Author's Note: I sincerely apologize for the long wait for this chapter, and for the fact that it's so short. I think I finished this chapter a while ago, but I didn't realize that the chapter was actually finished (if you follow me) until recently. I'm hoping that I won't make you guys wait this long for another chapter of this story again. And if I do, I apologize in advance. (September 19, 2005)

Disclaimer: See Chapter One.

Crimson Ties
by Judanim

Chapter Two: "Convalescence Start"

Not long after the sun rose, the warrior monks did indeed leave Kilika. Almost every man was strong enough to leave on time. Althea's charge, Auron, was the only one left. For two days he remained unconscious. The only conclusion she could draw was either that he was in a coma, or the Killer Bee had hit him really hard.

On the third day, however, she walked into the monk's chambers where Auron was sleeping (no one on the island was willing to carry him all the way into town) to find that he was awake. He looked pretty tired for someone who'd just slept for two days straight. "Well, finally the sunshine has penetrated your brain," she said.

"Good morning to you, too," Auron answered, having no recollection about how he got here or who the woman was. "Tell me this isn't Bevelle, and that I wasn't introduced to you by a short little man in a tavern in an older section of town."

Althea raised an eyebrow. "This is Kilika, you're at the temple, and we met while you were unconscious. Enough of a remedy for you?"

The warrior monk sighed with relief. "It'll work." Slowly, his memory came back to him. He remembered dispatching a Ragora, then being hit by a bothersome wasp. "You must be a healer, then. How long have I been out?"

"Two days. Your unit left with everyone else the morning after the battle. You are to remain here until you're completely healed," Althea replied. "Commander's orders, not mine."

Auron sighed heavily. "I'll remind myself to kick him when I get the next chance. Confining me to Kilika when there's a city to protect. Who does he think he is?"

The white mage shook her head slightly, finding amusement in the warrior monk's arrogance. "Your commander," she answered. "Besides, you were in no condition to leave, and you still aren't."

He waved a dismissive hand. "I feel fine. You worry too much." Instinctively, his hand touched the back of his neck, where he remembered the Killer Bee hitting him. He visibly winced when he felt that the wound was still fresh, just barely scabbed over.

She grinned. "It's not in my job description to worry. The fact is, that wound isn't fully healed yet, and until it is, you're stuck here."

With those words, the warrior monk decided to give in. Was it just him or were most mages more stubborn than a Ronso maester? He knew there was a reason they didn't hire a lot of magic-users as warrior monks. After a few more moments, he realized he still was in his armor. He also realized he stunk to high heaven. "Ugh, don't tell me I slept like this."

Althea nodded. "For two days straight."

With a groan, Auron yanked off his helmet and tossed it aside. He wasn't sure whether the smell was worse with it off or on. "Thanks for letting me sleep in sweaty armor."

"While it would've been nice to have you not smell during your stay here, I wasn't exactly up to trying to relieve you of your clothes," Althea retorted. "Though that probably would make your dreams come true, wouldn't it?"

Before Auron could even begin to form a response, seeing how it was partly true (in his dream, he wouldn't have been unconscious), she grabbed his arm and pulled him off the bed. Soon after, she was pushing him out the door, through the temple courtyard, and down the steps leading to the Kilikan Jungle. At several points in time, he felt like he was going to fall on his face and roll down the stairs. "Hey, be careful! You could get me killed!"

"That'd be a tragedy," she muttered. Regardless, she continued to push him down until they reached the jungle. She took the left path that ran along the river's edge. With one forceful shove, Auron was in the water, armor and all. And the warrior monk hadn't even seen it coming.

He struggled to remain afloat with the heavy armor weighing him down. "Are you crazy?" he yelled. "You could've asked me first!"

Althea merely shrugged. "Where's the fun in that?" She started walking back towards the temple. "I'm gonna go get you some new clothes to wear. Since there's really not a whole lot of extra non-monk clothes sitting around the temple, I wouldn't get your hopes up."

"Uh, thanks…I think." Auron watched her walk away. Boy, did she have some nerve. Most people wouldn't touch a warrior monk unless they'd known them for ten years or more. This woman had only officially known him for roughly ten minutes, and already she was throwing him into rivers. Well, at least she wasn't punching him at every turn.

He sat there bobbing in the river for a few more minutes, unsure of what to do. Finally he decided to climb back ashore and start attempting to get out of his armor. Bathing would be impossible if he was weighed down by twenty pounds of metal.

The white mage came back some ten minutes later to find Auron struggling to get off his chest plate. The water definitely had done a number on it. She leaned against a tree and watched him fail at least four times, before he finally managed to pull it off. The action somehow threw him backwards, and his chest plate in the opposite direction. She couldn't help a laugh as he was trying to sit up. "Found you some clothes," she said, giggling all the while.

Auron groaned. Of course, she had to see that, right? He sat all the way up and looked at her, wishing like hell she would stop laughing at him. "Do they pay you to embarrass people around here, or are you really a White Mage?"

Althea laughed a bit more, but quickly regained her composure under his gaze. "I really am a White Mage, but they certainly don't pay me. Yevon is nothing if not cheap. The villagers, however, do pay me, so that helps."

"Do they require a gag order along with your services?" he muttered.

"What was that?" Althea asked, holding a hand up to her ear.

"Nothing." Auron gave her an innocent smile before grabbing the clothes from her hand. He looked around the jungle area and then back at her. "So, are you going to watch me change, or am I entitled to some privacy?"

She sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not interested in seeing you with your clothes off?" She grinned and headed towards the center of the jungle. "I'm gong to make sure no fiends come your way, considering you're defenseless and all."

The warrior monk stood dumbfounded for a moment before starting to bathe. Well, his stay on Kilika certainly was going to be interesting.

"Bad memories?" Baralai repeated. "Was growing up in Kilika that bad?" He smirked. "It couldn't be any worse than Bevelle."

"The location had very little to do with it," Paine said. "It's just the people here were so small-minded, and--" She stopped herself before allowing the emotion to control her.

Baralai's eyebrows furrowed. "Small-minded about what? What happened?"

The dark warrior waved a hand dismissively. "Nothing, forget it." She stood up and started to leave, her eyes never once meeting her friend's. "We should be heading back to town. I'm sure the others are getting worried."

He scrambled to his feet and grabbed her wrist before she could climb down. "Don't do this. Don't shut me out." Baralai tried to get Paine to look at him, but she kept avoiding his gaze. "It didn't used to be like this between us. There was a time when I could tell you anything, and you would do the same. Remember? Back in Bikanel, before the mission?"

With a resigned sigh, Paine turned back around to face him fully. His eyes were filled with a sincerity that she had rarely seen recently. "Yes, I remember."

"Can't we try to get back to that?" he asked. "I know we've both changed so much over two years, and being possessed by Shuyin and fighting each other didn't help, but it is worth a shot, don't you think?"

Paine felt a small smile find its way onto her face. Silently she went back to her seat on the edge of the treetop and indicated for him to join her. Baralai returned the smile and complied with her request. "So, what happened?"

She sighed, laughing a little. "Where to start?"

"The beginning would be good," Baralai replied.

A light smack on his shoulder told him to hush. "Don't rush or make fun of me, or I will use a Dark Knight skill on you," she warned.

Baralai silenced any smart-ass remarks, fully knowing the danger of the threat (considering she'd used a couple of those skills on him in Bevelle). "I apologize. I'll be good, I promise, because I know Darkness hurts me just as much as it hurts you."

"Actually, I was thinking some more like Break." Paine grinned before clearing her throat. "But, yes, what happened during my childhood." She let out a deep breath before continuing. "It started with some sort of huge fiend attack before I was born."