Chapter 12

Relations of Discovery

The sun was setting as a maroon car drove silently down the road. Gippal sat in the driver's seat, Rikku beside him, as Yuna stared off at the endless fields from the back. No one spoke. All that could be heard was the tires rolling against the burning pavement from the heat of the sun. The wind blew roughly against the windshield as they increased in speed.

"Gippal, how do you know where Rikku lives?" Yuna asked quietly from the backseat. He glanced up at the rearview mirror at her face.

"Let's just say I'm an acquaintance of someone who lives there." That was all he said. Yuna decided not to ask anymore questions because she noticed Rikku looking extremely uncomfortable every time she asked something about her house. They drove for another thirty minutes before turning right onto a long driveway. Yuna gasped as they continued on forward very slowly. A large house came into view atop a grassy, green hill. White fences surrounded the house, a beautiful garden with a fountain in the center visible. Bricks covered all the walls, windows decorated with intricate designs.

"This is your house?" Yuna asked in amazement.

"Yeah." Rikku answered sharply and quickly. Gippal locked the car doors and walked over towards the blonde.

"Would you just relax? Everything is going to be fine. Just calm down, alright?" He patted her gently on the shoulder and continued on toward the front door. Rikku trudged slowly and grudgingly behind him. Yuna followed a short distance behind, unsure as to what was troubling her friend so greatly.

Gippal reached the front door and turned around to smile at Rikku, "After you." He said, motioning his arms forward into a bow.

"Fine." She reached in her back pocket and pulled out a key. Sticking in the doorknob, she twisted it to the left and walked inside, the others falling in behind her. Yuna gasped. She could hardly believe the room she was standing in. It was beautiful. She had never seen anything quite like it before. The room was circular, large roman columns around the outer ring, holding up a grand staircase that spiraled down on both the left and right sides of the room. It had its own flavor with the addition of different types of machina surrounding the walls. It was the definite giveaway of their Al Behd lineage.

"Come on. This way." Rikku spoke suddenly, breaking through Yuna's previous thoughts. She headed toward the stairs to her left only to be stopped a moment later by a male's voice calling from the room ahead.

"Rikku? Is that you?" A balding man appeared, a toothpick protruding from between his lips. Goggles lay about his neck, long gloves up to his elbows on, black grease covering his clothes. He smiled when he caught sight of the group. "Well, would you look at this? It seems you've got a new friend!" He smiled at Yuna in a friendly manner. Then he caught sight of Gippal. "Well, if it isn't my best man!" He smacked him hard across the back and turned to face Yuna. "You know this kiddo right here? Well, he's the best worker I've had in a long time. Ain't no better mechanic! He's a natural when it comes to machina!"

Yuna simply smiled, unsure what would be the best reply. Finally Rikku spoke up. "Yeah Dad, that's really fascinating. Can we go now?" She gazed at her father with an empty stare.

"What happened to you? Someone woke up on the wrong side of their hoverboard this morning!" Rikku rolled her eyes.

"Would you stop trying to make machina jokes? They're getting worse by the day!" She called out after him. He just dropped his head back in laughter as he walked back through the door and disappeared around the corner. "Anyway, let's hurry up and get this over with!" The blonde turned on her heel and continued up the stairs. Yuna glanced over at Gippal who gave her a small reassuring smile.

The second floor landing was a long hallway, portraits lining the walls all the way to the end. As they walked toward the end, Yuna counted six bedrooms. She couldn't understand the uses for having so many rooms. Finally they reached a large oak door. It was ornately designed with flowers carved deeply into the wood. She hardly had any more time to observe her surroundings as Rikku stepped in front of her, breathing in deeply. She lifted her hand and knocked on the wooden door in a hesitant manner. A voice sounded from the other side, a sharp in its tone.

"Yeah? Who is it?" Thoughts raced through Yuna's head.

I've heard that voice before…but where? I know I can't be imagining it.

"It's Rikku." She replied sourly. There was a pause.

"Do you need something? If not, then please leave."

"I need to ask you something…" There was a shuffling from inside and then footsteps coming towards the door. It flung open. Yuna gasped. She couldn't believe who was standing before her eyes. The girl standing before her seemed startled as well. Yuna couldn't say anything. She simply stared, as did the girl before her, her nemesis, better known as, Ralana.

"What the heck is she doing here?" Ralana finally managed to ask. Rikku grimaced.

