Manly Request Week: The Edge of the Sky (FFX, for Katmillia)
Title: The Edge of the Sky
Fandom: FFX
Characters/Pairings included: Auron, Rikku
Rating: PG
Summary: Auron leads Rikku to the Leap of Faith, and she leads him back.
For katmillia. Written for Manly Request Week.
---
The Calm Lands were just as he'd remembered them: blank. On one scale they were lovely, peaceful even; the great dropoff of the cliff overlooking the ocean made an inspiring and powerful setting. But below that surface they were bleak, empty, bleached of comfort and meaning. The Calm Lands were known as a turning point for more reasons than their proximity to Zanarkand. He'd heard of a handful of guardians - and probably a few summoners - who'd thrown themselves off those cliffs as if in search of meaning. A leap of faith for Yevon's people, O ye of so much fayth and little doubt.
Auron couldn't blame them.
The chatter of the others behind him was as normal as it always was: Yuna saying something inspiring over the fire, Wakka joking and Lulu hushing him, Tidus asking questions with little tact and no volume control, and Rikku's friendly non-stop chatter as - wait.
Auron tilted his head slightly. Where was Rikku?
The blond guardian had been distant since the debacle at Home - who could blame her? - and the mess in Bevelle. She'd hidden it well, from everyone except Auron. Rikku was fast enough to hide anything if she wanted to; Auron just watched more than the others.
Grunting, he stood and looked around. There she was, perched atop a rock, the feathers on her braids flipping slightly in the breeze. His feet started walking before the rest of him had caught up with the thought.
Rikku turned before he was there, those quicksilver reflexes alerting her to his presence, and a smile spread quickly across her face.
"Hi, Auron," she chirped, and Auron shook his head with a chuckle.
"You're over here by yourself," he said. "It isn't safe."
Rikku rolled her eyes. "Who was it that smacked down those machina, huh?"
"You also handled that Malboro very well." His voice was deadpan.
She stuck her tongue out in response. "I told you I was sorry for hitting you that hard." She rustled in her pockets and tugged out a wrinkly-looking piece of metal, which she then brandished in his face. "Lookie, it's confuse-proof. I'll put it on next time, okay?"
"Rikku," Auron said sternly, because there was still something in her fool-proof smile, "why are you over here by yourself?"
Something slipped down her face, something strangely like melancholy, and Rikku sighed. "I'm ... thinking, y'know?"
Auron must have paused a second too long - Rikku had always been twice as fast as he - for she continued, hastily: "I know what you think, Auron, and I don't care, if I can come up with a way to save Yunie, I'm doing it, y'know? I know you're all Mister Must Continue The Pilgrimage, and Mister Blah Blah Grumpy Old Man, but I'm trying to think of some way that Yunie doesn't have to die." She chuckled, a grim chuckle unlike any Rikku-chuckle he'd ever heard. "I'm holding out hope that the rest of us don't die, either, by the way."
She glanced away, her gaze poignant, and then turned back to him with a resolute sigh and smile. "I can't think all the time, but I have to think sometime," she said, by way of explanation.
Auron paused in full. Rikku had always been an anomaly to him: quicksilver nerves, chipper-cheer, little girl made of sand and grit and spunk, fingers capable of rewiring an entire machina before he'd even decided which part to hit. Al Bhed; heathen, said the unused portion of his brain. Heretic. But the rest of him didn't believe it; that portion had shriveled up and died with Yunalesca on a stone platform. The rest of him was too jaded to believe in anything.
He'd felt so faded these past couple months. He wondered how Rikku had so much colour. She couldn't afford to lose it.
"Rikku, come with me."
She fumbled around in the pack for a bit, eventually tugging out bits of string, a series of wildly-coloured potions Auron guessed were failed Mixes, an entire clump of Spheres he was decently sure she'd nabbed from his pockets, and - she brandished another crumpled piece of metal at him. "I just made this," she said, grin on her face as she fastened it around her wrist. "It's supposed to keep the fiends away. I am made of awesome."
