Disclaimer: For those of you who are new (and what are you doing reading the 7th chapter if you are?) I don't own final fantasy X. For those of you who have been here awhile, you already know what belongs here.

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Rikku woke up early the next morning. She used the moon flow to wash up before continuing. She gathered her stuff together and walked the rest of the way to the shoopuf station.

"Ride zee shoopuf?" The hypello asked when she stepped on the platform.

She nodded her head and paid the fifty gil it cost to ride. She leaned over the edge of the beast to see the city Tidus had told her about. It was a much better view from there then it was from under the water. She smiled to herself as she sat back into her seat. Auron had somehow seemed subdued since waking up that morning. She wondered if it was because they were so close to the moon flow. Pyerflies were still active there. It vaguely reminded her of Zanarkand the first time she saw it.

She moved on from the other bank. Getting bored with just walking she began to whistle to herself. Unfortunately it also attracted fiends. Three bite bugs flew out from the woods on her right. "Hello, little buggy." She joked. "So glad your here. I could use some more practice." She gave a wicked grin before pulling out her claw. "Let's have a little fun, shall we?"

Rikku ran up and swiped at the fiend only to find her claw didn't even make a mark on the armor of the bug. She jumped back in surprise before it could retaliate. "What the? That should have killed it." She ran forward to one of the others seeing the same thing happen. She growled in frustration.

The bite bugs tired of seeing their newest plaything hop about doing nothing, took to the offensive. At the same time all three of them came at her baring stingers. Rikku dodged the first two, but the third caught her unaware. She let out a scream of pain as she felt the stinger enter the skin in the small of her back. She stumbled a bit before regaining her footing.

"That hurt, you big meanie!" She shouted as if the bug knew what she was saying. "Blizzara!" But nothing happened. She looked to her hand dumbly as if that would help. "Blizzara!" She tried again. Still nothing, then she began to feel dizzy.

"Rikku, summon! The fiend poisoned and silenced you. You won't be able to do anything in your state."

Doing as she was told she began the motions that would summon Shiva. A moment later ice burst and Shiva stood before Rikku in all her beauty. "Shiva, diamond dust." Rikku commanded weakly.

Shiva threw some ice out at the three fiends and spun on her heel. She then raised her hands over her head to collect energy before bringing them in front of her covering them the rest of the way in ice. When done she stood up strait and snapped. The ice shattered taking the fiends with it. Seeing her job was done, she vanished in a whirlwind of cold air.

Rikku struggled to walk. The poison was taking its toll on her body. She couldn't even cast esuna to counter it. "Man, why didn't I pick up some antidotes from that merchant?"

"Guadosalam is just ahead. You can rest there."

"No way, na ah. There is no way I am going to stay in that Yevon forsaken place. Don't you remember what they did to home? I'll just keep going until I get to Rin's."

"That is an entire day's journey! You need to stop." Auron insisted. Why was she being so difficult?

Rikku struggled to walk, her legs were weak and vision blurry. "I don' feel so good." She said as an arm held her stomach. She fell to her knees hard. Auron shouting her name and cursing was all she could hear now. After a few moments, even that was lost to the blackness that overtook her.

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She awoke some time later. However, she was not on the ground like she expected. Whatever she was on was soft, like a bed of sorts. Slowly she blinked her eyes open. Then shut them immedently when the light hit them. Rubbing them with her fists she tried again. Once, twice, three times. Rubbing her head, she tried to focus. She was in a room she gathered. A dresser and mirror were on her left. On her right were two doors. She guessed one was the exit leaving the other to be a washroom.

Rikku threw the covers off and sat on the edge of the bed. Just then the exit opened. In stepped a short Guado woman. Her blue and green dress hung loosely hiding shoulders to feet. Her brown green hair twisted up like most other guado woman. She smiled when she saw Rikku. "Good. You finally woke up. I was beginning to worry."

"Who are you?" Rikku asked. "And why am I here?" She watched as the woman hurried around the room mixing things together in a bowl.

"My name is Amaya. My husband found you passed out along the moon flow trail." She spoke without turning from what she was doing. "I was surprised when he carried you here though. Not many people travel alone on the moon flow anymore. Fiends have been acting weird lately. Most of the time they leave you alone, but every now and again you get a small group that seems stronger." She turned around now and used one hand to gently push Rikku back into a laying position. Once done she reached into the bowl and pulled out a rag that had been soaking. She dabbed it around the injury Rikku had received.

