It's always been a crazy idea in my head, someone just simply...vanishing without a trace left behind. And thus, my fanfic begins.
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any Final Fantasy game on any game platform. (But that'd be pretty cool if I did.)
Nightmare
"Gippal! There you are; what are you doing?" Paine asked. Gippal was looking up at the sky. She walked over next to him.
The night was like most others. The sky was dark and filled with stars, decorating the night sky with their beauty. They, and a group of strangers, were on a hill just outside of the markets in Mi'hen.
"See that?" He pointed at a bright light in the sky. Paine followed his finger with her eyes but saw nothing. "It's an odd, bright light. Way up there. I don't recognize it." Paine continued squinting, trying to find it. After a few minutes, she saw it. It was indeed bright, brighter than the rest. It had an eerie bluish-green color to it.
"Gippal. It does look weird. What do you think it is?" He chuckled and put an arm around her shoulder.
"My guess would be a satellite." They continued to gaze into the sky, pointing out constellations, and enjoying each other's company. Paine and Gippal had been together for about 8 months. After Vegnagun, the Gullwings split up, Yuna leaving with Tidus to Besaid, and Rikku went back to Bikanel. Paine at first went to Luca, but then traveled to Djose.
Paine didn't quite know why she went to Djose. At first she thought it was drawing her because it was so close to the Mi'hen Cave, and what had happened two years, almost three, back in the Crimson Squad. But after awhile, she realized she wanted to go to be with Gippal. Like old times.
"Gippal. It's coming closer. That's not a satellite. Come on, let's go." She started tugging at his shirt.
"Nah. It's your eyes playing tricks on you. Go ahead and go back to Djose if you want. I'll be right behind you." He gave her a half hug, and she started to walk off, but stopped about two feet away.
"Gippal, I don't want you to get hurt." She said, loud enough for him to hear him. Gippal turned his head and looked at her.
"You're over-reacting. Go ahead and leave. It's alright." Paine could feel the tears well up in her eyes. She knew something bad was going to happen. But she obeyed. Paine nodded and started to walk away, but stopped when she heard screaming. From about five yards away, she could just make out a dark ship, hovering above the hill. Before she could scream to him, a bright light flashed and collided with the ground. It was strong, strong enough to knock Paine farther away. She was instantly knocked out. Her world went dark.
"Gippal!" Paine sat straight up. She felt someone holding her up. It was Baralai. He didn't look very happy, almost too sad. "Baralai? What are you doing here? Where am I? Where's Gippal?"
"Slow down." He said. "You're still in Mi'hen. I was called here by the medics. But, no one knows where Gippal went. He just, vanished." Paine took a moment to rethink what she just heard. She cradled her knees in her arms and started to cry. Baralai held her, the same way Gippal had.
"He wouldn't come! I told him something bad was going to happen, but he wouldn't listen! It's my fault, Baralai. If I just begged more, he would've come. He said it wasn't going to hurt anyone!" She leaned into his chest, letting all of her emotions pour out.
"No it wasn't. You couldn't have predicted─"
"No!" Paine shot straight up in her bed. She rubbed her eyes and pulled her knees to her chest. She had been having the same nightmares for a few months now. Some nights, she'd sleep normally, no dreams, no nightmares, nothing. But recently, she had been. It was always the same. Gippal disappearing, the same way he had a year ago.
It took Paine time to realize that Gippal had in fact vanished. His body was never found. No one had seen him. Rikku took Leader of the Machine Faction now that Gippal had left.
Paine looked at the alarm clock next to her bed. It was 11 a.m.
'Baralai should've called me by now. He always calls to wake me up at 9,' Paine thought.
About a month after Gippal vanished and her life turned back to somewhat-normal, she and Baralai began to start dating. She didn't feel right about it, but decided it was time for her to move on. But she became aware that she and Baralai were great together. He was sweet and cared for her, and she returned the favor.
After sitting on her bed for another ten minutes, she decided she'd better start her day. She slid her dark blue robe on and walked out into the kitchen.
