What I Wouldn't Do For You
Chapter Seven: May the Best Man Win!
"Rikku...I want to be your husband."
The silence in the air had been broken by the uproars of the crowd around us. People just began talking non-stop as if they had witnessed a phenomenon or something. Our friends were in shock, except for those smart- asses Nooj and Baralai. I guess they weren't surprised as Yuna, Paine, and Tidus. I KNOW that neither of them was as stunned as Cid though. The old man looked like he was gonna have a heart attack. And Cibaneun...well, I'll just say that he wasn't too happy by my proposal. He didn't need to show it; I knew that he was pissed. Whenever a guy steals another guy's girl, there's bound to be a little tension.
But Rikku wasn't his girl to begin with. Never has, and never will be.
Now, you're probably wondering why I decided to come out and tell Rikku that I wanted to be her husband. Being the genius that I am, I realized something as Rikku and me were going back to the party. Old Man Cid said that he would call off the wedding if he knew some other guy could take better care of Rikku than Cibaneun could. Seeing that I didn't know many gillionaires and I wasn't exactly pals with many Yevonites other than Baralai, I decided that I would be the guy that would prove to Cid that his daughter would be happier and better off with someone other than that sissy.
And not just someone: me. I'm not exactly the richest man in Spira, but I do know that I would put my life on the line for Rikku. I just have to show Cid that so she won't end up with someone that she didn't know anything about, and vice versa. And...this might sound selfish, but I don't want Rikku to be given away to anyone else. I didn't want to stand there and do nothing while the person who I cared about more than anything was slipping away from me.
Nooj said that girls like Rikku didn't stay single forever. That's why I'm doing this. To ensure that she won't leave me.
The air grew silent, and I had realized that everyone had stopped talking. They were all staring at Rikku as I held her hand in mine, waiting for her answer. She had her free hand clutching over her heart, like she was gonna have a heart attack along with her dad. I couldn't read her face. I couldn't tell whether or not she was angry or sad. All I wanted at that moment was her answer.
I should've told her when I was alone with her, but the idea didn't hit me until now. I had to drop her a hint...
"Rikku, I can't LET you go through with this ARRANGED marriage," I emphasized, trying to do my best not to sound awkward. "Instead of marrying Cibaneun, I want you to marry ME."
Her emerald green eyes seemed to light up, and a smile suddenly appeared on her lips. I knew then that she had caught on.
"Will you marry me, Rikku?" I finally asked to make it official.
She smiled happily and pulled me back onto my feet. She nearly jumped into my arms, her hands wrapped tightly around my neck. I was shocked at first, but then remembering my little plan, placed my hands on her small hips.
"Yes," she declared, loudly enough for her dad and Cibaneun to hear. "I will, Gippal."
Once again, a chorus of gasps echoed from the crowd as if Rikku and I had sprouted two heads.
Cid looked like he really WAS gonna just keel over and die after hearing his daughter's response. Cibaneun looked pretty serious, kinda like one of those statues on the Mi'hen Highroad.
"...wait a minute," a familiar, idiotic voice chimed. "I thought Rikku was gonna marry Cinnabar. Does this mean she'll have two husbands?"
"Tidus!" A girly voice cried, followed by a loud smack.
"Ihpamejypma!!!" Cid hollered above the surprised crowd. He stomped through the party guests and pried Rikku off of me. "Not if I'm gonna have a say in all this!"
"Vydran!" Rikku pleaded with him, her smile completely gone from her face.
"Young lady, this doesn't concern you!" He snapped at her, and then dragged me by my arm into the temple. "Cibaneun, come with me!"
Pretty boy did as he was told, dutifully following Cid like a trained dog. He didn't even look at Rikku when he walked past her. There is no way in hell that this guy was gonna be her husband.
"You too, Brother!" He barked at the lunatic. "I need a witness!"
Brother gave him a confused stare, but obeyed his father. Rikku was about to follow us until Cid stopped her.
"Rikku, I said this doesn't concern you! Stay outside with your cousin until I sort this mess out!"
Always the defiant one, Rikku stomped her foot. "No, I wanna come!"
Cid glared at her sternly, giving her that 'I am your father and you will do as I say or else' look. Rikku must've taken the hint, because she stayed where she was. Even she knows when not to piss off her dad.
She stared at me with her emerald green eyes as Cid tugged me away from the crowd. Yuna, Paine, and Tidus appeared around her in an instant, trying to console her and get some information out of her. But she didn't answer them. She was just staring at me as if it was the last time she was ever gonna see me. It was really...sad.
The doors shut soundly behind all four of us, Cid finally releasing his death grip on my arm. I was cornered: the leader of my race fuming in front of me, Cibaneun on my left, and an indifferent Brother to my right.
