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Drake House, Zanarkand
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[/Raine couldn't breathe.
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[/ The wedding dress had been an entire size too small to begin with, but the extra five pounds she'd gained from a semi-strict diet of noodles and cheese didn't help, either. After Auron returned to Zanarkand from his 3 month hiatus, her appetite had returned with a vengeance.
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[/ So that Raine could at least wear the dress, a seamstress had worked very hard yesterday, although breathing room must have cost extra, a luxury Jory Drake's mother refused to pay for. In fact, Raine was convinced Mrs. Drake specified to the tailor the dress need not be comfortable, it just had to get through the next several hours without ripping. Of course, Mrs. Drake insisted Raine buy the dress one size too small to begin with to motivate her into losing a little more weight before the wedding day. She remembered Mrs. Drake had pinched the skin under Raine's chin like she was a piece of gecko meat up for inspection. It had been humiliating.
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[/ Alone in one of the upstairs guest rooms, Raine was fully dressed, hair done, make-up on. Her bridesmaids, Jory's sisters, came in a flurry of sarcastic comments on her chipped nails, dry ends and dark circles under her eyes, weaved in some blonde hair extensions, plastered her up like a doll and then left to tend to themselves. Apparently they disappeared someplace where Raine's hideousness wouldn't distract them.
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[/ Approaching the window bench, Raine didn't dare sit, afraid of tearing a seam or launching a button, but managed to gather the folds and lace so she could kneel up. As she peered down to the ocean-side backyard, guests were already funneling in, the ushers accompanying the older women in on their arms. The chairs had all been set up with perfect precision, the VIP seats in the front roped off with white lace and peonies and the alter faced the water, weaved with the same lace and flowers. She recognized her grey-haired co-anchors sitting in the middle, amongst the journalists not assigned to the cover the wedding, as well as former Zanarkand Abe players who played alongside Tidus when he was alive. Raine wasn't even sure how they got invited. Mrs. Drake took care of all that. All of Jory's teammates from the Zanarkand Duggles, his coaches and most of their graduating class were sifting in, spilling into any leftover space on the bridal side. Sphere-cams jerked around the guests, buzzing around the more familiar faces like machina parasites, attaining footage for whatever network they were owned by. Straight below, on the veranda, reporters who hadn't gotten an invite covered the occasion, which had been labeled the largest sports event since last year's Blitzball Finals. Raine was the newest and youngest sports anchor in Blitzball history and Jory was the latest Duggles' rookie. Jory and Raine were Zanarkand's new celebrity darlings, according to the media.
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[/ Like funerals, big weddings were another lie. Another show for the sake of other people and it made her sick.
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[/Great-Aunt Naya was sitting near the front, intently reading the wedding program, by herself on account of Great-Uncle Cetan's stroke last year. Raine had hardly seen Aunt Naya since the wedding planning commenced, although she had made Raine a beautiful quilt for her bridal shower that no one seemed to notice amidst all the shiny kitchen wares, suggestive lingerie and a collection of food-storage plastics that initiated a wave of hot sweats among the other women.
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[/ Panning her eyes to the outskirts of the yard, Raine searched for the familiar red cloak flapping in the salty ocean air, but she'd been without the comfort of those visions for months now.
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[/ With a tickle of panic, Raine paced a little to burn off the extra nervous energy, padding around the carpet in her nylons, keeping away from the mirrors if she could help it. The person in those mirrors was beautiful, but she was a stranger to Raine.
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[/ A brisk knock at the door stopped her in her tracks. "Yes?"
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[/ Darwin, the wedding planner Mrs. Drake hired, came in, armed with a clipboard and a pen accessory behind his ear. He had been nice enough to come to Raine at the beginning of the planning for her thoughts, but she suspected Mrs. Drake put a stop to that when she didn't approve of Raine's decisions.
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[/ "Fifteen minutes, okay Raine?"
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[/ "Okay."
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[/ Closing the door, he looked around the room. "Where are your bridesmaids?"
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[/ "I don't know. Check downstairs." Raine tried her very best to stifle her sarcasm, but a little exuded by.
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[/ "They should be up here with you," he said, with a touch of irritation and shook his head as if he simply did not have time to bother. "Mrs. Drake wanted me to make sure you were wearing this."
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[/ Darwin held up his closed hand and a lovely gold jeweled bracelet dangled from his fist.
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[/ "It's beautiful. Who does it belong to?"
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[/ "I assume Mrs. Drake." Darwin tucked his clipboard under his arm and took a clasp in each hand. He made a gesture for Raine to extend her hand.
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[/ "Is it my something borrowed?" she asked flatly, aware she had nothing old or blue to accommodate the tradition.
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[/ "Yes. It will pass for something old, as well. The dress is new…what's your something blue?"
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[/ "Nothing. My eyes."
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[/ "That will do." Darwin cocked his head to give her offered hand a second look. "Actually…"
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[/Raine frowned. "What?"
