Stage 6: The Break
Warnings:
none
Disclaimer: Square decided to be selfish and not share the characters so I can't claim the ones that aren't mine…
A/N: rollin, rollin, rollin, keep that story rollin… Good News! I don't have a long author's note today. I give up on trying to not be late with my updates… I'm going to
try and make up for it by trying to get the next chapter up before spring break ends, but no promises. The story is still looking to be about 10 chapters. Anyways, so this chapter is the whole reason why I brought in Miyo in the first place. As per usual, I have a link to an Al Bhed translator in my profile. R&R and CC is appreciated! Thanks!


Miyo hummed happily as he skipped alongside Rikku, swinging her arm back and forth. Rikku giggled as she pretended to skip with him, having to shorten her steps to keep from jumping ahead. Gippal trailed behind them, dragging his feet. He had never really been one for kids since he never seemed to know what to do around them. He scratched the back of his head, "Hey, uh, Cid's girl, don't you need to get to work soon?"

Rikku turned, switching her hands so that she was skipping backwards while Miyo continued forwards, "I have a name ya know." She swatted a hand at him, "And why do you have to be such a party pooper anyways? Miyo and I are having fun!" She looked down at the boy, "Ech'd dryd nekrd, Miyo?"

Miyo looked up at her with a grin and nodded enthusiastically even though he did not know what he was agreeing too.

"Still…" Gippal continued, "Cid's not going to like it if you, uh, suddenly disregard your duties."

"Ugh, Pops." Rikku laughed, turning back around, "Don't be such a worrywart. That's where I was headed anyways."

"You're gonna bring the kid?"

"I don't see why not." Rikku replied casually, "He can't cause too much trouble." She looked down at the boy once more, poking his nose, "Nekrd, Miyo?"

Once again, the blonde-haired boy nodded enthusiastically. Rikku giggled, "See?"

Gippal sighed, "Why do I have a bad feeling about this…"


"Yht ra fyc mavd ymm po rescamv?!" A few of the machina workers who worked with Rikku were now huddled around her and Miyo.

Rikku nodded and continued her story with a dramatic ease, "Yup. Ra fyc mavd ymm po rescamv, yht dra fru drehk fyc ypuid du aqbmuta!" At this, she threw her hands in the air as if to demonstrate the explosion. She then brought her hands down and pointed a finger at herself, "Pid drah E pnyjamo nyh eh yht vnaat res vnus rec pinhehk bnecuh, nacliehk dra tyscam eh tecdnacc!"

"hmph." Gippal grumbled to the side, "I'd hardly call that little kid a damsel."

"Quiet you!" Rikku pointed at him from her center of attention, "You're ruining the story!"

"Well, excuuuuse me." Gippal brought his hands up in a mock apology, "don't mind me; I'm just your humble servant." He finished with a mock bow. "If you wanted me to help, I'm not going to just stand by and wait while you gloat." Gippal crossed his arms, "You can tell them of your valiant rescue after work."

Rikku wrinkled her nose, "Why are you so intent on 'getting to work' anyways?" She lowered her voice to a mocking male tone, "Work! Work! Work! No fun for Rikku!"

Gippal rolled his eyes, "Cid would kill me if he found out I came down here only to lower the progress of the machina garage. A lot of people count on this you know."

Rikku sighed loudly, "Fiiiine!" She turned back to her audience with a wink, "E lyh damm oui dra nacd mydan."

As the crowd began to disperse, Gippal approached Rikku, "I'm sorry. I just don't know what to do around kids… It makes me uncomfortable to, uh, not know what to do."

The blonde looked up at him silently for a few moments before grinning and turning away, "Well I guess I'll just have to forgive you."

"Rikku—" Gippal reached out to her and grabbed her shoulder, turning her around to face him. Rikku gave him a confused look, but remained silent as he brought his other hand around to the small of her back. His eye remained locked with hers as he leaned forward towards her. Rikku could feel her heart speed up and closed her lids over her eyes.

"Hey!" Rikku was left hanging as Gippal spun around to face the little kid behind him, "You hit me!"

Miyo stuck out his tongue and blew an ugly sounding raspberry. Then, in response to the glare he was receiving from Gippal, he squinched up his eyes and wailed loudly, "Waaaa! Ceccea! Pek pnudran ec y sayhea!!"

Rikku stumbled backwards, still dazed, as Miyo ran into her legs and hung onto them tightly. Slowly, she let her gaze fall to the boy. She knew he was in the wrong, but still she couldn't be angry at him. Reaching down to pat the boy's head, she tried to soothe him, "Ed'c ugyo, Miyo…"

Rikku looked up to give Gippal an apologetic look, but Gippal sighed angrily and walked away. She continued to watch him until he grabbed a pair of goggles and found himself overly occupied with a half-broken machina that was spewing sparks. She looked back down to the blonde boy in front of her, "Lyh E kad oui du cdyo rana yht paryja vun y ped? Ceccea ryc du fung vun y frema, okay?"

