3: Debunking a Legend

Unfortunately for Rikku, becoming one of Braska's Guardians wasn't quite as easy as simply accepting his verbal offer. She sat on the floor of her tiny cell and watched with boredom as Braska tried unsuccessfully to negotiate her release with the guard. "Hey, can I at least get a napkin here or something?" she asked, making a disgusted face as she swiped at the blood dribbling down her back. "Icky." She cleaned her fingers on the hem of her skirt.

"Silence!" the guard yelled at her.

"Why?" Rikku replied snottily. "Prisoners should be seen and not heard? Well tough, you guys are the ones who shot me, so deal!"

"Insolent little…"

"OWW OWW OWW OWW OWW!" Rikku shouted back at him. Then she gave the guard a fake smile. "I'll shut up if you let me out of here," she added sweetly.

"Miss, maybe you should stop trying to help," Braska mumbled. "Excuse me," he added, louder, bringing the guard's attention back to their argument. "I don't see what the problem is."

"The problem is that you want to make a Summoner's party out of a band of criminals!" the guard sputtered, scowling at Braska. "Can't you be satisfied with just one?" He gestured towards Jecht, who was now freed and standing behind them.

" 'ey, who are you callin' a criminal?" Jecht shot back, crossing his arms and glowering at the man.

"He might not call you a criminal if you would stop acting like one," Auron said sharply.

"Will you all please calm down?" Braska turned around and glanced at the two men behind him. Sighing, he faced forward and addressed the guard who had planted himself in front of Rikku's cell. "We will vouch for her. You have my word that she will cause no further trouble while she is in Bevelle."

"Your word means nothing," the guard said. "Al Bhed lovers can't be trusted!"

"You," Auron grunted, narrowing his eyes and reaching for his sword.

"Threaten me with violence all you want!" the guard replied shrilly, backing several paces away from the fuming Guardian. "I'd rather be beaten for doing my job than executed for allowing the release of an Al Bhed assassin!"

"Will somebody please tell me who Al is?" Jecht threw his hands into the air.

These are the guys who defeated Sin? Rikku gawked at their antics. Boy, you sure wouldn't know it from looking at them. Then the guard's words filtered through and she was struck by a sudden wave of panic. "Wait a minute, wait wait wait!" she screeched, springing to her feet. "What assassin? I'm not an assassin!" Besides, you can't assassinate someone who's already dead, she thought ruefully.

"The Maesters will determine what happens to your worthless hide!" the guard answered, and Rikku paled.

"No WAY! Get me out of here!" She grabbed onto the bars and fixed Braska with a desperate stare. "I'm too young and beautiful to die in Bevelle! I'm a free spirit, not a killer! I love sand and sun and peace and freedom and… and… I'm allergic to firing squads! Help!"

"There's no help for you, girl. You're going to hang," the guard sneered.

"No one is going to hang!" Braska interrupted, looking upset. "If you would only listen -"

"I say we pound him and take the keys," Jecht offered helpfully, cracking his knuckles.

Rikku shrieked again, rattling the bars of her cage. "This story sucks! If I live through this I'm gonna kill that Fayth myself!"

"You see!" the guard yelled, swinging his rifle towards Rikku.

Auron, who had remained suspiciously silent up to that point, finally reacted. More accurately, Rikku realized, she watched his temper boil over and get the better of him. Rikku knew that look on his face. She'd been the cause of it more than once during Yuna's Pilgrimage. Uh-oh… when Auron's patience breaks something else usually does too. She backed away from the bars cautiously.

"Whoa," Jecht yelled, leaping out of Auron's path.

Auron swiftly strode past him and drew his massive sword. He slammed it down in front of the cowering guard, slicing through the heavy iron barrel of the outstretched rifle as though it was made out of paper. A tense hush descended over the group, punctuated by the clanking of the severed metal barrel as it rolled across the stone floor.

"Shut up," Auron said tersely, taking a moment to straighten and glare at all of them before hefting the sword over his shoulder. "Look after Jecht," he told Braska. "I'll see to the girl myself. We'll meet you outside."

"What? Auron's allowed to give that sissy a poundin' but I'm not?" Jecht continued to grumble even as Braska hooked a hand around his elbow and dragged him towards the door.

"I've found that it's best not to question Auron's methods when he gets into one of his moods…" Braska murmured discreetly, exiting the room.

"Hnn," Auron said, pinning the trembling guard under his stare. He tapped his fingers on the hilt of his sword and frowned expectantly. "Either you can open it up, or I can."

