"Home!" She smiled as the sand blew at her feet. The skies were the limit but there was something about the heat and sand that Rikku couldn't get out of her heart, her head, or from under her fingernails. She felt the heat wave on her face when she stepped into the hangar and saw the smiling face of her father. They had never been an affectionate bunch, but even Cid gave his daughter a pat on the head- he had missed her being under foot.

"Welcome back," Cid smiled back with a cigar between his lips.

"You really do have to stop smoking," Rikku quickly commented.

"Is that the kind of 'hello' you give your father!" he rubbed her chin roughly. "I suppose it's better than nothing," he grumbled, still trying to hide his smile. "So do I have to keep waiting or are you going to tell me what you think of the place?"

"Needs work," she tried to hide a giggle, "you know it's better than the last…" a solemn look crept across her face.

"I know," Cid placed a hand on her shoulder, "I miss them too."

One of the few of the touching moments shared between Rikku and her father was quickly brought to a close when a familiar, and rather unwelcome, voice rang in her ears.

"Cid's girl! When did you get back!?" Gippal swiftly applied the pressure of his knuckles to the top of her head.

"Nice to see you too Gippal," she shot back sarcastically readjusting her headband.

"Much to your disappointment, I'm not actually here to see you," he quickly brushed her aside and dove into a conversation with Cid while she stood there completely perturbed.

"No matter…" she muttered to herself as she turned back to the airship, "I'll just carry all my bags," she paused, "by myself!" she barked back only to be ignored. She drug her bags back over to the boys butting into the center of their conversation, "and do I finally get my own place Pop?" she remarked while wearing her best shit-eating grin.

"Even better idea! Rikku can help you!" Cid bellowed.

"What?" both Rikku and Gippal replied, confused.

"Rikku, you're old enough to have your own place, don't you agree?"

"Uh… Wasn't that what I was just asking," she grumbled.

"And Gippal, weren't you just explaining to me that you needed an assistant?"

"You're not actually suggesting that Rikku be my assistant?! Cid are you out of your mind!?" Gippal protested.

"I'm certainly getting too old for all of this, and it's about time my baby girl started to get her hands dirty, someday this will all be hers, and she does know more about Al Bhed machina than anyone I could recommend for the job. She grew up in the scrap yard just like you."

"You can't be seri-" Gippal tried to interject.

"I'll hear no more on the subject, Rikku will move into the empty unit in the East Wing like my little princess deserves, and that way your new assistant is never too far away," Cid declared as he turned to walk away.

"Pop are you nuts!?" Rikku finally found words, "you honestly expect me to work under that bolt brain!"

"Yes actually, I do," he remarked before leaving the hangar bellowing loudly.

"This is a sick joke!" Rikku barked at Gippal.

"You think I'm happy about this?! I don't want you anywhere near me!"

"You?!"

"Where do you think the empty unit is located neighbor! I can't believe this! I get the brat as an undeserving neighbor!"

"And so I suddenly don't deserve it because I wasn't there to defeat Sin or destroy Vegnagun?"

"So you think that just because you helped bring peace to Spira that entitles you to something? Well you've got another thing coming Princess! You're not getting any special treatment from me!" He noticed the hurt look in her eyes.

"You know what Gippal? I used to have a lot of respect for you, that day we fought Vegnagun you really stuck it out for someone else other than yourself for once! But you know what I just realized? I'm always going to be just 'Cid's Girl' to you and that you don't deserve an ounce of my respect, even if you are my boss now, because the only thing you've ever given me is skinned knees!" Rikku yelled as she grabbed up all her bags and headed to the East Wing.

Gippal wished he had taken back what he said the second she started scolding him. He didn't know why he did it he was always on the defensive with her. Why do I say these things? He wondered to himself. She does deserve the best, she's Rikku… Always kind and happy, except when I throw a wrench into her mood. He stood there awhile wondering if he should go after her, if he should apologize, but before he could decide to make the better choice his thoughts were interrupted by one of his workers delivering his report.

"That Gippal!" Rikku huffed as she finally kicked the door shut behind her. "Does he always have to be so rude?" she dropped her bags on the floor and quickly forgot about her argument as she looked around the apartment. The living room was sunken in and newly furnished, the kitchen was beautiful as if it had been waiting for her. She quickly rushed to the bedroom and master bath and found them both equally lavish. "Thank You Cid!" she exclaimed loudly to herself as she turned the faucet to fill the tub.

After her bath she unpacked all her belongings from her clothing to various items from her travels while still clad in a robe. Seashells from Besaid were placed on the dresser, lightening rocks from Djose served as bookends, and then she unpacked picture frames she had purchase in Bevelle.

