Chapter 4

--

Nikko woke up. He felt great. He had slept, and his body felt relieved and sort of renewed. Though, he probably had only slept for a few hours. There wasn't a sound in the house; he guessed Lola and Lucrecia were asleep still.

He noticed his arm was extended outward, his palm up. He didn't think much about it, and got out of bed. After fixing the blankets he noticed Lucrecia was all scrunched up and her covers had fallen away. He picked them up and lay them over her, and her face seemed to relax. Closing the door quietly, Nikko headed out to the brisk forever night into the town.

Lucrecia later woke up and stretched. One hand felt colder than the other, and she realized one of her fingerless gloves lay forgotten by her bed. She had forgotten to put it back on. As she was strapping it, Lola came in and yawned.

"Had a nice night? Nikko didn't bother you, did he?" She asked. Lucrecia laughed a little and blushed.

"Oh no, everything was fine. He slept like a baby," She replied smiling. Lucrecia liked having a secret between her and Nikko, which didn't include Lola. It felt exciting and nice.

"Why are...you so happy?" Lola asked suspiciously. Lucrecia let the smile on her face drop and she stretched again.

"Oh, I don't know. I guess I'm hungry," She replied.

"Happy when you're hungry? Hmm...," Lola said and walked away.

Lucrecia laughed and threw a pillow at her, but missed. She changed quickly and went in the living room, taking peeks at the window. Where did Nikko go anyway?

"You won't find him early, he likes to help Cid in his shop," Lola said setting the plates down. Lucrecia put on a total innocent face.

"Really? Well, what makes you think I was thinking about him anyway?" Lucrecia asked. "I'm Lola. I know everything," Lola replied taking a bite of toast proudly.

"Right! Whatever," Lucrecia said and laughed. After a silent moment or so, she asked, while stirring her coffee, "Um...remember about the trips to other worlds and stuff? Well, you never replied if I can go or not..." Lucrecia looked at Lola with an innocent puppy dog look, complete with the eyes too.

"Argh...alright. Since you and Nikko seem to be all 'best buds' now, ask him and see what happens," Lola said.

Lucrecia groaned and put her arms around her head, shouting but having it come out muffled, "Shut up Lola!" then she laughed.

--

Lucrecia put on her jacket and went outside. She had around thirty minutes before the Cafe opened, and with Lola nowhere near, she wanted to ask Nikko privately. She rubbed her hands together to keep them warm and breathed out air to see her breath. It was getting pretty cold in Traverse Town lately.

She didn't quite know what to do when she came to the Accessory Shop, so she knocked and waited.

"C'mon in," Said a male voice from inside a few minutes later. Lucrecia was glad to get out of the cold, and enter the little shop which had a fireplace. Cid was bending down at the counter and when he got back up he jumped.

"Lu! Didn't know it to be you, eh? Shouldn't you be at Lola's?" Cid asked wiping the counter. Lucrecia giggled and shook her head saying, "Not for awhile."

Cid grunted and then looked around. "Well, there's nothing really for ya' here, except if ya wanna buy something...but that's not it is it? Well, you can stay here as long as ya want, it's warmer in here than outside that's for sure. But just curious, what brings ya here?" Cid asked.

"Um, er...," Lucrecia started looking around, stalling for time. "I have...um, er...something to ask Nikko...," She said slowly.

Cid's eyebrows raised slightly and Lucrecia coughed nervously. "He's upstairs," Cid said, also slowly and in a low voice.

"Upstairs?" Lucrecia asked not knowing the little shop was two story. There wasn't even a staircase in the first story. Cid nodded to a ladder and Lucrecia replied, "Oh...," then laughed nervously. She climbed it and opened the little door. She peeked around at a small dark room, and spotted Nikko talking with some Moogles. He had his back to her, so she couldn't see what he was doing. She grunted and climbed all the way up.

"Kupo!" A Moogle cried jumping up five feet. Lucrecia did a small wave to it and the Moogle tugged Nikko's pant leg.

"Huh?" Nikko looked at it and turned around. "Oh!" He said in surprise spotting Lucrecia. Lu waved at him. "What are you doing here?" He asked coming towards her.

"Oh, um...," She looked down at her feet, then said quietly, "I have something to ask you." Nikko scratched the back of his head and darted his eyes to the Moogles who were watching intently.

"Why here? Couldn't you have waited 'till I got home?" He asked.

"Oh, I didn't-I'm sorry," Lucrecia stammered and walked backwards to the door. "I'll go."

As she was opening it, Nikko said, "We can go the other way you know." Lucrecia stood up and Nikko pointed at a back door.

