DISCLAIMER:  I do not own FFX, FFX-2, FFVIII or any of the characters and locations affiliated with it.  I do, however, own the story "Silver Wings", "Silver Wings 2: 1000 Confessions" and all references to dialogue not originated by Square-Enix.

PAINE OF SPIRA!!!  DO NOT COPY MY STORIES!!

If anyone wants to post my stories anywhere else, please just ASK and then give me credit for writing it.  Email akksgurl@yahoo.com with any requests.

Author's Notes:  Nothing to say about this chapter, really.  I think its pretty self explanatory.  It'll be the starting point of some new twists and turns in the story.

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SILVER WINGS 3: Back Into My Arms

by akksgurl

Chapter Four: Just In Time

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It was strange to wake up in the same room where his best friend was murdered, but Gippal reminded himself as he rose from the bed that this was a different day and the threat to Spira was over.  Unfortunately, that also meant that Tidus was gone too. 

The room was empty as he pulled a shirt on and yanked his pants over his hips and he gave a half-smile to the emptiness.  Yuna had risen at some point and he was glad of that.  Rikku had been really worried about her and it was making a relationship between himself and the beautiful blonde practically impossible while her cousin was mourning.  Gippal knew he should be more understanding of Yuna's pain, but he couldn't stop himself from wanting a relationship with Rikku.

Padding quietly out to the bridge, he saw Rikku sitting cross legged on the floor organizing a massive collection of spheres and muttering to herself.  He stood over her and smiled, "Good morning, gorgeous."

She looked up at him, her green eyes sparkling, "Good morning." She replied, motioning toward the spheres, "I am trying to find some of the spheres I took during the pilgrimage.  I thought when Yuna was up to it, she might like to watch some of them."  She sighed and stretched her long legs, "Is she up yet?"

Gippal cocked an eyebrow, "I thought she was with you.  She's not in the crew quarters anymore."

"Oh…" muttered Rikku, "Well, she must have just taken a walk.  She does that sometimes to clear her head."

"Well good." Said Gippal as he sat down next to Rikku, "Because I wanted to talk to you about something."

The female's eyes connected with his and she smiled, "What's up?"

"Well, two things actually." He admitted, scratching his head, "First, I wanted to check with you to see if you think Yuna would mind if we kept up with the rebuilding.  I wasn't sure how she'd feel about it."

"I think it'll be okay." Rikku said with a sigh, "although it just won't be the same without Tidus, but I know Yunie would want to finish what he had wanted so badly."

Gippal nodded, "That's what I was thinking too."

"What's the other thing?"

Gippal felt butterflies forming in his stomach and he thought he could lose his nerve.  He'd never been this nervous before asking a girl out before.  He didn't understand why he was behaving like this.  It was Rikku!

"Um…" he stammered, unconsciously backing up from her a bit, "I…well…maybe we could…um…"

"What?" asked Rikku, playfully, "Just spit it out Gippal!"

"Did you want to…um…go out sometime?"

He waited for her response but as the seconds ticked by, he began to realize that she was going to say no.  Taking a deep breath to relax his frazzled nerves, he laughed it off as a joke, "Never mind.  No biggie."

"Gippal," she said softly, "It's not that I don't want to.  It's just that I don't think its right what with Yunie having just lost Tidus and all."

Gippal was stunned and lifted his eye patch to scratch the lid of his dead eye before replying, "What does Tidus dying have to do with us?"

"Everything!" she practically shrieked, moving her arms excitedly to explain her point of view, "I mean, Yunie lost the love of her life and the last thing I want to do is rub it in her face that you're still around!"

Gippal shot to his feet and threw his hands in the air, shouting, "So now we're supposed to walk on eggshells just because Tidus died and Yuna is mourning?!" he groaned, "In case you have forgotten, Rikku, he's been dead before and she got over it."

"He wasn't dead!" the girl retorted, "He was a faded dream!  There's a difference!!"

Gippal rolled his eyes and stalked toward Buddy's seat, slamming his rear down hard and glaring down at the map in front of him, "Where shall we go today?" he asked sarcastically, "I heard Bevelle is nice this time of year.  They like to lie to themselves too!"

"Oui ycc!" she shrieked.

"Dygac uha du ghuf uha!" replied her adversary in an equally bitter tone.

Rikku's hand slammed down hard on the back of his head and she shrieked, "You just can't stand it when you don't get your way!!"

