Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Dreams Come True ❯ Reconsideration ( Chapter 15 )

Rikku had grown up well-nurtured by her family. When Cid was away, it was just her with her brothers and sisters. They got along peacefully - they had rarely if ever shown her the unkindnesses she saw Yevonite children show their own siblings. There was no place for such bickering in Home. However prosperous it might have been at any given time, there was always, always a need for teamwork. And when fights or arguments severe enough to disturb the flow of things *did* break out, her father or her brothers were always there to quell it and firmly scold all the participants. Rikku's older siblings, instead of giving her a disdainful rebuke when she said or did something offending or stupid, simply kept her at their side and gave her a long, drawling, torturous lecture about whatever came to mind. Usually it was just random tidbits of advice. This was how she learned from her brothers Keyakku and Brother how to thieve things away from Bikanel fiends; how she learned the inner workings of machina. And from her sisters, she was taught patience, perseverance and woman-ness, as well as a wariness of men that, over time, became no less than instinctive.

It was not feminism or chauvinism or anything that led Hebe, her twin Ranna, and Zuo to teach her such things. Just simply...circumstance. The oldest, Hebe - nicknamed Heeb, much to her annoyance - was the best example of everything they taught her. Their teachings were simple, and often not teachings at all. During her youth they did not speak of such things directly to her, but let her stay in the same room while they gossiped together about their various experiences with those evil beings called men. So she listened, and accepted whatever they said as truth. For how could unmarried Hebe, who by youthful foolishness had borne a half-Yevonite daughter of her own, be wrong when she said that men - especially those of Yevon - were nothing more than fiends?

This was why Rikku was afraid.

Hajan mad ouin kiynt tufh, hud ajah vun y susahd, Zuo would advise her.

Rikku felt that she had to be missing something, overlooking something; she saw nothing but geniune kindness and affection in Wakka, and that frightened her more than it would have if had he been a serpent of a man. No man was without his vices - and those unseen and undetected by women were far more dangerous than the vices that were obvious.

Tuh'd pa y cemmo ouihk fusyh mega Heeb fyc, Ranna would tell her, grinning. No, no, must never be like Hebe. She had honestly believed that that Yevonite man cared for her. Defended him with tooth and nail against Cid, who gave her full warning of what to expect. And when Hebe realized that her precious lover cared for her only enough to leave her pregnant, and unwed no less - oh, this was a legend among her sisters - Cid, setting aside any 'I told you so' precepts, sought out the offending man and gave him a beating he would not soon forget. He nearly killed the boy. Who knew -- maybe he did. Rikku did not remember hearing anything of him after that. Either way...oh, no, she must never be like Hebe. Trusting....vulnerable. Vulnerability was a woman's worst enemy.

Frydajan oui tu, Rikku, hajan dnicd dra funt uv y Yevonite syh. Drao mea mega chygac.

The words of her eldest sister Hebe rang more insistently in her mind than anyone else's. Rikku was doing exactly what she had been taught not to do. Putting her trust in a Yevonite man...oh, what her sisters would say to that. Much less falling in...('Wait,' Rikku thought, 'don't go there.')...well...much less caring for one the way she did!

And yet she knew that there was nothing but good intentions in Wakka. And 'Yevonite' would not even apply to him - to most everyone, in fact. But still...the fact remained: she had gotten herself into a position where she knew she could easily be manipulated, lied to.

She would have to explain this relationship to her father. And her father was a very difficult man to persuade. Cid was not unfair -- he could accept Yevonites ('Ex-Yevonites?' Rikku pondered.) as comrades and friends in a heartbeat, but to court his daughter...? Cid was a hot-headed man; he would likely not consider that his own sister had loved a non-Al Bhed...and look at all the good *that* brought.

Even then. If she hadn't been Al Bhed, or if he *had* been...over the course of the pilgrimage, Wakka had turned twenty-four. Rikku had turned seventeen. She knew that there was much to be desired in the seven years between them - Cid would not much approve of *that,* difference, either. Rikku knew well the gaps that lay between her and Wakka.

But oh, how she had her heart set on that goofy smile of his. Even when she knew better.

That was her stubborn way - a bit of the fusyhedo in her, as Hebe had explained to her once, laughing. Women, as a rule, were stubborn. It was their divine right to be such.

Snapping halfway out of her thoughts, she registered Wakka, still close to her - one broad hand holding her by the waist. Never confining, though; simply containing. She could run if she liked.

Rikku looked up to see a strange expression on his face. She realized that exercising that right of stubbornness might be necessary, and something she couldn't put her finger on sank in her. It was near impossible to refuse him. That made her feel strange.

"...You alright, Rikku?"

