Fade With Me
Chapter 7
I sighed as I trudged my way back to where the others were resting. I hoped that they weren't too worried about me. Although, by now they should know that I can take care of myself just fine.
I huffed indignantly as I brushed my blonde bangs out of my eyes. Darn hair always seemed to get in the way of my eyesight.
Anyway, maybe everybody was actually more mad than they were worried? Or maybe Auron hadn't even told them that I had run off by myself!?
Actually, now that I had thought of it, he probably didn't say anything at all about our little…exchange.
Fro fuimt ra fyhd du?
Ugh. I always managed to get myself into really bizarre situations, didn't I?
I already had more awkward moments than I could even count after arriving in this time period! I won't even mention the multitudes of embarrassing stories I could share from the future-present-time-place thingy…
Most of them included Auron on Yunie's pilgrimage. Surprise, surprise! Erm, not really. He just made me feel really weird whenever I was around him…but not in a bad way. Not in a bad way at all. So naturally, from that funny feeling I got, I would end up doing or saying something stupid, or just being really stupid in general.
Poor future-Auron never got to know anything but the klutzy Rikku. At least, I didn't think he did. No one could ever completely know with him sometimes.
But that's just another part of why I liked Auron so much: the mystery.
And I loved that he was so great at being Yunie's guardian, and in this case, Braska's guardian, even though he was always so modest about it. He's strong, he's loyal, he's a great leader. He cares about the summoner he is protecting so much that it gets to be a bit…interesting at times.
He definitely showed more of a display of love and adoration towards Braska than he did towards Yunie, I thought, but that was probably because he was so hardened in spirit from what had already happened the first time he was a guardian by the time he finally had to help Yunie out.
I didn't blame him at all, really. If anything, I appreciated him for everything he did for us, especially when it came to Yunie. He was a great guardian.
I knew that if, for some strange reason, I was ever to become a summoner, I would definitely want him as my only guardian.
Yes, only…Do you really even wonder why at this point?
I sighed again as I started to realize that my thoughts were drastically taking on a one-way course. A course that I knew I shouldn't take because nothing good could ever possibly come out of it.
Ruhacdmo!
I would just end up grieving the loss of Auron again when I get back to the present time. I didn't want to go through that for a second time. After losing both Tidus and Auron in such a short span of time, Yunie and I were both put out of commission for a while.
She was a shell within herself for much longer than I was, but it was at least a few months for me. What did everyone expect me to do? Smile like I always did and pretend that everything was going to be okay, even when I…everyone knew that it wasn't? There was only so much forced happiness that certain people could express before it got too much to handle for them.
Enough, Rikku! No more thinking. My poor brain is fried enough as it is!
You certainly are quite melancholy right now, aren't you?
Oh, shush, Baathum. You're part of the reason I'm so sad…well, actually you and I both know that's not true, but it's nice to blame someone, so I'm gonna blame you. Kay?
He laughed at my thought. So be it. I will take the blame if that is what you wish.
I smirked. Yup, that's what I wish. So, anyway, with this "mental link" thing, can you read other people's thoughts around me too!? That would be so cool!
A sigh from the fayth. No, Rikku. I cannot and will not read the thoughts of the summoner Braska or either of his guardians. Please, quit stalling and hurry back to the campsite. I shall terminate your side of this mental link as of…now.
"Wha…? Hey! You can't do that!" I stopped walking and shouted into the skies angrily. A few birds flew out of the crystalline trees, startled by the sudden volume of my voice. "I bet he just isn't responding, the big meanie. You can't break a mental link. At least, I don't think you can…"
No response.
"Yeah, I know you heard that, Baathum. You're still listening!" I waved my arm toward the skies accusingly. "But that's fine by me! Listen all you want. Nothing else interesting is going to happen out here-"
"Rikku?" a surprised voice interrupted my exclamation. I squinted into the darkness of the forested trees and saw the reflection of a large headdress. "Who are you speaking to?" Braska took a couple steps closer to me so I could see his amused face clearly.
"Um, no one. I mean m-myself," I corrected quickly. "I was just talking to myself."
He quirked one eyebrow, looking incredibly skeptical, but he nodded politely anyway. "I was quite worried for your safety, Rikku. You left for your bath several hours ago. Auron even left to check on you, but when he came back, you were not accompanying him."
