Um...heh. I sort of didn't realize it until I read all the reviews, but the first chapter does have its humorous side---I wish this chapter followed the trend, so I wouldn't have rotten tomatoes thrown at me, but...it doesn't. In fact, it sort ofincorporates a tiny bitof a drama here. It turned out to be my obligatory "Hit Auron with as many darts as you can" fic. Sorry! (hides under bed as the masses hunt for her). P.S.--spoilers up ahead. If you haven't made it past...oh, say, Zanarkand, you won't want to read further.
Several hundred nasty fiends and three hours later they made it to Rin's Traveling Agency on Mi'ihen Highroad. They were more fortunate this time; there were enough rooms to pair up instead of needing to form two groups. It was decided Kimahri could have the single room, being that he took so many guard shifts while they camped outside.
Rikku was in her own room, preparing for bed. She tried to resign herself to sleeping with Wakka or Tidus that night; Lulu or Auron would argue themselves into Yuna's room. It gave her very little joy that someone else would be suffering the same as her tonight.
The door opened and she willed herself to face the inevitable. "You guys finally decided—Auron?"
The swordsman lifted his head at his name, shutting the door quietly and lowering his blade from his shoulder. "Hn?"
"They made you sleep in here?"
"Not entirely accurate," Auron replied. "I made Tidus and Wakka share a room. Punishment for last night."
Rikku was happier. Auron was much more preferable than Wakka or even Tidus. Since when, she wasn't sure. "Cool. I call this bed!" she pounced upon the bed closest to the window.
Auron placed his katana at the foot of the remaining bed. "Rikku," he began, waiting for her attention.
She lifted her head, gazing curiously.
"As I recall, you asked four personal questions of me earlier today. I only asked one. I'll forgo two questions if you agree to answer–truthfully–one of mine."
Rikku gulped, sitting up. "Sure, Auron. What did you want to ask?"
"Who is your ideal man?"
She had hoped he wouldn't ask that question. And she knew that if she refused his deal, he would only gain two more questions to probe her. "Well. . . um, he's gotta be smart, y'know, so I can actually talk to him and not get something like, 'Blitzball rules!' And, he's gotta be funny, and sweet. And. . . and he has to be tall. With dark eyes. And. . . and brave. . . and dances, and wears boxers and be born sometime between July and August. . . ."
During her list he had crept closer, until he stood before her. He put a finger under her chin and raised her face to his. "So. . . this man you like. . . sounds very idealistic."
Rikku nodded, eyes captured in his. She was feeling very jittery right about now.
"Pardon one more question, but how do you know it isn't a fantasy never to come true?"
She twiddled her thumbs. "Cause. . . cause. . . he's kinda. . . y'know, traveling with me."
"Is he, now?" his voice was pure, innocent curiosity, though the two of them knew it was anything but.
"Yeah."
"Not Tidus, surely. He doesn't have dark eyes and I know for a fact he doesn't dance. Wakka, perhaps, but his main topic of conversation is blitzball; you would be hard-put to get a decent conversation. Kimahri, although he's quite brave, would undoubtedly be uninterested in crossing species. That leaves only. . . ."
"You," Rikku whispered, feeling her nerves twitch in uncertain excitement.
"Yes," Auron lowered his head, eye glittering. "Me."
They gazed for a long time, both unsure how to continue. "It wasn't punishment, was it?" she asked breathlessly. "You chose this room."
He nodded. "I did. Though it was an added bonus that they wound up together."
She shifted. "Can I kiss you?"
Auron's gaze became slightly more guarded. Just as Rikku was about to withdraw her request his lips descended to meet her own.
Oh, she thought as they kissed. I can't believe he kisses this well. Tysh, I've got to get him to do this more often.
Rikku whimpered in loss as he pulled away. "You like?" Auron murmured, hand running through her hair.
Fighting to keep herself from squirming, Rikku settled for licking her lips. "I like."
"Good." His hand pulled her head towards him, their lips meeting again in a light brush.
They kissed and kissed and just when Rikku didn't think the kiss could go any longer it did. She was loathe to be the first to break off, but she felt concerned for Auron's health. "Auron?" she mumbled passed his warm lips.
"Yes?" he mumbled back, not quite ready to surrender her lips.
"Isn't your back killing you from stooping?" she asked.
"No," he replied shortly, taking her lips back.
Rikku broke away again, earning herself a frown that looked more like a pout to her. She giggled at the thought of Auron pouting. "You might be willing to break your back, but my neck hurts. Come down here," she told him, lying down on the bed.
