A Tale of Two Languages

By Snare-chan

Pairings: Wakka/Rikku
Ratings: T
Category(ies): Romance
Warning(s): Spoilers for the entire game
Status: One-shot, complete
Summary: Wakka learns a little bit more about the Al Bhed each time.

Notes: Cassandra Cassidy requested the couple, and seeing as I enjoy the pairing myself, I was more than happy to give it a shot. This is quite old, and went through the transition of first being a simple request, then almost became a surprise Christmas present, and ended up being a birthday gift instead. I left it open-ended for the ship to happen or to merely remain a friendship, so it's up to the reader and their own imagination to fill in the blanks.

Disclaimer: I dun own Final Fantasy X, wish I did like everyone else. They should put FFX in stock, then I'd buy it all!

Lesson Number One: This Way To Home

Bikanel Island was a special place all its own; there weren't many others like it. Though Spira was covered in numerous islands, none measured up to Bikanel's unique and rather detrimental environment.

Besaid, where Wakka came from, had sandy beaches and lots of sun, but it didn't compare to the sheer heat that made this Yevon-forsaken land so unbearable. Each breath he took was a heave, no ocean or oasis close or big enough to give the air substance. Its larger-than-normal size made anything inland like a death trap, locking out any life not specifically meant to traverse this place.

They were all pushing themselves here, and they knew it. Their desire to reunite with Yuna drove them onward and made them hasty. Rikku, as their guide, made it slightly easier, with her shortcuts and knowledge of the environment making the trip go quicker than if they'd been left to explore by themselves. Effort was still an issue, their strength quickly waning due to a number of encounters with untamed beasts and the weather.

It was inevitable that they would be forced to take a break. Wakka hated to admit it, but the Al Bhed knew how to do one thing right, and that was survive. The tents were a pleasant, temporary relief and their first aid kits were useful, though he couldn't begin to understand how to utilize them. Not that he would admit any of that out loud.

Those stupid Al Bhed, always makin' things more complicated than they have to be Wakka groused, using one of his own Hi Potions instead. He wouldn't sink to asking for help with using their concoctions, desperation or not.

"It says 'this way to home'."

Dazed from the heat and put into a near-stupor, the redhead shook his head once to cease zoning out and looked around. He spotted Rikku close by, squatting down with a finger idly drawing designs in the sand. She glanced up at him, offering him a smile, and a few moments passed before he realized that what he'd heard wasn't merely a trick of the mind, but the girl speaking to him.

"Wha?"

"That sign you were looking at just now. It says 'this way to home.'"

Was she going crazy? There wasn't a sign reading anything, at least not one in his line of vision. Giving her a wary, agitated look to relay his disbelief, he deigned not to comment.

"Ya know…that one, over there?" she said, somewhat more meekly, yet persistently. "Not all of them are obvious because of the sand. The wind builds it up and covers them sometimes, so we have to unbury them or post new notices when that happens."

Still unsure, he squinted and raised a hand above his eyes to ease his search, glancing around again. All he could make out was yellow sand, some cacti that he hoped weren't Cactuar, and… a wooden plank with white gibberish for text scribbled on it that was stuck halfway in a mound of sand.

"I'm from an island, too; I know what sand does," he snapped, placing his arms in front of his chest and turning his back on the sight.

"Oh…"

They lapsed into a momentary silence.

"I helped make that one," she declared suddenly, and rather proudly. "You can tell by the handwriting."

Absently, the senseless twirls and circles her fingertips were making moved with a purpose, mimicking the squiggles on the sign.

"See? I like making my t's fancy and my i's sharper than normal. This is how I learned to write it."

Exasperated, he watched her work. Her pointer finger wrote out two rows, one on top of the other. To him, there was no difference in their design – it was meaningless graffiti. As she wrote, she tried explaining the process in detail, talking about letters and how each curve or line represented a word, and how it compared to her own style. None of it seemed to register, no matter how she tried to explain it.

"…You don't see it, do you?" she sighed, acting like the exasperated one now. "Al Bhed isn't hard to learn; you only need a little practice."

She perked up, shifting her legs so that her knees bent out in front of her. Expertly, she started to scrawl some more, this time in a single straight line repeating letters that were in pairs.

"D equals T," she stated, pointing at a pair, and then directed him towards what she'd written the first time. "So in this word, to you this would be a T."

"T equals D?"

"Right! Now, the next letter is R, or in your language-"

"Girl," he interrupted suddenly, "it's way too hot to be thinkin', ya?"

