*****************************************

The soft powdery sand against her back and warm sunshine that shone down upon her face made Rikku feel as if she were back home.. back in the Al Bhed capital where she'd lived so happily before it was reduced to ruins in a vicious attack some six years previous.

It was times like this, she'd be enjoying the beauty that the day had brought with it and suddenly be swept up in a tide of bittersweet memories. Recalling the good times and the bad in that place where she'd lived all her life - her home... and the things that made it that way, her friends... and family.

At twenty-two years of age Rikku still hadn't ridded herself of the pain of losing her brother on that fateful day so long ago, the hurt she felt still remained as fresh in her heart as if it had happened only yesterday. She often wondered why it had to have happened to her... --why do the things we love have to be taken so cruelly away from us? ...why?--

It hadn't just been her brother who caused her heart so much pain from the loss. There were others as well, and one in particular... that she could never express her feelings over even in the very last hour - at least, not in front of everyone.

Shifting slightly, Rikku turned to stare over to where Yuna was setting out a picnic lunch for them all. It was the first time in several months that Yuna had managed to get some time off from her duties on the board of Spira, so Rikku had suggested that they all (Wakka, Lulu, Yuna and herself) have a relaxing picnic - something which they had all agreed was a great idea for catching up with each other.

For the entire first year after Tidus had left them all, Yuna seemed to be a mere shadow of her former self, lacking the strength and much of the motivation she'd had during her pilgrimage. Neglecting some of her duties was a frequent happening during that time, something which scared Rikku sometimes - all of it had been so unlike her cousin. Love had a way of making people act in strange ways, and Yuna was no exception when the lack of it arose.

But now Yuna was back to her old ways, stronger and surer of her duties than ever before. Spira was being led forward by two delicate, but very capable hands, and the populous seemed perfectly happy with this new change.

Wakka was nearby as well, throwing his blitzball at something caught in the foliage of the tree under which he stood. Since the defeat of Sin, Wakka had gotten back to training with the Besaid Aurochs - as their captain. His team had won most every game they had played since - save one or two that were very narrow losses indeed. The thing that seemed to get up Wakka's nose above all else was how cocksure the Luca Goers captain - Bickson - was that the Aurochs were merely on a "lucky streak", and that it would end soon enough. Supposingly this rival team had a few aces up their sleeves, something that had unnerved Wakka to the point were his once passionate hatred for the Al Bhed was all but a distant memory in comparison.

Than there was the black mage, Lulu, who was standing off to one side and studying an old book she held carefully. Seeming to have finally left her grievances over Chappu behind, she now taught her magic to a small group of apprentices in Bevelle. All of the people who came in contact with Lulu seemed to truly respect her - reacting with awe over her cool disposition and collected demeanor no matter what a situation might demand of her. Rikku had never known Lulu to be anything but sophisticated and self-assured, but over the course of just a few years her wisdom had grown to the point to which it may well have rivaled that of the legendary guardian himself... Auron.

Shaking her head to rid herself of the unwanted memories that had surfaced at the remembrance of a certain older man, Rikku rose to her feet and began to slowly make her way along the sandy shore of the Moonflow. Her toes sank into the saturated ground on which she walked with a cool pleasantness, allowing her thoughts to drift somewhat.
Her swirling green eyes felt themselves unable to resist the single yearning look she flashed out across the wide and flowing expanse she bordered on, longing to spy a certain solitary figure emerging to fill the void in her heart... yet knowing it could never be.

The feelings she had felt... during her time as Yuna’s guardian, alongside him... were indescribable. For a time she had dismissed them as nothing but a hidden awe or secret crush she held... and hoped he would return in his own way. Of course, he never did. It was unimaginable for a man with such sophistication to ever look at Rikku as anything but a young, inexperienced girl... who probably had no idea what she was getting herself into. It was uncanny how she could go from moments of feeling unbearable desire, to ones of unreserved outrage in a mere word spouted forth from his lips. It had enraged her that he could have that effect on her, and with it make her look like a mere child - unable to control her own emotions over something considered a trivial matter by most. Yet... despite all of this, she knew that a part of her being was left strangely empty without Auron to fill it. Rikku had felt it, the desperation deep in her heart as she'd watched Auron’s existence fade into nothingness before her very eyes. A longing to push past anyone who stood in her way and refuse to let him go... declare what she had known at that very moment. Rikku had loved Auron, it was as simple as that.