The reserved look came back, but it wasn't readily banished like before. Concerned, she raised a hand and brushed it across a cheek. "I don't bite."
The emotion flickered, and the dam seemed to break. He lowered himself to her level and renewed their kiss, clutching her to him tightly. She responded, wrapping her arms around hiswaist and opening her mouth to accept his tongue. Surreptitiously she snuck her hand under Auron's waistband, sighing mentally as she couldn't tell whether or not the elastic belonged to boxers or briefs.
She smiled into the kiss. That only meant she had to continue the investigation. Cfaad (sweet).
Auron's tongue worked against her own in sweet, demanding probes. She groaned in pleasureand nearly reciprocatedwhen that wonderful probing stopped suddenly. He made a funny noise, like he was disgruntled. He peeled away, eye aiming upward.
She followed his gaze. A bird had flown through the open window and landed atop his head, cheeping at them.
"Oooh," Rikku cooed, "how adorable. You have a birdie in your hair."
Auron made a noise. He reached a hand up and gently removed the bird. The chick was dwarfed in his hand. "There are far safer places for you to nest than atop my head."
The bird chirped again, as if saying, "Tell me something I don't know." The bird then raised a wing carefully, almost like it demanded them to inspect the feathery limb.
"Auron," Rikku said breathily, "I think it's hurt."
Auron furrowed a brow at her. "I'm no veterinarian."
"Ur, tuh'd pa cilr y sayhea, Auron," Rikku snorted, taking the bird from him (Oh, don't be such a meanie, Auron). "I'll try mixing a potion for its wing. You sit here and be a good boy." On a second thought, she gave him back the bird. "I'll need both hands."
While he held no sympathy for the bird that attempted to make his hair its nest, he accepted the chirping handful and allowed Rikku from underneath. She shuffled about the room, muttering and mixing several potions. She finally came back, holding a bright green bottle. "I'm hoping the bird won't try to eat the potion if it's green," she said, applying it gently.
The bird inspected the wing, puffing out feathers indignantly at the atrocious color. It cheeped what Rikku hoped was thanks and fluttered off, somewhat lopsided.
"Now, see?" Rikku grinned at the swordsman. "Our good deed for the day—"
A scream from outside made the two stiffen. Auron reacted first, his life's training having sharpened his instincts. Rikku followed the swordsman, a hair's breadth behind.
Lulu lay on the ground outside, nursing a hurt ankle. Yuna stood by her side, chanting a Cura. Tidus and Kimahri struggled with a creature while Wakka repeatedly tried slamming his blitzball against the thing's head in an effort to keep the creature distracted.
"A Chocobo Eater," Rikku growled. While she was new to the Mi'ihen Highroad, she knew about Chocobo Eaters from those that had the misfortune of encountering the nasty fiends. "Why do they keep breeding?"
"It has to run through the blood," Auron muttered. Rikku frowned, wondering what kind of answer that was. Auron sensed her confusion. "Jecht made us fight it during Lord Braska's pilgrimage. Tidus made us fight it the first time we came through this pass, and now he's dragged us into it again."
He sprinted forward and leapt, hauling his sword above his head. He roared at Wakka. The blitzer, lifting his head and seeing the incoming swordsman, yelped and scrambled away. Auron's sword bit into the creature's hard shell.
The creature, unaffected by Wakka's ball, was displeased to feel a sword hacking at its back. It turned and snarled, swinging a large fist. Auron ducked around it, swinging his sword forward to slice underneath its arm.
Tidus's blade and Kimahri's spear slammed the creature's back. Wakka joined them, using his Dark Attack to blind the creature. With another roar the Chocobo Eater turned and swung its arm. Kimahri, Wakka, and Tidus, having only one prior experience with the Eater, did not duck in time. They tumbled down the cliff, lost to the party.
Lulu was back on her feet and chanting Firaga at the Eater. Rikku jumped in and swiped at the Eater, using her agility to dodge the Eater's arms. Yuna stood back and used her judgment in curing her comrades, glancing at the ledge with worried eyes.
Auron was apart from his other comrades, trying to judge when he could dart around the creature to attack from the front. He watched as the Eater lifted its arms, and realized its intentions. "Rikku, Yuna, Lulu, watch out!"
The women screamed as the Eater rammed into them, shoving them off the cliff. Auron heard their screams die away as they fell.
