Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy

This is the (new) first of my series of one-shots for the illustrious Aurikku pairing! I got 75 prompts and split them into different pairings, which accounts for the random numbering. So... yeah! I hope you enjoy this first of my series!

Thank you to CupofTeaforAliceandHatter for your review! I'm really glad you're liking them :) And to anyone who is interested in the Yuffentine pairing, then check out her one-shots - they're really good! (May or may not have procrastinated for a while there...)

Anyway, I hope you like this next one-shot. Enjoy!

039. Remember

Besaid was such a strange place. It was peaceful; a paradise all of its own. Yet it was just a bit too tranquil. It made you remember things you'd thought you'd long suppressed, forcing you to think about the things you didn't want to. With the gentle lapping of waves and the rustling of the brilliant green leaves, you were bound to relive some horrible nightmare you'd rather die than see.

Rikku was sitting on the beach, trying desperately to not think of anything and instead looked out at the never ending crashing of waves. She tried to memorise how each one looked to stop the train of thought that she knew was coming.

Tidus had come back to Yuna. Why hadn't he come back to her? Was he really dead for real? After all she'd done, she was still left high and dry by the faith, by him, by everyone! It just wasn't fair.

She remembered the time when he was still alive, back before all of this. She remembered when they first met, after she'd limped very... elegantly... Out of the river and face-planted onto the ground. Tidus had found her first, and after she'd wriggled out of the wetsuit (which sticks like glue at the best of times) and had finally gotten rid of those goggles, they'd all caught up with him. She had to say, the thought of Tidus with her cousin Yunie did weird her out a little bit at first, but whatever. These things just happened. She begged to be allowed to join Yuna as a guardian, and she barely even noticed him until he asked to look into her eyes. She was surprised at first, closing her eyes, until she finally peaked between her eyelashes and saw him for the first time. He was tall, about a head taller than her, and he looked to be about in his thirties at least. One of his eyes was scared and shut, but the other was a warm brown that seemed to draw her in. His skin looked very slightly wrinkled and tanned from a lot of time spent in the sun. His hair too was beginning to go grey at the roots, the dark brown becoming threaded with white. She couldn't see the rest of him for his red coat, but that only added to the mystery. This man - he was strange. And she wanted to get to know him better.

She remembered the time when they got to the peak of Mt. Gagazet. After all the time they'd spent trying to get there, and to be rewarded with the cold they experienced was almost cruel! They'd set up camp for the night in an alcove near the top of the mountain after it'd become too dark, and the snow had begun to fall at such a rate that you could barely see your hand in front of you. Rikku had lit a fire as soon as she found a suitable place for it, using the magic that Lulu had taught her. She'd taken off the sodden overcoat that she'd been wearing, stripping off what she could afford not to wear, and sat as close to the fire as she dared, whilst the others put up tents. They'd banned her from putting up tents - apparently that one time, when she put up a tent inside out, was so impressively bad that they'd kept her far away from them ever since. She could hear Auron approaching; the heavy foot falls were a dead give away - Wakka was way more clumsy and Kimarhi was more catlike. The pros of being an expert thief!

"You're cold?" He asked in that strange way of his. He always asked a question more like it was a statement, but the hint of inflection at the end softened the statement to an offering.

Nevertheless, she shook her head and smiled, cocking her head to ask him if he was without words, to which he shook his head. Of course, this was Auron. He was always fine! The day he was cold, hell would be too.

"What will you do after we get to Zanarkand and this is all over?" Rikku asked in a sudden, spur of the moment question. She saw a bit of shock and sadness go through his eyes before it was masterfully covered with blankness again. He shrugged, not knowing what he was going to do she supposed.

"You?" Was his voice always so gruff? Probably, she just never really noticed.

What was she going to do...? "Let's see, I'll go back with Dad and try and rebuild Home. Then I'll probably be swept off by feet loads of guys since I'll be super duper famous by then but..." none of them are you.

"But?" he asked, as if he actually wanted to hear what she wanted to do in her silly ramblings.

"But," just say it she screwed up her eyes and took in a deep breath, "it won't be the same." wimp. "I'll miss you guys, that's all."

She watched as something went through his eyes, jealousy? No, it couldn't be! This was Auron - the man who was probably, definitely perhaps, old enough to be her dad! (Although she'd never asked since he was somewhat terrifying. Perhaps Tidus or Yunie would know?). He opened his mouth as though he was about to say something, but decided against it. Neither of them spoke again until the tents had been put up and she left for her tent soon after with a flimsy excuse in tow.

Looking back on it, she realised how stupid and naïve she'd been. He'd probably been about to tell her his true nature: that was - dead, and that she would never see him again. And she was probably right: it probably was jealousy back then. But who would know for certain? He was dead and gone. And even though Home was rebuilt and men had attempted to sweep her off her feet and she did miss all her friends back in that time, even if they were all here right now, he wasn't. He was gone, forever, and that was just something she'd have to get over if she were to live out the rest of her years as she wanted to.

Standing up from the sandy shores of Besaid, she dusted herself off, riding the sand from the folds in her shorts. She looked out at the sea once more, taking a deep breath as she prepared to leave it all behind.

"Rikku."

No, he was dead! She'd just convinced herself of that! Damn it! But sure enough, as she turned around there he was: just as she remembered him, but slightly younger looking - the grey no longer threaded his hair, and his skin was smooth and both of his brown eyes were open. But he still had his red, velvet looking coat and as she approached him, she smelt that the smell - of whiskey and sand - was still there. And he was real, real enough for her to slap at least.

Yet there he was, just as she remembered.

I just couldn't leave you with angst... I feel like this pairing is angsty enough without me adding any more. So, please review if you liked it, and follow for updates. Thanks!