Abashed and – in what he hoped was just his imagination – disappointed that her lesson was cut short, Rikku gave a quiet, "Oh." Staring back down at her work, she hastily waved her hand across it, erasing the letters.

Lesson Number Two: Beware

The underwater prison of Bevelle wasn't much to look at. It was dark, the only light source coming from what little passed through the bars from the gate above and reflected upon the water's surface. That then shed it onto the jagged walls, revealing slimy muck that had probably lingered there since the creation of this disgusting pit.

Wakka tried not to entertain the idea of what, exactly, the smell was that made the air here so rancid. He had been shoved into the tight space the moment they were unfairly sentenced, a chill starting in on his limbs. He was used to swimming for extended periods of time, the intensive training for Blitzball unwittingly preparing him for sustaining his body in these kinds of harsh conditions. That didn't mean he liked being thrown between extremes, though, and he tried his best to conserve as much of his body temperature as possible, lifting his hands to his mouth and breathing some warmth into them.

"Let me go! I said let me go!" a shrill voice carried down, echoing along the walls and sounding right in his ear. Wakka started and narrowed his eyes upwards, craning his neck in hopes of seeing what was happening. It turned out to be unnecessary, because after the first outcry, the cage doors creaked open and someone was unceremoniously tossed inside.

"Aieeeeee!"

The neon orange and green clothes were a clear indication of who it was, if the voice wasn't hint enough. Instinctively, Wakka tensed and brought out his arms in an attempt to break Rikku's fall, declaring, "I got ya! I got- Oof!"

He caught her all right, the impact sending them both deeper into the water and splashing it every which way. They both came up sputtering and coughing, and in the redhead's case, possibly with a broken rib or spine.

"Zangc!" Rikku shouted, shaking a fist up at the perpetrators who had thrown her down here. "That's no way to treat a lady! What would your mothers say if I told them you did that to me?"

"What lady?" a guard mocked, a couple others laughing alongside him.

She sputtered again and demanded, "What was that?!"

Their response this round was to slam the door closed, shrouding the prisoners in shadow. In a rare show of indignation, Rikku slammed both hands on the water's surface and huffed, the combination of hitting it and shaking her tucked-up hair sending more water flying.

"'Ey, watch what you're doin'!" Wakka protested, raising his hands to shield himself from the onslaught. "They're gone and can't hear you, ya? Save your energy."

Realizing that she wasn't alone, she whirled around to face him, one of her braids nearly taking out his nose.

"Oh! You're stuck in here too, huh?"

The inquiry sounded rhetorical, which became evident when she hurriedly continued with, "You must have been the one to catch me! Thanks for breaking my fall. Especially since those guys were so rude to me! My pop has a saying for those kinds of guys. 'Dra lulgo lrulupu kadc rec eh dra aht' – the cocky chocobo gets his in the end."

The girl was using a lot of Al Bhed, he noticed. A part of him wondered if that was thanks to her handling. Rikku was perfectly capable of switching back and forth between the two languages, but she was surprisingly mindful around company that wasn't as fluent as she. After being forced down here and losing… Well, he supposed that anyone would be upset, and so she was naturally reverting to what she was comfortable with.

"Where are we? Do you know?"

"Not a clue. None of the teachings mention this kinda punishment."

"Like that's a surprise," she scoffed, not dwelling on the subject like he did and moving on to exploring the small space.

Wakka was unsettled by their treatment, Yuna's in particular. As a Summoner, ceasing her pilgrimage should have been the highest sacrilege. He was quickly learning, however, that Yevon wasn't as glorious as he'd been raised to believe. Since he was born he'd trusted in them, and when he had doubted the teachings, bad things happened. His brother died because he stopped being devoted. He hadn't understood how Lulu, out of all the members of their tiny island community, could be so forgiving of the machinist people.

Gradually, grudgingly, he might have begun to understand. A tiny bit.

"Hey! Check this out," Rikku called, breaking through his thoughts. "I think I found something."

Swimming over towards the wall the blonde was currently inspecting, he spent a good while analyzing it and concluded, "Uh…check out what? There's nothin' here."

"You're not looking hard enough! Here," she reiterated and snatched his hand, slapping the palm flat against the stone wall. At his continuous expression of befuddlement, Rikku began to slide it from one side to the other. The experience was bizarre, his brows crinkling as nothing continued to register. He opened his mouth to say as much, when suddenly he felt elongated lines cut into the rock.

"You get it now?"

Nodding, he mentally spelled out the word as he trailed his fingers over it again. P-A-F-Y-N-A?