The Eater turned to face him, working its jaw up and down. It lost its chocobo dinner, thanks to the human with the hair of a chocobo. It had intended to eat the humans and perhaps the Ronso to make up for the lost meal, but they were lost as well. All but this one, at least.
Auron tightened his grip on his sword as the Eater eyed him hungrily. Many flashbacks came to him. One of him standing above Jecht and shaking his head at the man as he climbed back to his feet after successfully beating their first Eater. Another was of him alone, weary, and angry, losing to Yunalesca.
He hoped this time around would echo the former memory, not the latter.
The Eater raced forward, arms swinging. Auron bobbed and twisted, searching frantically for a spot that was vulnerable.
The Chocobo Eater always attacked with its heavy arms. So Auron never noticed the kick until the massive foot impacted his ribs and broke them.
He gasped, fumbling away as his sword disappeared from his hand. The Eater followed, using its arms to batter and snatch at him. Auron had pride in his strength, his arms being strong and well-toned, but a hand crushed his entire left arm with barely a squeeze.
The world span in black and white. Auron felt something crunch his armor, but when his head began to shake violently back and forth, he lost the battle for consciousness.
Pain was not unfamiliar to Rikku. After so much traveling and so many battles, pain was like the annoying person who sat right behind you while you ate and never went away. Then a warm feeling came over her. She opened her eyes to find Yuna staring down at her.
"Hey," Rikku croaked. "That's better."
"Good," Yuna nodded. "You didn't seem that bad off, but one can never tell with a fall like that." She pointed upward, where a hundred feet of cliff towered.
"Wow," Rikku sat up, blinking. "We survived that?"
"Yeah," Tidus's voice answered her. He looked sullen. Rikku supposed it was the fact that he had been beaten by a foe they once killed that made him disgusted. "Anyone know how to get back up there?"
"There's a path that way," Wakka said, favoring his right side as he walked in the direction. He stopped before too long, turning back. "It'll be a long way up. And it ain't an easy one, ya."
Lulu was frowning upward, and Rikku wondered what was on the mage's mind. "What's up, Lu?" she asked.
The mage turned, her Moomba doll shifting in uneasiness. "I don't hear the battle. If it's done, then Auron should have been calling for us by now. . . . if he's well."
Rikku felt her throat close, looking around frantically. Sure enough, the swordsman was not among their number. "Maybe he decided to take the path down to find us," Rikku tried.
Tidus's disgust had turned into concern for the man that had raised him. "Let's go, then!" he cried, limping toward the way Wakka had pointed out. Apparently Yuna's magic didn't take away all the hurts.
Kimahri's ears twitched, followed by his nose. "Auron not that way," he growled, taking his spear and wandering off the other direction.
"What?" Tidus squawked, following the Ronso the best he could with his hurt leg. Everyone fell in behind the blue-furred cat, Rikku barely holding onto her fear.
Kimahri stopped after a moment, sniffing. "Kimahri smell Auron here, but Auron not here," he intoned, golden eyes peering about the darkness.
They fanned out, searching desperately. Rikku wished fervently for the penlight she carried with her at Home when a flash caught her eye.
The clouds had uncovered the moon, and the light shone upon the forest. Rikku followed the glinting light the best she could, and nearly crushed the source.
Auron's frames lay in the grass, bent out of shape. Blood stained the metal.
Rikku twisted, trying to glimpse Auron's proud cloak. When that failed, she peered up.
Several trees obscured her view. But she swore she saw something red.
"Over here!" Rikku hollered, mindless of fiends. She snatched up the frames and began climbing up a tree, using her claw to dig into the bark.
She scaled several feet until the red became more distinct. She clambered along a branch, choking back a cry when she finally found the man.
Auron hung limply from several branches, his beautiful cloak torn and shredded along the higher limbs. His left arm hung heavily over one branch, his other arm pinned underneath his body. Limbs ensnared his legs, and his head hung free from branches. Blood-coated raven locks fanned his face, loosened from his typical ponytail. The higher branches had been ripped from the trunk by his fall, slowing his descent but wounding him further.
Heedless of the height below her, Rikku scrambled across the branch, leapt to one closest on Auron's tree, and climbed to him. She screamed, "Yuna, get over here! He's in a tree!"
She heard their answering cries, but wondered if they'd find her. She unhooked Auron's jug (murmuring an apology to the unconscious warrior) and tossed it down, hoping it made a loud enough noise. It was deafening to her ears, at least.
