Ack! Just got home from taking my AP Calculus test. No fun, no fun at all. I *hate* math. I never want to take it again.
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They were almost to the Calm Lands. No one could believe how far they had come. They sat together in Macalania Woods, minus Yuna, Kimahri, and Tidus. Rikku was up a tree. Auron left the campsite and she sprung nimbly after him.
***
"Why are you following me?"
"Why are you asking?"
"Because you're following me."
"You mind?"
"Actually, yes. So if you would excuse me -"
"Well, I wanted to know..."
"Know what?"
"You apologized. Why?"
Auron blinked at Rikku. Apparently just the apology wasn't enough. It should have been. It should have satisfied her. But, it was Auron's lucky day, and it hadn't. Next she would want to discuss his feelings. And at the rate they were going, she would probably coerce him into doing so. He knew, as a matter of logic, that Rikku wouldn't give up until she got the answer she wanted.
"Why?" she repeated.
"I felt I was too hard on you. You didn't deserve it. You're quite aggravating, you know."
She grinned. "I do my best."
He merely nodded. "I don't suppose you're going to leave me alone." It was a statement, not a question. She said nothing, but fell into step with him. They reached the rock on which they had been sitting the last time they visited Macalania. This time, they sat on the ground, using the large boulder as back support. Auron put a hand to his head unconsciously.
"Soooo..." Rikku began. Auron raised his eyebrow slowly. Rikku plunged on. "I want to know about you."
Oh dear. "What, exactly, would you like to know?"
"Just...stuff, you know?"
"Be more specific." Could it have been anymore obvious that he was trying to evade the question? Probably not.
"Well, uhh, where were you born?"
"Bevelle."
"Any brothers or sisters?"
"No."
"I'm not gonna get anywhere like this, am I?"
"No."
She sighed. "You don't have to be so cut off, you know? It might help to talk about things."
"You wouldn't be able to handle hearing half of the things that have occurred during my existence."
Rikku stood and smacked her fist to her chest. "Oh yeah? I bet I could! I can take it! Go on, try me!" She shook her hand out, eyeing her now sore fist distastefully.
Auron had already consumed some sake, and he was feeling reckless. A more sober man might have recognized the following admission as something along the lines of fucking stupid. That more sober man, however, Auron was unfortunately not.
He turned to Rikku. "Ok, fine. I'm dead." The admission was conversational in tone, as calm as one remarking about the weather last Tuesday.
"Oh. Ok." Auron looked at Rikku. She should be this calm. And, of course she wasn't. Her eyes were open wide with shock and she seemed to be drooling just a little bit.
"Rikku?" He nudged her gently. "Rikku?"
She spun to face him. "You're really dead then? Really?"
"Yes."
"Like Seymour?"
"Yes, without the psychopathic intentions."
"Like Mika?"
"Yes."
"Like...dead people?"
The questions were getting redundant. "Yes, like dead people. I am one, after all."
She suddenly leaned into him, grasping his waist and pressing her ear to his chest. "You don't have a heartbeat," she announced dazedly.
"You have an astounding grasp of the obvious," he replied. "Dead people usually *don't* have heartbeats."
"Oh."
And there was silence for some time. Finally, Rikku had to ask. "So you're dead, right?" Auron just glanced at her irately. She paused, and then, "What happened to you?"
Auron was gazing into the distance, his lone eye unseeing save for the slow visions of his death that danced before it. "Yunalesca," he said, not bothering to look at Rikku. He knew what he would see on her face; it would be nothing new. "I was...angry...after Braska called the Final Aeon. Young and idealistic, not unlike Tidus is now, I wanted to give meaning to the death of my friend." He paused slightly. "Of my friends. I attacked her, and she struck me down." He smiled slightly at the pathetic irony. "Wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done."
Suddenly Rikku was eager. "So, you agree with Tidus and I, doncha? You'll help us find a way to save Yunie!" Her tone suddenly softened, leaving no more than a whisper. "Please?"
"This..." he said, though it was not without difficulty, "is not my story. It is yours, and Tidus's, and Yuna's, and even Wakka's, and Lulu's, and Kimahri's. But not mine. My story ended ten years ago. At any rate, I couldn't save my friends. Why do you think I would be any more adept at saving yours?"
"They're your friends too, Auron. They're your friends too." Rikku's eyes were almost misty. "And your story is *not* over!" This, she said more forcefully. "You're still here, aren't you? You can still make a difference!"
