A/N: Haha, a fast enough update for those who wanted one? I should probably wait for some more reviews…Ah, what the heck, let's try to keep you all interested!

Disclaimer: These things just make me sad. The characters, places, etc. aren't mine. Well, except for Rimm. And Anta. Mhm.

Lady Sonora the Black-Stars: Is that a good oh my shiva-stars, or a bad oh my shiva-stars? (grin)

Kira: Chapters? That's a toughie. I was thinking between 15-20. Not as long as my other stories. And is this soon enough an update for you? Heehee.

Miss Tonks: Good job! And here's the update, like, a day later! Haha, I couldn't just leave it at that, could I?

Seelenspiel: Aw, thank you so much! I'm glad you think it's original!

It Started in the Sand

Chapter 10

"And if you ever talk again, I'll take out that other eye of yours! Understand?"

The boy scrambled up, still clutching his stomach, heaving. He raised his head boldly to meet the eyes of the slave runner. His right eye socket was hollow—there was nothing but black space and folded over skin. His other eye sparked dangerously.

"I understand, Sir," he said stiffly, the Sir coming out mockingly.

"Gipp!" The other boy who looked identical to 'Gipp' elbowed him again. The slave runner gave them one last glare, and then whirled around to continue growling around the tunnel. As soon as they thought it was safe, the boy with the tattoo on his back snorted.

"Sure scared him, didn't I?"

The other boy let his jaw drop. "Wh—Gippal! What in Spira's name are you talking about?"

Gippal only turned around to grab the nearest pick, which he had abandoned earlier on to investigate the tunnels. "Well, come on, they're all so worried that we're gonna find a way out. That guy probably heard us yellin' and then came over and decided that hurtin' me would be fit punishment. Ooh, I'll never go out again," Gippal whispered in a mock child's voice. "Seriously, we need some new gorilla's around here."

The other boy pursed his lips as he turned for his tool. "You're going to get us all in trouble," he said in a warning tone.

"Aw, come on Anta! I'm not hurtin' anyone by occasionally lookin' outside." As Gippal hit his pick against the rocky tunnel wall, he spoke quietly. "It was the most amazin' thing I've ever seen. The sun was goin' down and the sky was all red, and then sand was there. Not the stuff that falls through the cracks here and is all gross and lumpy. This stuff was so soft and…it was so pretty. Anta, you shoulda seen it!"

Anta, the boy, frowned deeply. "It does sound nice," he admitted bitterly. "But even mentioning it again will be terrible for our family. It's the only thing we have Gippal. Just please, please…stay quiet for once?"

Gippal pursed his lips. "Fine."
"And promise not to go outside anymore?"
Gippal's pick hit the rock with a deafening crack. "Fine."

"Good."

Gippal walked back up to their hotel room, rubbing his small hotel towel in his hair as he began to ascend the stairs. It was always good to get in a midnight swim every once in a while. It was the only time he could ever really take his shirt off, anyway.

As he walked, he contemplated their situation. Rikku was set on finding this person and leading him to safety. How could he persuade her to stop looking? He knew it was unrealistic—after all, Rimm had some way of watching them, and Gippal wasn't going to risk Rikku getting hurt. She was a lot more stubborn now then he remembered her being.

As he reached the top of the Kilika hut hotel, he heard something like sniffles down at the end of the hall. Pausing, he let the towel drop from his hair and onto the floor. Was that crying? He swore no one else was in the hotel. What if…

He shook his head, his damp hair falling into his eyes. Pushing it away, he realized it was stupid to worry. Even if someone had seen him, it wouldn't have affected a normal tourist.

Deciding he would just walk past whoever was crying, he wrapped the towel around his neck in a protective sort of way. He turned, strode down the hall, and stopped abruptly.

The hotels in Kilika weren't that big. There were two floors, and three rooms on each. The hallways weren't that long. Gippal could stand at one end and see out the window at the other end perfectly fine. So really, he couldn't deny the fact that it was Rikku, huddled up outside of their hotel room, seemingly crying her eyes out.

Gippal let the towel drop to the floor in disbelief. "R—Rikku?" he asked nervously. It wasn't everyday he was surrounded by crying girls.