Man, was I in for it now.
"What do you think you're doing?!?" Cid exclaimed, making the other two guys flinch from the pure anger in his voice. "Proposing to my daughter right after I already announced that she's married-"
"She isn't!" I yelled back. I was so sick and tired of even thinking of Rikku being married to Cibaneun.
"She just might as well be!" Cid hollered. "I did all of this for her sake, and you screwed it up! What the hell is going through that head of yours?!"
"Can't you see, Cid?" I asked, trying my best not to let my anger get the best of me. I figured that all of this yelling would get me nowhere, so I tried a different approach. "You can't force her into a marriage that she didn't want in the first place. Rikku can make decisions on her own, she doesn't need other people to make them for her."
Cid threw an accusing finger at me, his face twisted in anger. "You, of all people Gippal, shouldn't be talking!"
After hearing those words, I forget every effort to try and actually have a civil conversation with the old man. "What do you mean by that?"
"Don't play dumb with me! The last thing I need is to be told how MY daughter feels after what some jealous ex-boyfriend did to her!"
...jealous...EX-BOYFRIEND?!?
"...wait a damn minute!" I nearly spat. "Is that what you think I am?!"
"I KNOW you're one, boy," he stated matter-of-factly. Instead of looking downright pissed, Cid kinda looked more serious than he was before he had dragged me into the temple. "I did let Rikku make her own decisions, and I still do. I didn't say anything when I allowed her to date you for a little while because I thought that she would be happy. But when I saw how you hurt my little girl, I wanted nothing more than to kick my own ass for letting her be with you."
I looked down on the floor, unable to bring myself to stare Cid right in the eye at that moment. I just felt so guilty over what he was saying.
"Because I allowed her to make that particular decision and let her THINK that she was in love, she ended up being a mess after you broke it off with her. I thought that it was partially my fault for letting her go through with it all."
I lifted my head up and saw that Cid was almost to the brink of falling on his knees and crying, but I knew he was too proud of a man to ever do that. Cibaneun had his head bowed, probably because he felt uncomfortable about the current conversation between me and the old man. Yevonite or not, Al Bhed don't like bringing up the past. Cibaneun, as much as I hated his guts, wasn't an exception.
"So I arranged this marriage because...I knew that Cibaneun is a good man that can take care of my little girl. Sure, she might throw a fit during the first few weeks, but I know that he can't hurt her. Rikku might be eighteen years old today, but you know as well as I do that she's still a kid at heart. She doesn't know what's best for her, but I do."
I was speechless. I felt like I had a huge lump in my throat. I knew that Cid had good intentions behind this otherwise crazy marriage of his...but there was still something that didn't seem RIGHT about it...
After a moment of silence, Cid spoke to me. "That's why I have to ask you, Gippal, to go in front of that crowd and say that it was a horrible prank that Rikku and you decided to pull."
I nearly went spastic. It couldn't fall apart so soon, not now! I couldn't let Rikku get married to Cibaneun. It would be just plain wrong if I did.
"...no."
Cid and Cibaneun stared at me as if I had gone crazy like Brother.
"...what did you say, boy?" Cid's heavily accented voice asked threateningly.
"I said no," I repeated, focusing on him with my one good eye. "I meant it when I proposed to her, Cid. I want to be Rikku's husband."
"You expect me to let YOU marry her after all you did?" Cid's voice remained at a calm level, but I knew it only took the wrong subject to make him yell.
"Okay, I get the point. I was an asshole back then," I admitted. I could've sworn that I had just took a huge chunk out of my own ego, but I didn't care. "But I meant it when I said all those things to her."
Cid shook his head, obviously not believing me.
"It's the truth!" I insisted, pissed that the old man wasn't believing a word I said. "Cid, when have you ever known me to go back on my word?"
I knew I began to persuade him when I saw that the angry grimace on his face began to falter. He knew as well as I did that a part of me still cared about Rikku. He also knew damn well that I never broke a promise to anyone. EVER.
"I've always kept my word Cid, like I'm doing right now." My one good eye was focused on him so he could see how dead serious I was. "If I marry Rikku, I swear that I will protect her. I'll die first before I see anything happen to her."
Cid's eyes diverted themselves away from mine as he turned around again, walking toward the temple doors. Anger and sadness were taking over me as I watched him leaving with Cibaneun at his side.
No, he couldn't do this to me...he just couldn't! There's no way that I was gonna allow a man who was already over the hill to ruin my life when I still had a future with Rikku ahead of me. Just because he lost the woman he cared about didn't mean he could take mine away from me!
"I LOVE HER DAMN IT!!!"
