"I'm back!" Rikku sang, skipping into Gippal's room and sliding a breakfast tray into his lap, startling him.
"What? Rikku, what the hell is this?" Gippal indicated a pancake with two drippy eggs and a piece of bacon on top of it.
"A smiley face," Rikku chirped, undeterred.
Gippal stared at his grinning breakfast. When Rikku went to answer a knock on the door, he drained the glass of orange juice and shoved the wiggly mass of food under his bed.
"Hey, Gippal! Look who's here to see you!"
Gippal craned his neck to see around Rikku.
Baralai.
"Why me?" he groaned, rolling over and pretending to be asleep.
"C'mon, Gippal, we know you're awake!"
"Indeed," Baralai said, "Gippal, I just wanted you to know that we've scheduled a therapeutic session for you at an obstacle course. It has been a month, you know."
"Mmfgh," Gippal said, mocking sleep, then, "OBSTACLE COURSE?"
"Well, Rikku," Baralai said, turning to leave and resting a hand on Rikku's shoulder, "It appears you were correct in saying my former partner is greatly a feared of such games as these mentioned…"
With a small smile, Baralai left.
Was it possible that he knew Gippal could now move, just was too lazy to do so?
"Ahem. Rikku?"
"Yeah?" Rikku flashed him a smile.
"You didn't tell Baralai about my…problems with obstacle courses, did you?"
"Uh…no! Of course not!"
"Damn it, Rikku!" And with amazing speed for a cripple, Gippal chased Rikku out of the room.
The sun shone brightly on the day of the obstacle course competition.
"Rikku, are you nuts?" Gippal nearly strangled the girl. "Nobody told me it was a contest!"
"Oopsie?" Rikku offered in a squeaky voice.
"Agh, dammit." Gippal ran his hands through his hair.
"So, have you chosen partners yet, guys?" Tidus and Yuna approached.
"Partners?" Gippal echoed.
"Yeah," Tidus replied, "got one yet, Gippal? Or will no one take you?"
"Why, you…!" Gippal clenched his fists.
"I will!" Rikku said defensively.
"You will?" Tidus and Gippal said in unison, confused.
"Yes! I will!"
"That's nice of you, Rikku, but don't you think you're at a bit of a disadvantage? I mean, your partner only has one eye to work with, you know. The odds are against you."
"Go to hell, Tidus," Gippal said brightly, squeezing Rikku's shoulders in his arm and bringing her to his side, "I mean, who needs two eyes when you have three?"
Rikku blushed. Gippal pulled her aside.
"We have to win now," he ordered.
Rikku smacked him.
"Are you okay, Rikku?"
"Don't be silly!" Rikku said. As she dragged Gippal by the ear to the starting line, she growled, "I'm fine."
Baralai and Paine were talking, and Paine's face was bright and pink, which personally scared the hell out of Gippal, but he thought it best not to say anything, lest he get smacked again.
Yuna and Tidus were standing on the starting line, stretching. There were a few other coed couples, but Gippal knew they wouldn't last long.
"On your marks…get set…."
Gippal started running.
"GO!"
Tidus pulled up next to Gippal.
"You cheated!"
Gippal scooped up a handful of mud, still running.
"Bite me," he said, and hurled it at Tidus.
"WAIT UP, GIPPAL!" Rikku screamed. She put her head down, squeezed her eyes shut, and forced herself to run faster.
Wiping mud out of his eyes, Tidus tripped Rikku. You couldn't win unless both partners crossed the finish line.
"Hey!" Rikku fell into the dirt, scratching her hands and knees raw.
Paine, disgusted, picked up a rock and chucked it at Tidus's head. Her aim was slightly off, however, and the sound of Yuna's body hitting the sand pit made a large thump and caused even Gippal to whirl around.
"Damn," Tidus hissed, then slung Yuna over his shoulder and ran off towards the first obstacle, monkey bars.
Rikku, having caught up with Gippal, leapt up to the top of the bars and in handstand position, crossed them on her hands as Gippal crossed them beneath her, swinging his body to grab each rung.
Flipping down and continuing to run, Rikku neared the next obstacle.
After swinging down from the bars, Gippal knelt in starting position, then when he was about to continue running, was tackled from behind.
"Oops, so sorry," said Tidus.
"GET OFF ME!" Swearing, Gippal used a judo move to throw Tidus into the mud.
"Jeez."
"What's wrong with you?" Baralai and Paine shot by.
"Idiots don't play fair," Paine explained to Baralai, and they kept running.
When the race is over….
"We almost won," Gippal snapped, "but Rikku here had to get her foot stuck in a tire."
Rikku whirled on him.
"Say WHAT? You nearly hanged yourself with the ropes, what do you think you were doing with those?"
Yuna tried to pry them apart.
"You guys…."
Ignoring Yuna, the two Al Bhed continued to scream.
Paine crossed her arms.
"Should we tell them that they won?"
Tidus shook his head.
"Nah, let them keep it up. This is fun!"
A contest official approached the motley crew holding a trophy and a pouch of gold coins. Handing it to Rikku, he said,
"Nice job, here is your prize!" and walked away.
"Thank you," Rikku said, then went back to yelling at Gippal, who wasn't done yet either.
"Not to mention when you—hey, it that the trophy?"
Rikku stared at it blankly for a minute.
"Uh…yeah…I guess…"
In an instant, they were arguing over who deserved it more.
"There they go again…" Yuna said with a sigh.
"What DON'T they argue about?" Paine asked.
Later...
"You know," Gippal said, turning the trophy in his hands, "That was actually kinda fun…that whole obstacle course thing. Sorry I gave you a hard time about it."
"Yeah," Rikku said sleepily, too tired to realize he was offering an apology.
The evening sun shone through the window with the light of the setting sun as the Celsius took off to take Baralai and Paine back to New Yevon. Rikku was lying on her back, breathing steady, chest rising and falling gently. Gippal silently set the trophy down. He walked over to her and looked at her. Without realizing it, his breath synchronized with hers as he bent over her bed and brushed his lips to her cheek.
Just as his lips found hers, Tidus walked up the stairs. Leaping four feet into the air, Gippal fell backwards over Rikku and her bed, crashing on the other side. Rikku shot upright and rubbed her eyes. Tidus glared at Gippal's feet, all that was visible from that side of the bed.
"What's going on?"