Here's the next chapter complete with plenty of Gippal and Rikku, as well as a bit of action and humor. The plot starts up, too. I had a little trouble with the action at the end of the chapter, so please tell me how I did. I'd also like to know your thoughts on the Gippal and Rikku interaction.
Enjoy, and shout outs at the bottom :)
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy X-2 is property of Square-Enix and is not mine.
Chapter III
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You know how sometimes people tell you things that are so astounding that your mind doesn't comprehend it the first time you hear it? It's as if you're so excited, or so appalled that you just can't get over the fact that whatever the person is telling you is true. In my case, with what Yunie said, I was shocked, surprised, and very happy. Yet it took me three times for her to say it before the actuality of what she was saying dawned on me.
"For the third time Rikku, I said I'm pregnant."
I took a step back as if physically struck, but in a happy sort of way. Yuna eyed me with a warming smile. "Please tell me what you're thinking, Rikku."
"You, you're having a baby? But wait a minute, that means you and Tidus had to..." I trailed off dumbly, giving a sheepish grin. That fact struck me as strange, since I'd always thought of Yuna as the good girl who follows the rules and fights for good. Even when she tried to hide her true self behind a spunky, badass, no-nonsense Gunner, I could easily see through her façade. Then again, probably all of Spira could. Just the fact that Yuna had sex before marriage made me reconsider my evaluation of my cousin. I know it wasn't that bad, unless...
"Tidus is the father right?" I blurted quickly, making Yuna lean back from my sudden outburst. She nodded meekly though, but I slapped my forehead anyways. Of course, he would be the father! All the guys in Spira could flirt with my cousin, but her love for Tidus would always be too strong to be denied. She loves him, he loves her, and they are soulmates. End of story, no exceptions. Maybe Tidus' homecoming sparked the desire between them again. I'm pretty sure they discussed everything before they decided to have a child, though I thought Yuna would've had a wedding first. Although, she could've wanted things low-key, instead of having all of Spira know her personal life.
"Sorry Yunie, I guess I'm so excited that I can't think straight. When do you plan to get married?" I asked eagerly, images of parades, bands, and the biggest wedding cake in all of Spira flashing through my mind.
"Well, it's kind of short notice, but in a week."
I stiffened with fake stress that I knew would pile on me if I was going to prepare for the wedding with only a week's notice. "A week? But Yunie, I don't even have a dress yet! And the baby shower! Oh oh, can I please organize the baby shower?" I was getting way ahead of myself, planning a baby shower! But I was caught in the moment and really wanted to help make Yunie's new transition perfect.
"Actually, I was going to have Lulu organize it, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind a little help." Yuna summed up, smiling even brighter at my enthusiasm.
Gippal, who'd kept silent the whole time, asked a simple question. "Where's it gonna be held?"
Yuna and I both glanced at him strangely, as if he'd just asked the stupidest question at the dumbest time. Yuna didn't think it was stupid because a look of contemplation crossed her face, yet I shot Gippal a dull look.
"Well, I can't decide to tell you the truth. Bevelle and Besaid came to mind first, since those are my two homes and always will be. I couldn't forget Zanarkand though, the place means so much to me! Then I got the wildest idea of having it in the Baaj Temple, since that's where Tidus first came into after Sin tossed him through time. Mt. Gagazet is cold, but the scenery is so beautiful and Kimahri said he could get all the Ronso to help prepare. Even Garik, too! But the Calm Lands have so much space and such a great climate. Then, well, I suppose I could name good things about all the places in Spira." Yuna hung her head in defeat, sighing deeply.
"Maybe you should roll dice or pick a card to choose. Something like that, random choosing." Gippal suggested, taking Yuna and me by surprise.
"Cdibet Gippal! Dryd'c y tisp etay!" (Stupid Gippal! That's a dumb idea) I screamed wildly, shoving him in the chest.
"Hey, lay off, Cid's girl! At least I came up with an idea." Gippal sneered at me, then gave me a mocking smile. "With your indecisiveness, whatever sucker decides to marry you will have a hard time consulting you on the wedding."