My anguish echoed off the temple ways and returned to my ears. I felt like falling on my knees and tugging my hair with my fists. I couldn't even breathe normally; my heart was racing and threatened to jump out of my chest. I was just so scared that I really was gonna lose her, that she was gonna walk out of my life without knowing how I truly felt about her...
The room was silent. Cid stared at me as if I had done something horribly unbelievable. Cibaneun gaped at me through thick, blonde bangs in disbelief. I just stood there, my body shaking with fear that Rikku really was gonna be taken away from me.
"...keja res y lryhla, Vydran."
My eye shot to Brother who was staring at his father with a pleading look on his face. It wasn't a look that was pleading for a machina part or something stupid like that. He was pleading for his sister.
"Brother..." Cid muttered his son's name.
The lunatic looked straight into his dad's eyes, never tempted for one moment to look away. "I trust him, Vydran. He might be rude, stubborn, arrogant, pushy..."
I rolled my eyes. I just KNOW that I'm gonna be loved in this family...
"But he is good person. Gippal would protect Rikku. I know it."
"...you realize that if he DOES do something to hurt your sister," he paused and threw a venomous look at me, "that you'll be somewhat responsible for trusting him with Rikku?"
He nodded. "E ghuf."
Cid stared at his son, but his shoulders slumped over and he let out a heavy sigh. Cibaneun was gawking at him with this shocked look on his face, and I knew what had happened.
He was gonna hold off the arranged marriage. At least for a little while.
"Boy," he addressed me, and I did the smart thing and paid attention. "If I see my little girl crying, I'll blame you and I'll make sure that you'll wish that you were never born."
I nodded solemnly. I was confident that I wouldn't do anything to make Rikku sad. Not like pretty boy standing next to him.
"...is the wedding off then, Sir Cid?" The Yevonite Al Bhed asked, looking worried.
"For now, Cibaneun." He gave an apologetic look to the younger Al Bhed. "I'm sorry, but I have to do this. My daughter's happiness is at stake."
I bit back the urge to say something. As if Rikku's happiness wasn't at stake when Cid arranged the wedding in the first place...
Cibaneun bowed his head and his long bangs covered his dark green eyes. But in a second, he returned to his normal, confident self and smiled. "I understand."
"So, what's gonna happen?" I asked, wondering what Cid was gonna do now that the wedding was delayed.
He crossed his arms and looked serious. "Well, I figured it out. What I'll do is examine the both of you and decide who Rikku is better off with."
I frowned. "How are you gonna do that? Spy on us?"
"Believe me, I wish I could," Cid said, "But I still gotta help with the re-construction of Home. Rikku will stay with you for the rest of the two months that Brother traded with you for that blasted machina..."
Brother pouted and muttered a curse in Al Bhed.
"After that, this is what I'm gonna do. Rikku will come back Home after she helps out here. I'm gonna let each of you take her out on a date, and after that, Rikku will tell me everything that happened. I'll know then, from my own daughter's words, who would make a better husband for her."
...WAY too idealistic to work out. As much of a simple and effective plan that Cid had, it wasn't gonna work. Rikku could easily get out of marrying Cibaneun by lying to her dad that she had a lousy date with him. Cid couldn't be that stupid...could he?
"You both will take turns going out with her," Cid informed us. "You have until the anniversary of the Eternal Calm to convince me which one of you Rikku is happier with. Is that all right with the both of you?"
I nodded, and so did Cibaneun.
"Okay then, all you have to do is shake hands, and that's that."
We looked at each other, and I didn't hide my disgust for him. He didn't react to my hostility; his face was still wearing a calm and stoic expression. Our hands extended to each other and met in a firm shake, both of us testing the other's strength. I glared at him while I did my best to crush his hand. Cibaneun did nothing. The guy didn't even flinch. He just looked back at me without a hint of anger or nervousness in his eyes.
Later, we all returned to the party and met a crowd who was dying to know what had just happened. Cid told them all that the party was over, and all the guests had no choice but to leave. They grumbled as they deserted the temple, and Djose was quiet again, except for the electrical current of a machina or two. Cid took Rikku aside and told her everything, while I did the same by sharing all the info with her friends and mine.
"...that's it?" Paine asked in surprise.
"That doesn't sound like Uncle Cid..." the High Summoner thought out loud.
"So, Rikku's not getting married?" Tidus asked me. I shook my head.
"No, not until the anniversary of the Eternal Calm. By then, either Cibaneun or me will be her husband..."
I trailed off, wanting to spit on the idea of Cibaneun being married to Rikku. Marriage was something sacred to my people. She shouldn't have to be forced into it like that, especially to a complete stranger.
"Heh, then Rikku is as good as yours!"
