Disclaimer: I do not own Auron, Rikku, or any of the other characters for that matter. All storyline similarities are credited fully to the creators of the game.

Chapter 3

Rikku paced nervously, at war with her feelings once more. Why would Yuna say something like that when she knew how it'd affect her? Now she had to see him… just one more time. She would have to visit the Farplane.

Sitting on the bed, Rikku gathered up the necessary equipment for the trip and packed it away in her suitcase. Since her father left her the airship, she'd be in minimal danger when it came to fiends. With that in mind, she planned on leaving early tomorrow morning whether Yuna and Tidus would follow or not.

Rikku bounced out of bed exuberantly, ready to conquer a new day. "Yunie… Tidus! I'm going to Guadosalam!" she called, dragging her bags along behind her. The suitcase she'd packed the night before was almost as big as she was, full of unnecessary trinkets and clothing for a one night trip.

"You takin the whole island with you?" Wakka asked, a smile spread across his face. "How long you going to Guadosalam?"

"Just for the day… do you think I packed too much?" she asked sheepishly.

Wakka laughed. "Nah… you gonna need some help with those bags? Last thing I need you to do is throw your back out."

Without further resistance, Wakka lifted Rikku's bags onto the airship and made his way back to the huts to gather the others. With a little hesitation, everyone but Kimhari agreed that visiting Guadosalam would be a good idea… after all, they all had memories to relive and people to see.

"All aboard! Next stop, Guadosalam!" Rikku cheered, running up the bridge of the ship and sitting in the pilot's chair.

"May I ask why we're going to Guadosalam?" Lulu asked, tossing the question out for anyone who would answer.

"I don't suppose a tiny vacation would be in order, would it Yunie?" Rikku asked, her cheeks flushing red in embarrassment over the reason she'd chosen to leave so abruptly.

"I asked her to," Tidus chimed in. "I wanted to see my old man… at least one more time anyway. Funny how things change… When he was alive I tried my hardest to stay away from him."

Reaching over, Yuna grabbed Tidus' hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. That was what Rikku missed the most when she thought about it… it was those little things that Auron used to do that meant the world to her. Now they were nothing but memories.

"Yeah… memories I'm about to relive," she thought to herself nervously. She'd never been to the Farplane before, so she didn't know exactly what to expect. Could she communicate with him somehow? Would he be able to hear her cries? Would he still look like the Auron she remembered and loved so dearly? Rikku pondered all of these things in the deafening silence that had fallen over the group and she found herself beginning to tear up.

"Everybody hold on," she managed, her voice only marginally shaky "we're about to land."