The Side Effects of Unoriginality

Author's Note: I do not own FFX-2. I simply own the plot and grammatical errors.

To those who reviewed for me, I am most appreciative. For those who have put this story on their list thingie, thank you for the support.

Chapter 9: Djose Temple or The Mysterious Machina Man

I didn't say anything to him the whole ride there. And it was a long ride, but my eyes stayed glued to anything other than his smug face. I couldn't stand the way his eyes were dancing at my obvious discomfort. Right then I knew that he'd struck up a deal with Cid, I just didn't know his motive. With Gippal, there was always motive. Still, I couldn't deny how happy I was to be able to go to Djose. It wasn't that I didn't like Bikanel or anything, but digging got kinda boring after a while.

Dezba squawked loudly in my ear, his golden feathers ruffled. Turning in my chair, I gave him a simpering look, taking his face between my hands. Pressing my forehead against his, I tried my best to calm him. He didn't like flying very much; hovercrafts were no different. Even now, as he sat in a very containable crate behind Gippal's hovering contraption, he didn't like the strange sensation. Being a flightless bird, I couldn't blame him.

"Relax, Dezba," I cooed, stroking his beak lovingly. "We're almost there. Trust me, Gippal wouldn't do anything to hurt you. He likes you!"

I felt Gippal's eyes on me and I turned to peer at him over my shoulder. Sticking my tongue out playfully, I winked at him. He merely shook his head and returned to piloting his hovercraft. Feeling Dezba relax in my hands, I turned back to my faithful avian companion and smiled brightly. Kissing his forehead, I settled myself beside Gippal, not as surly as I had been before. His silent glare had been testament to what I said; Gippal liked Dezba, if only because he belonged to me. I don't know why, but knowing that made my insides warm with fuzzy delight. Smiling inwardly to myself, I doted on the softer, if imaginary side of Gippal, enough so that he quirked a brow at me.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked.

"Oh, uh, nothing. Nothing at all," I lied shamelessly. He narrowed his eyes at me briefly before turning back to the steering wheel, which he had so easily abandoned for the second time today to stare me. Crossing my arms over my chest, I pouted. "Hey, Gippal?"

"What is it?"

"You never actually told me the specifics of my staying here, you know," I said slowly, peering at him to gauge his reaction. "I mean, I know I'm supposed to help you get the pieces together and all that, but like I said before, I haven't actually seen whatever it is that you dug up. Give me a rundown, huh?"

"I could do that," he said, pressing his knee against the steering wheel so that he could use both of his hands. "All right. Like I already told you, most of the inside is rusted over and needs to be gutted. Though, the interior is the least of our concerns. If anything, it'll be the last thing we do, since we kinda have a budget on this thing, ya know. So I can't just buy all sorts of things just because I feel like it for the inside and completely skimp on the outside. As for the outside, both of the rear guiding wings are busted open, the engine is destroyed and from what I can tell, it has an old energy core…you remember those things right?" he asked, peering up at me. "Well, anyway…"

I didn't hear much else of what Gippal was saying. I was too distracted with the deliberation notions of his mouth and the soft, minty air that filled my lungs. It was deliciously Gippal, masculine and fresh. Lingering in that divine moment, I suddenly had a glimpse of his appeal. He was gorgeous, in a rugged, bad boy kinda way. His muscles were tightly coiled, golden rocks attached to his equally golden frame. He was charismatic and knew his way around a machina. I could see the appeal; it was probably the reason I was forgetting how to breathe.

The broad shouldered man was the epitome of masculine beauty. He was rugged and handsome and firm and smooth. He was clean but wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty or take his shirt off. He knew how to talk, knew how to dress when the occasion called for it. He was every bit the proper bad boy that I wanted.

What the heck am I talking about? Shaking my head, I recounted my last several thoughts, mentally slapping myself for ogling my new employer. Employer-employee 101—don't have sexual fantasies about your boss! It's unbecoming, not lady like and will likely leave you without a job in the near future. Not to mention, it was Gippal of all people that I was thinking about. Eugh!

"Enjoying the view then, Cid's girl?"

