Fade With Me

Chapter 8

"My apologies, Lord Summoner, but now that you have gotten your much-needed rest and have acquired the aeon at this temple, could you please be on your way?" The temple priest sent a scorching glare at me. It wasn't like meeting another Al Bhed-hater wasn't a complete surprise to me, but it still hurt. They had made me rest in a tiny, cramped room, by myself! It was scary.

I was pretty sure the room was a actually a closet of some sorts. I saw some weird things in there…it's just a hunch, though.

Braska bowed to the priest before him, trying hard not to show too much of his displeasure at the situation. "We shall depart right now. Thank you for your hospitality."

The temple priest bowed in return, prying his scathing eyes away from me. "It was our pleasure. We simply had not envisioned your guardians to have the audacity to wear such inappropriate clothing-"

Okay, so when the meanie said guardians, he clearly only meant me.

"We've heard enough, I believe," Auron cut the man off. He was wearing a frustrated scowl on his face. "Let's go." He turned his back on the surprised man and started to walk away.

As Braska and Jecht started to follow Auron, I paused, blowing an obnoxious air kiss in the priest's direction, just to spite him. "Thank you!" I waved happily, giving the appalled man one of my million megawatt smiles before I skipped away. I didn't give him a chance to say anything else about my filth before I left. I didn't think he would have known what to say anyway, especially after receiving an air kiss from me.

I giggled to myself once I caught up with the three men. It was fun to throw people off once in awhile. Especially people that always acted like they had enormous sticks up their butts.

"Please, correct me if I'm wrong, but did I see you blow a kiss to that priest?" Braska asked, the corners of his lips slowly tugging upward.

I nodded enthusiastically. "Yup! I just wanted to thank him!" My exclamation was full of sarcasm. "I mean, they were so nice to me. I thought I'd show him how much I appreciated it. That's all, really."

Jecht scratched the back of his head. "You're nice to people that treat you shit on the bottom of their fancy shoes?" He looked at me like I was crazy. "How do you treat your friends?"

"Don't you already know that?" I smiled, crossing my arms. "I consider you guys my friends, you know. I…hope you think the same of me."

Jecht hoisted me up from behind, squeezing me as hard as he could. "'Course we do, kiddo! It's been fun havin' you around." He put me down and gave me a noogie. "'Tween you and me, this pilgrimage was starting to get kinda boring before you showed up."

I laughed at his comment, trying to readjust my bandana after Jecht had messed up my hair. "Really? Well, I'm happy you guys were the ones to find me on the Moonflow coast, then!"

"Do not doubt that we were happy to find you when we did," Braska assured me, his voice taking on more of a serious tone. "You could have died without proper treatment."

I nodded slowly. "I know. Thanks again, you guys." I folded my hands together behind my back as we continued to walk. "For letting me stick with you."

"It is an honor and a pleasure to have you with us, Rikku," Braska said with a small bow.

"Yeah! It's been more excitin' since you showed up anyway!" Jecht exclaimed enthusiastically.

Auron sighed, shaking his head. "This is not a pleasure cruise, Jecht. Lord Braska's pilgrimage is to be regarded in the highest respect." He gave Jecht a reproachful glance before sighing again.

I rolled my eyes. "So, um, Auron?" He made a grunt of acknowledgment. "Where's the next place we're going? Braska already has the aeon from Bevelle, right?" Yeah, I saw him summon Bahamut…Baathum. "Because that's where his pilgrimage started."

"Yes, Lord Braska already has the aeon from the Bevelle Temple," he replied. "We will simply pass by Bevelle on our way to the Calm Lands, seeing as there isn't a need to visit his hometown. We have a pilgrimage to complete," he stressed the last part of his statement.

I giggled softly when I saw Jecht roll his eyes. "Just wondering."

Jecht scratched the back of his head when we reached the wooded part of Macalania again. "Eh, are we gonna have to make our way back through the woods?" He groaned dramatically. "Those damn butterflies got us lost so many times! I don't want to do that again!"

I hummed, looking at the surrounding scenery. "Hmm." Suddenly, my eyes glanced over a peculiar light in between some of the trees. It looked like it was a…path. "Hey, look at this!" I ran over to it, motioning for them to follow me.

"Could this path lead back to the entrance?" Braska wondered aloud.