"Borrowed time. I have no right to -"
She cut him off. "No right? No right?! Yunie will die! Don't you understand? She'll die!" Her verdant eyes were brimming with tears and begging. They said more than her words ever could. He tentatively raised a hand to her cheek.
"I believe in you, in you and Tidus." Then, he stood and walked back to the campsite, leaving a stunned and thoroughly shaken Rikku sitting behind.
***
The observing Wakka and Lulu breathed a sigh of relief. Although they were unable to hear the conversation, no kissage had occurred, and therefore, O'aka hadn't won. Lulu walked back to the campsite. Wakka stood there. He almost felt sorry for Rikku, who was obviously quite distraught. And, he was thirsty. Unfortunately, the only water was in the spring, and Tidus and Yuna were over there. He did *not* want to bother them.
But there it was in front of him: the perfect icicle. Not bothering to think about the physics of the thing, and the fact that it really wasn't cold enough for it to feasibly exist, he walked over to it. And stuck his tongue out.
"Uu?" he called. "Uuu!" Lulu typically did not respond to Uuu, but she turned and looked back at him. And started laughing.
Wakka looked absolutely ridiculous. His tongue was stuck to the icicle, and he was bent at the waist to accommodate it. His eyes looked frantic and he tried to pull back, which amounted to little success. Rikku, still sitting by the rock, heard Lulu's hysterical laughter. She wandered over, as did Auron, who looked almost amused.
"What happened?" asked Rikku.
"Eeaah," said Wakka.
"Come again?" said Lulu, smirking.
"Don't worry, I can get you off," said Auron. Wakka looked relieved, then saw the swordsman shouldering his blade. Then he shrieked.
"Have you tried pulling?" suggested Rikku. Wakka attempted to nod; it was a fair imitation.
"I guess there's nothing to be done," said Auron, walking away.
Lulu followed. "You're right. This seems permanent."
Rikku looked vaguely confused, but trailed after the pair.
Wakka made frantic noises and looked on helplessly as his companions walked away.
________________________________________________________
Will Wakka get his tongue unstuck? Or will I just leave him there? Eh, who knows.
I got my first flame. And to think I was proud that my story hadn't yet offended anyone (or rather, offends people on an equal opportunity basis). I'd like to thank the flamer for the wonderful insight her comments about my story gave. I will remember to keep in mind that I'm "a looser", I didn't realize "how bad [I am] at writeing storys", and that I was a "dumb fuck 2 cent slut bitch ass crap whore!" Whoops! Better get out to my street corner! How immature is this person? Very, especially because she not only flamed *all* my "storys", but the only parts she spelled right are the ones cut and pasted from reviews that she has received (and only one was from me...it's between the ~s). Here is a sample of the reviews she left for my other story...I would just ignore it, but it's too damn funny not to do this. Coincidentally, this is a signed review (by Yunnie) admitting that she was the one who flamed all my other stories. My comments are within the [brackets].
Too bad i have better and nicer reviews then you [well, lets start with the fact that they are all from her little friends],
and im not jelous of your CRAPY STORYS, [no, she's not jelous, she's *jealous*]
you were the one who wrote: "~Umm...it's a neat plot idea, but poorly executed. No one likes script format (it's just easier to write), and it just makes it worse that your grammar is horrible. Capitalize, please! And run spell check! Seriously, this plot might have potential, do yourself a favor and don't ruin it.~ [Yeah. I was right, and not being particularly cruel]
Ugh! Why do you insist on writing this garbagio? Seriously, self insertion is the most annoying thing ever, and especially so when the spelling is so atrocious. Dear god, this sucks! Use a spellchecker, you dumb fuck." [Not written by me, but she made that assumption.]
So if i were you i'd shutup you freak, no one asked ur opinion, AND if u have nothing to say, dont say it, [but I *did* have something to say]
i was just giving u a taste of ur own medicine!! yes i noticed the spelling errors dumbass -_-' [Did you? Then why are they there? And why are there more this time around?]
Honestly, the flames don't bother me (especially because they have nothing to do with my story). It's that she WON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!!! She IM's me, she emails me, she flames me...it's annoying as hell and I'm ready to climb through my computer and strangle her. There's no reasoning with her. She's like the pimple that just won't go away, no matter how many remedies you try. Ignoring? Didn't work. So I'm getting sucked into this incredibly juvenile conflict, and *I* look immature for doing this. I just can't win (and I don't like to erase reviews, even if they're bad).
