Chapter 1: The separation

Summery: The story and chapter begins with everyone aboard the airship getting ready to head for the next sleeping Aeon. Rikku is still worried about Yuna continuing her pilgrimage, and Auron just happens to be the closest person to helping her out with the plan…..

"Yunie…." Rikku sighed out her older cousin's name quietly. She sat alone in the cabin room atop one of the few bunk beds that was stored on the ship. Nobody but her and a few children slept on them, but she had her own bunk and didn't have to fight with anyone, other than herself, about which bunk she would have to sleep on every night. But unfortunately, she hadn't slept well in the past few days. Sure, she had saved her cousin from the crazed Maester Seymour, but….

Apparently, it seemed that no one could save Yuna from her self-sacrificing pilgrimage.

Oh, and how Rikku had tried and begged and cried and pleaded with her cousin, but Yuna wouldn't listen, just like she wouldn't listen to everyone's sarcasm and fake enthusiastic remarks about the marriage. She didn't hear the true concerns or the fears of her companions…… Rikku wasn't able to convince Yuna at all that she should abandon the pilgrimage.

And it was really starting to piss her off!

"….There's gotta be a way to save Yunie!" The fifteen year old yelled, pounding her fists into the mattress. She then jumped off the top bunk and rushed out of the room in a blind panic. She was growing anxious and paranoid as the days went by and the constant worrying and thinking about the entire situation wasn't doing her any good. "There's gotta be somebody around here that has an idea about what to do…. There has to--"

In the middle of her wild rant, she suddenly spotted someone who could possibly have the answers she was seeking. He was intelligent and smarter that he really was, and he was a great fighter-- In fact he was the strongest man she'd ever known or even heard of! There was only one problem….

It was Auron.

And Auron…. did not like Rikku in the least. The last time they fought together, Auron didn't show any remorse for nearly striking Rikku with his Masamune sword and didn't even bother to spare one of his Remedy potion on her when she took a poison stinger shot to the leg and Wakka and Lulu had to rush to a market place in the Thunder Planes. Worse, she was an Al Behd, and, even though Auron knew of the Yevon treachery more than he let on, the older man still held a hatred for the group of people and Rikku was no exception. Wakka treated her better than Auron did even after he found out she was Al Behd.

The man in the red cloak didn't really notice the girl standing just below him, but he didn't feel like he was alone either. Auron suddenly looked down and saw her. Rikku…. It wasn't that he disliked her, but…. She was just so damn annoying to him, and all she ever did was try and find new ways and new volunteers to help her stop Yuna from dying, from sacrificing herself and another….

And it was really, really annoying to him. And from the way she was looking at him, he was the next target for her campaign. And he really did want to help save Yuna from suffering the same fate as her father, but the girl was going about the thing entirely wrong! And that was what annoyed him so much….

"Hey, Auron!" Rikku called out to him, and he sighed.

"Damn it….." was all he could say

Knowing that it was a slim chance, Rikku decided to take it. She walked up to him carefully, knowing that even moving the wrong way would make the man angry at her. She even remembered to keep herself from staring at his face. (she didn't want him to stare at her eyes, as he always did)

"Hey Auron…. Um…" she didn't know where to begin and Auron was already losing his patience with her.

"….What is it Rikku?" Rikku was never able to talk after Auron spoke. He always carried authority in his voice, and that was something that scared her…. a lot.

"………."

" sigh If you're not going to say anything to me, then why are you here now?…. Try and think about that." Rikku hung her head slightly at his words, and then, without another word, ran to the deck elevator and boarded on. Auron sighed again and decided, just to be a "nice guy," try and apologize to the girl.

…. Even though she annoyed the hell out of him….

Rikku had just gotten to the deck and sat down, clearly saddened by the whole thing. It wasn't just Yuna's pilgrimage that troubled her; It was the fact that only Tidus and a few others who weren't Al Behd that actually liked her. Sure, even the Al Behd had issues with her but they all got along. For some reason, even Yuna seemed distant from Rikku and Cid. She'd expected that her cousin would be more welcoming to her, but Yuna was only as polite to her as she would be a stranger. And it sucked, because Rikku had tried so hard. She'd been trying so very hard to get along with everyone, especially--

"Rikku." The girl jumped to her feet quickly when she heard Auron's voice and turned around to see him standing behind her. He walked over to her until there was only a few feet that separated them, and then…..silence. He'd never really had to apologize for his actions before….especially a girl who did nothing but search for ways to selflessly save her doomed family member. If only Braska were still alive…..

"Is there something you wanted?" Rikku asked so innocently and Auron managed to suppress a growl. But before the man could answer, the airship started to rock and lose altitude, slowly turning starboard from some unknown force. "What's happening!" The Al Behd screamed just before she lost balance and fell in the direction of the ship's tilting. Auron was just barely keeping his balance when he automatically lunged for Rikku, snatching her wrist from the air and trying to pull her and his own self from falling from the ship. He shoved his sword deep into the ship's metal, hoping that it would hold them, but for some reason, the sword was actually coming out of the ship.

