Disclaimer: FFX, FFX-2 – neither of them belong to me, I'm just a poor, starving fan : )

A/N: Okay, sorry that this chapter is a little shorter than normal – but I really wanted to end it in specific place. I'm also aware that it has definite parallels to a previous chapter in this story (I think you all know which one) so please don't complain that I'm repeating myself! There are reason for everything my friends ... hehe : )

Secondly, I've had a few complaints that this fic is too full of Rikku's thoughts. While I do appreciate the opinions of my reviewers, the style of this fic is – and always has been – heavily thought based. In my opinion it's the nature of a first person fic to be full of thoughts. There is action at various points but the nature of the investigation means that not everything can be fast-paced. Also, there are certain story points that I have to get in and some of them happen in the quieter moments. I'm sorry if you find so much 'thought' to be boring but I'm not going to change my style so far into the fic!

And hey – I can definitely promise an action-filled chapter approaching VERY rapidly. And maybe even a return of Gippal ... : ) : )

This chapter is dedicated to Quadrono for a really great review that brightened up my day. Thanks!

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Rikku's Story

By: JoeyStar

Timeframe: Set a month or so after the 'perfect' ending of FFX-2

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Chapter 12

After what I had just learned concerning the nature of our culprit, I really didn't feel like sharing my thoughts with Lreav and Elhandra. I was tired; it was late and surely my findings could be left for the morning, you know?

Apparently not.

When I returned to the Melatha, they were waiting for me. Elhandra was lounging indolently in one of the seats on the bridge; her pretty face creased into the sullen frown that loudly voiced her displeasure even though she wasn't currently speaking. Lreav, on the other hand, was pacing in an almost nervous fashion, wringing his hands. He looked up instantly when I gingerly stuck my head through the doorway, praying that the bridge would be empty and I could just skulk away to my room.

"Rikku!" he cried instantly, his relief evident. "You're okay!"

I fixed a smile on my face and swallowed my disappointment as I stepped into the room. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"We were worried."

"Speak for yourself," Elhandra drawled, giving me a cursory glance.

I wasn't in the mood to put up with her slights. I flashed her a sickly sweet smile that was more of a grimace. "I'm glad you have so much confidence in my ability that you wouldn't need to worry."

She sniffed. "Don't flatter yourself."

Lreav looked between us, a furrow developing between his eyes. "I do wish you too would be nicer to each other," he said fretfully.

I snorted rudely, she laughed darkly and we shot each other scornful looks. The identical nature of our reactions probably would have struck me as amusing if I hadn't been feeling so dispirited. As it was, I was too busy planning my escape to notice.

"Did you get the information?" Lreav asked, changing the subject tactfully.

"Yeah," I said again, lifting the camera slightly for emphasis. "It's all in here."

"You got everything?" Lreav questioned, staring at the camera intently.

"Yeah." Was I beginning to sound like a CommSphere recording on repeat? Why couldn't he understand that I didn't want to talk about it?

I just wanted to get out of there - I wanted some time to consider what I'd discovered.

Putting the camera down on the floor, I breathed a sigh of relief when I was finally freed from its weight. I rotated my shoulder, wincing when the muscle complained.

Lreav knelt down on the hard floor and was immediately absorbed in removing the sphere from the camera so that it could be viewed far more easily using the ship's systems. Elhandra was staring out into the night and most importantly: no one was watching me. I turned and began hurrying back towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

I froze guiltily and glanced back to see that Elhandra hadn't been as engrossed in the darkness outside as I had thought. In fact, she was glaring at me in an accusatory way and I suddenly felt like I was five again and being chastised by my parents for going out into the desert without telling anyone.

"I was going to my room," I muttered, my cheeks colouring.

Her eyes narrowed. "We have to watch the recording."

"Can't we watch in the morning? I'm tired." The words came out before I could stop them and I hated how weak they made me sound.

Evidently Elhandra agreed with me. "I don't believe you. We've finally found something that might just be of use to Gippal and all you want to do is go to bed? You don't care about him at all!"

