Summer break is here. That means more frequent updates!! And lot's of idle time for the authoress in training. Take your time reading. I feel this chapter could be a bit rushed, but oh, well. Remember...reviewing could be your good deed for the day. Oh, and the words Rikku speak that are in brackets [], just pretend she's speaking in Al Bhed. I don't want to have to make you guys go to a website and have it translated again. And the whole reason I am doing this "NEXT SCENE..." instead of your standard stars, it's because it's not showing up, and it is annoying me. So you have to just...stick with me on that. Sorry. And...erm, let's just say for some reasons it will be...um...PG-13? No, I don't think it's THAT bad. Well, you'll see. Review, please!
CHANCING A KISS– Chapter 10
"It's useless!" Lulu cried as her moogle struggled desperately to cast spells. "I...I can't break the black magic barrier for some reason...!!"
"It's that thing!" Rikku said quickly, motioning towards the small, hovering satellite that hovered in the air, darting past us, silently observing our every move... "If Yunie could just summon..."
"Leave it to me!" Wakka exclaimed proudly, "Watch this!" The rest of us ceased our attacks and stood back, watching anxiously as the blitzball player spun the sphere effortlessly on his index finger, little sparks dancing on the smooth surface of the ball.
"Sir Auron!" Lulu pleaded desperately as her moogle shuddered and fell to the ground, frustrated, "Continue your attacks on that machine! Wakka can—"
Boom.
A deafening explosion caught all of us off guard, the ground shaking slightly as the once lively satellite that prevented us from using magic or summoning fell to the ground, the snow claiming most of its remains.
"Rikku!"
My eyes flew to the raging machine, where the Al Bhed now poked his head out cautiously, an expression of complete fury and rage radiating from his face.
Rikku stood near Tidus, another grenade clutched in her hand, forewarning the man in the machine.
"[You have no right to attack me! I'm saving] Yuna!"
"[I will protect her!]" Rikku shouted, "[Can't you trust me this once?]"
I smirked slightly. She was indeed going to make a great guardian. But what troubled me was...
"[You cannot let] Yuna [reach] Zanarkand!"
"[I won't!]"
"[I will show no mercy on you and your friends!]" He roared, "[Father and I worked night and day on the anti-magic field!]"
"Shut up, ya?"
Out of nowhere, Wakka's sparking blitzball flew past my shoulder, the electric sphere colliding into the side of the Al Bhed's head.
"Brother!" Rikku screamed.
Almost immediately, the machine went out of control, swerving along the ice wildly as the Al Bhed fought to control it.
"Damn!" The Al Bhed cursed in clear Spiran. He disappeared beneath the machine quickly, but to no avail.
"Wakka! What were you thinking?"
"Cast spells away, Lu!" Wakka shouted, ignoring Rikku's heated glare completely as he nimbly stepped to the side, avoiding the raging machine's path.
A bolt of lightly struck down near the machine, but missed it completely. Clouds began to gather; the cool wind biting as my unprotected face as thunder rolled across the sky as it began to rain lightly, much to Lulu's satisfaction—but Rikku didn't seem too pleased.
"It's too quick! I can't hit it!" Lulu cried.
The machine quickly changed its course, hurdling at me. I dove out of its path quickly, clutching my sword.
"Tidus!" Lady Yuna screamed.
My head jerked up in the boy's direction. The machine was coming towards him and he just stood there...transfixed with horror.
"Dammit, boy! Move!" I roared. I wouldn't have been able to reach him in time...
Tidus' eyes suddenly turned into a somewhat fierce, determined expression. Jecht's own eyes burned within his own that day, the fear and uncertainty that had once been written on his face gone. Head up and jaw clenched, he let out a cry and ran towards the oncoming machine, his blade up in a gesture of destruction.
"Tidus!!" I bellowed.
The boy—using his skill as a blitzball player, surely—leapt into the air, executing a few quick flips and threw himself at the machine, slamming his aqua blade into the top, penetrating through its defenses. Out of nowhere, Kimahri appeared beside Tidus and thrust out his spear at the metallic beast, electric sparks flickering along the surface. Tidus slashed multiple times at the machine once more before quickly dodging it and rolling away, barely in time to escape the path of the machine.
"Jecht..." I whispered hoarsely. I knew he was within him. I had known Jecht was within him. I had...I had seen Tidus' full potential...
The machine continued to plow through the snow, however, as Lulu cried out desperately:
"I can't land a hit on it! It's moving too quickly!"
"Tidus slowed it down a bit!" Lady Yuna said, "Perhaps...if I could just—"
"Summon, Yuna." I muttered, my eyes following Tidus' every movement. He was indeed growing up to become a man. Too bad he...no...
