I told you the new chapter would be up soon, and I'm working on chapter 3 now. Please review so I can give you virtual cookies! It makes me work faster, I promise

Disclaimer: I do not on the characters other than Kilark and Vejiro

Chapter 2: Like Mother like daughter? - Gippal POV

I got dressed still haunted by the tears I witnessed last night. She'd thrown me out as soon as realized she was actually crying, but it was to late I saw it. And there for I was still worried about it. I'd only seen her cry once during the time I've known her, which is our whole life literally, and I had never wanted to see it again. She threw me out just like she had last time, except that time she knew she was crying. I didn't ask questions the night I saw it, and I wished I had cause then maybe I wouldn't have been left to wonder why she was crying. Because the next morning she was gone.

It was scary to see Rikku cry, because it wasn't Rikku.

She didn't waste her time crying over wants, she was always happy and cheery. Heading down the hall I thought about how she needed to stay that way, because that's who she was and whoever caused her such pain should have their asses reamed. I was expecting to make myself some cold cereal, but smelled bacon halfway to the kitchen. I cocked my head curious speeding up my pace to figure out who was cooking in my kitchen.

Rikku was standing at the oven her back to me already fully dressed and her hair with it's braided ponytail. I noticed she had an apron on, and she turned around hearing my arrival. Once she realized it was me a grand beautiful smile that would put any one else to shame. "Do you like your eggs scrambled ot over-easy?"

"You can cook?" I asked confused. Rikku had never been the domestic type, I've watched her fix machina, destroy monsters, and salvage, but I had never seen her cook.

She laughed effortlessly, "Yeah I learned on the airship before the girls got on. The boys certainly can't cook, and I was tired of microwave crap."

I sat at the island deep in thought, "I see."

"So I became the cook. From what I can tell if you can read you can cook." She smiled as she explained setting a plate down before me. It looked perfect, extra crispy bacon with two sunny side up eggs the way I liked it. Apparently the question was just supposed to be a joke cause I never answered it. The toast was toasted with out butter, and I was surprised she remembered that I was allergic to butter. She poured me a cup of coffee adding nothing knowing I liked it plain.

So she didn't just run off and forget about her life back home. I realized instantly exactly how much thought went in this tiny little gesture, because she had never made me breakfast before yet everything was exactly like I liked it which meant she paid attention to what I ordered when we used to have our annual saturday morning breakfast. I couldn't help but smile, "Thanks."

She smiled back proud of herself before turning to quickly clean up. I started eating the food, and was amazed by how good it tasted. She came to sit next to me with her own cup of coffee, "So what's on the agenda today Gippy?"

"Machina," I answered without even having to think it was the same thing everyday.

"Oh."

How was I going to keep her entertained while she was here, when she lived for freedom and spontaneous adventure?

"Maybe after we close we can go run the road to Mi'ihen. They say the exercise is healthy." I tried hoping to throw in something different. I was going to have to become creative fast to keep her busy.

She laughed, "That's sounds fun, then I can run circles around you and show you who's boss."

I couldn't seem to stop smiling which was weird, because normally I wasn't a morning person. Her personality always had brought the best out in mine, and the worst. I was happy that whatever was wrong with her last night was water under the bridge. Maybe she missed Paine and Yuna or maybe the freedom. I sighed frustrated I never could offer her that kind of freedom, but I could try to make being stuck in one place for a while as random and fun as possible.

She looked at me worried, but I waved her off taking a drink of my coffee to realize she had no plate in front of her, "You're not eating?"

"My eating habits are almost as crazy as my sleeping habits. It's hard to have scheduled meals when you're running around without any time." She explained.

I found myself annoyed with all these unhealthy habits. Plus I didn't really want her in the shop on an empty stomach this work wasn't easy, "You have time now."

She shook her head no, "I ate at three I'm not hungry."

"In the morning?!"

She nodded setting her coffee down to reply, "I had to run to Guadosalam, I ate there."

"Why the hell?!" How odd of her I assumed she walked that distance in the middle of the night.

"I needed to speak with Tromell. When I called him to plan a meeting he said he was available then so I headed on over." She informed me conversationally.