"Of course I do!" I retorted, stung. How I felt about Gippal was one of the only things that was clear in my mind at the moment. It was ironic to think that now I had finally sorted that out, everything else in my life had decided to complicate itself. I just couldn't banish the Yevonite guards' conversation from my mind – it kept playing over and over like the repeats of a Blitzball match. Except there was none of the joy or excitement associated with that sport; just the painful knowledge that one of my own people was trying to destroy the Al Bhed.

And yet ... was I being selfish, wanting a few more hours to get my thoughts in order? Surely it wouldn't make much of a difference in the long run? Somehow I knew that if our positions had been reversed then Gippal would be doing everything in his power to get me out of jail as soon as possible. He wouldn't be deliberating like I was now; he'd be jumping into action and my cheeks burned with shame at my own selfishness.

"Well then prove it. Stay here and watch the damn sphere!"

Normally I would have risen to such a challenge immediately but to tell the truth, there was more to be refusal to watch the sphere than just the fact that I needed some time to think. I really was exhausted. My arm and shoulder were really beginning to hurt from where I had held the camera up for so long, my knees were bruised and I was keeping back yawns with difficulty. The last thing I needed was to have to go head to head with Elhandra, or to watch the recording again.

Luckily, I didn't have to. As he had done so many times before, Lreav came to my rescue.

"Lhan, I think we should watch it tomorrow. Rikku's done so much this evening already."

I shot him a grateful look which he returned with a smile.

"Surely the sphere can wait until morning?" he cajoled his sister.

Elhandra met and held his gaze for a long moment and I was amazed to finally see her back down. She didn't do it gracefully; an ugly look was thrown in my direction and even Lreav received raised eyebrows, but she didn't complain when Lreav gathered up the camera.

"In the morning then," I ventured hesitantly.

"In the morning," Lreav agreed, hugging the camera to his chest. "Now go and get some rest."

I nodded and offered him a weary salute before I walked out of the bridge and into the corridor beyond. Once the door had closed behind me, I sighed and sagged against the wall, rubbing my face with my hands. Standing there, in that lonely, silent corridor, everything that had happened caught up with me. I suddenly felt wretched.

The wreckage of Guadosalam; the way I had been forced to go over it inch by inch; overhearing the Yevonites conversation; Gippal's absence – it was almost too much to cope with. Everything was happening so fast and events were spiralling out of control. To be honest, they had been since the first bombing Bevelle but back then I had had Gippal with me and somehow, he had made everything seem okay. Now he was locked up in Bevelle and I was trying to solve a worldwide crime with two people I hardly knew.

I think that was the worst part – the fact that I hardly knew Elhandra, or even Lreav. Lreav seemed like a lovely man but there was none of the companionship that I had enjoyed during the other important journey's of my life – Yunie's pilgrimage and the quest to defeat Vegnagun. Then I had had my fellow Guardians and the Gullwings to keep me company. Now there was just me and two relative strangers.

Maybe that was the real reason why I had refused to watch the sphere tonight. Was it because the trust that I was used to experiencing with my companions wasn't there yet? Did that mean I didn't trust Elhandra and Lreav?

No, I decided firmly, that wasn't right. I definitely trusted Lreav if not Elhandra. But, to be honest, I simply didn't know them very well. It was bound to make me reluctant to share information and discuss such weighty matters as the Al Bhed's future and Spira's impending civil war.

But where did that leave the investigation?

I knew that if Gippal had been here with us then I wouldn't have had any problems. But he wasn't here and it was about time that I started thinking about other people beside myself. The only important thing was that Gippal needed me; he needed us. There was no time for my internal confusion and doubts. I was determined to help him and that was all that mattered, you know? Time wasn't on our side and I needed to pull myself together.

It wasn't usual for me to be so depressed and uncertain, you know? And besides, if our positions were reversed, I doubt that Gippal would be entertaining similar thoughts. He'd be too busy trying to save me and I was damned if I wasn't going to do the same. He'd never let me live it down if I left him to stew in jail.

