A/N: There will be Al Bhed in this chapter and I will not have convenient translations repeating what the words are and mean. Please find an Al Bhed translator accessible beforehand--a good link is in my profile won't allow me to include links) , which is a simple translator engine. Thank you!
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Chapter VII: Where have all the stars gone?
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"What the hell are you talking about?" Gippal demanded, wrapping both arms around me protectively. I tried with all my might to distract my eyes from Rikya's cock, but I hadn't even noticed when I was 'helping' him before how large it actually was. It frightened me a bit--what if he had actually gone all the way with me on my first time? I would've bled through the mattress . . . maybe even pass out. Guess I wouldn't know though, since my cherry had yet to be popped.
"Hmph, you know exactly what I'm talking about," Rikya scoffed, stooping to the floor where he had tossed his clothes when stripping before I had come. He nitpicked through the pile of black material and found his leather pants, closely resembling the pair Gippal had on. Well, they definitely couldn't say that I was attracted to Rikya's style in place of Gippal's; that was for sure.
As Rikya wormed a leg into the toilsome leather; no underwear beforehand as I had suspected, Gippal spat, "What, do you mean my-"
"I mean the eidolon incubus that has possessed you," Rikya spoke matter-of-factly, taking a seat on a wicker chair to try and force the leather up his muscular thigh. His body was hairless except for his scalp, eyebrows, and pubic . . . was that a perk to being an incubus? Or did he just shave and wax? No, he didn't strike me as the kind of guy who would go out of his way to rid his body of pesky hair, but then again this was Rikya we were talking about.
"What's an eidolon incubus?" Gippal asked, lowering his tone from a threatening level. Was he finally going to be reasonable about it?
"I think you already know the basics--I can smell that nagging knowledge about you," Rikya looked up and gave him an innocent look. "But if you'd like to learn more of this phantom sex demon; which is what that means, you're going to have to cooperate with Rikku and me."
I pried Gippal's arms away from my body urgently, wanting to face him. "Rikya says that he can help you, being an incubus himself, under one condition: I have to help him. We're not going to have sex; he just needs me to help him find his girlfriend!"
"Succubus," Rikya corrected, "I think she'd be rather offended if anybody referred to her as my girlfriend."
"You're not helping," I muttered though gritted teeth, beaming Gippal an honest smile. He still seemed skeptical, so I continued, "I'm just going to help him: nothing more, nothing less." I glanced over to Rikya and saw him give me a smug look. I wasn't telling the entire truth, but I could tell that he wasn't going to add more to it. His lips were sealed . . . for now
"Nothing sexual?" Gippal raised a brow, placing his hands firmly on his hips. "How do you explain that then?" He nodded downwards towards my lap. Crap, I forgot.
"That was an accident!" I claimed in desperate persistency.
"Why are you defending him, Rikku?" Gippal asked, shaking his head in shaken grief.
"I think the real question here, mate," Rikya interrupted, standing after finally fitting his leather pants into place. The hem was lined right below his hip bones, a sneak of black pubic hair trailing from his bellybutton downwards. The glint of his piercing caught my eye, a pale nipple hard from the verbal excitement, but I forced myself to look away. If Gippal caught me checking Rikya out now, it was over. "-is why you are so protective of Rikku when you two aren't even a couple? Is it the sexual tension that's getting to you? You want to keep grown-up Rikku all to yourself when she isn't even yours to begin with? I guess you've forgotten to share."
"Shut-the-fuck-up. You haven't changed since we were kids. I don't need your damned help," he declared, fists shaking with fury. I touched his forearm to ease his anger and I guess it was my presence that calmed him.
"Suit yourself, but Rikku's already agreed to help me. Like I've said, she belongs to neither me nor you. That sex spirit has claimed her now; I'm sure you're aware," he shook his head lightly, a cute pout distorting his dark image. He stooped to pick up his silky shirt with the oriental designs etched into it when Gippal spoke with a reasoning voice once more.
"I'll do it for Rikku . . . I don't want her to be hurt anymore," he said, eyes shadowed with shame.
"Ha, yes, 'hurting'," Rikya laughed, pulling the shirt over his head and tugging the long braids out from beneath it carefully. I glanced over to him, analyzing his intentions carefully with my eyes. He was apparently amused by all of this, but he wasn't going to spit anymore of his obnoxious babble further.