"You'll find that out in a minute." She answered back tartly. Yuna quickly turned to her friend.

"Rikku? Why is…how is…?" She didn't know exactly how to word her question. The blonde sighed out in desperation.

"Ralana's my step-sister. My mom passed away a long time ago. My Dad started dating again and eventually married another Al Behd woman who also had a daughter." Yuna saw it now, the swirling green eyes, the bronze skin, the usual blonde hair that they all seemed to have. She didn't understand how she hadn't figured it out sooner.

"I knew my mother shouldn't have married such an oaf as your father!" Ralana snapped quickly. "She would have been much better off without him!"

"How dare you say that about my father! He's the greatest man in the world! Any women would be lucky to have him! I only wish he picked a woman more deserving of his kindness, rather than his money!" Rikku screamed back in defense. Ralana gasped. Gippal threw his arms between the two bickering girls.

"Whoa there! Calm down you two, would ya? Arguing isn't going to help anyone out, okay?" He stared from one to the other until they both nodded reluctantly in agreement. "Now, let's get what we came for."

Rikku looked from Gippal back to her sister. "Look, we came here to ask you about someone…"

She glanced from Rikku to Yuna. "Why would I tell you anything? I'm not saying anything to help out her!" She glared menacingly at Yuna.

"Don't you dare start that!" Rikku yelled back. Yuna placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her head. Stepping forward, she stared Ralana right in the face.

"Look, I know we got off to the wrong start, but we really need you help."

"Don't even try that on me! Your sorry little words aren't going to do a thing for you!"

"I know that." Yuna smiled in a contented way, refusing any sign of frustration to appear across her face. "I'm not trying to be friends with you. I'm only trying to get answers from a fellow person whose interests are the same." Ralana stared at her, unsure as on what to say. Finally finding words, she replied.

"And what kind of interests are those? What could we possibly both be inter-?" She started, but was soon cut off.

"Tidus." Yuna simply stated. Ralana stared at her, obviously contemplating what she had just said.

"Tidus? What about him?" She finally asked.

"We wanted to know if you knew anything that could help us out. Did you see him at all today?" Yuna asked curiously.

"No, I looked for him, but I never found him."

"Well, I saw him this morning. He was cut, bleeding, bruises on his fists and part of his face. When I asked him about he told me it wasn't for me to know." When Ralana didn't say anything she continued. "I was hoping that you might know something about it…"

Ralana looked away from Yuna and stared out the window as if unsure whether to answer or not. "So, he ignored you too, huh?" She finally asked. Yuna stared at her. "He's done that several other times. He would never speak to me." She glanced down quickly at the floor.

"I know about his father." Yuna stated carefully.

"Yeah, good old dads, right? Always there for you when you need them." Her head swarmed with different emotions, unable to sort them out. "You know, my dad left my mom, too. He loved her, but he loved money more. He left us without a second thought when opportunity to make a fortune struck him like a gong. I was only five years old…that was the last I ever saw of him…"

"I'm sorry." Yuna replied in a gentle tone. Rikku stared at her sister, feelings of sorrow and resentment mixed together.

Suddenly, Ralana started to laugh. "I don't know why I'm telling you all of this! It's not like me!" The room fell into silence once more. After several minutes of debating thoughts, she spoke again. "He hates his father. Well, more so he despises his existence entirely. I was really worried the first time he did that."

Yuna looked up quickly, noticing her use of the past tense. "The second time, I decided to follow him after school…It was cold that day. Snow had started to fall. He was walking though the streets in Luca. Followed behind him, keeping sure I kept out of his line of vision. No one was out shopping that day. The city almost seemed deserted." Gippal and Rikku took seats on the chairs a few feet away, listening intently to every detail. Yuna stayed where she was, refusing to move, afraid she might miss something vitally important if she did.

"At the time, he was about sixteen years old. We weren't going out yet, we were only friends then. I followed him through several alleys. I had never seen this part of the city before. It scared me. It was dark and musty. Finally, I emerged onto a street. It wasn't very wide, but definitely bigger than the alleyways had been. I noticed women walking around in a manner I had never seen before. Snow had begun sticking to the ground and yet, there they were, in groups of two or three wearing mini skirts and tank-tops. Some just wore lingerie. I was absolutely horrified when I saw a man sitting in a corner rubbing the bare leg of the women sitting in his lap. He winked at me."