"Um. Yeah, I'm fine,"

A smile crept across Wakka's lips that seemed more uncertain and embarrassed than anything. "Well, seein' as you were grinning just a second ago and you're not now, and seein' as you look kinda unhappy right now, I'm thinking that something's wrong, ya?...Is it something I did?"

Rikku shook her head, trying to look convincing. "Nah. I just...well, we should go meet up with my dad now...so let's go!"

She cursed herself silently for sounding so fake. Regardless, she moved past him and headed towards Mi'ihen, where Cid would be landing the airship. Wakka let her go - she didn't hear him follow. She was not sure whether she was disappointed or relieved.

None of this would have normally bothered her in the slightest, but her own feelings had awakened it. For when he'd broken off the kiss, she had smiled, and without even thinking almost blurted out her doom. She'd caught herself, thank the heavens - but the words still ached to be said, waiting on her lips like dewdrops that have not yet gathered enough mass to fall.

'E muja...'

Cred.

She cursed herself in every tongue she knew. Foolish, stupid...falling head over heels for a boy! Hah! She had a billion better things to do...

Something tugged unhappily at her heart as she tried to convince herself of that.

It would have been so easy to say it...it just felt so natural to say such a thing at such a moment. And he would have been happy.

But it would still have been wrong...

Wouldn't it?

***

She greeted Cid in her usual manner, throwing her arms around him and half-suffocating the old man. Rikku mused silently that she'd indeed learned a few things from Yuna.

Smile...

Once Rikku saw Yuna approaching, Tidus inevitably following only a few feet behind, she excused herself to the airship to let them have their reunions in peace. Yuna'd want her time to properly explain things. So Rikku stopped by the bridge of the airship to see her big brother.

He was there, as always, sitting in the pilot's seat and munching on a pastry. She came up beside him and tugged at his mohawk, laughing when his surprised greeting resulted in crumbs flying in several directions.

"Rao, pnu," she smiled. "Oui'na cmubbo yc ymfyoc, E caa!"

He grunted, swallowed. "Cruja ed, cra-veaht. Ruf ryja oui paah?"

"Ugyo. E drehg E's kuhhy ku dyga y meddma hyb uhla fa kad uh dra nuyt, druikr. E gehty vaam faent."

He turned his head and quirked a brow at her. "Yna oui celg?"

"Hu...E kiacc E's zicd uid uv ed dutyo." Rikku lied, distracted with the sight of the path to Mi'ihen below. Jecht and Amia had already joined Tidus and Yuna. Wakka, Lulu, Kimahri, and Bahamut were all still approaching the ship.

Bahamut turned his head and seemed to say something. She saw Wakka make a gesture and speak.

Bahamut laughed.

"Fryd'c fnuhk, cecdan?"

"E dumt oui, hudrehk..."

"Oui ryja dra muug uv y mujacelg cyht-funs."

Rikku scowled at him. "Kaa, dryhgc. E ghuf E lyh ymfyoc luihd uh oui du syga sa vaam payidevim, pek pnudran."

He only chuckled. "Oac, E luhcdyhdmo luhlanh socamv fedr dra cdyda uv so pypo cecdan'c jyhedo. Naymmo, Rikku, fryd'c fnuhk? Ed'c fneddah ymm ujan ouin vyla."

"E tuh'd fyhhy dymg ypuid ed nekrd huf..."

"Cdippunh cra-veaht...famm, ymnekrd. Pa dryd fyo, drah.

"Ugyo, E femm."

The bridge door raised, and Cid entered. "Yuna and Tidus told me about their little plight. To hell with the chocobos, we're taking you guys there by airship!"

He called the order to Brother, who stuffed the last bite and a half into his mouth and grunted agreement as he fired up the ship.

"E ciakk E's kuhhy ku dyga dryd hyb huf...pa lynavim, femm oui? Tuh'd lnycr dra yencreb." Rikku leaned forward and informed Brother, who gave her a playful sneer.

So she left to go think by herself, and sulk...

And maybe, just maybe, cry a little.

***

Once everyone had been loaded up and Brother had gotten the airship on a steady course, he turned his attention to Cid.

"Vydran, dyga luhdnum uv dra yencreb vun y susahd, bmayca."

Upon seeing Cid nod, Brother got up and approached Wakka.

"What, you need somethin', brudda?"

Brother grabbed Wakka's shoulder firmly and dragged him out of the bridge.

Wakka, taken totally by surprise, hardly even fought as he was shoved roughly into the wall of the airship.

"Ow! Hey, what's your problem!?"

Brother scowled deeply, fingers digging into Wakka's shoulder like nails. "Fryd tet oui du tu so meddma cecdan, oui jema veaht!?"

"Eh? Uh, I can't under--"

"Fryd ryja oui tuha du Rikku?!"

