Disclaimer - We own copies of the games, not the company. We're too cool for the company. Psh.
Author's Note - We're a threesome writing a fanfic, and we can't do summaries for crap, so just read it!
7/27/07 - Fixed some grammar, and sentence structure problems.
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It was about two weeks ago when my dad, Cid, popped the question for me to get a job. Pfft, yeah right. I'm not called the Princess of the Al Bhed for nothing, and even if I'm not rich, my dad has enough for all of us. All of us meaning himself, my psychotic overprotective brother, and me.
After much complaining on my part, Pops arranged for me to work at the Machine Faction. Even though it wasn't my first pick, I'm pretty good when it comes to machina, and I figured I didn't have much of a choice anyway. As I anticipated, Brother gave me the usual speech of being safe and all other things pertaining to safety itself. Some things never change, I suppose. He told me to stay away from the guys because they'll tell me anything I want to hear in order to take advantage of me. Right. Yes, Brother, I'll stay far away from all the guys.
Haha, that's funny.
When I arrived at the temple, where I'd be spending much more time than I desired, I was given a rushed tour and then assigned to the 'rookie squad'. It felt somewhat degrading at first, but I guess some things can't be helped.
Most of the people working at the faction were guys, which worked to my advantage quite well. You'd think that with the large selection it would be hard for any girl to choose, right?
Wrong. Dead wrong.
There was one guy every Al Bhed girl had her eyes on, and that was Gippal. He was arrogant, cocky, hot, had a 6-pack, and quite frankly the list could've gone on forever.
I guess the first time I ever actually saw him was when we bumped into each other. That, of course, had to be the day I was carrying tons and tons of little machina parts. Now that I think about it, that bump was a little too hard to be honestly considered an accident. I suppose one would say it was more like a shove.
After my precious machina pieces crashed all over the floor I half expected him to...oh, I don't know…help? I just stood there glaring at him, but to no avail. Gippal made no effort to move, so I bent over to gather all my pieces when I felt his eyes burning on me. I glanced up to see him staring down my bikini top.
I was completely appalled and quickly stood up to meet his smirking face. "Heeello? Are you going to stop staring and help me or what?" I asked with my hands on my hips.
"Nah. The view's fine from up here."
Well, at least he's honest, right? My face must've turned ten shades of red when I realized I had no way out of this, unless I planned to leave the parts sprawled all over the floor. But the workers needed them, and it's not in my nature to intentionally let people down. I quickly bent over and grabbed as many pieces as I could before fast-walking away. I could hear Gippal's chuckling in the distance.
Not one of my better days.
Even after we became good friends, Gippal always made extreme efforts to tease me about everything and anything, and I teased him back. I guess it was playful banter. It all led up to Gippal asking me out, and it didn't take a second of thought for me to reply. What can I say? He's hot. But behind it all I knew he was genuinely sweet when he tried hard enough - 'tried' being the key word there. All that remained to think about were the vicious rumors that constantly surrounded him about all the girls he screwed over.
I knew I could change him, though.
So here I am, at the Machine Faction where I've been working for the past couple months. I'm on my way to Gippal's room so I can give him the gift I so graciously bought for him. It's this cute little blue moogle and even if he doesn't like it, I'm sure he'll pretend to in order to make me happy.
On the side of it I put a little tag:
To: Gippy
From: Cid's Girl
P.S. I love you
Yes, I'm going to tell him that I love him. Hopefully this is the night I can get my first kiss. Well, definitely not the first kiss. Just the first from him. I'm so nervous I can barely walk straight, let alone actually talk. I guess I'm just worried about how he'll react; I just hope he feels the same.
Rounding the corner, I observe that his door is slightly ajar. Weird.
Peering my head inside, I can see that his room is dimly lit. I slowly push the door open with my finger, and I hear occasional moans and grunts. I raise my eyebrow and that's when it hits me like a punch in the face.
I can see Gippal and another girl I've never met making out on his couch. They are completely swapping spit the entire time I'm standing here. Tongues are involved, and hands are everywhere. The girl is playing with Gippal's hair, and then I see them fall off the couch with a loud thump. Apparently that won't stop them.
I cover my mouth with my hand so I won't scream, and I swiftly run from the doorway. Putting my back against the wall, I cradle the moogle to my chest while I cry silently. A tear falls down my cheek and onto the moogle's tag, causing the ink to smudge and eventually nothing is readable. All that remains is a "G" from 'Gippy', and a "C" from 'Cid's Girl'.
Through my puffy and strained eyes I notice someone turning on a lamp on inside his bedroom. I drop the moogle and run, afraid of someone becoming aware of my presence.
Eventually I reach my room, I pack my bags and get ready to leave the next morning. There's no way I can stay here.
