The Way They'd Planned
Record Cover
Gippal smirks. He'd planned on making Rikku jealous, maybe blush a little. Because he knows how to make her feel that way. And cause, just cause, it's fun being with her and talking to her like that. Because he loves seeing the way she blushes and squirms and the way she laughs, the way she moves…
"You've got competition, kid."
"What?"
"I think Nhadala's sister likes me."
"Oh. Okay."
"You're alright with that?"
Rikku makes a horrified face.
"Why wouldn't I be!"
"Come on, I know you like me,"
"Yeowch. You're getting ahead of yourself there."
"Sweetie, it's okay. I understand. The rest of Spira like me too, you know,"
"No, they don't. A third of them were panicking whilst you went on AWOL."
"Wow, Cid's girl, you learnt a new word."
"Yeah. I got it off Buddy."
Rikku feels proud and a sudden surge of affection for the Gullwings makes her smile inwardly.
"Remind me to give him a kiss. I need to congratulate him."
"Eww.. Gross."
"But come on, Riks, you know you love me."
"Yeah… yeah, maybe I do."
"Just as much as Nhadala's sister does, uh huh,"
He smirks again, not taking her seriously.
Rikku sighs and gazes into the Moonflow. So this is still Gippal… being… Gippal.
Manipulative Bitch, she thinks. He knows exactly how to pull on my strings.
"I do too. Uh. Deep, deep, deep inside. Somewhere."
He glances quickly down at the belts crossed over his chest; just in case, I really do like Cid's girl,
Rikku lets out a noise of disbelief.
"Deep down? Deep down? I doubt you go in that far. You're too shallow for that, Gippal."
"What would you know, Cid's girl, you've never given me the chance."
Gippal's voice softens, and suddenly, Rikku feels awkward and nervous and tingly all over.
"Anyway," Gippal's voice is brisk once more.
"What are we doing here?"
"Skipping my meeting."
"Oh. Aww…"
"Huh."
"Nothing."
"You expected some romantic answer then?"
"N-no!"
"Alright, then I won't give you one. Too bad."
Rikku pouts and Gippal grins in response.
"So what's her name? Nhadala's sister?"
"I duno, can't remember. It's somethin' like… Anouk. Annek. Anekka."
"Hehe"
"What?"
"That's a funny name."
"So is yours, Neggi."
"Hey! My name's already in Al Bhed! You can't put it into Al Bhed all over again!"
"Can too."
"Says who!?"
"Says… me."
"That's right, says Kebbym."
"Crid ib,"
Rikku smiles widely. She knows she's won that round.
"She's kinda cute. Nhadala's sister."
He drags up the subject again; they're straying off the topic and he doesn't want that.
"Ooh…" Rikku feigns interest. "That's too cool." She resists the urge to roll her eyes. Honestly, who does he think he is? Does it really look like I care?
"Cuter than you anyway," Gippal scoffs.
"Yeah, sure,"
"Nah.. Not as cute as you…"
"Oh, I know."
Gippal rolls his eye.
"You know, Gippy, whatshisname, at the Faction, he's kinda cute too."
"Who?! Is he Al Bhed? What's he look like?"
Gippal can't hide his curiosity- or his jealousy, for that matter. A million questions burst in his mind, about that guy, the guy that Rikku's interested in.
Rikku giggles.
"Jealous?"
"No."
"Well I won't tell you then."
Gippal pauses.
"..Okay, okay, I'm jealous, you got me."
Rikku's smile widens.
"Well.. He's Al Bhed. And he's got goggles. But he's so cute!"
Rikku giggles to herself like an infatuated thirteen year old, blushing crimson at the thought.
Gippal's eye narrows.
"Yeah, because Al Bhed and Goggles totally narrows it down to just one guy,"
"He's the one that's always hanging out right there in the lobby the moment you walk in,"
"Uhh…"
"He's got his hair like how Keyakku used to do it, remember? And he's always got this arrogant smirky expression on his face but he's so cute! And he talked to me once and I--"
Rikku's eyes brighten.
"He's so buff!"
She giggles again madly.
Gippal lets out a sigh.
"Still dunno him."
"Well, I don't see why you should be concerned, as far as I know, it's anyone but you, mister,"
"No duh, Captain Obvious! I don't wear goggles, nor do I put my hair up like an idiot."
"Don't call Keyakku an idiot!"
"I didn't, I called his hairstyle idiotic."
"What would you know," Rikku snaps. "Yours isn't much better,"
She glares at the shock of blonde hair sticking up in the air.
"Yeah, yeah."
Gippal tugs on one of the long braids that spilled over Rikku's bandanna. How he wanted to just run his fingers through the long golden shiny hair.
Rikku sighs and throws herself backward onto the soft grass.
"I think I'm in love," She says.
Gippal's eye flashes with another spark of curiosity and jealousy before he flops himself onto the ground next to her.
"With who? Goggles?"
Gippal's voice is soft and small again. All arrogance and superiority is gone.
"I'm not telling you," Rikku teases. "And no, it's not Goggles I'm in love with. I just think he's sexy."
"Why not? Sheesh, woman. He can't be any sexier than I am, I'm the prettiest boy in D'jose."
