"Oh BOY! World tour here we come! Look out Spira, the GULLWINGS are coming and we're gonna paarrrrrrrtay!" Rikku was back to her usual self as the group headed to the Celsius once the administrative business had been taken care of.

"There will be plenty of time for that later tonight," Buddy said over his shoulder as he walked up the ramp. "First things first, you three need to practice."

"PRACTICE?!" Rikku gasped. "I'm too excited to practice!" She crossed her arms over her chest in a huff.

"Today, you practice. Tonight, you can get as excited as you want," Buddy smiled at her and put a hand on her shoulder. She scowled.

"Alright, Alright, let's get this over with!" Rikku huffed, giving Buddy a playful shove. The group followed buddy to the bridge where they found Brother pacing violently and throwing his arms around, yelling gibberish.

"Whoa! Hey! What's going on?!" Buddy cried out, startled.

"Shinra that little BRAT!" Brother yelled, stopping the pacing and gripping his hands into tight fists. "And right before World Tour Time! E fyc kuehk du puha uid knuibeac!" (I was going to bone out groupies!) Brother whined, slamming his fists down by his sides.

"What'd he say?" Yuna whispered to Paine.

"You don't want to know," Paine rolled her eyes.

"Easy Brother. What are you talking about?" Buddy tried to calm his friend.

"Just LOOK!" Brother cast a hand towards Shinra's console. His chair was empty and there was one sheet of paper taped to one of the screens.

"What the-" Buddy snatched the paper off the Screen.

"What is it?!" Rikku tried to get a look at the note.

"He's gone!" Buddy gasped.

"WHAT?!"

"He says he's part of a new project at an undisclosed location, he'll contact us and let us know more when he can," Buddy's shoulders sank.

"That's IT?" Rikku cried.

"That's it. He says thank you and he loves us and that he'll get in touch with us," Buddy set the note back down on Shinra's console.

"Can he just DO that?" Rikku put her hands on her hips.

"Sure he can," Buddy sighed.

"What are we supposed to do now?! The midget is the only one who knows how to work all of our stage equipment! He built it all!" Rikku cried.

"We can hire someone, it's fine," Buddy replied.

"I guess it finally really WAS his last mission," Yuna said, a sad smile on her face.

"He's been saying that so long I stopped believing him," Paine agreed.

"Well Boo hoo! He ditched us the day before a world tour and you two want to sit here and cry about it?! We're screwed!" Rikku threw her hands in the air.

"I am agreeing with Rikku. Where are we going to find someone ready to pack up and stay with us for a month by tomorrow?" Brother stood next to his younger sister.

"Oh no," Paine swallowed hard. "Something bad's going to happen."

"They agreed again?" Yuna looked at Paine.

"I'm gonna go change and tune up. See you girls there," Paine sighed and left the bridge.

"Do you need help, Buddy? We can make some calls?" Yuna tried.

"No, no. Go practice. Make sure you're at a hundred percent. I'll take care of this," Buddy assured her.

"Okay, call us in if you need anything!" Yuna said. Buddy was pushing her and Rikku out of the room.

"What are you going to do?" Brother turned to Buddy once all the girls were gone.

"I know a guy who'll do it." Buddy said after a long pause.

"And you think he will be here by tonight?" Brother asked, raising an eyebrow.

"If I word this correctly, he'll be here in an hour," Buddy said flatly.

"Can we PLEASE take five?" Rikku moaned after hours of practice. She was pouting behind her drum set, leaning her elbows on the snare drum and playing with the beads in her hair.

"Oh fine, you're slacking off anyway," Paine sighed.

"What?! We've been doing this all day!" Rikku snapped.

"Stop it!" Yuna held a hand up. "I'm tired and hungry too, I think we should have something to eat and take a break."

"Yay!" Rikku tossed her drumsticks behind her and bolted for the bar.

"Buddy, we're through practicing for now if you want to go over anything else for the tour," Yuna beeped Buddy up on the bridge. Barkeep set a few glasses of water down for the Gullwings.

"Thank you," Paine nodded at the hypello.

"You're welcome, Mish Paine," he nodded back softly. The door to the cabin flew open.

"Hey Cid's Girl." Gippal was standing between Buddy and Brother. Yuna gasped. Paine's eyes flew open and she reached to grab at the back of Rikku before she lunged at the door but there wasn't much to hold onto in her Rockstar Dressphere. She went for the next best thing and tried to grab Rikku's pony tail but the little blond was too quick.

"What are YOU doing here?!" She gave Gippal a hard shove in the shoulders. He fell back a step.

"Whoa! Nice to see you too, Princess!" He held his hands up.

