Fade With Me

Chapter 11

"Bobo, STOP!" I shouted to get the chocobo to stop running so fast. It actually listened to me this time, but I was nearly thrown over the top of its head at the sudden jolting halt. I shakily jumped off the bird, giving it a glare on the way down. It so deserved the mean look after almost killing me!

"Rikku, what is the matter?" Braska asked worriedly once they caught up to me. "Is something wrong?"

I had chosen to stop the chocobo right as we approached the bridge that would lead to the base of Mt. Gagazet. A weird feeling in the pit of my stomach made me to do it, I swore to myself. There was no other explanation. It felt like we were…forgetting something really important.

"Um…" I glanced down at the pathway winding underneath the bridge when suddenly, I remembered what it was that was so important. "Oh, yeah! You guys, there's an aeon down there!" I scratched my cheek for a brief second. "I think the name was…Yu…Yojimbo?"

Auron cocked a brow in doubt, Braska tilted his head to the side slightly, and Jecht scratched the back of his head like the idiot he starting to act like all the time. It was an endearing expression, though, I thought.

"What 'chu talkin' about, kid? There's no temple down there!" Jecht growled. "We're supposed to go to Mt. Gagazet next." He glanced at Auron to back him up. "Right?" he whispered quickly.

Auron nodded slowly, crossing his arms. "There is no need for this unnecessary delay to Lord Braska's pilgrimage, Rikku. There isn't a temple here."

I sighed, kicking a random pebble by my feet. "Can't you guys just trust me? I've been right about stuff like this before…and well, wouldn't having one more aeon be beneficial to the pilgrimage?" I gave Auron a pointed look. "I thought we were supposed to do what was best for the summoner, so wouldn't one more aeon help him!?"

Everything I was saying was true, but that wasn't the only reason I was saying it. I felt like time was steadily running out on me like sand through my fingers.

I still didn't know what Baathum sent me here to accomplish, other than to stick with Braska on his pilgrimage…and save…someone. It was getting really frustrating sometimes, you know. Being so out in the dark about everything. Sure, it helped having Jecht, Braska and…Auron by my side, but that could only last for so long. The pilgrimage was starting to come to an end…

"---Rikku. Are you even listening to what I'm saying?"

Auron was talking?

"Uh, heh heh. Sorry? I zoned out there for a second," I apologized. "What were you saying, Auron?"

The cloaked guardian shook his head slowly, rubbing his forefinger and thumb over his temple slowly. "I said we will search the Gorge area of the Calm Lands if you believe there is to be an aeon acquired." He gave me another one of his unsure looks. "Are you certain, though, Rikku?"

Hmm, I guess there is a chance that Yojimbo won't be in that cave place until a few years after this…but…we might as well try, right? What is there to lose, other than a little bit of time!?

I nodded exuberantly. "Yes! I'm sure, Auron. Now let's go!" I hopped back on Bobo and took off around the pathway leading down towards the Gorge. I could only hope that a quick lie or excuse would come to be if I did end up being wrong about Yojimbo being in that cave…

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

"Stay here, Bobo. Okay?" I patted the chocobo on its beak as it warked happily. "We'll be back soon!"

I took a deep breath, facing the entrance to the cave that I knew was in the Gorge all along. Jecht seemed a little unsure about the whole thing, but a quick shove from me was all it took to get him started into the cave. I giggled into my hand as he looked around in confusion. "…the hell?" he muttered to himself.

"I am glad you are enjoying yourself now." Auron was smirking.

I crossed my arms with an small laugh. "I am, thank you very much." My hand went to my shoulder where my new holster wrapped around my back, Auron's old katana attached to it.

"Is it too heavy for you, Rikku?" Auron asked in a low voice. He glanced at the sword strapped to my back.

I shook my head slowly. He actually cares.

"No…no, it's fine." I glanced back up to see him looking straight at me. My breath hitched in my throat slightly. "Um…thank you for the holster, Auron. I, uh…I really appreciate it." I smiled softly.

He gave a quick nod, placing his hand on my shoulder for a moment. "It was no problem. I am glad it helps."

