Odd one-shot I decided to write.. I was feeling a little wierd and wanted something fluffy, but got this instead. For some odd reason even though I said I wasn't going to post for a while, I'm doing this anyway. Word of warning, do not read if you are sad..it will only make it worse. Anyway, now that's over time for the disclaimer...Gin does not own any of the characters used in this fic. They were mearly there to help work out some pent up emotion... man, I am so going to die for this.

He was hurt, that much she knew. How much? That was anyone's guess. Why had he insisted on diving in front of a Malboro anyway? Yuna had set them up with shield and shell spells. The three of them had been protected, but he insisted on saving both woman. Now they would have to rest a day or two until his injuries healed completely. Cure and Cura could only do so much, the rest would be up to him.

Rikku sat on a rock from a distance, and watched as his chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. Once in a while he would stop, and her body would tense until she saw it rise again. She glanced around at the others and noticed Tidus and Wakka using this chance to practice some new blitz moves. Yuna and Lulu were sitting in the shade of another rock, bigger then the one she was on, talking. Kimahri stood like a sentinel behind them. Her eyes traveled back to her self appointed charge.

His head moved as if he was looking for something. She slid from her perch and sat on the grass beside him. Without thinking her hand reached out to hold his. His head stopped moving. She smiled a little to herself, since no one else could see it anyway. She wondered, and not for the first time, if he was dreaming. And if he was, what was it about? A few more minuets she sat there before kissing his hand and going back to her rock.

Dusk fell eventually, and Yuna tried to convince her to leave her spot, but she had refused. Granted she was tired, but she wanted to be there when her charge woke up. He would be disappointed they did not continue without him. It's not like they could carry him anyway, well Kimahri might be able to, but then he would be unable to fight. But Yuna refused to leave even one guardian behind. Rikku was glad about that. It meant that the summoner was just as dedicated as the guardian.

Tidus came over later and offered her a bowl of stew. She took it and ate slowly. He stayed and talked some, but soon found she didn't have much to say and made his way back to Yuna's side. Wakka was the next one to come talk. After the whole incident at HOME, he was much nicer to her. He seemed to look at her as a friend once again. She was happy in that knowledge. Eventually he left as well, and Rikku resumed watching Auron as he breathed in and out. It was boring, yes, but she kinda felt responsible for him too. If she hadn't provoked the fiend like she did, he may not have jumped when it began to release the gas at them.

Soon dusk became night and she chased away any fiends that came close to him. Kimahri watched camp, but even so he was still a good ten or fifteen yards away from where she sat. He watched her, and he knew she knew he was. She felt safe in this group, they were almost like family to her. Well Yuna was her cousin, but the rest of them? They too were closer then just friends. She thought back to the last month that she had been with them. They had come a long way since meeting on the moonflow.

--

Kimahri watched as the young Al Bhed sat on the rock and tried to stay awake. She was pushing over twenty hours with no sleep. Her body would give up soon. Her head bobbed up and down as she tried to keep her eyes open. He relaxed his stance when he saw she had given up and allowed herself what she needed most. She lay curled up on top of the rock she found. He waited until he was sure she would not be waking up before bringing over and covering her with one of his blankets. He never used them anyway.

--

Morning came and most of the group had slept in. Lulu took watch after Kimahri and now sat near a fire making breakfast for the group. At the scent of food, Tidus was the first to awaken. He came out of his tent and stretched, raising his arms high in the air. He smiled at Lulu as she held out a bowl of whatever it was she had made. She never said what it was, and he never asked. He was just grateful for it.

He finished and glanced up as he heard footsteps approach. A figure in red came and sat down with them. "Hey, ol' man. Glad to see you alive and kickin." Tidus said as Auron took a seat.

Auron responded by letting out a grunt acknowledging he heard the teen, but otherwise not impressed by his statement. He thanked Lulu for the food she passed him with only a nod of the head.

"And where is young Rikku?" she asked him as he ate.

"In her tent, I would assume. That's where she is on most mornings anyway." He muttered just audible enough to be heard.

