A/N: Another chapter! Don't worry, Rikku won't be "boss" for very long. Or will she? I just keep adding on random things that don't make any sense. SO sorry about that!
Djose Temple, the Next Morning
"Rikku? Rikku, time to get up!"
Rikku moaned, diving underneath the covers and flapping her hand at the voice. "Just a…a few more minutes, Gippal…"
"Gippal!" The voice cried. "I'm not Gippal!"
Rikku sat up immediately, her face whirling around. Where was she? How did she—oh. Wynter stood beside her bed, looking slightly nervous.
"Sorry for coming in so early, but you have a lot of duties to attend to."
"…Duties?" Rikku rubbed at her eyes, trying to wake up.
"Yes, leader duties. Remember, you're the temporary Leader of the Machine Faction!"
Rikku groaned and fell back down onto the bed in her little bedroom she had acquired her first time working at Djose. "Please say this is a nightmare," she mumbled into her pillow.
"Nope. It's the real thing! Up Rikku, up!" Wynter jostled her body, and Rikku could have howled.
"Fine, fine! I'm getting UP." The Al Bhed girl moved slowly, first swinging her legs over the side of the bend, scratching at her head, rubbing her eyes, stretching, and yawning. "What's first on the list?" She asked Wynter as she stood up shakily to grab a hairbrush.
Wynter handed her a list. "It was pinned on your door this morning." Rikku grabbed it, trying to focus her sight so the words weren't blurry. There, in someone's neat printing, the first thing read Check the hovers on Djose Highroad.
"You mean I have to go outside?" Rikku moaned, folding the list and sticking it in her pocket. "It's going to be so cold!"
"After some coffee you'll be peachy," Wynter said, pushing Rikku out the door. Rikku sighed.
I wonder what Gippal is doing right now…
………
"We're here!" Athilda cried, jumping up and down. "We're finally in Bevelle!"
Gippal smiled weakly. "Woohoo. Let's have a party, shall we?"
Athilda stopped jumped. "No need to be so sarcastic, Sir Gippal."
Gippal stayed silent, and began to walk slowly up the path to Bevelle Temple. The two had spent a grueling trip through Guadosalam, and the Thunder Plains, where Gippal had to stop and help a man with the lightning towers. Macalania had been semi peaceful, but Gippal still couldn't shake off the terrible feeling he'd had when he told Rikku he had to leave her. Rikku's hurt face continuously popped into his mind, and mentally cursed himself for becoming such a sap.
"Sir Gippal?"
"What?" He snapped, running a hand through his hair.
"Did you hear my question?"
"No," he said, not bothering with the snarky comment that was resting on the tip of his tongue.
"The meeting isn't until this evening. What are you going to do until then?"
"I dunno…talk to Baralai, one of my best friends who I haven't seen in a long time?"
"Praetor Baralai said the ones attending the meeting couldn't meet each other until the meeting, because of influences and such."
"Seems suspicious."
"It's Bevelle Policy."
"Screw Bevelle 'Policy', I want to see my friend," Gippal snarled.
"Sir Gippal!" Athilda cried disapprovingly.
Gippal whirled around. "I don't need your bloody nagging, Athilda! I didn't ask you to come on this trip with me and Rikku, I didn't ask you to come to Bevelle with me, and I sure as hell didn't ask you to split me and Rikku up in the Moonflow!" With those angered words Gippal began to stride further and faster away from Athilda, seething inside.
She's the one who told me to send Rikku to Djose. Stupid girl, always knowing what I'm thinking and making it sound logical. I wish I didn't have to do that to Rikku, but I had to. If I hadn't she'd be a dead woman by now. If staying away from her is the only way to protect her, then so be it.
Athilda's quiet footsteps could be heard from behind Gippal. He didn't bother to apologize. She was acting weird, now that they were in Bevelle.
"So how come you agreed with me that Rikku should be sent to Djose?" Gippal suddenly asked. He stopped until he was beside the small steps of Athilda, and he noticed she paled slightly at his question.
"Oh – um – well, I just thought she shouldn't hear this meeting. It's highly confidential, and I know you would have told her if she was here with you."
"So you're calling me untrustworthy?" Gippal asked coldly.