"You let this scoundrel on board?" Rikku turned to Brother.

"I was not wanting to, but your little friend Buddy made me do it," Brother grumbled.

"You did?!" Rikku turned her rage on Buddy.

"Rikku," Buddy tried.

"You think you can just drop in on me, huh?" She pointed at Gippal. He stood tall, half cocky smile on his face, just listening to her. "See if I'm interested? WELL I'M NOT!" Rikku turned away for a few minutes.

"Rikku," Buddy started again.

"Keeping tabs on me? How many times do I have to tell you we're through, Gippal? All that stuff you said last time? I saw you with that Goers Cheerleader, I know what you're up to! And that waitress in Bevelle and I know about the bartender from downtown Luca, too!" Rikku put her hands on her hips and stood as tall as she could.

"Well, Sweetheart, as nice as this trip down memory lane has been, I think you should wrap it up. We have work to do," Gippal grinned.

"What kind of work? Buddy, is he hustling you two out of money trying to fix this ship for you again?" Rikku turned to Buddy, her green eyes still flaming.

"Hey, Cid's girl-"

"RIKKU."

"Huh?" Gippal squinted at her.

"My name. It's Rikku. I know you know it," she huffed.

"We've all certainly heard him scream it," Paine said out the corner of her mouth to Yuna whose face was a mixture of disgust and laughter.

"Well then, RIKKU," Gippal began. "Before you go accusing me of doing any 'hustling' I think you should know that HE called ME," Gippal put an arm around Buddy's shoulders. Rikku just stared back at them.

"You didn't." she said flatly.

"Well, with Shinra leaving so quickly, I panicked, we're booked in Besaid in two days and I needed someone who would be able to run all the equipment well," Buddy's voice was rising and he was inching behind Gippal. Rikku's eyes were getting angrier and angrier.

"E dumt oui cra fyc kuehk du gemm oui!" (I told you she was going to kill you!) Brother took a step behind Gippal as well. He didn't seem phased. Rikku stared back up at him.

"Yunie?" She snapped over her shoulder, still glaring at Gippal.

"Yes?" Yuna looked up, alarmed.

"I'm going to my apartment to get my things. Would you come with me?" Rikku asked.

"Of course!" Yuna smiled. Rikku grabbed Yuna's hand and pushed past the men in the doorway.

"Is Buddy out of his MIND?!" Rikku charged off the Celsius with Yuna following close behind her.

"Rikku, calm down!" Yuna tried not to laugh.

"I most certainly will not!" Rikku huffed. Her mind was made up and she stomped through the streets towards her apartment. Yuna did her best to keep up, pausing to switch to her gunner sphere. The short tight gray and purple halter dress and tall heeled boots were great for rocking out on stage, but hell on the cobble stoned streets of Luca. She had no idea how Rikku was moving so fast in stilettos, a barely there dark red mini and the black bathing suit top she was barely wearing. Rikku also sported a pair of fish net tights. Yuna had hers removed from the sphere. They were too much for her.

"I'll let you get this out of your system tonight, but you're going to have to accept it. Gippal's coming on tour with us," Yuna said as Rikku threw open her front door and barged into her apartment. She left the door wide open behind her.

"Why weren't we consulted on this?" Rikku stomped right through the kitchen and living room to her bedroom.

"Probably because Buddy knew this is how you would react!" Yuna closed the front door and followed her younger cousin.

"Then maybe he shouldn't have asked him to come!" Rikku was standing in front of her closet throwing things onto her bed to take with her.

"He was in a jam and Gippal can help us. You know he's the best at this kind of stuff." Yuna dodged flying mini skirts and boots.

"DON'T flatter him like that! What are you doing on their side with all of this?!" Rikku yelled, moving to her dresser and grabbing things out of it and hucking them towards the bed.

"Oh Rikku, you know I'm just telling the truth. Maybe this time on the road will give you two that final push to get over whatever is between you," Yuna sighed.

"There is NOTHING between us!" Rikku stopped in her throwing and turned to give Yuna a hard look.

"Whatever you say," Yuna held her hands up and backed out of the room. "I'm going to get something to drink, do you want anything?" she headed for the kitchen.

"Get me a beer," Rikku huffed.

"It's five o'clock in the afternoon!" Yuna laughed.

"Sounds about right to me!" Rikku snapped, stuffing everything on her bed into a trunk.

"So what are you doing here, you dirty little mechanic?" Paine asked, coming up behind Gippal in the engine room where Shinra stored most of the equipment before he left.

"Ah, Dr. P. What a sight you are for sore eyes," Gippal hugged Paine around the neck and she shrugged him off.

