! Mature Content Warning ! ! Please note this is NOT a warning for smut !

Chapter 10: Temple of Wind

A drop of sweat rolled off Rikku's forehead and splattered onto the stone circle beneath her fingertips. Her heart fluttered. She worried it might disrupt the painstaking magic she was casting, but her trembling fingers stilled and she continued chanting without losing her focus.

We can do this.

Braska's presence surrounded her, comforting and bolstering all at once. She'd grown used to it; they'd been at this for what seemed like hours. Her lips continued to form words she didn't understand, leeching the power out of her soul and into the inert stone. To her relief, the runes finally lit up when she finished. The pyreflies drifting around the Chamber fell into the hole beneath the cloth seals with a shriek, just as they'd done in Kilika.

Sitting back, Rikku took a few deep breaths and mopped her face dry. "That was more exhausting than sleeping with you," she complained, rolling to her feet and wobbling to one side. The whisper of a laugh caressed her ears.

How long was I down here? Somehow, she dredged up the energy to call a flame to her hand so she could fumble her way out of the darkened Cloister. It was definitely a longer time than it had been in Kilika. Valefor's magic circle was almost completely obliterated, and she'd had to construct most of the seal from scratch. When she finally managed to activate the switch at the top of the stairs, it slid up to reveal Auron. He was leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the corridor, waiting for her.

"Did you have your fun?" His eyebrow lifted and his lips twitched in amusement, taking in her bedraggled appearance.

"Oh sure. Sealing entrances to the Farplane is a real joyride," she grumped, shutting the wall behind her. "The only thing I want to see right now is my bed. I feel like I could sleep for a million years." Her feet dragged against the ground and she collapsed into his arms, stifling a yawn. "How'd your talk with Yunie go? And what time is it anyway?"

"It was… fulfilling." He set her back on her feet. "We came to an understanding. And night fell several hours ago. You took longer in there than you did in Kilika," he observed. "Almost the entire village has turned in for the evening. We should join them."

"Sorry." She rubbed her sore eyes. "The Chamber of the Fayth was in worse shape here. Do you wanna know what I was doing?"

"I have a rough idea," he replied, pushing open the doors to the antechamber.

There was a soft thunk, and she flinched as something warm and wet splattered across her face. "Eww! What was th—" Her words died out as Auron crumpled to the ground.

Reflexively, she pulled her arms together, wrists and elbows touching, summoning a Shield before dropping to her knees. The barrier flashed a few times as multiple projectiles struck against it. "Auron!" She rolled him over.

His eye was glazed, his mouth working soundlessly as dark liquid trickled out of his mouth. The haft of a dagger was deeply embedded into the side of his throat, and the amount of blood spilling from the wound sent her into a panic. She kept one arm up, trying to maintain her shield while she fished frantically through her pouches for a potion.

Finding one, she ripped the cork off with her teeth and set it on the ground, struggling to work one-handed. Her fist closed around the handle of the knife and she yanked it out. A fountain of blood sprayed from his neck in an arc, and she cursed. Grabbing the potion, she dumped it over the wound and then clapped her fingers against it, trying to seal and stem the red tide that continued to ooze out. Her heart climbed back down from her throat when his bleeding slowed, and then eventually stopped. Everything around – herself included – was drenched in too much of it to be healthy or even survivable by then.

"Auron!" She searched desperately for another potion, hyperventilating.

"Lusa xieadmo un cryna rec vyda!"

Rikku looked up in shock, spotting twin globes of orange light floating across from them in the darkness of the antechamber. She recognized them a moment later; the glow of activated machina from Al Bhed night goggles. Multiple points of light lit up throughout the temple, and she realized there was much more than just one assassin present.

"Berrik," her voice came out in a low hiss as the Godhand formed around her wrist. She crouched over Auron, shielding his body with her own as she tried to assess the dark room. Jecht's voice came to her in a flash of inspiration, slowing her racing thoughts.

"These bodies of ours can do whatever we want 'em to."

Auron was still motionless below her, and the part of her that cared about clinging to her humanity seemed to be dying alongside him. Her eyes sharpened and the temple came into focus with startling clarity. There were sixteen Al Bhed men and women in the room – Berrik wasn't taking any chances. They weren't using guns, she realized with surprise; taking in their dark clothing, she guessed they were trying to avoid alerting the rest of the village to their operation.

