A/N: First of all, I'd like to take a moment to describe myself as I was
writing this chapter. XD I was writing this and saying stuff like, "Man,
I've GOT to put in that one scene, and Oh! Oh! I love the way that part was
written! Etc." I really can get carried away with myself when I write these
chapters sometimes...it's quite amusing. Yeah, so needless to say, I had
fun writing this one.
Hm, what else...oh yeah. This is probably going to be considered as the "true turning point" in the story, simply because of the events that are about to happen here. I've also thrown in a twist to the story, but I'll let you guys read this chapter to find out what it is. =p
To KURAI YUME: I just have to mention how your review for Chapter 10 made me smile. =) Thanks so much for your comment, and to answer your question about how "I make Gippal hotter in each chapter," I don't quite know myself. ; I'm glad you're enjoying the story, and I do wish that Square Enix put more emphasis on Gippal's personality. So what I strived for in this story was to portray Gippal the way I saw him in the game, as well as add what else I thought about him. =)
And again, a big thanks to everyone who has been reading and enjoying the fic.
=====
{{ Chapter 11: Scattering Snow}}
=====
Rikku gasped, struggling to take in air. She was whimpering, mostly out of fear. A hand was clasped hard on her mouth, and one strong arm pinned her against the wall of the dim corner of the hallway. An evident masculine scent floated into her nose, vaguely reminding her of the desert. His hands were surprisingly soft on her skin, and she could feel that he wasn't wearing any gloves. But he held her tightly nonetheless.
Mind racing as she struggled to break free, she felt him lean down near her again.
"I never thought it would be this easy to catch you..." Rikku heard him whisper in her ear, breath hot. She frowned in disgust, trying to break free of the man's iron grip. But it was no use. He was too strong for her.
"Wh-Who are you?!" she managed to choke out after she felt one of his hands loosen around her mouth.
He had her firmly against a wall in the shadows of the hallway, so she couldn't see his face. But from the contours of his features, Rikku could see him smirk at her as he spoke.
"Let's just say that a friend of yours sent me to get you," the man responded. Rikku saw that he had deep brown hair, wisps of strands falling in front of his eyes. She could feel the fabric of his clothing brushing against her bare stomach.
She suddenly felt cold metal pressing into her side. Rikku froze and looked up at the man's face, only seeing shadows.
"Don't even think of trying anything. I wouldn't want to hurt that pretty skin of yours," he whispered, pressing the cold object into her side. She heard herself whimper, wanting to slap herself for acting so helpless.
Rikku paused, suddenly remembering what Brother had taught her when they were children. Her eyes flickered up to his face. He wasn't holding onto her as tightly as he had before. Now was her chance. Quickly, without another second thought, she raised her knee, kicking the man hard between his legs.
He let out a yell, stumbling onto the ground. She moved quickly, dodging his body and began to run.
She had not even taken two steps before she felt his hand clasp around her ankles and pull her down, causing her to land painfully on her elbows.
"You can't get away that easily. I'm getting paid to get you, y'know..." the man gasped out, his face finally visible. Rikku saw that he was in his early twenties, with chestnut hair and deep brown eyes. He held a small metallic gun pointed at her, causing any hope she had of escaping to shatter. She froze.
Even if she screamed, no one would hear her, Rikku realized in horror.
"Gippal..." she whispered shakily, watching as the man stood up and grabbed her roughly by the arm, forcing her to stand up as well. He held the gun pointed at her side once more.
"Gippal? Is that your knight in shining armor?" the man laughed, leading them towards the other side of the ship. Rikku tried to dig her heels, but she knew it would be no use. He could shoot her in an instant, and she wasn't even armed with her own weapon. "Sorry honey, he won't be saving you this time," the man continued to speak, breaking into her thoughts.
Rikku felt tears threatening her eyes. Angry and frightened, she blinked, trying to fight them back. This wasn't any time to be crying.
He continued to lead them out a back pathway, away from any person on the airship. Rikku felt her heart sinking. Why the hell was this part of the airship so empty? Surely someone would come out and see her in trouble, right? Her eyes looked at the man. He was Al Bhed! Why hadn't she noticed it before? There was nothing strange about his appearance at all...no wonder he was able to move about freely on the airship...
There had to be some way of leaving a sign for Gippal to see. There just had to be.
"Don't even try to pull off anything. They'll never find you," he spoke suddenly, as if reading her thoughts. He turned to her and grinned, flashing a set of perfect teeth.