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[/ "I've been instructed to—"
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[/Darwin picked up her other hand, the right hand, and hesitated when he saw the uneven scar wrinkling her wrist, punctuated with smooth slashes where the stitches had been. Raine flushed when Darwin decided to overlook it and clasp it on anyway. How conveniently the bracelet concealed the old wound.
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[/ "Is there anything I can do for you?" Darwin asked when he'd arranged the bracelet so the jewels were all on the outside of her wrist.
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[/ "Could you make my dress a size bigger in fifteen minutes?"
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[/ Lips pinched with humor, he circled her around to inspect the buttons, adjust the bow at the small of her back and straighten her veil. "Just get through the wedding and I'll see what I can do at the reception to give you a little breathing room."
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[/ "Have you seen Jory?"
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[/ "Downstairs last I saw. But don't you dare go looking for him. It's bad luck, you know."
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[/ "Then I must have slept through my good luck."
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[/ Smiling sadly, the wedding planner held his clipboard to his chest. "This is just one day. I know Mrs. Drake has taken it over and it doesn't really feel like your day, but when it's over, it will just be you and your husband and that makes it all worth it."
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[/ "You're right, thanks," she said automatically, pasting a smile on her face.
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[/ He squeezed her shoulder and checked something off his clipboard as he left the room and Raine wondered what was on his list. Bride Appeased? Check.
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[/ Darwin left and Raine swung around to the window again to check the guests. None of them was wearing a red hapi and carrying a sword.
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[/ Had it been 15 minutes yet? Raine wasn't sure if she was supposed to keep track or if Darwin was coming back up to get her when it was time. Curling her first two fingers into the heel straps of her wedding shoes, she carried them into the empty hall, taking the stairs in just her stockings. Some of Jory's groomsmen were palling around in the den, but Jory wasn't among them, and the caterer was in the kitchen barking orders about cake and appetizers to his sous chefs. Raine slipped by unnoticed.
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[/ Mrs. Drake's shrill voice leaked into the house through the veranda, giving last minute instructions to Darwin. Raine wasn't in the mood for her hypercritical looks and darted through the first door she found. Engaging the latch very gingerly, Raine waited in darkness for the dialogue to pass.
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[/ "You gave Raine the bracelet?" Mrs. Drake asked.
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[/ "Yes, ma'am."
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[/ "Is she wearing it on the right hand?"
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[/ "Of course, as per your instructions."
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[/ "Good, now where is my son?"
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[/ "I haven't found him yet, ma'am," Darwin said reluctantly.
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[/ "Did you check…."
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[/Hand on the knob, Raine strained to hear Mrs. Drake through the door, until another sound in the room alerted her. For the first time, Raine's eyes had adjusted enough to the darkness to determine where she was. Standing on the top landing of the basement stairs, Raine discovered there was a light on downstairs, but it was too dim to be a main room light, it had to be from one of the side-rooms.
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[/ The basement was mostly wainscoting, clapboard and dark wood floors covered with trophy fiend hides. It was Mr. Drake's part of the house, probably the only place he could put his feet up and have a drink without worrying about glass rings on the tables and Raine almost felt badly for him, save for the unsolicited squeeze of her ass during the rehearsal dinner when no one was looking.
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[/ Raine heard it again. It was a continuous pulse, soft, unrelenting, and accompanied by a deep sense of dread, so tangible she could taste it. Stepping down the first few steps, she paused to listen, decided it was definitely coming from the basement, and crept down further. Light from one of the guest rooms seeped into the main room and Raine could just make out the shapes of the overstuffed leather chairs with subtle glints of brass grommets, and the billiard table in the center of the room.
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[/ She approached the guest room at an angle, staying out of the slant of filtered lamp light, the rhythm she was hearing was wet, delicate and somehow mechanical and it occurred to Raine it might have been a leaky faucet from the laundry or the inner workings of the machina in the utility room.
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[/ Of course, it was neither.
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[/ Her husband-to-be was inside, standing at the corner of the bed, pants around his ankles, flanking Lindsey Seawell's knees around his waist. Raine realized the sound she was hearing was the faint, constant slap of skin on skin.
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[/ Withdrawing into the shadows, Raine's face boiled in chagrin. She pressed her fingers primly against her mouth, fretfully wondering if this would make him late to the altar. Darwin said 15 minutes almost 10 minutes ago, but after a quick second look, Raine could tell they were almost done. Jory was forcing air out of his clenched teeth like he usually did when he was close, and if Jory was as thoughtful to Lindsey as he was to Raine, Lindsey would have her turn on her own time.
