The young woman put down the rag she held in her hand. "What is it?" She asked innocently of her guardian.
"I have been thinking. How much do you remember of the night when you left your home?" He asked her as he glanced out a window.
She paused. Why was he bringing this up now? It happened so long ago. She had not thought about it for years. He had not known it, but for weeks after it happened she had cried herself to sleep at night.
"Rikku?" He questioned when she had not said anything for some time.
"Well, I uh..." She trailed off not sure how she should answer. "Um, lunch is ready. We better eat before it burns." She said as she turned and headed back into the kitchen.
Auron sighed and shook his head as she subtly evaded his question. This was not going to be as easy as he had hoped. But she would have to talk about it someday. He stood from his chair to join her in the kitchen. She stood over a fire and pot stirring whatever was inside. It did smell good, but then most things she cooked smelled good. She was young, but still quite competent in the kitchen. For that he was glad. The last time he had tried to make anything, she had kicked him out before he could burn the place down.
She had plates and stuff set out on the table. He took his seat on the one end as she brought the pot over for them. Picking up his bowl, she used the ladle to scoop some of the soup out. "I hope you like it. I tried something new. The lady down the street suggested it to me." She warned as she set it back down.
"I'm sure it will be fine. You have yet to make anything bad." He replied to comfort her.
It brought a small smile to her face as she poured herself some and sat down. They ate in silence, neither one wanting to say anything and break the stillness of the small hut.
--
Hours later found Auron in the back yard behind his hut practicing with his katana. He had sat down for a rest and to reapply the poison to the tip of his weapon. He had just finished when Rikku came running up to him. He noticed the distressed look on her face and tears running down her cheeks.
"Rikku, what is it?" He asked concerned.
"There, there were these men in town. I, I never saw them before, and and..." She tried to say between breaths.
"Come here." He led her over to the stone bench he had been sitting on. He set his katana down next to him careful not to scratch either one of them with it. "Relax and tell me what happened."
She nodded and managed to calm down enough to speak. "I went to town to find some things for dinner tonight. When I got there, there was a strange boat at the port. I didn't pay it much attention until I saw the men walking around asking questions. Still I didn't pay much attention to it. I got what I needed and left. As I walked the path back home, three of them stopped me. They wouldn't let me through. Then they began asking me questions about Al Bhed and stuff. I had no idea what they wanted.
"When I said I didn't know, they refused to believe me. They then took my basket and threw everything out and smashing it because according to them, I was hiding something. They said that I was lying to them and that they would arrest me if I did not tell them the truth. Well I didn't know what to do, so I ran. I was so scared!" She threw herself into his arms and began crying all over again.
"Shh, shh. It's alright." He patted her back until she had calmed down again. "Did they follow you?"
"No, I don't think so. They were wearing heavy armor and stuff."
"Ok, I want you to go into the hut. I will be in shortly. Under my bed is some travel bags. Get one and start packing."
"But, why? I don't wanna leave. I like it here." Rikku protested. She should have known it would come down to this though.
"We must. Staying here will only cause trouble." He answered, more harshly then he would have liked, but there was no time to think about that now. They had to leave, and soon. Before the temple found them.
Without another word, Rikku moved from his arms and ran in. Whatever was going on was serious. If her guardian spoke that roughly to her, then she knew she had better listen.
Rikku had just finished with her things when Auron came back in. Not sure what he was thinking, she waited for him to say something first.
"We leave when the sun goes down. We cannot stay here any longer." He told her as he walked past her door.
"Yes, sir. I understand." She replied. She didn't really, but if he said leave, she would do it. She trusted him.
--
That night after the sun was gone and the stars were out, Auron led them out to the docks. He hoped that they would not be questioned. He knew who the men were that had bothered Rikku earlier in the day. They had come from the temple of Bevelle. It was Rikku they wanted, but he would do all he could to protect her. After all, he had given his word to her parents that he would.
"Stop here." He told her as they passed a weapon shop.
"Why? This place is closed, isn't it?"
"Only to the public. The man who owns it will let us in." He explained as he knocked on the door.
A dark haired man stuck his head out from the second story window. "Go away, can't you see I'm closed? Come back in the morning!"
"I am sorry. But I am going away. I will not be able to come back then." Auron answered.
"Sir Auron? I'm sorry. I did not know it was you. Come around to the side and I will let you in." His head disappeared as the window shut.