"Because, I'd be in trouble then.. and unfortunately, Gippal, you hold that title no more. Tidus took it off you the other day."
"Why?" Gippal wonders why she'd be in trouble if he ever found out exactly who it was she was in love with. He chose to ignore, however, her last comment on Tidus- Stupid ditz. The only thing he's good at is Blitzball. He's got no brains. Gippal fumes silently, although he doesn't know why.
"I think it's unrequited."
"What is?"
"What do you think?"
"Uh, your love for this guy?"
"Yeah… bingo. Ten points to Gippal the jackass!"
Rikku's voice is triumphant, Gippal knows, but he can't tell wether it's sarcastic or hurt or genuine. For once, he finds himself unable to read her like a book.
"Who is he?"
"It doesn't matter, Gips. What will you do anyway?"
"Well… is he hurting you?"
"Hurting me? Yes, he is. All the time. Always, always, always."
"Then I can hurt him too?"
"I think you'll find that rather hard to do."
"Why, do I know him?"
"Better than you think you do. What is this anyways, twenty questions?"
Rikku frowns and rolls over onto her side. She traces patterns on the ground, intent on ignoring Gippal.
"He doesn't know you like him, does he."
Gippal stares at the back of her head. The conversation definitely wasn't going the way he had planned it to.
"No, Gippal, he doesn't. Because he's a jerk. He's never noticed me. Maybe its because I'm too young or too short or not pretty enough. Maybe it's because he thinks I've got nothing worth looking at or paying attention to."
He hates how her voice is sharp and bitter.
"Cred. Telgrayt."
Gippal doesn't want to believe her words. How could anyone, any man, possibly not notice Cid's girl? He wonders incredulously to himself. How could any man possibly not be wanting Rikku? Shiva, even he did. To some extent anyway…
"I'll find out…" Gippal says softly. "He won't get away with it if he's hurting you inside."
--
"Why won't he?"
"I won't let him. No one hurts my girl and gets away with it,"
Rikku's chest pangs.
My girl.
If only he knew…
Gippal suddenly wishes he hadn't mentioned anything about Annek's advances towards him. He suddenly wishes, that instead, he had started their conversation with, Rikku, I've got something to tell you.
He snorts, then feels disgusted a second later.
--
Rikku closes her eyes a moment before sitting up."I think we should get going now."
Gippal sits up next to her, closer now.
"Why?"
His voice is still soft and sweet and gentle. It makes Rikku tingle again.
"You're late."
"I missed it."
"Too bad. Let's go."
Standing up, Rikku dusts herself off.
"I wanted to watch the sun set…"
"Next time."
Rikku offers her hand to Gippal, her eyes desperately hiding her emotion.
She was falling in love with Gippal a little more every day as each one passed… and as long as he never found out, things would still be okay. Things would still be alright as long as she never let him see.. Just what he meant to her.
--
Gippal tries to catch her eye, she looks away. Gippal wonders what's suddenly gotten into her. He feels like… like mush. Gippal hates it when Rikku suddenly goes quiet and flat and all serious when she doesn't need to be, he hates it when her smile falters. And he promises to himself, when he finds the man that's too stupid to notice that she's head over heels for him…
Because, after all, it's not him that Rikku's fallen for, is it. It's someone else… someone he knows. And they're not going to get away with hurting her. He'll make them realise just what kind of a girl Rikku is, more than just a fling, more than just a one night stand.
He has to find out who it is.
Gippal takes her hand and stands up, and they look into each other's eyes, both lost in thought.
Rikku can't help but notice how Gippal's expression suddenly looks wistful, and she wonders why…
Her feelings give a twinge of discomfort. Had she let too much slip? Rikku brushes the feelings away.
No, Rikku, she tells herself firmly. He doesn't like you. He isn't for you. He's not interested in someone like you. He'll never be, not now. What you had with him is past.
--
Gippal is lost in his own world.
Who was this man Rikku supposedly loved? Who was this man that was too ignorant to realise? Too ignorant to realise that this girl… was in love with him? Gippal holds back a bitter remark. After all, it isn't her fault that she didn't like him. After all, it wasn't her fault that Gippal had to control himself every time he came near her, that he had to restrain himself from wanting to hug her and never let go.
"Let's go, Rikku,"
He looks into her eyes and she snaps out of her thoughts.
She nods.
"Let's."
This conversation definitely hadn't gone the way he'd planned.
Translation:
"Neggi": Rikku, translated into Al Bhed again.
"Kebbym": Gippal, translated into Al Bhed again. (Presuming the names Rikku and Gippal are both Al Bhed by default)
"Crid ib": Shut up
"Cred. Telgrayt.": Shit. Dickhead.
A/N:
So uh.. there you go? I hope I don't end up deleting this out of fear again. This was a little dialogue only kinda thing. Explains the shortness and lack of detail, yes? This fic was never meant to be detailed anyway. It was also originally a oneshot, but I like where this is going. Should I write more? Although, if I continue to write more, it will be more detailed. In short, this first chapter will stick out like a pain. Oh well, I'll come back later and fix it, neh?
Review review! Do you want to read more? Coz I sure wanna write more XD