Standard disclaimers apply.
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Chapter Two
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Gippal sat up and yawned. He had just gotten back from a weekend on Bikenel Island. The digging was going just as he had hoped it would, if not better. However, the heat had a way of making people tired, and he wasn't immune. He felt overheated - almost baked - and in need of a good cold bath.
Making sure the he didn't have anything that needed the immediate attention of the leader of the Machince Faction, he opted to take a peaceful walk down to the Moonflow for a quick swim before work.
Equipted with his large gun - in case of fiends - he headed off. He had't gotten that far when he spotted a bunch of fiends attacking a familar blond girl. "He~y!" he called out to her. "Having fun? Where's Lady Yuna and Paine?" he looked around for the other two spherehunters, keeping the wasp fiend locked firmly in his sights.
Ri turned to look at him, a blush staining her cheeks as she realized what she was wearing. "G-gippal," she stammered, spherechanging into the White Mage dressphere. She clutched the staff tightly in her hands, wishing that he would go away so she could change into more destructive clothes.
"You hurt?" Gippal asked. He frowned slightly when she shook her head soundlessly. "Then why did you change... I'm not hurt and you better not be thinking about healing the fiend," he added. "That'd be kinda stupid and pointless."
Ri didn't answer. The others had gotten ahead of her when she stopped to pick some flowers. Then the fiend had attacked. Since no one was watching, she had sphere changed to warrior mode to battle it. However, with Gippal standing and watching, all she could do was blush. There was no way she was going to wear a pair of pants that came that low on her body! At least, not when anyone was watching.
"Come on!" Gippal said. "It's just a little bug." He reached over and knocked her lightly under her chin with his knuckles.
"Ahhhh!" Ri screamed. She turned and dove into the bushes, trying to keep away from the leader of the Machine Faction.
"Ri-" Gippal stopped himself from calling for Rikku. It was traditional for him to not call her by her name. It also irritated the heck out of her! And what would life be if you couldn't tease people? Especially when they got really worked up about it.
He crossed his arms, looking at the bushes she had leapt into. "You gonna come out?" he asked. "Or should I come in after you?" He leaned foreword, peering into the foliage.
"Why don't you deal with the fiend attacking you first?" Rikk inquired. She had been doubling back for Ri when she had heard a scream. Figureing it was fiend trouble, she had rushed back with all due haste only to find Gippal talking to the bush.
Gippal blinked. "I believe the fiend was attacking you -" he began.
"So naturally, you decided not to give a girl a hand?" Rikk challenged. "That's pathetic, but then again, maybe you weren't doing anything because you were afraid."
"No -" Gippal began, confused now. "I didn't leap to your aid because -"
"Because you know you can't hit a fiend this agile and small? Do you have any accuracy on that weapon?"
Gippal ran his hands through his hair. "Listen -"
"I'm listening," Rikk said instantly. "But since you mentioned it, that does bring up an interresting point." She smirked at him. "Do you know how to listen?"
"What? Oh, of course. But you're not listening -" Gippal tried to start again.
"Naturally that's why you don't remember our name," Rikk said softly, with a vicious smirk on her face.
Gippal shook his head. "Our?" he inquired.
Rikk cursed herself mentally from her loose tongue. Obviously Gippal listened a lot better then she gave him credit for. "So you can listen," she murmured. "And then the reason you don't remember my name is?"
"I thought we were talking about the fiend that attacked you," Gippal said, avoiding the subject in what he hoped was a neat fashion.
"We were. Then we stopped. Or did you miss the change of topic?" Rikku looked at him superiorly. "I think it's about time for Me to be leaving. You should probably kill that fiend before it causes any trouble."
She turned her back to him, flipping her sword lightly onto her shoulder.
"Some warrior you are, walking out on battle -" Gippal snapped, throughly confused by her rapid shift in personality.
"A warrior knows when the battle level is completely below her. It would be pointless to keep attacking." She marched into the trees, looking for Ri.
"Keep attacking? You haven't even attacked it once," Gippal murmured, turning back to look at the randomly attacking wasp.
"Actually, that wouldn't be correct," Rikku-sama announced. "If you preform a simple scan - like this." She activated the technique 'Scan' and focused it on the creature. "You would realize that this monster is at half efficentcy. It's already been attacked a couple of times."