"Why are you helping me? Can't you tell I'm Al Bhed? Are you trying to make up for what you did to our home?" She snapped at the woman.

"Goodness, are you a survivor of that tragedy? Then I am glad Aruk was able to find you. I guess, yes. Yes I am trying to make up for that. So many lives lost because of that. An issue was ordered from the Measters Mika and Seymour then. A few of us tried to protest, but we went unheard. So now we stay here forgotten, until someone comes by that needs help. It is all we can do anymore."

Rikku noticed how sad Amaya sounded at the end of her story. She even stopped what she was doing to her back. Feeling bad for the woman Rikku sighed. "I'm sorry for snapping at you. You were just trying to help me."

"Don't give it a second thought dear. I've had worse said to me." She dabbed some more at her back before pulling a bandage off the dresser and covering what she just did. "Personally I don't blame you at all. To tell the truth, many Guado have felt the same way about you, as you do us. The difference is we gave you a reason to."

Rikku rolled over to look at the woman's face. They stayed like that for a minute before she spoke, "Thank you for your help." She whispered so quiet that Amaya doubted she even heard right.

"You just get some rest now. You were hurt pretty bad. I don't know what would make you want to travel alone, but it must have been important." Amaya stood and opened the door. She turned and took one last glance at the girl on the bed before turning out the light and leaving.

As if the darkness was a signal to her body, Rikku closed her eyes and fell asleep once again.

The next day Rikku woke up to loud voices coming from the other side of her door. She scratched her cheek in thought before getting up and opening it up a crack. She just wanted a peak at who was out there. Her eyes opened wide when she saw what was making all the noise. It looked like the whole city was standing in Amaya's living room. She shut the door quickly before leaning on it and rubbing her head.

"Okay, Auron. How do we get out of this one?" She questioned the ex-guardian.

"We wait it out. They must leave eventually."

"Yeah, two days eventually." She replied sarcastically. "My question is, why are they here in the first place?"

"Listen. It has quieted down. You may be able to hear something now." He advised.

She opened the door again, just enough to hear what was being said. There were two groups standing at opposite ends of the room. Aruk stood in the center trying to calm everyone down.

"That heathen needs to go!" Someone shouted. "She will bring the wrath of Yevon if she is allowed to stay any longer."

"Send her away! She does not belong here in this holy place!" Another joined in.

"She is just a traveler. The girl has done nothing wrong. We are the ones who desecrated their home, not the other way around." Someone spoke up in defense. Rikku cheered inwardly. Maybe all Guado weren't as bad as she thought.

"Please everybody. I understand she is an Al Bhed. I knew that when I brought her here. She needed help and I helped her. You all remember the order we received four years ago and how I refused to follow it. Well I still feel the same today. And those of you who disagree with me can leave now. This is a house of peace. I will not tolerate hatred here." A new voice spoke up. Rikku guessed it was Aruk. There was some mumbling and a few curses, but it was quiet before long.

Sensing it was safe to come out now, Rikku opened the door fully and stepped into the room. Amaya was the first to see her. "Oh, you are awake. I hope it was not our fault."

Rikku shook her head and smiled. "No, I just woke up." She lied. "But I do think I better go. My presence has gotten you in enough trouble as it is."

"Well at least stay and eat something before you leave. I didn't bring you here to see you pass out outside my door." Aruk said.

Rikku turned to see him. She was expecting a short man like the rest of the guado, but he stood about two feet taller then any other she had met in the past. He still wore the traditional garb that the men wore, but on him they appeared more imposing. "Yes, I suppose I could do that." She answered.

After eating, Rikku continued on her way. The couple had given her a few items for her journey. They made sure she had some antidotes and echo screens this time. She snuck through the town hoping to get to the thunder plains before she was spotted. Breathing a sigh of relief when she saw it, she relaxed. She started walking for it when someone reached out and grabbed her arm.

Thinking it was one of the guado who wanted her to leave, she pulled a dagger from her hip and swung it around.

"Honestly, Rikku, you are just way too jumpy."

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Chibi-sorrow: I can't believe you were my only reviewer. But I'm happy it's you! ;) I just hope that this didn't sound too overused of an idea for Yuna.