A/N: Here's the next one, again, sorry it's so short, sadly it's the shortest one yet (of all my stories), but I'm currently working on the next one now so hopefully that one will be (along with a bit longer) out soon. Til then, hope you like this one just the same.

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy or any of the characters.


Gina yawned tiredly as she was awakened by the alarm going off. Getting up out of bed she walked as quickly as she could towards the control room. When she got there, she resisted a blush at seeing a shirtless Gippal already in the room, wearing nothing but a his eye patch and a pair of grey bottoms. Looking away from the extremely attractive blonde, Gina focused her attention on the screen and speaker before her.

"Good you're up." Kena said absently. "Watch this."

A man appeared on the screen looking very flustered.

"Our farm is being attacked by fiends! No one is hurt or anything so I suppose it's not an emergency, but we could really use some help!"

"We're on our way, sir." Gina assured him.

"Thank you very much! We appreciate it."

Gina nodded and disconnected the call, taking the time to yawn again and stretch before moving.

"Well, that didn't last long." She said tiredly."Break's over crew."

Gippal held his hands out before him in a playful manner when Gina turned to look at him.

"After you." He said, making a sweeping motion.

Gina's eyes roved over his well-toned, perfect chest again before she flushed slightly and turned quickly away from him.

"Right... let's go."

Gippal watched Gina disappear in direction of her room and smirked when she was gone.

"Well, if I'd known that was all it took, I would of been walking around shirtless long ago."

If Kena had real eyes she would have rolled them.

"Go get dressed Romeo, she's not interested in you, she's interested in your body."

Gippal gave a small pout.

"Really? She said that?"

Kena starred at him.

"No, but I've known her a lot longer then you. She probably thinks you're good looking but I can assure you she doesn't consider you... what's the saying?... Lover material?"

Gippal starred at the machina for a moment, then finally sighed moodily and stalked off to his room to get dressed.


Soon enough, both Al Bhed were dressed and ready and Kena landed in a field just outside the farm house being attacked. Nothing was serious, just a plant-type fiend pestering the farmers, and a half-dozen or so dog-like fiends chasing some chocobo in another field.

Gina sighed and grabbed a few rings from one of her multiple pouches. Inserting them on her fingers, she looked over at Gippal.

"You and QC take care of the fiends in the field, I'll take care of the Mandragora."

Gippal nodded and headed for the field, the huge ex-fiend feline following him close behind. Gina headed over to the plant monster and raised her hands in the air. With a few well-placed blasts, the fiend let out a loud squeal before shriveling up into a great heap. She lifted her hands again, ready to burn it's corpse when a putrid haze lifted from the plants body. She knew it was the fiend's reflex to danger --even though it was already dead -- releasing poisonous gas to kill it's enemies. Gina looked down at the rings on her fingers, knowing she was safe thanks to the one she'd placed on her pointer finger. She froze in her efforts however just as the fiend's body caught a flame. The ring that was supposed to be a rare green metal, was instead gleaming red. She'd applied the wrong accessory.

To little too late, Gina covered her mouth and nose, but it was useless, she'd already breathed the vapor in. Gina's vision swam and she felt her body growing week. Seconds later the darkness claimed her.


"How could you let this happen? How could you let this HAPPEN?! This is all your fault!!"

Gina's eyes swam as she starred at the scene all around her. Wasted ruins lay smoking and smouldering as demolished machina and dead, bloodied bodies littered the ground as far as the eye could see.

"No... No, I didn't know... I wasn't here... Please! This isn't my fault!"

But the voice was relentless. No one was around, she was all alone with the bodies of the dead, but still the voices continued.

"Excuses! EXCUSES! This is all YOUR fault! You abandoned your people! You abandoned them all! You could have saved them! You KILLED them!"

Tears streamed down Gina's face as she dropped to her knees, digging the heels of her hands into the sides of her skull as if to drive the voices out.

"No.. NO! It's not my fault!"

"Murderer.... Murderer... Murderer..."

Gina pressed harder, the words sinking into her head as the voices continued to chant the same word over and over.

"Maybe it is my fault... I should have been here.. I could have helped... I could have saved them."

Still the voices got louder and more insistent.

"Murderer! Murderer! Murderer!"

