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{{ Chapter 16: I Remember }}

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His eyes narrowed into tiny slits. Even in the early sunrise, those green orbs seemed to glow as he approached, hot and fiery.

"Thought you could escape so soon, could you?" he laughed again before his smile faded. "I've waited a long time for this day..." Serru whispered, slowly pulling out his gun, its unmistakable form clearly visible in the early light. Rikku watched with horrified eyes as she saw one of Serru's fingers hover dangerously over the trigger.

Gippal felt his heartbeat quickening as his gaze locked with Serru's, and despite the cold environment they were standing in, perspiration began forming on his forehead. He narrowed his eye at Serru, expression unwavering.

Serru laughed aloud before taking a few frightening steps towards them both. Rikku suppressed a gasp and Gippal glanced quickly at her. He stepped and swiftly moved her behind him in one motion. And, with a turn he faced Serru once again.

"Well I'm here," Gippal spoke firmly, waving a gloved hand through the air. Rikku's eyes snapped back into attention as Serru laughed again, his voice rich and deep. He continued to chuckle, his head leaning back for a moment with his eyes shut. A flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye caused Rikku to look at Gippal. Instantly she spotted his right hand move fast behind himself, and in a flash of black and red, Gippal had gripped the end of his gun.

"Move out of the way, Serru," Gippal spoke evenly, bringing up his own weapon in haste. Serru immediately stopped as he eyed the gun that was now pointed at him. The two stood opposite from each other, cold wind bringing up the white powdery snow all around them. Serru felt a smirk tugging at his lips as he held his own weapon at Gippal.

"You know why I took her?" Serru asked all of a sudden, his finger still hovering over the trigger. Gippal stood steadily, his teeth grinding as he held up his own gun as well. He didn't respond and Serru continued, one of his eyebrows raised. "Because Cid had promised her to me."

Rikku felt the blood drain from her face as Serru's final words tumbled off his tongue. Her eyes grew wide and she instinctively moved her gaze to Gippal, wondering what in the world Serru was talking about. He had his back to her, his position still firm as he held the gun in his hand.

"That's right, my dear," Serru said, a hint of glee in his normally stoic voice as he took a step towards them both. His green eyes were locked on Rikku.

"Lies! Don't listen to him, Rikku!" Gippal's voice exclaimed over the wind, the gun shaking in his hand. "Cid didn't know about me, you bastard! If he did, then he wouldn't have opened his mouth to someone like you," he finished, venom dripping off his words. Rikku looked hesitantly from Serru to Gippal, her heart heavy.

"I'm going to pay you back for what you did to my father all those years ago," Serru began to speak this time, drawing their attention back to him. He motioned through the air with a hand. "Or shall I say what you didn't do for him."

"You know there was nothing I could do for him then and you still know it now!" Gippal replied angrily, clenching his fist. Serru did not reply. Instead, he began to pace back and forth in front of them, and Gippal followed him with his own gun.

A moment of silence hung heavily in the cold, icy air. Up above them, Rikku could hear faint gunshots on the cliffs, and she squeezed her eyes shut in pain at the thought of her father and his men being outnumbered. Her mind suddenly remembered a name.

Sasuno.

Where the hell was he? Dread began to well up inside of her at the possibility of what could have happened to their other companion.

"I shall let you experience the pain I have felt since that day, Gippal. You are not going to leave here," Serru spoke threateningly, advancing stiffly towards them. He had ignored what Gippal had said a moment ago and was now dangerously close to him.

Gippal stood ready, his knees slightly bent. He felt a bead of sweat roll down one side of his face as Serru suddenly stopped a few feet in front of him. Gippal's blood was pumping furiously; the anticipation from what he knew was about to happen completely controlling his senses.

And with haste, he leaped forward, throwing his body to the side and violently against the snow as the blast from Serru's gun finally ripped through the air. Gippal grunted as his body landed with a hard thud against the cold snow as Serru's bullet grazed the ground. He threw himself forward again, twisting his body upward and around, Serru's second bullet just barely grazing his shoulder this time.

Gippal took a deep breath, his blood pumping. He quickly turned to Serru again.

Rikku squeezed her eyes shut in horror, watching Gippal dodge two shots that Serru had fired at him. The other man stood stunned, quickly trying to aim at Gippal again.

Serru looked up in shock, seeing only a blur of yellow and red. He groaned in pain, Gippal taking him down quickly as they both tumbled down into the snow. A punch hit him full force on the jaw and he groaned again, trying desperately to get a hold of his gun.

Serru fumbled carelessly, realizing that his own weapon was nowhere within reach. He quickly brought his elbow up into Gippal's chin, startling the other man for a moment. He saw fire in Gippal's one eye and took the opportunity to land a hard blow to him again.

