Tonight's daily update!!!! :) I enjoy this chapter a lot and I hope you do as well!!! Oh, by the way, I started school again today (boooooooooo!) so after posting this fic, I probably won't post for a while. Well, I guess the school thing isn't the only reason...I'm going to be spending some quality bonding time with Remembering Rachel. I have a feeling that's going to be a LOOOOOONG fic...but it's okay. I love Locke, so it's all good. Okay, back onto this fic...I really like the last part...it makes me giggle. AND I WANT RIKKU'S SLIPPERS!!!!! Anyhoo...please read and review!! (thanks for all the wonderful reviews so far!)
7. Rikku's Next Move
Tidus walked back into the hotel with Rikku, both of them sopping wet. Rikku came back into consciousness when Tidus safely brought her out of the water, but their nice dress clothes were now dripping water everywhere. On the way to the to hotel, Rikku explained to Tidus how she saw the Rikku Clone speaking to Gippal at the restaurant, and Tidus suggested that they should go talk to him about it. The bellboys and clerks gave them suspicious looks as they trudged in, leaving a water trail behind them. Tidus and Rikku both smiled and waved, leaving the hotel staff even more bewildered.
They took the lift up to the second floor, and they were silent the entire way. Tidus didn't know what to say because he knew Rikku was deep in thought about the girl that they just saw. Now that I've seen her up close, I know that she doesn't just look at me…she is me…The lift stopped, and when they stepped off, they saw Yuna in the hallway.
"What…What happened?" She asked frantically as she walked over to them as fast as her body would let her.
"Got wet," Rikku said simply with a shrug.
"Um, I see that," Yuna replied as she touched Tidus' shirt. "Dare I ask how?"
"We went swimming," Tidus said as Yuna raised an eyebrow.
"Well, that wasn't very intelligent," she stated as she placed her hands on her back to support herself. "The water is probably filthy."
"Yeah, it doesn't taste all that great either," Rikku replied as she wrung out the water from her hair.
"Okay, well, why don't you guys change out of your wet clothes and then tell me what really happened," Yuna said as she directed them to their rooms.
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Ten minutes later, Rikku was in Tidus and Yuna's suite, sitting on the bed with them as she and Tidus explained what happened to Yuna. Rikku was in her moogle print pajama bottoms and matching moogle slippers, her "Al Bhed Princess" shirt, and her wet hair wrapped up in a towel as she excitedly told the details.
"So here we were, having a nice bonding talk, then this girl calls out Gippal's name," Rikku started, her eyes wide. "We didn't know who it was, and then she taps us on the shoulder. We looked at her and BOOM! I felt like I was looking into a freaking mirror!"
"We were looking straight at Rikku!" Tidus said, causing Yuna to put her hands up.
"Wait a second here, I thought that Rikku was sitting next to you, Ti," she said as Rikku and Tidus both nodded.
"I was sitting next to him, that's what makes this all so weird!" Rikku said as Yuna narrowed her eyes. "So then I fainted and made a nice swan dive into the water."
"I gave it about a 7.4." Tidus just had to put in his two gil statement as Yuna chuckled. "So I, of course, had to be the hero and jump in after her so she wouldn't drown."
"Well, that's very sweet of you," Yuna said as she leaned over and kissed Tidus on the cheek. "It's nice to know that I have a benevolent husband."
"So, now the real question," Rikku said as she started to play with the red pompom that grew from the head of one of her moogle slippers, growing serious. "What is it? What is this thing that has my body and face?"
"I think that's a question that you'll have to bring up to Gippal," Yuna said as she placed her hand in Tidus'. "You did say that the Rikku Clone spoke to him at the restaurant, and he wasn't too shocked by it. I think if he was surprised, he would've come back to the table and brought it to our attention."
"True. I mean, I was sitting next to him at dinner," Rikku said as she put her elbow on her knee and rested her chin in her hand. "I think he would've noticed that it wasn't me because according to him, I hadn't left the table."
"Gippal is having a meeting with Nooj and Baralai right now, so I'm not sure when they'll be back," Yuna stated as she put her hand on her stomach. "Ooh."
"What?" Tidus asked as worry washed over his face.
"It kicked." Yuna said as Tidus' expression changed to joy. Rikku squealed as she flopped on her stomach and placed her hand on Yuna's pregnant belly.
"Meeh, I don't feel anything," she whined as she moved her hand around. "Come on, my love! Auntie Rikku wants you to kick!"
"I'm sure that once Gippal gets out of the meeting, he'll want to look for the Rikku Clone so she doesn't run into anyone else," Tidus pointed out as Rikku frowned. "He'll probably want to keep a close eye on her and keep her in his hotel room."
"Man, but that could take all night." Rikku gave up with the baby and sat back up. "This is going to bother me. I don't like the feeling that something has my face out there."
"Try having an imposter give her own concert," Yuna snorted as she thought of Leblanc's debacle that she pulled off. "Hey, where's Leblanc? Maybe she got into your dresspheres. She likes to do that."
"Nah, I think I'll spare myself by having to talk to her," Rikku said as she giggled. "Besides, she was wearing normal Rikku clothes, not Rikku dressphere clothes."
"Should we tell anyone else about this?" Tidus asked, rubbing his wife's stomach. "I mean, if they run into her, they're probably just going to be as confused as Rikku and I were."
