Whoa...another chap....thumbs up for the swed!
The chapters keep getting shorter and shorter....this is the shortest chapter I've ever put up and i PROMISE you that I will make the following chapter longer than this.....
Well....I guess it took some time for me to get this one up, but it's all because of some personal problems, some stuff that happened at a party last weekend...and you all know how bad a party can turn out for ya, huh? AND I do have a life to live by....
Anyways, I was sitting here, trying to figure out what to do....and then I realized; I had to put up the next chapter for my story! Well, here it is, and to all you reviewers; thank you so much for all yous kind words! Tack så mycket för era shyssta ord!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything that may be mentioned, shown or heard in published books, movies or games....
Rikku POV
I was really scared when I fell of the ladder, I thought I was gonna die. But then Gippal caught me, and he nearly fell off himself, but he risked his life to save me. Of course, when we were back on the deck he teased me and said it was only because Yuna and pops would kick his ass if something happened to me. But I didn't care; I'm over him, right?
Sigh…I have to admit, I liked what we had before he left for the Crimson squad, I just don't understand why he couldn't just drop that and come with me on the salvage ship instead! But nooooo, he had to be all macho and go try to save Spira by becoming some sort of crusader!
Not that I feel anything for him now…not much…
But…I guess I DO feel kinda lonely, and that Narroj is kind of cute! So maybe, just maybe I don't have to be alone anymore…
Normal POV
The airship had gotten a few hits from the rocks, but it was pretty intact. They had to land in the Calm lands though for maintenance. Everything was quiet. Rikku, Narroj, Raze and a couple of others were sitting in one of the cabins. The Priceless had three different cabins; they were all just as big as the cabin on the Celsius, there were a couple of small rooms as well. Gippal had gone to report to the league, even though he complained about the work and the lack of salvaged machina; he always seemed to work professional. He didn't have a choice but to keep working for the League anyway, because when Paine gave him that sphere and he accepted the job, the sphere had scanned his fingerprints and the League held them as if he had signed a contract or something.
Rikku started to feel uncomfortable with the silence and decided to break it; she turned to Raze who was sitting on a couch in a corner.
"So what's your story?" She asked him.
Raze looked at her, surprised.
"What?" He said.
"You know," Rikku said and shrugged. "How'd you end up in Macalania, and what do you remember before it…you said you lost your memory, right?"
Raze looked at her, and nodded.
"I woke up near these plains," He said. "On a shore, in the far west. I walked for two days until I saw the city you refer to as Bevelle; I could see that I would not be able to go there unless I walked through the forest first; but when I got there, I noticed something was wrong. The woods were dying, I could feel it. I don't know how, but somehow I felt the reason, and walked in the direction of the frozen lake, without knowing what I would find. I followed the road that led to the temple, and as I strode inside I noticed it was empty, abandoned. I decided to spend the night there, but in the middle of my rest; I felt the ground tremble, and then there was this cracking sound, and then the temple fell through the ice and to the bottom of the lake. And that's where I've been the last three years."
"Couldn't you find a way to climb the walls with those pikes?" Rikku asked and pointed at the pikes and claws on Raze's boots and armguards.
"I didn't see the point with leaving." Raze said. "I didn't know where I came from, or where I would go, so I decided to wait out my 'amnesia', and remain there until I regained my memory."
"Did it work?" Rikku asked, although she thought she already knew the answer.
"No." Raze said.
They were quiet for a while, but then Rikku spoke.
"It was kind of usual back then, to lose your memory." She said as she thought back about Sin, and the effects the toxin had on people." But no one I know has been left without memory for three whole years."
Raze didn't say anything.
Suddenly, Gippal walked into the room.
"Okay everybody," He said. "I just got the report from the maintenance team and they said we will be able to take off in about twenty four hours!"
"Twenty four hours!?" Rikku shouted in disbelief and stood up. "What the hell are we supposed to do for twenty four hours!?"
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Cid's girl," Gippal said sarcastically and place a hand on his chest. "I'm sorry for not having a playroom here for you to kill time with, but we usually don't have little kids onboard." He grinned his cocky grin as Rikku stalked over to him.
"I'm NOT a little kid!" She yelled and jabbed him in his chest with her finger. "I'm eighteen, only ONE year younger than you!"