Gippal spun, almost certain that Rikku had just walked into the trees. His green eye fell onto the slender figure of the sphere hunter. She had changed again - wearing the Gun Mage dressphere and holding her gun carefully. "Didn't you just walk into the woods?" he asked.
Rikku-sama nodded. "You saw a blond girl wearing the warrior dresspher walk into the woods, did you?" He nodded. "Then why ask such a stuipd question."
"You tell me," Gippal challenged. Then he switched gears, not ready for another half-spoken debat with Rikku. "Listen -"
"I thought you wanted me to tell you how you -" Rikku-sama began. She had turned the question over in her mind and discovered a way to phrase an answer without revealing Ri and Rikk's presence in the woods somewhere.
"Do you want me to kill the fiend?" Gippal asked. He jumped back as it lunged towards him with his stinger.
"There won't be any need for that. I know what will shut that bug down forever," Rikku-sama stated firmly. She leveled her fun at the bug and blasted it with a silver bullet. The wasp hit the ground, curled into a knot, and then faded into pyrefly light. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I have things to do." Rikku-sama glanced over him carefully and then nodded polietly. Then she walked by, heading into the woods in search of the other two girls.
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Gippal sighed. Dealing with Rikku had never been that hard in the past. And what the hell was she doing in the woods?! She had went in three seperate times with no apparent reason.
"Pleasssse don't hurt me!" he heard a voice cry from up the road. Putting Rikku out of his mind, he shot foreword, pulling his gun into firing position. Rounding the bend, he targeted a Dual Horn towering over a young girl. He opened fire, killing the fiend in one shot.
"Hey there, are you all right?" he asked.
"I was sooo scared!" the girl sobbed, flinging herself into his arms and sobbing freely. "It keep hitting me and I didn't know what to do!"
Gippal felt awkward for a second. Then he allowed natural instincts to take over. He stroked the girl's back. "You're fine now. It's not going to get you anymore." He kept murmuring soft reassurences, waiting for the sobbing to slow. "See, all better now. You got a name?"
"Ri-ri- rikku!" Rikku-chan stammered through her tears.
Gippal snorted ungracefully. "What the hell kind of game are you playing?" he demanded, fully irritated now. As near as he could tell, she was pretending to have needed help. She was playing with him. "Listen, I don't want to see you again. Go and play in the woods again!"
Rikku-chan gazed up at him with watery eyes. "Gippal?" she said softly. A hiccup stopped her from saying anything else as he marched away angrily.
"There you are!" Rikki exclaimed, spotting her teary self sitting in the middle of the road. "What's wrong, honey?"
"Gippal yelled at me," Rikku-chan murmured. "He said he didn't ever want to see me again!" She burried her face in her hands and started crying.
"Oh, I'm sure he didn't mean it," Rikki said soothingly.
"He did!" Rikku-chan sobbed. "And I think he hates us!"
"Nobody can hate us," Rikki said firmly. "At least no one masculine. I'll go talk to him and get this sorted out. You say that he saved you?"
Rikku-chan nodded.
Rikki smiled, rearranging herself in the Lady Luck dressphere. It was the only one with fishnet stockinglys and therefore, the only one that she really enjoyed wearing. As far as she was concerned, it was the only sexy outfit. She tracked Gippal down leisurely, and tapped him on the shoulder.
"What now?" he demanded, not even turning.
"About earlier... I just wanted to be held by you. I didn't mean to decieve you," Rikki purred. She ran her hands along his back and then leaned against him, giving him a gentle hug from behind. "I'm sorry," she offered. "I just couldn't help myself."
Gippal's alarm bells were blaring, but he was having a hard time hearing them. "Is that so?" he drawled, calm mannerisms back now that Rikku was behaving - actually, she wasn't acting like herself at all. He turned, glancing over the familar blond girl.
She nodded her head and winked at him playfully. "I'm always in the mood to play with you..." she let her voice trail off suggestively, mouth inches from his.
Gippal took a step back. "Really?" he asked, his voice dry.
Rikki nodded. "Uh~huh," she said, nodding her head slowly for emphisis. "But I suppose since you're upset with me... I might as well head back to the Moonflow and off to Bevelle..." she let her voice trail off again, and trailed her finger down his cheek. "Bye..."