She suddenly thought of it. Carefully, without making a sound, Rikku brought her hand up to her left ear and unhooked the long earring. She glanced up at him again and saw that he was staring straight ahead, his arm tight around her arm as he continued to lead them out.
Moving her arm behind her back, earring in hand, she let the jewelry fall as they continued to walk away. She didn't dare glance behind her back.
"Watch your step," the man spoke up again, holding open a door. A small airship waited outside, its hatch already open to them. Rikku looked up at him, his brown eyes burning into hers. "I'm not surprised I was paid to capture you..." he said quietly, his eyes scanning her up and down. She felt her cheeks flaming, and she wanted to scream for help. "You really are something..."
Rikku felt her stomach dropping, his words making her sick by the minute. The same tears she felt earlier were beginning to build again, but she wouldn't let them fall.
"They'll find me. Count on it," she spat at him, climbing into the next airship with his gun still pointed at her back.
====
"Arrggh!" Paine exclaimed, pulling roughly on the handcuffs. It was no use. They were attached too strongly into the wall.
"Stop it, Paine. You'll just hurt yourself..." Yuna whispered softly. She looked up at her friend, her eyes expressionless.
Paine spun around to face Yuna. "I need to do something! Those bastards locked us up in here, and I need to know why!" she exclaimed. Paine's normally calm voice had risen sharply, their current situation being the cause. Yuna said nothing, but remained seated on the cold floor. Paine snorted. "And the only way I'll get my answers is by getting the hell outta here!" Paine exclaimed again, tugging on the handcuffs again, the chains echoing in Yuna's ears.
She looked up at Paine, realization dawning on her. She stood up, causing the other woman to face her.
"Reach into my back pocket. I have a lock pick in there," Yuna said simply.
Paine's eyes widened at her friend's extreme calm. She spun on her heel. "You've had it there the whole time?!"
Yuna couldn't help but laugh quietly. "It's been there so long, I guess I just remembered it now," she answered in embarrassment.
Paine shook her head but smiled nevertheless, her eyes flashing as she moved around to get the lock pick from Yuna's pocket.
"Good, then we're busting out of here."
=====
"Rikku, you up here...?" Gippal called softly, entering the Cabin.
Silence.
He paused, brow furrowing.
"Damn, where is she?" he asked himself aloud, beginning to head back up the stairs towards the hallway. He couldn't quite place it, but for some reason, he was growing really worried.
Gippal turned the next corner, his boots echoing loudly on the illuminated flooring. He looked straight ahead, when a flash of yellow immediately caught his eye. Backtracking his steps, he could see a small object on the other side of the hallway, bright on the ground.
Curious, he made his way over to it and picked it up, heart sinking as he realized that it was Rikku's earring. He suddenly felt his hand instinctively reach behind him to pull out a small gun. His eyes scanned the hallway, realizing for the first time that this part of the airship was always deserted. There didn't seem to be anyone else here...
A faint sound behind him caused Gippal to spin around. The emergency side hatch...open?!
He ran towards it, heart pounding, and threw it open. The bright sunlight greeted him, and he squinted.
It was then that he saw it. A small airship flying away...one of his own, and in the window...Rikku?! He could see her face clearly from where he stood. She was looking straight ahead as the airship continued to fly off into the distance.
"What's she doing there?! Rikku!!" Gippal yelled out at her. But he knew it was no use. The ship was already too far.
Cursing under his breath, he slammed the door shut, running as fast as he could back to the bridge.
=====
Rikku thought she saw a flicker of movement from the hatch of Gippal's airship. She gazed out the window towards it. No. It must have been her imagination...
She looked back inside at her surroundings, feeling a pair of eyes on her. Her gaze flickered up. The young man was staring hard at her.
"If I wasn't getting paid for this, I'd take you away myself and never bring you back," he spoke, his voice soft. He sat opposite her in the small airship. She moved her gaze away from him, the man's words making her nervous.
"Where...are you taking me?" she managed to whisper, feeling his eyes still on her. She heard him shift in his seat.
"Macalania Temple. Your presence is expected there," he responded simply, looking out the window. It was here that Rikku turned to look at him. She still didn't know his name.
"Who are you?" Rikku decided to ask. She figured that she would need his name later when she did manage to escape. Knowing his name meant that it would be easier to get her revenge on him...