I blushed at the mention of Auron's name. So he didn't say anything after all. No surprise there, I guess. I rewrapped my orange scarf around my neck and shoulders as a chilly breeze blew past us.
"Are you ready to return to our camp for the night?" he asked patiently.
My heart swelled as a sudden, unknown filled me up from the inside out. Wow, he truly is amazing. He didn't ask me why I was gone for such a long time. He didn't demand that I follow him. He didn't pressure me to do anything. He just asked if I wanted to accompany him back…I am so lucky to have officially met my uncle. He is such a great man. For so many reasons.
I smiled, in a comfortable daze at the wonderful realization.
"Yeah, let's go back now. I'm pretty tired." I let out a huge yawn, trying and failing to stifle it with my hand in the process. "It's been a pretty long day."
Braska smiled as we made our way back together. "It certainly has."
Jecht and Auron were sound asleep by the time we got back to the camp. A part of me wanted to laugh at how innocent both the tough men looked at that moment, but I somehow managed to hold it in.
Braska looked amused too. It was almost as if he was expecting them to wait up for him to return safely. Then again, it was a long day, and I'm sure they were extremely tired.
I felt the same exact way.
I sent a small smile in Braska's direction before I crawled into my personal sleeping area for the night, falling asleep only seconds after I closed my eyes.
---X---X---X---X---X---
"Can it get any quieter in this place?" I murmured to no one in particular. Macalania Woods certainly had a…desolate feel to it. When wandering through the area with a somewhat small group, the hulking size of the trees, crystals and everything else just seemed to make me feel small and insignificant.
So this is how the little butterflies feel.
"Hmm," Braska supplied, his gaze focused on something faraway. I wasn't quite sure was he was gazing so intently at.
"Why are you guys so quiet today?" This time, my question was directed at them. Anyone who would answer, actually. "Is something wrong?"
I knew what was wrong with Auron. We were back to square one: he ignored me while I tried helplessly to make small talk with everyone to fill the awkward silences. Or maybe I just thought they were awkward? Well, it didn't even matter. If he wanted to pretend that absolutely nothing happened between us last night, then two can play that game.
Well, technically, nothing did happen. So, he probably had a right to act like his normal, stoic self, right? Ugh, sayhea!
Okay, so I knew why Auron was being a big meanie by not listening to me, but Jecht and Braska certainly seemed uncharacteristically distant with their distant stares and long silences. I was going to get to the bottom of it.
"Hello!?" I ran in front of them and turned around to face them with an annoyed look on my face, arms spread out as far as they could go. No one was going to get past me.
They all stopped and looked at me with confused expressions. Hey, it worked! Booyah!
"Rikku, we are simply just trying to soak in as much of this place's beauty before we reach our next destination," Braska answered with a small smile and a twinkle in his eye.
Oh, right. He knew he would never get to see this place again. And as for Jecht and Auron…they knew there was a chance of them dying to protect their summoner along the way. Little do they know…I slapped my hand to my forehead in frustration at myself. How could I be so stupid? Making them feel bad for just wanting to take in the scenery one last time? I'm such a meanie! I should apologize…
"Oh!" I waved my hands in front of myself frantically. "I'm sorry! I was just wondering, is all. Take as much time as you guys need. There's no rush."
"Actually, we best get a move on," Auron suggested, taking a step closer to me while still looking around the forest. "Besides that, I sense a strong fiend is nearby."
Strong fiend? I thought to myself. "How can you tell that it's stronger than all the other fiends here?" I asked, tilting my head to the side slightly. All the braids on the top of my head slid over to the other side. Darn hair! I was honestly curious to hear Auron's answer, though. He was never completely open to us on Yunie's pilgrimage regarding his fiend senses.
"I have my ways," he deadpanned.
I rolled my eyes. Same old Auron. "Yeah, fine. I trust you." Let's just hope we don't run into it.
We continued walking and after a few moments, another familiar path greeted me. This path led to a small pond with healing powers. I remembered it from the first time I journeyed here. And by the look on the three men's faces, they were worn out from fighting all those stupid fiends too.
"Hey, Braska?" I asked timidly. I didn't want to get too excited, just in case they didn't believe me, or if they chose not to stop for a quick rest.
He acknowledged me with another "Hmm?"