As the memories played out in her a vivid quilt of recollection, Rikku dropped to her knees in the sand and buried her face in her hands. It was all just too much to bear. --Why can't there be a way to bring him back?-- She wondered desperately in her anguish.

'I know it hurts…,' Came a quiet voice from somewhere behind the weeping Al Bhed.

Rikku turned around without bothering to wipe her eyes, peering up through her veil of tears to the dark visage that was Lulu.

'..But the pain will lessen over time.' the black mage continued. Although her voice remained as monotone as ever, Rikku could see a look of gentle compassion briefly shine in the older woman’s eyes as she spoke - perhaps understanding from the time of her own sorrows over Chappu. 'You mustn't let your losses corrupt the heart, just as you know it is better to accept that to wish for things beyond the power of change is futile. Accept that what has happened, has happened... and move on with your life, Rikku.' The Al Bhed turned from Lulu and shook her head quickly.

'If we hadn't have gone against that very rule, Yunie would have ended up dying just like her father did! You know?' Rikku began weeping softly again, 'I'm not saying that this is the same... but you wouldn't be saying that at all if there was a chance to bring back Chappu!' Once the words had slipped out of her mouth, Rikku immediately regretted them. Lulu’s eyes flashed darkly, silently showing her anger at the remark, but instead of retorting she simply turned her back and walked away.

Rikku felt terrible. --Me and my big mouth!-- She thought angrily, --Chappu is still a sensitive subject with Lulu - despite the fact that she doesn't feel that destructive remorse over his death anymore... to say that there was possibly a chance to bring him back and that Lulu just hadn't bothered to find it was truly horrible of me. Besides... she was just trying to comfort me....--

Rikku rested her chin on her knees and wrapped her arms around her legs, staring out over the Moonflow at the pyreflies silent dance. She often felt mesmerized by the way they would dip and rise, creating the most intricate patterns and murals with the light that trailed behind them - but tonight it was different. Although she watched them as she usually did, her mind was awash with thoughts of the past.

It was unclear as to what exactly convinced her to clamber to her feet and walk towards the edge of the Moonflow. All Rikku knew was that she couldn't go on any longer with the burden of Auron’s absence weighing in her mind and heart . So with one final look back in the direction of Yuna and the others, who were concealed from view by a cluster of trees, Rikku dived into the murky Moonflow.. and disappeared.

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Chapter Two: 'Unexpected Agony'
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Everytime I close my eyes,
The visions reappear,
And when I wake up you're not near..
Could you fall in love with me at all?
'Cause all I see is you -
Everytime I close my eyes...
~ a slightly altered (by me) "Everytime I Close My Eyes" by Vanessa Amarosi! ~
**********************************

The first thing Rikku noticed when she finally came to was that her mouth was completely filled with some thick gooey substance, she tried to open her eyes only to find that she was completely surrounded by murkiness. --Am I... dead?-- She wondered silently, feeling her stomach flutter as the thought crossed her mind. She could hardly move through whatever it was she was submerged in and felt her lungs slowly begin to ache from lack of oxygen. --I can't be!--

As if triggered by that single frantic thought, all her previous actions came flooding back into her memory, reminding her that she had taken the plunge into the Moonflow. Now the question was... how to get out!

Much to Rikku's relief, she felt one of her knees make contact with some sort of rough surface - most probably the Moonflow’s shoreline. Pulling cupped palms through the darkness, Rikku soon found the sufficient grip to pull herself forward and out of the gooiness.

Crawling on all fours, cough after cough was painfully wracked from the Al Bhed’s body - sending the slimy dark liquid that had filled her mouth out onto the ground in front of her in thickly congealed globs. Despite the urge to hurl that her body was signaling so blatantly, Rikku swallowed it back along with the sour taste in her mouth, and shakily rose to her feet.

Everything seemed just as it had been before she'd taken the initial leap into the Moonflow... but as she narrowed her eyes a little more and took a closer look...

Was it just her imagination?

No, the trees where definitely not as tall as she had remembered them to be... and where once a thicket grew densely concealing the picnic area from view completely - there where merely a few thin stringy saplings, their bare branches swaying uncertainly in the slight breeze that whispered past.

And where were Yuna and the others? Shouldn’t Rikku be able to hear them from where she stood? Wakka's consistent thumping at the branches of that tree... heaven knows what for, and Yuna’s delighted laughter as she watched him? Obviously Lulu was the last person she expected to see at this time... but she almost wished that the black mage would appear - even if it meant her face carried that dark look she flashed when she was angry....