"You can call me Sasuno," he replied calmly. He seemed to smile warmly this time...or was it Rikku's eyes deceiving her?
She looked at him from across the space between them, wondering why he was doing this. Clearly it seemed that Sasuno was only doing this for the money, but why else was he beginning to treat her differently than when she first met him... She shook her head, realizing that there was no way she would be getting answers today.
"Listen, Rikku...I just have to say how sorry I am for doing this to you..." Sasuno suddenly spoke up, his words surprising her. He had his eyes to the floor, hands folded in front of him, elbows on his knees.
"How...do you know my name...?" Rikku asked, trying to look into his face for any answers on who exactly this young man was.
Sasuno paused, beginning to look worried. His brown bangs fell into his eyes and he quickly brushed them back, meeting her gaze.
"I was given the job to capture you—"
"Who sent you?" Rikku interrupted, leaning towards him as she demanded an answer. He seemed to lean slightly back and away, as if intimidated by her. Rikku noticed this.
Sasuno seemed to falter with his words. "Let's just say that you'll see once we get there..." he answered, his voice even.
Rikku searched his face for a moment longer before leaning back into her seat, her gaze out the window. A ray of sunlight streamed through the window and danced on her skin. Rikku managed to get a look at her upper arm for the first time since they left the other airship. It was slightly red and felt swollen from Sasuno's earlier grip. She rubbed on it gingerly with one hand and winced, hoping that he didn't see her expression.
"I'm...sorry for that," Sasuno spoke quietly from across her. Rikku looked up at him. His brown eyes were on her arm.
She shook her head. "I guess you were just...doing your job," Rikku answered coldly, eyeing the bruises on her arm. She didn't notice that she was still rubbing it before she saw Sasuno move over to sit beside her, removing her hand and replacing it with his own.
"I really am sorry, Rikku. Please...I hope you can forgive me for that..." Sasuno said to her, rubbing her arm gently with one hand. Rikku had to suppress a shiver from how soft his hands were. She could sense his eyes on her, but chose to keep her gaze averted from his.
"We have landed," the pilot suddenly announced from the front seat. Rikku paused and looked out the window. White snow greeted her eyes as she took in the familiar sight of the Macalania Temple. Outside, light snowflakes fell gracefully down, disappearing in the endless sea of white as they landed on the ground.
She felt Sasuno release his hands from her arm before standing up. Rikku looked after him, not quite knowing what to do. He paused and looked at her.
"Follow me, Rikku," he spoke softly, offering a hand to her. Rikku hesitated for a moment before offering her hand to his. He seemed to smile at her as he led her down the ramp. Rikku watched as Sasuno jumped off and landed on the snow, white powder scattering as his boots hit the ground. She stood crouched on the edge of the open airship doors, before she saw Sasuno open his arms to her.
"Jump down. I'll catch you," he said to her, the wind blowing his hair and causing him to blink his bangs away.
Rikku paused again, but decided that there was no other choice. She nodded once and met his gaze. He nodded back to her and stood waiting, arms out. She grasped the sides of the doorway and jumped down, shutting her eyes as cold air hit her skin.
Sasuno's eyes widened as he caught her and stumbled backwards, causing them both to fall on the snow. Rikku landed on top of him, her warm body dangerously close to his. He blinked, realizing that he had his hands around her lower back. She looked up at him, snow clinging to her long bangs. Sasuno blinked again, struggling to pull them both back on their feet and regain his own composure.
"Are you alright?" he asked in embarrassment, helping her up.
Rikku brushed her hair away, shaking off the feeling of falling down. She nodded to him. "Y-Yeah...I think so..." she responded, her legs feeling wobbly as she stood.
The Macalania air hit her skin, and although it wasn't too windy, it was still quite cold outside. She felt her teeth chattering.
Sasuno had already begun to walk ahead of her, expecting Rikku to follow. He turned to look behind his back, noticing that she was lagging behind.
"Hey, are you okay?" Sasuno asked, studying her. She was walking with her arms around herself. "You're cold," he said quietly, walking over to her and removing his jacket. Rikku could only look up at him through her bangs. He placed it around her shoulders, the jacket obviously too big for her.
"Th-thanks...Sa...suno..." Rikku managed to reply, truly grateful for his sudden show of caring. She began to follow him up the pathway to the temple. Sasuno walked a great distance ahead of her, and she wondered why she didn't just run away from him right now. A shiver raced up her spine, her teeth beginning to chatter loudly this time. 'Tysh...there's no way I can escape in this condition...' Rikku thought to herself.