"Auron?" she spoke to him in a much quieter tone, reaching a shaky hand to brush away strands from his face. He did not even twitch.
A rustle below informed her of someone's approach. She looked down, finding Tidus at the base of the tree. "He's hurt badly," Rikku called down to him. "I don't know how I'm going to get him down—"
The tree helped her in that regard. Tired of the weight, the branches supporting her and Auron snapped. She fell with a scream; Auron offered no resistance to gravity, leaving his cloak torn among the branches.
Something firm caught her. Tidus stared down at her, eyes alight in worry. "You okay?"
Rikku didn't answer, struggling against his hold. "Why the hell did you catch me? Auron's the one unconscious!"
"Kimahri catch Auron," the Ronso answered for the blitzer, appearing almost frightened at his bundle. "We find Yuna now. Auron need Yuna."
Tidus finally let Rikku go, nodding in agreement with Kimahri. "He looks horrible. Yuna!" Tidus cried, cupping his hands into a microphone.
Rikku grabbed Auron's jug, knowing the warrior would have been beyond angry if they left it behind. She kept up with Kimahri's long strides, eyes trained on Auron's face. She couldn't see much; blood left nothing to be seen.
The party came together in a clearing. Yuna nearly broke down into sobs upon seeing her father's guardian, but resolutely gripped her staff to perform a healing. She shut her eyes, searching deep within her for the power. When she found her source, she nearly wailed. It was burning low, just enough for only a simple cure, if that.
I have to try, Yuna growled to herself. For Daddy. For Auron.
She spun her staff and summoned the power to her staff, feeling the power resist. It seemed to know what she did; taking this last bit would take away all she had left.
"Cure!" was the command none of them expected. They had thought she would try Curaga for the Legendary Guardian. Wakka leapt to her as she fell, eyes closing in exhaustion. Her staff clattered to the ground. Auron continued to lie prone.
Rikku watched as Lulu and Wakka bent over the summoner, knowing they were enough for the summoner. She turned her attention to the guardian, taking a cloth from her gear and cleaned most of the blood from his face. She ran her fingers along his body, searching for breaks and open wounds. Under different circumstances, she would have found the opportunity erotic. The direness spoiled any pleasure.
Rikku gently prodded his neck, feeling for breaks. Nothing seemed broken. She brushed away the raven-and-silver locks from his face and checked for head injuries. A long gash cut from temple to temple, and she snatched up the nearest available cloth (Wakka's headband) to press against the wound. Kimahri took her place, allowing her to continue doctoring. Tiny cuts marred his skin, and sweat dripped in rivulets down his face; he had a fever. The skin around his scarred right eye was swollen and black; she hoped there were no infections in the eye.
She discovered the entire left arm broken; the whole digits at the end of his hand were no use with the tendons ripped and the bone in pieces. Inch-deep indents dotted his armor, and some enamel remained from the creature's teeth. Blood oozed up from the sides of the armor, suggesting wounds beneath the protection. His legs were broken cleanly, his right in the calf and his left in the thigh. His abdomen was shredded and bleeding freely. That she immediately covered with Tidus' proffered shirt, ordering the blitzer to press against the wound.
Fingers working quickly, Rikku mixed what potions she had and hoped they were enough. The wound underneath his armor worried her. The head wound was severe, as was the gut wound. Tidus would need a new shirt, soon. So would Kimahri.
You're not supposed to get hurt like this, she thought at him. You're supposed to be the one that we wake up to, all scowl-y and grumpy that we made you halt the pilgrimage. It should be me lying there, or Tidus or Kimahri or Lulu or Wakka. Not you.
She had hoped her thoughts would encourage him to sit up and grin with a mocking glint in his eye. He lay bleeding.
The potion for the gut wound was ready. She scurried and gently removed the shirt, trying not to whimper at the gush of blood. Applying it liberally, she flinched as his body jerked.
"Hold him," she snapped at Tidus, who kneeled with a look of helplessness. "I can't have him jarring his bones, not with his organs in danger."
He obeyed, taking care not to cause further harm to Auron's broken legs. A variety of Lulu's dolls ambled over, holding large, thick cloths. Rikku glimpsed over at Yuna. Lulu gave the thief a brief nod before leaning back over the still unconscious Yuna.
She finished spreading the potion, then pointed at a Cait Sith doll. "Hold your cloth here, put pressure on, and don't get your fur on him." The doll obeyed, unhurt by her last order.