But nothing. Silence was Rikku's only companion.

Taking slow steps away from the beach and up onto the grassy verge, dismay clouded her mind as she noted that not only were all of her friends absent from view, but also, any indication of them being there was completely inevident.

--Where are they all?-- Rikku wondered with a slight pout, --did they leave me here and go somewhere??-- She shook her head in conclusion to this, --No way, Yunie would never do that!-- Than a thought struck her. --What if they were attacked by fiends... and... didn't make it?--

Positive that her mind was being overrun by negative thoughts, she began to jog along the nearby path a little, searching for any sign of her friends and calling out their names as she did. When this proved in vain, Rikku began to ponder the possibility that perhaps they had left without her after all. But why?

Suddenly the worried Al Bhed heard a faint rustling in the bushes nearby, causing some stray leaves to be shaken off onto the surrounding grass before shriveling into small mounds of smoldering ash and making Rikku whirl to face the event.

With narrowed eyes and a quickened heartbeat, she slipped into her attacking stance, bunching her delicate fists tightly and allowing the sun to gleam brightly off the brassy Kaiser knuckles she wore.

Sure enough, no sooner had she made herself ready for the assumed onslaught than she was faced with the burning glare of a Bomb fiend.

Long sharp teeth gnashed threateningly at this human who dared to stand up against it, a silent indication that this monster had no intention of letting Rikku exit the attack alive. Its startling blue eyes seemed to taunt her from their place set far back in the fiends round body.

Calling upon a spell that Yuna had taught her some years previous, Rikku was soon being circled by the bright orange protective orb that was NulBlaze. She'd had the experience of being sufficiently scalded once before, and the experience had taught her well.

Usually Rikku wouldn't find killing a Bomb the slightest ordeal, but as it was she was already weakened from her struggle in the Moonflow, not to mention the frantic search for Yuna, Wakka and Lulu. Rikku could already feel the fatigue start to take its toll on her mind and body, slowing her movements and fogging her concentration.

Her first swipe at the Bomb resulted in a mere nicking of the fiends resilient exterior, and it's almost immediate retaliation was unexpected.

Surprised as she was, the ball of flame that struck her at full force pearled off her elemental shield as water does to oil, allowing her to make the next more successful move unscathed.

The injured fiend spilled forth a rippling screech as Rikku’s sharp weapon cut deeply into its bobbing great body, oddly enough setting a few tiny spirals of flame floating to the sandy earth over which it hovered - a Bombs equivalent of blood.

Enraged that such a young and weak-looking human could cause so much damage with a single stroke, it gathered up all of it's efforts into a single point between the two glowering blue eyes it possessed - unleashing an elemental attack that Rikku had never expected.

Oh yes, it was fire - but no ordinary flaming ball as per usual. Instead, the fiend cast it's built up energy in the form of a solid column of fire. There was no escape for Rikku. She tried desperately to dodge it, even throwing herself to the ground as a last resort - hoping it would roll right over her. No luck.

The pain was unbearable. It sizzled against her tender exposed skin and ripped a scream from her agonized body, engulfing her in the atmosphere that hell alone could wield. The view that met her painfully sore eyes was that of a wall of pure flame. Would that be her very last vision before she plunged into eternal darkness? It may well have been.

Triumph was the fiends very last sustained emotion before its efforts caused it's very own self-destruction, exploding into a flurry of scorching projectiles and pyreflies. Some of the bombs elemental innards came to rest close to where Rikku was sprawled - the flames having died down mostly and leaving her within an inch of her life.

She lay where she had fallen, her agony so great that she could hardly move. Her throat was parched, tongue swollen and all over her war-torn skin shone with an angry vermilion. So there she remained, breathing shallowly and screwing her eyes shut tightly against what she was feeling. Would there ever be relief from the waves of dizziness that swept over her? Even death was better than the silent torture she underwent.

It seemed eternity passed before she heard some voices in the distance, gradually growing louder as they drew closer. Any attempt Rikku made to signal her presence resulted in a hushed groan as soon as her lips parted to voice the words; therefore she merely waited for their approach and listened to their now quite clearly understandable words.

'..Remarkable creatures really,' one was saying. 'It's an unforgettable experience!' A rough mumble and hearty laugh came in response.

Even in Rikku's barely conscious state... did she pick up on an oddly familiar voice amongst the others?

'Trust Braska to get this excited over some big, dumb animal!'

