A/N: Whew, finally getting around to starting this one! ^^; My apologies
for being slower than usual on these chapters. I've been busy with a lot of
things recently, and now I have a little more time to actually sit down and
write the chapter. There are so many ideas I've had over the past few
weeks, and now I get the chance to write them out this time. =)
Ok, enough chatting. Let's start. =p
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{{ Chapter 8: Hidden }}
****
Rikku found her legs carrying her back to the clearing. She barely heard the muffled voices calling out to her from behind. Was it Gippal's voice? Serru's? It didn't matter. All she could hear was the echo of Serru's voice as he delivered the awful news.
As her feet pounded against the dirt pathway leading into the clearing where their camp was, she paused to catch herself, realizing that she was acting foolish. She wasn't thinking rationally at all.
"Rikku! Stop!" someone called.
She turned around to look at the entrance to the clearing as Serru stepped out, followed by Gippal. He stared at her with a concerned expression, stepping past Serru to approach her.
"Listen, Rikku...they're probably okay and—" Gippal began hesitantly. He stopped in front of her and paused as she interrupted him.
"How? How do you know...?" Rikku replied slowly. Her voice was beginning to crack as one of her hands hastily brushed away a tear.
Serru watched on in silence, hating himself for giving the news in the way he did so. He didn't expect the girl to react the way she had done. Turning away, he frowned to himself. At first glance, Rikku was not at all the way he had expected. He had thought she was always full of energy, ready to chase the clouds away with that bright smile of hers. But then he realized she was human too. Everyone felt pain, and Rikku's pain right now was hurting him.
He paused. What was that he just now felt? In the back of his mind, Serru could not deny that he had felt something—an emotion that he had not felt in so long. But...why? He shook his head in disbelief. The girl was not involved in his plan. It was only Gippal that he had originally intended to—
He quickly spun around to face them again.
"Do not worry."
Gippal looked up at the sound of Serru's voice. He raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Huh?"
Serru made his way to the tent and quickly retrieved the blue sphere. He approached the other two and watched as Rikku's green eyes widened at the sight of the sphere. The Al Bhed stopped in front of the girl, deliberately ignoring Gippal's questioning gaze.
"The message was received from the Celsius," Serru began slowly, turning the sphere in one hand. Rikku looked up at him, her eyes still damp. "I met Buddy some time ago when he first showed me the Celsius. That's how I know him," Serru continued. He paused. "I was informed that they were on their way to Zanarkand to rescue your friends, Rikku."
"Will they be all right?!" Rikku suddenly exclaimed, standing up as she realized that her friends were still alive and that there was hope.
Gippal's gaze flicked to Serru.
"Yes, but..."
Rikku froze again. Her expression dropped. "But...what, Serru? What are you saying?"
Serru looked down, refusing to meet the girl's pain-filled eyes. 'It was supposed to be so easy...why did she have to make me feel so...' he cut his thoughts off.
"What I'm trying to say, Rikku, is that the Celsius cannot so easily land within the fire in Zanarkand and—"
"Fire?!" Rikku and Gippal exclaimed at once. They looked at Serru in shock, awaiting his response.
Serru turned his eyes away from them. "Yes. There was a fire in the Zanarkand Ruins. That is the primary reason as to why your friends probably went there, Rikku," he spoke towards the girl. She stared back at him in disbelief.
"Are you saying that they're all trapped in a fire at the Ruins?" Rikku whispered. She felt herself sink down to sit on the warm dirt beneath them.
Gippal watched her collapse on the ground. He stood by helplessly, unable to do anything for the moment.
Serru stopped as he tried to collect his thoughts. He couldn't believe he was going to do this. It was the complete opposite of what he had wanted to do in the first place but—his eyes moved to Rikku. She had her head buried in her knees with Gippal bending down as he tried to comfort her.
He saw the pain it was causing the girl. Her. Rikku.
Serru blinked again, realizing that he wanted to help her now.
