Okay, I'm shooting for about 3 chapters a week now. Believe me, I won't be going on any more trips until 2012. You'll kill me for this chapter. But seriously, I'd rather if you didn't. Here's where things pick up. And there is a reason why Rikki's so whacky, but you won't find out what it is until the very end of the story…

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"Tidus! Leggo' of me!" Rikki squirmed out of my grip and glared at me, though the effect was lost with her adorable Rikku-like face.

"We can't stop now." I teased with a grin, quoting her earlier scolding. "Come on, we're almost at the top." She followed me to the mouth of the cave with a little bounce in her step.

"Tidus, can't we go through this before we stop?" Rikki glanced nervously around the cave. "We can stay just outside at the other end." I sighed.

"Alright." I agreed, taking in our surroundings. A path of floating stones lay in front of us. I spotted movement at the top. Curious, I began to climb the path. My eyes nearly fell out of their sockets at the voices I heard.

"She has sent fiends to test our summoner's strength." A male, very familiar, voice said with no emotion.

"Who is 'she'?" A female responded.

"Yunalesca." I shivered. The man's voice always creeped me out.

I felt a little bad about eavesdropping, but it wasn't like I was capable of moving my body.

"Who's that?" Rikki whispered in my ear. I ignored her.

"Lady Yunalesca?" The girl gasped.

"In Zanarkand, she awaits the arrival of the strongest." I decided it wasn't doing me much good being frozen to the spot. Forcing myself to move, I slowly approached them. Rikki hid behind me, stumbling along. The man turned to me.

"Ah. I was wondering when we would come across you." Auron didn't seem at all surprised at our appearance.

On the other hand, Yuna looked as shocked as I'd been moments before.

"Er… hi." I mumbled to her lamely. Her face flushed a bit and she looked away.

At least she wasn't smiling anymore.

"Yo, slowpokes!" My blood boiled as I recognized Wakka jogging towards us. He froze when he saw me. "You." He spat.

"Me." I snarled back.

"You Al Bhed loving heathen!!" He dove for me, but some dark-haired lady who had approached restrained him. (Remember Rikku never joined their party so Wakka still hates Al Bhed)

"Calm down, Wakka." She soothed. He didn't try to attack me again, but he still looked pretty pissed.

'What brings you here?" Yuna asked. She then- you guessed it- smiled. Only this time it looked genuine, and even kinda' cute.

Woah. I did not just think that…

"Umm, I uh… We..." I stuttered extremely coherently.

"We're going to Zanarkand." Rikki put a brave expression on her face and stepped out from behind me. Yuna gasped.

"Rikku!" She grinned and began to move forward, but I pulled Rikki away from her.

"This isn't Rikku." I told her. She looked genuinely confused, and her cu- natural smile was once more replaced by that forced one. The repulsive one. "We're going to find Rikku. This," I motioned to my companion, "is Rikki."

Rikki grinned. "Hi!" She bounced a little. I rolled my eyes but couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm.

"But how…" Yuna trailed off, studying Rikki. "She looks exactly like her. How…?"

"I-it's a long story." I said quietly. "But we need to get to Zanarkand to help find Rikku."

"Perhaps we may be able to help." Auron spoke up at last. I blinked in surprise. "We are also on our way to Zanarkand." He reminded me.

"That would be fun!" Rikki squealed. "It's so boring traveling around with just Tidus." I rolled my eyes. "He's a grouch sometimes, that one is." She added in a stage whisper. I playfully whacked her upside the head.

"Shut up." I mumbled.

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A bit of an abrupt ending (, and a few more details would have made this a better letter ((sorry, that's what my English teacher wrote on one of my assignments in March))) but I didn't know where to go from there. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't kill me!!!! I promise it's still a Tikku! OoO WOW, I didn't put one of my weird oOoOoOo line breaks in this chapter at all!! I think that might be a first… (apart from chapter 6, which I don't really count as a chapter it's so bad)