My head shot up and I gawked at the stupid blonde guy. Man, the High Summoner sure knows how to pick 'em, huh?
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, a bit too defensively. "She isn't mine. She isn't anyone's."
"Okay, no need to be snippy," he replied with that idiotic grin on his tanned face. "There's no way Rikku could ever go for a guy like that Cinnabar. Besides, you've been meaning to ask her out on a date anyway, right?"
My eyes nearly bulged out of my head as Nooj and Baralai exchanged glances and burst out laughing. Paine hid a snicker, and Yuna tried to keep her boyfriend from saying anything else stupid.
"What gave you that idea?!" I yelled at him, intensifying my friends' laughter. I tell ya, if I didn't have one hell of a bad day, I would've shot them both at point blank.
"By the way you guys act. You like her, right-OWWWWW!!!"
"Tidus, that's enough!" The High Summoner shouted at him as Paine rolled her eyes.
I gave my friends a threatening glare and they both shut up. It was the end of that conversation, thank Yevon.
...okkaaay, now I KNOW that I had a long day. I just praised a god that I didn't believe in. I'd kill myself if I found out that Cibaneun and me had something in common...
After everyone left and all of the members of the Machine Faction cleaned the mess from the party, I decided to go to bed. I opened the door, and I saw Rikku waiting for me with a huge grin on her face.
I closed the door and stared at her in surprise. "...what?"
She ran right to me and jumped onto me, latching her arms tightly around my neck in a death grip. "Dryhg oui, dryhg oui, dryhg oui!!!" She thanked me in Al Bhed and began to giggle insanely.
I couldn't help but smile, but when my senses returned to me, I pried her off of my body. "For what?"
She giggled again and smiled brightly. "For saving me from that arranged marriage! Pops told me everything, and I had to keep myself from jumping with joy afterward! Gippal, you're a genius!"
I smirked. "Of course I am. Ya finally had to admit it, huh?"
She rolled her eyes and playfully punched me in the arm. "Don't let it go to your head."
My heart was swelling with happiness just looking into the emerald pools of her eyes. They were twinkling like they were bright stars. The crappy day I had seemed to melt away after seeing how happy Rikku was. She was back to her normal, cheerful self.
"This is SO great!" she shouted ecstatically. "All we have to do is pretend that we're all lovey-dovey, and Pops will HAVE to call off the marriage permanently!!!"
My grin faded when I heard the word 'pretend'. I've always HATED that word, just for the fact that it really was a word, but it sounded so FAKE. I didn't want things to be fake, especially Rikku's feelings toward me. If anything, I wanted her feelings to be genuine instead of pretend. I wanted her to love me like I loved her, but I had no way of knowing...
"Gippal?" My thoughts were interrupted by Rikku's perky voice. She looked kinda worried. "You okay?"
I threw on another grin and messed up her long, blonde braids. "Why wouldn't I be? You worry too much, Cid's little girl."
She pouted while she tried to rearrange her braids. Her perky smile returned and she captured me in another hug. "Really...I can't tell you how grateful I am. Thanks, Gippal."
My body began to tingle with a sensation that I only felt when I was around Rikku. I looked down on her with my one eye, and I felt content by how peaceful she was.
I don't know what's gonna happen in the long run. I wasn't sure how I was gonna convince Cid that he's making a huge mistake by even considering that Cibaneun would be a good husband for Rikku. All I knew was that I wasn't gonna let Rikku leave me. Some way, she wasn't gonna marry Cibaneun. I promised myself that for Rikku's sake and mine.
I placed my hands on the small of her back, feeling the smoothness of her skin.
"Anytime, Rikku," I told her. "Anytime."
AUTHOR'S NOTE (well, rant actually)
There, are you happy people? There's your update. But allow me to say two things:
Please stop telling me to update soon. I'm happy that you guys enjoy the story, but the incessant strings of urging me to update isn't helping. As much as I love Gippal and Rikku, I DO have OTHER interests in OTHER things. I also get writer's block along with the need to do well in school and fill out scholarships. One word: RELAX. I'm not going to abandon this fic, so be patient, please. Telling me to update ASAP isn't much good, because that'll just pressure me to write something really fast and post it. Give me time and give me my space to insure yourselves that you'll enjoy reading. I want to give you guys a good experience with my story, so let me already.
I'm happy with all of the reviews. This fic is picking up momentum, and just wait until you guys see the kinda dates I have planned for Rikku. Again, be patient and let me write them at my own pace. Good things come to those who wait. See ya!
TRANSLATIONS:
Ihpamejypma!!!- Unbelievable
"...keja res y lryhla, Vydran."- Give him a chance, Father.
E ghuf- I know
Dryhg oui, dryhg oui, dryhg oui!!!- Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Chapter Seven: May the Best Man Win!