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[/ Raine thought she would be angrier seeing them together, but she was remarkably indifferent as she collected as much of her dress as she could and tip-toed back to the stairs. She tried not to make them creak as she headed back to the ground floor, but a section of lace escaped, her foot came down on the hem and she collided against the steps. Her shoe straps were still tangled in her fingers and they slammed against the stairs as her hand came down to brace her fall. The racket was thunderous in the basement acoustics and she held her breath. The sounds of sloppy love-making had stopped and Raine only heard the high-pitched hum of her own mind.
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[/ "What was that?" Lindsey Seawell whispered after some time.
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[/ Raine was on her feet in an instant and she didn't care how much noise she made as long as she got the hell out of there before anyone saw her. Beating up the stairs, she crashed into the door, flew into the foyer hall, and kicked it shut.
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[/ Out of breath, Raine propped against the wall, wishing she had some chest room to take deeper inhales. In attempt to appear ordinary, she paused at the foyer mirror to check her make-up. She was breaking out in a chilly sweat from her race up the stairs and she would likely catch hell if her make-up smeared off, if not from Mrs. Drake, then the sister who had applied it.
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[/ Quickening down the second-floor stairs, Darwin appeared, alone, waving his clipboard at her and holding her white bouquet. The flowers had been under lock and key as far as Raine knew, as this was the first moment she had laid eyes on it.
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[/ "Raine, it's time. This way." Whisking her out the open front door, Darwin made time to stop at the threshold so she could align her shoes to her feet and in a moment she was clapping up the walkway with the wedding planner, holding up the bottom of her dress so it didn't drag, heading into the narrow, shady space between the garage and the house. Jory's sisters were all lined up, dressed in the mauve dresses Mrs. Drake picked out, exhibiting the bouquets of white peonies that made Raine's skin itch.
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[/ Gasping, Darwin's hand came up to obscure his mouth, the clipboard held tight to his chest. "Okay, don't panic."
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[/ "What?"
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[/ "It's okay, Raine, everything will be fine, just…nobody don't look down."
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[/ Raine dropped her gaze. A flap of torn lace was waving in the breeze by her feet, probably from her mishap on the basement stairs. Squatting, lips pursed, Raine grabbed it, ripped it with a heavy rending sound and tossed it into the wind. One of the bridesmaids took in a severe breath.
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[/ For whatever reason, it made her feel better. Lighter.
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[/ Darwin's jaw dropped, his face going white, and he began fanning himself with his clipboard. "I can't…oh…oh…we don't have time. The music is starting. Where's Mr. Drake?"
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[/ "Right here." Jory's father came wandering around the corner, relaxed, on his own time schedule.
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[/ Inserting the bouquet into her hands, Darwin began fussing with the ruffles of Raine's dress to disguise the missing piece. Raine honestly couldn't tell with all the folds and pleats where the tear was anymore, although she was pretty sure Mrs. Drake would know and Raine suspected that was what Darwin feared, too. With a spear of guilt, Raine realized her brash action might warrant Darwin a stern lecture.
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[/ Mr. Drake sidled next to her, lewdly peering down into the front of her dress, without the grace to appear apologetic and tortured like Auron did when she caught him looking. Glancing nervously ahead to see how many of Mr. Drake's daughters saw, Raine realized in relief they all had their backs turned, waiting for the promenade to begin.
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[/ She wanted Auron to give her away.
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[/ Not only did Mrs. Drake forbid it—"I will not have a homeless man in my son's wedding!"—but Auron's 10 years was up months ago and Raine suspected he had gone home to Bevelle where he was from. A goodbye would have been nice, but Jory's proposal had come with an ultimatum and it wasn't an easy one for Raine. Auron had maintained his nobly avuncular connection to her right up to the end, but it wasn't enough for Raine. When she told Auron he couldn't come around anymore, he accepted it with his usual taciturn style and was gone 15 seconds later, with nothing more than a single, apathetic nod for a parting gesture. Another thing about Auron: he always respected her wishes, even if it wasn't really what she wanted.
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[/ Admittedly, Jory was a long way off from next best. But he was still the shortest way to forgetting Auron.
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[/ The wedding planner began to give direction on the timing, even though they had all practiced yesterday at the rehearsal dinner. The music swelled and the first bridesmaid paced out, meeting a groomsman who came from another part of the yard and they walked down the aisle, out of sight around the corner of the house where Raine couldn't see. Perfectly timed, the wedding planner circled a finger to indicate to the next bridesmaid and as the second sister met the next groomsmen, Raine felt a strange gravity in the air. For a reason she could never quite pinpoint, she craned her neck up to the roof of the garage, startled by a flash of red, gone so quick she thought she imagined it.
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[/ "Raine," Darwin hissed.
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[/ Next to her, Mr. Drake had taken a step forward to begin the wedding march, but now he was looking at her with just a trace of concern.
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[/ To be sure, she glanced up at the roof again, but nothing was there but shingles and fallen acorns from the oak towering over it.
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[/ "I'm ready," she said coolly and let Mr. Drake lead her towards the altar.