I had to focus.
"Ixion!"
Lady Yuna's beast had torn through a patch of its world and neighed fiercely, shaking his magnificent mane as he pawed the ground impatiently. As soon as Tidus and Kimahri had gotten their distance from the contraption, Ixion had reared up on its hind legs, the clouds gathering and the wind becoming less forgiving. The sky grew darker and darker with each passing moment as thunder and lightning continued to accumulate around us. Lulu stepped forward beside the raging aeon frowned, her moogle dancing joyously around her. Slowly, she brought up one hand, then another, her crimson eyes closed in concentration. As if working in perfect symphony, two bolts of lightning came down upon both the mage and the aeon, immediately redirecting their paths at the machine...
I, however, had watched Tidus hit the ground with a sickening crunch earlier, and had taken it upon myself to immediately drop my sword and take after his motionless body.
"You fool..." I growled, "Just like your father..."
Tidus only groaned as he struggled to move onto his back, succeeding only after I had helped him. "You gotta admit..." Tidus grinned as he graciously accepted my hand and pulled himself up, "That was...pretty cool..."
"Insolent boy...you could've gotten killed..." I said harshly, tossing a potion at Tidus, "Then who would protect Yuna?"
Tidus' slim fingers clasped around the vial and his smiled only widened, "You would, right?"
I sighed heavily and briefly rubbed my temples. How it would crush him...how it would hurt him to know that he was nothing but a dream...
"Of course I would. But Lady Yuna needs you."
"Rikku!"
I jerked around quickly and gasped. The machine had most certainly lost control as was doomed to explode, but Rikku—determined—crawled on top of the machine and was desperately hammering on the small opening.
"Brother! Brother!" She cried out, "Please, get out of there!"
"What are you doing?" Wakka bellowed, "Are you crazy?!"
The top of the machine burst open, the Al Bhed surfacing and gasping for air as he held onto Rikku. A pang of anger rose up into my throat as I cried out, "Stay away from her!"
"...Auron?" Tidus asked quietly.
I wasn't paying attention to Tidus at the moment, however. I watched as Rikku and her brother embraced, but it only disgusted me. I remember then thinking somewhere in the back of my mind that perhaps Rikku wasn't here for the same reason I was. She was here to stop the pilgrimage. And...that thought...terrified me.
"Rikku! You owe me an explanation when we're through, ya?"
Wakka, making a quick decision he didn't know whether he'd regret or not, bit a corner of his lip in with his canine and hurled the ball at the two Al Bheds atop of the machine, sending them flying back into the snow to safety as the machine shook violently—then exploded.
The force of the explosion caused all of us to fly back a few feet, my sword landing impressively far away.
My head throbbed dangerously, much like my previous wound has been like, but thankfully, I wasn't conscious long enough to feel it. I soon blacked out once again, young Tidus nearby somewhere.
NEXT SCENE...
My eyelid fluttered open and I groaned, slipping a hand behind my back for support as I pushed myself up in the sitting position. The first thing I saw was the smoke. The sizzling yet dying embers from the machine off in the distance caught my eye immediately, as well as Tidus' motionless body.
"Tidus," I muttered, tapping his cheek lightly, "Tidus...wake up, Tidus,"
"Wha—?"
He shook his head slightly and effortlessly slapped my hand away, rolling over and curling into a small ball.
I chuckled, "Tidus. Still a child, I see."
His eyes immediately snapped open and bolted upright, glaring at me dangerously, "I am not a child,"
"Where is Yuna?" I whispered.
The two of us stood up, dusting off the snow from our shoulders and hair. "There's Wakka," Tidus pointed out.
"Go and wake him. I will find the others."
I squinted my eyes to see through the snow and frowned when I caught sight of the black mage. Her hair was tossed around her and she lay—almost in a forgotten, miserable manner—atop the smoking machine, half of her face scorched.
"Lulu," I murmured, squatting down to my knees and touching her cheek gently, "Lulu..."
She moaned slightly and her cheek twitched involuntarily. She was in horrible shape, her arm lay limply across her chest as the other lay off to the side in a grotesque manner. One of her eyes remained partly open, her legs thrown over another piece of debris.
"...Tidus!" I called, "Tidus, come here, quickly,"
"Wakka can't get up," Tidus side quietly as he approached me. "Lu? What's wrong with Lulu?"
"She's not waking up. I need you to go inside and fetch the owner. Tell him we have unconscious bodies out here...Lady Yuna and her guardians. Tell them we need help."