There was a knock at the door; thankfully, Rikya was no longer bare and naked. Yuna poked her head around the corner in a demure manner, stepping forward when she realized that the scene had calmed. She looked sorrow and pensive, hands clasped at her backside when she spoke, "Cid has called for you and Gippal at Zanarkand." She said this to me; probably most comfortable referring to me than the other two.
I nodded, chagrined to find that she caught eye of my legs. I needed to clean-up. "I'm taking a shower," I announced, heading for the small bathroom of the inn's room.
"I'm afraid Cid's message is to make haste," Yuna told me, eyeing the other two and bowing timidly before taking her leave.
Rikya noted my grimy state and offered, "I can clean that up for you," flicking a long, pink tongue between his teeth.
Fortunately Gippal hadn't caught sight of that and told me, "Clean up quickly, Cid's Kid. Your dad'll get pissy if we don't hurry." He was calling me Cid's Kid again! Did that mean that he wasn't mad anymore? I'm sure there was still a spark of skeptical anger within him, but at least it wouldn't be as awkward as it could've been.
"I'm coming too," Rikya claimed undauntedly, "for safety precautions." That silky chuckle of his flamed a conflagrant torch within Gippal again. Damn it, Rikya . . . he would never learn when to shut his trap.
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I had wiped my legs clean and freshened up a bit by the time we were ready to board the Celcius. It was hovering somewhere above the Moonflow since the Thunder Plains were inaccessible to flying aircrafts; the force field conducted to prevent any more deaths from being struck by lightening caused hazardous to the airship. Gippal stood away from Rikya towards me; still unforgiving but wanting the 'Crow'--as he liked to call Rikya since we were kids--to keep his claws away from me. Rikya didn't seem to care or notice for that matter, merely admiring the broad red metal reflecting against the shimmering sun hung in the sky like a still ornament. It was another dreadfully humid day and I still couldn't believe that Rikya and I had slept for so long, but the cool wisps of air from the gentle forest calmed our sweat glands. Yuna and Tidus had offered to escort us (Paine, Nooj, and Baralai being out of sight) regarding my current situation with Rikya, but Gippal rejected their offer and decided to keep a careful, dead eye on Rikya and me like we were a morsel of prey. Tidus seemed especially concerned for me and I wondered why.
Rikya watched as my face faltered in curiosity, fingers laced behind his head as his elbows were stuck outwards in parallel, and asked as if I had already told him what was concerning me, "Who had warned you that we were in the inn?" The question was directed to a startled Gippal. I gave him a bugged eye and mouthed for him to shut-up out of Gippal's radar, but Rikya just smirked with amusement. I guess he wanted to know just as much as I did.
"Yuna was worried when Rikku hadn't returned that night. She sent a search party out 'til the afternoon when she told Tidus to go look around the local inns, and there he found you two," he replied with a civilized smite, darting his eyes back to Rikya and then onto me.
"Tidus?" I exclaimed, stopping in my tracks as I took a mental blow to my head. No, no, no . . . this is awful! Why couldn't Paine have found me, or even Yuna? Then I could at least talk to her about it! But Tidus? I thought with a stricken look in my eye, my hands fisted together at my chin. I knew I had heard a click of the door before awakening! He must've been shocked to see a grown man naked in bed with me, a strong arm snaked around my stomach and head nestled next to mine, tendrils of black braids falling around us like a raven's feathers . . .
No, I shouldn't think about it, I thought with dismay, but I guess it had to have been somebody. Gippal wouldn't have come storming in if somebody hadn't told him first-hand, and that somebody was destined to be Tidus.
My head whipped to a sniggering Rikya, trying to muffle his laughs . . . was he actually smiling? He wasn't smirking with an arrogant complexity for once, he was honestly laughing at me. I felt my cheeks and they were burning burgundy, which didn't help since it was already hot enough outside as it were. They both had stopped to look at me as I stood frozen, my cheeks blazing with my mouth open in an o. Gippal didn't seem as amused . . . but I noticed a slight tug at the corner of his lips.
"I . . . I . . . well, this sucks," I stammered, my body going limp as I hung my head in shame. I don't know why I was so stricken by hearing that Tidus had walked in on us first, but maybe it was because he was like an older brother to me. Not like infuriating Brother, but somebody you could trust and respect. Losing his respect hurt.
Gippal broke down to the ground, laughing in macabre. Rikya and I were both amazed, staring at him in perplexity. Gippal planted his gloved hands onto the dirt, his firm rear apparent and perfect through the tight leather. "This is fucked up," he laughed, turning his hung head towards me. "I shouldn't care. I shouldn't care that you're with that crow!" He proclaimed, leaning his butt back onto his ankles as he sat tall.