I snapped my attention back to Gippal's smug face and realized that I'd been staring. Lowering my gaze from his smirking lips, I glowered at my own distractibility, giving myself a mental pounding. The man who I'd been ogling, however, wasn't so keen to drop the subject. I could have sworn he purposely flexed just to know if I was still looking at him. I mean, even if I was—and I most certainly was not!—then I'd have the decency enough to not get caught again! What kinda girl does he take me for?

"What was the last part you heard, kiddo?" Gippal asked softly, his gaze softening as he stared at me. When I pouted and refused to answer, his smug grin returned and I knew better. That was never a good sign. "Don't you worry about it, kiddo. When we land, I promise I'll let you stare at me all day long if you wanna."

"OUI ETEUD!" I screamed, punching him in the arm as hard as I could manage. It must have been hard enough. The hovercraft shook uneasily, Dezba screeching nervously in the background. With one final warning to Gippal via a glare, I turned to my avian companion, wrapping my arms around his neck and cooing softly. "Energy cores."

"What?"

"You were saying something about it having an older model of an energy core. If that's the case, you'll be hard pressed to find one…I don't know too many people who have any handy. Not only that, but they're hard to find, since they're usually still intact with whatever they were originally built for, you know. Of course, there are some guys in Bikanel who have been working their butts of to emulate the older models and pieces," I said, peering up at the sky thoughtfully.

"See? I knew I hired the right girl," said Gippal, smiling at me genuinely. When it came to machina, I was at the top of everyone's list. It was my playground, after all; always had been. I was just happy that he still remembered as much.

"You're still avoiding my question, you know. What does it look like, machina man?" I demanded as the temple came into sight.

"Well…let's see," he said, the hovercraft landing several feet in front of the temple. "It's…it's in serious need of some work. Doesn't that paint a clear enough picture for you?"

Before I could get another word in edgewise, several people flocked out of the temple, rushing towards the man standing beside me. Taking several steps to the right, Dezba and I avoided being tossed into the jumbling heap of legs and arms that was slowly building up on the ground. At the bottom was Gippal, where he probably would remain until some order was reined in over his rather enthusiastic subordinates. Peering up, I saw a man standing away from the squirming mess of bodies, a smug smile on his pretty face. He was Al Bhed, just like the rest of us, and was one of the more attractive. He gave me a curt smile before moving towards the mess on the ground.

"That's quite enough, ladies," he said, tugging several men from the pile. "Let our fearless leader breathe. I'm sure he's losing consciousness with all of you on top of him like that. Get up, otherwise, he'll be our fearless but dead leader."

For the most part, his words were ineffective on the throng that was probably stealing away Gippal's youthfulness. Knowing that I'd regret it later, I marched over to the group of young workers and, in my best Cid impression that I could muster, screamed, "SUJA ED!"

The several men that were squirming atop Gippal quickly rushed to the feet, hiding behind the other man bashfully. Sighing, I held my arm out for Gippal. Pulling him up, I couldn't help but laugh when he grumbling, dusting himself off. I caught several things that he said, none of them sounding too good for the idiots that clobbered him to the ground. Following behind him, I gave them all a wide smile, Dezba on my heels.

"Are they always that happy to have you come back?" I asked curiously as he opened the temple doors.

"More or less," he replied sourly, rubbing his shoulder irritably. I laughed. When he rounded on me, I bit my bottom lip, trying to keep from insulting him further. It was pointless; he was trying to be mad again and made such a silly face. "What the hell is so funny?" he demanded, though he was smiling now.

"Your face!" I squealed, falling over and holding my sides. Even Dezba was chirping happily, bouncing jovially at the man's antics. "Holy crap, Gippal! You're hilarious!"

"This must be the woman you were telling us about, Gippal," said a deep baritone. When I peered up at Gippal, he was staring down at me, his arms crossed, another man at his side. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Turrang."

"Uh, pleasure to meet you," I said, straightening to take his hand. "My name is Rikku—"

"Yes, I know who you are. I'm his second-in-command. I try to keep things in place when he's away on…business," said Turrang, smiling at me pleasantly. "He told me that he was going to fetch a world-class engineer for our machina problem. I should have known that he'd get you. You are the best, after all."

"Aw, shucks," I said, blushing from the steep comment. "So, where is this mysterious machina? I've been dying to get my hands into it…"

"Calm down, Rikku. Don't want you having to change your panties—OW!"