Rikku looked up, alarm sketched all over her face. She scrambled up, finding support in the door behind her. He watched her, confused.

"Rikku, what are you…" Her eyes widened in terror.

"Don't touch me!" she almost shrieked, holding out a hand in front of her as if it would stop him. "Don't!"

Gippal placed one hand on his hip, as was the usual Gippal stance. "Rikku, are you sleepwalking?"

"No! I am not! Just get away! I'll hurt you!" she yelled. Gippal felt something pierce at his heart. Ouch. Why would Rikku…childhood best friend and beautiful (yes, he admitted it) companion, want to hurt him?

He watched her carefully. The wide, fearful eyes, the tear-stained face, the rumpled hair that proved she had only just gotten out of bed. She didn't even have her shoes on, let alone her usual battle gear. Her arms looked bare without their usual array of ribbons hat were usually so deftly tied on. What was she going on about?

And then it hit him. He let out a gasp of breath like a wounded animal. She knew. She knew. Somehow, she knew.

"Rikku," he began hesitantly, fearing his voice might show his sudden attack of fear. "Rikku, just listen to me for a second—"

"No!" Rikku yelled, shaking her head. "No! How can I? You lied to me! All these years! You lied! You lied! You kept things from me! You know ALL about me, but I never knew anything about you! That's why you would never tell me anything! YOU'RE A MURDERER!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

Gippal stopped advancing slowly towards Rikku. The words sunk into his mind like a hot, sharp knife. You're a murderer…

Rikku seemed to notice Gippal's sudden pause. He watched her, with an expression of mingled shock and sadness, as she opened the hotel room door behind her and slid inside, closing it behind her with a shut and a click—he was locked out.

He slumped to the ground in defeat. Well. Their situation had just gotten a lot more complicated.

Rubbing at his temples wearily, Gippal tried to think. He rested his elbows on his knees, letting his mind comprehend everything before he exploded.

So Rikku knew about him. The secrets he had tried to keep from her had leaked out somehow…somehow, she had been informed.

"Rimm," he breathed suddenly. "That bastard." Gippal punched a fist into his knee. But that didn't make any sense either. Why would Rikku be freaking out now? And why was she crying? She couldn't be that badly affected, could she?

I couldn't mean that much to her, Gippal thought bitterly. It's been pretty obvious I'm just a friend, right? Then again, I guess I'd be pretty shocked if I found out something about HER…

Well, duh, of course you would! I mean, come on, have you seen yourself around her? Always bragging and boasting and gloating like some lovesick fool. Disgusting.

What? No way! I don't act that way around Rikku!

Yea. You do.

She's my friend! That's it!

Mhm. All right then. It's not like you've ever thought about the way her hair looks in the sunlight, or the way she moves when she walks, or even just the bubbliness of her voice. No way. Never crossed your mind for a second.

Gippal rested his face in his hands, defeated. He shouldn't care as much as he did. Others had known…others had reacted like Rikku.

So WHY was it that, when he thought about her terrified eyes, he just wanted to hug her? To make it all better? He hated it that she hated him. He hated it that she knew.

"That's it." Gippal stood up suddenly, walking to the end of the hall and down the stairs. "I need to let her know the truth."

Rikku sat, huddled on her bed. She couldn't bear to look at Gippal's bed. She couldn't even contemplate touching his things now. They were dirty. They were touched by a murderer.

"He couldn't have," Rikku muttered, fingering a bead in her hair absently. "He couldn't have. But even if he did…" Rikku sat up suddenly, giving one last hearty sniff. "Even if he did, he's not going to the get satisfaction of making me, Rikku of the Al Bhed, cry! How pathetic am I?" She stood up and slipped her boots on. She would just leave.

As she reached out for her ribbons that lay beside her pillow, she felt like someone had punched her in the stomach; all her air was gone.

Rimm was looking for Gippal.

So he could kill him.

Oh no. Ohhh, no, no, no! Rikku felt her lips trembling again, and gritted her teeth together to stop them. She couldn't send Gippal to his death! He may be a murderer; and for that fact, she didn't even know, but she was NOT letting him be killed by Rimm.

"He killed them all."