"I'm not with Rikya," I declared for the fifth time that day.
"I shouldn't care that you were in bed with him," he went on, ignoring me, "I mean after all, we broke up years ago. So why do I still care?"
I walked over to Gippal and knelt down next to him, stabbing a sincere look into his eyes with my own, "Can we please talk about this later, Gippal? Not in front of him."
"Oh no, I find this all rather amusing," Rikya scoffed with a returning smirk, "lover-boy is jealous. Jealous of me! Oh yes, I am loving this."
Gippal chose to ignore Rikya as well. "Rikku," he said in his most unfeigned tone, "I'll make it up to you. You ran to . . . him when I was rejecting you."
"I didn't run to-"
"I'll make sure you don't end up with him, I promise," he interrupted, voice hoarse with an unrecognizable passion. He wasn't being himself; it had to have been . . .
"Vnaawa!" Rikya shouted, sparking a flash of bright, argent light from his eye. I crab-walked backwards hastily as the light shot a film of electric energy around Gippal's body, his chest puffed out and head hung backwards, quivering. His whole body was shaking with the blinding light; his arms flung about as I shun myself from the white light. I peeked up at Rikya as the light faded, stunned to find that his eyes were a pale white of film with two fingers pressed against his forehead's temple in concentration.
"Najaym ouincamv, aetumuh," he demanded in Al Bhed, his face set in fine, serious lines.
Gippal's head shot back up with a sneer, an ardor fizzing around his ravishing body with complexity. "Oui drehg oui lyh ryns sa fedr cesbma ehlipic lremt'c bmyo?" He asked with a smooth cackle . . . but it was still of Gippal's. His eyes hadn't changed nor the tick in his voice. What as going on?
"Lruuca ouin funtc lynavimmo. Oui sicd pa cahd cuuh pavuna ouin ahdena cbened asputeac dra ouihk Kebbym. E'mm caa du ed dryd oui tu hud esbnakhyda Neggi fedr ouin caat," Rikya declared, jaw jutted outwards stubbornly.
"Cra vaamc so bimm ymnayto. Oui'na uhmo cdnahkdrahehk so mina yc muhk yc oui'na hayn yht tayn du ran, Ehlipic. Drana'c hudrehk oui lyh tu du cdub sa," Gippal cackled again, head highstrung and undaunted as Rikya shook his head.
"What's going on?" I demanded, heart jumping in its cavity as I stared indignantly towards the two. Gippal turned his attention towards me and raised his brows, licking his chops as he pounced on all fours again, crawling towards me with an earnest, seducting aura.
"Bnudald!" Rikya echoed, eyes flashing another bolt of light inbetween Gippal and I, creating a force field. That didn't seem to worry him, because the next thing I knew he darted through the electric light and landed on top of my frozen body. The vibrant energy that Gippal had jumped through pulsed about his skin and tinged mine in a spark of dancing fire. I passed out with the image of a smiling, sinister spirit hovering above my dazing face. As he knelt down, a flicker of humanity surpassed his lone eye, whispering into my ear . . .
E muja oui . . .
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My eye lids slid open but I was still asleep. I saw Brother arguing violently with Gippal . . . a fist being thrown . . . I was in the cabin room. I felt the comfort of the bed, but it was so cold. I felt chills run up my aching back. There was Buddy trying to separate the two, yet their shrill voices were so . . . distant. My eyes scanned the room with a pulsing headache, but Rikya was no where to be seen. A tide of distilling grogginess swept me away again, and I dreamt of dreams meant to be forgotten.
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I couldn't help but notice the lights behind my lids when my mind finally came to. My body wished not to move so I opened my eyes to only find a creamy white ceiling above me. The room smelt of fresh paint and furnishes . . . where was I? Definitely not on the Celsius, that was for sure, and I was laying no where familiar. Could it have been an inn?
"Oh good, you're finally awake," an all too familiar voice regarded my stir. It took effort to turn my head to the side where the voice had come from. At my left, Rikya sat on a stool tipped against the wall to support his back. He shifted it onto all fours and turned in his seat to face me full on, the leather of his restricting pants crinkling against the friction.
"Where . . . am I?" I asked, feeling weak and faint. I hated feeling weak, especially under the will of a guy. Technically, I'd been saved from something unfortunate more times than I was comfortable with, and I wondered on the good ol' days when I kicked butt and didn't take crap from anybody. Had I really weakened?
