Rikku

Ohhhhh……owie….

That definitely didn't go well…vydran said the machina was supposed to be FOOLPROOF! Not some STUPID little piece of JUNK that held Yunie for, like, three minutes, then BLEW UP after a few hits from blonde-boy and his sword of death.

Ahhh….that hurt! Why'd he have to do that? After I saved him? Well…now he's going to meet my little friend, called Mr. Grenade-Your-Ass-Until-You-DIE.

Oof…better get out of this stupid wetsuit...

Shoulder armor…off….zipping down the back…OH YES, COLD AIR…come OFF, PLEASE, come off….ahhhhh…..ergghh….gerroff….damn water…stupid helmet…who makes these things anyways?...AH!!

Phew! I look in front and see the dude. Sheesh, ya think you could get any blonder? He was staring at me, eyes WIDE open, the blue in them almost blinding me.

"Rikku!!! YOU'RE RIKKU!!! Hey, you're okay! How've ya been?"

I shake my head. Just fine you pompous ass. I get beaten up UNDERWATER, a machina explodes with me in it, my cousin is going to die, and I just lost contact with my father. I'm doing great. "Terrible."

He crouched down. Hey, since when did I get on the ground? Thought I was standing…

"Yeah, you don't look so good. What happened?"

Oh for the love of…I point at him. "YOU beat me up, remember??!!"

He fell back on his behind and looked at me, bewildered. "Huh?"

Then he got up. "Oh! That machina…that was you?!??"

No cred, sherlock. I nod, and stand up. OUCH! My head kills! I put a hand up to hold my forehead. I peer back at him angrily. "That really hurt, you know. You big meanie!"

"W-Wait! But you attacked us!" Idiot.

"Nah-uh. It's not exactly what you think." Learn to look past first impressions, Rikku.

Wait- who are THEY?!

AH! HIDE THE EYES- No, no, no, no! Act normal…NORMAL….big smile, honey, big smile.

The first person I see is a guy with the biggest gravity-defying hairdo I've ever seen. It's ORANGE….and STICKS UP. Ya think he gels it that way or something? His accent is funny.

The man asks something to the boy, and I'm not listening cause I'm staring at the rest of the group. The lady in front is interesting. Her dress is REALLY cool…if a bit weird. The bottom made of belts is original…but I choke at the thought of wearing something like that at Home. Her lipstick is WAY too purple for my liking…though her eyes and hair are very pretty. Bloody hell, what are those two things in FRONT? How does she carry them around? She looks at me with a smoldering gaze…creepy. Yunie is right next to her, looking at me with either love, alarm, or slight confusion….don't ask how that mixture came up, it just did. There's a big kitty-like blue giant in the middle…I think he's a Ronso. Wow. Wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley. Scary. Though I wonder what's wrong with his horn?

Then I notice someone else. I almost freeze, spying a crimson coat and a katana, almost hidden in the darkness of the trees.

Could it be…the Legendary Guardian? The Big Red? Mr. Haha-Braska-Was-My-Summoner-And-I-Lived?

There he was, and suddenly he looked at me over his sunglasses and caught my gaze in his own. I stopped my breath, unable to look away for a split second.

Of course, I had heard that he only had one eye. Why would I not believe it?

It's just…I didn't know it looked like THAT….

The eye didn't allow me to breathe. It was russet, dark and menacing. I slapped myself mentally to keep my face blank and unstaring. It was tough.

I tore away from him and looked back at Yuna…boy, was she pretty! Yeah, that's right, she was MY cousin. And I'm going to save her.

Deep breath. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Rikku!" I grinned and looked at everyone.

"Yuna, Lulu, I told you about her, remember? She was the one who helped me before I was washed up on Besaid! She's an Al Bhe...beh..." Blondie caught himself. I mentally swore.

The orange-man was talking to me. He made the Yevon gesture. It was all I could do not to roll my eyes. Big smiles, Rikku, smile and look pretty. There…that wasn't hard, was it?

Yuna luckily got my drift, and the black lady…Lulu, I think….she got it too. The hairdo man….Wakka...he stood there, expecting the discussion to go on.

"Girls only! Boys please wait over there!" I pointed to the other side of the path, anxiety eating at me. The men left us, and I caught a glance at Mr. Red-Guardian. His head was hidden behind his cowl, and he appeared to be in deep thought, as he leaned against a tree. Man, he looked cool…

Wait, what?

…uh, anyways, me, Yuna, and Lulu turned and looked at each other as the boys were

completely out of earshot.

I blurted out, "Yuna, you can't go on this pilgrimage! You JUST CAN'T! Please!"

Well, might as well beg now and get it over with.

She shook her pretty head. "Rikku…I have to do this. Really. I knew what I was getting into when I chose to become a summoner. You have to understand…I can't let the people of Spira suffer any longer."

I looked down at the ground, suddenly willing myself not to cry. "So…you're going through with it…" She nodded.

I sucked in my breath and looked at her. "Well then…I'll have to wait until you change your mind."

"What?" She was confused.

"I…I want to join the pilgrimage. I want to be your guardian." I said it. There. Got it off my chest. Yay.

"…But Rikku…I thought…?" Yuna said, looking shocked.

"…If you can't beat 'em, you might as well join 'em!" I said cheerfully, more than I felt. I shook my arms up and down a little bit, just for comic relief. Yuna giggled and nodded.

Lulu stared at me intently, her red gaze killing me on the inside. "You are Yuna's cousin, are you not?"

"Y-yes…" I stammered, suddenly unsure of myself.

"You are Al Bhed, are you not?"

"Yes."