Fiends and fayth; what little Spira was made of. Auron said nothing, and started walking.
"So what's the big deal?" Rikku asked, following him, spritely spring back in her step. "Are we running away?" Her voice lowered to a coo. "Auron, if you want to elope, you should have asked me first. You're not my type." And as they walked farther: "Or are you going to throw me off that cliff there?"
"I thought about it," Auron said stoically. "I still am."
"You love me," Rikku declared, and danced about him, tweaking his nose.
"Put it back," Auron said automatically, because every other time she'd done that stupid dance, he'd ended up at least 500 gil lighter.
She sighed dramatically. "I am not always stealing from you, Auron. Just most of the time."
They reached the edge of the cliff; the wind had picked up, and was twirling the braids and feathers around Rikku's neck like an intricate pattern. Auron looked down. Rocks and sea; the water of Spira. A leap of fayth. What could he tell Rikku?
"Woah," Rikku breathed, and Auron looked up; she was already perched on a rock jutting out over the water, far enough that Auron began feeling the slight quirk of panic (or what passed for panic in his cold body) as she scrambled around the edge. She was looking out to the horizon, spotted with clouds. "It's Spira."
Auron opened his mouth to say: Rikku, I meant for you to look down.
The speech he'd had about leaps of faith and the Calm Lands vanished and he simply watched her: watched her look out as he never had, looking beyond the danger below to the edge of the sky.
"Maybe it is worth saving," Rikku said slowly, the look of confusion spreading across her face, and she turned to look at Auron, her brow creased in worry, her eyes full. "Is it?"
It wasn't the lesson he'd wanted, but seemingly it never was. "Yuna thinks so," he offered instead.
Her face scrunched up in worry. "It can't be worth it. There - there has to be another way," she said, and looked down.
"Eep!" It was enough for her to scramble back from the rock onto solid ground, and Auron could breathe easily. "We're so high!"
Auron nodded. "Guardians on pilgrimages who have lost their way used to jump from here. It was called the Leap of Faith. It often renewed them with enough purpose to continue on, through Mount Gagazet, and into Zanarkand."
She gave a nervous chuckle. "So did you bring me out here to push me off and help me get some faith? Cause let's face it, Auron, I'm Al Bhed through and through. Jumping off this cliff ain't gonna fix me."
Auron returned her dry chuckle with one of his own. "If I throw you off this cliff, it'll be for stealing my coffee again," he said. "I brought you here to..."
Why? It was more for himself than anything: Rikku, looking out over the horizon, always looking for the future. He couldn't tell her much of anything, simply that they had to get to Zanarkand. The truth was there.
Maybe it was his own faith that needed renewing.
"To make sure Yunie doesn't jump?" Rikku asked, oblivious to his musings as she peered over the edge again. "I'm pretty sure she'd be alright. Valefor could come and save her again."
"Yuna's faith needs no strengthening," Auron said almost sternly, and Rikku looked up at him.
"Well, geez, pops, then whose does?" She flicked a braid out of her face. "I told you, I'm a lost cause." She paused, and then grinned. "You jumping?"
In his mind's eye, Auron did. He backed up to the Edge, crossed his arms over his chest, and let himself fall backwards into the arms of the ocean: Spira's mother Oceania, carrier of lost souls. He heard Jecht's wild laughter on the way down, watched Braska's robed form slowly spinning in the air above him.
A faint call interrupted the reverie, and his head snapped back to the campground.
"Lulu's making dinner!" Rikku said suddenly, and jumped up, brushing dust off her pants. "Thanks, Auron," she said, a genuine smile across her face as she reached out and touched his (cold) hand: "Thanks a bunch. It's beautiful." And she took off, looking to be in better spirits than before.
"Don't jump," she called over her shoulder with a wicked grin.
"Not this time," Auron muttered into the wind, and looked out to the horizon, his eyes trailing the edge of the sky.
Notes: Auron's POV, but Rikku took over. Like she always does. Drat her. XD Also, the Leap of Faith taken almost blatantly from FFVI.
