This is two months after the "pair" first arrived on the beach! Gippal's arm has healed. Have fun!
"This is tiresome," Rikku said with a sigh as she raised her arms above her head. She was sitting on top of Gippal, for she'd raced across the pretty beach to leap on him after he'd called her one too many names.
"Rikku, get off me." Gippal tried to move from the vice grip of Rikku's gleaming tan legs and knees, but wasn't really getting anywhere.
"Not until you apologize. You're so mean!"
Gippal snickered into the sand.
"Never! You may have the upper hand now, but what about two minutes from now? What then, Cid's girl?"
"Oh please, as if you--- AIYEE!"
Gippal seized her legs and boosted her onto his shoulders.
"Ah ha ha!"
"NOT THE WATER, YOU WOULDN'T DARE!"
So of course, Gippal headed straight for the water.
"YOU IDIOT!"
Gippal just laughed until he had to clutch at the stitch in his side, as he raced into the water up to his knees, where he'd rolled up his pant legs, and threw Rikku as far as he could. She shrieked and splashed into the water head first, legs and arms flailing.
She rose, her eyes above water, watching Gippal as he laughed himself sick. She popped her head up and spurted water at him from between her lips like a fountain and giggled.
"Gotcha," she sang. Gippal glared at her and wiped water out of his eyes, then jumped on her. She managed to scream once before she was submerged. Her lungs filled with water and she pushed up on Gippal's stomach.
"You big lug," Rikku complained, wringing water from her hair, which she hadn't worn up in months.
Gippal laughed at her.
"You're a goof," he said shortly, and laughed. Suddenly, he couldn't stop. Peals of laughter shook his body and Rikku stared at him.
"I'm not laughing—" (laughter) "At you---" (snort, more laughter).
"Oh, shove it." Rikku laughed herself and dunked Gippal beneath the surface of the crystal sparkling water, strong arms keeping him submerged.
They swam further out into the bay, and Gippal splashed Rikku and she threw water back, obviously having fun. For a moment he just treaded water as she climbed up a large mossy rock at the edge of the bay. Her long tanned fingers gripped the grooves in the rock as she scaled it to get to the top. Gippal watched her sun blonde hair dry in the heat and fall to her shoulders where she'd cut it.
He watched her bronze legs gleam in the sun, and when she turned and called,
"I'm almost to the top!" the reflection of the sun in her stunning green eyes blinded him. Her brilliance was inevitable. She was so striking, no matter what she was doing.
"What the hell are you doing up there anyway?"
In response, Rikku swung her left leg up onto the top of the rock and with a noise like: "oomph", heaved her body up onto it. It was pretty high up. She stood and teetered on the edge of the rock that rimmed the bay. Gippal yelled. Rikku fell forward to her knees and stood up.
"Chill out! I'm fine!"
Rikku took a few steps backward, surveying the view, which must have been great, but was nice from where Gippal was swimming, too. Then, with an odd war cry, Rikku flung herself off the rock.
"RIKKU, ARE YOU NUTS?"
"BANZAI!"
Rikku executed a swan dive, then somersaulted and ended in a cherry bomb. The splash was huge, and arcs of water splashed Gippal. He laughed and shielded his face with his arms.
"Gimme a break!" He looked around. "Rikku? Rikku, this isn't funny anymore…" Taking a deep breath of summer air, Gippal ducked beneath the water. He blew bubbles from his nose and surveyed the area for Rikku. Running out of oxygen, the Crimson Squad crusader rose to the surface.
"Ah, dammit, Rikku!
That's when he saw her floating in the water about twelve feet away from him. Doing a front crawl to shame any Olympic swimmer, Gippal dragged Rikku to shore. As luck would have it, it was dusk, and the rest of the town was at a dinner festival. Hauling Rikku onto the beach, Gippal kneeled over her and pushed her stomach. One two three push…
"C'mon, you idiot…" Gippal started panicking. "Don't freaking die…"
He held her nose and blew into her mouth, his lips warm on hers. Rikku, spluttering, sat up and heaved water out of her stomach and lungs onto the sand. Gippal sat back on his haunches and nearly cried with relief.
"Stupid," he said instead, "throw yourself off a rock and scare me to death why don't you," he said crossly.
Rikku whacked him upside the head.
"Look buster," she said, poking him in the chest, "I don't know why you think—"
Gippal rested two fingers on her lips.
"Don't speak," he said softly. The breeze blew Rikku's hair into her eyes, which were only for Gippal. Gippal looked at her, startlingly serious.
"Rikku, do you remember?"
Rikku trembled and laughed nervously.
"Yeah, of course I do, it was—"
"So long ago," they said together, Rikku's voice shaking, Gippal's dull, yet yearning. Rikku's eyes widened, the green color decreasing among the white in her eyes.
"You can't possibly…"
Gippal winced and looked away, his hand falling from her face. Realizing she'd hurt him, Rikku grasped his hand before it hit the sand and held it in her own two hands.
"That was before," she said, "This is now."
Gippal looked at her, sadly
"It always was," he said, "I l—"
"No," Rikku whispered, "don't say it," she pleaded, "don't say it."
Gippal touched the black patch over his eye.
"It was all for you, Rikku."
"But I thought you said!..."
"Forget what I said," Gippal said huskily, "forget what I was going to say. I'm not wasting my time on you." He got up and walked away, not even allowing Rikku to thank him from saving her life…for the second time. This time, he hadn't lost anything. But Rikku, lying confused in the sand, looking up at the stars, had to wonder,
"Will he do it again? For me? What will he sacrifice next?"