Room 4, Rin's Travel Agency, Macalania

Rolling her head off the pillow, Raine squinted at the yellow glow of light filtering in from the bathroom, smacking distastefully on the dry acid burn of bile at the back of her tongue. Her coat and boots had been removed, the coverlet considerately arranged around her, her garter placed within reach on the bedside table. Outside, night had fallen, throwing off her sense of time. How long had it been since she'd collapsed at the Travel Agency's stoop? A few minutes? An hour? A day?

Before she could worry where Auron was, a shadow darted by the open bathroom door, focused on a task. Scooting to the end of the bed, she sauntered across the room to the bathroom door, yawning, picking something crusty out of the corner of her eye. As she entered the bathroom, Raine first saw Auron's molded leather cuirass propped up like a limbless dummy in the bathtub. After, she discovered Auron hunched over the sink, shirtless, scrubbing his red cloak with a wet hand-towel. At her arrival, he promptly scooped his sunglasses from the ledge of the basin and slid them on.

"Oh, sorry," she said, averting her sleepy eyes, although he seemed more concerned of her scrutiny of his facial scar than his nude chest.

"I'm almost done."

Peeking bashfully, she admired how thick the hair grew on Auron's chest and belly. Jory always had to shave his during Blitzball season, but it never germinated quite like Auron's, even when he let it.

As Auron worked at the stain, something bright pink peeped out behind him, momentarily slipping into view at his waist, before the casual slant of his head flicked it back. Raine edged around him. Normally concealed under his armor, a ponytail sprouted from a clump of hair at the nape of his neck and it dangled as far as his hip, tied off with a faded, frayed pink ribbon with blue polka dots. More than half of it had been sloppily and unevenly braided, but the top half wasn't, as though it had been braided for so long the tail had time to grow several more inches.

Placidly, Auron's sunglasses peered over the top of his shoulder at her.

Her lips parted to say something teasing but instead, she pressed her lips together and twisted them knowingly. "Hmph."

"Hmph?" Auron arched a sardonic eyebrow.

Bracing for commentary on his unlikely accessory, his gaze was glued to her as she stepped back and leaned against the frame of the door. There was a time his hair had been long, all one length, but that had been for only a brief time when she was a child. Since Auron was always older, Raine had difficulty remembering him young.

"Sorry about your clothes."

"Clothes can be cleaned," he said. "How are you?"

"Embarrassed."

"I've been sprayed with worse," he chuckled. Draping the towel over the side of the sink, he gave the cloak a couple tentative sniffs. Satisfied, he turned to throw it over the shower rod. Raising the breast plate out of the tub, he swiftly slipped it back on, his fingers nimbly working the front clasps of his collar.

"Why didn't you tell me about Tidus before?"

"You don't take bad news well."

"Would you rather I made a scene?"

"Making a scene is not your way, I've realized," he said, eye flicking over. "You are more…internal than Tidus."

"It's no excuse not to talk to me."

"We were talking. Calling me an asshole was especially productive." There was a gentle curve in his voice, veering between the borders of tenderness and mild ribbing.

"What about my father? Was he Sin, too?"

Auron nodded, leaning to wash his hands in the sink. She could see over the top of his collar his jaw was habitually flexing. She wasn't even sure he was aware he was doing it.

"So my father sent you to my world to mentor Tidus. After, Tidus asked you to come back and watch me?"

"Yes."

"Lucky for you, there's no one left to look after," Raine said dryly, a hollow vacancy spiking in her at the blank legacy she left behind. She always thought there would be time for kids.

"I'm not done looking after you, yet."

Even though she knew this was a statement of his duty to Tidus, he said it like a dark promise and everything south of her hips turned to flan. "Did you wait until Tidus was in Spira before telling him about our father, too?"

"Hm," he said affirmatively.

"You were afraid he wouldn't go if you told him beforehand?"

His eye slid to her warily. "I didn't want Tidus to change or hold back the way he lived; same with you."

Raine closed her eyes briefly, recalling how much she held back in Zanarkand. Waiting for Auron. "This isn't the life I envisioned when I got married."