Rikku returned to frantically mixing potions, her focus on the head wound. Kimahri's cloth was replaced by one of the dolls's; it was steadily becoming red, but at a much slower rate.
Finally finished, she quickly went over and told Kimahri to remove it. She poured the potion over his forehead. The dolls did not need her to ask as they held Auron's head in place, preventing him from jerking away. Kimahri caught dribbles of the potion with a fresh cloth and pressed it to the wound, gold eyes tinted with determination. Rikku let his resolve fill her. Kimahri would not let his comrade die. Neither would she.
She paused over the armor, wary. She ordered two more dolls to take Kimahri's place, asking the Ronso, "Should I remove this? He might bleed out if I do."
The Ronso regarded the metal, twitching his tail in uncertainty. "Kimahri not doctor. Kimahri not know for sure."
Auron would know what to do, Rikku thought woefully. She came to her conclusion. "Let's leave it. If his pulse gets worse, we'll do something about it."
More potions were tossed together, and she had something for the fever. "Kimahri, can you lift his head a bit?" she asked. "Not too high, just enough so he won't choke."
Kimahri did what she asked, using one paw to take the doll's place as Auron's head was taken out of their reach. Rikku pried open Auron's lips and tipped the potion, slowly coaxing the liquid into his mouth.
I kissed that mouth, what, an hour ago? Tysh ed, I hate pilgrimages. She brought the potion away when it was half-empty, nodding to Kimahri to lower Auron's head. She had her first few signs of good news: the head wound's cloth had not bled through, and Auron took the potion without gagging. Somewhere in that noggin of his, he was aware.
"Rikku, can you make some ethers?" Wakka asked her, covering Yuna with one blanket. "Yuna used up her magic, that's why she blacked out."
Rikku knew she should be more worried about Yuna; she was a guardian and her cousin, after all. But Auron looked so helpless. . . .
"Rikku help Yuna," Kimahri told her. "Lulu help Auron."
There was no way she could argue with his logic. She shuffled to Yuna's side and began mixing an ether. By the time she was done, Lulu had covered the swordsman with a blanket to repel the cold and his head was propped by a rolled blanket. The blood had been cleansed thoroughly from his face. The harsh lines normally creasing his face had disappeared, the disapproving glare nonexistent in the alien countenance. This was not the Auron she knew, but the Auron that had transformed into the man she knew.
They could do no more for either summoner or guardian. Auron needed Yuna for what remained, and Yuna needed her rest. Kimahri and Lulu watched Auron's temperature and pulse critically. Wakka sat by Yuna, running a hand through his hair several times.
Tidus had disappeared into the trees, for what reason Rikku did not know. He came back ten minutes later carrying a ragged piece of cloth Rikku barely recognized as Auron's cloak. Neither Lulu or Kimahri scolded him; it didn't seem right for Auron to be without his red cloak, torn or no. Tidus laid the cloth on the ground gingerly, then sat between Yuna and Auron, a compromise for his torn loyalties.
Rikku sat opposite of Tidus, taking out Auron's frames gingerly. She worked on unbending the metal, ignoring the blood as best she could. When she fixed the shape, she began polishing the red stains away, working well into the night.
The blackness was nice.
He guessed he should try to open his eye. Hn. . . . Nope, nothing doing. He would just have to leave his eye be for the moment. . .
He typically slept dreamlessly when the blackness came. As opposed to all the other nights, when he dreamt of Braska's death, of Jecht's ill fate, of the demise Yuna would face in the end, and of the fate soon to be endowed to one of his allies. . .
Sometimes on his watch, he would look over their riffraff group (Dona's insult still nagged at him) and lose himself in thought. Who would be the one to take Jecht's place? Would Tidus follow his father's footsteps so far as to become Sin? Would loyal Kimahri offer his life? Would Wakka or Lulu demand Yuna use them as her Final Aeon in order to join Chappu? Would Rikku's love blindly lead her to sacrifice?
He did not want any of that. He most certainly did not want that last to occur. . . .
All these thoughts of whether or not the others would submit their lives for the travesty that was Yevon's teachings. He never asked himself whether or not he would give up his life for Yuna and her Final Aeon.
He was afraid of the question. He knew what the answer was, and despised himself for it. His answer was not one that most would think of him. No matter where he went, no matter how far into the abandoned wastelands he went, there was someone who knew his name, and who he was ten years ago. . .
