Recap: Lulu and Tidus were shot and killed. Gippal got shot in the stomach, hence the blood coming from his mouth. (I think that's how it works… and hopefully Gippal shouldn't have died from that.) Rikku kissed him, Gippal being Gippal kissed her back, music was playing in the background (oddly), and Gippal is the jackass that changed the world. :D
Rikku had been lying in her bed for most of the day. Her legs itched to get up, but her heart wasn't set on moving. She thought again of kissing Gippal, and her stomach churned in the feeling of warmth that she got. Her heart started to race at the feeling of his lips being pressed against her own again. She rolled over and buried her face into a pillow. She had wished that she meant something to him. But she was too late. Gippal was a once in a lifetime thing. She felt horrible now. She didn't want to be a hook up for Gippal. She wanted all or nothing. And she had a nagging feeling she was going to get nothing as she swung her legs out of her bed. When her feet touched the ground, she remembered that Wakka had given him a drug to put him to sleep. She sighed and slouched a minute, then got up. Psh… I can wake him up…!
She swung back the rug to see him curled up in his bed tightly. He looked like a dog curled up comfortable by the fire. He had a frightened look on his face while he was sleeping, and his fingers were shaking rigidly. This reminded her of a dogs rabbit chasing dreams, and she couldn't help but smile. He whimpered when the rug thumped back into its place, and Rikku sat on the side of the bed. CAN'T-GET-THE-GODDAMN-RABBIT!
"Mmm… Rikku!" he said, his hand shooting out and grabbing her wrist. She jumped up and then realized he was still asleep. And obviously not dreaming about rabbits.
"He's… dreaming about me?" she asked, sitting back down. She shook her head and started to prod his shoulder. His face bunched up as if he had just eaten a lemon wedge. He waved her hand away but she kept poking him. He eventually opened his eyes and looked at her. He just stared at her for a long time.
"Huh…" he said as if he had learned something he hadn't known, his eyes drifting closed again. Rikku pushed him roughly onto his other side and he sat up slowly, moaning from the bandage keeping his mobility to a minimum. "Waddaya want, kid? I was having a good dream…" he said, rubbing the back of his head. Rikku smirked.
"I'm sure you were. And now that we're finished our whole "thing" we need to talk about here and now." She said. Gippal looked at her while rubbing his eye. Rikku sighed. "I don't wanna just be a girl Gippal. So just pick. Do you wanna be my friend, or do you wanna be my boyfriend?" she asked. Gippal looked stunned for a moment. He didn't even answer her. She looked down while shame came crawling into her face. "Right. Okay." She swallowed hard. It was over. She looked up, shaking a piece of blonde hair out of her face. "I thought so." She said with a cringe of a smile. He reached out to touch her cheek, but she leaned her face away, avoiding his eyes and pressing her lips together. He dropped his hand limply and just watched her. He started to say something, but Rikku didn't want to hear him talk. "I guess I'll say goodbye now, because… I think I'm gonna go out into the rocks for a little while. Think about some things." She said. She got up and left the tent hurriedly.
Once she was outside she broke into a run towards the beach. The sandy rocks had become a favorite hiding place of hers. She sat up there and watched the ocean twinkle at her. It seemed to whisper with the waves, 'Come and swim. You'll forget everything!' Rikku smiled. She wished it were that simple. She sat there until she heard voices. She looked down to see Yuna, Wakka, and Gippal approaching. Gippal held Vidina snugly in his arms. He looked as though he was thinking about every step and glanced at the baby every so often with a frightened look. Wakka actually laughed at the way he was so paranoid with the child. Rikku had to bite back a giggle. It wasn't often she got to see Gippal so nervous. She smiled as he sat down in the sand behind Yuna and Wakka and started to talk to Vidina. From the way his lips were moving, she could tell he was talking in Al Bhed. You pick some things up after a few years of risking your life. Gippal reached in his pocket and produced something Rikku couldn't see. She tried different angles without standing up, but with no luck. He showed it to Vidina and Vidina smiled at him. Rikku was sure this baby was cleverer than they all knew. Gippal smiled as if proud of himself and put the item back in his pocket. Rikku sighed and jumped off the rocks, and started to walk to the four. Can't avoid him forever. She sat down next to him silently and looked at the water. He looked over at her for a moment, and then turned his attention back to Vidina. He continued to mutter Al Bhed to the baby. Vidina reached up and grabbed one of Gippal's gold locks, tugging it gently. Gippal grinned and bowed his head. Rikku smiled as she imagined Gippal being a father. Oddly, it was an easy thing to imagine. Gippal laughed as Vidina pulled at his eye patch, trying to take it off. Rikku and Gippal turned their heads to the side at seemingly the same time to gaze at each other. His smile slowly faded into a rueful frown as he turned back to the sand. Suddenly, Gippal stood up and passed Vidina to Wakka, then went back to Rikku and took her hand gently, pulling at her to follow him. She stood up with a feeling of apprehension and followed him with his callused fingers holding her equally rough ones.
They came to a place where the old machina city ruins sat and Gippal pushed her against the wall, his hands resting on either side of her to corner her.
"Look, I didn't mean to make you think I didn't care it was just you were so… forward and…" he started, looking deep into her eyes. Rikku kept her face calm, though a flicker of emotion was going through her body. She couldn't tell what it was.
"And dating's not your thing." She said flatly. Gippal sighed and looked towards the beach.
"Right… not my thing…" he said. Suddenly, his hands were away from the wall and he was fumbling with his pockets. He finally produced what he had showed Vidina and pressed it into Rikku's palm before she could get a good look at it. It was soft in her hand, and she rubbed her fingers across the surface. She couldn't bring herself to tear her eyes away from his gaze to glance down at it. He looked at her solemnly. He sighed once again and smiled at her. "Not my thing really." He said, walking back towards the beach. Rikku gazed after him until he sat down. He never once glanced back at her. She looked down into her palm to see a small, velvety, black box in her hand. She took in a sharp breath and looked back at the beach, then at the box. She slid to the ground and stared at the box. She knew what was inside it. She was still afraid to open it. She took a deep breath and hesitantly pulled up the lid. It snapped open as if on its own and Rikku pressed it to her heart, staring at the sky with a look of panic written across her face. She felt needles prick the back of her eyes. Inside was a gold band with a small diamond set into the middle.
I wonder how Gippal became this sex god since he was created from a computer. –shudders at those who remind her they are characters- Prolly cuz he is sexy. Better than a pirate! Anyway, I'm so excited now! I can't sit still! However, it's midnight, and I'm tired. Goodnight my lovable readers!