*Sighs* Well I hope *you* liked the chapter. Review, please?
________________________________________________________
They were almost to the Calm Lands. No one could believe how far they had come. They sat together in Macalania Woods, minus Yuna, Kimahri, and Tidus. Rikku was up a tree. Auron left the campsite and she sprung nimbly after him.
***
"Why are you following me?"
"Why are you asking?"
"Because you're following me."
"You mind?"
"Actually, yes. So if you would excuse me -"
"Well, I wanted to know..."
"Know what?"
"You apologized. Why?"
Auron blinked at Rikku. Apparently just the apology wasn't enough. It should have been. It should have satisfied her. But, it was Auron's lucky day, and it hadn't. Next she would want to discuss his feelings. And at the rate they were going, she would probably coerce him into doing so. He knew, as a matter of logic, that Rikku wouldn't give up until she got the answer she wanted.
"Why?" she repeated.
"I felt I was too hard on you. You didn't deserve it. You're quite aggravating, you know."
She grinned. "I do my best."
He merely nodded. "I don't suppose you're going to leave me alone." It was a statement, not a question. She said nothing, but fell into step with him. They reached the rock on which they had been sitting the last time they visited Macalania. This time, they sat on the ground, using the large boulder as back support. Auron put a hand to his head unconsciously.
"Soooo..." Rikku began. Auron raised his eyebrow slowly. Rikku plunged on. "I want to know about you."
Oh dear. "What, exactly, would you like to know?"
"Just...stuff, you know?"
"Be more specific." Could it have been anymore obvious that he was trying to evade the question? Probably not.
"Well, uhh, where were you born?"
"Bevelle."
"Any brothers or sisters?"
"No."
"I'm not gonna get anywhere like this, am I?"
"No."
She sighed. "You don't have to be so cut off, you know? It might help to talk about things."
"You wouldn't be able to handle hearing half of the things that have occurred during my existence."
Rikku stood and smacked her fist to her chest. "Oh yeah? I bet I could! I can take it! Go on, try me!" She shook her hand out, eyeing her now sore fist distastefully.
Auron had already consumed some sake, and he was feeling reckless. A more sober man might have recognized the following admission as something along the lines of fucking stupid. That more sober man, however, Auron was unfortunately not.
He turned to Rikku. "Ok, fine. I'm dead." The admission was conversational in tone, as calm as one remarking about the weather last Tuesday.
"Oh. Ok." Auron looked at Rikku. She should be this calm. And, of course she wasn't. Her eyes were open wide with shock and she seemed to be drooling just a little bit.
"Rikku?" He nudged her gently. "Rikku?"
She spun to face him. "You're really dead then? Really?"
"Yes."
"Like Seymour?"
"Yes, without the psychopathic intentions."
"Like Mika?"
"Yes."
"Like...dead people?"
The questions were getting redundant. "Yes, like dead people. I am one, after all."
She suddenly leaned into him, grasping his waist and pressing her ear to his chest. "You don't have a heartbeat," she announced dazedly.
"You have an astounding grasp of the obvious," he replied. "Dead people usually *don't* have heartbeats."
"Oh."
And there was silence for some time. Finally, Rikku had to ask. "So you're dead, right?" Auron just glanced at her irately. She paused, and then, "What happened to you?"
Auron was gazing into the distance, his lone eye unseeing save for the slow visions of his death that danced before it. "Yunalesca," he said, not bothering to look at Rikku. He knew what he would see on her face; it would be nothing new. "I was...angry...after Braska called the Final Aeon. Young and idealistic, not unlike Tidus is now, I wanted to give meaning to the death of my friend." He paused slightly. "Of my friends. I attacked her, and she struck me down." He smiled slightly at the pathetic irony. "Wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done."
Suddenly Rikku was eager. "So, you agree with Tidus and I, doncha? You'll help us find a way to save Yunie!" Her tone suddenly softened, leaving no more than a whisper. "Please?"
"This..." he said, though it was not without difficulty, "is not my story. It is yours, and Tidus's, and Yuna's, and even Wakka's, and Lulu's, and Kimahri's. But not mine. My story ended ten years ago. At any rate, I couldn't save my friends. Why do you think I would be any more adept at saving yours?"
"They're your friends too, Auron. They're your friends too." Rikku's eyes were almost misty. "And your story is *not* over!" This, she said more forcefully. "You're still here, aren't you? You can still make a difference!"