Once they were in the small shop Auron began to thank him. "Sorry about this, Sean. We are leaving tonight and will need something for our travels."
"So you need an upgrade on your katana?"
"No, this time it is not for me. It's for Rikku. I need a weapon for a beginner. There are fiends on the road. She will have to learn how to fight."
Rikku had wandered around glancing at the different weapons and such. She had been here before, but each time still amazed her. She only barely listened to what the two men talked about, so she did not know that they were here for her. It's not like she would have been able to know, every other time had been for Auron.
"Allow me to suggest a sword then? It is easy to use, and does pretty good damage."
"No, I need something that can be carried easily. And something light."
"Does she know any magic? A staff is good if she does." He suggested seeing as he would not be able to sell the sword.
They talked back and forth as Rikku walked around looking at everything. She soon picked up something that slipped over her hand. It sat on her knuckles snugly without being restrictive, and from that piece was a length of leather that ran along her arm for extra protection and support. "Hey guys?" She called to get their attention. "What's this thing?" She held it up to where they could see it.
"Well, I'll be darned. Why didn't I think of that?" Sean said to himself when he saw her arm in the air.
"If she likes it, then I will take it." Auron said as he watched Rikku hop on her toes in excitement. "How does it fit you, Rikku?"
"Fit? I only wanted to know what it was." She answered confused as she brought her arm in front of her to look at it closer.
"It's called a claw. Here, let me show you how to use it." Sean suggested as he took her aside. "Come at me and pretend you're going to punch me."
"But won't I hurt you if I do that?" She asked concerned.
"Don't worry about it. I'll be fine." He replied.
She did as he said, but he moved back before she connected. Because of that, Rikku ended up spinning in a circle before she could stop herself. "Hey, what was that all about?"
"You need to practice. But I do think that will be a good weapon for you once you get the hang of it."
"Thank you, Sean. How much do I owe you?"
"Don't worry about it. You will need that gil in your travels. The word is that the temple are looking for all decedents of the Al Bhed and hunting them down." Sean whispered so Rikku would not be able to overhear. He explained when Auron gave him a confused glance. "I've known about her and who she is for years now. I have not told anyone in order to keep you both safe. But you better go, if the temples find you here we are both goners."
"Thank you friend. I will not forget this." Auron said as he ushered Rikku out the door. "We must leave now." He told her.
"I'm going, I'm going. You don't have to be so rough about it." She whined.
Sean chuckled to himself as he watched them go. If the temples came looking for them, he would do whatever it took to give his friend a head start.
--
"Parry, block, slash. No, not like that. Try again." Auron and Rikku had made it onto the boat with no troubles. It was night time now a day after their close call on Kilika. They had managed to board the ship just after the temple checked it before they were caught on land. Most of the other people on board were in bed so he was teaching her how to use the claw they had picked up. She seemed like a natural with it, but she still hesitated.
"You have to come at me like I am a fiend. If you don't you will never learn."
"But I'm tired. We have been doing this all evening. Can't we rest?" She plopped down on the deck and refused to move until he forced her to.
"Rikku, if you do not learn how to fight, it could kill you." He warned as he glared at her over his glasses.
She glared right back up at him. "Would it kill you to rest? I'm not used to this. I didn't practice like this every day like you did."
They stayed like that for several minutes. "Fine, we'll rest. But as soon as I think you are ready, we begin again. Agreed?"
"Works for me." She cheered as she spread out on the deck floor. She closed her eyes if only to prove a point of how tired she really was, but after the conversation she had this morning it brought back things she had thought forgotten. Images assaulted her as she lay there. She opened her eyes suddenly as she looked around in a panic. The sight of Auron turned with his back to her helped to calm her down.
Rikku sat up using one arm for support behind, as her other tried to rub the pictures away from the back of her lids. "What was that?" She whispered to herself.
Auron must have heard, for he had turned to face her with a quizzical expression. He asked no questions, only waited for her to speak. She gave him a weak fake looking smile. "I'm fine, really." She told him.
"Humph. In that case, we begin again." He held a hand out to help her up.
She sighed as he helped her to her feet.
--
They arrived at the port of Besaid two days later. It was dark and rainy, perfect for them. He would be able to sneak Rikku in without anyone knowing who they were. He only hoped that the temples had not came this far south yet. It would prove to be difficult to hide her if they had.