Just how many was all, anyway? Ten? Two? She didn't know, but a person was a person. She should find out what had really happened first. But then again, she couldn't even ask him! Who knew if he was lying or telling the truth? "I can't trust him anymore," she admitted bitterly strapping on the ribbons with trembling hands. "I can't…he can't…I don't…" She sighed heavily, collapsing onto her back. The mattress underneath her softened the blow, but not the one about Gippal.

Just recently, she had begun to feel things for Gippal she shouldn't have. Yes, it was weird, but perfectly natural. When a teenage girl hangs out with a teenage guy, there are bound to be feelings! She had sworn he had felt some for her from Gippal, too, but of course, it could have been false hope. And even it wasn't, Rikku didn't want to be near him again.

…

That was lie. She felt like she needed to be near him. All of the time. And yet, she knew it was impossible. She couldn't be now. She needed to run, to get rid of the feelings she had felt welling up inside of her.

Just as she was retying her bandana around her head, she heard something knocking on the windowpane. Startled, she glanced up. Nothing was there. Shrugging, she bent down to tie her bandana again. This time, there was a muffled noise. Rikku bit her bottom lip. What was out there?

She had an idea.

Creeping towards the window, she peeked out. Nothing. She looked down. No one hanging outside. Shrugging, she opened the window; she needed some fresh air anyway.

Just as she stuck her head out, she felt something float across the top of her head. She froze. Slowly, Rikku looked up, to see the sole of a combat boot staring her in the face.

She shrieked. Loudly. She had not been expecting him to come from above! Why hadn't she thought of that? Cursing, she stumbling back, forgetting to close the window. Seconds later, Gippal dangled, head down, his feet somehow bracing against the roof. He grabbed the bottom of the window, and with a hup, swung his legs down so he could now crawl in through the window. Rikku looked around, her eyes scanning for any kind of weapon. She had never thought she'd be in this situation before. Leaping, she grabbed a pillow from her bed, holding it out in front of her like a shield.

She watched Gippal warily as he turned around and shut the window. She felt suddenly closed in. And the door was locked—he would obviously see her try to unlock it. With a pause, he finally turned around.

"Rikku," he began. She immediately cut him off.

"How'd you get on the roof?" she asked nervously. "I thought you were out in the hall."

Gippal sighed. "Well, obviously I climbed."

"Was it you who knocked on the window?"

"With my boot," he said proudly, tapping its heel. "Now, will you let me explain?"

"NO!" Rikku yelled. "HOW CAN YOU BE SO CALM ABOUT THIS! I'M NOT!"

Gippal's fake smile tugged itself into a small, puckered frown. "Well, yea, I can kind of see that."

"Stop it!" Rikku cried, squeezing her eyes shut. Gippal watched her nervously. He had never seen her react like this. It was like…it was like she was in pain. Hah! If only she knew what Gippal was feeling right then; like his insides had been torn out, and he was scrambling to reattach them all.

"I'm not even doing anything," Gippal managed to say. Rikku must have noticed the seriousness of his voice, because she managed to squeeze one eye open.

"I know," she replied meekly. "But you might."

Gippal sighed heavily. He knew this would happen. "I never should have…"

"Become a murderer?" Rikku interrupted, her voice reaching that unnaturally shrill level once again. "Lied to me? Kept it a secret? Gippal, if you had just TOLD me…"

"You would have hated me sooner. Right. Uh-huh. I got it." His tone was bitter. He, himself, was bitter. Why did she keep having to say murderer? It made him feel dirty.

"Was what Rimm said true?" Rikku asked in a wobbly voice. Gippal looked up sharply, feeling his hands curl into fists.

"What?" he asked.

"Was what Rimm said true?" she repeated, raising the pillow higher as if he might strike. All he could see were her eyes now; troubled, confused, and afraid. Her voice was muffled against the pillow as she spoke. "Did you kill…them all?"

Her tone was haunting. Gippal felt his nails digging into his palms. Images flashed through his mind. The sun, the sand, guns, heat, crying, shrieking, the smell of blood…

Gippal felt his knees wobble dangerously beneath him. He leaned out a hand to the wall for support, using the other one to clutch his forehead. She wasn't supposed to see him like this…no one was supposed to see him like this…

"G—Gippal?"

