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 Four – Rose

In the next few days, life began to fall into a simple pattern of work and rest. Yuna and Rikku woke early, got dressed and joined the others downstairs for a quick breakfast. Then, Rikku made her way to the Synth Shop and Yuna tied on her apron and started getting the Accessory Shop ready for the day's customers. George went outside to spend his leisure time before his shift (which was usually spent flirting with the innkeeper at the nearby tavern). Cid and Gippal would resume their places upstairs, mulling over plans for their latest and greatest inventions. Already, the two had made gummi travel more efficient and safer than ever. They didn't really discuss the full extent of their newest plans, but Yuna and Rikku were sure that whatever they entailed, the designs were much more involved than any of their other innovations.

Yuna was just finishing wiping up the counter when her first customer entered. "Good morning, Sir. What can I do for you?" She asked with a genuine smile.

"Have you got any Protect Chains?" The man asked.

"Certainly." She replied with a nod. She turned around and quickly scanned a nearby shelf. "Ah, here we are." She removed one and placed it on the counter. "That will be one hundred fifty gil." The man placed the gil on the counter and Yuna scooped it up and dropped it into the register. Then she put the receipt and the chain into a bag. "Here you are. Have a nice day."

"Thanks, you too." The man took the bag and walked out the door. "Hey, that new helper sure is something." He said to a friend passing by the store's entrance. "Much nicer than George."

"Hey, I heard that!" George cried nearby, stopping his conversation with the innkeeper for a moment.

That was nice of him to say, Yuna thought. She slowly swung her intertwined hands behind her.

"Having fun, shop girl?"

Yuna looked up to see Gippal's familiar smirk looking down at her from the second floor opening. "I am!" She replied grinning. "It's not as involved as spherehunting, but I think maybe that's why I like it. It's something simple for a change."

"Heh, now you look nineteen." He replied, nodding.

"Hey, blondie, get back to work. I ain't payin' you for your looks." Cid interrupted.

"Yeah, otherwise you'd owe me a fortune." Gippal called back. He turned back to Yuna and saluted her. "See ya, shop girl."

"Hey… keep your mind on this girl instead of that one." Cid said quietly, holding up a new blueprint for a gummi ship.

Gippal rolled his eyes. "That's the only girl I've got time for right now, don't worry."

"Heh… sure…" Cid replied, smirking.

"Whatever… You want this thing built or you wanna keep bugging me?"

"All right, all right. I'll be more careful next time I jump to conclusions." He scratched his chin. "Just strikes me as kind of odd. First time I met you, you didn't smile and people were sorta 'fraid of you. And now, it's like you're a completely different person. Go figure…" Cid replied and went back to work on his own set of plans.

Gippal just shrugged. I'm just happy to see a familiar face again, that's all…Don't know why he has to make a mountain out of a molehill. He glanced one more time over the edge, a smirk creeping over his face. …Still…

Meanwhile, Rikku was having her fair share of customers as well. People of all ages brought her strange substances they had found during their travels and she was more than happy to mix them into new items. Once the synthing process was complete, the excitement in the customers' faces seemed to mirror Rikku's bubbling enthusiasm. Her disposition was downright contagious. Even the moogles were bouncier than usual. She seemed to have an effect on everyone… except a tall, leather-clad man.

"I'll take a couple Elixirs." The man said simply and handed Rikku a bag of synthing items.

"Okie dokie," Rikku replied. "Comin' right up!" She took some of the different types of shards and began to place them in their proper slots in the machine. Then, she flipped the switch and…

SHHHHHUUUNNNK!

…The lights in the shop flickered and went out.

"Wha-What the heck happened?" Rikku demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

"Great…" The man muttered, running a gloved hand over his face.

"Hey! Just give me a second, okay?" She replied, glaring at him.

"Hmph… whatever…" The man replied. He crossed his arms and began to lean against the wall.

"Ooooohh…" Rikku growled, "What's wrong with you, you big meanie?" She kicked the machine and it flickered for a moment. "All right… You wanna play rough? FINE!" She climbed on top of the machine and felt around in the darkness. "Aha! Here it i-OOF!" And flipped off the other side. After scrambling to her feet and dusting herself off, a strange glow seemed to emanate from the Al Bhed's eyes. "I need 'Betsy'."

The man raised an eyebrow, incredulousness mixing with indifference in his gaze.

