Hope you guys are liking this so far! For you Auron and Rikku shippers, you'll enjoy the little slice of cuteness in this chapter =)

Chapter 6

"I never want to see that man's creepy face again. Never again."

The group had arrived in the Macalania Forest that night, over an hour after escaping the temple. Rikku sat on a rock and stared at the ground. Everyone else, aside from Yuna and Kimari, stood around, silent. When they arrived, Yuna had walked away with Kimari through the trees, tears in her eyes.

"I don't blame ya," Tidus said to Rikku. "After what's happened with him, and the crazy way he viewed death and saving people… I hope he's gone for good this time."

"Me, too," Rikku agreed.

"I was shocked that you would do something as reckless, and frankly, stupid, as what you did in Bevelle," Lulu said to her, "trading your life for ours."

"I had to do something! I wasn't going to let him kill all of you, not when I could do something about it."

"He must have really cared for you if he was willing to let us go and take you away."

Rikku shivered at the memory of what happened in that room. She wished she could find some spell that could erase the memory of that dead man kissing her. She held her stomach, feeling nauseous again.

"Yeah, I still can't believe that Seymour had a thing for you," Wakka said.

Rikku gave him an incredulous look. "And just why is it so hard to believe?"

"Oh, uh…" He put a hand behind his head. "Well, I'm not saying it's impossible for a man to have a thing for you, I just… well, Seymour was a horrible person, and uh…"

"Wakka, stop. You're digging yourself deeper into a hole," Lulu said.

"I wasn't meaning…" he began, but Auron stepped in.

"Enough. Let's just focus on Yuna and the rest of her pilgramage."

"If she still wants to do it," Rikku added. "Poor Yunie, finding out that Yevon and everything about it was a hoax."

"I know," Lulu said. "She feels betrayed. What she has worked for her whole life up to know was in vain. At least, that is what she's thinking."

"Someone should go talk to her," Wakka suggested.

"I agree," Lulu said and turned to Tidus. "You should go talk to her, give her some comfort."

"What would I say?" he asked.

"Anything."

"Alright," he said and was off through the trees.

Wakka and Lulu went off and sat on a rock a ways away and started talking about something. Rikku stared at the ground, her eye on a single pink flower poking out of the grass. The buzzing of the orbs in the trees calmed her nerves, but only a little. She pulled the black blanket out from a hook on her back and wrapped herself in the material, hoping that it would magically take away the painful memories of the past couple days.

"I see you haven't lost that blanket," she heard and saw Auron sit next to her on the rock. She wrapped the blanket more around her, feeling the warmth of it.

"Yeah, I figured you would get angry with me if I lost this one, too."

He chuckled. "Yes, I probably would." He looked over at her and studied her for a moment. Her hair was still down since she never had the chance to find another tie. "Are you alright?" he asked in the gentlest voice she has ever heard from him.

"Yeah, I think so… It's just, a lot has happened since I joined you guys."

"I agree."

She thought of Tidus. She hoped more than anything that he would convince Yuna to stop her pilgramage. She asked Auron, "Do you think Yunie is going to continue with her pilgramage?"

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "She has suffered a great blow, finding out that Yevon and its priests have betrayed and lied to all of Spira. But she is strong. I believe that she will continue to the end."

"Really? I hope she doesn't. I don't want Yunie to die…" She gasped, and hope glimmered in her eyes at she looked at him. "Do you think she has thought of a way to defeat Sin without her needing to die?"

"I cannot be sure."

Rikku eyed the crease in his brow, and she felt her chest pinch. "Do you still believe that there is no other way?"

"Again, I cannot be sure." He looked over at her, his look inquisitive. "Is that really what your people have done all this time? Kidnap the summoners to save them?"

"Uh-huh. How else would we be able to save them? I know kidnapping is bad, but to save someone's life… it's worth it."

"Have any summoners stopped their pilgramages because you wouldn't let them go?"