I didn't understand her anymore. We were different than all those years ago. We'd grown up from those wild teenagers causing trouble and having fun into grown adults with different goals and ways of life.

"It was nothing important just a lil concern, but turns out that concern was unneeded which is great." she continued. "Couldn't sleep anyway."

"But last night..." I stuttered remembering it too clearly.

"I'm sorry about that." She apologized cutting me off, "Yuna and I had been on the commsphere a little bit before that."

"OK." I simply replied not believing her.

Her watch beeped only flashing a white light with an simple G in the middle of it. She looked down alarmed only to relax after she glanced at it. Which was different than when she looked at it unconcerned last time then turned to panic before she quickly tried to hide it with a lie. I was determined to figure out what all the flashing lights and symbols were so I could call her out on it next time.

"A meeting, that's interesting I wasn't expecting one so soon." she mumbled.

White meant meeting?

"They want everyone on the airship. They usually don't take too long, I should be back before you open up." She promised before running out almost running into my dad.

So G meant...Gullwings? So what was that symbol last night?

"Oh sorry Kilark!" she laughed hugging my dad before running towards the door.

My dad finished his entry laughing, "That girl is always on the run."

"Yeah, she needs to slow down." I agreed taking a bite of my bacon.

His chuckle echoed loudly threw the room, "She won't. She's just like her mother, some days I just want to call her Rinica. I know ole Cid has the same problem." He leaned on the counter taking a piece of my bacon.

"Rinica was like Rikku?" I asked. Rikku's mother had died when we were still pretty young so neither of us remembered her that much.

"Oh hell yea! Sure Rikku's accomplishments exceed her mother's but Rinica did a lot for our people and she's was just as a free spirited. She did with her boots on protecting her people." He told me.

I remembered that day when the machina had gone crazy and started attacking the people. She was the first one on the front line without even thinking about it..

"But she got married and had kids." If she was like Rikku wouldn't she have wanted to stay free.

He shrugged, "Maybe Cid waited or maybe he ran with her. Maybe she was ready to settle a little bit. I don't know that's a question for Cid."

"Hmph."

"I was good friends with Rinica and her death was a tragedy. But I knew her well enough to be able to understand Rikku. Just don't think she doesn't care because it seem so easy for her to leave. Never forget who you're dealing with." He demanded.

"What are you talking about old man?"
He walked towards the door calling over his shoulder, "She constantly has to find the bright side, so she doesn't have to live on the dark side."

He left before I could let him know how sick I was of his stupid little riddles. I went over to the sink placing my plate in when I looked threw the window to see Rikku and Buddy arguing outside. I could tell it was an argument because they both looked angry and his gestures where to sharp and quick. Then it looked like she was yelling at her, but all she did was take a deep breath and head towards the temple door. He grabbed her arm, and she glanced down seeming only annoyed. She whirled around so fast the movement would have been missed had I blinked, then with expert elegance she twirled his arm and I could have swore that I heard it break before she flipped him. He landed a couple feet away on his back hitting a rough jagged rock, and she continued her way towards the temple skipping.

"That had to hurt." I laughed heading towards the workshop to find myself walking beside Rikku. "You know you should really pick on people your own size, it's not nice to kill a man's pride by kicking his ass so easily."

She giggled her mood not changed by Buddy one bit, "Hey now he started it."

"I know, and it was funny I wish I'd recorded it."

"I know, how about I help you out today!" she jumped excited.

"You helped me out yesterday."

"I know but I mean personally, we can catch up with each other and work at the same time. It's alot more fun." She corrected herself.

"Sure Cid's Girl." I rolled my eye opening the door to the workshop I was working in that day.

She stepped on my foot huffing, "I have a name."

We worked side by side sometimes talking about what we'd been up to the last couple years and sometimes in companionable silence that didn't bother either of us. She had a lot more stories than me. But it was interesting, she told me about how she had convinced Yuna to come join the Gullwings and some of the adventures she'd had with them. She never talked about the pilgrimage though, and I was pretty sure it was because she didn't want to bring it up with me.

We were in one of our quiet times when she looked up apparently something set off her senses that mine hadn't caught yet. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration before she yelled out, "Hey watch it!"