"Y-yes, sir!" the guard said, tripping over himself as he fumbled for the keys to Rikku's cell. He managed to swing the door open but Rikku held back, fidgeting as Auron's glare fixed on her.

"Well?" he asked her impatiently. "Are you coming or not?"

"Sheathe that thing first, then we'll talk," Rikku squeaked, hunching over under his scrutiny and wincing as the motion tore even more at the scabbed wound on her shoulder.

Auron narrowed his eyes at her but put the sword away. "Fine. Now come out before you hurt yourself even more," he told her with irritation. While the lack of a wielded weapon did cut down on his intimidation factor slightly, it regrettably had the same effect on the pale-faced guard, who gathered enough courage to protest when Rikku stepped out of her cell.

"M-my superiors will hear of this!" he whimpered, scrambling to his feet and backing away.

"Good," Auron said brusquely. "Tell Kinoc we'll meet him in his office shortly."

The door slammed shut behind the nervous guard, and Rikku was left alone at Auron's side. She realized with a start that she'd grown taller since the last time she saw him; she no longer had to look up quite as much to see his face. The bigger shock was being able to see his smooth, unmarred features at all, though. "Umm… thanks, I think?" she told him with an uncertain smile.

Auron's lips twisted in a grimace, and he grabbed her elbow roughly. "Make no mistake. I do this for Lord Braska, not you."

"Oww! What's the big idea? Leggo!" Rikku protested as he began to drag her towards the door. "Hey, hey - oww - stop it! I'll follow you, okay? You don't have to pull me around like a chocobo!"

Auron stopped abruptly and twisted towards her, keeping his vice-like grip on her forearm. He leaned down and glared at her, his gaze cold and hard, and when he spoke his tone was clipped. "You are a prisoner of Bevelle and a potential Al Bhed assassin. Against my better judgment, I am about to see to your release and entrust you with the privileged status of a Guardian. Therefore, I am directly responsible for your actions from now on." His grip tightened painfully and Rikku winced. "Don't think for an instant that I condone anything you've said or done. If it were up to me, I wouldn't let you hang." He paused and loosened his grip on her arm. "I'd have cut you down on sight."

"Ouch," Rikku said quietly, allowing Auron to pull her out of the room with a small pout. "But -"

"Conversation isn't necessary," Auron replied without even bothering to look at her, leading them swiftly through the complex maze of hallways in the large building.

"You don't have to be so rude, you know!" Rikku blurted out. "I'm not an assassin!"

"Of course," Auron grunted. "Just another innocent prisoner, then?"

"That's right!" Rikku finally managed to twist her arm out of Auron's grasp. He stopped to look at her but she gave him a shrug. "Lead the way! I'll be good, promise!"

"Fine," he said after a moment, continuing down the hall. Rikku liked to think he let her go free because he trusted that she wouldn't do anything foolish; she could tell by the way his palm lingered near the hilt of his sword that he was actually considering it a good excuse to smite her if she made one false move, though. Swallowing loudly, she flashed him a flustered smile. Geez, he's such a hard-ass! Maybe age does mellow you out some. "So…" she said nervously. "You're Auron, right? Don'tcha wanna know who I am?"

"No," he said curtly.

Rikku scowled. "C'mon, aren't you even the tiniest little bit curious?" She pouted cutely, trying to catch his attention. The pout disappeared when he stopped and glared at her frostily; it wasn't the kind of attention she'd been hoping for.

He regarded her for a moment, and then spoke. "You are Al Bhed." It was all he said, but it was all he had to say.

Rikku felt her face grow slack when she heard those words. This is a worse nightmare than I thought. Sir Auron isn't like this! He treats everyone badly, not just the Al Bhed! As she looked at him, however, she realized that he wasn't the Auron she'd come to know during Yuna's Pilgrimage. This Auron was younger, angrier, and still very much a proud Warrior Monk.

He's one of them! she thought with a chill. He's a Yevonite! Unconsciously she took a step back from him, suddenly repulsed by his presence; his familiar features masked a stranger who she didn't know and couldn't trust, and it left her feeling cold and angry. That she still could recognize him seemed like the worst joke of all; this Auron was a mockery of the man she thought she loved.

He noticed her sudden change of posture and gave her a puzzled look. Of course, Rikku thought bitterly. Al Bhed aren't accepted as people yet in this Spira. I should really know better than to be surprised by his attitude. "Sorry," she told him haughtily, breaking away from his gaze. "I just thought you might be curious. My mistake. Please, go right on calling me whatever you want. In fact, why don't you add in a few more nouns to spice it up a little? Infidel, maybe, or scum if that's too hard. Al Bhed scum. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

Auron blinked in surprise and frowned at her. "I -" He hesitated, and when it became apparent that he wasn't going to apologize Rikku's contempt swelled to fill the uncomfortable pause.

