Disclaimer:I don't own Firefly or Final Fantasy

Sorry for the delay! Here is chapter five.

Rikku

The Al Bhed camp was a hive of activity. Apparently these people were early risers as by the time Zoe and Wash emerged from their tent it seemed that they had been at work for hours, most tinkering with some machine or other. Wash looked at all the activity with a smile.

"Ready for another exciting adventure, sweet cakes?" he asked his wife with a wide grin. She groaned slightly.

"Haven't we had enough of those for a while?"

"But just think! Maybe next time I could be your knight in shining armour and rescue you for a change. Place like this, there might even be dinosaurs!"

He looked positively gleeful at the prospect, and Zoe had to laugh at his ability to be so enthusiastic about the possibilities of this strange world.

"I wouldn't get too excited honey," she pacified him as they headed through the tent city towards the other crew members' quarters.

"Captain'll wanna get off this rock as soon as we're space worthy."

"Aw but we could have so much fun. And I still want to try those hover-plane-thingys!" She stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face her husband, not willing to chase the subject of prolonging their stay any further.

"This place isn't fun Wash. Magic and things? This place ain't right. It bothers me."

He was sorely tempted to remind her of the last time something had bothered her, but decided against it. Zoe was unsettled, and had a tendency to be a mite less understanding when she was being terse and wary. It was part of the whole warrior woman thing he loved so much.

As they rounded a corner they came across Kaylee who seemed to be engrossed in fiddling with a strange looking machine.

"Having fun?" Zoe asked, her raised eyebrow expressing her amusement at the girl's almost magnetic attraction to anything vaguely mechanical.

"Hey!" she smiled at them before turning back to the strange technology.

"Everything's just shiny…'cept I can't figure out how this bit works…" She waved an oily piece of metal at them. "Seems like it should be connected to the pneumatics, but I can't figure out how…"

She stood up, brushing her greasy hands across her overalls.

"You two goin' to see the Cap'n?"

"That's the notion," Zoe agreed.

"I guess it's about time someone roused him from his beauty sleep," Inara added, coming to join them having just emerged from her own tent.

"Hey 'Nara!" Kaylee grinned at the companion, receiving a warm smile in response.

"You look busy," the older woman commented.

"It can wait, I wanna come with y'all."

Inara nodded her head before turning back to Zoe.

"Shall we?"

XXXOOOXXX

They took only a few steps towards Mal's tent, before they were halted in their tracks as a young, blonde, scantily clad woman came flying out of it, landing on her knees in the sand.

"Hey! What was that for? You big meanie!" She yelled towards the tent, and presumably Mal who was still inside. She picked herself up with a groan and dusted of her knees, before straightening up and catching sight of the group who were stood staring at her open mouthed.

"Oh…um hi!" she giggled, understandably nervous under the questioning gazes of Inara and Zoe.

"You must be friends of grumpy-butt in there! The name's Rikku, nice to meet you!"

Kaylee and Wash both had to stifle laughs at this, rather accurate, description of their captain, and both Inara and Zoe's expressions softened somewhat.

"We're his crew," Zoe replied, not betraying her amusement in her firm tone.

"Zoe?" The captain's voice came from inside the tent.

"Sir?"

"That crazy girl still out there?"

"Who're you calling crazy?" Rikku retorted angrily, storming back towards the tent, as if to try and retaliate but she was halted as the captain emerged, arms folded and jaw set.

"You woke me up!" he justified, "By jumping on my bed!"

Inara's look was once more stony, this time directed towards Mal, whilst Wash tried determinedly not to catch Kaylee's laughing eye.

"That's not true! I only jumped on you after I woke you up! You tried to ignore me!"

As Kaylee fell about laughing, and Inara's expression became frost ridden, Jayne appeared, still rubbing sleep from his eyes. On seeing the sight before him he froze, eyes darting from the rather beautiful young girl, to the confused and angry captain, the frosty companion, and the pilot and mechanic who were both trying to stop laughing while Zoe's lips twitched towards a smile. His mind jumped to the only conclusion that seemed logical to him.

"Ta Ma Duh, Mal get himself another wife?!"