"Hey, you two! Get your scrawny asses movin'!" Jecht was bellowing a little ways ahead of us in the cavern. We heard Braska's soft, soothing voice chide Jecht about his rushed attitude. I stifled another giggle.

Auron dropped his hand from my shoulder. "Shall we?" He gestured for me to go first.

I nodded, cheeks flushing red. "Yeah. Let's beat 'em to the punch!" I pumped my fist into the air and bolted ahead of Auron, hoping to all gods that he didn't notice how red my face was getting. I turned around for a brief second. "Hurry up, ya slowpoke!" I saw a trace of a smirk on his face before he shook his head, running to keep up with me.

I love him so much. He…

WAIT, WHAT DID I JUST SAY IN MY HEAD!?!?

I slid to an abrupt stop, slapping both hands to my cheeks and bending over in shock. "Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod, oh-"

"Rikku! What's wrong!?" It was Auron again. And he sounded confused about why I was hunched over like an idiot.

Damn that man! Can't he tell that being around him is NOT helping me right now!?---AH, he just put his hand on my back!

Stopitstopitstopit!

I gasped. "No, I…" I waved my hands in front of my body rapidly. "I'm…fine. Just give me a second."---to try and figure out why the hell I just thought what I thought! "And I'll be good as new." I took several deep, shaky breaths. "Sheez…" I murmured. This feeling was totally knew to me, and I had no idea why it was such a strange realization for me.

Auron was still at my side. "Is there anything…I can do to help you, Rikku?" His voice was laced with complete concern. He was truly worried about me and he seemed like he wanted to do anything he could to make it better.

Could I…do I really love Auron??I slowly straightened myself up, looking him dead in the eye. There were several pyreflies floating around in the cave, lighting our way. I could tell he still had that concerned look on his face, but his lips were slowly curving upward. "Rikku?" My heart started to race at the sound of my name escaping his lips.

Cred…I really think I might...maybe.

My cheeks reddened yet again. "I'm okay, really! I just got a really bad cramp in my side." I stretched my arms out over my head overdramatically to prove my point, even though I was clearly making it up. "All-better-now-let's-go." A hand on my shoulder stopped me from taking another step.

"Rikku."

I turned around slowly. "What?" I think it came out a little sharper than I meant it to.

Whoopsies.

He shook his head slowly, removing his hand from my shoulder again. "I…Never mind."

I cocked an eyebrow slightly, but nodded instead of choosing to ask him what he was really trying to say. "Okay."

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

I was literally twiddling my fingers as I sat there, patiently waiting for Braska to come back out from inside the Chamber of the Fayth. When the men realized that I was indeed right about an aeon residing in this cave…place, they all gave me their own versions of apologies and compliments.

Well, except for Auron. He just nodded at me once, with a really weird gleam in his eye. It gave me an odd feeling in the pit of my stomach. I wondered why he was looking at me like that, but I shrugged off the peculiar sensation in my chest.

I angled my body away from the two men on the other side of the cave room, busying myself with the orange scarf around my neck. I wrapped it around my fingers, over and over, before unwrapping it by spinning it around. I sighed loudly.

"What the hell is up with you two lately!?" Jecht hollered. I flinched at the sudden noise, turning slightly to face him.

I cocked a brow in confusion. "What are you talking about now, Jecht?" I glanced at Auron to see him sending the same puzzled look at his fellow guardian.

Jecht laughed obnoxiously. "Oh, I'm no idiot." He looked at Auron, then at me, then back at Auron again. "Hell, there's enough sexual tension in here to blow up a whole blitzball stadium!" He raised his arms in the air frantically to help exaggerate his point.

I gasped at the same time that Auron made a choked coughing sound.

"What!?" I shrieked, blushing furiously. "There's no sexual tension in here, buddy. I have no idea what you're rambling on about, so…" I turned my back to them, cutting off the rest of my sentence.

"Yeah, whatever you say, kid," I heard Jecht mutter before yelling, "OW! That hurt, Auron!" I mentally jumped for joy that Auron had given Jecht exactly what he deserved for being such a nosy jerk: a swift punch in the gut.

