Fire Inside The Man – Chapter 1

The Celebration

It's been one long month for some people, but it's been an extremely short one for me. Gippal and I checked out of the hospital once I was fully recovered, and immediately went back to Djose to hurry up the rebuilding of Home. Amy practically jumped on him when we crossed the bridge, but he just pushed her away. As we walked into the temple itself, he hesitantly wrapped an arm around my waist. He shot all of the male workers a look that said, "Come anywhere near her and you answer to me. If you make her cry, you're dead." I was secretly pleased that he was looking out for me, but I don't need a babysitter. I was right, I don't need a baby sitter, but I did need a shoulder to cry on. And just like promised; he was there for me.

I guess it all started when Yuna said that she was pregnant. Sure, I was happy for her and Tidus, but I guess it made me realize how much I wanted someone like Tidus in my life. I didn't let it get to me too much, but that never works. It was constantly nagging at me, but I just pushed it down and continued on with life. I finally broke when Paine and Baralai threw us a curve ball and said they were getting married as soon as the True Ones' threat was taken care of. That's when I realized how lonely I truly was. How come all of my friends were finding the men of their dreams and settling down when I haven't even found anyone? Am I just destined to be single for the rest of my life?

Well, what about Gippal? You ask a very good question. Sadly, I don't have a good answer. I guess I'm still afraid. Not of him really… just afraid of jumping into the unknown territory of love. Shiva, how stupid can I get? I want to find love, but I'm afraid of it when it comes knocking on my doorstep! Well, I broke under the stress of working and the fact that I was extremely lonely. Like I said, he was there to make sure I wasn't alone anymore.

-Flashback-

I was tinkering around with a piece of machina when he came into the workshop.

He squatted down next to me and watched what I was doing. "You want some lunch babe?"

'Babe' has been his latest nickname for me. I'm not all that thrilled about his choice, but hey, it's better than 'Cid's Girl', so I wasn't complaining.

I continued to toy with the machina part, not even looking up at him. "I'm not that hungry."

"How can you not be hungry? You barely ate breakfast this morning. I had to watch you eat something."

I shrugged, "I'm just not hungry really."

Gippal sat down next to me with a sigh. "All right, you may not be hungry," he said, and gently took the part out of my hands, "but something is definitely not right. What's up?" I shook my head and looked at my hands. I wasn't going to tell him anything. He put an arm around me shoulders and bent down to look at my face. "Like I'm going to believe that. Rikku, seriously, what's wrong?"

He said it in such a gentle and soothing voice that I had to look up at him. His one emerald eye was filled with worry… for me. I couldn't help it. A lone tear slid down my cheek. Gippal lifted a hand and brushed it away, only to find more replacing it. He pulled me onto his lap and let me cry into his chest. The both of us sat there for a few minutes, and not once did he complain about the situation. He tolerated the fact that I was soaking his shirt once again and just ran his fingers through my hair, an arm wrapped securely around me. The comforting action soothed me, and soon my sobs faded away.

Gippal rubbed my back. "Do you feel a bit better?"

"Yeah… sorry about that." I mumbled, going red.

"It doesn't bother me. Now, how does lunch sound?"

-End Flashback-

Not once did he ask me why I cried that afternoon, nor have I told him. It's like a mutual but unspoken agreement: Don't ask; don't tell. Even though I haven't said anything to him, I think he knows why I was upset. Now he sticks close to me, gives me a hug when I walk up to stand next to him, stuff like that. Basically letting me know that I'm not alone. I admit I love the attention that I'm getting, and being lonely doesn't bother me so much anymore… seeing as I never have the chance to feel like that.

Today I was working on my paper work, which I had gotten behind on (again) when Gippal burst into my office.

He punched the air, and cried out in a loud voice, "WE DID IT!"

"Did what?" I asked, looking up from the paper I was reading.

"Never again will we look at a machina shipment form to send to Bikanel! WE'RE DONE! Home is complete! Cid just called me!"

I smiled from ear to ear. "No way! No more paperwork? YES!" I cried happily, and jumped up from my seat.

"But guess what else he said?" Gippal went on, a grin on his face.

"Huh?"

"Since Home's done and all, he wants to get the big leaders of Spira together to sign a peace treaty, and have their help getting rid of our True Ones problem."

"Really? Baralai would love to help, and I bet Nooj wouldn't hold out long!"

"I know! So, he's holding a ball."

"A… ball?"

Gippal smirked. "Yes, a ball. You know, the ones with formal dancing and ball gowns…"

"Oh no."

"Oh yes! Anyway, he called and said that we both have to go. Now, we have a problem on our hands. Well, it's not really a problem…"

"What is it?"

Gippal shifted his weight around, and rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, well… if a lady doesn't have an escort, she's assigned one, right? So… I was just wondering if we were going to go as two separate people… or a couple."

I blinked. Us, a couple? He's kidding, right? When I met his gaze, he showed me that he was clearly nervous. I swallowed my pride. I said that I wanted to find love? Well, I think that this is my chance.

"Tell him we'll go as a couple."

Gippal's hand dropped. "Huh? You… you serious?"

"Would you rather not?" I teased, smiling.

"No no no!" Gippal said hurriedly, waving his hands out in front of him. "I… I just didn't expect that to be your answer, that's all."

"Well, it is. But you know what this means?"

He eyed me warily, "What?"

"You have to wear something formal if you're going to be my date." Gippal groaned, and I laughed. "Well, I've got to make a call, so scat."

"Who're you calling?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yuna and Paine. We do have to get our dresses you know!"

A day later, we landed in Bikanel via the Lady of the Sands. Gippal walked out with me, and we joined the group getting off of the Celsius. I spotted Yuna in the bunch, and dashed over.

