A/N: Yay! Thanks or the reviews! And I shouldn't be so greedy and sullen, I'll stop complaining because you guys probably hate me by now for it. .

Can't wait to get this story rollin! I have some vague ideas…and YES they are FINALLY getting off of the ship. Woohoo!

Hatch, Rikku's Boat

Rikku and Gippal had escaped from the steering room as soon as Lienn had come in, by order of Sunny-or Rikku, more or less, to get them to Djose immediately.

And even though the two had just kissed, just hugged, and had a romantic moment…neither decided to take it too seriously. It'd be just a little awkward, thinking they had to be in a relationship again. But even though she said nothing, Rikku's heart was still thudding in her chest.

Gippal had chosen to kiss her. She didn't feel so desperate now, because he was just as desperate, she knew it!

Rikku now stood at the table, flipping angrily through the piles of paper. She still hadn't gotten the anger out of her heart…stupid Sunny, and his stupid boat, and his stupid little plot…

As if to answer her thoughts, Gippal finally asked "What do you think they're gonna do?"

"What?"

"Well, I mean, they obviously took you on this boat for a reason, sent the fiend here for a reason…" He set his hands on the table and looked at her squarely in the eyes, causing Rikku to feel like she was being inspected.

"To put it simply, they want something from you."

A silence greeted this, Rikku none all too surprised.

"Well, I figured that, but I don't have anything…"

"It doesn't have to be a material object, Rikku! Something you have…a good singing voice? Excellent cooking skills?"

"Gippal!" Rikku cried, shoving his arm lightly. "Can you try to be serious?"

"I can try, yea…"

"Gippal!" She finally hissed, her finger rested squarely on a sentence on the page she had just been reading. "Gippal, look at thi—"

Her sentence was thrown off as the boat seemed to hit a turbulent wave. With a not-so-gentle lurch, the boat sent Rikku skidding across the table, right into Gippal's arms.

"Err-hullo." She said shyly, grinning up at him. Gippal just smirked back, lifted her off of the table and set her on the ground.

"I think you need to work on your balance."

"Uh-right. Balance-yea." Rikku brushed at her skirt with her head down, too embarrassed to show her face incase Gippal teased her endlessly about the patches of red growing on it.

The boat rode quietly for a few moments, and Rikku, momentarily forgetting about what she was going to show Gippal, starting to braid her hair into one thick braid. After all, Gippal had changed to sit at one of the three computers, and was typing a mile a minute.

All the text scrolling on the screen confused the young girl, whereas Gippal seemed to be lost in it. Shaking her head slightly, Rikku headed over to her bedroom.

"Where are you going?" Came Gippal's voice-almost automatic. Rikku wondered how he had known with his face glued to the computer screen.

"To my room-I wanna see if my mirror's still in there, I need to check my hair."

Gippal swerved around the chair so that he was facing her. He squinted his eye and nodded.

"Yes, I see a few stray hairs at the top."

"Who asked your opinion?" She muttered, turning away and starting to her door again.

"Oh, but Rikku, I'm the hair expert! Who WOULDN'T ask me?"

"Rikku." She muttered under her breath, though she couldn't help but allow a small smile to escape her lips.

Slowly she turned her old door handle, feeling the familiar bends where her fingers had pressed into many times. She hoped Lienn would drive the boat faster; she wanted to get off of this god-forsaken---

"Oh…my…Yevon…" Rikku cried softly, dropping her quickly done braid so it swung to her back. Rikku's green eyes were round with shock, her mouth almost as circular.

"Rikku?" She heard Gippal's voice ask. "What's going on?"

"Something…my room…" Was all she managed, still staring at it.

What had they DONE to it?

Instead of her comfortable, worn old bed, a small dresser, and the large mirror, the room was a mess. Her rug was replaced with a hard, cold metal floor. Her yellow walls-now just stripped bare to show a dull gray. Grease, dirt and muck smeared the floor, tables and walls. Tools and all sorts of things lay helter-skelter all over the room. The room smelled heavily of a strong diesel gas.

All her furniture was replaced by sturdy, drilled into the wall metallic tables. And on these tables lay—

"Bombs?" Came Gippal's hoarse voice from behind her. Rikku jumped a little, but was glad Gippal hadn't seemed to notice.

"Yea—bombs." Rikku stated quietly, gazing at them in a horrified awe. Making grenades her whole life, she had to admit-these bombs were good. Really good. She could see wire had been inlayed carefully, the timer stuck serenely at the top. Bolts and screws were in all the right places. The bombs were a round shape, only the size of Rikku's palm. Subtle, yet strong.

