natsue Arishima