"Oh," She replied and felt embarrassed. Nikko told the Moogles he'd be right back. They went outside and Lucrecia crossed her arms at the cold.

"What did you want to ask me?" Nikko asked kicking at a rock with his hands shoved in his pockets. It was pretty cold outside. He hoped what Lucrecia would ask didn't have anything to do with last night.

"Well, Lola told me that sometimes you go on these trips...to like other worlds, and I um...wanted to go along too. At least once," She added.

"What? No! You can't," Nikko cried.

"Why not? Oh please Nikko, I have my reasons and I-"

"I don't care, you can't just come along! It's not some vacation you know. It's business, and it's dangerous," Nikko cut her off.

"Oh. Well, I just thought that...oh never mind," She said and looked down.

"Thought what?" Nikko asked but she shook her head. "Thought what?" Nikko repeated a little more aggressively.

"S-S-Sorry it's nothing, you don't need to get pushy about it," Lucrecia said trying to keep him from seeing her eyes welling up with tears.

"Stop apologizing all the time, you didn't do anything!" He replied. She looked up at him. "Well if you didn't snap at me half the time I'm just trying to talk to you, maybe I wouldn't be so-so scared to ask you a simple question!"

"It's not simple, you're asking to go on a dangerous trip and you can easily get lost or hurt!" "So? It's not like you care," Lucrecia said and sniffed.

"How do you know? And besides, Lola would kill me," He added.

"You don't know anything about me. I can fight for myself you know, I don't need your sorry butt everywhere I go," Lucrecia snapped.

"What?! You have no idea what you're talking about-"

"Now you're calling me stupid? Well then, maybe I shouldn't go on this trip after all," Lucrecia fired back sarcastically and turned around to head off.

As she walked off Nikko yelled after her, "Who said you were going in the first place?" then he groaned and went back in the shop.

--

Lucrecia had started running as soon as Nikko couldn't see where she was heading. She ran to the Third District and sat on a crate in an alley. She started to cry in her hands.

"Stupid Nikko, stupid me," She muttered. She sniffed and cradled her head in her hands. "How am I going to find him now? He must have ended up somewhere else...if he's still even alive...and here's the perfect chance to find him and that jerk Nikko won't even let me go!" Lucrecia cried.

"Jerk, huh?" A voice said above her. Lucrecia gasped and looked up. Nikko jumped down and sat next to her on the crate. Lucrecia turned her body around away from him and looked up.

"Hey, don't do that, I'm trying to make up here," He said softly. Lucrecia didn't move. "Here, a gift from me," He continued, producing something from under his jacket. Lucrecia turned her head and looked at it.

"Wow," She breathed. She turned fully around and held it. It was a small wooden figure of a unicorn, fully detailed and looked so exquisite and professionally made, Lucrecia thought he bought it. "You didn't have to spend any money on me," She said.

"I didn't. I made that," Nikko replied. Lucrecia's eyes widened.

"Really? Wow! You're so good...how did you learn?" She asked looking over it and brushing her fingers gently against the detailed mane of the unicorn, that seemed almost real.

"Um, I don't know, it sort of came to me I guess. All I know is that my dad used to do it...it just calms me down whenever I carve stuff. I carry a dagger wherever I go just in case," He said leaning on the wall.

"Well, I'll give you props," She said smiling at him.

"All is forgiven? I'm sorry about how I acted," He said. Nikko wasn't quite used to apologizing so easily but it was time he learned. For some reason he didn't want Lucrecia mad at him.

"Not quite all forgiven," Lucrecia replied with a teasing grin.

"Oh no," Nikko sighed jokingly.

"Can I please go with you on the trips?" She asked.

"Hmm," Nikko grunted, giving her a sideways glance.

"Please...?" Lucrecia asked again, batting her eyelashes.

"Ah! Ok, fine, just don't do that," Nikko replied disgusted.

Lucrecia laughed. "So does that mean...?"

"Yeah, you can go. But one bad thing happens and-" Nikko started but Lucrecia had squealed and given him a hug. "Hey, hey, no mushy stuff either," Nikko added and Lucrecia let go.

"Oh gee, thanks Nikko, you don't know how much this means to me," She said. She gazed at the unicorn intently and there was a small silence.

"So...uh...you never told me why you thought I was going to let you come with me...," Nikko reminded, fiddling with his glove.

"Oh," Lucrecia replied and smiled. "I thought we were...friends," She said finally. Nikko shrugged.

"Aren't we?"

"I don't know," Lucrecia replied, "You tell me." As an answer Nikko retrieved the unicorn from her, and flipping a dagger out, he carved on the bottom, 'To My Friend Lucrecia.'