"That's—wrong." Gippal finally mustered, and Rikku could hear that his voice was sort of strangled. But she ignored it. What were Sunny, Lienn and Bilak doing with bombs?!

Oh. Yea. They were evil. Right.

Rikku took a step about to go explore the hundreds, maybe thousands of bombs lined up on the tables. But a strong hand gripped firmly at her arm, causing her to stop in her tracks.

"Gippal!" She cried, whirling the rest of her body around and tugging on her arm-though of course, it was useless. "Let me go!"

"What? So you can get yourself killed?" He hissed, his eye-nervous? Naw, couldn't be. Trick of the light.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that—well, it's weird! They get rid of your room, a place you're likely to visit if they got you again, and decide to fill it with bombs! Rikku…don't go in. I don't trust them."

"Gippal, I know this boat-they wouldn't put it in danger of being blown up by bombs-it wouldn't be able to stand this many. Even if one blows, it starts a chain reaction…this boat would be a goner."

She could see his eye squinting at her. It was kind of uncomfortable, not to mention her arm was starting to get numb from his vice-like grip. Couldn't he just let her go? She knew the boat-even if she didn't know her friends. They wouldn't risk killing themselves.

"Fine. Go play." Gippal finally spat, releasing Rikku in a rather gruff manner. She sniffed, forcing herself not to show that his grip had actually hurt.

"Okay. I will." She gave a slight huff, ticked off at Gippal. She was only a year younger! He couldn't control her life and decide what she was going to do! She wanted to investigate these bombs, and she was going to.

She heard Gippal walk away, and suddenly she felt very alone. She missed her room…she wanted to see all her old furniture. It seemed larger now…the door was very far away from the bombs. With a heavy sigh she took two tiny steps in, Gippal's warning still echoing in her head-just barely. Only barely.
Yea. Not booming, of course. Just…barely…

Nothing happened. She took another step. Silence.

Another step. More silence. Another. Yet again, silence.

She broke into a huge smile. "Gippal, you were wrooooooong!" She sang, doing a little twirl.

"Really. Congratulations." Gippal stated dully, and she was surprised to see him standing in the open doorway again.

"Thanks." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Watch this!" With a grin she gave a little leap. Silence.

She did another, along with a twirl. Suddenly, something quiet was beeping to her left.

Rikku felt her stomach knot up. She shifted her eyes to the left to see…

The bomb on the top. It was…flashing. Glowing. Emitting a loud beeping noise…but to Rikku, it was dull. Everything was silent—even the scream that erupted from her mouth as she turned to run. It was going to blow.

She couldn't remember if she had yelled that—but she had screamed something, for Gippal gave her a scared look, and he was running…running to her…

She felt his arm wrap around her waist, the other wrapping around it the opposite way. With a sickening feeling she felt herself lifted off the ground…Gippal's curses were silent—so were her screams, and the tears that fell from her face were numb.

And as Gippal dove through the open doorway with Rikku, it seemed as if everything came back alive. She felt the cold thud of the metallic floor, heard the scraping noise against her skin.

The beeping came back to haunt her ears-but it would soon stop. She let out another scream—but she was tight in Gippal grip.

And then it came. It erupted….a boom, a hiss…more bangs. A chain reaction, as Rikku had stated earlier. That room would be nothing, this, this boat would be nothing…

They would be nothing.

The last Rikku saw was her bedroom door flying off of its hinges, and flames…flames racing towards them, hungry for their flesh.

And then she fainted.

……………………..

"Rikku…Rikku please wake up…" The girl heard a voice pleading her name. She let out a moan-or tried to. Her throat was clogged with something…

She sat up straight like a board, coughing and hacking. The thing in her throat was large and it was taking over. Her breathing was becoming short, and her eyes were watering…

"Here." A hand thrust a small bottle to her lips, pouring a burning liquid down her throat. She began to cough more, feeling the liquid singe her mouth….

It stopped. Abruptly. She didn't cough anymore. The liquid had burned whatever was in her throat.

"Smoke. You must have gotten a lungful."

Rikku's eyes blinked numerous times, her focus becoming sharper soon enough. She saw Gippal sitting beside her, a relieved grin on his face.

"Oh Gippal!" She cried, lunging to hug him, and be in his arms once more.