"Rikku...I want to be your husband."
The silence in the air had been broken by the uproars of the crowd around us. People just began talking non-stop as if they had witnessed a phenomenon or something. Our friends were in shock, except for those smart- asses Nooj and Baralai. I guess they weren't surprised as Yuna, Paine, and Tidus. I KNOW that neither of them was as stunned as Cid though. The old man looked like he was gonna have a heart attack. And Cibaneun...well, I'll just say that he wasn't too happy by my proposal. He didn't need to show it; I knew that he was pissed. Whenever a guy steals another guy's girl, there's bound to be a little tension.
But Rikku wasn't his girl to begin with. Never has, and never will be.
Now, you're probably wondering why I decided to come out and tell Rikku that I wanted to be her husband. Being the genius that I am, I realized something as Rikku and me were going back to the party. Old Man Cid said that he would call off the wedding if he knew some other guy could take better care of Rikku than Cibaneun could. Seeing that I didn't know many gillionaires and I wasn't exactly pals with many Yevonites other than Baralai, I decided that I would be the guy that would prove to Cid that his daughter would be happier and better off with someone other than that sissy.
And not just someone: me. I'm not exactly the richest man in Spira, but I do know that I would put my life on the line for Rikku. I just have to show Cid that so she won't end up with someone that she didn't know anything about, and vice versa. And...this might sound selfish, but I don't want Rikku to be given away to anyone else. I didn't want to stand there and do nothing while the person who I cared about more than anything was slipping away from me.
Nooj said that girls like Rikku didn't stay single forever. That's why I'm doing this. To ensure that she won't leave me.
The air grew silent, and I had realized that everyone had stopped talking. They were all staring at Rikku as I held her hand in mine, waiting for her answer. She had her free hand clutching over her heart, like she was gonna have a heart attack along with her dad. I couldn't read her face. I couldn't tell whether or not she was angry or sad. All I wanted at that moment was her answer.
I should've told her when I was alone with her, but the idea didn't hit me until now. I had to drop her a hint...
"Rikku, I can't LET you go through with this ARRANGED marriage," I emphasized, trying to do my best not to sound awkward. "Instead of marrying Cibaneun, I want you to marry ME."
Her emerald green eyes seemed to light up, and a smile suddenly appeared on her lips. I knew then that she had caught on.
"Will you marry me, Rikku?" I finally asked to make it official.
She smiled happily and pulled me back onto my feet. She nearly jumped into my arms, her hands wrapped tightly around my neck. I was shocked at first, but then remembering my little plan, placed my hands on her small hips.
"Yes," she declared, loudly enough for her dad and Cibaneun to hear. "I will, Gippal."
Once again, a chorus of gasps echoed from the crowd as if Rikku and I had sprouted two heads.
Cid looked like he really WAS gonna just keel over and die after hearing his daughter's response. Cibaneun looked pretty serious, kinda like one of those statues on the Mi'hen Highroad.
"...wait a minute," a familiar, idiotic voice chimed. "I thought Rikku was gonna marry Cinnabar. Does this mean she'll have two husbands?"
"Tidus!" A girly voice cried, followed by a loud smack.
"Ihpamejypma!!!" Cid hollered above the surprised crowd. He stomped through the party guests and pried Rikku off of me. "Not if I'm gonna have a say in all this!"
"Vydran!" Rikku pleaded with him, her smile completely gone from her face.
"Young lady, this doesn't concern you!" He snapped at her, and then dragged me by my arm into the temple. "Cibaneun, come with me!"
Pretty boy did as he was told, dutifully following Cid like a trained dog. He didn't even look at Rikku when he walked past her. There is no way in hell that this guy was gonna be her husband.
"You too, Brother!" He barked at the lunatic. "I need a witness!"
Brother gave him a confused stare, but obeyed his father. Rikku was about to follow us until Cid stopped her.
"Rikku, I said this doesn't concern you! Stay outside with your cousin until I sort this mess out!"
Always the defiant one, Rikku stomped her foot. "No, I wanna come!"
Cid glared at her sternly, giving her that 'I am your father and you will do as I say or else' look. Rikku must've taken the hint, because she stayed where she was. Even she knows when not to piss off her dad.
She stared at me with her emerald green eyes as Cid tugged me away from the crowd. Yuna, Paine, and Tidus appeared around her in an instant, trying to console her and get some information out of her. But she didn't answer them. She was just staring at me as if it was the last time she was ever gonna see me. It was really...sad.
The doors shut soundly behind all four of us, Cid finally releasing his death grip on my arm. I was cornered: the leader of my race fuming in front of me, Cibaneun on my left, and an indifferent Brother to my right.
