A/N: Okay...I have a bit of an idea for what to use next...but not really. XX Sorry if it's been boring lately, I have a serious case of writers block.

Okay—that reverse psychology plan was in the trash, along with any other ideas I had. It was time to let nature take its course—namely Kalla's father dying. Yes—cruel. Very cruel. But, I mean-I don't even know him. And, let's think. If he's gone, Kalla's most likely gone as well because then Gippal won't have to stay with her! It's perfect!

Well, I just hope he still has feelings for me, and wasn't just saying that to lead me on...even though he didn't even say anything, really,

Augh, what kind of mess have I gotten myself INTO?

Rikku walked into the temple that evening to find Al Bhed workers sullen and silent, sitting on the ground with their heads hanging. It was eerily quiet, and not a sound was made except for the quiet whirrs and hums from the machina.

She suddenly felt her stomach drop to a very low altitude. She needed to find Gippal and figure out what had happened.

Nervously she hopped across the ground, tugging at her scarf. She skipped up the stairs 2 at a time and raced through the door.

"Gippal?" She blurted out, looking around the room. All that was there was the large mechanical robot, making a quiet hum. "Cred." She muttered to herself. Where could he be?

She raced out and made rounds around the temple, realizing it seemed oddly quiet outside as well. But Gippal was nowhere to be found.

"Where ARE you?" She moaned, racing down the sandy stone path and across the bridge. Soon she was at the break of Djose Highroad and the path to Moonflow. Thinking on her feet Rikku took the path to Moonflow, hurriedly looking up to see the sun sinking.

"Gippal!" She cried, running down the path. "Gippal!"
'He's probably with Kalla.' She thought bitterly. 'But why was everyone acting so weird?

It seemed like time was speeding up, because in a matter of minutes the sun was below the horizon and the moon was high in the sky. Rikku shivered slightly, finally arriving on the borders of Moonflow. "Gippal?" She called out a bit more quietly. There was a rustle in the trees beside her. Rikku jumped, holding out her thief blades with paranoia. "W-Who's there?" She called shakily, but there was no answer.

"Why didn't I bring a flashlight?" Rikku moaned, starting to hear her teeth chatter. "He's probably back at Djose by now, laughing at me with Kalla—"
But Rikku's muttering stopped as soon as her eyes spotted the Moonflow. "Oh my..." She breathed, putting a hand to her mouth. The moon cast a silver shadow on the rippling water, making it have the appearance of a silver sheet flowing in the wind. The lilies that were laying on the surface bloomed with beauty, and the moonlight made it seem like they were glowing a bright white. And above it all, pyreflies flew gently above the waters surface, and their noise—it almost sounded like a song. The song started to fill Rikku's ears, and she sighed with contentment. This was beautiful. Who knew the souls of people gone could make such beauty?

She ran up to the water so she was right there. Suddenly, memories flashed through her mind. This was where Tidus had found her, stranded on the land...meeting Yuna and seeing Gippal in Luca—everything flashed through her mind, and she clutched at her head, but they wouldn't stop. Memories after memories starting running through her head like a movie. Her mothers death, Gippal's leaving, the explosion, the many wars they had had to face, the destruction of Home, Tidus's sacrifice--

"STOP!" She cried, feeling tears cling at her eyes. But the bad memories wouldn't listen. Every thing terrible that had happened in her life started to repeat itself in her head. "Stop! Stop!" She cried, falling to the ground. "Please..." She moaned, sobbing. "Stop!"

Rikku suddenly felt a pair of strong hands wrap around her small body and pick her up, carrying her away from the song of the pyreflies...which didn't sound as beautiful as it once had.

Even though her eyes were closed, Rikku could see the fading light of the Moonflow until they were in complete darkness. The memories in her mind started to slowly fade away, and soon she was left breathing heavily, crying her poor eyes out, horrified, with some stranger who was still holding her close.

"You alright?" The voice asked in a low, caring way.

Rikku let out a sigh of relief and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Oh Gippal! I don't know what happened!" She cried, hiding her head in his shoulder, continuing to sob. "The Moonflow was so pretty, and I went over to get a closer look, but then all these terrible memories started to whirl through my mind—"She let out a loud, racking sob. Gippal just shushed her.

"It's okay. That's what the Moonflow does. It lures you in, and the pyreflies get into your mind and start to show you the terrible things, causing you to be caught in a trap of your own life..."