"You," Rikku said evenly, pointing straight at him. "Don't even think about budging from that spot. I'll be right back." With that, she stormed off towards the Accessory Shop.

Yuna could hear someone stomping closer and closer. What in the world…? Suddenly, Rikku emerged from the doorway.

"Where is he?" Her eyes swelled with hate and resolution.

"…Who?" Yuna asked, supremely confused.

Just a moment later, Gippal poked his head out to see what the cause of all the stomping was and locked eyes with Rikku. "…Uh oh…"

Rikku raced towards the ladder with more alacrity than any jungle cat in history and came face to face with the blonde man. "Where is 'Betsy'?"

Gippal's eyes narrowed. "You lost 'Betsy', remember?"

Rikku's eyes reverted to their natural green for a second. "I did? OH! Oh… Well, anyway-" Back to a dangerous glow – "WHERE IS 'BETSY II', THEN?"

Gippal sighed. "Promise you won't lose her?"

"Yes, yes, now GIMMIE!"

Gippal rolled his eyes. "All right, one sec." He disappeared for a moment and came back with a simple wrench. "Here," He said, handing it over to the crazed blonde. "Knock yourself out."

"HAH!" Rikku cried and careened out the door.

Yuna and Gippal walked out to the doorway and looked across the way at the Synth Shop. They could hear Rikku's maniacal laughter and see sparks flying in the window. Then, suddenly, the lights turned back on.

"HAH! I OWN YOU! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Wow…" Yuna mumbled.

"Sucks to be you," Gippal said with a shrug.

"Why?"

"At least I'm not related." He replied with a smug grin.

"I'd rather be related to a crazy person than be in the habit of naming my tools." Yuna replied, mimicking Gippal's usual smirk.

"Ohhh… touché, milady." He shook his head. "I think I'm starting to rub off on you."

"Fayth forbid!" The brunette replied, feigning dread.

Heh… It's nice to see her cut loose for a change.

"Uh… Gippal?"

"…Huh?"

"Are you okay? You had the strangest look on your face just now…" Yuna replied. Her dual-toned eyes were still brimming with laughter.

"Ah, well..." Gippal began, scratching the back of his neck. Suddenly his stomach growled. Crap…

Yuna giggled. "Ah, that explains it. C'mon. Let's grab Rikku and go get something to eat."

"Told ya." Rikku said, handing the man his Elixirs.

"Thanks." He started to head for the door, then stopped and slowly turned around. "Hey, uhh…"

"Rikku," The Al Bhed replied.

"Rikku… Do you also do weapons?" He lifted up a gunblade etched with a carefully drawn lion. It looked like it had seen many years of combat.

"…Eessh… What happened to it?" Rikku asked, inspecting it.

"I uh… met up with an old rival and…" Wait… Why am I telling her this? Does she really need to know? "Well, can you fix it or not?"

"Hah, piece of cake." Rikku replied with a wave of her hand. "I can get it back to you in... oh… one week tops." Rikku continued with a smile. "I'll have it in tip-top shape. I guarantee it, Mister…uhh…"

"Leon." The man replied. "One week then." He turned and made his way out the door with Rikku watching his every move.

"A whole week?" Gippal almost choked on his pot roast. "That's like an eternity! Something like that should only take you two days tops!"

"Shhh!" Rikku's eyes darted around the small restaurant. "You know that and I know that, but he doesn't know that… I don't think so anyway…" A coy smile crept across her lips. "A week should be just enough time for me to do a little investigative work."

Gippal rolled his eyes. "Cid would be so proud to know he'd raised a stalker."

"Heeeey… I'm not 'stalking'… I'm… admiring from afar…sorta. Well, if you'd seen him, you'd probably wanna stalk him, too!"

"That good?" Yuna asked.

"Ohhh, Yunie, he was so gorgeous!" Rikku squealed.

"I think I'm gonna be sick…" Gippal moaned.

"Quiet, you!" Rikku commanded. "Anyway, he had the most beautiful icy blue eyes and his hair! Long and chocolaty…"

"Is this a man or a dessert?" Gippal quipped.

"Jealous?" Yuna asked with a mischievous grin.

"Nah," Gippal replied. "I prefer to be a man than a dessert."

"Ugh…" Rikku rolled her eyes. "You're impossible."

"I prefer 'irresistible'." The trademark Gippal grin was firmly in place.