"Oh, no! I'm just saying, you two are so close, and you would have probably let her in on what's happening because you trust her so much, and you two…" Athilda's voice trailed off. "Here we are!" She cried abruptly as the two finally reached the double doors into Bevelle Temple.
Athilda's acting strangely… Gippal thought silently. Then words, familiar words in a familiar voice pierced through Gippal's mind.
"Oh Gippal it's so important, I've GOT to tell you—"
Gippal's heart seemed to stop beating. Could she have…no. But could she have figured it out? Could she? Had Rikku, irresponsible, little kid Rikku, figured out who the spy was?
Well, even if she hadn't, her words had triggered a suspicion in Gippal's mind.
"Athilda?" He suddenly asked, his heart beating wildly. She turned around slowly to face him. "Yes…?"
Gippal took the crumpled up, ripped up, and nearly mutilated letter of Baralai's he had taken from Athilda out of his pocket.
"Who actually wrote this letter?"
………
"C-Cold…" Rikku muttered through chattering teeth. She had come running back into the temple after checking the hovers. She sipped at a cup of coffee and thanked Yevon for inventing such a wonderful creation. Wynter stood beside her, frowning slightly.
"What?" Rikku asked, cocking an eyebrow. Wynter pointed behind her shoulder.
"You've got some workers to answer to…"
Rikku suddenly remembered Gippal standing in this exact spot, trying to talk to three different men about three different things at one time. But when he only had three, Rikku had seven. She turned around to see seven oily, muddy, and harassed looking Al Bhed make their way towards her.
"Lady Rikku, the dishwasher in the kitchen has broken down again, and the cook is talking about going on strike-"
"The airship you requested from Luca is having some difficulty over the ocean…"
"Lady Rikku, you're very beautiful, did you know that?"
"Boss, three more boxes of paperwork have arrived-"
"The Al Bhed in Bikanel are requesting your assistance there, Lady Rikku. It seems some excavating machines have broken down and we're the only ones who have the right parts…"
"Lady Rikku, can I have a strand of your hair!"
"The paperwork's waiting!"
"The ship is going to crash!"
"Please can I have a hair!"
"Nhadala is asking for assistance especially, she doesn't know Gippal has gone—"
"You're so beautiful Lady Rikku-"
"We need you to fix the dishwasher-"
"STOP!" Rikku screamed, causing all the men's mouths to shut. "STOP, STOP, STOP!" She screamed once more. She glared evilly at them all. "FOR GODS SAKES, YOU'RE ALL ADULTS! YOU CAN HANDLE SOME THINGS YOURSELVES! I DON'T CARE IF YOU THINK I'M PRETTY! I DO NOT GIVE PEOPLE MY HAIR! GO TO THE SHIP YOURSELF! SEND SOME WORKERS TO BIKANEL! I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT BLOODY PAPERWORK! YOU'RE ALL BUFOONS, SO GROW
UP!" Rikku felt her throat dry up on her, and she coughed slightly.
"I'll be outside. Working on…something." She turned around and ran swiftly through the open doors, her mind aching and her throat parched. These workers were useless! Coming to her for every little thing. Her ears were ringing now, and she gritted her teeth in pain. She couldn't take it. Rikku hated paperwork, she hated coming outside in the cold, and she especially hated workers who had the minds of irresponsible three-year-olds.
"Lady Rikku?"
Rikku whirled around from where she had been standing on the bridge. No one else was outside yet, and she was enjoying the temporary peace. She did not want to go back inside. She wouldn't go back inside.
"What?" She snapped at Wynter.
"I'm – I'm growing my hair out."
Rikku eyed her, and a smile tugged at her lips. Wynter's hair was at least two inches longer. "You are…" She grinned. "Good job!" She then turned around and continued to stare off into the sky. Rikku heard Wynter walk up to stand beside her.
"That's not why I came outside."
"Then why did you? I don't want any more questions, thank you very much."
Wynter chuckled. "I could kind of tell back there. Actually, I think everyone within a thirty mile radius of Djose could tell."
Rikku blushed. "So why did you come out here?"
Wynter shifted uncomfortably. "I have a feeling you want to leave Djose."
Rikku snorted. "Really? You should be a detective when you grow up."
Wynter frowned slightly, ignoring Rikku's comment. "Where's Gippal?"