I nodded, suddenly remembering using this same path on a mission I had gone on with Brother. If it was safe 10 years into the future, it was safe now. "I think it's a quicker way back!" I gave them a toothy grin. "Let's take the shortcut!" I started bouncing up and down on the balls of my feet in excitement.

"Yeah!" Jecht agreed, a confident smirk on his face.

Braska sighed. "It seems we have nothing to lose." He glanced at Auron, wanting a second opinion on the matter. "What do you think, my friend?"

Auron shrugged, sparing me a brief glance. "Anything to make her calm down."

"Hey!"

---X---X---X---X---X---

It turned out that the magically lit-up pathway was a short-cut after all. We were back at the entrance of Macalania in less than twenty minutes! After forcing them to thank me for my wonderful and helpful knowledge, we made our way down the same path that led to where we had rested a couple nights ago.

I felt a blush crawl up my cheeks when I glanced in the direction of the spring. Go away, memories! GO! I didn't want to think about that night again. It was too confusing…too embarrassing…and too…there wasn't really an exact way to describe what it was. It just was.

We passed by our old campsite and the spring, and after about an hour, the ground below our feet was slowly changing from an icy surface to that of dirt and grass. We were finally out of Macalania. "Whew!" Jecht wiped invisible sweat from his brow. "I thought we'd never get outta there!" He smirked at me. "Thank you, oh great one, for finding that shortcut."

I bowed to him. "What can I say? I am pretty great." Jecht rolled his eyes at my incredibly modest behavior.

"So how much longer 'til the Calm Lands?" Jecht asked while stretching his arms out above his head. "I want to actually see the sun!"

"Guardians do not complain about the duration of their journey or the weather conditions," Auron droned. "But it seems like that is all you and Rikku ever do."

"What are you talking about? We're the perfect guardians, Auron. Just like you," I joked, only resulting in Auron sending that look of his in my direction. I waved my hands in front of me nervously. "We were just kidding."

"This is not the time for jokes. Lord Braska has a lot on his mind. The pilgrimage is drawing nearer to its conclusion with each passing day," Auron explained calmly.

All the more reason to have more laughs and smiles and less gloom and doom…in my opinion, at least.

I glanced at Braska out of the corner of my eye. Auron was right about one thing. Braska did look like he had a lot on his mind right now. This must be so hard for him…knowing he's sacrificing his life for everyone else on Spira. We only have a few places left before the Zanarkand Ruins.

An unconscious shiver crept up my spine as the memory of Lady Yunalesca came rushing back. I would have been perfectly happy if I had never seen or heard from her ever again, but obviously, that was not going to work out for me very well.

Braska stopped walking suddenly, staring intently to a paved pathway on his left.

"What is it, my lord?" Auron asked urgently. "Is everything alright?" He took a few steps closer to his summoner cautiously.

My uncle shook his head absentmindedly. "Ah, it's nothing. I…thought I heard something strange coming from that direction." He sighed. "It was probably nothing at all."

My eyes widened as I stared down the neatly trimmed pathway. "Isn't that the way to Bevelle?"

Braska nodded his head slowly. "Yes, it is. I wonder…"

Suddenly, a warrior monk holding a gun with a large crack down its side came stumbling towards us. When he reached us, he fell to his knees, gasping for air. "It is…you…Lord Braska!" He clutched his side in obvious pain. "Bevelle…under attack…..sinspawn…….PLEASE!" He crumbled to the ground with one final raspy breath.

I covered my mouth with my hand. Oh no! Sin? In Bevelle?…Yunie's there!

Braska stared wide-eyed at the fallen monk while Jecht and Auron shared a meaningful look. Jecht unsheathed his sword and swung it a few times. "I dunno 'bout you guys, but I think that was his way of asking for our help!" Jecht gave the fallen warrior a respectful nod before starting to make his way toward the city of Bevelle. When no one made a move to follow him right away, he turned around, a look of confusion on his face. "The hell's wrong with you guys?" He turned to Braska. "Doesn't your kid live here?"

"Yes," Braska responded quietly. He started to follow Jecht. "But I would wish to help, regardless of whether or not she was residing here." His jaw was clenched. "It is my duty as a summoner."