I smile stole across my face as a ridiculous image of Gippal blowing apart one of the Bevelle prisons to rescue me, floated through my mind. Instantly I felt a little better and so I pushed away from the wall and made my way back to my room.

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I was feeling a great deal calmer when I stepped onto the bridge the following morning.

Someone – either Elhandra or Lreav (though I suspected it was Lreav) – had removed the sphere from the camera and had connected it to the Melatha's interface so that the recording would be projected onto a large screen that hung in the centre of the bridge, from the roof of the ship.

I eyed the machina with interest because it was beyond anything I had ever worked on, or even seen before. It was based upon the designs that had long been in use in Luca, transmitting the Blitzball games to the populace in the docking areas and the central bar. Gippal had mentioned that Shinra had designed and installed it in the months after leaving the Gullwings. As my eyes moved past the screen and onto the pedestal that held the small camera sphere, I smiled, wondering where Shinra was now. He'd been the only member of the Gullwings that hadn't attended the celebrations – proving he really was smarter than the rest of us – and I hadn't actually seen him since that cataclysmic battle against Vegnagun. He would be the perfect person to have with us on this investigation and I decided that when we had a moment, I would ask Lreav and Elhandra if they knew were he was. After all, he'd obviously been to Djose Temple recently, you know?

"Is everything set up?" I called as I walked over.

Lreav looked up from where he was adjusting the position of the sphere and grinned when he recognised me. He too seemed in lighter spirits this morning. "Just finished. You've got perfect timing."

"Of course," I joked, flipping my hair back over my shoulder. "Have you only just noticed?"

"Oh please, it's too early in the morning for me to be sick." Elhandra's voice came from behind me but I ignored her. I was becoming a reflex reaction by now.

Besides, there was still something I wanted to say to her brother. "Lreav?"

He stopped in his fine-tuning. "Are you okay?" Apparently something in my tone had caught his attention.

"Oh – I'm fine." I dismissed his concern with a wave of my hand. "I just – I wanted to say that I'm ... I'm sorry. About last night. You know – when I wouldn't watch the sphere?"

It was his turn to dismiss something. "Don't worry about it Rikku."

"Are you sure?" While I might not know Lreav very well, his opinion was becoming increasingly important to me.

"I'm sure." He smiled, eyes shining. "Everything worked out okay in the end, didn't it?"

I frowned, surprised by his comment. "It did?"

"Well we're all rested now – we'll probably be able to pay more attention to the recording."

His words were logical and I found myself nodding. "I guess."

I must still have sounded uncertain because he put his hands on my shoulders. "Come on, let's see what you found for us."

Once Elhandra and I had settled in front of the large screen, Lreav activated the sphere and then came to join us. I waited nervously as the screen began to brighten and the recording started to come into focus.

Thanks to the night-to-day capabilities that Shinra's equipment possessed, the scene was as brightly lit as if it had been filmed at noon rather than midnight. However, in darkness or light, what it was showing was still shocking and I braced myself from my companion's reactions.

"Spira!" Lreav breathed upon seeing the destruction and even Elhandra gasped. Because I had seen it before I wasn't surprised, but my stomach did twist uncomfortably. It truly was horrific to see how much damage a single person had caused.

"Is it all like this?" Lreav asked, aghast, eyes fixed on the screen.

I nodded without comment, also unable to draw my gaze away.

"Tysh" (Damn) Elhandra murmured as the camera continued it's unsteady progress through the city that had once been a unique blend of nature and Guado and was now unrecognisable.

Silence reigned amongst us as the camera unveiled yet more of the same destruction. It was only broken when Elhandra uncrossed her legs and broke the quiet that I managed to look away from the images on-screen. Glancing across at her I found that she was watching me out of the corner of her eye and for once, she didn't look angry or irritated. In fact, I couldn't quite tell what emotion flashed across her face.

"Was it all like this?" she asked quietly.

"Yes," I answered honestly.