They had been ignoring the topic since this morning, except for Rin's meddlesome observations. Auron straightened, genuine regret flashing across his brows, his shoulders sinking. "Humor an old man a little longer, Raine. If you still want to return to Zanarkand, I promise I'll find a way to get you back."

A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth when he referred to himself as an old man. "If you are anything, you are a man of your word. How long is a little longer?"

Aiming his glasses down at the drain, he thoughtfully opened the soap. "Attain your first Aeon. I will not take any complaints of homesickness seriously until after that."

She wondered why he'd chosen that of all things, if he knew something she didn't about mythical Aeons, if having one somehow prevented her from leaving Spira. But it wasn't like Auron to resort to deceitful trickery.

"Deal," Raine said.

Shaking his head at her, his eye gleamed. "Pity, though, if you decided to leave before meeting a certain stolen Aeon. I think you might get along famously."

"My first Aeon comes from…Besaid…is that right?"

Over his sunglasses, he looked at her, loosely pleased. "You were listening."

"I listen to you more than you think."

Nodding sideways in yielding agreement, he said, "You were a better listener than Tidus. He remembered nothing I taught him, running temple to temple without a single clue."

Raine grinned, but had a hard time imagining her brother in Spira. He was always self-assured in Zanarkand, almost cocky. "I don't think you've ever explained how a Summoner gets an Aeon, though."

"We'll go to the temple in Besaid and complete the cloister of trials. You shouldn't have a problem navigating that."

"Then I get the Aeon?"

"No, then you get access to the Chamber of the Fayth."

She nodded. "And that's where I get the Aeon?"

"Eventually. You'll have to go in alone and then you'll p—" Auron looked up suddenly, the water still running in the sink, but he'd stopped washing his hands. His face went uncharacteristically white.

Her eyes widened. "What? Then I'll what?"

"…pray."

Oh.

"Auron, I've never prayed."

Lowering his attention back to his hands, Auron's face was tense with thought. The soap lather darkened as he scraped the dirt out of his fingernails. "You'll be fine."

Tidus might have been gullible to believe the crazy religious zealots of this world, but Raine needed a little more proof. "How long until the Fayth realize I'm faking?"

"You'll be fine," he said with resounding emphasis, convincing himself, harshly so she would drop the subject.

Had anyone tried to defeat Sin without Aeons? It obviously wasn't successful. Maybe if she knew more about it, she could think of something, but Auron was more of a learn-as-you-go kind of tutor, so she would have to figure it out during the pilgrimage. Ending her brother's suffering took priority, even if she had to find a way to do it without Aeons.

But in the end, it wouldn't matter: Raine would never get that first Aeon; she wouldn't even get to Besaid to see inside her first temple.

Coming out of her thoughts, it occurred to Raine she was standing on the side of Auron's scar and she took advantage of his eye cast down to examine it, down the top of his sunglasses. She had never known him without it. Floating her hand into his blind spot, she managed a light caress over the bumpy, keratinized skin, before he dodged her like a fly.

"Don't."

Inhaling sharply, she stiffened, expecting reprimand, but his expression was more puzzled than stern, before he dropped his face again to finish rinsing the suds off his hands.

Crossing her arms, she leaned her head on the door trim. "When I passed out, did you have to…carry me?"

Auron dried his hands, faintly smiling. "Do you know of a better way?"

Shaking her head, Raine wondered if he carried her threshold-style or over his shoulder.

"Do you have to go?" He angled his head to the toilet.

"Shower, actually."

"There are clothes for sleeping in the drawer. I'll bring them to you." Yanking down his cloak from the shower rod, Auron leaned into the tub for his boots, which had also been offensively sluiced. Was there anything left that didn't have her puke on it?

Standing in the wrong spot, Raine found she was blocking Auron from the door and they danced briefly before they could coordinate themselves in the tight quarters. She had to hunch her shoulders to keep her breasts from grazing his arm.

Bending into the tub to turn on the water, Raine could hear the sounds of the drawers sliding open and close in the main room. Taking a moment to swipe the dirt from Auron's boots down the drain, she activated the shower head and slid the curtain across the rod to keep the spray contained. Auron returned with a set of heavy flannel clothes, folded, and pushed them towards her.

"Auron, I'll die in these."

His brows knit together.

She reddened, realizing the carelessness of her words. "I mean, these are too warm. I usually just wear a tee-shirt."

"I know," he said with a strict look of disapproval and pointedly set them on the side of sink before spinning around to leave.

Oh.

Petulantly pondering his expectation she sacrifice her comfort for the sake of his, Raine went to the bathroom door to shut it. In the next room, Auron was sitting at the end of the bed taking a knot out of his boot lace and when he looked up to study her, the yellow vanity light in the bathroom bounced off his sunglasses.

