Second Best (closed)

[Lustuntamed]

Rikku had seemed to have relaxed at least which was a good sign. When she said she wanted to go back to camp Wakka nodded but didn't move for a little while. He didn't want to go back just yet because he wasn't sure exactly what would happen when they did. How would it go with Yuna and Tidus? Would she regret tonight? So he just held her against his chest for a few minutes as both their breathing back to slow back down to normal.

"OK lets go back now and get some rest, we're cool though yeah? Things aren't gonna be weird between us?" he asked genuinely, "We might have to fake an argument about Yevon and the Al Bhed just so the others don't catch on eh?" He laughed and squeezed Rikku one more time before standing up and offering her his hand.

 

[Emstar202]

"Don't worry Wakka! I'll treat ya just the same as normal, okay?" Rikku offered cheerfully. "But I mean... I don't mind... this," she added, not wanting him to think she'd forgotten all about their kiss. She gave him a quick peck before jumping up to head back to camp. Wakka had offered her his hand, but she didn't keep her hand in his on the walk back to camp. Instead, she scampered off towards camp ahead of him, as she often did. She still wasn't sure how she felt about everything, and when the two arrived back at camp, her uncertainty didn't get any better.

There was Tidus and Yuna, seated next to each other by the campfire. Tidus had his arm wrapped around Yuna's shoulders and Yuna was leaning into him, giggling. Rikku's eyes narrowed, and her feelings for Tidus began to creep up again. She quickly looked back at Wakka, hoping he hadn't noticed, but the sad look in her eye likely gave her away.

 

[Lustuntamed]

Wakka was reassured by what Rikku had said, not only because things wouldn't be weird between them but that tonight wouldn't be the last time either. He thought that was what he wanted at the moment, he'd never felt anything like that for Rikku before tonight but he was certain that he was feeling something now.

Back at camp Wakka had a sinking feeling as soon as he saw Tidus and Yuna together, of course they'd be acting like that! Pretty much everyone in camp knew they were together...it was just Rikku that had been blind sided by it really. He caught her eye as she looked over at him and he knew she was feeling a bit upset. Wakka wanted to go over and hold her again but knew it was a terrible idea, what would the others say? Rikku would probably die of embarrassment as well, he held his gaze on her for a little longer and smiled. Hoping she could at least take comfort that he was thinking about her.

 

[Emstar202]

Rikku forced herself to smile back at Wakka. He was being so sweet! She felt kinda bad for kissing him back there when she was obviously still upset about Tidus. Well, it's not like she'd starting the kissing, after all.

Rikku averted her eyes from both Wakka and the couple and headed over to her bedroll. Tomorrow they had a big day ahead of them... ah who was she kidding? They always had a big day ahead of them. Tomorrow they'd enter the Calm Lands. They were supposed to be HUGE and a lot of summoners supposedly quit their pilgrimages there. Rikku secretly hoped Yuna would quit hers, but she would follow Yunie till the end, even if it meant her death. Rikku sighed and closed her eyes. She had a lot on her mind, and she hoped sleep claimed her quickly.

***

"Arghhh!" Rikku yelled, charging at the fiend with her dagger. She slashed it across its hard shell, barely leaving a dent.

"Don't waste your time. Let us handle them," Sir Auron told her in that dry, boring voice of his. By 'us' he probably meant everyone but her. Rikku only came in when they were running low on high potions or gil or something. She kept trying to train and get stronger, but it was kinda hard to do that when Auron kept telling her to 'step back' and stuff.

Rikku huffed and fell backwards, seating herself on the grass. Lulu and Yunie had their magic. Auron, Tidus, Kimari, and Wakka had their strength. And what did Rikku have? Mediocre strength and magic? Rikku breathed a heavy sigh and tried to calm down. Despite the fact that she wasn't doing a lot of damage, she was still sweating profusely. They all were. The calm lands were hot, and they certainly weren't calm either. She fell back into the grass and stared up at the sky, breathing in and out slowly.

