Chapter 2:

My Memories

Part II: Gippal

"It's official. We've been burgled."

Annoyance. That's what I first felt. Annoyance, carelessness, stupidity. Mostly resent and malice towards LeBlanc when those feelings passed.

"And they took the broken sphere from Zanarkand with them," Shinra speculated.

I felt a lot of negative emotions right then and there. It was one thing being competitors for the same spheres, but it was a total different matter busting into another Sphere Hunter's ship and stealing all of the bounty.

That's a thief's job.

Sphere Hunter's aren't thieves, they're hunters. You'd think that the woman would have enough honor to challenge us, at least. But I guess not. I think all that pink and terrible fashion taste had gone to her head. Made her stupid, somehow.

"They left this in its place."

The annoyance began to grow more in my chest as Buddy showed us a twice-ugly heart-decorated sphere reeking of LeBlanc. So she decided to leave us a short message. An even more stupid and immature act to do. Now it even proves the haughty woman did it.

When Buddy analyzed the sphere, we all saw LeBlanc's quirky figure right in the middle of it. The egotistical woman turned around and began to softly tap her fan by her thigh. "Who's on top now, Dullwings?" she laughed curtly, her fan jerking as she posed victorious in front of the sphere. She then shoved her make-up caked face into the sphere, causing me almost wanting to gag. Her voice shrieked, "You couldn't compete with LeBlanc in a thousand years!"

I had to stifle from laughing hysterically at her last comment. Compete? Did she think this was some kind of competition? Going into the ship while we are away and stealing what was fair and square ours? This woman's idiocy was making me want to grind my teeth. If she liked to play dirty, then damn, we'll play twice as dirty.

"She's making fun of us," I found myself openly saying.

"Oh poopie!" Yuna hmphed, putting her hands on her hips and tilting her head. She was also annoyed.

"Don't talk like that, Yuna!" Rikku squeaked behind her.

Yuna turned around, blinking and looking at Rikku, probably thinking along the lines of 'hypocrite'. "But I'm just copying you!" Yuna protested.

"That's nice. And?" I cut to the chase. We didn't have time to argue about our language. We had to decide how to get that sphere back, and now.

~ ~ ~

The plan was to get three uniforms.

How I felt about this mission could only be expressed in one word: LAME.

Of course, Rikku and Brother had both agreed on this plan. As I had stated before that, when Brother and Rikku agree, bad things happen. I wasn't truly expecting to dress up as one of LeBlubberface's goons, but I guess there was no choice. She was too snobby to have a face-to-face talk with. And if we attacked her head on, now knowing of her honor, she would of just given the sphere to one of her goons to hide it with. We had to become one of the goons to actually understand what was going on.

I wasn't too thrilled with the idea of wearing those disgusting rosy uniforms but I really had no choice.

Buddy informed us that LeBlanc's main hideout was located within Guadosalam. Me and the rest of the Gullwings Gang went to the fallen Guado city to see what we could dig up.

There we questioned every one who was residing there of LeBlanc's whereabouts. Where she had been, where she was going, what she was doing...everything. At first we couldn't make sense what was going on because they each give bits and pieces. But eventually we figured out that the three places that they were active: Gagazet, Bikanel, and Djose Temple. Most likely all on Sphere Hunts.

There was something about Djose Temple that gave me the chills. Something. I didn't know what.

One thing I noticed about Rikku and Yuna, though, was their amazed facial expressions when we wandered through Guadosalam. Especially Yuna when we passed by that mansion on the west part of Guadosalam. Her face would go to a pasty white. Her eyes widened and frightened like a mouse. She was visibly trembling just at the sight of the mansion. It had been quite a while since I had seen her do that. It just so happened that it was the HQ of LeBlubberface. Though I doubted that LeBlubberface would stir that much fear in Yuna. There was something else. Something else I didn't know. Perhaps from her Pilgrimage. What the history of that mansion let alone what caused both Rikku and Yuna to tremble whenever near it, was beyond me.