She held my gaze for a moment longer before turning back to the screen without further comment. I continued to watch her, and it was strange, but at that moment I felt an understanding had been reached between us. I wouldn't go so far as to say she'd developed a sudden liking for me – or me for her – but the sheer animosity I'd grown used to receiving from her had been lacking. And there'd even been the slightest hint of respect in her gaze as if she'd realised just how horrible my trip to Guadosalam had really been.

It was a humbling thought.

My attention returned to the screen in time to see the camera jerk awkwardly and focus on the floor for several long seconds. I heard my voice cursing in the background and it was only then that I realised this was when I had stumbled over the tree root.

"What happened there?" Lreav asked in a hushed tone.

I didn't feel inclined to lie. "I stumbled." I couldn't stop my cheeks from colouring and I hurried on. "Don't worry, the camera will right itself soon – look, there you go."

The camera was level once more and in the distance, I could see the remains of Leblanc's house. The breath caught in my throat as I realised the overheard conversation was rapidly approaching.

My steps on-screen grew closer and closer ... and then, before any of us knew what had happened, the screen reverted back to the blackness that it had shown before the sphere had begun to play.

Stunned, I half-rose. "What -?"

Lreav jumped up and hurried across to the sphere. He fiddled with something that I couldn't see and then shook his head in amazement. "It's still playing!"

"But that's impossible!" I exclaimed. "That's not the end of the recording!"

"Lreav, scan it forward," Elhandra ordered, the tightness of her voice being the only indication that she was as unnerved as we were.

Her brother complied, but the only change upon the screen was the slight blurring that accompanied such a scan. The picture remained stubbornly black.

I couldn't understand it – I knew for certain that the recording had been longer. And I also knew that I hadn't disabled the recording function of the camera. I might not have been a whiz like Shinra, but I knew plenty about machina. I wouldn't have stopped the camera recording – I just wouldn't have, you know?

Lreav shook his head as the screen continued to show nothing but darkness. "There's nothing more on here."

"But that doesn't make any sense," I protested. "There was definitely more to the recording. I know there was."

He stopped the recording and ran a hand through his dark hair. "Rikku ... could you have knocked the recording switch?"

"No," I said firmly, with absolute certainty. "The camera was on. I checked it enough times."

"Then there's only one explanation," Elhandra declared, joining her brother by the pedestal. "The sphere must have become damage." She unhooked the small sphere from it's stand and began running her fingers over it – I assumed she was checking for flaws.

I continued to stare at the blank screen, unable to believe what had happened. What we'd seen – it had been a fraction of the recording that I had made. And worse than that – it had told us nothing about who was behind the attacks. While I could remember details about my visit, I certainly couldn't recall as much as a recording would have.

What if Elhandra was right? What if the sphere was damaged? Maybe it had happened when I had tripped – no, the recording had continued on past that point safely enough. But what else could have happened?

"There's no damage."

"What?" I blurted.

Elhandra returned the sphere to its perch. "I said there's no damage. It doesn't make any sense," she added in an undertone, unconsciously repeating my earlier words.

I considered what I knew about spheres – particularly the movie ones that were found in cameras. Damage did seem to be the most likely reason for the loss of some of the recording but Elhandra said the sphere was undamaged. What other possible cause could there be?

Erasure.

The words swam unbidden into my mind and though I tried to dismiss it, I found that I couldn't. It would explain why the recording ended so abruptly but why in Spira would someone want to erase part of my recording? And worse, such a claim would immediately implicate either Elhandra or Lreav. Which was completely ridiculous!

And yet, I just had to ask.

"Who set all of this up?"

Lreav looked up from his contemplation of the sphere. "You mean the sphere and the screen?" He waved his hands to encompass everything and I nodded. "That was Lhan."

Elhandra. Somehow I was surprised; she hadn't struck me as the most active of people. But then again, she had been working as part of the Machine Faction before I had met her. And if she had set up the equipment as Lreav had said (and why would he lie?) then she had had both the knowledge and opportunity ...