She stuck her hand into the right pocket of the jacket, trying to warm her hands. A cold metallic object caught her attention and she gingerly pulled it out of the pocket, realizing that it was the gun that Sasuno had pointed at her earlier. Her green eyes looked up to see if he was watching her.
He wasn't.
Quickly taking it out of the pocket, she slid the gun into the small pack that was attached around her belt, deciding that it may be able to help her later.
"We're here, Rikku," Sasuno suddenly announced, causing Rikku to wonder if he had seen her. His brown eyes were neutral. It didn't seem like he noticed anything.
She walked towards him, nodding briefly.
"Okay," Rikku responded, stepping into the doors of the temple. The warmth quickly enveloped her. She was surprised at herself. For a hostage, Rikku was shocked at how calm she had become. A hand came to rest on her shoulder.
"I'll take you to your room now," Sasuno announced quietly to her. It seemed as if he was trying to keep his voice low. Rikku looked up into his face. From the dimly-lit entrance hall, she could see that he was hesitating with this whole situation. She nodded.
Sasuno began to walk towards a hallway to the right, causing Rikku to raise her eyebrows curiously. This hall didn't seem like it was here two years ago...
He continued to lead her down the corridor, the lights seeming to get brighter with each step they took. Sasuno's boots echoed across the ground as he soon lead her into a large area, to what looked like a ballroom. Rikku stopped walking.
"Something the matter?" he asked, noticing Rikku's expression as she gazed around the bright room.
"When did this place get this extra area?" Rikku asked, looking down at her feet. The floors were perfectly polished, and she could see her reflection in it.
Sasuno smiled, shaking his head at her disbelief. "This was all just built last year. Apparently, some small group of Al Bhed wanted it built," Sasuno explained as he stopped at two double doors at the end of the hallway.
Rikku looked up at him. "Al Bhed? Which faction built this?"
He suddenly cleared his throat, pausing for a moment to open the door for her. Rikku continued to look up at him, stepping through the door as she awaited his answer. She saw that he was looking straight over her head. Troubled, she turned around to look into the room as well.
Her heart sank.
"Welcome, Rikku," Serru smiled.
=======
A/N: Not much to say really, except I'm really anxious to start writing Chapter 12. I already know exactly what's going to happen in it, so all I need to do is write it all out. =p
See you guys in the next one!
Hm, what else...oh yeah. This is probably going to be considered as the "true turning point" in the story, simply because of the events that are about to happen here. I've also thrown in a twist to the story, but I'll let you guys read this chapter to find out what it is. =p
To KURAI YUME: I just have to mention how your review for Chapter 10 made me smile. =) Thanks so much for your comment, and to answer your question about how "I make Gippal hotter in each chapter," I don't quite know myself. ; I'm glad you're enjoying the story, and I do wish that Square Enix put more emphasis on Gippal's personality. So what I strived for in this story was to portray Gippal the way I saw him in the game, as well as add what else I thought about him. =)
And again, a big thanks to everyone who has been reading and enjoying the fic.
=====
{{ Chapter 11: Scattering Snow}}
=====
Rikku gasped, struggling to take in air. She was whimpering, mostly out of fear. A hand was clasped hard on her mouth, and one strong arm pinned her against the wall of the dim corner of the hallway. An evident masculine scent floated into her nose, vaguely reminding her of the desert. His hands were surprisingly soft on her skin, and she could feel that he wasn't wearing any gloves. But he held her tightly nonetheless.
Mind racing as she struggled to break free, she felt him lean down near her again.
"I never thought it would be this easy to catch you..." Rikku heard him whisper in her ear, breath hot. She frowned in disgust, trying to break free of the man's iron grip. But it was no use. He was too strong for her.
"Wh-Who are you?!" she managed to choke out after she felt one of his hands loosen around her mouth.
He had her firmly against a wall in the shadows of the hallway, so she couldn't see his face. But from the contours of his features, Rikku could see him smirk at her as he spoke.
"Let's just say that a friend of yours sent me to get you," the man responded. Rikku saw that he had deep brown hair, wisps of strands falling in front of his eyes. She could feel the fabric of his clothing brushing against her bare stomach.
She suddenly felt cold metal pressing into her side. Rikku froze and looked up at the man's face, only seeing shadows.