"I am going to the Zanarkand Ruins today. I'll be traveling at full speed," Serru began as he bent down to retrieve his bags. "I anticipate that I'll arrive there within one hour."
Gippal and Rikku looked up as they watched the other Al Bhed head toward the front of the forest. Gippal stood up.
"Hey, hey! What do you think you can do? Play hero or somethin?" he demanded, cutting off Serru's path. Serru looked down at the Gippal's hand on his shoulder, holding him back.
Two green eyes met one. Gippal stared hard at Serru, his expression unwavering.
Serru bit back an amused chuckle, brushing past Gippal. "It's more than you can do for her right now."
Gippal's eye widened at the younger Al Bhed's words. He spun around, quickly flicking back a few strands of his hair as he stared daggers at Serru. "What did you say?"
The other man paused in his step, dropping one bag to the ground. He turned around again to face Gippal. Serru felt his mouth curve up as he smirked in amusement. He crossed his arms.
"I don't like seeing the ones I care about in pain."
Rikku froze at Serru's words. She stood up from her position on the ground and watched the two men in front of her, Serru's voice still ringing in her ears.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Gippal asked firmly, his voice almost menacing. He took a step towards him. Rikku looked from Gippal to Serru.
The younger Al Bhed shook his head lightly, barely chuckling. He stopped and looked up at Gippal. "You've wasted enough of my time. I'm going to save them," Serru added as he bent down to grab his bag again. He looked over at Gippal once more. "Unlike you, I'm not afraid of risking my life to save another." Serru studied the expression on Gippal's face. "I don't want to see another person die in a fire."
Gippal felt the blood drain from his face at those words. He watched the other man's disappearing form as he rounded the corner before being out of sight completely. Gippal looked down. 'No, there's no way Serru could possibly be—"
"Gippal? Are you...alright?" Rikku's voice interrupted softly. She had one hand on his shoulder.
He slowly turned around to face her, his gaze cast downward. She stared up at him, her green eyes full with worry. Finally looking up, he tried to offer a weak smile.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry 'bout it," Gippal responded as he walked past her and sat down next to the small fire Serru had lit earlier that morning.
Rikku frowned as she watched him.
"Oh no. You can't fool me, Gippal," she suddenly announced, making her way over to him.
Gippal looked up at her from his position on the ground. "Oh..." he spoke quietly with no emotion in his voice. He kept his gaze away from hers. She frowned at him but moved closer nonetheless. He didn't seem to look up at her as she stopped before him.
She finally brought herself to sit down on the ground after some time had passed between them. They were across from each other, Gippal with one arm hanging over his leg.
"I really hate the fact that there's nothing I can do to help, Rikku," he began to speak.
"It's not your fault, Gippal. There's no way we can contact the Celsius or help Yunie or anything..." she trailed off, finally realizing the magnitude that their current situation placed them in. Gippal turned his head to look over at her. She sighed in defeat. "What I don't get is why Serru wants to do this for them."
Gippal could hear the sense of hope her voice was now starting to show. He felt something stirring in his blood at the mention of the other Al Bhed's name.
"I'm just glad that Serru is really serious about helping Yunie and everyone. I...just hope he'll be on time...and I'm really thankful that he's—" she continued on.
"He can't be trusted, Rikku," Gippal interrupted suddenly. She stopped talking and he could see her turn to look at him. He met her gaze fully.
Rikku gasped at his words and felt her blood boiling at what he had just said. "What? How can you say that, Gippal? You heard what he was willing to do for them, right?"
His gaze flew to her's. "Rikku, don't you understand?! He's only doing this because he wants to get back at me, and because he wants you!" Gippal exclaimed. He froze at his last words. Too late. He had already said it.
She stared at him, caught off guard by his words. She saw him look away from her at that moment. "Wh-What did you say?" Rikku whispered.
He hesitantly raised his eye to meet her's, knowing that there was no way to evade this conversation. "I...said he's only trying to get revenge on me," Gippal answered, hoping she didn't hear the second thing he had said.
