A/N: Eep! I was supposed to start this yesterday, but I got distracted…-cough-RupertGrint-end cough-
So-here it is! The two are back on land and lovin' it!
PS: Sunny and his cronies are bound to be back! And this chapter is in Gippal's P.O.V. So it's words like "I" and "me", etc.
Djose Temple
Why did she have to look at me with such an annoyingly cute expression? Why can't she be ugly or something, so I can actually hate her? But instead, she's standing there, goggling at me with those adorable green eyes. As if I'm so heartless that I wouldn't feed her!
Well…I think I gave myself that reputation, so I probably deserve to be so annoyed.
"Djose?" She asked. "As in, on land?"
"No, in the sky." I replied sarcastically, bending down to start picking up the shattered tray. I heard her walk over, and soon saw her starting to pick up pieces.
"You don't have to-"
"I think I need to help a little." She replied with a smile. Yevon, that God-forsaken smile!
"All righty then." There was silence except for the clattering sounds of us picking up metal and throwing it in a nearby bin.
"How'd we get here?"
"Well, Suttin sent out subs and all that stuff I told him too, but it was an airship that found us. And, well, they took us back. Two days later, and you're awake!" I had just happened to forget the part about me being ambushed by my workers yelling at me to start working, and the hideously large pile of work I had to do while she was still asleep. All well. I stood up slowly, my back slightly aching from being bent down for so long. I gave her a small smirk. "Had enough beauty sleep now, Princess?"
"I think I'll manage." She replied darkly, glancing around the room. "So is this my room for the job?"
I looked around as well, noticing the large, dead machina that had been thrown in this back room over the years, the random bits of sheet metal and broken tools. I knew that smell of oil was hanging thick in the room. Probably not the best place to live.
"Err-once we fix it up." I stuttered, striding quickly over to a square window probably the size of my head. I just realized how unhygienic this temple is.
Whoa. Since when do I care about things being hygienic?
I quickly opened the small window, which was a bit difficult, seeing as the window had been glued together for the past million years. Dust spilled out as I opened it, and coughs started to escape my throat.
I forced them to stay down. I have to stay cool-act like a man. This is Rikku-I can't cough now!
Wait, why is coughing such a big deal? Augh, if she had just not been half-asleep that one night, I could be my old self…
"Fix it up?" She finally asked, snapping me out of my repetitive thoughts. "As in, get rid of all this machina? Make this room mine, with decorations and stuff?" I could hear a hint of excitement, and I caused the smile on my face to become a cocky, attitude-infested smirk.
"What? Gonna fill it up with dollies or something?"
I saw her face glowing a light hue of red. "Yes. Dollies are my favorite." She replied scathingly, and I had to hide a chuckle that was bubbling up in my throat.
"Can we start today?"
"Today?" I asked, startled back to my senses. Today? But, she was still so weak, after using up all her energy in a shield like that…and me, I had tons of plans to do. Being gone from the Faction for so long had its limited freedom, but it also meant coming back to piles and piles of paperwork.
"As in, right now?" She whirled around, and me, being the love-sick git I am, fell for those stupid, round eyes of hers. Of course, that cute little dimple-y smile had its bit in my decision…
"Fine." I stated, before I even realized what I was saying. She seemed a bit surprised too, for her eyebrows raised a height higher than normal.
"Serious?"
"Err—" Well, I couldn't really back down now, could I? "Yea. Sure. But it better be quick, I have lots of work to do."
"Aww, Gippal!" She moaned, grabbing my arm. I felt a shiver run up my spine, but forced myself to remain cool.
"What?" I asked.
"You're only 18! That's barely an adult! You shouldn't be working so hard, that's for later on in life, when you're like, old and wheezy. Like my Pop!"
I couldn't help it. I laughed. Not a long, hard, fist-pounding-on-the-floor laugh…just a snort of laughter.
And yet, she was right…I just escaped from my teenhood, and felt adulthood. Is this all it was cracked up to be? Responsibility weighing you down so much you feel like a rock? Never having a spare moment of time?
"I can handle, Cid's Girl. That's where you and I differ."
I walked quickly over to an empty tub and started to throw random tools into it, hoping to get this over with quickly.