Blinding pain shot through Gippal's body as Serru kneed him in the stomach. White dots danced in front of Gippal's vision for a moment longer as he gripped the other man's shoulders, fighting to throw him away from him this time. The two men tumbled in the snow, kicking up the white powder in their trail.

A cry of pain escaped Gippal's lips as Serru threw a fast one at his jaw, the sickening sound of bone to bone echoing loudly in the air. The burning quickly subsided as Gippal found an opening this time. He swung his right arm hard, fist landing squarely on Serru's eye. He caught the grimace of pain in the other Al Bhed's face and Gippal took the opportunity to scramble to his feet, beckoning for Serru with one gloved hand.

"Come on..." Gippal taunted, quickly wiping the blood that had begun to trickle from the cut on his lip. He was breathing hard, his burning lungs eager to take in air. His good eye watched Serru's form carefully, gaze sweeping from the man's face to his feet, anticipating Serru's next move. Turning, Gippal glanced quickly behind him and saw Rikku standing frozen, a look of horror crossing her face as she met his line of vision. He turned back to look at Serru and he felt his heart stop.

Serru's laugh was like glass cutting him open as he saw his own gun in Serru's hand. Cursing at himself, Gippal reached behind him and felt air, knowing that the weapon was indeed in Serru's hand.

"All that pain for nothing, hm Gippal?" Serru said, a low grin sliding over his face. He had blood dripping from the side of his mouth as well, the skin around one of his eyes beginning to swell from the punch Gippal had generously given him.

It was happening so soon. He had been careless and now his opponent had the upper hand this time. But he would never accept defeat.

Diving forward, he kicked his leg up, seeing Serru's eyes bulge in pain. The unexpected kick to the other man's stomach gave him some space and he grabbed Serru's arm, fighting to get the weapon out of his hand. Serru growled under his breath and he fought to move the weapon in Gippal's direction.

"Don't move, Serru!!!"

Gippal felt Serru's grip loosen slightly and he slowed down his movements, his gaze flying in Rikku's direction. Her hands shakily grasped the end of her own gun, and Gippal almost passed out right then and there at the sight of Rikku clutching a gun. He couldn't help but smile crookedly to himself at how quick she seemed to be with everything.

"Get out of the way," Rikku said quietly, the gun in her hands now steady. She had a firm grip around the weapon, and her voice was no longer trembling. Gippal looked at Serru. A moment of hesitance seemed to flicker across Serru's features as he stared at Rikku, completely stunned. Yet, a slow smile appeared on his face as he watched her.

"Alright, Rikku. You win."

She blinked, turning to Gippal. The blonde Al Bhed had his eye locked on Serru as he inched slowly in the direction Rikku was standing.

"I know how much you care for him," Serru spoke up, directing his words towards Gippal, disgust evident in his words. They watched as Serru slowly lowered his weapon so that his arm hung limply to one side. He looked up again and took a step in their direction, holding out a hand. "So I shall spare his life if you come with me, Rikku."

Gippal felt his anger spilling again and he cried out, his teeth grit together in a burning fury. He quickly grabbed the gun from Rikku's hands and without another breath, pointed it squarely at Serru.

"Like hell she'll go with you!" he exclaimed fiercely, his finger on the trigger.

Serru remained still, expression neutral before he dropped his gaze. The blood on his mouth had begun to dry and he looked worn, tired and spent. Silence danced through the air as the two watched Serru's form carefully, his head down. Rikku could feel her heart thudding so loud in her chest, that even through the furious winds, she knew they could hear it.

One corner of his mouth curled upward as he looked up at them at last. "You had your one chance," he began in a low voice. They heard the gun click loudly through the cold air as Serru's head snapped up at them. "This is the end, Gippal!!"

Rikku gasped, feeling tears leak from her eyes.

"SERRU!!!"

She choked back a sob as furious winds suddenly lashed up from below them. Serru turned at the familiar voice, lowering his gun at the scene. Their gazes flew to the chasm directly below before a small airship rose up, the roar of the engine drowning out Rikku's strangled cry of relief.

Sasuno stood at the edge of the open airship door, a gun clutched tightly in his right hand, while one of his other hands gripping the edge of the door. His eyes held an almost panicked expression as the wind from the engine's propeller whipped his hair wildly about. He nodded once to the pilot before the airship hovered closer to the ice path.

In one giant leap, Sasuno landed directly in front of them, ice flying in the air. The airship remained circling around the cliffs, its spotlight focused directly down on them.

A low chuckle suddenly escaped Serru's lips.

"What will you do, Sasuno?" he exclaimed through the air, taking a menacing step towards his brother. The combination of the airship circling the sky, as well as the howl from the wind was almost deafening.

Sasuno advanced without hesitation towards Serru, his weapon not faltering.

