Title: A Secret Journey  (Rikku's Story)


Summary: The story of the pilgrimage told in Rikku's words, and what she learns on the way. 
Classification: FFX fic, AU, Rikku/Auron relationship, story, romance
Rating: PG13, higher rating (up to R) for future instalments
Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to Squaresoft, but the story
is mine. (actually Rikku's, but you know what I mean. : )

Author's note: Rikku is an Al Bhed and sometimes her narrative slips into her native tongue. For this reason I am also including an Al Bhed primer at the end of each part, with
translations of the terms used.

Feedback is welcomed at tuatha@caloundra.net



A Secret Journey (Rikku's Story)

Part Seven

Auron kissed me in the snow, and that kiss burned in my memory, in my blood.
I'm not sure how long we would have stood there, lost in each other and
oblivious to everything around us, if we hadn't been found.

Tidus and Wakka came crashing through the trees and calling out our names,
which gave us time to draw apart before they saw us. We were both shaking,
and Auron steadied my shoulder for a moment before turning away to retrieve
his sword and my forgotten clothing. Tidus pulled up short when he saw us,
his glance flickering from me, standing there garbed in Auron's coat, to
Auron  who was calmly fastening his own belt, my clothing in his hand. His
mouth worked but he couldn't seem to summon a coherent question. Wakka
stopped just behind him taking us in and then whistled long and low. "What
happened to you two? We were worried, ya know?"

Auron made short work of his curiousity. "We were lost in the snowstorm and
were beset by wolves. Rikku saved us both but took a tumble into the snow.
There is little more to tell than that, and we should get moving anyway if
we want to be back by nightfall."

Wakka seemed to accept the abridged version of our adventure without
question. "Well, it's good that you two are alright." He turned to Tidus,
whose eyes were round and wide open with surprise, even though he said
nothing. "Let's go then, ya?"

Auron swung his sword up and over his shoulder, Tidus and Wakka both turned
to head back the way they came. I followed, but kept falling behind since
Auron's coat was far too long, and trailed in the snow, constantly falling
under my feet and tripping me up. After the emotions of the day and our
battle I was worn out, and thought I might fall face first into the snow.

"Auron." I called. He turned back immediately. "Help me, please. I can't..."
My hands reached out and he was there.  "Tidus!" We waited while Tidus
trotted back to us. "Go on point behind us. Wakka can lead."

Then he swung me up into his arms, and carried me back to the Inn.

When we arrived we were surrounded by the rest of the party. Lulu and Yuna
made exclamations of dismay at the sight of me but were soon reassured by
Auron.

"She'll be fine in the morning." He carried me into our room and placed me
on the bed, repeating the tale of our desperate fight and my fall, but when
he reiterated his claim that I had saved us both I had to set him straight.

"Oui cyjat la." No one else understood but him. He fell silent for a moment
then smiled at me. "Fa cyjat aylr udran. Now rest." he warned me sternly.

He drew Lulu away. "Keep an eye on her tonight. She had a rough day."

Lulu nodded and turned back to me. My eyes closed, and I felt hands lifting
me up and the covers being drawn over me. When I opened my eyes again he was
gone. The next morning the Guado arrived.

There was a scene between Yuna and Tidus then. Neither of them wanted to be
apart, yet didn't have any choice in the matter, and we all witnessed their
pain at the enforced separation. But the Guado surrounded us, and Yuna left
with them. I was glad for Auron's discretion yesterday, I didn't want
everyone to look at me with that look in their eyes if something terrible
happened to him. I wouldn't be able to bear it.

We were expected to wait for yet another group to escort us to the temple
separately, which made no sense to me. I would have asked Auron why we
couldn't just go ahead and follow them there, but cries of alarm and the
sound of machina reached us from the lake. The Guado were under attack and
were hopelessly incapable of protecting Yuna.

We began a desperate race across the ice, trying to reach her before it was
too late. The raiding party circled the guado, whooping and hollering to
distract them from the real threat. My brother's voice rang out across the
ice. "Rikku!"

I pulled up short. My brother had come to finish what I had started back at
the moonflow. He warned me to stay out of the way but I refused. I stood up
to him, telling him that I was Yuna's guardian now and would fight to
protect her from him, and anyone else who came to take her. When the guado
tried to drag Yuna away she broke away and took up arms with us once again.

"E femm damm vydran!" He threatened, but I would face that hurdle when I
came to it. Then the fyn sylrehy, an ancient war machine was activated and
sent rumbling down the slope towards us. My brother shouted again, crowing
that our magic and Yuna's aeons were nullified by the roving sensor, and I
translated the message. It seemed strange to be fighting against my own
side, and I was only glad that my people had sent the machina in to battle
against us. If I had to fight them hand to hand I would have, but I would
have been consumed with guilt afterwards. As it was I knew all of the
weaknesses of the machina, and told Wakka that if he took out the magic
negator Lulu and Yuna could easily destroy it with lightning spells.