"Don't even think of trying anything. I wouldn't want to hurt that pretty skin of yours," he whispered, pressing the cold object into her side. She heard herself whimper, wanting to slap herself for acting so helpless.
Rikku paused, suddenly remembering what Brother had taught her when they were children. Her eyes flickered up to his face. He wasn't holding onto her as tightly as he had before. Now was her chance. Quickly, without another second thought, she raised her knee, kicking the man hard between his legs.
He let out a yell, stumbling onto the ground. She moved quickly, dodging his body and began to run.
She had not even taken two steps before she felt his hand clasp around her ankles and pull her down, causing her to land painfully on her elbows.
"You can't get away that easily. I'm getting paid to get you, y'know..." the man gasped out, his face finally visible. Rikku saw that he was in his early twenties, with chestnut hair and deep brown eyes. He held a small metallic gun pointed at her, causing any hope she had of escaping to shatter. She froze.
Even if she screamed, no one would hear her, Rikku realized in horror.
"Gippal..." she whispered shakily, watching as the man stood up and grabbed her roughly by the arm, forcing her to stand up as well. He held the gun pointed at her side once more.
"Gippal? Is that your knight in shining armor?" the man laughed, leading them towards the other side of the ship. Rikku tried to dig her heels, but she knew it would be no use. He could shoot her in an instant, and she wasn't even armed with her own weapon. "Sorry honey, he won't be saving you this time," the man continued to speak, breaking into her thoughts.
Rikku felt tears threatening her eyes. Angry and frightened, she blinked, trying to fight them back. This wasn't any time to be crying.
He continued to lead them out a back pathway, away from any person on the airship. Rikku felt her heart sinking. Why the hell was this part of the airship so empty? Surely someone would come out and see her in trouble, right? Her eyes looked at the man. He was Al Bhed! Why hadn't she noticed it before? There was nothing strange about his appearance at all...no wonder he was able to move about freely on the airship...
There had to be some way of leaving a sign for Gippal to see. There just had to be.
"Don't even try to pull off anything. They'll never find you," he spoke suddenly, as if reading her thoughts. He turned to her and grinned, flashing a set of perfect teeth.
She suddenly thought of it. Carefully, without making a sound, Rikku brought her hand up to her left ear and unhooked the long earring. She glanced up at him again and saw that he was staring straight ahead, his arm tight around her arm as he continued to lead them out.
Moving her arm behind her back, earring in hand, she let the jewelry fall as they continued to walk away. She didn't dare glance behind her back.
"Watch your step," the man spoke up again, holding open a door. A small airship waited outside, its hatch already open to them. Rikku looked up at him, his brown eyes burning into hers. "I'm not surprised I was paid to capture you..." he said quietly, his eyes scanning her up and down. She felt her cheeks flaming, and she wanted to scream for help. "You really are something..."
Rikku felt her stomach dropping, his words making her sick by the minute. The same tears she felt earlier were beginning to build again, but she wouldn't let them fall.
"They'll find me. Count on it," she spat at him, climbing into the next airship with his gun still pointed at her back.
====
"Arrggh!" Paine exclaimed, pulling roughly on the handcuffs. It was no use. They were attached too strongly into the wall.
"Stop it, Paine. You'll just hurt yourself..." Yuna whispered softly. She looked up at her friend, her eyes expressionless.
Paine spun around to face Yuna. "I need to do something! Those bastards locked us up in here, and I need to know why!" she exclaimed. Paine's normally calm voice had risen sharply, their current situation being the cause. Yuna said nothing, but remained seated on the cold floor. Paine snorted. "And the only way I'll get my answers is by getting the hell outta here!" Paine exclaimed again, tugging on the handcuffs again, the chains echoing in Yuna's ears.
She looked up at Paine, realization dawning on her. She stood up, causing the other woman to face her.
"Reach into my back pocket. I have a lock pick in there," Yuna said simply.
Paine's eyes widened at her friend's extreme calm. She spun on her heel. "You've had it there the whole time?!"
Yuna couldn't help but laugh quietly. "It's been there so long, I guess I just remembered it now," she answered in embarrassment.
Paine shook her head but smiled nevertheless, her eyes flashing as she moved around to get the lock pick from Yuna's pocket.
"Good, then we're busting out of here."
=====
"Rikku, you up here...?" Gippal called softly, entering the Cabin.
Silence.
He paused, brow furrowing.
"Damn, where is she?" he asked himself aloud, beginning to head back up the stairs towards the hallway. He couldn't quite place it, but for some reason, he was growing really worried.