Gippal closed his eye and took several deep breaths. He felt hotter now. But he knew that she had headed towards the Moonflow. What it really such a good idea to follow her? "Come on, keep it together," he murmured.
He started walking again, picking up the pace this time. He needed to get submerged in the water - quickly!
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"I don't think that he'll mind seeing us anymore," Rikki purred soothingly to Rikku-chan. "We had a nice little chat and he seemed inclined to let everything go as it is."
"Who? That idiot Gippal?" Rikk asked, emerging from the bushes with Rikku-sama and Ri. "He freaked Ri out by being aggressive -"
"I'm sure it wasn't that bad," Rikku-sama interrupted. "What did you do to him, Rikki?"
"Suggested I wanted to have sex with him," Rikki said proudly.
Ri's face turned red. "I'm never going to be able to look at him again!" she exclaimed. "Even if he never mentions anything, he'll think about it and then -" With an embarressed squeal, she spherechanged to the Mascot dressphere. "I'm not coming out?!" she announced.
"Ewwwwwww!" Rikki shrieked. "That outfit is completely unacceptable! Take it off! Take it off!"
"No one can see my face or body - I like this clothes!" Ri shouted back.
"Ewww, Rikki's right, much as I hate to admit it. Take that stupid outfit off before I cut you out," Rikk said, wrinkling her nose in disgust.
"Uhhhhh, since Gippal's around here, don't you think we shouldn't be seen together?" Rikku-chan asked. "I mean, if he saw all of us, he'd automatically figure it out, don't you think?"
"Not likely, but he'd come close," Rikku-sama agreed. "Forget about Ri's clothes right now. Let's get over to the Moonflow and across without getting caught.
"Right!" the other four agreed.
"Although, come to think of it, I don't think we can. Don't you think the hypello would notice that there are seven girls who look like Rikku?" Rikk asked off-handisly.
"They would..." Ri agreed.
"I'm not seducing them into not noticing either," Rikki announced. "I only seduce cute guys."
"Don't you mean decieve?" Rikk asked.
"Whatever," Rikki responded flippantly.
"Back to the problem," Rikku-sama interjected. "I say that we find Rikku-san and Rikku and deal with things then. That way we'll all have a say on how to get across."
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Gippal stopped walking and crouched down beside the figure sleeping on the banks of the Moonflow. "Hey!" he said sharpely, giving Rikku a slight jolt. "Wake up!"
Rikku-san blinked at him blankly. "Yes?" she asked. She knew his face, but it wasn't worth the effort to try and remember his name. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, relaxing her muscles.
"Did you mean what you said earlier?" he asked, sitting down beside her.
"Hm?" Rikku-san inquired, probbing for more information.
"Or were you just playing games with me... again?" Gippal sounded slightly baffled and on the verge of being angry.
Rikku-san briefly thought about asking for more information, but decided against it. "I wasn't playing games with you. That would take too much work ..... uhhhmmm.... what was your name again?"
"Gippal," the Machine Faction leader answered crossly.
"Right, Gippal. Good night," Rikku-san said.
"It's still morning -" Gippal began.
"Yep," Rikku-san agreed. Then she was sound asleep.
"This isn't a safe place to sleep!" Gippal exclaimed. He sprang to his feet irritably and headed towards the Shoopuff station. Maybe all he needed was a good stiff drink.
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"Rikku-san?" Ri inquired. She probbed the look a like girl with her toe and got a muttered, 'go away,' as a reward. "She's sleeping - again!" she told the others.
"I can see that," Rikk said flately. "Why do you have to state the obvious." She knelt down and gave Rikku-san a rough shaking. "WAKE UP!" she shouted.
"I'm awake," Rikku-san murmured in her sleep. "Trust me..."
"No," Rikku-sama said flately. "We need to find a way across the Moonflow."
"Uhhm, I have an idea," Ri said hesitantly. "Why don't we swim across? I mean, we're pretty good swimmers, right?"
Rikku-chan nodded in agreement.
"That might work," Rikku-sama agreed. "Good idea, Ri."
"Swim?" Rikki said in amazement. "In that filthy, murky water? I don't think so!" She glanced at the water and shuddered. "Do you know what they would do to my hair?"
"No, but I'm sure you'll tell us what's happening to it," Rikk said softly.
