72: Dawnbreak

Somehow, they made it out of the dome. It was mostly a blur to Rikku; her limbs felt sapped of strength from Yunalesca's attack. After the first few times she stumbled and nearly fell, Auron lifted her into his arms and carried her across the broken rubble. She felt ashamed of her weakness, but the thought of trying to activate her Garment Grid to loan herself some power filled her with nausea.

Even Braska was doing better than her, though Jecht was practically dragging the summoner behind him.

They all knew they couldn't keep fumbling their escape through Zanarkand; it'd been hard enough getting through the first time. Halfway through the dome, Auron diverted them towards an underpass to hide.

"This is too difficult," he told Jecht. "Neither of us can fight and carry them at the same time. We have to stop."

"I'm sorry," Braska said, leaning against the rubble. "I simply… need a moment to catch my breath."

The echo of phantom footsteps running through the dome punctuated by gunfire sent them into a tense silence; they all drew as far back into the shadows as they could.

"We can't stay," Auron said after the danger had passed. "Those Unsent soldiers appear and disappear just as randomly as the memories that play back over time. Between them, the fiends, and the machina, we'll be torn apart if we try to rest here."

"Wait," Rikku said, feeling ashamed. Some aeon you are. "Maybe I should try using my Grid." She placed her hand on her belt, but Auron pushed it away.

"You are in no shape to attempt that."

"But I feel so useless!" she protested. "And my costumes could really help us out here."

"No-" Auron began, shaking his head, but Braska stood up.

"She's right, Auron. We should use her powers." He moved to their side and kneeled, looking at Rikku. "Do you trust me?"

Suspicious. She eyed Braska warily. "Why're you asking?"

Braska held out a hand, his palm open. "Your belt. It helped us survive in Baaj."

He wasn't wrong. Braska had always been the one person capable of squeezing the most power out of her Garment Grid. Still, given his personality… "Don't you dare activate your own sphere," she warned him, fumbling with the clasp of her belt. The underlying thrum of magic energy the Grid provided vanished, releasing a tension inside that she hadn't known she'd been holding onto. She let out a breath of relief, slackening against Auron's chest.

Auron frowned with dismay, though he did help her remove the belt completely. "I'm sure this plan will go flawlessly," he deadpanned, handing it over to Braska. "It may be pointless to ask, but could you at least try to control yourself?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Braska looked pleased as he donned the Grid. He stilled for a moment, his eyes closing, then opened them again and flexed his palm, acclimating to the supplemental magic power.

"Whoa," Jecht said, shifting uneasily on his feet. Once again, his own hand mirrored Braska's motions. "Damn, B. That thing's got a lotta power. Even I can feel it."

"Yes. It's a strange experience every time," Braska mused. "Still, I believe it will be a great help to us. Thank you, Rikku." He stood up, stretching his arms over his head. "I feel stronger already." More noise echoed over the walkway above them, and he sobered. "We should proceed."

"You sure?" Jecht asked uneasily, still watching Braska like a mother hen. At Braska's confident nod, he sighed. "Auron, you ready?"

Rikku let out a squeak and wrapped her arms around Auron's neck as he hefted her into a princess carry. It was sweet… and also concerning, since it meant he wouldn't be fighting at all. He read some of the worry in her face and gave her a fleeting smile. "Trust me." It dropped away when he looked at Jecht and Braska. "And I trust you both, too."

Braska smiled and Jecht gave Auron a salute.

"So, lemmie go firs—B? Oi, B!" Braska brushed by Jecht, the smile on his face widening. He stepped out from the underpass, and light bloomed as he activated one of her dresspheres.

Jecht froze. "Uh-oh." He looked down; the pattern forming around Braska's feet was being mirrored under his own. His eyes widened. "Take it back! Take it back!" he yelled, dancing not-entirely-willingly after the summoner.

It was too late for that; Rikku covered her face and tried to stifle her laugh as Braska's Songstress incarnation took to the stage. His patent leather pants were indecently tight, and the bright crop-top shirt and leather jacket he was wearing over rode up as he snatched his microphone out of the air, exposing generous amounts of skin. "Everybody look at me! Me! I walk in the door, you start screaming!"

Auron's jaw was working; he looked annoyed and regretful all at the same time. "Subtlety—" he began.

"Is not happening," Rikku finished, still snorting. Floodlights exploded across the entirety of the former sphere pool and a sensuous beat sounded with each step he took. He flipped his head back, tracing a hand down his chest and abdomen seductively and gyrating his hips. Even better yet, Jecht was mirroring his motions with a dismayed look on his face, much like a backup dancer.

