"Rikku?" A familiar but gruff voice spoke with vague recognition sounding full of anguish and concern. This had not been at all what she expected. Disoriented, she forced her eyes open looking up at the dark face. Only able to
see the silhouette of a person's head leaning over her, she became aware of her orientation. She was laying on the ground, propped up slightly against a tree. This new information was echoed by the ache of the hard roots
against her back. The bright moonlight highlighted the spikey wet strands of hair that belonged to the familiar stranger who had said her name. With intentional gentleness the voice spoke again slowly, treating each word as if
it were it's own sentence. "I'm not.. going to hurt you. You're safe now, I've got you"
Safe? The enigmatic word replayed in her thoughts like an echo. Can I trust this person? She questioned herself still weak with the heavy fog that threatened to bring her back into unconsciousness. Despite her uncertainty, her
legs relaxed at the mans words. The image of the man standing over her blurred and darkened as she felt herself slowly slipping under again. "You're hurt!" The voice said repulsed with a hint of anger before slowly fading out.
The only things she could recall after that were the sequences of rain hitting her cheeks and then stopping again as the figure worked over her diligently.
When she awoke again it was dark and startlingly quiet in comparison to her violent nightmares. Her first thought was that she had died. Her sharp senses and attuned hearing disproved that possibility. The hard ground
underneath her had been replaced by something much softer now. A bed?... "where am I..?" she thought to herself. Reaching for anything in the darkness, the first thing her hand encountered was a blanket..the second she
couldn't quite identify. Hard and warm, she traced her hand over it curiously. Her heart stopped suddenly when her exploring hand was matched with a shifting and a quiet groan. A warm hand clasped over her wrist and she
jerked back letting out a an ear-piercing scream. The bed under her shook violently for a moment before a bright light flooded her eyes. "What the hell is going on!..?" The familiar man's voice exclaimed obviously startled awake
by her scream. Sitting up, she took in her environment with panicked eyes. Squinting against the brightness, the first thing she noticed was the man in front of her. He was half laying in the bed next to her and now held her
wrist in his strong hand against his chest. After a few long seconds, the stranger's face clicked in her head. "G-Gippal?" She stuttered with a shaking voice. Suddenly remembering Rikku had no idea what had happened, he freed
her hand from his which had instinctively tightened around her wrist from shock. "W-what are you doing! Sicko!" she shrieked and quickly got out of bed. "Hey! It's not whatever you're thinking!" He insisted defensively. He stood
up quickly holding his hands out for her but catching himself before doing so. "Look I really think you should lay down right now you're in no condition to be walking around." he said sternly. "I will leave if you want but I'll feel
much better once you're resting" "I'm fine..you big meanie..." As if to contradict her words, she swayed dizzily momentarily losing her balance. The room shifted and her feet suddenly felt as though they weren't pushing against
the ground any longer. Gippal's arms were immediately around her despite her protests."Hey..." His voice was soft and warm. "You've lost a lot of blood...don't do this" He whispered. She shook her head stubbornly but she felt
too weak to argue. He walked her slowly back to the bed and she sat obediently. "Gippal...?" She tried to say, her voice growing quieter from exhaustion and confusion. "What's wrong?" He replied sitting at the bottom of the
bed measuring her expression. Just as she was about to ask a question she stopped herself realizing she already knew the answer. She instead chose a question that would be easier to answer.."How long have I been
asleep?"
..Something about this question seemed to embarrass him a little. "You've been asleep for about four days.."