AN:// This is a bit more serious than the last couple of chapters, but don't worry. The next chapter starts out with a bang.
I pried open the window of the second story room I had been put in and looked down at the desert below. The ground couldn't be more than fifteen away, I reasoned, and it was just sand; it's not like it would have killed me to jump down. Of course, it would still be a pretty hard landing. I'd probably would have ended up breaking a leg and then of course my valiant escape attempt would have been all for naught.
I looked back the other way toward the only door; my chances were even worse that way. There were three guards out there the last time I saw, and they all looked like they wanted to do more to me than just break my legs.
"Maybe one of then had been hoping to marry Rikku," I mused.
It was going to have to be the window and it was going to have to be quick. The wedding was in a half an hour. Maybe I could time my jump so I landed on a passing hover. I was just about to put my desperate plan into action when Brother walked in through the door.
"Trying to escape, Gippal?" he smirked.
"I don't know what you're talking about." I pulled my head back in and closed the window. "I just needed a breath of fresh air."
Brother snorted derisively, "Yes, I'm sure that was it." He walked over to me and clapped me on the back. "Come on, Gippal, be a man, eh? Stand up and do the right thing."
Now it was my turn for a derisive snort. "Great, I'm getting a lecture about right and wrong from a guy who is in love with his first cousin."
"Shut up," Brother said darkly.
"Ah, I hit a nerve," I thought as Brother's mood took a sharp turn. "Maybe I can use that to my advantage, be such a jerk to him that he'll object to the wedding."
I decided it was worth a try.
"You know," I drawled injecting a smug, arrogant quality into my voice, "If everyone's this upset about what didn't happen between Rikku and I, I shudder to think about what they must think about you. Shamelessly pursuing Yuna who is like a second daughter to your father; refusing to help rebuild home, even Rikku came back to help; not to mention the stories I heard about when you were the leader of the Gullwings. What kind of heartless jerk wants to charge extra for the expelling of fiends when someone's really in danger? What kind of monster charges for fiend removal in the first place? Even when you're trying to help you're a screw up."
"Don't talk about things you don't understand!" he yelled waving his arms in my face.
He was taking the bait, now for the kill. "And why do you think Cid's so worried about how the Al Bhed perceive Rikku anyway? It's obvious he wants her to lead the people after he's gone instead of you, his first-born son. He knows you could never be a good leader."
Brother suddenly stopped waving his arms and a cold, hard look like smoldering fire appeared in his eyes, all traces of the comical, screw up were gone. He sneered at me and said in a quiet voice, "She'll never love you you know."
"What?" I asked. The walls themselves seemed to be holding a breath waiting for his answer.
"I know you're fighting this wedding because you don't want to give up your freedom, not because you don't have feelings for my sister. But she'll never love you the way I can tell you love her. She may be attracted to you physically but if she spends more than a few minutes with you she'll see right through your act to the bastard within, just like she did all those years ago. Soon you'll know the torture of being constantly with the object of your affection, close enough to reach out and touch her, knowing that she'll never feel the same way about you, and not being able to do a thing about. And when that day comes I'll just sit there and laugh."
With that, he turned on his heel and walked back out the door. I walked over to the dressing table and checked in the mirror to make sure my tie was straight, mind reeling and all escape attempts forgotten. Holidays with Rikku's family were certainly going to be fun.
I watched Rikku as her father walked her down the aisle, the perfect picture of pouty defiance to the last. She was beautiful, absolutely breathtaking. She joined me up at the altar.
The minister started to speak but I wasn't paying attention to what he was saying. I was to busy looking at Rikku, drowning in those eyes, those gorgeous green swirled eyes.
In that moment I had a feeling of absolute certainty that I would never regret this. Even though the circumstances weren't ideal I knew, I just knew, that this was now it was meant to be. I was meant to spend the rest of my life with Rikku. All my fears had been chased away.
This feeling was followed by the memory of what Brother had said and by doubts. What if he was right, what if she didn't love me? I looked deeper into her eyes and resolved that I would make her love me.
In my haze I heard the minister direct a question at me and I said I did. He then turned to Rikku and started the spiel over only with the names reversed this time. She rolled her eyes and muttered, "I don't really have a choice do I?"
The minister pronounced us man and wife and then said the six magic words, "You may now kiss the bride".
To be continued, whenever I get around to it. . .