"Rikku? What about Rikku? Oww, will you *stop* that already?"

"E tuh'd ghuf fryd oui tet du Rikku, pid oui cina yc ramm paddan ku syga ed nekrd!" Brother demanded, releasing his grip on Wakka to thrust his finger in the direction of the airship's cabins.

"Is Rikku over there? What's wrong with her?"

The tall Al Bhed man glowered down at his notably smaller captive, firmly gesturing once more towards the cabin corridor. "*Ku!*"

"Argh...do you want me to go see Rikku or something?"

Brother spat something that Wakka took to be an Al Bhed expletive, then grabbed the redhead and shoved him in the general direction of the next corridor. "Ku, veaht!"

"I guess that's a yes..."

Rolling his shoulder and wincing at the soreness left by Brother's grip of steel, he started searching for Rikku. The Al Bhed watched him like a hawk as he went; Wakka could feel green eyes burning a hole in his back. But he paid it no mind.

It didn't take him long to find her; she was in one of the more comfortable cabins. Curtained windows, soft sheets, machina light on the ceiling above her. He knew enough about machina now to know that the wall-switch powering it was in the off position. The day was young, and she didn't need false light.

So he stopped in the doorway, not daring to go further without her permission. She was sitting on a bed, lost deep in thought. The expression on her face in the moment before she saw him told of something like sadness. Wakka couldn't imagine a reason why.

Other than him, somehow. And he was afraid of what he did not know he had done wrong.

***

Wakka didn't move. He simply stood in the doorway rubbing the back of his neck and staring at the floor. Rikku supposed he was trying to figure out what to say.

Never seen him like that...

"You could at least tell me what's wrong, ya?"

She could see he was trying to hide an underlying dejectedness - despite herself, she just wanted to run up and hug the man. Despite the fact that, to her realized halfway-fear, there was something like tension between them. "...It's not you, I promise."

"Well, it's gotta be, 'cause unless there's thunder, I don't think I've ever seen you bolt like that..."

Guilt once again claimed her. "Well...it's not your fault. Okay?"

"So it's got somethin' to do with me, but it's not my fault. Got it. C'mon, Rikku...you can at least tell me what it was that I didn't do in any case, ya?"

Rikku sighed and leaned against the wall, drawing her legs up close to her chest. "It's...I don't know...wrong...?"

She watched as something in Wakka drew inward, solidified, as something in his empathetic expression hardened almost imperceptibly, as the beginnings of an emotional wall could be viewed in his eyes. It was so subtle that she was sure anyone who wasn't looking closely enough would have missed it. It made her feel awful. "Like how? I don't see anythin' wrong..."

Rikku's thoughts were frantic. He wouldn't understand unless she told him everything - and how to do it without boring him, making it sound like she was pulling lame excuses out of her head...or worse, hurting him...? "Well...it's my father - he'd kill me!...And then what Ranna and Zuo taught me, and Hebe, with her little Duunu...I can't stand how everyone looks at that girl like she's a fiend!...And her father, that Yevonite boy Daddy beat the living lnyb out of, and then...then..." She met Wakka's eyes, not bothering to hide her tone of pleading. "And then there's you...but it's not anything you've done, it's just me, because I'm being a scared, juvenile little meanie right now and I can't help it, can't help that I..." she trailed off, not daring to finish her sentence. Saying things like that aloud made them irreversible. And she didn't know what kind of damage that might do...

The wall cracked; not much, but Rikku saw that Wakka realized she wasn't out to simply shove him away. She was grateful. Wakka smiled halfway. "Rikku, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about...but if you're that worried about it, whatever it is, just tell me, ya? I'm not gonna bite your head off or anything. You know me better than that, hn?"

Rikku looked down and nodded. She listened; heard him sigh, heard his footsteps as he approached her and seated himself heavily beside her. He touched her arm once, and then let his hand rest on the sheet of the bed on which they sat. Reassuring.

So she took a deep breath, exhaling the child in her. And she told Wakka all that she was afraid of. About Hebe and Duunu, and her father, and anything and everything that did, or ever might, stand between them.

Once she'd finished, she chanced a look up at Wakka. His face held a thoughtful expression - she stayed silent, giving him time.

"You've given this a bit of thought, haven't you," he said finally, hand coming up to brush her cheek lightly. She held it there, nodding. "Well, you're right."

Of all the things she'd expected him to say, that was the one not on the list. "Huh?"

"I said you're right. About all that stuff, I mean. But...we might as well give it a shot, ya? To hell with them. And if it doesn't work out, well then, we gave it our best try, an' there's nothing more that coulda been done. Right?"

Rikku was silent for a few moments, but slipped her slender hand into his own, watching how his broad palm dwarfed hers. And yet he was always so gentle, especially with her...