Her arm was beginning to shake from the force of maintaining her Shield, which the assassins watched with patient wariness. Her reputation as a master Garment Grid user was well-known and they were exercising caution, trying to wait out her supposed magic power.

Nausea swept through her; she felt hollowed out, still weak from restoring the magic circle in the Chamber of the Fayth. Her teeth ground together in frustration. Considering how little energy she had left, they were using a pretty sound tactic. Taking a deep breath, she tried to marshal her reserves for an assault. Auron shifted below her, breaking her concentration.

"You're okay?!"

He sat up slowly, brushing her off and feeling his neck. Taking in her appearance, his face darkened, and he pushed away the second potion she tried to give him. "Keep it," he rumbled, his voice thick. "I can't die twice."

A murmur rippled through the room as Auron struggled to his feet, one hand on his knee. He staggered, but his gaze locked onto the closest assassin. "Stay behind your shield." It was the only warning he gave before stepping outside of her protective bubble.

"Auron, no—" she yelled, but it was too late. His opponent leapt forward, bayonet in hand.

Auron was faster, lifting one leg high and using his heel to slam the weapon to the ground with a clatter. His assailant lurched, off-balance, and Auron reached out to grab the man's chest with both hands. He hurled his captive into the crowd of Al Bhed, knocking several of them to the floor. A woman he'd missed rushed forward with a dagger, trying to take advantage of the confusion. Auron whirled to meet her, his arm raised high.

The woman's charge stopped. "Ruf?" she gasped, sliding to the floor while grasping her split chest, the shock on her face plain to see. The Masamune that was now in Auron's outstretched hand seemed to absorb what little light could be found in the room.

Auron threw himself forward before the woman's body hit the ground, thrusting his sword into the surprised soldier who'd been standing next to her. The huge man dropped his hammer and grabbed the katana to stop it from piercing further into him, but Auron's eye blazed with cold fury. Blood dripped to the ground from the Al Bhed's hands as Auron slid the blade in ever so slowly, gouging through his adversary's abdomen inch by inch. When the man began to make odd, breathy noises of pain, Auron stopped and violently twisted his sword while pulling it out. The man collapsed onto his knees, staring at the gaping hole in his stomach while gurgling. The thud that sounded when his body hit the ground echoed loudly through the room.

Horrified silence descended in the temple; Auron turned to face the rest of the assassins. His features had grown sharper, looking more and more inhuman, and his lone eye was emitting a faint glow.

Whispers arose as several of the remaining attackers stepped back uncertainly. "Tasuh!" "Ihcahd!"

"I am tonight," Auron promised them darkly, twirling his sword around. The blood sloughed off of the blade from the motion, splattering against the floor with a wet plop.

Rikku put her hand over her mouth as he stalked forward, searching for his next victim. She felt sick. His movements were certain; she knew she was seeing a part of him that he'd never wanted to show anyone again. This was the reason he'd risen to the number one position in the Warrior-Monks; this was how he'd secured the title of Mika's pet assassin for himself. He hadn't been trained to fight fiends.

There was no longer any beauty to his sword forms; his movements were brutal and efficient. He ducked low as two of the Al Bhed rushed him. Wielding his sword like a club, he thwacked them solidly in the legs. The crunch of breaking bones filled the air. As they howled in pain and collapsed to the floor, he strode through them and swung his arm back and forth, almost as if he were trying to loosen up his shoulders for a stretch. Showers of blood followed the motion, though; he'd disemboweled them efficiently while they were off-guard.

Several of the Al Bhed whispered nervously among themselves, clearing a wide berth around him. Auron pointed the Masamune at one of them, sliding his foot back into a sword stance.

The woman shook, and then lifted her own weapon – an electric whip of some sort. She tried to twirl her arm overhead to lash at him. Auron pounced before she could complete the rotation, bringing his sword down in an arc that cleaved her wrist from her forearm. She screamed, looking at the bloody stump, and Auron's katana sang as it sliced through her body, ensuring it was the last sound she made.

As he stepped away another warrior threw himself at Auron's exposed back, twin axes raised high. Rikku yelled out a warning and Auron spun on his heel, his arm outstretched in an upward slash that caught his challenger mid-flight across the throat.

