Before someone mentions that you cannot find Anima in Zanarkand, I know this. But I needed a place where Rikku would be able to travel without depending on air transport. Since this was where she first became a fayth within the game storyline, I thought it would be a good place to pick her up from.

--

While Auron wasn't sure even Rikku knew what she was doing, he wasn't about to bring the thought up. She seemed on edge, as if she was having trouble concentrating. They were wandering around in the underground cavern as if searching for something, but she would keep leading them down dead end tunnels. And, truth be told, he was growing weary. The amount of fiends that was down here was more then he could handle.

"Rikku, perhaps it would be prudent for us to stop." He leaned heavily on the wall for a physical reason why. "If I die down here, you will not be able to make it alone."

Rikku threw her head back and laughed before composing herself once more. "Silly Auron. You are already dead. I don't really need you. If you die, then you become a fiend, nothing more."

While she laughed again at the statement, Rikku's face glowed with hidden sorrow. His presence was breaking through her barrier. Only a little more time and he might be able to destroy it completely and bring out the real her.

Rikku suddenly stopped walking and stared down a far tunnel. She had a glassy gleam in her eye before she focused her attention on him. "We go this way. You go first, I'm sure you don't want to see me get hurt if something is down there. Correct?"

Auron sighed as he pushed himself away from the wall. "No, I suppose not," He mumbled so low she would be unable to hear. He unsheathed his katana and held it in front of him just in case. Fortunately for them, only one fiend was in the area. Unfortunately for them, it was a tonberry.

He made the first move, one quick slash in an attempt to cleave it in half. His attack connected, but it was not enough. The mental backlash left him laying prone on his back. He was too mentally and physically tired to be prepared for it.

Rikku tsked before stepping up. "How pathetic." Light began to swirl around her body before shooting up. Clouds gathered above her before a dragon broke through. It threw rocks up around her as it landed. "Bahamut, megaflare now!" She shouted as she pointed at the green fiend in front of her.

The dragon looked down at her before flipping back and gripping the ground with his claws. He opened his mouth wide as the spell washed over the tonberry. By the time the dust cleared, there was no sign that anything had even stood in the way. Rikku nodded once in satisfaction before dismissing the aeon.

Auron grunted as he tried to get to his feet. His sword was struck into the ground so he could use it as a lever. Rikku turned to face him, an expression of disapproval on her face. "Failure, pathetic, useless. You should have been able to defeat him on your own." She scolded him.

Standing tall, Auron stared at her for several moments waiting for her to shrink down before answering. "You presume too much." He walked on ahead not even waiting for her.

"What's that supposed to mean? Hey, I'm talking to you!" She shouted at his retreating back. Running she caught up with him quickly. "How dare you walk away from me like that!"

"We have arrived." He noted ignoring her outburst.

"What? Oh, I knew that." She looked ahead at what appeared to be a wall of loose rock. In front of it was a teleporter pad. It glowed slightly as if ready for use. "Hmm, I guess we use this to enter." She scratched her cheek in deep thought.

Auron couldn't help but stare at her. More of her real self was starting to show through. They way she had yelled at him was a perfect example. It meant his plan was starting to work. Soon enough he could be finished and take her back to the farplane with him.

--

"So what do we do now? Auron was always the one with the plans, and he's not here to help us." Tidus whined as he stared at the passing scenery below. Cid was off to the side pacing back and forth as he scratched his chin in thought.

"Maybe we should meet them in Zanarkand?" Yuna suggested. "Perhaps from there we can trick her into following us to Guadosalam."

"I don't know. She seems to know to stay away from there." Shinra added his own bit of information as he stared at the computer screen in front of him. "Once they surface again, I can try and get a reading on her life functions. Then we will know more about what we are dealing with."

Yuna began to protest before stopping. She wasn't sure if Auron really wanted them to know about what she had learned. You can't get life readings on someone if they are not truly alive.