"You going to shoot your own brother?" Serru taunted in a low whisper. They stood facing each other, guns pointed. Sasuno stood motionless. He searched Serru's eyes for a moment before looking away in the direction of where Rikku and Gippal stood.

"Run! Get the hell out of here now...!" he cried out, his voice almost cracking. Rikku looked to Gippal in desperation. He stared at the two brothers for a moment before finally meeting her gaze. In one smooth movement, Gippal reached down and grabbed her hand. His own weapon was in his other, and Rikku looked up, seeing the airship lower in their direction.

"Sasuno...!" Rikku shouted, seeing Serru's arm swing up and punch him in the jaw. Sasuno groaned and fell painfully back.

"You fool!" Serru laughed, aiming this time for Sasuno. He stopped in front of his brother's hunched-over form, fire burning in his eyes. "This is what you get for interfering!" Serru exclaimed again, kicking him hard in the ribs. A cry of pain escaped Sasuno's lips, and he turned to Gippal.

"I dammit! GO!!" he yelled to Gippal. Taking one of his free legs, Sasuno kicked forward, tangling it in Serru's and knocking him down in the process. His gun went flailing through the air, and Sasuno kicked the weapon away from him, groaning as Serru kicked him again. They rolled through the snow, Serru fighting to escape Sasuno's grip on him.

"Let go at once!" Serru yelled in anger, his cries muffled when Sasuno punched him this time.

Without wasting another moment, Gippal ran forward, Rikku at his hand. Serru looked up and saw the two rush past him. He lunged forward, trying to grab onto Rikku's leg.

Not quick enough.

Sasuno grabbed him by the shoulders, throwing them hard into the snow once more.

Rikku and Gippal raced quickly by the two, heading towards the end of the pathway. The sun had begun its steady rise, lighting up the way for them. She was breathing quickly, the cold air sharp against her face.

They were now a good distance away from where Serru and Sasuno were, before Rikku felt her feet dragging.

"B-But what about Sasuno?! What's gonna happen to him!" Rikku exclaimed as they neared the stairs leading up to Lake Macalania.

Gippal shut his good eye, coming to a complete stop. Rikku searched his face, knowing that he knew exactly what she was thinking at that moment. He turned around in the direction they had just been, seeing the two brothers' dark form in the distance. Before he could open his mouth to reply, a piercing blast ripped through the air, causing Gippal's heart to come to a winding stop. He looked to Rikku. Her eyes were shiny, and she opened her mouth, both of their gazes immediately flying to look back behind them.

The short run back to the scene seemed to happen in slow motion. Gippal was ahead of her, and she had stopped right behind him, her eyes widening in horror.

Serru was slumped over, one of his hands clutching his sides. Dark blood was oozing out of the wound, staining the white snow beneath him. Sasuno was kneeled beside him, a gun lying next to him. Rikku looked back and forth between the two brothers in shock, feeling her stomach sinking to her feet. She felt tears stinging the back of her eyes and she dropped next to Sasuno, seeing that Serru was still alive.

"N-No...it can't be..." she whispered, unable to find her voice. As much as she wanted to scream, she couldn't bring herself to do so.

"Th-is...is what you've always wanted...isn't it, Sasuno...?" Serru choked painfully, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. Tears were flowing out of his eyes, face contorted with pain. Gippal stood stunned, his gaze quickly dropping to the gun on the ground.

What had happened here?

Sasuno had his head lowered, long bangs covering his eyes. "How could...you even say that, brother?" he replied in a quiet whisper, voice quivering. He finally looked up, his brown eyes glistening with tears. He gripped Serru's hand tightly, bringing it to his forehead. "Even after all the guilt you've given me all these years...I never wanted to see you hurt..." he spoke, sobbing. Serru coughed, blood bubbling from his mouth. "So please...don't ever say that I wanted this...!" Sasuno exclaimed, a wave of emotion ripping from the depths of his soul.

It was silent for a moment, Sasuno's short sobs filling the air. Rikku looked at Gippal, tears flowing from her own eyes. She stood and made her way over to him, and he gathered her into his arms. Gippal felt Rikku clutch him tightly, and he stroked her back, hoping to stop her crying.

He looked over Rikku's head and to Sasuno and Serru, the two men who had represented a past that he had successfully forgotten. The three of them had been connected by threads of guilt, hate, and revenge. He knew that he had run away from it all simply because he didn't want to remember. He didn't want to live with that nagging feeling that perhaps Serru had been right all along. Perhaps there was something Gippal could have done for their father.

Now, looking back at it all, he hated himself for running away from his fears. He let his own weakness bring him down, and his adolescence had been filled with insecurities as a result of it.

"Why have you told me all this about yourself?"