"I'm pretty sure there's a pond through that pathway over there." I gestured to the small entrance through the trees on either side of the opening. "It has healing powers. One sip," I made a loud slurping noise, "and we'll feel good as new!" I gave them a hopeful smile.
Jecht laughed at my theatrics. "Yeah, fine with me. Maybe this pond o' yours will stitch my arm back together, eh?" He pointed to his right bicep, where an poisonous lizard fiend had managed to nick him with its talons. We used one of the few antidotes we had on it right away, but that was all we could do at the moment. Jecht didn't want to make Braska use up any more of his energy by utilizing his white magic because the summoner looked beat down as it was.
Tidus' dad continued, "Plus, I've been meanin' to try out another one o' these sphere things…" he trailed off as he took an azure sphere out of his pocket. My eyebrow quirked up slightly as I wondered where he had managed to get all the spheres from. He had already taken quite a few recordings of various things along our way through Guadosalam and the Thunder Plains before planting them in random spots.
When I had asked him why he left them hidden along the way instead of keeping them, he just shrugged and said, "In case people wanna see some o' the stuff that happened on this famous pilgrimage." Then he winked at me. "I'll be a celebrity. Ever'one will want to watch my spheres."
I had rolled my eyes at his over-exaggeration, but I secretly knew that the people he was talking about really meant one person: Tidus. I thought somehow, somewhere in Jecht's mind, he hoped that Tidus would be able to make the same journey to Spira as he did. And he was so right. If only I could tell him that…ease some of his uneasiness and guilt for leaving his son and wife without him.
A sense of sadness rushed into my heart when I realized that Tidus had only managed to find a few of Jecht's spheres…not all of them. At least his son found the ones that really mattered!
I smiled. "Can I help you with it, Jecht!?" I put on my best pleading face.
"Yeah, sure, kid." He couldn't resist. Who could? I laughed to myself. "Jus' don't get too excited 'n pee your pants or somethin'. It's just a sphere," he continued with an amused smirk on his face.
My face contorted into a frown. "For the last time, I am not a kid!" I put my hands on my hips to look more intimidating.
"You sure act like one," was Jecht's dry remark.
Everyone here is a sayhea! Well, except for Braska. I huffed dramatically, turning my back on him.
"Silence!" Auron took a few steps closer to the pathway's entrance with one of his arms extending back towards us: the signal for us to stay still…or else. "It is near," he murmured.
"W-What is!?" I started to panic. Is this the fiend Auron was talking about?
"We shall soon find out." Auron unsheathed his katana and started to walk through the pathway. "Let's go."
Follow the leader, I thought with a tiny smirk. I unsheathed my daggers and ran ahead of Auron, a sense of bravery suddenly filling me. "Come on, slowpokes! Let's take this thing on!"
"Don't be foolish," Braska stated, but not in a cruel way. It was in his authoritative voice. He was just watching out for me. "We must stick together, Rikku. We know not what comes."
All of a sudden, the memory of a huge, gelatinous blob popped into my mind. It was the same morphing fiend that we had to fight the last time I was here. How could I forget about that weird fiend? I smiled excitedly. If this thing was taken down once in my presence, it could be done again. I was sure of it.
"Actually, I think I know what it is!" I tapped my chin with my index finger a few times. "Ever heard of the Spherimorph?"
Jecht looked befuddled, but Braska and Auron had an interested look on their faces. They must be so impressed. Whoo-hoo! "I'm 99.9 percent sure that the fiend through this pathway is the Spherimorph. I've, uh, heard of it dwelling in this area…from someone."
"Are you certain?" Braska asked cautiously.
I nodded feverishly. "Yup!"
Jecht clapped his hands together animatedly. "Then let's go! My arm stings like a mother-"
"Hurry!" I already ran way ahead of them, ignoring their enraged shouts at me to wait. This time, I was going to prove to them that I could be a big help to their pilgrimage too. I'm a great guardian! I just have to prove it to them…and to myself. I needed to feel worthy enough to stick with them. This could be my test!
"Rikku, wait!" Auron yelled angrily.
I continued to ignore them, running faster and faster until I saw the pond around the corner…but there wasn't a fiend in sight anywhere. "Huh? Where is it?" I looked around in confusion. Think, Rikku! Think. My grip on my daggers tightened as I surveyed the area. It's here. I can feel it.
