A/N: This story was written just as an attempt to do something slightly out of the norm from the traditional pairings and occurrences of most fan fiction. Don't misunderstand – most of my favorite stories are traditional pairings, but once in a while it's fun to change things around a bit. Enjoy this twist of fate and remember, Square-Enix owns the characters and the characters own you… for life, yo. Word.
Light
Chapter Three – Golden
♥
CRASH! Pieces of shattered wood erupted in the air as the two made a rather ungraceful landing in a pile of old crates.
"R-Rikku?" Yuna called. She pulled a large piece of wood from on top of her and attempted to shakily stand up.
"Owwie…" Came a reply from nearby. "Today is the most uber-sucky day in the history of days. I officially proclaim it Supremely-Uber-Sucky Day."
"Is someone there?" Asked a male voice.
Rikku and Yuna peered out from the remnants of crates and were met by a pair of concerned brown eyes. "Good heavens. How did you get there?" The man rushed to the pile of rubble and helped the two to their feet. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, thank you." Yuna replied as she continued to dust herself off.
"Where did you come from?" The white and blue clad man inquired.
"Uhmm… Actually, we're from a place called Spira." Yuna began.
"I don't suppose you've heard of it?" Rikku added.
"No, I'm afraid not." The man replied. "Although, I'm not surprised that you're outsiders. This place is made up of almost nothing but." Suddenly, he snapped his fingers. "Perhaps Cid is acquainted with Spira. I'll find him right away." The man dashed inside a nearby building marked "Accessory Shop" with lightning speed.
Just as quickly, the peaceful silence was broken.
"WHAT THE &#(#& DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? WAKING A MAN UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT! WHY AREN'T YOU WATCHING MY & SHOP?"
"But Cid!"
"AND WHAT THE &#(#& WAS THAT RACKET OUTSIDE?"
"That's what I'm trying to explain to you, &#(#&! We've got company!"
"…Well confound-it, you don't have to be so mean about it. Where are they?"
"Outside…"
Soon, Yuna and Rikku could hear footsteps. The door to the Accessory Shop swung open, revealing a gruff-looking blonde man in a nightshirt and cap. He walked towards the two. "So… You must be the newcomers. Name's Cid."
"…Twin…" Rikku mumbled in disbelief.
"What's that?" Cid asked.
"Uhh… I'm Rikku, sir." She replied quickly. "And this is my cousin, Yuna."
Yuna bowed to him. "Nice to meet you, sir."
Cid scratched his chin for a moment, then broke out into laughter. "Ah, stop it with this 'sir' business. Just plain ol' 'Cid' will do. Come on inside and we'll get you warmed up."
As Rikku and Yuna entered the shop, Cid gave them a quick tour. "Here's the main part of the shop. We sell only the finest battle accessories and we've got millions of 'em." He explained, motioning towards row after row of glass cabinetry. "We also do synthesis, but that section's been moved across the way. Bought an ol' closed restaurant from a feller a few months ago and fixed it up. The moogles like it better."
"Moogles?" Yuna asked, surprised. In Spira, moogles had thought to be extinct for centuries and were now mostly thought of as fairy tale characters.
"'Course," Cid continued. "They're the foremost experts on synthesis. Anyway, now that they're in their own place, I've got the upper level sectioned out for me and a couple others." He led them up the ladder that led to the top level. When they reached the top, he continued the tour. "That there's my room, over there's George's – he's the fella you met downstairs, and that's my best mechanic's room – he off runnin' an errand for me, but you'll meet him eventually. He's kinda rough around the edges and doesn't smile too much, but I can tell he's just a softie inside. And last, but not least, here's where you'll be stayin'." He motioned towards a set of stairs that extended into a small room at the very top. "It's a bit small, but it's the best I can do for now."
"Thank you, Cid." Yuna replied.
"Ah, don't mention it. I've found that the best things come from experiences like these. Why, take my mechanic for instance. He's an outsider, too. Best damn genius I ever met. We're workin' on a way to extend world to world travel." The two stared blankly at him. "Ah… I'll explain it all later. In the meantime, get some rest. Tomorrow I wanna hear all about your home world. And maybe we can figure out some odd jobs you can do, too."