He looked up, startled. How long had he been leaning against the wall? It was then he noticed his eye felt unnaturally wet. He blinked rapidly.

"What?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

"Well?" Rikku's demeanour had changed; she was still wary, but her eyes looked more worried for…him.

"Well what?" Gippal asked, still blinking. Why wasn't his eye drying yet?

"Did you…?"

"Did I what?" he asked stupidly. Rikku's face started to grow patchy with pink.

"Gippal!" she snapped. "You're my friend—my best friend! I want you to tell me the truth!" she cried, looking suddenly angry. Not the old, Gippal-teased-her-so-much-she-grew-angry—the real, I'm-so-fed-up kind of angry.

"The…truth?" he asked, giving a sharp bark of laughter that startled Rikku. "Since when has the truth ever mattered? Never in my whole life…" He began to pace the floor, Rikku still safe on the other side of the bed.

"I've told you the truth," she told him coldly. "The least you can do is to return the favour."

Gippal stopped. It was true. But…

"I can't," he said abruptly.

"Then why in Spira did you come back in here? Did you think I was just going to accept you back? I want—no, I NEED explanations! I need answers! I'm…I'm not going to be able to ever trust you again if I don't," she said bitterly. Gippal glanced up to see her looking at the floor. He felt like some invisible hand was squeezing his heart. Why did it affect him so badly to hear Rikku's downcast voice, to see her eyes trained on the floor in a melancholy sort of way?

Without thinking twice, he began to walk around the bed. Rikku looked up, startled that he was coming closer. He wasn't thinking…he just felt…he felt so alone…

Rikku had been the only comfort after his life in the mines. After…after he murdered people. After It happened. He should stop…he knew he should stop…

Rikku held up the pillow in front of her to protect herself. She looked up at him fearfully, nervously, as he stopped right in front of her. He felt something wriggle inside of him. Something so immensely powerful he didn't know it had existed before.

"Gippal, I told you to sto—" Rikku gave a gasp, cutting off her words, as Gippal leaned in, almost hungrily. Before she could finish her sentence, his one hand was holding her head back, his other tugging her closer. The pillow was squished between them as Gippal allowed himself to be taken by the feelings for Rikku he hadn't known existed. Their lips connected, an aching longing bringing the two of them together fast than you could say Yevon.

And just as Rikku began to melt into his embrace…just as she began to twirl her fingers in his still damp hair, she paused. He noticed. It was then the sinking fear attacked him, and Rikku pulled away, breathing heavily. Her face was livid, and Gippal knew he had taken it too far.

"Don't you take advantage of me!" she screamed, picking up the innocent pillow and lobbing it at Gippal with a force he didn't know she had in her. He ducked, but the pillow managed to give him a terrible crick in the neck. "What are you DOING?" she shrieked, and he noticed she looked vulnerable. She was trembling, shaking with some kind of unknown emotion inside of her. He rubbed at his neck nervously.

"I'm sorry," he began, feeling the foreign words slip out of his mouth earnestly. "I just…I couldn't help myself, all right?"

"NO! It's NOT all right! You should have helped yourself! You should STOPPED it! You don't—I still don't know you Gippal! I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT YOU!"

Her words struck Gippal forcefully in the face. Well, what had he expected? A kiss and make up sort of deal? Not with Rikku.

"Augh, I'm such an idiot," he groaned, letting himself sit at the foot of Rikku's bed. She continued to glower at him, panting heavily.

Rikku had gotten carried away. She had hated Gippal. She had been scared for her life right then, which was something she never wanted to feel again. But when he kissed her…

She shivered inside, continuing to glare at the innocent picture that was Gippal. When he had kissed her, her worries vanished. She felt elated, excited. It was something she hadn't felt before. Something…strange.

He had taken advantage of her. He knew she must have felt something, so he decided to trick her into kissing him so he wouldn't have to tell his story. Right now, she hated him more than she ever had before.

"Just tell me," she pleaded. "Just tell me, Gippal! Stop distracting me, stop confusing me…just…I need to know, already!"

She didn't know what did it. Her words, her tone, or the fact he had just shared a most wonderful kiss with her. But he began to speak. His words were muffled through his fingers, but Rikku immediately relaxed. There had to be something wrong…Gippal definitely wasn't a murderer.

