Standard disclaimers apply.
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Chaos of Seven
Chapter Seven
By; Kissa-chan
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"Do you think the others are okay?" Ri inquired softly.
Rikku-sama glanced over at her. "Probably. Rikku is responsible.... I think, and Rikk can keep Rikki out of trouble, you know." She reached in the satchel at her side and pulled out a bundle of envelopes. "We've only got a couple invitations left and than we can go and check on them personally."
"I'll deliver the next one," Ri offered.
"Sure," Rikku-sama agreed. She passed one over, and pulled out a plain white list. "Let's see, who's next on the list?"
Ri shrugged. "Who is it?"
"Gippal," Rikku-sama said after a long moment.
As expected, Ri's face heated right up. "I-I-I r-r-really d-d-don't want t-to-"
"You called it," Rikku-sama said with a shrug. "And more then that, you offered to be the one who delivered the invitations."
"B-but she t-t-told him t-that..." Ri's voice trailed off.
"If you're to scared," Rikku-sama began, "I'll do it for you." She shrugged. "But you know, you're going to have face Gippal eventually."
Ri shook her head furiously, face crimson. "Rikku-sama!" she cried out. "Don't you know what Rikki said to him?!" she demanded. "She-she, s-s-suggested.... aiiiiiiieeee!" she squealed. "Fine, I'll do it!" she grabbed the envelope tighter and darted back onto the main road.
She glanced back at the bushes where they had been walking together. (Rikku-sama had decided that it would be safer if they didn't walk on the main road; in case anyone seen them together.) "I'll see you later!"
===============================================================
Rikki was the one who went topside on the boat. Her head felt horribly light and airy with the absence of over half her hair. She had salvaged her blond locks as best as she could. With her hair shoulder-length, she had piled it into her old wild pony-tail.
"This hair style makes me look two years younger!" she complained. "I don't see how anyone can stand it!"
"Miss Rikku?" Harper questioned, catching sight of her. "You've changed your hair!"
Rikki ruffled slightly. "Yeah, I did...." Then she switched gears. "Do you like it? I figured it was time to change away from the braids and beads... this is more..." she looked toward the deck with a smile and allowed the barest amount of pink to stain her cheeks. "... mature, don't you think?"
"Yeah!" Harper agreed, practically drooling. "It makes you look -"
"I guess it can't be that bad," Rikki said with a shrug. She turned and walked away from him.
===============================================================
"Gippal?" Ri whispered, pushing the door open to his office and stepping in. "C-c-can I t-t-t-t-t-talk to you?" she stammered to the Machine Faction leader.
"He~y, Cid's girl, how are you feeling?" Gippal asked, swinging around so he was straddling his chair. He smiled warmly at her.
Ri's face darkened to a deeper shade of red. She pulled out the envelope, thrusting it towards him. "Here I got this for you!"
Gippal took the letter, but didn't open it. He set it down on his desk and turned back to Ri. "I've been meaning to talk to you since I ran into you by the Moonflow -"
"Ahhh!" Ri shrieked.
"I know what's going on with you -" Gippal said, confident in his assumption of her predicament. "And I just want to know if there's any way that I can help." He had calmed down considerably since he had last encountered the Rikku-gumi.
Ri blushed deeper, looking at him and thinking about Rikki's implied sexual advances. 'Why'd she have to go and do a stupid thing like that,' she thought furiously. She was staring at her white shoes, barely peeking out from underneath the silk robes of the White Mage Dressphere.
"You gonna answer?" Gippal asked after a moment. "I can't imagine you being this shy even with hormone imbalances."
Ri's mind blanked. "With what?" she asked, startled out of her embarrassed silence. Her head snapped up, swirly green eyes boring into his. Then, realizing that she was looking him in the eye, her head dropped down and it felt like she was blushing from her toes to her ears.
"Mood swings, hormone imbalances, emotional trouble..." Gippal tacked off on his fingers. "It happens... only, like I said, I think it's kinda extreme in your case."