Paine owned a small hut in Kilika. It had 5 rooms, a kitchen/dining room, bathroom, living room, her bedroom, and a guest bedroom. Sometimes, Baralai had slept in there, if he had business meetings in Luca. But she knew sometimes he had just to be near her.
She walked by the answering machine, and sure enough, the light was blinking. She pressed the button, and it, of course, was Baralai.
"Hey Paine." His voice always sounded cheery, even for 9 a.m. "It's just your usual wake up call. But, of course, you have to come by here by noon. Remember, we have to go and see Gippal's grave. He's been gone a year now. Wow, the time flies. Well, I'll catch you later." The machine beeped. Paine didn't move. She totally forgot.
'I still wonder why they gave him a grave. There's no casket, no body, nothing but grass under it.'
She picked up the phone and dialed Baralai's office number. It rang twice.
"Hello?" He answered.
"How come you sound so happy at 9 a.m. every morning?" Paine joked.
"Morning sleepy-head. It's the coffee buzz. It only lasts 'til noon anyway. Then I get grouchy and want nothing to do with anyone." Paine sat on her couch. She could hear him on the other line, writing on paper. The pen was scratching at the porous surface.
"Am I interrupting you? You sound busy."
"No. It's just homework. Normal things. So, when are you getting here?"
"I just woke up. I was having those nightmares again," Paine said. She has told him before about them, reliving that day.
"Really? You know we have to go and put flowers on his grave."
"Yeah, which is why I called. You did call Nooj, right?" She twisted the cord around her index finger. She could still hear him writing.
"Yeah I did. When I got through, Lucil answered. She said he was at a meeting until noon, so I figured we could just go over there."
"Oh. Well. I still need to get ready. I might be a tad late."
"No problem. There really is no rush. But then again, that's what you get for sleeping in." She could imagine him smiling on the other line.
"Oh, save it." She smiled. "I'll see you later. I love you."
"Love you too. See you then." Paine heard the phone click. She stood up and hung the phone up, then walked back into her room. She picked out a light, baby blue top, and dark blue jeans. Paine no longer wore black, not as often, but close enough. She slid into her clothes, splashed make-up on her face, slipped her boots on, and walked back out into the kitchen. Quickly, she popped a slice of bread into the toaster and set it. She poured herself a small glass of milk and gulped it down. The toaster rang and pushed the bread up. Paine pulled out her grape jam and spread it on the slice, and bit into it as she grabbed her keys and walked out to her hover. It took her about 15 minutes to get to Bevelle, mostly because the hover didn't want to start, then didn't want to go over the bridge that connected Kilika to the main lands.
Finally, she got there and parked her hover next to his. She sped up the stairs and knocked on his big oak door.
"Come in." She heard him say, and she slowly opened the door.
"Sorry I'm so late. My hover is in need of a tune up." Baralai laughed.
"No problem. I'm almost done here. You can take a seat on the sofa if you want." Paine walked over to the other side of his desk and sat down.
His desk was solid oak, just like the doors. The huge fireplace that was on the farthest wall was lit, and the fire crackled as the wood burned. There were paintings all over the walls, most of previous maesters and praetors. Baralai's desk was piled high with papers.
"Some homework you've got there," She saw him grin.
"Yeah, it's killing me." He sipped his coffee and placed the papers neatly in a manila folder. "Oh, I heard some news. Just after I called you, at nine I mean, I remembered what my friend told me about a month ago." Paine leaned her elbows on his desk.
"Oh really, what?"
"He wanted to see me today."
"But, you said we were going to see Gippal's grave. And why would he tell you a month early?"
"No idea, but Gippal can wait," Paine looked at him, confused.
"Baralai, what's going on?"
"This friend, he works over at the Machine Faction," he noticed Paine cringed when he said that. She never liked hearing that name, nor Gippal's. "Paine, look at me," She looked up at him. Her crimson eyes were filled with curiosity. "He told me he's seen Gippal. Paine, Gippal's alive." She pulled away from him and covered her mouth with a hand.
"You mean…after all this time…he's been alive?" Paine was astonished. Baralai just simply nodded his head.