Stop it, Rikku! I ordered myself sharply. Just stop it!

I felt sickened by my thoughts; I may not have liked Elhandra but accusing her of something simply because she had been there was ridiculous. She had no reason to tamper with the recording and just because I didn't know her very well, that didn't excuse the fact that – as usual – I had jumped to the wrong conclusion.

"Look – it's not so bad," Lreav said, trying to be optimistic. "Rikku, you must be able to remember some things. You can just tell us, right?"

"Right," I agreed, deciding there was no point in stewing over the fate of my recording. After all, I could remember all the important things I'd seen, you know?

"I suppose that will have to do," was Elhandra's only comment as she returned to her chair.

"It's better than nothing," Lreav maintained and I appreciated his effort to see something positive in a disappointing situation. He turned to me. "Just take us through it step by step."

"Okay." I took a deep breath and tried to remember as much as I could about my night-time visist to Guadosalam. "I was walking towards Leblanc's house ..."

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It had been a complete waste of time.

Thanks to the damaged sphere, all that we had learned from the trip to Guadosalam was that the person behind the attacks was an Al Bhed. While this could be considered a step in the right direction, it still left us with a whole race to choose from.

It had been a complete waste of time.

I found myself wondering what else we might have discovered if the sphere hadn't been wiped. Had I recorded a piece of evidence that the Bevelle authorities might have missed? Had I captured the image of something that would have led us to the bomber?

It had been a complete waste of time.

Gippal was still in jail and nothing we had found would help his case. If anything the knowledge that whoever was behind this was an Al Bhed had made his situation even worse. And it wasn't even something we could conceal to try and help him because Baralai already knew.

It had been a complete waste of time.

I hugged my arms around my knees and stared out of the window of my room, not really paying attention to the scene outside. A great well of disappointment had risen up inside of me and I didn't know how to suppress it. I didn't even know if I wanted to, despite my earlier decision to stay as cheery as I possibly could. After all, everything we'd done – everything we'd achieved so far – had been a complete waste of time.

"Rikku?"

I recognised Lreav's voice but didn't turn around. I wasn't really looking for any company and after the meeting between us had ended, I had hoped for some time alone.

He lingered in the doorway for several moments and then I heard his footsteps approaching and felt the bed give slightly as he sat down beside me.

"Are you okay?"

Lreav was always asking me that – and I was always pushing him away. But this time, I just didn't have the energy and I suddenly found I wanted to share my feelings with someone. They'd been locked away inside my mind for too long and in Gippal's absence, Lreav was the only person I felt that I could talk to.

"Not really," I admitted quietly, toying with the ends of my scarf.

"You're disappointed about the recording," he stated.

"A bit."

He sighed. "So am I. I had so hoped ... but I guess it wasn't to be."

I wrapped my scarf around one finger. "I really wanted to help Gippal," I admitted. "I thought that this was it; that we were finally getting somewhere."

"But we are!" Lreav assured me earnestly. "We've made real progress!"

I shifted around so that I was facing him. "How can you say that?"

"It's the truth," he insisted, green eyes shining. "We know the terrorist is an Al Bhed –"

"And that's a good thing?" I muttered blackly.

He smiled patiently. "We've gone from having the whole of Spira to worry about to just a small number."

"Maybe," I admitted grudgingly. "But that still doesn't help Gippal."

Lreav cocked his head to one side. "He really matters to you, doesn't he?"

I shifted, making the bed bounce and avoiding the question.

"Gippal's one of my oldest friends," Lreav continued in my silence. "When I think of him in jail I ... I feel so helpless. It's hard."

I wanted to tell him that I felt the same; that he'd practically described my own feelings but I just couldn't find the words.

Lreav sighed and reached across the bed to pat my hand. "Everything's going to be okay. And if you ever need to talk - you know where to find me."

He prepared to rise but something in his pure, unselfish kindness towards me touched my heart. I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, preventing him from rising at the same time. He stiffened in surprise and then relaxed as I revelled in the comfort he provided. Lreav was a wonder to me. How did he always know the right things to do and say to make me feel better? He was rapidly becoming a true friend.

