14: Fiend Filching

Morning dawned over Lake Macalania with a clarity that could only be the result of breath-takingly cold weather. No one in the Summoner's entourage was happy to greet it; Braska was still exhausted from the journey through the forest, Jecht hadn't managed to find himself any more clothing, and Auron was avoiding Rikku.

Rikku herself wasn't feeling very energetic, although that was because she spent the first half of the night tossing and turning, replaying the previous evening's conversation over and over again. After giving up on sleep as a lost cause, she dedicated the rest of her night to pilfering a few 'rightly earned' supplies from the agency storerooms - she was certain Braska's bartering skills weren't up to snuff. The remaining long hours of the morning were spent sewing Jecht a better pair of moccasins with her newfound supplies.

At least something productive came out of last night, Rikku thought blearily, tucking her cloak under her chin. Jecht seemed less than thankful for her efforts.

"Did you have to make 'em pink?" he asked, annoyed as he pulled the slippers on.

"Nobody's gonna see them in all that snow anyway, so stop complaining!" She was quite proud of the large pink moogle pom-poms she'd worked into the design. Revenge was a dish best served as fuzzy and emasculating as possible.

"Rikkma, Jecht," Braska called from the door. "It is time."

With sighs, they both exited into the bitter cold. A quick look around showed Auron far ahead, clearing a path through the snow. They made their way to the crest of a hill; Rikku paused at the apex, gaping at the snow-encrusted canyon they would have to pass.

The path stretched endlessly before them; she didn't remember the hike to the temple being that long. Then again, the last time she had travelled to Macalania Temple, they'd arrived by machina and left under Guado duress. Now, with no distractions to interrupt the journey, there was nothing but snow, snow, and more snow. Rikku let out a loud sigh which crystallized into the frozen air before setting out.

A few hours later, she had a runny nose, numb fingers and a healthy respect for Wakka, who had chosen to walk the entire way in nothing more than his sandals. On the plus side, Jecht stopped complaining about his custom footwear fifteen minutes into the journey, and now even appeared to be thankful for the fuzzy pink poufs that covered his ankles. Poorly dressed as he was, he was holding up better than Braska, whose pace gradually slowed until he was walking alongside of her, bringing up the rear of their small party.

Rikku tried to study Braska unnoticed, slowing her pace to match his. His shoulders were hunched underneath his long robes, and though his breathing was labored his cheeks were white as marble. She snuck a glance forward, considering whether or not Auron would listen if she requested a short stop. As she sucked in her breath to shout, however, Braska addressed her.

"Rikkma," he said, "please don't call out to the others."

Rikku shut her mouth and faced Braska. "Don't you wanna stop?" she asked. "You don't look too good, you know. I mean, you're starting to blend in with the snow there."

Braska shook his head, a smile flitting across his face. "No... I can't rest. This is not even the most difficult leg of our travels. If I do not have the strength to overcome a challenge this simple, then what of the rest of our journey?"

"Hey, it's not like we're in a hurry or anything!" Rikku answered. "Who says you have to make it to the temple all in one go?" Their eyes flickered to the front of the group, landing on the back of Auron's red coat. "Umm, besides him," she amended. "Auron doesn't count, he's, like, made for pain!"

Braska chuckled, though it died out in a series of dry coughs. When he could speak again, he regarded her solemnly. "Pain is a part of life in Spira. I find it wondrous that Jecht is free of that burden." His eyes grew unfocused. "I wish to spread that freedom to all people. I can't allow myself to rest for anything until I've accomplished that goal - especially not for my own weaknesses."

Rikku fingered the edges of her cloak. "About that, Braska... don't you think you should say something to Jecht?" She cleared her throat, trying to swallow the lump that had risen in it. "He deserves to know the truth."

They trudged together through the snow for a few moments in silence, before Braska spoke again. "I... know it's selfish," he began. "But I want to enjoy Jecht's happiness. He is different from anyone else I have met. He doesn't expect things of me. He does not expect me to -"

"Don't say it!" Rikku cut him off. "You don't have to say it out loud. It's bad enough knowing it's gonna happen anyway."

