Disclaimer: I own nothing. Never have, never will.

A/N: Just so you know, when Rikku speaks to Auron, she is saying it all in her mind. Nobody else can hear them talking. I didn't want you to get confused.

--

Rikku wandered around Besaid hunting for more fiends. She had noticed the magic increase and wanted to get more experience with the new ability. She wasn't able to control it yet. Either she missed the fiend and toasted the bushes around her, or she underestimated how much power to use and only succeeded in singeing the fiend.

"Auron, I think I'm getting tired. May I go back to the village now?" She asked as she fell to the ground exhausted.

"Yes, I think that may be a wise idea. This is only your first day. You do not want to overdo it." He answered her.

"What will happen if I do overdo it? It won't kill me or anything, will it?" The new fayth remained silent. After knowing him for so long, Rikku knew this was a sign he was holding back information. "Auron?" She questioned him praying she was wrong.

"I will not let you die." He finally answered somewhat cryptically.

"Good, because I'm going to hold you to that." She joked letting out a weak giggle. A movement from down the path caught her attention and she pulled herself to her feet ready to summon if needed. She waited until it was in sight before letting out a breath of relief. It was Yuna and Tidus.

"Rikku!" The blond shouted. She had collapsed again as soon as she saw who it was.

Yuna ran up and slid next to her stirring up dirt and dust in the process. "Rikku, are you alright. We saw something flash from here."

"Do not tell them about what you know. They do not need to know." Auron warned her.

She was about to protest, but thought better of it. They didn't need to know about Auron neither. "I think I just overdid it, you know. Oopsies?" She gave them a small apologetic smile as she scratched the side if her head.

"Rikku, what happened here?" Tidus asked as he looked around. "It looks like a fire covered sin came through here."

"Oh, that. Well you see, I was practicing fighting fiends and all, and I guess I got carried away."

"Carried away?" Yuna doubted. "Rikku, I have known you for the past four years. You never got this careless before. In fact you were the one who mastered the black mage dress sphere first, and don't forget the dark knight."

"Dark knight?" Auron asked her intrigued.

"Don't ask. Maybe I'll tell you later." She told him, before turning back to her cousin. Yuna was staring at her in a half panic.

"Rikku, thank Yevon. You just zoned out for a moment there. I thought something happened. We better get you back to the village." She stood up and turned to her lover. "Tidus, she's too weak to walk on her own. Can you carry her?"

"Of course!" He smiled and bent over to pick her up. He slid one arm under her knees and the other behind her back just under her arms. "Ready, Rikku?"

"I guess so, but I can walk. Really." She insisted.

"There will be none of that. You are weak and need to rest." Yuna insisted.

Rikku knew it she wouldn't be able to win. Once her cousin set her mind to something, nothing could change it. She lay her head on Tidus' shoulder and promptly passed out.

Wakka was sitting at the gates of the small village when he saw them approach. He stood and ran to greet them. "That's Rikku, ya? What happened to her?"

"We aren't sure. We found her on the path near the falls. She was fighting fiends and passed out as I was carrying her." Tidus explained.

"Bring her to our place. Lu will know what to do."

Lulu was just as shocked when she saw the young Al Bhed. "What happened to her? Her hands are scorched. Was she practicing with fire?" She noted.

"I think she was, Lulu. Tidus and I found her like that. She was weak and zoning in and out. Wakka said you might know what to do. And my cures weren't doing much good."

"I'll see what I can do. Why don't you go relax for now? I'll call you when she wakes up." Her voice was calm compared to Yuna's slightly worried tone. "Wakka, can you take Vidina? Take him to the beach or something."

"Sure thing, Lu. Just help Rikku, ya."

The mage nodded as she got to work. The first thing she did was boil some water. Turning to the hearth she whispered 'fira' and a small fire appeared under the kettle. Once the water was hot, she removed it and poured it into a bowl. She then dipped a clean rag into the now hot water and began to clean the ash on Rikku's hands.

"What have you done to yourself? This is no ordinary fire ash." She spoke just to hear something in the empty hut. "Maybe I should take you out and reteach you. I have never seen you work yourself this hard." She sighed and finished in silence.

Wakka returned with Vidina three hours later claiming he needed a nap. Lulu nodded and sat by the Al Bhed to keep vigil. She should be waking up soon.

Rikku moaned slightly as she rubbed her head. "Man, that's twice now I woke up somewhere else. I wonder how long I was out for."

"About four hours." A dulcet voice answered. Rikku glanced up to see Lulu standing in the doorway. "Yuna has been worried about you."

"Me, why?"

"Apparently you collapsed after fighting some fiends. She didn't give me many details though." She entered the room and sat down on the bed at Rikku's feet.

Rikku gave a nervous giggle. "Fiends, yeah. I remember that. I was trying to get some practice in, you know, since I was out for a week." She tried to explain to the older woman.

Lulu nodded and stood up. "I'm going to go get Yuna. She wanted to talk to you when you woke up." Before Rikku had a chance to protest, she left.

The blond sighed and played with the patterns on the blankets around her.

"Whatever you do, do not tell Yuna about your mission. She will want to go with you. We cannot have that." Auron spoke up.