***************************************
Chapter Three: 'Undisguised Outrage'
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It's amazing...
How you make your face just like a wall,
How you take your heart and turn it off,
How I turn my head and lose it all...
~"Leave" by Matchbox Twenty~
****************************************

A strong wave of coolness spread over Rikku as she lay in her state of sub-consciousness, replenishing her health somewhat and immediately going to work in mending her injured state. Burns that once pulsed with a pain that was almost unbearable now were soothed to a dull stinging sensation, allowing Rikku to let out a quiet sigh of relief at the miracle.

'Hm, I think she's okay now,' Came a gruff voice from above her, causing the young Al Bhed woman to stare up in the vague direction.

The face that welcomed her with a casual smirk made Rikku's eyes widen. --Hey... He looks a lot like one of the men from Braska’s traveling spheres! EXACTLY like him in fact! Could... this be Jecht?!-- She scrambled back on all fours, shocked and confused with whom she was seeing.

He laughed heartily, taking a few steps closer and extending his hand towards her. 'Hey, I won't bight, little lady! Come on, let me help you up.'

Rikku allowed her gaze to drift past the unshaven Blitzer in front of her and onto a figure standing to his left. The man was dressed in long Yevonite drapery - a blue and white robe that covered everything below his neck, and perched above his mass of silver tresses was an extravagant matching hood. His eyes, although sparkling with warmth, also held a soft note of sadness somewhere in their hidden depths.

--Jecht? Braska? What’s going on?? Why are they... alive?--

Finally accepting the hand that was offered to her, Rikku was swiftly pulled to her feet - accidentally scratching Jecht’s hands with her Kaiser Knuckles in the process.

'Ai kid! When was the last time you cut your nails?' the blitzer cried, his eyes widening somewhat when he spotted the weapon strapped to her hand. 'You... fight? A little thing like you?'

Being described as a 'kid' and 'little' like that didn't exactly thrill Rikku. 'Of course I can! What's more, I could whoop you any day!' Jecht laughed to this -as if it was the funnies thing alive, which merely served to make the Al Bhed woman even more annoyed!

'Jecht, stop provoking the young lady!,' Came Braska's voice as he stepped up beside his friend, placing a hand on his darkly-scarred shoulder and turning to the green-eyed stranger. 'I am Lord Braska, high-summoner of Bevelle... forgive my friend if he insulted you - he tends to be abit brash with words at times.'

Rikku smiled back at Braska genuinely and nodded, 'that's okay, really. Pleased to meet you both, my name's Rikku and I'm--'

'Insolent it seems,' a gruff voice spoke from behind Jecht. 'Greet Lord Braska accordingly, or be gone.' All eyes turned to the dark-figure of Auron, his eyes flashing threateningly as he focused on them on Rikku. Jecht chuckled.

'See? I told you I wouldn't bight... Auron on the other hand....'

'Never mind the formalities,' Braska stated with a chuckle, 'but please, what caused you to sustain those horrific injuries?'

'I was attacked by a Bomb fiend.' Rikku whispered, having hardly found her voice after the shock of seeing younger-Auron and his rough "introduction". 'It used a really strong fire magic that I'd never seen performed by such a monster before.'

'I see,' Braska nodded, looking into Rikku's swirling eyes with a sad smile. 'You are an Al Bhed.'

'Oac.' She noticed Auron's frown deepen on hearing these words - obviously he wasn't too happy about her lineage.

'What brings you here?' he continued gently, allowing Rikku to relax a little - despite the negative vibes she could feel coming from Auron’s direction.

--What can I tell them??' Rikku wondered. 'Certainly not the truth... I don't even know that MYSELF....-- Sighing, she lowered her eyes to the ground. 'I-I'm not sure... I just woke up on the beach down there, and can't remember any of what took place before that.' Well... it was a half-truth.

'Sin?' Jecht asked Braska, to which he nodded. The high-summoner wore a grave look on his handsome face after hearing the extent of Rikku's memory loss, and finally came upon a conclusion.

'If Jecht and Auron agree to it, and you feel fit for the task - I would like for you to become one of my guardians on this pilgrimage.' Rikku's eyes widened at this, as did Auron’s.

'But my Lord! She's... she's an Al Bhed!' Auron burst out, shocked beyond belief at what he'd just heard. 'To appoint her as a guardian would be... would be....’ the ex-monk of Yevon stumbled over his words, completely unaware of the way Braska and Rikku were reacting to his words.

