I had the perfect life.
Had. The keyword there is had.
...And okay, maybe it wasn't that perfect - but it was certainly good enough for me. I had two of my best friends at my side, kicked-ass on a daily basis, helped save Spira from evil and havoc twice, had a loving brother and father, and not to mention I was one of the most worshipped people across the land.
Life has a funny way of dealing its cards to me. Or maybe it was Yevon...I don't know. That whole ordeal with the Youth League and New Yevon still confuses me to this very day...but enough of that.
My life changed. Drastically.
Now don't get me wrong - not all changes are bad. I mean that endless cycle of Sin being killed by summoners, a small period of peace, Sin coming back again, destroying the land of Spira, being killed again, peace, resurrection, destroying, killing, and so on was stopped, thanks to the change that Yuna and Tidus brought to the world. That was good wasn't it? The people of Spira have their Eternal Calm. But it'd be pretty unfair to say that all changes are good.
But I couldn't think of defining this change in life but bad! Especially when I have to think about what I have to put myself through for the next few months...
Crap. What a life.
---
Bittersweet
Chapter One: Marital Bliss
---
The day started out ordinarily enough. It had been a week after the defeat of Vegnagun, and Yuna, Paine, and I were still being stalked by those pesky news reporters. We managed to dodge all their questions for the time being, but Tidus was back again, and I kinda felt sorry for him. He was always separated from Yuna, but no one could do anything about it. That's when I proposed my idea.
"Hey guys!" I said suddenly, standing in the middle of the Celsius' cockpit. "Maybe we should go somewhere? To get away from all this attention?"
At that moment, Shinra's Commsphere network decided to interrupt me. Shinra immediately activated the one in Luca. Shelinda popped up on the screen. "Hey!"
I walked over to Shinra, having momentarily forgotten of what I was speaking of earlier. "Hi!" I replied. "What's up?"
"Well..." she began, "do you think you guys could do me a favor?"
"Sure! What of? Fiends attacking? Need to dismantle some machina?"
"You see, I kind of promised my boss that I could get an interview with the Gullwings. So..." Shelinda said, her face upclose to the sphere and hands clasped together. She looked desperate.
I turned back to the gang. They didn't look too happy with the idea. I could feel their pain...we were being hassled 24/7.
"I promise that I'll give you the best rooms in the best hotels with no interruptions!" Shelinda's voice said again. "No one will bother you but me, and I won't even keep you in the interview for that long! I'll even try to make it so that you stay for five days!"
Now that I thought about it, it would be the perfect vacation. Peace and solitude, with time to yourself. "What do you think, guys? Wanna do it?"
Yuna and Tidus turned to each other and silently nodded in agreement. I had never seen Tidus so quiet before...I guess they needed really time to themselves. Brother, Buddy, and Shinra also looked all for it. Brother and Buddy would probably scout for girls, and Shinra would be in his room, probably working on some new inventions. Paine just stood there with her normal stoic stance.
"Come on! Anything for you guys!" Shelinda pleaded.
"Well then, if you're going to beg so badly...I guess it's settled. We're going," Paine replied for us. Shelinda shrieked in excitement.
"Thank you so much!" she said. "See you soon!"
...Little did I know what I was getting myself into.
---
"How do you feel about saving the world...again?" the girl in green asked, putting the microphone in Yuna's face. I could tell she was growing weary, because we had been at this for at least an hour. Unfortunately, most of the questions were aimed at her rather than me and Paine, since she was practically the front man of the Gullwings.
"Well, I guess I'm sort of lucky," Yuna replied. "All of us could have been seriously injured or even killed. But I'm happy I could do it again - it's fun, in a weird kind of way."
Shelinda smiled, turning to the camera. "Well, that concludes our interview with the Gullwings! See you next time when we talk to Clasko about his remarkable chocobos!"
The cameraman silenlty counted down from three to one with his fingers and promptly signaled to us that we were finally off the air. I stood up from my chair and walked off the platform, followed by Yuna and Paine.
Shelinda came running up to us. "Thank you so much again! I'm forever in your debt!"
"Just keep all the cameras and other interviewers away from us and we'll call it even," Paine replied in her cool voice.
Shelinda nodded estatically. "No problem! See ya!"
The three of us walked away from her to go to the room where the rest of the group was waiting. Brother, Buddy, and Shinra got lucky and didn't really have to do the interview - no one really knew that they too were part of the Gullwings. All they cared about was the three of us - and the three guys were just happy with that.
As we entered the room, I noticed that Brother, Buddy, and Shinra were all huddled up around a table. They looked like they were playing some kind of game. Probably Brother trying to beat Shinra at Sphere Break. Tidus, however, was sleeping in his chair, his mouth up to the ceiling and open.
Yuna moved to wake him up, but I stopped her. I had other things in mind. Hehe.
Picking up a discarded newspaper on the table, I ripped a little section off and wadded it into a little ball. Taking up a stance six feet away from Tidus, I threw the newspaper ball...and it landed right in his mouth. Yuna giggled, Paine rose her eyebrow at me, and the three stooges weren't even paying attention. Hmmm...maybe another try?