"Hold it!" Rikku exclaimed as a thought exploded in her head. "Baralai and Paine were acting as if they already saw me earlier today, when I actually didn't see them. The other me must've seen them, so they thought that I was the other me, but the other me isn't me, it's something else and—Wow, I'm giving myself a major complex here."
"What you're trying to say is that they won't know the difference between you and the Rikku that looks like you," Yuna said as Rikku nodded. Tidus looked at Yuna in amazement that she made sense out of Rikku's babbling, so Yuna simply added, "I have my degree in Rikku-Speak."
"It's a wonderful language," Rikku said proudly.
"She didn't seem dangerous, so I'm not putting her in the 'Deadly Threat to Society' column just yet," Tidus stated. "However, I don't think that we should take any chances."
"Well, I would go out looking for me, but I'm already in my fun moogle pajamas. Not to mention that my pops just bought me these slippers, and I don't think they would do too well on cobblestone." Rikku stood up and looked at her state of dress. "I guess I could change, but I don't want to faint again if I see myself."
"Maybe we should find out what she is first," Tidus said as he stood up as well. "That way we know what we're dealing with."
"Do you think maybe we're all under a spell and we fall asleep and dream of her?" Rikku questioned. She knew she was reaching, but she felt that a wacky comment was needed at the moment.
"Dreams can be real though." Yuna replied as she pointed to Tidus, who flashed her a smile.
"Very cute, Yunie." Rikku couldn't help but roll her eyes and smile. "I know that Gippal is behind this, so I guess I need to wait and speak to him. However, I'm as curious as a squatter monkey around tourists right now, so I'm going to go look for her."
"If you want to go find out who this thing is, I'll go with you," Tidus said as Rikku shook her head.
"Thanks for the offer, but I think I need to go battle myself by myself. Hey, it's kinda like an internal conflict gone external! Anyway, I'll let you stay with Yunie," Rikku said as she took off the towel that was on her hair. "I'm gonna go throw on my street clothes, grab a few dresspheres, and go find myself. I think I would feel more commander-y if I didn't have my feet in the tummies of two moogles."
"Good luck," Yuna said as Rikku left their room and walked to her own.
Rikku quickly ran to her suitcases and dug through one until she found a box on the bottom of one. She lifted it out and took off the lid. An excited giggle escaped her lips as she looked at the multishaped garment grids and the orange colored dresspheres. When Shinra came up with the dressphere concept, he color coded them so Yuna, Rikku, and Paine could keep track of their own and not get them mixed up because they wore different sizes. Yuna's were pink, Rikku's were orange, and Paine's were purple. She clicked her Highroad Winds garment grid onto her moogle pants and clicked her Thief Dressphere into one of the spots. She felt herself being lifted up and surrounded in a mystical light, changing her into her yellow bikini and short greenish brown skirt. Her thief daggers were placed in her hands and she looked at them.
"Hello, my sharp pointy friends! How I've missed you!" She greeted them giddily as she placed them back in the holsters. She couldn't help but strike a pose in front of the mirror as she looked at herself. Knowing she hadn't touched her garment grids or dresspheres since the whole Shuyin thing, it felt pretty damn good to be a thief again. Although she carried a few garment grids and a few of her fully mastered dresspheres with her at all times in case of an emergency, she never got the opportunity to use them. Until now! She thought as she continued to look at her reflection. "Whoo! I feel like a Gullwing again! If I had my own theme song, it would be playing right about now!"
She hopped out of her room and locked her door behind her as she hummed her own theme music. She turned around and almost smacked into Paine, who was closely watching the young blonde girl.
"Hey, Paine!" She said as Paine eyed her suspiciously. "What?"
"Why are you in such a hurry?" She asked as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her eyes lingered at the garment grid that was attached to Rikku's hip and she pointed it. "Haven't seen those in a while. What's the occasion?"
"I'm going to look for a little bit of trouble," Rikku said as she curtsied. "Wanna come with?"
"What kind of trouble?" Paine asked, tilting her head up a little bit; proving to Rikku that she was clearly interested.
"To make a long story semi short," Rikku said as Paine nodded. "There's another me out there. I don't know what it is, I don't know how it got here, but I'm looking to find out."
"Hmm, two yous?" Paine said dryly. "I do believe that is the most frightening thought I could ever have."
"You in or not?" Rikku asked, trying to rush Paine's decision because she was ready to get out in the action again.
"In," Paine said as she led Rikku into her and Baralai's suite. She opened a suitcase and looked at her display of garment grids and purple colored dresspheres. "And here I thought I was the only one who carried around these."
"I'm pretty sure that Yunie carries hers around as well, although I don't think she would be able to use them while she's pregnant," Rikku stated as Paine clicked on her Flash of Steel garment grid and placed her Warrior Dressphere into one of the holes. Rikku watched in glee as the same mystical light that lifted up Rikku now lifted up Paine and brought her down in the leather belts and high heels that Rikku was so used to seeing her in. As a matter of fact, Rikku still found it odd to see Paine in anything else. "How do you feel?"
"Home," Paine said honestly as she inspected her sword. "Still sharp, that's a comfort."
"Ready?" Rikku asked as Paine nodded.
Then in unison, they shouted, "Let's do it!"
They looked at each other and pondered for a second.
"That's…not the same without Yunie, is it?" Rikku asked as Paine shook her head. "Oh well, come on."