Yuna looked at Ralana with understanding. To a girl her age it must have been absolutely terrifying to see such things, let alone to have a man who was doing something private so public and wink at her. In a strange way, she felt she was beginning to understand Ralana and her complex personality.

"Immediately ran forward and avoided all eye contact I could manage. I was scared. I had lost sight of the direction Tidus had gone. I didn't have long to look because I heard arguing from around the corner. I raced to the side of the building and peered around it. Lights were streaming out from a club shining out across the snow. Two men stood outside the entrance and pushed a boy down. I realized it was Tidus once the lights reflected onto his face. He was yelling up at them. I couldn't make out what they were all saying, but I heard him say something about his father. The two men I figured were bodyguards. I was terrified when they started to beat him. There was nothing I could do. If I went out there I would only make the situation worse."

The sun had begun to set outside, casting an orange glow throughout the bedroom. Ralana gazed out the window at the vanishing horizon. "As they kicked him one last time I heard him yell at them, 'You tell my Father that one of these days, he'll pay for everything he's done!' After that, the men laughed at him and walked back inside, leaving alone the cold snow that was starting to come down even harder. I didn't know what to do. He picked himself up and brushed the blood away from his face and started limping back in my direction. I quickly hid in another side alley as he passed. Then, as I turned to leave…"

She stopped in mid-sentence. Yuna noticed water beginning to form at the rims of her bottom eyelids. At that moment, she knew Ralana had broken down. She was confessing things extremely personal to her that had changed her life. Gippal suddenly stood up. "I think I'll go downstairs to see if Cid needs help with anything." He quickly turned around and left, closing the door behind him. Ralana gazed over to her stepsister.

"You chose a great guy Rikku." She half-smiled. Rikku's cheeks burned a light red as she thanked her quietly. The room had grown quite dark, the sun almost completely gone below the horizon, the moon taking its place. Ralana once more took to staring at the sky.

"On my way back, I made sure to keep Tidus within my range of vision, keeping my distance from him, too. Just as I was making my way through the wider alley, someone grabbed me. I turned around to see a woman. She had long brown hair and blue eyes. I refused to look at her face out of fear and looked at her clothing instead. I knew I was in trouble then. She had on stilettos, a black and red corset top, and extremely short shorts. She brought her hand beneath my chin and looked at my face. Then she said, 'You've got a very attractive face for such a young age, not to mention you body, too. Come with me.' She grabbed my hand and pulled me across the street into the building all the other women had been standing next to."

Yuna and Rikku could hardly believe what she was telling them. Never had they imagined something such as this happening to her. They knew it best not to interrupt her, for they knew she was having a rough time talking about it to start with.

"When we got inside, she handed me to group of two girls and told them to dress me. I didn't know what to expect. I was too scared. They brought me into a side room. One of them began rummaging around in a large closet that looked to be filled with skimpy clothes. The other began pulling my clothes off me. I cried out in fear and asked them what they were doing. The one dressing me, whose name was Claudia, simply smiled at me and stated that I was requested. I had no idea what to do then. Soon I was standing there completely in the nude. The woman in the closet threw out several things to Claudia who began to redress me. As she clipped a lacey, transparent, black bra on me she commented, 'Dallia was right. You do have a great rack.' Of course I was embarrassed by her comment, but being who I am, I was pleased with myself.

The woman in the closet, Angelia, soon came out with a pair of red stilettos and a matching thong. She handed them to Claudia and smiled warmly at me. 'Don't be scared. I was your age when the same thing happened to me. You remind me a lot of myself.'

Claudia let out a snicker, 'Your rack was never so big though!' Angelia hit her atop the head with the tall heel of the shoe she was carrying and turned back toward me.

'As long as you follow the advice of the women around you and do as you're told, you'll be fine. Trust me.' She bent down and strapped the shoes on both my feet, annoying Claudia for making me taller, causing her to get up from the floor. As they messed with my hair I finally found my voice again.

'Don't you realize it's snowing out there? I'll catch a cold in these clothes!' I tried to find any excuse to get away from the place. They both smiled at me, finally deciding to leave my hair down, creating a long wavy look.

'Don't worry about it. Besides, you'll be much warmer in a little while. Then you'll be thankful for the snow.' Angelia bent down and pulled a black pleated skirt over my hips. 'Now you be careful with that skirt. It tears easily.'