"Hoee?" Ri managed, not sure what word was coming out of her mouth.
Gippal ran his hand through his spiky blond hair. "You look pretty good," he informed her off-hand.
"B-b-bye-by..." Ri whispered. She turned to leave.
"Although I have to admit, you looked pretty hot in the - what was it? - Lady Luck Dressphere. I suppose that's impractical now that you're putting on weight -"
"Am not!" Ri exclaimed, whirling to glare at him. Her embarrassment temporarily lost in typical feminine anger. She was NOT gaining weight! There were other reasons for wearing the White Mage sphere. One of which was the fact that the others had forbidden her from wearing the Mascot Dressphere in public. (Which was something she considered unfair.)
Gippal raised one hand to stall further objections. "It's okay. I hear after the first, you loose practically all excess weight. You'll be back to normal in no time." He caught her by her arm and led her to a chair. "Have a seat," he offered.
Ri sat abruptly. Obviously Gippal had concocted some wild idea about her personality disorder. Now she would have to stay and figure out what the hell it was. "What if I'm not?" she asked, fishing for information.
"Well, in about six to eight months, you should be back to your normal obnoxious self. Then you'll loose that extra fat for sure."
"Gi-gippal, you do realize that you're on thin ice, don't you?" Ri asked. "What exactly are you trying to say?"
Gippal blinked slowly. "I know that you're pregnant," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "It wasn't that hard to figure out. What's proving more difficult is figuring out who you slept with. And as much as I might wish it were me... (sometimes) ... I know it wasn't. So who is it? Who is the baby's father?"
Ri felt her facial muscles twitching involuntarily. "I'm not pregnant...." she whispered in shocked horror at the mere suggestion.
"Then explain your moodiness -" Gippal started to challenge.
"I'm going through a... faze..." Ri managed to get out. She almost glared at him, but somehow couldn't raise her line of vision past his chest. And there was no way she was going to glare at his chest.
"Give me a break!" Gippal exclaimed.
Ri stood up. "It's true. This is all temporary. You'll have the 'Rikku' you all know and love back in no time at all!"
"Huh?" Gippal intoned. "Listen, there's an easy way for you to prove yourself not pregnant."
Ri was at the door. She didn't want to, but she turned back to look at his feet anyway. "How would that be?" she asked heavily.
"Pregnancy test," Gippal said firmly.
"Of course... NOT!" Ri said, weary and furious at the same time. Normally a pregnancy test would be logical thinking; however, all of the girls had agreed to forego any physical check-ups until they were themselves again. That meant no pregnancy test. She pushed open the door and fled into the main room of Djose Temple.
Gippal wasn't giving up that easily. "Rikku!" he shouted, charging after her. She stopped, turning to look at him along with several other Al Bhed workers. "Go about your business!" he called out to the workers. They turned away, and so did Ri.
She slipped outside, hearing Gippal's footsteps trailing after her. 'Just keep walking, just keep walking, just keep walking," she whispered to herself repeatedly.
He caught up with her on the last bridge. "Wait," he said softly, bringing her to a stop. "The only thing that you're proving by refusing the test, is the fact that you are going to have a baby."
"Wait nine months and then tell me the same thing," Ri muttered under her breath.
"Look -"
She spun, looking up into his face. "Trust me."
To her surprise, he brushed her hair back lightly. "I will. One condition though..."
Dreading his condition, she said, "What?"
"If you do have a baby... like I think... let me help you," he said.
"Why?" Ri asked.
He made a face. "You're Cid's little girl. Helping you is sure to gain me some attention," he said flippantly.
Ri stifled her outrage at his comments successfully. "You're actually mushy, ne?" she questioned brightly.
"What?" Gippal asked in surprise. "What gave you that dumb impression?" He glared at her, waiting for a response.
