Crimson &Amethyst

By Lola

Disclaimer: I do not own FFX. Literally. I don't even own the game yet! *sob*

Warnings: This is the first FFX fic I've ever written so be gentle. Also, I haven't finished the game, I haven't even finished the first disk! ^^;; But... this idea came to me and since there's so few Lulu and Auron fics I thought I'd post this.

Pairing: Lulu & Auron. Aren't they so beautiful together? *.*

Slender fingers brushed through dark hair as the woman glided to the window. Fingertips cold with the chill in the room pressed against the glass. The moon was full and bright, hanging low in a patchwork of clouds that flitted by yet clung like a string of spider webs. Lips a soft shade of crushed amethyst parted slightly. The quiet sigh going unheard to all but the walls around her.

A tinkle of beads and gems the only sound marking her presence as she padded to the door. In the adjacent rooms she could hear the contented snores of her comrades, Tidus and Wakka mainly. A smile ghosted across her lips. It had been a long day for all.

The wooden staircase creaked as she descended into the taproom of the inn, lush purple skirts whispering across the floor. Brown eyes swept across the room. Empty. A fire burned low in the hearth, emitting a soft red glow. For a moment she pondered sitting there, stirring up the embers to rekindle the flame that once was. Perhaps she could lose herself in the flickering red of the fire, the ever shifting dance of the flames flashing in reds and orange and the occasional bluish purple. She had always liked the play of colours in fire. Strange how crimson and amethyst could look so perfect alongside each other...

Movement by the stairs. A glimpse of red.

Her eyes flicked to the staircase, wondering who dared interrupt her reverie. Arms crossed, leaning nonchalantly against the doorframe, Auron. She nodded her head slightly in acknowledgement, mildly surprised that he had managed descending the stairs without alerting her. Then again...he was an experienced fighter, it followed that he must know how to move stealthily when needed.

Her gaze returned to the nearly dying embers. "Did I wake you?"

She felt more than heard him approach. "You did not."

Another nod. Lulu gestured to the chairs surrounding the hearth, a wide sleeve of her gown brushing briefly across Auron's cape. "Will you sit with me?"

"Yes." A simple answer. Auron sat, somehow managing to look dignified even with his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankle.

Lulu sat across from him, hands folded in her lap and hidden in flared sleeves. She watched as Auron reached towards the hearth, fingers curling around the fire poker. A few well placed jabs and the flames sputtered back to life filling the room with a warm amber glow, gilding the features of both guardians as they turned to stare into the fire.

The black mage tilted her head, long braids sliding over a bare shoulder. Auron faced the flames in silence. The occasional crackle and spark from the fire the only dialogue. Her smoky eyes examined the man before her. Sunglasses still perched on his nose, even in the night, concealing not only the scar cutting across his right eye but a great deal more as well Lulu suspected. Auron was a hard man to read. Not all ease and friendliness like Wakka. It wasn't that he was quiet or particularly broody, simply...reserved. The fact that his eyes were forever masked only served to bolster this belief. The high collar hid most of his face as well. So much in fact that Lulu found there was nothing to judge his mood by except for the line of his eyebrows. They seemed relaxed.

"You once had a fiance."

Auron's voice startled her more than the statement itself. She was about to affirm the question when she realized that he hadn't meant it as an interrogation, but simply as conversation. She toyed with the beads adorning the tip of one braid. "I did. You always wear your sunglasses?"

His eyebrows rose slightly as he turned towards her. "I suppose I do."

Smoky eyes fixed on the purple and red flames licking at the air. "Are you hiding something? Or is it just habit that makes you wear them even at night?" Her voice was teasing; she did not wish him to think she was prying. No. Just attempting to know her fellow guardian a bit better.

His response was carefully chosen and when spoken sounded serious in the extreme. "I hide nothing Lulu. I just think they look cool."

She blinked. What? Her eyes searched his face for some sign of mirth; he must be joking. A soft chuckle muffled by the fabric of his collar.

"You needn't look so shocked." The smile was evident in his voice.

Lulu felt her cheeks heat up as she rose, bowing slightly. "Forgive me Sir Auron. I was not...I had not expected you to...that is...I never imagined you to be a man of jest."

He stood as well. "You imagined correctly Lulu. But...you are not so prone to levity as well and yet you asked that question in such a tone that demanded a light-hearted response."

She smiled, corners of her mouth lifting. "Yes. But-"

"You still think I'm hiding something?" He finished stepping towards her; one eyebrow raised in what could be almost termed amusement.

Using his proximity to her advantage, Lulu reached up quickly to snatch his glasses. He didn't flinch, nor did he move away or try to retrieve the silver frames in her hand. He simply stared down at her. She gazed up into stormy grey. No darkness, no hidden malice. Her brow furrowed slightly. There was something there though, something she didn't quite understand. A conflict? Suddenly she had the feeling that if anyone else had been looking into his eye, they would not have seen it, no, this was something directed specifically at her. Fingers trembling she reached up to tentatively touch the rough skin of the scar on his right eye. Still he did not pull away. She was fascinated with the mark, a straight slash. What had caused it?

"Have you found what you're looking for?"

His deep voice made her breath catch in her throat and she jerked her hand away. "I'm sorry, I should not have-"

A black gloved hand caught her wrist easily, holding it loosely between thumb and middle finger. He could feel her quickened pulse against his palm. "No. No it's all right."

After what seemed like a long moment in which neither of them were aware of anything but the other's breathing, Auron released her wrist, his arm falling limp at his side. Lulu stepped back, eyes averted and studying the floorboards.

"I should return to my room." She said, making her way back to the stairs.

He nodded, not moving to follow just yet. "We have a long journey ahead of us."

She paused, one foot on the stairs and swivelled her body at the waist. "Yes...we do. Good night then." Her eyebrows knitted together as she stared back at her own image reflected in tinted glasses. She had not even been aware he had taken them back.

His response when given was quiet and almost whispered. "Good night, Lulu."

He watched her figure disappear up the stairs; the purple and grey satin of her skirts hissing over the wood of the stairs before he turned a steel grey eye back to the fire. The amethyst flames seemed to have died away with Lulu's departure.

He sighed; eye locked on the red flames as they danced in the dark, slowly fading into nothing but black coal.

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A.N: Yup, that's it. ^^; Sorry. I'm not sure if I should continue or not or if I should just leave it as a oneshot. I probably need to play more of the game before I can write a great deal more. I apologize if they're OOC but like I said I'm only on the first disk but just figured Lulu and Auron were too good together to not write about.

Hope you liked it. ^______^ Let me know what you think! Please!