"What is it, Yuna?" Tidus asked as he saw her try to begin. He wrapped one arm around her waist before pulling her close. "You can tell us."

"I'm not sure if I really should. Auron acted as if he did not want others to know. It should be his secret to tell, not me."

"But what if it is something we can use to help them? Shouldn't we do everything we can?"

"I suppose so." She bit her lip in a worried manner before speaking up. "Everyone," She began before all eyes were on her. "I have something to say. Everyone, no matter how hard we try, we will never be able to get a true reading on Auron or Rikku. Before Auron left us he had me do a scan on him. What I found out surprised me. He was not really alive at all, but yet not dead, then he said Rikku was much the same way. While I do not know how this can be, I do know that it is part of the reason why Rikku avoided the city of Guadosalam."

Several pairs of eyes stared at her even after she had finished speaking. Many of them looked as if they did not know how to respond.

"So you're saying that my little girl is wandering Spira as if she was never sent to the farplane?" Cid questioned.

"That is correct."

Shinra turned in his seat and began to press what appeared to be random keys. "Then I will have to adjust my projections. If what you say is accurate, then the two of them together should send out some sort of beacon we can pick up on somehow." Seconds later the computer began to beep wildly.

"What did you just do?" Cid asked as he rushed over to peer over the young kid's shoulder.

"My predictions are correct. It seems they are now on their way to Zanarkand. The signals they give off are in fact different from anything in Spira. We may arrive before them yet, but we need to hurry."

"Turn the jets on full. We have a meeting in Zanarkand to attend!" Cid shouted to the pilot.

--

Getting Yojimbo had been much simpler then she expected. All she had to do was offer him some gil, and he was on her side. Now all she had to do was gather the last aeon from the north. This one was going to be the most fun to gather. After all, it was the one Seymour had commanded himself. Once she was in control, it would prove to all that she was even more powerful then he was.

The mountain winds were bitter cold, but she refused to stop until the sun fell below the mountain. By that time a storm had picked up throwing ice and snow into her face. Her eyes slid over to the side as she wanted to see how her captive was faring. While she seemed bothered by the weather, he acted as if it was bright and sunny out. In fact she noticed he was starting to remove his coat from off his shoulders.

"What are you doing?" She snapped at him not expecting him to actually be doing something nice.

"You appear cold. There is a cave up ahead where you can rest and regain your strength. My coat will block most of the elements from you." He wrapped it around her shoulders before stepping in front of her and shielding some of the wind from her smaller body.

Rikku could only stand and stare at his back. She could just make out the small bumps on his arms showing he was cold, but it was the only outward sign.

"We should move quickly. This storm is liable to become worse." He pointed off into the distance, "That is our destination. Can you make it on your own?"

"And how else would I?" She snapped at him now that she was warm and able to think.

"Very well. Let us travel on." Rikku stayed close to him as he trudged through the snow with hardly a problem. His wider frame made a path where she had no trouble following. Once they were inside the cave, he would not allow her to move until he managed to get a fire going.

Together they sat in silence, both of them staring into the red and orange flames. Rikku raised her head and suddenly asked him the question that had been plaguing her for the past hour. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

Auron looked up and locked eyes with her until she looked away. He continued to stare knowing that somewhere deep inside he was having the effect he had hoped for. "Do others not help those they care about?" He tested.

"I-I guess so." She answered uncertainly. "But you do know that once we arrive, I will be forced to kill you."

"I know."

"And I will make it as painful as possible."

Auron hung his head. He knew that if he could see through his coat, he would be seeing the orb within her body glowing. "I know. But it will be worth it."

Rikku looked shocked. He was willing to let her kill him knowing that nothing he could do would prevent it? She watched as he stood from his seat and moved around the fire and next to her. He leaned over and whispered into her ear.

"It will be worth it because I was with you till the end."