Dropping her hand from the knob, she left the door wide open. Why shouldn't she? He had left the door open when he was shirtless. Back to him, she peeled off her blouse, feeling the prickle of his eyes on her and an instant later he was behind her. Gripping the frame of the door, he leaned into the bathroom, his good eye burning crossly over the top of his sunglasses.

Her heart leapt into her throat and something made her hug the removed shirt closer to her body.

With a slow, warning shake of his head, he grasped the door handle and slammed the door on her.

Zanarkand Marina
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[/Surfacing the marina bay, Raine peeled off her snorkel and goggles and tossed them up on the deck of her houseboat, followed by her hammer and chisel, which clattered together noisily. They were rusty and the end of the chisel was coated in black mud and pieces of exoskeleton from the Sinscale spines she'd been chipping off the boat's underbelly. It was too late and too dark to get them all, but it was also too humid to sit inside, so she made a little progress on the upkeep while simultaneously cooling off.
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[/ "He's still living here?"
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[/ Raine yelped, dipping underwater as her legs thrashed unproductively beneath her, gulping in a mouthful of sea.
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[/ Jory was standing in the doorway of her houseboat, his thumb jutted accusingly inside. "His katana. It's still in the spare room."
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[/ Grappling for the ladder, she said, "Jory! You scared the life out of me."
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[/"Why is his sword here?"
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[/Raine sighed, climbing up the ladder, the rungs slippery from slimy build up and sea weeds. "Because the clerks get nervous when he brings it into the store with him."
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[/ "Why's he at the store?"
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[/ "We're out of beer," Raine said, as though it should have been apparent. Dripping a track of ocean water across the deck, she approached Jory for a kiss, but he kept her at bay with his outstretched hand.
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[/ "Don't get me wet."
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[/ Inwardly sighing, she sat in one of the worn, faded patio chairs to drip dry. The outdoor furniture had been left behind from when Jecht used the houseboat to drink the day away.
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[/ A streak of moonlight glittered on the marina bay and the hot, moist air was alleviated only by an infrequent ocean breeze. The air conditioning was broken inside the houseboat, despite Auron's efforts to keep it running, and some nights Raine spent on the deck with only a pillow and a blanket to pad herself.
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[/ Jory sat in the chair next to her. He had doused himself in expensive cologne and the heavy scent was suspended in the damp air without a wind to carry it away. He was in flip-flops and shorts and his tank top was draped over his shoulder. Except for an occasional exhibition game, it was the off-season and Jory was letting his chest hair fill in. It was patchy and slick with sweat. "You said he was leaving soon."
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[/ "He is."
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[/ "When?"
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[/ "Whenever he decides to."
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[/ "Dammit, Raine." He slumped back in his chair, bristling. "You let some old beer buddy of your dad's live with you for this long and you think he's going to leave? The asshole has it made here."
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[/ "What do you care?" Raine muttered. "You don't have to live with him."
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[/ "I do if I want to see you. You never come to my house anymore."
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[/ "Because your parents are in the next room." Under her chair, Raine found a folded sports magazine, Let's Blitz!, and used it to fan herself.
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[/ "My parents are a lot less creepy than the guy with one eye who lives with a woman half his age."
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[/ "I'm not half his age," she sighed, but she knew it was probably close.
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[/ She often entered conversation with Jory with bland indifference, never really engaging him or advancing the conversation, thwarting his grievances of the future with empty promises. It wasn't like he listened to her anyway. They'd had this fight before and Raine was growing bored of it.
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[/ Jory suddenly twisted in his chair, sparked with a new idea. "You're sleeping with him."
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[/ That got her attention. She stopped fanning herself and glared at him. "You're being ridiculous."