"You're in Zanarkand," he replied with a lilt in his voice, standing to walk at the foot of my bed.
"Wait . . . what?" I asked; head too lacerated to balance the situation with thought.
"I was assigned to guard you," he declared with a pause, awaiting my reaction. My jaw had dropped and I sat up, body still tingling but suddenly awake. He chuckled with ironic amusement, continuing, "Yes, apparently Gippal is too dangerous to be around you any longer. He's being held in custody while in the infirmary because Brother did him in good, blood and bruises blooming every where. It was a beautiful sight."
"But . . . it wasn't Gippal!" I exclaimed, fisting handfuls of sheets below me.
"Rikku," Rikya furrowed his brows, his serious side peaking through once more, "I'm going to be honest with you." He stepped around the bed again to sit at my waist, lifting his ankle to his other knee while I searched the room for his cloak.
"First, where's your cloak? I thought you needed it at all times," I asked, scooting to the head of the queen-sized bed and away from him.
"I don't need it right now. I slept in bed with you to regain my energy," he stated honestly.
"You didn't do anything, did you?" I asked again with furrowed brows, my virginity apparent and innocent in my voice.
"No, I only touched your skin with my own. It will do for now . . . but my energy is draining by the moment. I need to make haste with finding my succubus, but first, Gippal. I tried protecting you with my abilities granted to me through the growth of my inner incubus. It wasn't enough, I'm afraid, to sustain Gippal," he explained, too sincere for comfort. "The spirit's powers are growing with rapid progression and it's overcoming your love, too much for him to bear. It is becoming him, and the last thread of humanity he has left is pursued upon you. He doesn't want to hurt you, I found, and his will seems to be strong enough to temporarily delay the eidolon from ejaculating inside of you."
"Wait, I don't get it. Why does this eidolon wanna impregnate me? Why am I so special?" I asked as I pulled my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around warm legs.
"It wasn't of the eidolon's choice. In Gippal's early stages, when the eidolon first possessed him, he subconsciously chose to come to you. He didn't want to tempt any other woman, maybe because you two have a history together. Whatever the reason, he didn't want to harm you, but wanted you all the same. In that, the spirit finalized his decision to pursue you and only you until his seed is planted," Rikya clarified.
"Um . . . well, wouldn't it be Gippal's seed instead of the eidolon's? And how is this spirit an incubus?" I was having difficulty comprehending this . . . there were too many pot-holes in Rikya's explanation.
"That's what that kid Shinra is trying to figure out. We Al Bhed have a theory that when the eidolon emerges and overcomes Gippal, his genetics change to those of the eidolon when he was human . . . about a thousand years ago around Zanarkand's prime time, they say. This spirit is old and evil, and died before having had a mate conceive his child. If he impregnates you . . . there's no way to abort a phantom's child. This kid'll be a mechanism for destruction no matter how you raise it, and could possibly be the next Sin. This is just what the Orb of Truth told the others, though, and the flames never lie. As for the incubus part . . . he possesses powers unknown to any incubus or succubus alive in today's age. He'll pass those abilities onto his child, and you won't be able to kill him when those powers become him in the womb," he concluded, passing a light shrug as if that wasn't a burden to be concerned with. I was flabbergasted; I wouldn't have been more shocked or panicked if you had nailed my feet to the floor.
I was quiet for a moment, allowing the empty noise of the room to settle into out drums, when another question came to mind. "You say 'he' like if I have his child, the gender'll be . . . erm, absolute. How are you so confident that it wouldn't be a girl?" I asked conspicuously, watching his brows enlighten in amusement.
"Shinra has a theory for that as well," he noted, "that maybe it won't just be the spirit's child . . . but the eidolon himself. The Al Bhed's intelligence group doesn't know for sure, I hear, so they told me to take you to see Shinra if you'd like to learn more. I'm sure he has concocted another conclusion by now."
I suddenly noticed the window past Rikya and found that it was nightfall already. Boy, these days sure were passing by. Unlike at the Bikanel Desert, you couldn't see the stars twinkling in the amethyst sky like suspended bulbs of bright eyes. Rebuilding Zanarkand meant more pollutions being emitted into the air, fogging up the pupil of the night . . . something I just wasn't ready to handle. Where have all the stars gone?