Early the next morning I gather my belongings and sulk to Gippal's room. I walk inside to find him sleeping peacefully in his bed. I brush a piece of hair out of his face and kiss his nose before putting my note on his bed stand.
In the note, I said there was a family emergency which required my full attention, and I had to quit the faction. I told him we should probably split up since we would be apart for some time. It hurt to leave like this, but there was nothing I could do.
He betrayed me, and I have to move on. I walk slowly down the path away from the faction, a single tear rolling down my cheek. I quickly flick it away and continue on.
(six months later)
-YRP's POV-
In a coffee shop in Luca, Rikku stared half-heartedly out the window. It was extremely crowded due to the lunch hour traffic. The tiny shop was overflowing with people, and every single purple chair was taken up by a butt. Whether the butt would be big or small was anyone's guess.
Waitresses were bustling about, attempting to fill people's orders and knocking over a few cups of coffee in the process. One waitress mumbled an apology before speeding away, chucking a cold jelly doughnut at Rikku's plate. It bounced off and flew into her lap, jelly exploding out of it and staining her skirt. Paine looked up from her X-Core Fighting Skills magazine to spare Rikku a glance. She lifted an eyebrow, expecting some outburst from the Al Bhed, but none came.
Yuna drummed her fingers on the table, listening to her Real Emotion concert on her iPod. She was so into it that she began to mimic her dance moves. When it got to "I can hear you," she extended her arm, pointed her finger, and swung it across the table. By doing so she knocked over Rikku's coffee which spilled onto the floor.
Rikku hadn't noticed any of these things until she heard Paine swearing as the last of the coffee dripped onto the floor. Snapping out of her daydream, she looked down and saw the splatter of jelly on her skirt. Looking back up at Paine, her eyes brimmed with tears. She pointed at her skirt and asked, "How could you do this to me?"
Paine replied coolly, "Don't blame it on me."
Yuna took the iPod headphones out of her ears, immediately springing up to help the aggravated waitress clean up the spill. Rikku's attention turned from her jelly-infested skirt to her coffee, now splattered all over the floor. She yanked at her hair and wailed, "Hey, I paid six whole dollars for that coffee!"
Paine's simple response was, "Boo… hoo. -.-"
As the waitress stood to throw out the Styrofoam cup, Rikku shouted at her, "Hey buster, we need a new coffee over here, on the double!"
The waitress raised an eyebrow and sneered, "We don't cover that, ma'am." She practically spit out the last word.
Rikku made a fist and prepared to lunge at the waitress, but Yuna held her back.
With her range of movement limited, Rikku shouted, "You'd better give me that coffee, or I'll - I'll -" She drew a blank. Stuttering, she finished, "Well, I don't know, but whatever it is, it'll be bad!… missy." She spat out 'missy' in the same tone she'd received from the waitress.
Yuna shifted uneasily and tried to think of something comforting to say. With the Al Bhed's fury still raging, Paine reached across the table, grabbed a chunk of Rikku's hair, and sharply tugged it.
"Owwie!" Rikku arched her back, giving in to the pull on her braids. Paine wrapped her hand more tightly around Rikku's hair, and guided her to the seat beside her. Rikku reluctantly sat next to the warrior.
She slammed her fist on the table and pouted, and repeated her request for someone to get her new coffee.
"Rikku, I… really don't think you should drink anymore coffee," Yuna said, trying to stifle a laugh but at the same time somewhat concerned.
"Oh, but Yunie...I NEED this coffee. If I don't drink it, I might get crazy or do something stupid." Rikku whined.
"Too late," Paine responded, while bringing her own cup closer to her and away from Rikku's greedy eyes.
"Fine, you're all just a big bunch of mean, meanie heads!" She tried her fake sob even though she knew no one was going to break, especially Paine. Then again, Yuna was a big softie at heart.
The summoner quickly cracked at the sight of Rikku's pitiful attempt, and went off to get the coffee her cousin needed oh so much. As she passed by the waitress, she said sarcastically, "Thank you so much for your help."
The woman, so accustomed to being overly polite, turned around with a 'I don't really wanna be here but I'm smiling 'cause I'm being paid' smile. "You're very welcome! …. Oh, it's you." Her face immediately turned into -.- upon contact with the summoner's face.
Yuna tilted her head and flashed a cocky smile before gracefully walking away in triumph. She arrived at the counter and purchased a new coffee for her deprived friend. She walked back to the silent table and plopped Rikku's 'life support' in front of her. The Al Bhed didn't appear to notice, but instead seemed to be lost in another world. Yuna sat down and looked curiously at Rikku, then tried to get Paine's attention. The warrior was intently examining her magazine, even after the summoner's many attempts. Yuna sighed and tried clearing her throat extremely loud. Nothing.
