Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Until The Day I Die: A Squikku and Tiduna Story ❯ Yuna's Wedding ( Chapter 10 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

CHAPTER 10: YUNA'S WEDDING
"Where's Yuna?" Rikku asked, walking into Lulu's room. Lulu looked up from her book at a very pissed Rikku. She could tell she was pissed because she said 'Yuna' and not her usual 'Yunie'.
Lulu shrugged, "After the orientation I saw her sneak out the back door. I was gonna congratulate her on her marriage..."
"Congratulate!" Rikku asked, outraged, "SEYMOUR'S AN ASSHOLE!"
Lulu looked at her in shock. Did Rikku just cuss? That's it, she was spending too much time with Squall. But that also meant that something was horribly wrong...why is Rikku so upset? True, Yuna wasn't exactly happy once Seymour announced their engagement, but Lulu was too far in the back to really see Yuna's reaction.
"What's wrong?" Lulu asked concerned, sitting up on her bed.
Rikku sighed, "Tidus just told me and Squall that Yuna signed a contract to marry Seymour. She's no longer doing it because she wants to, it's a forced marriage." She sat on the bed, looking down sadly.
"What?" Lulu asked, shocked and angered that Yuna would just sign her life away.
"I can't let her go through with this, Lu...I gotta help her..." Rikku said, "She loves Tidus, and he loves her. She should be with him."
Lulu nodded, agreeing, but not liking the look in Rikku's eyes. She was gonna do something crazy. "What are you thinking, Rikku?" Lulu asked curiously.
Rikku wasn't paying attention, she looked deep in thought, which was unusual to Lulu. Rikku never took time to sit down and think things out, she usually went for it, not caring about the consequences.
"Rikku?" Lulu tried again, still no response. Now she was really acting like Squall.
"I gotta do something," Rikku said, getting up and walking towards the door, "I'll be right back."
"Rikku...Rikku!" Lulu called out, but Rikku left, ignoring her, "RIKKU! DON'T DO ANYTHING STUPID!"
LUCA GYM
Squall, Tidus, and Wakka decided to go to the Luca gym. Tidus was stressed and he needed to work out some of his frustration, Squall wanted to practice with his gunblade some more, and Wakka just went along because he was bored.
"I hate that guy!" Tidus said, punching the punching bag with every word. He wanted to talk to Yuna after the orientation but she disappeared. He made a promise to her and he was gonna keep it. He wouldn't allow Yuna to marry Seymour, it just wasn't right. She didn't love him, and he just saw her as a sign of property.
"What you gonna do about it, Brudda?" Wakka asked, holding the bag for Tidus, trying not to get hit.
"I'm gonna-" Tidus didn't get to finish his sentence because the gym door swung open, Lulu stormed in looking very pissed off. Tidus, Wakka, and Squall stopped what they were doing to stare at her in confusion.
"Hey, Lu." Wakka greeted dumbly, wondering what she was doing there.
"Shut it!" She said, sending him a death glare, "I'm only gonna ask this once: What the HELL is going on with Yuna?"
Tidus frowned angrily, turning back to the bag and began punching it again, "She's getting married. Didn't you listen at the orientation?" He asked.
Lulu scowled, "I know that! Don't be a smart ass, Tidus! Why is she so upset?" She asked, looking at them impatiently.
"Ever think she didn't want to marry the guy?" Squall asked, giving Lulu an arrogant look.
"You too! I don't need two smart ass remarks." Lulu replied, "And since when did Yuna not wanna get married? Seymour seems like an ok guy."
Tidus stopped punching the bag to stare at Lulu like she was the craziest person in Spira, "OK! HE'S A FUCKING POSSESIVE ASSHOLE!" He yelled, pulling out his sword and slashing the bag. Wakka quickly moved out the way, watching all the stuffing from the punching bag fall on the floor. Squall watched too, with an amused smile.
"You sound like Rikku," Lulu said, giving Tidus a disappointed look, "And am I the only one that thinks Seymour's nice?" The guys nodded.
"Rikku?" Wakka asked, "Rikku cusses?"
Lulu nodded, looking at Squall accusingly, "Right before she went into 'crazy overprotective cousin mode' and left."
"Left? What do you mean 'left'? Where'd she go?" Squall asked concerned.
Lulu shrugged, "I don't know. She just got up and left saying she had to do something."
"AND YOU LET HER GO!" Squall asked, outraged. He began pacing back and forth, running his hand through his hair in frustration. Lulu, Tidus, and Wakka watched in amazement, that's the most emotion they ever seen Squall show.
"Calm down...she's probably with Yuna." Lulu said.
"YUNA'S MISSING TOO?" Tidus asked, "This is just fucking great! Why the hell did you let them leave?"
Lulu looked at them angrily, "Sorry! I didn't know I was babysitting!" She replied angrily.
"This is serious, Lulu!" Squall said, glaring at her, "Do you have any idea where Rikku could be?"
"If I knew, do you think I would be standing here talking to you morons?" Lulu asked.
"Less arguing, more searching." Tidus said, walking towards the the door.
Squall nodded, following him, "We'll take my car." He said.
"Only one problem!" Lulu shouted, walking to the doorway, "It's a two-seater!"
"Stay with Wakka!" Tidus shouted back, getting into the passengar's seat.
"Great." She muttered, glancing over at Wakka.
BEVELLE
"Uh huh...and do you know who's on that guest list?" Rikku asked. She went around Bevelle asking people questions about Seymour's and Yuna's wedding. She met a reporter named Belinda who knew a lot about the wedding. She was a big help, she knew about the security system and everything.
"Only the people Seymour likes, he won't allow Yuna to invite people. He says it's too risky." Belinda responded.