"Gippal?" Rikku coughed. "Well…he's in Bevelle. For a meeting…"
"Meeting? What meeting?"
"He got a letter from Baralai asking him to come to an important meeting in Bevelle. It's just the three leaders, so I wasn't allowed to go."
Lies, lies, sang her head.
"Baralai?" Wynter shook her head. "He couldn't have sent that letter."
"What?" Rikku asked tensely, snapping her head around to look at Wynter.
"Sir Nooj came by the other day, looking for Gippal. He wouldn't say his reasons, but he told Suttin, who I was standing beside, that Baralai was off on a vacation to Besaid, and Nooj needed to talk to Gippal instead."
Rikku felt her stomach shrivel up, but it was still able to twist itself into knots. "V-Vacation?"
Wynter nodded slowly. "Yes. How come?"
Rikku shook her head slowly, mortified. "No, no…this can't be happening! This is all wrong…" If Baralai hadn't sent the letter, who could have? WHY would someone go to all that trouble? Suddenly, the name Saleed flashed across her mind.
It was a trick. It was a trick. The spy did it. Athilda did it.
………
"Oh – Praetor Baralai, of course!"
Gippal narrowed his one eye at her. "Mhm. Okay. So how come he sent you with us? He knows I'm perfectly capable of getting here myself."
"Remember the large robot that attacked you? Only I could get rid of it."
Gippal didn't miss a beat. "So how come you knew about all that stuff if you're a 'good guy'? I know Baralai, and he doesn't give out information like that to messengers."
Gippal smirked smugly as Athilda coughed nervously. "I have the different magic, remember? I'm not just an ordinary messenger. Now, if you'll please come into the temple…"
"What if I don't want to?"
Athilda paled. "W-What?"
"What if I suddenly decided to go back to Djose to see Rikku because a)I miss her, and b)I don't trust you?"
"Y-You don't trust me?"
"I never did trust you, Athilda. Sorry, but it's slightly suspicious that you just happened to know where we were, and that you continued to tell me that the boat didn't go to Bevelle, when the timetable clearly stated 'BOAT TO BEVELLE-8:30.'"
"The boat man SAID it was a mistake!" Athilda's voice was shrill now, and Gippal's head started to buzz. Everything was slowly starting to make sense. He had been suspicious at first, but now…now it just all fit together. The boat Athilda wanted just happened to go the Moonflow, the place where Saleed was rumored to live, she continuously prodded Gippal into letting Rikku go so she couldn't hear about the meeting…and Lady Yuna gone? It would have been all over the news. There was only one thing to do to see if Athilda was telling the truth.
"I need to make a call," Gippal suddenly stated, taking out his COMmunicator and dialing a familiar number. Athilda watched him anxiously.
"Hello?" A familiar voice answered on the other end.
Gippal's suspicions were correct. His heartbeat started to race slightly as he looked up at Athilda and spoke into the COMmunicator.
"Hello Lady Yuna."
Athilda gasped.
"Gippal? Did something happen to Rikku?"
Gippal gave a forced laugh and clenched his teeth. "Not yet. But something will soon enough. But, hey, you haven't been captured lately, have you?" Gippal heard Yuna giggle.
"Nope. I've been in Besaid for a long time. Did you call to speak to Baralai?"
Now Gippal was the puzzled one. "Baralai?"
"Yes…he said he sent a messenger to give you a note saying he was on vacation in Besaid."
Gippal growled. "He did, did he?"
"Yes…here he is right now." There was some rustles and then Yuna's voice yelling, "BARALAI! BARALAI, GIPPAL WANTS TO TALK TO YOU!"
"…Hello?" Asked Baralai's voice, usually calm but now slightly alarmed.
"Hey Baralai."
"Did you get my note, Gippal? Is something wrong?"
"Don't worry your Besaid vacation head about it, Baralai. Just one question."
"Go ahead…"
"This messenger…was it a boy or a girl?"
"Boy. His name was Arnald. How come?"
Gippal was now glaring at Athilda whole-heartedly. She gave a little squeak and took a step backwards. Gippal grabbed at her wrist and caught her in his iron grip. Athilda whimpered, but Gippal didn't let go.
