Title: A Random Adventure

Setting: Yuna and her guardians are returning to Besaid after attending a ceremony celebrating the induction of the newest junior monks at Macalania Temple. They have decided to rest at the Spring in the woods.

Macalania Woods - Early evening. Everyone is helping to set up camp.

Auron leaned out over the water, praying that the log he was precariously balanced on would hold his weight. It creaked alarmingly as he lowered the clay jar into the gem-lit water below him. He looked around, with the paranoia that comes from a life of being ambushed by fiends and hunted by summoners drawn to the scent of the unsent. The animals!

Scanning the surface of the Spring revealed nothing out of the ordinary, and with a grunt, he turned his full concentration on not falling into the water ( a mistake repeated throughout history by many extinct species of small animals). But the feeling persisted and he nearly yelped aloud as something alighted on his hand. It was only a leaf, fallen from one of the many trees surrounding the Spring. Get a grip, there's nothing out there! He admonished himself as he glanced around to see if the others had noticed. No, his pride was safe. They were all preparing camp. He went back to filling his jug, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling of predatory eyes watching him.

Auron was being watched. Far below the surface of the water, hidden by the multiple reflections of the glowing lights, something evil lurked. It waited; silently gliding closer to the man suspended over the water. It watched, waiting for the perfect moment to strike…

"Hey, Kimahri," Wakka said as he struggled to light a fire. The sparks just did not seem to want to stick to the logs. "Have you seen Tidus? I thought he went with you to bring wood." Kimahri Ronso shook his head and replied in his rumbling voice. "No. Little human not return with Kimahri."

"Oh! What if fiends got him?" Rikku cried, with a nervous glance at the dark woods. " We have to find him!"

"I don't think fiends got him." Wakka said quickly, seeing Yuna's frightened look. "We would have heard him scream, ya? Besides," he continued, still trying to light a fire. " He was armed, and the fiends here are pushoversWauuhhh!" Here, two things happened simultaneously. Lulu, having tired of watching Wakka struggle to do something as simple as lighting a fire, did it herself, with Fira. Wakka fell back with a yelp, while at the same time, Auron looked over his shoulder to see what the yelling was about.

…The watcher struck. The calm surface of the Spring boiled up as something erupted from its depths. Auron disappeared under the water before he could make a sound, which is how most monsters prefer to take their prey. Rikku and Yuna both screamed "Fiends!"

The remaining guardians clustered protectively around Yuna as something broke the surface of the Spring, sputtering and coughing. They watched, confused, as Tidus set the Spira world speed record for the frog stroke. A fraction of a second later Auron exploded to the surface of the spring, coughing and sputtering, murder in his eye.

Tidus floundered to the bank, water spraying in all directions and hauled himself out. Snickering wildly, he stumbled towards Yuna, his arms thrashing the air in a vain attempt to aid his legs in forward motion. Yuna stood dumbfounded as Tidus flailed around behind her in a shower of water and peered over her shoulder.

Seething, Auron squelched up to Yuna and turned a burning eye, his only one, on Tidus. "We have time for pranks, do we?" he growled quietly, sending a shiver up Tidus' spine. Suddenly the joke did not seem all that funny anymore. "Leave him alone Auron!" Rikku said, joining Yuna in Tidus' defense. Auron stared at him a moment more, an unreadable expression shadowing his face. Even Rikku cringed a little.

"That was pay back for what you did to me at the Temple!" Tidus retorted, safe behind Yuna and Rikku. Being cute had its advantages. This is true. Females will protect anything they perceive as cute. The cuter it is, the more fiercely they will defend it. Auron 'harrumphed' and replied, " That was not a prank." Kimahri made a sound that could have been a laugh, Wakka made a strange sounding cough, and Lulu just out right chuckled.

Tidus paled, then blushed to his toes, and shouted " You pantsed me in front of everyone at the Blessing reception!" he could have sworn Auron smiled then, but he was not sure, not with that big collar covering the lower half of his face.

"You deserved it. You were dancing on the table! What are people going to think of Yuna if they see one of her guardians acting like a fool?"

"People saw my butt!"

" It was a nice butt…" Rikku interjected.

" Mostly males saw Tidus' rump."

"They saw more than just your butt, ya?"

Tidus' brain hit the mental brakes as Realization jumped out onto the road of Thought like a frightened deer of Truth. The half shirt he was wearing really did not cover much. He suddenly felt sick.

"No wonder people screamed." Auron commented, his voice tinged with amusement. Tidus scowled. Auron smirked as he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Yuna and Rikku to console Tidus.

My very first fanfic! I'm new to this kind of thing, so please, please, PLEASE, review it! Send me your comments, or complaints. I really want to know your oppinion! Plus, please keep reading. I know there are a lot of chapters, but it gets better, I promise!

Nashiil