The battle was long, but eventually the machina malfunctioned, its circuits
fried by the spells that had been cast against it. The guado thanked us
perfunctorily and then insisted on leaving again without delay. Yuna cast a
longing glance at us, and then left again.

That was when Wakka finally learned the truth about me. I gave up, not
wanting to lie about it anymore and just told him. He ranted for a while and
the others tried to reason with him, but he stormed off. I was sorry about
bringing dissention into their ranks, and told them so, but Lulu reassured
me I hadn't done anything wrong. I didn't feel as though there was anything
else I could have done but I still felt bad about it.

My people had scattered after the machina was destroyed, leaving behind
their equipment and the hover skiis they'd been riding on, and Auron asked
if we could use them. One had been overturned, but it was not irreparably
damaged and the others were all working perfectly, so that was how the rest
of us travelled on to Macalania temple, riding Al Bhed machina. Wakka was in
a state, asking Auron if he was Al Bhed too, which was really pretty funny
now that I think about it.

Kimahri righted one of the scooters and took off. He was wasting no time in
trying to catch up to Yuna. There were only three left between the five of
us. Tidus chose one and Lulu calmly climbed on the back with him. I guessed
she had something she wanted to tell him, that couldn't wait, but I didn't
want to ride with Wakka after the things he'd said. I was glad when Auron
sat astride one and sat back waiting. Wakka seemed to have accepted the
group consensus, he clambered aboard the other and after briefly
experimenting with the throttle control was moving slowly forward toward the
others. These machina were simple, so I thought he would be fine.

I ran over to where Auron was waiting and instead of sitting on the back I
squeezed onto the vehicle in front of him. "I take it you're driving?" He
asked.

I nodded. "You bet." These vehicles were used all over Sanubia, for
transport, for racing, even on water, and my brothers and I were veterans of
many nymmeac, building our own and taking on all and every challenger.

I warned Auron "Hold on tight." I felt like showing off, so I peeled around
in a circle, blasting an arc of loose snow in our wake and laughed with joy.
Auron had grabbed me fiercely around the waist once we took off, and now he
leaned in close to my ear. "How fast can this thing go?"

"You wanna find out?"

"Floor it." He chuckled, and I whooped as I let it fly. We passed Wakka like
he was standing still, and when we swerved around Tidus and Lulu I called
out "See ya!!!!" as they fell behind. It was fun to see he had that goofy
surprised look on his face. Despite Kimahri's head start he too was setting
a pedestrian pace, and his head shot up as we raced by him. It was
exhilarating after all our journeying on foot to be hurtling along at speed,
finally covering ground that would have taken us hours if we were walking.
Snow flew up in our wake as we entered a ravine with wide white walls that
stretched on before us in gentle curves. Auron leaned in and I felt his lips
at my ear again. "Stay to the left, there's a deep chasm up ahead."

I nodded and slowed down a little. I was a daredevil, but I wasn't suicidal.
Pretty soon the gap opened up and I could see the edges of the deep drop
beside us, I let the throttle drop back again to take a look and we cruised
up the ravine. "There's a challenging path on the other side of the gap, and
I'm sure you'd enjoy it, but I'd rather not depart for the farplane just
yet."

He pointed ahead. "Keep going, if you stay near the left it's safe."

I sped up again since there was no real danger with such good visibility,
and we raced towards Macalania temple. Auron's hands felt strong and
comforting at my waist, his body pressed against mine, and I was incredibly
happy. It probably sounds selfish, considering the situation, but looking
back we had so few moments together, and to pretend now that I wasn't moved
by him would be to deny everything he meant to me.

We sped through the canyon and after an hour or so Auron pointed up ahead.
There was a bridge leading off to the right in a gentle curve but he pointed
straight ahead instead. "We go up there."

I did as instructed and the path became a steep incline ending in a wide
cliff. We pulled up on a flat area and I could see the path curving around
and the temple below us. The view was breathtaking. When I moved to
dismount, Auron's arms tightened around my waist. "Stay a minute."

I waited for him, not entirely discontent with being held in his arms while
he composed his thoughts. "I have to tell you something. It's difficult...I
haven't been honest with you."

"But there are reasons...Rikku, you need to think about your future. I won't
be around for much longer, and you will have to go on, alone, after the
pilgrimage. You need to think about finding someone, a boy your own age who
will love you."