I looked over to see them lifting the top part of a large machina using a pulley since anything to do the job for them was to big for the room. But the chains were loose and it was slipping threw on one side. A worker named, Vejiro, wasn't paying attention and if it did fall it would land right on him. When I looked at him I saw Rikku already running to him. She jumped tackling him to the wall before sliding him down covering his body with hers just as the machina fell trapping them in.

Before i realized what I was doing i was running over there already barking orders, "Get them out of there now!"

I hoped that she was only trapped and not hurt. It was a heavy piece of metal, it could easily brake bones and cut deep wounds. I was instantly relieved when I heard a muffled, "Don't get your panties in a bunch."

I saw her climbing out of a very small crevice then she braced her hands on the wall then use her feet to push the machina up enough for Vejiro to climb out in hysterics while she was perfectly calm. When he was out and safely with the other workers she shoved off the wall bolting over the machina landing lithely on her feet. She dusted off her clothes not seeming shaken in the least by what had happened.

I was though. Before I could stop myself I was checking what was exposed of her body for blood or bruises, "Are you ok?"

"I've had closer calls," she smirked, but then she looked at my face. I don't know what she saw there, but she answered more seriously, "Just a little metal burn, nothing serious promise."

Vejiro ran up to her stumbling a few times with wide eyes, "You saved my life." He looked her up and down from her short cut off jean shorts to her light blue halter top in a way that really pissed me off. "I have to repay you some how."

She yawned seeming finally tired, "It was nothing don't worry about it."

"Perhaps dinner," he asked.

She froze mid stretch, but replied gently, "Sorry, but I'm pretty busy."

I gave him a glare that made him back of the subject faster than her rejection did, and I took her hand leading her into the office. I grabbed the healing kit asking, "Where are you hurt?"

She turned her back to me pulling her shirt exposing her back. Turns out that little burn wasn't so little. Not only was her entire back bruised from her attempt to take the worst of the hit it was already blistering where the heat of the metal hot from the welder burned her through her clothes.

"Shit Rikku," I breathed. The sight of the wound hurt me more than the pain of it seemed to hurt her, and it made me wonder what kind of hits she had taken to make this one such a small injury in her book. I poured some potion in my hands rubbing it on her back making her wince from the sting. "Sorry." I apologized.

"You're helping me Gippal not hurting me, it's ok." she assured me.

Her back started healing and turned back into the soft flawless tan skin that made up her body. It'd always amazed me how soft her skin was after so mach battles and machina work. I took my hands off her back before they went places they shouldn't making my mind go with them. Mercifully she pulled her shirt back down.

"Thank you Gip." she smiled patting my arm, "If you don't mind though I need a nap."

I stared at her blankly with out any coherent thought before I blinked and replied. "I don't mind, I know you were up all night go ahead and lay down. I want you to rest from that accident anyway." Basically I didn't want her jumping in front of death again, I wasn't sure I could handle it twice in one day. She nodded excusing herself and I plopped in my chair.

She had scared the shit out of me when she leaped in the middle of that. From the time it took for me to simple process the situation she had already begun taking action. She didn't care if she got hurt, and it didn't seem to me she even stopped to decide to help. She just did it. Just like my dad said Rinica did...like mother like daughter I guess.

"Rikku ok?" My dad asked walking in worried. "I heard about the accident then I couldn't find her."

My dad always loved her like a daughter, and his concern made me smile. He had been good friends with Cid and even better friends with Rinica. Rikku's family didn't like me much though, and I had it under good suspicion that it had something to do with her being the only girl. But my family always cared about Rikku.

"She went to take a nap, she ok but she has this weirdo sleep thing."

My father laughed, "I guess saving the world doesn't wait for you to rest up huh?"

"I never thought of it like that." I admitted.

"Leave it to Rikku to save the day." he commented heading for the door, "You can always count on her to watch your back."

"Not always," I mumbled but he didn't hear me threw the door he'd just shut.

Author's note: Please, please review all comments are appreciated good and bad...The next chapter will be back in Rikku's point of view. Remember tell me what you think, because I love you people honesty *hugs*