"I'm back!!" she announced as she jumped from the Celsius's deck into the sparkling waters of Besaid. No one waited on the beach for her, not a sound but the waves around her. She groaned and ran ashore. The sun was high in the sky, beating down on her, making her gold hair glitter with water droplets from the sea. She raised her hand to her forehead so she could see further up the beach to the main road.
Why isn't anyone here?! I'm right on schedule!! She trudged through the sand and down the road to the Besaid village. By then her swirled emerald eyes were flaming with frustration. Did they all forget I was even coming at all!??!!
Rikku's visits to Besaid were quite often these days, but she didn't think her cousin and old friends would mind her THAT much. She stormed to the newest addition to the hut village, braids swaying. She thrust through the curtained doorway.
"YUNIE!!" she hollered, eyes flaring. She stood still, waiting for an answer before barging in ever more than she already had. Where ARE those two?? It's not like Sin's here to blow 'em outta Spria!! Giggle erupted from behind another curtained doorway. Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed. She tiptoed to the curtain.
"Yunie??" she called quietly. Rikku peeked through the curtain, eyes closed. As another giggle shrilled she opened one eye and sure enough there was her cousin and Tidus lying on the floor laughing over a fallen cake that Tidus had dropped and had some how painted itself on thief faces. Yuna's gaze snapped up at Rikku and her eyes lit up at once.
"Rikku!! You're back!" she cried as Tidus planted one last kiss of frosting on her cheek. Rikku blushed even more and smiled embarrassedly.
"Uh…did I come at a bad time? I can just go over to Lulu's…." She began to back away from the doorway. Yuna jumped up at once, and Tidus flopped over on the floor onto his side to smile dashingly up at his love.
"No no!! Stay!! Um…just make yourself at home and we'll be out there all fresh and tidy in just a minute!! We PROMISE!" Yuna turned to look down at Tidus who winked. The giggles shrilled again.
"Ok, love birds…I'll wait out here!" She smiled and turned from the curtain to go sit on the couch. Looks like they DID forget ONE thing…She plopped down on the couch and began twisting her braid, toying with blue bead at the end. Rikku stared at the ends of her scarf as they fluttered in the gasps of warm breeze that came in through the doorway. Bored and slightly disappointed, she didn't bother to even look around the room.
But in a matter of minutes, Yuna and Tidus burst through the curtain with huge smiles on their faces. Rikku laughed at their ridiculous expressions!
"What are you two doing??" she giggled. Yuna winked at Tidus who jumped to sit on the floor directly in front of Rikku holding a very crumbled, dismantled cake that had a outrageous shade of yellow frosting! Yuna bounced up and down behind him beaming proudly as she sang "Happy Birthday"!
"You wouldn't honestly thing we'd forget your 18th birthday, would you?" a velvety voice said from the back corner of the room. Rikku's eyes brightened, wide with surprise. Her dimples seemed to burst from her huge grin. 3 more shadows appeared through the doorway. Her grin only widened!
"LULU! WAKKA! And lil Vindina!! And my DR. P!! and you TWO CRAZIES! Wow!!" she jumped up giggling, almost knocking over Tidus and his deformed cake. She bounced around the room, hugging and kissing each and everyone of them, much to Pain's dismay!
"Geez, Cid's girl. Learn to have a little more faith in your comrades here." Rikku spun her head around instantly to look over her shoulder at the shadow in the burst of sunlight in the doorway. Her face was perfectly sculpted to show her complete and utter shock and confusion. The shadow seemed to smirk with a flashy grin. Yuna stepped forward, a worried smile on her face, and placed a hand on the Al Bhed girl's shoulder.
"Yeah…we forgot to mention one more surprise??"
"HIM!?!?!! What'd you invite HIM for!?!!!" Her eyes flared again, her arm completely outstretched, pointing directly at the now revealed shadow. Gippal walked right up to Rikku, folding her hand into a fist encased in his own huge hands.
"Didn't anyone tell you it's rude to point? Geez…you're such a spaz." He smirked as she ripped her hand out of his grasp. Her pout deepened and she shook her first up and down in frustration, muttering insults to herself. Gippal's smile widened as he ruffled her hair. "Haven't changed a bit!! Still that quarky spunk of a kid I saw playing dressphere dress up about a week ago! 18 already? I think we oughta go back 10 yrs?" Yuna groaned and rolled her eyes as she leapt to hold Rikku by the arms as she dove to slug Gippal.