♥
The next morning, Yuna awoke to find a pair of light-colored jeans and a dark pink tank top at the foot of her bed. She glanced over to the bed next to her and found that draped over it were also a pair of clothes – an orange halter top and dark jean shorts. She looked down at her present set of clothes. Her gunner top was practically in shreds. It seemed that everything that connected her with Spira was becoming unraveled. But, being a determined optimist, she shook off the thought and changed into her new ensemble. Then she decided she should wake Rikku up.
"Rikku…" She shook her a few times.
"Unnngghhh… Brother… Knock it off…"
"Rikku!" Shake, shake, shake.
"Ahhh! Okay! Okay! I'm up! Geez…" Rikku sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Quickly, she caught sight of just how tattered her own outfit had become. "Aaaawww… not my favorite one…"
"Hey, but look! Someone brought us new clothes." Yuna replied, handing her the shorts and top.
"Hmm…" Rikku looked them over a few times. "Good choice." As soon as she changed, the two girls made their way down the short stairs into the main part of the second floor. Cid and George's rooms were empty, but they could hear loud snoring from behind the closed third door. "Eh… Looks like the mechanic's back." Rikku offered with a shrug.
Downstairs, Cid greeted each of them with a plate of pancakes. As they sat on the black, leather seats across the way from a fireplace and ate, Cid informed them of their new jobs. "Seeing as we don't exactly have a way to get you two home just yet, you're welcome to stay here for as long as you need. But, while you're here, you gotta pull your weight."
"Sounds more than fair." Yuna agreed.
"Good," Cid replied. "Yuna, you'll be in charge of the shop from morning to late afternoon. George will take over then and cover part of the night until we close." Yuna nodded. "Rikku, you'll be assisting the moogles across the way. They can become a little testy at times, but don't let them give you any lip, got it?"
"Got it," Rikku agreed. "I've always wanted to try large-scale synthing." She added excitedly.
"Well, now that that's all settled, tell me about this world of yours."
So Yuna told him everything – about pilgrimages and the time of Sin, about the coming of the Eternal Calm and the rise of Vegnagun, and about the mysterious goings on at the Farplane. "And then we found ourselves on an island with a strange wooden door in a cave, and the next thing we knew-"
"We're zooming through the darkness and BOOM! Right into the wooden crates… owwie…" Rikku finished with emphasis.
"Y'know, I don't think I've ever heard of such a world before, but the name 'Spira' sounds familiar… But for the life of me, I can't figure out why. Must be gettin' old."
Upstairs, the three could hear a door opening and someone walking around.
"'Bout time that kid was up." Cid moved under the opening and called up. "Hey! We've got some visitors. Come down and meet them."
They heard a short grunt in reply.
"Tar-nation… I don't care if he don't like company, it's about time he started learnin' some manners." Cid quickly climbed upstairs and soon Yuna and Rikku could hear muffled arguing…
…which ended with Cid flinging the other person downstairs.
Yuna and Rikku sat perfectly frozen, eyes fixed on the person sprawled in their midst.
"Damnit, Cid, that hurt!"
They would know that voice anywhere, even when it lacked its usual cocky, warm tone.
Rikku found her voice first. "GIPPAL!" She and Yuna dashed off the couch and straight for the spikey-haired blonde. Gippal only had time to turn part of the way around before being pinned against the side of the counter by an orange and magenta blur.
"We thought you were dead…" Yuna forced out, clutching the Al Bhed tight.
Gippal had to blink a few times before he recognized the two figures clamped to him at either side, their warm tears streaming onto his neck, and embraced them back. "What are you two doing here?" He asked softly.
Cid climbed down and scratched his head at the sight. "What the…?"
Yuna looked up and smiled. "He's from Spira, too."
♥
It had been a tiring day. First finding out their long lost friend was still alive, then getting straight to work. Floods of customers came in for new accessories for their weapons. At first, Yuna's head was reeling from all the different types. Firaga, Thundaga, Blizzaga, Gaia, how can they keep all these bangles straight? By the end of the day, she was beginning to memorize the names and traits of each one. Thankfully, her customers were patient with her. Many of them had been in her shoes – completely new and unaccustomed to the innovations of the world of Traverse Town. When her shift was over, Yuna gladly hung up her apron and stepped outside for some fresh air. The sun was just starting to dip in the sky.