Continuing the momentum of his spin, Auron rushed forward with a wordless roar, swinging his sword wildly back and forth to break apart the others before they could think of ganging up on him. Two of them still decided to rush him together, but Auron wheeled and caught them with one sweeping slice, cutting them both down at once. The tip of his sword hit the stone floor with a loud clang, and when he looked up, half of his face was smeared red with Al Bhed blood.

The cloying smell of death permeated the temple, and Rikku pushed herself shakily to her feet. Auron had already felled half of the assassins Berrik sent after them, and the rest looked like they were considering abandoning their mission. Soft sobs and curses filled the room, the gasps and groans of the dying. Many of the remaining Al Bhed were trembling.

I have to stop him. "Auron!" She stood, but another assassin chose that moment to hurl himself off of a high summoner's statue towards Auron's head. Jerkily, Auron swept the Masamune upwards, and his would-be ambusher hit the ground in two pieces.

"Stay behind your Shield!" he snapped at Rikku, and she recoiled from the fury dripping from his voice.

Someone assaulted him from behind while he was speaking to her. Auron whirled and drove the man off with a wild slash of his sword. His attacker scooted away but Auron followed, chasing him around another statue. His footsteps slowed as he trapped the man against the wall, stalking inexorably forward, the nightmarish vision of a grim reaper.

Shuddering, the man struck out with his spear. Auron batted the hit away with his katana, slicing off the spearhead in the process. He reached out and caught the flying scrap of metal in mid-air. Twisting it around his fingers deftly, he adjusted his grip, and then threw the spearhead back. It flew with such force that it pierced straight through the night goggles, shattering them, and nailed the man's head against the wall.

Gagging, one of the other Al Bhed leaned over to retch. Ignoring her plight, Auron lunged forward and drove his sword through her chest, ending her convulsions gruesomely.

"Vunkad dra bnehlacc!" one of the remaining assassins cried out. "Fa lyhhud mad drec paycd aclyba!"

There was a murmur of assent from the other Al Bhed, and one of them charged at Auron with a war cry. Auron sped up to meet him, ducking and rolling completely out of the way, only to cut the legs out from under another opponent. As he rose smoothly to his feet, he swung his sword around without looking backwards, catching the first one who'd rushed at him across the throat and face.

A woman screamed and tried to leap onto Auron's back; he quickly reversed his sword and let her impale herself on it instead.

The last two Al Bhed traded a glance, and then split apart. They raced towards him at the same time from opposite sides. Auron pulled his sword free of the body with a wet schlunk and swayed, skipping backwards as he tried to block both of them simultaneously. After the slaughter they'd witnessed, however, neither of his enemies was eager to close in on him. He fended them off with ease, a look of annoyance crossing his face.

When one of them decided to try their luck with a lunge, Auron slung his sword out and whirled, knocking the staff free of the woman's hands. He lifted a leg up to propel his parry into a spin that flowed into an upward slash, slicing through his other antagonist from hip to shoulder. He stopped the spin by planting both feet on the ground and brought the Masamune squarely onto his last foe's back, completing his rotation and crushing the assassin to the ground in the process.

Silence descended as the last of the Al Bhed clinging on to life bled out. Auron stood amidst the carnage, his back to her, shoulders heaving as he breathed heavily. It couldn't have been more than two minutes since he'd stepped through her Shield, yet the temple had been utterly transformed in that short amount of time. Blood and offal slicked the floor and slathered the walls. Mutilated bodies lay scattered everywhere, like a macabre sculpture. Not a single assassin had managed to leave alive.

"Auron," Rikku whispered, picking her way through the mess. He whirled on her, his sword out, and she balked. His fanged teeth were bared, and his face, though recognizable, was just a little too sharp. His one eye blinked, glowing yellow. Lowering his sword, he leaned forward, inhaling deeply as though he was scenting her.

The door to the temple banged open and Tidus rushed in, Caladbolg in hand. Though he was wearing his full suit of armor, Rikku was thankful to see he didn't have wings. Said armor was liberally streaked with blood that she was sure wasn't his.

"Yunie?!" she cried.