"It was…a long time ago. In the tunnels."

"The…slave tunnels?" Rikku asked meekly. Gippal nodded mutely. Rikku felt shivers run up her spine. She had almost forgotten about that part of Gippal's past. Sudden anger flared up inside of her—if she hadn't seen those marks on his arm the first time they met, he probably never meant to tell her.

Rikku waited with unusual patience for Gippal to continue. "I wasn't like the others. I liked to look around, I liked to explore. They found me sometimes…and usually they beat me for it."

Rikku let out a sharp breath, but Gippal didn't stop. He seemed to be rushing.

"But they never got rid of me, because I was one of the only slaves who knew how to fix the carts, or the rails for carts, if anything broke down. I was their unpaid mechanic," he added wryly. "One day, I found a way out. A small way, a cramped way, but it was a way. I was small, I was skinny, and I fit. I found my first glimpse of the outside world a year before I met you. It was…breath-taking," he decided. He face wasn't in his hands anymore. Instead, his chin rested on his palms as he stared blankly at a space beside Rikku. "What you might take for granted—the sky, the sand, the sun…it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. It was the most hopeful," he decided. "It was then I knew I had to lead the slaves out…I had to lead them to freedom. Safety, right?" Gippal snorted, shaking his head. "Not very likely…"

He didn't say anything else for a while. Rikku wondered what he was thinking.

"It was a long time until they came. It was hard, it was confusing, it was scary…but I was a hero. I was leading my people—my family, to freedom." He sighed heavily. Rikku sensed he was leaving out large chunks of the story as he continued. "I did it with a vengeance…an evil sort of avenging for my sister."

"Your sister?" Rikku asked, her voice coming out in a squeak. She hadn't known Gippal had a family, let alone a sister at one point!

"I was fed up. Temperamental. And then…outside…" he rubbed at his face wearily. "It wasn't my fault. I didn't do anything. I didn't shoot them, I didn't stab them…but they were waiting. All in pretty neat lines, with pretty little machina the Al Bhed had given them years and years ago." He sighed. "And then it was an all out battle. Some of us ran, some of us made it…" His eye glazed over. She knew he was remembering. There was a tremor to his voice as he continued. "Some didn't make it. I led them to death…I led them into a trap."

Rikku sighed heavily. It was filled with sadness, and yet…relief. He wasn't a murderer—at least, not the murderer she thought he had been. She felt satisfied, at least for the time being. She wanted to know more—there were plenty of huge gaps in his story. But she knew to let it rest.

Rikku walked over to him, nervously. He looked up.

"It wasn't your fault," she told him sternly. He grimaced.

"Yes it was! I thought I was helping them, my people! But I wasn't…I made it—I made everything worse. And now that bastard Rimm is coming after me! Can't he get OVER it?" Gippal glowered at the floor. Rikku paused.

"You—know him?"

"Of course I know him," Gippal said scornfully. "Why else would he come after me?"
Rikku sat beside him, not too far away to be cold, not too close to be misread. She sighed heavily. "How do you know him?" she asked, trying to take all of this new information in.

"Rimm was…Rimm was my owner. My master," he added mockingly. Rikku gasped, turning to face him.

"You mean…?"

Gippal nodded grimly. "Rimm owned the slave mines. And let me tell you, he hated every single one of us."

Rikku frowned. "He lied to me," she said shortly. "He said they were his friends, his family…"

Gippal shook his head. "He did lie to you," he confirmed. "Rimm is nothing but a monster. A fiend. A creation that doesn't come from Spira. And that's just putting it lightly."

Rikku hesitantly reached out her hand to pat his arm. She felt it instantly relax beneath her. Gippal looked up to watch her intently. She blushed, but didn't lower her eyes.

"One day, when you're ready, you're going to tell me everything," she told him sternly. "But until then, I'm going to trust you with everything I have." She bit her bottom lip at the cheesiness of her line. "Now, promise me—you're telling the truth."

Gippal moved his arm from beneath Rikku's hand, lifting his own two hands to cover her own in their own sort of sacred promise.

"I promise," he said sombrely. Rikku wavered, and then nodded her head in agreement.

They were in this together now.