hey again! just a quick little greeting this time since i already thanked all MY WONDERFUL REVIEWERS in my previous chapter. i love you all! *grins and winks* alrighty then! on with the show! peace! ~~~sa~~~
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~~
Chapter 3: Lose a Genius, Gain a Player
"We're leaving! Let's go, Gullwings!" Rikku called in Al Bhed as soon as she got to the bridge. Buddy and Brother both echoed her sentiments, seeming to be glad to leave the place they had lost two members. Shrina leapt from his seat and hurried over to Rikku's flushed figure. "Rikku, we can't leave yet." Crossing her arms, Rikku bent down, eyes narrow. "Why?" She spat, trying to her angry will onto the short genius. He hesitated slightly, glancing behind his blonde friend nervously. "'Cuz I'm getting off and catching the ship to Luca. I have a job lined up there with their top sphere researchers." Rikku plopped down onto the cold metal floor. Shinra hurried past her without another word. Buddy sighed heavily. "Three down, three to go." He muttered in Al Bhed, taking his place at the navigator's console.
"Make that four to go, boys." Rikku flinched, glancing at the door to see Gippal standing there triumphantly. "Shrina asked me to take his place on this old tanker of yours. Say hello to Gullwing number four!" His lilting Al Bhed words made Rikku want to strangle him all the more for some odd reason. Brother almost had a heart attack and pointed at his foe with a shaking hand. "Old tanker?!?" Buddy turned all the way around in his chair, gaping at Gippal, too. "Gullwing number four?!?" Rikku stood up slowly, fixing her gaze on her own place at the Celsius controls longingly. "Hurry up, guys! We have to high-tail it before Yunie or her blonde shadow realize we're leaving! Shrina'll tell her in a heartbeat!" With a nod, bouncy-mode Rikku made her way over to her console. Gippal take his seat at Shrina's computer with an amazed sigh. Brother and Buddy traded glances, shrugs, and surrending positions at the Gullwing-moblie's central control center.
Rikku watched Besaid woosh away beneath them as they headed for Luca, just to check Shrina's "new job" out. Sighing, she said goodbye to Paine and Yuna, her two best friends. She didn't think either of them would even notice if she wasn't there that morning. They kinda took her for granted since she was oh-so-supportive no matter what. Scoffing at herself and at them, she turned her attention to the screen in front of her. Bored suddenly with the hum of the machina around her, she pulled up a club index in Luca. She was a party girl, after all. Skimming through the first few pages, Rikku spotted a vibrant link to a site for Club Kweh, a techno-sonic club open only at night. Grinning and rubbing her hands together at the mere thought of the partying to be had that night, Rikku let herself in on Brother and Buddy's private-ish conversation.
'But, we do need someone as smart as Shrina around, Brother." Buddy said chidingly in Al Bhed. Brother growled and the Celsius lurched forward unsteadily. "I don't think he's as smart as Shrina! He's a goof! A total moron!" Brother spat back, his Al Bhed MUCH more fluid than his common speech. Rikku snickered at them and joined in. "Oh, don't forget player, louse, and abosolute heart breaker." Grinning at their suddenly outraged faces, she hopped away from them on the pretense of ignoring Gippal. He must've heard her soft footsteps because he spun around in his chair and caught her hand. His face was deathly serious and his voice was dangerously low. His good eye was dark and somewhat sad. "Rikku, please. Give me one more chance." He sounded so sincere and caring. His strong hand clasped hers desperately.
Rikku almost wanted to forgive him. She almost smiled and hugged him; almost. Instead, she yanked her hand away, glaring at the offended appendenge like it was the plague. Deciding that pitiful excuse for a plead was not worthy of an answer, she turned and skipped away. Gippal sank down in his chair, not seeing the suspicious glares he was receiving from both Buddy and Brother. Trading glances again, the two Al Bheds turned back to their controls. They both seemed to be plotting the untimely demise of their new genius.