If one could chuckle while unconscious, he would have done so. Even after ten years, Spirans knew him. He remembered waking up between Luca and the Mi'ihen Highroad after arriving from Zanarkand and having Maechen peer into his face, stating, "Ah, yes, Sir Auron, Legendary Guardian of Lord Braska. Tell me, how have the last ten years been to you?"
Legendary Guardian his ass. If he was so legendary, if he was such a famous guardian, then why wouldn't he forfeit his life (or unsent life, as it were) to be Yuna's Aeon?
Ah. That had been the first time he really said that aloud. Or, as aloud as one could get in their own head. If there was someone else willing to give up their life for Yuna, then he would not argue with them. He wanted to leave for the Farplane as directly as possible, without wasting his "precious soul" in Sin's form. He wanted to keep his "reputable" name. Most of all, he wanted rest. Didn't he deserve rest, after giving up his afterlife to honor two promises to long-dead friends? Hadn't he sacrificed enough for Spira?
Selfishness was such a crux. Even Legendary Guardians didn't have a manual for the offense. Supposedly they were above all that.
Some days he just wanted to laugh and laugh and laugh until he hacked up his alcohol-rotted liver. But then they would try and send him off to the loony bin. He hated the clinical smells of hospitals. . .
Interesting. He must have hit his head. Usually his thoughts weren't this crazy. Usually. . .
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't bring up the strength to open his eye. So he let his mind wander, touching upon any topic it so chose.
Rikku.
He was deliriously thrilled that she had not rejected his advances. Had, in fact, encouraged them until that stupid bird interrupted their lovemaking. Goddamn windows. He should've closed them. And perhaps the bird would've cracked its own skull against the glass like he had cracked his against the first tree he hit. . .
The pain had been severe before. He had felt cold and alone and distant and so pained. He had been ready to concede to the Farplane's grasp when something gave him relief. It had not been magic but potions, cleverly made to rid the burn in his head and gut. He felt gratitude for the reprieve. If only someone could stop the nuisance in his chest, he would be content. . .
It seemed someone above was listening to his scattered thoughts. The pain disappeared. Not just little aches and woes, but everything. His left arm, so antagonizing previously, left him alone. The pains in his legs faded into nothingness. Stiffness and wooziness were obliterated.
He opened his eye.
At first he thought he hadn't managed it. But he noticed differences between the blackness of unconscious and the darkness his eye distinguished. The outside wasn't true darkness, but the lack of moonlight and a low fire did not shed much light in the area.
Above him was Yuna's face, her dual-colored eyes blinking tiredly. "Do you feel anymore pain, Sir Auron?"
Honestly. The 'Sir' business was getting old. They wouldn't be revering him with that title if they knew his answer to The Question. "No," he croaked, wincing at his raspiness as he tried to sit. He winced as his ribs protested. "A bit sore, perhaps, but good."
She held out a water flask. He took it and drank greedily. "I think we've been out for a few hours," Yuna told him, the same patience in her voice.
He paused in his slurping. We? "What happened to you?" he demanded, eye sweeping over her. She didn't look hurt. . . .
"I used up my magic," Yuna explained. "I fainted while trying to heal you."
Stupid! "Your first concern should be yourself, not your guardians," he chided.
"I would not be here if it were not for my guardians, Sir Auron," she replied evenly. "You may feel that the summoner is the most important member of the pilgrimage, but without the guardian a summoner has twice the danger with which to contend."
Auron blinked as she crawled to Tidus, resting her head on his lap and curling into a ball. Tidus responded by laying a hand over her, still fast asleep.
The guardian stared at her sleeping form. Her last words had sounded so much like Braska, when he had been trying to convince Auron to relax, eat, to take care of himself before his Lord. It was very unsettling.
He looked over the group. Everyone was asleep, even diligent Kimahri.
I'll take watch for now, Auron decided, rolling his shoulders to work out the cramps. Searching for his weapon, Auron scowled as he remembered dropping it on the Highroad.
If a thief steals it, they'll be haunted for the rest of their miserable lives, he vowed disgustedly. Then Auron turned his attention to his other concerns: his frames, jug, and cloak.
He found the cloak draped across the ground. He silently mourned the shredded garment, knowing very well the damage could have been worse; it could have been him with those tears.
The glasses took Auron longer to find, never suspecting them to be clutched in Rikku's hands. When he finally did pull them out of her grasp, he found them rigorously polished and a bit more pliable than before. His fall must have done a number on them.
