Disclaimer: FFX, FFX-2 – neither of them belong to me, I'm just a poor, starving fan : )
A/N: I guess first I should wish everyone a belated Happy Christmas and New Year and welcome in 2005. Wow, feels kinda weird to be saying that. I'm still on 2004 time…
Okay – advance warning. I'm going to be VERY busy next weekend (it's my birthday and I'm also moving back to Uni) which means getting the next post up in a weeks time is going to be very unlikely. However, as ever, I can promise that this story will be finished and I will try and update as soon as I possibly can.
In other news, I've got to say I was overwhelmed by the response to my hesitant request for a beta-reader. I want to thank everyone who offered (if I had time I'd bounce ideas of all of you!) however, for the time being I'm still deliberating. I've only just realised that the end of this fic is in sight and therefore getting a beta-reader at this stage might not be very smart! Anyway, I will keep you posted when I've made my mind up completely : )
As always, thanks to everyone who reviewed but special thanks must go to Fire Mistress for a thoughtful and critical review of my work. This chapter is dedicated to you!
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Rikku's StoryBy: JoeyStar
Timeframe: Set a month or so after the 'perfect' ending of FFX-2
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Chapter 17
Hindsight can be a bitch, you know?
With hindsight, I might have changed my mind about jumping out of an eight-storey window, with no knowledge if the plans I had set up previously were actually in place.
With hindsight, I might have recognised that Gippal didn't seem to know anything about the plan and changed my own actions accordingly.
With hindsight, I might have realised the oddity of Baralai's reaction towards me – particularly when he was supposed to have been well aware of the fact that I had come to rescue Gippal.
Oh I'm really good at hindsight. Unfortunately, I'm not quite so gifted in the art of 'making-the-right-choices-at-the-time' …
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Falling is a very strange feeling.
In some ways it's exciting; you feel completely weightless. It's easy to see why birds have such a fun time in the air. On the other hand, when you're plummeting towards a solid, earth floor at an alarming rate, it can also be quite frightening.
"Rikku!" Gippal yelled my name desperately as we plummeted towards the ground. "Do – you have – any kind of – of plan?"
"Yes!" I yelled back, hoping that I wasn't lying to him. "Just wait!"
"Wait?" Even though we were falling through the air, he still managed to turn to me, an incredulous look on his face. "We're - kinda runnin' - outta time here!"
"Gippal … just trust me!"
And then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw it. Our salvation; streaming towards us through the air, even more sleek and elegant than I remembered. With a rush of air and a roar of engines, the Melatha glided into position beneath us and a smile broke out over my face.
"There!" I shouted triumphantly.
"Talk about – good timin'!" Gippal gasped out. "How're they gonna – gonna catch us?"
"On the deck!"
"What?"
"On the deck!" I yelled as loud as I could.
"What? Are you insane –?" Whatever else Gippal had been going to say was abruptly cut off when we impacted onto the deck of the Melatha with a dull thud.
I groaned as my wrist bent the wrong way underneath me. Somehow, in my plan, I hadn't imagined that it would hurt quite so much. The power of the wind whipped around me, pulling at my clothes and hair with wild abandon. I struggled to push the errant locks out of my eyes but quickly abandoned the attempt when I felt myself rolling towards the edge of the deck.
"Whoa!" I cried, scrabbling desperately against the smooth surface of the Melatha's hull. My wrist throbbed, sending darts of pain through my body but I was more concerned with the fact that I was rapidly sliding towards a sheer drop that was probably going to hurt a great deal more.
Suddenly, almost out of nowhere, a hand latched firmly onto my flailing hands. With a heave, I felt myself rolling back the other way, picking up speed at an alarming weight. I couldn't see anything beyond the golden waterfall of my hair and so I squealed with surprise when I impacted into something warm and solid.
"Hold on!" a familiar voice bellowed over the wind. Gippal pulled me quickly to my feet, where I stood, swaying unsteadily. My heart was beating so fast that I'm sure they would have been to hear its rhythm in Besaid.
"Here," I felt Gippal take my hand and place it against a piece of cool metal. Reassured, I wrapped my fingers around the railing and followed him as he began moving in what I hoped was the direction of the ship's interior.
After what felt like hours but was more like ten seconds or so, Gippal's hand slapped the door release and we dived forward into the gallery of the ship, breathing sighs of relief when the door slid shut behind us, cutting off the vicious wind.
I lay where I had fallen, breathing deeply and luxuriating in the warmth of the gallery. My hair was scattered across my face and neck; my scarf was threatening to choke me and my wrist felt like a Skoll was happily gnawing on it, but I didn't care. I was warm, safe and best of all, Gippal was back at my side.