I had to end it quickly because I'm leaving work (hee!), so I know it feels rushed - advice on how to improve would be great.
Fandom: FFX
Characters/Pairings included: Auron, Rikku
Rating: PG
Summary: Auron leads Rikku to the Leap of Faith, and she leads him back.
For katmillia. Written for Manly Request Week.
---
The Calm Lands were just as he'd remembered them: blank. On one scale they were lovely, peaceful even; the great dropoff of the cliff overlooking the ocean made an inspiring and powerful setting. But below that surface they were bleak, empty, bleached of comfort and meaning. The Calm Lands were known as a turning point for more reasons than their proximity to Zanarkand. He'd heard of a handful of guardians - and probably a few summoners - who'd thrown themselves off those cliffs as if in search of meaning. A leap of faith for Yevon's people, O ye of so much fayth and little doubt.
Auron couldn't blame them.
The chatter of the others behind him was as normal as it always was: Yuna saying something inspiring over the fire, Wakka joking and Lulu hushing him, Tidus asking questions with little tact and no volume control, and Rikku's friendly non-stop chatter as - wait.
Auron tilted his head slightly. Where was Rikku?
The blond guardian had been distant since the debacle at Home - who could blame her? - and the mess in Bevelle. She'd hidden it well, from everyone except Auron. Rikku was fast enough to hide anything if she wanted to; Auron just watched more than the others.
Grunting, he stood and looked around. There she was, perched atop a rock, the feathers on her braids flipping slightly in the breeze. His feet started walking before the rest of him had caught up with the thought.
Rikku turned before he was there, those quicksilver reflexes alerting her to his presence, and a smile spread quickly across her face.
"Hi, Auron," she chirped, and Auron shook his head with a chuckle.
"You're over here by yourself," he said. "It isn't safe."
Rikku rolled her eyes. "Who was it that smacked down those machina, huh?"
"You also handled that Malboro very well." His voice was deadpan.
She stuck her tongue out in response. "I told you I was sorry for hitting you that hard." She rustled in her pockets and tugged out a wrinkly-looking piece of metal, which she then brandished in his face. "Lookie, it's confuse-proof. I'll put it on next time, okay?"
"Rikku," Auron said sternly, because there was still something in her fool-proof smile, "why are you over here by yourself?"
Something slipped down her face, something strangely like melancholy, and Rikku sighed. "I'm ... thinking, y'know?"
Auron must have paused a second too long - Rikku had always been twice as fast as he - for she continued, hastily: "I know what you think, Auron, and I don't care, if I can come up with a way to save Yunie, I'm doing it, y'know? I know you're all Mister Must Continue The Pilgrimage, and Mister Blah Blah Grumpy Old Man, but I'm trying to think of some way that Yunie doesn't have to die." She chuckled, a grim chuckle unlike any Rikku-chuckle he'd ever heard. "I'm holding out hope that the rest of us don't die, either, by the way."
She glanced away, her gaze poignant, and then turned back to him with a resolute sigh and smile. "I can't think all the time, but I have to think sometime," she said, by way of explanation.
Auron paused in full. Rikku had always been an anomaly to him: quicksilver nerves, chipper-cheer, little girl made of sand and grit and spunk, fingers capable of rewiring an entire machina before he'd even decided which part to hit. Al Bhed; heathen, said the unused portion of his brain. Heretic. But the rest of him didn't believe it; that portion had shriveled up and died with Yunalesca on a stone platform. The rest of him was too jaded to believe in anything.
He'd felt so faded these past couple months. He wondered how Rikku had so much colour. She couldn't afford to lose it.
"Rikku, come with me."
She fumbled around in the pack for a bit, eventually tugging out bits of string, a series of wildly-coloured potions Auron guessed were failed Mixes, an entire clump of Spheres he was decently sure she'd nabbed from his pockets, and - she brandished another crumpled piece of metal at him. "I just made this," she said, grin on her face as she fastened it around her wrist. "It's supposed to keep the fiends away. I am made of awesome."
Fiends and fayth; what little Spira was made of. Auron said nothing, and started walking.