"Don't hurt yourself trying too hard there," Rikku snipped, crossing her arms and wincing. "Can we at least save the argument until when we're out of this hole?"

Auron grunted and turned on his heel, continuing down the hallway. Rikku followed him sullenly, glaring daggers into the back of his red overcoat. He remained silent, but the slant of his shoulders was stiff with tension and Rikku ground her teeth together. "You know, your Lord Braska married an Al Bhed," she finally said, unable to keep herself silent. Auron chose not to respond, and Rikku smirked at his back. "Guess you're gonna have to watch what you say around him, seeing as how you're so concerned with the proper treatment of a Summoner." Auron ignored her needling and Rikku wondered if the black clouds boiling over her head might be visible. "Yevonite," she spat out venomously.

That stopped him abruptly and she almost smashed her nose into his back. She jumped away when he twisted his head around, giving her an angry glare. "I suppose you are proud of your own people's reception of Lord Braska, then. We do have you to thank for driving him to choose the Summoner's path, after all."

Rikku's mouth flopped open and then snapped shut, and she dropped her head shamefully. It was true; she vaguely remembered hearing of the controversy that had swirled around her father from Keyakku. Cid had exiled his own sister for marrying a priest of Yevon, and they lost contact directly afterwards. Her aunt died when Sin attacked the ship on her first return trip to Bikanel; it happened before anything could be smoothed over, and a large part of both Cid and Braska had left with her. I guess we Al Bhed weren't any better back then either, she thought guiltily. The sound of Auron's receding footsteps broke through her musing, and she jogged down the hall to catch up with him.

"Hey," Rikku said as she pulled up alongside him. "Umm… sorry," she mumbled, staring at the floor. Auron's pace didn't slack, and she felt a small tickle of anger. "… since someone has to be the bigger person here," she sniffed insolently.

"If you were an assassin," Auron said suddenly, looking straight ahead, "… then your strategy was brilliant. If not for the Ronso you might have succeeded."

Rikku slid her eyes sideways and looked at him. Was that supposed to be some kind of a compliment? Wait, I'm not an assassin! She scowled at him. "I wasn't trying to kill Maester Mika," she repeated firmly.

"Then you're an even greater fool than I suspected," he finished. His tone was not as harsh, however, and Rikku still felt confused. Too many mixed signals, she thought, her head spinning as she tried to match up her knowledge of Auron with the surprisingly rude young man walking beside her. Was he apologizing? Was he insulting her? She couldn't tell.

I guess it's better if he thinks I'm a clueless idiot rather than a deadly assassin. Hey, wait-a-minute! "Jerk," she mumbled under her breath.

Auron grunted, pausing as they reached a floating lift and waiting for her to board first. When the lift ascended, he turned and gave her one of his looks. Rikku squirmed uncomfortably; she knew those looks. He usually used those looks when he was chewing over some issue he didn't want to discuss out loud. Like, 'There is no final aeon,' or 'By the way, I'm dead,' or even 'I am NOT going to spend another night sharing a tent with Wakka.'

"What?" Rikku finally blurted out.

"How did you manage to smuggle a sphere into the cell?" he asked her. He let his eyes drop over her scant bikini in a brief but calculating appraisal, causing her to blush furiously before he lifted them back to her face. "You don't have a lot of places to hide one," he noted wryly.

Rikku crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Auron. "I hid them in my hair, alright, so you can stop thinking whatever dirty thoughts I bet you just had! Sheesh, you're as bad as Jecht!"

That wiped the smirk off of Auron's face faster than a stampeding chocobo could have. "Your hair," he repeated, his eyes landing on the mop of spikes and braids flopping out from her bandana.

"Yep," Rikku grinned, reaching up underneath the bandana and feeling around until she found another one of her spheres. "Ouch," she winced as she carefully untangled it and pulled it free. "See? Pretty cool, huh," she boasted.

"Disgusting," Auron mumbled under his breath. "I don't see how you can stand not grooming yourself."

Rikku's mouth dropped open and then she glared at Auron. "Hey! I comb it... sometimes," she muttered, sulking as she fiddled with the sphere. "Besides, I like the natural look!"

"Stop playing with that," Auron interrupted her uncomfortably, glaring at the sphere in her hands.

