A/N: Hello everyone! This is my newest fic. I'm going to be juggling this and a different version of the story I was writing. Well, this is a Gippal+Rikku fanfic. It's AU, not just a bit, but a LOT. Hopefully, I can keep the characters close to the originals. For all you fluff-lovers, in EVERYTHING I write, fluff is rare.
DISCLAIMER: I'LL SAY IT NOW IN BOLD, ITALICS, AND CAPS. I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING BUT THE PLOT/STORYLINE. FINAL FANTASY AND IT'S CHARACTERS ARE NOT MINE!
Chapter One: Goodbye
"Rikku! Rikku, come out!" A brown haired girl with blue and green eyes was knocking on the door. To her right was a blonde haired boy with blue eyes. The blue-eyed man was chuckling at the scene.
"NO WAY! Please, Yunie! Pops'll probably listen to you! I beg you! Pops'll try to find a 'great guy that can lead the Al Bhed!' They're all just suck-ups and..." Rikku stopped when she heard a sigh. Yuna sighing was usually a sign of her giving in.
"Fine, I'll try to persuade Uncle Cid into letting you skip." Yuna then turned to the blond-haired guy and said, "Tidus, will you please guard the door?"
"I...uh...err...um...sure!" Tidus took a long gaze at the door and swallowed something that seemed to be coming up. He might as well sign a treaty with the devil because whatever Rikku will do to him next is going to be painful. She is his best friend, but she is also Rikku, and Rikku is no ordinary girl.
"TIDUUUUUS! YOU TRAITOR! JUST WAIT 'TIL THIS PARTY IS OVER, YOU MEANIE! WHEN I GET OUT, YOU ARE SO...SO...YOU ARE SO DEAD!
"Oh Yevon, I might as well be dead..." thought Rikku and Tidus. Rikku was surely going to get a nice long lecture from Cid, and Tidus will have a nice, long lecture from Rikku.
In Rikku's room, she plopped down on the bed with a sigh. She knows she could deal with Tidus, but what about her dad? Cid was the kind of person that didn't like to give in. Since Yunie is all he has left of his sister, Yunie has an unfair advantage in Rikku's eyes. Luckily for Rikku, she was Yunie's "dear, sweet, loudmouthed cousin" as Tidus put it. Still, even with all the people she cares about here, things were getting...tiring. The seemingly endless days of lectures, lessons, and men who knew nothing but looks and power. No, not just looks and power, there was also pride, money, land, and the latest technology. Sure, girls were just as bad, looking for a man with things that men "need," but that's just making the "List of Grief" longer. After all, this just makes her situation seem worse.
I just want to marry someone for love and lead a happy life like Yunie. Yunie doesn't have to worry about what kind of man your pops has in mind for you. Heck, she doesn't even need to worry about much except how she'll have some relaxing time with Tidus. I would have to worry about...everything! That's why I will NOT allow pops to make me marry some rich, spoiled, shallow man! Handling Brother is enough to make me crazy, so having to marry some spineless man would probably drive me completely insane! What do I have to do, run away? Maybe, that's all I can do to keep myself from marrying a guy against my will. But, what will happen to Yunie, Tidus, and little Vidina?
Flashback
"You will not continue to disobey me! These parties are for the Al Bhed AND you! Who will lead the Al Bhed once I'm gone and you're left alone? Do you think Brother can help you?"
A man with a bald head was having an argument with his daughter Rikku.
"I don't want to marry someone that I can't trust! Look at how happy Yunie looks! Is it so wrong to want the same? I just want someone who'll care for me! Not all arranged marriages turn out right! What happens if one of us really falls in love? How can either be happy if they are either forced to watch the other suffer or suffer from being unable to..." Before Rikku could finish, Cid had become so mad that he couldn't hold it in longer.
"How can you even FIND someone to love if you stay locked in that room of yours? You refuse to come out every single time I have a party! What will happen to the Al Bhed?"
"Al Bhed! Al Bhed! Al Bhed! Al Bhed! That's all you think of! What about your DAUGHTER for Yevon's sake! What about ME? What am I, a PUPPET?" With that, Rikku stormed out of the room with tears streaming down her face.
End of Flashback
Rikku found that she was crying from just thinking about that incident. It wasn't too long ago that it happened, and the day after that incident, Cid just announced that he's holding ANOTHER party.
I'm so tired of this. I'm exhausted just thinking about it. What's so good about life anyways? Thinking about a city that never sleeps may sound good to the people of the past or someone who doesn't live here, but in reality, it gets tiring. Life gets tiring, too. I want adventure or romance! Eww, that sounds like some corny romance movie! Forget about that, I just want to be FREE! That's it! I'm running away! This time, I mean it! I guess I'll write a letter to everyone explaining some things first. It should be easy enough. Since I say I'll do it so many times, I have lots of food in my backpack, money, clothes, and an escape route. Yeah, this is it. This is goodbye.
"Tidus! Uncle Cid said that he couldn't let Rikku off this time! Rikku is going to be so upset..." Yuna didn't really want to think about Rikku's reaction.
"I guess we'll just have to support her throughout the entire party. Otherwise, there'll be trouble. Wait, I'll tell Rikku. Hey, Rikku!" The call was answered by silence.
"...she's not answering." said Yuna, her voice filled with worry.
"Maybe she didn't hear. I'll try again. Rikku, open up!" said Tidus while banging on the door. When he got tired of it, he decided to open the door with a big kick, knowing that Rikku wasn't going to mind about the whole privacy thing. When Tidus opened the door, though, he didn't see Rikku anywhere. Instead, he found a note taped to a mirror and clothes all over the note said:
Dear Everyone,
I'm sorry for suddenly running off like this, but I don't think I can continue living my life the way I have. It's hard to have to deal with all the parties and everything. I don't hate any of you, in case you were wondering. I don't even hate pops. I hope you can understand that I feel I have to run away and find a purpose for my life or something. Please understand that this is my choice. I'm sorry for doing this to you guys.
Rikku
After finishing the letter, Yuna staggered and then sat on Rikku's bed. Tidus could only tell her that Rikku is fine and hold her, trying to comfort her. He just somehow knew that this would one day happen. Rikku wasn't one to let anyone control her. She was free-spirited. Sort of like those chocobos he heard about, but he wouldn't know about that now, would he? There weren't any open grasslands anymore. Still, the point was that Rikku was suffocating living here, and this might be what she needs. He just hoped that she would return one day and that she would be fine.
~Rikku~
"Geez, a city that never sleeps is an understatement! Almost all the lights are on. It really is a city of lights." As Rikku continued to walk, she saw a blond-haired man with an eye-patch holding a gun that was pointed at another man. They were talking but she couldn't hear them. In the end, the only noise she heard was the sound of the gun. When Rikku gasped, he heard her. The sound caught the man's attention, and he turned to look at her. When they made eye contact with each other, only one thought entered her mind.
"I'm dead..."
So, what do you think? I think that this is an ok start. I have the whole story planned out. In fact, I've had it planned out for a long time, but I never got around to actually writing it. Anyways, I don't mind criticism, but I can't stand something like "It sucks." Tell me WHY it sucks, pretty please?