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[/ "All this time and never once-"
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[/ "No." She had the eye contact, but lacked the conviction. Raine had alluded to Auron she would be a willing participant if he ever got restless, but he had never taken her offer.
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[/ Guarded, he settled back in his chair. "I'm not sure I believe you."
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[/ Raine shrugged.
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[/ Jory would never break off things with her; she was too big an asset for his career. Raine had been promoted to sports anchor last month. Combine that with her legendary Blitzball ancestry and Jory's opportunities to get out of the minors and into the Blitzball majors was doubled. Already, there were rumors the Duggles were interested in him.
/]
[/ She also suspected Jory was still holding out for a Jecht Shot tutorial, but her father never showed Raine how to do it. In fact, he barely showed Tidus how to do it, lacing the instruction with criticism and bragging about how "I'm the best" and how "No one else can do it." Once, when Raine was about 4, she asked her father to teach her, but he scoffed and went on a tangent about the pros going co-ed and how in his day women played on their own teams.
/]
[/ Hearing the familiar weight of Auron's boots on the deck, Raine knew he was coming before Jory did. A small smile was on her face to greet him before he even turned the corner. A brown bag of groceries crinkled as he situated it in his exposed arm, the sleeve of his cloak hanging at his back.
/]
[/ "Hey," Raine said with a drowsy smile. She picked up her magazine to use it as a fan again.
/]
[/ "I thought I heard voices back here." Auron nodded once. "Good evening, Jory."
/]
[/ Jory gave Auron a sullen look, hunching in his chair. He looked like a scolded child.
/]
[/ Looking over his sunglasses at her, Auron very slightly tilted his head, discreetly inquiring about Jory, if he had interrupted something.
/]
[/ With a roll of her eyes, she shook her head and mouthed, "Tell you later."
/]
[/ Furtively inclining his forehead in understanding, Auron opened the door to go inside through her bedroom. "I'll leave the change on the counter."
/]
[/Jory lowered his voice. "So is he your errand boy now?"
/]
[/ "Shut up," she said monotonously. "It's too hot to fight."
/]
[/ "You're different around him."
/]
[/ "You're different around your friends, too."
/]
[/ He shook his head. "Not like that. You hang on his every word."
/]
[/ "Then I'm lucky he doesn't say much."
/]
[/ "Do you love him?"
/]
[/ She paused before answering and decided to go with the truth. "Of course I do. He's my best friend."
/]
[/ "Well, what am I?"
/]
[/ The door creaked as Auron came out, and Raine heard the jangle of a bottle and glass together as he poured the beer.
/]
[/ "A pain in the ass," Raine answered Jory first, then grinned up at Auron as he handed the glass to her.
/]
[/ Clink, toast, sip.
/]
[/ "You two are annoying," Jory muttered.
/]
[/ Fetching her colorful striped beach towel, hanging on a hook by the door, Auron walked it over to Raine with a depreciative lift of his eyebrow. She was content to let her wet bikini drip dry, but Raine took the hint and arranged the towel to cover what her bikini didn't.
/]
[/ Auron dragged over another chair to sit with the group. "Something bothering you, Jory?"
/]
[/ "Raine says you'll be moving on, soon. Any idea when that will be?"
/]
[/ "Jory…" Raine warned, but she felt peculiarly exhilarated whenever Auron and Jory were together. Their piss-contests never disappointed her, even if neither of them loved her the way she wanted.
/]
[/ Taking a drink, Auron rested the bottle on his thigh and swallowed. The moon picked up the silver in his hair and reflected off his sunglasses. To Raine, he was sexy as hell. "I can leave anytime. Raine knows this."
/]
[/ Raine scowled.
/]
[/ "That's not what she tells me," Jory said. "I mean, this has gone on long enough, don't you think?"
/]
[/ "What has?" Auron asked, utterly composed.
/]
[/ "Mooching off my girlfriend."
/]
[/ Auron's only response was a smug chuckle.
/]
[/ Raine smothered a grin and then yawned. With the heat, it was hard to get a good night's rest.
/]
[/ "Are we boring you?" Jory snapped at her.
/]
[/ "Indubitably," Raine quipped and sipped her beer. She looked into the dark sunglasses that abruptly swung her way and she felt the slack of their connection tighten and tug. She smiled and Auron softly laughed.
/]
[/ "What the hell does that mean?" Jory asked.
/]
[/ She knew she should really be nicer to her boyfriend, especially around Auron, when Jory was already so insecure about him. She felt bad for teasing him and with a guilty grimace, Raine said, "I'm sorry, I'm just kidding."
/]
[/ "What does it mean? You have your own made up language or something?"
/]
[/ Disbelief widened Raine's eyes, first at Auron and then at Jory. "Jory, indubitably is a real word."
/]
[/ Auron let go a hearty laugh, throwing back his head, one of the few times Raine had ever seen his teeth. They were surprisingly straight.
/]
[/ "Whatever. I'm outta here." Jory struggled into his tank top and stamped down the side deck to the docks.
/]
