A/N: And now, Chapter 9 is here. Enjoy it everyone, and thanks again for all your great reviews!

Chapter 9: Jumbled Emotions

"You're quiet...something the matter?"

She shook her head at the question, focusing instead on her food. "N-no, I'm alright," she smiled.

They had chosen to eat at the popular pizza restaurant at the corner of the plaza, and it was just a bit past 8:00. The two of them sat underneath a fairly low light, silence hanging heavily in the air. Around them, people were chatting quietly amongst themselves. The entire restaurant was filled with excitement...except for their corner.

The waiter returned with the bill and placed it at the end of the table. Rikku glanced up at Gippal after a few seconds, suddenly remembering something.

Oh great...just wonderful.

"Don't get mad at me for this, but um...I kinda left my Gil at home so this is..." she began. He looked up at her from across the table.

"Oh yeah?" he chuckled, reaching into his own pocket. She watched as he put down the amount on the table. "Don't worry 'bout it," he winked.

"B-But I...that's um..."

"I invited you out here, so it's alright." Rikku saw him rest his chin in his palm and watched her curiously.

She nodded absent-mindedly and returned his smile.

Strange...it's not like him to be so nice...

"Ready to go?" he asked after she was completely finished. She set her drink down and nodded, standing from the seat. "Yup, ready."

They exited the restaurant and into the warm evening air. The sky was clear and brightly lit with stars as they made their way across the plaza. A few people were still walking about here and there, but most had returned home for the night.

"Man, I'm stuffed...that pizza was really good," Gippal laughed.

"Yeah, it's my favorite," Rikku agreed. She glanced in his direction and he sent her a smile.

They continued walking, a calm silence passing over them for a moment.

"Soo...uh...got any plans for tomorrow?" he asked after a while.

She shook her head. "I don't think so. Since Pops won't be home yet, I don't have any missions or anything." She sighed in relief. "I'm kinda glad though."

"Yeah..." he agreed quietly.

Another wave of silence washed over them. Rikku couldn't help but feel strangely awkward at the conversation they were having. He seemed so...nice that night. She was about to open her mouth to say something, but stifled a gasp as he firmly led her away from the sidewalk.

"Gippal, what—"

"Sshh. He'll hear you."

Rikku looked around him and into the plaza. They were both standing pressed against a wall in the nearby alley that he had brought them to. Gippal had her hand clutched in his as he peered out.

From her position behind him, she could see Riolen out in the plaza.

"What! What's he doing here again!" Rikku whispered in alarm. She felt his hold on her hand tighten and he leaned in towards her.

"We're not gonna get caught this time either, so don't worry," he whispered back.

She watched as Riolen continued on, and Rikku couldn't help but hold her breath at her nervousness. Gippal remained steady as they watched.

"Whew...that was a close one..." he said after they had stepped back onto the sidewalk again.

"Oooh! You could have warned me y'know! Instead of just grabbing me like that," Rikku hissed at him. She tried to calm her beating heart.

He smirked, the moonlight making shadows across his face and his eye sparkled. "What...you don't like me grabbing you?" He moved closer to her.

She blushed. "I just don't like it when people do that all of a sudden!"

Gippal laughed quietly. "So you're saying that you're mad because I grabbed you. And not because we almost ran into that Riolen guy...right?"

"What! O-Of course I'm mad at you! Riolen has nothing to do with this!" Rikku exclaimed suddenly. She couldn't understand why she seemed so angry all of a sudden. He smirked again.

"Ok...I'm sorry alright? Forgive me now?"

She glanced at him, ready to reply, when she saw a shadow move behind him.

"Rikku...?" the voice spoke up.

Gippal turned around as Rikku stepped up in front of him.

"Oh, Riolen! Hi..." she greeted him, feeling very embarrassed. Her worst fear that night had hit them right in the face. Gippal frowned slowly, feeling his muscles tense. He glanced over at Rikku. She was smiling at Riolen, and he couldn't help but arch one eyebrow in suspicion.

"Hey, Rikku. Um...I stopped by your house earlier," Riolen said. His eyes rested on Gippal for a moment before looking back at her. "But no one was home," he chuckled a bit.

"Ahaha...well um...I kinda couldn't make it tonight and I..." Rikku began. She trailed off as Gippal stepped up beside her.

"Sorry 'bout that. We just got back home a while ago, and I guess she forgot," Gippal told him coolly.

Riolen turned to Gippal. "Oh, I see...well, I guess that's what happened then," he shrugged with a smile. He looked at Rikku. "So what brings you two out here tonight?" he asked afterwards.

Rikku froze, desperately trying to figure out what to tell him. "W-well, we, uh..." she turned to Gippal for any help, but he simply stood beside her with a stoic look on his face. She swallowed and continued on. "...we um, didn't have any food at home, so we decided to eat out..." she explained.

Omigosh! What am I SAYING! I'm pretty much telling him that I chose to go with Gippal instead of him! I'm such a huge idiot!