"Rikku ... we'll get through this. And we'll save Gippal."

If anyone else had said those words, I wouldn't have believed them. But something about Lreav's tone convinced me that they were true – we really were going to save Gippal!

I finally found the words that I had been lacking. "Thanks Lreav."

He drew back and looked me straight in the eyes. There was a searching look behind his gaze, as if he was trying to decide something and then it disappeared and he offered me the shy smile that I would forever associate with him. "We all comfort each other in different ways."

I was just wondering what to make of those strange words when he reached across and took me by the shoulders, his bare fingers sending uncomfortable shivers down my spine.

"I comfort you ... and you comfort me."

And then he leaned forward and kissed me.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Poor Rikku – the guys are all over her! But how will she react this time? And what will this spell for Rikku's relationship with Gippal?

I could tell you but that would spoil the next chapter. You're just going to have to be patient ; )

Okay – I'm short of time today so I'm only going to reply directly to the reviewers who asked specific questions and to any new faces. But as always – thanks to EVERYONE who has reviewed!!!

Letselina: thanks for PM-ing your friend – but I haven't heard from her yet. I hope she's still going to read my story!

oceanbang: okay – no, I don't think any of Rikku's friends are going to join her on her quest, but they will be popping in and out of the story at various points. As for your other question, I can't really answer that without giving anything away – although I think this chapter provides some of the answers!

kori hime: welcome to the story and don't worry – the fluff WILL return!!

Kiwifroot: who said I was going to kill Elhandra ...? hahahaha : )

angelicmayuka: Gippal should be back within the next couple of chapters, but there's a few things that Rikku has to experience on her own first : )

Tamelia: technically, Rikku IS still part of the Gullwings. But the Gullwings have been a bit inactive since Vengagun was destroyed and the 'peace-celebrations' started. I guess Rikku still had her dress-spheres when she ran off with Gippal ... hehe

CaptainRikku: thanks for reassuring me about the 'thought-filled' chappie – you're reviewed really cheered me up : )

Lynne Farthing: thanks for reviewing! And welcome to the crazy world that is this website. You will laugh and you will cry : )

Quadrono: wow – thank you SO much for such a great first time review! I really hope you continue to read my story!!

Al bhed Princess: is Elhandra going to frame Rikku? Hmm ... I guess you'll have to wait and see!

Torii: thanks for a great review and welcome to the story! Rikku talking to Baralia – to be honest, I'm not sure yet : )

Taryn: ::hugs lovely review:: thanks SO much! As for the perfect ending, all you get is a little extra scene where Tidus and Yuna are standing outside the ruins of Zanarkand. But they don't kiss!! They just talk about the future and whether Tidus is going to disappear again.

Hella: swirly-eyed contact lenses? Hehe – I LOVE it!

Sarah: you're not the first to ask about Gippal and I'm sure you won't be the last. I'm not exactly sure when he's coming back into the story because I only write the next chapter once I've posted. I think it'll be in the next few chapters though – so don't worry!

Diamond King: everyone has assumed that Elhandra is going to come to a sticky end ... but who am I to tell you the truth? You'll just have to wait and see!

Xtreme Nuisance: not sure what you mean by the half Al Bhed and half Yevonite thing – do you mean Yuna? Because she's half and half and would be stuck in the middle of a civil war?

Reema-cha: thanks for the review!! And I hope you keep on enjoying the story : ) Here in the UK? Well – it really does rain as much as people think it does. And we really do eat fish and chips and drink tea. Apart from that, it's kind of pretty – nice and green – and we have some wicked landmarks. I think if you like history then the UK is the place to be : ) : )

Sorry if I missed out any new reviewers – my memory sucks and I might have mistaken you for a long-time reviewer. Anyway – thanks everyone! ::hugs reviews tightly::

As always, read, review and enjoy (especially all those who read and DON'T review – please let me know what you think!)