"Stop!" Gina cried out, her voice constricted with emotion. "I know! I know it's my fault! I should be dead with them! I should have been here! It's all my fault!"

Now the voices were screaming at her.

"MURDERER! MURDERER! MURDERER!"

Gina's hands dug into her head painfully as she threw her head back and screamed.


"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

Gina fought and kicked at the arms around her, fighting violently against her attackers. It took her a long time before she finally realized that the arms around her were Gippal's, that she'd been dreaming and she'd woken up screaming blue murder.

"Gina!" Gippal was yelling over her scream. "Gina!! It's alright! It's alright! You're safe!"

Gina stopped screaming and blinked at the blonde. Immediately she threw her arms around him and began sobbing and screeching hysterically.

Gippal frowned deeply, his heart breaking with each and every sob that escaped the woman's lips.

"Shhh... It's OK. It's OK, I'm here."

Gina's death-grip on Gippal's shirt didn't loosen as he continued to hold her tight and gently rock her back and forth. He could feel his shirt already soaked and could feel Gina trembling violently. He leaned down and laid the side of his cheek atop her head as he continued to rock her, waiting for her to wear herself out.

Eventually, after many hours, Gina's tears slowed, her trembling stopped and her sobs were replaced with incoherent words.

"What's she saying?" Gippal asked Kena in confusion. A large, upside-down crescent appeared on Kena's face as she watched her maker fall apart at the seams.

"She's saying: 'My fault, not there, murderer, murder'."

Gippal's eyes widened and he stopped his rocking as he starred at the machina in shock.

"Why would she say something like that?" He exclaimed in shock. Kena sighed.

"She was dreaming about the past, about when her home was destroyed. Some unknown voices always blame her saying she should have been there, could have helped, could have stopped it. It used to be just the ruins and some broken machina, but I'm guessing now it's worse; obviously there are dead people there now too and the voices are blaming her for murder.... My guess is that the toxins from the fiend she fought caused them to resurface and intensify, because she hasn't had them since just after she made me, until now."

Gippal's expression was one of utmost horror. He looked back down at Gina and pulled her closer, feeling horrible for what she saw and how she was feeling, and even worse for the fact that there was little he could do to help. Even QC's incessant whining and nuzzling the woman's hand and side affectionately seemed to do very little, though it did seem to help. Kena simply stayed silent, feeling there was nothing she could to at the moment.

"Shhhh...." Gippal cooed into Gina's ear. "It's OK. It's gonna be OK. Nothing is your fault Gina, nothing. I'm here for you. It's OK."

The blonde repeated these things and more sweet nothings into the woman's ear until she finally stopped sobbing and muttering, finally releasing her grip on him and nuzzling into his chest instead.

Seeing the two this way, Kena smiled sadly, glad Gippal was there for Gina, but unhappy that her maker was feeling the way she was. With a little persuasion, the machina finally managed to convince the coeurl to leave with her and leave the two Al Bhed alone.

Finally, after more countless hours, Gina began to doze and the blonde felt that sleep and rest were really the best things for her at the moment. So, as carefully and gently as he could, he removed himself from Gina's grip and stood up. When he was a few feet away from the bed, Gippal paused and looked back as Gina's voice broke through the silence.

"Gippal... please don't leave me..."

Gippal's heart broke all over again as he looked at the terrified, pleading expression on the raven-haired woman's face; her eyes glistening with more unshed tears as she bit her lip to keep it from trembling. Gippal moved swiftly back to the bed and pulled her into his arms.

"Shhh... don't cry baby." He whispered softly, holding her close as he gently stroked her hair. "I'm not going anywhere."

Gina sniffed and cuddled close to Gippal, holding him tight as if she didn't believe him. Gippal's heart thundered against his chest, embarrassing him slightly as he was sure Gina could hear it. But if the woman did notice, she said nothing. Her head was nuzzled perfectly into his neck from it's spot on his shoulder and her body was pressed tightly to his as if to keep him in place. Gippal smiled happily as he laid his head atop hers again, continuing to stroke Gina's hair gently until he heard her breathing change, letting him know she was asleep and that it was OK for him to follow suit. So, with a gentle kiss to the top of her head, Gippal soon followed Gina into a sleep he hoped would be a dreamless one for the both of them.