My eyes squinted in the direction of the small pond when I heard a slight rumble from that direction. I took a few steps closer and smirked when I saw that there were steadily growing ripples on the surface. Here it comes.
"Rikku!" They finally caught up, Auron leading the way with an enraged look on his face. "What possessed you to make such an ill-formed decision? You could hav-"
The rest of Auron's sentence was cut off as the ground started to shake with tremendous force. The few ripples I had seen on the pond's surface had now transformed into massive waves and enlarged bubbles. I got into my battle stance. Auron, Braska and Jecht took my cue and got into their own preferred battle stances as well. There wasn't any time left for chit-chat.
With the force of a volcanic eruption, a large form broke through the surface of the pond. It was spherical and it looked like it was composed mainly of water. Our fiend had arrived. The Spherimorph. "That's it!" I nodded my head to it energetically.
It started to float towards us ominously.
Jecht made the first move, charging towards it with his sword held high. "Take this!"
Whiff.
He had swung his sword with as much force as he could possibly muster, but it had no effect on the fiend. None whatsoever. His sword simply sliced right through the outer surface, which was then reformed only seconds later by another layer of the watery substance. Is this fiend stronger than when we fought it before?…Well, I guess it is 10 years into the past. That would make it a lot younger.
Jecht took another swipe at it, but achieved the same result. Auron even teamed up with him, and eventually unleashed his overdrive on it, but the results were almost the same as before. The only thing that had changed was that the Spherimorph's form started to spin around erratically until it took on the shape of a large block. It slowly drifted towards us until it was directly above Auron.
My heart plummeted to my feet. Oh no! "Get out of the way, Auron!" I screamed as loud as I could. It was just in the nick of time because right as Auron bolted backwards, the fiend hammered into the ground with enough force to feel like an earthquake. My knees buckled at the violent tremors the ground had started to create.
I was beginning to feel a bit nervous. I really thought we had this thing in the sack, but apparently, I was wrong. "I don't think physical attacks are going to work on this thing, you guys," I said, hoping I sounded more sure of myself than I felt at that moment.
"No shit!" Jecht growled. I knew he wasn't upset with me necessarily, but he was just angry that he hadn't succeeded in harming the fiend at all. His ego was temporarily wounded.
The Spherimorph started to shake as it formed into the circular shape again. This time, it's sapphire coloring was starting to turn into a burgundy tone. Wait. I remember! The color is based on the magic it casts. If it's that dark red color…then, we should use ice-based attacks.
"New plan!" I shouted. "The only thing that will work against this fiend is magic. Its color," I gestured to the now red-colored fiend in front of us, "tells us the type of magic it casts. I'm pretty sure that it only uses the basic elemental magic: fire, ice, water, and thunder."
"I see," Braska said with a nod. "If we can anticipate its actions by counteracting the magic it is using, then we should come out of this victoriously."
Jecht nodded with a pained look on his face. "I get it. I ain't gotta clue how to cast black magic, though." He shook his head in frustration. "I'm no help."
I started rummaging through one of my many pockets on my skirt until I grabbed what I was looking for. "Here!" I tossed a few element-based items and a bomb his way. He caught them effortlessly. "You can use those. But only when it's a certain color, kay?"
He nodded in understanding. "I ain't deaf. I heard what you said before."
I smiled. He still managed to maintain his cocky, indifferent air even on the battlefield. I just hoped he was telling the truth about understanding the fiend's weaknesses. Something told me he did, though, with the way his face was now laced with determination.
The fiend started to power up for a magic attack, and I was just about ready to cast some amateur protective magic over us, but Braska was way ahead of me. "Reflect!" He spread his arms out as his staff began to glow. A translucent barrier encompassed each of us.
Braska was obviously more experienced in white magic than I was. Way more.
The white magic seemed to tick the fiend off because it cast firagas at each of us, only resulting in the spells bouncing right back to it. The fiend wasn't harmed by its own fire magic. If anything, it was healed a little bit.
This fiend is still reddish…so if I focus really hard, then this should work. I hadn't used any of the black magic I had learned from Lulu since the pilgrimage's completion. There was never a need for it. I had my handy-dandy daggers and my fists to protect me. But right now, all I could rely on was my magic. I hoped I wasn't too rusty.