Braska regarded her with a smile. "Thank you for believing in me," he told her. "Your words give me more strength than you know."

Rikku bit down on the urge to yell at Braska for his gratitude. Why are you thanking me for telling you I know you're gonna die? It wasn't so much belief as a slowly-building sense of dread, though she could hardly tell him that. He looked much too tired to weather another argument from her, however, so she kept her lips pressed together. Another silence fell between them, this one uncomfortable. He's too much like Yuna. "It's gonna turn into one big mess when Jecht finds out."

"I know," Braska agreed. He seemed smaller and more frail than ever; Rikku felt her heart constrict with sympathy. She reached out and grabbed his hand, trying to give him what little comfort she could. Braska looked up, surprised, before his features melted into a grateful smile and he squeezed her hand in return. His fingers were blocks of ice against her own, and Rikku frowned.

"Are you really positively sure you don't wanna stop?" she asked, cupping both hands around Braska's own and trying to rub some warmth into him. "I could start a fire or something, you know..." She trailed off as a familiar prickling sensation raced across her neck.

Auron was looking back at them, and his eyes were trained on her. Or, more accurately, they were focused on her hands, which were joined with Braska's. His gaze moved to her face; abruptly he turned and continued his trudge through the canyon. Rikku gulped and released Braska's hand as though she had been burned. To her dismay, the small interchange didn't go unnoticed.

"What happened between you two last night?" Braska asked her, his tone cautious. "Auron is distancing himself from you once again."

Rikku's expression dropped. "Like I know what that big dummy's thinking," she grumbled, kicking at the snow. Her head shot up when Jecht's voice broke through their conversation; he'd slowed down to see what was keeping them.

"Another lover's quarrel, eh? What, ya didn't let him into your room last night?" Jecht crossed his arms. "He's been snappin' at me every time I get close. That man needs to get laid!"

Rikku's face grew hot enough to melt the surrounding snow. "What are you looking at me for?" she screeched, clenching her fists together.

"Jecht," Braska said with the tiny smile that revealed nothing. "Perhaps you shouldn't tease Auron and Rikkma quite so much. I don't think they enjoy your jibes."

"Yeah! Lay off it already!" Rikku added, sticking her tongue out and crossing her eyes for good measure.

"Relax, don't get your panties in a twist," Jecht growled. "I didn't come here to tease ya anyway. I told Auron I thought we should stop an' let you two wusses catch your breath, but he bit my head off."

"I don't need to stop," Braska said, his smile thinning.

Rikku, sensing an opportunity, pounced. "Yeah, well I do." She planted her feet into the snow. "I'm bushed. We should take a vote! Majority rules. And I say we stop right now!"

"Me too," Jecht agreed. By coincidence, of course, he happened to plant himself directly in Braska's path. Taking the cue, Rikku scooted to Jecht's side and also blocked Braska's way forward.

"Very funny," Braska sighed, trying to step around them. Rikku moved to intercept him, and when he tried for the other side, Jecht sidestepped into his path.

"Give it up, we're both faster than you," Jecht said with an air of finality.

Braska studied them for a moment, then shook his head with a smaller but more genuine smile. "Very well. We can rest here for a few moments."

Rikku beamed and Jecht let out a loud whoop before turning and waving at Auron, who was waiting some distance away. "Did ya hear that? We're campin' out here!" he yelled gleefully.

That brought Auron stomping back down the path with a fierce look on his face. Rikku wasn't certain that he wouldn't just pick them up and toss them down the canyon. When he was close enough to speak, he addressed only Braska. "You wish to rest, my lord?"

"That's what he said, so that's what we're gonna do," Rikku piped in before Braska had a chance to reply. "No take-backs! We voted, fair and square!"

"Not exactly fair," Braska murmured with a glint of humor, but he gave Auron the tiniest of nods.

Auron looked as though he wanted to object; a quick glance over both her and Jecht's twin expressions of determination stopped him. Instead, he cast around, searching their surroundings, until he found what he was looking for.