Meanwhile, to say Rikku was elated would have been the understatement of the year. She quickly learned the names of all the synthing materials and was easily picking up the basics of synthesis. When the moogles decided she was ready for her first synth job, she nearly bounced out of her skin waiting for her first customer. Finally, a man came in asking for a Ribbon.
"YES, SIR!" She squealed excitedly. After taking the ingredients and putting them in their proper places in the machine, she flipped a large switch and in a matter of seconds, the Ribbon was complete. She shined it up and handed it to the man. "There ya go!"
"Thank you," The man replied with a smile.
"No, THANK YOU!" She cried, waving and jumping around excitedly.
Needless to say, the man quickly departed.
"Kupo, we're glad you're so happy with your job, Kupo, but please don't scare the customers…"
Outside, Yuna had climbed up to the top of the shop's roof and was watching the sunset. She had her arms wrapped around her knees and every so often let her chin become buried between her knees as she became lost in thought.
She almost didn't hear someone come up behind her.
"Hey, you're in my spot."
"Wha?" She turned around to see Gippal, smirking down at her. He had been out of practice for a long time, but his cocky laugh and smile were quickly returning to him.
He shrugged and sat down next to her. "It's okay, I like to come up here, too."
"Hn.."
He glanced over to her. "Something on your mind? I mean, other than me, of course." He quickly added with a grin. Yep, it was definitely coming back to him now.
Yuna smiled and raised her eyes towards the sky. "I was just… thinking. I wish there was some way I could let everyone know I'm all right. They probably think Rikku and I are… dead…"
"Hn… Serves them right." Gippal replied bluntly.
"Don't say that." Yuna replied, turning to look at him.
"They depend on you two way too much. First Sin, then Vegnagun, and now the Farplane? They can't keep running to the saviors of Spira every time something tall, dark, and ugly rears its face." He paused for a moment. "It's worse for you than it is Rikku."
"I don't mind it, really…" She mumbled, turning away.
"Do you even remember how old you are, Yuna? Nineteen. Not thirty, not forty. Only nineteen. Do you know what nineteen year olds usually do? They go dancing and hang out and do crazy things. They should never have to worry about the fate of their world. They've got their own little worlds to deal with. You deserve to have that, too."
"Well what about you? You've got a whole faction to look after. People our age don't usually do that, either."
"Good point. Actually, before I disappeared, I was talking to Cid about taking over for me for awhile."
Yuna nodded. "When the search was called off, he took your place." She said softly.
"Well, don't have to worry about that anymore," He said, stretching and placing his arms behind his head. He leaned back against the room and gazed up at the sky. "Don't worry… Every so often, there's a fluke in the Universe and things actually work out."
"Hn…"
For a moment, Gippal shifted uncomfortably and turned to face the silent brunette next to him. "Uh… Yuna… There's something I've been meaning to tell you. I'm not sure if you're going to like it, though…"
"If it's about Tidus, I've already seen him." She replied, looking back at him.
Gippal looked surprised. "Oh… Well… Okay then. Heh… You took that pretty well…"
Yuna laughed a little. "Eventually I did… But really, I'm happy he has his own life now. It hurt terribly at first, but, I'm so happy the fayth gave him another chance. He deserved it."
Selfless to a fault, the blonde thought. He sat up and moved closer to the former summoner and put an arm around her. "Y'know, they say true love only comes around once in a blue moon, but really, I think for really special people, it comes around twice. So… keep your chin up."
Yuna smiled softly and nodded. "Okay."
"Oh and… don't tell Rikku I said that. Stuff like that makes for good blackmail…"
Yuna laughed. "No problem."
"That's what you think…" A familiar voice replied.
"…Crap…" Gippal muttered. Suddenly, a pair of hands were ruffling up his hair.
"Awwww, Cid's right. You are just a big softy!" Rikku chirped.
"Gah, Rikku! Quit pawing at me, you monkey!"
"Hey! Who you callin' 'monkey', banana brain?"
Yuna just laughed. Just like home.
To be continued...
Things are finally starting to look up for Yuna, the monkey, and the banana brain. Is Gippal right? Can Yuna really find true love twice? Do I sound like a soap opera person like I think I do? Well, maybe. But all will be revealed eventually. Until then, thanks for reading and don't forget to review!