"You're no cupcake yourself, Mr.!!!" she shrieked.
"Ouch. Little tiger's got a bite!" Gippal smirked again as Rikku began kicking up her legs to strike him down. Paine rolled her eyes and shoved Gippal on the couch.
"Just shut up and keep it down. It's her birthday after all." She glared at him; he chuckled and slouched down on the couch.
"What's it to you, Paine?" He began to say, but piped down when Lulu's cold, harsh stare caught his gaze. Wakka lowered his chin, a frown complimenting Lulu's stare.
Rikku had calmed down but refused to look in his direction. The party shared laughs and told stories of their recent and past adventures. Rikku held Vidina while Lulu lit the candles on the very UNIQUE cake. They all sang as she very giddily blew out her candles, beaming brighter as every flame flashed out into smoke. The celebration wore on until the sun was about to set.
"Hurry!! Let's go down to the beach before we miss the sunset!!" Yuna exclaimed. Paine sat down on the couch, Vidina cuddled in her arms. A slightly eaten piece of cake sat near her. Rikku beckoned her to come with, but Paine shook her head, suggesting she wanted to stay back with Vidina and her cake. The rest of the party clabbered down to the beach to watch the sun sink into the waves.
Once on the beach, Lulu and Wakka leaned against each other's shoulders and Yuna and Tidus fell into a tight embrace, leaving Rikku and Gippal standing awkwardly alone. The orange hues glittered in thief Al Bhed eyes. Rikku turned her gaze to glance at Gippal, who looked nothing short of godly in the setting sun. His eyes met hers, questioningly. She quickly shifted her gaze, only stealing a glance back to stick out her tongue when his face was turned back at the scarlet waves. The sun trickled down and the sky turned violet. Rikku looked around. Where has everybody gone?! Have they left whey I spaced out!?!? I'm such an idiot! She turned spazzily to go back up the beach to the hut, but she slammed right into Gippal who must have stayed behind to wait for her!
Neither Al Bhed expected the other's impact and both fell, collapsing into the sand, Gippal falling right on top of Rikku. She pushed with all her might on his chest to get him of her, but he leaned his arms in the sand with his chin on his palm, firmly caging her underneath him.
"Couldn't escape me for long, could ya, Cid's girl?" His smirk taunted her expression. Her eyebrows furrowed and her hands banged on his chest.
"Let me go!! You big MEANIE!" She was struggling not to give up. Gippal just laughed and stroked her golden hair with his hand.
"You were never a quiet one, I guess that's why I like ya!" Rikku's pounding stopped. Instead she looked right into his eyes, puzzled, then she glared.
"Oh yeah RIGHT! Shove off you poopie head!! You had your chance!" His laugh only greatened. Her flustered manner only made her more cute and fun to tease!
"Well I guess I can't take you do Djose with me." He sank lower in the sand, lowering his torso on top of hers. She shrieked, arms thrown back over her head from his weight.
"I'd rather marry BROTHER!! Now get off of me, PERVERT!!!"
"That can be arranged" he muttered straight faced. She began flailing her arms in the sand and screeching in ultimate aggravation!! Of all days to show up and tease her to no end it HAD to be her birthday! The ONE DAY she could spend with her dearest friends and just relax and have fun, HE had to come along and spoil! Oh she wanted to murder him SO bad!!
"You MEANIE! Pick on someone your OWN size!! GET OFF OF…" His kiss met her lips hard and fast. He pinned her arms down into the sand. She tried to scream, but as each second passed that she was locked in his kiss, she submitted to it. It wasn't that she wasn't mad at him, but her heart had secretly betrayed her and she noticed so did her lips and tongue. All her past feelings flooded up into her again, her eyes twinkled as they closed, savoring the moment. Together in the sand their mouths twisted with passion. Gippal eventually made his way down her neck, tenderly kissing her collar bone. He let his playboy heart finally settle upon what he lost and was determined to regain. His lips found her ear beneath her braids.
"Come with me to Djose." He whispered velvety. Rikku blinked and gently kissed his neck, soft as breath.
"Fine…but you cheated…" He flashed her a striking smile and kissed her hard and wild, together in the sand letting their minds go untamed, unknowing and spontaneous.