"That may work on bimbos, but not on me, Pal," Paine gave him a playful jab in the shoulder. Gippal laughed. "So really. You thought this would be a good idea?" Paine raised an eyebrow at him.

"Of course," He gave her his trademark grin. "She can't resist me."

"Well, from what we saw earlier she is just DYING to throw you down into bed!" Paine said sarcastically.

"You laugh now, Dr. P. I'll get her. This is exactly what I need," Gippal pointed at the speakers.

"A crappy roadie job?" Paine smirked.

"We're LIVING together, Paine. In tight quarters. For a month." Gippal smiled wider.

"Oh god, I hadn't even THOUGHT of the possibilities," Paine put a hand over her mouth.

"She won't be able to resist me," Gippal smiled confidently and wiped some sweat off his brow. "It's hot as hell in here!"

"It really is. Look, I don't want to damage your indestructible pride or anything, but Rikku might not be exactly who you think she is anymore. I don't know how to say this but I think she's over it." Paine said.

"Trust me, Paine. I know how she works. She's NEVER over it," Gippal smiled deviously.

"And another thing!" Rikku slurred, dragging her trunk behind her as she and Yuna walked back to the Celsius four beers later. "What is with the pink outfit? You know, I told him after Vegnagun and all of that that if he was going to be with me? That pink outfit had to go. He still wears it sometimes you know. And do you know WHY Yunie?" she pointed at Yuna who was trying not to laugh.

"Why?" she humored her.

"To SPITE me! He knows I hate it!" Rikku struggled with her trunk as she tripped in her heels.

"Rikku, stop it. You know that's not true," Yuna said, helping her cousin up the loading ramp onto the ship.

"YES IT IS!" Rikku yelled.

"Sounds like trouble!" Buddy laughed as Rikku and Yuna made their way to the engine room to store her trunk.

"A whole trunk? I didn't know a girl like you could fill a whole trunk what with the size of all these outfits you're wearing!" Gippal looked up from the equipment. Rikku rolled her eyes.

"I'm dying laughing inside, really I promise," she pretended to gag.

"How's it going, Gippal? Have you got everything figured out?" Buddy asked. He was standing next to Rikku shifting nervously with a folder.

"So far so good. I've almost got it all set. I may even be able to get you some more power out of these babies," Gippal replied.

"Excellent!" Buddy smiled wide.

"Buuuuuddyyyyy" Rikku whined, grabbing Buddy's arm and leaning on his shoulder. "Does he HAVE to come?" she gave him a pair of drunk puppy dog eyes. She was REALLY good at that. Buddy hated it.

"If we want this tour to work out, then yes," Buddy softened a little.

"REALLY?" she tried harder, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning on him with her whole body. She wasn't wearing much. She never was. It was killing him.

"Really."

"Cuh uv y pedlr!" (son of a bitch!) Rikku cried and pushed herself off of Buddy. "I'm going to my room. Don't any of you follow me! I'm getting ready to go out!" she stormed off and Buddy watched her leave.

"Well," Paine snorted. "I can see just how irresistible you are, Sir."

"Can it, Paine." Gippal snapped.

"You think she's okay?" Buddy turned with concern to Yuna.

"She'll be fine, she already started drinking, we need to let her go party it off. You know how she is," Yuna waved a hand. "I'm going to have a lie down before I start getting things ready." Yuna left the engine room. Buddy continued to fidget.

"Don't worry, Buddy. I'm going to go out with her tonight and keep an eye on her," Paine sighed.

"Would you?" He looked thankfully at her.

"Of course," Paine replied.

"I'll see you later tonight, then. I need to clear up some last minute logistic stuff." Buddy headed back towards the bridge.

"What's his deal?" Gippal pointed after Buddy with a screwdriver in his hand.

"What do you mean?" Paine shrugged.

"He's acting like a wuss. And he was even weirder when Cid's girl was in here," Gippal replied.

"Oh, that. He likes her," Paine replied, nonchalant.

"WHAT?" Gippal stood up a little straighter.

"He's always been into her," Paine looked at her fingernails. She didn't really care for the gossip of the Celsius. "I thought you knew that."

"I most certainly did NOT know that!" Gippal snapped. He put a hand to his head.

"Little wrench in the works of your plan?" Paine raised an eyebrow.

"Does she like him?" Gippal asked.

"Are you afraid of a little competition?" Paine smirked.

"Does she like him or not?" Gippal persisted.

"Maybe?" Paine shrugged.

"STOP IT! Just tell me!" he begged.

"I did. Maybe she does and maybe she doesn't? How would I know?" Paine replied truthfully. "Looks like you've got ALL kinds of work cut out for you." Paine tapped some more of the sound equipment as she headed for the stairs.