"Auron...I don't want some other boy."  I twisted in his arms and knelt
before him, reaching out to touch his face. "I love *you*."

"You must stop." He commanded, but I refused. "I can't! I won't. Why are you
pushing me away? To protect me?"

He held my wrists, holding me away from him, but I wouldn't be deterred. "If
something happens and I lose you I will be hurt, But I don't want to lose
you now. Not ever. Leave the future where it is." I leaned in and pressed my
lips to his face, his lips and eyes, kissing him everywhere, trying to show
him how I felt for him.

"Your touching me like that is not helping my resolve."

"It's too late. And if you did push me away you'd only want me back again."
I took his hands in mine and brought them up between us, matching palm to
palm, our fingertips together. "Push. Try."

He did, but our fingers clasped, defying his will. His resolve truly broke
then, and he pulled me to him, his hands roaming over my back while he
pressed my body to his. "I tried to stop myself, but all I could think of
since that first day was touching you. Why did you let me? You drove me
insane with your presence."

I didn't care. He was mine, he loved me, and that was all that mattered to
me. It was intoxicating that a man so strong and powerful was so fragile
with love. I wanted to incite him, ignite the flame of passion within so
that he couldn't resist me. It may have been wrong, but I was also in love,
and couldn't help myself any more than he could.

While he spoke he was touching me all over, kissing my face and neck with
abandon. His lips trailed over my skin, while his hands roamed from my back
to my arms, then over my breasts, and began to squeeze and massage them,
making me gasp with pleasure. He leaned over me, pushing me back against the
seat and his body rose over mine. He pressed me deeply, forming himself to
me while he again found my mouth to kiss. I had clasped my arms around him,
and now I could map his back the way he had done mine, and run my fingers
through his hair. It was so soft and fine between my fingers and his body
was warm and strong, hard with muscle and bone that pressed into sensitive
places and increased my pleasure a thousandfold when he moved over me.

I would have been content to remain like that for a lifetime, but eventually
his kiss ended and he rested his head beside mine, his breath warming my
collarbone. I held him in my arms, allowing myself to slide slowly earthward
from the plateau I'd reached under his ministrations. I realised why he'd
stopped now that I was aware of the world around us again, I could hear the
thrumming sound of the other vehicles below us, Tidus calling out something
to the others.

He lifted himself from me, and looked down at me with knowing eyes. My
cheeks were flushed, my limbs weak and shaking. I wanted to crawl away
somewhere and curl up into a ball until the feelings went away. His hand
stroked my arm gently then helped me to sit. His lips brushed against my
brow. "Now you know how it feels." I clung to him thinking that if he had
been fighting this since he'd known me his will must be stronger than iron.

I could hardly bear to let him go, while he was back in control of himself,
planning and considering. "I would have liked to be at the temple waiting
for them, but it can't be helped now."

I pulled myself together. "You want to get there first? Sure we can."

I started the motor and headed back down the path, pulling up sharply and
letting the vehicle spin one-eighty. "You really better be holding on
tight."

"What the hell..." Then he grabbed me hard. I took that as agreement and let
the throttle out completely.

We reached the edge of the cliff and shot out over the canyon's lip.
"Yeeehaaaaa!!!!!!!!!" I screamed, letting all of my emotions loose, as we
flew through the air. As it was I had to turn sharply when we landed to
avoid crashing into the temple's stairs as we had slightly overshot the
landing. And unfortunately despite Auron's wishes the others had seen our
flight. Wakka pulled up his own vehicle and stared at us both in amazement.

"Auron, man, your face is white."

"he he." I was still feeling the rush. "Easy as pie."

Auron leaned in to me so the others wouldn't hear. "Mulu Al Behd."

I grinned. "Hey, at least I gave you plenty of warning this time, right?"

"Did you two catch up to Yuna?" Wakka asked, once the others had gathered
around. We both shook our heads. "But how can that be? They were walking."

"I suspect there is a transporter device hidden somewhere near the lake."
Auron said. "Many of the temples have them, but the locations of them all
are not known." He looked at the temple doors. "Well, shall we?"

We trooped up the ancient stone steps, and entered the temple.



End of Part Seven



Al Bhed primer and translation guide:

oui cyjat la = You saved me
Fa cyjat aylr udran = We saved each other
E femm damm vydran = I will tell father
fyn sylrehy = war machina
nymmeac = rallies
mulu = loco

A = E
B = P
C = S
D = T
E = I
F = W
G = K
H = N
I = U
J = V
K = G
L = C
M = L
N = R
O = Y
P = B
Q = Z
R = H
S = M
T = D
U = O
V = F
W = X
X = Q
Y = A
Z = J

tua
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