I repeated the process and the second ball landed in Tidus' mouth. This time he gagged and woke up. I quickly threw the newspaper I was holding in my hands down while he looked around the room for the culprit, and his gaze landed on me. I looked at the floor and noticed that the newspaper was right at my feet. Pooey! Guess I could never be the sneaky guy...
"What was that for Rikku?" Tidus said, standing up. "Think you could wake me up the normal way?"
I swayed from side to side with my arms behind my back and tried to give off the innocent look almost everyone fell for. "Sorry Tidus! But you were right there and it seemed like a fun thing to do..."
"But-!" Tidus began, but was interrupted by Yuna, who made her way to him.
"It doesn't matter," she said, reaching up to peck Tidus' cheek. I could see Brother slightly sobbing in the corner of my eye. He'd been somewhat down ever since Tidus came back to us on the beach of Besaid, but I was the only one who seemed to notice it. Poor Brother...
Yuna yawned. "I think it's safe to say we're all going to go to the hotel. We all look pretty wiped out."
"Actually," I began, "I'm going to wander around for a while."
"Okay then," Yuna replied. "Let's all meet around 8 in front of the hotel for dinner then."
Everyone nodded and lazily headed for the exit...except for me of course! I skipped towards the door and headed outside for some fresh air.
"See ya!"
---
When I say "I'm going to wander around for a while" I really meant it. I went to the ports, the movie theatre, that fountain in the middle of the centre, went to all the stores to check out their supplies (you never know when you need some potions or remedies), and chatted with a couple of people. What really surprised me was that no cameras suddenly popped up in front of my face, and no one asked me for interviews. Kinda made me wonder what Shelinda did...
But all that roaming about did eventually tire me. I've found that my favorite place in Luca to just sit down and think was that area before the entrance to Mi'ihen Highroad that you had to take the stairs to. I didn't know why...but it just made me feel calm inside.
Making my way up the stairs and smiling at a few of the Lucan residents, I began to wonder why this specific area was my favorite spot. Maybe it was the way the air blew through my hair when I was up there, or the way you could see people interact from below. Hah...yeah right.
Walking towards the edge of the terrace and leaning on the rail, I knew why I loved this place so much. This was where Yuna and Tidus started their whole little 'Whenever you need me just whistle' ordeal. I had been watching from the edge of the stairs and didn't dare break their little moment. It was pretty romantic - but at the same time I felt my heart break because I did have a little crush on Tidus. Tiny. Itsy-bitsy. I swear.
...So maybe my crush wasn't that small. It was getting to be sorta huge...maybe almost love? But I knew I had to stop myself because I knew in my heart that Tidus loved Yuna and Yuna loved him back. I'd imagine that my Prince Charming would whistle for me or something of that sort. And maybe he'd sweep me off my feet and carry me off into the sunset...
I'd always been a hopeless romantic. I had wanted what Yuna had - someone who would protect and love with her every fiber of his being. I wanted to feel magic every time that guy touched me, to be able to sit back and know that I'd found forever. As silly as I knew it was, that had always been my fantasy, and I'd been waiting for that very special kind of magic for seventeen long years.
And for a while, I had thought that my Prince Charming had been Gippal. Behind his tough-guy act and his bad-ass reputation, he wasn't a bad person at all. He was fun to be around and was always laid-back, and he made me feel special inside. And then for some unknown reason, he broke it off with me, and I spent the next couple of months wallowing in self-pity. Father nearly had his ass, but I stopped him. I didn't want him to know how badly he had affected me-
"Well if it isn't Cid's Little Girl?" a voice said from behind me. I froze. Speak of the Devil...
I turned around, hands on my hips. "I have a name, you know!"
Gippal only crossed his arms and smirked. "Riiiight," he said. "So what brings you here to Luca?"
"The Gullwings are here on vacation. What brings you here?"
"Just wandering around." he replied, offering nothing else. He uncrossed his arms and walked up right up where I was standing and leaned on the rail. Turning back around, I did the same thing. We stayed like that for a couple of minutes, but the silence was really starting to unnerve me. Sure, it was kinda nice to just be with him like this, but a girl like me could only take quietness for so long.
"So..." I began.
"So," he casually replied. He stood up straight and looked at me. "Wanna go get a drink or something?"
I raised my eyebrow. "A drink? You sure you don't have an ulterior motive?"
"Come on, I'm more gentlemanly than that," he scoffed. "Al Bhed's honor."
"I have to meet Yunie and them at 8!"
He rolled up his sleeve and glanced at his watch. Since when did he start wearing watches? "It's six. We have two hours."
I nibbled on my lower lip, contemplating whether or not to go with him. It'd be nice to have someone to talk to, and it would be nice for me and Gippal to start talking like old friends again. I sighed. I knew I had made up my mind as soon as he asked. Who was I fooling?
"Sure," I said, straightening up from the rail.
---
"Remember that time in the desert?" I asked, taking a sip from my coke and rum. We had been here for at least an hour, just chatting idly about the old times and such.