"Man, I need a break!" she heard Tidus whine as the battle concluded. Rikku didn't even have it in her to do a victory dance.

"I'm getting rather tired as well," Lulu huffed, leaning down and smoothing out her heavy black dress. As she did so, her breasts practically fell out the top. She'd never understand why Lulu wore that ridiculous dress to battle. How did she expect to move in that thing? And wasn't it hot, especially here, in the stifling calm lands? For some reason, Rikku's eyes flashed to Wakka as Lulu showed off her breasts once more.

 

[Lustuntamed]

Wakka watched as Rikku tried so desperately to hurt the fiend. He had always felt a bit bad for her but before he'd just laugh at how the Al Bhed had to rely on machina rather than skill. He still thought it was true but now that he saw how much Rikku was struggling, he didn't find it as funny anymore. Auron had told her to step back and then finished the fiend with one strike, damn he was strong!

Wakka had noticed Rikku step back looking upset and had wanted to smile at her but he had to focus on the battle! Plus the last thing he wanted was anyone in the group to suspect there was something going on between them, Wakka himself wasn't even sure if something was going on between them.

After they'd won Tidus asked for a break and Wakka couldn't be happier, he still had thoughts of Rikku swimming through his mind during the battle and he'd always found it more difficult to think in the stifling heat anyway. His muscular chest was slick with sweat from the strain of battle and as he joined the group he caught Lulu's breasts spilling out of her dress in the corner of his eye.

He and Lulu had always had a strange relationship but in his mind she was Chappu's girl so he didn't pay that much attention to her revealing herself. Lulu bent over once more but Wakka didn't even bother to look, then he caught Rikku looking over at him. Is she checking to see if I'm looking at Lulu? If she was then Wakka was glad he hadn't looked, he returned her stare and raised his eyebrows, feeling smug because she'd tried to catch him peeking and failed.

 

[Emstar202]

Rikku felt a mixture of relief and embarrassment. She was glad Wakka hadn't looked at Lulu, but she was also embarrassed that he'd caught her watching him. She glanced away, unable to handle his smug look any longer. Why did she even care if he'd looked at Lulu? They weren't together or anything. Yeah, they'd kissed, but Rikku still felt a soft spot for Tidus. She looked over to the boy from Zanarkand now. He was sitting on the grass, sword laying neglected beside him. He was panting, clearly tired from battle. They all were.

"Lulu, can't you conjure us up some ice popsicles or something?" she asked the black mage.

Lulu shook her head with a small smile. "I'm afraid my magic doesn't work that way."

Rikku groaned. She knew it didn't, but she wished it did! She rolled over in the grass, letting it's colder temperature soothe her heated body.

"We can't rest long. It's dangerous here," Auron said. She heard the clang of his blade against a rock, but didn't bother to look.

 

[Lustuntamed]

Wakka had been happy with himself for not letting his eyes wonder. Unfortunately Rikku did not think the same way, he'd kept his eyes on her after she looked away and her gaze almost instantly drifted to Tidus. There had been no sign of a repeat of the other night and now she was looking over at tidus again.

Waka wasn't annoyed, just trying to figure out what was going on. Lulu and Rikku were talking about something but he hadn't really been paying attention. He laid down on the grass and felt his muscles breath a sigh of relief. He shut his eyes and let the breeze, what little there was, cool him

 

[Emstar202]

Rikku groaned as Auron insisted they move on. They'd already been walking for so long, and she could still see the Macalania Woods from which they'd left. These plains were huge! "Come on, Auron. Just a little break!" she whined, closing her eyes tight against the harsh sun.

