Sorry for taking so long to get this out. Things have been kind of hectic around here. I'll try and update quicker next time I promise. And I'd like to thank Gining, losttoxichope, psychostudent06, Drachegirl14, mirrors or illusion, telcontarian, and emObusDriver for reviewing.
Summary: What if Yuna chose the final aeon and Sin wasn't defeated? What if Rikku and the surviving guardians go on a new pilgrimage? What if Bevelle had claimed that Rikku had sabotaged Yuna's pilgrimage and was after her? This is that story. Rated T. Oh it will be Aurikku before the end, so if you don't like, you don't have to read.
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy X.
Journey of the Hunted
Chapter 2: Escape from Besaid
We started making our way back out of the Cloister trials as soon as Auron decided that I had rested enough. We walked through the trials with ease, and made our way to the door leading to the "praying room". We eased the door open a little and peeked out, the Warrior Monk that was there earlier wasn't there now, but there was eight Warrior Monks standing around below the steps. We closed the door and walked away from it.
"What do we do?" I asked. "Do we wait until night to leave?"
"There will be several Summoner Parties coming up here before tonight."
"I know that, couldn't we wait until a small party comes up, tie them up and take their clothes?"
"No."
"What do we do?" I asked and he didn't answer. "Okay." I said and began twirling my staff. "Open the door."
"Rikku, what… he started but before he could finish I had summoned Valefor. He shoved the door open just in time to see the Warrior Monks ducking as Valefor flew over them. I ran out passed him and jumped on Valefor's back.
"Come on Auron!" I yelled, "Valefor, get us out of here!"
"Rikku!" Auron scolded and he jumped onto the poor Aeon's back and she took off with us. We was through the temple entrance before the first shot was fired. It hit Valefor in her backside and she lunged forward with us causing Auron's face to slap into the back of my head with a thump! Then Valefor began spiraling towards the sky, at this I leaned forwards and wrapped my arms around the Aeon, holding on for dear life. I could feel bullets whizzing past my arms and legs.
Suddenly I heard an "oomph" from behind me and felt Auron fall forward onto my back. I glanced back and saw blood oozing out of his mouth and around from the side of his head. Suddenly another bullet hit Valefor and she lunged forward again.
"Auron?" I asked. He didn't answer. I could feel warm liquid on my upper back, and I kept yelling at him. He never answered. "Valefor, I know you usually don't do these kind of things, but can you somehow let Kimahri know to pick up a lot of potions and let him know where to meet us? Can you take us somewhere where we'll be safe for a day or so?"
"Yes. I'll get your message to Kimahri and take you two to a safe place." she said, in my head.
"Thanks. Hey, you can talk to me! So that's how you communicate with summoners."
"Yes it is. Now if you don't mind I would like to concentrate on my flying."
"Okay." I said and continued hanging on. After what felt like a few minutes of flying towards the sky we stopped going up. I looked down and saw a tiny village below me with what looked like little ants running around. Then came the path leading to the village, and then the ruins. After a few more seconds came the waterfall, and then the path leading to the beach. Finally we were directly over the beach, the little boats at the dock looked like toy boats on a lake. Valefor flew out over the ocean before turning and bringing us back towards the island. She flew in low and barely went high enough with us to go over the cliffs and mountains. After several minutes we were landing in the clearing that we had stayed in the day before coming to the temple. As her feet touched the ground Auron slid off of her back and hit the ground with a soft 'thump'.
I climbed off of her back and stroked her beak just like I had seen Yunie do. She seemed to smile at me. I walked over to Auron before I noticed a couple of wounds in her back and rear. "Uh Valefor you've been hit."
"I know."
"Let me try to cure you."
"Okay." she said tiredly inside my head.
"Aid us." I said and began chanting it over and over silently. After a few seconds a small light surrounded Valefor's wounded area and the wounds began to close.
"Thanks, Rikku. Now I should go back to the Village of the Fayth."
"Um where's that?"
"The Village of the Fayth is where we aeons stay when we're not helping our summoner."
"Oh." I say as I watch her begin flying away. I turn and begin checking Auron. He has two bullets in his back, and a skinned place on the back of his head. I dig around in my pockets until I find a potion and I pour it over the wounds on his back and head. The bullets fall out, and the wounds begin to close. I roll him over onto his side and place my bag under his head. We'll be out in the open here, but its not like I can carry him by myself. So I sit beside him and watch him until he wakes up.
After about three hours he begins to stir, before fully waking up. He sits up and rubs the back of his head before standing. "What happened?"
I tell him. After I finish we sit there in silence for a while before he finally speaks. "Once Kimahri arrives we should start making our way to the docks." That's the Auron I know! Always in a hurry, but then again I can see why he was shot three times on this island, and there is probably forty or fifty warrior monks out looking for us right now… hey that's enough to make me want to hurry and get off this island.
After a while Kimahri makes it to us. He hands me a satchel of potions, and checks on Auron. Then we leave. We walk the same way we came to get to the clearing and after a while make it to the huge cliff that we climbed down. Ya know climbing up it during the daylight hours doesn't seem so bad. It takes us a while but once we are up it we move on.
