Chapter 8: Don't Forget About Me

Gippal slammed his gloved hands to the steering wheel with uneasiness of mind. Here he was, at the home of someone he wasn't sure if he was even still friends with; just after receiving the sting of reality of being tossed aside by someone he dumped. Now, he finds out the one he's feeling dissed by is in that very house, doing Yevon knows what with said friend or new foe. He was having difficulty taking it all in, but he knew he had to go in now; there would be no way he could sneak out of there since Rikku saw him already. Stepping out of his hover, his boots crunched the rocky pavement beneath them and he closed the door, locking it with the key remote. He walked, disturbed by a new worry to Baralai's front door. Before he made it to the step, Rikku swung open the door and leaned against it, folding her arms, crossing her ankles, and glaring at him with major disapproval.

The sun radiated on her body, the bracelets on her slim wrists reflected the light into the air and the breeze blew little wisps of her hair about her face.

"Fryd yna oui tuehk rana, Gippal?" (What are you doing here?) She petitioned, her arms still folded and her gaze icier than a Blizzaga spell. Gippal at first stood there defeated, slighted by the treatment of her memories of him; but he recoiled back into his arrogant, smart assed self, cocking his head and distributing an evil glance of his own.

"E cruimt ycg dra cysa uv oui." (I should ask the same of you) He shot back, a dubious tone eminent in his voice. There was no way he was letting her back him into a corner, not after the way she made him feel at her apartment earlier. Rikku faltered not her stance in the doorway, refusing to let Gippal enter Baralai's house. He grew impatient and walked toward her until their faces were 'invading personal space' close. Rikku could feel his breath on her cheeks: hot, and his cologne; a blend of sage and jasmine with hints of moss and sandalwood entered her nose, causing her heart to pound. Still, she didn't back down either; she could be just as stubborn as him sometimes, no matter how good he looked or smelled.

"It's not your concern or business why I'm here." She replied snottily, pushing him away from her with her hand causing him to step back off the stoop. This game was getting old to him and his face was beginning to show it. He stomped an angry boot to the stoop and scowled at her in protest.

"Where's Baralai, is he in there?" he demanded, pointing to the inside of his house. Rikku closed the front door and stood with Gippal on the stoop, her hands once again placed on her hips in protest.

"He's sleeping." Rikku said, rolling her spiral eyes. "Why do you want to talk to him anyway, he's having a hard time as it is. Don't you think you've done enough damage already?" Putting her own personal feelings for Gippal aside, she was adamant about not letting Baralai experience any more grief for one day. It didn't seem like a good idea to talk to him at this point, being he was so close to having a real breakdown.

Gippal lowered his head shamefully. He knew he caused his friend much distress, but he didn't mean to, and that's always the worst feeling in the world, making someone you care for hurt even though it wasn't done on purpose. He glimpsed at Rikku sadly, his eye full of remorse. Sweat droplets formed at the perimeter of his face from the sun that was beginning to take center stage as the day's 'play' went on despite their own theatrics in the walkway.

"He's not ok?" Gippal wondered nervously, a habitual hand to the back of his neck.

Rikku put her head down and sighed before looking back up at Gippal.

"What do you think? He'd lost his girlfriend to his best friend. How would you feel, Gippal?" Rikku glared at him as if to say 'Duh.' "That's a pretty dumb question if you ask me." She shook her head and rolled her eyes, staring at the walkway cement below her feet. "It took everything I could to assure him this mess wasn't his fault. He still loves Paine a ton, ya know." Walking toward the driver's side of her hover roadster, she glanced up at Gippal as she unlocked the door and anchored her elbows to the roof.

"I'm leaving. I absi-posi don't want to be here when Baralai sees you. He's been…unstable." She noted, climbing into the vehicle. Gippal walked over to the passenger side and leaned into the window. He looked at Rikku a little puzzled.

"What do you mean…unstable?" He questioned, scraping his nails on the surface of the door, a tense feeling suddenly overcoming him. Rikku turned the key in the ignition, starting it up and pulling on the shifter she put it in reverse; her foot still on the brake.

"I'll let you see for yourself. Bye Gippal." And with that, she took her foot off the brake and the roadster pulled out of the driveway. Gippal still stood there a little ill at ease in the driveway as she smiled at him evilly from the rearview mirror. "He better not upset him." Rikku said to herself as she drove toward the ferry, still not a hundred percent that Gippal should be there. In a way though, she was kind of glad he was, then maybe Baralai could relieve some of the angst he'd been feeling since this whole debacle started.

Gippal stood stone-like in Baralai's driveway for a brief moment. The whole 'unstable' thing was irking him to a large degree. He'd never seen Baralai act in any type of hostile way, at least not when he wasn't possessed anyway. Reluctantly, he trudged back up the stony walkway and opened the front door. The living room and kitchen were lighted only by the sunlight beaming through the windows. Rikku's coffee cup sat on the table with the newspaper lying next to it. Glancing over to the counter, Gippal noticed the envelope and glass of water sitting on it with two aspirin by its side. He picked up the envelope and held it toward the window hoping he could see the contents inside.

"Just what did she write anyway?" Gippal said softly to himself, trying to focus his eye to the envelope. Just then, he felt a presence behind him and he froze, unable to move out of his current position.