"She's fine!" He stopped short, staring in shock at the bodies strewn all around him. "What happened here?"

Auron whirled to face him and roared, answering the question.

Tidus blanched and kicked the temple doors shut behind him, wedging his sword against them to prevent anyone else from coming in. Rikku heard Lulu's indignant shout sound outside. "What's wrong with him?" he asked, holding his hands up in appeasement as he circled around Auron.

"An ambush happened! They tried to kill him, and now he's losing himself!" She couldn't say it; she couldn't bear to think she might be responsible for turning Auron into a fiend.

Tidus's face grew grim, though he shot a sympathetic glance towards her as he approached. "This isn't your fault. It's not every day we get visits from murderous kidnappers."

"You're not freaking out?"

"My old man was Sin, remember?" He edged closer to her, nearly tripping over a body. "Wow. Yuna only got four of them. Holy crap, Rikku."

Auron chose that moment to snarl and lunge forward, apparently displeased with Tidus's proximity to her.

"Whoa!" Tidus yelled, dodging out of the way. He was still faster than Auron, at least. When the other man missed, Tidus reached out and hooked his arms underneath Auron's, grappling him and dragging him backwards.

Auron twisted and struggled, fighting to break free. With a pressurized hiss, Tidus's boots widened and sunk into the ground, cracking the stone beneath him and binding them in place.

"Do something!" Tidus yelled at her, wincing and ducking away from Auron's wild slashes as he held him down.

Rikku focused while crouching, watching Auron flounder and snarl against Tidus's hold. Her eyes tracked the Masamune, dark and dangerous and still in his hand. She counted off the milliseconds between his flailing swings. Then, steeling herself, she rushed in, ducking under the sword. Throwing her arms around his neck, she planted a rushed kiss onto his lips. Their teeth clacked, but she ignored it and tightened her grip.

If fiends are ruled by passion, she thought, struggling to keep herself flush against his body, then I'll fill him with something other than a lust for battle.

"Oh-kaaay," Tidus yelped, releasing Auron and throwing himself out of the fray.

It was working; rather than continuing to struggle, Auron dropped his sword and wrapped his arms around her, eagerly meeting her kiss. His tongue forced its way into her mouth, and she made a small noise of protest.

"Uh, Rikku? That wasn't what I meant by 'do something'!"

Auron broke away from her long enough to let out a low, warning snarl. Then he grabbed the back of her head and forced her lips back down onto his.

"Please tell me you have a plan other than making out with him," Tidus begged.

She tore herself away and gasped for breath, stretching her neck out for display so Auron would latch onto it instead of her lips. She winced as she felt the prick of his teeth and his hot breath wash over her jugular and forced herself to still. "At least he's not trying to kill us right now!" Auron's hands clamped around her hips, pulling her with him to the ground. His clawed fingers pierced into her sides, drawing blood. "I don't know how to bring him back!"

"Look, I'm gonna have to knock him out if you can't get him under control," Tidus warned, his face pale. "He's hurting you."

She hissed as Auron's fingers dug even deeper, opening slashes along both of her hips. "I know," she puffed. "I know, but I don't know what else I can do!"

There is something you can do.

A feeling of eerie calm descended over her, and her body relaxed.

Let me help him.

She acquiesced, letting go and giving herself over to Braska's now-familiar presence. Her arms loosened and dropped to her sides, dragging along the floor.

"Rikku! Your eyes…"

Tidus's voice was distant; she couldn't even feel the pain of Auron's teeth sinking into her shoulder, or his hands tearing at her hips. Her fingers flexed, anointing themselves in the blood spilled all around them. Then her arms lifted, and she began to trace a pattern over his shoulder. She could feel Braska guiding her hands to scribe bloody runes all across Auron's back. When she finished, she pulled away.

Auron growled in protest until she straddled him; then he lay back, panting harshly as he let her push him to the ground. She leaned over him, continuing to paint over the front of his chest while he bucked beneath her. His wandering fingers left lacerations wherever they traced, but she ignored them, focusing on finishing the runes. As soon as the circle was complete, she cupped his face with both of her hands and started chanting lowly.