Stepping onto the elevator casually, Rikku pressed the button to head up to the deck. She was sure a little fresh air and sunshine would clear her mind. Yeah, that's what she needed. Having Gippal on the ship was only going to make things worse for her. Considering their shaky past, the two of them had gotten along rather well over the past few weeks. The couple of times Rikku had run into her lanky used-to-be-boyfriend she had been too shocked to say anything useful. A cautious air of "Whoa! You're ALIVE?" would overtake them both and they ended saying dumb things. But, that one time she had seen him in the Heart of the Farplane, injured and struggling, she had flipped out. Mentally, she had been screaming and holding him in her arms. Physically, she had squeaked his name feebly, doing nothing at all. She couldn't have, in front of Yunie and Paine anyways. They wouldn't have let her hear the end of it.
Sighing just as the elevator reached the deck, she shook her woeful thoughts away. Jogging to the door, she smiled as the door automatically whooshed open. Rikku was about to laugh and shout "Weeee!" when she saw the stowaways. Yuna, Paine, and Tidus were all climbing up the far end of the deck. They must've hung onto the airship all the way through take off and all the way until now. A moment of tense silence passed over her before she ran over to them. "Heey!" She called over the wind. Yuna ran over to her, hugging her tightly. "Shrina told us you guys were leaving. He told us you said we wouldn't notice!" Rikku could hear the tears in her cousin's voice. Grimacing, she pulled away. Bracing herself, she glanced at the innocently interested Tidus, the stern yet concerned Paine, and Yuna on the border of sobs. "Well," She began, feeling the cool sensation of the clouds wash over them. "I didn't think you would've noticed. You were all so happy this morning, running out onto the beach and stuff. I didn't figure I needed to be around anymore, you seemed fine without me..."
Rikku trailed off only because Yuna had lifted her hand and slapped her friend, hard. Gripping her throbbing cheek, Rikku glared at her once-best-friend. "What the hell, Yuna?" She screamed, backing away from them all. Paine hurried to shove the shaking, sobbing Yuna at Tidus and approach Rikku. The blonde crouched defensively, not trusting the people she had gone through so much with. "Rikku, don't start that. Don't make me hurt you." Paine said this in Al Bhed, her low voice calm and confident. Rikku knew she was serious and stood up straight. "Ok, so you don't think we need you around, huh?" The taller girl crossed her arms over her black garbed chest. Rikku nodded, rubbing her cheek and glaring at Tidus and Yunie who were watching eagerly. Tidus was actually holding Yuna back from running over. Ha ha. Smirking, Rikku turned her attention back to Paine, who stood there paitiently. "Yup yup!" Her voice sounded overly happy and exuberent, even to her own ears. Paine shook her head. "Rikku, Rikku, Rikku. When will you ever learn?" The stoic swordswoman shrugged and walked past the now confused Rikku.
"Hey, wait!" Rikku called, turning around to watch Paine pass the door and wait on the elevator. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned back, meeting Tidus' shocking blue gaze. He seemed so concerned and confused, as if he had no idea what was going on but wanted to help. Rikku felt the tears in her eyes staring into those emotional blue pools. She could see why Yuna fell for him so hard; he was honestly sensitive. Scary. Closing her eyes against the tears and the blazing blue of Tidus' eyes, Rikku stood there waiting for something to happen. Luckily, she didn't have to wait long because Gippal was speaking through the loud speaker. He was yelling something in Al Bhed that got lost in the wind to Rikku's ears. Paine reacted, shouting for all of them to follow her. Tidus nodded, motioning for Yuna to follow as he jogged towards the elevator.
Yuna hesitated and then ran to her cousin, hugging her tightly. "Rikku, I don't think I ever told you how much you mean to me. You're my best friend and the only guardian I had that stayed by me. Who understood my pain, you know? I love you, Rikku and it hurts that you think I don't need you around anymore. Just because my journey's over doesn't mean I don't still need a good dance partner, right?" Yuna leaned back and smiled brightly. Rikku wiped her tears away, honestly convinced that Yuna was being sincere. "Rightyo! Now, let's go see what Gippal was yelling about." Rikku grabbed Yunie's hand and they ran to the elevator where two smiling warriors were waiting.