Rikku jumped at his harsh tone and looked at the sphere curiously, then back at Auron. She drew her eyebrows together and pursed her lips. "Why? It's just a sphere."

Auron stiffened and turned away from her, folding his arms across his chest. The elevator came to a stop and he stepped out quickly and waited for her by the door, ignoring her questioning glance.

"No really, why?" Rikku piped up when she was at his side once more. "Everybody uses spheres. Even Yevon says they're a-okay!" Ah-ha, she thought as she noticed Auron tense. "Oh, I get it," she sang, bringing the sphere up and poking around the controls, delighting in the discomfort that registered on his face. "You think they're part of that whole forbidden machina deal, don'tcha!"

"I don't approve of them," Auron grumbled. He turned his head and flinched when he realized Rikku was filming him, then scowled at her darkly. "Get that thing away from me!" he growled, his voice rising.

"Relax! This is perfectly harmless!" Rikku admonished, holding the sphere even closer and grinning as he jerked backwards. "You really need to lighten up some. It's not gonna suck out your soul or anything. See? You're fine!"

"Stop that. We're here," Auron grit out, pausing before a huge set of elaborately painted doors.

"Sure thing, chief!" Rikku agreed, filing away the information for future usage. Note to self – death by Auron can be escaped through clever use of paranoid machina superstitions. The doors swung open, and Rikku closed her palm over most of the sphere, surreptitiously keeping it recording.

"Auron," a loud voice greeted them, "Bringing in trouble again I see?"

Kinoc! Rikku jumped, her mouth falling open. It was definitely him, though she wouldn't have believed it. His chin was covered with a neatly trimmed beard and a fancy metal helmet obscured almost his entire face save for his eyes. Most shockingly, however, was his lack of girth. Wow… he could almost pass for someone good-looking, Rikku thought with amazement, ogling him in shock.

"I trust you've heard already," Auron responded with a note of amusement. Rikku shot a quick look of surprise at her stoic companion; he seemed to let his guard down around Kinoc, the frown on his face easing slightly. "Braska wants to make this one a Guardian," he said, making an off-handed gesture towards Rikku.

Kinoc sighed and shook his head, pacing around the room. "I know we're friends, Auron, but this is going to take more than just a little string-pulling. She tried to assassinate Mika after all."

"Hey!" Rikku piped up in annoyance. "I'm right over here!" Maybe he looks better, but he's still the same rotten person on the inside, she thought as Kinoc gave her a depreciatory glance and then continued to ignore her.

"Well?" he asked Auron expectantly.

Auron sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "… she's not an assassin, Wen. Trust me."

"Huh, you mean you believe me?" Rikku gaped, her mouth dropping open again.

"She managed to down one of the guards without a weapon, disabled four others with their own bomb and broke through the inner line, and if it hadn't been for Kelk she might have even reached Mika. Do you know how many years people have been trying to do just that unsuccessfully?" Kinoc retorted. He snorted and shook his head. "And now you expect me to believe that this Al Bhed girl, acting completely on her own of course, just got lucky?"

"Hey! Luck is my middle name!" Rikku shouted, stomping her foot. She noticed Auron glaring at her and fell quiet. Eh… maybe I shouldn't be trying so hard to convince him that I'm a danger, she thought with a feeble laugh. "I wasn't trying to get to Maester Mika!" Rikku repeated. "I just wanted to see the temple, that's all."

Kinoc finally turned and gave her a shrewd look. "An Al Bhed convert? What's next, machina in the temples?"

Rikku bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to draw blood. If only you knew… She glared hotly at Kinoc. He seemed to note her anger with amusement and took a step closer.

"Quite the fighting spirit this one has," he observed; the lewd tone of his voice made Rikku shiver and back away from him. She discreetly tried to position herself behind Auron's broad shoulders, feeling horribly exposed as she noticed Kinoc's eyes lingering over her body. "I have to admit, there is something to be said for that scandalous Al Bhed fashion," he laughed. "I suppose no one was really hurt in the attack. Perhaps we can come to an agreement after all." He took another step towards Rikku, his tone dripping with suggestion. He stopped when Auron shifted his weight subtly, drawing Kinoc's attention.

"Wen," Auron interrupted curtly. "Business."

The other man laughed and shook his head in amusement. "Always the straight arrow, weren't you Auron? You should learn to relax and enjoy the finer things in life."

"I'm a Guardian now. I take my vows seriously," Auron told him. The temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees.

"Yes? Well celibacy isn't one of them, my friend," Kinoc replied, letting his eyes drift towards Rikku again.