She blinked several times trying to accept this bit of fact. Seymour never said anything like this to her. He said he loved her, but only when she pressed him for it. Auron sat next to her and never pushed for anything in return. She knew that he was against her while she was on this pilgrimage, but it must be done. It was the only way she would be able to destroy everything.

Tomorrow they would be entering Zanarkand where she would be gathering the last known fayth. The aeon soul told her where it was, and kept pushing her for it even when she would have given up.

"Auron, I-." She began to say before he interrupted her.

"Sleep. You will need your rest for our journey tomorrow." Bed rolls were already laid out and he stood with one hand out waiting for her to take it so her could help her into her own. While he was trying to tell her what to do, he spoke in a much softer tone then Seymour would have used.

"And what will you do?" She asked noticing he was not laying down.

"I will stand guard. I must prevent anything from attacking."

"Auron, wait." He turned and kneeled to her level waiting to hear what she had to say. Instead he was greeted with a set of soft feather light lips on his own rougher ones. "You better keep me very safe then." She warned in a much harsher tone then what she had been using.

He nodded once and stood. Making his way to the entrance of the cave, he allowed himself a rare small smile. His presence was working just like he planned. Soon they would have the real Rikku back.

--

"Three days, how are we ever supposed to do anything in three days?" Cid was pacing back and forth on the bridge of the airship. He had woken up less then an hour ago. The airship had been landed some distance away from the city, so all engines were silent. He was the only one awake so Cid took the time to vent alone.

Before they went to bed last night, it had been him who told the group to relax and settle down. Everything would work out in the end. Now though, he wasn't so sure. He was worried for his daughter, and if he had to be honest with himself, he was worried about Auron as well. He liked the man, even if he was silent most of the time.

Cid leaned over a computer dash and pounded his fist on the surface several times trying to work out some of his frustration. "I hope that man knows what he is doing. All of Spira is in his hands. If he dies then the rest of us won't be far behind. But I won't go down without a fight. Not while I have breath in my lungs will Spira suffer like it did so long ago under Yunalesca's reign."

He stood from his place and strode over to a window. He could see almost all of Zanarkand from where they were. The city may never sleep, but it did rest once in a while. This was one of those times. It gave the city an otherworldly feel this early in the morning.

The sight helped to calm his exhausted mind. One arm came up and rested on the glass near his face. "We will not have a dark age like Yunalesca's." He vowed to himself.

--

"Well lookie here! What do you make of this?"

"I'm not sure what to think. It seems that something went amiss in his plans." The second man answered with a small chuckle in his voice.

The first man kicked the unconscious body revealing it to be Seymour Guado. He leaned closer to have a better view. "Doesn't look like he left peacefully." Jecht remarked.

Seymour still had a shocked and almost pain stricken expression on his face. His eyes slowly opened to see two men standing over him.

"Hey, Braska, he's awake! Now can I beat him senseless?" Jecht asked as soon as he saw the blue irises.

"Why don't we take him back to the fayth? Then you may do what you like to him." Braska had to hold back another chuckle after seeing Seymour's fear filled face.

"Unhand me you over sized barbarian!" Seymour did not like the way Jecht had just picked him up and slung him over his shoulder. "He shouted and yelled in an attempt to free himself.

As the two men walked within the farplane, several others glanced at them as they passed. "You know, Braska, we really don't need to take him right away. I'm sure they would not object to a little beating before the meeting."

"Remember the agreement, Jecht."

"Yeah, yeah. They get first dibs, but we still get to help choose the punishment." He smacked Seymour on his back hard enough to make the man cry out. "Could you at least silence him until we get there? I don't know how much more of this I can take." He moaned in annoyance.

"That- I can do." Braska grinned as she smacked the blue haired man on the forehead. "Silence." Within seconds Seymour was left as a squirming mass of limbs dangling over the shoulder of the tanned man. His mouth moved, but no words were able to escape.

Jecht smiled before starting to hum a little tune. "Much better." And Braska had to agree.

--