A.N.: Hello and welcome to BBYL's newest ficcie XD I know I should finish my other ones and simply wait until then to even think about posting this one, but I started brainstorming and just couldn't keep myself from starting it This one's an AU Gippal and Rikku ficcie that IS NOT like the rest of them….meaning that it isn't the typical "Rikku needs to go on her adventure, she gets together with Gippal, they beat up a bad guy that's out to get the Al Bhed race because he's a radical hater of the Al Bhed, they hook up, etc…" Instead, this is a unique ficcie that takes place in…that's right, the Western Age! Where cowboys and outlaws duke it out and saloon fights are common! Hope you guys enjoy as much as I do!
"So Lufpuo, So Raynd, So Mujan"
By: The Al Bhed Princess (formerly known as Bulma BriefsYue Lover)
Prologue
It was a normal dry and sunny day in the town of Spira, a day in which nothing unusual or out of the ordinary was expected to happen. Housewives were rearing children, hanging laundry in the sun to dry, cooking, and other normal every-day jobs while the husbands either went off to the pub or, in the case of a certain sheriff, sat in their office. Children ran around in the streets, laughing as they played games such as hide-and-go-seek and tag, occasionally falling down and getting dirt all over their clothing…but that wasn't unusual. What was unusual, however, was one child who sat off to the side all by himself. His head hung low, he tried not to make eye contact with anyone out of fear of being made fun of for his…disability. All of the other children feared him, except for one brave girl…
"Hey Gippal! Dontcha wanna play with me today?" A young girl of about eight years old asked, her green, swirly eyes shining with innocence. She gently tugged on one of her blonde pigtails as she chewed on her bottom lip, waiting for the boy to talk to her. He looked up slowly, revealing a boyish tan face with an eye patch covering his right eye. His single green eye glanced at her face, which was now smudged with dirt.
"Dontcha have your friends over there to play with, Princess? I'm sure having all of 'em laugh at you when you fall on your face is more fun than just me laughing at you," he replied with a grin. Rikku stomped her feet on the dirt road as she made a sound of annoyance.
"Don't call me that Gippal! You know I hate it!" She replied, her nose scrunching up in a cute way. Everyone in Spira called her Princess, simply because she was the daughter of Cid, the town's sheriff. She was constantly being given presents, even if it wasn't her birthday. Because of this, many of the other kids her age were jealous and pretended to be her friend so they could get the best presents. Gippal, of course, knew this and tried to tell her several times, but she just wouldn't listen. She'd just glare at him and tell him he was just jealous because he didn't always have all of her attention. He would just grin and call her Princess, while hurting on the inside. He wasn't sure why, but he really DID wish he had all of her attention. As for why he felt that way…he didn't know, but he'd find out in a few years. Gippal laughed and gently tapped her nose.
"Aww Princess, you know you love that nickname," he said with a wink. He ran away from the now enraged Rikku with a laugh, the sun shining brightly down on them as they played.
That night, Gippal shifted on his bed and looked down at his friend Tidus, who slept on the floor next to him.
"So Tidus…I've been thinking," Gippal said, grinning down at his blonde-haired friend. Tidus looked up at him from his mattress on the floor.
"'Bout what, Gippal? …Or who, rather," he said laughingly, bracing himself for the punch to the shoulder he always got. However, this time, none came and he looked puzzlingly up at Gippal who had a far away look in his eye. "Uh…Gippal? Gil for your thoughts?" he said, gently tapping Gippal on the head with his finger. Gippal shook his head and looked down at Tidus.
"Uh…no, never mind," he replied quietly, turning so he faced the other side of the room. Tidus blinked, wondering what was on his friend's mind, before yawning and stretching.
"Whelp, I'll talk to ya tomorrow then Gip," he said, closing his eyes as he quickly fell to sleep. However, Gippal didn't hear him, as the far away look once again returned to his eye as he thought about a certain sheriff's daughter. His eye soon closed as he slowly submitted to sleep's beckoning embrace.
"Rikku…I have something to tell you," A girl with brown hair that was in a bob cut said, her bi-colored eyes shining with excitement. Rikku looked at her cousin with a confused look.
"Really? What would that be, Yunie?" She asked, curious to know what could possibly be different from every-day happenings. Yuna smiled as she began.
"Well…you remember Tidus? Well….I kinda have a crush on him," Yuna said with a giggle, her cheeks turning pink from her blush. Rikku squealed excitedly, hugging her cousin tightly.
"Yunie, that is so cute! Oh my gosh, I can't wait until you two get married!" She exclaimed, immediately gushing out wedding ideas. Yuna laughed softly before clamping a hand around Rikku's mouth.