"So what's the big deal?" Rikku asked, following him, spritely spring back in her step. "Are we running away?" Her voice lowered to a coo. "Auron, if you want to elope, you should have asked me first. You're not my type." And as they walked farther: "Or are you going to throw me off that cliff there?"
"I thought about it," Auron said stoically. "I still am."
"You love me," Rikku declared, and danced about him, tweaking his nose.
"Put it back," Auron said automatically, because every other time she'd done that stupid dance, he'd ended up at least 500 gil lighter.
She sighed dramatically. "I am not always stealing from you, Auron. Just most of the time."
They reached the edge of the cliff; the wind had picked up, and was twirling the braids and feathers around Rikku's neck like an intricate pattern. Auron looked down. Rocks and sea; the water of Spira. A leap of fayth. What could he tell Rikku?
"Woah," Rikku breathed, and Auron looked up; she was already perched on a rock jutting out over the water, far enough that Auron began feeling the slight quirk of panic (or what passed for panic in his cold body) as she scrambled around the edge. She was looking out to the horizon, spotted with clouds. "It's Spira."
Auron opened his mouth to say: Rikku, I meant for you to look down.
The speech he'd had about leaps of faith and the Calm Lands vanished and he simply watched her: watched her look out as he never had, looking beyond the danger below to the edge of the sky.
"Maybe it is worth saving," Rikku said slowly, the look of confusion spreading across her face, and she turned to look at Auron, her brow creased in worry, her eyes full. "Is it?"
It wasn't the lesson he'd wanted, but seemingly it never was. "Yuna thinks so," he offered instead.
Her face scrunched up in worry. "It can't be worth it. There - there has to be another way," she said, and looked down.
"Eep!" It was enough for her to scramble back from the rock onto solid ground, and Auron could breathe easily. "We're so high!"
Auron nodded. "Guardians on pilgrimages who have lost their way used to jump from here. It was called the Leap of Faith. It often renewed them with enough purpose to continue on, through Mount Gagazet, and into Zanarkand."
She gave a nervous chuckle. "So did you bring me out here to push me off and help me get some faith? Cause let's face it, Auron, I'm Al Bhed through and through. Jumping off this cliff ain't gonna fix me."
Auron returned her dry chuckle with one of his own. "If I throw you off this cliff, it'll be for stealing my coffee again," he said. "I brought you here to..."
Why? It was more for himself than anything: Rikku, looking out over the horizon, always looking for the future. He couldn't tell her much of anything, simply that they had to get to Zanarkand. The truth was there.
Maybe it was his own faith that needed renewing.
"To make sure Yunie doesn't jump?" Rikku asked, oblivious to his musings as she peered over the edge again. "I'm pretty sure she'd be alright. Valefor could come and save her again."
"Yuna's faith needs no strengthening," Auron said almost sternly, and Rikku looked up at him.
"Well, geez, pops, then whose does?" She flicked a braid out of her face. "I told you, I'm a lost cause." She paused, and then grinned. "You jumping?"
In his mind's eye, Auron did. He backed up to the Edge, crossed his arms over his chest, and let himself fall backwards into the arms of the ocean: Spira's mother Oceania, carrier of lost souls. He heard Jecht's wild laughter on the way down, watched Braska's robed form slowly spinning in the air above him.
A faint call interrupted the reverie, and his head snapped back to the campground.
"Lulu's making dinner!" Rikku said suddenly, and jumped up, brushing dust off her pants. "Thanks, Auron," she said, a genuine smile across her face as she reached out and touched his (cold) hand: "Thanks a bunch. It's beautiful." And she took off, looking to be in better spirits than before.
"Don't jump," she called over her shoulder with a wicked grin.
"Not this time," Auron muttered into the wind, and looked out to the horizon, his eyes trailing the edge of the sky.
Notes: Auron's POV, but Rikku took over. Like she always does. Drat her. XD Also, the Leap of Faith taken almost blatantly from FFVI.
I had to end it quickly because I'm leaving work (hee!), so I know it feels rushed - advice on how to improve would be great.