Rikku clutched the cloak Auron had packed for her closer to herself. She grumbled under her breath about the rain as he walked ahead as if it was nothing. How he could do that was beyond her. She stared at his back, it was too dark to see anything else now. Rikku had been concentrating so hard on him, that she failed to see the root on the path in front of her. She let out a yelp as she pitched forward.
In a matter of seconds, Auron was there to catch her before she landed onto the muddy ground. How he was able to do that, she didn't know, but was thankful all the same. "That was close, huh?" She tried to ease out of the uncomfort level she was in with him so close. Truth be told, Rikku had always had a sort of 'crush' on her caretaker, guardian if you will. He always seemed to know so much before things happened. That and he almost always had all the answers. She wondered on more then one occasion how he did it. "Um, you can let go of me now." She whispered as he still held onto her making sure she was okay and not hurt.
He helped her back to her feet before unwrapping his arms from her body. Rikku missed the warmth right away. Why had she even asked for him to let her go? He looked ahead on the path. "We should be in the village soon. You can rest there." He glanced to her ankle. "Are you okay to walk?"
She checked it out as well, somehow even though he had caught her, she still managed to scratch it. The rain washed most of the blood away, but you could still see it was bleeding pretty badly. "Um, I think I'm okay. It's only a scratch, right?" She lifted her face to look at what he would say.
He bent back over to get a closer look. "We can use a potion on that in the village. It can do it's work while you rest." He stood once again, and before Rikku knew what he was doing, he picked her up.
She was glad for the darkness. He would not be able to see her blush at that point. She tried to push it back down as he carried her. "Really, Auron, I can walk you know." She tried hard to hide her embarrassment.
"I know." He smiled at her but it was hidden in the darkness. "But we will be able to get to the village faster this way."
Figuring she was not going to win anyway (not that she wanted to, mind you) She wrapped her arms around his neck, and lay her head on his shoulder.
--
They made it to the village without much problem. What fiends were on the road were easy to take care of. Auron carried Rikku in one arm, as he used the other to carry his katana. Once they were in the gates, he searched for the only place with light. he knew that would be the inn. Slinging his sword on his back, he entered.
"Can I help you sir?" The woman at the front asked him. She had short brown hair and a pleasant smile.
"Do you have anything available? My companion and I need a place to rest." He answered softly. It was late and he did not like the idea of waking anyone else up.
"I'm sorry, but we only have one room left, and that room only has one bed. If you do not mind..."
"It will be fine. She can have it. I will sleep elsewhere." He interrupted her. "If you would show me where the room is, I can be on my way.
"If that is what you want. Okay, come with me this way." She stood from her place behind the desk and showed him the empty room. It was dark, but warm when she opened the door. She reached in and turned on a light sphere. "Well, I hope this will do." She sighed.
"It will be fine. Thank you." Auron stepped in and set Rikku down on the bed.
"Before I forget.." She pulled the key out of her pocket and handed it to him. "If you need anything else, I will be out front until morning."
"Thank you again." He answered as she shut the door and left.
"Auron?" Rikku began before dropping her head. "Um, I want to um..."
"I know, Rikku. It's okay. You have done nothing wrong. Don't dwell on it." He told her as he bent over to look at her ankle. She shifted away from his touch, afraid he would be able to see her blush in the light. "Stay still, girl! How can I look at it if you keep moving?"
"Sooorry. I'll never move again." She replied. Then to back her claim up, she suddenly went stiff like stone.
"Rikku." He warned in a low tone. "It's late, I'm tired, and we need to get this taken care of. Can't you cooperate just this once?" He finally asked exasperated.
"Fine." She grumbled as she relaxed and let him work. "I was only being sarky." (Hehe! Mako!)
"Sarky?" He questioned as he lifted his eye to look at her.
She waved a hand in the air around her as she explained. "You know, sarcastic?"
He shook his head and went back to rubbing the potion into her scrape. "I don't even want to know where you picked up that word." She didn't respond until he finished. "Now, lay down and get some sleep. I'll be back in the morning." He pulled himself to his feet and made his way to the door.
"Where are you going to sleep?" She asked him just before a yawn escaped.
"I will find a place. I always do." He answered as he picked up his bag and left the room. He was almost out when he poked his head back in to give one last warning. "And Rikku, whatever you do, stay in this room until I come get you."
"Why?"
"We do not know much about this village. There might be more people here like there was on Kilika, and unless you want to find out first hand, I advise you to listen." He turned off the light sphere and was gone before she could even think of a protest.