"I . . . ," I croaked, my ducts moist and welling up the slits of my eyes. "I just wanted everybody to be happy. But everybody's a mess . . . just like me," I rasped again, a knot tightening in my throat. I couldn't see Rikya anymore . . . tears were blurring my vision. I finally squeezed my lids shut and let the hot tears roll down my cheeks. Why was this happening to me? I wanted something new to happen in my life . . . not something destructive. I didn't want Gippal to hurt anymore, I didn't want Yuna and Tidus to lose respect for me, I didn't want Paine to be miserable with her past, I didn't want the Gullwings to be forgotten for a new trio, and even part of me didn't want Rikya to wither away. Death will free you and release your pain . . . but it'll then pass that pain onto the people who've cared about you most. Did something inside of me truly care for Rikya? Was I honestly worried for the miserable crow? Maybe I had too much heart to begin with.
I looked up, wiping the salt water away from my eyes with my fingers and clasped Rikya's awkward hand in my own. "Rikya," I spoke softly, voice shuddered from the sobbing, "I'm sorry. I never hated you . . . it's just that nobody understood you, and I'm sorry for that. People can be so cruel, and I think you and your succubus understand that most of all. I'll help you find her. I can't even imagine the grief she must be going through right now."
I watched as his body stilled and his expression falter to confusion. Why is she sorry for me?, is what he must've been thinking. "You," he chuckled uncomfortably, "you're sorry for me? I don't need your pity, child."
"Please, Rikya, I'm only a year younger. And I meant what I said," I replied calming down after a brief weep. I felt . . . better. I had to stop distancing myself from people, and I just took the first step with him. "I want to face this eidolon again. If we're going to better understand this, I'm gonna need to toughen up," I assured, swinging my feet off the bed opposite of Rikya. Yep, I was pretty damned tired of feeling weak. I needed my dress-spheres back, no matter the obstacle. People aren't evil, I finally realized, nobody truly is. They're just misunderstood. Alone. I can't blame that snob Linera for being a difficult person. I just don't understand why she's like that . . . now. I don't wanna be the person who points and laughs at somebody else just because they're different. Not now, not ever.
"You do understand the risks you're taking, right?" Rikya asked, sounding a touch concerned. "Gippal isn't himself in this stage."
"Exactly," I replied, taking a glance at a plain mirror on the wall to see if I still looked somewhat upset. "I need to help him, Rikya, and if you want me to help you, you're gonna have to take up your part of the bargain before anything else happens today."
I could feel him grimace at my backside, scowling . . . not knowing what to say after the little scene I had made. "Fine, but if Gippal tries to maul you again, I'm not going to jump the bullet this time," he warned, unaware that I wasn't planning on seeing Gippal first thing that night.
You know, I've also learned that all people are beautiful . . . but you've gotta scrape through a lot of scum before you can see that majestic beauty shine. Rikya was definitely no exception.
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We were basking in the dusk of the laboring Al Bhed at work as Rikya and I headed towards the Intelligence Room; located in the building that held all the files and plans that were put forth into Operation Recreation. That was Shinra's, Pop's, and Gippal's home base, but I knew Gippal wouldn't be there that night. I bet he insisted upon getting back to work, but he was certainly in no position to be put back in charge, especially since his 'condition' was worsening. The Intelligence Room was filled with advanced computers and a gigantic database fit to store all of the information that was required and even irrelevant towards the mission.
We stared up as we faced the towering skyscraper, the expanding city drilling around us. It was evolving into a beautiful sight . . . it was like a twin of the original Zanarkand. Bright, neon lights filled the sky and the ground was paved a smooth, black cement. Deserted roads suspended high above others wove between buildings and hunched street lights, the thousands of Al Bhed workers scattered across the city at labor. When they needed rest they had a machina temporary replace their position, but they were mere helpers when it came to building and carrying heavy cargo. The designs were still being sketched for many sectors of the city, so you could easily estimate that the project wouldn't be at least close to done for many years to come. You can never really complete a city.
"Why are we here, again?" Rikya asked, yawning with a drowsy snarl.
"Buddy's here, I'm sure of it. This is the only other place he'd be besides the Celcius, and that's landed," I replied, opening the glass door and heading towards the desk. It surprised me how clean-cut and professional the tower stood, and although it was the first building rebuilt in Zanarkand, it was hard to believe that they managed to complete all of this in the span of two years.
"Why are we seeing him?" He asked again, following me from a close distance.
"I need to know where the new Gullwings are," I said with contemplation, flashing the receptionist at the main desk a polite smile.