"I have no time or interest for Al Bhed women. If you knew what was good for your career, neither would you." Though Auron's tone was insulting, Rikku couldn't have been happier about his timely intervention. Better a hard-ass Auron getting in Kinoc's way than no Auron at all.

Kinoc stopped and gave Auron a puzzled glance. "Fine, you win," Kinoc finally sighed, stepping over towards his desk and sorting through a stack of papers. Finding what he was looking for, he grabbed a quill and scribbled across it. "This is the last time I can do this for you, Auron. We may be friends, but as you said…" He signed the paper with a flourish. "I have to start thinking about what's good for my own career." Blotting the parchment, he rolled it up and handed it to Auron. "Full release forms and a formal recognition of Braska's request. And, should you successfully pass through the Cloister of Trials, you'll have two days to leave Bevelle, no longer."

Auron gave the other man a curt nod and tucked the papers away inside of his coat. "Thanks for everything, Kinoc."

Kinoc smiled wryly and returned the nod. "I know I don't need to tell you this, but guard Lord Braska well."

The tension in Auron's frame eased slightly, and he offered a rare smile for his friend. "That I will. And you'll be busy, too." He looked over Kinoc, noting the crest on his helmet, and smirked. "I heard they made you second-in-command."

The smile fled from Kinoc's face as he turned away from them and dropped his gaze to the floor. "Auron… you know that promotion was meant for you. You were always the better one, even until the end."

Once again, Rikku was caught by surprise, gaping at the man in front of her. Him, passing up a promotion? Our Auron might have ended up as a Maester of Yevon? She squinted and tried to imagine him as an older man, dressed in the finery of a Maester's robes. It wasn't working at all; his fierce scowl always seemed to rip apart the image before it could fully form.

Auron's low chuckle brought her back to the present, and Rikku's insides turned to jelly at the sound. He laughed! It's… it's… better than the Hymn! Better than machina! That's it! Mission time Rikku, make Auron laugh more!

"You make it sound as if I was going off to die or something," Auron continued, oblivious to the salivating girl behind him. "I will see you again."

"Yes," Kinoc replied with a tired smile. For an instant the trappings of his position fell away, and Rikku saw the shadow of a man who was kind and good-humored, patient enough to pierce through Auron's gruff exterior and loyal enough to earn his friendship.

He fell so far, Rikku thought with a touch of sadness. The brief exchange sobered her, and she worried her lower lip. Their parting reminded her strongly of the reluctant farewell she had bid to Yuna and Paine when they left the Gullwings. Will that be us one day? The sudden feeling of homesickness blindsided Rikku and she blinked furiously, trying to push away the telltale tears before either of the men could notice them. I think I'd even be happy to see Brother again right now, she thought miserably.

"Well then..." Auron said, squaring his shoulders.

Kinoc gave the other man a genuine smile, even if it was a little strained at the edges. "Going already?" He chuckled. "You will tell me about Zanarkand when you return, won't you?"

Auron only smirked. "Farewell," he said as he turned and herded Rikku out of Kinoc's office. He paused when the doors shut behind them and looked at Rikku, noticing the sphere still in her hand. "I thought I told you to shut that off," he grumbled, all traces of good humor leaving his countenance.

"Oh!" Rikku yelped, jumping and disabling the sphere. She tucked it away into her hair before he could grab it, giggling. "Well, you heard the man! Let's get out of here before they change their minds!"

Auron continued to regard her closely, and then shook his head. "We will speak of this later," he promised. "Follow me." And once again he took off, and Rikku had to scurry to keep up with his long strides.

"You could walk a little slower, you big meanie!" Rikku huffed as she caught up with him. "It's not like I know my way around here!" They stopped in front of another set of elevators and Rikku held her breath. Well, actually, this does look familiar… isn't this the hallway where we fought Baralai? She blinked and turned when she heard Auron clearing his throat, and noticed that he was waiting for her to step onto the lift. "Oh, uh, sorry…" she muttered, flushing. Great, Rikku. I bet he thinks you're a total space case now! "Why do you always wait for me to go first anyway?" Rikku asked. "I already told you I wasn't gonna try to run away!"

Auron cocked his head and his brow wrinkled in faint amusement. "The Al Bhed have no manners," he observed as he boarded the platform behind her.

"Well neither do you," Rikku shot back, sulking.

"Hnn," Auron replied, though his expression settled into something vaguely less cross than before. Not that that was saying much, Rikku noted. It was like observing that a grenade was slightly less explosive than a bomb. Both could still easily blow up in your face at the slightest provocation.

