Thanks for making it this far! I'd like to thank my reviewers and every one who's taken the time to read what I've had to write.

Disclaimer: I don't own FFX-2 Square does. I'm just borrowing.

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Seven and a Half Circles

Chapter 5

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I stood there forgetting the cold rain, and the city full of miserable people below me. All I could hear were the sounds of my breath as it escaped my mouth torrid and jagged spreading across the skin on his face. He reached his hand up to touch my face and ran a rough thumb across my jaw bone. I could have died right then and there in his arms with as slow as he moved. My eyes locked on to his and he stopped, wrapping an arm around me to pull me close. His heart beat against mine, but so much slower.

Suddenly I heard a giggle escape my mouth. I bit my lip hard in reprisal, hoping half-heartedly that he hadn't heard it. This was short lived however when I heard him laugh in return. Instead of making me feel anxious like I thought it would I felt a smile returning to my lips.

Then he pulled me to him and I felt my eyes close expecting him to kiss me any second, as his hot breath over my face told me he was getting closer and closer. Then stopped.

"I need my jacket back," Gippal said clearly and loudly, then pulled away. The moron wasn't even trying to hide the smile on his face when I opened my eyes to see him.

If it were even possible I could feel my face turning redder, "What?" I stuttered caught of guard by the sudden change in, well, everything.

"My tux-ed-o" he sounded it out as if he were four and trying to read a hard word, "It's a rental and I need to get it back. So hand it over," I just stared at him, silently willing the rain to go away so something on him would catch fire, and cause him to panic so much he jumped off the building. This, I hoped, would instead of putting the fire out, make it burn even better and by the time he reached the ground he would be in a lot of pain from burns. Then he would hit the stone flooring beneath him, and every one would think jumped. They wouldn't know who though because he was so mangled.

He laughed then smirked at me, "You look angry, you okay Cid's Girl?" he walked as far away from me as he could with the small balcony and hid his face. Trying to look dramatic as he 'shielded' himself from me. Frankly I thought he looked like some stupid mime.

I looked down for a minute trying to make myself look sad, and trying to calm my self down a little. My face must have been burning it was so red. That stupid heart of mine had crawled up into my throat and started having a seizure. Quietly I thought of more elaborate ways to murder him and still come out blameless.

He looked as though he was about to move towards me but I turned to look at him spinning on my heel. My eyes burned into his. "You have no idea what I'm doing to you in my head right now!" I muttered angrily.

He razed an eyebrow, "No. No I don't. Please describe it to me." he smiled again and walked a step closer.

"Your sick and disgusting and I am very, incredibly angry with you!" I sneered at him but he kept the same stupid smile on his face, "Of course I'll give you back that stupid coat. I wouldn't want you to lose any money! I mean your only one of the most successful people in Spira. Why don't you just buy a tux any way? You must go to these sorts of things all the time." I was talking so fast at this point I needed to take a gigantic breath and take a moment to find more things to yell at him about.

"I can't decide whether I've been insulted or complemented," he said with a smirk on his voice. He was still smiling too. Gippal must have pulled some sort of muscle in his face with as unnaturally wide his lips were.

"Well I'm angry so naturally they are insults, moron! It's my fault that I amuse you so much. Not my fault rather…" I was yelling, not at him but at that stupid grin that never left his face, "What do you keep smiling about?" I squeaked hating how defeated I sounded. I looked down. Only to see his feet shortly after.

"You're adorable," he said laughing as he spoke. The second I turned my head up I felt his lips hit mine. It was only for a second but it felt much longer. Gippal kissed me. Heh.

"Let's get out of the rain," he whispered softly before turning for the door. I didn't move.

"But I like it out here," I pleaded. The rain, the water, it would give me courage. Yeah, it would give me courage.

"I'm not going to attack you or anything. At least not without your permission," He grinned at me and I scowled, "It's just cold… and stuff-- let's go!" his arm found it's way around my waist and he pulled my inside. He shut the glass door and pulled the curtains, while I searched around in the semi-darkness for a light-switch.

"Wait a minute," he stopped suddenly and turned away from me, "Paine was expecting me, a while ago,"

"I should have been back by now too," I laughed, "We should go before she comes looking for us. Besides I've got to get enough sleep to be able to deal with tomorrow,"

"Anything particular happening tomorrow?" He said without looking away from the door. I was certain that I was not psychic, however, and settled comfortably on his bed.

"A friend and are going out to…" I shuffled through my head trying to find some sort of excuse that didn't give away anything, "um… to eat breakfast… I guess."

"Like you and Yuna or something?" He said quietly turning to look at me for a second.

"No, not Yuna." I shook my head quickly trying distance Yuna and tomorrow as much as I could.