"Paaph-y-nah? That doesn't say anythin'; it's nonsense, ya?"

"It's pronounced 'peah-feaenah,' Wakka. It means 'beware' in Al Bhed."

"Oh," he said lamely, before asking, "Beware of…what?"

She shrugged, swimming back to try and get a better look around. Nothing seemed to stand out, the rest of the walls bare.

"Feh, whatever. It can't be any worse than that Bevelle Guardian, Evrae, am I right?" Wakka reassured her, confident in his assessment.

Lesson Number Three: The Death Walker

The way to Zanarkand was exhausting. No one in their group could find a reprieve among the superior fiends, uneven and chopped-up pathway, and barren terrain. They couldn't sleep for extended periods without the risk of getting ambushed, and their supplies were growing scarce. They were feeling the strain of both factors as those conditions worsened.

A sort of twilight hung suspended overtop their heads, as if signifying the end of everything. Wakka didn't like it. Someone romantic could possibly have found an aspect in the morbid sense of beauty to be pleased about, but he enjoyed gentle, pastel sunrises and bright sunsets, when the colors would blend together and couldn't be separated. This place was frigid enough without the sky adding to the depressing atmosphere; the stars in their sparkling glory weren't able to lighten this part of the world.

Wakka missed the open sea and didn't feel comfortable around the black, inky water that surrounded them on two sides. He could enjoy vast expanses of water, but the body here didn't lend itself to being as comforting as the kind in a Blitzball stadium or like back home. When he couldn't see past the surface, it made him nervous and he wondered what awful things could be lurking down there. The bones of the dead, or Sin, maybe.

Walking next to him, Rikku scooted further away from the edge of the broken stone path and eyed their surroundings distrustfully. Her gaze ended straight ahead, down the road that they still had left to go, before ducking to find her shoes vastly more interesting to look at.

"This place's got you spooked too, ya?" he asked softly, not wishing to bother the others up ahead with needless distractions.

"Yeah," she murmured back. "The water is way still here, and it's too quiet. I'm almost scared to breathe because it might be loud enough to disturb something."

Wakka snorted in agreement.

"We Al Bhed have a bedtime story about a sea snake named 'Dra Taydr Fymgan' who would make people who are bad walk along his back until they were too tired to go on. Then he'd eat them. I used to think it was a stupid, untrue horror story to get us kids to listen to our parents, ya know? But…I bet this is Dra Taydr Fymgan."

Wakka didn't need a translation to know how accurate Rikku was. The name itself sounded terribly suiting.

Lesson Number Four: Nothing Is For Free

The airship the Al Bhed had commandeered was in remarkable shape considering where it had rested. There wasn't any damage from salt water or aquatic life, the walls still smooth and the air clean. There were hints of touch-ups here or there, and some additions that could be picked up, but for the most part it was found as-is. Machina and its advancements were left to those foolish enough to engineer with it or who held a deep interest in the forbidden, which basically left the Al Bhed.

Well, not entirely for those reasons, Wakka mentally amended as he walked along the hallways. If his journey from home had taught him anything, it would have to be that machina could have its uses and be resourceful. He recalled the Blitzball dome and how something so huge held so much power, the good kind that brought no harm. He could like that kind of machina…and this flying ship. A little. If he avoided windows.

At first, he couldn't stand the thought of the thing. Flying should be left to the birds and Aeons, not people! If they were intended to go places without a boat or feet, they would have been born with wings. To this day he still wasn't sure to what degree he was willing to admit to liking this new mode of transportation, but he'd found ways to manage. It was kind of like a boat…it swayed back and forth, gearing Wakka back onto sea legs and to move with the motion of the ship and not wobble to and fro.

He missed the ground, though. Wakka could practically kiss it when next they landed.

Walking about the different paths along the ship helped, sometimes, especially if he stayed towards the ship's center. The motion distracted him from the fact that he was cruising on a souped-up machina and all the other pressing matters bearing down on him and his group. Mostly his nervousness concerning the airship.

"Rao Rin, ruf'c dra faydran?"

"Fryd geht uv xiacdeuh ec dryd du ycg uh y creb?"

"Dra vyen myto ryc y buehd."

Wakka slowed down in his walking and frowned, hearing voices up ahead. He recognized one as Tidus and another as Rikku, but the third and final voice he couldn't quite place. Turning the corner, he spotted them a little ways down the corridor holding a conversation. They were the only group present, and it was revealed that the third person was that Al Bhed merchant, Rin.