"Whoa! Stop!" Gippal yelled, holding his hands out, which caught Rikku rather painfully around the waist area.

"Owwie! Gippal-what?"

"Sorry Cid's Girl." He said with a grin. "But a flimsy metal board like this floating on the ocean isn't the safest thing to hug on-as much as I'd like it."

Rikku ignored the last bit, her eyes gazing down to where she was sitting. Her and Gippal were sitting cross-legged on a rather jagged sheet of metal-it looked like the side of her boat. A part of it anyway. The ocean waves surrounded them, occasionally lapping up onto the metal to send a shiver through her legs.

"Explain." She stated grimly, her eyes scanning for the boat. It wasn't there. Of course not. It burned. Because of her. Her and her stupidity.

"Well, I remember we were laying outside of the door, and I was trying to get you up, but you were limp. You went unconscious. So I heaved you onto my shoulders and just ran up the stairs like a madman. The flames were burning the clothes on my back…I'm sure my hair is singed off." He touched it gingerly, but continued on.

Sunny and what's his face weren't on deck-the three had run. They left the ship…they knew you were gonna go in your room sooner or later, so they took a lifeboat and just jumped ship. Bastards. Anyway, I didn't know what to do, because the bottom half of the boat was starting to groan, and some of it was already gone. There was smoke and flames everywhere. So, I just grabbed a piece of melting metal from the deck floor, threw it on the water below, threw you on it, and then jumped on myself. I paddled it away as fast as I could, but I was near death. So I just kinda let it float away…and the boat exploded-and-and sank." He shrugged, as if it had been nothing.

Rikku, on the other hand, was staring at him wide-eyed.

"You-you saved my life."

"Well-I had to save mine ya know…Cid would have killed me."

"That has nothing to do with it!" Rikku cried, a huge smile cracking on her face.

"Oh, thank you SO much Gippal! I owe you my life-literally!" She gave him a huge grin, carefully bent over, and hugged him tight. "You were so brave…it must have been so scary…"

"Well-no. Not really." Rikku heard a hint of hope in his voice, and she pulled away, wagging a finger at him.

"Nu-uh, Gippal."

"I think I should get a little something for saving your life!" He cried.

"Later." She said, giving him a small wink.

She felt her insides were still rolling around in her empty shell of a body. He had saved her. Gippal had risked his life for her…it was amazing. It seemed like one of those stories you hear heroes doing all the time.

But it was true.

"Gippal-you're my hero." She finally stated, closing her eyes and giving him a wide smile. She didn't seem him blush, nor him giving her a big grin.

"Naw-"

"YES. Now no more arguing."

"Fine. We'll forget about it for now."

"Until you bring it in a later argument to use against me."

"Yea, that sounds about right…"

Rikku let out a soft giggle, her eyes struggling to leave Gippal's handsome face. They finally did so, and she gave a heavy sigh.

"There's water everywhere…where do we go?"

Gippal was rummaging around in his pocket, and finally pulled out a COMmunicator.

"Does it still work?" Rikku asked tentatively, hearing her stomach give a low growl. She was still so amazed…an inch away from death, and Gippal had rescued her.

She truly felt like a princess being rescued by her prince. She gave a small smile, only to be interrupted by Gippal.

"I think it still wor—hey. What are you smirking about?"

"Oh-uh-nothing." Rikku said hurriedly. "So-it still works?" She asked, changing the subject.

Gippal watched her for a moment longer, but than gave up, fixing his attention back on the COMmunicator.

"Yea…I'll try to contact someone."

For nearly an hour Gippal fiddled around with the thing, speaking into it and only hearing static in return.

"Augh, they'll wonder where I've gone…" He kept muttering, his hand occasionally running through his hair…which was nearly flat now.

Rikku thought it looked kinda cute-almost boyish. The blonde, ragged hair near his ears, flopping over his eye…

Oh yea. The perfect picture of hotness.

"Gippal to base…Gippal to base." He muttered for the millionth time. Rikku, who had been fiddling with her thick braid, glanced up quickly as a voice came from with the COMmunicator.

"Base to Boss-Base to Boss. This is Suttin speaking."

Rikku was glad to see a genuine smile plastered on Gippal's face. "Suttin! It's Gippal-I'm in er-a-fix."

"What do you mean?" Came the crackled reply.

"Well-uh-I'm stuck out on the ocean." He admitted rather quietly, as if he didn't want Rikku to know. But she did, of course- she was stuck out here with him.

"Stuck in the ocean?!"