"Whaddya mean?" She asked. Odd. I swear I could hear something in her voice other than annoyance or anger…was that…hurt?
"Nothing." I replied shortly, feeling my cheeks heat up. "Just forget it." I grabbed for the nearest thing to me and chucked it at the bin. I heard it clang inside, and then there was silence.
"No." She replied sternly. I heard her striding over to me and lifting my head up by the collar of my shirt. I stood straight, and realized I was probably 2 or so feet taller than her. Wow, was I tall. Or she was short.
"I wanna know what you mean." She had on a sort of pouty expression, mixed with anger. It was an odd sort of emotion for her to have written on her face. It didn't suit her at all.
Whoa, Gippal. Quit thinking like that.
Roger.
"I was just saying…well, you seem to have more of a thing for parties, you know? You like the wild, adventurous life where you're always on your toes…you know, no worries, always with friends to consult. But it's different for me. It's the same over and over, no excitement, no adventure. I sit here, day after day, doing paperwork and telling people what to do. I never get to work on machina, which was the point in the first place. Instead I have to help little losers who seem to need to learn how to walk and talk again-they come to me for every. Little. Thing. And, well, because of this exciting life I lead, I've had to learn to take action to problems and get more responsible quicker than I should." I gave a shrug, as if I hadn't just spilled half of what's been weighing me down lately on my ex-girlfriend.
She gaped at me. "So you're saying I'm immature?!"
My eyes widened slightly, and I almost glared down at her. But I forced myself not to. Don't make it worse Gippal…do something different for once…
"No, Rikku, I'm not." I sighed heavily, suddenly feeling my head pang as if I had the world's biggest migraine.
"I was just saying I have a really long, tough, and dull job where I need to keep everything in order. You don't have to be a leader, or a teacher, or a supervisor. You get to do what you want when you want. I can't. That's all." I bent down once more and started to throw more tools in the bin. Man, how many were there?!
The next even was one I was least expecting. I heard her bend down so she was kneeling. A stray stand of her hair brushed against the side of my face, and I froze. My eyes sidled over to the right so I saw her kneeling body, and her face looking, (what?), concerned. I gave a start, turning my head to face hers.
Her hand grasped mine, and I felt my blood chill. Things were a little out of whack.
"I didn't know you had so much on your plate." She whispered, brow furrowed in worry. I tried to shrug, but due to nerves it came out as a pathetic sort of wiggle. I blushed, but she hadn't seemed to notice the wanna-be shrug.
"Well…" I started, but stopped. Was there really anyway to go against what she'd just said? I did have a lot to do. It was hard.
"Yea." I finally answered stupidly. I was supposed to have some snarky remark ready for something like this! I'm so unprepared…
She leaned over and gave me a quick hug. It ended about two milliseconds later, but wow…for those milliseconds things in my life seemed…okay.
"Just remember, Gippal. You're still a teenager. Still a kid. Don't forget that you need to have fun once in awhile."
I was about to laugh, say that I'm not a kid…I've been through too much to be a kid. But her voice was dead serious, and her eyes…so sad, so confused…
So I unwillingly let out a strangled nod.
"Good!" She stood up abruptly, leaving me crouched on the ground, rubbing the hand she he held slowly…I was a bit confused. She had just been serious with me…
But then again, I had spilled stuff to her about my job I didn't tell anyone else. Not even Baralai or Nooj-well, that's because they have tougher jobs then me. I mean, they have like, what? Five hundred people in their groups? I have 50 or so. So I won't complain-not to them, anyway.
"I'm here to help you Gippal! Lemme be your assistant!" She whined, tugging at a strand of my hair. I stood up, resting my hands on my hips.
"My assistant?"
She nodded.
"As in-my secretary?"
"Er-well-kinda-"
I leaned in close so our faces were nearly touching. That's right. Act cool, slick, Gippal. She'll want you soon enough…
"Did you know many men have affairs with their secretary?" I asked with a wink.
"EUGH! GIPPAL!" She cried, turning away with squinted eyes and her tongue sticking out.
I laughed for about 10 seconds-until she stopped me with a glare that could have frozen Bikanel over.
"Don't make sick jokes. I might just leave if you keep abusing me in such a way." She waggled her finger at me, and I just flapped a hand in her direction.