"You guys talkin' about the outdoors or somethin'?" he asked them upon his approach, announcing his presence at the same time.

They turned towards him, a look of surprise adorning all their faces.

"Close," Rin conceded kindly, the first to recover and address him. "Tidus here was just asking me about the weather."

"I'm still a bit of a novice, but I'm definitely getting the hang of it. I was just trying out that new phrase, since it's one I know for sure," Tidus said. He'd been practicing the language ever since Wakka knew him, though he didn't understand how it started or why. The blond was like that, though – he was curious about the world and was full of questions. It didn't surprise him anymore that Tidus would wonder about the Al Bhed, too, since he knew next to nothing about them, along with the rest of those who inhabited Spira.

Chappu had been like that, too…always open-minded and inquisitive.

"I didn't know you were familiar with Al Bhed, though, Wakka," he continued, throwing his arms up behind his head in a leisurely way. "When did you start learning it?"

"Travelin' with you guys didn't give me much of a choice, now did it?" Wakka said, though he didn't mean it. Maybe the old him would have been bitter about the fact, but not so anymore. "The stuff is everywhere, ya? If I want to get around, I gotta adapt."

He paused, scratching the back of his head as he took a couple of sudden, meek steps closer to them, and mumbled, "I'm, uh, still gettin' lost around here, though. Would you mind teaching me what "kitchen" is?"

Tidus' eyes bugged out, Rin look amused, and Rikku – well, she looked kind of proud.

"It would be an honor, Wakka. It's always a pleasure to broaden another's horizons," Rin stated. "Uv luinca, oui sicd ihtancdyht, ed'c kuehk du lucd oui!"

While Tidus laughed, Wakka gave them all a blank stare, not recognizing that long of a phrase just yet. The Al Bhed man smiled good-naturedly, and raised a hand, rubbing his thumb along top his pointer finger in the nonverbal sign of "money."

"Eeeeh?! How come you're chargin' me, and not Tidus, huh?! You taught him for free!"

Rikku clucked her tongue and swatted at Rin's arm as she passed, hooking hers around Wakka's and then forcefully dragging him along.

"Don't pay attention to that stingy old man! I'll take you around and teach you eeeeeverything you need to know, okay? We'll have you reciting the Al Bhed name for every room in this ship before I'm through with you!"

Lesson Number Five: Never Say Goodbye

The Luca Stadium was a one of a kind, state of the art, gorgeous piece of architecture and innovation. Granted, it was the only stadium, aside from the ruins of one in Zanarkand, but that wasn't the sole trait going for it. It was large enough to house all the residents of the city it resided over, and any foreign guests who would care to frequent it. It was the pride and joy of the people of Spira, a pearl to be cherished and awestruck by. It was a symbol of hope.

At the moment, the place was all but bursting with the residents of Spira, the typically filled dome in its center empty and tucked away. Today was not one of sport, but of a grander occasion – the announcement of Sin's passing, and of Spira's newfound freedom.

Yuna was at her place on the balcony, addressing everyone with the sheer will and power of her voice, her remaining guardians there to watch her back. It wasn't necessary anymore, the ex-Summoner at last able to stand on her own. Wakka had always known she could; the strength was inside of her all along, and he was glad to see it surfaced at last. He was so, so proud of her, content to simply be there to bask in her presence.

Rikku stood vigilant to his right, nothing separating them as they both watched Yuna, alive, finish her speech. She had been fretting over it for hours, having to search her mind for the right words and settling on what her heart had to say instead, and it was working for her. The cheers they invited were indication enough of how well they were perceived, and she waited for them to sink in for herself before turning around to face them again.

She walked back to them without assistance, her protective "older sister" Lulu not approaching her until Yuna was there to walk alongside them off the stage. Wakka lingered behind the group, watching as Kimahri was the last to follow her down the stairs. He was all that remained. Or rather, as it turned out, he and Rikku, her hands clasped behind her back and her body balanced on the tips of her toes.

"Pretty amazing speech, huh?"

"Yeah… That's Yuna for you; always knowin' the right thing to say. She was great up there."

"Yunie was so right, too," Rikku declared, skirting over to the railing and peeking over the edge. "I'm sure never going to forget what happened, you know? Not if I live to be a hundred."

Wakka nodded, approaching where she stood and eyeing her warily as she hopped up onto the railing, one foot over the other side.

"Shouldn't you be more careful? It'd be kind of stupid to die from this height after survivin' Sin!"