Jecht nodded firmly. "Good. I was beginnin' to think you were scared or something. If I've learned anything after coming to Spira," he paused for a moment, "it's that no place is safe from that son of a bitch, Sin. Even Bevelle."

"That's for sure," I agreed, unsheathing my daggers. "Let's go guys."

Auron grunted in approval, but I wondered if I was the only one that noticed the slight hesitance in his seemingly confident gait.

---X---X---X---X---X---

The orderly, peaceful metropolis that I was so used to seeing was nothing like what I was gazing at right now. Smoke was rising from many different buildings, all caused by the numerous amounts of sinspawn everywhere. Women and children were crying hopelessly. It was all the warrior monks and maesters could do to hold off one of the massive creatures at a time.

"We have to do something now!" I shouted, gripping my daggers until my knuckles turned white. "They need some serious help!"

Auron nodded, shouldering his katana in his battle stance. "I see at least ten of these creatures. If we split up, we should be able to outmaneuver them quite easily."

"I will summon forth the aeon I just received at Macalania Temple," Braska said calmly. "That should take care of at least two or three of them." He strode over to where a few of the fiends were slashing at a warrior monk wielding a flamethrower. The fire from the weapon was doing nothing except enticing the monsters to become even more enraged.

How did the sinspawn get into this city? Bevelle is usually so well-protected. Does this mean…Sin is nearby?

Jecht shouted, "I got that one!" He pointed to another creature that was terrorizing a large group of warrior monks. It was almost as if the bullets from their guns were simply ricocheting off the hard, outer skin of the fiend.

"I got this one over here!" I pointed to a particularly fat sinspawn that was making its way towards a young boy and his little sister. I started to dart in that direction in fear of what would happen to those kids if I was too late.

Two of the sinspawns finally noticed our arrival and decided to slither towards Auron. He chuckled mirthlessly. "These two seem to be asking for their personal disposal," he murmured, firmly gripping his katana with both hands as he waited for them to draw a little closer to him. Then he would make the next move.

Don't worry about Auron! He, Jecht and Braska can take care of themselves! The sinspawn realized that I was threatening his chance at a good meal, so it slowly faced me with a venomous roar. Those kids, on the other hand, don't have anyone to help them. It's up to me!

"Get out of here while you still can!" I yelled to them once they were completely out of the sinspawn's line of sight. The boy nodded bravely through his tears and grabbed his little sister's hand, tugging her away from the battlefield.

I hope they go somewhere safe, I thought to myself worriedly.

The sinspawn must've noticed its meal had run away from it, so it growled at me angrily. Great, I thought sarcastically. Now it's really mad.

"Come on, big guy!" I taunted, crouching even lower into my battle stance. "Take it out on me, not them!" It was provoked by my comment, roaring one last time before it dashed towards me. When it made a wide swipe at me with one of its leaf-shaped arms, I moved out of the way slightly so I could slash it with my daggers.

I wasn't expecting the move to work as well as it had, but somehow, my daggers had managed to make a clean cut across the most vulnerable part of its arm, completely severing it from its body. It shrieked in pain, beady eyes glaring at me even more ferociously than before.

Damn, this thing is really ugly! Its crimson head looked like an insect, especially with all the tentacle-like appendages hanging down from its chin. It truly was a disgusting sight. All of a sudden, its right arm reappeared in a haze of lights and crackles. My jaw dropped. I had no idea something like that was possible. Then again, it was created by Sin...

"W-Wha…?" I stammered out. The sinspawn came charging at me yet again. This time, it closed in on me, using both of its arms to ensnare me in its trap.

So, there I was, stuck in between its arms, struggling as hard as I possibly could, when a powerful spear came flying at the midsection of the sinspawn from out of nowhere. I squealed when some of the creature's flesh came flying at me as it dropped me to the ground.

It shrieked in pain again, its head slowly turning from a red color to blue. It looked considerably weaker…but definitely angrier. The one thing I cared about most at that point, though, was figuring out where that spear had come from.

It had, more or less, saved me from becoming the fiend's next snack.

A blue blur dashed past me towards the sinspawn, jumping into its gut and pushing the spear in even deeper. After a few moments of agonizing pain, the fiend lashed out at the blue form, smashing it with its two arms in the same way it had done to me.