'Auron, that is enough!' Braska spoke up, his voice carrying a strong undertone of hurt, 'you are forgetting that my wife was Al Bhed... you got along and respected her perfectly well, did you not?'

'Yes, Lord Braska, but... that isn't your wife!' Auron indicated towards Rikku with an icy glare, his finger shaking slightly as he did.

Unable to just stand on the spot while she and her race were being put-down, Rikku ran up to Auron - green eyes flashing angrily as she made her stand. 'I may be an Al Bhed - but that doesn't mean you should treat me like some... heathen! Even if I don't believe in the ways of Yevon... or pray to him at a temple each day... or become some high and mighty Yevonite monk, I still account for something! I'm still human!! Unlike YOU!'

Rikku wasn't even sure if what she'd said had come out right, but rage and hurt at the unfairness of Auron’s remarks had clouded her mind completely. So she just stood there, inches away from the legendary guardians face and breathing erratically with a thousand irrepressible emotions, eye to eye in some sort of peculiar emotional showdown. Although it didn't register in Rikku's mind, Auron’s face held a look of undisguisable surprise, his copper-russet irises focused on her opposing green ones.

Jecht chuckled in the background, having snapped out of his own frozen shock earlier than the others - with an amused smirk he broke the silence.

'Come now children, no need to claw each others eyes out!'

'Hmm... Jecht's right, nothing will be resolved in that manner.' Braska finally uttered, walking over to the two and breaking them apart. 'Now, guardians - have you made your decision over this young lady? Keeping in mind that it should be a strictly unbiased opinion and if you believe to know a reason against her joining us... it should be backed up with a valid explanation.'

'No problems here... how about YOU Auron?' Jecht grinned, resting his hands on his hips.

Finally breaking eye-contact with Rikku, Auron stared off into the distance - beginning to walk down the path towards the Shoopuf station. As he passed Lord Braska, he spoke in a tone that was... as usual, devoid of emotion. 'Whatever his Lordship wishes... I shall concur with.'

Nodding, Braska turned to Rikku, who as it was... hadn't moved from the spot where she had confronted Auron. Her face was a mask of confusion at how everything had progressed, but as the legendary guardian’s footsteps sounded in the young woman’s ears - she drifted out of her trance, grinning at the remaining guardian and his high-summoner.

'That man is just impossible!' she declared, pointing a finger at Auron’s retreating back. 'A real piece of work!'

Jecht and Braska just laughed.

**************************************
Chapter Four: 'Unavoidable Contact'
**************************************

I thought I had all the answers... never giving in,
But baby since you've gone I admit that I was wrong...

All I know is I'm lost without you - I'm not gonna lie...
How my going to be strong without you? I need you by my side,
If we ever say we'll never be together and we ended with goodbye don't know what I'd do..
I'm lost without you...
I keep trying to find my way but all I know is I'm lost without you;
I keep trying to face the day... I'm lost without you...

How my ever gonna get rid of these blues?
Baby I'm so lonely all the time...
Everywhere I go I get so confused,
You're the only thing that's on my mind...
~"Lost without You" by Delta Goodrem ~
***************************************

Rikku sat on a rotting old log, some distance away from the noise of the eager travelers over by the Shoopuf station. Alone, she began to silently ponder how on earth she'd managed to travel back ten years into the past... simply by jumping into the Moonflow.

When she'd initially taken the dive, Rikku hadn't had a plan in mind at all... maybe she expected to just stop breathing - drift off into eternal sleep and leave her grief-ridden existence behind. Or perhaps she'd felt that it would somehow bring her closer to Auron... that his spirit may have been dwelling nearby... ready to join hers in a heartbeat. Whatever the case was, she simply had no idea how to get back to Yuna and the others... it made her feel amazingly vulnerable.

She thought about Auron’s displeased reaction to her earlier... a hurt
frown touching the corners of her lips at the unwanted memory. Still, what had she expected? Candy and flowers followed by a romantic walk by the shore of the Moonflow?! This was Auron in question! A younger Auron who knew her only as some Al Bhed stranger he wouldn't risk trusting. Rikku sighed and rested her head on her knees, staring down at the ground at her feet... but seeing only visions of him.

Presently Braska returned from buying tickets for the Shoopuf - taking a seat beside Rikku and studying her frowning face with concern. 'Everything okay?' he asked.

'Yeh, don't worry about me, I'm fine.' She attempted to smile warmly... despite the sadness plaguing her every thought. 'I'd be happy to pay my share for the ticket if you’d like....' Rikku offered, indicating toward the slips of paper Braska held loosely in one hand.