Rikku shook her head. Apparently, she wasn't going to fooled. "No, I meant...after that," she began. He sat directly in front of her with his head down. She couldn't see his face, but knew that she probably wouldn't get the answer she wanted from him about what he had said. "Gippal, what exactly do you mean by everything you said?" she demanded, frustration building.
He said nothing at first, but suddenly stood up. She heard him curse under his breath. Rikku's head darted up as her eyes followed his form.
"Hey, wait! Where do you think you're going? I asked you a question, Gippal!" she exclaimed in frustration.
She paused as he looked at her. His face held no emotion. The same expression she remembered from his confessions back on the airship.
"I-I'm sorry if I said something wrong, Gippal, I—"
"You didn't do anything wrong, Rikku," he cut her off, his back turned to her. His voice was surprisingly even, despite their circumstances. She looked down at the sand beneath her. "I need some time alone for a while. Sorry," Gippal finished as he walked away.
Rikku could only watch his disappearing form, the sound of his boots on the ground being the last reminder that he had left—and that she was now left alone.
***
It was a little past sunset since Rikku had crawled into the tent. She felt like hell, and she knew her face showed it.
There was no word from Serru or Gippal. She had spent the whole day waiting for both of them. Didn't Serru say it would only take him an hour to reach Zanarkand and save them? Rikku turned on her side at the dread building within her. No word from Serru. That meant that there was no hope for Yunie or Paine and—
"Stop it! Don't think like that!" Rikku said aloud to herself. Kicking off her boots in her anger and loneliness, she closed her eyes for the moment, silence enveloping her.
Gippal had not returned either since their conversation earlier that day. The way he suddenly left that morning after she questioned him on what he had said. It just didn't seem like him. She groaned at herself. It was all her fault. If she hadn't opened her big mouth, he wouldn't have left, and she wouldn't have had to be there all alone right now and—
"Are you awake?"
Her eyes flew open.
Gippal stood before her, his hair slightly limp, the orange sunset leaking in from the crack in the tent. He seemed to regard her with concern as he awaited her response.
She slowly sat up. "I guess I am."
Her eyes searched his as he sat down on the other side of the floor, across from her. "Any word from Serru?"
Rikku felt her heart drop at the thought of what could have happened to their other companion, as well as what was now going on with Yuna and Paine.
"No, nothing," she simply said, eyes to the floor.
"Oh..."
She found herself looking up to study him. He looked tired and rumpled, as if he had been walking the entire day. She could see his exhaustion in his eye. The way it didn't seem to sparkle the way it usually did. He seemed to sense her eyes on him, since he looked up to meet her's.
She quickly averted her eyes away from him.
"What is it, Rikku?" Gippal asked quietly.
"Huh?"
As soon as she said that, Rikku wanted to slap herself around. She knew she was trying to avoid what he was inevitably about to say. The truth was, she knew he had already said it earlier that morning.
"I know you want to ask me something, Rikku. Your eyes give it all away," he spoke again, almost answering her inner thoughts. "So just say it."
She felt like hitting him. "What do you mean I want to say something?" her stubborn side said. He smiled crookedly, flicking away a few strands of his hair.
"I'll let you answer your own question," Gippal replied after a while.
"Argh. If you're just going to make fun of me like that, then I'm going to bed. Good night!" Rikku responded with a huff, dropping down on the cushion and throwing the blankets over her form as she did so. Although he didn't say anything else after that, she could feel his eyes on her.
A few minutes passed and she thought he had given up since he wasn't saying anything more. Her thoughts were cut short however, when she felt her blanket sliding down her body, cold air hitting her skin. She opened her eyes. Gippal was leaning over her with a sly grin on his face. She made a face at him.
"I knew you weren't asleep," he said with a light chuckle, looking down at her.
Rikku sighed in defeat, grabbing the blanket that he had pulled away from her, and pulling it back and around herself. It was cold after all.
