A companion piece to my first FFX-2 story, All for love. Reading that one first is strongly recommended, but not completely necessary. This is an extension of the scene between Gippal and Nooj in the farplane, where Gippal asks Nooj about his relationship with Leblanc. Here I explore what might have gone on after the CommSphere cut out.
Enjoy!
~*~
The farplane was like a portrait drawn straight out of the most vivid imagination. He couldn't even see the ground, as it was but a vast expanse of white and lilac flowers, dew glittering off their petals. A nearby waterfall dropped off into the unknown below, the enchanting mist caused by the rushing water hiding so much from view. Gippal smirked to himself as pyreflies danced around his form—if the circumstances had been different, he might have found this place to be quite lovely.
To bad there was the impending doom of the world hanging over his head. Damn that machina!
That thought almost made the Al Bhed chuckle. Had he really just thought so ill of a machine, something closer to his heart than most of his fellow man? This must have been the day Bikanel finally froze over.
Shrugging off his thoughts, Gippal let his one-eyed gaze drop to the object in his hand, a cracked CommSphere. Truth be told, he was quite impressed. Whoever had modified it with the potential of two-way communication had to be quite the genius. It was a shame that it was broken.
Taking a seat on the ground, Gippal popped the back of the sphere open, assessing the internal damage. Scratching the back of his neck with his free hand, he released a slight sigh; it would have been a quick fix, if only he had his equipment with him. Never the less, Al Bhed were known for their ingenuity, and he began to tinker with it anyway.
Wires arced as their broken ends were touched together, and Gippal nearly yelped as a rather painful spark shot up his index finger. His first instinct was to shove the offended digit into his mouth, but he thought better of it. After all, Nooj was somewhere around the area, and it would have looked bad on his Mr. know-it-all reputation to succumb to a tiny little shock.
The CommShpere surprised him by suddenly buzzing to life, the tiny camera beneath the cracked outer-casing trying to focus in on his image. Grinning from ear to ear, Gippal stood up quickly, staring intently into the sphere in his hands.
"Hello? Can you hear me?" he asked, tilting his head to one side in a curious manner. "Hello?"
"Amusing yourself?" asked a voice from behind him. Gippal glanced at Nooj over his shoulder, then quickly turned his attention back to the sphere.
"Heh. Have you seen this thing? Whoever made it was a genius. I must be one too, considering I fixed it."
Nooj rolled his eyes, a gesture of mock sarcasm. Gippal grinned lopsidedly, giving up on the broken sphere and finally setting it back down. If he ever got out of this, he'd found out who made it. Then he'd ask why the hell they'd throw such a nice piece of equipment down a hole. Tch, idiot.
"So… any plans on how to approach Vegnagun? After all, it detects hostility…"
"We'll figure something about." Replied Nooj, staring off into the distance. Gippal's brows furrowed.
"And if we fail?"
Nooj smirked in that devil may care way of his, beginning to limp off.
"My death will be my apology."
Gippal, while disturbed by the thought, forced a grin as he moved after the Youth League Meyvn. Nooj watched the younger man out of the corner of his eye, observing as his hand once again found it's way to the back of his neck. It seemed to be a nervous reaction with the Al Bhed.
"Death isn't much of an apology from a deathseeker…"
That said, the mood suddenly became slightly uncomfortable, and the two men fell into silence. Nooj was just about to continue on when Gippal spoke once again, hitting him with a most unexpected question.
"So, what about Leblanc?"
Nooj blinked, turning slowly to face his companion. Gippal never ceased to amaze him.
"Well, she…"
She's loving, devoted, loyal. She'd do anything if only asked. Despite her flaws, she's a good woman.
"She…" Nooj trailed off for the second time, leaving Gippal to stare at him inquisitively.
She deserves the same devotion. She deserves praise and appreciation; smiles that don't come once in a blue moon. She deserves better, someone who doesn't value anything above her. Especially not something so cold as Death…
"She'll live." He replied, finally, as if it were the simplest logic in the world. Gippal felt his eyebrows tug upwards, his useless eyelid fluttering beneath his patch. Even for Nooj, that had been unexpected. Harsh, even.
"That's it? She'll live?" Gippal repeated, the words tasting bitter on his tongue. "…You really think so?"
"She's strong. If I don't come out of this, she'll move on. Probably be better off as well." Responded Nooj, turning and beginning to walk on again.