She cleared her throat, glancing at Gippal again. His gaze met hers for a moment but he quickly looked away.

"Ah, I see," Riolen said after some time. He chuckled softly. "Well, I guess if you're hungry, then you're hungry, right?" he laughed.

Rikku smiled as well, nodding. "Hehe, y-yeah."

"Well then. Maybe we can go out some other time?" Riolen suggested.

She looked down at her boots, clasping her hands in front of her.

This is not good! I can't just say "no" right here...!

"Sorry, but we have to get goin' now. She's a bit tired from today. Hope you understand," Gippal said suddenly. He reached down to grasp her hand in his.

Riolen looked down at their hands with interest. "Yeah, you're...probably right. My apologies for everything, Rikku." He smiled weakly.

"No, Riolen. That's alright..." she began. Gippal had already started to walk and he pulled her after him. She looked over her shoulder at Riolen one more time. "Sorry again!"

"Gippal, that was rude of me!" Rikku exclaimed as soon as Riolen was out of hearing range.

He raised an eyebrow as they both stopped walking. "No, it wasn't. You were just telling him the truth."

She rolled her eyes. "No. YOU were the one doing all the talking back there!"

"Oh c'mon. What's wrong with that? Don't tell me that you really wanted to go with him," he said.

Rikku sighed, dropping her hands. "I know, but..."

"Rikku, he's creepy," Gippal interrupted her. He paused for a moment before continuing. "Always hangin' around and looking at you like that."

His comment caused her to pause. "What do you mean by that?"

He let out a long sigh. "Listen, all I'm sayin' is that you should be careful around him. If I wasn't there tonight, who knows what would have happened..."

What is he saying!

She didn't respond for a while.

"Gippal, I don't like him, ok?"

He glanced at her with his arms crossed. "Yeah, I know. That's why there's no reason for you to go with him anywhere."

Rikku narrowed her eyes at him. "Yeah. That's why I'm not!" she exclaimed in frustration, trying to figure out just what exactly it was he was trying to say.

"Alright then," he finally answered.

"Fine."

"Fine."

They stood in front of the residential gates for another few seconds, neither saying anything.

"And why didn't you tell him some lie about why we were really out tonight?" Gippal asked again.

She kicked the ground gently, looking down. "I dunno...but I didn't completely tell him the truth y'know. I said we went out 'cause there wasn't any food...not because you really asked me out..." Rikku trailed off.

"I guess I...sorta expected you to lie when he caught us like that," Gippal admitted with a hand on his hip.

"Yeah, but why would I need to lie about why we were together like that? It's not like I'm hiding anything..." Rikku said.

He looked up at her in silence.

"You ready to go now?" he asked her quietly, motioning towards her house.

She glanced up at him and uncrossed her arms. "Yeah..."

He began walking up ahead with her trailing silently behind him. When they both reached the front door, Rikku reached into her pocket and felt her keys. He stood in front of her. She pulled the keys out, moving herself around him to reach the keyhole.

Her hand brushed against his momentarily and she looked up at him. "Sorry..."

Gippal shook his head and looked at her. "No problem."

They entered the house in silence. He glanced at her, but she wasn't looking at him. Rikku headed towards the stairs and climbed up, leaving Gippal standing alone in the living room.

xxx

Soft plinking noises jarred her out of her sleep. Yawning, she slowly made her way to it and pulled back the curtains hesitantly. Squinting her eyes in the darkness, she saw the form of Riolen. He waved up to her as soon as her face appeared at the window.

She felt her heartbeat racing, wondering what he was doing there. Riolen motioned for her to come down and Rikku paused.

Man, now what...? I should just tell him once and for all that I'm just not interested in him...

Pulling on her boots, she pulled her door open and looked out into the hall towards Gippal's room. She felt her mouth hang open in shock. His door was wide open and she could see his blond hair poking out from the blankets. Quickly moving out into the hall, she walked quietly down the stairs, making sure her steps were light.

"Rikku, good...you came," Riolen smiled as she stepped out the front door. He walked towards her.

"Um, what are you doing here?" Rikku whispered.

"I uh...I just wanted to talk, I guess. I couldn't do it when Gippal was there earlier tonight," he laughed softly. The moonlight shone brightly above them, providing just enough light to see what expressions he wore.

She smiled nervously, scratching the back of her head. "Y-Yeah, about tonight, I um..." she trailed off, trying to figure out how to word it to him.

"Rikku, can I ask you something?" Riolen suddenly spoke up. She closed her mouth and looked at him curiously.

"Um, sure."

"Are you and Gippal...together or something?" he asked quietly.

Her cheeks automatically grew warm.

"Aha...I...um, why do you ask that?" she laughed nervously, looking everywhere but his face.

Riolen grinned sideways. "You're always together, and he seemed pretty jealous tonight when I tried to ask you out again."

Rikku looked down at the ground, thinking over what she wanted to say.

"Ok, how about this then," Riolen spoke up when she didn't say anything. "Do you...like him?"

She froze and felt her heart racing at the question. He stood in front of her in silence and noted the shocked expression on her face.