Man, was I in for it now.
"What do you think you're doing?!?" Cid exclaimed, making the other two guys flinch from the pure anger in his voice. "Proposing to my daughter right after I already announced that she's married-"
"She isn't!" I yelled back. I was so sick and tired of even thinking of Rikku being married to Cibaneun.
"She just might as well be!" Cid hollered. "I did all of this for her sake, and you screwed it up! What the hell is going through that head of yours?!"
"Can't you see, Cid?" I asked, trying my best not to let my anger get the best of me. I figured that all of this yelling would get me nowhere, so I tried a different approach. "You can't force her into a marriage that she didn't want in the first place. Rikku can make decisions on her own, she doesn't need other people to make them for her."
Cid threw an accusing finger at me, his face twisted in anger. "You, of all people Gippal, shouldn't be talking!"
After hearing those words, I forget every effort to try and actually have a civil conversation with the old man. "What do you mean by that?"
"Don't play dumb with me! The last thing I need is to be told how MY daughter feels after what some jealous ex-boyfriend did to her!"
...jealous...EX-BOYFRIEND?!?
"...wait a damn minute!" I nearly spat. "Is that what you think I am?!"
"I KNOW you're one, boy," he stated matter-of-factly. Instead of looking downright pissed, Cid kinda looked more serious than he was before he had dragged me into the temple. "I did let Rikku make her own decisions, and I still do. I didn't say anything when I allowed her to date you for a little while because I thought that she would be happy. But when I saw how you hurt my little girl, I wanted nothing more than to kick my own ass for letting her be with you."
I looked down on the floor, unable to bring myself to stare Cid right in the eye at that moment. I just felt so guilty over what he was saying.
"Because I allowed her to make that particular decision and let her THINK that she was in love, she ended up being a mess after you broke it off with her. I thought that it was partially my fault for letting her go through with it all."
I lifted my head up and saw that Cid was almost to the brink of falling on his knees and crying, but I knew he was too proud of a man to ever do that. Cibaneun had his head bowed, probably because he felt uncomfortable about the current conversation between me and the old man. Yevonite or not, Al Bhed don't like bringing up the past. Cibaneun, as much as I hated his guts, wasn't an exception.
"So I arranged this marriage because...I knew that Cibaneun is a good man that can take care of my little girl. Sure, she might throw a fit during the first few weeks, but I know that he can't hurt her. Rikku might be eighteen years old today, but you know as well as I do that she's still a kid at heart. She doesn't know what's best for her, but I do."
I was speechless. I felt like I had a huge lump in my throat. I knew that Cid had good intentions behind this otherwise crazy marriage of his...but there was still something that didn't seem RIGHT about it...
After a moment of silence, Cid spoke to me. "That's why I have to ask you, Gippal, to go in front of that crowd and say that it was a horrible prank that Rikku and you decided to pull."
I nearly went spastic. It couldn't fall apart so soon, not now! I couldn't let Rikku get married to Cibaneun. It would be just plain wrong if I did.
"...no."
Cid and Cibaneun stared at me as if I had gone crazy like Brother.
"...what did you say, boy?" Cid's heavily accented voice asked threateningly.
"I said no," I repeated, focusing on him with my one good eye. "I meant it when I proposed to her, Cid. I want to be Rikku's husband."
"You expect me to let YOU marry her after all you did?" Cid's voice remained at a calm level, but I knew it only took the wrong subject to make him yell.
"Okay, I get the point. I was an asshole back then," I admitted. I could've sworn that I had just took a huge chunk out of my own ego, but I didn't care. "But I meant it when I said all those things to her."
Cid shook his head, obviously not believing me.
"It's the truth!" I insisted, pissed that the old man wasn't believing a word I said. "Cid, when have you ever known me to go back on my word?"
I knew I began to persuade him when I saw that the angry grimace on his face began to falter. He knew as well as I did that a part of me still cared about Rikku. He also knew damn well that I never broke a promise to anyone. EVER.
"I've always kept my word Cid, like I'm doing right now." My one good eye was focused on him so he could see how dead serious I was. "If I marry Rikku, I swear that I will protect her. I'll die first before I see anything happen to her."
Cid's eyes diverted themselves away from mine as he turned around again, walking toward the temple doors. Anger and sadness were taking over me as I watched him leaving with Cibaneun at his side.
No, he couldn't do this to me...he just couldn't! There's no way that I was gonna allow a man who was already over the hill to ruin my life when I still had a future with Rikku ahead of me. Just because he lost the woman he cared about didn't mean he could take mine away from me!
"I LOVE HER DAMN IT!!!"