"No, silly, we're too young to get married! I mean, I'm only nine years old! I have lotsa things to do before then!" She exclaimed with a giggle. Rikku nodded and stood up suddenly, walking over to her window. She gazed up at the moon, which hung big and bright in the night sky, a small sigh escaping her lips. Yuna watched her with a confused expression. "Are you…okay, Rikku?" She asked, slowly getting up and placing a hand on her cousin's shoulder. Rikku jolted from her thoughts and turned to smile reassuringly.
"Yep, everything's just fine, Yunie!" She said with her usual cheery expression. Yuna smiled and nodded, turning around to lie down on her mattress, which was on the floor next to Rikku's bed.
"That's good…I was gettin' kinda worried there when you were staring off into space like that," Yuna replied, snuggling under the covers. Rikku smiled before climbing into her bed, also snuggling under her covers. They both quickly fell asleep, the moon shining brightly on their faces.
Gippal yawned and stretched, slowly getting out of his bed. Tidus snored quite noisily next to him on his mattress, a bit of drool dripping out of one side of his mouth. Gippal made a disgusted face before grabbing a clean shirt and a clean pair of jeans out of his dresser, and then headed to the bathroom to take a shower. He turned the water on until it was just warm enough that he could stand it and got in after fully unclothing.
Once Gippal got out, Tidus was STILL asleep. Gippal shook his head slowly, surprised anyone could be that lazy. He walked out of his bedroom and into the kitchen where his parents sat in deep discussion.
"Pid Luinyka, oui lyh'd mad bancuhym cdnikkmac ahtyhkan drec vysemo! Fryd ev dryd syh fana du ehzina uin cuh, un dra Bnehlacc ajah! Oui lyh'd mad dryd rybbah!"1 His mother, a lovely looking woman with blonde hair that reached her mid back and sparkling green eyes, exclaimed in the Al Bhed language. Gippal, his parents, and Rikku and her father and brother were the only Al Bhed in the village, so the only chance Gippal ever had to use his native language was when speaking with any of them. His father, a gruff-looking man who also had the traditional blonde hair and green eyes, bowed his head. He was gripping the table tightly with his gloved hands, a sign of distress.
"Yhkam, oui tuh'd ghuf ruf rynt drec ec vun sa...Ra ec cibbucat du vummuf eh so vuudcdabc yc y lufpuo yht ed ec hud so vyimd dryd dryd...pycdynt ryc y cittah ehdanacd eh Gippal's lybypemedeac,"2 he replied quietly, getting up out of his chair and walking out the front door, his heavy boots making loud stomping noises as he did so. Gippal's mother sighed, her head bowed low. Gippal quietly walked up to his mother.
"Sudran...fryd ec cu pyt dryd ed ryc vydran ihayco? Fru fyc ed dryd cyf sa dnyehehk yht fro tuac ra ryja emm femm ykyehcd vydran?"3 he asked. He noticed his mother was on the verge of tears as she stood and hugged him.
"Gippal…it'll be okay, I promise," she whispered, gently stroking his hair. He sighed softly, knowing that he'd probably never find out what was so bad. Tidus' footsteps approaching caused them to go about their separate ways as Gippal sat at the table and his mother cooked some breakfast for the two boys. Tidus sat in a seat and yawned rather loudly.
"Mornin' Gippal," he said in a drowsy tone. Gippal simply nodded as he drank the milk his mother placed in front of him. His father walked back into the house and gave Gippal a small smile before grabbing his axe and heading back outside. Soon, the sound of logs being split rung through the air and Gippal figured his father was cutting logs for the winter nights that lay ahead. Gippal's mother set a plate down in front of him and he grabbed a fork and slowly ate, looking up to watch with an amused expression as Tidus gobbled his food down like there was no tomorrow. Within seconds, Tidus' plate was completely devoid of all food as he sat back and let out a rather loud belch. Gippal just laughed and continued to eat slowly, thinking about what he had overheard between his parents just minutes before. He suddenly felt a sense of dread but had no idea why.
Well, there's the prologue! It's short, I know, but there's more to come so no fears!
Translations:
1: "But Luinyka, you can't let personal struggles endanger this family! What if that man were to injure our son or the Princess even! You can't let that happen!"
2: "Angel, you don't know how hard this is for me...He is supposed to follow in my footsteps as a cowboy and it is not my fault that that...bastard has a sudden interest in Gippal's capabilities."
3: "Mother...what is so bad that it has father uneasy? Who was it that saw me training and why does he have ill will against father?"