"Well, you sure don't act like it," Gippal said bent over so he came face to face with Rikku. "Cid's LITTLE girl."
Rikku punched his shoulder and just glared at him, he just grinned back at her.
Raze got to his feet and said "I'll be at the deck." And then he walked past Rikku and Gippal.
Gippal followed Raze with his eyes as he left the room, he then turned back to Rikku's furious face and said "So what are we gonna do, you think?"
"About what?" Rikku spat.
"About him." Gippal jerked his head towards the door. "It's dangerous for him to just go out in the world again."
Rikku sighed. "Yeah, but he has to decide for himself."
"How about giving him a job?"
Gippal turned around to see Bee standing in the doorway.
"A job?" Gippal said and chuckled as if it was a joke. "If he ever knew anything about machina, he probably has forgotten it now."
"Don't be so sure," Said Bee and walked over to him. "He did remember his own name, and how to cast very strong spells."
Gippal just stared at her.
"Put him on a test, and see what he can do." Bee said and took a seat at the bar.
Gippal just snorted and said "Fine." Then he disappeared out in the hallway.
Rikku sat down next to Bee and let out all the anger she had kept bottled up for the last seconds.
"Oooooh, he can be SO arrogant!" She said and slammed her fist on the counter. "That jerk!"
Bee just laughed.
"What?" Rikku said and turned to face her.
Bee shook her head as she continued to laugh.
"It's just…" She panted a little. "You're the only girl I know except for myself, that doesn't totally melt when Gippal smile."
Rikku grunted and ordered a beer. "I can't believe girls actually fall for that player."
Bee suddenly stopped laughing, and instead she eyed Rikku with a smile.
"Oh, now I understand!" She said.
"What?" Rikku said taking a sip of her beer.
"You two used to be a couple!" Rikku turned her head to face her so quickly she could have gotten a whiplash.
"What!?" She yelled.
"I probably should have known already, but I didn't grow up in Home," Be continued. "Or maybe you two had some kind of secret relationship?"
Rikku opened and closed her mouth several times but she couldn't say anything. She didn't know why this statement had made her so upset, she did use to have a relationship with Gippal, and a lot of people knew about it, so why did she act as if she just got caught with her hand in the cookie-jar?
"W-well…" She managed to say after turning away from Bee's grinning face. "We did have a relationship, but-"
"So you're jealous?" Bee interrupted.
"What!?" Rikku yelled for the third time as she sat upright. "Jealous!? About what!?"
Bee sniggered. "About the fact that he's been with so many different women."
"Hey!" Rikku jumped off of her chair and pointed a finger at Bee. "I am NOT jealous!" And with that statement, she walked away. Bee smiled and took a sip of the beer that Rikku had left on the counter.
"I bet they made 'quite the couple'." She said and sniggered.
"You wanted to see me?" Raze said as he walked inside a small workshop.
"Yeah." Said Gippal and walked over to him, arms behind his back. "After you left, we had a little chat about you, and we thought that it might be best that you stick with us from now on."
"And why is that?" Raze asked.
"Well," Gippal said and scratched the back of his head. "Since you know practically nothing about Spira or yourself, I thought I'd offer you a job."
Raze was quiet for a while, but then he said "What kind of job?"
Gippal grinned and walked behind a table packed with machina parts.
"Do you know anything about machina?" He asked as he turned his face to Raze.
"For some reason, yes." Raze answered.
"Good." Gippal said and walked over to him again. "I'll be back in two hours, until then," He gestured towards the table with all the machina parts. "Try to make something out of this." He walked out of the room and the door closed behind him.
Raze walked over to the table, he notice the box with all the tools on the floor. He took a piece of machina and a screwdriver. He looked at the piece of machina in his hand, and then he got to work.
Rikku was furious. Jealous? Why did Bee think she was Jealous? She strode along the corridors for a while, but then she decided to go up onto the deck to get some air.
As she got there, she put her arms on the railing and sighed. She looked out over the Calm lands, she could faintly see Clasko's Chocobo ranch. It was getting dark.
