Bang, Bang 2: Al Bhed Assassins

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy X-2

AN: This turned out longer than I expected. And I finally have decided upon a plot and I think it's one you might like as readers. I'll need your support, however, as well as your reviews. Thank you.

Chapter 1: Admiration before Ambition

I was sleeping soundly in my room, my hand tracing the wooden floor as I slept. Nearly seven months had passed since I last saw my cousin…since I had destroyed my lie of a life. I didn't think about it too much afterwards; it wasn't healthy to dwell on the past when the present was throbbing for attention. Besides, what good would it do me?

A knock on the door dragged me back into the conscious world. Nevertheless, the bed comforted me more, pulling me deeper into a thick resolve to remain sleep, however the knocks came harder and I had no choice but to answer it. I grabbed my old thief blades, grudgingly making my way to the door.

"Rammu? Fru'c drana?" I asked, pressing my ear against the door. Living in Bikanel Desert was good for my health, but it proved to be home to many shady characters, especially at night.

"Ubah ib. Ed'c sa, Gippal." The man on the other side of the door was barely audible, and yet I managed to hear him just the same.

"Gippal?" I questioned, a little perturbed that he decided to make random, late night visits to my house. I growled inwardly to myself, rummaging my pockets for the keys. "Fryd tu oui fyhd? Tu oui ghuf fryd desa ed ec?"

"Zicd ubah dra tysh tuun, Rikku!" he yelled back, kicking the door with his boot. Initially, that display of masculinity shocked me. However, my backbone came back and I growled again, opening the door.

The rugged man before me smiled slightly, pulling me into his greatly toned body. He walked around half-naked in the desert nights, which meant skin-to-skin whenever he stopped by at night. I, myself, wore little more than a skimpy undershirt and low-cut shorts in the desert, where temperatures easily hit low 100s without thought.

"How was I supposed to know it was you, Gippal?" I groaned, tossing myself back into bed, blades dropped beside my boots. "Could have been some eteud banjand trying to get a free feel."

Gippal glanced over at me with a twisted smile, taking a chair from the kitchen and dragging it through the small hallway to the back of the hut. He pulled it up beside my bed and stared at me as I lay sleepily on its edge, lazing sitting as he did so. I peered up at him through dreamy green eyes whose swirls seemed as intense as moonlight.

As I rolled onto my back, I couldn't help but notice the dingy colored walls, or, for that matter, the cramped living conditions we'd been forced into. The small house had about four rooms; a bedroom in the back with a door, a kitchen, bathroom and a small, possible second bedroom near the front. Gippal and I had managed to turn that into a storage room, like a roomy closet.

"You worry too much," said Gippal in his cool voice, just as laid back as a high-school jock with a perfect GPA. "Besides…I've been out looking for a new job for us, so that's why I was out all night." I shot him a furtive glace, as though I didn't believe him, which I didn't. 'Honestly. Hell, I even found us a new boss somewhere in Macalania. Apparently – and this is according to the circulating rumors – she's looking for assassins."

"More killing then?" I asked in despair, rolling over so my back was to him. I hated the thought of killing, despite the fact we were so good at it. "For once, Gippal, can't you find us an honest job – like digging up our ruins? It's our history, too, Gippal!"

"Come on, Rikku," said Gippal, trying to protest his case to me. He sat on the edge of my bed, but I didn't want to look back at him. "We need the money. We can't stay in our homelands forever and not pay some sort of rent. It's hard for the Al Bhed too, you know. It's just something we've got to get along with and you know it."

"…What does she need for us to do?" I asked after a moment, pulling the cover up over my shoulders. In all actuality, we both knew there was nothing much else we could do. Money was tight and if we wanted to live here, we had to do what needed to be done. "I mean, who do we have to kill?"

"Well, that I don't know," said Gippal, stripping down to his pants as he slid in under the covers with me. "We'll be meeting up with her tomorrow. I arranged for us to get a ride into a near-by town and we'll walk from there. I'm sure she'll be more willing to tell us then, won't she?"

I shuddered as our bodies touched, his arms wrapping around me. I turned to face him, my palms pressed against his strong chest as his green eyes peered down at me, a dangerous smile dancing in this emerald glimmers. Despite his cool demeanor, he could actually be really sincere and sometimes, he was even really emotional and involved. These moments made me realize just how special it was to have someone there with me.

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The next morning I lay awake, aimlessly staring at the brown ceiling, all amusement gone from me. In the course of several months, I'd been forced to grow up, been forced to leave behind everything I thought I ever knew. It wasn't fair, but that was one of the consequences I was forced to deal with because of my actions. Sadly, that was something else I'd learned from what I'd done, from growing up, it seems.

Gippal had already left, venturing out into the cool morning to finalize our transport arrangements. We were supposed to take a ship to the mainland and then travel through Guadosalam into the Thunder Plains and finally to Macalania.