When we boarded back at Celsius, we all sat down to plan where we would go next. By popular vote, we all decided on to go to Bikanel first. It had been Rikku's first Home and she was dying to visit it. Sort of like when Yuna returned to Besaid after two years. Rikku wanted to see what Bikanel was like. So, with that decided, we sped off into the direction of the desert island.

~ ~ ~

"They won't let us through," Yuna sighed.

"What?!" Rikku yelled over the sandstorm. "Fro dra Vynbmyha hud!?"

Yuna's disgruntled figure sighed again, her shoulders slumped. So you needed special permission to go around and play in the sand? What a sad place Spira had become. First Zanarkand, the city of the dead, becomes a tourist spot, now you have to pay to actually dig in some sand in Bikanel. Pathetic.

Rikku seemed to be having a nostalgic moment being back on Bikanel. She looked around at the sand dunes excitedly yet mournfully. It was these sand dunes that she played on, enjoying her young life within the desert with the ever-playful Cactuars. Now looking at how much Bikanel had changed seemed to be a slap in the face for her. Since Home had been turned into ashes, it looked like all Bikanel really was, was just another moneymaking prospect. From what had been an abandoned island was now some sort of digging hotspot. A land of treasure of all sorts. Hoovers and many Al Bhed inhabited the place. However, we couldn't stick around to fully understand of the true transformation of Bikanel.

"They said something about needing a letter from this guy in Djose Temple."

I listened intently with my back turned to the two girls. I watched as the wind picked up the sand, causing a mild sandstorm. Sand grains flew like the sakura petals used to back where I lived. Though sand grains were much plainer and rougher than flower petals. I squinted hard to see if I could see anything above me. I couldn't see the sky very well here. And the sand was getting all over me: in my clothes, in my hair, in my eyes...

"So let's get going to Djose," I said impatiently, hoping they would get the message.

"Right," Yuna nodded, shielding her eyes from the blasting sand. "Let's get going!"

~ ~ ~

We were at the foot of Djose Temple. I looked up at the top of the temple, only to see the phenomenon temple was still in function. Thin, neon-blue thunderbolts stringed huge boulders from the temple and orbited. An amazing glitch of nature. The roads were still worn from walking and the red cliffs were still in check. Course dark green bushes grew sparsely and the faint smell of the sea lingered in the air. Everything about Djose was the same: except for the lack of monkeys and the atmosphere of holiness around it.

People were crawling all over the place. It was obviously another busy day for the registration for Bikanel.

 "Why is everyone staring...?" Yuna felt herself meekly cringe a bit, feeling prying eyes stare her down. She wasn't used to the attention, being always a busy Sphere Hunter. She gloated the fame of defeating Sin the first few months before fame and fortune became old to her. Why she stopped using that fame was yet another thing I didn't understand about Yuna. She said that there was something missing and that she couldn't go on acting like she was happy. All I could guess was that it was the absence of this male that caused her the grief.

"You're the High Summoner, Yuna. Of course you're famous!"

"All I want is some peace and quiet..." Yuna sighed, shaking her head.

"Poor thing, she's lived such a sheltered life..." Rikku whispered to me. I felt myself smile a little.

"You think she's getting old?" I kiddingly asked Rikku. Rikku muffled a snicker.

"Who's getting old?!" Yuna turned around and yelled, her hands on her hips. Rikku smiled and said nothing. I just did the same.

All of a sudden, out of no where, a guy came walking towards us. I didn't really look at him, being too amused by Yuna's reaction to us assuming she was getting old. And even so, he didn't seem to be anyone of any importance of the moment. Or at least I guessed so. E fyc jano fnuhk...

He past us, and though I didn't pay enough attention to him Yuna and Rikku sure did. Yuna watched him with curious eyes as Rikku leaned over her and whispered. When I had had my fill inspecting the place, there was something alluring about the figure that had his back to us. Something. I couldn't really pin my finger on it, but it was there. I kept staring at the figure. From his backside, all I could really see about him was golden spiky hair. Erect needles standing right on top of his head. Who did this guy think he was, walking in so arrogantly like that? By the time he reached the stairs of Djose Temple, he turned around and announced.

"We're startin' the interviews, so let's get with it!"