Ri waved lightly. "If I am pregnant and have a child, you can help. But that promise is only good for one year, you know!" She took off running, not allowing him another word.
================================================================
Rikku-san was suffering from curiosity. She wanted to see Yuna's baby... but she didn't want to have to deal with Tidus. So it was a matter of what would win; laziness or curiosity.
Curiosity won.
She tapped on the door to Tidus and Yuna's room lightly. "It's Rikku," she called it, dropping the 'san' off her name automatically. She'd respond to the name; however, she wouldn't call herself by it. She hoped the others would keep that in mind when introducing themselves.
"Rikku?" Tidus questioned. He opened up the door, holding a bundle of blue cloth in the crook of his left arm. "What's up?" he asked, moving back from the door. "I thought you were going sphere hunting with Yuna and Paine."
Rikku-san shook her head slightly. "No, actually, I declined. It's not like they're going to find anything without me there, you know." She sank down into a chair, gazing openly at the baby.
"Paine says that you've been acting strange lately," Tidus commented. He was fishing for information, although the chances of coming across some were slim.
"Can I hold him?" Rikku-san inquired.
"Sure," Tidus said, handing the baby over.
"What's his name?" she asked, although she knew that he hadn't been named yet. So long as Tidus was talking, she didn't have to. Unless... he asked her opinion.....
"We haven't named him yet," Tidus said with a small shrug. "Yuna wants to name him after my old man... and I really don't like that suggestion."
"Makes sense. I wouldn't name my kid after my old man either," Rikku-san said softly. "Or my idiot brother for that matter. Honestly, I think Keyakku must have named that that.... idiot."
"Keyakku?" Tidus question, brow furrowed as he tried to remember who she was talking about.
"He got killed by the guado at Home," Rikku-san said softly.
"Oh.... yeah," Tidus said after a moment.
"Anyway, night," Rikku-san said, yawning. She curled up with the baby and was asleep in seconds.
Tidus blinked and slipped out of the room. Regardless of the circumstances, any break from the constant job of parenting was welcome.
================================================================
"Cid?" Gippal questioned. "It's Gippal. I just talked with Rikku."
"And?" the gruff voice responded over the comm.
"She refused a pregnancy test," Gippal answered. "I think she really is pregnant."
"Dammit!" Cid cursed. "Okay, I'll have to contact her."
"It's okay, I don't think that she's pregnant anymore. There's something going on with her... But -"
"I'll take care of it, Gippal!" Cid snapped. He killed his connection on the comm, leaving the younger Al Bhed with a dial tone.
"The thing is," Gippal murmured. "I don't think that WAS Rikku..."
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Author's notes; We got to take a closer look at Ri's personality today. My plan is to make all seven girls as unique as possible. That includes things like hairstyles. (which explains Rikki's new hairstyle, ne? A hairstyle which will cause some problems.)
Oh, and one more thing. I'm getting ready for a special edition chapter. For the record, these chapters will be unconnected to the storyline, so anything goes. It'll be longer than regular chapters and contain a complete plotline. So here's the question, is anyone interested in a crossover SE chapter? (If so, please review and let me know which series... you would prefer.) Or would you rather have a pure FF SE chapter? Or does it matter? As the readers, I would like your opinion. Thank-you!
Next Chapter; Cid is on his way to Kilika. Meanwhile, the girls all arrive in the port town. Rikk and Rikku-sama have a quick run-in with the observent ex-Summoner, Dona. Then Akira shows up and begins an early show-down that brings Shuyin to a state that isn't Unsent... but how can it be called alive when he died 1,000 years ago? Are these echoes of Midori's greatest power? Will the Rikku-gumi ever even attempt to rescue Nooj? Or will they forget about him with the rising tide of their own problems? Find out in the next chapter os CHAOS OF SEVEN!
OOoooooh, and thank-you for everyone who has reviewed! I really, really, really, really, really love getting reviews!