"A boyfriend then?" Gippal looked at me intently smiling as if it were just a question.

"He's not my boyfriend, he's just my regular old friend,"

"But he's a man, right?" he shook his head and laughed, "What is it you call me when you talk about me?" I wrinkled my nose and walked over to the foot of the bed so I could stand and be taller than him,

"Why, I can't say that I've ever really mentioned you in a conversation," I baited him but he just looked back at me.

"That's not nice. Is this what I get for being worried about you," he smiled again but didn't walk any closer to me.

"Shut up." He just stared at me for a few seconds before lifting me off the bed like a ragdoll and putting me back down in front of him on the floor, so that I had to look up at him.

"So where are you really going tomorrow then?" he said with a dashing smile that made me want to hit him and kiss him at the same time.

"I told you, I'm going for breakfast with a friend."

"Okay, okay!" he waved his arms in the air then turned back to me, "what's this friend's name?"

"I can't tell you that," I said. I was getting more than a little wary of this drilling. What I do is none of his concern.

"Why not," He asked innocently.

I turned to leave, "Just because! Leave it alone would you! Can you do that for me?"

He searched my face for a second, puzzled at the anger in my voice, and it showed all over his face. I wanted to just shut up about it but I couldn't seem to muster a smile.

"So, you like him or something?" He said with a look on his face I couldn't read.

"Yeah, I do." I told him without thinking.

I didn't even look at his face before I left.

I'm not a very nice person. I've been told that I was, by numerous people, but I knew it wasn't true. Somewhere deep inside of me I felt glad that Yuna didn't want him. I didn't care about what Tidus thought or felt. I didn't even want to admit it to myself, because then I would feel guilty.

Then I pull something like this. Most of the time when I'm around Gippal I don't even think about Tidus. He's fun, and adventurous, and annoying as hell. But I knew that there was no way you could love someone without being able to hate them every once in a while.

One thing you couldn't do was not care. You could do every other thing imaginable to someone you love. You could hurt them, make them happy, sick or sad. You could even kill someone and still love them. But the moment you stop caring there is no more love there.

I guess secretly envying or even hating Yuna has always made me want to keep her safe. Probably because I felt guilty for feeling that way about her, but really what did that matter when she was alive and well.

I'd realized a long time ago that I didn't even know why I felt anything for Tidus. Sure I liked him well enough, but I can't remember when or why I wanted him. Maybe that's what makes it real. .

That night I didn't sleep very well. I made an extra long procession in the morning filled to the rim with dread. When I walked out no one was there so I made some coffee and walked down to the lobby, cup in hand. I didn't even bother looking pretty today. I did not deserve to be a good person.

Tidus was waiting for me, when I got there. He was pacing around eating something and looking every which way. He caught my eyes then walked over wrapping me in a fond hug.

"Geez, Rikku your late. Don't you know that I'm nervous enough already." He laughed in a mechanical way, "It can't be good luck if you walk out on me."

I started what he said and looked away.

"Hey, I was thinking about how I was going to do it, and I know a lot of people are expecting a lot so I got an idea. Want to hear it? It's really, really good." he said happily but at the same time looking like he was seconds away from a seizure.

"Sure why not," I said with a sigh and a fake smile.

"Well I'm going to have some people, I dunno maybe the Aurochs, scatter a whole lot of roses all over the beach, so that it looks like a field of--" he stoped when he saw me shaking my head, "What?"

"She doesn't like roses." I said without thinking and wishing I hadn't said a word when his face dropped.

"I've been buying her roses every day, since maybe a week after I got back. I had them shipped here from… somewhere, and they cost so much. I knew something was off about them though. She always said she loved them, but, well, vases didn't last very long, to say the least." he smiled when he shook his head, "Yuna would always say it was an accident,"

"That doesn't sound like Yuna at all," I said with a little laugh to myself.

"So Rikku, what kind of flower do you like. I'm sure she'll like it too," He muttered quietly. I thought about it for a minute. I always loved roses, but ever since this thing with Yuna... not that it would have mattered any way. If he bought her a field and had everybody help put it out, that would just make it all the more painful when she shoot him down.

"I like daisies," I almost hit myself when I said it. Gippal had given me a daisy, r maybe I had dreamt that. It did make me feel good though. And anytime I wanted him to do something for me, I could always threaten to tell people.

"Hey, nice work. That'll cost me a lot less." Tidus laughed in his new found mechanical laugh, "We should get going. Yuna is watching Vidina while Wakka and Lulu go stall for me. I didn't even have to make up an excuse to leave. Yuna was nice enough to tell me the baby hates me."

"No, she didn't?" I asked him with a laugh and he nodded, "Don't take it personally, Vidina is just mean," I remembered him not waking up several times during the last time we were together. Right now I didn't have the highest opinion of the snot ball. Even if he was adorable.