"Hey, meanie! That's not fair!" I closed my eyes, calling forth my black magic again. I hoped it would work like it had the other day. "Firaga!" I shouted as I pointed my hands in the direction of the fiend's head. Something was telling me that its head was a fairly vulnerable spot.

And I was right. A sound unlike any other was emitted from the creature before it exploded into a million pyreflies. In its wake, the blue form was hunched over with the large spear in its hand.

"K-Kimahri!?" I rushed over to the Ronso and dropped to my knees, placing my hand on his furry shoulder. "Thank you so much for saving me." I smiled softly. "Are you alright?"

His amber eyes held no trace of recognition, and I had no idea why I had expected them to. Kimahri didn't even know I existed in this period of time. He just furrowed his eyebrows at me with a quick nod before standing up and running towards another sinspawn that Jecht and Auron were taking on with some warrior monks.

In the time that I had been fighting one sinspawn, Braska had taken down four with his aeons, Jecht had taken down one, and Auron had taken down two. I wasn't even able to take down one by myself. Kimahri had to help me finish it off.

Inadequate was an understatement to how I felt right now.

I looked around to see a large group of warrior monks proudly standing over a fiend they had just defeated before it, too, exploded into several pyreflies. They wouldn't have been able to beat it without help from Kimahri, Jecht, and Auron, though.

Hmm, that makes nine dead monsters…wait! That means there's still one left!

I froze in place when I felt a gust of hot wind against my back, accompanied by a loud rattling sound. I bit my lip, choosing to be brave by turning around slowly. Not to my surprise, there was another sinspawn right behind me, its ravenous eyes glaring down at me. I took a deep, shaky breath. This, I told myself, will be the one I take down!

I tried to disregard the fact that this fiend was even bigger than the last one.

"Alright, you big meanie, you asked for it!" I mustered up all the courage I had and charged towards the fiend, daggers slashing in every possible direction.

I managed to land a few forceful blows before it knocked me away with one of its strong arms. Suddenly, its head started to shine dangerously. I was scared of what it was going to do next, so to apprehend its action, I quickly threw an fire gem at its face.

It growled ominously. Okay, so the head is definitely its weak spot…to magic, especially. But there has to be a physical weakness somewhere!

My eyes scanned from the top of its writhing head all the way to the middle of its stomach, where I saw a weird mouth-like opening. That was the same spot that Kimahri had struck the last fiend with his spear.

A sudden idea popped into my mind. I focused all my energy into my hands while dodging the fiend's rapid-fire attacks at the same time. It was difficult to do. Then, at the same time as I cast another firaga at the fiend, I threw both my daggers at its midsection. I hoped to all gods that it would work.

The sinspawn made a cry of agony. I could have sworn that I killed it, but the only thing that had changed was the amount of anger in its glare and the color of its head. Now it was blue again. Maybe it's almost dead when it's blue!? I convinced myself that I was right, digging through my pockets for more items now that I was weaponless. Before I could take out a grenade, I was propelled backward with an intense, magical force. The fiend had cast a powerful spell on me…and it really hurt.

"Owie…" I groaned as I tried to get up. The fiend started closing in on me yet again, but before it could land its final blow, a red form charged at it from the side, instantly beheading the monster. I blinked in awe. "A-Auron?"

He landed gracefully, just as the fiend burst into pyreflies. He gave me a pointed look before walking over to me slowly. He reached out his hand to help me up.

"Thanks," I murmured. I really was saying thanks to him a lot lately, wasn't I?

He sighed, glancing down at my clothes. There were bits of fiend all over me. I was surprised he could stand to be this close to me. I probably smelled really gross too.

"You were nearly killed," he stated matter-of-factly. He sheathed his katana with another sigh.

I really, really wanted to shout, "Well no duh, stupid!!!" but somehow, I thought that might make him a little mad. So instead, I chose to murmur a quick, "I know."

"Is everyone alright?" Braska's voice echoed from not too far away. He was using his white magic and tending to the Bevellians that had been injured. My heart broke when I saw several mangled corpses scattered throughout the area. How could I forget so easily how it was when Sin was still around?

This was such a terrible reminder.

"Would ye happen to go by the name of Sir Auron, by any chance?" an elderly voice drifted to us from nearby. Auron turned around to see an ancient maester looking in our general direction with pale, glazed-over eyes.

"Yes, I am Auron," he replied. "Who's asking?" I sighed. Auron had a way of shooting down even the kindest of queries, it seemed.