My anguish echoed off the temple ways and returned to my ears. I felt like falling on my knees and tugging my hair with my fists. I couldn't even breathe normally; my heart was racing and threatened to jump out of my chest. I was just so scared that I really was gonna lose her, that she was gonna walk out of my life without knowing how I truly felt about her...
The room was silent. Cid stared at me as if I had done something horribly unbelievable. Cibaneun gaped at me through thick, blonde bangs in disbelief. I just stood there, my body shaking with fear that Rikku really was gonna be taken away from me.
"...keja res y lryhla, Vydran."
My eye shot to Brother who was staring at his father with a pleading look on his face. It wasn't a look that was pleading for a machina part or something stupid like that. He was pleading for his sister.
"Brother..." Cid muttered his son's name.
The lunatic looked straight into his dad's eyes, never tempted for one moment to look away. "I trust him, Vydran. He might be rude, stubborn, arrogant, pushy..."
I rolled my eyes. I just KNOW that I'm gonna be loved in this family...
"But he is good person. Gippal would protect Rikku. I know it."
"...you realize that if he DOES do something to hurt your sister," he paused and threw a venomous look at me, "that you'll be somewhat responsible for trusting him with Rikku?"
He nodded. "E ghuf."
Cid stared at his son, but his shoulders slumped over and he let out a heavy sigh. Cibaneun was gawking at him with this shocked look on his face, and I knew what had happened.
He was gonna hold off the arranged marriage. At least for a little while.
"Boy," he addressed me, and I did the smart thing and paid attention. "If I see my little girl crying, I'll blame you and I'll make sure that you'll wish that you were never born."
I nodded solemnly. I was confident that I wouldn't do anything to make Rikku sad. Not like pretty boy standing next to him.
"...is the wedding off then, Sir Cid?" The Yevonite Al Bhed asked, looking worried.
"For now, Cibaneun." He gave an apologetic look to the younger Al Bhed. "I'm sorry, but I have to do this. My daughter's happiness is at stake."
I bit back the urge to say something. As if Rikku's happiness wasn't at stake when Cid arranged the wedding in the first place...
Cibaneun bowed his head and his long bangs covered his dark green eyes. But in a second, he returned to his normal, confident self and smiled. "I understand."
"So, what's gonna happen?" I asked, wondering what Cid was gonna do now that the wedding was delayed.
He crossed his arms and looked serious. "Well, I figured it out. What I'll do is examine the both of you and decide who Rikku is better off with."
I frowned. "How are you gonna do that? Spy on us?"
"Believe me, I wish I could," Cid said, "But I still gotta help with the re-construction of Home. Rikku will stay with you for the rest of the two months that Brother traded with you for that blasted machina..."
Brother pouted and muttered a curse in Al Bhed.
"After that, this is what I'm gonna do. Rikku will come back Home after she helps out here. I'm gonna let each of you take her out on a date, and after that, Rikku will tell me everything that happened. I'll know then, from my own daughter's words, who would make a better husband for her."
...WAY too idealistic to work out. As much of a simple and effective plan that Cid had, it wasn't gonna work. Rikku could easily get out of marrying Cibaneun by lying to her dad that she had a lousy date with him. Cid couldn't be that stupid...could he?
"You both will take turns going out with her," Cid informed us. "You have until the anniversary of the Eternal Calm to convince me which one of you Rikku is happier with. Is that all right with the both of you?"
I nodded, and so did Cibaneun.
"Okay then, all you have to do is shake hands, and that's that."
We looked at each other, and I didn't hide my disgust for him. He didn't react to my hostility; his face was still wearing a calm and stoic expression. Our hands extended to each other and met in a firm shake, both of us testing the other's strength. I glared at him while I did my best to crush his hand. Cibaneun did nothing. The guy didn't even flinch. He just looked back at me without a hint of anger or nervousness in his eyes.
Later, we all returned to the party and met a crowd who was dying to know what had just happened. Cid told them all that the party was over, and all the guests had no choice but to leave. They grumbled as they deserted the temple, and Djose was quiet again, except for the electrical current of a machina or two. Cid took Rikku aside and told her everything, while I did the same by sharing all the info with her friends and mine.
"...that's it?" Paine asked in surprise.
"That doesn't sound like Uncle Cid..." the High Summoner thought out loud.
"So, Rikku's not getting married?" Tidus asked me. I shook my head.
"No, not until the anniversary of the Eternal Calm. By then, either Cibaneun or me will be her husband..."
I trailed off, wanting to spit on the idea of Cibaneun being married to Rikku. Marriage was something sacred to my people. She shouldn't have to be forced into it like that, especially to a complete stranger.
"Heh, then Rikku is as good as yours!"