Indecisive? Sucker? How could Gippal say something so mean?
"Whoa, hey, I'm sorry, Rikku. That came out wrong, but please don't cry." He whispered taking a step towards me.
"Then keep your big, fat mouth shut!" I screamed, kicking Gippal in a very weakening place.
"Rikku!" Yuna gasped behind me, surely about to scold me.
"Well he's an ass, Yunie. Don't you think what he said was mean?"
"Yes, but that's no reason to kick him, especially in that place!" She answered briskly, shaking her head as if I was a naughty child. I sneered and crossed my arms over my chest.
"Hey, I can take a beating better than you think," whispered Gippal in a hoarse voice from behind me. He started to get up, but then fell back onto his knees.
"Sure you can," I dismissed him sarcastically, sneaking in a giggle.
"It really hurts so gimme a break, Cid's girl!" He groaned as Yuna helped him up to his feet slowly.
"Now, if you two are done fighting, I have more important news to tell you." Yuna started quickly.
"Ooh, are you having twins? Has Paine found a man yet? Or, oh no, is Spira---" My voice muffled as Gippal stuck his hand over my mouth. I bit his finger, not enough to hurt him, but just enough to make him let go. Yuna rolled her eyes, I stuck out my tongue at Gippal, and he shook his hand as if it'd just been burned.
"While Tidus and I were skinny dipping, no, I mean swimming, a few days ago, we found a strange relic wedged in the ocean floor not far from the coast of Besaid. I'm not sure but I think there was Al Bhed writing on it. And since you're such a great translator Rikku, I was hoping you could check it out. It might be nothing at all, but I want to be sure. "
"No problem Yunie, I'll do the mission for you!" I gave a salute.
"Thank you, I want to put any paranoia to rest before the wedding." She turned to face Gippal next to me. "Gippal, could you accompany her incase it's some sort of machina. With your knowledge I think both of you will have a much easier time deciphering."
I gaped act Yuna with a hurt look, while Gippal gave a pleasing smile. "Anything for Lady Yuna. I shall watch over my little protégé here." He hugged me casually like we were best friends.
I smacked his arm away angrily. "Don't you dare think for a minute whatever you're thinking about doing to me Gippal! It's bad enough I have to work with you, but don't forget that this is a mission." I barked, surprising both him and Yuna.
Great job Rikku. Gippal was nice enough to agree to help you and you chew him up I gave a gloomy smile, but I could tell Gippal still looked a little hurt. His frown faded quickly though, and he turned toward Yuna.
"I think she's getting excited again."
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Besaid Isle; home of warming sunshine, refreshing breezes, beautiful beaches, and great memories. I walked along with Gippal in a trance-like state. Besaid always gave me that enthralling sensation whenever I came to the island. Everything always seems so perfect and peaceful, and it really is. I couldn't imagine why Yuna wouldn't want her wedding here. A wedding set against the sunset with people gathered along the beach. Then a starry night filled with dancing, swaying palm tress, and endless joy. But it is Yuna's wedding, and I respect her to choose wherever to have it. No doubt it will be grand though, filled with some kind of happiness. This is where Yuna first met Tidus. This is where she started her pilgrimage as a summoner. And, this is the place where Tidus finally came back into Yuna's life, after being gone for two years. The climate was great too, very tropical, so I'd kept to my thief outfit. Gippal had changed into a very tight and slick muscle shirt made out of some kind of water resistant material and a pair of baggy, olive-colored pants.
"Hey Cid's girl, hurry it up will ya!" Gippal barked from in front of me. I bristled as his bluntness and jogged after him. We'd started along Besaid's sandy coast, heading for the spot Yuna had told us about. She's said, "Look for some ruins in a small plateau covered with grass at the end of the beach. Behind it, jump in the water and head forward until you spot the underwater relic along the ocean floor."
"You tired yet?" Gippal asked me as we walked side-by-side.
I shook my head. "Nope, I could do this all day." I declared confidently.
"Good, cause we might be here all day." He retorted simply, smirking as he did. I gawked at him and stopped walking.