Tidus nodded and he faced about, running for the Inn as fast as his feet could carry him. I turned my attention back to Lulu, my frown deepening and the wrinkles on my forehead becoming visible.
"If you can hear me...I don't have any vials. I have nothing but the aid of a great young man."
Lulu moaned—or perhaps I was imagining it.
It almost seemed that we were defeated that day...though the machine had indeed been destroyed, many of us suffered great injuries, especially Lulu.
I sat there beside Lulu, awaiting Tidus to return. But in the meanwhile, I remember having that dreadful feeling of something watching you...of something following your every movement. Suddenly, I twisted myself around and brandished my blade, only to be met by the powerful aeon that had aided Lulu in battle.
"Ixion..." I whispered, "Tell me you have the power to heal?"
The massive creature of nudged my arm softly, causing it to go completely numb. Suddenly, as I flexed my fist, I felt all sensation of the cold come back; however my muscles seemed more relaxed and less strained.
I chuckled, "Good. Then, perhaps, you could aid Lulu?"
The aeon bowed its head respectively as it approached Lulu, a soft spark emanating from it's horn.
Lulu's eyes slowly opened, and she groaned as she shifted slightly.
"Lulu," I touched her brow briefly, "How do you feel?"
Lulu offered a weak smile, "I could feel a little better. Ixion...thank you,"
The aeon only neighed softly.
"You're alright, then?"
Lulu nodded, "Please, if you would just help me up...I could make it on my own..."
"Of course," I offered her my arm, and she accepted it gratefully.
"Tidus is inside of the Inn," I said quickly, "If you'll excuse me, I must go find Lady Yuna,"
"Please...ask Rikku what...what was going on?"
"Rest assured," I muttered, "I will."
NEXT SCENE...
We wouldn't have won had it not been for Tidus and Lulu. And Rikku's grenade, destroying the satellite that had once prevented us from using magic. We all sat in the lobby of the Inn at Macalania Temple while Lulu and Wakka rested. It seemed those two were the ones with the major injuries. Thankfully, Lady Yuna had been wise enough to put herself and Kimahri in a bubble, protecting them from the blast that had nearly torn Lulu's face apart.
Hopefully, with some more rest and potions, Lulu would be back to her old self, but for now she was stuck in the room in the back, her chest rising up and down with each labored breath. Occasionally, I went back to check on her, worried, of course. Wakka, too, had also been rendered unconscious for quite a while, but his burns and scars were easily healable, thanks to Lady Yuna and the Inn's benevolent people.
One evening, however, I had stumbled across Rikku out in the lobby, just reading a random Al Bhed book to herself silently. I noted how she had kept her distance from Wakka's room, and how she had slipped away every time I found myself in her presence. Lady Yuna, too, had commented on her withdrawal, so this particular evening, I had taken it upon myself to take advantage of this little interval...
"Rikku," I muttered, planting my feet firmly in front of her.
She slowly shut the book and murmured a yes, barely audible. I noted how she kept her eyes downcast and how her hands trembled in her lap.
"Would you accompany me to my room?"
It was an abrupt question I don't think even I had expected myself to say. Rikku chanced a glance at my face, however she quickly looked away, focusing her attention on the book that she had so simply put aside on the table.
"Please." I whispered, leaning in a bit closer, inhaling the fear that emanated from her.
She nodded sheepishly and stood up, her foot steps quick and small paced behind my long strides. I kept my head to the front, not bothering to turn my head to the side to check on her. She was afraid of me, for some reason. As if I hated Al Bheds with a passion as Wakka did. I smirked to myself as I mused the thought of me hating Al Bheds. The idea was ridiculous...but still, Rikku was acting as if it were true....
I stopped outside my door, which was right beside Lady Yuna's and Kimahri's. Tidus and I shared this room, however at the moment—as it was so late into the night—Tidus had fallen asleep in the lobby with a book propped up on his drowsy form; the Al Bhed dictionary he was so determined to memorize was slipping down his chest that last time I checked.
I touched the doorknob, effortlessly turning it and ushered the young Al Bhed girl inside my room, the fire place burning to my surprise.
"Make yourself comfortable," I said rather gruffly, my hand waving laxly in the air and I glanced at my sword that rested in the corner, weary of it disappearing.
Rikku—without a word—seated herself in front of the fireplace, hugging her knees loosely to her chest. I only frowned and leaned back upon an overstuffed loveseat that faced the fireplace, my left elbow propped up on the armrest as I leaned my head into my hand and shifted slightly, my legs parted and my right hand resting limply on my lap. My brows were furrowed in thought and my expression must've been contemplative that night as I thought of anything—anything—to say to her. My new glasses slipped down the bridge of my nose as my eyes skated over her form, wondering silently if she was beginning to truly fear me. The room was dark, save for the dying embers of the fire. Rikku shivered slightly, I noted.