Auron grunted but when no one else seemed intent on moving either he relented and the group rested for a while. The days went on like this, slow going and rough. The trek across the Calm Lands was taking forever, especially since they hadn't rented chocobos. The lady in charge of the creatures wouldn't just let them buy them; she wanted to make sure they all knew how to ride them first, and the party hadn't wanted to waste time learning how to ride. So in the end they walked across the Calm Lands. Rikku's feet ached all day and she was too exhausted to do anything but sleep when night came. Three nights had passed since she'd found out about Yuna and Tidus and Wakka had kissed her in the Macalania woods. They hadn't kissed since, or had any time alone. Rikku wasn't sure if she wanted that anyway, but whenever she spotted Yuna looking at Tidus with big doe eyes and Tidus staring back at her with adoration, her heart would give a little jerk and her thoughts wandered back to Wakka, wondering if he could ever look at her like that. If anyone could.

For now though, romance was not the first thing on Rikku's mind. She was anxious about her battle skills. When she'd first joined the party, she'd been confident she was contributing, but now that the novelty of her mixing and stealing wore off, she felt overshadowed. They already had all the supplies they needed, and Yunie and Lulu's magic was usually stronger than any concoctions she put together. Rikku gave it her all in battle, but she knew she could never protect Yunie as well as the other guardians, and she was ashamed of that. Rikku didn't want to be the weakest link! It was getting tougher to hold up as the battles wore on. She felt like she was getting stronger, but it was hard to tell because she was so tired. The battles seemed to take longer and longer to complete, and it was clear that everyone was worn out. When Yuna finally collapsed after a particular tough battle, the party decided they should rest for a couple of days.

They'd finally found a Rin's Travel Agency nestled in the middle of the plains of the Calm Lands, and Rikku decided she would use the extra down time they had to train. They were going to stay here for a couple of days, according to Yuna. They were all pooped and needed to replenish their supplies, so Rikku had some time to do whatever she wished, and that meant training. She'd thought about going to Tidus for advice, since they were both swift and agile in battle she figured he'd be the best to ask, but he didn't look like he was going to leave Yunie's side anytime soon. It was clear the two intended to spend this brief reprieve together. She didn't want to ask Kimari or Auron, she couldn't get a read on Kimari and Auron intimidated her.

There was only one person she could ask, and he'd already encouraged her to come to him when she needed any help. It was the first of two mornings at Rin's when Rikku went to the room Wakka and Tidus shared and banged on the door. "Hey Wakka!" she called. It was already half past noon, but man had she needed that rest. "You in there?" she asked.

 

[Lustuntamed]

Wakka was actually enjoying himself, with all of the confusion in Bevelle and then what happened with Rikku in Macalania his head had been swimming for a while. These past few days he was able to relax a bit more and he was feeling stronger too. He knew that he was no match for Auron, he doubted he ever would be, but he was beginning to feel like he was out muscling Tidus and Kimahri. Though he had no doubt Tidus wasn't as focused as he was. Wakka often wondered what Auron, Lulu and Kimahri thought about Tidus and Yuna, a small part of him occasionally wondered if they'd suspected anything between him and Rikku. They hadn't spoken a whole lot over the past few days, they weren't ignoring one another it was just everyone was always tired after the battle and Wakka had really been trying to focus so he could get stronger.

It was only when they got to Rin's and he was able to lay down on a proper bed that he realised how much his muscles ached. There was a throbbing in his arms from launching the ball as hard as he could over and over again. He closed his eyes and had strange dreams, he was guarding Yuna when a Sinspawn appeared, he tried to battle it on his own but he couldn't defeat it. Must get stronger Wakka! Must get stronger! Then Yuna became Rikku, looking at him with her emerald green eyes "help me Wakka! Please!"

Wakka woke up startled and breathing heavily, Tidus was already awake and seemed to be packing a bag, probably something for Yuna. He looked over at Wakka who had sat up quickly and still seemed disoriented, "You alright buddy?"

Wakka looked over at him, the picture of Rikku calling out for help faded and he was able to take in his surrounding again, he was about to reply when somebody started pounding on the door "Hey Wakka!" he heard Rikku's voice"You in there?". For a brief second the image of her and the sinspawn came back to mind but he shook it off and tried to think, what did she want? "Uh ya I'm here, what can I do for you?" Wakka replied before even thinking about the fact he hadn't gotten dressed yet. The dream had his head all fuzzy and Rikku coming to see him was something else that took him by surprise.