Rikku reached into her memories and recalled several summoners that her people have kidnapped. "No, unfortunately. I have always hoped—we have always hoped—but we hoped in vain. They were all just dead-set on defeating Sin. We had no choice but to let them go."

"It was their destiny."

"I don't think dying is a very good destiny. I mean, maybe for horrible people, but not for good people like summoners."

Auron chuckled, and Rikku stared at him, startled. "What's so funny?"

"You just have strong opinions, that's all. A girl of your age."

"What's wrong with my age? I've been through a lot in my fifteen years. Especially with you guys—I don't want to relive any part of it. I mean, the painful, heart-wrenching parts of it. I cried too many times, and… I'm just tired of it." Her fists clenched as she held the blanket. "I just hope I never have to look at that crazy-haired dead man again."

Auron was silent for a moment, then said as a soft wind blew, "You said before at the Farplane that you fear the dead and spirits."

Rikku kept her gaze on that small pink flower. "Well, it's not that I'm afraid of them, it's just that they give me the creeps. I mean, Maester Seymour and Maester Mika were unsents, as in, they were dead and they were still walking around and doing things as if they were alive…" She shivered at the thought. "It's just really creepy. And unnatural."

Auron let out a sigh through his nose, and surmised, "So… you dislike unsents."

"I guess so."

She looked over at him and saw a deep crease in his brow, and his good eye was shut. She discreetly scooted a tad closer and studied him, then his scarred eye.

"Sir Auron?"

"Hm?"

"I've always been curious… how did your eye get scarred over?"

He good eye opened and he shook his head. "You don't need to know."

"Why not? Is it a battle scar?"

"Something like that. But that's all I'm going to tell you."

"Alright, alright. And how about your arm? I've seen you use it in battle, so why do you keep it slung in your cloak?"

"I suppose for comfort."

"Oh."

They continued to sit there as a soft, cool wind blew the trees, and Rikku looked over at Wakka and Lulu talking with each other near a bunch of sparkling crystals. She looked over at Auron again, and wondered if she would ever see him again when the pilgramage was through—that is, if Yuna made up her mind to keep going.

Auron suddenly looked at her, and her heart jumped to her throat.

"Um…" she began nervously. "I am, um… I was wondering… what are you going to do after the pilgramage?"

"You're full of questions," he muttered. "I haven't thought that far yet."

"Really? I think about it all the time. I think I'll go with my father and we and the rest of the Al Bhed will rebuild Home."

"I'm sorry that it was destroyed. Where will you live after the pilgramage?"

"We have other Homes across Spira, so I'll just go to one of those until another Home is built."

He nodded, and her heart thudded as the question pushed at her lips… "Do… you think we'll see each other again, after the pilgramage?"

"It is difficult to say."

"Why? Wouldn't you just go home? Where is home for you?"

He became silent as the orbs in the trees buzzed. That crease in his brow returned. "Don't worry about that. Just worry about Yuna."

Rikku bit her bottom lip, giving up. "Okay… fine, don't tell me. I'll worry about Yunie, and hope that she stops her pilgramage. But if not… I guess she and all of us will still have to risk our lives to defeat Sin."

"That is how it should be. Guardians risk their lives for their summoner."

Rikku's gut twisted at remembering the temple just a couple hours before. "I'm glad that they didn't hurt any of us. You know, at the temple. They captured us all, and we could've…" She cleared her throat, trying not to let the emotion rise. "I'm just happy that we all made it out safely."

"I am as well."

"I heard from Tidus that Lord Kinoc took you separately, and you feared that he would kill you."

"Yes, but… he did not, obviously."

"I'm just super, super glad that he didn't. I don't know what I would've done if you were killed…"

Rikku didn't realize that she was crying until she felt a tear roll down her cheek and drop from her chin. She wiped it away, but another one came after it.

"Geez…" she muttered, annoyed. "I really am a crybaby. I really wish I would stop crying."

