by PrettyGothGirl
All Disclaimers Apply
Summary: Rikku lies, often.
Author's Note: A companionish piece to "The Five Times Gippal Lied" which I apparently wrote more than a year ago and I finally
got around to this one. LOL Oh well.
Once:
Rikku leaned close to Yuna, putting her hands on her cousin's shoulder. "That's Gippal, Leader of the Machine Faction. He can be kind of annoying, but he's all right." She turned her head to watch him. He was more than all right. In the two years they'd been apart he'd become far more than all right. All right didn't begin to describe Gippal. She sighed inwardly. He was beyond gorgeous with the hint of danger she remembered from when they were kids.
He waved his hands and said something so in character Rikku had to roll her eyes and shake her head. It was good to know he was irreverent as ever.
Yuna giggled. "Yeah, he seems all right."
Rikku grinned. She hoped Gippal hadn't changed too much. It looked like she was about to find out.
Twice:
"Brother doin' okay?"
She smiled up at him. "Same as ever." She lied without even blinking. "Buddy's around too."
Gippal snorted. "Same as ever is right."
She watched him turn and look away, masking the hurt behind her smile. It was easier to do than she liked to admit. What hurt worse was that he didn't even seem to notice. He always knew when she was lying or when she was hurt as kids. She watched him walk about. No. She wasn't the same and Brother wasn't the same either. He was sliding downhill and his fixation with Yuna, the Celsius and Buddy the only things keeping him afloat. And she, she'd changed. She'd grown up, gained curves and hormones that raged in her body stronger than they used to, discovered a new perspective on the world and her place, no their, the Al Bhed's place in it.
He'd changed too it seemed. He'd lost his sensitivity to her, remembering her more as a kid than the women she'd been becoming when they parted.
When this was over, she'd have to remind him. That is if she didn't slug him first.
Thrice:
"We made quite the couple once." Gippal said.
Rikku flushed instantly and shoved him. "What are you saying?" She turned away and hid her face. How could he say that? How could he say so, so casually that that they had been together? Not that it was a lie on his part. She was the one lying. They had been a couple or on their way to being a couple. She struggled with her emotions.
He snickered. "Rikku's always good for a laugh."
She straightened and whirled, embarrassment changing to anger in an instant. What, was she no longer good enough for him? She opened her mouth, but he was already talking to Yuna. She snapped it shut and inhaled. Now wasn't the time. She glanced at Paine and cringed at her amused expression. Yeah, now was not the time.
It would come though, when she was done helping Yuna and had time for herself. She and Gippal were going to have this out.
A Fourth Time:
Rikku turned to Paine. "So, who taught you Al Bhed?"
Paine raised her eyebrow. "I wonder." It was an obvious answer given all the spheres, but Rikku just wanted to make sure. What other Al Bhed had Paine known for a long enough period of time to even start the basics of Al Bhed, and she had spoken it decently when she joined the Gullwings. Now Paine was fluent.
"Gippal?"
"I guess he got me interested."
Rikku spun on her heel and pretended to glare at the ceiling. "I knew it! That guy's always been a player!" Well, it wasn't so much pretend. She was mad. She was angry that it took this much for her to get a simple answer into Paine's past, when Yuna…
And Gippal wasn't a player. Sure, he could charm with the best of them. He didn't play. He was far too serious for that. If he started to pursue a girl, he wasn't going to just toss her aside without a reason, a big reason and being bored wasn't enough.
"It's not like that." Paine said. Rikku glanced at Paine, her eyes narrowed. She knew that. Of course, Paine saying that meant Paine might know she was lying. Well, Rikku had never claimed to be an expert at it. Then, Paine might know how she really felt about Gippal and have some idea what had happened back then. Gippal was Paine's friend and friends talked. Rikku's gut twisted. She didn't want to think about it, at all.
Five Times:
She'd been avoiding him, avoiding him for over three months. She was trying out Paine's advice, trying to get involved with the outside world and change. It hadn't worked, still wasn't working. She didn't know, maybe she needed more time. But she'd been running around so long with her wheels going nowhere. She sighed as she walked into Djose. Then the Gullwings had that reunion the tower and it had occurred to her it was past time to confront Gippal.
"Woah, long time no see." Gippal spun on his heel to face her. "I thought you'd forgotten me, Cid's girl."
She grimaced, as if that was possible. "I've been busy keeping up with people who you know, remember my name."
"Too busy to stop and see me. I'm hurt." He leaned down and grinned at her. A step closer she swore he'd reach out and tickle her under the chin.
"Yes." Rikku lifted her chin up. Well, she hadn't been that busy. She could have stopped in at any time. Her shoulders sagged. "Is there a place we could talk?" She glanced at the floor, "you know, alone."
He blinked. "Uh, sure." He jerked his head over to a side room. "There all right?"
She nodded. She felt him following her and barely managed to open the door herself before he reached a hand out to do so. She walked around the room and looked at the old Yevon teachings on the walls.
"You gonna talk?"
"What happened?" She turned and crossed her arms.
"What do you mean?" He asked. She looked down her nose at him. Then he gave up the pretense of not knowing what she was talking about. "You're the one who's been lying constantly." His eyebrow rose. "To me, to Paine, to Yuna."
She scrubbed her face with her hands. "You were treating me like, like a six year old. You still are! Cid's girl this and Cid's little girl that, pushing me around."
"You were ashamed of me." He pointed at her.
"Oh for- I was embarrassed. Yuna says we were close so you have to inform her that we were a couple while still treating me like said six year old. If anything, I was ashamed for me! Look at my poor taste, a guy who doesn't treat me well and hey, thinks I'm silly to boot." She threw her hands up into the air. "Get a grip Gippal. What was I supposed to do, bat my eyelashes and proclaim to my cousin, who you were flirting with, that you were an expert in the kissing department? I have some dignity, not much, but more than that."
"Expert?" He perked up.
She sighed. "Gippal- oh forget it. I have to go, call me when you grow up." She started towards the door. She knew this was a backwards step, running away from her problems again. She felt the back of her eyes tickle and her throat closed. Maybe in another few months she could try again. She certainly wasn't going to forget him.
"Rikku." Gippal said and he didn't sound put out. She paused hand on the door. She looked over her shoulder. Their eyes met. He moved towards her. "If you want me to treat you like a woman. I will. Are you prepared for that?" He loomed over her, eyes locked onto hers.
Given the seriousness in his eyes, she didn't think she was prepared, not at all. She licked her lips and lied. "Yeah."
He grabbed her shoulder, spun her about, pressing her against the door. "Liar," he muttered. She couldn't answer. She was too busy responding to his kiss.
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