 

[Emstar202]

Rikku bounced on her feet, though a bit less lively than usual given her fatigue, as she waited for Wakka to open the door. "I was hoping you could help me out today.... hey I'm gonna come in, kay? Ready... set..." She burst in the door without anymore warning, giggling a little. Her eyes flashed to Wakka's bed, and to her surprise she found him still in it! Usually she was the last one up, but she supposed after all the effort the group of them had been putting in these last few days, Wakka was more tired than usual.

"Morning Rikku!" She heard Tidus' voice from the corner of the room. Her gaze drifted from Wakka to the blond boy, who was already dressed and fiddling with a bag.

"Hey!" she said happily. "Whatcha doing?"

Tidus seemed hesitant to answer at first, but then rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and said, "I'm just packing a picnic basket for Yuna and I."

"Awww that's really sweet!" Rikku cooed loudly with just a hint of sadness in her tone. "I didn't know you were so romantic, Tidus!"

"Don't tell anyone," he muttered, lifting the bag over his shoulder. "I gotta go. See you guys later."

Rikku waited until Tidus had left the room before striding towards Wakka, trying to put the blond boy out of her mind. "Time to get up!" she said to Wakka with a smile as she seated herself beside him. She noticed his chest was bare and she couldn't help but let her eyes wander over his muscular torso. His tanned skin was flushed a bit with sweat, and his hair was disheveled. He looked really, really cute, Rikku thought.

"I need your help with training today!" she announced after being quiet for a little too long, distracted as she'd been. "I want to get stronger, and you did tell me to come to you if I ever needed anything!" With that, she made a move to jerk the covers back, intending to yank him out of bed.

 

[Lustuntamed]

With all the confusion of his morning Wakka didn't register what Rikku was saying until she was already in the room, realising he was wearing nothing but underwear he made sure to cover his lower half with the blanket as he say back against the bedframe. He almost had to look away when Rikku was talking to Tidus. He didn't know much about what had been said between them before or after she'd seem him kissing Yuna but he thought Tidus must have at least had an idea Rikku liked him, Tidus' sheepish answer confirmed his suspicions.

After Tidus left Wakka focused on Rikku, shifting nervously as she sat on bed. Seeing as how they'd come so closer to a similar situation a few nights ago he felt rather exposed being ambushed by her in a dream and a morning twice in quick succession. He thought that she looked good today, but then there wasn't really a time that Wakka didn't think Rikku looked attractive. Even while he was hating her for being Al Bhed she'd still been his favourite to look at, though that might have had something to do with the fact that his other two options were practically a sister and a sister-in-law.

"Oh ok, I can help you trAIII OH NO" Wakka couldn't help but shout and grab the covers nervously, he looked over at Rikku with a slightly embarrassed smile "I just woke up ya so I'm not exactly uh ready for the day yet" laughing nervously. He'd caught her staring at his chest, maybe she had meant to expose him in purpose but he doubted he'd ever know. "You shouldn't go trying to yank people's covers off you know!"

 

[Emstar202]

Rikku was super pleased that Wakka would help her train, and the smile on her face only grew when he grabbed the covers and yanked them back up again. Rikku couldn't help but giggle at his hasty actions. He told her that he wasn't ready for the day yet and that she shouldn't go around pulling off people's covers. Rikku just laughed and asked him, "Why? Do you sleep naked or something?" She gave him a curious grin and released her hold on the blankets. She didn't want to make him uncomfortable or anything, but she really was wondering how he slept now. She couldn't imagine he'd sleep naked when Tidus was in the room. Maybe it was something else he was nervous about...