Suddenly, Rikku's eyes went wide as she noticed someone enter the restaurant. "…I-It's him!" She whispered. She quickly held up a menu to conceal her face. "What's happening? Where is he?" Rikku asked frantically.

Yuna glanced over at him from the corner of her eye. "He's being seated in the corner of the room. He's facing the window. His back is turned towards you now."

"Whew…" Rikku breathed as she removed the menu.

"You were right," Her cousin said, grinning at her. "He is pretty hot."

"Eh… If you like that chocolaty sort of thing…" Gippal mused, sending miniature death glares at the man.

"Hey, what's wrong with 'chocolaty'?" Yuna asked, holding up a strand of her own brown hair.

"Nothing…" Gippal replied softly. He had a sort of far off look in his eye for a moment, and mentally shook himself out of it. "Uh… I mean, I guess I could make an exception just this once." He finished with a cocky air before turning his attention back to his plate. Damn you, Cid! I do NOT have the hots for the High Summoner! Damn power of suggestion! I'm just going to finish my pot roast and keep my mouth shut! He began to inhale his food at lightning speed.

"Woah there, Gippy… Take your time." Rikku said. She slowly turned in Leon's direction. "No one's in a rush." She added dreamily.

Just then, a brunette woman wearing a long pink dress came towards them. She had a large envelope in her arms. "Ah, I'm glad you're here, Gippal."

Gippal immediately stopped shoveling his food and quickly wiped his mouth before turning to the newcomer. "Hey, Aerith." He greeted warmly. "More documents?"

The woman nodded, sending her long, twisted ponytail swinging. "Everything that Cid asked for. I checked them over twice more last night."

"Thanks," he replied, taking the envelope. "This oughta put him in a good mood for awhile."

Aerith nodded and turned her attention to the other two. "You must be Yuna and Rikku." She said, smiling. Their expressions immediately read How did you know? Aerith laughed. "Cid called me one morning with a 'major crisis'. 'I know everything there is to know about gummi ships, but anything about girls is completely over my head.'" She said, mimicking his gruff voice.

"Oh, so you're the one we have to thank for our clothes." Yuna replied.

"My friend Yuffie and I ransacked a store right as it opened. We're always up early so we can get things ready here. In fact…" She turned to look back at the kitchen. "I should probably get back and make sure Yuffie isn't trying to add hot sauce to anything. Not many people enjoy as much of a kick to their food as she does. It was nice meeting you." She waved goodbye and made her way back.

Yuna looked down at her watch. "We should leave pretty soon. It's getting late."

"Aww… just a little longer?" Rikku pleaded, eyes still fixed on a particular corner.

"I'm not waiting here all night just so you can make eyes at that guy." Gippal muttered.

"It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it," Rikku replied with a grin. Suddenly, her eyes widened. "What?"

"…I guess he does have somebody to do it." Yuna said, equally surprised.

A blonde man wearing a long, gray trench coat had seated himself across the way from the leather-jacketed man and was now stealing bits of food from his plate. Leon scowled back at him, which made the blonde smirk in satisfaction. "You don't usually mind it when I steal your food."

"You're not usually late." The brunette replied, still fixing him with an icy gaze.

"Sorry." The man replied as he ripped off a piece of the brunette's roll. "I promise I'll make it up to you." He added with a wink.

Leon's face flushed. "Seifer!" He whispered furiously.

"Tch, not now. Later on you can yell my name all you want." Seifer replied suggestively. Leon turned sixteen more shades of red.

"Awwww…" Rikku put her head in her folded arms. "Why are all the hot ones gay?"

"Not all of them…" Gippal began.

"You're right. The rest are all taken." She added. "Or dead. Uuuugghhh…"

Yuna laughed. "We've just barely started exploring this place, Rikku. Don't give up just yet."

Rikku sighed. "You're right, Yunie." Suddenly, she perked up. "Heeey… I heard there's a new tournament coming up in a month. There ought to be a lot of cute guys there." She rubbed her hands together excitedly.

"Hoo boy…" Gippal mumbled.

"Aww, don't worry, Gippy." She replied, patting him on the back. "We'll find you one, too."