My head shot up and I gawked at the stupid blonde guy. Man, the High Summoner sure knows how to pick 'em, huh?
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, a bit too defensively. "She isn't mine. She isn't anyone's."
"Okay, no need to be snippy," he replied with that idiotic grin on his tanned face. "There's no way Rikku could ever go for a guy like that Cinnabar. Besides, you've been meaning to ask her out on a date anyway, right?"
My eyes nearly bulged out of my head as Nooj and Baralai exchanged glances and burst out laughing. Paine hid a snicker, and Yuna tried to keep her boyfriend from saying anything else stupid.
"What gave you that idea?!" I yelled at him, intensifying my friends' laughter. I tell ya, if I didn't have one hell of a bad day, I would've shot them both at point blank.
"By the way you guys act. You like her, right-OWWWWW!!!"
"Tidus, that's enough!" The High Summoner shouted at him as Paine rolled her eyes.
I gave my friends a threatening glare and they both shut up. It was the end of that conversation, thank Yevon.
...okkaaay, now I KNOW that I had a long day. I just praised a god that I didn't believe in. I'd kill myself if I found out that Cibaneun and me had something in common...
After everyone left and all of the members of the Machine Faction cleaned the mess from the party, I decided to go to bed. I opened the door, and I saw Rikku waiting for me with a huge grin on her face.
I closed the door and stared at her in surprise. "...what?"
She ran right to me and jumped onto me, latching her arms tightly around my neck in a death grip. "Dryhg oui, dryhg oui, dryhg oui!!!" She thanked me in Al Bhed and began to giggle insanely.
I couldn't help but smile, but when my senses returned to me, I pried her off of my body. "For what?"
She giggled again and smiled brightly. "For saving me from that arranged marriage! Pops told me everything, and I had to keep myself from jumping with joy afterward! Gippal, you're a genius!"
I smirked. "Of course I am. Ya finally had to admit it, huh?"
She rolled her eyes and playfully punched me in the arm. "Don't let it go to your head."
My heart was swelling with happiness just looking into the emerald pools of her eyes. They were twinkling like they were bright stars. The crappy day I had seemed to melt away after seeing how happy Rikku was. She was back to her normal, cheerful self.
"This is SO great!" she shouted ecstatically. "All we have to do is pretend that we're all lovey-dovey, and Pops will HAVE to call off the marriage permanently!!!"
My grin faded when I heard the word 'pretend'. I've always HATED that word, just for the fact that it really was a word, but it sounded so FAKE. I didn't want things to be fake, especially Rikku's feelings toward me. If anything, I wanted her feelings to be genuine instead of pretend. I wanted her to love me like I loved her, but I had no way of knowing...
"Gippal?" My thoughts were interrupted by Rikku's perky voice. She looked kinda worried. "You okay?"
I threw on another grin and messed up her long, blonde braids. "Why wouldn't I be? You worry too much, Cid's little girl."
She pouted while she tried to rearrange her braids. Her perky smile returned and she captured me in another hug. "Really...I can't tell you how grateful I am. Thanks, Gippal."
My body began to tingle with a sensation that I only felt when I was around Rikku. I looked down on her with my one eye, and I felt content by how peaceful she was.
I don't know what's gonna happen in the long run. I wasn't sure how I was gonna convince Cid that he's making a huge mistake by even considering that Cibaneun would be a good husband for Rikku. All I knew was that I wasn't gonna let Rikku leave me. Some way, she wasn't gonna marry Cibaneun. I promised myself that for Rikku's sake and mine.
I placed my hands on the small of her back, feeling the smoothness of her skin.
"Anytime, Rikku," I told her. "Anytime."
AUTHOR'S NOTE (well, rant actually)
There, are you happy people? There's your update. But allow me to say two things:
Please stop telling me to update soon. I'm happy that you guys enjoy the story, but the incessant strings of urging me to update isn't helping. As much as I love Gippal and Rikku, I DO have OTHER interests in OTHER things. I also get writer's block along with the need to do well in school and fill out scholarships. One word: RELAX. I'm not going to abandon this fic, so be patient, please. Telling me to update ASAP isn't much good, because that'll just pressure me to write something really fast and post it. Give me time and give me my space to insure yourselves that you'll enjoy reading. I want to give you guys a good experience with my story, so let me already.
I'm happy with all of the reviews. This fic is picking up momentum, and just wait until you guys see the kinda dates I have planned for Rikku. Again, be patient and let me write them at my own pace. Good things come to those who wait. See ya!
TRANSLATIONS:
Ihpamejypma!!!- Unbelievable
"...keja res y lryhla, Vydran."- Give him a chance, Father.
E ghuf- I know
Dryhg oui, dryhg oui, dryhg oui!!!- Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!