I closed my eyes and tried to release all of the tension in my body as I focused on drawing forth the cold magic. Hmm, it's actually working. I could feel the power surging from the center of my body all the way to my finger tips. When I felt it climax, I pushed my arms in front of me and shouted, "Blizzara!" I kept my eyes closed. I was afraid to see whether it worked or not.
When a rough hand clapped onto my shoulder with a gruff "Good job, kiddo!" I knew I hit the fiend with my spell. I peeked my eyes open to see the Spherimorph shaking in pain, its color slowly changing to that of the spell I had just cast on it.
"So now I use a bomb on it?" Jecht asked quickly. I nodded in response. He really did understand.
Jecht got the bomb ready as Braska cast a round of Nulfrost on us. It was a good thing that Braska did that so quickly because in its rage, the fiend cast Blizzaga at me, only to have it nullified by the countered white magic.
"I got a present for ya!" Jecht growled as he hurled the powerful bomb at the monster. He nailed it head-on. "Yeah!" Jecht laughed obnoxiously in his success.
The fiend was steadily getting angrier and angrier. Now, it's color was changed to amber. So, if I could use water magic on it, there would be some serious damage to it. I closed my eyes again as I started to summon forth the black magic once more.
"Mental Break!" Auron's shout broke through my focus. I peeked an eye open to see him charging the fiend with his glowing katana. What is he thinking? We already learned that physical attacks have no effect-
His katana made contact with the fiend, emitting a loud slashing sound. Auron backpedaled to his original spot, and I noticed the obvious smirk on his face.
Lulgo zang!
The fiend was writhing in pain at that point. The sword magic actually had an effect on it. "Nice job!" I smiled in delighted surprise.
He spared me a brief glance. "I believe it will make the spells you are casting more powerful."
"Yeah…" I trailed off as I slowly closed my eyes to cast water at the fiend.
Once more, I doused the Spherimorph with my magic. This time, it fired back an electric bolt at me before it changed to a white, opaque color.
I didn't have enough time to dodge the spell. It was all I could do to shield my face from its power. When the spell hit me, I was catapulted backwards several feet. "Eeep!" I shrieked as I curled into a ball on the ground.
Why did it have to be a thunder-based spell? WHY!?
I started to shiver as the after-effects of the spell kept my extremities jittery. "Urgh…"
My eyes were still tightly shut when I heard hurried footsteps approach me. Then, I felt a hand on my back. "Are you alright?"
Auron.
He had rushed back to check on me while Braska and Jecht continued to fight the Spherimorph.
I was still shivering, which caused my teeth to chatter involuntarily, so I wasn't able to say anything in reply to him. I think he understood my agony through the helpless look in my eyes, though.
Out of everything in Spira, my weakness just had to be thunder! Why couldn't it be mice, like all the other normal girls?
Auron's hand latched onto my wrist and he stood up slowly, pulling me to my feet. I had to clamp my mouth shut to keep it from dropping in shock. Auron was helping me up. Usually, when I tripped or got knocked over by a fiend, he would just give me a look that read, "Get up and keep trying."
Why did this man have to be so darn confusing? One minute he'd treat me like I'm actually worthwhile, the next minute he'd ignore me, and now he's helping me again. Make up your mind! I thought to myself angrily.
"Thanks," I murmured as I brushed the dirt off my skirt.
He nodded once and glanced over at the battle. It looked like Jecht was getting the hang of using the items I had tossed to him. The Spherimorph looked like it was going to collapse any second.
"Look out!" I heard Braska's shout in a panicked voice. "I believe it's going to self-destruct!"
The fiend had started to glow a dangerously bright color while it continued to tremble in rage. The next thing I knew, an enormous explosion of white lit up the entire area. I had to cover my eyes to shield them from the blinding light.
A barrage of crackles and pops came from the fiend before the light started to fade away. Suddenly, I felt a painful blow to my thigh. The force of whatever had hit me was so great that I was knocked backwards yet again. To my horror, I heard Braska make a grunt of pain as well. I hoped to all gods that he was alright.
The light finally cleared away, and in the Spherimorph's wake, there were hundreds of enlarged icicles embedded into the ground, trees, and surrounding area. Unfortunately, a particularly large icicle had managed to embed itself in my thigh.
I lifted a shaky hand over it, hesitant to take the large object out in fear of what my leg would look like afterwards. I drew my hand back, choosing instead to stare at my trembling leg helplessly.