"What do you mean?" Rikki asked. "Nothings happening to it -" She let out a startled scream as she landed in the water. Coming to the surface, she glared death lasers at Rikk. "YOU PUSHED ME, YOU LITTLE -"
"Please don't curse," Ri pleaded.
"You're the one who's a bi -"
"PPLEAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEE!" Ri screamed.
"Stop yelling, all three of you. You're going to draw unnessecary attention -" Rikku-sama started saying. A persistent tugging at her sleeve interuppted her. "What is it, Rikku-chan?"
"She's gone?" Rikku-chan announced. "She got up and walked away while we were talking."
"But we didn't force her to walk anywhere? She's lazy. She should have just went back to sleep like usual -" Rikki said, pulling herself from the water with a sour look at Rikk.
"Unless... she's going to cross using the Soopuff. I'll bet that's what she's going to do. We'll have to find a different route," Rikku-sama announced.
"So long as we don't have to swim!" Rikki added.
Rikk pushed her into the Moonflow again.
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"Well, if it isn't Cid's little girl...... AGAIN!" Gippal snapped. He couldn't find anyone who sold liquor and then he ran into Rikku.
"Huh?" Rikku inquired. He had clearly ran into her other halfs.... some of them anyway. "Yep, here I am," she decided to say brightly. "But what are you doing here?"
"I just left you by the Moonflow. You said that you were tired and went to sleep while I was trying to talk to you. Got an explanation for that?"
"Things have been a little hectic lately," Rikku said with a small shrug. "Babies can wear a girl out... Speaking of which. I gotta get going to Bevelle." She waved lightly towards Gippal and pranced off in the direction he had indicated she was sleeping in. It was sounding like she was going to have to try and get herself into order.
Gippal stood shock still. So that was what was wrong with Rikku. She was going to have a baby... It all made sense now. She was having mood swings because of hormone imbalances... He dropped onto a bench, and sighed. And here he had been getting mad for nothing.
He closed his eye, taking a couple deep breaths. Rikku-san raced past him, the other six girls hot on her heels. When he opened his eye, the path was a bit dusty, but empty. He got up and headed back towards Djose Temple.
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Thanks for reading,
Kissa-chan
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Chapter Two
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Gippal sat up and yawned. He had just gotten back from a weekend on Bikenel Island. The digging was going just as he had hoped it would, if not better. However, the heat had a way of making people tired, and he wasn't immune. He felt overheated - almost baked - and in need of a good cold bath.
Making sure the he didn't have anything that needed the immediate attention of the leader of the Machince Faction, he opted to take a peaceful walk down to the Moonflow for a quick swim before work.
Equipted with his large gun - in case of fiends - he headed off. He had't gotten that far when he spotted a bunch of fiends attacking a familar blond girl. "He~y!" he called out to her. "Having fun? Where's Lady Yuna and Paine?" he looked around for the other two spherehunters, keeping the wasp fiend locked firmly in his sights.
Ri turned to look at him, a blush staining her cheeks as she realized what she was wearing. "G-gippal," she stammered, spherechanging into the White Mage dressphere. She clutched the staff tightly in her hands, wishing that he would go away so she could change into more destructive clothes.
"You hurt?" Gippal asked. He frowned slightly when she shook her head soundlessly. "Then why did you change... I'm not hurt and you better not be thinking about healing the fiend," he added. "That'd be kinda stupid and pointless."
Ri didn't answer. The others had gotten ahead of her when she stopped to pick some flowers. Then the fiend had attacked. Since no one was watching, she had sphere changed to warrior mode to battle it. However, with Gippal standing and watching, all she could do was blush. There was no way she was going to wear a pair of pants that came that low on her body! At least, not when anyone was watching.
"Come on!" Gippal said. "It's just a little bug." He reached over and knocked her lightly under her chin with his knuckles.
"Ahhhh!" Ri screamed. She turned and dove into the bushes, trying to keep away from the leader of the Machine Faction.
"Ri-" Gippal stopped himself from calling for Rikku. It was traditional for him to not call her by her name. It also irritated the heck out of her! And what would life be if you couldn't tease people? Especially when they got really worked up about it.
He crossed his arms, looking at the bushes she had leapt into. "You gonna come out?" he asked. "Or should I come in after you?" He leaned foreword, peering into the foliage.