Later on that evening, Traverse Town was completely silent. The lamplights flickered softly in the darkness and the sky was perfectly clear. Gippal was laid back on the roof, arms folded behind his head, gazing up at the glistening stars. He had grown to be fond of the small town, but he longed to go traveling like he had when he was in Spira. With an armada of airships at his beck and call, he could go anywhere he wanted at anytime he pleased. And he often did. But now he was pretty much stuck between the small town and on rare occasions, The Coliseum. After so long, it was beginning to drive him crazy. He closed his eyes and images of the new gummi ship flooded his mind. He could almost picture himself at the helm, an endless sea of worlds spread out before him. Where to first? Maybe one of those cliché tropical paradises. Yeah…

(Gippal was relaxing in the same position, but this time on a white, sandy beach. A warm breeze was gently wafting through the air and he could smell the faint scent of the native flowers. The only sound he could hear was the waves gently crashing. Ah… perfect. Then, suddenly, the peace was broken by a splash and Gippal could feel a light mist spraying over him. He raised himself on his elbows and looked out across the sea, just in time to see a familiar brunette rise to the surface to catch her breath. She shaded her eyes against the sun and waved with her other hand. He just stared dumbly at her. She started to laugh and motioned for him to come into the water. Mmm…yeah…No!)

Gah! What the hell is wrong with me? He could feel his heart beating unusually quick. It's probably just the stress of the new ship starting to get to me. He wiped his hand down his face and rested it against his now-relaxing heartbeat. Still… No one can blame me for looking, right? A smirk curled across his lips. She's not exactly "cutesy" hot, but she's not "sultry" hot either. Just… kinda in the middle. I saw it the first time I saw her face to face.

("Neeever been this close to a celebrity before." Gippal had never seen such exotic eyes before. They just stared nervously back at him.

"T-that's nice." The famed savior of Spira – the one who helped defeat the undefeatable Sin – was shyly averting her gaze from him.

"I could get used to this.")

I really could get used to it. But… I don't think Spira could.

The Machine Faction Leader and the Al Bhed Princess – that they could easily get used to. It's like a perfect little fairytale. …Except that neither of us feels that way about the other. But the Faction Leader and the unanimously-declared Sweetheart of Spira? They would explode. And even if by some miracle they were just peachy about the whole thing, I'd still have to match up against a ghost. Well… a little kid I guess now… nah, "ghost" doesn't make me sound like such a loser. It's been more than two years now. Is she really, truly over him? I can't tell…He let out a long sigh. Gippal, you're pathetic. He narrowed his eyes and stomped his foot against the roof.

"Gippal? Is that you?" A moment later, Yuna appeared and climbed up beside him. Meanwhile, Gippal had quickly scrambled to a sitting position.

"Uh… Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up." He said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

Yuna shook her head as she smoothed out her pajama pants. "Don't worry, I couldn't really sleep, myself. I'm so excited about the tournament."

Gippal had to fight off a frown. "Don't tell me; you're looking forward to all the 'cute guys', too, right?"

Yuna laughed. "Actually, I've been itching for a good fight. Spira's been so quiet since Vegnagun. It was… a little boring. That's part of the reason why I decided to investigate the Farplane," She admitted. "…If only I had my Twin Bees." She added with a sigh.

"You seemed to use them a lot."

"My weapons of choice," Yuna replied with a grin. "Smooth handling, good range, quick response… ugh… I doubt I'll ever find anything that even comes close."

Gippal grinned. "Well… actually, I helped draw up the plans for them. I think I might still remember them pretty well, too." He rubbed his chin in thought. "Maybe make them even better…" He trailed off.

"Really?" Yuna's eyes glowed with excitement at the prospect of having her beloved weapons back.

"Eh, sure." Gippal replied with a lazy wave of his hand. "I could use the practice for when I build the new gummi ship's artillery."

Yuna glomped (and nearly choked) him. "Thank you so much!"

"No problem," Gippal forced out with a chuckle.

Yuna released her iron grip and gazed up at the stars. "It'll be so exciting to battle again."

To be continued…

Hah… Had you going for a minute there, didn't it? I could've tried to make a believable Rikku x Leon relationship, but it would have taken a LOT of time and effort to do so. And as much as I like trying out random relationships, I honestly can't see that one even getting off the ground (plus I'm a HUGE S x S fan! X3). So yeah… I hope the whole introspective Gippal part wasn't annoying. I haven't had much practice writing things like that. Heh… Yuna's ready for a good fight, but will she be prepared when it comes? You'll just have to wait till the next chapter… Until then, please review!

THANKS, JEN AND LOLO FOR BEING MY FIRST REVIEWERS! I LOVE YOU BOTH! XD