Its dark by the time we reach the road that leads to the beach. We sneak along beside of the road until we reach the warrior monks' first check point. Auron points at my bag and I pull out another packet of sleeping powder. I blow it into the air towards the guards. After a few minutes they fall asleep and we sneak passed them. After two more checkpoints of using sleeping powder we make it out onto the beach… but the S.S. Liki is no where to be seen. There is two small fishing boats docked for the night, but that's all. "What now?"
Auron stands there looking like he's ready to blow his top, then he stalks off towards some of the piled up supplies beside of the dock. I glance over at Kimahri who looks like he's in deep thought. "Um Kimahri can you drive a boat?"
"Kimahri can drive anything."
"Okay." I say as I run after Auron. I grab him by the arm and begin trying to pull him towards one of the small boats. "Come on ya big meanie!"
"Humph!"
Fifteen minutes later the boat was beginning to sail away from the island with us on board. I walk over and stand watching as the small lights from the island get smaller and smaller finally they get so small that I can't see them at all. I walk over to where Auron is sitting at and flop down beside of him.
"Auron?"
"What is it Rikku?" he says more grumpily than I was expecting.
"Um, you're not mad are you?"
"No Rikku I'm not mad. Why would I be mad?"
"Um…
"We stole a boat Rikku."
"So, what? I'm a thief. Auron, thieves steal things."
"I know." he says, "You do realize that by stealing this boat we will have the Bevellian Navy after us now?"
"So what? We already had the warrior monks after us, so what's it going to hurt to have the Bevellian Navy after us also?" I say. He looks at me and shakes his head before walking away. After a while I go down into the area below the deck and find a small room with a bed to sleep on and I go to sleep.
After three long uneventful days, Auron begins making me practice my attack magic spells. The only black magic spells I know right now are fire, water, thunder, and blizzard. After a few hours I am running low on my mana energy and Auron decides I've had enough for one day. The rest of the day passes uneventful. I think he's still mad.
That night I am dog tired when I go to bed. I lie down and fall asleep quickly.
I'm sitting at a table in the dining area of one of Rin's travel agency eating a slice of pizza when Tidus walks up to me. He sits down across from me and picks up a slice of pizza. We eat our pizza before Tidus looks at me and grins.
"So you and Auron are on a new pilgrimage?"
"Yep, we're going to beat you."
"Thanks. Rikku, Yu Yevon has done things to me… he's made me do things… terrible things. Rikku I can't stop him."
"I know Tidus. We'll help you."
"Rikku, please hurry. I've become the very thing that Yuna was trying to destroy. I'm beginning to despise myself Rikku, I've taken too many lives."
"Tidus, you're one of my best friends. I'll free you as quick as I can."
"Thanks Rikku. Tell Auron that I say hi."
"I will." I say as I drink some of the hot chocolate sitting before me.
"Rikku I need to show you something." he says.
"Okay." I say looking at him. "What do I do?"
"Just watch the pyreflies." he says as several pyreflies drift up from somewhere. I watch as they form an image of Luca, and then an image of Sin attacking Luca. I see people running and screaming, children crying, mothers holding their young and running. I see people dying. Then the image fades. "Save them."
I wake up in a cold sweat, my heart racing, and my head feels like someone has just hammered it with an iron skillet. I raise up and turn the flash light on before looking around. Nothing is there, nothing to hurt me at least. I turn out the light and lie back down. I try to go back to sleep but I keep getting this awful feeling in my gut. I turn over and close my eyes, I see the image of Luca, from my dream. The blitzball tournament is in a little over a week! He's trying to warn me! I jump up and run out looking for Auron. I find him in another cabin asleep.
"Auron! Auron wake up!" I yell.
"What?" he asks sleepily, as he rolls over to face me.
"Luca! Sin is going to Luca! Auron we have to do something."
"Huh?"
"Auron the blitzball tournament its next week! Auron Tidus told me that Jecht liked the Hymn and didn't Sin kinda show up whenever the Hymn was song?"
"Yes."
"Auron Tidus loves blitzball, and Sin is going to Luca!"
"What happened Rikku?" he asks. I tell him about the dream, and about how I can't get the image of Luca being attacked out of my mind. He sits and listens, as I tell him, and then I start to cry.
"Auron we have to do something." I say through tears. Imagine knowing that you might could help stop something from killing a million people, if you can get there. That's how I feel. Finally after a while I realize two big arms are wrapped around me, holding me. I cry for a while before drying my eyes on his shirt.
"Rikku, I'll go tell Kimahri to set our course for Luca." he says and walks off. A few minutes later he returns and sits down on the bed.
"Auron, can I stay in here a while?"
"Yes." he says as he lays his hand on my arm. I lean back against his chest and he wraps his arm around me.
"Auron, what would Yuna do now?"
"I don't know."
"Auron are we doing the right thing?"
"Rikku, I suppose we are. Whether we make it in time or not, they will need a summoner."
"I miss Yunie and Tidus." I say as I begin to cry again. He pulls me down into the bed beside of him and lets me cry into his shirt. What if we don't make it to Luca in time? What if Sin destroys it before we get there? What if us going there only delays the pilgrimage and gives Sin more time to kill more people? What if I'm not strong enough to do all the duties of a summoner? What if we fail?