"Oh, is that all?" He scoffed, stopping me in my tracks before I could reach the desk. "They're still here, in Zanarkand. After I went to retrieve my sphere and saw the little message my succubus left me, I demanded to speak with her sister. Apparently they're in the infirmary, checking in on Gippal. Shinzu told me half an hour ago," he continued, fishing under his cloak for a mute sphere.
"Oh . . . well, then let's-"
"Buddy, wait up!" A familiar ethnic voice called, dashing down the grand staircase. Buddy jolted towards the glass doors before Rikya or I could recognize his figure.
"Buddy?" I asked, loud enough to reach him.
As he pulled open the door, he flashed a glance over to us and nodded, shouting, "Something's going down in the infirmary! Gippal attacked Linera!" He sped out with that said; Shinzu slumped over his knees to catch his breath. He turned his head over to us, breathless.
"That mother-fucker can run! You guys coming?" He asked, panting with sweat moist at his hair line. I frowned, wondering how far up he had run from. The elevator was perfectly functional--maybe Buddy thought he could out-run it.
"Guess that answers your question," Rikya smirked with amusement, flapping open his cloak and returning the sphere somewhere beneath it again. I ignored Rikya and nodded enthusiastically towards Shinzu as he caught his breath, heading out the door quickly to catch up with his brother who had been long gone. I wanted to run, but Rikya apparently found it 'out-of-taste' to run when the situation would still be at bay by the time we got there.
So we walked. The infirmary wasn't too far a distance to travel and we had yet to discuss the sphere he had retrieved . . . so maybe that's why he wanted to stay behind. "Hmm," he pondered, "well isn't this night full of coincidences?"
"I'm beginning to think that my entire life is a coincidence," I replied with risen brows, a lack of bitterness in my voice.
He glanced at me and smiled as we walked between the busy workers and metal machina, heading down the bedraggled road. It was beautiful, and the buildings being constructed with a chrome glimmer were breath-taking, but what cities lack now is nature. The Zanarkand ruins have always been dead . . . but eternally alive with pyreflies aerial in the volar palm of time. You couldn't see the stars in Zanarkand or Guadosalam for that matter, and it . . . worried me. The air was crisp and chilly, but the drilling noises cinched our ears and helped us ignore the cold.
"Did you hear me?" Rikya asked, brushing the tip of his finger against my shivering chin, lifting it to see my teeth chatter. He frowned as I wrenched my chin out of his light grip, rubbing my arms against the wooly material of my long scarf. His brows furrowed and he attempted to take his cloak off for me, but I shook my head in irritancy.
"I don't need it; thanks," I assured, but as he readjusted his cloak, the sphere fell out and took a nasty tumble to the cement road, shattering in two.
"Shit," he muttered, stooping to pick it up hastily. He tried to connect the two together again, but slithers of it had fallen away and wouldn't work unless the sphere was whole again. "This is unfortunate," he sighed, sticking it back under his cloak as we approached the hospital steps.
"Well, you saw it already, right?" I asked, concerned.
"Yes, but who's to say I won't need it again?" Rikya said to no one in particular, swinging the door open for the both of us. I wasn't relishing in seeing Rikya have sex with a woman he didn't consider his true lover, so maybe it was for the better.
"Did I need to see it?" I questioned him, walking into the bright entrance of the infirmary. It was a small building, which had yet to be further constructed on, so it wouldn't be too difficult to find the room.
Rikya fell silent, head turned attentive to the right wing of the hospital. "Rikya?" I asked, stepping closer to his fading warmth. I looked into the direction he was leering at and widened my eyes to an irascible Marigold brewing a storm our way, eyes narrowed with a venomous glare at Rikya. Whoa, scary much?
"You, get out of here! You'll only aggravate the problem!" She barked, her voice itching from her usual calm words.
"I'm with the lover's girl," he protested in halcyon grievance, raising a thin brow.
Marigold whipped her head my way, I wincing from the animosity she was breathing. Her expression softened somewhat to seeing me, but her words were still tired. "What are you doing with this pig? Never mind it's none of my business, you seem to be the only one who can restrain him now. I wish you had come sooner," she urged, grabbing my wrist aggressively and leading--more like dragging--me down the path she had previously emerged. I shot Rikya a gall look for stalling with walking but followed Marigold regardless. It was like killing two birds with one stone.