"You're fine," Auron murmured grumpily.

"Jecht is such a meanie," I muttered to myself.

Sexual tension? That can't be right! There's no way Auron would appear to…waitaminute! Is it noticeable that I like him? Can Jecht tell that Auron…might…maybe look at me in a way that's more than just friendship?

I groaned, slapping my hand to my forehead in exasperation. "Yeah right," I murmured. "Like he'd actually think of me like that." I sighed again.

"Will you stop yer sighin' over there, kid!? It's annoying!" Jecht stated. "OW! Stop punching me, goddammit!"

I heard Auron humph in annoyance.

Secretly, I was rooting Auron on in my head, urging him to keep punching Jecht until he shut up for good. But I supposed that Jecht shutting up forever would never actually happen…silence for even five minutes was a very rare thing. Though, I have no room to talk about something like that…

"What is taking so long?" Auron grumbled after a few more moments of silence.

I stood up slowly, brushing the dirt off my skirt. "We can go in and see if he-"

"No," Auron cut me off, standing up abruptly. "We must obey the precepts."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. The precepts." I resisted the urge to tell him exactly where I thought Yevonites should stick their stupid precepts. "This isn't even a temple, Auron." I sighed. "It has been a while since he went in the Chamber, though…" I trailed off.

Jecht stood up as well. "Hell, I'm bored. Let's just take one peek inside, Auron!" he prodded. "Please? Just to…uh…make sure everything's all good on his end!"

Auron sighed, putting his hand to his forehead in annoyance. "No."

Jecht grumbled to himself, sitting back down on the large rock he was previously residing on. I could have sworn I heard him mutter, "…stiff…no balls…guardian…idiot…"

I laughed out loud that time. I couldn't help it. Being cooped up in one place in silence for too long tended to make me incredibly giddy. So I laughed even louder, not caring what the other two men thought of me.

My laughter was immediately cut off a few moments later when I saw Braska's grave face emerge from the Chamber of the Fayth. I bolted towards him, placing my hand on his arm in a reassuring gesture. "What's wrong, Braska? Did you get Yojimbo?"

He didn't meet my eyes. Instead, he stared at the ground with a despondent look on his face.

"My lord?" Auron tried, obviously surprised to see his summoner in such a state. "What has happened?"

Jecht scratched the back of his head again. "Hell…I'm so confused."

Braska shook his head slowly. "The aeon…he," he broke off with a sigh. "He wouldn't allow me to acquire him unless I paid him a set amount of gil." He looked at Auron and Jecht. "We used the majority of our funds on the rations we purchased in the Calm Lands agency." Both the guardians nodded slowly. "There's barely any left for us, let alone enough to buy the loyalty of that aeon."

My jaw dropped. Yunie and Tidus never told me about that part of getting Yojimbo!! "WHAT!" I screeched. "That is so unfair!" I brushed by Braska, ready to make my way into the Chamber to give this aeon an ear-full, Rikku style.

"Rikku." A sharp voice stopped me in my tracks. "The precepts," Auron reminded me with a tinge of anger in his voice.

I turned to face him with my own angry look. "You know what, Auron? You can shove your stupid precepts! Aeons and fayth are supposed to help summoners on their pilgrimages by their own freewill. They shouldn't be purchased!" I took a few steps closer to the Chamber. "Or did I miss something? Was that written in along with all the other stupid rules and precepts?" I didn't wait for them to respond before I charged through to the center of the Chamber.

I looked around in confusion before I saw the outline of a fayth on the center of the floor. "Yojimbo!" I shouted, drawing even closer to where the fayth was residing. "I need to talk to you."

The fayth gave off a strange glow for a few seconds before Yojimbo appeared above it. "You are no summoner," he stated with a deadly voice.

I gulped nervously. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

"Yeah, I'm not a summoner. I'm one of his guardians actually." I waited for the aeon to say something in reply, but when he made no move to say anything, I kept talking. "I was told that you wouldn't join the summoners on their pilgrimages unless they pay you a hefty amount of gil."