Miyo's eyes quickly went from water wells to brightly shining orbs as he smiled, "O-kay!"

Rikku smiled softly and flicked his pony-tail once. She mumbled something to the nearest worker to contact her if Miyo started causing trouble and then walked over to Gippal. He didn't turn around as she approached. "Gippal, are you okay?"

"Yup." He replied a little too quickly.

Rikku walked closer to him, side-stepping a flying spark, "He doesn't know any better, ya know?"

"Yup." The same as before.

"It's got to be hard on him, ya know?" Rikku told him, a little more firmly this time, "He doesn't have either of his parents right now. He's just… trying not to be lonely."

Gippal stopped and turned around, "You, uh, should probably get to work if you don't want to be here all day." Readjusting the goggles on his head, he turned back around and continued to work on the machina.

Rikku stood frozen behind him, wounded by the cold remark. Without another word, she crossed the garage and found a machina to overly occupy herself with as well.


Several fixed machina later (with small breaks to check on Miyo), Rikku looked up at the clock hanging in the garage to find that it had long since passed lunchtime. Her stomach grumbled hungrily. "I know, I know." She told her stomach, removing the gloves she had placed over her own. Another stomach gave a small growl behind her. She turned to find Miyo looking up at her with big eyes. "Oui rihkno duu, meddma pnu?"

The boy nodded his head, his eyes still big. Rikku smiled softly and opened her mouth to respond—

"Fa cruimt bnupypmo kad cusadrehk du ayd drah." Gippal appeared beside them, hands in his pockets.

Rikku gave him a look, but didn't complain.

"Mind if I buy?" His look went from cool and nonchalant to apologetic as he looked down at her. I'm sorry I over-reacted.

"Well, I guess we can let him." Rikku replied, grabbing Miyo's hand, "nekrd, Miyo?" I guess I can forgive you.

"O-kay!" The boy replied.

Gippal went back to being cool and nonchalant, "I get to pick the place then."

Rikku mock- huffed, "Taking advantage of the women and children now are you?"

"Yup." He replied, catching up to them, "Get used to it." He grinned and lightly took hold of her free hand. May I?

Rikku stuck her nose in the air, "Meanie." But she let him take her hand, grasping her fingers around his. You may.


They stopped at a small café within Home and ordered various lunch dishes. When Miyo's dish arrived (a rather large order of hamburger and fries), Gippal gave the kid a strange look, "There's no way you're going to be able to eat all that…"

"Oh well." Rikku told him, "Let him have his fun."

Gippal mumbled something very quietly about a waste of gil before taking a bite of his own lunch order (a sandwich with everything on it).

Rikku giggled before digging into her own oversized lunch order (a large plate of spaghetti with marinara sauce, various vegetables, and a considerable amount of cheese).

After a moment filled only with the sound of chewing, Rikku spoke up, "So, did you manage to fix up that sparker?" She asked, referring back to the machina.

"Yeah, apparently something was wrong with the controls." Gippal replied, taking another bite of his sandwich. He swallowed and then responded with his own question, "Have any trouble with the machina you were working on."

"psh, me?" Rikku snorted, "I'm the best machina fixer there is." She proudly sat up straight in her seat.

"Next to me." Gippal replied smoothly.

"Yeah right." Said Rikku, "You seem to forget that you're talking to the future leader of the Al Bhed."

"And you're forgetting that you're talking to the leader of the Machine Faction— Cid's girl." Gippal replied once more. "Besides, there's no way you guys could make any real progress when it comes to repairs with the way stuff is done in there."

Rikku raised her eyebrows, "What's wrong with the way the garage is run!?" Her voice raised a pitch.

"Nothing at all really." Gippal took another bite, "That is, if you don't mind staying in the dark ages."

"Hey!—" Rikku began to argue back, but was interrupted by a tug at her elbow.

"E's cdemm rihkno."

Both Rikku and Gippal's eyes shot to the now empty plate of food. It had been completely cleaned off. Rikku's eyes were wide, "He ate all of it."

Gippal looked from the empty plate to Rikku and Miyo, "He eats like you!"

"Hey!" Rikku threw a light punch at Gippal's arm.

Gippal pulled back his arm, "Does this mean I have to order him more food?"

"Of course!" Rikku retorted. "You wouldn't leave this cute face to starve, now would you?" She nodded towards Miyo who was still giving her a big- eyed begging expression.

"It's tempting…" Rikku gave him an angry look, "Fine, fine. Where's the waiter?"

Rikku turned to Miyo," Gippal'c kaddehk oui suna vuut, okay Miyo?"