Her thoughts flickered back to a horrible nightmare of a time when Brother and her had been forced to share a bed together on a family vacation. She'd woken up beside him contentedly, excited because they were going to go to the beach that day. She'd pulled off the covers they shared and jumped out of bed. Then she'd turned to Brother, intending to pull him along after her, but had stopped upon seeing the strange lump in his pajama bottoms. Boy, had that been an awkward conversation. Her dad and Brother had had to explain to her about puberty and all this awkward stuff! So, that was how she knew about morning erections. Maybe Wakka was embarrassed because he had one? Rikku wondered as she waited for him to answer her question.

 

[Lustuntamed]

There was the smile that Rikku had when he told her he'd help her train, then there was the grin that had teased him so much the other night. This really didn't help his situation because while it was true Wakka had woken up with an erection like most other mornings, it had usually gone by now. Though with Rikku sitting so close to him and then smiling that devilish smile, it certainly hadn't faded away yet. His eyes went wide when she asked if he slept naked "No!...well not completely naked anyway"

He was able to relax slightly as she released the covers, feeling less vulnerable he loosened his own grab now as well. Then Rikku seemed to be lost in thought about something, Wakka didn't know exactly what to do. He needed to get up to help her train but there was no way he was going to move and risk her seeing the prominent bulge in his boxers. "So uh, training today right? How can I help?" Wakka asked in an attempt to steer the conversation away from his nudity.

 

[Emstar202]

Rikku bounced off the bed at Wakka's response. He obviously was uncomfortable with her nagging him about his sleeping habits, and she supposed she was being kinda forceful. She was just young and curious about the opposite sex. That was normal, right?

He asked her about training and Rikku happily told him what she needed. "Well, I know I'm great with grenades and stealing and stuff, but that kinda thing doesn't really help Yunie, you know? I want to be able to protect her like you guys can. I want to get stronger and bash the heads in of all the fiends!" As she said this, she shot her fist into the air and swayed her hips, reminiscent of her victory dance. Rikku was determined, and with Wakka's help she'd hopefully make some progress today.

"I'll wait outside for you while you get dressed, okay?" she told him as she headed out the door.

 

[Lustuntamed]

Wakka relaxed as Rikku walked off, feeling secure and happy that he wasn't about to be exposed. When Rikku said she wanted to bash the fiends heads in Wakka had to supress a laugh. He flashed back to the previous day when rikku attacked the armored fiend and did nothing to it. He knew that he had a long day ahead of him if she wanted to use her strength.

After she left he got out of bed and threw some clothes in, keeping it light because it was hot outside and they had a hard days work ahead of them. He grabbed his ball and a lighter one he used for practice and stepped outside. Smiling at rikku he threw the lighter ball to her. "Come on killer, lets get you in shape huh?"

 

[Emstar202]

"A blitzball?" Rikku questioned, catching it easily despite Wakka's lack of warning. Her reflexes were pretty good from lobbing grenades at fiends all the time. "You want me to use this? I was just gonna practice with my daggers, but whatever you say, Captain Wakka!" she joked, leading him outside of the Travel Agency and onto the plains.

"Where should we start?" she asked him. They certainly didn't have many options. They had a great expanse of grass to the left of them and some more grass to the right and ahead of them were some wandering chocobos, and Rikku definitely didn't want to use the poor birds for practice! "Guess we should get farther away from the Travel Agency first," she told him.

 

[Lustuntamed]

Wakka smiled "you'll use your dagger against the fiends but the ball is to make you stronger. You want to be able to hurt the fiends right??? Throw the ball to me as we walk, it will help make you stronger" Wakka looked around the open plains but couldn't see anything that would be good for training. "Come with me" he led her towards a different corner of the calm lands. It helped that Tidus had told him where he and Yuna were going so he took Rikku in the opposite direction. "So why'd you ask me for help anyways?"

 

[Emstar202]

"Because Kimari and Auron wouldn't help me. And Tidus... well... you know," Rikku said, throwing the ball back to Wakka. She didn't want to think about Tidus right now, and she especially didn't want to give thought to the date he was on with Yuna either. "Plus, you told me I could always come to you if I needed you," she smiled. "You're also really strong too! Who better to ask?"

