Chapter 6
"I can't let you do this," Paine declared, though nervously. Her fists shook in unease, and she did not know herself what she was saying. "You don't belong here!"
"I don't see what harm my presence does here, but if you wish me to leave..." Auron shifted the katana over his shoulder and stood, waiting for his fate to be sealed. Yet somehow, he couldn't quite figure out why it was that he knew he wouldn't be leaving. Not now, anyway. He hoped not for a very long time.
"This is insane!!!!" Rikku yelled in spite of herself. "Just what are we doing here?"
"Rikku, come to your senses. He's supposed to be on the Farplane, and here he is for purposes which we don't know, and he claims that he himself doesn't know."
"But we can't just leave him here! And besides, we've rejected the Old Yevon tradition of the sendings!"
"Then we fight him--"
"Paine, NO!!!!!" Rikku tugged on her friend's shoulders as she poised to draw her sword. "WHAT ABOUT TIDUS???"
"What about him?" Paine and Auron asked her at the same time.
"Well," Rikku's shoulders curled inward as she explained nervously. "He's back, and he's real, and he's been with us for awhile now. Can't we give Auron the chance too?" Hearing his name glide off her own tongue made Rikku want to run away from everything and no longer wish to have anything to do with him or Paine. It also still felt like Auron was dead, and one rarely ever speaks of the dead as if they were still alive.
"I... couldn't tell you about whether or not I'm 'real', sorry, Rikku," Auron spoke up, unfeigned sorrow in his voice. "I'm not even sure where I am, to begin with."
Rikku walked up to him and lay her hands on his broad, wide shoulders. The instant her soft skin came in contact with his clothes, Auron felt a warm tingle spread all over him, and suddenly he had a real body, and real senses, with which to perceive her there. He stood there a moment, regaining the feeling in his skin and his bones, clenching his fists hard enough to feel genuine pain. There was no way this was a dream. He was alive again, here and now, and this was Rikku touching his heavy jacket.
That jacket, Rikku observed, still had a musty sort of smell to it, but one that was like an ancient preserved and mild sweet spice. The scent made her stomach flip-flop twice over as she was taken back to those moments when they talked a little and walked together during Yuna's pilgrimage two years ago. Although the thought of Auron rarely ever left her mind these days, one thing she had forgotten was that smell, that overwhelming spicy sweetness that made her shy away. He just had to be real.
"Oh my god, he's real," whined Rikku, holding her hands to her mouth and trembling.
"Well, a 'Welcome Back' from Rikku is one I'll never forget," Auron said with a warm smile. "That is, if you will accept me here, and let me pass to go see the others."
"Sh-sure," the blonde said deliriously, staring out with wide and watery eyes. "Follow me. This is a cavern found on Besaid Island a year ago...."
Auron stepped out into the sunlight after the two ladies and took in the sensations that flooded his mind. Of course, the Farplane had made this all look crude, but this was his personal Farplane. While he was still here, and again he didn't know how long that would be, he wanted to stay as long as he possibly could. Living it all over again was nothing like remembering, though his memories had often been really close to bringing him back to the reality of standing here. Looking about him, he saw a blue and white blitzball spinning through the air over a nearby cliff, going up and then dwindling back down again. How joyfully overwhelming it was to be among the living again!
"We're going to Yuna straight away," Paine demanded firmly. "I can't allow you to risk any more. We go to see Yuna, right now."
"Agreed," Auron said to her with a nod. "Although I don't believe I know your name yet."
"I'm Paine."
"Nice to meet you."
"Yeah. Thanks."
They walked in silence past waterfalls and over creaking bridges. Auron found that the same machina were here, jutting out onto the cliffs and covered in more vines than there were two years ago. It was different, knowing that some unknown force had allowed him to come back, than the way he looked at everything when he knew he would be gone after Yuna's pilgrimage.
Auron stopped walking as he approached a fence made of a few weak wooden posts and rope. He stood at an old, weathered statue and looked down over Besaid Village, four tents on either side of the cobblestone path leading to the large, Old Yevon temple at the head of the village.
"This is it," he said. Rikku apparently still hadn't adjusted to hearing his voice again, because she flinched a little before setting her palms onto two fenceposts.
"Yeah," she finally replied. "Yunie will be there. And Tidus, and Wakka, and Lulu... everybody."
"Sir Auron," Paine spoke up.
I thought she'd never speak to me any day soon!
"Yes?"
"I want to apologize to you. I've done some thinking and I decided that you most likely deserve to be here again. You saw Yuna all the way though, ever since her pilgrimage to defeat Sin. I have to admire you for being her guardian and her father's. You are like nobility to all of Spira, and I'm sure everyone will show you the best accommodations."
"Thank you, but I don't think we need apologies or formalities right now." Auron lifted his head up and followed Rikku down the steep hill, sighing silently and hoping nothing will have changed too much. He wanted nothing to interfere with this peace he felt already, having seen Rikku again. Things could only get better.
