Disclaimer: I do not own the Cake Song :-)

Rikku and Gippal continued along the Highroad for another two hours, as Gippal had estimated, and Rikku allowed him a few times to take out fiends without her help. He seemed to be happy to show her the machina that the Faction had been making lately, but all of it went through one ear and out the other. When they got to the travel agency, Rikku stopped walking as Gippal and she came to the spot on the Highroad that she remembered Yuna told her about. Yuna had told her that if she was ever going on a date to ask to go there. She even told Rikku that it was the perfect place to watch the sun set. Gippal turned and looked at her with a questioning gaze.

"It's nothing. This place just reminds me of some things." She said. He took her hand and pulled her along with him. They sat down in the grass and dirt and watched the horizon silently. Gippal wrapped his arm around her and Rikku rested her head on his shoulder. The sun was slowly setting, and she closed her eyes. She went into a daze, thinking about everything and nothing. She wondered what she wanted to do with her life. She wondered if she wanted to keep Gippal in her life. She wondered if Gippal wanted to even keep her in his life. She frowned. What if I'm just another girl? He'll like me for a little while, but four months isn't long, and we weren't even dating. We dated for six months, and we probably would've gone longer if he hadn't gone to the Crimson Squad. I was over him until I saw him again. Maybe it was just a rush of memories? Lust, maybe? We've changed. I'm not Cid's Girl anymore. And he knows it. Gippal nudged her gently.

"Hey. Don't fall asleep on me!" he said quietly. Rikku smiled.

"Sorry." She said. She watched the sun. It only had a little ways longer until it would disappear behind the ocean view. "Gippal? Have you ever done this with someone else?" Rikku asked. She felt him shake his head.

"This would be the first time I've done this with someone else since…" he trailed off. Rikku looked up at him. He looked troubled. "… since my mother died. We used to watch from the oasis." He finished. Rikku cuddled closer to him, and he tightened his hold around her shoulders.

"I miss your mom." She said. Sure, she remembered her own mother vividly. But Gippal's mom was there for her when she had trouble with things that she couldn't talk to Cid about. Except, of course, when she had problems with Gippal. Then she just had to deal.

"Me too."

"Too bad she and Pops didn't get married." She said. Gippal shrugged.

"I'm glad they didn't. I can't date my sister." Rikku giggled a bit. They continued to watch the sun. It was only seconds away from disappearing. Rikku leaned forward eagerly. Suddenly, there was a flash of green (A/N: Yes this actually happens! I've never seen it, but I know it happens.) and the sun was gone. Rikku gasped when the green shot across the sky brilliantly. It was only there for a moment, but it was one of the most wondrous things Rikku had ever seen. She had never seen green in the sky before. Gippal rested the side of his head on Rikku's and watched the ocean. It sparkled in what was left of the sun. Rikku suddenly felt afraid. This was the same cliff that Gippal had pushed her off of in her dream. She quite suddenly scuttled away from the edge, slipping out form underneath Gippal's arm. Gippal looked at her in confusion.

"Safety… cliffs have been know to kill." She said. Gippal smiled and stayed where he was, turning back to the water. Rikku watched him for a moment then crawled forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her chin on his shoulder. Gippal turned his head and looked at her.

"So, what next?" she asked, smiling at the water. Gippal thought for a moment.

"A walk on the… not so lovely Mushroom Rock Road." He said. Rikku laughed,

"Ooo, sounds enticing."

"Just another thing to add to the list."

"Huh?" Gippal confused her sometimes. Most of the time, things made sense to him that didn't make sense to other people, and vice versa.

"Nothing." Rikku stood up, and so did he. Rikku grabbed Gippal's hand, staring at the water that was so far away and slowly backed away from the cliff. Gippal laughed. "Since when've you been afraid of heights?" he asked. Rikku glared sternly at him.

"Since you pushed me off a cliff!" she said. Gippal was obviously baffled.

"But… I never-."

"Never mind!" Rikku said, pulling his hand roughly and then letting go, running towards the other half of the Highroad. "I'll race you!" she said.

"I'll win!" he said, not too far behind her. She turned and started to run. In all truth, they may have been eighteen and nineteen, but they were still fifteen and sixteen at heart.

They both stopped at the entrance to Mushroom Rock Road and Gippal doubled over, gasping for breath. Rikku only bent her head back. Though Gippal was in as much shape as she was, she had the endurance to run. Following Yuna around Spira for two years made sure of that.

"Not… not bad Cid's Girl." Gippal said, still doubled over. Rikku glared at him.

"Why do I never have a name?" she snapped. He put up his hands in submission.

"Just a joke." He said, his breath returning.

"Better hope it was." Rikku grumbled. She didn't know why it got to her so much about Gippal's nickname for her. Probably since she couldn't remember a time when she wasn't friends with him. Even though he was usually mean to her when she tried to talk to him in front of his friends, he always apologized to her later and asked her to please not bug him when he was with his friends. She hadn't ever been very happy about that, and he had gotten into a severe wrestling match with her a few times because of it. And yet he still didn't know her name! She turned away from him with her arms crossed angrily around her chest. He walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Are you just gonna stand there or do I have to carry you to Djose?" he asked, his hands absentmindedly tracing the hem of her skirt. She grinned.