"Right...."

He smiled, chuckling. "What's wrong now?"

"Oh! Nothing...it's just that I didn't actually expect you to say that...it's just that even if everything's hunky dory, my father..."

"He knows me, right?"

"I guess..."

"Hey, I'm not gonna go puttin' my hands where they don't belong. You oughta know that by now, ya? And Cid'll figure it out soon enough."

"But he'd slaughter you if you *breathed* wrong!"

Wakka grinned. "You want me to go straighten things out with him?"

"You wouldn't *live!*" she exclaimed with wide eyes, making him laugh.

"I think you're overestimating his temper a bit, ya?

"Ohh, you don't know Daddy when he gets mad..."

"Well, why would he get mad? There's no reason to, right?"

"I told you already. What happened to Hebe...he knows that we all know better, you know? I don't know how he'd take it..."

Wakka rubbed his neck. "Y'know, I don't think he'd mind *that* much. Not everybody's like Duunu's pops, ya? And personally, I don't blame Cid for what he did. 'ey, I'd have done the same thing. Y'gotta admit, though, it was at least partly Hebe's fault..."

"Yeah, Daddy said the same thing...but right after that he said that there's no excuse for abandoning a woman. Then he left to go pound the guy."

Wakka laughed quietly, bowing his head. "I agree. So...why don't you just come straight out about it with Cid? I'll help...well...as long as he's not armed, I mean."

Rikku giggled, and the laughter was tinged with a tone of anxiety. "You big wuss!"

"Hey! Lookit *you,* ya?!"

They both laughed then, all tension gone.

And she was still smiling when he kissed her.

***

"Oh, there you guys are." Tidus waved to the couple as they entered the bridge. With Jecht, Amia and Bahamut added to the usual head count, it seemed unusually crowded. "We're almost at Guadosalam."

Wakka nodded. "Okay. Does Bahamut have a plan?"

It was Bahamut himself who answered. "Yes. It is uncertain, but it is our best chance."

"So, what is it?"

"Sit down," the fayth said smoothly. "and I'll tell you. This may take some time."

___________________

Ahh, Wakka...I've always imagined him to be more of the gentle giant sort, especially towards Rikku. I know they both might seem a little OOC, but I tried to portray the more mature, adult side of them in this chapter. Rikku's grown up a little bit, ya?

Anyhoo, sorry about the delay, beloved readers. ^_^::: After being struck with a lightning bolt of inspiration labeled "FFVIII Squinoa one-shot" (</shameless plug>), I finally sat my butt down and wrote this out. Again, sorry it took so long, but I've just kind of been in a funk lately.

I know not all the people who read this dig Japanese music, but for those of you who do, this chapter's recommendation is 'Emu~For my Dear,' which is by Gackt, bless his pretty bishounen soul...it's funny, too, that I should rediscover this particular song at this particular time, when I'm busy hauling off half of Laban's VGM FTP...The lyrics fits this chapter quite well, might I say...you can find a translation with both romanized lyrics and their english translation (plus some explanations of the lyrics) here: http://www.senshigakuen.com/translations/lyrics/gackt/kaimu.htm . So if you've got a penchant for music you can't understand without help, give it a download! ^_~ The first time I heard it, without lyrics or even a romanization, the sweetness of the song nearly brought happy-tears to my eyes. It's so lovely. "Wasurenai kara......" Another good one by Gackt is "Rain," off the album MOON. Just so you know. :D

I'm also gonna try to incorporate more Wakka/Rikku from now on...I'm sorry to make you Rikku/Wakka fans wait so long for a decent chunk of fluff. ^_^; Hehe, when I started planning this chapter I was reminded of a review I got in the very beginning, waaay back in the day...it asked me not to make Wakka/Rikku 'just the background couple.' Seeing as this story is mainly about Tidus and Yuna, and making Wakka/Rikku a secondary couple was inevitable, I kind of brushed it off. But now that there *is* time to develop their relationship more, I'm gonna try to do so. ^_^ Okay? 'Cause they deserve it! Right? (Sorry, Noelle. Hehe.)

I'm gonna TRY to get another chapter out before my birthday...(Heee! It's September 4th, for those of you who want to know. ^_~ I'll be 15! Good golly, I'm almost over the hill! :D Heck, I'm almost as old as the old fart himself! *Hands a wheelchair to Timmeh* ^_^;; Hehe. Couldn't help that one. Sorry, Timster.

Oh, and just for the record, I AM avoiding changing this story's rating to R (Which with the language and the themes probably should have been done a couple chapters ago...) so that it shows up on the default G <-> PG-13 ratings....Just so you know. ^_~ I'll probably change it to R once it's finished.