My heart seemed to pause beating for a brief moment. Was that who I thought it was? Hu, ed luimth'd pa...Although the Deathseeker Nooj made himself quite famous being the leader of the Youth League, and likewise with Baralai with New Yevon...but it had been forever since I had seen him. He had changed...

I found a familiar tug at my heart, a yell was crawling out of my throat, wanting to scream, "Gippal, ynah'd oui kuehk du cyo rammu, tayn vneaht?" Though I stopped myself. What was the past, was the past. We had shared fights, tears, and victories together...but now it was different, all different.

~ ~ ~

After we had figured out how Djose worked, the three of us had separated to do our own things. Yuna stood patiently in line for the registration. Rikku had run off to flirt with one of the Al Bhed guards. And me? I went to the bridge with the other treasure-hunters and looked out to sea. I wasn't much into crowds and talking, so the only solitary place I could find peace was the sea.

I closed my eyes and gave into the sweet song of the ocean. The mumbling and gibberish of the people around me drowned out and all I could hear was the sweet soft sighing of the waves...Sea green, wasn't it? No, it was more of a Cactuar green. But sometimes when the sunset beam shined just right in the ocean, the sea would turn into your glorious emerald.

~ ~ ~

"Man, Luca's huge!" Gippal gaped, his lone emerald eye as big as a quarter.

"You've never been here before?" Baralai asked, his face inquisitive.

"A few times, when I was younger," Gippal admitted. "Came to see the Al Bhed Psyches go at it. But...it's bigger than what I remembered." He glanced at the flamboyantly colored balloons reach out to the sky, the tall buildings joining with it, and voices yelling on Sphere-TV's and radios, announcing Blitzball's winnings and losings as well as news.

Crowds and crowds of people where there, hustling and bustling, shoving and pushing, screaming and talking. Many of them were rabid Blitzball fans that ran around Luca trying to get autographs from their favorite Blitzball stars. The others that speckled the crowd were either residents, merchants or Crusaders. I could see Gippal's amazement grow as we walked down the brick road from our ship. Both Baralai and Gippal caught a glimpse of a Sphere-TV and flocked to it with eager anticipation.

"You little boys are always so easily amused," Nooj laughed to himself, watching them scamper and strain themselves to hear the spheretelevision.

"Hey!" Gippal whipped around, offended. "Watch who you're calling 'little', buster. Must I remind you that it was *I* who saved you the other day from that monstrous fiend?"

"I didn't ask for your help," Nooj snapped back at Gippal, an annoyed look in his eye.

"Hey, look!" Baralai pointed at the Sphere-TV, oblivious of Nooj and Gippal's argument earlier. "The Besaid Aurochs actually made it to the finals!"

"Whoa, you serious?" Gippal whipped back around, staring at the blue rippling screen. "The Besaid Aurochs? Are you sure?"

"I'm sure! Look!" Baralai pointed to where the Auroch trademark was on the lower right of the television. It was right next to the Luca Goers trademark, proving the showdown.

"Aw man, so the Al Bhed Psyches didn't make it?" Gippal mocked a sniffle, and slumped his shoulders.

Nooj looked at the two blitz-stricken boys and shook his head, muttering to himself. "Still a bunch of boys after all..."

~ ~ ~

I was standing on a dock, overlooking the sapphire sea. Seagulls called out repetitively and flew around in circles. The waves crashed against the supportive poles of the dock. The sea smelt delicious, enticing. It was a beautiful day out in Luca and the sun shone brightly and cloudless. I sat down on the dock, swinging my legs off the ledge and observing my own rippling reflection.

I could see the young Paine through the fuzziness of the memory. The large ruby eyes full of innocence, curled hair that cascaded over her shoulders, rouge full lips, but with a sad smile. I looked at my reflection for a long time, so long that I didn't even detect footfalls behind me.

"Always running off by yourself, aren't you?"

I spun my head to see Gippal with his hands on his waist, standing only a few feet away from me. His posture proud, slightly arrogant if I could say. His lips curled into a wry smile. I could already see the inner workings of Gippal in that lone forest-green eye of his, and I didn't like what was going on in there.