"But why?" She asked, calming down a bit. Gippal just shrugged and sat down on the dirt, still not letting go of Rikku.

"Those guys are a jealous bunch, and just want to make a person's life miserable too."

"Did they do it to you too?" She asked.

"Yea...a long time ago when I was here with Cid...he had to save me."

Rikku giggled. "What were doing out here?"

"I could ask you the same thing. But, anyway, I came here to look for—you. I went back to the temple to find you were gone and one of the Al Bhed told me you had come this way. I knew what would happen and had to race for your rescue, since I knew you couldn't handle it yourself."

"Hey!" Rikku cried, punching him the shoulder. "Well, I came here to look for YOU because you were gone and all the Al Bhed were acting so weird and sad, and I wanted to ask you...do you know why?"

Gippal sighed. "Yes." He looked up at the sky for a moment. "Kalla's father died today. We have no funding. Everyone is sad because it means no jobs for them...I was with Kalla to go sort out the whole deal. She seemed really depressed, wanted to be left alone..."

There was a moment of silence where Rikku thought to herself. "How do you feel about it?" She finally asked.

"Me?" Gippal chuckled. "Well, I don't know...now that her fathers dead I'm in this depressed slump kind of thing—not really knowing what to do, because I don't know how much longer the faction will last now—and Kalla seems really ticked at me lately, so I'm afraid even if she inherits the money she won't fund for the faction..." He sighed deeply.

"I just wish everything was easier."

"Amen to that." Rikku muttered, nodding in agreement. She looked up at the stars, lost in a dreamy state. Here she was, sitting in Gippal's lap. Just like the old days when they had just been sitting around the house together during the war.

"Rikku?" Gippal asked in a quiet whisper. Her heart started to thump. "Err-yes?"
"My leg's kinda fallin' asleep—want to get off?" He gave her a smirk as Rikku started to glow crimson.

"Oh. Yea. Sorry." She scrambled up, still a bit nervous. Gippal groaned as he stood up.

"I guess I better go back to the temple—I don't look forward to it-"
And as if a tornado blasted into Rikku's mind filled with ideas, Rikku gasped.

"What?" Gippal asked, looking around. "What?"

"Gippal-I know how to save the faction!"

Gippal raised an eyebrow at her, his expression skeptical. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you DON'T need Kalla and her money! You don't!" Rikku started to jump up and down, her arms tugging at her hair excitedly.

Gippal gave a wane smile. "Just TELL me Rikku!"

She ran up and put her hands on his arm. "You need Pops!"

There were a few moments of silence as Gippal just stared at Rikku.

"What?!"

"Oh, I know it sounds weird, but it's true! I mean, he has an airship-right? Right. So he can travel around in the blink of an eye. AND he has TONS of old machina and their parts from Home, and from everywhere else he travels! That's what he said he was going to do two years ago! I went with him for a while, and we just went around Spira collecting bits and parts of Machina. It's all in Bikanel right now! Oh, isn't this SO cool?"

Gippal was silent. "I still don't get it." He said with a helpless shrug. Rikku sighed.

"My dad can go back to Bikanel and get those old Machina for your faction to fix and use for other machina! AND, since that's what his crew does-go around Spira and collect old machina—they can get pieces for you and bring it here-to Djose!"

Rikku saw a small smile appear on his lips. "That...almost sounds like it'll work..."

She grinned. "You won't need Kalla!" She danced around, amazed at her own ingenuity.

Gippal smiled. "Slow down, Rikku. We still need to contact Cid and ask him, then go get the parts, and come back, and—what if he says no?" Rikku waved a hand at him.

"Of course he'll say yes! I'm his little Princess after all."

Gippal grinned. "You sure are! Thanks a million, Rikku!" And he swept her into a giant embrace. Rikku was a bit surprised at fist, but she hugged him back.

And suddenly, out of the blue, her heart spoke for her. "I miss you." She finally muttered into his shoulder. She felt him tense up and a look of horror overcame her face.

"Holy—Oh man—I'm sorry Gippal!" She blushed, pulling away. "I don't know where that came from, I mean, you and Kalla are a couple now I don't know what came over me-augh, I feel so stupid, I mean, I thought I was over you, but I guess I wasn't..." She put both of her arms behind her back and balanced on her heels, still blushing. "Oops."

Gippal just chuckled. "You're not the only one who missed somebody." With a mysterious eyebrow raise Gippal walked past Rikku, hands in his pockets.