"What, you mean we'll take that long?" I whined, receiving a laugh from Gippal.
"If you were in charge we would. But be thankful I'm here, so you've got nothing to worry about, Cid's girl."
"It's Rikku!!" I screamed, but he was already jumping onto the grassy plateau. I stamped my feet and groaned, then climbed up after him.
Once on top, all we had to do was jump off into the ocean below. Gippal stood waiting for me to go, "Ladies first," he'd said plainly, so I back up a few steps to get a running start. Satisfied, I stepped into a jog, planning to run right to the edge and throw myself into a dive. I shouldn't have been so naïve with Gippal standing so close to the edge in front of me, acting innocent, something he definitely is not.
Gippal stuck his foot out just enough to send me toppling off the ledge and plunging into the water in a sprawl. I sputtered on the water and choked a bit, but when I resurfaced, a little fall wasn't going to stop be from yelling at him.
"You meanie, you jerk, you, you..." I couldn't think of any more insults to call him, so I tried splashing water at him. Obviously, he was far too high up to be hit by a splash, and his cruel laughter was driving me crazy.
"Shut up!!!" I screamed, sounding like I was on the verge of a breakdown, and hurled a rock, which had been floating in the water, aimed directly at Gippal. Now, I'm not saying I'm weak, but I really didn't throw the rock very hard. It wasn't too heavy and I was treading water, but the projectile still sailed through the air. My breath caught inside me as the rock struck Gippal in the temple, and he fell off the cliff limply. I screamed, loud as I could, because I'd done something so horrible. I wanted to keep screaming, hoping that it would wash away the guilt, but Gippal would probably drown if I didn't do anything.
Taking a deep but frantic breath, I submerged myself in the crystal clear water. Gippal's body had already started drifting towards the bottom when I dove back underwater. I kicked hard and reached him in seconds, and then tried to haul him above water. He was too heavy to pull, so I moved under him, pressed my feet against the ocean floor, and pushed as hard as I could off the ground. We broke the surface quickly, and I gulped in great amounts of air.
The water was shallow enough for me to walk along near the cliff's wall, so I dragged Gippal along the surface and laid him along a flat rock. There was no way I was going to let Gippal leave me, and I surely wasn't ready for him to escape my wrath by retreating to the Farplane.
"You better stay alive, Gippal!" I screamed crazily, tears swelling in my eyes. Quickly pressing my lips to his, I started to give him CPR. By now, the panic in me started to rise, and I kept giving him mouth to mouth quicker and quicker. Then as I did it for probably the fifteenth time, my lips pressed to his, I felt his tongue moving. Moving in my mouth!
"You sicko!!!"
Gippal half raised and smirked at me, and it took all I had to stop myself from punch him in the face.
"Not a very good kisser, are you, Cid's girl?" He asked me slyly, so I pounced on him. My fingernails dung into the material of his shirt to get a good grip, and I started screaming insults at him in my native tongue. He laughed his head off the whole time at my futile attempts to inflict pain and my wild foul language. I managed to claw his arm and knee him in the back, but all that did was rile him up more. Finally, he slid out from under me, and took off into the water. I thought I was going to pass out from all the anger. So, I slumped into the water, telling myself the mission comes first, and slowly followed Gippal along the ocean floor.
All the confidence I'd had drained away only after a moments glance at the artifact. I was sure neither Gippal nor I would be able to decipher the markings. It was Al Bhed, sure, but only parts of the inscription were recognizable. The metallic object jutted out of the ocean floor only three feet, and looked more like a wide sword. The inscription was tiny, but not microscopic tiny, and on one side of the artifact. I looked at Gippal, and nodded towards the surface as indication that we needed to talk.
"I can't read much of it," I answered dejectedly.
Gippal nodded dolefully as well. "You're not the only one."
We gazed at each other for a few minutes, I trying to guess what he was thinking. After our quick swim, my animosity toward Gippal had evaporated, though I still had not forgiven him for his shenanigan. The trick really hurt me cause I'd felt scared and guilty, all over Gippal's bad acting. Sadly, I'd fallen for the whole act.