"It's a long story. Look, send out subs, send out planes…give me everything you've got Suttin. I need to get out of here now."

"Yes Sir. Any idea of your location?"

"Coordinates…." Gippal murmured silently, gazing around their surroundings. Rikku continued to watch him intently, lost in him. Which seemed rather dumb to her…but whatever.

"Er-southeast of Djose? I dunno, but send in all directions-I'll explain later."

"Yes Sir! But-uh-may I ask the urgency?"

"Well…how do I put this? I'm STUCK in the MIDDLE of NOWHERE!" Gippal cried into the microphone.

"Oh-er-right!" And then the man—what was his name, Suttin, was gone.

Rikku gave a giggle. "We're going to be saved!" She cried, clapping her hands.

Gippal was silent, his eye trained to their left as he slowly slid the COMmunicator back in his pocket.

"Maybe not…"

"Huh?"

"GRAB ONTO THE BOARD!" He roared, his knuckles turning white from his grip on the metal. "High wave coming!"

Rikku gave a small squeal, feeling her hands clutch onto the sides.

"We're going to be swallowed!" She screamed, seeing the large, no, HUGE wave climbing higher.

"Well what can we do?" Gippal yelled back, sounding just as scared as Rikku.

"Hey! I got it!" She cried, fumbling in her pocket. She held out the White Mage dressphere triumphantly.

"Hurry!" Gippal cried. Rikku changed herself into a mage, and held her staff out. She felt her knees shaking on the flimsy metal.

"PROTECT!" She screamed, using one of the abilities given to her mage dressphere. A network of small red lasers in the shape of a ball enveloped her and Gippal. She concentrated every fiber in her body into the shield. The wave was coming closer, and it looked so dark and menacing…

NO! FOCUS! Screamed the voice. Rikku squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the magic in her veins sliding up into the staff to power the shield. It was coming closer, she could hear it roaring…

And then it was gone. She felt the heavy weight of it collapsing on her shield-but she held strong, pushing her staff even higher. It had slid over the shield like harmless liquid. It dissolved into a small wave, soon becoming barely a ripple. Rikku felt the dressphere fading away-she had used up all her magic. Rikku hadn't realized she was standing, but soon felt her body crumple down so she was lying flat on her back.

"Thanks Rikku!" Gippal cried, looking over her. She gave him a shaky grin.

"Need…rest…" Was all she managed, before she fell into a deep sleep to replenish her system…that shield had been the strongest yet, and it had saved her life.

……………………………

Rikku let out a yawn like a lion, feeling water gathering in the corners of her eyes. She shook her head a little, glad to feel refreshed and happy once more. Man, had that thing been hard to summon-

There was a rustle around her. Rikku glanced down to see she was in a…a bed? A bed?! Not lying, cold and hungry on a little metal sheet that was always in danger of getting swallowed by waves?!

She gave a loud whoop as she bounced out of the bed, only to find herself in a small, circular room. She gazed around at all the pottery and random bits of machina, before she heard the metal door open up. She jumped back, surprised. Only to see Gippal coming in, his eye focused on the tray he was carrying, which held a small bowl of soup…

"Gippal?" She asked, happy to see him. Weird. She hadn't been happy to see him in a looong time.

"Wha?" He glanced up quickly. Too quickly. The tray rattled in his hands, and it slipped out of his grip and crashed onto the hard tile floor. He gave a small shrug, patches of red growing on his cheeks.

"All well." He turned his attention to Rikku. "Cid's Girl! Glad to see you awake!"

"What was that tray for?" She asked suspiciously, planting her hands on her hips.

Gippal ran his hand through his hair, (which was gelled back once more), a bit embarrassed.

"Uh-er-"

"Have you been nursing me?!"

"Only because you haven't been awake for FIVE whole days! If someone hadn't fed you, you would have died! Someone had to feed you…"

Rikku grinned crazily at him, and, for the second time that surprised her, she ran up and hugged him tightly.

"That's twice you've saved my life." She pulled away to see him giving her a cocky smirk.

"Someone has to keep track of you."

Rikku just gave a heavy sigh, glad to be back on land.

"Hey, that reminds me—where are we?"

Gippal quirked an eyebrow, spreading his arms widely throughout the room.

"Cid's Girl-welcome to Djose Temple."

A/N: Whoo! Lots of action! Stupid men for bailing the boat. Tsk, tsk, they had it planned all along.

Took me a while to update! So sorry! And thank sooo much for reviews!