A/N: Thank you for the reviews! And no, no answers yet!

Chapter Sixteen

She didn't remember getting back to the Celsius, but as she woke up there – with a completely splitting headache – she figured that she'd gotten there somehow. She did, however remember Auron finding her in a bar. "Cred," she groaned, then groaned again at how loud her voice was. Great. Just what I needed to make things worse. Well at least I won't have to worry about ruining his wedding by keeling over in the middle of it now. From the lack of motion and noise, she thought that they probably hadn't left Bikanel yet. Stumbling to her bathroom with her hand over her eyes, she took a cool shower, which helped a lot with the hangover, and then dressed, leaving her hair to dry in the heat. Next on the list: hangover cure.

She made her way to the cabin, where Barkeep was standing in his normal spot. "Misshh Rikku. What can I doo for yoo?"

"Prairie Oyster," she managed to mumble.

Barkeep said nothing about the fact that he hadn't had to make Rikku's hangover cure in a while, and simply got out a glass, an egg, some Worcestershire sauce and some salt and pepper. Working quickly and with practised efficiency, he cracked the egg into the glass and added the other ingredients. "There yoo go."

"Thanks." She picked up the glass and tossed it back, swallowing the whole thing quickly and with a grimace at the sliminess of it. Still, it was the only thing that worked in her varied and detailed experience with hangovers, and the fayth knew she needed it now. Once it was gone, she drained another two glasses of water and sighed, waiting for the pounding in her head to ease. The door to the cabin opened again, and a yawning Tidus stepped through it.

"Mornin' Rikku," he said.

"Unhhh," she groaned, waving in his vague direction.

"Hey, where were you last night?" he enquired, plopping down next to her and sipping at the coffee Barkeep placed in front of him.

"A bar," she answered shortly.

"Why? There was loads of booze at your dad's party."

"I know. I just…didn't feel like being around loads of people."

He didn't look fooled. "'Loads of people' in this case meaning Auron."

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to. Giia wasn't even there, you know," he said.

"I know."

"You know?"

"Yes. Auron found me," she said heavily.

"Really? He didn't say anything."

"He's not real big on words, in case you haven't noticed."

"Something else you seem to have in common lately," he commented dryly.

She sighed. "We, sort of…had an argument. Or, more accurately, I shouted at him."

"About what?"

"What else?"

"You shouted at him about Giia?"

"Yup," she confirmed, feeling that she needed more alcohol.

He looked totally stunned for a moment. "What did you say, 'Giia's a bitch who doesn't love you and you should be marrying me instead'?"

"…not in so many words."

"Shit, Rikku, I didn't think you'd actually tell him."

"Well I didn't. I mean, I didn't tell him he should be marrying me."

"But you did tell him Giia is a bitch."

"…um…I think so, yeah."

"You think?"

"Hey, I was very drunk. Not my fault I can't remember exactly what happened."

He sighed. "So you burnt the bridge, huh?"

"Technically you can't burn a bridge that doesn't exist."

"It had to have done once though, right?" he asked gently.

"Yeah, before the Calm and before the 'oh right, did I not tell you, Rikku, I'm dead' thing, and before he thought I was sleeping with Gippal – which I sort of was, in the literal sense rather than the sex way, and then before my biggest rival made me swear that I wouldn't tell him what she's really like, and then of course he's marrying her, and I'm-"

"Rikku, Rikku, stop."

She did, now on the verge of tears. "I just…I needed him for so long, you know? And now what? He's here, and we're just going to be strangers from now on?" If only until I die. "It's just so…unfair."

"Yeah." He shook his head slightly, as if trying to work out something. "Sorry, Rikku, remind me why you can't tell him you were the one who healed him?"

"I promised. If I break my word it makes me no better than Giia."

"I understand you don't like breaking promises, Rikku, but-"

"It's not a question of not liking it, Tidus. It's a sacred bond. It'd be like Wakka spitting on Maester Mika five years ago. It's just not going to happen."

He sighed. "Well…that's your choice, I guess. But it's not going to make you happy," he said simply.

She nodded and smiled, still staring at the bar. "I know. But at this point my happiness doesn't matter."

There was a silence for a moment, before Tidus picked up the coffee he'd ordered to take to Yuna and leaned over. He kissed Rikku's cheek and put a hand on her shoulder. "We're all here."

"I know." Even if I won't be for much longer. "Thanks."

When Yuna woke up from her sleep, with a slight hangover, she had to admit, she stretched out her arm to feel around for her fiancé. When she didn't find him, she raised her head, frowning. "Tidus?" she asked.

Not ten seconds later, said fiancé walked into the room, carrying a steaming cup of coffee. "Hey, where were you?" she asked.

He smiled and set the cup down, then sat on the bed, tucking a stand of hair behind her ear. He lifted her chin and place a light kiss on her lips. "And good morning to you too, beautiful."

She grinned shyly. "Sorry. Morning."

"I went to get you some coffee. Thought you might need it."

She sipped gratefully. "Thanks."

