A/N: Okay, I loooove how this chap turned out, and I hope you guys do too! XD Everything is getting shifted now, and I hope you will all bear with me until the end, I promise to make it worth your while! Thanks so much, and ... if you want to see what happens sooner, click that "Review" button (wink,wink)! I love you guys! Rhianna :)

Chapter Fourteen
Scars

Part One

She was happy. She woke up the next morning with a bright smile on her face, and a new hope in her heart. Somebody loved her enough to want to spend the rest of his life with her! And not just any somebody – her somebody. The one that she wanted to be with for forever and beyond.

She woke up and looked to her right, where Wakka lie sleeping. He looked so cute and peaceful, his mouth hanging open slightly. Rikku grinned and bent over to kiss his forehead ever so gently.

His eyelids fluttered open and his brown eyes found her green ones. "Mornin'," he said sleepily.

"Good morning," Rikku whispered, not able to keep the smile off her face.

"Is it time to go?" Wakka mumbled, returning the smile.

Rikku shook her head. "Not yet. I just can't sleep any more. I'm gonna go see if Yunie's awake yet," she told him. "I think she'll be happy with the news. You go back to sleep, I'll come and get you later."

Wakka rolled over and went back to sleep without further protest.

Sighing, Rikku climbed out of bed and got dressed quietly. She tiptoed out to the lobby, and was disappointed to see that she was the only one awake.

She wandered over to the small breakfast bar that the Inn provided for travelers – what few there were on Mt. Gagazet – and decided upon a flaky pastry of some sort and a glass of juice. She carried her food over to one of the small tables and had just sat down with it, when someone called her name.

"Rikku!"

Her head snapped in the direction of the gruff voice, and she was surprised to see Sir Auron, standing near the doorway of the Inn.

"Sir Auron! G'morning!" she said cheerfully. "I thought I was the only one up."

Auron nodded his head in the direction of the door. "Come. I want to show you something."

Puzzled, Rikku stood up and followed the Legendary One to the door. "Um, it's cold out there, Sir Auron," she protested meekly.

"Trust me." He opened the door and held it, ushering Rikku out with a nod of his head.

"Okay, you're the boss," Rikku said, stepping out into the chill air of the mountain village.

"Wow." Rikku's breath hitched as she beheld the scene before her. Last night, when the party had arrived at the inn, it had been cold and the wind had been biting. The sky had been overcast and snow had been blowing in all directions.

Today, it wasn't like that. There was no wind, and the sun was actually shining. The snow that had been blowing the night before had settled into a pristine white blanket that covered the ground as far as the eye could see. In the sunlight, the ground sparkled and glittered. It was even more beautiful here than it had been back in Macalania.

"Wow, it's really beautiful here," Rikku stated, staring out across the unblemished purity of the landscape.

Suddenly, several thousand feet away, directly opposite the inn, a shimmering body of the bluest water Rikku had ever seen seemingly appeared out of nowhere. I'm finally going crazy. Rikku stared at the mirage, utterly baffled. "Uh, where did that perfectly unfrozen lake come from? I swear it wasn't here just a minute ago."

Auron followed her gaze, sucking in his breath at what he saw. I'll be damned, he thought. Out loud, he merely said, "It's magic."

At first, Rikku thought he was kidding. "Right, a magic lake, that just appears out of nowhere," she said dryly. "What's it do? Transport you to a land far, far away from here?"

"Go to it," he told her.

"What?"

"Go. To. It," he said, firmly this time, the look in his eyes leaving no room for argument.

Sighing and rolling her eyes, Rikku crossed the distance to the lake. "Okay! I'm here!" she called back.

Auron followed her at a more leisurely pace. When he reached her side, he looked down at her. "Go ahead. Touch it."

Rikku gave him a look that clearly stated that she thought he'd gone quite mad. "It's just water. That appeared out of nowhere, but still, just water. And it's probably cold as all get-out."

"Just do it," he told her, exasperated.

"Fine." Rikku knelt down and was surprised to find that the ground at the edge of the lake was not cold. On the contrary, it was warm, like the beach, or the desert. Slowly, she reached her hand into the water, which seemed to be shooting out light from all different directions, like a multi-faceted gemstone. As soon as her fingertips touched the water, she felt power and light course through her being.

Her eyes widened in amazement. "I feel it," she whispered. "The magic – it's like it's all here. In this water." She pulled her fingers out of the water and just stared for what seemed like eternity.

"I had always thought it was just a myth, until this morning," Auron commented.

"What?" Rikku asked, reluctant to stand up.

"It's called the Lake of the Forgotten. It's the most pure source of magic in Spira. Only two people in every millennium ever see it. Seems that we are very lucky, Rikku."

Rikku looked up at Auron, completely bemused. "I don't really understand," she said in a quiet voice. "It's what?"

"The Lake of the Forgotten," Auron reiterated. "Basically, magic in its purest form. It appears only briefly, once every thousand years, before two people who have been deemed 'worthy.' And it never appears in the same place twice."

"So, we're worthy? Worthy of what, exactly? This doesn't make any sense. Why would it choose us and not Yunie and Tidus? I mean, it would make more sense for a lake of such amazing power or whatever to appear before the summoner, wouldn't it?" Rikku stood up then, hands on hips, and looked at the older guardian, her eyes demanding answers. "Wouldn't it?"

Auron looked at her thoughtfully. "You touched the water … you've been bestowed with a powerful gift from the gods. I don't know exactly what it is, because it is different for every person, but at some point in your life, you will find out."

Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the lake disappeared, leaving only a small, perfectly round, prismatic blue stone in its stead. Auron knelt and picked it up. "Skystone," he said thoughtfully. He held it out to Rikku. "Stone of promise and renewal. This is yours. Part of your gift. Hold onto this. It will come in handy someday. Perhaps it is a blessing of your impending marriage?" He smiled slightly.