"Yunie!" I cried, and she smiled. She ran down the ramp to meet me, and I hugged her tight.

"Hey, I want in too!" Tidus complained, jogging up behind her. I laughed, and threw myself at Tidus. He caught me just like I knew he would, and squeezed the life out of me. "Man, it's good to see you again Rikku!" He said, finally letting me go.

"Good to see the both of you!" I replied, smiling.

"Oh, so we're just outcasts?" Someone asked in a sarcastic tone.

Tidus stepped aside to let me see Paine and Baralai standing there. His arm was around her shoulders, and she had her arms crossed over her chest. Both of them were smiling.

"Paine! How are you?" I asked, coming up to give her a hug, then stopped. Paine's not exactly the hugging type. To my surprise, she stepped away from Baralai to sling an arm around my shoulders.

"So, how is our spunky Al Bhed doing?"

"Hey, I thought I was the spunky one!" Gippal cried, catching up to me.

Baralai smiled. "No, you're the annoying one."

"Hey!" Gippal cried.

Paine snickered. "That's Gippal for you. So, ready for a night of dance and torture?"

Baralai rolled his eyes. "It's not torture Paine."

"I honestly don't know how you live with it 'Lai!"

"Who said I did?" he replied, an eyebrow cocked. He looked at me and smiled. "Hello Rikku. Good to see you again under more… pleasant circumstances."

I laughed, and moved forward to give him a hug, but I realized my mistake. I hardly know him! What can I say, I hug my friends, it's a habit! He smiled at me, and wrapped me in a one armed hug.

Gippal clapped his hands. "Hey, hey, hey! Get your hands off my date!"

Baralai looked up at him startled, his arms still around my shoulders. "Your date? Rikku's your date?"

Gippal beamed. "Yup!"

Baralai chuckled, and took his arm back. "My apologies then." He said in a mock sincere voice, trying not to laugh too hard.

Yuna smiled. "Well, now that we're all here and good to go, it's off to Luca for the girls in a few hours!"

Paine looked at her and blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"Dress shopping!" I cried happily.

Paine's face paled. "Shopping with you two? Oh no, Baralai, don't make me."

He laughed and put a hand on her shoulder. "Well, think of it this way, where you're going, you're not going to become insane."

"How do you know?"

Baralai smirked. "Let's put it into perspective. Gippal, owning a formal outfit, that's a no. Now, Gippal knowing how to dance, that's an even bigger no."

Everyone laughed, and Gippal crossed his arms. "Hey! What is it today with people picking on me?"

"Because it's fun." Paine shot back, smirking.

Baralai shook his head. "Anyway, the girls get the Celsius and the guys are going to take the Lady. And girls, expect us to get back later. I don't think that Tidus will be much of a pain, but Gippal is a different story. I hope I have aspirin…"

"Baralai! Come on, gimme a break!"

So, Yuna, Paine and I went off to Luca for dresses. Now, we're not talking nice evening dresses; we're talking big poofy ones that you can barely sit down in. Yeah, Paine and I weren't that happy when Yuna told us what we were getting, considering she knows this kind of thing. After what seemed like HOURS, we finally had our dresses.

Yuna had settled for a baby pink ball gown, if you can really call it one. To tell you the truth, I can't tell the difference. It has a thin straps that hang normally, then manage to make an 'x' in the back. The back of the dress has a mini corset bindings going on. Now, this is Yuna we're talking about. That's a huge step. The bodice is covered with flowers a shade darker than the rest of the dress. She's planning to wear a necklace that Tidus gave her, and keep her now longer hair down and straight.

Now, Paine trying on dresses is a huge step, but her actually getting one is a national phenomenon, seriously. The dress is topless, and is a dark purple with light purple fabric on the sides. Strings rest on top of the lighter purple, giving it a corset looking appearance. What is it with these two and corsets?

Now, as for me, mine is a light green. There's a tie at my hip, and layers of skirts start there and extend all the way to the ground. The top half has beaded detail, and looks absolutely fantastic. I hope Gippal thinks the same thing…

Oh no, here we go. I'm actually in the dressing room, at the ball this very minute. Yuna is telling me to come out, that Gippal is waiting for me. Please, Spira, don't let me make a fool of myself tonight, and please… don't let anything go wrong.

A/N: IT'S HERE! DUN DUN DUN! Yup, I've got the first few chapters going on, and yes, about time! Ahahaha! This is going to be fun! Actually, this might be a little shorter than I'll Be There For You. I just can't think of anything to put in this one. If you have any ideas, let me know!

Okay, the following people reviewed for the last chapter of I'll Be There For You, so here's the names!

Angel-Light-Girl
Gippal0Laydee
marajade963
Flame of Bevelle
for always x

Hmm... not a lot of people. Oh well, maybe it'll get better. There's so many RxG fics out there that not a lot of stories get noticed. Now, PxB fics are a different story. THOSE get some attention! ((lmao)) Thanks so much for reviewing guys, and send me ideas! I need them!

-Vincent's Angel of Chaos-

Disclaimer: Azar and the True Ones are mine! Nothing else though... ((sniff))

P.S. Right, some people might be curious what their dresses ACTUALLY look like, considering I suck at doing the dresses justice... ((Remove the spaces))

Yuna: www. promdress. co. uk/ manufacturers/ dynasty/ photos/ dyn017. htm ((Remember, envision it a baby pink!))

Paine: www. promdress. co. uk/ manufacturers/ attire/ photos/ 108. htm

Rikku: www. promdress. co. uk/ manufacturers/ flirt/ photos/ P4005. htm