"I hope you have a happy life," he'd told her. "Find your way. I know you will." She tried. She really did. But there was only one road Rikku really wanted to travel on her path to happiness. Five years after the events of Memento Vivere, Rikku embarks on another journey...

Ad Vitam Aeternam

A sequel to Memento Vivere, which takes place five years after the end of Chapter 82 ("Return to Form"). Disregards the epilogue of Memento Vivere. An alternate ending to MV created on request for a heartfelt request from long-time reader Faillisse to see a "happier" ending.

Chapter 1: Besaid

A warm russet gaze regarded her with fond intensity. It pierced into her very soul; its owner knew her inside and out. The skin at the corner of his good eye creased as he smiled at her; a small detail that hadn't existed when he was younger and smooth-skinned. Now, though, bits and pieces of his older appearance remained, such as the tufts of white in his unruly hair and his myriad of scars. They were reminders of the long adventure he'd had in Spira, much of it on borrowed time.

"I hope you have a happy life." Rather than using his mouth, he smiled at her with his voice, grown rich and deep with age like a fine wine. The slight tilt to his lips was the only hint of the expression on his face, other than that searing look. "Find your way. I know you will."

She sucked in her breath sharply, a lance of longing and regret chasing through her after it.

"Rikku? You daydreamin' again?"

Blinking, Rikku caught herself and smiled widely at Wakka. "Sorry! I'm all here, really!"

Wakka frowned and gave her a sidelong glance. "You sure? You looked a little funny in the head for a minute there, ya? If you're not feeling so good, you don't need to do this right now. S'not like he and Lu are goin' anywhere soon, y'know!"

Rikku shook her head rapidly, her beaded braids clacking against her cheeks. The sting brought her completely back to the present. "No, no, I'm good! Take me to him!" she said, raising a hand and dancing in place.

Wakka beamed proudly and ushered her past the colorful hanging curtain and into the darkened hut. The cool air inside was a relief from the humid heat of Besaid. Lulu looked up from the bed, her tired eyes glinting as she smiled. The bundle in her arms shifted.

"Is that him?" Rikku breathed, creeping closer, her eyes wide.

Lulu gave her a soft nod, pulling back the swaddling blanket to reveal a ruddy, round-cheeked cherub. A tuft of bright red hair sticking straight up from the top of the baby's tiny head made Rikku giggle.

"Aww… you look just like your pops, Chappu!" she cooed, reaching out with a finger and gently smushing the baby's nose.

"Got that right," Wakka said proudly, folding his arms over his chest and preening. "He's gonna be just as good-lookin' as his old man."

"Right down the chubbiness!" Rikku added for good measure, this time eliciting a chuckle from Lulu and an indignant sputter from Wakka. "I'm just kidding," she added, stroking little Chappu's cheek, and feeling another twinge in her chest as the baby's eyes popped open to stare at her. "You're gonna be even better looking than your dad. You've got your mom's eyes."

"You're both wrong. He looks like me," a high voice chirruped. Vidina stepped out from behind the bed, hands on his hips and a wide, gap-toothed grin on his face. The boy looked down at his newborn brother proudly, as if he'd personally played a part in Chappu's arrival. "Magic or blitzing, I'm gonna make sure my little brudda is the best at whatever he does!"

"It's a little early to start talking about blitzball, don't you think?" Lulu said sternly, pulling the baby close to her chest.

"No way!" Wakka and Vidina shouted at the same time, causing Chappu's eyes to fly open and a loud wail to erupt from his mouth.

"All right. That's enough. The both of you, out," Lulu ordered with practiced sternness, the weariness leaving her eyes for a much sharper look. Both Wakka and Vidina jumped and started edging towards the exit. "I just remembered I gotta help out at the temple," Vidina said. "Later, ma!"

Wakka's face screwed up as his son made a hasty escape, clearly having had his own excuse stolen. "Yeah, well, I, uh, I'm gonna make sure Dina stays outta trouble," he fumbled. He did pause at the curtain, looking back over his shoulder fondly at his wife and child. "You just send Rikku after me if you need anythin', Lu," he added, his voice suffused with warmth.

"Go on," Lulu told him, suppressing a tiny smile. "We need to have some girl time." She tilted her head down and rocked Chappu, soothing the wailing baby back into a contented doze. "You don't mind, do you, Chappu?" she asked, her voice softening into the cadence of motherhood.

Rikku sat back on her heels, watching them and tamping down on her urge to fidget.

I wanted this, she thought, a brief flash of jealousy grasping her. It left as quickly as it came, leaving a lingering aftermath of pain in its wake, the tingle of an old wound stirred. There wasn't any use dwelling on it, though. Six years was a long time to be nursing a grudge, and Auron hadn't asked for her to spend her time being bitter.

Still, even thinking his name made something inside her ache with regret.

"You know," Lulu said as she gently laid the slumbering baby to rest in the wicker crib. "Yuna's been worried about you. I can't blame her. You've been… distracted." Lulu's voice was soft, careful not to wake the baby, but some of the steel returned as she sat back and directed a thoughtful look towards Rikku. "You're not a child anymore, Rikku, even if you act like one."

"Hey! Are you calling me immature?" Rikku shot back, her fierce words completely neutered by the subdued tone she relayed them in, mindful of the sleeping baby. "I'm twenty-six already! I do not act like a child!"

"Really," Lulu whispered, amusement sparking. "Then why are you always competing with Vidina to see who's the better blitzer? He's ten, Rikku. There's no glory in besting a ten-year-old at a game."

Rikku felt her lower lip jutting out in a pout and quickly sucked it back in. The smirk on Lulu's face told her the other woman had already noticed, though. "He's good for a ten-year-old, you know? It's not as easy as you make it out to be. Dina really could have a future in Luca!"

"I'm aware, and I try not to think about it," Lulu sighed. "But I didn't ask you to come here to discuss my oldest son's prospects as professional blitzball player."

"Yeah, I thought you asked me to come here to meet your youngest son," Rikku said, staring at Chappu with a wistful gaze. "He's beautiful."

"Thank you," Lulu smiled. "And I did. But I also wanted to ask you why you're still here."

Rikku leaned back on her stool, tearing her attention away from the baby to slouch and fold her arms over her chest, giving Lulu her best unimpressed stare. "You want me out that badly? Is that it?"

Sighing, Lulu folded a patterned blanket over her son, swaddling him tightly. "Nothing of the sort," she said as she worked. "You'll always be welcome here." She glanced up from Chappu to peer at Rikku. "You're family."

… continued in "Ad Vitam Eaternam" (Fanfiction dot net, AO3, Sufficient Velocity)