Rikku skipped into the bridge before anyone else. Buddy, Brother, and Gippal were leaning over the screen on Shrina's old console. Gippal was explaining something hurriedly to them while the two Al Bheds nodded emphatically. "What's up? Is this a private party or can I join?" Rikku chirped, leaping over the railing to land next to her brother, Brother. The mohawked spasm machine turned to her as soon as she landed. "Rikku! You're late!" Rikku stuck out her tongue, putting her hands on her hips. "Sor-ry! Geez. What's the big deal anyway?" Yuna, Paine, and Tidus joined them at the computer. Yuna waved at Brother who blushed and grinned. Buddy smirked at them, spotting Tidus and remembering their relationship better than Brother seemed to. Paine agreed with Rikku, wanting to know what the big deal was.
"Well, Gippal, what's up? You tell the girls. I'll set our course." Buddy patted Gippal on the shoulder and headed over to his own computer. Brother cleared his throat and waited while Gippal searched for the right words. "Uh, ya know how in the Farplane there's all that energy?" He paused, looking from face to face expectantly. Rikku picked up on his "needing a repsonse, here people!" look and nodded. "Yeah and and?" Gippal's eye sadly moved away from her face, seemingly not wanting to linger too long. "Its extremely unstable and possibly dangerous." Paine crossed her arms, thoughtfully cradling her chin in her hand. "Wait, what about the Guado? Aren't they able to stabalize the Farplane?" Gippal opened his mouth to speak, but Yuna cut him off. "The Farplane, yes, but not the energy of the pyreflies themselves. If that's the massive amount of energy that Shrina detected, then they have no control over it." Tidus, barely having any idea of what was going on, chimed in. "What'll happen if it gets out of control?" Gippal sighed, rubbing his temples.
Instead of explaining anything to them, he pulled up a simulation of the Farplane. At the center of it, there was a mass of swirling energy, indicated in varying shades of green and blue. "See there?" He muttered, pointing to the bright blue center of the mass. "That is the highest concentration of the energy. Know what place is parallel to that spot in our realm of the living?" They all shook their heads. "Luca." Was Gippal's answer. Everyone had their own take of the situation, as Rikku brashly pointed out. "yeah, so what? What's gonna happen if the energy gets outta control? The city'll have free energy to make another Zanarkand with." Paine shook her head. "No, we don't even know what kind of energy it is, Rikku. It could be light or heat or sphere energy for all we know." Yuna looked highly aware and focused; her Save The World face. "So, we'll just have to go find out, right?" She thrust her fist into the air, expecting some heroic theme song to start playing. Rikku rolled her eyes and leaned against Gippal's chair.
He glanced up at her hopefully, but she was too busy watching her three friends jump around about a new mission. Paine began suggesting that they go to Luca and see if anything was wrong. Then they should head into the Farplane Abyss and check out the energy. Yuna and Tidus agreed, all too readily. Gippal leaned back in his chair while the three teens hurried to tell Brother their plan. Rikku sighed and, without thinking, laced her fingers through his. Gippal froze, not even spurting the insult he had lined up for Tidus' girly laugh. Rikku's eyes were oddly distant, a glazed look about them. "Gippal," She breathed, her grip tightening on his hand. "Gippal, promise me that you won't follow me." He blinked, the romantic air about him completely destroyed. "What?" He gasped, trying to keep his voice down.
Rikku looked down at him, her eyes sad and distant, but her face defiant and rebellious. "Don't follow me and don't tell the guys I'm leaving. When we get to Luca, I'm gonna disappear, capice?" She slid her hand out of his to play with the coin around his neck. "Rikku, why?" That was all he could breathe as she kissed him gently on the cheek before standing. "'Cause." Was all she answered with a shrug before grinning, winking, and skipping over to join the psuedo-party the crew was having at the front. Gippal, defeated, lowered his head into his hands. He was about to give up on the girl called Rikku when he remembered that Club Kweh she had been investigating earlier. She wasn't going anywhere without him as her shadow.