Rikku carried these frames into the living room and he placed them on the selves after she ran her fingers over the images. The first was one of her sitting on Cid's shoulders when she was a child when the Al Bhed were still scattered across Spira. The second image was when she worked on her father's excavation ship before she joined Yuna on her pilgrimage, she was much smaller then and looked so thin standing next to Gippal and the rest of the crew. She scoffed at the picture but placed it on the shelf regardless. The third was an image of Yuna and all her guardian's in the Calm Lands, she remembered Auron and wonder what he'd think of the young girl all grown up now. The next image was of everyone after the defeat of Vegnagun. And the last was Yuna's real wedding where all the girls and guys were lined up on either side of Yuna and Tidus. They couldn't get Paine to smile, but they did manage to get her in a dress, even Khimari was dressed for the occasion in Ronso wedding garbs.

"So many memories," she smiled, "so many good memories." Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. "Must be Pop," she double-checked the security of her robe before flinging the door open only to find a blonde with an eye patch standing on the other side.

Gippal, who was entirely stunned, stared down at the wet girl and was only able to blurt out, "Your hair is down."

"Yeah," she scoffed, "that would make sense because I just did that thing that dirty people do, you know, bathe." She brushed the wet strands of hair out of her face while combing her fingers through the rest of the nearly waist length hair.

"I mean like, no beads or braids."

"Last time I checked people took things out of their hair to bathe," she hoisted her hand onto her hip. He continued to sit in silence as she leaned against the jamb. "What do you want Gippal?" she finally broke the silence as his eyes darted from the hem of her robe hugging her breast, to the floor, and back to her face.

"I wanted to talk to you about the new project," he lied, he had come to try to apologize as he pushed past her leaving her more than startled.

"Excuse me? I didn't ask you in!" her face grew red.

"I'm still your boss," he turned back in defense, immediately regretting coming to her apartment in the first place.

"You're still my boss?!" she barked, causing Gippal to recoil. "In case you haven't noticed I'm not even dressed! So if you are here as my boss I suggest you sit your pompous ass down and respect my space before I either call my father or punch you in the mouth!" she stormed off as Gippal took a seat on the couch and wished he could sink right through the cushion.

Rikku fumed as she tore open her dresser. Rikku threw off her robe and grabbed and pulled on her underwear and bra before she layered a green tank top over a black one before yanking on a pair of torn up pants and clasping several belts around her waist. Rikku burst through her bedroom door and walked back into the living room with her hair tossed about in haste.

"Can I help you now?" she asked, her anger was made apparent by her tone.

"I just wanted to discuss what is expected of you-"

"What's expected of me?!" she barked, "I am now your assistant, and I already know what's expected of me! I am to report to work before dawn because that is when work begins, before the sun is too high to cook our workers. I will be expected to deliver your orders, fix machina, and deliver discipline as needed. I wasn't born yesterday Gippal, I have worked as my own father's assistant in the past."

"You are still my subordinate!" He barked back, but his expression changed as he saw the photograph of the excavation team. Rikku was still fuming regardless of the change in his expression. "Can we not be hostile with each other for two seconds?" he nearly pleaded, and waited for her to nod. He walked over to the shelf and picked up the frame. He ran his fingers over it the same way Rikku had. "Do you remember when this was taken?" he laughed.

"Yeah…" she softened, "so?"

"Look at how small you were!" he looked back only to see her brow furrow, "I was small too you know," he smiled. Rikku was startled, it was rare that she saw Gippal smile. "We had a lot of good times on that ship!" he laughed loudly before his expression became solemn, "I also remember the day you left…"

"What about it?" she shifted her weight to one leg and propped her hand up on her hip.

"You were going to leave without saying goodbye. The only reason I could was because I couldn't sleep so I took a walk down by the dock."

"I was going to help Pop stop the summoners from completing their pilgrimages, I knew Yunie was out there, and that I had to stop her, you knew how I felt about that."

"But you also knew how I felt about you!" his resentment was obvious, "and you were just going to leave…" his grip tightened around the frame.

Rikku's stance relaxed, "Gippal…" she didn't know what else to say.

"I get it Rikku, I was just convenient. First that Tidus kid showed up, then Sin attacked, and then you left."

"That wasn't it!"

"Then what was it Rikku? I kissed you, more than once if I recall correctly, and then you planned to leave without saying goodbye. Yevon, I must be drunk or stupid…" he laughed cynically, "I've been thinking of a million ways to ask you for all these years and it finally comes out," he set the photo down and headed for the door, "Report to the work shop before sunrise."

"Gippal wait!" but her shocked words fell on deaf ears as he securely separated himself from her.