Yojimbo nodded slowly. "Then why do you still wish to make use of my abilities, young one, even after hearing of what I demand?" he asked in a somewhat gentler voice. Being in his presence was still completely unnerving for me, though.

"I want…Braska to be protected. I want you to help my uncle defeat everything in his path. The strong opponents, the mean fiends…Sin. I want the suffering to end. Is that really so much to ask?" I crossed my arms over my chest to try to hold in the empty feeling I was beginning to have. "I didn't think you could put a price on a summoner's sacrifice…" I trailed off.

Yojimbo slowly put his hand to his chin. I assumed he was thinking, but with that mask over his face, I could never be too sure. "You…are a brave child," he stated calmly.

I gasped. He thinks I'm brave?

"And you want what is best for your summoner…but at no fiscal price," he continued. I nodded slowly. "What would I gain from this deal? Please enlighten me."

I swallowed a huge knot that was starting to form in my throat. "You would know that you helped another summoner defeat Sin and bring on the Eternal Calm-"

"How are you so certain that this summoner will defeat Sin? You certainly sound convinced, but I do not understand your optimism," he interrupted.

I sighed. "Yojimbo…I just know, okay. I just know he'll do it. And the Eternal Calm will come, and everyone on Spira will be happy and safe for ten whole years." Tears were starting to form in my eyes. "Braska…and Jecht will give their lives in exchange for the people of Spira. And in a way," I sniffled, "Auron will sacrifice himself too." I looked up at the aeon with determination lining my expression. "You can't tell me that it isn't beneficial for you to help good people like that unless you get money out of it. Wouldn't knowing that these men will readily give their lives…isn't that enough!?" I ended with my voice on a slightly higher octave than when I started talking.

My breathing was labored as I waited for Yojimbo to say something. It seemed like hours to me…before he let out a small breath. "Tell the summoner to come back inside the Chamber."

I blinked, tears running down my cheeks. "What?" I hastily rubbed the tears from my face as I stared at the aeon in confusion. "What did you say?"

"Tell the summoner to talk with me once more," the aeon finished.

My eyes widened in delighted surprise. I did it! He might be Braska's aeon now!! I turned to leave, but Yojimbo's voice stopped me before I had even taken two steps.

"You are a brave child," he repeated again, but this time, his voice held a tinge of surprise to it.

I turned around for a moment. "Thank you, Yojimbo. You won't regret this." I ran out of the Chamber of the Fayth and was greeted by a very angry Auron the minute I stepped through the entrance.

"Rikku." His voice alone was enough to tell me he was incredibly pissed off.

I ignored what I knew was going to be a long-winded lecture about listening to what he has to say and obeying Yevon and blah blah blah. I faced Braska with a small smile on my face. "Um, Yojimbo is waiting for you in there. He said he wanted to talk to you again."

Braska's eyebrows raised in surprise. "He…does?" He looked at the entrance to the Chamber with a baffled look on his face. "But what did you say to him, Rikku?"

I shook my head slowly. "That doesn't matter. All that matters is that you,"- I gave him a small shove towards the entrance - "go talk to him."

He turned to face me once more with a genuinely happy smile on his face. "I…thank you, Rikku. Thank you."

I blushed. "Just go, Braska." He nodded and walked through the entrance to the Chamber once more.

I took a deep breath before turning to face Jecht and Auron. "Um…" I tried to think of something to say, but I couldn't. Jecht was staring at me with his usual dumbfounded expression, and Auron still looked incredibly angry at me. I was scared that maybe I had blown whatever chance I had at being…considered a friend to him…by disobeying his order like that. "Auron, I'm sor-"

"Don't," he cut me off, raising one hand into the air, and turning his back to us. "…don't." He crossed his arms over his chest.

I flinched back as though I'd been slapped. The tone of his voice was so…harsh. "I'm sorry," I whispered.

"Quit being such an asshole, Auron," Jecht practically barked out. "Rikku was just trying to help ol' Braska out, man. She was thinking of what's best for the pilgri---Hell, are you crying, kid?" My back was turned to them, but I felt Jecht's callused hand on my shoulder.