"Are you uncomfortable?" I mused, my index finger tracing my temple.
"No. Why would I be?" Rikku's voice seemed confident and secure, but her body language proved otherwise. Shakily, she glanced over her shoulder at me. She must have found me intimidating, for through the firelight, I could see her cheeks flush as she quickly turned her attention back to the fireplace.
"You seem...tense." I said hoarsely. "You haven't spoken for a while."
"And you should talk." Rikku said playfully.
I grunted in response, shifting once more. "I've been meaning to talk to you."
"About what?"
I wanted to ask her about her claim about not letting Yuna get to Zanarkand. The question haunted me, perplexing me. I had to know if her response to the Al Bhed was truthful. That she really wasn't going to allow Yuna to finish her pilgrimage. I had been thinking about it night and day, and slowly, I had begun to piece it all together. Why she asked why Summoners must die...why she said she was "closer than I thought" to Lady Yuna...
Yes. Somehow, they were related. I wasn't surprised. And she was determined to stop this pilgrimage.
However, when Rikku turned to face me, her eyes meeting mine, I couldn't find the words to ask her why she wouldn't let Yuna finish her pilgrimage.
"About what?" She repeated, tilting her head to the said with child-like simplicity that baffled me all the more.
Why are you so damn determined not to let Yuna reach Zanarkand?
"...Perhaps...another time." I muttered, turned my head towards the floor. Now it was my turn to avoid her gaze.
"Auron..." Rikku whispered, a smile dancing across her features as she raised a slender eyebrow, "Are you uncomfortable?"
I snorted, the idea striking me as preposterous.
"I think you are." Rikku remarked as she stood up and turned around to face me, her hands folding across her chest.
"Maybe I am." I whispered, my eyes meeting hers without moving my head in the slightest upwards.
We kept our gaze intact as she stepped towards me slowly, sinking to her knees just as steadily before me. I followed her every movement, watching her as she innocently propped her elbows upon my kneecaps, resting her chin upon her folded hands. I hadn't realized it, but my breath had become shallow and labored...
"What are you doing?" I breathed.
"Trying to understand you." She replied simply. Just as slowly as she had moved towards my lap, I hesitantly touched her chin with my free hand. Never breaking our gaze, I leaned in closer towards her and tilted my hide to the side. Our lips connected in a short, sweet moment, but I was surprised at myself as I let my mouth part slightly, running the tip of my tongue over her lower lip. I think Rikku must've been just as shocked at me, as I could've sworn to high Yevon that she almost pulled away for a moment. A second later, however, and I found her returning the favor, our tongues meeting as I brought my other hand to run through her hair. She leaned more into me, her hands finding my chest as she scraped at the Bevellian armor.
Though our connection may have lasted but a few moments, it seemed to last for an eternity to me. Rikku's breath quickened as I parted our lips and pressed my lips against the tender skin of her neck. She was afraid...I could feel it. Perhaps the gift of the dead—I will never know—however I felt her fear, but also something else. Something to the extent of maturity and a grown woman was inside Rikku. She shivered as she wrapped her arms around my neck as I inhaled her scent, my nostrils flaring as I continued to press my lips against her skin.
"I wonder," Measter Seymour smiled wryly, "if she has a taste for the dead? Perhaps if she knew you were dead..."
My eyes snapped open and I pressed my back against the seat suddenly, forcing Rikku to jump back in surprise. I was gasping for air as if someone had just rendered me helpless, my eyes wide as I breathed heavily, trying to regain composure.
"Auron?" Rikku whispered nervously, "Auron, are you alright?"
I nodded. "Yes. Fine."
Truth was, I wasn't. I couldn't be doing this. Rikku was a young girl with many years yet to live...
I am but an old man with a wasted life...never once was I able to fulfill my dreams and make a difference like I had once hoped I could...
"I shouldn't have..." I tried desperately to find the words to apologize, "I...I must ask for your forgiveness. If I—in any way—made you feel...forced...I am sorry..."
"No...no, it's alright," Rikku said earnestly, "Please don't think that. I didn't mean to..."
"I should leave." I muttered darkly, forcing myself forward. I left the room to accompany the sleeping Tidus out in the lobby. The poor fool had suffered injuries as well, but he had been fine. It was what I should've been doing, anyway. I should've been looking out for him instead of...
That kiss.
It was astoundingly sweet.