I opened my mouth to apologize for throwing the rock, when something darted beneath our feet. Icy fear crept up inside of me, and Gippal noticed it.
"What's wrong Rikku?" He asked, surprisingly using my real name.
"We're not alone," I answered and pointed underwater. Gippal's laid-back expression changed to a stern one, and he quickly drew close to me.
"Stay close to me Rikku, and watch behind me will ya."
Then, at the same time, we dipped back under the surface completely.
Suddenly the calm waters of Besaid seemed less appealing to me, and I started to miss solid ground. At least there I could fight a fiend better. Underwater though, the fiends had the advantage despite both Gippal and I were good underwater fighters.
Finally, out of the corner of my eye, I saw it.
A Dinictus, part of the dinofish species, and a large one at that. Compared to the larger than average Sand Worm Gippal and I had faced, this fiend was no pushover. In its natural environment, even though they're very rare in Besaid waters, the challenge was tenfold. I think it sneered at us as it charged like a missile, aiming directly at me and probably intending to bowl me over. The horned fish came within twenty feet of me when Gippal propelled himself off a rock formation and tackled me out of the way. Not that I couldn't have dodged it myself, but I was seriously thankful. Truthfully, I'd never faced a Dinictus underwater, only in Macalania and the Via Infinito on land.
I looked at Gippal for a plan of strategy, but all his focus seemed to center on the current danger. The Dinictus stormed at us again, decimating a rock formation in between us as we swam in separate directions. Being the closest, the fiend's attention turned to me again. I wanted to taunt it or say something to maybe divert its attention off attacking, if fiends could understand me, but being underwater prevented any words escaping my mouth.
The Dinictus shook its body like a fish out of water, slapping its strong tail against a boulder. The impact caused it to explode, sending dangerous fragments of stray rock pieces. I managed to avoid most of them, but a few struck me down. Aiming to gouge, the fiend flew at me through the water as if it was only air. Thankfully, I avoided the sharp ends of the horns. Unluckily, that resulted in me being rear-ended by the brute strength of the fiend and its sturdy horns. I almost gasped, which would have definitely been a bad move, and slammed against a tall underwater stone. Dazed, I tried to frantically escape any more of the Dinitcus' punishment. That's when I noticed it wasn't after me anymore.
Gippal had started to strike the fiend from behind, when it whirled around like a spinning battering ram, batting Gippal backwards. Snatching the twin daggers from the belt around my hips, I tried to fight the fiend as well, but it kept attacking Gippal continuously. He managed to dodge a few charges, but he took a few too. I knew that even though Gippal was fighting back, eventually he'd be too worked up dodging and taking a beating to fend the fiend off much longer. I knew there was one way I could really help him, if I was really willing to let go and have my instincts do the work. Watching Gippal get smacked around finalized the decision, so I quickly scrambled for my Berserker dressphere. It was time to let the animal inside me save Gippal's hide, and mine too.
Once my Thief outfit dispersed, replaced by my Berserker garments, I summoned up a self-targeted Berserk spell. The glowing red energy circulated around me before joining me. I was never one to enjoy giving in to the beast inside me, like Paine often was with this dressphere, but the situation was dire. With hesitation gone, and any emotions or feelings as well, I centered my interest on the Dinictus.
Starting off, I swam through the water close enough to deliver a punishing uppercut. The fiend immediately forgot Gippal and targeted me instead. But I was ready, and there was no way I was losing this fight. The Dinictus swiped at me with its horns, but my heightened senses and agility made it easy to avoid such a close attack. Countering, I laid two fast pace kicks into the fiends face, following up with an aerial kick to its body. Then, taking only a moment to gather strength, I flipped through the water high above the Dinictus, using my momentum to bring down a very damaging double hammer fist strike.
The fiend withered in pain before shooting off in retreat, leaving me to gather my senses again to let the berserk energy subside. I snuck a quick glance at Gippal, only to find him staring past me with wide eyes. I should have ducked or swam upwards, or at least try to block. But I was confused, and simply decided to turn around and see what was baffling him.