We walked out into a lower tier of Bevelle. Unfortunately this half of the city so early in the morning was eclipsed by the giant temple and everything else on the upper section of the city. It was cold and dark but I took comfort in that fact that for once it wasn't raining. Lately rain had a habbit of following me around. I guess it's because I wanted more than anything for the sun to shine, and everyone knows I don't deserve it.

The first shop we walked into was a very expensive place, that had maybe one other customer inside at the time. With as high as the things were priced really that was all they needed. We left when the attendant was mean to us. The second shop was really nice and we started looking around. Well actually Tidus told me to look around while he sat on a bench just out side the store.

I tried looking around but I couldn't concentrate. It can actually be very hard to find the ring you want your best friend to get turned down by your cousin with. I wanted it to be cheap and returnable but I also didn't want him to give me a weird look, but still a trusting look. I'd spent an hour in the store before he came in to check on me.

"How hard is it to pick out a stupid piece of jewelry any way?" he moaned a little bit behind me, one woman behind the counter laughed. I turned to him quickly.

"How long to you spend on your hair?" I asked softly and rocked up and down on my toes.

"Cheap shot. Ouch." He laughed the looked towards the woman at the counter, "We'll come back later, my wife-to-be and I are starving. Aren't we dear?" I nodded and snuggled up close to him.

She crossed her arms, as Tidus and I walked cautiously out of the store. We walked into the a plaza area right out side and started laughing like morons.

"We're famous," I said with a giggle and allowed him to swing me around a little bit in the cool air.

"Makes it so hard to cheat on Yuna!" he yelled the last three words gaining some stares from people who were around us.

"Why do you always have to make a scene, people are going to think things," I said quietly trying to hide behind him. I was starting to get afraid people were going to think I was the reason Yuna was going to break up with him, and crazy people would start sending me shaved animals.

"You never minded before. We always loved doing these sorts of thing remember…" He paused shortly the put a finger in the air trying to indicate he had an idea, it was kinda cute "Wait, wait, wait! I know it's because of that boyfriend of your isn't it? Hey if he doesn't get that we are just two bored people with nothing else to do, you shouldn't have slept with him."

"Shut up Tidus," I said a little wearily a gave him a rough punch in the arm.

"Hey are we going to have another wedding to go to? Now you should wait a little while because your still pretty young. Yuna and I don't count because were perfect for each other." He laughed even harder when he saw my mouth drop when he mentioned marriage.

"Shut up or I'll murder you!" I screamed shrilly just loud enough to access a point without being attacked by someone. I was getting desperate; I didn't want to here him talk about Yuna any more.

"Don't be so adverse to it, Rikku. It's a wonderful feeling being in love. You always have someone to wake up to in the morning, and you can look forward to being just as insane as I am. Buying a field of flowers, I swear."

I could feel the tears running down my face and was trying desperately to find some excuse. Normally I was good at thinking up something on the spot like this but I had nothing. I knew that I had to tell him. This had be going on long enough.

"What's wrong? You okay, Rikku?" he touched my nose playfully, and I gurgled something that might have been a humoring laugh.

"I'm so sorry Tidus. I'm so, so sorry." I sobbed a little feeling stupid standing in the middle of a public place like this, crying about something that didn't even concern me.

"About what?" he looked at me confused, as his voice turned to a soothing voice I wasn't used to hearing from many men.

"Yuna doesn't love you." I said with a little hiccup. I saw a haft-hearted smile appear on his lips.

"Rikku, Why would you say some thing like that?" he shook his and tried to get me to sit down, but I shook my head feverishly.

"She told me that she thought while you were gone that she was in love with you, but when you came back she realized she wasn't. She said she didn't get to know you very well and was just being a stupid kid." I had been crying so hard through the entire thing I doubted he heard a single thing I said.

"No. You must just be confused," He smiled at me but I could see the doubt there, he studied my face for a long time before looking away, "You're sure she said that?"

"Yeah. She said not to say anything but--" I stopped as he started running. He ran faster than I had ever seen him run, all the way up to the hotel where we all stayed. It was hard to keep up. It was such a long way to get there, and by the time I got there I was out of breath and it looked like he was too. We took the stairs up to Wakka and Lulu's room.

He pounded on the door as loudly as he could.

There was a tense silence while we waited. Tidus wouldn't even look at me, but it didn't matter because I wouldn't be able to bare looking back. The door opened softly and Yuna walked out with a slowly fading smile. She looked at him, then looked at me.

Yuna didn't look sad. She didn't look disappointed. She looked angry, like we were inconveniencing her.

The door was left open for us, but I stayed outside until Yuna looked at me with her angry eyes and told me that I should look at what I had done.