"What?! Why would I marry him?" Rikku asked in aggravated confusion, "He just threw me out of his tent!"

"Hell, I wouldn't throw you outta my tent…" Jayne grinned, getting a better look at the girl's lithe and exposed figure.

"Jayne…" Zoe warned the mercenary eyeing him dangerously.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it…" he responded, putting his eyes back inside his head and losing the smirk. The girl wasn't worth getting Zoe mad at him, that woman could be down right intimidating when she wanted to be.

"So, what we still haven't established is what…Rikku…was doing in your tent in the first place," Inara spoke to Mal, an edge to her voice as she waited for his answer. It wasn't he who spoke however.

"Vydran told me about the spaceship. I wanted to be the first to see inside it, so I figured I'd come talk to him. I didn't expect him to be so grumpy about it!" Rikku replied to the intimidatingly beautiful woman in front of her. She could tell she had missed something here, what with all this talk of wives and the look the woman was giving the captain, and she was anxious to set the record straight. It seemed to have done the trick as the woman smiled at her now.

"I wouldn't worry dear. Grumpiness is his natural state of mind."

Mal was still confused and irritated by his rude awakening by this Rikku girl. He also didn't like the way that his crew was having a good laugh at his expense. He wasn't grumpy! He was sure that, given the chance, he would have been able to resolve the situation in a way that made him seem captainy, and would make Inara stop being angry with him for something that wasn't his fault. Unfortunately, however, he was denied the opportunity by the appearance of Cid.

"There you are!" he bellowed on approaching the group. "Thought I told you to leave them in peace Rikku!" he admonished the girl who now had her head bowed, pointing her toes into the dust.

"Cunno Vydran," she said smiling at him hopefully, as if trying to get of the hook. Mal looked from Cid to Rikku as things clicked in his head.

"Wait…you're Cid's girl?" he asked the blonde. She turned to face him, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"I have a name!" She responded hotly. Mal looked confused, not sure what exactly he had done wrong this time. Cid, however, ignored the exchange and turned to Mal.

"I came to let you know. The Celsius is inbound with your ship."

"Serenity?" Kaylee asked, excited to see her girl again so soon.

At the same time Rikku squealed, "Ooo it's nearly here!"

The two girls looked at each other and smiled brightly. Cid, his attention caught by Kaylee's question looked at the mechanic, spying the oily machine part she still held. He grinned at her, impressed.

"Seems you're already helping us rebuild."

She shrugged at him, blushing slightly.

"If I see a machine needs mendin' I can't help myself. I can't figure out where this bit goes though…"

"I can show you, if you like?" Rikku offered cheerfully, "Or at least I think I can…"

Within minutes the two were knelt by the machine, heads buried deep in its inner workings, trying to solve the mechanical mystery. Mal smiled at the pair, relieved that the girl had stopped tormenting him, before turning to the rest of the group and Cid.

"Well, now those two are happy, what's this about my ship?"

"We're bringing her in. She'll be easier to fix up if she's closer to camp."

"But how exactly? Last time I checked she wasn't exactly flight worthy. Do you even know how to fly her?" Wash asked, concerned that these people may inadvertently damage further the ship he loved.

"Ha!" laughed Cid, "'course we aren't flying her boy! We're carrying her. Fixed her up to one of our biggest airships. She'll be here in about 15 minutes."

The man walked off still chuckling to himself. Mal watched him, looking slightly concerned before shaking himself out of it and reverting to captain mode. Thankfully his crew had been diverted from his original embarrassment and so he was able to gain control of the situation effectively.

"All right! Jayne, you go see if you can't find the Shepherd, Simon and River. Get them to meet us just beyond the tents. The rest of us will head over there. Kaylee…"

"Shiny, Cap'n," the brunette waved a hand distractedly in his direction, not even bothering to remove her head from the machine, "I'll be right behind ya…"

Knowing there was no way to pry her away now she had someone to explain the machine to her, Mal shrugged and left his mechanic to it. After all, she was just as anxious to see Serenity. She'd be there in time.

XXXOOOXXX

"Y'see this bit fits riiiight…here!" Rikku fixed the part into place triumphantly.