Rikku couldn't help but smile, until she heard a rustle in the trees behind her. "GIPPAL!" She cried, running up to him. "Don't leave me in the dark alone, it's—spooky." She shivered.

"Aw, does baby Rikku need her security blankey?" Gippal asked in a mocking tone. Rikku just punched him in the shoulder.

"Shut up, ang."
"Ooh, I'm shaking in my booties."

"You better!" With a laugh Rikku bounced up in front of him. "So who is that you miss, Gippal?" She asked. She saw the smile slowly fade away.

"Are you really that thick, or just desperate?" Gippal asked with a grin. Rikku sighed.

"Both. Now answer my question!"

Gippal was silent for a moment. "Well, the person I miss is very important to me—probably one of the most important people in my life...I miss them a lot even though they're right here-and I feel like a jerk for abandoning them and going off on my own selfish antics...the list could go on."

"Oh, oh!" Rikku cried, raising her hand. "I know who it is!"

"Good JOB Rikku! You get a golden star!" Gippal said in a high-pitched voice. Rikku rolled her eyes.

"Is it—is it—"Her heart seemed to tremble, "is it me?"

And a long pause followed this, where Gippal stopped walking down the path.

"Maybe." He muttered.

"What?" Rikku said a bit louder.

"MAYBE!" Gippal shouted, and Rikku realized this was the first time in a long time she has seen him blush like that.

Rikku grinned. "This is great!" She ran up to him and gave him a big hug. "Since I miss you, and you miss me, I say we get back together!"

Gippal sighed, but pushed Rikku off. "Rikku, as much as I'd love that—I can't."
Rikku felt like her life had exploded. "W-What?"
"I mean, first of all, I'm still with Kalla-"

"You don't NEED to be!" Rikku cried, putting on a pouting face."
"AND" he continued, "you're on your own journey now, and we'd drift apart JUST like we did before, and, like I said, we're too different now—"

"NO!" Rikku cried. "We're NOT too different, Gippal! Haven't you figured it out yet? I don't care if we're different! You and Kalla are like the polar opposites and yet YOU still dated HER! And I know for a FACT I mean more to you than that-that-"Rikku stuttered, feeling that shaky feeling you can only get in an emotional attack.

"Gippal—can't you see I need you?"

'Wow, that took courage. A pat on the back!' A voice said in her head.

Rikku waited for him to answer, but nothing came. For a while. Then some more...then some more...

"Gippal?"

"Rikku—why do you always have to make me feel so bad?"

"It's what girls were meant to do."
"Well, Rikku, we're going to drift apart like we did before-"

"I don't CARE!" Rikku cried again, the tears now flowing freely. "I don't CARE if we drift and are millions of miles apart, because you know why? I know that the bond we have is stronger than that! I know that even if we are so far apart, we're still going to stay together, because you know you made a mistake by getting with Kalla and I can see it being thought in your brain, you'd never do it again. Ever. So why can't we just BE TOGETHER?!" Rikku sobbed. "Why..."

Gippal sighed. "Come here you big baby." She ran up to him and he enveloped her in a hug, nice and warm and full of love. "Better?" He asked. Rikku sniffed.

"Kinda."

"Rikku, I know exactly how you feel—because that's how I feel too."

"Then why do you keep saying it won't work out?"

"Because—I can see that Lady Yuna barely likes me, so-"

"I don't care what Yuna thinks!" Rikku scoffed. "I mean, lots of Al Bhed weren't big fans of our relationship, but I could care less-"

"What Al Bhed?" Gippal asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Err-not Brother!" Rikku said with a giggled. Gippal sighed.

"Oh boy, not him again." Rikku pushed him in the chest gently.

"Come on, Gippal! Can't we just forget about what's happened with our relationship and move on? Please?" Her voice was pleading—needy. She realized now how much she needed this man-to hold to and talk to and share her secrets with...and just to have a great time with! No one seemed to understand her as well as Gippal.

And his answer was the most important thing in her life.

I didn't realize how much I needed Gippal—and it's pathetic, really. I thought I was the kinda girl who could live without a man, ya know? Let the other girls have their guys...but I wanted my guy too. And Gippal was the only one for me. I had been so mad at him before for getting with Kalla, I literally wanted to hurt him...a lot.

But I couldn't get over my feelings for him even after THAT, and realized, whether I liked it or not, he was with me to stay.

A/N: Sorry it took SOOOOOO long, I bought FFX-2 (FINALLY), and was playing it all day. ;D R&R!