A/N: This is quick—I really have no idea what I'm doing, I'm writing everything randomly as I go along, so forgive me for choppiness and/or lame or stupid things I'm writing. Like mistaking Gippal for having two eyes. (I do that a lot). I can promise that Kalla is going! I hate her with all my guts. X-x

Ah—that Kalla character. I loathed her. If it weren't for her, Gippal would still be mine. So, not even 24 hours into the job and ruining her life already really made my day. It was great to see her explode on poor Gippal. They both deserved to be in such a situation.

But it was aaall to my advantage.

And I didn't even know that everything would take a terrible twist.

Rikku yawned, still lying in a crumpled heap in her bed. Lucky for her Gippal still had a soft spot for her somewhere down there and arranged a back room for her.

"Luxury." She moaned, smiling as she cracked her ankles while stretching her legs. "No barracks for me!"

A knock on the door kind of brought her out of her dreamy, semi-sleep mode.

"What?" She asked grouchily, burying her face in her pillow.

"Rikku?" A familiar voice asked.

"WHAT?" Rikku said louder, her voice muffled.

"I-I can't hear you." It called with a hint of sarcasm. "What'd you say?"

"I SAID WHAT! WHAT, WHAT, WHAT!" Rikku screamed louder this time. She then heard a chortle from the other side of the door.

"Gippal, I'm gonna MURDER you!" She strode angrily over to the door and grabbed the handle, almost ripping it out of its frame.

There, standing with his elbow resting against the wall and his legs crossed, stood a laughing Gippal. "Never the morning person, were you?" Rikku snorted.

"Gee, you ARE perceptive!"

She turned her back to him. "Bugger off so I can change." She muttered. Gippal nodded and turned around.

Oh, wait." He whirled back around on his ankle. "Breakfast is served in the time of 15 minutes—which was 15 minutes ago." He winked. "You better hurry before I eat everything, I've been up since dawn." With that he walked away, leaving a stunned, and starving, Rikku.

"GIPPAL!" She cried, stamping her foot. "That's not FAIR, you KNOW I like to sleep in!" All she was a laugh. Rikku growled and slammed the door shut, forcing one of the pictures of two Al Bhed to fall off the wall.
Rikku stomped over to hang it back up, but stopped when she reached for it, looking at the picture. She smiled as she fondly touched the glass. Standing there were Gippal and Rikku around their young teens. Rikku was laughing and had her arm hanging lazily on his already much taller shoulder. His arm was around her waist, and they both looked happy and peaceful.

"Why can't it be like that again?" She muttered, looking at it for the longest time.

"RIKKU! BREAK! FAST!" Gippal called again. Rikku hurriedly hung the picture up, for some reason not wanting to be caught with it. She quickly changed and ran out of the room to the large table in the hall where a large number of Al Bhed were scarfing down bacon and eggs.

"Breakfast is served." Gippal said, bowing to Rikku. "Sorry if it's not much, but—"

"It's fine." Rikku said quickly, taking a seat and grabbing a handful of everything. "I'm so hungry nothing matters what it tastes like."

Gippal watched in a fascinated horror as Rikku ate all of her food in less then 3 minutes.

"Impressive." He said. Rikku shrugged.
"It took years of practice."

For the next little while as Rikku ate, she watched Gippal talk to Al Bhed, plan things, and point to random stuff. She couldn't help but feel a little ray of hope. He still had a picture of them...in some random room.

Which room WAS it anyway? She wanted to know if it were important at all. Because if it wasn't she knew the picture barely meant anything.

Rikku got up from the table and slowly approached Gippal. She tapped him softly on the shoulder. "Gippal?" She asked quietly. He turned around.

"What?"
"Err—was that room I stayed in—important or anything?" He gave her a suspicious look. It took him a few moments before he answered

"...Yes...why?"

Rikku's heart skipped a beat. "Err-how important?" Gippal sighed.
"Rikku, I'm really busy right now-"
"Please?" She gave him the puppy dog eyes.

"Oh no—oohhh no, you're not getting me with those!" He backed away slowly, and Rikku followed him around, still giving him the eyes.

"Pleeease, Gippal? Pretty please?" He sighed.
"Fine. It's MY room. Are you happy?"
Rikku nearly died. "R-Really?"
"Yes. Because of you I had to sleep in the trash."
Rikku gasped. "WHAT?"
Gippal chuckled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, Princess, it was a joke."
Rikku gave a shaky laugh. "Yea...funny...." Gippal shrugged.

"I try."

As Gippal walked away, Rikku grinned. No pictures of him and Kalla so far. This was going quite okay, for her current situation.

Now it was time to bring out the big guns.

Some Time Later That Day...

Rikku sighed. She had worked nearly the whole morning and beginning of the afternoon fixing broken machina. She needed a break. She slowly and unsteadily walked outside of the temple to get some fresh air.

No one was outside. Perfect. With a smile she did what she always did when she needed relaxing—spun in a circle humming a very fond tune of hers taught by Gippal.

As she slowly spun around in the barren land, she hummed softly

"I see dark,

But the light's not far away,

It's in your eyes,

I saw it today.

I love the air,

The birds and the sea,

But nothing in the world,

Is as important as you to me.

Let me tuck you in,

And kiss you goodnight,

Let me say 'I love you',

Before I turn out the lights..."