I growled at Gippal, smoothing my knuckles as I stalked away from him, following behind a laughing Turrang. We walked outside and then around the temple. Off in the distance there was a clearing, where several men were standing around a large, sheet-covered heap. Anticipation mounting as we neared, I couldn't help the sudden burst of energy that exploded inside me, urging me to rush forward and make friends with the heap of metal and parts. And rush forward I did, bounding closer to what I knew would be the most beautiful heap I'd ever seen in my life. Tearing the sheet away, I was at a loss for words. Though it was left in nothing but ruins, the possibilities of what I could do to the dilapidated ship were numerous enough to have my head reeling. Mouth watering, I reached a hesitant hand out and stroked the nearest piece of the ship I could, electricity sparking at the magnanimous touch.

"Oh, Gippal…it's beautiful," I murmured softly, my hands furled under my chin. Rushing around the perimeter of the ship, which was just a tab smaller than the Celsius, I began measuring and taking note of what would likely need replacing and those parts we wouldn't compromise with. Budget be damned! "That's definitely gonna need to be replaced," I said to no one in particular, though I knew both Dezba and Gippal heard me. "Oh, that's nasty… Yuck! … That's gonna take a week to replace! … Uh, hm. … Oh that's not bad. … Yikes!"

I continued on with my silent ranting for several moments, Dezba behind me every step of the way as the others watched my frantic pacing with mild amusement. There was nothing more exciting to watch than me analyzing a piece of machina, apparently. Even Cid had been caught on several occasions watching me work. When I finished my once-over, I returned to where Gippal and Turrang were standing, each of them smiling down at me lazily.

"So. What's the verdict?" Gippal asked softly, that strange twinkle in his eyes again. Stupid twinkle.

"It's gonna take a lotta work, machina man," I said, putting my hands on my hips, peering over my shoulder at the aging ship. "But…" Turning back to him I smiled. "It can be done."

I was surrounded in joyous clamors of "All right!" "Yeah!" "Yippee!" and even one or two "Hoorah!" With a smile, I shook my head, placating the men I was now bound to work with. It would be fun if nothing else.

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The next week passed by rather smoothly. Although the ship was mostly in tact, we had to take it all apart. Understanding the interior workings of a ship wasn't complicated, but meticulous. It was all connected and separate at the same time. In any rebuilding or restoration project, there has to be some demolition and deconstruction, if only to figure out what can stay, what needs to be repaired and what needs to be replaced entirely. Luckily for me, Gippal had both the resources and manpower for the way I liked working. Where it would have taken three or four years on my own or even in Bikanel, it would probably take little more than a year in Djose, just like Gippal said.

After the ship had been taken apart and the separate pieces put into piles, I went about taking inventory. If I was going to rebuild the ship, then I needed to know what I was working with. What Gippal didn't have immediately handy, he sent several of his runners to get. When I asked him where he was sending them, he only told me that I didn't wanna know. That probably meant something along the lines of, "It's very illegal and the Al Bhed Princess shouldn't be privy to such information." I only huffed, stomped my foot and punched him in the arm before continuing where I left off. After his runners came back bearing gifts a-plenty, I crossed off what he had, leaving us with what we didn't have.

Unfortunately for both Gippal and I, with no other available resources, we were left to go to a very shady machina parts dealer. Gippal didn't like him and I thought he was practically sleazy. Of course, Gippal and I had very separate reasons for disliking the guy. While I wasn't entirely sure why Gippal didn't like the man, I never went to his place by myself anymore after he tried to "put the moves on me." I socked him twice and threatened to use my Thief Dressphere on him if he didn't stop. He's way too old for me! Dirty old man… Though he was pervy and somewhat uncouth, he knew his machina almost as well as I did. Even Cid had to admire the man's ability to materialize parts. He was the second-best machina parts dealer in all of Spira, where Cid was obviously the first.