"I go by O'aka XXII. I am a maester here in Bevelle." He bowed to Auron. When he straightened, I noticed just how distant his gaze seemed to be. It didn't look like he was looking at Auron…or anything, really.

O'aka!? Could he be-

"You're blind," Auron said, earning himself a sharp jab to his ribs by me. That was so rude! He glared at me, clutching his chest in pain.

I slapped my hand to my forehead when I remembered his old wound. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Auron! I forgot about the wound from the behemoth!" I bit my lip nervously. "Uh, heheh, forgive and forget?" Auron rolled his eyes with another huge sigh. He ignored me and turned to the maester again.

O'aka XXII laughed good-naturedly at Auron's somewhat blunt comment. "Yes, I am. But that doesn't mean I am an amateur warrior." He pulled out a rusty staff. "I may not be as skilled as I once was, but…ah, that isn't the point."

"Then what is?" Auron asked, clearly getting impatient with this man.

O'aka XXII bowed again. "I simply wanted to thank ye for the help, Sir Auron. Bevelle doesn't consider itself ill-prepared, but in this case…" He trailed off with a sigh. "I would also like to ask ye if ye have seen a young man around here with the same name as myself?" His eyebrows furrowed sadly. "He…left shortly before Sin's creatures arrived. I wish to know if he is alright or not."

His son must be O'aka XXIII! I always liked that merchant! Well, if I knew him in the future, then that means he couldn't have died here today! He has to be around here somewhere…

"I'm sure he's fine, Maester O'aka!" I chirped happily. "He was probably just looking for a safe place to hide-out until the fiends were taken care of!"

The maester sighed again. "Thank ye for the optimistic words, young lady. That does sound like something my son would do." He shook his head slowly. "If ye see him, would ye please pass on a message?"

"Sure!" I said. "What's the message?"

"Would ye tell him I'm sorry?" He turned to walk back into the heart of the city. "He will know what I'm taking about." The maester left us standing there, confused.

"Okay…" I started, looking to Auron for any sort of clarification on what had just happened. He gave a quick shrug, obviously not knowing any more about the situation than I had.

"Well, well, well! If it isn't Sir Auron!" A short, rotund man was strutting towards us with a satisfied smirk on his face. "Long time no see, old friend."

Auron's fists were balled together, shaking. Something told me he didn't like this man at all. "Kinoc."

"I see you haven't forgotten my name," Kinoc smirked, crossing his arms.

"I see you are still as arrogant as before," Auron muttered quietly so Kinoc wouldn't hear, but I heard what he said and couldn't help but to laugh.

Kinoc turned to me, an interested smile on his face. "Auron, what is someone like her doing here with you?" He took a couple steps closer to us. "What would Maester Luxio think?"

"It isn't his business," Auron remarked monotonously.

Kinoc chuckled. "Well, I should think it is. What would he say after hearing of the company you keep? Especially after he offered you his own daughter's hand in marriage! She was and still is ready to be yours at the moment of your approval, by the way. She is such a sad…lovely thing."

My heart froze. Auron…almost got married? I shook my head to try to clear my thoughts, but the image of a happy groom with his beautiful priestess wife wouldn't fade from my mind.

Auron grunted. "I declined. End of story."

Kinoc continued as if he hadn't heard Auron speak. "Plus, you know that Yevon's teachings say-"

"I know what the teachings say, Kinoc," Auron interrupted. "It's likely that I know them more than you do, yourself." Auron crossed his arms.

Kinoc nodded. "That may be so, but that doesn't change the fact that she," he pointed to me with a steady hand, "should not be here." He turned to me with an haughty smile. "Please leave, or we will be forced to make you leave."

I was scared stiff and I had no idea what to say. "Um…?" Maybe I should just leave and wait for Braska outside the city limits?

I flinched when I heard the sound of several guns cocking. A line of warrior monks had appeared behind Kinoc with their guns pointed directly at me. From my side, Auron took a step towards the monks, placing his arm in front of me in what I thought was a protective gesture.

"Stop this nonsense!" Braska's displeased voice caused all the warrior monks to hold their fire. Braska approached from my other side, placing a gentle hand on my back in another protective gesture.

I feel so special.