"What the hell!"

"Uh, Auron?…." Auron looked down at Rikku and saw what she was staring at: The land. The airship was upside-down and it wasn't turning anymore. Rikku let out a sharp scream and wrapped herself around Auron, and the man decided. He placed one foot on the already damaged ship ( no thanks to him ) and ripped the sword from the airship, and he and the Al Behd fell to the ground far below…..

….Auron?….

….Hey, Auron…. Wake up….

…………

"AURON!" Rikku's voice shrilled as she shouted at the man. Auron's eyes opened in a flash and he sat up in a mechanical motion. Around him was nothing but trees and grass. They must've fallen into some sort of forest they were traveling over while the airship was turning. It was already close to midnight and the stars were shinning brighter than what you could ever see in Macalania Woods. He then turned his head to look behind him and saw Rikku. She had been crying and apparently letting Auron lay his head on her lap as he rested. He could taste some of the tears on his lips.

"I…. I thought you were dead." she tried to wipe the tears from her eyes before Auron could make a comment about it and stood up. "Anyway, we should get going, shouldn't we?" Auron slowly got to his feet and noticed that his sword was missing from the fact that he felt lighter than usual, but he didn't take his eyes off of Rikku. "The others must be looking for us and I know that Yuna will be really worried….. What? Is there something on my face or something?" Auron shook his head.

"No, Rikku. Have you seen my weapon?"

"I…. think you dropped it just before we fell into the forest, but then again, I was knocked out too. I'm sorry…." Rikku felt really bad for what happened. In a way, it was her fault. If she hadn't tried to talk to Auron in the first place, he might not have come out to try and find out what she wanted. That's what she thought anyway. And now, her psychotic, no-good father would be throttling Brother and anyone else who got in the way!…. Well, maybe getting Brother in trouble would be kinda funny, hee hee hee…. she thought.

It was then that she noticed Auron sitting back down and taking a swig of whatever he kept in that huge jug. He adjusted his glasses and groaned a bit as he leaned back against one of the tall trees that towered over the two. Rikku just stood there, staring at him. "Auron?… Don't you want to look for the others?"

"Don't worry about them…. They will find us soon enough. We'll rest here and then take leave to the Calm Lands as we originally decided. If we do not meet with them before then, we will meet with them there." Auron said without compassion. Even his kindest of words seemed like a dreaded threat. After a few seconds, Rikku sighed in a very familiar fashion and sat back down on the ground right next to Auron. It was cold and she thought that the man would move anyway, or at least growl at her to leave him alone. All she wanted was to stay warm for a few minutes and then he could leave her side. That's all it would take and she would be happy.

"Hey, Auron…..?" The man growled softly just before answering.

"What, Rikku?"

"…..I -I was going to ask you if you would help me with Yunie, but….." She couldn't finish, knowing that the man heard the same pleas over and over again already. "….Nevermind. Good night Auron."

"….Good night Rikku." Auron spoke quietly to this, and closed his eyes to sleep.

Morning seemed to come quickly. and Auron was already awake and was waiting for Rikku to wake up. But there was something different about the man that he wasn't particularly happy with, something kind that he did for the girl and wasn't very sorry for doing it. He was actually quite proud that he did such a kind gesture and was enjoying his good deed up until Rikku began to stir, and the slight happiness that had begun to surface within the man sunk deep beneath his dark and ill-tempered soul, and he growled quietly while turning his back to her.

Rikku opened one eye, and then the other, and closed them both. A few minutes later, she opened both eyes and yawned loudly. When she tried to stretch her slender arms out, however, she found that her limbs were constricted by a thick, red coat with black leather trimming. She looked over at Auron and realized that it was his old coat….. and she didn't know what to think at all. She maneuvered the coat to where she could easily slip it on, then walked over to the man in a dazed manner.

"Thank you, Auron." She removed the coat and held it out to the man. Auron snatched it away, which didn't bother her much. She was used to it from him, after all. He quickly wrapped his pail body in the heavy cloth, his back still turned to her.

"…You're welcome. Now, we must get going to our destination." Auron began to walk ahead, but Rikku ran into his path, stopping him in his tracks.

"Wait!" Auron released a heavy growl, then asked,

"What is it now Rikku? We must hurry."

"We have to find some breakfast, and your sword!" the man simply stared at Rikku, not saying anything. Suddenly, Rikku found a pulse of courage within herself and dared to challenge the man's position. "Look, if we run into something really dangerous, do you know who will be the one who has to fight them off? Me! That's right, me! Do you really want to risk your life by putting it into my hands?….." Auron thought about this only momentarily, and then bowed slightly to Rikku and extending his arms to his sides.

"Then lead the way, Miss Rikku…."

"Hm! That's the nicest thing you ever said to me Auron. There may be some hope for you yet…" The girl laughed as she and the man began to tread back to where the weapon (and possibly, food) would be found.

To be continued…..