"…" She sighed. "You would do well to keep that hidden from Wakka. He does not find the Al Bhed…tolerable."

I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. "So…I mean…you're not against us?"

She shook her head slightly. I nodded. "Who else in the group should I be worried about?" Might as well get my defenses up.

She thought for a moment. "Kimhari- the Ronso- he doesn't care much, as long as you are with Yuna and not against her. Tidus obviously is with you, as are myself and Yuna. Sir Auron…" She glanced at Yuna. "Well, I for one, do not know what he would think."

Oh, so Legend over there might ruin the show? HAH! Over my dead body.

"Let's find out." Yuna suddenly broke our group and walked up to Red Himself.

Suddenly I wasn't so sure about this.

He looked up and stood to his full height when Yuna addressed him. Wow...he was….tall…

I shook my head slightly as Yuna said, "I would like for Rikku to be my guardian."

I froze, and looked at the ground. Hide the eyes Rikku, why would he look at you anyways, you're just a little fifteen year old girl who'd like to join the party, not like he wants to look at you, just a little girl, joining party, don't wanna die, joining party, don't wanna die…Yunie, please save me…

In two strides of his very…long…legs, he was in front of me. All I could do was pretend that the dirt and I were very good friends. Then I heard him speak.

"Show me your face."

That one sentence sent shivers down my spine. I completely lost control of my brain. Who knew that the Legendary Guardian had such a deep, mysterious voice…that sounded really…kinda…sexy. I wasn't able to speak for a while, reeling from his voice. Then I regained my senses and realized my situation. I decided to prolong it.

"Huh?" I asked stupidly.

"Look at me."

My spine was sent into hyperactivity again. "Oh, okay." I said meekly. God, why did I sound so childish all of a sudden? And why did I have to be kicked out before I got a chance to get in??

I raised my head slowly, scared witless of what he would see in my eyes. Oh wait, I know! I'll shut them…he doesn't need to see them, does he? I mean…why would he need to see them? I'm just a kid, right? A kid who all of a sudden does not want to have a battle with the Red Death on whether she should be a guardian or not.

My head was raised, my eyes closed. Ha ha, take that!

"Open your eyes." Oh hell…

I waited for a few seconds. Well, it's now or never.

I opened one eye slowly and finally met his.

First off I realized how tall he was really. I only came up to his chest, and his chest itself was so broad I think I could have fit two of me on there. I had to crane my neck to look past his cowl into his face.

Second, I lost sight of everything else when I saw his eye.

Earlier I only had a quick glance. This was a full-on STARE. His russet eye was not at all how it had been when I saw it earlier. This eye that I saw now held secrets. Secrets of a past life. It was full of power, raw instinct, and wisdom at the same time. And behind all that protection and will, was…sadness, grief, anger, and regret. I longed to know the secrets he held. His eye was full of death and destruction. It was choking me, yet I couldn't look away. I stared, wiling the eye to swallow me whole.

He spoke again, breaking the short spell with his deep voice, enough to shake me to the core.

"As I thought."

Oh god…what was that supposed to mean? Why was he so hard? I wrenched my eye from his and looked down again, sorrow filling me.

"Um…no good?" I was ready to fight him. He can't keep me away from Yunie!!!

I could feel his one-eyed gaze on me, and I was suddenly very conscious of myself.

"Are you sure?" He asked seriously.

"One hundred percent." I said, just as seriously. "So…anyways, can I?"

He turned. I watched his back, his outline, the way that the misshapen side of his coat was in fact where he held his left arm inside. He spoke again, "If Yuna wishes it."

"I do." Yunie said. And that was it. Auron walked away.

I took some mental breaths. Wakka went, "Hmph" and I was scared. Did he see my eye too? Oh cred…

Tidus suddenly remarked, "Rikku's a good girl. She helped me a bunch!" As if he wanted to redeem himself. I felt better when Wakka smiled at me.

"Well I'm all for it. The more, the merrier!"

"Then I'll just have to be the merriest!" I exclaimed.

This was awesome. We're on our way, and I'm not dead!!! "Rikku, at your service!" I said, punching my fist into the air.

Yuna chuckled. The group started to move, and I joined them, happy to do my part. Oh Yuna, you will be saved…whether you like it or not. And even if it takes blonde-boy to help me, cause I know it's eating at him too…

I stopped to untangle one of the blue ribbons that delighted itself in my hair, and the Red Man passed me. I stared at his back again.

You know, come to think of it, he was quite well-built...well, duh, Rikku, he was the Sir Auron, what'd you expect him to be like, thin and scrawny like you? I sighed and looked at him again. I really like that coat of his. And he looks very nice in red. His shoulders were brought out well in it, and his height made it seem all the more handsome…

Wait, what?

I didn't realize I was staring at him blatantly, until he stopped and slowly turned to match my gaze. Cred, now what? He probably thinks I'm a freaky little girl who's obsessed with him! Why don't I have more self-control like Yuna, why do I have to be so stupid!?

Then he said something. "Keep up or you'll get lost."

WHOA, whoa, WHOA. HEY. YOU do not tell ME to keep UP, alright? I got myself here okay, and I survived your little attack, AND I went through that stupid little test of yours back there. I THINK I'll be fine, so SHOVE IT.

"Hey! I can take care of myself, thank you." I strode past him as gracefully and powerfully as I could. I turned to look at him once more, and looked hard for emphasis. He just stared back, and I looked away quickly, not wanting him to see the falter in my gaze as his eye filled me up again.

Get ready for the wildest ride of your life, Rikku.

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Alright then, there's the last chapter. Please let me know what you think!

See? I'm asking you two chapters in a row:)

Much love.

-SV