~~~~~*****~~~~~
AN: i know it moves kinda fast, but the flow is lovely, no? i hope the grammar mistakes are still down to a minimum. keep reviewing! love and kisses! *smooch*
~~~sa~~~
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~~
Chapter 3: Lose a Genius, Gain a Player
"We're leaving! Let's go, Gullwings!" Rikku called in Al Bhed as soon as she got to the bridge. Buddy and Brother both echoed her sentiments, seeming to be glad to leave the place they had lost two members. Shrina leapt from his seat and hurried over to Rikku's flushed figure. "Rikku, we can't leave yet." Crossing her arms, Rikku bent down, eyes narrow. "Why?" She spat, trying to her angry will onto the short genius. He hesitated slightly, glancing behind his blonde friend nervously. "'Cuz I'm getting off and catching the ship to Luca. I have a job lined up there with their top sphere researchers." Rikku plopped down onto the cold metal floor. Shinra hurried past her without another word. Buddy sighed heavily. "Three down, three to go." He muttered in Al Bhed, taking his place at the navigator's console.
"Make that four to go, boys." Rikku flinched, glancing at the door to see Gippal standing there triumphantly. "Shrina asked me to take his place on this old tanker of yours. Say hello to Gullwing number four!" His lilting Al Bhed words made Rikku want to strangle him all the more for some odd reason. Brother almost had a heart attack and pointed at his foe with a shaking hand. "Old tanker?!?" Buddy turned all the way around in his chair, gaping at Gippal, too. "Gullwing number four?!?" Rikku stood up slowly, fixing her gaze on her own place at the Celsius controls longingly. "Hurry up, guys! We have to high-tail it before Yunie or her blonde shadow realize we're leaving! Shrina'll tell her in a heartbeat!" With a nod, bouncy-mode Rikku made her way over to her console. Gippal take his seat at Shrina's computer with an amazed sigh. Brother and Buddy traded glances, shrugs, and surrending positions at the Gullwing-moblie's central control center.
Rikku watched Besaid woosh away beneath them as they headed for Luca, just to check Shrina's "new job" out. Sighing, she said goodbye to Paine and Yuna, her two best friends. She didn't think either of them would even notice if she wasn't there that morning. They kinda took her for granted since she was oh-so-supportive no matter what. Scoffing at herself and at them, she turned her attention to the screen in front of her. Bored suddenly with the hum of the machina around her, she pulled up a club index in Luca. She was a party girl, after all. Skimming through the first few pages, Rikku spotted a vibrant link to a site for Club Kweh, a techno-sonic club open only at night. Grinning and rubbing her hands together at the mere thought of the partying to be had that night, Rikku let herself in on Brother and Buddy's private-ish conversation.
'But, we do need someone as smart as Shrina around, Brother." Buddy said chidingly in Al Bhed. Brother growled and the Celsius lurched forward unsteadily. "I don't think he's as smart as Shrina! He's a goof! A total moron!" Brother spat back, his Al Bhed MUCH more fluid than his common speech. Rikku snickered at them and joined in. "Oh, don't forget player, louse, and abosolute heart breaker." Grinning at their suddenly outraged faces, she hopped away from them on the pretense of ignoring Gippal. He must've heard her soft footsteps because he spun around in his chair and caught her hand. His face was deathly serious and his voice was dangerously low. His good eye was dark and somewhat sad. "Rikku, please. Give me one more chance." He sounded so sincere and caring. His strong hand clasped hers desperately.
Rikku almost wanted to forgive him. She almost smiled and hugged him; almost. Instead, she yanked her hand away, glaring at the offended appendenge like it was the plague. Deciding that pitiful excuse for a plead was not worthy of an answer, she turned and skipped away. Gippal sank down in his chair, not seeing the suspicious glares he was receiving from both Buddy and Brother. Trading glances again, the two Al Bheds turned back to their controls. They both seemed to be plotting the untimely demise of their new genius.