Spots flashed before her eyes; she knew in theory she couldn't die from blood loss, but she was nearing the end of her last reserves of power and felt her consciousness wavering. Auron frotting mindlessly against her wasn't helping the ritual at all, either. He tore at her skirt as she finally completed the chant. The power escaped her in a rush, lighting the runes on his body. Auron convulsed, letting out an ear-piercing shriek.

Rikku hung on, slamming her hands onto his shoulders and locking her legs around his hips, trying to hold him down. After a few agonizing moments, his struggles slowed and his punishing grip finally loosened. His features melted back into their familiar planes and angles, the otherworldly sharpness bleeding away. What was left behind was a man who looked just as wane and exhausted as she felt. His one russet eye fluttered open and focused on her.

"Did I win?" he asked hoarsely.

She laughed shakily. "Yeah. You did this time." Unable to keep herself upright, she slid off of him.

"Rikku!" Tidus caught her before she could land in an undignified heap on the filthy, blood-splattered ground. "Hey, are you normal again?" he asked Auron, placing himself between them.

Auron's eye widened and he sat up, looking at her, taking in her injuries. His face paled. "Did I do this?" he asked hoarsely.

Rikku pushed herself out of Tidus's grasp and reached out to cup his face. "You saved me," she insisted, unwilling to let him draw his own conclusions. "They tried to kill you, but you saved me anyway."

"I hurt you." He put his hands on her injured hips and murmured. A Cure spell washed over her, and then another, and another. He kept going even after he'd closed all of her visible wounds, casting and re-casting what little white magic he knew.

"Stop." She caught his shaking hands and held them still. "I'm fine. I'm just tired. Heal yourself instead."

He shook his head, his voice laced with bitterness. "I did this to you."

The doors to the temple rattled and Tidus grimaced. "I need to let Lulu and Yuna in before they blow a hole into the walls." He took another look at the massacre, then back at them. "Are you guys gonna be okay with that?"

Auron dropped his head, silent, and Rikku drew him closer. "Yeah. We need Yunie. Someone's gotta Send all these people or they'll come back as fiends." She looked at Auron, who'd flinched at the word. "Can you help me up?"

Tidus pulled them both to their feet. His blood-stained armor vanished into a pair of pajamas and his sword reappeared in his hand. As soon as that happened, the temple doors flew open.

Lulu staggered in, followed closely by Yuna; they were both disheveled and also dressed in their nightgowns. A distant part of her mind – the one that was probably in shock – was vaguely amused that Lulu's sleepwear was less revealing that her day corset. Her more rational voice was reminding her that now was probably not the right time to be thinking about Lulu's ample chest.

"Lulu!" Tidus shouted, running up to them with his arms spread wide. "Don't let Yuna in here!"

Lulu opened her mouth to protest but then froze, her nostrils flaring. It was clear she couldn't see much in the darkness of the temple interior, but the smell wafting out of the antechamber was unmistakable. She turned abruptly and pushed Yuna outside. "Stay there. Don't look!" she said harshly.

"Lulu?" Yuna sounded confused; thankfully she obeyed Lulu's instructions as the black mage slammed the doors shut once again.

Then, light flared as Lulu waved her hands, igniting all of the braziers in the Temple simultaneously. She took one look around and stepped back, her eyes wide. "Dear Yevon," she whispered. Then she focused on Rikku and Auron. "Did you two do all of this?"

Rikku took a peek at Auron and then nodded. "They tried to kill us."

Auron didn't reply, his head still ducked low.

Lulu pushed herself off of the door. "I'm glad I left Wakka with the children. He wouldn't be able to stomach this." She dropped her face into her hands and took a deep breath, her shoulders hitching. When she raised her head, the cold detachment had returned to her expression, and her voice no longer shook. She took charge immediately, pointing. "Tidus. Go home and bring me your bedsheets." Her eyes skimmed over the corpses. "… All of them. Take Yuna along. Don't leave her alone for one minute." She paused and then sighed. "And ask her to perform a Sending outside before you come back in."

"Yes ma'am," Tidus said, glancing back at them before exiting the Temple.

Squaring her shoulders, Lulu faced them. "Yuna was also attacked. Tidus stopped them before anything could happen, but this…" She was speechless for a moment, gesturing helplessly at their surroundings. "This is unprecedented, to say the least." She shut her eyes. "I don't want to know how you managed to defeat all of them, or why it was so… brutal. But you need to be gone before Yuna dances." She eyed them critically, then lifted her hand.

