Here comes chapter three. Sorry for such a long delay. Things have been - intersting - but I won't make excuses I will just apologize and hope I still have you guys with me and reading. Please say I do haha.
But anyway this is dedicated to Ginning - who has been so supportive of this story it's amazing. I hope you keep the great comments and questions coming.
Plus I would like to thank everyone else - always- appreciated! You guys make this more fun I swear.
Disclaimer: Apparently just because I own a copy of the game it gives me no real rights, go figure ha. Anyway you know who it belongs to, I just borrow them.
Hope you enjoy this everyone.
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Her body flung backwards off the chair, her butt coming in full contact with the floor - but her hand never left his. She gripped it like she was falling off a cliff and he was the only thing -person- holding her up, or scratch that maybe it was the reverse. Maybe she was saving him. It really didn't matter though. She watched the limp body jerk in the direction she had just landed and rushed to grab him before he could hit the floor.
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He was ready and then something stung - burned him and yanked him off into some random direction. He eyes were wide, he certainly wasn't expecting that. All he could feel was something close to a breeze flying through his hair and on his body because of it. He felt this sudden feeling he was falling, but something seemed to get a hold of him before he could drop.
He never felt so vulnerable as he did just then. He could feel the ice - he could feel her - she had just caused whatever was happening to stop. It was like she rescued him. "I'm not the one who usually needs to be saved - this is weird - it should be the other way around . . ." he muttered to himself. Feeling slightly ashamed and weak.
But, he pushed that aside when he could still feel her hand in his grasp. He focused even more, in attempts to be with her somehow and also a way to escape his recent feelings. So, he focused all energy again, trying even harder this time - and he could swear he could hear and feel her panting breath in and on his ear.
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"Dear Aeons, I thought I almost dropped you." she said to him like he was a precious statue or something. "Oopsie. . ." she muttered darkly to herself.
She backed up a little and fixed her chair moving even closer to his body than she had been initially and stared down at her hand. She stared down at her hand in his - not the other way around. It was him - holding her. Tears stung her eyes again and before she could stop herself she threw her body at his. Holding him in some misplaced, awkward hug.
"You scared the hell out of me you know?" she chastised him. "But I'm so glad you did."
She sucked in the air around her, eyes closing and grasping his hand and head laying across his chest.
"You can really hear me now can't you? Or you're trying to hear me right?" she paused waiting for some sort of response from the man - hoping it wasn't too much to do so. When she got no response she closed her eyes again but opened them with a determined look across her features.
" I know you can. Auron, I'm sorry. I am so sorry I got you . . . stuck. I want you to come back. I want you here. Right here, right beside . . me." she whispered.
"I was terrified to let you go. Horrified I would wake up the next day and not see you there standing tall. With the knowing look in your eye and a grumpy look on your face." she laughed a bit to herself.
She gained her serious tone again, though it was weighed down with sadness. "I was scared at the idea of you not there and I still am. I don't know how to make it through each day without you. And I don't know what that feeling is. I just couldn't let you go. I wasn't ready to hold you as just another memory."
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When the ice captured his entire chest he couldn't help but inhale and try as he might, he couldn't quite push away the feeling of bliss that came along as well. Whether, it was for the feeling or the knowledge of what the girl was doing - he wasn't sure. He was hoping for the former and already denying the latter.
Regardless he was focusing on every word coming from Rikku's mouth. And almost more then the words, her tone while speaking. There were so many emotions laced into them he could hardly believe his ears. He found himself growing restless - in every sense of the word. He felt like his body was itching to be alive and moving again - he felt an overwhelming desire to respond to Rikku's words. But he couldn't and it was slowly driving him insane.
Then he heard her last sentence - clearer than another she had spoken to him. Even more than the insult he hmph'd to. She didn't want him to be another memory. She wanted him with her. That sentence felt like it caused an explosion in his atmosphere. Some of the confines in this realm were breaking away.
They were shattering like a bullet crashing through glass. Melting like the winter snow into spring. Fading like the pyreflies dispersing into the Farplane.
He felt that for a moment he was in his actual body again. A quick jolt - causing his 'corpse' to shake.
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Rikku jumped up again a small scream passing through her lips. Somehow though, she was still careful of his body - wanting to avoid a problem like before and somehow she wasn't scared. Somehow, she didn't even really feel all that surprised.
"I'm getting through to you - I just don't know how to make you come back all together." she said to both him and herself.