"Always was a curious fellow, eh?" The voice behind him boomed. Gippal turned on his heels to face the voice. It was Baralai. He stood there with a hand to the counter shaking his head amused. He still had on the blue shirt and kaki pants from the night before, but they were wrinkled from sleeping in them. His hair was a loose mop about his tan face, lining the outside of it. He looked ragged, still a little sleepy but alert enough to comprehend his friend in his kitchen. Gippal walked passed him slowly heading for the living room. Face to face with Baralai he chuckled uneasily and spoke.

"So, how have you been?" He asked his former navigator timidly. He was leaning against the back of the couch, waiting for Baralai to answer but instead he took a right hook to the jaw and he flew over the couch, crashing into Baralai's coffee table breaking it in half. He lay on his back, dizzy from the impact as particles from the wood dusted him like powdered sugar. He wiped his jaw; a trickle of blood saturated the corner of it, and glared at Baralai filled with fear. Baralai stood there, his eyes burned like they once did in the Den of Woe, fixated on the Al Bhed man lying on his floor.

"Maybe it wasn't a good idea I came here." Gippal muttered, his elbows propping himself up as he continue to lie on the broken table. Baralai didn't cease in his stare; he folded his arms now still silent. "Obviously you're very upset. I should go." He said, trying to get to his feet. Instead, Baralai walked around the couch and grabbed Gippal's shirt at the neck, propelling him up quickly. He brought Gippal's face to his and continued to burn through him like hot coals. His anger was boiling at a rate he'd not felt since Shuyin overcame him and he wasn't sure if it was he or remnants of the poor soul inside him. Still, Baralai fancied seeing Gippal this way, He wanted him to feel like he didn't get away with it and everything wasn't just dandy.

"How could you do this to me?" Baralai finally ejected through gritted teeth. Struggling to get out of his grasp, Gippal clawed Baralai's hand with his own and pried himself free. He backed away from Baralai not taking his eyes off him in case he'd try to hit him again. Gippal looked at him apologetically but Baralai's demeanor didn't change one iota. "Worse yet, how could you do this to Rikku? Wasn't she good enough?" Baralai's fists were clenched and his body was tense. He waited for a response.

"It was an accident ok?" Gippal screamed, wiping his jaw still. He winced at the contact of his hand and jaw, and then he looked back at Baralai. "We had too much to drink at the 'Spira Independence Day' Bonfire two weeks ago. We got to talking about how we missed hanging out with each other during the squad days." Gippal kicked a piece of the broken coffee in frustration as he continued.

"She missed my straightforwardness and I missed her seriousness. We both agreed that you and Rikku were great, but we realized that we had a deeper feeling for each other than we wanted to admit. The only reason we let it drag on was because we felt so guilty and we couldn't find the right words to explain properly. We really didn't think it was going to last. Your friendship is dire important to me, to Paine as well. Can we find some way to get passed this?"

Gippal knew he was up a creek with no paddle on that one. As a matter of fact, none of it made any sense even to him. He was having trouble trying to get out what he was trying to say. Looking back to Baralai, he'd hoped that maybe some of this sunk in. Baralai sighed and folded his arms; looking to the rubble he spoke, seemingly back to his normal persona and bearing.

"That may take a while." He said, not fully convinced he'd done enough to show how angry he was. Gippal headed for the front door and stood in the doorway, his head hung in disappointment and regret. Baralai spoke again. "Leave Rikku alone. It's bad enough she's hiding the way she really feels for you by trying to protect me, she doesn't need to see you happy with someone else. And if you hurt Paine even a smidge like that, it will be the last thing you do. Got it?" Baralai strolled over to the doorway where Gippal was and put his right hand to the door. Gippal extended his hand for Baralai to shake, but Baralai just looked at him with an expression that indicated his stay was spent and he needed to leave.

"Fair enough. I guess I'll see you around then." Gippal said, turning around and walking back down the walkway. Baralai watched him, a little sad by the whole experience, but nonetheless glad he got what he did off his chest. Closing the door, Baralai walked into his kitchen and noticed the glass, aspirin and the envelope on the counter. He smiled; appreciating the way Rikku remembered the remedy for a hangover and opened the envelope. It was a poem that Rikku had written for him to help to cheer him up.

An even wider smile broadened on his face as he read its contents:

Baralai,

I can't be your weather

Cuz if it rains, then it rains

I can't be your lover

Cuz the feelings would change.

I can't be the wind, Cuz the wind blows too free-

But if you want a true companion,

Don't forget about me.

Don't forget about me,

When your hearts in the shade

When there's no one to hold you,

And you've fallen from grace

When the spotlights come blind you,

And you can no longer see

I'll be right there beside you,

Don't forget about me.

-Rikku-

Picking up his Comm. Sphere from the holder on the counter, he dialed a number and waited as it rang.

---Meanwhile---

Rikku opened the door to her apartment, cradling a grocery bag from 'O'aka's Mega Mart'. The apartment was dark, so she switched on the light. Throwing her keys into a dish on the island, Rikku placed the bag next to it. She spotted Gippal's set of keys on the counter as well and sighed sadly. "It really is over." She whispered to herself, emptying the contents of the bag hastily. She glanced over at the Comm. Sphere on the wall and noticed the light blinking indicating she had a message.

Walking over to it, she pressed the button and the message clicked. It was Baralai.

"Thank you Rikku for everything, I hope I can return the favor someday. Gippal doesn't really know what he's lost, that's for sure. Until we meet again, farewell."

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