Me... I don't show much
It's far too hard to make you see in a moment
I still forget just how to be all you wanted
I couldn't ever love you more
I couldn't love you more
I couldn't love
You want me to cry and play my part
I want you to sigh and fall apart
We want this like everyone else...

-"End of the World" by The Cure

I felt... odd.

I was moving, that much I knew. And I could hear the others talking, just small snitches of their conversations that didn't make a bit of sense to me. But I couldn't see, and I couldn't speak, and I couldn't comprehend a bit of what happened.

All I did was float in a fuzzy fog for what felt like ages.

"I don't have enough magic to heal her!" Yuna's voice reached faintly into my brain. She was panicing, I think. But why would she be panicing? I mean, other than the fact that she was doing a little suicide march to save us all, because even I would panic because of that. Even though, honestly, I'm doing the same thing. How many guardians come back after their summoners are gone?

Zilch. Zip. Zero.

Except for Mr. Wonderful, who happens to always be the exception.

"Focus, Yuna. What about potions? Who has potions?" Lulu said through the fog. Hell, I have a potion. But I only have one... who needs it? I tried to blink open my eyes, to volunteer my bit of information, but I couldn't feel them enough to open them. I have to admit, that was the weirdest sensation in the entire world, just to be completely disconnected from my entire body, to float in this fuzzy, comfy bit of space, not really ready to be connected again, but still looking forward to it a bit. I guess who ever needs that potion will just have to wait.

I'm too busy floatin', baby.

"How far are we from Guadosalam?" the voices poked through again, and that one sounded like... Hmmm. He sounded like Tidus, but how often does Tidus say anything that makes any sense? Just about never, people. Just about never. But he's my buddy, so that's okay. I honestly don't say much that makes sense either, do I? Wait... do I? Hmmm. Maybe I should tackle that little question when I reconnect with the real world.

I concentrated, focused, really, on bringing myself back out of the clouds. Sure, where I was happened to be cosy, happy, and everything good, but I had this odd feeling that Yuna and the rest of my people needed me. Which was odd, because when have I ever been even remotely useful on this trip? Other than, you know, stealing stuff, which happens to be my little cup of tea.

The first thing I felt was this odd rumble on my side, and a deep voice saying, much more clearly than everyone else, so close to me that I could feel it from the top of my head to the tips of my dangling toes, the very same voice who claimed he would protect me, "I'm going."

Going where? Can I come?

Then again, maybe I was already going, because I felt the cool breeze dance across the round part of my cheeks and the tip of my nose, and it burned a bit, which I didn't really understand. So, trying to block myself from that odd tingle that was hurting more by the minute, I twisted a bit and tried to shove myself into something near me, which was snuggly and heavy and soft and made my cheeks hurt even more. I felt myself moan a bit, and I turned again, which made my whole head, face, neck, ribs, arms, legs, and even my little toes turn to absolute fire.

Oh, why the hell did I decide to stop floating?

The... well, the thing that I was leaned up against rumbled back to life, and I heard the voice again. "Shh, Rikku. We're almost there."

And I tried, I swear I did, even though I didn't really think that I made a sound. But I didn't want to move, because I didn't want to start burning again.

A creepy thought came into my head though. Maybe Wakka was a bit right about that whole "Al Bhed's will burn in Hell and never get to the Farplane and turn into fire breathing, lightning striking fiends," bit he always seems to be screaming about in his sleep. Thank goodness he has no idea that I'm Al Bhed. But maybe, he had a good point.

Maybe I was in Hell, waiting to be turned into a creepy, lightning striking fiend.

Or maybe not, because the second I thought that, I smelled it. It wasn't flames and gas and everything that can be crispy, like I thought I would smell. It simply smelled like the forest, the desert after a summer rain, love and sake and cinnamon cookies. It was a smell that brought a flush into my cheeks and a warm, fuzzy, feeling shooting up my toes, straight into my heart.

And I knew, simply and with more faith than I've ever believed in anything before, that this person, who smelled like it, who's voice was deep and rumbled my whole body, and who was apparently running like the blazes towards Guadosalam, was meant for me to snuggle with and spin in circles during rainstorms with and make cinnamon cookies with every single day for the rest of my life.

The thought made me smile. The thought made me want to jump up and down, but when I started to move, the pain was so sharp, so real, that I cried out, wishing that if I screamed, maybe, just maybe, everything would freeze and stop and let my body go back to that numbness once again. Maybe. Come on, please?

"Rikku? Rikku, hold on. We're almost there," the voice rumbled again. I wanted to nod, smile, and agree with whatever he said, but I couldn't even twitch without that piercing sensation coming back. But if he could read my mind, he would probably smile, because I finally was realizing, "Ohhh... that's why they needed the potion."

"We need a room, now, please."

"Sir, I'm sorry, we don't..."

"NOW!"

"Yes, yes sir, right this way."

I felt my body sinking, tingling with a pain that only pins and needles could describe. My head hit something soft, my body was laying on something rather fluffy, and my mind was yelling, ranting and raving, swearing up a storm. I could feel my face start to contort, and my mouth opened to let out a shriek, but I couldn't get enough air out. And I breathed and I breathed and I breathed, trying to bring myself back, trying to get a hold of myself, but I couldn't.

So, I screamed. Screamed bloody murder, screamed until I couldn't breathe, and I was choking on my breath, and so much air gooshed out of my lungs that I thought I was going to pass out, or throw up, or something.

But he was there, again. He rushed down, his rough hands combing my hair out of my face, down my arms, encouraging me, taking care of me. "That's right, Rikku, scream it out. They're coming, and you're going to be just fine, just fine. I'll protect you, just scream it out for me."

His voice calmed me down. Finally, the screams turned to whimpers, tears rolled down my face, tracing beautiful highways down my cheekbones, and I stayed still, gulping air like there was no tomorrow. My lungs and chest burned, but I knew for a fact that I couldn't get away with not breathing and still be able to say hello to everyone the next morning.

But finally, without ever figuring out who's voice was lulling me, without ever realising who really WAS the man that made me finally smell it, and without ever finding out who ran like the blazes to Guadosalam for me, I drifted back into that fuzzy, comfy bit of space.

AN: Yeah, I am WAY sorry for taking forever to update this little beaut of a story that I've got going on here, but my computer decided to go and explode on me, so at the moment, I can only update when I get my hands on a school computer or go to the library. I know, it's disappointing, but I'm going to try to update as much as possible, okay?