"Why don't you deal with the fiend attacking you first?" Rikk inquired. She had been doubling back for Ri when she had heard a scream. Figureing it was fiend trouble, she had rushed back with all due haste only to find Gippal talking to the bush.
Gippal blinked. "I believe the fiend was attacking you -" he began.
"So naturally, you decided not to give a girl a hand?" Rikk challenged. "That's pathetic, but then again, maybe you weren't doing anything because you were afraid."
"No -" Gippal began, confused now. "I didn't leap to your aid because -"
"Because you know you can't hit a fiend this agile and small? Do you have any accuracy on that weapon?"
Gippal ran his hands through his hair. "Listen -"
"I'm listening," Rikk said instantly. "But since you mentioned it, that does bring up an interresting point." She smirked at him. "Do you know how to listen?"
"What? Oh, of course. But you're not listening -" Gippal tried to start again.
"Naturally that's why you don't remember our name," Rikk said softly, with a vicious smirk on her face.
Gippal shook his head. "Our?" he inquired.
Rikk cursed herself mentally from her loose tongue. Obviously Gippal listened a lot better then she gave him credit for. "So you can listen," she murmured. "And then the reason you don't remember my name is?"
"I thought we were talking about the fiend that attacked you," Gippal said, avoiding the subject in what he hoped was a neat fashion.
"We were. Then we stopped. Or did you miss the change of topic?" Rikku looked at him superiorly. "I think it's about time for Me to be leaving. You should probably kill that fiend before it causes any trouble."
She turned her back to him, flipping her sword lightly onto her shoulder.
"Some warrior you are, walking out on battle -" Gippal snapped, throughly confused by her rapid shift in personality.
"A warrior knows when the battle level is completely below her. It would be pointless to keep attacking." She marched into the trees, looking for Ri.
"Keep attacking? You haven't even attacked it once," Gippal murmured, turning back to look at the randomly attacking wasp.
"Actually, that wouldn't be correct," Rikku-sama announced. "If you preform a simple scan - like this." She activated the technique 'Scan' and focused it on the creature. "You would realize that this monster is at half efficentcy. It's already been attacked a couple of times."
Gippal spun, almost certain that Rikku had just walked into the trees. His green eye fell onto the slender figure of the sphere hunter. She had changed again - wearing the Gun Mage dressphere and holding her gun carefully. "Didn't you just walk into the woods?" he asked.
Rikku-sama nodded. "You saw a blond girl wearing the warrior dresspher walk into the woods, did you?" He nodded. "Then why ask such a stuipd question."
"You tell me," Gippal challenged. Then he switched gears, not ready for another half-spoken debat with Rikku. "Listen -"
"I thought you wanted me to tell you how you -" Rikku-sama began. She had turned the question over in her mind and discovered a way to phrase an answer without revealing Ri and Rikk's presence in the woods somewhere.
"Do you want me to kill the fiend?" Gippal asked. He jumped back as it lunged towards him with his stinger.
"There won't be any need for that. I know what will shut that bug down forever," Rikku-sama stated firmly. She leveled her fun at the bug and blasted it with a silver bullet. The wasp hit the ground, curled into a knot, and then faded into pyrefly light. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I have things to do." Rikku-sama glanced over him carefully and then nodded polietly. Then she walked by, heading into the woods in search of the other two girls.
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Gippal sighed. Dealing with Rikku had never been that hard in the past. And what the hell was she doing in the woods?! She had went in three seperate times with no apparent reason.
"Pleasssse don't hurt me!" he heard a voice cry from up the road. Putting Rikku out of his mind, he shot foreword, pulling his gun into firing position. Rounding the bend, he targeted a Dual Horn towering over a young girl. He opened fire, killing the fiend in one shot.
"Hey there, are you all right?" he asked.
"I was sooo scared!" the girl sobbed, flinging herself into his arms and sobbing freely. "It keep hitting me and I didn't know what to do!"
Gippal felt awkward for a second. Then he allowed natural instincts to take over. He stroked the girl's back. "You're fine now. It's not going to get you anymore." He kept murmuring soft reassurences, waiting for the sobbing to slow. "See, all better now. You got a name?"
"Ri-ri- rikku!" Rikku-chan stammered through her tears.