That morning, as I was mulling over the week's schedule, I received a comsphere from Yohn, the machina parts dealer. As always, he made me skin crawl. Sure he was attractive—if you're into older guys—but that didn't mean I thought he was attractive. Heck, I probably wouldn't know what attractive was if it walked into my room and made itself cozy on my bed! Yohn told me that my parts had come in—most of them anyway. The ones that weren't there I'd obviously have to bum off of Cid; he was the only other person with the resources I needed. Sighing in defeat, I quickly showered and got dressed. Just as I was tying up my boot, reverting back to my old habit of dressing in my Thief's outfit, there was a knock on my door. Peering up at the door in frustration, I stomped over and tore it open, expecting to bite into whoever it was that had dared to interrupt me. I was a busy woman, after all, and I had a schedule to stick to!

"Gippal," I squeaked, my eyes wide with shock. I suspect anyone would be shocked if there was a half-dressed, very dripping man standing in their doorway, too. Taking a step back, I couldn't help the slight gasp that left my mouth as a tiny droplet slid from his broad shoulders, disappearing behind the loosed rim of his pants. "Wh-what are you doing here?" I managed—somehow.

"I came to see you," he said, rather smugly I might add. The nerve of this guy! "You're gonna see Yohn today, aren't you?"

"So what?" I retorted hotly, crossing my arms over my chest. "I'm a big girl now, machina man. I can take care of myself by myself."

Immediately, the playfully smug grin that adorned his handsome features vanished, leaving a very mature looking man beneath all of the glamour. For some reason, at that very moment, my lungs decided it was a good idea to just freakin quit. Lucky me. Staggering slightly as his body came into contact with mine so abruptly, I made no protest when his arms wrapped around my waist and he pulled me closely against him, the front of my shirt damn from his wetness. I grabbed onto his arms to steady my shaking legs, me knees thrashing against one another loudly. Breath hitched and caught in my throat, I couldn't have prepared myself for what happened next.

It was only the sudden soft, wet warmness that alerted me to Gippal's gentle closeness. Cheeks hot from the experience, I sighed happily as I peered up at Gippal, whose one good eye was closed as he pressed his lips against my forehead. I tightened my grip on him, willing our bodies to meld into a singular oneness. He must have shared the notion; he pulled me hard against every contour and ridge of his firm body. Without my consent, my lips parted, a hushed moan escaping, brushing softly against his ears.

"Be…be careful, Rikku."

I stood motionless, watching as he stared down at me, reveling in how precious he made my name sound as the words drifted down into reality from his perfect mouth. Angels couldn't have made me feel as adored as he did, staring at me as though I wasn't real. The soft tinge to his cheeks, the subtle breathlessness—it was all so much to take in at once. Shifting from one foot to the other, I pretended to have heard what he said, nodding shakily, my hands dangling at my side uselessly. I wish I could have held onto the moment a little longer before he decided to end it the way he did. Doting on this, I nearly missed as he turned, leaving me, quite suddenly, alone and left to stare at his retreating back, still rooted to the spot in awe.

Did he just call me 'Rikku?'

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My meeting with Yohn was fairly productive. Of course, when you're dizzied up with thoughts of a certain Leader of the Machine Faction, things seem a lot easier than they really are. I made out like a rat, as the saying goes, with a bag full of goodies to bring home to my eagerly awaiting children. The walk back to Djose was slow—and I was grateful. I needed to sort my thoughts out and the best place for that was obviously on the back of my avian companion. It was just as well; Dezba was simply happy to be out and about again. Though he enjoyed the attention from my eager children, he enjoyed his Rikku time more. I had to admit that I missed him, too.

As we continued walking, me riding on his very comfortable back, my mind slowly made its way back to Gippal. His smugness and generally arrogant attitude tended to clash with my good-natured humor and honesty. And yet…we were the perfect two-man team. I sighed in frustration, Dezba chirping to gain my attention.

"Oh, it's nothing, Dezba," I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Well, kinda… I mean, it's—that darn machina man! He's driving me crazy!"

Dezba chirped loudly, almost as if he was agreeing with me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, making it slightly awkward for us to move forward, but I guess by now, he was used to me doing odd things whilst in the middle of walking. He cooed softly, nuzzling me the best he could in our position.

"He even called me Rikku… Gippal never calls me by my name. To him…I've only ever been Cid's girl," I sighed, burying my face in his soft feathers.

"Talking to a chocobo probably isn't the safest sign of your sanity."