'No, no, the least I can do for my guardians after all they go through for me is pay their way!' he chuckled and turned to Rikku, studying her face with a curious look in his eyes.

--Gee... he sure has been doing that a lot lately...-- she observed nervously, shuffling her feet. 'Lord Braska... Why did you choose me to be your guardian? I mean... you’d known me for less than an hour at the time... and you make that decision? How do you know I won't be endangering your pilgrimage rather than seeing it along?' Rikku paused momentarily before posing the obvious question, 'How can you trust me like that..?'

Braska simply smiled to this, as was his common reaction to most things she said. 'Summoners often have the ability to sense if a person is right as a guardian from the very start... although, most often a guardian is a person whom the summoner knows he or she can trust with their life.. usually someone very close to them and with whom the summoner shares a certain bond. Therefore, it's perfectly understandable for you to question my decision... but....’ Braska sighed quietly, unsure of how his next words would be taken, 'to be perfectly honest... I chose you not only because I had a "feeling" about you... but also because I wanted to help you.

'I would like to try my very best to bring you back to the life you led before Sin’s toxins interfered. I believe that if you travel with us... as my guardian... in return we may be able to help you remember your home... where you come from.' Braska smiled at her warmly.

'I... see. Thank you.' She nodded and returned the smile.

--Although there's no way you could possibly do that..,-- Rikku thought secretly. --But... if it means being close to Auron... even for a little while....--

Time passed by quite quickly and before she knew it, Rikku was climbing into the small cabin upon the Shoopuf’s broad grey back, settling down on one of the plush benches with a little smile. On Yuna's pilgrimage all those years back, Tidus never stopped talking about how great the experience of crossing the Moonflow was... making Rikku wish she could have joined the group earlier so as to partake in the event as well. Now that the time had finally come... her delight was clearly evident.

'Look at the view from up here!! The pyreflies!!' her eyes widened in wonder at the hundreds of specks of dancing light spread over the Moonflow’s wide expanse… and the Shoopuf hadn't even began to cross yet!

Braska himself was amazed by the sight, despite the fact that he'd crossed the Moonflow before. Guardian and summoner lent out of the cabin respectively, as if wanting to get still closer to the wondrous view that met their gaze.

Shortly after, Jecht and Auron entered - unsure of whether to pull Braska and Rikku back and away from the risk of falling... or join them! They agreed to the former... after all, as guardians they had their responsibilities.

Jecht was the first to move, grasping Braska by his closest arm and pulling him back into his seat, shaking his head but grinning all the while. 'Braska, you really ought to watch out for the effect you have on others... your actions are infectious!'

Auron was left to do the same with Rikku, much to his evident dismay. To make matters worse for the handsome guardian, Rikku's hands weren't holding onto the side like Braska’s but rather tracing the pyreflies graceful movements with a finger in thin air, leaving her delicate waist as the only available handhold with which to pull her back. Auron's frown deepened further at the peachy sliver of exposed flesh towards her lower back, knowing full-well that contact with it would be hard to avoid in the current situation.

--Oh, for Yevon’s sake! Why can't I just pull her away from the edge and let it all be over with?--

Sighing quietly to himself, Auron decided to just do the required task before Jecht and Braska noticed how disturbed he was by it. Reaching towards her, his hands were only inches away from the slim form in front of him... when Rikku turned around.

'Auron!' her eyes bulged at the shock of seeing someone standing so close behind her - even more so the man she pined for! 'W-What are you doing?' the question slipped out of her lips in perfect sync with the blush that rose to color the apples of her cheek, accompanied with the erratic beating of her heart.

'Humph. Sit down.' was all Auron could muster in response.

Although obeying his words, Rikku didn't even try to suppress the frown that crossed her face. 'Can't you even try to be the slightest bit nice? Why do you have to be so angry all the time?!'

So the four travelers continued on their journey, the sun setting serenely on the horizon and swarms of pyreflies rising above the Moonflow to light up the developing darkness around them.

Jecht, Braska and Rikku took to silently viewing the beautiful evening, completely absorbed in their own worlds.

Auron was in his own world too, but all he could seem to think of... was Rikku.
********************************************

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Story ©Erica Runge, 2003. All characters, etc ©FFX. Songwords ©Taxiride, Vanessa Amarosi, Matchbox Twenty, Delta Goodrem.