"I-Is everybody o-okay?" I asked, nervous for their response. I was still staring at my leg, too afraid to look up and see everybody else's current state.
"Yes, we are fine." Braska. He was alright. Thank goodness. I glanced up as he approached me. He looked fine except for the small scratch on his cheek. One of the ice shards probably grazed it when the fiend exploded. "But you are not, Rikku." He knelt down next to me, then glanced over at Auron. "Auron, I could use your help."
With a quick nod, Auron walked over and knelt next to me as well. "Is your leg in pain, Rikku?" he asked me softly.
"Well…" I did not want to sound like a weakling. "Not really."
Auron quirked a brow at me. "So you would not object to me pulling it out as hard as I could?" He lifted his hand over the icicle.
"No, no, no!" I objected frantically. "Okay, it hurts! Really, really bad!" He smirked at my dramatic response. "Does my pain make you happy or something, Auron? That's not very nice, you know!" I huffed.
He shook his head slowly as Braska stood up, I assumed, to tend to Jecht's wound from earlier in the day. "I did not mean it like that." He smirked again. "I merely find it funny that you try to act so…invincible all the time."
He always says I never stop whining! Now all of a sudden I'm tough?
"I don't act like I'm invincible!?" I shot back, slightly confused. I think it came out sounding more like a question than like an objection, though.
He sighed. "I didn't say it was a bad thing," he muttered under his breath. But I heard what he said, and my jaw dropped yet again.
Now, Auron's focus was entirely on my leg. He was most likely trying to figure out the best way to remove it without it hurting my thigh too badly. "Just…take it out, Auron. Please?" I looked at him pleadingly. "It hurts."
His eyes locked onto mine. "It's going to hurt even more when I take it out," he reminded me.
I was fully aware of that, but I nodded anyway. I honestly doubted it could hurt much more than it did right now. "On the count of three, alright?" he asked gently. I nodded again. His lips formed into a tight line.
A pain shot through my leg right after he said that. It was so intense that I was afraid I was going to pass out. I was seeing stars, and I was pretty sure that my head was resembling a bobblehead with the way it was trying so hard to stay upright. "Ow…" I fell backwards, but before I could sprawl out on the ground, Auron grabbed me. It was then that I realized he had already taken the icicle out of my thigh. He was right. It had hurt. Really bad.
"You didn't…" I took a deep breath. "…count to three…?" I blinked at him dazedly. It was better that way. "Thank you…Auron."
He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. I was almost positive that he was expecting me to blow up at him with a few choice phrases, but I hadn't, and it completely surprised him.
He sighed as he lifted me off of the ground. Still in a daze, I was confused on why he was picking me up, but when I noticed that he was walking in the direction of the pond, I understood what he was doing. In the heat of the battle, I had completely forgotten all about the pond's healing properties. Braska and Jecht must've already healed themselves while Auron was helping me with my…problem.
We reached the edge of the pond, and Auron gently set me down next to it. He reached in with both his hands, scooping up some of the liquid, and gently washed it over my thigh. The magic worked instantaneously. My leg was already feeling better. Just to be sure, though, Auron cascaded one more scoop of the pond water over my leg.
A second ago, there was a huge, ugly gash on my thigh, and now, it was all unharmed skin. This pond really was special…kinda like someone else I knew. "Thanks again, Auron," I said, truly meaning each word. He looked surprised again that I was actually thanking him, so I decided to call him out on it. "Is it so hard to hear me saying thanks?"
Auron shook his head slowly. "I am not used to it. That's all."
I shrugged. "Well, get used to it." I made a move to stand up, but Auron insisted on helping me up, even though I was perfectly fine now. "Thanks again!" I chirped when I was standing on my own two feet. Being nice to Auron pays off! Now he's being nice to me!
Auron's gaze drifted to what I thought was my neck. "Beautiful…" he murmured.
I stared at him in bewilderment. "E-excuse me!?" What did he just say?
Auron blinked out of his daze and pointed to my shoulder. I glanced down to see two small butterflies batting their wings at one another. One was white and the other was blue. They must have been teasing each other or something. I wasn't exactly up to date on my knowledge of butterflies, so I honestly had no clue what the two were doing.
So that's what he called beautiful…oh.