Gippal snorted ungracefully. "What the hell kind of game are you playing?" he demanded, fully irritated now. As near as he could tell, she was pretending to have needed help. She was playing with him. "Listen, I don't want to see you again. Go and play in the woods again!"
Rikku-chan gazed up at him with watery eyes. "Gippal?" she said softly. A hiccup stopped her from saying anything else as he marched away angrily.
"There you are!" Rikki exclaimed, spotting her teary self sitting in the middle of the road. "What's wrong, honey?"
"Gippal yelled at me," Rikku-chan murmured. "He said he didn't ever want to see me again!" She burried her face in her hands and started crying.
"Oh, I'm sure he didn't mean it," Rikki said soothingly.
"He did!" Rikku-chan sobbed. "And I think he hates us!"
"Nobody can hate us," Rikki said firmly. "At least no one masculine. I'll go talk to him and get this sorted out. You say that he saved you?"
Rikku-chan nodded.
Rikki smiled, rearranging herself in the Lady Luck dressphere. It was the only one with fishnet stockinglys and therefore, the only one that she really enjoyed wearing. As far as she was concerned, it was the only sexy outfit. She tracked Gippal down leisurely, and tapped him on the shoulder.
"What now?" he demanded, not even turning.
"About earlier... I just wanted to be held by you. I didn't mean to decieve you," Rikki purred. She ran her hands along his back and then leaned against him, giving him a gentle hug from behind. "I'm sorry," she offered. "I just couldn't help myself."
Gippal's alarm bells were blaring, but he was having a hard time hearing them. "Is that so?" he drawled, calm mannerisms back now that Rikku was behaving - actually, she wasn't acting like herself at all. He turned, glancing over the familar blond girl.
She nodded her head and winked at him playfully. "I'm always in the mood to play with you..." she let her voice trail off suggestively, mouth inches from his.
Gippal took a step back. "Really?" he asked, his voice dry.
Rikki nodded. "Uh~huh," she said, nodding her head slowly for emphisis. "But I suppose since you're upset with me... I might as well head back to the Moonflow and off to Bevelle..." she let her voice trail off again, and trailed her finger down his cheek. "Bye..."
Gippal closed his eye and took several deep breaths. He felt hotter now. But he knew that she had headed towards the Moonflow. What it really such a good idea to follow her? "Come on, keep it together," he murmured.
He started walking again, picking up the pace this time. He needed to get submerged in the water - quickly!
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"I don't think that he'll mind seeing us anymore," Rikki purred soothingly to Rikku-chan. "We had a nice little chat and he seemed inclined to let everything go as it is."
"Who? That idiot Gippal?" Rikk asked, emerging from the bushes with Rikku-sama and Ri. "He freaked Ri out by being aggressive -"
"I'm sure it wasn't that bad," Rikku-sama interrupted. "What did you do to him, Rikki?"
"Suggested I wanted to have sex with him," Rikki said proudly.
Ri's face turned red. "I'm never going to be able to look at him again!" she exclaimed. "Even if he never mentions anything, he'll think about it and then -" With an embarressed squeal, she spherechanged to the Mascot dressphere. "I'm not coming out?!" she announced.
"Ewwwwwww!" Rikki shrieked. "That outfit is completely unacceptable! Take it off! Take it off!"
"No one can see my face or body - I like this clothes!" Ri shouted back.
"Ewww, Rikki's right, much as I hate to admit it. Take that stupid outfit off before I cut you out," Rikk said, wrinkling her nose in disgust.
"Uhhhhh, since Gippal's around here, don't you think we shouldn't be seen together?" Rikku-chan asked. "I mean, if he saw all of us, he'd automatically figure it out, don't you think?"
"Not likely, but he'd come close," Rikku-sama agreed. "Forget about Ri's clothes right now. Let's get over to the Moonflow and across without getting caught.
"Right!" the other four agreed.
"Although, come to think of it, I don't think we can. Don't you think the hypello would notice that there are seven girls who look like Rikku?" Rikk asked off-handisly.
"They would..." Ri agreed.
"I'm not seducing them into not noticing either," Rikki announced. "I only seduce cute guys."
"Don't you mean decieve?" Rikk asked.
"Whatever," Rikki responded flippantly.
"Back to the problem," Rikku-sama interjected. "I say that we find Rikku-san and Rikku and deal with things then. That way we'll all have a say on how to get across."