"Yay!" Miyo threw his hands in the air, knocking over Rikku's drink and sending it flying to cover both Gippal and what was left of his sandwich with soda. The boy pointed and laughed at the now- drenched Gippal.

"oh, Miyo, oui haat du pa suna lynavim..." Rikku told the boy, throwing an apologetic look in Gippal's direction and mouthing, 'He doesn't know any better, sorry.'

Gippal gritted his teeth, "I'll find a towel too…"


The day passed, for the most part, uneventfully—well, besides the number of times Miyo hit, kicked, or got something on Gippal-again and again. Each time, the Machine Faction leader painfully gritted his teeth and shook it off while Rikku lightly scolded the boy. But each time, it became harder and harder to do so…

After work, Gippal walked Rikku, whose hand was still firmly grasped by Miyo, to her room to change. When they reached her door, she unlocked it and opened it up so that Miyo could go inside. He tried to protest and stay by her side, but she knelt and encouraged him to go and look around inside, "Ceccea fuh'd pa muhk." She told him, poking his nose.

Miyo scrunched up his nose, but ran inside the room, immediately going to the bed and jumping on it. Rikku sighed contentedly and turned back to Gippal, "Thanks for sticking around today. I know he's really energetic."

"Yup." Gippal replied, "But I know someone else who's just as energetic, and I manage to put up with her." He winked, moving to lean on her doorframe.

"Why, I don't know who you could possibly mean." Rikku shrugged and shook her head.

Gippal laughed. He pushed himself up from the doorframe and peaked into her room towards Miyo, "Hey, I don't suppose we could, uh, do something tonight?"

"Sure!" Rikku replied happily, "We could show Miyo around the parts of Home he hasn't seen yet."

"I meant without the kid."

"Oh," Rikku also looked towards Miyo, "But won't he be lonely?"

Gippal brought his hand up to scratch the back of his head, "I'm sure we can find someone to watch him. Besides," He brought his hands down and grabbed onto Rikku's, "I'd like to have another night alone with you."

Rikku could begin to feel herself melt as she looked up at Gippal and the warm expression on his face, "I dunno…"

"C'mon, for me?" He added hopefully.

Rikku felt herself give in, but was stopped by the sound of Miyo in her room, "Ceccea?" She pulled away from Gippal, "I'm not going to leave him by himself. I should stay with him." She started towards her room, "Oac, Miyo?"

"You don't have to be his mother." Gippal retorted behind her.

Rikku stopped and looked back at Gippal, "You don't always have to be so mean to him, ya know?"

"Me, mean to him?" Gippal laughed, "If I remember correctly, he's the one who keeps attacking me!" He pointed to the little boy that now stood in the doorway.

"He's just a kid!" Rikku snapped, "He doesn't know any better."

"NO." Gippal replied firmly, "He does know better. You just keep making excuses for him!"

"Well maybe that's because he's going to lose his—" She stopped and calmed herself before continuing, "m-o-t-h-e-r."

"You don't know that yet, Rikku. All the medic said was that they think- Think! that that might happen!"

Rikku looked up at him silently, an angry expression on his face. When she finally did respond it was with a rigid coldness in her voice, "I don't want him to be alone."

Gippal softened his voice and took a step towards her, "He's not you, Rikku. He'll be okay."

"Ceccea…"

Rikku flinched away from Gippal, putting an arm around Miyo, "You don't know that." Her voice broke, she couldn't help it. "And I don't know that I want to continue with someone who hates children, anyways."

"Rikku, wait—" Gippal reacted instinctively. In a moment he had swept her into his arms and looked down at her, a stern yet soft expression in his eyes, "I've been trying to do this for a while now…"

He bent his head forward and took her lips in his. Time seemed to stand still as Rikku felt his mouth passionately mingling with hers. Her chest beat both quickly and slowly as she felt her body pressed close to his. She began to move her hands up, but then stopped and clenched her fists, "No." She pulled back, her eyes shining angrily at him, "You can't do that!" She tore away from him, "You can't just fix everything like that!" She looked as if she was about to say something more, but nothing came from her mouth. Gippal knew this would be his only chance to say something to her. To find something to make everything better. To keep her from closing that door behind her. But he was unable to say anything.

Rikku took in a deep breath, closing her eyes, "Kuutpoa." And without giving him a chance to respond, she turned and disappeared into her room, closing the door behind her.

Both Gippal and Rikku stood on either side of the door. They each stood there silently, taking in what had just happened. Gippal was the first to respond. He huffed angrily and stormed from the hallway, "I just don't know what to do with you!" He exclaimed this to the air, not expecting a response.

"Ceccea…" Miyo hugged Rikku's leg, "Fana oui yht pek pnudran vekrdehk?"

Rikku sighed and grabbed onto Miyo's hands, "Oac, pid tuh'd funno. Pek pnudran fuh'd pa sayh du oui yhosuna."