"Hmm… piggyback sounds good!" she said excitedly. Gippal hadn't given her a piggyback ride since she was ten. He sighed and spun around, waiting for her to jump on.

"I was hoping you'd say no." he mumbled. Rikku jumped on his back all the same and held onto his shoulders. His arms locked around her knees and he started to walk down the road. "It's a good thing you're light." He said. Rikku kicked her feet forward and back, wondering if it was making it any more difficult for him.

"It comes with the package of saving the world. Great bod."

"I think this whole saving the world thing is going to your head Cid's Girl." He said. She kicked back randomly. Judging by the way he lost his breath for a moment and took a step back, she had either hit him in the stomach or the chest.

"You try it sometime. It's something that most people would like to boast about. Of course, from what I heard about your speech, you only mentioned Yuna! What about me and Paine? We did a hell of a lot of work out there and you only said, "We need to thank a very special lady!"" Gippal laughed.

"I'm sure you would've gotten credit if she had decided to stay for a speech of her own. But, she had to run home and meet that Tiduck guy. And besides, I had already worn Vegnagun down for you." Gippal said, resuming his walk.

"Tidus. And I'll have you know that they love each other very much and any day now Tidus will be asking her to marry him." Rikku chose to ignore that last part.

"Yeah, and what're they doing till then?" That earned him another kick in the chest. "You're going to be losing your ride soon, Oh Savior!"

"Yeah well what about you?"

"Huh?"

"Do you love me?" she asked. She suddenly found herself staring at him, one of his arms under her knees, the other around her back.

In a graceful move, Gippal somehow spun Rikku off his shoulder and he held her like she was a princess, and he had just saved her from a dragon.

"Of course I love you."

"Oh, so you would be happy if I did love you? But do you love me?" Gippal straightened, an odd expression on his face. Almost like he thought she already knew the answer to the question.

"Of course I love you!"

"I mean actually love me." Rikku said, at the moment oblivious to the fact that they were having the sort of conversation they did when they were eight. If they like liked each other or not.

Rikku stared up at Gippal incredulously. Gippal sighed.

"Why is it that whenever I tell you I love you, you never believe me?" he asked. Rikku shook her head.

"No! It's not that! It's just… You haven't told me you loved me since the day at the oasis."

"I got accepted to the Crimson Squad… and I don't want you to think much about me while I'm there."

Rikku was starting to get sick of these memories flying out of her head. She slipped her arms around his neck with a whimper.

"I love you too." She said. Gippal's hand slipped out from under her knees and she was lowered onto the ground. He took a step away from her and held out his hand.

"So, would you like to dance with me, miss?" he asked. Rikku looked at him as if he were crazy.

"There's no music."

"There is in my head."

"But I'm not a good dancer."

"Well I can make up for you. I've been told I'm a wonderful dancer."

"What, for grinding?"

"No… slow dancing…"

"Only because you're the only thing holding them up, they're so smashed."

"D'you have to be so picky?" Rikku giggled and took his hand. He immediately spun her into his arms. Rikku was only a one way dancer. You put your hands on the guys' shoulders, and you step back and forth. Gippal was better. He knew how to dance. Rikku went into a giggle fit as he dipped her low.

"I'm sure half the girls you danced with passed out about then." Gippal laughed as he brought her back up.

"Most of the time." He remarked. Minutes later, with much foot stepping on (to Gippal's toes dismay, even through his leather boots), Rikku pulled away from him.

"Why're you so… different?" she asked. She wasn't worried. She was only curious. Gippal shrugged.

"A lot of the Faction's been telling me to do this thing called "settle down"." he said, shivering. "Telling me to fall in love, check, get married, uncheck, have kids, uncheck, and buy a big house, semi-check."

"Semi-check?"

"Djose Temple's not exactly… mine." He said. Rikku laughed.

"Of course. But you know, I don't know what priest would want it back now that machina have been crawling around in the Chamber of the Fayth. It just wouldn't do for them. So, what're we gonna do when we get back to Djose?" she asked, clasping her hands behind her back and walking slow. Gippal fell into step with her, staring out at the stars.

"Well… d'you like hot chocolate?" he said with a grin.

"Well, I know a pretty kickass recipe for hot chocolate. Sound good?" Gippal asked, keeping his tone steady. Rikku grinned up at him.

"Let me guess… it's the 'old powdered just add milk water or both and you're done' kickass recipe?" she asked.

Rikku growled. "These are getting way to frequent…"

"Hm?"

"Nothing! And yes, I happen to be very fond of hot chocolate."

"Almost as fond as you are of me?" he asked hopefully. Rikku kept a straight face.

"You've got it mixed up. I'm almost as fond of you as I am of hot chocolate. But you're getting there, kid."

"Hey, y'can't call me a kid if I'm older than you."