"I shall wait for you, darling," Rikya dared call after us, unsure if he was saying it out of spite to Marigold or ironically to me. We darted down the white hallway; the bright, hospital lights blinding me so I had to rely on Marigold's lead. She kept quiet as we ran, head probably too full of worry to question me about Rikya and I was grateful for that. She stopped abruptly in front of a shut door, muffled screams echoing inside. Aphelia leaned against the opposite wall, tears streaming down her cinnamon skin. She was sniffling mucous and repeating in a low, vulnerable voice, "Please help her, it's not her fault."
"Inside Buddy and Shinzu are trying to restrain him on the bed, but he keeps on trying to attack Linera. She's huddled in a corner and refuses to move," Marigold told me, sea-blue eyes dark with a perturbed disposition.
"But . . ." I trailed off, face set in confused, atoned lines, "I don't know what I can do about it! I just came here to see Linera about my dress-spheres and every time Gippal and I get too close-"
"I know, and I'm sorry," she pleaded, grabbing ahold of my quivering shoulders, "but I believe you can help him! Shinra found a solution to help Gippal overcome the spirit, and what Gippal needs is you! We know he still loves you."
"Yeah, that's why he attacked Linera!" Aphelia shouted in a disturbed passion, fists shaking at her sides and tears dripping to the tiled floor like the slow beat of a drum. A nurse was trying to calm her or escort her away from the scene, but Aphelia continued to violently shrug her off.
"Calm down!" Marigold commanded, quickly glancing her way and back to me. "Love is powerful . . . if you don't go in there now; Gippal will be lost in his own void. Summon pleasant memories . . . anything to unleash the true beauty within," she compelled me, letting her tan hands fall away from my shoulders and stepping back to let me open the sturdy door. The faint screaming continued . . . and I had a feeling they didn't belong to Linera or the two brothers.
I gulped, nodding my condolences to Marigold and giving Aphelia a pitying look. She must really care for Linera, I thought in empathy, reaching for the handle and pushing the door open with sweaty palms.
"Rikku, get out of here, are you crazy?" Buddy demanded, muscles tensing as Gippal struggled savagely, thrashing against the bed. He restrained Gippal with all his might at his shoulder, thumping up randomly in compulsions. Shinzu had his legs stapled down with his own weight, so the middle was free to arch and bend as it pleased. I shot a glance at Linera, holding herself in a tight hug with silent tears and gasps being the only innocent sight and sound in the room. A lone finger traced the long, tan scar that lead from forehead to chin, tears gathering at her fingertip.
"Kad dra retauic pedlr yfyo vnus sa! Dyga dra ikmo fruna yfyo!" Gippal rasped and hollered, saliva dribbling down his tannish chin. At first I was offended and thought he was referring to me, but it was clear of whom he was spitting poison out. Linera sobbed loud, rocking herself into the corner.
"Why is he doing this?" I demanded, shouting over the insane screams.
"We don't know! They said Gippal flipped when Linera touched his eye patch or some shit!" Shinzu replied, barely audible. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate. Rikya said that the eidolon chose me because Gippal chose me . . . so does that mean he'll reject every other woman tossed his way? Linera must've said something else as well, but I think I knew what to do. His blind eye . . . I still felt guilty about it. I didn't mean to punch him that hard, or know that it could blind him! I can't believe I nearly blinded my best friend . . . no matter what happens, he'll always be with me . . .
"Gippal, stop!" I rose against his voice, stomping towards his side. The screaming ceased, but only momentarily before he began repeating those hurtful words again, body twisting about and making it increasingly difficult for Buddy and Shinzu to keep a good grip-hold on him. Buddy shouted something at me, but I couldn't hear him. Gippal only mattered at that blind moment.
I slapped him swiftly across the face, my hand red and tingling as I cupped the cheek I had just slapped, blooming pink. That caught his voice in his throat. He stared at me . . . no longer there. Gippal was screaming for help, but the eidolon was becoming him. He looked confused, but the demonic spirit was still there, looming below me.
"Remember the day you were picking a fight with Rikya, back at home?" I asked, voice croaked with a lilting lore. He didn't reply, though it seemed like he wanted to. His mouth gaped open and closed, repeating that pattern until I continued, "I'm sorry I nearly blinded you . . . and I'm sorry for . . . well, a lot of things." A single hot tear found its way down my jaw line, scorching a path along my blushing skin. Gippal mouthed three words, so clear but I couldn't focus. "That day in the Macalania Woods . . . I was afraid. I didn't want you to feel hurt or guilty if I died, and I know it was a stupid decision, but even then . . . I . . . did you mean it? What you said when I hit you?"