Gippal turned the next corner, his boots echoing loudly on the illuminated flooring. He looked straight ahead, when a flash of yellow immediately caught his eye. Backtracking his steps, he could see a small object on the other side of the hallway, bright on the ground.
Curious, he made his way over to it and picked it up, heart sinking as he realized that it was Rikku's earring. He suddenly felt his hand instinctively reach behind him to pull out a small gun. His eyes scanned the hallway, realizing for the first time that this part of the airship was always deserted. There didn't seem to be anyone else here...
A faint sound behind him caused Gippal to spin around. The emergency side hatch...open?!
He ran towards it, heart pounding, and threw it open. The bright sunlight greeted him, and he squinted.
It was then that he saw it. A small airship flying away...one of his own, and in the window...Rikku?! He could see her face clearly from where he stood. She was looking straight ahead as the airship continued to fly off into the distance.
"What's she doing there?! Rikku!!" Gippal yelled out at her. But he knew it was no use. The ship was already too far.
Cursing under his breath, he slammed the door shut, running as fast as he could back to the bridge.
=====
Rikku thought she saw a flicker of movement from the hatch of Gippal's airship. She gazed out the window towards it. No. It must have been her imagination...
She looked back inside at her surroundings, feeling a pair of eyes on her. Her gaze flickered up. The young man was staring hard at her.
"If I wasn't getting paid for this, I'd take you away myself and never bring you back," he spoke, his voice soft. He sat opposite her in the small airship. She moved her gaze away from him, the man's words making her nervous.
"Where...are you taking me?" she managed to whisper, feeling his eyes still on her. She heard him shift in his seat.
"Macalania Temple. Your presence is expected there," he responded simply, looking out the window. It was here that Rikku turned to look at him. She still didn't know his name.
"Who are you?" Rikku decided to ask. She figured that she would need his name later when she did manage to escape. Knowing his name meant that it would be easier to get her revenge on him...
"You can call me Sasuno," he replied calmly. He seemed to smile warmly this time...or was it Rikku's eyes deceiving her?
She looked at him from across the space between them, wondering why he was doing this. Clearly it seemed that Sasuno was only doing this for the money, but why else was he beginning to treat her differently than when she first met him... She shook her head, realizing that there was no way she would be getting answers today.
"Listen, Rikku...I just have to say how sorry I am for doing this to you..." Sasuno suddenly spoke up, his words surprising her. He had his eyes to the floor, hands folded in front of him, elbows on his knees.
"How...do you know my name...?" Rikku asked, trying to look into his face for any answers on who exactly this young man was.
Sasuno paused, beginning to look worried. His brown bangs fell into his eyes and he quickly brushed them back, meeting her gaze.
"I was given the job to capture you—"
"Who sent you?" Rikku interrupted, leaning towards him as she demanded an answer. He seemed to lean slightly back and away, as if intimidated by her. Rikku noticed this.
Sasuno seemed to falter with his words. "Let's just say that you'll see once we get there..." he answered, his voice even.
Rikku searched his face for a moment longer before leaning back into her seat, her gaze out the window. A ray of sunlight streamed through the window and danced on her skin. Rikku managed to get a look at her upper arm for the first time since they left the other airship. It was slightly red and felt swollen from Sasuno's earlier grip. She rubbed on it gingerly with one hand and winced, hoping that he didn't see her expression.
"I'm...sorry for that," Sasuno spoke quietly from across her. Rikku looked up at him. His brown eyes were on her arm.
She shook her head. "I guess you were just...doing your job," Rikku answered coldly, eyeing the bruises on her arm. She didn't notice that she was still rubbing it before she saw Sasuno move over to sit beside her, removing her hand and replacing it with his own.
"I really am sorry, Rikku. Please...I hope you can forgive me for that..." Sasuno said to her, rubbing her arm gently with one hand. Rikku had to suppress a shiver from how soft his hands were. She could sense his eyes on her, but chose to keep her gaze averted from his.
"We have landed," the pilot suddenly announced from the front seat. Rikku paused and looked out the window. White snow greeted her eyes as she took in the familiar sight of the Macalania Temple. Outside, light snowflakes fell gracefully down, disappearing in the endless sea of white as they landed on the ground.
She felt Sasuno release his hands from her arm before standing up. Rikku looked after him, not quite knowing what to do. He paused and looked at her.