"Not unless I speak words of wisdom."

"Which those were?"

"Mmm-hmm. In fact, I deserve to call you kid much more often than I do, I just decide not to."

"Of course."

"Mm-hm." They walked on, Rikku singing the cake song in the absence of conversation, with Gippal firmly placing his hands over his ears. (A/N: I realize the cake song wouldn't be in Spira, but I couldn't resist.)

"It's a piece of cake to make a pretty cake. If the way is hazy, you gotta do the cooking by the book. You know you can't be lazy. Never use a messy recipe. The cake will end up crazy. If you do the cooking by the book, then you'll have a cake. We gotta have it made, you know that I love cake, finally it's time to make a c-"

"Will it never end?!" Gippal yelled, clamping his hand over Rikku's mouth. She scrabbled at his hands for a few moments, until giving up. He took his hand hesitantly away from her mouth, and she bit at his hand, causing him to yelp and quickly take his hand away before it got caught in her teeth. He only scowled at her for a few minutes, and then seemed to get over it. Boys get over things fast.

Gippal opened the door to Djose and looked around inside before beckoning her in.

"Why so sneaky, super spy?" Rikku asked, waltzing in much more casually than Gippal had. He laughed a bit nervously.

"You never know what will trigger the prototypes defense systems." He said, looking at the shut off machina that hung from the walls. Rikku walked towards his room.

"Got any machina in your room that I should be worried about?"

"Nothing except that CommSphere. Though I'm pretty sure there's some sort of laser in there. Shinra's idea of a joke." Rikku laughed. Shinra had never had the best sense of humor in Rikku's opinion. Or maybe it was just because her sense of humor was a widely spread one.

"So, d'you still have actual chocolate, or have you converted to powdered mix like the rest of Spira?" Rikku asked, sitting down on his bed.

"Hmmm… I'm pretty sure I have chocolate somewhere in here." He said, opening the fridge. Rikku couldn't imagine Gippal's room without a stash of chocolate hidden away somewhere. "Aha!" he pulled out a bar of chocolate and held it up as if it was a trophy. "And I happen to not have a stove in here so… we're gonna have to use the gel."

"Your hair gel?"

"No! We need something less flammable." He said, his voice sounding scandalized, and started picking through a chest. Rikku just smiled, watching.

"I thought you had this all planned out." She said.

"I did! The hot chocolate was an after thought. Asking you out back there reminded me of when I first asked you out. Found it!" he pulled out a small gel and pulled back the lid to reveal a pink gel. He pulled out a box of matches and then set it on fire, jumping back as it flared. Rikku giggled. Klutzy!

"I take it you're still a fan of milk?" he said, going back once again to the small fridge next to his bed.

"Half and half, actually." She replied, taking her boots off and lounging on his bed.

"Ooh, Cid's Girl's growing up." The reply to that was a pillow in his face. Rikku picked up his CommSphere.

"Y'know, you never notice me when I'm on here."

"I do too… sometimes… but you know when I'm in my room, it's usually for a nap."

"I bet I could do your job better than you could! Lazy…" Rikku said, setting the CommSphere back where it was.

"Yeah, I'd like to see you try!"

"Fine, maybe I will."

"But… you can't-."

"Can't butt in on your job?"

"Yeah!"

"Yeah, yeah, just pay attention to your hot chocolate." Gippal glowered as he waited for the liquids to heat up. Once they were finished, he held out the mug to Rikku. She stared at him.

"Right." He pulled out a can of whipped cream and made a tower of it over her cup.

"Why thank you." Rikku said, sipping from the mug and being careful not to get any of the cream on her face. Gippal put his mug down.

"Alright, close your eyes!" he said. Rikku looked at him suspiciously. "Pleeeeease?" AAAGH! The-the face! The pout! No… must-not-BREAK! GAH!

"Rrgh! Fine…" Rikku shut her eyes timidly. Seconds passed. "Gippal?" DAMMIT! ALL OVER MY FACE! WHIPPED-CREAMRikku lifted her arms and wiped the whipped cream from her face, looking at it closely. She heard a clink as Gippal put the can down.

"Sorry princess. Had to do it." He said with a smirk. I should've expected that… Rikku jumped up and tackled him, being sure to rub her face against his to get the cream off. "Gah! No! Not the hair-!" They continued to wrestle until to both of their surprises, Gippal had Rikku pinned down to the floor. Rikku wiggled in every way she could, trying to break out of his grip, then soon gave up. Dammit… well, least I know what's coming next. And of course, she was right. Gippal leaned down and kissed her gently, rolling so she was on top of him and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. Things always end like this… Rikku eventually pulled away from him and watched him carefully.

"Something's up…" she said. He grinned.

"What is?" he asked, reaching up and running his fingers lightly through her hair.

"You should know! You're planning something!" she said, trying to sound at least a bit angry, not scared. She had an idea of what Gippal was planning.

"What am I planning?" he asked, sitting up and kissing her again, his hands wandering to the buttons on her shirt. Ah, life can be good sometimes…