"Stupid Gippal…" She muttered. She probably would have been back together with him, if it wasn't for the fact that she heard he had been kind of wild with numerous girls. Sure, it was only rumors, but these kinds of rumors always tend to be true, and he had always been a player back at Home. But Gippal wasn't the only one who had betrayed someone; after the calm came and Rikku had set out to teach the people of Spira more about machina, she had been in a relationship with a guy, there hadn't been any sex or anything like that, Rikku was actually still a virgin. Even if it hadn't been serious it was still a relationship. So when she met Gippal again that day outside Djose temple she acted as if the two of them never even had been a couple. A little cold, yes, but then again, Gippal had acted the same.
Rikku found herself thinking back on all the fun times the two of them had shared. Like when they stole all the beer from the kitchen, or when Rikku had been in such desperate need of a pet that she dragged Gippal along inside a cave and found a baby Malboro, but then…
"Don't think about that!" Rikku told herself as she felt regret about what had happened that day.
"You okay?" A voice asked.
Rikku turned around and found herself staring into the calm face of Narroj, she hadn't heard the air lock open so she was kind of surprised.
"Gippal been teasing you again?" Narroj asked staring into Rikku's emerald eyes.
Rikku hesitated, but then she turned away and nodded, "Yeah, kind of…"
"Don't let it get to ya," Narroj said as he leaned forward over the railing to look her in the face. "He's just being a jerk." He smiled at her, and Rikku smiled back.
"Thanks Narroj." Rikku said.
Narroj just smiled and said "Well I…I have to get back to work." And then he strode of towards the air lock.
"Okay." Rikku said.
Narroj grinned as he walked back inside, then he spoke quietly to himself.
"Yep, she's mine," He said. "I just can't lose."
After two hours Gippal strode back to the workshop in which he had left Raze. It was getting late and everybody except the maintenance team was going to bed. Gippal walked inside the workshop and said, "Alright buddy, times up and-" He broke off as he saw that every single piece of machina that had been lying on the table were now apart of something moving, something spinning, something making a sound, or something with lights. Raze had used every single part and built a whole bunch of small machinas. Gippal's mouth fell open as he stared at Raze sitting in a corner with his head back as he was adjusting the last screw on what seemed to be a machina spider.
"You're three minutes late." He stated and put the spider down; it immediately started walking around the floor. Gippal quickly closed his mouth and tried to figure out what to say, in the end he choose to state the obvious.
"You're hired." He said. "Welcome to the Machine faction!"
Raze stood up, and then he just walked past Gippal and out in the corridor. Gippal stared after him as he left.
"Definitely gonna take some time to figure that guy out." He thought as he decided to walk back to his private cabin.
"What!?" Rikku yelled. "Whaddaya mean 'all the beds are take'?"
"All the beds and couches in this cabin are already occupied." The woman in the bar said. "Go check in the other cabins if they have some empty space for you to sleep at."
"But I just came from the other cabins!" Rikku whined. "They're full as well!"
"Well then there's really nothing I can do, I'm sorry."
"Poopie…" Rikku said as she walked out of the cabin.
As she strode up the corridor, trying to figure out where to sleep, she saw someone ahead of hear, someone with spiky blonde hair.
"Gippal!" She yelled and ran over to him.
Gippal turned around. "Hey, Cid's girl." He said lazily and grinned.
"My name's Rikku!" Rikku pouted. "And there are no beds left; I don't know where to sleep."
Gippal sighed, but then he smiled and said, "Don't worry; I've prepared a special private cabin for you."
"Really?" Rikku asked excitedly. "Where?"
"Right over here." He gestured over to a door not too far away from him. He walked over to it and the opened the door, Rikku followed him giggling gleefully. Funny how a person's mood can change within only a couple of hours, at first Rikku had been really pissed off with Gippal, but now she was all happy-go-get-them again.
She ran inside the room after Gippal an saw something that looked like a cozy bedroom. In the far end of the room there was an oversized double-bed with bedside-tables on both sides. At the right side there was a couch and a table, and the wall to the left was covered in a big banner with the Machine faction's sigil. Rikku looked around the room and smiled, but then something struck her mind and she became a little suspicious.
"Sleep tight princess." Gippal said and turned to leave.
"Gippal, wait." Rikku said and turned around. Gippal turned to look at her.
"What is this room?" She asked and gestured around the room.