She tried waving her arms, making faces, and even fake coughs. Still nothing.-.-
Yuna slowly inched her arm across the table toward Paine's plate of food which consisted of a hamburger and French fries.
If Paine is really as engaged in her magazine as it looks, she won't notice if I steal that little burnt fry…will she?
Yeah, right. As soon as the French fry was lifted from the plate, Paine's eyes flew up and she grabbed Yuna's hand mid-air. "Give...it…back…NOW." As she said this, the whole restaurant fell silent as eyes fell on the three friends. Feeling the gazes of all the people, Paine plucked the fry from Yuna's grasp, and popped it in her mouth expecting the golden goodness.
CRUNCH…CRUNCH..CRUNCH…
The French fry did not taste as anticipated, and on the contrary, was quite bad. But because of the audience she had, Paine forced it down and tried to act like she didn't just swallow a piece of charcoal.
Now disappointed by the lack of a show, the customers resumed their meals of fat and grease. And coffee….can't forget the coffee.
Now that Yuna had finally gotten Paine's attention, she tilted her head towards Rikku while raising an eyebrow.
Paine smiled evilly, rolled up her magazine, and smacked Rikku on the top of her head.
The Al Bhed flung out of her trance and covered her head with her arms. Slowly turning her face toward her attacker, she gave Paine the 'I'm gonna kill you look' before sticking her tongue out and laughing.
All who knew Rikku well enough would see right through that fake laugh and smile.
Yuna tilted her head towards Rikku several times, trying to signal for Paine to begin the 'pep talk'.
Paine took in a deep breath, which Yuna took as a sign that conversation would start. She beamed with joy while nodding her head…..
….
….
Paine exhaled and said quite plainly, "…………….no."
Yuna's face drooped into -.- and she sighed, "Oh fine, I'll just do it." Turning to Rikku, she put on an encouraging smile and asked, "What's wrong?"
Rikku frowned and replied sadly, "I have to tell you guys something." She put her chin in her hand and as she set her elbow down on the table, it conveniently landed on an open mustard packet.
In a matter of seconds, the packet had completely emptied it's contents on Paine's clothing.
Paine looked down at her shirt and saw the yellow glob. She slowly lifted her head and glared at Rikku.
Rikku could easily read the glare as 'I'm gonna hurt you, and I'm gonna hurt you baaad. Start running.' Deciding to get a head start, she scrambled on her hands and knees to get out of the booth. Sliding in next to Yuna, Rikku tried hiding her face behind her cousin in an attempt to block Paine's fury.
Paine lunged fully across the table, not even caring about the various plates of food that were bound to get her dirtier. As she did this, one of the cups of coffee went sailing through the air and came crashing down on Yuna's lap.
The intense burning sensation caused her to jump up in shock and she slammed into an unsuspecting customer passing by. This in turn caused a chain reaction of falling people. Cups went flying, plates smashed on the floor, waitresses screamed, and tables overturned.
In a nutshell, it was not nice.
During those few seconds, the entire restaurant had been trashed, destroyed… whatever makes you happy. It was total chaos, okay?
The trio remained stunned as various people groaned, trying to pick themselves up but failing miserably.
Rikku stumbled backwards, stepping on someone's face. Much to her delight, she discovered it was the waitress from before. She tapped her finger on her chin and pretended to be in deep thought. "Noooooope, not apologizing." She stuck her tongue out and let the spit fly.
She turned around, her tongue still in its stuck-out position, and came face to face with the only man still standing: the manager.
Oops.
He glared down at her, his face beet red.
"Hehe…. Funny story, really…" she stammered, blushing.
He slowly raised his arm, pointing at the door without saying a word.
She took the hint and hung her head shamefully. Rikku walked away from the destruction, making her way to the door, and was followed by Yuna and Paine.
They sat down on the curb, thinking about whether they could ever show their faces in the café again…. if it was repaired. Eh heh.
After the long pause, Rikku broke the silence by asking, "Can I tell you noooow?"
Yuna nodded and looked at Rikku, ready to listen. Paine glanced down at her ruined outfit before nodding as well.
"Well, uh, there's this… guy, and, um……"
Yuna and Paine raised their eyebrows, exchanged glances, and whispered a soft, "Oooooo…!"
Rikku blushed and started to tell her tale of woe.
-two hours, forty-seven minutes, and thirteen seconds later-
"….and that's about it!"
Paine had fallen asleep and was slumped on Yuna's shoulder while the summoner had the most dazed look you could possibly have. Still, she continued to nod absently as she attempted to appear conscious.