"Uh huh." Rikku said, writing information down in her notepad. She needed all the information she could get before she tried to sneak into the wedding. She doubted she was on the guest list.
"Yeah and...hey, do you know those two guys?" Belinda asked, pointing at two guys coming towards them. Rikku turned around to see Squall and Tidus. They didn't look happy.
"Oh, poopie." She muttered, looking down.
"Rikku!" Squall said, walking up to her, "What are you doing here? You can't just leave without telling people where you're going!"
"Lulu told you, huh?" Rikku asked, smiling sheepishly. Squall didn't smile back, he gave her a disappointed look. "Sorry!" She apologized, "But I have left by myself before, you know!"
"I know..." Squall sighed, "But Lulu said that you were worrying about Yuna. And I know you can get alittle crazy when it comes to helping people."
Rikku nodded, looking down, "Sorry for worrying you...I just gotta help Yunie." She apologized.
Squall lifted her chin up, smiling at her, "Don't apologize. It's not your fault. You worry, which causes you to act before you think."
"Actually," Rikku smiled, "I thought this one out."
Squall quirked his eyebrows, "Are you serious?" He asked, amused.
Rikku nodded, "I did a Squallie and actually thought my plan out.You're having a huge affect on me you know." She smiled.
"That's not a good thing." Squall smiled, leaning down to kiss her until he felt two pairs if eyes on him. Tidus and Belinda was staring at them. Tidus looked shocked and Belinda looked amused. "Forgot they were here." He muttered to Rikku. She smiled up at him, turning to look at them.
"Man, who are you and what have you done with Squall Leonheart?" Tidus asked confused, "How come you are never this nice and sincere around me?"
Squall rolled his eyes, "Because you're not important." He responded.
"Not important?" Tidus asked shocked, "But...think of all we shared, Squall! I'm beginning to think you like Rikku more then me!" He said in a hurt voice.
"Man, don't ever say that again." Squall responded, smirking, "You know I like Rikku more then you anyways."
"Are they going to crash the wedding too?" Belinda asked. Rikku's eyes widened in shock, she didn't want Squall to know her plan. But now he did.
Tidus looked at Belinda confused as Squall stared at Rikku expectantly.
"They weren't suppose to know." Rikku whispered to Belinda, tensing up and staring at Squall nervously.
"Oh!" Belinda said, clapping a hand over her mouth.
"Crash the wedding?" Squall asked, gazing at Rikku, waiting for her to explain.
"Er..hehe...um...you see." Rikku slouched down nervously, "Ok! I admit it! I'm crashing Yunie's wedding!"
"Rikku-"
"Good idea!" Tidus interrupted, thinking, "We could crash it, kick Seymour's ass, take Yuna and leave."
Squall turned to glare his disapproval at Tidus, "Are you kidding me? Do you know how heavily protected that wedding's gonna be?" He asked.
"Got it all handled, Squallie," Rikku smiled, pulling out her notepad, "Belinda here gave me all the info I need!"
"And you," He turned to look back at her, "If we were to crash the wedding, you aren't going."
"WHAT!" Rikku yelled, shocked, "It was MY idea! Why can't I go?"
"Too dangerous." He responded, crossing his arms to indicate that his choice was final.
"Oh no, mister! I'm going!" Rikku said stubbornly, "Plus you and Tidus aren't sneaky enough!"
"Hey!" Tidus yelled, offended, "I can be pretty damn sneaky when I wanna be!"
"Suurrree!" Rikku teased, "But I'm a thief and I can build good machina to help us."
"You're not going."
"Yes I am!"
"No you're not!"
"Yes I am!"
Squall sighed, there was no changing her mind. She was right, it was her idea, she should be able to go. But he didn't want her to. There'd be a lot of guards there, with guns. And he knew she couldn't out run guns.
"So what's it gonna be, Squallie?" Rikku asked, smiling, "Am I going? Or am I gonna have to sneak in there by myself?"
"Fine." He muttered, knowing she would sneak in there anyways. It was better to have her by his side then her by herself.
"What was that?" She asked, her smile getting wider.
"I said fine!" He said louder. She smiled happily, jumping on him. He quickly grabbed her out of reflex, holding her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and hug him tightly.
"Don't worry, Squallie!" She smiled against his neck, "It's gonna be sooo fun! And we'll be saving Yunie!"
"Yeah, Squallie." Tidus teased, "Don't worry."
Squall turned to glare at him, "Just wait till later." He muttered angrily.
THE PLAN
Wakka, Lulu, Rikku, Squall, and Tidus sat around Squall's room using all the information Rikku got to come up with a good plan.
"Squall wasn't kidding," Wakka said, looking at the outline of the building on the blue prints, "This place is heavily guarded, ya?"
"It is." Lulu agreed, "How do you expect us to sneak in, Rikku?"
"Well," Rikku smiled brightly, "I was gonna start from the top!"
"What do you mean from the top?" Tidus asked, "As in falling from the sky?"
Rikku nodded, "My brother can fly us up there, we'll jump from the ship and be ontop of the building. Then we work our way down."
"Are you crazy?" Wakka asked, bewildered, "That's a long way up! That's a long way down!"
"I'm not crazy, I'm Al Bhed!" Rikku said, defending herself, "And I know that! Not afraid of heights are you, Tubby?"
"Yeah," Lulu smiled, "That's so unattractive in a guy."
Wakka looked at Lulu in shock. "N-no! I'm not afraid!" He stuttered, "I love heights! Let's do it, ya?"
Rikku and Lulu smiled, satisfied with his answer. Squall and Tidus shook their heads, disappointed.
"Ok, Lulu and Wakka will be in charge of finding that contract." Tidus said, pacing around the room.
"What you want us to do with it when we find it?" Lulu asked.