"But I'm not giving up you hear!" she said pointing at him and poking him in the chest. "You're going to make it through all of this and . . . well I'll probably be yelled at later but I don't care, you'll be alive. And I can't wait for it!" her eyes were gaining some of their old shine, that had began to fade in the past year - her upbeat attitude coming up to play a little.
Rikku was finally starting to feel a little better about the predicament. Though she had a feeling she still had some work to do for the man before he would get to come and enjoy life again.
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Auron was still dazed and hazy after that last experience. Rikku's words were quieter and seemed to be at a distance away from him. Auron slammed his eyes shut for a moment and for the first time he felt like he could sit and move around a bit. So he did.
"Ah my friend, it's going to get more difficult for you to speak to us from this point on."
Auron was slightly surprised by Braska's voice filling the air around him once again.
"What do you mean Braska?" he asked entirely confused.
"You felt the shattering feeling right?"
"Yes."
"Well that means that your ties to this realm are actually shattering. Quite literally speaking. You should be able to see it yourself soon enough."
"I'm confused."
"I mean that soon you will see where you are, you will see that the walls keeping you here actually are starting to shatter around you."
"Okay that makes sense. But, why can't I see it now?"
"Because not all of your senses and abilities have returned to you yet."
"Another voice?" he sounded mildly exasperated and could hear Braska give a chuckle in the background.
"Yes, another voice. I was personally getting pretty bored watching Braska and Anima having the pleasure of taking part of this - so I joined in too."
"You make it sound so . ."
"Yes, I make it sound like it's a pleasant thing for you don't I?" the voice chuckled a bit.
"She can't help it - she never liked sitting on the sidelines for anything."
"Nope."
Auron shook his head. "So who else am I having the pleasure of talking too here? Care to enlighten me?"
"What no guesses?"
"I wasn't aware this was a game."
"Oh you were right he does have a bit of a short fuse doesn't he?" the voice asked the others.
"He always has."
Auron cleared his throat, gaining the voices attention once again.
"Oh right, sorry. Shiva is the name."
"Oh, I see."
"Mmhmm."
Auron was generally confused at how different she was compared to the others. But at least she made the atmosphere seem somehow more optimistic. If that was possible.
"So what you were saying is that I have to gain more of my senses before I can see everything that is going on around me?"
"Yes. You seem to be making very quick progress so far actually. I'm surprised that you can move at all. Normally, that doesn't happen. Then again this entire thing doesn't usually happen." Anima mused.
"The more you connect with my niece the more your senses are returning. Soon they will reach a point to where you can hear her without concentrating so hard, you'll be able to see more than a white void, smell - everything that comes with having a body. That is until you're actually put into your body again."
"Okay so once I gain my senses here in this place I can return to my body and to life."
"Yes, but only if you two continue to connect. If she gives up hope, which I really don't see as being a problem, but should she than you will stay trapped here."
"I understand." He sat in thought for a moment and then asked.
"But how do I keep connecting - it took a lot of strength to do so last time and she initiated it. Am I going to have to wait for her every time?"
"Yes. You depend on her. Which is probably a debilitating feeling for you - but she needs to be near you if not actually touching you for you to continue to heal. Those are the circumstances to the mysterious Zombie Powder."
"Oh."
"You still don't remember anything after defeating Jecht do you?"
"No."
"I think it's about time you heard it."
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Rikku didn't really want to leave his side. She didn't think she would miss anything if she left - she had a feeling that his body at reached almost a point of exhaustion and couldn't move anymore. But, all the same she felt better staying with him, even if it caused neck and back pains from sleeping in a chair all night.
She retreated from the room for a minute and returned shortly after changed into pajama's with a blankets and a pillow in her hand. She unfolded one blanket and placed it over Auron's still body. She took the other and wrapped it around herself and curling herself onto the chair - her head falling lazily onto the pillow.
She reached out for Auron's hand and pulled it into her lap. Closed her eyes and whispered her last words for the night to him "Goodnight Auron."
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So there it is folks chapter 3. I hope it was okay, I wasn't exactly sure if this chapter has the same feeling as the first two but hopefully you will enjoy it. I also hope it wasn't too confusing either. So please review, questions concerns always welcome as well. I hope you guys are still reading along. And if you have anything you particularly want to see let me know and I'll see if I could work it in for you or something.
But anyway - go ahead review for me:cheesy smile:
I'll be sure to put out another faster next time too. Promise.