"When are you going to sit still one of these days?" His one green eye gazing at me, his smile obviously mischievous. "You do realize that we may be left with our last resorts if you keep running off."

My eyes narrowed at the sea horizon. My voice low and cold when I responded. I was beginning to adapt the ways of an emotionless warrior. "And those last resorts are?"

I could almost see the smile break out into a grin from behind me. "Handcuffing and chains, of course."

I flinched, unable to stop myself. "Excuse me?"

"We'll have to handcuff you to one of us to keep you still," I could hear him chuckling. "Hey, what's the matter?" His chuckle grew increasingly annoying.  "What did you think I meant?"

There was a long string of silence. None of us moved or said a thing to each other. The droning voice from the Blitzball stadium was the only conscious noise in this now-dead conversation. Gippal began snickering again, pretending he just caught on to something. "Oooh, I see now...what a naughty girl you are, Paine."

"What in the Ifirit do you mean by that?!" I snapped from behind.

His chuckling soon turned into laughter. The footfalls came closer as I heard the laugh grow louder and more heartily. I felt myself grow hot, feeling mortified of the many perverted things that Gippal had just accused me of. Either way, I had to somehow buck this feeling off. It wasn't good for a warrior to lose her cool. This was yet another practice lesson, another test, for me to reform myself into a fighter.

The young Paine turned over her shoulder, an annoyed sigh escaping her lips yet she had kept her cool. "You know, I do need a few days off from babysitting all three of you every once in a while, right? So please, spare me the jokes."

"Cilr y lida kenm oui yna, Paine. Ymfyoc bmyoehk rynt du kad, ynah'd oui?" Gippal chuckled the last bits of his laugh, standing right next to me on the dock.

I growled. "You know how much I hate it when you talk in Al Bhed."

Gippal tilted his head innocently, mocking confusion. "Why, Paine, why-ever so?"

"I don't understand it. For all I know, you just insulted me in Al Bhed."

Gippal laughed again. "Far from it."

"Whatever," I responded coldly, bringing my knees up to my chest and hugging them.

"Okay, fine. Maybe I'll teach you some Al Bhed. Would that make you feel better?"

My face lit up for the first time in ages. My hair whooshed as my head snapped around. "You mean it?"

"Of course I mean it."

"Okay, then!"

"All right," Gippal's face turned serious. He stood proudly and began to act pompously, as if he was some kind of Yevon Priest Professor. "First lesson, Miss Paine...is this: Gippal ec uha ramm'ijy caqo paycd."

"Gippal ec uha ramm'ijy caqo paycd...It has your name in it. What did I just say?"

"You said 'Gippal, you are a Sphere Hunter'."

My brows furrowed and my eyes silted suspiciously. "Why do I not believe that?"

Before he could even comply, I heard Nooj's irritated voice yell out. "Gippal! What the Bahamut are you doing over there! Get back here and to your post, you moron!"

Gippal growled and turned away from the youthful Paine. After a few steps away from me, he turned around briskly with a happy smile on his face.

"Oh yeah, and one last phrase for lesson 1," Gippal cheerfully said.

I turned around to watch him go. "And that is?"

"Nooj ec yh yccruma."

I tilted my head, "Nooj ec yh yccruma...And what does that mean?"

"I'll tell you later," he snickered again, his back to me and walking away from me. I could only guess it was something insulting, because it had Nooj's name in it.

"Caa oy."

~ ~ ~

It had only taken me a few months before I could speak Al Bhed fluently. With that achieved, it no longer bothered me when others conversed in Al Bhed around me.  My arduous studying had paid off when I realized I could understand the most complicated of Al Bhed phrases. I even could translate - without hesitation - Gippal's string of curses whenever Nooj had caught him slacking. Even so, under the guidance of Gippal's teaching, I had religiously memorized the my first two phrases Gippal had given me. I kept studying in hopes that "lesson 2" would come soon. Lesson 2 never came. What only came, was the realization of what Gippal really made me say.

"Gippal is one hell'uva sexy beast".

And "Nooj is an asshole".