"Borrowed time. I have no right to -"
She cut him off. "No right? No right?! Yunie will die! Don't you understand? She'll die!" Her verdant eyes were brimming with tears and begging. They said more than her words ever could. He tentatively raised a hand to her cheek.
"I believe in you, in you and Tidus." Then, he stood and walked back to the campsite, leaving a stunned and thoroughly shaken Rikku sitting behind.
***
The observing Wakka and Lulu breathed a sigh of relief. Although they were unable to hear the conversation, no kissage had occurred, and therefore, O'aka hadn't won. Lulu walked back to the campsite. Wakka stood there. He almost felt sorry for Rikku, who was obviously quite distraught. And, he was thirsty. Unfortunately, the only water was in the spring, and Tidus and Yuna were over there. He did *not* want to bother them.
But there it was in front of him: the perfect icicle. Not bothering to think about the physics of the thing, and the fact that it really wasn't cold enough for it to feasibly exist, he walked over to it. And stuck his tongue out.
"Uu?" he called. "Uuu!" Lulu typically did not respond to Uuu, but she turned and looked back at him. And started laughing.
Wakka looked absolutely ridiculous. His tongue was stuck to the icicle, and he was bent at the waist to accommodate it. His eyes looked frantic and he tried to pull back, which amounted to little success. Rikku, still sitting by the rock, heard Lulu's hysterical laughter. She wandered over, as did Auron, who looked almost amused.
"What happened?" asked Rikku.
"Eeaah," said Wakka.
"Come again?" said Lulu, smirking.
"Don't worry, I can get you off," said Auron. Wakka looked relieved, then saw the swordsman shouldering his blade. Then he shrieked.
"Have you tried pulling?" suggested Rikku. Wakka attempted to nod; it was a fair imitation.
"I guess there's nothing to be done," said Auron, walking away.
Lulu followed. "You're right. This seems permanent."
Rikku looked vaguely confused, but trailed after the pair.
Wakka made frantic noises and looked on helplessly as his companions walked away.
________________________________________________________
Will Wakka get his tongue unstuck? Or will I just leave him there? Eh, who knows.
I got my first flame. And to think I was proud that my story hadn't yet offended anyone (or rather, offends people on an equal opportunity basis). I'd like to thank the flamer for the wonderful insight her comments about my story gave. I will remember to keep in mind that I'm "a looser", I didn't realize "how bad [I am] at writeing storys", and that I was a "dumb fuck 2 cent slut bitch ass crap whore!" Whoops! Better get out to my street corner! How immature is this person? Very, especially because she not only flamed *all* my "storys", but the only parts she spelled right are the ones cut and pasted from reviews that she has received (and only one was from me...it's between the ~s). Here is a sample of the reviews she left for my other story...I would just ignore it, but it's too damn funny not to do this. Coincidentally, this is a signed review (by Yunnie) admitting that she was the one who flamed all my other stories. My comments are within the [brackets].
Too bad i have better and nicer reviews then you [well, lets start with the fact that they are all from her little friends],
and im not jelous of your CRAPY STORYS, [no, she's not jelous, she's *jealous*]
you were the one who wrote: "~Umm...it's a neat plot idea, but poorly executed. No one likes script format (it's just easier to write), and it just makes it worse that your grammar is horrible. Capitalize, please! And run spell check! Seriously, this plot might have potential, do yourself a favor and don't ruin it.~ [Yeah. I was right, and not being particularly cruel]
Ugh! Why do you insist on writing this garbagio? Seriously, self insertion is the most annoying thing ever, and especially so when the spelling is so atrocious. Dear god, this sucks! Use a spellchecker, you dumb fuck." [Not written by me, but she made that assumption.]
So if i were you i'd shutup you freak, no one asked ur opinion, AND if u have nothing to say, dont say it, [but I *did* have something to say]
i was just giving u a taste of ur own medicine!! yes i noticed the spelling errors dumbass -_-' [Did you? Then why are they there? And why are there more this time around?]
Honestly, the flames don't bother me (especially because they have nothing to do with my story). It's that she WON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!!! She IM's me, she emails me, she flames me...it's annoying as hell and I'm ready to climb through my computer and strangle her. There's no reasoning with her. She's like the pimple that just won't go away, no matter how many remedies you try. Ignoring? Didn't work. So I'm getting sucked into this incredibly juvenile conflict, and *I* look immature for doing this. I just can't win (and I don't like to erase reviews, even if they're bad).
*Sighs* Well I hope *you* liked the chapter. Review, please?