Auron dropped his head into her mop of hair with resignation, shielding his eyes from the bright light. "I knew I was going to regret this."

"Uh, guys?" Jecht called out as everything that moved and some things that shouldn't have turned in their direction. "If anythin' in didn't spot us before, they sure as hell have now!" He made a few pointed pelvic thrusts at their building audience.

Undeterred, Braska continued dancing towards the onrush of fiends scrabbling over the ruins to meet them. A few of the ancient machina made it first: a pair of YAT-97 cannons easily flew over the rubble. The dual barrels of their guns sparkled with energy, preparing to fire. Hopping behind them came their YKT-11 bodyguards. Rikku had less-than-affectionately dubbed the combination patrol 'The Rockettes' during Yuna's Pilgrimage.

"Maybe you should put me down and get out your sword," she said nervously, patting Auron's chest. "Those things kinda hurt when they kick you."

Braska sunk into a low crouch and swayed, pointing his finger and sweeping his arm out at all four of the machina rushing towards him. "Come on, everybody, what you here for? Move your body around like a nympho!" As he pointed, tendrils of his magic snaked out and wormed their way through each of the machina. They stalled, shaking in place. Then they slowly spread out to form a perimeter around the group.

"Oh?" Jecht sidled his way to the front. Even though he was still dancing, he managed to pull out the Fang. "Oh!" he repeated, catching on with a grin, his sway turning into something more like a battle crouch.

"Everybody get your necks to crack around! All you crazy people, come on, jump around," Braska sang, flicking his fingers at the machina cannons. There were a few deceptively soft pops, and then the dome filled with the roar of gunfire as the cannons laid into the Unsent monks and fiends trying to approach. Jecht began his own dance, weirdly in sync with Braska's, taking care of what made it through the defensive line with his sword. They started inching forward, one melodic step at a time.

"I can't believe this is actually working," Auron said, keeping well out of Braska's way as he followed after the entourage.

"He's a lot better at using the Grid than I am," Rikku explained, watching as the magic took hold of another approaching floating cannon, forcing it into their machina vanguard. "Uh-oh," she said as the Defender that had been chasing them earlier lumbered into view.

Unphased, Braska continued singing, though he stopped moving forward. Instead, he swept his hand out at the huge machina. "I wanna see you all on your knees, knees," he demanded, his finger pointing towards the ground.

Metal screeched and groaned in protest. The Defender, struggling, fell to one knee.

"You either wanna be with me, or be me." Braska snapped his finger, and the magic encased the huge machina completely. It lumbered to its feet, then charged into the Black Element that was fast approaching them, smashing it out of the air with a huge fist.

"Come on, now!" Jecht cheered when they started moving again, this time more speedily with the Defender clearing the path for them. As they made their way towards the exit of the dome, though, Rikku's giggles died out; Braska was still singing, and she heard every word he was saying.

"Dream Eater, make you work hard, make you spend hard, make you want all of her love! She's a Dream Eater, make you see stars, make you fall hard, wish you never met her at all…"

Even at the quick pace they were traveling, she felt Auron stiffen. "He still wants you that much," he said lowly. "Do I even have the right to be angry at him?"

"You doin' anything to keep her by your side, because she said love you, love you long time," Braska sang.

Auron grimaced and Rikku hid her face against his chest, embarrassed. She wasn't able to answer his question, either. "Maybe we can decide how we want to feel about that after we've dealt with Sin." She pressed her fingers into Auron's neck. "Together."

They made it out of the dome in one piece; Braska left his subjugated machina inside to continue dealing with the remaining fiends and undead. They hurried down the broken highway, finally stopping near some ruins that provided enough cover to hide from the wandering fiends on the streets.

Panting, Braska released his hold on the dressphere. He fell over almost immediately, the excess energy provided by Lenne's spirit leaving him as quickly as his costume did.

"Well," he said, rolling onto his back. "We made it."

Jecht plopped down next to him, arms crossed. "Damn it, B! A superstar like me ain't supposed to be playin' second fiddle!" He shifted over to help Auron settle her on the ground.

"Don't worry, you still had some nice moves." Rikku patted Jecht's arm soothingly. "I thought you were the best out of all his backup dancers!"

Jecht grunted sullenly. "I was the only one with all my arms an' legs."

Auron joined them, rolling his shoulders and wincing before he sat. "Enough banter. We have more pressing problems to deal with. Should we rest here or continue out of the city?" He eyed Braska, who was still lolling over the ground in a wide sprawl.