With a sigh, I rolled out of bed and into the bathroom. I washed my hair, getting the grainy bits of sand from my body and then dried off. I took fifteen minutes putting my hair in a half-braided style before returning to the back bedroom.

I reached into my drawer and pulled out a pair of green shorts, along with a red-yellow belt. I pulled these up over my underwear and proceeded to search for my orange shirt with the attached blue scarves, pulling it over my head. I took my goggles out and wrapped them around my neck, getting my armbands out and putting them on, along with my boots and weapon bag attached to my leg.

"This feels like three year ago," I groaned, staring at myself in a broken mirror. I suppose some things never changed.

And changed into my old clothes, originally adapted from my style for the desert life. It consisted of the green pants, orange tank and leg-bag. I packed my God Hand and waited on the bed for Gippal to knock at my back door.

It was so boring.

Someone knocked on the back door softly, which made me think it might have been a stranger. I stood up and walked over towards the door, my head pressed to the doorpost as I slowly pried it open.

"Ur, rammu, Rikku," said Shinra softly, peering up at me from his digger's suit. I furrowed my brow in annoyance as he twirled his fingers together out of a nervous habit. "Ruf yna oui tuehk?"

"Fro yna oui uh so tuuncdab, Shinra?" I asked in annoyance, opening the door further to properly scold him. "E cfayn ed'c y luhcbenylo."

"Famm, mad sa kad tufh du ed, drah," said Shinra, slightly put out as his hands dropped, I noticed rather maternally. Mentally I slapped myself for being so observant. "E's rana palyica Gippal cyet oui dfu haatat y neta. Fa rybbah du pa kuehk dryd fyo, Pnudran, Pitto yht E, dryd ec. Fuimt oui mega y neta drana uh dra Celsius po lryhla?"

I shrugged, returning to grab my bag and walked out, locking the door behind me. Shinra followed behind me as I stalked off into the dim, golden horizon where Gippal was standing. I simply huffed childishly, something he usually awarded with a smile.

I suppose it's best I explain this to you now. I'm still the same Rikku – it's just that now I'm atoning for my previous actions by trying to help the world in any way that I am able. I might not smile as much as I used to, or giggle or laugh. All the same, I'm still Rikku.

"Ah, there you are," said Gippal, holding his arms out to me. He patted my head softly, motioning towards a very tattooed Brother, who stood there stupidly beside Buddy. "We're all friends here, aren't we?"

"I don't think Brother's too accepting of this," said Buddy with a rare smile. I stared up at the sky in despair, searching for even the tiniest glimmer of hope, finding none. "Either way, just leaving you wouldn't be nice either – Cid would be mortified if we left his little girl here all alone in the hands of random Al Bhed."

"So, let's get going then, shall we?" said Gippal, in a rush to get everything done with before anyone was the wiser. I couldn't blame him; in our "line of work" it was better to get in and get out before anyone decided it was their right to ask you questions. "We've got to be somewhere soon, so that we can hitch ourselves a ride and maybe get something to eat along the way."

"Before we go," said Brother rather rudely, cutting Gippal with his eyes coldly, "we've got stop to make. Our needs come first, got that? I'm the captain on this ship and we do as I say!" Brother did his worst impression of trying to be serious, which, in all honestly, brought me closer to laughing than anything else. He was the funniest person I'd ever met, really, especially when he was trying to prove a point in his nasally accent.

"Sure thing, Brother," said Gippal in his breezy, jock demeanor. Sometimes he was such an arrogant jerk, so full of himself and I hated that more than he knew. I wasn't the only one, however; Brother hated it far more than I did, especially given our relationship. "Rikku and I will just finish some things here before we get ready to go. Just…give us a call why don't you?"

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I fell against the bad in a wild fury, Gippal's mouth hot on my neck as my hands instinctively reached for his wild, golden hair. As I tugged at those thick tendrils, his mouth found mine, our tongues interlacing in heated glory, neither of us able to tell up from down in our passion.

Gippal was an aggressive lover and as such, he carefully but forcefully pulled through the thin layers of my clothes, leaving me into nothing but flesh. He left hot, pink marks on my shoulders, his teeth becoming fierce as he nibbled away at my soul. I removed his shirt, my mouth pressing firmly to his chest as I trailed my tongue up his neck.

"Rikku…" he moaned into my neck, grabbing me firmly by the thicket of my hair.

He bit down roughly into my neck as I removed the bulk of his clothing, leaving only his baggy pants. Gippal lifted me to his mouth, kissing me softly although it never once lacked its usual fervor. I felt myself falling to a realm of fantasy and childish lust, heady passion and untamed desire.