"But don't that mess up the drive feed? Put it there it'll send the balance right off, thing won't run straight. But if you reconnect the compression coil to here…it'll clear it straight up. Or at least it should do."

"Hey, that's right!" the blonde exclaimed, reassessing the machines innards, "that'd stop it whirring and clanking all the time!"

"Uh-huh, it'll run longer too…" Kaylee agreed, smiling at her new friend.

"The two suns shine brightly together," a voice remarked happily from behind them.

"Oh, hey sweetie," Kaylee smiled at River, removing her head from the machine and gazing around hopefully.

"Is Simon with you?"

River rolled her eyes theatrically.

"He runs around, clucking like a chicken. It makes it easy for the chick to get away."

"Huh…sounds like Simon," Kaylee remarked with amusement, "River, you met Rikku?" The blonde smiled and waved at the girl enthusiastically and River smiled back just as widely.

"So, what do you do on the ship?" Rikku asked curiously. There seemed to be a large amount of crew with this spaceship, and yet it was small enough for the Celsius to carry it and she wondered why they needed quite so many people, when the Celsius could be driven by just two. River pondered the question for a while.

"I am the Albatross. The Captain's lucky charm."

"Lucky, huh? Sounds useful!" Rikku responded with a smile.

"Sure is," Kaylee beamed at the young girl, "'course our genius here also likes to make her brother and the Captain feel stupid!"

"They make it so easy," River remarked, dead panned, causing both of her companions to giggle.

"So how many of you are there?" Rikku asked curiously. Kaylee began counting on her fingers.

"Well lets see there's me and River here, and the Cap'n of course. Then there's Zoe, the first mate, she was the one with the gun; Inara the companion who rents a shuttle, the one in the beautiful dress…"

"What's a companion?" Rikku asked curiously.

"Hmmm, you probably best ask Inara that," Kaylee replied, not sure quite how to describe the companions role.

"Okay, I will, what about the big guy?"

"Ape man" River explained and Kaylee laughed.

"River! That was Jayne, he's our mercenary, hence the guns. And the shorter guy next to him was Wash, Zoe's husband and our Pilot. Then there's the Shepherd, he's officially a passenger, but he's really our cook, and then Simon, River's brother, the doctor."

"Wow there really is a lot of you!"

"Family," River stated smiling, "family who worries. We should go. The big bird is bringing mother home."

Neither of the girls could mistake River's meaning and they exchanged excited grins, before scrambling to their feet and heading towards the rendezvous to greet Serenity.

XXXOOOXXX

"River! There you are!" exclaimed Simon as the girls approached Cid and the rest of the crew.

"Told you she'd turn up!" grumbled Jayne as the captain and Inara both relaxed significantly upon her appearance, and her brother began to fuss over her. It seemed that River had predicted correctly and they had been quite worried about her. River looked up at her big brother with compassionate exasperation.

"Mind may be confused but it still thinks. The world is clear today, so there's no need to cluck so much. It's noisy."

"River, I…" Simon looked at his sister in confusion.

"I think she means you worry too much," Rikku laughed, seemingly unperturbed by River's choice of words. River smiled back at her, gratefully. It was so nice to be around another mind as sunny as Kaylee's. One that accepted rather than questioned her sanity. Somehow the positivity exuded by the two helped her thoughts to run more smoothly.

Simon, however, still looked like he wanted to cluck some more and so she was grateful when she heard the low throb of engines approaching.

"Serenity!" she announced, pointing westward towards the sky line. Everyone turned to look and there were many gasps as they caught sight of the spectacle in the sky. Coming towards them was a huge, magnificent red ship seemingly powered by motors in two arms stretched out alongside the long nose. It seemed to move effortlessly through the air towards them, and there, suspended carefully below it, was the rather battered looking Serenity. Wash was struck by how forlorn the ship looked; hanging battered and dented underneath the behemoth, but it was excitement about the larger ship that he vocalised first.

"I changed my mind!" he yelled over the engines roar to his wife, "I want to fly that!"