Gippal's chin, pale and sticky with saliva, shuddered. "WHORE!" He shouted, trying to resurface his true self. "I . . . NO ONE BUT HER . . . I meant it . . . I . . . she . . . CMED RAN DRNUYD! Rikku . . . I've always . . . I've always . . . loved you . . . muja ec vun dra fayg! . . . don't go away! I love you more than anything! Oh Gods, nobody but you," he swore, wild, passionate eyes drawing me in. Gippal's body lurched towards me, a strength too crucial and salient to be kept at bay. Buddy and Shinzu toppled to the wooden paneled floor as Gippal jumped on me, slamming me down on the floor with his weight full on. I barely missed the sharp corner of a side table when I landed, head bouncing with the impact. I was numb by the time I realized that the eidolon had faded again, Gippal's true self pale but real and finally . . . there. He was panting with sweat dripping from his lips and palms along my chest and skin, heart still with the sudden shock. The room was filled with breathless pants and Linera's pathetic sobbing when I finally came to my senses.
"Thank you," Gippal whispered, twitching against me serenely. My whole world felt whole and placid as he stared up at me with his bright, emerald eyes, ringed with a sickly violet discoloring. His golden tan was returning, platinum, spiked hair muzzled and eye patch crooked, but it didn't matter. He was valiant and beautiful in my eyes, and staring into his . . . I knew he felt the same. He crawled up my body, slick from his sweat, and met my mouth with after lacing our fingers together, hands pressed together at either side of my head. This was our first real kiss since the day before he left for the Crimson Squad. Our mouths mashed together softly until it became harsh and desperate, tongues sliding together like dehydrated worms trying to knot a lock with one another; never letting go. He forced himself to pull back when he felt it become to risky, that he'd summon the eidolon, but the incubus within him was hushed and quiescent.
Gippal rested his forehead between my moist breasts, chest rising from lust thick in the air. I closed my eyes and imagined a perfect world, where Gippal and I could be happy, but all I saw were stars. But then . . . the stars faded. Where were all the stars going? I could feel the presence of a hurt soul, but it wasn't Gippal's or mine. It stood above us; ridden by its own angst and infatuation for an adept revenge, looming . . . I saw silver. My dress-sphere's weapons, curved and somehow . . . dastardly.
"You'll regret this," a pent voice hissed through squared teeth, raising the blades high above Gippal's hoarse body before driving them into what seemed her own downward spiral.
oooooooooooooooooooo
A/N: You know the part where Gippal seems like her has tourette's syndrome? Yeah, that really reminded me of Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo. XD Wow, I ruined that mood for you, huh? Where to begin . . . well, I wanted to post this around the election but laziness got the better of me. So, I hope this cheered you up if you're depressed that Bush won or to help you celebrate because you're happy about it! Didn't that election go by fast? For Halloween, I went to a friend's party and had some fun, but I forgot to watch Young Frankenstein or The Nightmare Before Christmas that night! Weep uu. Any who, thank you very many for the reviews you've all given me! You guys are too kind, and you even read these author's notes! I used to write Harry Potter fics, so I'm pretty accustomed to, "Nice story update now bye," reviews. To answer a few direct questions: I've been writing since I first learned how to complete literate sentences and have been progressing since. I'm sort of at my prime now, but I know I have much to improve on and can't wait until I'm completely satisfied with my work. I insert a lot of myself into all of my stories, but I really try to keep Rikku on character. One thing, though, is that I don't mind as much about cities corrupting the environment as much as it may seem. I mean I'm well concerned, but I still try and give Rikku her own personality . Oh, and to Kouyukki who said she has my chapters on her computer and has read them about five times . . . holy crap! OO lol, That's gonna make it difficult for me, 'cause you'll most likely know what information I've left out and what hasn't been explained! Hopefully I'll catch that, though! You all seem to be pretty familiar with the whole computer situation, and I'd like to thank you all again for being concerned with what's going on in the author's notes! Brings a wee tear to my eye . . . if any of you have any questions concerning the story, myself, etc, feel free to ask!
Onto this chapter . . . I promise things'll start making even more sense soon. Am I rushing it? Going at a pretty good pace? Still confused? I'm always open at my email address (in my profile; won't allow me to restate it here) and I love the feedback and reviews! They're like gifts to me. XD See you in Chapter 8!