Peering up, I saw Turrang, smiling at me from atop a rock. Waving at him, I smiled.

"Hey there! What are you doing so far away from home?"

"Our fearless leader sent me out here to make sure you made it home safely. The road to Djose tends to be sprinkled with the occasional bandit. He was…worried about you," Turrang said softly, jumping down from his rock to walk beside Dezba, who chirped happily at seeing the man.

"I think he missed you," I said, leaning forward to stroke the side of his face.

"Well, he should know that I missed him, too. Having Dezba around is quite an enjoyable experience. I can see why you keep him," the man said, ruffling Dezba's chest feathers playfully. His deep voice rumbled in my stomach, like the gentle reverberations of a far away earthquake. It was soothing. "Did you travel well?"

"It's different from moving around in the desert," I said thoughtfully. "Of course, having a road to walk on is always a plus. Still…"

"Do you miss Bikanel already?" he asked sadly.

"No. It will always be my home, but I have to learn how to depend on myself and stand on my own two feet," I said, smiling down at him. "If I ever wanna be taken seriously, I have to learn to think for myself and take care of myself. Otherwise, I'll always have to depend on others to support me."

"For someone so young, you are very wise."

"Hey! I'm not that young!" I cried.

"Of course you're not, Cid's girl. You're old enough to be a royal pain in the ass, so you couldn't possibly be that young."

Both Turrang and I glanced up the road to stare at Gippal, the sun gleaming behind him dimly as it sunk behind the horizon. His arms crossed over his chest, he looked as he always did—the fearless of the Machine Faction. As we neared him, I distinctly remember seeing a brief pang of irritation etched into his face before it just disappeared. Dismounting, with the help of Turrang, I handed my bag to Gippal with a playful smile.

"You owe me, machina man," I said huffily.

"Not after this, I don't," he ground out, taking the bag from me, turning on his heel and walking back towards the temple.

I glanced at Turrang, who merely shrugged and followed behind his leader. Sighing in defeat, I trudged behind them, Dezba walking at my side silently. Following behind Gippal, who not too kindly kicked the front doors open, I peeked into the temple, amazed at what I found. Inside the temple, the only word that could possibly describe what was going on would be "chaos." My eager little children were running around like chocobos with their tail feathers on fire. Sighing again, I slapped my hand to my forehead, trying to calm my elevating irritability level.

There was Cid, ordering people around like he owned the place. My poor children, I thought, were left to suffer with my old man. I actually felt bad for them. He was screaming orders in Al Bhed to my poor kids and they scampered about trying desperately to appease the man. I glowered at the back of his head. Sure, Cid wasn't the type of person to drop names around to get his way, but he had an especially sore spot when it came to Gippal. This was his way of showing him who was really in charge when it came right down to it.

"Vydran…" I growled through clenched teeth.

My old man turned to peer at me over his shoulder, smiling nervously. Facing me completely, he took several hesitant steps towards me, his hands fiddling about in front of him in the same twitch of nervousness. It wasn't like I was gonna bite his head off or anything.

"Uh, hey there, Rikku," Cid said, smiling at me.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded at once.

"Well, Gippal told me y'all were looking for some parts. I thought I might be able ta help ya out," my old man said, motioning to Gippal, who stood rigidly behind me. Heck, I'd be just as surly if his old man had come in and started ordering my men around, too.

"Then why are you bossin' his boys around?"

"Eh…see, the thing is…"

I slapped my hand against my forehead as Cid stuttered about, trying to think of a reason. Sighing internally, I snagged my old my by the arm and dragged him up to my room. Gippal seemed relieved to have some modicum of order restored and I couldn't blame him.

"All right, Pops, spit it out," I said, once he made himself comfortable on my bed. When he stared up at me innocently, I growled. "Don't tell me you're here to just ask me about parts. That's what you have a comsphere for!"

Cid sobered up some, a thoughtful twinkle coming to his eyes. What the heck is with these twinkling Al Bhed men all of a sudden…?

"Rose and I…well, we're just wonderin' how you're doin' out here," he said, bracing his chin on the back of his hand. "We're just worried about you, that's all, kiddo."