The pair walked in Wakka's desired direction until Rin's Travel Agency was out of sight. Fiends were likely lurking nearby. Rikku had a couple Al Bhed potions in her pack though, so she wasn't worried.

 

[Lustuntamed]

When Rikku explained why she had chosen to ask Wakka for help with training all he could say was "oh." Not because he was upset or anything, part of him had just thought the explanation may be a bit more complex then that, although when she told him he was strong he laughed "Don't think I'll go easy on you if you flatter me ya! I am pretty strong though"

Looking around he thought they'd gone far enough, he couldn't see Rin's anymore but he knew they were also close enough that they could get back easily should something happen. He'd gotten so used to having a Yuna around to heal him that he'd forgotten to pack any potions but he assumed Rikku would have brought some, items kind of were here specialist area anyway. "Ok before we start I want to get an idea of what I'm working with" Wakka stood straight and tensed his body "throw the ball at me as hard as you can! Don't worry about me, I think I'll be able to take it" he said with a slight chuckle "and just make sure you don't miss".

 

[Emstar202]

"I don't want you to go easy on me!" Rikku replied in a sing-song voice with a carefree smile. Rikku could take a hit. She'd been hit countless times in battle, and she could definitely withstand more than Lulu and Yuna could. Of course, she was more squishy than Wakka and Auron, but she didn't think a few blitzball hits from Wakka would land her on her ass!

When the Travel Agency was no longer in sight, Wakka instructed her to throw the ball at him as hard as she could. Rikku gripped the ball tightly between her hands and swung it back, a determined expression on her face. She tried to fake him out at first, tossing the ball back and forth in her hands rapidly, eyes darting around, challenging him. Then she threw it, as hard as she could, in Wakka's direction. She'd aimed hard for his chest, not holding anything back, though with his chestplate it probably wouldn't hurt him too badly, especially since Rikku wasn't used to throwing things with force. She usually just tossed the grenades.

 

[Lustuntamed]

Wakka was surprised at the determined look in Rikku's eyes. It sounded like a joke when she said she didn't want him to go easy but Wakka wasn't so sure, there was something about the way she was acting that Wakka hadn't seen before.

He was smiling at her as she was tossing the ball back and forth, he could tell she wanted to impress him. He had to admit she had a good aim, the ball hit him square in the centre of the chest but with his plate on he didn't feel too much of a hit. Certainly nothing compared to some of the hits he'd taken from fiends in the past. "Ah!" he cried as the ball hit him, for Rikku's sake he acted like it had hurt him a little. She could do with the confidence boost after the way Auron had spoken to her the other day. "I'm ok, that was a good throw! Sure you don't wanna join the Aurochs?" Wakka smiled and looked around, seeing a relatively small fiend wandering on its own. A rarity but he knew it would be a perfect target to get Rikku started. He pointed over at the fiend "Ok now attack that one with your dagger as hard as you can, should be able to take it down in one hit"

 

[Emstar202]

Rikku felt prideful when Wakka praised her, and laughed when he suggested she join the Aurochs, the Besaiden Blitzball team. "I don't think my brother would be very happy about that. He'd want me to join the Al Bhed Pysches instead," she told him. "But hey, maybe you can convince me otherwise!" She was flirting a little; she liked playing around with Wakka. He was fun and sweet, even though his head was like that of a blitzball sometimes, thick headed, ya know?

He told her to attack the nearby fiend, and Rikku took a deep breath, determined to take it down. She didn't see how she could get it in one hit, the was more Tidus' thing. This fiend was known for it's speed, so she wouldn't have a problem with that, she was more worried about killing it with a single blow. "All right! Wish me luck!" Rikku told Wakka as she skipped off towards the fiend. Her dagger was raised as she charged towards the fiend. The fiend noticed her quickly, and dashed towards her as she ran towards it. Rikku felt the adrenaline coursing through her as they collided, teeth and knife bared.