"I'm not getting my way because you're being stubborn and stupid!" Gippal shouted back at her.

"I am not!" shrieked the incensed female, "I am thinking about someone else instead of myself.  It's something I learned from Yunie!  Maybe you should try it too!!"

"Are you accusing me of being selfish?!" Gippal asked angrily as he turned in the chair to glare at Rikku with his good eye. 

The blonde nodded, "That's exactly what I'm doing!" she shrieked, "Maybe if you weren't so selfish and arrogant then…then…Baralai would still be alive!!!"

She slammed her hand over her mouth as soon as the words were out but the damage had already been done.  Silence permeated between them and Gippal was grateful that she wasn't trying to take it back.  He needed to know how she truly felt. 

She did blame him for Baralai's death; she just didn't think he killed him anymore. 

He turned his back to her.  He didn't know whether to be furious or sad as he let himself relax in the chair.  Her hand on his shoulder caused him to tense immediately and he felt her pull it away, "Gippal…I…"

"I don't want to hear it, Rikku." He said, calmly at first but then he shouted it, "I don't want to hear it!!!"

The man rose to his feet and made to spin toward her when something from the window caught his eye.  His ire with the female faded as he narrowed his eyes to see the figure in the street better, "What is that?" he asked, pointing to the prone shape lying in the middle of the road below.

Rikku scooted into the tight space between the chair and the desk next to Gippal and leaned forward a bit to get a better look, "Is it a fiend?" she asked.

"No…" Gippal replied, "It sort of looks like…"

"That kinda reminds me of…"

Both Al Bheds stared at each other and gasped, "Yuna!"

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Tidus sat up suddenly, gasping for air and trying to calm himself down.  Something was wrong.  He could feel it.  Yuna was slipping away from him.

Dream or not, she was leaving him and he didn't want that.

He jumped to his feet and ran to the window on the opposite end of the spacious room, flinging it open with all his strength to look down upon the city below. 

"Hey, use that if we get separated.  Then I'll come running, okay?  Well, guess we should just stick together, then, till you can do it?"
 

She wasn't a dream, no matter what anybody said.  She had been real.  She was real and she needed him.  He was going to find his way home, but for now he needed to let her know that he was still there. 

Placing two fingers in his mouth in their strategic locations, Tidus let out a shrill whistle that echoed against the buildings outside of the window, "Hang on Yuna!" he shouted, "I'm coming back!"

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Yuna felt like she was swimming in a sea of tranquility.  The pain in her wrists was subsiding and she felt surrounded by warmth as if she was back in Tidus arms again.  If she had only known that the pain of her loss could have been subsided so quickly before, she would have committed this action much earlier – two years earlier to be exact. 

Life wasn't flashing before her eyes like she had heard it would and she was grateful for that.  She didn't want to have to relive losing him in order to die.  She just wanted to be with him again.  She wanted to hear his voice and know that this time, always was a possibility. 

Her life giving blood was seeping out of her now and she knew that it would only be a matter of time until it was gone forever and she could drift happily into the Farplane to be with the man she loved. 

"Yuna!"

A familiar voice invaded her thoughts and forced her eyes open roughly.  Her vision was blurred and she weakly struggled against her would-be savior.  She didn't want to be saved.  Couldn't they see that?

"Yunie!"

She tried to focus in on the person in front of her, but she was having more and more difficulty keeping her eyes open.  She was just so tired.  As she felt herself once again drifting away to the quiet place, a shrill whistle pierced her subconscious mind and she shot her eyes open.  The blurry figure in front of her took shape. 

It was a man.  He had blonde hair and was trying desperately to stop the bleeding that was profusely draining her life energy at her wrists.  She heard a tear and saw him ripping off a part of his shirt to wrap tightly around her wrists, "Go and get some help!" he shouted at the blurry person next to him.  That person jumped to their feet and was off like a flash leaving her alone with the blurry man. 

"Hang on Yuna!  I'm coming back!"

She stared at the blurry man in front of her as he gently slapped her cheeks, "Stay awake,  Yuna!" he said to her, shaking her gently, "Stay awake.  Help's on the way."

She lifted a weak hand to the man's cheek and smiled slightly as she whispered, "Tidus…"

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AL BHED TRANSLATION

Oui ycc – you ass

Dygac uha du ghuf uha – takes one to know one.