Why is he so observant today!? Darn it…first the 'sexual tension,' now this.

"No," I retorted, but I knew my voice had betrayed me. It sounded like my nose was all plugged up.

Jecht sighed. "Hell, today has been shitty," he commented as if he was talking about the weather. "Oh, hey! Braska's back!" I felt Jecht's hand leave my shoulder as he walked over to where Braska was emerging. "What's the news, doc?"

"I've done it. I've acquired Yojimbo as my aeon." I could hear the smile in Braska's voice.

Jecht whistled appreciatively. "Great. Now we can keep goin' on with the pilgrimage!"

Braska laughed good-naturedly. "Yes, we can. And we have no one to thank but Rikku for her help with Yojimbo."

I turned around and forced a smile. "It was no problem. That's what guardians are for, right?"

Braska nodded once, closing his eyes for a few moments. "That is what friends are for, as well." He approached me, still smiling, and pulled me into a gentle embrace. "Thank you for being a wonderful friend, Rikku. For never giving up on anything throughout this whole journey."

I nodded into his chest, feeling tears spring into my eyes again. I felt like my voice would betray me again if I tried to say anything, so I stayed silent. After a few more moments, Braska released me, taking a few steps back.

"Come on! Let's get movin'!" Jecht shouted enthusiastically.

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

"Rikku," Braska snapped me out of my reveries with his gentle voice. We had finally gotten to the base of Mt. Gagazet again. "I believe it is time to say goodbye…to Bobo." He smiled sadly. "I am sorry."

I took a deep breath, nodding once. I hopped off my newest friend. "Buh-bye, Bobo. You be good, okay?" I kissed the chocobo's beak as it tilted its head in my direction. "You'll be missed, you know. You're…such a good chocobo." I patted its head one more time before I sent it off it the opposite direction. I crossed my arms as I watched him disappear from view.

"He wouldn't be able to stand the temperatures of Gagazet," a low voice commented from behind me. "He is better off staying in the Calm Lands."

I huffed. "Are you an expert on chocobos now too, Auron? Because I must've missed that memo." I knew that was an incredibly immature thing to say, but I really didn't care at that point. I brushed by him to follow Jecht and Braska up the steep slope to Mt. Gagazet.

"Rikku. Please, wait a moment."

The only thing that made me listen to him was the tone of his voice. He sounded…sad. Regretful, even. I whipped around to face him again. "What is it, Auron? We're kinda bushed on time, like you said."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair in hesitance.

I'll admit…it's entertaining to see Auron struggle like this.

"Rikku…I apologize." His eyes locked onto mine. "For the way I behaved earlier." He took a few steps closer to me. "I was wrong…and you were brave to approach the aeon like you did."

"It's fine. I understand." I grimaced, remembering how Yojimbo had called me brave as well. "But don't call me brave, Auron."

I have to stick with you guys…and eventually watch Braska and Jecht die…as well as you, Auron. And I won't be able to do anything about it. So…I'm not brave.

"You have no idea…I'm such a coward." In so many ways, I finished in my mind.

He reached out to brush a stray tendril of blonde hair that had gotten in my face when the wind whipped by us. My skin felt like it was on fire when his finger grazed against my cheek. I let out a shaky breath.

His intense gaze was penetrating through whatever hopes I had of creating a barrier around my feelings for him.

Cred.

"You're not a coward, Rikku." He shook his head slowly. "You're everything but a coward."

Double cred.

I tried to pry myself away from him, but he grabbed me by my waist and made me look at him. "Rikku. I don't ever want you to think of yourself as anything less than remarkable." He leaned forward slowly and brushed his lips against my cheek in a gentle kiss.

He released me, brushing by my shoulder as he made a move to follow his summoner to the ends of the world.

I was left there, holding my hand to my cheek in complete shock.

I love him.

…

Cred.

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

A/N: Ah, the "L" word makes itself known. Bring on the drama! And also…the reviews! Please? I love it when you guys tell me what you like/dislike/etc. It means a lot to me! XD