"Over there," he said, pointing at a small shelter under one of the overhanging rocky outcrops.

"Alright! Lunch!" Jecht cheered, grabbing Braska by the arm and pulling him towards their temporary camp. Rikku didn't follow them, instead trying to form some words to say to Auron now that he was finally standing by her side. She cleared her throat. "About last night -"

"You'll need to provide the fire," Auron said, turning away from her. Her eyes followed him as he made his way towards the shelter. With a sigh, she stomped after him. So he thinks he can just ignore me now, huh? Well, he's got another thing coming…

Jecht had already cleared the snow away from the cold rock, and was lining a makeshift fire pit with the precious few scraps of tinder that they'd collected. He opened his mouth and then shut it again and backed away. Rikku couldn't blame him; she pointed at the fire pit with a little more enthusiasm than was strictly necessary. All three men ducked out of the way as the flame sprang to life with a blast. Once the smoke cleared and the hiss of rapidly melting snow died out, she coughed and dared the others to comment. Braska and Jecht decided to busy themselves with preparing a small meal, while Auron edged towards the entrance of the cave. Rikku's head turned, tracking his movement.

"Oh, Auron!" she called out sweetly, her eyebrow twitching. "Where do you think you're going?"

Auron stiffened; he was not one to be cowed even with her temperamental display of magic. He faced her. "That fire will attract fiends. Someone needs to guard our camp." He froze when Rikku leapt to his side, grabbing onto his arm and clutching it.

"Great, I was just thinking that we needed to collect some supplies anyway." She dragged him away from the warmth of the fire, sparing a glance back at a bemused Jecht and significantly more amused-looking Braska. "We'll be back soon," she promised.

As soon as they were clear of the cave, Auron shook her arm off and shot her an irritable glance. "What are you doing?"

"I told you already," Rikku huffed, marching ahead of him. "Hunting for supplies." She heard his annoyed snort, and her frown softened. "I wanted to get you alone. I mean, don't you think we should talk?"

"Hnn," Auron answered, and Rikku had to stop herself from smacking him in frustration.

"Well, I think we should talk," she continued. "Just because I'm related to Raenn doesn't mean anything's changed. Now I know this next one is gonna be hard for you to swallow," she added theatrically, "but I'm Braska's Guardian, just like you."

Auron cleared his throat, his gaze settling on her. Coming to a decision, he canted his head in her direction. "I never doubted it."

Rikku pulled up short, a smile threatening to break over her face. "So we're good?" she asked him.

In response, Auron drew his sword and brandished it at her.

Rikku squeaked and fumbled for her daggers. Just how did I piss him off now?

"Look out!" he growled, and all she had time to think was What? before he dove at her and they went tumbling through the snow. A rush of air and the sound of snapping teeth flew over their heads, and when Rikku looked up, she was staring directly into a large, glassy yellow eye. Naturally, she did the first thing she could think of.

"Rikku!" Auron yelled, pulling her away from the fiend's snapping jaws as it roared in pain.

"Gotcha!" Rikku twisted out of Auron's grasp and tucked away the swirling bottle of pungent musk she had managed to pull out. "Don't kill it yet, I might be able to get another out of him," she instructed, pulling out her daggers as she sized up the angry fiend.

Auron, of course, responded by slashing his sword at the creature, which darted out of the way of his heavy blade. "Hey! I told you not to kiiii... uhh..." she trailed off as the creature's wings folded over its huge eye. Then, a blast of cold air knocked her over and she saw stars.

"Wow!" Rikku yelled, her eyes wide as the landscape swirled in psychedelic colors around her. Is snow supposed to be orange? "I forgot he could do that," she mumbled, readying her daggers. A fuzzy, dark shape swam before her, and Rikku rushed at it, trying to drive her hand underneath its surface. Pyreflies, only pyreflies, she told herself, willing her palm to part the evil eye's leathery skin.

