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022. Thunder

Streaks of lightning tore through the inky sky, illuminating the ominous pitch black clouds for all to see. Rikku shot up in the uncomfortable, lumpy, camp bed. A sheen of sweat forming all over her body and her green-swirled eyes wide with terror; breath short and her heart beating in a wild frenzy. This panic-stricken, irrational fear brought her back to years ago, when her fear had been as raw as a fresh stab wound.

The thunder had been a shock to her, as silly as that sounds. She hadn't expected for the Thunder Plains to literally be a plain that was a stomping ground for thunder and lightning. She'd kind of expected it to be a one of those weird old names place sometimes have - like the Calm Lands not being calm but chockabloc fully of fiends, or Zanarkand being the actual 'end of the world' - so when the first lightning bolt hit the squelchy mud, not only was she terrified of it, but she was also stunned that there actually was a permanent storm, just like the stories she'd always heard and assumed to be legends.

She was frozen in place, remembering the feel of electricity crawl over her skin and into her bones; the smell of burning skin pungent, until he called out to her and shook her from her reverie, humiliating her until she reluctantly went along. After all, wasn't that the only way for her to protect Yunie? To be right by her side, wherever that was?

They didn't stop until the early hours of the morning the next day, when she pleaded and begged him to let them stay in the one, serendipitous, heaven-sent Inn - and an Al Behd Inn no less! But of course, big scary ol' Auron wanted them to 'push on through the night'! Ugh, she bet he fed off her fear! Meanie. They did end up staying, but that victory probably went to Yunie and not her whining...

Once she'd finally got rid of the mud - that had unfortunately clung to her body like it was seaweed dried to her - and the shivers of fear had subsided to a mere tremble, she left her room and went to try and find someone, anyone, to talk to. Yuna, or Tidus, or Lulu, maybe even Wakka if he was around - hell, she'd talk to Kimarhi if he were up for saying more than just one word at a time! But no, of course, he had to be the only one around. And just as she was turning around to make a hasty retreat back to her bed where she could just curl up, close her eyes, and wait for this all to blow over, he called her over.

"Rikku."

A thief should never be caught like that!

Reluctantly she swirled around on the ball of her foot and plopped herself onto the chair in what she knew was probably a very undignified way. But frankly, she couldn't bring herself to care - she was too focused on getting the trembles to stop.

"What?" Whoops, that had come out as a bit more of a growl than she'd intended.

"Are you ready to leave soon?" He asked, stoically of course. Wouldn't he just lighten up?! He didn't ask if she were okay, or if she'd gone into a complete melt down being stuck around the stupid, noisy, bright stuff. Nope, not with Auron! Straight down to business.

With a slight roll of her eyes that she almost hoped he saw, "Of course! We'll be long gone from here soon anyway."

He just hummed in response, and she could feel her blood beginning to heat up. Maybe that was from the stupid thunder shouting 'notice that I'm here!' every three seconds, on second thoughts. Regardless, she bit her lips and tried not to say anything to Auron who continued to look at her with those unreadable brown eyes. Although, he did kind of look like he was... Irritated? Well, what's new there. And oh boy was it winding her up.

"Do you enjoy me being scared?" She said very suddenly and very acidly. Oh boy, Lulu was starting to take over! Although, that wasn't a bad thing as such...

He looked surprised (well, he raised an eyebrow) but said nothing, and she didn't think he ever would've had she not turned away from him and begun to stand up.

"No."

Oh the joys, Auron was now Kimarhi! Just not as furry and cuddly.

"So why did you want to make us stay out there in the lightning? It just makes me even more scared every second we stayed out there! I could barely walk by the time we reached the inn!" She humphed, her eyes subconsciously narrowing into slits and her fists clenching. How did he make her this annoyed again? Maybe it had something to do with that teeny tiny little (read: massive) crush she had on him.

She was ready to just leave again after she waited in silence and watched his face remain remarkably impassive for thousands upon thousands of seconds.

"Because staying in this place longer would be worse for you."

She took a deep breath and counted to ten. He'd told her that before they came in. And she knew that anyway! It's just that somehow, having a roof over her head made her feel more secure; as though the lightning was being thwarted by the best of Yunie's shell spells.

"It's best not to stop along the journey too much. It will only build up feelings that shouldn't exist in the first place." He said with his eyes averted; eyes that looked to be concealing something on the forefront of his mind.

It was then, as she walked away at a loss, that she was sure of something: either Auron was gay, or that he was beginning to grow attached to one of them in more than a platonic way. She hoped it was her. And she still didn't feel any better about the thunder.

Now, when the lightning lit up their temporary tent in Besaid, she wasn't so scared of the obnoxious lightning, nor the overt, loud thunder, but of the fact that they brought all her current fears to the forefront of her mind.

But one was immediately quashed. She felt him stir next to her, a reminder that he was still here, with her.

"Rikku, are you okay?" He'd never forgotten that she hated thunder, although he, too, knew that the fears had changed over the years.

She nodded lamely, her palms beginning to sweat and her fingers beginning to tremble a bit - the fears may have shifted, but the symptoms didn't.

He sat up, and put one arm around her waist, the other hand took her smaller, nimbler hand in his larger, stronger one.

"I'll be fine Auron, don't worry."

"I don't worry, but you do, too much," he sighed, beginning the conversation they'd had a thousand times before.

She gritted her teeth and counted to ten, feeling the anger cool with time. "I only worry about important things."

"Hazel and Ash will be fine, you'll see. Cid's a trusty caretaker, if a bit eccentric. You were always well, were you not?"

Rikku sighed, they had this conversation numerous times before leaving their young son and daughter behind in Bevelle before coming to visit Besaid for the yearly celebration.

"I know you trust him, and of course I do too, I just-"

"-don't want to leave them behind." Auron beat her to it, repeating the one doubt she'd had the who time. "I know, you don't want them to get hurt. Don't you think I don't?" He raised his eye brow as another streak of lightning rushed across the sky, followed by a thunder clap and another hiccough like jerk from Rikku.

"I know."

"Besides, Yuna turned out well under his tutelage."

Rikku giggled, "Even if she did end up marrying Tidus; the eternally naïve idiot."

Auron laughed too, a rare sight even if it was just a gentle chuckle, agreeing with her. Even if Tidus was caring and kind and likeable, he could sometimes be so naïve it was unbelievable. That, and he and Rikku (although she would refute this) had a habit of charging headlong into things they really shouldn't

As their laughter faded away, so too did the storm and Rikku's fears.

"Okay, I believe you."

"I know."

Rikku scoffed, sitting more upright and turning to look him directly in the face. "I waited almost four years for you, of course I'll always come round to you in the end." She reminded him with a light flick to his nose and a slightly defeated tone.

Auron let out a sound of agreement "Yes, you did."

Rikku let out a shallow whine and raised her fist to pummel him, before he caught her fist in his hand. "You came straight back to me, if you remember correctly!" She said, with a voice full of petulance.

"Of course I did, as I always will."

She smiled at him then, her green swirled eyes lighting up and her head cocking to the side, letting her hair fall down her shoulders. "Even in thunder?"

He chuckled, "Even in thunder."

I hope you enjoyed the first of my one-shots, and I hope you stick around for more. Please leave a review if you have time, and follow if you want to be updated. Thanks!