I never understood before
I never knew what love was for
My heart was broke, my head was sore
What a feeling...
She was staring again, her eyes seemed uncontrollable whenever Yuna walked by, her arms wrapped around Tidus and that gorgeous smile on her pretty face. Rikku didn't want to stare, but that ugly monster called jealousy was taking hold of her. She wouldn't have been surprised if she looked in the mirror and saw her skin was tinted green.
Love.
It was something she desperately wanted, something she desperately ineeded/i, but it seemed like it was avoiding her. Who would ever want good old hyper active Rikku? Apparently no one, and it hurt her somewhere deep inside that no potion could fix.
"Rikku?" She jumped as the familiar voice reached her, a deep blush was crossing her features.
"Paine! You're back..." The older girl nodded and crossed her arms, one of her occasional smiles spreading quickly. "How'd you know we were in Besaid?"
"Buddy. He picked me up and then dropped me off here." There was a slight pause and Rikku thought she was off the hook, a sigh was ready to escape her lips. "Why were you staring?"
"Eh...what?"
"Why. Were. You. Staring?" The blush deepened and she started bouncing on her feet, a nervous habit she had had since she was only five. Paine was giving her a knowing look and the young Al Bhed turned away and giggled nervously.
"Don't know what you're talking about."
"Really? So you aren't staring at Yuna and Tidus wishing you had something like that with a certain someone?" Rikku turned and stomped her foot on the ground, the blush turning to a deep crimson that looked like a very bad sunburn.
"How do you do that?"
"It's a gift." Paine shrugged and leaned against the cold stone surface behind Rikku, her eyes now watching the two lovers playing in the water. There was a long silence between the two of them, and the young blonde was eager to leave and do something that wouldn't require her to feel that terrible aching in her heart.
"Have you ever been in love?" The question seemed to bother Paine and she shifted slightly.
"I don't have time for love."
"Oh, right." More silence.
"Have you?" Rikku looked at her friend for a moment then shook her head slightly.
"No, at least, I don't ithink/i so." Her mind traveled to a particular Al Bhed. One who wore strange purple clothes, had beautiful tanned skin, and of course, an eye patch. "No, definitely not." Why did she keep denying it? Maybe it was the fact she didn't want to hurt. Maybe Yuna hadn't noticed, but the younger girl had watched her cousin cry over Tidus many times.
"RIKKU!" She nearly screamed as the loud and too familiar voice filled the air. Her head, which had already been pounding, began to literally shake with pain. I sware next time he does that..., the thought trailed off and she looked towards Paine.
"You better answer him or his lungs will explode." That seemed all too possible as the voice yelled her name out once again, determined to make her head destroy itself.
"Haqd desa oui tu dryd E'mm celg Byeha uh oui!" She responded into the tiny microphone on her yellow bikini and waited for the message to sink in. It took about two seconds and his voice seemed to quite down a few decibels.
"You are all talk." She rolled her eyes and waited impatiently for him to tell her what he had called about. She had nearly hung up before another voice, this one much quieter, broke the silence.
"We got a call from the Machine Faction. They want your help with a new project." Rikku's eyes widened and she looked sideways at the other girl, trying to hide her curiosity. Why would they need her help? A bunch of machina-crazy Al Bhed were there, how could another one make any difference. Another thing pressed at the back of her mind. Had Gippal sent the call? Did he even know about it? When had she even started to care?
"Uh, okay...just me?" There was a sort of pleading at the end of the line, it was so faint though she prayed no one heard.
"Yeah. We'll be there in five minutes."
"Tell Yuna I miss her." Brother nearly howled the words and Rikku had to roll her eyes once more. He hadn't taken it well when Yuna told him she was with Tidus. "Rikku? RIKKU?" She tapped a button on the side of the microphone and his voice vanished, replaced by the calming sound of birds and the surf.
"Was that Brother? Hi, Paine!" The High Summoner turned sphere hunter hadn't missed the loud heavily accented voice and she had come over the instant the conversation ended. Her cousin nodded and grinned despite the brief flash of jealousy that was quite unlike her.
"The Machine Fraction sent a distress call, wonder what they want?" Yuna frowned slightly and glanced at Tidus, who had stayed back and was talking to Keepa while they tossed a blitzball around.
"Do we all have to go?"
"No, I guess it must have something to do with machina." The brown haired girl's eyes widened and she cast a look at Paine, who had been silent the entire time. "What?" Rikku hadn't missed the look and she stared at them curiously. "Did I miss something?"
"No, just say hi to Gippal for us." Yuna grinned slyly and winked before turning and running back over to her lover, leaving her cousin very confused. He hadn't called for her...had he? No, Gippal loved his work to much, she had learned that the hard way.
"They're here." Paine said, looking up at the sky and waving half heartedly, her eyes instantly back on her friend. "Better hurry before Brother comes out and tells everyone you're related.
"Oh the horror!" Rikku moaned, grinning at the truth to the statement. "See you later, Paine. Bye, Yunie!" She hurried over to where Buddy was waiting, his arms crossed over his chest and a smile on his face. Something about this mission seemed off, and she tried hard not to think about it. It wasn't possible. She refused to have her heart broken (was afraid to have her heart broken). But that didn't sound much like the seventeen year old Al Bhed who had braved nearly everything.
She stepped on the Celsius and felt a very distinct sense of change.