Gippal's eyes widened and he shrugged. "A bedroom?" He said.
"That's not what I meant," Rikku said and looked at him. "How come I get to sleep in such luxury while everyone else has to cram themselves onto couches and chairs to sleep?"
Gippal didn't say anything.
"Who used to sleep here before I came?" Rikku asked and looked at him seriously. "Because I don't want to steal someone else's bed while they're sleeping on a cold floor or something!"
"Don't worry about it." Gippal said. "The owner of the room won't be getting any sleep tonight anyway."
"Whose room is this Gippal?" Rikku asked and walked up to him with a pleading look on her face. "Tell me! Please? Otherwise I'm gonna feel bad about taking someone else's bed!"
"Okay, okay, it's my room alright?" Gippal said and held his hands up in defense.
Rikku was stunned.
"Your room?"
"Yup, my room." Gippal said.
"But…where are you gonna sleep?" Rikku asked anxiously.
"Like I said," Gippal said. "I'm not gonna be getting any sleep tonight."
"But…you're exhausted." Rikku said as she noticed the bags under his eye.
"So are you." Gippal stated. "And since I'm more used to it, I'm letting you have my bed.
Rikku looked back at the bed. This wasn't right, a bed is a sacred place, she thought, a sanctuary, and there was no way she could get any sleep knowing that Gippal would be awake and tired. Then she came up with an idea.
"Good night." Gippal said and made a move to leave, but Rikku grabbed his arm and said "You're not going anywhere." She pulled him back inside the room and pushed him over to the bed.
"What now Cid's girl?" He said in a bored tone.
"We'll be sleeping in the same bed tonight." Rikku said firmly.
Gippal stared at her, and when he opened his mouth to say something Rikku cut him off.
"Don't be getting any ideas mister." She said. "It's just because you're exhausted and you deserve to sleep."
"This is not really a good idea princess." Gippal said and tried to get past her but she pushed him onto the bed and said "You want me to sleep Right? But since I can't sleep knowing that you will be awake all night because I'm taking up your bed!"
"What if I said I was going to go help the maintenance team, even if you didn't sleep in my bed?" Gippal said and stood up again, but Rikku pushed him back onto the bed and this time she jumped on top of him and pinned him down, he didn't resist thought.
"Nice try mister," Rikku hissed. "But you're going to sleep right here next to me, and if you do anything like trying to get up, or touching me without my approval I'll kick your sorry ass, understood?"
Gippal just stared at her, but then he grinned and said "Yes your highness."
"Good," Rikku said and got off of him. "Now take of that stupid collar of yours, and the boots too." She ordered him.
Gippal sniggered, but he did as he was told.
Rikku took of her shoes and her scarf before sliding under the blanket, she patted the left side of the bed as a signal for Gippal to go to bed. Gippal sighed heavily as creped into bed and lay onto his back next to Rikku.
Rikku turned off the light and turned her back to Gippal as she cheerfully said "Goodnight Gip."
"Goodnight," Gippal said. "Cid's girl."
Rikku whacked him with a pillow.
Gippal opened his eyes; it was dark in the room. He could her Rikku breathing heavily next to him.
"Good, she's asleep." He thought. "Might as well go help the guys in the engine room and maybe we will be off earlier."
He tried to sit up, but something held him down; he looked to his side and noticed Rikku was clinging onto his arm. He sniggered and tried to make her release his arm without waking her up, but Rikku wouldn't let go. She held onto his arm as if Gippal was her precious teddy bear.
"Now what?" Gippal said quietly and silently fell back onto the bed.
Suddenly Rikku loosened her grip on him and Gippal thought he was free, but before he could move Rikku had cuddled up close to him as he was lying there on his back; she hugged him around his waist and rested her head on his chest.
"Not good!" Gippal thought.
"Hmn…Gippal…" Rikku muttered in her sleep.
"Geez, now she's having nightmares about me too." Gippal snorted.
"Why'd you leave me?" Rikku muttered, still in her sleep, Gippal turned his head swiftly towards her. "I've been watching the stars every night…" Rikku said.
Gippal just stared at her, but then he smiled and whispered "I watched them too, every single night."
Rikku smiled and cuddled up closer to him. "I'm glad to hear it."