Thanks for reading,
Kissa-chan
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Chaos of Seven
Chapter Seven
By; Kissa-chan
===============================================================
"Do you think the others are okay?" Ri inquired softly.
Rikku-sama glanced over at her. "Probably. Rikku is responsible.... I think, and Rikk can keep Rikki out of trouble, you know." She reached in the satchel at her side and pulled out a bundle of envelopes. "We've only got a couple invitations left and than we can go and check on them personally."
"I'll deliver the next one," Ri offered.
"Sure," Rikku-sama agreed. She passed one over, and pulled out a plain white list. "Let's see, who's next on the list?"
Ri shrugged. "Who is it?"
"Gippal," Rikku-sama said after a long moment.
As expected, Ri's face heated right up. "I-I-I r-r-really d-d-don't want t-to-"
"You called it," Rikku-sama said with a shrug. "And more then that, you offered to be the one who delivered the invitations."
"B-but she t-t-told him t-that..." Ri's voice trailed off.
"If you're to scared," Rikku-sama began, "I'll do it for you." She shrugged. "But you know, you're going to have face Gippal eventually."
Ri shook her head furiously, face crimson. "Rikku-sama!" she cried out. "Don't you know what Rikki said to him?!" she demanded. "She-she, s-s-suggested.... aiiiiiiieeee!" she squealed. "Fine, I'll do it!" she grabbed the envelope tighter and darted back onto the main road.
She glanced back at the bushes where they had been walking together. (Rikku-sama had decided that it would be safer if they didn't walk on the main road; in case anyone seen them together.) "I'll see you later!"
===============================================================
Rikki was the one who went topside on the boat. Her head felt horribly light and airy with the absence of over half her hair. She had salvaged her blond locks as best as she could. With her hair shoulder-length, she had piled it into her old wild pony-tail.
"This hair style makes me look two years younger!" she complained. "I don't see how anyone can stand it!"
"Miss Rikku?" Harper questioned, catching sight of her. "You've changed your hair!"
Rikki ruffled slightly. "Yeah, I did...." Then she switched gears. "Do you like it? I figured it was time to change away from the braids and beads... this is more..." she looked toward the deck with a smile and allowed the barest amount of pink to stain her cheeks. "... mature, don't you think?"
"Yeah!" Harper agreed, practically drooling. "It makes you look -"
"I guess it can't be that bad," Rikki said with a shrug. She turned and walked away from him.
===============================================================
"Gippal?" Ri whispered, pushing the door open to his office and stepping in. "C-c-can I t-t-t-t-t-talk to you?" she stammered to the Machine Faction leader.
"He~y, Cid's girl, how are you feeling?" Gippal asked, swinging around so he was straddling his chair. He smiled warmly at her.
Ri's face darkened to a deeper shade of red. She pulled out the envelope, thrusting it towards him. "Here I got this for you!"
Gippal took the letter, but didn't open it. He set it down on his desk and turned back to Ri. "I've been meaning to talk to you since I ran into you by the Moonflow -"
"Ahhh!" Ri shrieked.
"I know what's going on with you -" Gippal said, confident in his assumption of her predicament. "And I just want to know if there's any way that I can help." He had calmed down considerably since he had last encountered the Rikku-gumi.
Ri blushed deeper, looking at him and thinking about Rikki's implied sexual advances. 'Why'd she have to go and do a stupid thing like that,' she thought furiously. She was staring at her white shoes, barely peeking out from underneath the silk robes of the White Mage Dressphere.
"You gonna answer?" Gippal asked after a moment. "I can't imagine you being this shy even with hormone imbalances."
Ri's mind blanked. "With what?" she asked, startled out of her embarrassed silence. Her head snapped up, swirly green eyes boring into his. Then, realizing that she was looking him in the eye, her head dropped down and it felt like she was blushing from her toes to her ears.
"Mood swings, hormone imbalances, emotional trouble..." Gippal tacked off on his fingers. "It happens... only, like I said, I think it's kinda extreme in your case."