"I think Arnald has either been kidnapped, been killed, or had a dramatic sex change."
"Gippal!" Baralai sounded shocked. "Why do you say that?"
"Because someone sent me the wrong messenger. A girl by the name of Athilda. Know anyone by that name?"
"…No."
"She says you guys took her in because she had special magic or some crap like that."
"I've never heard of her in my life."
Gippal sighed, closing his eyes briefly. Great. Juuust great. "Thanks Baralai. Have a good vacation." And then Gippal cut the connection.
"So…Arnald." Gippal yanked at her arm to bring her closer. Athilda stayed silent, but her huge eyes showed all the fear inside of her. "Tell me. Where's Baralai's vacation letter?" He waved the fake letter in front of Athilda. "Why did you bring a bloody fake! For Yevon's sake, the least you could do was make a better alibi!" He said, completely forgetting he had believed it at one point. Gippal felt anger boiling up inside of him. He threw the piece of paper at Athilda's face, but it fluttered harmlessly just in front of her nose.
"You're coming with me," he snarled, whirling around and tromping away from Bevelle Temple.
"NO! You monster, bring me back this instant—"
"So you're cutting the 'Sir and Lady' crap now, eh?" He chuckled darkly. "Good, I was sick of that act. You're going to tell me what's really happening. Who sent that letter? What happened to Arnald? Who're you working for? Why? Did you split me and Rikku up purposely for your boss?"
"I-I can't say anything!"
Gippal stopped, spun around, and glared evilly at Athilda. The two were nose to nose, and he could clearly see Athilda wanted to cower; but she didn't. Gippal's face was red, and he knew a vein was probably going to pop in his neck.
"That's wrong. You're going to tell me everything. If you don't I'll chuck you into the water without a second thought." His voice was deadly calm. It would have been better if he had yelled. But Athilda didn't move. Instead, she blinked back tears.
"I can't."
"You're working for Saleed, you traitor!" Gippal finally spat, hoping his assumption was correct. "The least you can do is tell me why you're working with my lifelong enemy, and why the bloody hell you're trying to kill Rikku!"
"Why would I want to kill Rikku?" Athilda finally sobbed. "I saved you two!"
"Yea, but only to save your sorry behind," he snarled quietly. "Now shut up, or I'll make sure you die in the Thunder Plains."
"Please, just please leave me here! I can't go back – they'll kill her, please…please don't bring me back there. Just save her…please…" Athilda was sobbing now, and she fell to the ground, causing Gippal to bend because his hand was still gripping onto her wrist. He had no idea what she was talking about, but he was getting fed up.
"You're a spy for Saleed! I'm not showing you any mercy when you showed none to us. That stupid robot was probably sent by your boss to try and make us trust you, eh? Bevelle never accepted you for your weird magic, they probably threw you out. But your boss, the evil one, gladly accepted you, and sent you to get rid of his enemy…"
"NO!" Athilda shrieked. "NO, NO, NO!"
"SHUT UP!" Gippal finally roared. Some Bevelle guards looked curiously at the two, but it was part of their job not to interfere with others "conversations".
"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHAT YOU THINK, TRAITOR!" Gippal's eye was round with fury. "Just shut up and follow me. I'm not letting you get away without telling me the story."
"Please…just leave me here…"
"No way. Now get up and quit crying. If anyone has the right to be crying, it'd be me. But considering I'm more the temperamental type than emotional, I'll yell instead. GET UP!"
Athilda stood up shakily and followed Gippal quietly, only letting out the occasional sob and muttering, "You don't understand, you don't understand…" But Gippal just kept walking, his mind whirling with thoughts. Athilda wanted Rikku to go to Djose so she'd be on her own. Saleed didn't want Gippal around when he got to Rikku. Rikku – the weapon. Rikku the tool. And Gippal was naïve enough to think that splitting apart would be the smartest thing. They weren't tracking Rikku through Gippal…they were tracking her through Athilda. And now Athilda had done her job – she had gotten Rikku out in the open without an angry Gippal.
Well, there'd be an angry Gippal to face soon enough.
………
"I need to go." Rikku blurted to Wynter. Wynter eyed her suspiciously.
"How come?"