"Follow me, Rikku," he spoke softly, offering a hand to her. Rikku hesitated for a moment before offering her hand to his. He seemed to smile at her as he led her down the ramp. Rikku watched as Sasuno jumped off and landed on the snow, white powder scattering as his boots hit the ground. She stood crouched on the edge of the open airship doors, before she saw Sasuno open his arms to her.
"Jump down. I'll catch you," he said to her, the wind blowing his hair and causing him to blink his bangs away.
Rikku paused again, but decided that there was no other choice. She nodded once and met his gaze. He nodded back to her and stood waiting, arms out. She grasped the sides of the doorway and jumped down, shutting her eyes as cold air hit her skin.
Sasuno's eyes widened as he caught her and stumbled backwards, causing them both to fall on the snow. Rikku landed on top of him, her warm body dangerously close to his. He blinked, realizing that he had his hands around her lower back. She looked up at him, snow clinging to her long bangs. Sasuno blinked again, struggling to pull them both back on their feet and regain his own composure.
"Are you alright?" he asked in embarrassment, helping her up.
Rikku brushed her hair away, shaking off the feeling of falling down. She nodded to him. "Y-Yeah...I think so..." she responded, her legs feeling wobbly as she stood.
The Macalania air hit her skin, and although it wasn't too windy, it was still quite cold outside. She felt her teeth chattering.
Sasuno had already begun to walk ahead of her, expecting Rikku to follow. He turned to look behind his back, noticing that she was lagging behind.
"Hey, are you okay?" Sasuno asked, studying her. She was walking with her arms around herself. "You're cold," he said quietly, walking over to her and removing his jacket. Rikku could only look up at him through her bangs. He placed it around her shoulders, the jacket obviously too big for her.
"Th-thanks...Sa...suno..." Rikku managed to reply, truly grateful for his sudden show of caring. She began to follow him up the pathway to the temple. Sasuno walked a great distance ahead of her, and she wondered why she didn't just run away from him right now. A shiver raced up her spine, her teeth beginning to chatter loudly this time. 'Tysh...there's no way I can escape in this condition...' Rikku thought to herself.
She stuck her hand into the right pocket of the jacket, trying to warm her hands. A cold metallic object caught her attention and she gingerly pulled it out of the pocket, realizing that it was the gun that Sasuno had pointed at her earlier. Her green eyes looked up to see if he was watching her.
He wasn't.
Quickly taking it out of the pocket, she slid the gun into the small pack that was attached around her belt, deciding that it may be able to help her later.
"We're here, Rikku," Sasuno suddenly announced, causing Rikku to wonder if he had seen her. His brown eyes were neutral. It didn't seem like he noticed anything.
She walked towards him, nodding briefly.
"Okay," Rikku responded, stepping into the doors of the temple. The warmth quickly enveloped her. She was surprised at herself. For a hostage, Rikku was shocked at how calm she had become. A hand came to rest on her shoulder.
"I'll take you to your room now," Sasuno announced quietly to her. It seemed as if he was trying to keep his voice low. Rikku looked up into his face. From the dimly-lit entrance hall, she could see that he was hesitating with this whole situation. She nodded.
Sasuno began to walk towards a hallway to the right, causing Rikku to raise her eyebrows curiously. This hall didn't seem like it was here two years ago...
He continued to lead her down the corridor, the lights seeming to get brighter with each step they took. Sasuno's boots echoed across the ground as he soon lead her into a large area, to what looked like a ballroom. Rikku stopped walking.
"Something the matter?" he asked, noticing Rikku's expression as she gazed around the bright room.
"When did this place get this extra area?" Rikku asked, looking down at her feet. The floors were perfectly polished, and she could see her reflection in it.
Sasuno smiled, shaking his head at her disbelief. "This was all just built last year. Apparently, some small group of Al Bhed wanted it built," Sasuno explained as he stopped at two double doors at the end of the hallway.
Rikku looked up at him. "Al Bhed? Which faction built this?"
He suddenly cleared his throat, pausing for a moment to open the door for her. Rikku continued to look up at him, stepping through the door as she awaited his answer. She saw that he was looking straight over her head. Troubled, she turned around to look into the room as well.
Her heart sank.
"Welcome, Rikku," Serru smiled.
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A/N: Not much to say really, except I'm really anxious to start writing Chapter 12. I already know exactly what's going to happen in it, so all I need to do is write it all out. =p
See you guys in the next one!