"Yeah, well. I will now, so there!" she replied, trying to ignore his smiling face. She knew he had her with that one, but she had no intention of letting him know that.
"Hey, there's something that's been on my mind," she heard him speak again. The tone in his voice seemed serious, a sudden change from his playfulness just a second ago. She pulled the covers down and sat up a bit, giving him his full attention. It was then that she saw his face, and she knew what he was going to ask.
"This morning, uh...I don't really know how to say it..." Gippal began hesitantly. He raised a hand to smooth his hair back, avoiding her gaze.
Rikku felt her stomach flip over at his words. This was too embarrassing, and she hoped her face didn't give it away. Thankfully he wasn't looking at her.
He suddenly looked up to meet her gaze. Damn.
"But uh, I know I felt something..." he continued on. He faltered a bit at his words when he saw the expression on her face. "So I just wanted to ask you..."
Every word he spoke made Rikku want to just run out of that tent and douse her flaming face into the Moonflow waters. After all, the pond was just around the corner. She would have died out of her embarrassment, and the worst part of it of all was that it seemed like Gippal knew it was her who gave him that kiss earlier that day. And really though. Was it even a kiss?
"What are you trying to say, Gippal?" Rikku asked, no longer able to take the small talk. He was taken aback by her sudden forwardness.
"Were you the one who did it, Rikku?" he asked, his voice neutral. Moving closer to her, Rikku watched as Gippal stopped to sit right next to her.
Her heart was pounding as he regarded her seriously. She knew he knew what she had done that morning, but why was he acting as if he didn't know? Rikku groaned inwardly again.
His expression turned serious as he studied her face closely.
"It's different from the real thing, you know."
She turned her head to look at him again, startled by his words. "What?"
He smiled gently, a mixture of playfulness and curiosity. He moved himself closer.
Rikku didn't have a moment to think, before she suddenly felt the warmth of his soft lips lightly graze her own.
***
A/N: Woo! Sorry to leave you guys at that note, but it will continue in the next chapter. I promise!
Oh, and thanks so much to everyone for the reviews. You make my days brighter. =)
Ok, enough chatting. Let's start. =p
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{{ Chapter 8: Hidden }}
****
Rikku found her legs carrying her back to the clearing. She barely heard the muffled voices calling out to her from behind. Was it Gippal's voice? Serru's? It didn't matter. All she could hear was the echo of Serru's voice as he delivered the awful news.
As her feet pounded against the dirt pathway leading into the clearing where their camp was, she paused to catch herself, realizing that she was acting foolish. She wasn't thinking rationally at all.
"Rikku! Stop!" someone called.
She turned around to look at the entrance to the clearing as Serru stepped out, followed by Gippal. He stared at her with a concerned expression, stepping past Serru to approach her.
"Listen, Rikku...they're probably okay and—" Gippal began hesitantly. He stopped in front of her and paused as she interrupted him.
"How? How do you know...?" Rikku replied slowly. Her voice was beginning to crack as one of her hands hastily brushed away a tear.
Serru watched on in silence, hating himself for giving the news in the way he did so. He didn't expect the girl to react the way she had done. Turning away, he frowned to himself. At first glance, Rikku was not at all the way he had expected. He had thought she was always full of energy, ready to chase the clouds away with that bright smile of hers. But then he realized she was human too. Everyone felt pain, and Rikku's pain right now was hurting him.
He paused. What was that he just now felt? In the back of his mind, Serru could not deny that he had felt something—an emotion that he had not felt in so long. But...why? He shook his head in disbelief. The girl was not involved in his plan. It was only Gippal that he had originally intended to—
He quickly spun around to face them again.
"Do not worry."
Gippal looked up at the sound of Serru's voice. He raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Huh?"
Serru made his way to the tent and quickly retrieved the blue sphere. He approached the other two and watched as Rikku's green eyes widened at the sight of the sphere. The Al Bhed stopped in front of the girl, deliberately ignoring Gippal's questioning gaze.