"Not last night. She never went to bed. Rikku spent all of yesterday and last night watching you." Tidus brought up.

"Humph, foolish child."

Rikku had just woken up moments before, and saw that he was gone. Her first thoughts were that fiends had gotten to him while she slept. She mentally beat herself for falling asleep. She slid from the rock and used the blanket to keep off the early morning chill as she searched for the oldest member of the group. She had found him just in time to hear Tidus and then his remark. "Ahh, You big meanie!" She screeched.

All three of them turned to see who it was. Yuna had even poked her head out of her tent to see what was going on after hearing the yell.

"You, you..." Rikku restated, this time a lot quieter. "I, I can't believe you." In her anger, she threw off Kimahri's cover at the older guardian before storming off.

Yuna had come out by this time and helped Auron out from under the blanket. "Perhaps you should talk to her, Sir Auron." She suggested.

If it had been anyone else to have said that, Auron might have become upset. Instead, he grabbed his katana and slowly headed the direction she had run off to. He had found her sitting at the edge of the Calm Lands staring out over the ocean that ran along the north most end. Chocobos surrounded her and he heard her talking to someone. He was about to go back when he realized she was talking about him.

"Can you believe that? I spent all night watching over him, and he calls me foolish. Least I wasn't the one who jumped in front of the fiend." A chocobo was sitting next to her allowing her to stroke its feathers. "Even Wakka isn't that dense." She sighed. "I only wish he could know how much I just want to understand him." She whispered the last statement.

"Rikku." He called softly and the birds squawked as they scattered. She turned to see him standing with the tip of his weapon in the ground beside him. The chocobo she had been petting stood in front of her as if to protect her from the newcomer.

She gently pushed him aside to stand in front of Auron. She glanced up at his face before asking. "What do you want?" She snapped.

"Yuna sent me." He answered flatly.

She looked around the fields then back to him as if processing the information. "And that's the only reason you came?" Like she expected him to do otherwise? "I knew you would never come on your own. That would show you care. Just like how you push Yunie to continue, you don't care about her at all." She said with a trace of annoyance in her voice.

Auron sighed. If only they knew how much he cared. But he couldn't say it, not yet. They would learn more as they traveled. He watched as she stood with her hands on her hips waiting for a response from him. Well she wasn't going to get it, not from him.

She dropped her hands and pushed past him with a huff. The chocobo was right behind her. It also hit him as it passed. He didn't try and stop her. It was none of his concern now anyway, or was it? He sighed and walked back the way he came.

Arriving back at camp, he found she had began a conversation with Tidus and Yuna. She was laughing at something Tidus must have said. At first glance he couldn't even tell something had been bothering her only moments ago. But the subtle body language said otherwise. She turned away from him when he approached, refused to meet his eye, and the most obvious one was the way she leaned in closer to Yuna to speak.

--

Yuna had wanted to press on despite the protests from the two blond members of the group. But they understood her resolve, and however grudgingly, they followed. They were met with Seymour's goons when they arrived at the bridge that led to Gagazet. The fiend was successfully taken care of with a few hits from Kimahri's spear and Auron's katana. It was after this fight that Tidus took note of a path that led down. Auron remembered what was down there. It was where the aeon Yojimbo lived. The group was hesitant to go down at first, but with Tidus' assurance that they could handle anything the fiends dished out, they continued.

Inside the cave was filled with pyerflies and bad memories. They were half through when Rikku had to ask why a fayth was even there. See appeared even less happy when Auron was the one to answer her fear. Glaring at him, she led the way even deeper into the cavern. If only to leave him in the back of the group.

An hour later, they found what they were looking for; or so they thought. It was the unsent spirit of Lady Ginnem. Lulu's first summoner. Yuna began a sending, but was stopped as the dead summoner froze her in her motions. "Very well." Lulu stated. "Allow me to perform my last duty to you as your guardian."