Rikku dropped her chin onto her knees, drawing herself into a ball. "It's not that much safer out here than in the Dome. Less dead people, but a lot more fiends. And they're bigger, too! I don't think we should stick around." Privately, she dreaded the thought of airing her precious memories in the pyrefly-laden city more than any chance meeting with a wandering fiend, but they didn't need to know that.

Auron prodded Braska in the side with the toe of his boot. "Can you move?"

"I would prefer not to," Braska groaned, though he did pull himself upright. "But I think I will manage, so long as we keep a sedate pace."

They took a moment to rest and drink before rousing for another journey. Auron moved to pick her up again, but Rikku pushed him away. "No," she said, taking his hand instead and standing. She swayed for a moment before finding her balance. "I want to walk out of here on my own two feet."

Auron regarded her for a moment. "Then Jecht and I will lead and clear the path." He looked at their joined hands and sighed. "And Braska will protect you."

"Hey! I'm supposed to be the Guardian here!" she protested, but he gently pulled her forward and released her hand into the crook of Braska's elbow, who seemed just as surprised as she was.

"Auron? With the black magic in this belt, I could be Jecht's support instead."

"Hnn," Auron snorted, drawing his sword. "You'll both be moving too slowly regardless. This is more efficient." He looked at Rikku again. "Be safe," he murmured, the back of his hand brushing against her cheek. Don't leave me, he didn't say, but she heard it anyway.

"You too," she whispered back.

They set out slowly, Auron and Jecht soon pulling far ahead on the highway. From time to time, she'd see bursts of pyreflies indicating their battles; if not for the irregular light shows, though, it might have simply been a peaceful stroll through the ruins, linked arm in arm with Braska.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Braska said carefully after some time.

Rikku bit her lip. She thought of how he'd kept his unflappable cool when Yunalesca dropped her bomb.

'You didn't tell her?' Yunalesca had said.

"Did you know?"

Braska sighed, dropping his head. His other hand came up to cover hers. "I've always known there was something different about you and Jecht, from the first moment we met in Bevelle's dungeons. But no, I wouldn't have been able to name why specifically. It was more… of a feeling. A Summoner's sensitivity, perhaps. I don't know." His fingers tightened on hers. "I am sorry. Perhaps I should have shared that with you. It might have softened the blow."

She giggled. "I don't think there's any softening that kind of blow, Braska." Her smiled faded as they continued to walk slowly; the sun was rising, bathing Zanarkand in the soft pink of muted dawn light, fractured by the sea of pyreflies still moving sluggishly overhead. "I'm sure I was real at some point, though. My future definitely is. But… what happened to me? Who sent me here? And…" She fell quiet as a faint image of a younger Yuna on Pilgrimage appeared by the side of the road, her hands folded in front of her. "… can I ever go back?"

"Did you still want to?" Braska asked, stopping to watch his daughter.

"I don't know. I guess it doesn't matter anymore, right?"

"I've found that what I want always matters." Braska brushed his fingertips over her knuckles and then let his hand drop away.

Yuna's image faded, and they resumed their walk down the broken highway. "So," she said carefully. "Do you really wish you'd never met me at all?"

His answer came without any hesitation. "In some ways." He laughed when she tripped, catching her before she could fall. "I owe you absolute honesty, at the least. My life… all of our lives, actually, would have been much simpler had you not intruded upon them." He sighed. "But would we have even made it this far without your help?" He shrugged. "Besides. In a life filled with regrets, what's one more?"

"So I'm Auron's suffering and your regret. You guys sure know how to make a girl feel special," Rikku muttered.

He laughed at her. "You could still choose to be my lover instead of my regret."

Rikku tripped again, and he laughed even more as he caught her. His fingers lingered at her side before he set her on her feet and released her. "I can settle for making you tongue-tied instead," he relented.

"Well, how about you then?" she asked when she recovered her dignity. "Do you still wanna die?"

"Strangely enough, not anymore. I believed I was ready… but then you showed me Yuna." He grew pensive. "You showed me what I'd given up in this mad quest for revenge and self-fulfillment. But… I don't want to hope anymore, Rikku. I don't recover well from my disappointment when those hopes are dashed." He looked at her, his blue eyes bright. "If your way could work… if there's a chance that I could be with Yuna, to watch her grow into that young woman… I would take it, and not look back."

"You think my plan might not work?"