"The message was received from the Celsius," Serru began slowly, turning the sphere in one hand. Rikku looked up at him, her eyes still damp. "I met Buddy some time ago when he first showed me the Celsius. That's how I know him," Serru continued. He paused. "I was informed that they were on their way to Zanarkand to rescue your friends, Rikku."
"Will they be all right?!" Rikku suddenly exclaimed, standing up as she realized that her friends were still alive and that there was hope.
Gippal's gaze flicked to Serru.
"Yes, but..."
Rikku froze again. Her expression dropped. "But...what, Serru? What are you saying?"
Serru looked down, refusing to meet the girl's pain-filled eyes. 'It was supposed to be so easy...why did she have to make me feel so...' he cut his thoughts off.
"What I'm trying to say, Rikku, is that the Celsius cannot so easily land within the fire in Zanarkand and—"
"Fire?!" Rikku and Gippal exclaimed at once. They looked at Serru in shock, awaiting his response.
Serru turned his eyes away from them. "Yes. There was a fire in the Zanarkand Ruins. That is the primary reason as to why your friends probably went there, Rikku," he spoke towards the girl. She stared back at him in disbelief.
"Are you saying that they're all trapped in a fire at the Ruins?" Rikku whispered. She felt herself sink down to sit on the warm dirt beneath them.
Gippal watched her collapse on the ground. He stood by helplessly, unable to do anything for the moment.
Serru stopped as he tried to collect his thoughts. He couldn't believe he was going to do this. It was the complete opposite of what he had wanted to do in the first place but—his eyes moved to Rikku. She had her head buried in her knees with Gippal bending down as he tried to comfort her.
He saw the pain it was causing the girl. Her. Rikku.
Serru blinked again, realizing that he wanted to help her now.
"I am going to the Zanarkand Ruins today. I'll be traveling at full speed," Serru began as he bent down to retrieve his bags. "I anticipate that I'll arrive there within one hour."
Gippal and Rikku looked up as they watched the other Al Bhed head toward the front of the forest. Gippal stood up.
"Hey, hey! What do you think you can do? Play hero or somethin?" he demanded, cutting off Serru's path. Serru looked down at the Gippal's hand on his shoulder, holding him back.
Two green eyes met one. Gippal stared hard at Serru, his expression unwavering.
Serru bit back an amused chuckle, brushing past Gippal. "It's more than you can do for her right now."
Gippal's eye widened at the younger Al Bhed's words. He spun around, quickly flicking back a few strands of his hair as he stared daggers at Serru. "What did you say?"
The other man paused in his step, dropping one bag to the ground. He turned around again to face Gippal. Serru felt his mouth curve up as he smirked in amusement. He crossed his arms.
"I don't like seeing the ones I care about in pain."
Rikku froze at Serru's words. She stood up from her position on the ground and watched the two men in front of her, Serru's voice still ringing in her ears.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Gippal asked firmly, his voice almost menacing. He took a step towards him. Rikku looked from Gippal to Serru.
The younger Al Bhed shook his head lightly, barely chuckling. He stopped and looked up at Gippal. "You've wasted enough of my time. I'm going to save them," Serru added as he bent down to grab his bag again. He looked over at Gippal once more. "Unlike you, I'm not afraid of risking my life to save another." Serru studied the expression on Gippal's face. "I don't want to see another person die in a fire."
Gippal felt the blood drain from his face at those words. He watched the other man's disappearing form as he rounded the corner before being out of sight completely. Gippal looked down. 'No, there's no way Serru could possibly be—"
"Gippal? Are you...alright?" Rikku's voice interrupted softly. She had one hand on his shoulder.
He slowly turned around to face her, his gaze cast downward. She stared up at him, her green eyes full with worry. Finally looking up, he tried to offer a weak smile.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry 'bout it," Gippal responded as he walked past her and sat down next to the small fire Serru had lit earlier that morning.