"So where are you taking me now?" Rikku asked cautiously, waiting as the lift came to a stop. A few uncomfortable seconds passed, before Auron let out a heavy sigh.

"This is our stop. Get off."

Rikku jumped off the lift and waited for him to follow. "You know, this would be a whole lot quicker if you'd just go first."

"Ladies first clearly does not apply here," he mumbled to himself as he strode down the hallway. "Kinoc granted you full release forms. First we collect your belongings. Then we leave."

Joy flooded through Rikku at his words, and she had to stop herself from leaping forward and hugging him in sheer relief. My gear! My potions, my daggers, my grid! "Holy machina, I thought they were goners!" she exclaimed out loud, twirling a fist in the air as she danced. Then she winced and put her arm down quickly. "Oww! The first thing I'm going to do when I get my stuff back is drink a potion!"

"Don't count on it," Auron told her as they stopped in front of another set of double doors. He pushed them open and stepped into the large room. Rikku's eyes widened as she took in the sight; it was obviously a storage and supply room of some sort. Countless rows of neatly labelled shelves stretched endlessly into distance, and a tall counter manned by several priests barricaded access to the equipment.

"Wowzer," Rikku mumbled in awe, her eyes sparkling. It was a thief's personal heaven; O'aka probably would have had a heart attack and died if he could have seen Bevelle's stock. "This is incredible!" she breathed, trying to absorb the gleaming weapons and rows of bottles, gems and pouches lining the shelves. Distantly she noticed that their presence was garnering stares from both the clerks as well as the guards who were lined up behind the counters to collect their rations. Rikku shrugged it off. Even a young Auron was intimidating enough to keep the questions at bay, and she was much too busy soaking in the impressive display of wealth to be bothered by the scrutiny. She stumbled over her own feet when Auron pulled her towards a corner of the room, making his way towards one of the shorter lines behind the counter.

"You think they might let us borrow some of this stuff?" Rikku whispered to him excitedly. "You know, for helping out on Braska's Pilgrimage?"

Auron winced and tightened his grip on her arm, and Rikku realized she had been unconsciously hopping from foot to foot in her eagerness. "Calm down," he growled at her. "You're making a scene. And no," he added as an afterthought.

"Why not?" Rikku whined, though she did manage to suppress most of her excitement behind a single eagerly tapping foot.

"Bevelle keeps a detailed record of their supplies," Auron explained to her with an air of strained patience. "If you take something, they will notice." He fixed her with a stern look and Rikku's foot paused. "If you take something, I will notice."

"Geez, fine," Rikku huffed, rolling her eyes. At least I have my own supplies, and I bet it's better than any of the junk those Yevonites keep here anyway, she thought with a satisfied smirk. The line moved forward, and she stepped up beside Auron and tried her best to look innocent as the priest behind the counter gave her a withering glare.

"Order?" he said skeptically, eyeing Rikku over the rim of his heavyset glasses. Auron handed him the rolled sheet of paper and after a brief perusal, he shuffled away from them. The clerk pulled a small box from one of the shelves. "Here you are," he said, sliding the box over the countertop.

"Gimmie gimmie gimmie!" Rikku cheered, pulling the box over before Auron could stop her and tearing the cover off. She peeked in, and then her face fell. "Hey! What gives? Where's my stuff?" She stared into the depths of the nearly-empty box. Her curved daggers were still there, neatly crossed, and over them her custom crafted belt was folded. Even without picking it up, however, Rikku could see that her pouches were completely empty. "My potions! My gem collection!" she noted with increasing concern, rooting through the rest of the box. She let out a small breath of relief as she noted that the garment grid was still hooked onto the belt; apparently whoever had sorted through her things had assumed it was simply an overwrought buckle of some sort. Everything else of value, however, was gone. "You even took my bracelets, you Yevonite bast-" her rapidly rising howl was silenced as a hand descended over her mouth and clamped it shut.

"Thank you," Auron told the priest, collecting the box and hauling Rikku away from the counter. He kept his iron grip around her until they were well outside of the room, drawing the stares and snickers of the other priests and guards who observed their awkward exit. Rikku struggled fiercely, too angry to play nice, but he was too strong for her to break free. She even opened her mouth and bit him, but he only grunted and tightened his hold. Finally, when they rounded the corner, he thrust her away from him with a soft curse. "I told you to calm down!" he growled at her.

"They stole my stuff!" Rikku balled her hands into fists and tried to stomp back towards the room. Auron moved quickly, blocking her path and shoving the now-crumpled box into her arms. "Get out of my way!" she yelled at him, her eyes glinting.