"If there's one thing I've learned over the course of this Pilgrimage, it's that plans rarely do. But I want you to know that if your way fails… if I need to sacrifice my life in order to see your ideal future become a reality… I would do so without hesitation. It would not be your, nor Auron's, nor anyone's fault. Nor would it be because of my regrets. I fight in my own way, even if it's not as Jecht and Auron can. Everything I do will always be my own choice, and by my own will."

He stopped walking and drew her in, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. "So don't put such pressure on yourself to save us all." He drew back and locked eyes with her. "You're not the weaver of my fate, no matter what knowledge you think you hold about the future. To me, you're just a person trying to do your best. As we all are."

"Thanks," she mumbled, grabbing back onto his arm and settling into a comfortable silence as they continued down the road.

.x.x.x.

They scaled the path from Zanarkand back up to Mount Gagazet's peak; entering the caverns inside was much easier without Yunalesca's twisted fiend to hinder the journey. By the time they exited the dripping caverns of stagnant water to exit to the Fayth Scar, Rikku had mostly regained control over her body.

Jecht loitered by the Scar when they passed it, his faced pinched. He searched the twisting sea of frozen flesh, as if he was looking for something – or maybe someone.

"… Do you need some time?" Braska asked Jecht.

"Huh. Yeah, go on," Jecht said distractedly, crossing his arms. "I'll catch up at the springs." He noticed Rikku staring and waved her off. "Yeah, yeah, don't touch it. Don't worry, I won't."

"Let's go," Auron said, guiding her towards the passage they'd melted through the mountain the day before. It had already shrunk by half from the cold winds and whipping snow, and he frowned. "We'll need to widen this again so we can pass through safely."

"Stand back," Braska told them both, raising his hand. Auron backed away a few paces, and Braska looked over his shoulder, then raised an eyebrow at Rikku.

"Oh boy," she said, grabbing a confused Auron and pushing him even further back, putting the bend of the mountainside between themselves and Braska.

"Why?" he asked as she covered her ears.

The answering blast of Braska's super-powered firaga shook the ground. When they emerged, Braska was wiping soot off of his face, the rock was smoking, and the slim crack had widened enough to become a large passage that let the light flood into the darkened cavern of the hot springs.

"That's why," she told Auron. "Are you still in one piece?" she called out to Braska.

"I will need to make use of those springs," he coughed, spitting out some soot.

"Well, at least there's no danger of Jecht be trapped outside," Auron said, waving away the smoke to pass into the cavern first. After a moment, he emerged again. "Still no fiends. It's safe enough for now."

Together, they descended towards the steaming springs. Rikku relaxed as the air grew warmer and humid, easing the mountain's chill from her bones. She started stripping down to her undergarments as soon as she was in reach of the hot spring and waded in, moaning in relief as the water heated away the last of the soreness in her body from Yunalesca's attack in the Dome.

There was a crash, and she looked over her shoulder to see Braska picking himself up from where he'd been trying to place a glowing sphere along the rocky shelf. He dusted off the fallen sphere, placed it with exaggerated care, and then smiled at her, studiously keeping his eyes from dropping to her chest.

Oh, right. She dropped back into the water in a crouch. Cruud.

"Apologies," he managed to say. The smile he couldn't keep from lifting the corners of his lips was saying something else, though: Tease.

She shifted her gaze to Auron, who was rubbing his temples. He caught her eye and crossed his arms, grimacing. He was saying something entirely different: Why did you do that?

Pouting, she crossed one hand over her chest and raised the other, pinching her fingers together and releasing them in frustration. I forgot, alright? I can't help it if Yevonites were raised to be allergic to skin!

Auron scowled and swept his arm out towards Braska. Yevonite prudity? Please. You know exactly how he is.

Braska, for his part, finished placing another sphere on the rock shelf to provide some light, then cleared his throat delicately. "This intense conversation you two are having with your eyes might be more productive if you used your mouths instead." Then he waggled his eyebrows at Auron. Besides, I already saw.

"Arg," Rikku said, pulling on her goggles. "I'll deal with both of you later." Ignoring the two men completely, she flipped over and dove underwater, making full use of her Al Bhed lung capacity. She focused on taking slow, purposeful strokes, working out the kinks in her joints and making sure she could move freely again in the safety of the water's warm embrace.

She turned when she reached the bottom of the pool and let herself sink, watching what little light that shone through from the outside waver and fade into an indistinct speck.

I'm a dream of the Fayth?