Instead of passing cleanly underneath the surface of the fiend's body, Rikku's hand slapped against a hard, unyielding surface. The blob grunted, and then struck her across the forehead none-too-gently. Pain blossomed over her temples where she was hit, but it did serve to clear the stars from her vision. With a start, Rikku realized that she hadn't been reaching for the fiend at all, but rather Auron. She was, in fact, pressed up close against him, her hand stuck halfway down the front of his coat. The expression on his face could hardly be called pleased.

"Get your hand out of there and hit that thing." He shoved her towards the floating eyeball circling around them.

"Yessir!" Rikku chirped, feeling intoxicated from the sudden close contact. If there was one thing she was thankful for, it was that the little fiend before them wasn't very strong, even if it was too quick for Auron to touch. She concentrated on harnessing her magic - a simple Fira was all it would take - and took aim. The spell flew from her hand, and the fiend was reduced to a rapidly-dissolving collection of pyreflies. Picking through the remains, she pocketed the dropped gil. Auron's presence loomed behind her; she looked over her shoulder and gave him a weak smile. "Umm... hi?" she giggled.

Auron glared at her with a thunderous expression and said nothing.

"Oh, alright," Rikku blurted out, reaching into her pocket with an exasperated sigh. She pulled out the small pouch of gil she had palmed and threw it back to Auron, a pout splashed across her face. "I would've put that to good use, you know."

"On more jewellery, no doubt," Auron said as he tucked his pouch of money away more securely - this time into the waistband of his pants, Rikku saw with a half-disappointed and half-intrigued glance. She made a mental note to reach low the next time she attempted to steal while confused.

"You should have killed the eye immediately."

"No way!" Rikku scrambled to her feet and displayed the items she managed to procure from their victim. "Look at all this stuff! If we're really gonna make it through the rest of this journey, we need a lot more supplies than we have right now. And don't tell me you're gonna buy them with that," she added, sending a significant glance towards Auron's trousers.

Auron frowned, but didn't contradict her. His brow furrowed, however. "And what if it had confused me? That won't be the last evil eye we see, especially if we remain standing here exposed like this."

Rikku's smile dropped and she tapped her chin with a finger. "I got it!" she said. "All you gotta do right now is guard me so I have the chance to steal some stuff. Just worry about blocking whatever the fiends might send my way, okay? And if you get confused or something, hit yourself with your sword! It's perfect!"

Auron stared at her in disbelief. "That's your solution?" he managed to say.

"Well, umm... yeah? What! You're the one wearing the armor," she pointed out. "And it's not like you'd wanna hit little ol' me with that big nasty sword of yours, right?"

Auron regarded her for another long moment before closing his eyes and shaking his head. "Of course." Sarcasm colored his voice. "Though it would be a shame if I were to slip," he added.

Rikku gulped and decided to ignore him; a snow wolf had already poked its head over one of the drifts, attracted by the noise and color of the remaining pyreflies. "No more joking," she said as she flexed her palm and glared at the wolf. Auron faced the fiend, readying his sword. "Uhh..." She spared him a wary glance. "You were joking, right?"

"Hurry up," Auron grumbled as the wolf rushed them.

.x.x.x.

"Wow, I'm all tuckered out," Rikku groaned, trudging through the snow. Auron grunted in silent agreement, quaffing a high-potion that she had managed to snitch from one of the fiends. "It was worth it, though." She patted the now-bulging pouches on her belt. "Thanks a lot," she added as an afterthought; with Auron guarding her, stealing from the fiends was a piece of cake. They made a good team, her quick reflexes complimenting his more carefully planned attacks. The physical exertion of the battles they fought had done much more to break down the barriers than any talk might have, and as they made their way back to the camp, the silence that settled between them wasn't uncomfortable.

"Rikku," Auron said, and while she cheered at his use of her real name, the tone in which he said it prompted her to remain silent. "I apologize for avoiding you earlier."

Rikku blinked. Well, that was unexpected. "Huh," she hummed in surprise, still not certain of what he was trying to say. "I guess I kinda understand. Some of the stuff Cid's done wasn't anything I'm proud of either."