I stared at her in confusion. 'Then why should I wear it?' Once again she smiled.

'It's not for you to tear, that's why!' That absolutely terrified me. I had known it was coming, I just didn't want to face it. Claudia quickly raced back over to me and pulled another thin, white shirt with buttons across the front on me. Then buttoned most of them except the one's near my breast.

'Alright. You're ready honey. Are you excited?' I stared at her in disbelief.

'Excited? How can I possibly be excited? You kidnapped me!' I could feel myself starting to cry I was so upset.

'Look, some of us have to make a living somehow!'

'I have a home, a mother! You can't just take me away like this!'

'Exactly! You do. We don't!' With that she pulled me down the hall and into a room farther down. Throwing me inside, she gave me one last small smile and whispered softly to me. 'I'm sorry. Things in this world are never fair.' Then she left the room, a click sounding from the door. I looked around the room. I was alone. There was a large bed on the left and a small bathroom on the right. I noticed there were small windows lining the tops of the room. I couldn't see out of them, so I stood up on the bed. I knew that it might be my only way of escape. I stood on my toes and peered through the glass pane. I sighed in disappointment. I was peering into another room, identical to the one I was in. I was just about to get down when I saw figures in the room. I gazed harder, trying to see what was going on through the dim light. That's when I saw it.

I saw the man first. He was on the bed, his back to me. Then I noticed the woman. She was on her back, the man on top of her. I soon saw that their clothing was strewn across the floor. She had her arms wrapped around his neck as he kissed her fondly at the neck. I saw him beginning to move and just at that moment I heard her starting to moan and gasp with pleasure. I quickly dropped back down to the bed, my heart racing. I was horrified. I kept telling myself that this couldn't be happening to me. My hands were shaking, my breathing fast.

Just then, the door to the room I was in swung open. I turned around to see who had entered and felt as though I were about to hyperventilate. It was the man who had winked at me earlier. He walked into the room and closed the door behind him. For a second time, I hear the click. My blood rushed through me so fast. I felt like I might pass out at any moment, but I refused to let that happen. He came towards me with a smile and whispered in a low voice to me. 'Calm down. Everything is alright. Just relax.' He now had a hand placed on both sides of the bed on either side of me, his face inches from mine. I was too scared to say anything. All I could do stare in fear.

I saw him glance up and down at my apparel, then he smiled. 'Well then, shall we get started?' I tried to run, scream, anything…but my body was frozen in place. I felt his breath on my neck, my breathing coming out in gasps. Evidently, he took that in the wrong way. He mistook my fear for pleasure. He immediately pushed me backwards onto the bed and jumped on top of me. He reached down and ripped the thin skirt off with ease and began rubbing his hand up and down my thigh. His other hand ripped off the shirt. I tried to fight back, finally gaining some of my body's will back, but not enough. As soon has he pulled his own shirt off, I could feel his excitement and desire from the sweat coming off his skin. Though I tried desperately to push him off, he pinned my arms down and tore the bra off with one pull. I saw him smile with satisfaction. Then he kissed my neck and continued down my chest. I gasped again, out of pure terror. Yet again he couldn't cipher the difference and became even rougher. He was kissing my stomach. I could feel his cold, slobbery tongue as it crept higher up onto my breast. With one last effort tired to force him off me. I was crying and screaming, banging my fists against his back in desperation.

Just when I had given up hope, the door swung open and a girl raced in, a gun in her hand. The man quickly looked up from my chest and stared at the figure. I couldn't tell who it was in the light, I just heard her voice. 'Get away from her now or I'll shoot!' She sounded as though she had been crying too. The man backed away from me slowly. As fast as I could I stood up and ran to the closet nearby, finding a warm cotton robe. I pulled it on quickly and ran towards my savior. I was finally able to see her face then. Her hair was blonde like mine, only shorter. Before I had time to ask questions, she told me to go out the door and continue down the hallway to a door on my right. I did as she told me to and soon found myself outside in the snow yet again. I collapsed on the cold ground and kissed it. I was so thankful to see the white snow again, knowing I was still just as pure.

In a few minutes, the girl raced out behind me and grabbed my hand. We raced through the alleyways for what seemed like forever, until we were finally back in Luca. I thanked her constantly, unable to show my appreciation enough. She smiled at me."