The giant ship came to a halt hovering high above them, then gently descended allowing Serenity to lightly touch down on the hot Bikanel sands. As soon as she landed a hoard of Al Bhed rushed forwards to release the cables that had held her in the sky.

"That really is one hell of a ship you got there," Mal complimented Cid, his eyes still on the gleaming Celsius which, having been unattached, was now landing beside Serenity. It was a fine looking ship, and yet Mal knew that he would trade it in any day for Serenity.

"Mal can we go see the pretty ship? Please?" Wash asked the Captain as his wife rolled her eyes. She really couldn't understand how this strange planet was making her husband more childlike than usual. To her, it was an absolute nightmare!

"Na-ah, we get to see yours first!" Rikku exclaimed, deciding she would get to like Wash. Anyone that called her ship pretty was instantly in her good books.

"It seems there are some new arrivals, Captain," the Shepherd announced, attracting everyone's attention. Rikku followed his gaze towards the Celsius whose doors had just opened. She jumped up and waved frantically to the young couple who emerged from the ships belly.

"The saviour and her knight," River said softly and Rikku looked at her puzzled stopping her waving with her arm still suspended in the air. She didn't think that this group was supposed to know anything about Spira, and yet this girl had instantly recognised Yuna.

"Yeah…but don't say that to Yunie okay?" She said in a kind way, "that hero worship stuff always makes her all uncomfy."

River nodded, all the while staring at the couple who were approaching.

"She doesn't want to be different. Just a normal girl." She remarked with understanding, and her brother looked at her with slight concern and sadness before turning back to watch the young couple. They certainly were an interesting sight. Jayne looked like he could hardly believe his luck as the girl appeared to be dressed almost as sparingly as Rikku.

"Girls've really gotta start putting more clothes on round here," mumbled the captain, earning him a scowl from Inara. The girl's companion, a handsome muscled blonde, was also strangely dressed in uneven shorts and what looked like a hooded top.

As the pair reached them, smiling broadly, Rikku stepped in to introduce the pair.

"Everyone this is my cousin Yunie…Yuna, and this is Tidus. You two, this is Captain Meanie and his crew."

"Hey!" protested Mal, "I thought we were over the whole meanie thing?!"

Yuna giggled at this and Mal turned to her, trying to be respectful.

"Miss Yuna? The name's Reynolds, Captain Malcolm Reynolds. You the Yuna we been hearing all these stories about?"

Yuna blushed at this, as Inara frowned at him for doing exactly what Rikku had warned against.

"Um, I guess…" the girl replied shyly, and her companion put a gloved hand on her shoulder for support. Inara stepped in to rescue the situation from Mal's bumbling…again. She smiled broadly at the pair.

"I apologise for him, we've just heard an awful lot in the last twenty four hours and he's having difficulty adjusting to it all. It really is lovely to meet you."

"So, did you really come from space?" Tidus asked curiously.

"Sure as hell ain't from round here" Jayne responded gruffly.

"So you really don't know anything about Spira?!" Yuna asked, wide-eyed.

"Only what we've learnt since we landed yesterday," ventured the Captain, "things have been a mite…different since then."

"Spira's a pretty strange place to get used to." Tidus sympathised, "We can try and help you out as much as we can though. I had to get used to everything just the same as you once. It gets easier."

"I'm hoping we wont have to," responded the Captain, being blunt as usual. This time it was Kaylee who attempted to rectify his verbal faux pas.

"Still, can't help to know more, can it?" she smiled at the captain beseechingly.

"Enough talking already! I wanna see the spaceship!" Rikku complained, bored with the introductions and anxious to see inside the silver ship. It may be dented and battered, but she could still sense its magic, like those who lived on her, and she couldn't wait any longer to go and explore. Yuna smiled at her impetuous cousin before phrasing her request in a more diplomatic way.

"Captain, may we see your ship?" she asked politely, hands behind her back as she smiled brightly at him. He was reminded heavily of Kaylee when she wanted something, and he knew he couldn't refuse.

"Well Kaylee? You ready to show our guests round our girl?"

"You bet!" she smiled, following her captain as he led them all back home.

XXXOOOXXX

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