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Gippal stopped walking and crouched down beside the figure sleeping on the banks of the Moonflow. "Hey!" he said sharpely, giving Rikku a slight jolt. "Wake up!"
Rikku-san blinked at him blankly. "Yes?" she asked. She knew his face, but it wasn't worth the effort to try and remember his name. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, relaxing her muscles.
"Did you mean what you said earlier?" he asked, sitting down beside her.
"Hm?" Rikku-san inquired, probbing for more information.
"Or were you just playing games with me... again?" Gippal sounded slightly baffled and on the verge of being angry.
Rikku-san briefly thought about asking for more information, but decided against it. "I wasn't playing games with you. That would take too much work ..... uhhhmmm.... what was your name again?"
"Gippal," the Machine Faction leader answered crossly.
"Right, Gippal. Good night," Rikku-san said.
"It's still morning -" Gippal began.
"Yep," Rikku-san agreed. Then she was sound asleep.
"This isn't a safe place to sleep!" Gippal exclaimed. He sprang to his feet irritably and headed towards the Shoopuff station. Maybe all he needed was a good stiff drink.
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"Rikku-san?" Ri inquired. She probbed the look a like girl with her toe and got a muttered, 'go away,' as a reward. "She's sleeping - again!" she told the others.
"I can see that," Rikk said flately. "Why do you have to state the obvious." She knelt down and gave Rikku-san a rough shaking. "WAKE UP!" she shouted.
"I'm awake," Rikku-san murmured in her sleep. "Trust me..."
"No," Rikku-sama said flately. "We need to find a way across the Moonflow."
"Uhhm, I have an idea," Ri said hesitantly. "Why don't we swim across? I mean, we're pretty good swimmers, right?"
Rikku-chan nodded in agreement.
"That might work," Rikku-sama agreed. "Good idea, Ri."
"Swim?" Rikki said in amazement. "In that filthy, murky water? I don't think so!" She glanced at the water and shuddered. "Do you know what they would do to my hair?"
"No, but I'm sure you'll tell us what's happening to it," Rikk said softly.
"What do you mean?" Rikki asked. "Nothings happening to it -" She let out a startled scream as she landed in the water. Coming to the surface, she glared death lasers at Rikk. "YOU PUSHED ME, YOU LITTLE -"
"Please don't curse," Ri pleaded.
"You're the one who's a bi -"
"PPLEAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEE!" Ri screamed.
"Stop yelling, all three of you. You're going to draw unnessecary attention -" Rikku-sama started saying. A persistent tugging at her sleeve interuppted her. "What is it, Rikku-chan?"
"She's gone?" Rikku-chan announced. "She got up and walked away while we were talking."
"But we didn't force her to walk anywhere? She's lazy. She should have just went back to sleep like usual -" Rikki said, pulling herself from the water with a sour look at Rikk.
"Unless... she's going to cross using the Soopuff. I'll bet that's what she's going to do. We'll have to find a different route," Rikku-sama announced.
"So long as we don't have to swim!" Rikki added.
Rikk pushed her into the Moonflow again.
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"Well, if it isn't Cid's little girl...... AGAIN!" Gippal snapped. He couldn't find anyone who sold liquor and then he ran into Rikku.
"Huh?" Rikku inquired. He had clearly ran into her other halfs.... some of them anyway. "Yep, here I am," she decided to say brightly. "But what are you doing here?"
"I just left you by the Moonflow. You said that you were tired and went to sleep while I was trying to talk to you. Got an explanation for that?"
"Things have been a little hectic lately," Rikku said with a small shrug. "Babies can wear a girl out... Speaking of which. I gotta get going to Bevelle." She waved lightly towards Gippal and pranced off in the direction he had indicated she was sleeping in. It was sounding like she was going to have to try and get herself into order.
Gippal stood shock still. So that was what was wrong with Rikku. She was going to have a baby... It all made sense now. She was having mood swings because of hormone imbalances... He dropped onto a bench, and sighed. And here he had been getting mad for nothing.
He closed his eye, taking a couple deep breaths. Rikku-san raced past him, the other six girls hot on her heels. When he opened his eye, the path was a bit dusty, but empty. He got up and headed back towards Djose Temple.
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Thanks for reading,
Kissa-chan