"Be thankful that you had that much returned to you at all," he told her. "Equip yourself so we can leave this place. Braska is waiting for us."

"But -" Rikku sputtered.

"No buts, no excuses and no more theatrics!" Auron roared, and Rikku shut her mouth.

Uh-oh, looks like he's mad again. Then her face dropped into a scowl that probably would have made him proud if it hadn't been aimed in his direction. Well I'm mad too! "That was my stuff! What right do they have to take it? I stole it fair and square!"

Rikku didn't think Auron could appear any more displeased than he already was, but somehow he managed to look even more put out than before. "You're a thief," he said with an air of disbelief. Then he laughed, but it wasn't the warm, friendly sound that he shared with Kinoc that made her insides curl and melt. This laugh was jagged and sharp, and it cut into her, making her feel like a messy grease stain on the pristine marble floors of the temple. "I knew you were trouble."

"So what if I'm a thief!" Rikku stomped her foot. "I spent a long time collecting all that stuff from fiends for your information! That wasn't exactly easy to do!"

Auron only walked past her, the hard smile that was still on his face looking more like a distorted grimace. "I don't believe this," he muttered under his breath.

"Hey! Hey, I'm not done talking to you yet!" Rikku scrambled after him as she strapped her daggers into the belt in her hand. "Maybe you don't give a crap about how I feel right now, but that was everything I had!" Auron didn't slow down, and in a burst of speed, Rikku scurried in front of him and planted herself in his path defiantly. "We have to go back and get my things!" she shouted.

"If your equipment is that important to you," Auron told her harshly as he came to a stop, "why don't you just go back upstairs and seduce Kinoc? I suppose he would be happy to help you for the right price."

Rikku recoiled. "What?" she gasped, her eyes going wide with shock. Oh, he so didn't just go there, she thought furiously. "Is that what you really think of me?"

"What else should I think?" Auron countered, gesturing at her dress, or lack thereof. "You come into the heart of Yevon touting your Al Bhed clothing and morals, and wonder that Bevelle is less than accommodating to your needs. Perhaps you can fool Braska, but you can't possibly expect me to believe you're that naïve."

Rikku clenched and unclenched her fists, looking at the ground in front of Auron's boots and willing herself to count backwards slowly. He's just being Auron, she hissed to herself. Somewhere in there is a good person, the Auron I know. The one who isn't a total asshole. Oh, screw it! "You're unbelievable!" she exploded, throwing her hands up into his face, though he managed to pull back before her fingers clipped his nose. "It's not just the machina, is it! You people pass judgment on us for every single little thing we do! The way we talk, the way we dress, the way we wear our hair!"

Rikku's voice was loud and shrill. With a curse, Auron glanced up and down the empty hallway before grabbing her and dragging her into one of the smaller alcoves. "You will be silent!" he hissed, anger simmering dangerously in his low tone. "We are still inside the palace of Bevelle, the seat of power for all Yevon. Is it your wish to get us both killed?"

"Stuff it!" Rikku shot back, glaring at him. "The way you Yevonites talk about us we may as well be dead! You sure seem to think it's a lot better than being ourselves!" Auron's grasp on her arms tightened, and she winced.

"Is that what you call these little displays? Your very own cultural identity? That's a pitiful excuse for Al Bhed depravity."

"That's exactly what it is!" Rikku hissed back, angrily shoving his hands off of her arms. "You wanna talk about depravity? Kinoc's the one who came onto me, you ass! Only someone as dense as a Yevonite could think I enjoyed it! And there's something else," she added, cutting him off before he could speak. "You have some nerve saying those things to me. You people are the ones who drove us out of Spira! You forced us to live on the crusty, ugly, forgotten edges of the world where no one else would go. But we didn't die out like you hoped! We survived, we even grew prosperous."

Rikku stuck out her finger and slammed it into Auron's armoured chest a few times. It bruised her unprotected digit more than anything else, but she wanted to drive the point home literally. "We learned to live in sun and wind and sand and water and you know what? We're good at it! We don't need your morals or your religion to make it out there! We're doing it on our own, and we can show as much skin as we want while we're at it because yes! We aren't like you and we're proud of it. So take your crappy assumptions and shove 'em, 'cause you don't know anything about us!" She finished her tirade with a pant, heaving and glaring at Auron.

Though he did look surprised by her outburst, his reaction wasn't as great as she had hoped it would be. Ideally, it involved him throwing himself at her ankles and begging for forgiveness. Through back massages. With his lips. She groaned and rubbed her fingers over her throbbing temples. "Forget it, okay, Auron? Let's just find Braska."