He nodded thoughtfully, falling into uncharacteristic silence. "I ran into Rikku in the cabin."

"Is she ok?"

He shook his head. "Not really. But I get the impression she hasn't been for a while. I think yesterday was just a really bad day in a string of bad days."

At this, Yuna slapped a hand to her forehead. "Oh gods! Rikku!"

Tidus blinked. "What about her?"

"It was her birthday yesterday!" Yuna wailed. "And I totally forgot! Oh what kind of a cousin am I?!" Frantically, she leapt out of bed and began pulling on clothes, not heeding the fact that her hot pants were on backwards.

Tidus took her hands. "Yuna, slow down. If Rikku didn't say anything, how were you supposed to know?"

"I don't know! But I should have done, it's my job to know these kinds of things!" Now dressed (sort of), she rushed out of their room and ran toward the elevator. When the doors hissed open again, Rikku was thankfully still where Tidus had left her, stirring endless amounts of sugar into a cup of coffee without drinking it. She barely had time to look up before Yuna had enveloped her in a hug. "Rikku!"

"Yunie? Are you ok?" she stammered, patting her cousin gingerly on the back.

"Am I ok? Are you ok? I'm so so sorry – I'm such a terrible person, I'm so so so so so sorry, Rikku!"

Completely bewildered, Rikku looked at Yuna's stricken face. "For what?"

"For forgetting about your birthday of course!" she cried.

"Oh. That. Don't worry about it," she said, immediately letting go of Yuna. "It's no big."

Yuna frowned at how cold Rikku's voice sounded. "But you're upset," she said uncertainly.

"No, I'm not. I told you, it's not a big deal – I'm not fussed. I didn't tell anyone, and no-one else remembered. Can't hold it against you."

Yuna looked at her, aghast. "Rikku, surely someone remembered – what about Uncle Cid?"

She shook her head. "No," she replied quietly. "I did see Auron. He remembered."

Yuna took the seat next to her. "Rikku…"

"Yes?" she asked, staring into her coffee cup and liking that the liquid inside was the same shade of brown as Auron's eye.

"I understand that your promise is sacred, but surely you have to see there's no honour in this. If you broke it you would have no reason to be ashamed."

Silence.

"But there's one thing I don't get – what are you hoping is going to happen?" Yuna asked, her voice rising, just a little. "It's not like Giia is going to tell him. She's a bitch, Rikku, you know that! There's no way she feels anything for Sir Auron, and he definitely doesn't-"

"You don't know that," Rikku said quietly.

"You don't know he does," Yuna returned somewhat fiercely.

"He's engaged, Yuna."

"So? Do you honestly think that he's told her he loves her?"

Well, I know he hasn't, Rikku thought. But she couldn't tell Yuna how she knew. "I don't know," she said instead quietly.

"Then why in the Farplane's name can't you?" Yuna demanded.

"I've just told you," she said, never raising her voice or her head to look her cousin in the eye.

That's it. "Rikku, either you tell him, or I will," Yuna said firmly.

"No! Yuna, you can't!"

"Why the fuck not?!" Yuna exploded, for once losing her temper.

Rikku snapped like a brittle twig. "Everything's so easy for you, isn't it? The great High Summoner, you've got such a clear-cut version of right and wrong, you don't see it! My choices aren't that easy, Yuna! And yes, I made a choice that I'm not proud of, and maybe it wasn't what you would have done, but I'm not like you! If it means that Auron is ignorant about me healing him, then fine!"

"Then maybe you and Giia aren't as unlike as you want to pretend!" Yuna said in her anger.

"We are nothing alike!"

"No? Why not, Rikku?"

"Because I'd rather lose him to the truth than keep him with a lie, that's why!"

"But you've lost him to this lie! He's getting married in three days!"

She stopped dead, echoing what her heart would have done if still inside her chest. Before there'd always been a chance that Giia might actually turn into a decent human being and tell Auron the truth. Apparently not. Then she just carried on. "Then I wish him happiness."

"Rikku, I don't want to see you miserable your entire life because you didn't tell him the truth," Yuna said, her expression beseeching.

"I promised I wouldn't. You know I can't break that."

"But you love him!"

She spun around to face Yuna. "I know I do, and that's exactly why I can't ruin his life! Yunie, please don't make me go."

"Fine," she sighed. "But we're all going. And he's not stupid, he's going to know something is wrong when you don't turn up."

"Yeah, he'll think that I don't like Giia, which is true, so no harm done. Yunie, I'm happy in my misery, ok? One day not too far away, I'll probably marry Gippal and everyone gets a happy ending to their stories. The end."

"Rikku…"

Rikku straightened her scarf and walked past Yuna. "I'll get Brother to drop you off back at Besaid, Yunie."

"Rikku…"

"If you'll excuse me." She walked past her and headed to one of the bathrooms off the cabin. Then she cried. Despite what she'd just said, she wouldn't marry Gippal. She'd never marry anyone now. The moment Auron said 'I do', that'd be it.

A/N: Ideas on a postcard please as to what 'it' means! Or, you know, review. Either one lol.