"Hoee?" Ri managed, not sure what word was coming out of her mouth.
Gippal ran his hand through his spiky blond hair. "You look pretty good," he informed her off-hand.
"B-b-bye-by..." Ri whispered. She turned to leave.
"Although I have to admit, you looked pretty hot in the - what was it? - Lady Luck Dressphere. I suppose that's impractical now that you're putting on weight -"
"Am not!" Ri exclaimed, whirling to glare at him. Her embarrassment temporarily lost in typical feminine anger. She was NOT gaining weight! There were other reasons for wearing the White Mage sphere. One of which was the fact that the others had forbidden her from wearing the Mascot Dressphere in public. (Which was something she considered unfair.)
Gippal raised one hand to stall further objections. "It's okay. I hear after the first, you loose practically all excess weight. You'll be back to normal in no time." He caught her by her arm and led her to a chair. "Have a seat," he offered.
Ri sat abruptly. Obviously Gippal had concocted some wild idea about her personality disorder. Now she would have to stay and figure out what the hell it was. "What if I'm not?" she asked, fishing for information.
"Well, in about six to eight months, you should be back to your normal obnoxious self. Then you'll loose that extra fat for sure."
"Gi-gippal, you do realize that you're on thin ice, don't you?" Ri asked. "What exactly are you trying to say?"
Gippal blinked slowly. "I know that you're pregnant," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "It wasn't that hard to figure out. What's proving more difficult is figuring out who you slept with. And as much as I might wish it were me... (sometimes) ... I know it wasn't. So who is it? Who is the baby's father?"
Ri felt her facial muscles twitching involuntarily. "I'm not pregnant...." she whispered in shocked horror at the mere suggestion.
"Then explain your moodiness -" Gippal started to challenge.
"I'm going through a... faze..." Ri managed to get out. She almost glared at him, but somehow couldn't raise her line of vision past his chest. And there was no way she was going to glare at his chest.
"Give me a break!" Gippal exclaimed.
Ri stood up. "It's true. This is all temporary. You'll have the 'Rikku' you all know and love back in no time at all!"
"Huh?" Gippal intoned. "Listen, there's an easy way for you to prove yourself not pregnant."
Ri was at the door. She didn't want to, but she turned back to look at his feet anyway. "How would that be?" she asked heavily.
"Pregnancy test," Gippal said firmly.
"Of course... NOT!" Ri said, weary and furious at the same time. Normally a pregnancy test would be logical thinking; however, all of the girls had agreed to forego any physical check-ups until they were themselves again. That meant no pregnancy test. She pushed open the door and fled into the main room of Djose Temple.
Gippal wasn't giving up that easily. "Rikku!" he shouted, charging after her. She stopped, turning to look at him along with several other Al Bhed workers. "Go about your business!" he called out to the workers. They turned away, and so did Ri.
She slipped outside, hearing Gippal's footsteps trailing after her. 'Just keep walking, just keep walking, just keep walking," she whispered to herself repeatedly.
He caught up with her on the last bridge. "Wait," he said softly, bringing her to a stop. "The only thing that you're proving by refusing the test, is the fact that you are going to have a baby."
"Wait nine months and then tell me the same thing," Ri muttered under her breath.
"Look -"
She spun, looking up into his face. "Trust me."
To her surprise, he brushed her hair back lightly. "I will. One condition though..."
Dreading his condition, she said, "What?"
"If you do have a baby... like I think... let me help you," he said.
"Why?" Ri asked.
He made a face. "You're Cid's little girl. Helping you is sure to gain me some attention," he said flippantly.
Ri stifled her outrage at his comments successfully. "You're actually mushy, ne?" she questioned brightly.
"What?" Gippal asked in surprise. "What gave you that dumb impression?" He glared at her, waiting for a response.