[/ Raine felt better with Jory gone. A tension released, but alone with Auron, it was replaced with another kind of strain, an ache.
/]
[/ "Thanks for throwing me under the train," Raine said.
/]
[/ "Is that what that look was for?" Auron asked. Casually, he pushed out of his chair and moved to the one Jory had just vacated, next to Raine. "You must keep me more informed of your lies to your boyfriend, especially when I'm involved."
/]
[/ "Sorry. He asks a lot of questions."
/]
[/ "Irritating, isn't it?"
/]
[/ Raine smiled impishly. "I ran out of things to tell him."
/]
[/ "I usually keep to the truth."
/]
[/ "I appreciate that." Unfortunately, for her the truth was a little complex.
/]
[/ "Do I dare ask?"
/]
[/ Raine hesitated, but she was curious how Auron might react. "He thinks we're sleeping together."
/]
[/ Without reaction, Auron lifted the bottle to his lips as he gazed at the water. His arm was still out of his sleeve and she noticed a smattering of freckles on the curve of his shoulder. "What gave him that idea?"
/]
[/ "I don't know," she said lamely. She felt a little under attack, that it was somehow her fault Jory had such a scandalous notion. "He's just acting crazy."
/]
[/ "Hmmm," he said in the affirmative. "He wants you to himself."
/]
[/ Raine's laugh was hard, sardonic and cut viciously across the bay. "Me and Lindsey Seawell."
/]
[/ Auron's glasses swung around to face her. "Jory's not been faithful?"
/]
[/ Raine was flaccid as a lifeless sloth in her chair, her towel suffocating in the wet heat. "Oh, my cyclopean friend, have you not been paying attention all these years?"
/]
[/ "Only to you," he said gruffly. "How long?"
/]
[/ Jory had been screwing Lindsey Seawell since their senior year in high school. "Remember the day you found me crying by the swings?"
/]
[/ "Eight years? Why do you stay with him?"
/]
[/Because you don't love me back, she thought.
/]
[/ "Habit, I guess," she said and the words lingered, resting on the humidity.
/]
[/ Unrequited love happens to lots of people, but it wasn't easy to get over it with Auron, not when it was his job to watch her. What was he protecting her from, anyway? Maybe his world was dangerous, but this was Zanarkand, Blitzball capital, and nothing was dangerous here. Well, there was the occasional Sin attack, she realized, but that had been almost eleven years ago now and Sin wasn't coming back.
/]
[/ Anyway, there was very little motivation to break it off with Jory. He would fight too hard to keep her, harder than Raine cared to match at this point. She had already put off having children this long and she wasn't getting any younger. Jory wanted them, too. At least, he wanted first claim to children with Blitzball already in their blood, to continue the legacy of her brother and father.
/]
[/ For once, Auron broke the silence. "I have news."
/]
[/ "Oh?" He never had news.
/]
[/ "I'm leaving for a while."
/]
[/ She sat up quickly. "How long?"
/]
[/ "Not long. A few days."
/]
[/ Sitting back, she fought to calm her erratic heart, tried to sound casual. "What for?"
/]
[/ "Just tying up loose ends."
/]
[/ "Is it the pilgrimage?"
/]
[/ "Not yet."
/]
[/ "It's been ten years."
/]
[/ "And four months."
/]
[/ So he was paying attention. Raine thought maybe he'd lost track of time.
/]
[/ "So you'll be back?"
/]
[/ "Mm-hm."
/]
[/ "Good," she said and cheekily added, "Someone has to fix the air."
/]
[/ "Hmph." It was a short laugh.
/]
[/ Several minutes went by. A distant fishing boat slowly loomed through the sparkle of the moon on the water and the waves of its passing were just now hitting them, rocking the houseboat in lazy undulations.
/]
[/ "You do know if you left for good, I'd really miss you," she said, flinching a little at her own vulnerability, but it had to be said. He had to know.
/]
[/ Auron said nothing. Not even a trademark grunt. He was so hot and cold, some days she didn't know what she was going to get.
/]
[/ She swallowed a lump in her throat. She didn't want her voice to crack when she mocked him, deep and scratchy, "I'll miss you, too, Raine. It sure was swell of you to let me stay here while I fulfill my promise to your dead brother—"
/]
[/ "Stop," he barked, reproachful. "Of course I feel the same. I didn't know I needed to say it."
/]
[/ Raine protruded her jaw, ripped off the striped beach towel and threw it down on the deck in a soggy wad. She was suffocating. "Just go, okay?"
/]
[/ Auron flashed an annoyed look. "What's gotten into you?"
/]
[/ "If you go, then I can stop dreading it and move on."
/]
[/ "You're tired," he said gently. "Let's go inside."
/]
[/ "Don't tell me how to feel." She wanted to be mad at him a little longer. It was the only time she felt in control. Jory could never make her angry like Auron could; her barriers had gotten too thick by the time Jory came into her life, but somehow, Auron had snuck through a breach when she was still a kid, when she was still able to trust and make connections. Raine downed the rest of the beer, feeling the sink of loneliness that always came when someone she loved went away. "Want another beer?"
/]
[/From her peripheral vision, Raine saw the shine of his glasses as the moon reflected off them. "I've had enough," Auron said. "So have you."
/]
[/ "Don't tell me what I want, either," she said. She got up and went inside for a beer.
/]
[/ Auron was gone by morning. She didn't see him for three months.