"Vydran," I said, sinking down to rest my head on his knees. He patted my head softly, smiling down at me. "It's new and it'll take some getting used to. It's not Home…but he isn't a stranger, at least. So I think it's all right, Pops. I think I'm ok here…"

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Cid said it would take at least two months for him to dig up the parts. It was rumored that he had a large storage unit for older modeled parts. Of course, no one had ever seen this supposed storehouse, though none of us had mouth enough to question him. Even as his daughter I wasn't gonna question him. If Cid said he had a large storage unit for machina, then darn it, he did. With that part of business underway, Gippal, Turrang and I began looking for the new interior and gutting the old. Every day, people were throwing away old furniture. With Gippal's heavy-duty hovercraft and carriage, we took what we needed and didn't waste a single piece of gil. Budget be damned!

Upon returning home to Djose, the three of us assigned duties and began tearing away cushion and cloth to make the interior homier, once it was re-assembled, that is. We tore apart couches, chairs, tables and other bits of furniture, melding the broken pieces into other bits of furniture. I assured myself that there was a method to Gippal's madness on some plane of existence, if not ours. Surely he knew what he was doing, right? The process was long, hard and strenuous, but the finished project was reward enough for all our well-spent time. Staring down at the would-be interior, I couldn't help but smile.

"Wow. I guess Gippal knew what he was going after all," I said, nudging Turrang in the side playfully. He peered down at me and smiled before each of us turned a mutinous smile towards our 'fearless leader.' He only harrumphed and stalked away. "He's funny."

"That he is. Brilliant, too, you know; he's a genius wherever chaos may be," Turrang said, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're not too shabby yourself, Rikku."

"Gee, thanks," I said, bumping my shoulder against his arm, smiling at the man. "I've been meaning to ask…how long have you known Gippal?"

Turrang looked thoughtful for a moment and I could almost see the inner workings of his mind, trying to calculate the amount of time spent with the man I had come to know as my best friend. His mouth twisted for a moment before a light flickered to life in his eyes.

"Three years," Turrang said.

"Wow. Hey, does that make you old like him?" I said before I even realized it. Blushing softly, I averted my gaze from him. "Eh…sorry about that."

"No worries. Gippal told me that you're too innocent and curious for your own good," he said, laughing loudly. "I'm only two years older than Gippal. Even so, he's always been more self-assured than me. So I followed him and called him 'fearless leader.' That was what he was to me. A lot of others seem to think of him in the same light."

"You're probably right. Gippal has always been a good leader. He's always protected the people he cares about…"

"Even if she's too thickheaded to realize it…"

I peered up to see Gippal staring at me. He motioned for me to follow and I did so, silently. I don't know why, but I felt compelled to follow him, to be near him.

Gippal led me outside, towards the back of the temple where he originally found his ship. He kept walking for a while, until we came to a clearing. When he stopped, I bumped into him, falling flat on my rear. Naturally, I wailed, rubbing my abused backside and staring at his back with a pout. When he turned and kneeled beside me, it's a more than fair enough assumption to say that I was a little taken aback.

"G-Gippal—"

"I should have told you," he said, wiping his thumb against my cheek softly.

"Told me what?" I said, trying to lighten the mood and failing miserably. It was hard to laugh when he was so close to me, touching my face the way he was. "Gippal?"

He suddenly pulled me to my feet, his arms wrapping themselves around my body. I shuddered at the sudden feel of cloth against my mostly bare skin. He buried his face in the crook of my neck, his breath tickling the bare flesh there. I pressed my cheek against his chest, breathing deep the masculine scent that could only be described as Gippal—the perfect mixture of man and machine. My hands, at first dangling helplessly at my sides, were now trying to sink into his body, to make us closer than we were. For the briefest moments, I wondered why and how he could make me feel so out of place and together at the same time…

A warm feeling of belonging bubbled to life inside my chest and I pressed myself firmly against the man whose arms were wrapped so tightly around me. Swirling around us and bursting to life, a swarm of pyreflies made themselves known against the dark canvas of the night sky. Staring up at the sky with Gippal, I felt as though I was the only person in his whole world. Standing there against him, I felt like I was home.

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Author's Note:

It would mean the world to me if you would review and give me your honest opinion. Thank you.

Translations

Oui eteud — You idiot

Suja ed — Move it