Gippal followed behind Nooj in silence for a moment, contemplating. He hadn't known Leblanc too well. Hell, he didn't even particularly like her. But it was painfully clear, even to the most casual of observers, that she was head over heels in love with Nooj. For that strong of an emotion to be so easily, almost callously brushed off seemed … cruel.
"I dunno about that," he spoke up, finally, eye set on the swirling, opalescent sky above. "I always pegged her as the emotional type. She'll hold onto you till the bitter end. Or at least your memory…"
Nooj stopped dead in his tracks for a moment, shooting his companion a rather frosty glare. He was quickly growing tired of discussing this subject, especially with someone who had no idea what they were poking their nose into.
"Memories are nice, but that's all they are. Something the Al Bhed say, correct?"
Gippal frowned at that, his expression hardening. Sheesh, you try and talk to someone and they bite your head off. Somehow, he felt he shouldn't be all that surprised, considering this was Nooj. Shrugging, Gippal threw his hands up in defeat, grumbling in response.
"Fine, fine. I'll drop it…"
"Thank you." Replied Nooj, though his tone was more flat than appreciative.
After that, the only sounds to be heard were the sounds of their footfalls, accompanied by the light tinkling noises that followed in the presence of pyreflies. Despite his valiant efforts not to, Nooj found that his thoughts kept returning to a certain magenta-clad blonde. In his mind he could summon forth a perfect picture of her, standing tall and triumphant, a self-assured smile set on her lips while one gloved hand rested on a perfectly-sculpted hip.
That image was too quick in changing, however, to a much less desirable scene. Leblanc, crying in her room over the loss of him, sprawled out on her floor next to that damned statue she'd had made of him. That thing had disturbed him, its cold and lifeless eyes of copper striking some sense of deep-set fear in his mind. He'd been scared of those eyes. Scared because they reflected his own so perfectly, and he needed no mirror image to remind him of his own imperfections.
Nooj almost groaned out loud, but forced it back, swallowing it. Behind his circular, wire-rimmed glasses, russet eyes squinted shut. What had he done to deserve all of this? The love of a woman, something so strong and pure and true. For a man like him it was such a… such a…
A burden, when it should have been a miracle.
The Meyvn grimaced at that thought, wondering at what exact point everything that was good in life had become so hated within his mind. He supposed it was when his accident had happened, turning him into what he was now. The machina that was nearly the entire right sight of his body was unfeeling, and what was left of his humanity was too far-gone to care. Cold steel and dead flesh would never be able to provide her with the warmth Leblanc needed, and even if he came out of his ordeal victorious, on some level he knew he would be the same as he was now. He was something kept long after his expiration date, waiting patiently to finally be let go.
Absently, he wondered just what he'd do if he were to survive the battle with Vegnagun. He was prepared for the consequences of failure, but thoughts of victory had never once occurred to him. What would he do then? Would he go back to his Youth League, ever-locked in heated debate with New Yevon? Would he continue to keep Leblanc at an arms length, only allowing her in at his convenience?
Probably.
Their lives, though intertwined as they were, greatly resembled a never-ending spiral. Never ending, never changing, yet repeating itself infinitely. He'd never be able to live with himself for subjecting her to such endlessness, and yet he knew she'd never let go. Somehow, someway, he'd have to make it clear to her just what she was getting herself into. And then, just maybe, she'd open her lovely brown eyes and see him for what he really was—Completely and utterly wrong for her.
And even as he silently prayed to himself that she would one day forget him, elsewhere, miles above and beyond, the very object of his lament was thinking of him, holding on to him harder than she ever had before. Part of him even knew that, had expected it and hated her for it. And yet, in the same instant, the shreds of humanity left in him thanked her. They were the small pieces that kept him going, kept the survival instinct alive even as he ran towards certain death with open arms. Amidst all the darkness within she was a ray of light and hope, something to look for. A purpose in life.
That part of himself loved her, even if he would never admit to it. Those parts weren't ready to let go, perhaps never would be, and held on almost as tightly as Leblanc herself.
And as long as those instinctual shreds continued to survive in a body half dead and half machine, their spiral of love would continue.
~*~
Talk about an angst-puppy! Yeesh!
Anywho, I'm aware that the beginning dialogue between Gippal and Nooj isn't quite accurate in accordance to the game, but this was written about a week after I watched that scene. I can't be expected to remember it word for word, right?
Anyway. I hope you enjoyed, and I would appreciate feedback. It's like the sugar in my coffee—sweet and often inducing hyper giddiness. ^_~
--MsImp