Gippal shut his eye, remembering what Rikku had asked him earlier...before everything had happened.

They had been speaking about the past together, and he had unconsciously opened up a bit of himself to her. It was the first time he had done something even remotely related to speaking about himself, and Rikku was the first person he had said it to. Gippal had also remembered his surprise when she had admitted her own feelings about herself to him. He now understood that there was much more to the seemingly cheerful and carefree girl that he had only saw from the outside.

Like Rikku, he had let her reach a place within him that he had closed off. Her confessions to him, as well as the sense of loneliness he always seemed to see in her eyes drew him to her. Sometime during their time together, something had broken; the barriers had been lifted for both of them.

Gippal pulled her closer to him, feeling her breathing evening out, and he was glad that her sobbing at ceased. She felt her arms tighten around him as well. Up above, the airship had turned off its spotlight and Gippal could hear the pilot exclaiming loudly into his communicator.

Turning to where Sasuno and Serru were, he took a few steps in their direction before pausing. Serru had begun to speak again.

"Sasuno...I-I...don't think I'm going to make it out of this one..." he chuckled gently, a sharp intake of breath cutting off his words.

Sasuno shut his eyes, fearing that his brother would say that. He could feel a dull, yet heavy pain in his heart, and he stared down into Serru's shiny eyes. Sasuno cursed at himself, feeling tears stinging the back of his eyes once again.

"Damn it, Serru," he began shakily, clutching onto his brother's hand tightly. "I-If you hadn't been so stupid...this wouldn't have happened..." Sasuno whispered weakly, dropping his head.

Serru turned his eyes to Rikku and Gippal, a soft smile at his lips. "I was...a fool. I-I'm so...sorry to you both..." he gasped. Rikku suppressed another sob as Gippal turned his gaze away, the other man's words too painful to listen to. He felt a lump rising in his throat and he swallowed, his own mouth dry.

Serru took another rattling breath, a sound of a sob and chuckle escaping his lips. The airship above finally lowered to the ground behind them. The pilot rushed out, followed by two Al Bhed men as they ran towards them. A look of fear flitted across the pilot's features as he took in the sight of Serru's bleeding form. With a nod Sasuno stood up, still holding his brother's hand as the pilot and the men lifted Serru's body.

"Brother...please forgive me..." Serru whispered hoarsely, squeezing Sasuno's hand. He looked into his brother's brown eyes with sadness, guilt and regret tearing at his heart. He felt tears leak out from his own eyes. Sasuno bit back a wave of emotion that rushed through him as he looked down at his brother's helpless form, Serru's words echoing in his ears.

Sasuno nodded, forcing himself to smile at Serru, despite the nagging feeling at his heart.

Serru turned to the medics and nodded as they rushed him into the airship. He took another ragged breath, and his face was pale...so incredibly pale.

Sasuno climbed into the airship after his brother as the pilot took his seat behind the controls. He looked out and down to Gippal and Rikku. In the distance behind the two, he could see people running out towards them from the other end of the path. A bittersweet feeling washed over Sasuno, and he smiled, raising his hand as he waved goodbye to them.

The airship lifted up and white powder swirled all around them, sparkling in the now bright sunlight. Gippal raised his own hand at Sasuno, seeing the airship heading in the direction of the clinic. He could see Rikku out of the corner of his eye, and he turned fully to her seeing that she held an arm out to her chest.

"A salute..." Gippal whispered in disbelief, knowing that the Al Bhed had stopped using the salute years ago. It had been used to honor superiors, or those who had fallen in battle. He looked at Rikku, seeing tears falling quietly down her cheeks.

Without another word, she ran into his arms. He brought her to him, his own heart heavy.

"It's alright, Rikku," Gippal whispered comfortingly, feeling her trembling against him. "It's all over now..." He felt her nod, quickly wiping her eyes.

"Rikku..." The normally gruff voice was soft this time, strong, yet full of relief.

Turning around, they took in the form of Cid, his appearance wrinkled and exhausted as he stood before them. He dropped his weapon as Rikku began to walk in his direction, her legs quickening to a jog.

Gippal recognized Paine, who stood a few feet away from Cid. Beside her were Tidus and Yuna, and the former-summoner Isaaru not too far away. Like Cid, they also looked worn; no doubt fighting in the battle from the night before. Gippal saw Paine and Yuna rush towards Rikku before they hugged each other, their cries of relief and joy filling the air.

He stood away from them for a moment, a gentle smile upon his lips. The morning somehow seemed clearer that day, and he tilted his head towards the sky. In the horizon, the airship was quickly becoming a fading blot of gray.

Best of luck to you both...

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A/N: Final chapter coming very soon.

Expect it sometime in the next few weeks or so this month. See you in the conclusion of the fic. =)