"Why? Wait, it's because of Tidus, isn't it?" He remained silent, once again giving indication that there was something he didn't want her to know. "Look, Auron, you can't tell me not to say anything and not tell me why. It isn't going to work if you keep doing that." She scolded him.

"Giving me advice?" His tone had grown rougher and she worried that she may have pushed it.

She was about to answer him when Yuna entered the room. She looked worried, angry, and curious all at the same time. Rikku wondered how she did it. But if anyone could, it would be her cousin.

"First off, I'm glad you're okay, but please don't scare us like that again. Though that's not why I wanted to talk to you. Rikku, when you were fighting, did anything unusual happen?"

"Unusual?" Rikku repeated. "No, I don't think so. It was just me blasting away fiends." She replied cheerfully.

Yuna didn't look convinced. "How about anything in the sky? Did you happen to see anything...flash?"

Rikku had to fight to remain calm. She didn't think anyone had seen when she summoned Valefor. "Flash?" She cursed as her voice squeaked.

"Yes, like maybe someone had summoned." Yuna said leading her.

"But that would be impossible. You sent all the fayth four years ago, remember?"

"I thought I did. But it would appear as if maybe they came back. Rikku, I saw Valefor." There, it was out in the open now.

"Maybe you only thought you saw him. Maybe it was a cloud or something?" Rikku bit her bottom lip in nervousness. She hoped that Yuna would buy her ideas.

Yuna frowned; it was a look that did not compliment her calm features at all. "Rikku, I was a summoner. I called Valefor many times in battle myself. Do you honestly believe I wouldn't know him again if I saw him?"

"Auron? What should I say? Should I just tell her the truth?"

"Do you really think that would be the wise thing to do?"

"You are no help." She turned her attention back to her cousin. "Well, I guess you would."

"What is going on? I just want to know. Maybe I can help you." Yuna suggested.

Rikku sat up strait. "No! I mean, um, no that would not be necessary."

"As if that didn't give anything away." Auron snapped at her.

"Shut up!" Rikku shouted. Problem was she didn't even realize she said it out loud until she saw the confusion on Yuna's face. "Huh? Oh, Yunie. I didn't mean you."

"Then what is going on? You and I are the only ones in this room. Who else would you be talking to?" She gently placed a hand on Rikku's arm.

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you." Rikku said so quiet that Yuna had to strain to hear it.

"Try me. You said you had to go on a journey. What is it you have to do? Is it another salvage mission?"

Rikku sighed. What could she do? If she told her, it would sound crazy. If she didn't, they would think she was crazy. "I'm going to tell her. She should know."

"Do as you will then. You never were one to listen to advice." He told her. As long as Yuna didn't try and stop her, he was done fighting.

She growled under her breath before telling her story. "Yunie, do you remember what happened after we defeated Yevon?" Yuna nodded. "Well there was only one problem with it. After we beat the big bug thing, his soul escaped."

"But I sent all the aeons and sin. Even if he was free, he can't make a new sin, right?" Yuna was scared now, and with good reason. It's not everyday that someone tells you sin could be reborn at any time.

"That's just the thing, he is out there somewhere and is searching. I have to find him and..."

"And what? What do you have to do when you find him?"

"I have to send him." She looked up and saw Yuna was about to say something. Before she got the chance Rikku explained how. "Yunie, the reason why you thought you saw Valefor, was because you did see him. I summoned him." She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"When, why, how?" The ex-summoner asked the new summoner.

"When the airship crashed, I was on deck. I thought I died, but I met the fayth. Well it was only one of them, but still."

"So does this mean that they are all back?" Yuna became excited. Maybe she would be able to get them back.

"No, just two of them. Valefor, as you know, and Shiva. But I haven't gotten a chance to call her yet."

"You're not going to tell her of me? That is unlike you, Rikku." Auron, who had been listening in, spoke up. Secretly he was relieved, but still surprised.

"But there is still more isn't there? I can see it in your eyes."

Rikku cringed and would have laughed if it had been any other situation. She should have known she wouldn't be able to hide an aeon from another summoner. "Yes, there is one more. But even I don't know what it looks like. It isn't like any of the others that we knew of."

Yuna's eyes grew wide at the thought of a new aeon. And her cousin was the only one right now who carried it. "Oh, Rikku, that is so exciting! We should go outside and call it. I have to see what it looks like. I'm sure you can't wait to see it either, right?"

"I don't know, Yunie. I really don't think he will come." She knew because he had given her the equivalent of a humph, and wouldn't say anything.

Yuna wasn't listening. She pulled Rikku's hand and led her outside. "Tidus, Wakka, Lulu! Come here. There is something you have to see." She yelled once they were outside.

The trio came running to see what it was she wanted to show them. Rikku stood in the center of the circle and concentrated. "Okay, Auron. I know you probably aren't talking to me and won't come, but I'm going to try anyway." She whispered.

--

You know, as I'm typing this I realized that the summery doesn't fit the story any more. It sort of took of in another direction then I had planned. Not that it's a bad thing; I have plenty more for it this way. But now I have to go back and change it.

I know you are all dying to find out what type of aeon Auron is, right? I know what I'm gonna do with him, but I want to know what you think he is going to be. So review and let me know. If you get it right I'll give you a plushie of your choice. Gin

Chibi-sorrow: be glad if you haven't read my other story. It took me four chapters to find out I was doing that