"Burn it." Rikku and Tidus said.
"Isn't that illegal?" Wakka asked.
"Who cares?" Rikku asked, "No contract, no marriage."
Lulu and Wakka looked at eachother then shrugged, "Ok." They agreed.
"I'll find Yunie while Tidus and Squall handle Seymour." Rikku said.
Squall looked at her, "You ain't going by yourself."
Rikku sighed, "I have to! Tidus is gonna need help with Seymour. Plus, I'm the sneakiest so it'll be easier for me to get to Yunie!"
Squall looked back down, "Fine. But you better be careful." He replied.
"When have I have not been careful?" She asked confidently.
Squall glanced up at her, quirking an eyebrow.
Rikku giggled nervously, "Don't answer that!"
"It's settled then." Tidus said, sitting down. Relaxing now that he knew that Yuna will be ok once they help her.
"Does anyone know where Yuna is?" Lulu asked concerned.
They all shrugged, looking at eachother.
"Mall?" Wakka suggested.
Rikku and Lulu threw something at him.
"Ow!" He pouted, "It was just a suggestion!"
"Why would Yunie be shopping at a time like this?" Rikku asked.
Wakka shrugged, grabbing a pillow to protect himself just in case, "Calm her nerves, ya?"
Rikku and Lulu were about to yell at him some more until they realized he was right. They always went shopping when things got rough and complicated.
"He's right." Lulu said, looking at Rikku in disbelief.
"Wow," Rikku said, shocked, "C'mon, Lu, we're going shopping." She jumped up, grabbed Lulu's hand, and ran towards the door.
Wakka scratched his hand in confusion, "I'll never understand women, ya?"
Tidus and Squall shrugged.
THE NEXT DAY
Yuna wasn't at the mall or didn't return home that night. Rikku was beginning to worry, thinking something bad happened to her. She looked at her pile of things that she bought yesterday, shopping didn't help calm her nerves like it use to. Something was up, and Yuna was missing.
RING! RING! Rikku quickly ran to the phone, answering it. "Rikku speaking." She said cheerfully into the phone.
"Rikku?" She heard a soft, low voice ask.
"YUNIE?" She asked, shocked, "Yunie, where are you? Are you ok?..."
"I'm fine, Rikku." She could hear the smile in Yuna's voice, "Don't worry. I'm...at Seymour's house."
"SEYMOUR'S HOUSE?" Rikku yelled, outraged, "Yunalesca, you get your butt back here! What are you doing there?"
"Don't be mad, Rikku." Yuna pleaded, "He's making me stay here till after our wedding."
"MAKING YOU?" Rikku yelled, "That's holding you against your will! What till I see that blue-haired..."
"Rikku, shh! Calm down!" Yuna whispered, "I think this phone call is being listened to. I just wanted to call and let you know I'm ok."
"Being held prisoner is not ok!"
Yuna giggled weakly, "I miss you guys so much...tell Tidus I'm sorry..."
"Yuna, wait..." CLICK! Rikku looked at the phone in shock. 'She did not just hang up on me!' She thought angrily. She threw the phone against the wall, letting out a frustrated growl.
"What the phone ever do to you?" Squall asked with an amused smile.
"Not the phone! Yunie!" Rikku replied, sitting down on the floor, placing her head in her hands.
Squall walked up to her, kneeling down. "Don't worry. We'll have Yuna safe and home tomorrow." He said, rubbing her back.
"Yeah, I know." She sighed, "But it sucks to not be able to do something now."
Squall glanced at her couch, seeing all the new clothes spread out in piles. He could tell from one glance that he was gonna disapprove of them already. He then got an idea, it wasn't like him but it'll help Rikku alittle and calm her nerves.
"How 'bout we go shopping?" He suggested. She looked at him in shock. He wasn't the type to go shopping, only time he did was to get new belts or if he was going with Tidus and Wakka.
"You? You wanna go shopping?" She asked dumbly, “With me?”
Squall nodded, “Only if you promise not to steal from me this time.” He smiled.
Rikku recovered from her shock, smiling back, “But...I already went shopping.”
“At your stores...what do you say we try something different?” He asked.
“Something different?” Rikku asked excitedly, “You’re gonna give me a make-over?”
“Not exactly, but if you wanna think about it that way, then yes.”
“COOL!” She jumped up, she loved make-overs, especially if she was the one getting them, “But no making me look all depressing like Lulu!”
“I couldn’t if I tried.” He smiled, standing up.
THE MALL
“Oh! Oh! Oh! Here first! Here first!” Rikku said, jumping up and down, excitedly.
Squall looked at the store. The store consisted of mostly t-shirts and jeans. What harm could it do if Rikku shopped there? Squall nodded, watching Rikku run happily into the store.
She ran straight to shelf of clothes, grabbing clothes and handing them to Squall. He stood there shocked, holding them consciously.
“Um, Rikku...do you even know what you’re grabbing?”
“Uh huh.” Rikku responded, grabbing random clothes and giving them to him, “I have a keen sense of fashion. And thief eyes. I’m faster then the average shopper!”
“I can tell.” Squall said, looking at the people watching them. ‘Maybe this wasn’t a good idea...but Rikku’s happy.’ He thought, letting Rikku pull him towards the dressing room.
“Wait here!” Rikku smiled, grabbing some clothes from him and running into the dressing room.
“Your girlfriend, she a perky one, huh?” A guy asked, he was holding a broom.
Squall glanced at him, “Yeah...enough energy for all of Spira.” He responded.
The guy chuckled, beginning to sweep alittle, “Isn’t this fashion alittle too...emo for her?” He asked.
Squall shrugged, “As long as she’s covered up.” He responded, wondering why he was talking to this guy in the first place. He never had conversations with strangers before, he usually waved them off by responding ‘whatever’. Rikku was changing him a lot, but he liked it.