"Come on Cid's Girl, it's just a joke!"
"Well it's not funny."
"Yes it was."
"No."
"Yes."
"NO."
"YES."
I just stepped over and ruffled her hair, which was now slowly coming out of its braid.
"Tell me how you define assistant." I asked, sitting on the bed in the corner. She stood silent for a few moments, finger to her chin, thinking…so cute…
Why am I like this? I got over her! I stopped our relationship so she wouldn't be hurt. I was the only one who understood…but no one else seemed to. I can't stay in a relationship. Even with Nhadala, sometimes I just felt like ditching her. But I couldn't…only to prove to Rikku I was over her. But nothing had worked out. And now, just when I thought I could forget about her…when I thought she was safe…
Rikku the Al Bhed had to barge back into my life: the beautiful, stubborn witch…
"Did you hear me?!" I heard her voice slice through my thoughts.
I answered with an intelligent "Huh?"
"An assistant is someone who helps you with paperwork (though not too much), goes around and gives people orders from you if you're too busy, and just helps little odd jobs here and there!" She held up her finger as if there were something else to add on.
There was.
"And I get to work on machina!"
I sat there with my head in my hand, thinking. This could work. I mean, I did need more time for other jobs, and if Rikku did what she said she was going to…
"Will you need extra pay?"
"Nope!"
"Hmm…will you actually do something I ask you to?"
"As long as it's related to work!"
I could tell she was extremely excited. Why? It was just me she's gonna work for-work with.
Me. Hey--me. She was going to be working with me. We'd be close almost all the time, getting to know each other again…
My stomach flipped, but I forced myself to be collected.
"All right then. You start tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" She asked her voice slightly less excited.
"Yea. Because today we're cleaning out this dump." I jerked my thumb to a large pile of broken robots behind me. Rikku hopped up and down, clapping her hands.
"Really?"
"Hey, I have to do what the Princess orders, right?"
Later
It was fun. I admit it. All afternoon it was just Rikku and me, racing around the room inventing little games to help clean faster. It was kinda weird though-I mean, I don't usually clean. I'm probably the biggest slob in the world. And yet Rikku wanted it perfect.
We made scavenger hunts to find things, and like I said, raced to throw tools and all that stuff into bins. The hardest part was moving the machina out of the room, down the narrow hall, and into the main area to get taken somewhere else.
But around before supper we were nearly done. I was lying on the bed, nearly asleep with aching bones and a pounding headache, whilst Rikku hopped around dusting the walls.
"…and I'm gonna get some stuffed animals here…oh! And a mirror hanging right here! I'll need a dresser-maybe even a sink or something-"
I just nodded slowly, letting out an occasional 'yea' or 'cool'. I think I was nearly dead-but Rikku, being the loving girl she is, didn't even notice me hanging onto life on her bed.
"Gippal? GIPPAL WAKE UP!" I felt a sharp jab in my shoulder, and something shaking it.
"Hnuh?" I asked sleepily, lifting my head a bit.
"Oh come on, how you can you be tired? All we did was clean! You still have to help me bring stuff in!"
"Noooo Cid's Girl. Didn't you see me sleeping?" I let out a lion's yawn. "Can we do this stuff tomorrow?" My eye was kind of blurry, but clear enough to see the reproving look on Rikku's face.
"Pleeease, Princess? I ache all over, and my brain hurts…" I didn't usually whine, but Ixion I was so damn tired.
"Fine." She muttered a little half-heartedly. "But get to your own bed, I don't wanna sleep by you again." She said it in a disgusted tone of voice, but I just shrugged it off.
With a sleepy smile towards her, I felt my head hit the pillow. Just barely into dreamland, I heard far-off yells of a girl…
"Get off Gippal! You old man! I am NOT sleeping NEAR you again, if that's your twisted little joke…"
But I was too far-gone into sleep to pay attention anymore.
A/N: Just a little filler chapter here. - GASP. Breaking up with Rikku is keeping her safe? How? From what? Oooweeeeooooo…. I tried to get into Gippal's brain, but I'm not so good at it, he ended up kinda sounding like Rikku. But both do kinda seem the same. Unless that's just my thoughts humoring me…
R&R please!