"Yeah," I agreed, nodding my head. Unfortunately, my slight movement caused the butterflies to fly away into the endless sky. "Bye little guys!" I waved at them as they departed.
"How did you acquire so much knowledge of that fiend?" Auron's sudden query threw me off-key. First, we were talking about butterflies, and now we were back to the fiend. I needed a second to get my thoughts straight.
Your thoughts are never straight around Auron, though…
Shut up, voice in my head!
Wait, I'm actually fighting with myself?
That's sad.
I shook my head to clear my mind. Think of another lie! QUICK! "Uh, I already told you! A friend told me all about the Spherimorph when I was younger." I crossed my arms. "He was…uh…really into fiend dossiers and stuff like that."
Auron made a grunt of understanding. "I see." He paused for a moment. "We would not have been able to defeat that fiend without your knowledge." He gave me a meaningful look that just about caused me to faint; the look was so profound. "I thank you, Rikku."
I laughed nervously. "Oh? Eh, heheh, it was nothing!" I flicked my wrist in the air in indifference. "I'm a guardian. It's my job to protect Braska!"
"Lord Braska."
I laughed again. Auron was always correcting me. "Yeah, sorry. Lord Braska."
Turning my head to the side slightly, I saw Jecht sitting on the ground a few feet away from us with one of his spheres angled towards him. He was recording something again.
"So don't worry. You'll be fine. Remember, you're my son. And I guess what I mean to say is…uh…" Jecht scratched the back of his head hesitantly. "Ah, never mind. I'm no good at these things anyway." He got up and walked over to the sphere to turn off the recording. When he saw Auron and I looking at him, he gave us one of his cocky smiles, but then he turned his back on us. He must've turned the sphere back on for a second because I heard him mutter something else into the sphere, but I couldn't quite make it out for sure.
Now that I really thought about it, it sounded like he was saying good-bye.
He was making another sphere for Tidus…
A painful surge of emotion shot through me. Jecht really loved Tidus, regardless of whether or not he was able to voice that. I knew Tidus felt the same way, even though there was a bit of resentment towards his dad where his mother was concerned.
So many repressed emotions! I feel so bad for both of them.
"Shall we depart?" Braska suggested after respectfully giving Jecht time to make the sphere and drop it into the pond. "I believe night will fall shortly. Perhaps we can seek shelter in Macalania Temple?"
"That is a wise idea, my lord," Auron agreed. "We have wasted enough time here already. We must be on our way."
There he goes again…This pilgrimage isn't a race, you know, Auron!
I sighed, choosing not to say anything.
Auron and I had some awkward moments between us today because of what did or did not happen last night, but at the same time, things have gotten a little better between us as well. With Auron, it was like taking baby steps. You had to be careful with the speed, the timing, and the precision of where you set your feet down.
But as of today, I had perfected the art of baby steps.
My only problem now was whether or not I was going to be able to keep all my repressed feelings inside. I felt like I was going to explode with everything that was building up. I was confused, a bit helpless, and also happy at the same time…over many different things in my life here in the past with Jecht, Braska and Auron.
But deep down, it felt like there was a hole in my heart where something should be.
Or where someone should be.
---X---X---X---X---X---
Disclaimer: Nothing's changed since the first chapter where my ownership of anything is concerned...unfortunately. ;D
Translations:
Fro fuimt ra fyhd du?=Why would he want to?
Ruhacdmo!=Honestly!
Sayhea=Meanie
Lulgo zang!=Cocky jerk!
A/N:
Okay so here's a special shout-out to all you people that have stuck with this story so far, especially you guys that were kind enough to drop a review by:
Gining, DarKazeura, Fefisgbf13, The-Lady-Isis, Crimson, Mariuslover22, starry34, angelgriever, Nilmade Lailindeiel, and last but certainly not least, Krylancelo!
Thank you guys soooo much! Reviews mean more to me than you could ever know! ;D
Seriously.
So, if you feel like leaving another review after this, than that would definitely make my day!
Thanks again for reading and I hope to hear from you soon!! XD
---Oh, and here's a teaser for the next chapter:
Bevelle…a young Yuna with Kimahri…some guys named O'aka...Rikku learning a teeny-tiny secret about Auron…a bit o' discrimination against our favorite Al Bhed by those silly Bevellians…and of course, more AURIKKU!!