“I guess...” The guy said, looking up, his eyes opened wide and jaw dropped. Squall looked at him strangely, ‘What the hell is this guy looking at? Why does he looked so shocked? And why the hell is he drooling?’ He thought, turning his head in the direction the guy was looking. Squall’s face dropped too as he seen what the guy was looking at.
Rikku was in the doorway, striking a dramatic pose, smiling at them. She had on a small tight grey tee that she tied in the back to show her stomache. It had the Lionheart symbol on it in red. And short faded black jean shorts. “I LOVE shopping!” She smiled, twirling for them, “What you think?”
“I love-” Squall covered the guy’s mouth before he could finish. ‘Leave it to Rikku to make a complete plain and conservative outfit look sexy.’ He thought, smiling at her.
“You were right! These clothes are way more comfy!” She said, walking back into the dressing room.
Squall turned to glare at the drooling guy behind him, “Don’t say a thing.” He warned.
“At least she’s covered up, right?” The man asked sheepishly, he quickly ran when Squall pulled out his gunblade.
“Do you bring that everywhere with you, Squallie?” Rikku asked, walking back out the dressing room with all her clothes.
“You didn’t even try on all your clothes.” Squall said, putting his gunblade away.
“I know!” Rikku smiled, walking up to the cashier, “But the look on your face told me that these are good enough!”
Squall chuckled, placing his head in his hand, “You’re gonna be the death of me.” He joked.
“At least you’ll die happy!” Rikku replied, cheerfully.
FOOD COURT
They went to the food court because Rikku said shopping made her hungry. Squall watched in amusemnet as Rikku chowed down on her choco-burger and fries, she was almost as bad as Tidus. He sensed something was still wrong with Rikku though, she wasn't talking like she usually does.
"So..." Squall began, feeling awkward that it was him starting the conversation. He was about to continue until he felt someone tap him lightly on the shoulder. He turned to see no one, then he looked down to see a little brunette 4 year old girl smiling up at him.
"Hi!" She greeted cheerfully, hugging her stuffed moogle.
"Er...hi." Squall responded, glancing at Rikku to see that she stopped eating, staring at him with interest.
"I'm Mandy, and this is my moogle Angel." She said, looking up at him with wide innocent eyes.
"Hi, Mandy." He began looking around the food court desperately. 'Where the hell is this girl's parents?' He thought. He wasn't good when it came to kids, it wasn't that he didn't like them...it was just they made him uncomfortable.
Rikku got up, walking up to Mandy, smiling brightly, "Where's your parents, Mandy?" She asked, leaning down.
Mandy shrugged, "I came over here because Angel wanted to know what that guy's sword-thingy is." She responded, pointing to Squall's gunblade. Squall looked at her, Rikku, then his gunblade in shock.
"Go ahead, Squallie." Rikku smiled, "Tell her what it is."
Squall looked at her in shock, "M-me?" He asked, "Why don't you do it?"
"It's your weapon." She smiled, amused that he was afraid of a little child.
He pulled out his gunblade, watching the little girl's face light up with happiness. He was surprised he got a kid to smile. He looked at Rikku who was smiling at him, she looked so mature, even motherly standing next to the delighted kid.
"What's it called?" Mandy asked curiously, examining the designs.
"A gunblade." Squall responded.
"Can I touch it?" Mandy asked, looking at him with hope.
"Er...sure."
"Squall!" Rikku yelled, grabbing Mandy's hand before she touched the blade, "It's too sharp."
"Oh yeah!" Squall said, remembering that it could chop the little girl's hand off, "Forgot about that."
"Mandy! Get your butt back here!" A woman yelled.
"Coming, mom!" Mandy yelled, running away, "Bye Squallie! Bye Squallie's pretty girlfriend!"
Rikku smiled, "At least she called me pretty!" She was about to walk to her seat until Squall grabbed her by the hand, sitting her on his lap.
"Who knew you were so good with kids?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Who knew you weren't?" She joked, laughing at his embarassed expression.
"Me and kids don't mix." He muttered, resting his head against her shoulder.
"You did good!" Rikku said, trying to make him feel better.
"I was gonna let her cut herself!"
Rikku laughed, "You were just trying to be nice...which is odd coming from you, Squallie. I expected you to be a big meanie and say 'whatever' like you always do."
"I was going to." He admitted, "But then I saw that hopeful look on your face."
Rikku shrugged, "I've always loved kids. I wanted more brothers and sisters but my mom died...so I plan on having a lot of kids!" She smiled.
Squall looked at her in shock. Rikku? A mother? That would be interesting to see. She'd make a great mother, one of those cool ones you don't mind having around your friends. The only thing that bothered him was he wouldn't be the one to give her that. Not because he wasn't able to or was too scared to, but because he wasn't going to be around for long. He would have to leave, and Rikku would have someone else's kids. He didn't like the thought of that.
"Didn't scare you, did I?" Rikku asked concerned.
"Huh?" Squall asked, shaking out of his thoughts, "Uh...no. Just thinking."
"Oh." Rikku smiled, "Don't worry, Squall, you're gonna be a great dad one day."
"Yeah right." He muttered.
Rikku turned to look at him with complete seriousness, "You will! You're a great person whether you know it or not!" She smiled at his shocked expression.
"I'm a horrible person and I'm going to hell."
Rikku giggled, "No you're not! You have a big heart."
"Since when?" He asked, shocked, "And I thought I was a 'big meanie'."
"You are!" She replied, hitting him lightly, "You're a big meanie if you think you're not a good person."
Squall looked at her in confusion, "You have issues." He replied, pulling her into a kiss.