Gippal sighed. "I have to go." He whispered in her ear, but when he tried to slink away from her she squealed "No! Don't leave me alone again!" She hugged him so tight around his waist he could hardly breathe.
"Ugh! Rikku!" Gippal managed to say from his attempts to catch his breath.
Rikku suddenly let go of him and twisted around so that her back was facing him. Gippal was breathing heavily, trying to regain his breath, both from Rikku's tight hug, and for what she had said. He just sat there, looking at her. Had she really missed him that much when he was gone? Or was it just one of her far too weird dreams? Gippal thought that the best thing he could do was to get out of the room and get back to work. He grabbed his shoulder collar and his boots, figured it would be safer to put them on outside. He sneaked incredibly quiet through the room, but when he was about to press the button on the wall to open the door, the lights went on. He hurled around and saw Rikku half sitting, half lying in bed, her hand at the light on/off button next to the bed, and her eyes glaring at Gippal.
"What do you think you're up to?" She asked and slightly raised her eyebrows.
"Uh…I uhm…" Gippal tried to make a good excuse. "I thought I'd slept enough to start working." He shrugged his shoulders slightly.
"It's two AM in the morning," Rikku stated. "We've only been asleep for three hours."
"Shit…she got me…" Gippal thought, but then he said "Look, I've had enough sleep, and if I go help the workers we might-"
"Get back to sleep right now or I'm gonna kick your ass so hard you'll be the first one on the Fareplane in need of a wheelchair!" Rikku said calmly.
Gippal just stared at her.
"Do you…remember what you said before you I got up?" Gippal said and narrowed his eye.
"What do you mean?" Rikku asked. "I talked in my sleep?"
"Never mind." Gippal said and waved his hand around. "You don't wanna know."
"Tell me," Rikku said and sat cross legged on the bed. "And I'll tell you if I wanna hear it or not."
"If you let me get back to work I'll tell you." Gippal said and grinned his cocky smile.
"No! You need to sleep." Rikku stated.
"Then I won't tell you." Gippal said as he leaned against the wall.
Rikku pouted and looked at him with her puppy-dog-eyes.
"Please?" She said quietly.
"Shit…" Gippal said and turned around.
"Hah!" Rikku thought. "He can't resist the puppy eyes! Oh I'm SO good! Hehehe!"
"Come on Gip!" She pleaded. "What is it that I don't wanna hear?"
"Let's just say it's something you would never hear the end of if someone found out." Gippal said as he turned around with an evil smile. He had just figured something out. "If I tell you about it, then I'll be able to tease you about it for weeks."
Rikku suddenly looked terrified. "Okay," She said quickly. "Never mind then!"
"So I can get to work?" Gippal asked.
"No, get back to sleep." Rikku said as she slipped under the covers again.
"Okay, then I'll just tell you and start teasing you about what you said." Gippal said
"What if I say I don't care if you tell me or not?" Rikku said and smiled coldly.
Gippal opened his mouth to say something, but he lost his words somehow. He sighed and said "Are you that desperate to get me in bed?"
"I thought I told you not to get any ideas!" Rikku said and stared at him. "Come on." She said and patted the bedside next to her.
Gippal sighed once again; he dumped his stuff on the floor and walked over to the bed.
"Good boy!" Rikku said and smiled broadly. "Now be sure to sleep longer this time!"
"Yes mother." Gippal said sarcastically.
(A/N) Well...atleast I managed to get a small fluff in there.....I should probably tell you...there will be more fluffs....but since I've planned to make this a long story I won't make to many obvious fluffs....just accidents, like the one in this chap, and maybe in a flashback or something....
So, what do you guys think of the new characters? I know a couple of you have started to like Raze...when I made him up, I thought of him as a mixture between Auron, Vincent, and Arnold Swarzhnegger (spelling?) You won't see too much of Arnold in him now thought, but wait a couple of chapters and you'll see what I mean...
And that Narroj...ugh, what is he plotting? I seems like he's having a thing about Rikku, and what's worse; Rikku seems to have a thing about him! Oh this is soNOT good!
Please, please, please, please PLEASE review! I'm begging ye! Do I have to say it in swedish or something!? I could say it in french if that would make ya'll melt up!