Yuna and Rikku were staring at her with pity in their eyes. Neither could imagine something so horrible happening to a girl her age. They could see tears falling down her face now. She lifted her hand and gently wiped them away. "Do you know who that girl was?" She asked them wondrously. Both looked at her waiting for the answer. "Donna. She had been taken, just like me. She had stolen the gun the man with her had, and threatened him with it. She had heard my screams and knew she wasn't the only one taken and raced off to save me."

They were speechless. Yuna had no idea what to say. "Look at me. I'm so pathetic. I can't believe I told you that. Next thing I know you'll be telling the whole school I'm a slut." She laughed. Yuna gave her a penetrating stare.

"I would never do something like that. Besides, you're still in tact. You're still as pure as the snow, remember?" Ralana stared at her. "You're not pathetic. I think you're pretty brave. You went through so much, yet, you kept going. That takes strength." They stared in silence back and forth at one another.

"Listen…I'm…I'm sorry. I'm sorry about everything I've put you through. I just…I just got jealous. I know Tidus and I will never be together. These past two years I've been noticing how he kept treating me more like a sister than his girlfriend." Tears started to fall a second time.

"Ralana…thank you. When I came here I never meant for all this to happen. I never wanted to have any enemies."

"I know." She replied simply. Rikku cleared her throat. When she looked up she had tears falling down the sides of her face, too. "Rikku…what are you crying for?" She asked lightly.

"I'm sorry…Sister!" She jumped forward and embraced Ralana. She seemed surprised at her action, but soon returned the feeling.

"Thank you Rikku. I'm sorry for everything. I know I've been rude to you and your father. I should be thankful that someone loved us enough to take us into their hearts." At this, Rikku quickly glared up at her.

"Though, at the beginning, I didn't love you in the least." Then she smiled and the two started laughing. Yuna smiled, too.

"I hate to break up the moment, but don't we need to get going? Gippal's been gone awhile now." Rikku gasped.

"Oh, that's right! I forgot!" They ran down the stairs out the front door to the front yard, where Gippal and Cid sat tinkering with several machina parts.

"That was an awfully long story." Gippal smiled as he stood up. "I fixed an entire hoverboard and started building one while you guys were still up there!"

"Shut up!" Rikku said, rolling her eyes.

"The boy's a genius!" Cid commented, clapping Gippal on the back. I wish I had a son like you!" At this, Brother appeared out of nowhere and turned abruptly, his face in a pout heading towards the house.

Ralana smiled. "Well, Dad. You just might yet, have a son like him." Rikku's turned as red as a cherry as she looked at a Gippal. He looked at Ralana in confusion at first, but in seconds gazed down at Rikku with a smirk. Cid looked at them curiously and then rolled his eyes as he heard Brother give an exaggerated cry in the distance.

"I better go and show that boy some tough love!" He replied, winking at them. Just as he began walking away, he turned back around. "Did you just call me Dad?" He asked in realization. She nodded her head. He smiled. "I like it!" With that he retreated toward the shed.

Rikku stood swaying back and forth. twiddling her fingers nervously. Gippal walked back over toward the hoverboard he was working on and began polishing the sides of it. As he did so he made an exaggerated pose, trying to show off his biceps. "So, how could someone like me possibly be a son to a family I'm not even related to?" He quickly rubbed the surface harder to make his arm bulge out more. Rikku glared at him furiously now, daggers piercing him through her eyes. She quickly picked up a nearby wrench and flung towards him. He picked up a tin lid and shielded himself. "Hey, that's dangerous!"

"Shut up! It's impossible for someone like you to ever be a part of this family!"

"Well, who would want to be part of such a violent one?" He called back as he ducked again.

"Alright you two! Stop right there! We need to get a move on." They looked over at her in surprise. "We have to save Tidus." Rikku dropped the wrench she was holding, Gippal the tin lid. Yuna quickly turned to Ralana.

"What do you mean, save him?" She asked, not sure if she wanted to know or not. Ralana sighed and looked her in the eyes.

"We have to save him from his father…"

Hey Everyone!

I'm so sorry you had to wait so long for an update. We moved into a new house and we had to get the computers set up and then the internet wasn't working! So many problems! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed Chapter 12. Things are getting intense now! Be ready! The conclusion isn't too far away. Don't worry though, there are still a good many chapters left. Keep a lookout for updates! Thanks!

I appreciate the comments you leave me! It helps motivate me!