Ri waved lightly. "If I am pregnant and have a child, you can help. But that promise is only good for one year, you know!" She took off running, not allowing him another word.
================================================================
Rikku-san was suffering from curiosity. She wanted to see Yuna's baby... but she didn't want to have to deal with Tidus. So it was a matter of what would win; laziness or curiosity.
Curiosity won.
She tapped on the door to Tidus and Yuna's room lightly. "It's Rikku," she called it, dropping the 'san' off her name automatically. She'd respond to the name; however, she wouldn't call herself by it. She hoped the others would keep that in mind when introducing themselves.
"Rikku?" Tidus questioned. He opened up the door, holding a bundle of blue cloth in the crook of his left arm. "What's up?" he asked, moving back from the door. "I thought you were going sphere hunting with Yuna and Paine."
Rikku-san shook her head slightly. "No, actually, I declined. It's not like they're going to find anything without me there, you know." She sank down into a chair, gazing openly at the baby.
"Paine says that you've been acting strange lately," Tidus commented. He was fishing for information, although the chances of coming across some were slim.
"Can I hold him?" Rikku-san inquired.
"Sure," Tidus said, handing the baby over.
"What's his name?" she asked, although she knew that he hadn't been named yet. So long as Tidus was talking, she didn't have to. Unless... he asked her opinion.....
"We haven't named him yet," Tidus said with a small shrug. "Yuna wants to name him after my old man... and I really don't like that suggestion."
"Makes sense. I wouldn't name my kid after my old man either," Rikku-san said softly. "Or my idiot brother for that matter. Honestly, I think Keyakku must have named that that.... idiot."
"Keyakku?" Tidus question, brow furrowed as he tried to remember who she was talking about.
"He got killed by the guado at Home," Rikku-san said softly.
"Oh.... yeah," Tidus said after a moment.
"Anyway, night," Rikku-san said, yawning. She curled up with the baby and was asleep in seconds.
Tidus blinked and slipped out of the room. Regardless of the circumstances, any break from the constant job of parenting was welcome.
================================================================
"Cid?" Gippal questioned. "It's Gippal. I just talked with Rikku."
"And?" the gruff voice responded over the comm.
"She refused a pregnancy test," Gippal answered. "I think she really is pregnant."
"Dammit!" Cid cursed. "Okay, I'll have to contact her."
"It's okay, I don't think that she's pregnant anymore. There's something going on with her... But -"
"I'll take care of it, Gippal!" Cid snapped. He killed his connection on the comm, leaving the younger Al Bhed with a dial tone.
"The thing is," Gippal murmured. "I don't think that WAS Rikku..."
================================================================
Author's notes; We got to take a closer look at Ri's personality today. My plan is to make all seven girls as unique as possible. That includes things like hairstyles. (which explains Rikki's new hairstyle, ne? A hairstyle which will cause some problems.)
Oh, and one more thing. I'm getting ready for a special edition chapter. For the record, these chapters will be unconnected to the storyline, so anything goes. It'll be longer than regular chapters and contain a complete plotline. So here's the question, is anyone interested in a crossover SE chapter? (If so, please review and let me know which series... you would prefer.) Or would you rather have a pure FF SE chapter? Or does it matter? As the readers, I would like your opinion. Thank-you!
Next Chapter; Cid is on his way to Kilika. Meanwhile, the girls all arrive in the port town. Rikk and Rikku-sama have a quick run-in with the observent ex-Summoner, Dona. Then Akira shows up and begins an early show-down that brings Shuyin to a state that isn't Unsent... but how can it be called alive when he died 1,000 years ago? Are these echoes of Midori's greatest power? Will the Rikku-gumi ever even attempt to rescue Nooj? Or will they forget about him with the rising tide of their own problems? Find out in the next chapter os CHAOS OF SEVEN!
OOoooooh, and thank-you for everyone who has reviewed! I really, really, really, really, really love getting reviews!
Thanks for reading,
Kissa-chan