Auron turned to face her and eyed her a moment. Her pulse rose drastically when he rose his hand and with his thumb, and wiped that falling tear away. Shocked, Rikku stared at his face as hers heated to an intense degree. His rough fingers remained on her cheek for a moment as their gaze held, and she leaned in a little…

He abruptly dropped his hand and turned away from her. "You won't have to worry about me dying."

"I don't," she said, trying to recover from that sweet gesture he made. "You're pretty strong."

"That is not the only reason."

"What?"

He shook his head. "Nevermind." He stood up. "I am going for a walk. I'll be back soon."

He was off through the trees and crystals and Rikku stared after him, not believing what just happened between them. Her lips stretched into a large, beaming smile as she touched her cheek where he did.

"Oh, gosh…" he squealed, and then giggled. "I don't want to wash this cheek ever again."

"Why not? You face is kinda dirty."

Rikku jumped at Wakka's sudden voice. She started rubbing her cheek, alarm pulsing through her at the fact that Auron was that close to her face, and it had dirt on it! "What? Where is it dirty?"

"Just kiddin'. Where did Auron go?"

"Geez, Wakka. He… went for a walk."

"Hm. Wonder what's keeping Tidus and Yuna?"

"Don't know. I hope Yunie chooses to stop her pilgramage. Tidus better convince her of it. Yunie should listen to him since they like each other."

"You've picked up on that, too, huh? It was obvious from the beginning, from the moment the guy first saw her."

It was the same for Rikku when she saw Auron. She wondered how he felt. She touched her cheek again.

"Oh, there's Sir Auron," Lulu said, and Rikku sat up.

"That was quick," Rikku muttered.

The man walked through the bushes to where the three of them were gathered. His gaze went straight to Rikku, and her heart jumped. He looked over at Lulu.

"They're still not back yet?" he asked.

"No," Lulu said. "We should give them time."

"Agreed."

They all sat around on rocks, and after several minutes, Rikku spotted Kimari walking down the path. "Hey!" she gasped. "There's Kimari!"

Their Ronso companion came up to them. "Well?" Lulu asked him. "What were they talking about?"

"Kimari could not listen. Was too far away."

"Aww…" Rikku said, disappointed.

"Wanted to give them privacy," Kimari said, and stood near a tree, folding his arms.

"What's that mean?" Rikku asked him.

"Kimari will not say."

Everyone remained silent, and a few more minutes passed before the group saw Tidus and Yuna walking down the path. Everyone stood up when they approached, and Tidus came up to Rikku and put a hand on her shoulder. He shook his head. Her heart dropped to her toes, knowing what that meant…

Yuna wanted to go on with her pilgramage.

"Everyone," Yuna announced, "we leave at dawn and… I am so sorry for all the trouble I caused you."

Rikku dropped the blanket and embraced her. "It's alright, Yunie. We're all here for you, no matter what."

"Thank you, Rikku."

Rikku let her cousin go and turned to everyone. "Now, let's all get some sleep. I'm bushed!"

Everyone went off to find a place to crash, and Rikku noticed Tidus go talk to Yuna. He put a hand behind his head and Yuna blushed and smiled as she spoke with him. Rikku beamed. Something happened between the two of them.

She suddenly saw the black blanket in her line of vision. She looked over and saw Auron extending it to her. "You're going to need this. Gets pretty cold here at night."

"Right," she said and took the warm material. He walked off and sat against a tree. She wondered if he would just sleep like that. How uncomfortable.

She found a patch of grass that was comfortable enough to sleep in. She wrapped the blanket around her like a caterpillar in a cocoon and intentionally faced Auron as he sat against that tree, his face half-hidden by the collar of his cloak. She knew they all had to finish the pilgramage, no matter what happened to Yuna in the end, she was just happy that Auron would be there along with them.

Rikku smiled and drifted off to sleep.