YUNA'S WEDDING DAY
"Ok, people! Time to get ready to jump!" Rikku said, pacing back and forth on the Celcius. Tidus, Wakka, Squall, and Lulu watched her with determination.
"Can't I just sneak through the front door?" Wakka asked desperately. Lulu glared at him. "Nevermind!" He said, looking down.
"Be careful out there people." Rikku continued, "We could get shot or worse..."
"What's worse then getting shot?" Tidus asked.
"Watching Yunie marry that jerk." Rikku responded.
"Right!" Tidus agreed whole-heartedly, "I made a promise to her and I'm sticking to it even if it kills me."
"I'm on a ship with a bunch of suicidal people." Squall muttered.
Lulu stood up, glaring at him, "Are you ready, Squall?" She asked, "This is a team mission, you know. Can you handle that?"
"I'll do my part," He responded, sharpening his gunblade, "Just don't screw up or get in my way and we'll be good."
"It's not like anyone can get by on their own, Squall." Lulu replied angrily, "We need to work together."
"...Says who?" He asked. Lulu glared at him, walking towards the door.
Rikku watched as Tidus, Wakka, and Lulu jumped out. Squall was about to too until Rikku stopped him, grabbing his arm.
"Lulu's right, y'know." She said, looking up at him, "This is a team mission. We're a team, right?"
He looked at her for awhile then shrugged, turning towards the door.
“Squall!” Rikku said, grabbing him again, “Promise me you’ll help Tidus and you’ll let him help you if you two run into trouble!”
Squall looked at her, she looked very worried. Not only about Yuna, but the safety of her friends. She really worried too much, she needed to put herself first sometimes. He placed a hand on her cheek and smiled warmly, “Don’t worry. Nothing’s gonna happen to us. Just worry about keeping yourself safe, ok?”
Rikku nodded, still alittle worried. She wanted to help Yuna but she was pretty sure Seymour would kill them if he had to. Some one could get seriously hurt or die if something went wrong.
Squall watched her carefully jump from the ship, landing on the roof. He sighed, knowing he was going to have to make sure that they all got out of this ok for Rikku. It wasn’t like she was exactly counting on him to do that but she wanted him to work with them and not by himself, which he preferred. He knew she was still dedicated to getting him to open up to other people instead of her, which he couldn’t do. That also made him wonder why did he feel so comfortable opening up to Rikku in the first place.
“Anytime you’re ready, Squall!” He heard Tidus yell from below, “We can always wait till Yuna’s honeymoon to save her!”
“Whatever.” Squall replied, jumping off the ship.
BEVELLE
Lulu and Wakka already ran off to find the contract. Rikku and Tidus was waiting while Squall landed on the building. Tidus was wondering what Rikku was still doing there, but he could tell by her face that she was worried.
“It’s ok, Rikku.” Tidus said, trying to make her feel better, “We’ll be ok. Everything will go according to plan, we’ll have Yuna back in no time.” He was trying to believe his own words too, he was concerned that they wouldn’t do anything to stop it.
Rikku gave him a weak smile, “I know! Ok, I’m off to get Yunie...be careful you guys!” She ran to the roof stairwell
Squall watched her leave, concerned. ‘If Rikku got caught...don’t think about that Squall. Just do your part in the mission and that’s all...’ He thought, pulling out his gunblade. But he couldn’t just do his part like he wanted to, he had to make sure everyone was safe in the end. ‘Stupid teams...’ He looked at Tidus that was already walking towards the stairwell. ‘Well, at least he’s anxious too.’ He thought, following him.
Rikku silently moved down a hall, looking around cautiously for the guards that randomly walk by. This building was huge, how was she suppose to know which door Yuna was in? Most likely in the room highest up. She was in luck with that one because she was already at the top.
“HEY!” Rikku mentally slapped herself for getting caught so soon. That was very un-sneakishly of her, if Squall were to see her now he wouldn’t be happy. Rikku turned around slowly, gripping her daggers, prepared to attack whomever was behind her.
She saw a very short old woman coming towards her, “You the flower girl?” The woman asked angrily.
“Huh?” Rikku asked dumbly, “I mean...yeah! Yeah, I’m the flowergirl.”
“About time you got here!” The woman yelled, “Yunalesca needs her flowers now, come on.” Rikku let the woman drag her down a narrow hallway.
Two guards were walking towards them, Rikku quickly covered her face. “Ms. Laurna, aren’t you suppose to be helping Yunalesca get in her dress?” A guard asked.
“I was busy handling everything else in this damn building!” Mrs. Laurna complained, “Why must I do everything around here!”
Mrs. Laurna began complaining and yelling, the two guards listening to her reluctantly. Rikku listened and watched in amusement until she felt a pebble hit her in the head. She quickly turned to the direction it came out of, seeing Tidus and Squall hiding behind a big statue. They were giving her confused and angry looks. She shrugged, mouthing ‘I’m the flowergirl’ to them. Tidus smiled as Squall gave her a disapproving look like she knew he would.
“Who’s this, Ms. Laurna?” A guard asked, looking at Rikku, interrupting Ms. Laurna’s rants.
“Oh her?” Ms. Laurna asked, not even glancing at Rikku, “She’s the late flowergirl.”
“She looks familiar.” The other guard said, studying Rikku suspiciously.
“Er...whaddya mean?” Rikku asked, smiling nervously.
Before he could respond, he fell to the floor unconsciously. Tidus quickly knocked out the other guard before he could react as Squall held his gunblade to Ms. Laurna’s throat. “I advise you not to scream.” He threatened.
Mrs. Laurna nodded, a frightened look on her face.
“Good.” Squall replied, “Sleep.” Mrs. Laurna fell to the ground unconsciously, sleeping.
“Gee, thanks a lot!” Rikku said, glaring at them, “I had it under control!”