"I apologize for saying that."

Rikku whirled around and stared. "Huh?" she managed to say. He didn't repeat himself, and she flushed and played with the tassels of the belt in her hands. He's such a jerk… and a Yevonite… and an Auron. Shoot.

"Okay," she said. Then, shaking herself, she reached into her hair and began the arduous process of untangling the dresspheres that she had hidden beneath her blond locks. It was a task that was loud and required just enough attention to break the uncomfortable silence that she felt descending between them. "Owwie owwie ouch!" she hissed as the spheres tumbled into her hands, one after the other. She felt Auron's stare and parted the curtain of hair that had spilled over her face to look at him. "What?" she asked.

"… how many of those do you have in there?" he asked her incredulously.

"Just five!" Rikku huffed, sorting through the glowing blue orbs. She frowned and tucked the two newest recordings safely away; without Shinra to check over them first, she wasn't willing to test what "disasterrific" results they might produce on her garment grid. "Great… if I had known this was gonna happen, I would've brought the Machina Maw," she moaned, carefully slotting the remaining working dresspheres into her grid. Get real… if I had known I would be making another Pilgrimage to fight Sin, I'd have mugged Paine for The End, she thought to herself sourly.

"You have a belt buckle that holds spheres," she heard Auron observe with even more disbelief.

"So? This is the latest trend in Al Bhed fashion!" Rikku replied defensively. It was, technically speaking; he didn't need to know that the rest of Spira would have to wait another fifteen years before it picked up.

"Yevon help us all," Auron mumbled, and Rikku spun around to shake a fist at him with her retort. Then she yelped and fumbled with the belt; in her haste she had almost dropped it onto the floor. The unexpected shock of nearly smashing her spheres and grid made her knees grow weak and her mouth dry out, and brought the reality of her situation back with screaming clarity.

Holy machina, I almost broke my only real weapons here! she thought, gingerly checking the grid for damage. Gotta be more careful, Rikku, she told herself as she slipped the belt around her waist. Shinra won't be here to give you a replacement if you break something now. Steeling herself against the usual rush of energy, Rikku snapped the grid into place.

Pain. Pain? But why — PAIN!

"Augh," Rikku managed to choke out, arching against the wall in shock. The magic grids had always produced a slight reaction when being equipped, but the sudden blast of energy that poured into her when the belt clicked into place wasn't like anything she had ever felt before. It raced through her veins, white-hot like fire and needles; too much magic tumbling into her much too quickly, flooding her body like an electric current racing through water. She was sure the energy was going to come tearing out through her pores, ripping off her skin and melting her into the wall she leaned against. "Aah!" she wheezed again, unable to catch enough breath to properly scream out the agony that was rushing through her limbs. Black spots danced before her eyes.

Slowly the pain receded, leaving Rikku gasping and sobbing for breath. She noticed her hands had twisted into painful claws and that they were shaking uncontrollably, and she had to make a conscious effort to still them. Then she noticed that she wasn't standing upright; once again Auron had his arms around her, though this time he was holding her steady rather than dragging her away. Another tremor wracked her frame, and Rikku hunched over and shoved him off.

"Are you all right?" he asked her, surprise clearly splashed over his face.

"I - I don't know," Rikku stuttered, drawing in deep, slow breaths. "What just happened?"

"You had a seizure of some kind," he told her, touching her uninjured shoulder briefly. He hesitated for a moment before asking his next question. "Is this a normal occurrence?"

Rikku coughed and spat dryly, then straightened up and shot him an angry glare. "No, it's not. I know what you're thinking, and yes, I'm still fit enough to be a Guardian." Part of the reason she was angry was to cover the hurt, however; for a brief moment, when he had touched her shoulder, it had almost seemed as though he was concerned. That was, until he dispelled the illusion by asking his question. That's Auron for you. Always business first, see who you stepped on later.

Auron only gave her an appraising stare and nodded curtly. "The exit is that way," he said, gesturing down the hall before setting off by himself.

Rikku remained propped against the wall and glared at his back. "Thanks for being a gentleman!" she called out sarcastically, and heard him grunt in response. Great… everything's going just peachy right now. Thanks a lot, Bahamut. There was no time to dwell on the matter; if something was wrong with the garment grid, then she wasn't going to risk paralyzing herself again by taking it off, especially not in front of him. "This is not turning out like I thought it would at all," she sulked, gathering herself together and trailing after him.

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