"This woman is my guardian, and she is to be treated as such," Braska stated with an air of authority to his voice. I barely ever heard him speak like that. I was so used to hearing him talk in a carefree, gentle way. "It should make no difference whether she is an Al Bhed, a Ronso, a Guado, or a-"

"She is your guardian?" Kinoc spat out in disbelief. "Why would you do such a thing, Lord Braska? That heathen will do nothing but taint your blessed journey to defeat Sin."

"Shut up, you son of a bitch!" Jecht had arrived, and by the looks of it, he was extremely ticked off. "I don't see you volunteering to be a guardian, do I? She's out there protectin' Braska and riskin' her life while you're in here stuffin' your fat face!" A couple of the warrior monks behind Kinoc had cleared their throats awkwardly.

"Do not speak to me in that way. You are no better than she is." Kinoc looked from Jecht back to me, shaking his head and clucking his tongue in a patronizing way. "Trash."

In one quick movement, Jecht had unsheathed his sword, making a move to charge at Kinoc, but Auron was too quick, and he grabbed Jecht from behind just in time. The warrior monks behind Kinoc sensed the threat, raising their guns again towards Jecht now, as well as me.

Auron shook his head slowly while still trying to restrain Jecht. "Enough, Jecht. He isn't worth it," he mumbled into his fellow guardian's ear. Jecht stopped struggling, but he still looked incredibly pissed off. I would not want to be on the receiving end of his anger…ever.

"So, Kinoc, this is how you thank us for helping you out?" Auron chuckled mirthlessly. "Remind me not to lend a hand next time, if this is how we are to be received."

Kinoc shook his head, signaling for the warrior monks to put down their weapons. "We were merely taking precautionary action from a threat. You cannot blame us for that."

"We were a threat to you?" Braska asked, incredulous. "We mean you no harm whatsoever!"

Kinoc nodded. "Yes, we know that now. But one can never be too careful these days…" He turned to walk away. "It was a pleasure seeing you again, Auron. I hope to hear about the pilgrimage once it's all said and done. Maybe by then you'll have reconsidered that marriage offer?" He and the group of warrior monks departed from the Highbridge.

It took a few moments for Auron's fists to stop shaking in fury. "Kinoc," he spat out angrily.

Braska shook his head slowly. "It's alright now. We've done what we came to do."

I looked at him with wide eyes. "B-But don't you want to see your daughter?" I wonder how Yunie's doing these days. She must only be six or seven years old right now.

Suddenly, Kimahri appeared from behind us. He walked straight to my uncle until they were face to face. "Yuna safe. Braska not worry."

Braska nodded. "I cannot thank you enough, Kimahri." He gave the Ronso a meaningful look. "For everything. You have been of tremendous help to me."

The Ronso nodded, his eyes widening slightly in his surprise. He obviously was not expecting to receive such kind words from the summoner. "See Yuna?"

Braska hesitated for a moment. "Yes…I do wish to see her. But she cannot see me, Kimahri. That would only make it even harder for us when it is time for me to leave again."

Kimahri nodded in agreement, signaling for Braska to follow him. Before he left, Braska turned to us and said, "I won't be too terribly long. Please, keep yourselves out of trouble while I'm gone?" He laughed before disappearing with Kimahri.

Jecht groaned. "I need a goddamn drink. This day has sucked." He waved us off, leaving just Auron and I standing there dumbfounded. Well, I was dumbfounded. I was pretty sure Auron was the same as usual: unaffected by everything.

He started to walk away from me, and my gut clenched. He was leaving me too. But then, after a few moments, he bent over to pick something up and turned to walk back to me. When he reached me, I discovered that he was holding my daggers in his hands. "Here."

I took them with a small smile. "Thanks, Auron." I sheathed them on the holsters on my upper thighs. "So, uh…do you have anybody to see here before we leave?" Like, oh I dunno, your ex-fiancé? "I'm guessing this is your hometown too, right?"

Auron nodded. "Yes, but I do not have anyone I wish to see. As I told you once before, Yevonites are reason enough for nightmares." He paused for a moment. "And I believe that if I were to see Kinoc one more time, he may walk away with a bloodied face."

I laughed. "Auron, you made a joke!?" I clapped him on the shoulder, earning an odd look from him in the process. "Well, a grim joke…but a joke, nonetheless! I'm so proud!" He shook his head with a sigh.