"You mean that time when you fell into that quicksand and you were thrashing around like a Malboro on Prozac?" Gippal replied. He had loosened up considerably ever since we entered this bar. Maybe it was the beer he was drinking? Now that I think about it, I am getting a little sleepy, if not doozy.
"Yeah!" I chirped. "And when you finally pulled me out, you landed straight on your butt!" I laughed and was soon joined by his own laughter. I stopped myself as soon as I noticed I almost fell off of my chair. My head spun a bit. Whoa...
"Hey, you okay Rikku?" Gippal asked.
"Yup, just fine!" I said. I raised my now empty glass and signaled for the bartender to give me another cup of coke and rum. As soon as I got my order, I faced Gippal and lifted it up. "To old times!"
Gippal returned the gesture raised his own mug of beer. "To old times."
We clanked our glasses together and proceeded to take a hefty gulp out of them.
---
"Frana luimt cra pa?!" (Where could she be?!) Brother screeched frantically. Everybody had gathered in front of the hotel to go to dinner. Rikku was already ten minutes late - and Brother was scared out of his mind.
"Namyq Brother." (Relax Brother.) Buddy said, patting his friend on the shoulder. "Rikku'c y pek kenm, cra lyh ryhtma rancamv." (Rikku's a big girl, she can handle herself.)
"Uhhh, you know there are some people here that haven't perfected their Al Bhed yet, right?" Tidus asked, scratching his head.
Paine rolled her eyes. She didn't know how the heck Tidus caught Yuna's eye - sure he was good looking, but once he opened his mouth...maybe she'd ask Yuna someday. "Brother's only worried out of his mind and Buddy's trying to calm him down," she said with her cool voice.
"Oh," Tidus replied. "Say, do you think you could teach me some Al Bhed?"
Paine sighed. "...Whatever."
"That's true Buddy," Yuna spoke, ignoring Paine and Tidus. "But all the same, I think we should look for her."
"Man, Rikku's been more troublesome since I left," Tidus said. "Me and Yuna have this way!" he shouted, pulling Yuna north.
"Well then, I guess Brother and I have this way," Buddy said, nodding off to Paine and Shinra before walking towards Brother, who was walking east while mumbling things underneath his breath.
"I have south and you have the west," Paine said. Shinra nodded and they began their search.
---
I immediately noticed three things when I woke up.
One was that my head hurt like Vegnagun had crushed my skull twice already and was coming back for the third time. My temples throbbed like crazy, my eyelids ached, and everywhere my body stung. It took me a while to realize that I was suffering from a very bad hangover.
The second thing I noticed was that I was naked. This didn't alarm me too much - sometimes I slept in the nude because it either made me feel more comfortable that night, or I was too tired to change into my pajamas. I took the bedsheet and wrapped it around my body, scooting to the edge of the bed to take a shower.
The third and final thing I became aware of was that I was not alone in the bed. This troubled me greatly. While moving towards the edge of the bed, I had come into contact with a warm, but firm and muscular body.
"Rumo lnyb!" (Holy crap!) I shrieked, before tumbling backwards off the bed and landing head first on the floor. This succeeded in adding more of the pain to my head and waking up my partner. Gippal, who was equally hung over and also nude, sat up and looked at me with fuzzy eyes. It took him about ten seconds to notice what was happening and immediately jumped off the bed, grabbing a pillow to hold in front of his more private parts.
"Fryd dra ramm rybbahat?" (What the hell happened?) he shouted, observing eyes darting around the room. Then his piercing gaze came to me. "Tu oui nasaspan fryd fa tet mycd hekrd?" (Do you remember what we did last night?)
"Cred!" (Shit!) I yelled in Al Bhed, looking down at my left hand. On my ring finger, the one that used to be bare, was a small golden band. "Cred! Cred! Cred!" (Shit! Shit! Shit!) I cursed.
"Lyms tufh," (Calm down) Gippal said, hand reaching out to her, trying to reassure her. It was then that he realized that on his own ring finger, there was a ring. "Ur vilg..." (Oh fuck...)
"Fa yldiymmo tet ed..." (We actually did it...) I whispered, horrified, and feeling ready to puke on the spot.
"Mad'c dno du pa lyms," (Let's try to be calm) Gippal said, looking as frantic as I felt.
"Lyms?!" (Calm?!) I screamed. "Fa fana vnelgehk synneat mycd hekrd!" (We were fricking married last night!)
At this precise moment, the door flew open, intensifying the panicked look on our faces.
---
A/N: Due to my sister's wish to see me write a Rikku/Gippal story, here I am. I haven't played Final Fantasy X in quite a while, so I don't know if Rikku was really there when Yuna and Tidus had their whistling moment. All the events that happened in that game are just a jumble of things in my head - if she was there, then great. If she wasn't...just pretend she was for the sake of this fic ;]
And I know that seventeen is not of legal drinking age, but just bear with me! I didn't notice that little error until way later in this chapter...and that part is kind of vital to the plot. And I really didn't want to go back and fix that mistake. I'm not promoting under-age drinking or anything...just pretend Spira has a different limit because...the booze isn't that strong? Hehe. Ox;;
Feedback is appreciated.