A blast of cold water rained over them from above, sluicing away the more obvious bloodstains on their skin and clothing. "Bathe before you sleep. And…" She paused, calculating, then narrowed her eyes. "You need to find their ship, Rikku. Tonight, if possible. We can't let this get out. Besaid isn't ready to be pulled into a war."

Nodding wearily, Rikku kept herself from reaching out to hug the other woman. "Thanks, Lulu. I don't know what we'd do without you."

"Don't thank me yet," Lulu grumbled, picking her way gingerly through the bodies and viscera, pausing periodically to cast wateras to clear the path for her bare feet. "If this is how badly Berrik wants to get his hands on you, I can't let you stay here." She stopped, staring at them. "I'm sorry, Rikku. I know this is your home. But Chappu and Vidina…" Her voice cracked.

"No, I know. I have to deal with this personally. Berrik's gone too far." She turned and bumped herself against Auron's shoulder. "Let's go."

They limped out of the temple, Auron half-dragging her. A few people in the village had stirred, roused by the noise, but Rikku waved them back inside with a fake smile. "It's fine! I caused a little accident at the temple, but Lulu's taking care of it." That seemed to appease the stragglers, who returned to their beds with good-natured grumbles. She wondered if that spoke more for her reputation, or for Lulu's.

"Are you gonna give me the silent treatment all night?" she whispered to Auron.

He stopped, looking at her. Then with a shake of his head, he reached down and scooped her into his arms, carrying her down the rest of the dirt path. "Where do you want to go?"

She leaned into his chest, her head feeling heavy. "Take me to the lagoon," she murmured, falling into a light doze.

The feel of water trickling over her skin snapped her back awake; she was nearly naked, and Auron was carefully bathing her, washing away all traces of the remaining blood left on her skin. Most of it, she realized, was his. She blinked and looked around, recognizing the lagoon. Her clothes were damp and had been spread out to dry on the rocky shelf behind them. "Hey. Are you alright?"

Auron's hands stopped, wrapped around her ankle. "Of course not. But I'm not sorry I killed those men and women. I only regret that I hurt you in the process." He resumed his slow, deliberate motions. "Perhaps that is what's really wrong with me." He scrubbed a bit of dried blood off of her calf. "I can't stay here with you. I'm losing myself." He met her eyes. "Maybe Cid was right. I'm only a dark shadow of the man you loved."

She fell silent, biting her lip. "They hurt you first. Berrik wanted you dead! If you weren't already an Unsent, you really would've died." She pushed him away with her foot. "You can't let him win."

Auron leaned back, staring at her. "This isn't about Berrik. I'm becoming a fiend, slowly but surely. You could barely stop me this time." He shook his head. "This is no way for either of us to live. I must return to the Farplane, where I belong."

She turned away from him, hiding her face. "Anyone who said three times is a charm is a lying liar. I don't want to lose you again."

"You will anyway at this rate," he pointed out, continuing with her bath.

Sighing, she grabbed him and pulled him into the shallow water with her. They came up splashing, and Rikku wrapped her arms and legs around him like a jellyfish. "I'm surprisingly good at hanging on to the things I like."

He held her up, staring into her eyes. "I know. I'll stay with you until Macalania. Once you give this eidolon to Jecht, my mission will be complete. That is as far as I can go."

She tightened her arms around him. "Fine. For now. But if I think of something before then, you better promise to let me try it." It was a brazen bluff, but she wouldn't allow herself to think of the alternative.

He huffed a weary laugh, obviously not convinced that she'd be able to save him. "As you wish."

She leaned over and kissed him, savoring the feel of having him in her arms. I'll make you eat those words, she promised fiercely. I won't let you go this time.

A/N:

Abilities Used: Shield (FFX, aeon-specific)

Al Bhed translations:

Lusa xieadmo un cryna rec vyda! = "Come quietly or share his fate!"
Ruf? = "How?"
Tasuh! Ihcahd! = "Demon!" "Unsent!"
Vunkad dra bnehlacc! Fa lyhhud mad drec paycd aclyba! = "Forget the princess! We cannot let this beast escape!"