Before Rikku could continue, her spinning brought her to an abrupt stop. With blurry vision she looked around. "Whoah...dizziness..."

"You okay?" A concerned voice asked. Rikku shook her head and looked around to see Gippal looking at her, his face only inches from hers. She took a deep breath.

"Yea...just dizzy." She sat up to find she had been in Gippal's arms. The minute she looked at him he blushed.

"You nearly fell and hurt yourself. I couldn't-you know-let you DIE." He got on his usual cocky grin only seconds later.

"But the loss of whining would have been good." "GIPPAL!" Rikku cried in her usual whiney voice. Gippal laughed.

"See what I have to cope with now?"

She jumped at him, but he was too fast. He caught her nearly the split second she jumped and ran off with her over his shoulder.
"HEY! GIPPAL! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" She clung tightly to his back. "Don't! This is freaky!"

He just kept silent and ran on until he came near the edge of the cliff. "Look at all that lovely water Rikku." He said flipping her off his shoulder and holding her over the edge. "Isn't is lovely?"

Rikku shrieked. "Don't! Gippal, NO!" The horrified expression on her face caused Gippal to burst into fits of laughter.

She opened her tightly shut eyes. "Stop laughing and get me AWAY from here!" Gippal lifted her away and set her on the ground, still chuckling to himself.

"Augh. You know I hate heights!" She muttered, brushing at her skirt. Gippal shrugged.

"I'm sorry your highness. Shall we head back so you can continue to work?"
Rikku sighed. "Yes. Let's."

The two walked down Djose Highroad, both silent for a while until, amazingly, Gippal started a conversation.

"That song you were singing..."
"You heard me?!" Rikku cried in embarrassment, immediately burying her face in scarf.

Gippal smiled. "It wasn't THAT bad. Well, except for the loss of my ear drum use-"
"Aww. Thanks for the self-esteem boost." Rikku said sarcastically. Gippal just grinned wider.

"Anyway, as I was saying—it sounded familiar." He said simply.

"Well duh, you taught it to me!"
"And you still remember that?"
"So do you!" Rikku cried pointedly. Gippal slumped his shoulders in defeat.

"You got me."

"What's it about, anyway?"
He shrugged, avoiding the question. "I don't know, my mom always sang it to me when I was kid..." Rikku just nodded.
"I know how that is."

The silence overcame them again, but for once, it was peaceful. Rikku smiled to herself. She could tell that Gippal still had feelings for her-even if they were only a little bit.

"What's with you and Kalla?" She asked out of the blue. "I mean, oops...oh...cred." She muttered. Gippal just smiled.

"Nothing really."
"Huh?"
He sighed and stopped walking. It took Rikku a few minutes to realize this and retracted her steps. "What?"
"Well..." He stopped and looked her in the eye, clasping her shoulders. "You have to swear on the remains of Home you won't tell a soul. Not. A. SOUL." He hissed.

Rikku nodded vigorously. "I promise."
"I really shouldn't be telling YOU this, but...the only reason I'm dating her and all that is because—her dad—I knew him from the Crimson Squad. And he's promised to give us the funs we need to continue the Machine Faction IF, and ONLY if I date his daughter, because she's 'obsessed' with me or something." He sighed. "To be honest, she bothers me to beehives. Always whining and nagging and constantly around. I'm barely used to sanity anymore with her hounding my heels night and day."

Rikku nodded sympathetically. "So—do you have any feelings for her?"
Gippal shifted uncomfortably. "Why?"
Rikku grinned. "I think you KNOW why."
"Well...I thought I did, I sincerely thought I did...until I saw you at the temple doors the other day."
"Aww...that's sweet."
"Not really. Now I don't know what to do."

Rikku grinned. "Does that mean you still liiike me?"
"Don't be a kid about this Rikku."
"Dooo you?" She asked twisting her head so it was underneath his. "Huh?" Do ya? Do ya?"
Gippal grimaced. "My feelings are my own."
Rikku suddenly took a step back, a little offended. "Well what about that picture then?!" Gippal's head shot up faster than you could say Farplane.

"What?!?"

Rikku was beginning to think this was a bad idea. "Well, that picture, in your room! There's one of us way back in Home when we were still together! And THAT'S why I asked if the room was important, to see if you still have feelings for me, and you DO!"

"Maybe-maybe-that's not why I have the picture!" He blurted. "Maybe I liked the scenery or something..."
Suddenly Rikku saw an angry expression take over his face. "And who gave you permission to look at everything I own? Did you go through my underwear drawer too?!"
"Eww-no!"
Gippal groaned. "Rikku...when will you learn to stop being so nosy? Even if I did like you—it's not like we can be together."
He walked off. "Don't bother walking with me, I might blurt more secrets for you to jabber on about."

"Gippal! Wait!" But he didn't listen.

"I'm SORRY!" She cried again, but there was no answer. "BABY!" She yelled finally, while tears were falling out of her own eyes. "Baby!" She said more softly.

"You're not the baby...I am." She finally said quietly. "Everything is near enough to my fault..."
But suddenly she changed her expression. "But he said he still liked me! Well-close enough. I'm off to go get this man back!" She yelled, pumping a fist in the air.

"Just you watch me!"