"So... are you Raenn's younger sister?" he asked, stopping to look at her.

Tripping, Rikku caught herself on Auron's conveniently situated back before she could go sprawling into the snow. That at least answered one question - Auron didn't know her family as well as he thought he did. She considered her options - she could lie... and open up the chance for Auron to mention something to Braska, who probably wasn't quite as ignorant of her family tree.

Or, she could tell the truth - a thought which was quickly discarded. If he didn't laugh at her outright, he'd probably be furious, especially if she was endangering Spira's future with her actions. Besides... how was she supposed to tell him that he was going to die and spend the next ten years in a personal purgatory of sorts? That kind of information could put a damper on anyone's outlook, and Auron was already pretty dour to start with.

"Making yourself comfortable?" Auron's dry voice interrupted her mental chatter.

"Oh! Well, yeah, thanks!" Rikku said, releasing her tight grip around his waist.

She decided on obfuscation - it wasn't exactly lying, but it would relieve her of the burden of truth. "I'm not a part of that family anymore," she said, trying to make her voice sound as leaden as possible. It was pretty difficult, considering that she was still basking in the warmth of Auron's presence. A small shiver of guilt plagued her when Auron looked away, buying into her little act. Of course, feeling guilty made acting guilty much more believable, so Rikku decided to wallow for a while longer, avoiding Auron's gaze as they approached the camp.

"I will say nothing," Auron said as the glow of the fire came into view. "But Braska is no fool. You may have to tell him yourself, eventually."

Rikku pursed her lips together; Braska was going to be a bigger problem than he realized. "I'll consider telling him when he starts talking to Jecht," she said. "Until then, Summoner or not, he's got no right to ask."

Auron nodded in agreement. "Very well, Rikkma," he said as they entered the cave. Jecht and Braska looked up from the fire at their entrance, and Rikku forced a bright smile onto her face.

" 'ey, you're back. We were wonderin' what happened to you two," Jecht called out, waving them in. "There's still a little food left, if ya want some."

"Mmm, yeah! But first, we got a little something for you guys, too!" Rikku reached into her pouch and passed a few bottles to each of her companions. "Here, an antidote just in case you step on something nasty, Jecht... oh, and I got some potions for you, Braska!" The men accepted their small bundles with identical expressions of surprise. She noted that Braska's pallor had not improved very much since the beginning of their rest. White magic could heal almost any physical injury, but there was little it could do to combat exhaustion.

Auron also seemed to share her assessment, seating himself on the ground near the fire and reaching for the small bowl of soup Jecht handed to him rather than harassing their companions to clear the camp. Rikku settled uneasily at his side; as she sipped at her soup, she snuck a few worried glances at Braska, wondering what could be done to help him. She ate as slowly as she could, considering her options, but all too soon the soup was finished and Auron was standing up.

"The temple is not too far ahead," he informed them, watching Braska. "If we start now, we may still manage to make it before nightfall." Behind his carefully worded demand, Rikku heard the concern - they had to leave immediately, or risk spending the evening exposed to the elements - something she was sure Braska would weather even worse than the strain of travelling.

Braska nodded in agreement, and once again Rikku found herself wishing that she had some kind of miracle cure to offer him, other than the few high-potions she'd snitched -

"That's it!" she yelled, shooting to her feet. Then she coughed, noticing the stares of the others. "Umm, I mean, can you guys take care of cleaning up the camp while I talk to Braska for a little bit?" She grabbed Braska and pushed him towards the snow. Auron arched an eyebrow at her, but she mouthed a hasty "Trust me!" to him as she ushered the Summoner outside.

"Rikkma?" Braska asked her as soon as they were clear of the others. "What is this about?" He frowned in confusion as Rikku pushed him even farther from the camp; she didn't want to risk Auron or Jecht seeing them, particularly since she wasn't certain she'd be able to control her reactions.

