A/N: Yea...thanks for all the reviews! D This is probably one of my favorite stories so far. This chapter—I really don't know what it'll be about, but heck-who cares!

"Doctor! We have life!"

When I heard those words, my heart nearly jumped out of my throat. Life? As in—Gippal? Alive? Not dead? Well that's good. In fact, that was great! It was all over!

Oh...how wrong I was.

"GIPPAL!" Rikku shrieked, darting past the nurse. But she held an arm up, and even though she was a woman, she was much larger and stronger than the young 14-year-old.

"Sorry dear, no going into the operating room."

"But I have to!" She cried to the retreating doctors.

"I have to..." Rikku muttered, feeling tears once more prick at her eyes.

"WHY DOES IT ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME?!" She yelled to the roof, slamming her fist into the wall. "WHY?!"

Much Later On...

Rikku sat in a chair, curled into a tight ball, occasionally drifting in and out of sleep. No one left the operating room for hours, and when they did it was rushed. But she never knew if it was for Gippal—there were others dying out in that war. Her stomach lurched.

What about Brother? Cid? Were they dead? Were their bodies lying on the ground, being trampled by nasty Yevonites?

Rikku fell asleep with such thoughts floating in her mind. And all the while, the twinge of guilt and stupidity stayed strong.

"Miss?" A tense hand shook at her shoulder.

"Huh? What?" She shouted, sitting up, blinking her eyes repeatedly. "What's going on?"

The nurse gave a small smile. "He's waiting for you inside. Couldn't stop saying your name."

Rikku's stomach knotted up. "You mean he's alive?! For good?!" The nurse chuckled.

"We did our best."

"Oh THANK YOU!" Rikku cried, jumping up and giving the stranger a hug. "Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!"

The nurse acted a bit embarrassed. "Please, go in."

Rikku didn't need any prompting. She raced past the woman and slammed open the doors, hit by a strong smell of blood and—death.

She saw other beds, filled with dying Al Bhed. Doctors did their best, calling out instructions and for help. Some of the people had been saved, safe off past a drawn curtain. But others—she saw the tired, sad expressions on the faces of nurses as they pulled white blankets overtop lost souls.

They would need a strong summoner to send all these people after it was over.

Suddenly she heard a voice.

"I need to see her!" It cried, sounding pretty strong. "Now!"

Rikku grinned. It was Gippal! She ignored all the trauma and death around her, and just ran ahead to the curtain. She threw it to the side.

"Gippal?!" She cried loudly, searching the large group of beds filled with people.

"Rikku!" She heard an answering cry. She spun to the left to see him. There was Gippal, sitting in bed with a large grin on his face, as if nothing happened. As if he hadn't almost died, and that Rikku was to blame. Sure, there were cuts and bruises and whatnot all over him but Rikku thought he looked more handsome then he ever had.

But wait—something was different. A thought raced through her mind. His head—his face—something was missing.

"Gippal?" She asked shakily, pointing to the large bandage over his right eye. "What happened?"

He frowned slightly, turning away.

"I-I lost it."

"WHAT?!" Rikku shrieked.

"It's GONE Rikku!"

She broke into sobs, kneeling at his bed. "I-I-I'm SO SORRY GIPPAL! IT'S ALL MY FAULT!" She sobbed even harder, which brought on hiccups. "If I hadn't been so stupid and come to see you, you wouldn't have gotten hurt! If I had just done what I was supposed to—"

"I probably would have gotten KILLED." He said sternly. "Rikku, it's not your fault. If you hadn't been there, there would have been no one to drag me to the hospital.

"Yes, but-but-you don't have an EYE anymore!"

An awkward silence followed this.

"Can you really see THAT much?" He asked in a joking tone. "Does this bandage make me look fat?"

Rikku couldn't help but smile. "You mean—you don't hate me?"

Gippal looked horrified. "No, no, of COURSE not, Rikku!" He brought her up so she was standing at his bedside, not kneeling. "I don't blame you for anything!"

"But if I hadn't distracted you," she hiccupped, tears still streaming, "you would have seen the grenade and been able to run!"

"No! I wouldn't have been paying attention! I would have been more focused on the person in front of me."

"But it's still—still my fault."

"NO!" He cried, getting a bit angry. "It's NOT Rikku." He added, his tone softening. "I can survive without an eye. I mean, it's better then actual death." He grinned. "And it gives me an excuse to stay out of the war."

"Huh?"

"Personally, I didn't like fighting all too much."

Rikku grinned. "See? You should have listened to me."

He sighed. "Never has there been truer advice."

Rikku patted him on the head. "When do you get out?"

"Should be later today."

"Good." She grinned again, this time blushing. "I missed you."

"I couldn't tell by the way you came out to battle to see me." He grabbed her hand. "Rikku, how come you did? I thought maybe you wouldn't want to be friends anymore after how dumb I was."

Rikku sighed. "I don't know Gippal, it was a—feeling I had."

Gippal grinned, his eyes twinkling. "A feeling eh?" He motioned for her to come closer. She started to get jittery as she realized their faces were less then a few inches apart.

"This is a feeling I have."

And with that, he leaned and connected lips with her. Rikku's eyes grew wide, not knowing what to do. This was her best friend here, who just came out and kissed her!

But she didn't do anything. She stayed still, closing her eyes and kissed him right back.

"OKAY BREAK IT UP YOU TWO!" A loud voice cried. Rikku and Gippal sprang apart, both blushing furiously. A doctor looked down on them, grinning a rather evil grin.

"Love like that stays OUT of the hospital!"

Gippal frowned. "Then I'll leave." He addressed politely, hopping out of the bed, thanking the doctor, grabbing Rikku's hand, and leaving the building.

'Maybe this war thing isn't so bad after all.' Rikku thought, smiling inwardly and resting her head on Gippal's shoulder.

'Not bad at all.'