Stubbornly, she stuck her tongue out at him and tightened her grip on the stone, refusing to move. He didn't push the issue, and rested his elbows against the railing instead, keeping a close eye on her. Should she slip at a moment's notice, he'd be sure to be close to catch her. Then he could hold it over her head if she really did live to be a hundred.

"She also spoke about dreams. What are you going to do, now that you never have to go on another pilgrimage again? I bet you're going to go back to playing Blitzball, right?"

He snorted, pointing out that he'd quit that, so fat chance there.

"I'm thinkin' I'm gonna go back to Besaid and settle down."

"Oh…" she mumbled, looking somewhat crestfallen at that. Her expressions were very revealing, and this one made him feel as if he'd just kicked a puppy. "That's…no, that's great! I mean, if it makes you happy, then I'm happy for you…"

"Well, if you think it's so bad, what are you gonna do, huh?"

"M-me?"

"Yeah, you! If you think you've got somethin' better in mind, I wanna hear it!" he snapped without meaning to.

"I dunno. Pop has the Airship, so we Al Bhed don't have to make ourselves a new home. It is our home now. There's no need for us to rebuild again. Not really much else to do in the meantime," she pointed out, quickly adding, "But whatever I do, it'll be better than going home and sitting on my butt all day!"

"Hey! My plan is a great plan. There's lots of things I can do in Besaid, like coach the Aurochs, or build new huts, and tons of other stuff, ya? I'll be busy every day until the day I die of old age," Wakka declared, feeling a tad odd to be thinking like that.

They'd defeated Sin. They survived. He had his whole life ahead of him, something he hadn't seen coming, the outcome not having sunk in quite yet. With time, he was sure he'd get used to the concept, but with the battle still fresh in his mind, the future remained safe but uncertain.

"You…you promise not to forget me, right?"

Frowning, he turned to look at the blonde, whose gaze was directed at the stone sitting beneath her. She was doodling nonsense designs on its surface with her gloved finger, that dejected look from before fixed on her face. He wasn't sure he approved of the expression, used to her bubbly personality coming out in the form of white-toothed grins and eyes that glimmered.

He shrugged his shoulders awkwardly, trying to dispel the unease he felt, unsure if it was due to how Rikku felt she had to ask such a question after all they'd been through, or something else.

"Of course I will! What kind of question is that, huh?"

"You mean it? What if we never see one another again? What then?"

"Tch, girl, you're thinkin' about this too hard," he huffed, reaching over and ruffling her hair until she got annoyed by it, swatting at the offending hand. "You're too loud to forget! I'll be havin' nightmares of you yellin' at me for years and years."

"Grrr… I'm serious, you jerk!"

"And so am I!"

In unison, they turned their heads in opposite directions. Rikku scooted around until she was facing the other way completely, their backs to each other. Wakka crossed his arms over his chest and stubbornly put his chin into the air, despite the Al Bhed girl being unable to see it.

Of course, he was the first to break, given a few moments.

"…Your people don't believe in the Farplane, right?" he asked suddenly, the topic of discussion seemingly unrelated to their previous argument.

"Yeah; what of it?"

"Well, I do. You wanna know why?"

Tentatively, Rikku twisted her head to glance at him over her shoulder, giving him a suspicious look.

"This isn't going to be one of those lectures about the teachings, is it?"

"No! Just answer the question! Jeez…"

"Alright, alright…but if it is, I'm so out of here, and I'm totally not looking back! Why do you believe in the Farplane?"

"Because there's no such thing as a goodbye. It's one of those urban myth things. No matter what happens, or where we go, we'll end up meetin' each other again, whether it be on this world or a different one.

"I propose a new sayin' for you Al Bhed: kuutpoa ech'd vunajan; 'goodbye isn't forever.' Don't think of this as farewell…because someday, we'll meet again. You can visit me on Besaid whenever you want, or I'll come see you on that evil flyin' dragon your old man runs. That sound good?"

"Oh, Wakka…" she said, voice watery and her bottom lip wobbling. The obvious signs of tears had the redhead tensing, his body whipping around and both arms out in front of him, waving about.

"Wait, wait, wait! You can't cry! You're not allowed! That was supposed to cheer you u- Oof!" he grunted, his midsection in the death grip of one Al Bhed thief, Rikku hugging him with all her might. For such a little thing, she was surprisingly tough, and Wakka was having a bit of trouble breathing.

"Eeeh…there, there…" he said, looking at everything besides her as he did. When nothing that could save him materialized, he released a big, dramatic sigh, and gently patted her on the head.

"So yeah… Once you let go, I'll be seein' you around… I promise."

-Fin-