She stabbed it in it's neck, but it wasn't quite deep enough. The fiend fell back a little, greatly injured. Rikku often had this problem in battle; she'd inflict the fiend with a deadly wound, but she was rarely able to kill it with her first strike. Rikku finished off this little one quickly, but not immediately.

She turned back to Wakka as it fell, shrugging her shoulders. "Guess I just gotta keep trying!"

 

[Lustuntamed]

Wakka paused slightly at the reminder of Rikku's heritage. He'd been so good at putting it out of his mind but the mention of the Al Bhed Psyches made his stomach turn, after all they had kidnapped Yuna back in Luca just to try and win the blitzball game. He took a deep breath and let it go, he'd been doing so well at not letting thoughts of the Al Bhed bother him and he wasn't going to start now. "maybe you can convince me otherwise!"said Rikku, jolting Wakka back into the real world. Now what had she meant by that?!

Wakka watched as she attacked the fiend, he didn't think she'd take it down in one hit but if she was going to be serious about getting stronger then she would need to learn. Normally Wakka would leave that one to Tidus but he knew that he could take down a small one in one hit still. Rikku finished off the fiend with relative ease but hadn't managed to take it down with one hit. "Guess I just gotta keep trying" Rikku didn't sound too deflated at all.

Wakka looked over and saw a slightly larger fiend watching them, it had probably been travelling with the one Rikku just killed. "Ok Rikku this next one is a little bigger so I'll weaken it a little and then I want you to take it down". Wakka threw the blitzball at about half strength at the fiend, wanting to weaken it but still leave enough of a challenge for her. "Attack now!"

 

[Emstar202]

Rikku galloped towards the fiend, dagger raised. It must have been friends with the other one, because the look it was giving Rikku seemed even more fearsome than usual. Still, she didn't let that lessen her drive. Rikku let out a battle cry as she drove the dagger into it's side. The fiend crumpled at her blow and died. Rikku cheered at her victory. "Yes! Got it!"

***

The day went on like this, with Rikku facing off against various fiends and Wakka giving her tips along the way. Though it was slow going, Rikku did become stronger. By the time the sun began to set, Rikku was able to kill those small sharp teethed fangs in a single hit, and the two thought about heading home. As they started back to Rin's, for they were pretty far away from it by now, Rikku still felt ready to go, and would attack any fiends they came across. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a large fiend with horns, one she'd faced alongside Wakka earlier in the day. They'd managed to take it down, but it had been a challenge.

"Let's get that one!" Rikku told him. Though she was tired, she was feeling confident and didn't want her roll of victory to end quite yet. Without waiting for his answer, Rikku set off towards the fiend.

 

[Lustuntamed]

Wakka was proud of Rikku for taking down the larger fiend and grateful for the boost that she seemed to get from it. She'd made very good progress all day and Wakka had been looking on and giving advice where he good. As she ran frantically from fiend to fiend trying to finish them off with a single hit Wakka considered the scene in front of him. There was actually something he found attractive about Rikku's tenacity. Yuna and Lulu could fight but neither one of them relished it and they relied on magic anyway. Seeing a girl charge head on into the fray excited him way more, the sight of her body glistening slightly with sweat from the exertion didn't hurt either.

Wakka was feeling tired as they set off back to Rin's and he'd been doing more watching than fighting, how on earth was Rikku still going! He saw Rikky eyeing up a larger fiend but was too slow to react. "Let's get that one" was all he heard before she was off, they'd just about managed to take one down earlier in the day but he was much less tired then and for Rikku that was about 30 fights ago. Wakka would have stopped her if he could but he knew it was already too late.

It hadn't seen Rikku coming so she got the first strike in but it didn't look like it had a huge effect on the powerful fiend. Wakka managed to launch his ball before running closer to the fiend to provide support if needed. Rikku was stepping from side to side, still looking alert despite her long day of battling but Wakka was nervous to see if she could handle this fight.