I didn't even make it forty-five degrees around before something slammed into me from behind, sending a vibrating, sharp pain through my whole body. I caught a glimpse of Gippal swimming to my aid, but then everything faded away like a dream, and I felt myself drift off into unconsciousness.
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Come on Rikku just wake up already.
Who's there? Why can't they just leave me alone?
We beat the fiend Rikku. Please wake up!
Fiend, what fiend? Maybe I don't wanna wake up.
You can do it Rikku. You're the strongest girl I know; so don't lie there like a weakling. You have to wake up. Don't leave me hanging.
So tired, sore, why am I in pain.
Rikku!!!
My eyes shot open, fluttering a bit, and I found Gippal peering down from right over me.
"Oh Spira, you had be going Rikku! Glad to see you're okay." Gippal said breathlessly, flashing me a pearly smile. His one visible emerald eye glimmered with comfort. "It's about time, lazybones."
"Hey, don't push me around cause I'm hurtin'!" I muttered angrily, sounding a little incoherent. "I'm too hurt to move so leave me alone."
"You know, Cid's girl," Gippal started looking me up and down, "you're wearing that outfit I always picture you in my fantasies. You should wear it instead of that other outfit of yours."
I slapped Gippal, a weak slap. I was too tired and not angry enough to actually give him a good licking. Gippal pressed his fingers to the claw marks across his cheek, fuming. "I was only joking, wild child!"
I knew he wasn't really mad, but I did feel regretful for forgetting I still had the claws of my Berserker dressphere. "Oops, sorry about that," I mumbled, and slid out from beneath Gippal's body. "If you don't mind," I started, facing away from Gippal when I stood up. "I think we should get going to report to Yuna." Snapping my fingers, my current dressphere dissipated in a burst of energy, replaced by my more casual Thief outfit.
Making sure Gippal was watching me; I sauntered down the beach just so I could make him know what he was missing. Not that I'd ever let him have me! But it was fun to tease him.
I continued sauntering until a beeping sound from Gippal caused me to stop. He pulled something out of his pocket, looked down at it, and shook his head wearily.
"Sorry, but I've got to skip the update to Yuna. Youth Yevon wants me. You know how demanding they get of their leaders." Gippal started to turn away. "But...I could possibly sneak you in."
I stared dumbfounded at him, wondering about his offer. "You mean I could go to the meeting or whatever it is with you?" I made sure to keep my voice from showing any excitement.
"I'm not promising anything, but it's worth a try." Gippal remarked, turning towards the ocean. I waited a couple of seconds before blurting out.
"Aren't we going now?"
Gippal didn't answer me, but he did point at the sky. I followed his gaze and found an airship descending towards us. "It's my ride. Leaders have to go from place to place in style."
I smiled at Gippal and forgot all about the artifact and the Dinictus battle. The airship looked even bigger than the Celsius did, and I couldn't wait to get on!
And for once, as the airship drew closer, I was actually glad Gippal had good taste in machina.
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I included the translations at the end of the Al Bhed sentences, and I'll try to keep it like that for future chapters. Next chapter will deal with Rikku's encounters with some characters who've yet to make an appearance in the story, as well as a Youth Yevon meeting. Please review and tell me what you thought of this chapter.
reviewers:
JMO: glad you like the descriptions.
Bree-2006: thanks.
rikkufan: I've put the Al Bhed translations in, and I hope you enjoy the Gippal/Rikku stuff.
Cute-kitty2: Spira does get a lot of trouble. The trouble will start to brew soon. And another Gippal/Deanz confrontation might come soon maybe.
kingleby: glad you're liking the fic, and I hope you continue to enjoy it.
Tanya Takaishi: thanks for noticing the relationship between Rikku and Gippal. I'm trying to make them out like friends who fight a lot, arguing and teasing and such. Gippal mostly teasing and Rikku mostly pouting. Deep down they have strong feelings toward each other, but they're too embarrassed or shy to admit it. I'm happy the spelling/grammer turned out right. I try to check my work but sometimes I miss things.
Review, keep reading, and enjoy the fic;)