"Guarding you," Rikku answered, dropping her hand to the garment grid. The sphere gate glowed as she activated it, and then, crossing her daggers before her, she allowed the change take over. It was comforting and familiar, as though she was falling into herself, a confident smile threatening to burst from her lips. She heard Braska's sharp intake of breath as the light died away and opened one eye to regard him.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure of that display?" Braska asked, his smile broadening.

Rikku winked at him and flipped a braid over her shoulder, stashing away her machine gun. "You know you love it," she quipped, rooting through her pouches for the potions she had collected earlier. "I had this totally brilliant idea, but I didn't want the others to see me like this. You know Auron, he'd probably flip."

"The last time you wore that outfit, it wasn't Auron who was doing the attacking," Braska observed, still keeping a wary eye on her.

Rikku ignored him. "Alright, so maybe it was me. Still... I don't want Jecht to see me like this either. Just think of all the jokes he'd make!"

"I doubt Jecht would be in the mood to jest while you were pointing your gun at him," Braska replied, though he seemed relieved that the Alchemist dressphere hadn't ruined Rikku's good humor. "I still don't understand what you're doing," he added, watching as she mixed the contents of one vial with another and shook the concoction furiously.

"I'm gonna hit you with something that'll help," Rikku said, holding up the glowing, volatile potion she had mixed together as Braska's eyes widened. "Hold still, you'll feel better in a second!"

"Rikkma, I don't think that's a good idea -" Braska's protest was cut short as Rikku ignored his words and flung the vial at him instead. It shattered with a small pop against his chest, and he began to glow. "What in Yevon's name!" he managed to gasp as the light engulfed his body, flashing once before winking out and leaving his robes dry.

Rikku lowered her hand from where she had raised it to protect her face. "Double high-potion mix," she explained as Braska looked up from his hands, his cheeks flushed with surprise. Already, the color was returning to his face; he straightened and took in his surroundings with renewed vigor.

"Guaranteed to make you feel good, at least for a little while," she told him. "It'll probably wear off before the end of the day, but at least you'll be able to make it to the temple. It's not harmful, trust me," she assured him.

Braska smiled at her, for once holding onto his staff firmly rather than using it as a crutch. "I do feel much better," he admitted. "I wonder how you'll explain this to Auron and Jecht, though. I hardly think they'd approve of you using me as your test subject."

"Hey, it's not a test!" Rikku protested, shouldering her gun. "I've used that mix on myself when I needed a pick-me-up lotsa times!" Glancing back in the direction of the camp, she frowned. "Though, uh, maybe you don't have to tell 'em, right?" She shook her head and returned her gaze to Braska, giving him a confident smile. "Naw... I'm sure Auron can figure me better than that by now. He knows I wouldn't poison you."

The smile on Braska's face faltered, dimming into something less open. "Ah," he said. "Wonderful... I'm glad that you managed to smooth over your differences." Rikku winced; Braska didn't look like he thought it was wonderful. She sensed his uneasiness, but the last thing she needed was to have her uncle become even more interested in her than he already was. Auron might believe that she was Raenn's sister, but if Braska grew curious, he'd be harder to throw him off the scent. Still, she felt guilty about ignoring his feelings - their journey was difficult enough as it was.

"We should get back to the others," Rikku told him, her hand hovering over the garment grid. She stopped, interrupted by a loud chitter that echoed through the snowy field. "... that wasn't you, was it?"

Braska's mouth tightened into a thin line. "Rikkma, turn around. Slowly," he whispered, holding his staff out. "Try not to make any noise."

Rikku never was good at following instructions. She whirled around, fully intending to blast the fiend who interrupted them with her machine gun. Her mouth fell open as she spotted the sleek, gleaming body of the insect that approached from over the hillside, one thought flashing to the forefront of her mind - but this isn't the Monster Arena!

"I've never seen a fiend that large before," Braska said, casting a protective shell over her.

The Espada halted its advance, taking in its prey with beady, intelligent eyes.

Rikku's gun waved; a sheen of sweat broke over her forehead. "We are in deep pickles!"

edited 7/16

Abilities used:
Alchemist [Mix]: Vitality - double one ally's max HP