Rikku accepted the tiny pebble, and stuck it into one of the pouches that she wore around her waist. "You know about that?" she asked, as they walked back toward the inn.

"Wakka told Lulu and I last night. I would gather that congratulations are in order?"

Rikku smiled. "Yeah, I guess so." She took a deep breath. "Wow, I mean, it seems so strange to be talking about stuff like this, you know? I'm getting married. Someone actually wants to marry me."

"You act as if you are surprised," Auron said.

"Well, I am, a little. I'm an Al Bhed, and there's this complete and total Yevonite in there, who says I'm the one thing he can't live without. I just hope – I hope that I don't disappoint him, you know?" Rikku said, a little sheepishly. She was still feeling a little woozy from the close contact with the magic. "I'm not perfect, not even close. You know that." She laughed when Auron smirked. "And I feel guilty, too."

"Guilty? About what?" Auron asked, genuinely concerned.

"Yunie," Rikku said quietly. "I have no right being happy right now. Not when we are marching her off to her death, you know?"

"Rikku, listen to me," Auron said. They had reached the inn by now, but Auron stopped outside the door before going in. "Yuna is not going to die. Nobody here is going to let that happen. I can't tell you how I know this, I just know it. You are all going to walk away from this, and there will be no more Sin. Do you believe me?"

Rikku looked up at him. If Sir Auron said it, it had to be true, didn't it? It was a written law somewhere, she was sure. Sir Auron was many things, but a liar was not one of them. "I want to believe you. I don't see why you'd lie to us – to me. So yeah, I guess I believe you." She grinned, flashing her dimples at him. "But you better be right, or else …"

She blinked as she looked up at the guardian. He was looking at her with the strangest expression on his face. So intently, as if he was memorizing her face or something. "Just … be happy, Rikku," he finally said in a very low voice.

She found herself unable to look away. Finally, she shook her head, as if to snap out of the reverie she was in. It had to be the Lake of the Forgotten … the magic, it was messing with her mind. "Silly, Sir Auron. I'm always happy!" she said, hoping her voice sounded normal. She turned to the inn. "Thank you for the lovely morning," she said with a tiny curtsy. "I won't be forgetting this any time soon, that's for sure."

She quickly entered the building, leaving Sir Auron standing alone outside. Biting her lip, she blinked back unexpected tears. What the hell was that? She wondered. Oh, right. It was magic. Nothing more. Just … magic.

Part Two

"You actually saw the Lake of the Forgotten?" Yuna's eyes were wide with fascination when Rikku regaled her with the tale later that morning. "That's amazing. I mean, imagine. Wakka proposed to you last night, and this morning, you and he saw the mystical lake! Why, that's a blessing from above for your marriage! You know that when two people see the lake, it means that …"

"Yuna." Sir Auron's voice interrupted Yuna's excited stream of chatter.

Rikku looked back and forth between the two of them, confused. "What does it mean, Yunie?" she pressed her cousin to go on, curious now as to why Sir Auron would stop the story.

Yuna blinked, unaccustomed to being snapped at by Sir Auron. "I – I don't actually remember," she mumbled lamely. "There are lots of different legends. I don't understand why Sir Auron is snapping at me," she said in a quieter voice.

"Lady Yuna," Sir Auron said gravely. "Would you please come with me?"

Yuna's eyes widened in horror. "Oh, no," she whispered. "I – I didn't

mean to make him mad!"

"It's okay, Yunie," Rikku said with a reassuring smile. "Sir Auron's bite is much worse than his bark." Seeing Yuna's shock, Rikku rethought her statement, and then giggled. "Oops, I mean, his bark is much worse than his bite. Sorry, Yunie! That magic, it made me feel funny."

Yuna sighed and walked over to where Sir Auron stood. She hated when she got on his bad side, which didn't happen very often, thankfully. "I'm sorry, Sir Auron," Yuna began apologizing immediately. "I don't understand, though, why you won't let me tell Rikku what seeing the Lake means."

"Rikku did not see the Lake with Wakka this morning, Yuna," Sir Auron said, rubbing a hand over his forehead as though he were tired.

"But that's impossible!" Yuna hissed. "The two who see the Lake, must have a bond of some sort. You know as well as I do, that the two who see the Lake are bound to each other from that point on."

"She received the Skystone," Auron told Yuna.

Yuna blinked. "The stone of promise and renewal? The rebirth stone?"

"Precisely," Auron said.

"How do you know all this? It's as if you …" Yuna's hand flew to her mouth, the pieces finally falling into place. "Oh, Sir Auron. But … but what does this mean? I mean, why would she get the rebirth stone? Most people get the Firestones or the Oceanstones … you know, prosperity and good fortune or happiness and peace. I've never ever heard of anyone receiving a Skystone. They were said to be a myth."

Auron shrugged. "I don't know, but I can assure you that this stone was no myth."

"Rikku … does she know what the stone means?" Yuna asked.

"Only the promise and renewal part. I didn't mention the rebirth. It … it is better not to burden her with such worries now," Auron confessed.

Yuna nodded. "Rikku's been given the power of life … actual life after being sent. That is an enormous responsibility." She paused. "But that is not what concerns me. She will know what to do when the time is right. It concerns me that you and she saw the Lake together. What does this mean for her future? With Wakka?"

Auron stared out the window of the inn for a long moment, and then turned to look back at Rikku. She was sitting with Wakka, and they were holding hands, looking very much in love.

Auron sighed deeply. "I honestly do not know, Yuna. I hoped to spare her any unnecessary heartache, but it seems that the gods have other plans for us."