Auron returned the frames to their rightful place on his nose and sat near Rikku. He reattached his jug to his hip and dragged the ruined cloak to him. With a sigh he pulled out a stitching kit and began sewing the fabric together, working quickly and neatly.
Rikku mumbled in her sleep and pressed to his side. She began to copy Yuna, sliding to the earth to lay her head in his lap. For a moment he fondly brushed her hair, then returned to his work. He needed his cloak. He had to continue being the Legendary Guardian Sir Auron, no matter how much he wanted rest.
He would have to wait until the Farplane to get that sweet reward.
Typically Rikku liked her dreams. She dreamt of her mother, the bright smile exactly as it was when she had lived. Sometimes she dreamt of Yevonites and the Al Bhed peacefully coexisting in one city, hate a thing of the past.
Yuna made it into her dreams, too. A Yuna that had no obligation to perform the Final Summoning, a Yuna that lived the way she desired it, a Yuna that married her life-long love.
Almost everyone in their party appeared in her dreams at one time or another. Lulu and her dolls celebrating the end of Sin merrily; Tidus playing Blitzball and winning the Tournament Cup; Kimahri going back to his tribe with honor and pride. Even Wakka had good things happen to him, though Rikku still liked best the dream where he sprouted Chocobo feathers. She had dreamt that one after he found out her heritage and treated her like a cold virus.
Auron had not impacted her dreams before. Rikku wasn't sure why. Maybe he had a mental power that prevented people from dreaming about him. Normally she saw him in the background of the dreams, untouchable and withdrawn. He never spoke, never did anything except stand and watch the events of her dreams unfold.
Until this dream. This dream had involved him in ways she had not wanted him to be. Rikku had watched as Auron died several times: Seymour casting Ultima on the guardian; Sin swallowing him whole as he fell from a cliff's edge; bleeding unstoppably from incurable wounds; the Chocobo Eater chomping him into bits and pieces. The most curious one was of Auron facing a fiend alone, and a tentacle slapping him aside.
Rikku had not liked that dream one bit. No matter how hard she struggled, she could not save him from the multiple deaths.
Thus was her reason for not opening her eyes, though she was awake. She did not want to properly wake up only to find Lulu or Yuna or even Wakka looking at her sadly and saying, "Sorry, Rikku. Auron's. . . gone."
She burrowed her face deeper into the pillow someone had set up for her. It smelled nice, like cinnamon sugar and oases at high noon and just a touch of manliness. . .
Wait. Manliness?
"You do realize that is my hip you're drilling into?"
Slowly, disbelievingly, Rikku opened her eyes. She stared into familiar black fabric, stretched over a leg. With deliberate speed she let her eyes drift up the torso clad in armor, past two strong, whole arms, and into the face of the Legendary Guardian. The frames were perched atop his nose, and he gazed over the lenses in a sagacious manner.
"You—" Rikku breathed, then leapt onto him. "You're okay!"
Perhaps everything about last night had been a bad dream. Of course, last night included the kiss, but she'd take him alive and oblivious to her fantasies over dead and just-once kissed.
He negated her hopes as he winced. "Easy, Rikku," Auron said, prying her off carefully. "My ribs are still sore."
"But you're alive!" Rikku wrapped her arms around him again, taking care not to press hard against his chest.
"I'm still here," he murmured, rubbing her back soothingly. Rikku paid no attention to his choice of words, ecstatic over his health.
Everyone began to stir from their sleep, roused by Rikku's exclamations. Rikku let Auron go, allowing him to rise awkwardly. He accepted the party's relief with a hidden smile, his eye trained on one person.
Tidus had not said a word with the others, shifting from one foot to the other in a bout of nervousness. He finally met Auron's gaze, and the guardian was shocked when the boy stormed over and embraced him roughly. Just as Auron was ready to relax, Tidus broke away and hit his unharmed shoulder. "Don't you dare do anything stupid like that again!" he shouted at Auron, oblivious to his watering eyes. "Jecht left me, and I'm not letting you do the same!"
Auron blinked, wondering from where this concern spawned. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly and said, "I'll do my best, as long as you promise not to pick fights with anymore Chocobo Eaters."
Tidus nodded stiffly, murmuring, "Good," before wandering away. Yuna followed the boy, asking him questions in a low, soothing voice. Auron watched as the tension left the boy, and felt gratitude toward Yuna's gift to heal both physical and emotional wounds.