Her fingers probed her abdomen, trying to see anything felt different, maybe more intangible. The solid resistance of skin still stopped her fingertips, as she expected. She let the current pull her hands away from her body. Then, clasping her fingers together, she gathered her courage and repeated her monster mantra.

Pyreflies, pyreflies, pyreflies. Only pyreflies!

She struck herself in the chest, trying to delve deeper as she searched her own memories: deeply rooted ones from Yuna's first Pilgrimage; her sticky adolescent years with Gippal; even as far back as her own childhood with Cid, Brother, and Keyakku, when her family was still happy together.

Rather than feeling her hand pass cleanly through and latch onto something solid, she knocked the air out of her own chest with the force of the self-inflicted blow. Choking, she managed to avoid gulping in the sulphurous water by force of will more than anything else and shot up to the surface, her lungs screaming for air. She broke the water violently, tossing her head back with a loud gasp that devolved into hacking coughs as her hands slapped the surface.

"Rikku!" Auron sounded panicked; his sword was already in his hand and he'd waded into the springs to his thighs fully clothed. His eyes scanned the water intently for fiends.

"N-no," she coughed, holding out a hand and pounding her chest. "It's fine! I did this to myself!" After a few more coughs, she ripped off her goggles and winced, looking down. "That's gonna leave a bruise."

He waded through the water and stared, finally lifting a hand and placing it on the reddened patch in the center of her sternum. A Cure sparked to life, easing away the mark, but his hand stayed put, resting heavily against her chest. "Why did you hurt yourself?" he asked quietly.

She scratched her cheek and looked away, putting her hands on her hips. "I was just… testing something out."

He leaned over and took his red coat off, draping it over her shoulders and tugging it closed. "You're not any more an aeon than Jecht is," he told her as he carefully worked long strands of her soaked hair free of the collar. "Don't doubt who you are. Just continue to be yourself."

She traced the lazy whorls of steam rising from the surface of the pool with her hands and listened to the lap of water against stone. "… I always said stuff like that to Jecht, too." Her fingers clutched at a few ephemeral tendrils rising from the water. "It's not as easy as it sounds, though."

Auron pulled her in under one arm and walked her out of the water. Braska was watching them with tense concern; he only put his staff aside after reading Auron's reaction. "Are you alright?" he asked her.

"Solid enough," Rikku answered with a tired wave.

Braska nodded, not pressing the issue. He took in Auron's soaked pants and sighed. "You'd best remove your clothes and let them dry." Then he dropped his head and laughed, a low, genuine sound. "To think, it only took an entire Pilgrimage to get the both of you pantless before me."

Auron groaned as he sat down and pulled off his boots, and for the first time she noticed that he was sitting closer to Braska than usual; that hadn't happened since he'd become aware of Braska's attraction to her.

"Oh, umm… did I interrupt something?" she asked suspiciously.

"We were simply talking," Braska answered lightly. Which of course meant that they'd been talking about something serious. Well, considering that Auron didn't look like he wanted to decorate the cavern with Braska's internal organs, it probably wasn't about her.

She also noticed the slight look of embarrassment on Auron's face as he dug through his belongings for a spare set of clothing.

"Oooh," she said, comprehension dawning. They must've been talking about Braska's feelings for Auron. She felt herself grinning; it was nice to be the observer for once, instead of one of the parties under scrutiny. Then, just because Braska had exercised such exquisite subtlety inside of the Dome, she decided to copy him. "So, umm, should I get back in the water so I won't be the third wheel?"

"No!" Auron shouted, fumbling to pull a new set of pants on too quickly. "That is… " He took a look at her, then covered his face with one hand. It didn't help; she could still see his ear turning red. "Put on some clothes, Rikku."

"Mm-hmm," she said, meeting Braska's amused glance and bursting into giggles. It was just too much fun making Auron, usually so tight-lipped, embarrassed. "Don't worry so much! I don't think Braska's going to jump your bones."

Auron sat down stiffly between the two of them, shoving Rikku's traveling outfit into her arms. "I don't know where you get that confidence from. I've known him for far longer than you have. Now put your clothes on, please."

Braska shrugged innocently and turned away towards the water to grant them some privacy.

After squeezing into her clothes, Rikku settled down on the sandy floor and leaned into Auron's side. "So… I'm having an existential crisis, you're processing Braska's crush on you, and Jecht's communing with his son outside. I'm kind of thinking facing down Sin will be a walk in the park after this."

Braska hummed, twisting back around to face them. "Do you know anything about that summoning outside?" he asked.