“We leave you alone for five minutes and you're walking around this place like you were invited.” Squall said, “Very un-thiefish.”
"Hey!" Rikku yelled, offended, "Don't go bad-mouthing my thieving skills, meanie!"
"Rikku-"
"I wouldn't be if you were alittle more sneaky." Squall replied.
"Squall-"
"That lady was gonna take me to Yunie's room!" Rikku responded angrily.
"You guys-"
"That guard was gonna rat you out!" Squall said, glaring down at her.
"How do you know?" Rikku asked, getting in his face, "He could've said he seen me on tv or something!"
"YOU GUYS!" Tidus yelled, causing Rikku and Squall to stare at him, "Sorry to interrupt your little 'lovers quarrel' but we got a wedding to crash."
"Sorry." Rikku apologized, smiling sheepishly.
"Whatever." Squall said.
"Plus, we found a map, Rikku." Tidus said, pulling out the map, "Squall had to slice a couple of people but we got it."
"Cool." Rikku smiled, looking at the map, "Where would Yunie be?"
"Here." Tidus pointed onto the map.
"I'll just be on my way..." Squall grabbed Rikku before she could leave.
"We're gonna walk you there." He said.
"I got it, don't worry." She smiled, "I won't get caught this time, I promise."
Squall shook his head, "No, we're walking you."
"Fine." She sighed, "You really need to learn how to trust me."
He smiled at her, "I trust you, Rikku. I just will feel better if we took you."
Rikku smiled, touching his cheek, "Aww, Squallie, that's kinda sweet of you. Ok, let's go!"
"Wait!" Tidus whispered, glancing around the corner, "There's someone there."
"A guard?" Rikku asked, glancing around the corner too, "Wait a minute! I know him!" She ran off towards the guy.
"Rikku-" Tidus quickly grabbed Squall before he could go after her. "Wait." Tidus whispered. Squall looked at him like he was crazy. Was he telling him to wait as Rikku ran off to god-knows-where? 'He's right.' His mind was telling him, 'You can't just go jumping into danger everytime Rikku runs off.'
"Hey." Rikku smiled, walking back to them.
"Where the hell did you go?" Squall asked angrily.
"Geez, Squallie, calm down." Rikku said, "I talked to that guy. He was the cute janitor from the mall, remember Squall?"
Squall nodded, remembering the guy who he talked to at the store. Wait...did Rikku call him cute?
"Anyways, he said he saw Wakka and Lulu. They're in this room down the hall." Rikku said.
Tidus nodded, "Let's go see if they found the contract." He said, running around the corner.
Rikku was about to leave until she saw Squall wasn't moving. She turned to look at him, he was staring back at her, arms crossed.
"Cute, huh?" He asked.
Rikku giggled, "I didn't mean it like that, Squallie." She walked towards him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, "Don't be mad."
"I'm not mad." He responded, looking away.
"Yes you are." Rikku smiled, turning his head to look back at her, "And I'm sorry about yelling at you earlier. It was just the nervousness I guess."
"Yeah...me too." He apologized, wrapping his arms around her waist, "I just worry sometimes."
"See? You can worry about fellow team members! I knew it! There's hope for you yet!"
Squall shook his head, smiling, "You're not just another team member, Rikku. You're more important then that."
Rikku blushed, smiling, "So are you. That's why I'd appreciate it if you worked with people instead of by yourself."
Squall nodded, leaning down to kiss her until he heard a click. They turned their heads to see several guards pointing guns at them.
"Shit." Squall muttered, he really needed to pay more attention these days.
"We really need to stop talking when we're on missions, huh?" Rikku asked, looking at the guards nervously.
"Step away from eachother, drop your weapons, and put your hands up!" A guard yelled.
Rikku looked at Squall who was glaring at the guards. She knew he wasn't going to cooperate with them, he never cooperates with anything. That's when Rikku got an idea.
"Squallie, I need you to trust me." She whispered, causing him to look at her in confusion.
"What are you going to do?" He asked back.
"Shh, just trust me." She smiled, "When their attention is on me I want you to run, k?"
"WHAT?" Squall asked, outraged.
"I SAID: STEP AWAY FROM EACHOTHER, DROP YOUR WEAPONS, AND PUT YOUR HANDS UP!" The guard yelled angrily.
"Hold your chocobos!" Rikku yelled back, walking towards them.
"Rikku!" Squall called out, reaching for her.
She turned around and winked, "Trust me." She smiled, getting on her knees infront of the guards and putting her hands up, "Ok, I surrender!"
Squall stared at her in shock, as did the guards. What the hell is she thinking? But he remembered she said to trust her...but she was practically sacrificing herself! He sighed, he had to trust her even though he didn't like her plan. What was her plan anyways? He quickly turned the corner, running down the hall.
"Ugh...HE'S GETTING AWAY!" A guard yelled.
"Let him." The guards turned around to see Seymour, "There's guards waiting for him down the hall."
"You!" Rikku sneered angrily, "Where's my cousin, you big blue-haired jerk!"
"Ouch, Rikku," Seymour smiled, "You can be quite the mean bitch when you want to."
"Thank you." Rikku replied grimly.
"I'm gonna take you to your dear cousin, because I know she'll be pleased to have you at our wedding." Seymour said as the guards grabbed Rikku.
"You're actually inviting me?" Rikku asked angrily, "I'm so honored...jerk."
"Yes, I'm inviting you." Seymour smiled, "And you're gonna change and get all pretty for the wedding. If you refuse, I'll just have my guards force-dress you."
Rikku looked at the smiling guards in disgust. "Gross! You pervs!" She yelled, "Fine, but I can change myself, thank you very much!"
The guards groaned in disappointment as Seymour smiled, satisfied.