"Why...do you want to know?" Rikku finally said after a while. She tried smiling weakly.

He grinned and took a step closer to her. "Because...I like you, Rikku."

Omigosh...this is NOT good!

She laughed nervously, feeling her face burning. Her laughs slowly died away as she realized what she had to tell him. She looked at Riolen and clasped her hands in front of her.

"I'm sorry, Riolen. I...don't feel the same way about you..." Rikku explained apologetically. She saw the hurt in his eyes, but chose not to say anything more. She already felt awful with herself.

"Ah, I...see..." Riolen said quietly.

"Heeeeey there," a voice spoke up.

Riolen's eyes flickered up to the front door and Rikku spun around as well. She felt her heart drop to her feet as she saw Gippal leaning lazily against the doorframe. He pushed himself off and headed in their direction as soon as her eyes rested on him.

"Gippal...!" Rikku exclaimed in shock. His gaze rested momentarily on her, but she couldn't quite tell what his expression meant.

"It seems like we're always running to each other these days," Gippal said in Riolen's direction, putting his arm around Rikku's shoulders.

She froze in surprise and Riolen raised an eyebrow, a sudden understanding flashing before his eyes. He began heading towards the gate.

"I'll...leave you alone now, Rikku. Maybe you'll be able to realize your own feelings soon," Riolen smiled weakly. He quickly walked away, not looking back.

"Riolen, I um...!" she began, but realized that it was no use. The gate closed and the only sound that filled the air was a soft breeze that rustled the bushes beside them.

Rikku sighed, feeling Gippal's arm drop from around her.

"What was that all about?"

She looked at him. "He... um...said that he liked me and..."

Rikku saw Gippal immediately frown, but she continued on nonetheless. "...But I told him that I didn't like him back." At those words, she saw Gippal's expression soften, and she clasped her hands behind her back as she began to head back in the direction of the house.

"He asked me who I liked too," she explained again, as Gippal began following her inside. He stopped in his tracks. Rikku saw him lean a bit on one leg, a hand resting on his hip.

"Did you...tell him...?" he asked quietly.

She stopped at the top of the steps, a soft smile at her lips. "Yeah, I think Riolen finally realizes who it is."

"What..." he suddenly spoke up.

She turned around and looked down at him from her position in front of the door as he began speaking.

He looked away from her. "...what do you mean by that?"

Rikku stepped down and walked towards him. She laughed and shoved him lightly on the shoulder. The action caused Gippal's eye to widen slightly and she giggled some more. He continued staring at her curiously, wondering what she meant. Her laughs subsided after a few more seconds, causing her to simply look up at him. He was about to ask her the question again, but realized that he had already forgotten what it was. Gippal continued watching her, waiting for her to say something. But after some more silence, he realized with shock that he began to feel himself leaning down towards her.

She blinked as Gippal's face was suddenly centimeters away from hers. Without thinking, she backed away from him and quickly headed in the direction of the steps.

"Well, um...I guess I should get back to bed now. G'night...!" she exclaimed.

He stood motionless, before putting a hand to his forehead in confusion.

What's happening to me...?

Confused, he stood for another few moments in silence. He couldn't quite explain it, but for some reason he felt unreasonably frustrated. But why...?

Running a hand through is hair, Gippal followed Rikku into the house. He sighed to himself and turned around to lock the door. Without another thought, he reached over and flipped off the light as well, making his way up the stairs.

The hallway was dark as he continued to walk towards his room (or rather...Rikku's old bedroom ) at the end of the hall.

"Gippal...?" a soft voice called out.

He paused in his steps and saw Rikku standing just outside her room. She had her hands behind her back as he approached and was swaying a bit back and forth.

"Yeah?"

She smiled in embarrassment. "Sorry for um...wakin' you and all. You really didn't have to come down y'know."

He waved a hand in the air and smirked. "Yeah, I know. But still...wouldn't want anythin' bad to happen to ya or anything," Gippal laughed softly.

"Yeah..." she replied, trailing off. Her eyes rose up to his slowly. He watched her curiously, wondering what seemed to be bothering her. "Gippal, I um...I just wanted to say…um..." Rikku tried again.

He waited patiently, seeing her fidgeting a bit with her feet.

"Nevermind, forget I said anything! Goodnight again!" she said quickly, turning around to head back into her room.

He immediately reached out to grab her hand, stopping her. She gasped quietly at the touch, but didn't move away this time. Slowly, he raised his other hand to brush against her face and lowered his lips to hers.

Her eyes widened and she felt herself tense, but she didn't push him away. Gippal finally felt her kiss him back. His mind was hazy, but he suddenly snapped back into attention as she backed away from him.

"I um...goodnight!" Rikku exclaimed in a rush as she quickly closed her bedroom door behind her.

Gippal stood motionless in the hallway, dropping his arm at his side.

End of Chapter 9

A/N: Chapter 10 is going to be a blast to write! I know you guys will just absolutely love it!

Thanks for reading, and please review.