"There's no meeting…there's no meeting…they want to kill me, him, whoever…split us up, kill me, take me…" Rikku was muttering to herself now, running a hand through her hair nervously. "I need to go, I need to GO!"
Wynter took a step back. "All right, all right…but be careful."
Rikku had begun to walk away swiftly, but she stopped at those words. "Why do you care?"
"I'm not the one who truly cares. I mean, be careful…for Gippal." She gave Rikku a lopsided, forced smile, and Rikku grinned back at her despite the anger and hurt she was feeling.
"Thanks Wynter."
And with that, Rikku whirled around and began to run to the Moonflow. She'd go all the way to Bevelle if she had to, she had to see Gippal. She had to tell him everything. More importantly, she had to get rid of Athilda. Traitor, Rikku thought angrily, starting to run faster.
"Will I make it through the Moonflow?" She suddenly wondered aloud. Visions of the day before when she was being stalked caused her to shiver.
"I've got to make it, I've got to make it…for Gippal. Gotta see Gippal, gotta see Gippal…"
"Where're you going, Rikku?" Asked Cid in Al Bhed.
"I've gotta see Gipp, Pop!" The young 14-year-old said, grinning. Cid cocked an eyebrow.
"Gippal? What's the urgency there, youngin'?"
"He's come back from his first trip on an air ship! He said he'd tell me all about it! I don't want to be late!"
Cid laughed. "All right, all right, go and have some fun, Rikku." Rikku grinned.
"Thanks Pop!" Rikku ran out the door and down the long, metallic alley of Home until she heard the murmurs of a crowd from the main courtyard.
"Gotta see Gippal, gotta see Gippal…" She checked her watch and cursed in Al Bhed. "I'm already twenty minutes late!" She ran the rest of the way, until she saw a large silver air ship parked outside of Home. Rikku want outside of Home, falling down on the sand dunes two or three times as she went. She laughed out loud, excited to see Gippal after so long apart.
"Gippal! Gippal, sorry I'm late, but I have to see you—"
The grin was wiped off of her face as she came to an abrupt stop. Gippal was already off of the airship. But he wasn't waiting for her…he was already talking to a young Al Bhed girl, who was giggling and flirting quite bluntly with Gippal, who flirted right back. Rikku remembered that girl. She had gone on the trip with Gippal…
"I'm too late…" Rikku moaned, feeling her eyes begin to fill up with tears. "I'm too late."
"I can't be late again," Rikku said to herself once more. She was already running through Moonflow Pass, and she was trying to ignore all the rustles she heard around her in the trees. "I might miss him. I might get taken. Maybe once he gets into Bevelle he can never get back. I can't be late. I can't be late—"
Something that sounded like an arrow whizzed overtop Rikku's head. She stopped to look up, but all she saw was a small explosion above her, and than a cloth falling down overtop Rikku's head.
She screamed as it fell on top of her. It wasn't just a cloth – it was a net. The weights on the net wound around her legs, causing Rikku to fall to the ground, tied up in the net. She thrashed around, trying to reach her thief blades to cut the cord, but they were too far away. The tight cords of the net began to cut off her circulation at a rapid pace, and everything was already starting to become blurry.
"HELP!" Rikku screamed, knowing whoever threw the net was not going to help. "Please! Help!"
Footsteps were suddenly heard coming towards Rikku. She looked up, blinking back the bleariness of her vision. A blond Al Bhed with familiar eyes and familiar teeth grinned down at her.
"Hey there Rikku," he said, giving a little chuckle. "So glad you dropped in to say hi to your old buddies."
More footsteps were heard. Rikku gave a strangled cry and turned her head to see, through the square pattern of the net, two recognizable people.
"Sunny, Liam, and Bilak at her your service," Sunny said, bowing low. Rikku had only enough strength to utter one word before she was lifted up, unconscious.
"Bastards."
A/N: Gasp. A lot of swearing and angry words in this chapter. Sssh…Gippal is feeling betrayed, and so is Rikku. You can't blame them. You just can't.
Not everything has been explained in this chapter, but a good deal has! Sorry if it doesn't make sense. Ask questions about what I said if you have any, and I'll try to answer them in my A/N next chapter…as long as it doesn't give away anything I might say later on in the chapter.
Thanks! Hope you liked it! The story is coming to a close…sob.