Stepping onto the elevator casually, Rikku pressed the button to head up to the deck. She was sure a little fresh air and sunshine would clear her mind. Yeah, that's what she needed. Having Gippal on the ship was only going to make things worse for her. Considering their shaky past, the two of them had gotten along rather well over the past few weeks. The couple of times Rikku had run into her lanky used-to-be-boyfriend she had been too shocked to say anything useful. A cautious air of "Whoa! You're ALIVE?" would overtake them both and they ended saying dumb things. But, that one time she had seen him in the Heart of the Farplane, injured and struggling, she had flipped out. Mentally, she had been screaming and holding him in her arms. Physically, she had squeaked his name feebly, doing nothing at all. She couldn't have, in front of Yunie and Paine anyways. They wouldn't have let her hear the end of it.
Sighing just as the elevator reached the deck, she shook her woeful thoughts away. Jogging to the door, she smiled as the door automatically whooshed open. Rikku was about to laugh and shout "Weeee!" when she saw the stowaways. Yuna, Paine, and Tidus were all climbing up the far end of the deck. They must've hung onto the airship all the way through take off and all the way until now. A moment of tense silence passed over her before she ran over to them. "Heey!" She called over the wind. Yuna ran over to her, hugging her tightly. "Shrina told us you guys were leaving. He told us you said we wouldn't notice!" Rikku could hear the tears in her cousin's voice. Grimacing, she pulled away. Bracing herself, she glanced at the innocently interested Tidus, the stern yet concerned Paine, and Yuna on the border of sobs. "Well," She began, feeling the cool sensation of the clouds wash over them. "I didn't think you would've noticed. You were all so happy this morning, running out onto the beach and stuff. I didn't figure I needed to be around anymore, you seemed fine without me..."
Rikku trailed off only because Yuna had lifted her hand and slapped her friend, hard. Gripping her throbbing cheek, Rikku glared at her once-best-friend. "What the hell, Yuna?" She screamed, backing away from them all. Paine hurried to shove the shaking, sobbing Yuna at Tidus and approach Rikku. The blonde crouched defensively, not trusting the people she had gone through so much with. "Rikku, don't start that. Don't make me hurt you." Paine said this in Al Bhed, her low voice calm and confident. Rikku knew she was serious and stood up straight. "Ok, so you don't think we need you around, huh?" The taller girl crossed her arms over her black garbed chest. Rikku nodded, rubbing her cheek and glaring at Tidus and Yunie who were watching eagerly. Tidus was actually holding Yuna back from running over. Ha ha. Smirking, Rikku turned her attention back to Paine, who stood there paitiently. "Yup yup!" Her voice sounded overly happy and exuberent, even to her own ears. Paine shook her head. "Rikku, Rikku, Rikku. When will you ever learn?" The stoic swordswoman shrugged and walked past the now confused Rikku.
"Hey, wait!" Rikku called, turning around to watch Paine pass the door and wait on the elevator. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned back, meeting Tidus' shocking blue gaze. He seemed so concerned and confused, as if he had no idea what was going on but wanted to help. Rikku felt the tears in her eyes staring into those emotional blue pools. She could see why Yuna fell for him so hard; he was honestly sensitive. Scary. Closing her eyes against the tears and the blazing blue of Tidus' eyes, Rikku stood there waiting for something to happen. Luckily, she didn't have to wait long because Gippal was speaking through the loud speaker. He was yelling something in Al Bhed that got lost in the wind to Rikku's ears. Paine reacted, shouting for all of them to follow her. Tidus nodded, motioning for Yuna to follow as he jogged towards the elevator.
Yuna hesitated and then ran to her cousin, hugging her tightly. "Rikku, I don't think I ever told you how much you mean to me. You're my best friend and the only guardian I had that stayed by me. Who understood my pain, you know? I love you, Rikku and it hurts that you think I don't need you around anymore. Just because my journey's over doesn't mean I don't still need a good dance partner, right?" Yuna leaned back and smiled brightly. Rikku wiped her tears away, honestly convinced that Yuna was being sincere. "Rightyo! Now, let's go see what Gippal was yelling about." Rikku grabbed Yunie's hand and they ran to the elevator where two smiling warriors were waiting.