Rikku frowned as she watched him.
"Oh no. You can't fool me, Gippal," she suddenly announced, making her way over to him.
Gippal looked up at her from his position on the ground. "Oh..." he spoke quietly with no emotion in his voice. He kept his gaze away from hers. She frowned at him but moved closer nonetheless. He didn't seem to look up at her as she stopped before him.
She finally brought herself to sit down on the ground after some time had passed between them. They were across from each other, Gippal with one arm hanging over his leg.
"I really hate the fact that there's nothing I can do to help, Rikku," he began to speak.
"It's not your fault, Gippal. There's no way we can contact the Celsius or help Yunie or anything..." she trailed off, finally realizing the magnitude that their current situation placed them in. Gippal turned his head to look over at her. She sighed in defeat. "What I don't get is why Serru wants to do this for them."
Gippal could hear the sense of hope her voice was now starting to show. He felt something stirring in his blood at the mention of the other Al Bhed's name.
"I'm just glad that Serru is really serious about helping Yunie and everyone. I...just hope he'll be on time...and I'm really thankful that he's—" she continued on.
"He can't be trusted, Rikku," Gippal interrupted suddenly. She stopped talking and he could see her turn to look at him. He met her gaze fully.
Rikku gasped at his words and felt her blood boiling at what he had just said. "What? How can you say that, Gippal? You heard what he was willing to do for them, right?"
His gaze flew to her's. "Rikku, don't you understand?! He's only doing this because he wants to get back at me, and because he wants you!" Gippal exclaimed. He froze at his last words. Too late. He had already said it.
She stared at him, caught off guard by his words. She saw him look away from her at that moment. "Wh-What did you say?" Rikku whispered.
He hesitantly raised his eye to meet her's, knowing that there was no way to evade this conversation. "I...said he's only trying to get revenge on me," Gippal answered, hoping she didn't hear the second thing he had said.
Rikku shook her head. Apparently, she wasn't going to fooled. "No, I meant...after that," she began. He sat directly in front of her with his head down. She couldn't see his face, but knew that she probably wouldn't get the answer she wanted from him about what he had said. "Gippal, what exactly do you mean by everything you said?" she demanded, frustration building.
He said nothing at first, but suddenly stood up. She heard him curse under his breath. Rikku's head darted up as her eyes followed his form.
"Hey, wait! Where do you think you're going? I asked you a question, Gippal!" she exclaimed in frustration.
She paused as he looked at her. His face held no emotion. The same expression she remembered from his confessions back on the airship.
"I-I'm sorry if I said something wrong, Gippal, I—"
"You didn't do anything wrong, Rikku," he cut her off, his back turned to her. His voice was surprisingly even, despite their circumstances. She looked down at the sand beneath her. "I need some time alone for a while. Sorry," Gippal finished as he walked away.
Rikku could only watch his disappearing form, the sound of his boots on the ground being the last reminder that he had left—and that she was now left alone.
***
It was a little past sunset since Rikku had crawled into the tent. She felt like hell, and she knew her face showed it.
There was no word from Serru or Gippal. She had spent the whole day waiting for both of them. Didn't Serru say it would only take him an hour to reach Zanarkand and save them? Rikku turned on her side at the dread building within her. No word from Serru. That meant that there was no hope for Yunie or Paine and—
"Stop it! Don't think like that!" Rikku said aloud to herself. Kicking off her boots in her anger and loneliness, she closed her eyes for the moment, silence enveloping her.
Gippal had not returned either since their conversation earlier that day. The way he suddenly left that morning after she questioned him on what he had said. It just didn't seem like him. She groaned at herself. It was all her fault. If she hadn't opened her big mouth, he wouldn't have left, and she wouldn't have had to be there all alone right now and—
"Are you awake?"
Her eyes flew open.
Gippal stood before her, his hair slightly limp, the orange sunset leaking in from the crack in the tent. He seemed to regard her with concern as he awaited her response.