Some of the weight crept back onto her shoulders as she shook her head. "Just that we call it the Scar in my time." Because it's a wound that had finally closed. "It's been there since the beginning, a thousand years ago. I think it's better if we just leave it alone."

"I see. " Braska nodded, sensing the way she closed off that avenue of conversation. He didn't relent, though, instead, trading a glance with Auron. "And did you find what you were looking for down there?" he asked, gesturing at the water.

She opened and closed her hands, glad that they were empty; that her memories were all still inside. "Not really… but maybe that's a good thing." She pursed her lips. "And well… not that we're in enough of a triangle already, but what about this thing between you and Jecht? He feels everything you do now or what?"

Braska sighed, his hand coming to his chest again. She imagined Jecht, somewhere outside, copying him.

"Not quite. I can feel his presence in me. As if I am holding on to the thread of his life, and if I were to tug it, I could snuff it out. It's less an emotional connection and more like a burden I've chosen to carry. He feels my pain, and I… I feel the weight of his existence." He looked unhappy. "It's not an equivalent exchange. I wonder if it would have been if I and Jecht had felt for each other the way I do about either of you." Then he shook his head. "But honestly, I am a little relieved that I will never find out."

"Are you sure Jecht is fine with this new reality?" Auron asked, worried. "He placed much importance on his freedom before."

Braska frowned. "It's strange, but it's almost as if Jecht wasn't just willing, but eager for this to happen. He seemed to be enthusiastic about it." He sighed. "Even with this bond, I still can't tell what he's thinking."

He's thinking he's gonna grow a pair of wings or a dolphin tail or something and swim all the way up to Dream Zanarkand by himself, Rikku thought privately. At least this one was Jecht's secret to tell, rather than hers. Then she thought of him, sitting outside, still trying to find some sort of connection with his son after learning that maybe Braska didn't need to turn him into anything after all.

"Maybe I should go get him," she said suddenly, jumping to her feet.

"Did you think of something?" Auron asked, but she waved him off.

"No, I just think he should be here with us. We're like a weird little family now, right?" Springing to her feet, she grabbed her weapon and hooked it around her hand. "I'll be back in a sec!"

"Be careful!" Auron yelled after her as she scrambled up the rocks and back out the exit.

She found Jecht seated cross-legged in front of the Fayth Scar, still staring at the sea of people who'd once made up the summoning population of Zanarkand. "Hey," she said, settling down by his side. "What's up? Everyone's getting worried about you inside."

Jecht shook his head wearily. "Naw, it's nothin'. Ya just blocked my play, is all."

"Turning into a monster that can't talk isn't much of a play," she replied. "Don't you think Tidus would like you better this way?"

Jecht sighed and ran a hand through his hair, scrubbing at his head in frustration. "I just… I want to get my boy, Rikku. I want 'im to be real. I bet everythin' on this an' now you say it ain't happenin'."

Rikku curled herself into another tight ball, squeezing her arms around her legs in a self-hug. "You're not mad at me, are you?"

"Hah," Jecht said, cuffing her on the shoulder. "No, I ain't mad. You been through enough today. 'Sides, you're doin' this to save Braska. Can't argue with that." He looked back at the wall longingly. "There's gotta be a way," he muttered, more to himself than her.

"You can think of it someplace where the fiends won't get you. Come inside," she coaxed, reaching out to poke him with a finger in the cheek. "C'mon, turn that frown upside-down!"

"Yeah, yeah," he said, rolling to his feet and cracking his neck. "'Sides, I was takin' my time 'cause I thought you an' Auron might be goin' at it like chocobos again." He smirked at her.

"Wha— no way!" She shot to her feet, face burning. "Braska's down there too you know!"

"Uh-huh," Jecht said, sounding smug. "Like that's ever stopped you before." He stopped as they rounded the bend and approached the crevice to the springs, tensing. "Uh, hey. Don't, uh," he started, sounding uncharacteristically uncertain of himself. "Don't go an' tell 'em what I'd been plannin'. I can't throw Braska under the bus just to try an' get my boy now. 'Sides, I think it'll make B feel bad 'bout the whole thing if he knows why I did it."

"My lips are zipped," Rikku said, her shoulders slumping just a little more as Jecht proved her wrong, once again.

A/N: This chapter is specifically for TifaValentine99, who was hoping to see one of the boys in a dressphere again someday. Don't say I didn't ever do nothin' for you, my friends. ;-) The lyrics in this chapter are derived from Nelly Furtado's "Maneater."

"Cruud" means "Shoot."