"Hellooooo? Yunie? Dr P?" Rikku asked as she waved a hand in front of their faces.
"Huh?" Paine mumbled. "Oh, uh, that was… touching."
Yuna smiled apologetically. "I'm sure he didn't mean it… right? It was probably just his, uh, cousin coming into town… or something."
Rikku jumped up and waved her arms around, screaming, "Weren't you even LISTENING?!"
Paine replied, "Well, not really. Sorry."
"Rikku, you have a tendency to.. exaggerate, babble, etc. It gets hard to focus sometimes," Yuna added.
Rikku slumped her head in despair and mumbled, "Basically, it was all a mistake - but I guess I can't really be mad at him."
She sat back down on the curb and smiled, saying, "I give up on you guys." She noticed Paine staring off somewhere and nudged her. "Hey, whatcha looooking at?"
"Them." She nodded her head towards the three guys that nobody had noticed until now. "See them?… Guys? -" She glanced over at the two gawking girls and rolled her eyes.
"We see 'em all right," Yuna whispered, dazed. By this time they had already passed by, so they were watching their retreating backs. (Not that it was a bad view.)
Rikku jumped up and grinned. "Let's follow them, Yunie! Painie, come on!"
Yuna seemed pleased with the idea, but Paine stood up slowly and said, "I thought I warned you about calling me that in public."
"Nope, didn't hear that one!" Rikku attempted a secret spy wall-slink, and Yuna did the same.
Paine sighed and followed at a safe distance.
-Yuna's POV-
As she followed them, she scoped the guys out. (It's an art, I'm telling ya.)
The first guy was wearing faded blue jeans with a semi-tight black T-shirt. His hair was a spikey blonde mass that seemed to contain quite a lot of hair gel. From the angle, she could tell he was wearing dark-tinted sunglasses. His suave walk was a bit too arrogant for her taste; a perfect fit for Rikku.
Her eyes drifted to the far right where a darker-skinned man was walking. His silver hair slightly flipped up in the front. He was standing up straight, but still trying to act casual. He was wearing a long-sleeved white shirt with a collar, but the sleeves were neatly rolled up to his elbows. His pants were khaki slacks. He seemed too dressed up for Yuna.
She was especially drawn to the man in the middle, who she'd left for a double take. He wore a tan hoodie and a pair of dark blue jeans, frayed at the bottoms, with Adidas sandals. His bright blonde hair was in short, spikey layers. To put it simply, Yuna thought he was very attractive.
-Paine's POV-
The one in the middle she'd never seen before, but the other two were old friends. The one walking on the left had the cocky nature that only one guy could ever pull off.
The one on the right… She liked how a strand of silver hair not included in the mass flopped again the side of his head every time he took a step.
"Wait… no, no, no." She mentally slapped herself for thinking that.
-Rikku's POV-
Rikku scanned all three of them, but immediately stuck with the first guy. She found her jaw dropping as she studied his appearance - which was a very nice view, by the way. Something seemed slightly familiar… but it couldn't have been too important, or she would've remembered.
His sexy walk seemed to say, "I'm too good for you," and Rikku loved it. Apparently so did tons of other girls; they weren't the only ones following the guys now.
Poopie.
-Guys' POV-
The 'Backstreet Boys' were cruising down the street, enjoying the attention they were receiving.
One girl ran in front of them and locked eyes with Tidus. Giggling, she asked, "How 'bout lunch at the diner?"
Gippal, obviously angry at the lack of fan girls around him, stepped in front of Tidus and said, "Hey, don't look at him, look at me!" while making hand gestures at his 'hotness'. At first Tidus was appalled, but he knew Gippal wouldn't come off it… he never does. -.- He resorted to making bunny ears behind his head.
The girl looked him up and down, shrugged, and walked away. Gippal looked devastated, pointing at his hair and yelling, "THIS TOOK THREE HOURS TO GEL! GET BACK HERE!"
Baralai laughed and patted Gippal's shoulder. "Just wait, there'll be more of them… there always are. -.-"
"Get off me, 'Lai. They'll think I'm gay."
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A/N - You loved that chapter, didn't you? Oh yeah. You know it.
You know the suspense is going to KILL you while you're waiting. And… you might wait for a while. But that's okay, because you loved this so much you'll read it over and over and over and over!
It takes us a while because it's three people writing and there's too many ideas floating around in our empty heads.
Please review because it makes us warm and fluffy inside like marshmallows. Don't be a lazy butt and take two seconds to write three words. For example, "I love it" would DEFINITELY suffice…. Eh heh. You know you wanna say it.
Long author's note. Love to all you readers and FREE HUGS!… Or money. Money's better.
R&R!
-The Talking Cave (don't ask)