"You are quite strange sometimes, Rikku," he looked at me like he was trying to decipher an impossible puzzle. It was a strange feeling to be looked at like that. Especially by Auron.

"Eh, heheh, I'll take that as a good thing!" I said happily. "Life would be boring without weird people like me!" I pumped my fist into the air triumphantly. Then, I remembered how tired and soar I was from fighting those ferocious fiends. "But, uh, how 'bout taking a break?" I pointed to an area on the Highbridge where it looked like it would be comfortable to sit on.

"Very well."

He followed me until we reached the area I had pointed to, and we both took a seat. I groaned quietly. Now that I had stopped moving, I was really starting to feel the aftereffects of the battle with the sinspawn. "Ouchie…" I rubbed my sore arm.

"Are you alright?" Auron was looking at me with a small trace of concern in his eyes. "You are not injured, are you?" He gave me a quick once-over.

I shook my head. "Nope. I'm fine!" I continued to rub my arm. "Just a little stiff."

"Look, Maizie!" a squeaky voice came from somewhere down the Highbridge. "It's the lady that saved us!" A mousy-looking boy with brown hair came running down towards us while gripping his little sister's hand. When they reached us, they both looked at me, completely awestruck. "Thank you for saving us, miss." the little boy said.

The little girl elbowed her brother in the gut. "Jayze thinks you're pretty!" she said in a sing-song voice. Jayze put his hands over Maizie's mouth and gave us a sheepish look.

"She's crazy…um…what's your name, miss?" he asked, tilting his head to the side slightly.

"I'm Rikku!" I answered happily. I wished all Bevellians could be as sweet and innocent as the two children in front of me. "Nice to meet you, Jayze!" I nodded to him. "You too, Maizie!" The little girl laughed shyly.

"Get away from that heathen!" an old woman suddenly appeared, grasping both children by the collars of their shirts.

"But, grandma! She saved-" Jayze started to explain.

The grandma tugged even harder on their shirts. "I don't care, Jayze. We're leaving this instant." She turned her backs on us, still gripping Jayze and Maizie by their shirts as they struggled.

They must have known it was a hopeless cause, but Jayze looked back at me for a second with a small wave and a shy smile. I waved back. "It never lasts, does it?" I thought aloud with a sad sigh.

"It is nothing that you have done, Rikku," Auron's deep voice startled me. I was so lost in thought that I had forgotten that he was still there. "Yevon's teachings are all they know. Their faith and prayers get them through the day. It gives them strength." He shook his head with a slightly frustrated expression. "But you do not deserve their harsh words." He looked at me with a small smile. "No one does."

I smiled back. "Thank you, Auron. That means a lot to me!" I wanted nothing more than to hug him at that moment, but I thought that if I did, Auron would act like Auron and shy away. "You're a good friend." Auron cleared his throat. I didn't think he knew what to say to that because he just nodded and looked away.

"In need o' some potions? Or how 'bout some antidotes?" a loud, charismatic voice came hollering from somewhere down the Highbridge. "I can help ye! O'aka XXIII at your service! I have everything ye could ever need!"

The young merchant would hit the jackpot today. After the sinspawns' attacks, everyone will want to stock up on some curative items for future use. I smirked and stood up. "Come on, Auron!" He followed me until we reached the merchant. We waited patiently behind the mob of people until they all dispersed. Then, we approached O'aka as he was counting his gil.

He was talking to himself excitedly. "Ye did it, O'aka! This is what ye have always wanted to do!" He pulled out a change sack and poured all the gil inside. "No father o' mine can tell me any different."

"O'aka?" I asked, causing him to flinch in surprise. He hadn't seen us there.

He wiped the look of surprise off his face and instantly replaced it with a friendly smile. "More customers, eh? Never thought my first day out would be such a hit!"

I laughed. "Yeah, we'll take some items! What do you have?"

O'aka advertised everything that he had in stock, and after tons of persuasion on the merchant's part, we ended up purchasing several potions, a handful of antidotes, a new armguard for Jecht, and a new chest plate for Auron. His old one still had the large tear across it from the behemoth's horns. At that point, I was flinching every time I looked at it. I did not want to be constantly reminded of the fact that Auron had nearly died to save my life.