"AND YOUR OUTFIT SUCKS!" Rikku yelled as he walked away.
OFFICE ROOM
"Good news, Tidus," Lulu smiled as she finished reading the whole contract, "Yuna don't have to marry him after all."
"Really?" Tidus asked shocked, peeking out the door to see if any one was coming, "You found a loop-hole?"
Lulu nodded, standing up and walking over to him, "It says here that the deals off if Yuna falls in love with someone else before the wedding. I'm guessing Yuna didn't see it because he covered it up with white out. I practically almost broke a nail scratching it off."
"YES!" Tidus cheered, jumping up, "She's free then! We just gotta get to her."
Wakka nodded, "Lu and I will get down to the chapel. If we tell the priest about this then he can stop the wedding."
Tidus nodded. Lulu and Wakka walked out the room, sneaking down the hall. Once they were gone, Tidus began dancing happily.
Squall walked in, watching Tidus do the running-man, "Please tell me that's not how you dance." He said. Tidus quickly stopped dancing, standing up straight.
"Um...no..." He replied embarrassed, "Where's Rikku?"
Squall sighed, "We got caught and she surrendered so I could escape."
"Are you serious?" Tidus asked shocked, "Well, we have good news. Yuna doesn't have to marry Seymour. Lulu and Wakka are on their way down to the chapel right now."
"I wouldn't be so sure." Squall said, glancing out the door, "They got caught."
"What?" Tidus asked, looking out the door. They quickly hid as Lulu, Wakka, and a bunch of guards walked by. Lulu, knowing they were still there, crumpled up a paper and dropped it. Making sure the guards didn't notice.
Squall made sure they were gone before he ran out the door and got the paper.
"Is it the contract?" Tidus asked.
Squall nodded, "Come on, let's get to that chapel."
DRESSING ROOM
"RIKKU!" Yuna cried out, running to Rikku as she walked in the door.
"Yunie!" Rikku smiled, letting Yuna pull her into a tight hug.
"What are you doing here?" Yuna asked, trying to control her tears.
"We have come to bust you out, Yunie!" Rikku smiled.
"'We'?" Yuna asked confused, "Is Tidus here?"
Rikku nodded, smiling, "And Squall, Lulu, and Wakka."
Yuna stared at her in shock, "Are you serious? Where are they? Are they ok?"
"Calm down, Yunie." Rikku said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Everyone's fine...except me. I'm being forced to wear an ugly bride's maid dress. I wanna be Maid of Honor!"
Yuna smiled, happy that her sense of humor was back, "I'm sorry you got involved in this, Rikku."
"Aww, don't worry about it, Yunie." Rikku smiled, "We're a team right? We go through things together. Even forced marriages."
Yuna smiled, looking down happily, "I'm grateful to have a cousin like you."
"Aww, Yunie! You're gonna make me cry!"
The door swung open as several guards walked in holding a pink dress.
"I specifically asked for yellow, jerks!" Rikku yelled, snatching the pink dress from him.
The guard scowled at her, "Just to let you know, we caught your two little friends."
Yuna and Rikku stared at him in shock. "W-what friends?" Rikku asked nervously.
"The black mage and Blitzball player with the strange orange hair." He responded, walking out the door.
"They got Wakka and Lulu!" Yuna said, panicking.
"Calm down, Yunie." Rikku said, sitting her down on the bed, "Squall and Tidus are still free. We're gonna be ok."
CHAPEL HALLWAY
Squall and Tidus cautiously walked down the hall towards the chapel. They could already see the guards, there were dozens of them.
"Shit...talk about heavily guarded." Tidus whispered, looking at all the people.
Squall pulled out his gunblade, "This ain't gonna be easy...but we have to make it to the chapel. It's either kill, or be killed."
Tidus looked at him nervously, "Can't we just knock them out?" He asked.
Squall shook his head, "Too risky for me. No one's gonna be talking about me in past tense." He said, stepping forward.
"HOLD IT!" Two guards walked up behind Squall and Tidus, pointing their guns at their backs.
Squall put his hands up, glancing at Tidus who did the same.
"Drop your weapons!" A guard yelled, walking towards them.
Squall quickly turned around, shooting the guard. Tidus was about to attack the other one until he shot at him. He stopped, watching the bullet come towards his bare chest in shock and fear. Squall noticed the bullet, quickly hitting it with his gunblade before it got to Tidus. The bullet bounced off his blade, hitting the guard in the chest.
"Y-you save my life." Tidus said, looking at Squall in shock.
Squall shrugged, "Whatever, come on." He said, running down a hall. Tidus shook out of his shock and ran after him.
"Not so fast, Lionheart." Seymour said, stepping infront of them, holding Rikku.
Squall stopped, looking at Rikku then glancing up at Seymour, "Let her go!" He muttered angrily, gripping his gunblade hard.
"I rather not." Seymour smiled, "After seeing what you did to my best two guards over there, I think I'll keep her."
Squall and Tidus watched in anger and fear as Rikku struggled against his hold.
"Now, I already got your other two friends. Don't worry, though, they're already at the chapel." He smiled. Squall wasn't paying attention, he was too busy looking at Rikku, trying to think of a plan. More guards approached, pointing their guns at them.
"Drop the weapons and I'll let you come to the wedding." Seymour said, glaring at Tidus and Squall. Tidus did as he said, dropping his sword and letting the guards grab him.
"Do it, Squall," Rikku said, "It'll be ok." Squall looked at her unsuringly, wanting to but not being sure if he'll need it.
"Listen to the Al Bhed, Squall." Seymour said, "Her life is in your hands." Squall sighed, reluctantly dropping his gunblade. Rikku could get hurt if he didn't listen.