She slowly sat up. "I guess I am."
Her eyes searched his as he sat down on the other side of the floor, across from her. "Any word from Serru?"
Rikku felt her heart drop at the thought of what could have happened to their other companion, as well as what was now going on with Yuna and Paine.
"No, nothing," she simply said, eyes to the floor.
"Oh..."
She found herself looking up to study him. He looked tired and rumpled, as if he had been walking the entire day. She could see his exhaustion in his eye. The way it didn't seem to sparkle the way it usually did. He seemed to sense her eyes on him, since he looked up to meet her's.
She quickly averted her eyes away from him.
"What is it, Rikku?" Gippal asked quietly.
"Huh?"
As soon as she said that, Rikku wanted to slap herself around. She knew she was trying to avoid what he was inevitably about to say. The truth was, she knew he had already said it earlier that morning.
"I know you want to ask me something, Rikku. Your eyes give it all away," he spoke again, almost answering her inner thoughts. "So just say it."
She felt like hitting him. "What do you mean I want to say something?" her stubborn side said. He smiled crookedly, flicking away a few strands of his hair.
"I'll let you answer your own question," Gippal replied after a while.
"Argh. If you're just going to make fun of me like that, then I'm going to bed. Good night!" Rikku responded with a huff, dropping down on the cushion and throwing the blankets over her form as she did so. Although he didn't say anything else after that, she could feel his eyes on her.
A few minutes passed and she thought he had given up since he wasn't saying anything more. Her thoughts were cut short however, when she felt her blanket sliding down her body, cold air hitting her skin. She opened her eyes. Gippal was leaning over her with a sly grin on his face. She made a face at him.
"I knew you weren't asleep," he said with a light chuckle, looking down at her.
Rikku sighed in defeat, grabbing the blanket that he had pulled away from her, and pulling it back and around herself. It was cold after all.
"Yeah, well. I will now, so there!" she replied, trying to ignore his smiling face. She knew he had her with that one, but she had no intention of letting him know that.
"Hey, there's something that's been on my mind," she heard him speak again. The tone in his voice seemed serious, a sudden change from his playfulness just a second ago. She pulled the covers down and sat up a bit, giving him his full attention. It was then that she saw his face, and she knew what he was going to ask.
"This morning, uh...I don't really know how to say it..." Gippal began hesitantly. He raised a hand to smooth his hair back, avoiding her gaze.
Rikku felt her stomach flip over at his words. This was too embarrassing, and she hoped her face didn't give it away. Thankfully he wasn't looking at her.
He suddenly looked up to meet her gaze. Damn.
"But uh, I know I felt something..." he continued on. He faltered a bit at his words when he saw the expression on her face. "So I just wanted to ask you..."
Every word he spoke made Rikku want to just run out of that tent and douse her flaming face into the Moonflow waters. After all, the pond was just around the corner. She would have died out of her embarrassment, and the worst part of it of all was that it seemed like Gippal knew it was her who gave him that kiss earlier that day. And really though. Was it even a kiss?
"What are you trying to say, Gippal?" Rikku asked, no longer able to take the small talk. He was taken aback by her sudden forwardness.
"Were you the one who did it, Rikku?" he asked, his voice neutral. Moving closer to her, Rikku watched as Gippal stopped to sit right next to her.
Her heart was pounding as he regarded her seriously. She knew he knew what she had done that morning, but why was he acting as if he didn't know? Rikku groaned inwardly again.
His expression turned serious as he studied her face closely.
"It's different from the real thing, you know."
She turned her head to look at him again, startled by his words. "What?"
He smiled gently, a mixture of playfulness and curiosity. He moved himself closer.
Rikku didn't have a moment to think, before she suddenly felt the warmth of his soft lips lightly graze her own.
***
A/N: Woo! Sorry to leave you guys at that note, but it will continue in the next chapter. I promise!
Oh, and thanks so much to everyone for the reviews. You make my days brighter. =)