"I can't let you do this," Paine declared, though nervously. Her fists shook in unease, and she did not know herself what she was saying. "You don't belong here!"
"I don't see what harm my presence does here, but if you wish me to leave..." Auron shifted the katana over his shoulder and stood, waiting for his fate to be sealed. Yet somehow, he couldn't quite figure out why it was that he knew he wouldn't be leaving. Not now, anyway. He hoped not for a very long time.
"This is insane!!!!" Rikku yelled in spite of herself. "Just what are we doing here?"
"Rikku, come to your senses. He's supposed to be on the Farplane, and here he is for purposes which we don't know, and he claims that he himself doesn't know."
"But we can't just leave him here! And besides, we've rejected the Old Yevon tradition of the sendings!"
"Then we fight him--"
"Paine, NO!!!!!" Rikku tugged on her friend's shoulders as she poised to draw her sword. "WHAT ABOUT TIDUS???"
"What about him?" Paine and Auron asked her at the same time.
"Well," Rikku's shoulders curled inward as she explained nervously. "He's back, and he's real, and he's been with us for awhile now. Can't we give Auron the chance too?" Hearing his name glide off her own tongue made Rikku want to run away from everything and no longer wish to have anything to do with him or Paine. It also still felt like Auron was dead, and one rarely ever speaks of the dead as if they were still alive.
"I... couldn't tell you about whether or not I'm 'real', sorry, Rikku," Auron spoke up, unfeigned sorrow in his voice. "I'm not even sure where I am, to begin with."
Rikku walked up to him and lay her hands on his broad, wide shoulders. The instant her soft skin came in contact with his clothes, Auron felt a warm tingle spread all over him, and suddenly he had a real body, and real senses, with which to perceive her there. He stood there a moment, regaining the feeling in his skin and his bones, clenching his fists hard enough to feel genuine pain. There was no way this was a dream. He was alive again, here and now, and this was Rikku touching his heavy jacket.
That jacket, Rikku observed, still had a musty sort of smell to it, but one that was like an ancient preserved and mild sweet spice. The scent made her stomach flip-flop twice over as she was taken back to those moments when they talked a little and walked together during Yuna's pilgrimage two years ago. Although the thought of Auron rarely ever left her mind these days, one thing she had forgotten was that smell, that overwhelming spicy sweetness that made her shy away. He just had to be real.
"Oh my god, he's real," whined Rikku, holding her hands to her mouth and trembling.
"Well, a 'Welcome Back' from Rikku is one I'll never forget," Auron said with a warm smile. "That is, if you will accept me here, and let me pass to go see the others."
"Sh-sure," the blonde said deliriously, staring out with wide and watery eyes. "Follow me. This is a cavern found on Besaid Island a year ago...."
Auron stepped out into the sunlight after the two ladies and took in the sensations that flooded his mind. Of course, the Farplane had made this all look crude, but this was his personal Farplane. While he was still here, and again he didn't know how long that would be, he wanted to stay as long as he possibly could. Living it all over again was nothing like remembering, though his memories had often been really close to bringing him back to the reality of standing here. Looking about him, he saw a blue and white blitzball spinning through the air over a nearby cliff, going up and then dwindling back down again. How joyfully overwhelming it was to be among the living again!
"We're going to Yuna straight away," Paine demanded firmly. "I can't allow you to risk any more. We go to see Yuna, right now."
"Agreed," Auron said to her with a nod. "Although I don't believe I know your name yet."
"I'm Paine."
"Nice to meet you."
"Yeah. Thanks."
They walked in silence past waterfalls and over creaking bridges. Auron found that the same machina were here, jutting out onto the cliffs and covered in more vines than there were two years ago. It was different, knowing that some unknown force had allowed him to come back, than the way he looked at everything when he knew he would be gone after Yuna's pilgrimage.
Auron stopped walking as he approached a fence made of a few weak wooden posts and rope. He stood at an old, weathered statue and looked down over Besaid Village, four tents on either side of the cobblestone path leading to the large, Old Yevon temple at the head of the village.
"This is it," he said. Rikku apparently still hadn't adjusted to hearing his voice again, because she flinched a little before setting her palms onto two fenceposts.
"Yeah," she finally replied. "Yunie will be there. And Tidus, and Wakka, and Lulu... everybody."
"Sir Auron," Paine spoke up.
I thought she'd never speak to me any day soon!
"Yes?"
"I want to apologize to you. I've done some thinking and I decided that you most likely deserve to be here again. You saw Yuna all the way though, ever since her pilgrimage to defeat Sin. I have to admire you for being her guardian and her father's. You are like nobility to all of Spira, and I'm sure everyone will show you the best accommodations."
"Thank you, but I don't think we need apologies or formalities right now." Auron lifted his head up and followed Rikku down the steep hill, sighing silently and hoping nothing will have changed too much. He wanted nothing to interfere with this peace he felt already, having seen Rikku again. Things could only get better.