The ensuing fight lasted over an hour with both summon and guardians taking heavy damage. Rikku, eager to get into the fight, had taken Yuna's place as she began to become weary. Tidus stood between them as Auron glanced over at the young member. She smiled at him before winking and running forward. Suddenly he knew what she was going to do. Before he even had a chance to stop her, she had swiped at the aeon. The aeon began a counter-attack. It pulled a long katana out from under it's robes and swing it in her direction. At first she had thought it had missed, until a burning sensation filled her torso. She looked down to see blood running from right hip to left shoulder. Rikku dropped to the ground in pain. She smiled to herself even through the pain. It was worth it.

Auron was about to attack, but Tidus had beat him to it. If only he had been paying more attention! Or if he would have defended her from the strike. The aeon was disappearing in a cloud of pyerflies as Yuna started to dance again, sending Lady Ginnem as well. After the sending, Yuna rushed over to see what she could do for her cousin.

Cura was having little effect. Rikku still dwindled on the border of death. "Go on ahead and get the aeon, Yuna. There is little more you can do." Auron advised as he turned his back to the group.

Nodding, she and Tidus left to speak with the fayth. Lulu, Wakka, and Kimahri looked down at the girl on the ground. Lulu knelt as she pulled a vile out. "Here, Rikku, you need to drink this." She said softly.

Rikku shook her head as she used her eyes to search for one person in particular. "Please.." She rasped. "I want..to talk to..Aur.." She stopped unable to say more.

Hearing his name, Auron turned back to the young Al Bhed on the dirt floor. He walked over and towered over the other three. "Rikku?" He questioned.

"Auron...alone." Hesitant, but understanding, Auron picked her up and stepped on the platform to warp into one of the side cavern caves. He pulled a vial of potion out of his coat and forced her to drink it after setting her down. She coughed on the green liquid but managed to keep it down. "I guess...I owe you an apology." She managed to say as the potion gave her back some semblance of strength.

He let out a short grunt to let her know he had heard her. She laughed weakly. "That is...just like you. But I just...wanted to let...you know something."

"And that would be?" Truth was, he was curious, but he wasn't about to let it show.

"Consider us even now." She paused as she began to cough again. Auron stood watching her. The fit passed and she continued. "I'm more then just a child, you know."

"Yet you jumped right in that fight knowing you would be hurt." He reprimanded.

"I sure did." She giggled, light and carefree, but weak. "And I...I.." She began to cough again as her breathing became more shallow. "Would do it again. If only to save you once more." She rasped as she finished. She closed her eyes as she did not have the strength to keep them open any more.

"Rikku!" Auron shouted to get her attention. "Stay with me." He pulled another vial from his coat. "Drink this." He lifted her up to a more upright position and tried to force the elixir down her throat.

"Don't bother, Auron. It won't help anyway." She whispered. "E's ymnayto tayt." She slipped back into her native tongue.

"Dammit, I won't have your death hanging over me as well!" He shouted to the rocks. He looked back to the girl in his arms, before letting go. She was already gone. Pyerflies escaped and floated around him. As they did so, he could just barely make out a couple of Al Bhed words. "E mujat oui...bnupypmo suna drah E cruimt ryja." Though he could not understand what was said, he was reassured that she did not blame him for her death.

He stepped on the platform and left the cave to join the rest. Yuna stood waiting for him, worry etched on her face. "Where is Rikku?" She asked.

He kept his usual stoic face as he answered. "Where one cannot follow."

"Whoa, whoa. What's that supposed to mean, ya?" Wakka questioned as he stared the man down.

"We are done here, Lady Yuna, I suggest we move on." He said as he ignored the red-head. They filed out with Kimahri leading the way, and Auron taking up the rear. He stopped when he heard a whisper of a voice.

"Syga cina cra mejac, Auron..." Though he did not understand the words, the feeling behind them was sure. He nodded once before leaving the cavern behind.

--

Translations:

E's ymnayto tayt- I'm already dead.

E mujat oui...bnupypmo suna drah R cruimt ryja.- I loved you...probably more then I should have.

Syga cina cra mejac, Auron.- Make sure she lives, Auron.