"Thank ye for ye patronage!" O'aka exclaimed. "Now I have enough gil to get outta this city and start me own business!"

I smiled softly. "That's great, O'aka! Really." I paused for a moment. "Uh, there is something you should know before you go, though."

He looked at me in interest. "And what's that?"

I sighed. "Your father, O'aka XXII…he told us to tell you something for him."

O'aka pursed his lips at the mention of his father. "What could that washed up ol' maester have to say to a son like me?"

"O'aka, he wanted to apologize," I said calmly. "I have no idea what he was apologizing for, but he said you'd know what he meant by it." I placed my hand on his shoulder. "I don't know what happened between you two, O'aka, but from what I could see, your father is a good man. Everybody makes mistakes. Besides, you only have one dad. You should make it count!" I smiled.

He nodded his head slowly, his frown slowly turning into a very small smile. "Thank ye. I'll go talk to 'im before I leave." He nodded to us after he got all his belongings together and then departed.

I sighed. I really miss Pops.

"That was a very decent thing to say," Auron remarked.

I shrugged. "Yeah, well, it's true. If my Pops was still around…" In a manner of speaking…"I would want him to know how much I love him, no matter what!" I smiled softly. "Family's important."

Auron nodded. "I have no family left either. I know what you mean."

I gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "There's nothing to apologize for. Sin has a way of destroying everything in its path and leaving sorrow and desperation in its wake."

I nodded solemnly.

"There you are!" Braska's jolly voice drifted to us. We turned to see him exiting the central metropolis. "Are you ready to leave?"

I looked around. "Jecht's not here. I think he left to go find a bar somewhere."

"Nah, I'm here!" Jecht called from behind Braska. "The bars here suck! All I wanted was a good beer, and all they could offer me was ginger ale!" He looked over his shoulder in disgust. "What kinda place is this?"

Braska chuckled at Jecht's attitude toward the city. "I don't think you were looking in the right spot, my friend."

Jecht's jaw dropped. "There was a good bar here?"

Braska and Auron both nodded.

Jecht cursed under his breath, causing me to laugh. "Hey, maybe this'll cheer you up!" I whipped out his new armguard and waved it in front of his face.

He quirked a brow at it. "For me?" He snatched it from my hands. "You shouldn't have."

"Then I'll take it back. I could use an armguard too, ya know!" I joked as he ripped off his old armguard and put on the new one.

"Nah, this'll work!" He stretched his arm back and forth to test out how his new armor felt. "Nice," he whistled appreciatively.

Braska clapped his hands before rubbing them together gently. "Shall we depart?" We all nodded in response. As we everybody else turned to leave, something caught my eye and made me stay rooted to the spot.

Yunie?

A little girl with light brown hair was peeking through the door to the heart of Bevelle with Kimahri behind her. The Ronso had his hand on her shoulder in a comforting way. Now that I looked carefully into her bi-colored eyes, I noticed that she was crying softly.

Poor Yunie. Braska may not have wanted her to see him, but it looks like that didn't work out. Yunie is looking right at him. I don't think he realizes that.

I sighed, giving the mini-Yuna a small wave with a huge smile. I knew she didn't know who I was, but I figured it was always nice to receive just a little bit of encouragement from others, even if it's from someone you don't even know.

"Be strong, Yunie," I muttered. "One day, you'll be known as the daughter of the great summoner…and you'll live up to it in a way that no one would've expected you to." I turned to follow the summoner and his guardians. They were already almost at the exit of the city limits. "You'll have people to stand by you, giving you strength to continue."

I smiled softly as an odd feeling crept up my chest.

You have people by your side as well, Rikku. Do not forget it.

I was just beginning to wonder when Baathum would make his presence known again. I laughed quietly. "Yeah, I know." I looked ahead of me to see Braska, Jecht and Auron waiting for me to catch up to them. Jecht was waving his arms in an impatient manner, Auron had his arms crossed, and Braska was smiling gently like he always did.

"I'm not alone."

---X---X---X---X---X---

A/N:

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! Consider this super-duper quick update my present to all you people out there who are reading this! I love you guys!!! XD

And I can't thank you enough for all the kind reviews I have gotten! You guys are soooo nice and honestly, your reviews motivate me to write much faster. Just look at how quick I cranked this chapter out! ;D

Well thanks again, everybody!