They began the trek up the path to the Mi'ihen Highroad after they organized their party. Kimahri guarded the rear while Yuna and Tidus led the way, side by side. Wakka and Lulu were just behind them, talking in low voices. Rikku walked beside Auron between that pair and Kimahri, wondering how Auron would take to her slipping a hand into his.
She decided to talk instead. "Do your ribs hurt still? I could brew something if they do."
Auron peered down at her, and Rikku swore he had smiled. "I'm fine. They don't hurt quite as much now."
"That's good." They continued to walk. "So, um, about last night. . ."
He tilted his face slightly; walking on her left side meant his view of her was not the best. "Last night. . ." he prompted.
The look of complete consideration and trust made Rikku lose her nerve. She did not want to ask him about his feelings only to receive a cold response. "Was the fight as bad as you looked?" she asked instead, hoping he didn't notice her second of hesitation.
He had, of course. "I don't know, as I never saw myself before you and Yuna healed me. So what was your real question?"
Rikku fidgeted. Darn my mouth and its inability to stay shut. "Did you like it as much as I did?"
Auron eyed her for a moment. He caught her hand in his, squeezing gently. "As you might recall, I did initiate the kiss. So yes, I liked it. Up until the damn bird landed in my hair."
Rikku giggled. "But the bird was cute."
"Hmph." He had not let go of her hand.
"Does this mean we're officially. . . I dunno, a couple?" Rikku asked, glancing up at the people ahead of her.
"I suppose. Dating was one of the few skills warrior monks were discouraged from perfecting." He noticed her gaze. "Worried about what the others might think?"
"A little. I mean, you are twenty years my senior. That might be cause enough for them to go all protective on me."
"If age were a real factor in love and marriage, many people would not be married. And I think you don't give our friends enough credit."
"I never thought I'd say this, but maybe you're being too trustworthy," Rikku replied. Years of Yevonite-Al Bhed hatred had soured her outlook on people's tolerance.
Auron furrowed his brow at her, then he snorted. "If it makes you feel any better, I have backup plans in case any of them do have a problem with our relationship."
"Like what?" she asked curiously.
"Blackmail against Tidus and Yuna. Lulu's physical weaknesses. Intimidating Wakka. And I'm sure Kimahri isn't the least bit interested in human love affairs." Auron glanced over his shoulder at the Ronso.
Kimahri shook his head. Apparently he had been listening to the conversation, but had not said one word in protest. Rikku felt better.
They reached Mi'ihen Highroad. In the middle of the road stood Auron's katana, embedded deep into the earth. Three thieves were gathered around it, trying to yank the heavy blade out of the ground.
Auron growled, passing everyone to reach his weapon. The three looked up and snarled at him. "We found it first," one thief said. "Go find your own loot."
"That happens to be mine," Auron informed them coldly, grabbing the handle of the katana. He pulled it out of the earth easily, eliciting yelps and cries of fear from the thieves. They hurried away, desperate to keep their heads.
"Look at 'em go!" Wakka whooped, tossing his blitzball into the air. "Bet they won't try an' steal anymore weapons lying about!"
Auron looked over his katana. It appeared in fine condition, but he would inspect it thoroughly at their next rest stop. "Let's go," he announced to everyone, settling the blade on his shoulder. "We still have that blitzball game."
Tidus and Wakka, reminded of the tournament, cheered and took the lead. Yuna and Lulu both rolled their eyes and followed. Kimahri snorted, keeping close behind his summoner. Rikku scowled at Auron. "Did you have to remind them? I hate blitzball."
"So do I," the swordsman told her. "Which is why I'm not attending. You're welcome to join me in a tour of Luca."
Rikku tilted her head. "I've already seen Luca."
"Then we'll just have to find some. . . alternative ways to amuse ourselves."
She brightened. "Would those happen to involve hotels? Perhaps a bed?"
"Or maybe even a shower."
Smirking, she added slyly, "Maybe we ought to try an aviary."
"Will you put that to rest?"
"Never. Such juicy blackmail should never be forgotten."
"I'll keep that in mind in the Thunder Plains."
Rikku winced. "Sadist."
"I doubt I will be hearing any complaints tonight about that particular trait of mine."
Meh. It was well enough for me...but I'm easily entertained, so that doesn't count for much. And see, Auron's alive (sort of)! I'd never kill off my favorite character. (quickly shifts through her other works to ensure the legitimacy of that statement) And will the mystery of which undergarment Auron wears ever be solved? (unlikely, as I can't decide).