Rikku skipped into the bridge before anyone else. Buddy, Brother, and Gippal were leaning over the screen on Shrina's old console. Gippal was explaining something hurriedly to them while the two Al Bheds nodded emphatically. "What's up? Is this a private party or can I join?" Rikku chirped, leaping over the railing to land next to her brother, Brother. The mohawked spasm machine turned to her as soon as she landed. "Rikku! You're late!" Rikku stuck out her tongue, putting her hands on her hips. "Sor-ry! Geez. What's the big deal anyway?" Yuna, Paine, and Tidus joined them at the computer. Yuna waved at Brother who blushed and grinned. Buddy smirked at them, spotting Tidus and remembering their relationship better than Brother seemed to. Paine agreed with Rikku, wanting to know what the big deal was.
"Well, Gippal, what's up? You tell the girls. I'll set our course." Buddy patted Gippal on the shoulder and headed over to his own computer. Brother cleared his throat and waited while Gippal searched for the right words. "Uh, ya know how in the Farplane there's all that energy?" He paused, looking from face to face expectantly. Rikku picked up on his "needing a repsonse, here people!" look and nodded. "Yeah and and?" Gippal's eye sadly moved away from her face, seemingly not wanting to linger too long. "Its extremely unstable and possibly dangerous." Paine crossed her arms, thoughtfully cradling her chin in her hand. "Wait, what about the Guado? Aren't they able to stabalize the Farplane?" Gippal opened his mouth to speak, but Yuna cut him off. "The Farplane, yes, but not the energy of the pyreflies themselves. If that's the massive amount of energy that Shrina detected, then they have no control over it." Tidus, barely having any idea of what was going on, chimed in. "What'll happen if it gets out of control?" Gippal sighed, rubbing his temples.
Instead of explaining anything to them, he pulled up a simulation of the Farplane. At the center of it, there was a mass of swirling energy, indicated in varying shades of green and blue. "See there?" He muttered, pointing to the bright blue center of the mass. "That is the highest concentration of the energy. Know what place is parallel to that spot in our realm of the living?" They all shook their heads. "Luca." Was Gippal's answer. Everyone had their own take of the situation, as Rikku brashly pointed out. "yeah, so what? What's gonna happen if the energy gets outta control? The city'll have free energy to make another Zanarkand with." Paine shook her head. "No, we don't even know what kind of energy it is, Rikku. It could be light or heat or sphere energy for all we know." Yuna looked highly aware and focused; her Save The World face. "So, we'll just have to go find out, right?" She thrust her fist into the air, expecting some heroic theme song to start playing. Rikku rolled her eyes and leaned against Gippal's chair.
He glanced up at her hopefully, but she was too busy watching her three friends jump around about a new mission. Paine began suggesting that they go to Luca and see if anything was wrong. Then they should head into the Farplane Abyss and check out the energy. Yuna and Tidus agreed, all too readily. Gippal leaned back in his chair while the three teens hurried to tell Brother their plan. Rikku sighed and, without thinking, laced her fingers through his. Gippal froze, not even spurting the insult he had lined up for Tidus' girly laugh. Rikku's eyes were oddly distant, a glazed look about them. "Gippal," She breathed, her grip tightening on his hand. "Gippal, promise me that you won't follow me." He blinked, the romantic air about him completely destroyed. "What?" He gasped, trying to keep his voice down.
Rikku looked down at him, her eyes sad and distant, but her face defiant and rebellious. "Don't follow me and don't tell the guys I'm leaving. When we get to Luca, I'm gonna disappear, capice?" She slid her hand out of his to play with the coin around his neck. "Rikku, why?" That was all he could breathe as she kissed him gently on the cheek before standing. "'Cause." Was all she answered with a shrug before grinning, winking, and skipping over to join the psuedo-party the crew was having at the front. Gippal, defeated, lowered his head into his hands. He was about to give up on the girl called Rikku when he remembered that Club Kweh she had been investigating earlier. She wasn't going anywhere without him as her shadow.
~~~~~*****~~~~~
AN: i know it moves kinda fast, but the flow is lovely, no? i hope the grammar mistakes are still down to a minimum. keep reviewing! love and kisses! *smooch*
~~~sa~~~