Gippal trailed his fingers down my stomach, his palm pressing gently against my golden mound, his index finger sliding into a warm, wet nook. I groaned as he held me up, forcing me to watch as his tantalizing finger tormented my inner core of passion. I gasped breathlessly, sitting up on my elbows, his right hand splayed against my tensed back; my eyes beheld his skillful mastery of the sexual game and I lusted more for this man who was mine.

The man decided torture was more fun and, in such a mind set, pressed another finger to my already throbbing core, pleasure pulsating throughout my body. In a subconscious acceptance, my body fell lax against his arm, furious want rushing through every pore, through every vein within my body.

"Gippal!" I groaned, taking hold of his pants, pressing our bodies together closely.

Gippal gave a wry smile, lifting my naked body onto him as my feet absentmindedly pushed down his pants just far enough for him to engage. He pulled my down onto his throbbing member, his length filling my depth as he plunged into my wet, warm folds. My body shuddered in the aftermath of the first full thrust, my mouth to his neck, arms draped over his shoulders.

I moaned into his neck as he pressed me into the bed's embrace, his palms pinning my shaking shoulders down as he thrust into me with a mounting force. I could feel the beads of sweat spill forth onto my bare flesh, his face scrunched up in a hazy want of release. Inside of me, I could feel my desire, my passion reaching its unbearable end. In truth, I wished only for that one moment of sheer bliss – where our bodies became one in a synchronized liberation.

As my heart pounded beneath the flesh of my body, I reached up in a instant and caressed Gippal's face, his eyes suddenly becoming clear. I wrapped my arms around his body as he stroked in and out of me relentlessly, our heated bodies pressed together in glorious contact, and inevitably, an explosion erupted. The man collapsed atop of me, his chest pressed against mine, heaving just as I was. Synchronism washed over us in a wave of satisfied pleasure, leaving our bodies limp and searing from our passionate desires.

"Rikku…"

but I already knew what he was about to say and rather than allow him to put such thoughts into words, I kissed him deeply and silenced the thought.

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The Celsius hadn't changed much since the Gullwings disbanded. Nevertheless, it seemed unbearably quiet while prowling the levels of our old home. Memories of YRP still floated vividly in my mind, a painful ball of reminiscent thoughts the inevitable result, followed closely by disclosed tears and whimpering. Of course, Gippal was never around. I hated letting him see me cry.

I found my way to the elevator shaft and before I knew it, I was back on the bridge, walking towards the four men who I knew as Al Bhed kin. Brother was, of course, my brother; Buddy was a friend of the family and Shinra was just some kid we found. He's a real genius though, so we let him stay aboard the Celsius three years ago. Strangely enough, that left Gippal and my actual relation to him was rather complicated in the end.

"So why are you two headed towards Macalania?" asked Buddy curiously as he helped to pilot the Celsius alongside Brother.

Anxiously I turned to Gippal, hoping he'd rescue me from the awkwardness I knew was to come had I said anything about our reason, be it real or otherwise. Like always, he came to my aid when I needed him, supplementing me with a possible yet unlikely answer.

"Why, I'm taking Cid's little girl down to Macalania Temple so that we can spend some quality time and have a date or something without the scorching heat and irritable sand getting in the way," said Gippal, placing his hands firmly on my shoulders, shaking me gently. "Besides, sometimes we need a change in scenery too, you know. Unlike you, we don't have a ship that let's us go all over Spira whenever we want."

"What about your Machine Faction at Djose?" asked Buddy, never missing a beat.

It was a widely known fact that Gippal was the "master" of the abandoned Djose Temple, and as such, he had specific duties. Not only that, but he was the leader of the Machine Faction, a collection of Al Bhed dedicated to resurrecting their old Home buy uncovering artifacts buried in the Bikanel Desert.

"I've decided to be more hands on, you know," said Gippal coolly, brushing past me as to avert Buddy's attention. "So, what were you fellahs up to that made you head that way? Found some new spheres, have you?"

"Nah, nothing of the sort," said Buddy, waving his hand as if he meant to say "Brush it off."

"So then what?" I asked, now suddenly interested.

"Fa vuiht cusadrehk cesemyn du y cbrana," said Brother in our native tongue, feeling more comfortable in that language, as all of us aboard were Al Bhed natives. "Nydran, fa'na hud cina fryd ed ec. Ymm fa ghuf ec dryd ed'c naytehk mega y cbrana yht oui ghuf fryd dryd sayhc. Fa'na kuehk du ku tuhfh yht veht ed.

"Cu dryd'c fro oui kyja ic y neta," I responded, sighing deeply in frustration. I stepped closer, glaring at the back of his tattooed head angrily before groaning, "Ajanodrehk'c dfu cetat fedr oui, ech'd ed, Brother?"

"So…we're off to where then?"

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AN: Uhm…Reviews make me happy

As always,

MotokoForever