"Good." Seymour smiled, stepping backwards, still holding Rikku, "Cuff them." Squall and Tidus held still as the guards put handcuffs on them and took their weapons. Seymour pushed Rikku forward into Squall. Squall glared up at him as the guards grabbed Rikku, cuffing her too.
"Welcome to my wedding." He smiled, walking away, "Have fun."
"Sadistic bastard!" Tidus yelled angrily.
"Owie!" Rikku complained, "I can't feel my wrist! Can you loosen it?" The guards glared at her, pushing them towards the chapel.
CHAPEL
They were sitted next to Lulu and Wakka in the front.
"Is this the bride's side?" Rikku asked, standing next to Lulu. They were surrounded by a lot of guards who were pointing guns at them. Rikku began picking at her handcuffs.
"They got you guys too?" Wakka asked, shocked.
Rikku nodded, "Wait till I get my hands on that big meanie! He's forcing my cousin to marry him and he made me wear this dress!" She looked down at her pink silk dress, "Though I have to admit it does look good on me."
"We'll talk about how good you look in it later." Squall said, "Where's the you-know-what, Tidus?"
"I got it." Tidus whispered, opening his fist to show a crumbled paper.
A guard hit Squall and Tidus in the back of the head, "Stop talking!" He ordered.
Squall and Tidus gritted their teeth angrily, "Remind me to kill him later." Squall whispered. Tidus nodded, glaring back at the guard.
The music began playing as Yuna and Seymour walked up the steps. Yuna looked at them with concern and fear.
Tidus watched her, trying to move forward but a guard stopped him, "YUNA! YOU DON'T HAVE TO-" A guard covered his mouth, shutting him up. Tidus struggled against his hold.
Yuna looked at him sadly as Seymour dragged her up the stairs.
"YUNIE-" The guards began covering all their mouths so they couldn't talk. Rikku spotted the paper in Tidus's hand, she finished picking at her handcuffs, feeling them fall off. She quickly ran, grabbing the paper from Tidus and throwing it.
The paper hit Seymour in the head. Yuna ran to pick it up, looking at Rikku in confusion.
"READ IT!" Rikku yelled as the guards grabbed her again.
"Shut her up! Permenately!" Seymour shouted angrily.
A guard pointed a gun at Rikku, about to pull the trigger. Squall began struggling, trying to get out their grasp.
"NO!" Yuna cried out, running infront of Rikku, "You will NOT harm her!"
"Move out the way, Yuna."
"NO!" Yuna yelled angrily, she looked at the Priest, "I would like you to read this contract, please." She asked, holding out the contract. The Priest nodded, walking to Yuna and grabbing the contract.
"Go ahead." Seymour smiled, "Her and her father already read it and went over it. Nothing's changed."
Lulu bit the guard's hand, causing him to move his hand from her mouth.
"OUCH! YOU LITTLE-"
"I don't know about that, Seymour." Lulu smiled, ignoring the guard's cursing, "A lot can change if you scratch off a pile of white-out. I knew Yuna's dad wouldn't force her to do something she didn't want to."
"What?" Seymour asked angrily, running towards the Priest. The Priest held his hand up, causing the guards to grab Seymour.
"It says here," The Priest began, "that Yunalesca doesn't have to get married if she fell in love with someone else before the wedding."
"SHE HASN'T!" Seymour yelled angrily, struggling against the guard's hold.
"Guess again!" Yuna smiled, running to Tidus. The guards released him as Yuna threw her arms around him, kissing him passionately.
"Aww!" Rikku smiled, she glared at the guard infront of her, "I'd appreciate it if you got that gun outta my face, meanie!"
The Priest smiled, nodding, "Release them." The guards began uncuffing Wakka, Lulu, Tidus, and Squall.
Squall punched the one that hit him and Tidus, then walked over to Rikku, placing an arm around her. "I told you everything was gonna be ok." He smiled.
Rikku smiled, looking at Tidus and Yuna who were still kissing, then up at him, "Yeah, that's because we all worked as a team."
"Whatever." He shrugged, then smiled as Rikku glared at him, "I was just playing!" He laughed, dodging her hand.
"You're such a meanie, Squall Leonheart!" She smiled, hugging him tightly.
"Yeah, I know." He said, hugging her back.
"NO!" Seymour yelled, looking at them hysterically, "I WON'T ALLOW THIS!" He grabbed a gun from a guard, pointing it at Rikku, "SOMEONE'S GONNA DIE!" He pulled the trigger.
"RIKKU!" Yuna, Tidus, Lulu, and Wakka cried out, watching in horror as the bullet came towards her.
Squall quickly pushed Rikku out the way, getting hit in the shoulder. He stumbled backwards, falling off the building.
"SQUALL!" Rikku screamed, getting up and jumping after him.
"RIKKU!" Lulu yelled, her and Wakka ran to the edge of the building.
Yuna closed her eyes, quickly summoning an aeon. Tidus watched her in concern then looked up to see an aeon appear out of the sky. It dived down, towards Squall and Rikku.
Squall opened his eyes, seeing Rikku falling towards him. He quickly opened his arms, grabbing her as she came towards him. The aeon flew under them, causing them to land hard on it.
Rikku hugged Squall tightly, crying into his neck, "You're ok." She smiled, looking up at him then at his bullet wound. The bullet didn't hit him, it just grazed his shoulder.
She carefully touched it, closing her eyes, "Esuna." The wound began to heal.
Squall caressed her cheek, "It's ok, Rikku, don't cry. We're fine." He smiled.
Rikku nodded, leaning down to hug him again, "I thought I lost you." She whispered against his chest.
Squall wanted to say that he'd never leave her, but that would be a lie. And he didn't want to lie to her. He rubbed her back comfortingly as the aeon flew them back up.