Suddenly I remembered something. Rolling onto my side with a grunt, I pushed my hair out of my eyes and pulled a small object out of the pocket of my shorts. My eyes darted over its dark outer-shell and I was relieved to see that there wasn't any visible damage. I lifted the object to my lips, depressing a button in the side as I did so.
"Lreav?"
His voice came back almost instantly – and he sounded intensely pleased to hear from me. "Rikku? Are you all right? Is Gippal with you?"
"We're a little bruised but we'll be fine. Can we get out here please?"
"Sure."
"We'll be down shortly," I assured him, releasing the button and flopping back down onto the floor of the gallery.
I felt Gippal shift beside me. "What is that?" he asked curiously.
I turned my head to see that he was eyeing the black object with the typical interest that's present in all Al Bhed when they discover a new piece of machina.
I handed it over to him. "It's another of Shinra's inventions. We found it in a cupboard under the CommSphere console. It's sort of like a portable CommSphere – except it only transmits sound. No images."
"That kid's too smart for his own good."
"You said it," I agreed tiredly, resting the back of my aching wrist against my cool forehead. Now that I could look at it without my hair in the way, I could see that it was swollen and bent at a rather unnatural angle. However, I could still wriggle my fingers, so it couldn't be all that bad, you know?
An awkward silence descended between me and Gippal as we sat in the gallery. I kept my attention firmly on my wrist and out of the corner of my eye I could see Gippal examining the communicator with unrealistic fervour. It seemed as if neither of us wanted to be the first to speak and yet, I couldn't understand why. Once again I felt that disappointing surge of resentment. This wasn't how it was meant to have happened – Gippal's rescue, I mean. He was supposed to have welcomed me with open arms, and praised my courage. He wasn't supposed to have ignored me in favour of a stupid piece of machina.
Finally I could stand it no longer and I sat up. Unfortunately, during my inner monologue, I had momentarily forgotten about my injured wrist and as I sat up, I made the mistake of putting my weight onto it.
"Ow – ow, ow ow!" I yelped, cupping my swollen wrist against my chest and biting my lip to prevent any further out-cry.
Gippal was at my side instantly, his strong arm at my back supporting me, and his expression concerned. "Are you all right?"
"My wrist," I ground out through gritted teeth.
He took my wrist gently in his hands and squinted at it. "I think it's broken," he said after a moment, his voice quiet and the most peculiar expression on his face.
I shrugged, wrinkling my nose at the injury. "It won't take a moment to fix it. I just hope I'm not scarred for life."
I expected him to make some flippant comment in return but he simply sat back on his heels and said nothing. I looked up at him and though his expression was guarded, I would almost have said that the look in his eyes was one of anger.
"What did you think you were doin' Rikku?" he said abruptly.
I frowned in consternation. Hadn't we already been over this? "I was rescuing you."
"You could have been killed!" he said harshly.
I stared at him. "What are you talking about? I was never in any danger?"
"What do you call havin' a gun pointed at you? Or jumpin' from an eight-storey window?"
"Oh the guards were never going to hurt me!" I tried to dismiss his concerns with a smile, but it faltered when his expression remained grave. "And the drop wasn't that high."
" 'Not that high'? Geez Rikku, I was right. You are insane. We could have been killed!"
"But we weren't!" I protested as he rose to his feet and turned away from me. "We escaped … so everything's alright again –"
"No!" he snapped, spinning back around to face me. "Everythin' is not alright. Have you any idea what you've done? Every person in Spira's gonna be after my blood now!"
"But you're innocent!"
His look was filled with such disgust that I withered beneath it. "You're a fool Rikku," he said, his voice cold.
That was it – I'd had enough of being treated like I was a naughty child. I'd just risked my life to rescue Gippal and he hadn't even thanked me. He'd just been angry and ungrateful; and I didn't understand why. Sure, Baralai might not have had chance to tell him about the plan but that didn't explain why he wouldn't believe me when I told him everything was going to be okay.
Suddenly I couldn't keep my anger under-wraps anymore. "Do you have any idea what I went through to get you out?" I demanded.
"I didn't ask you to!" he returned, eyes flashing.
"I thought you'd be grateful!" I shouted at him, jumping up and glaring at him, my injured wrist still cradled against my chest. "I thought you might actually want to see me again!"
"Of course I do but–," he broke off and ran a hand through his hair. He flattened several of his normal spikes but I don't think he noticed.
I pounced on his words. "But? But what? But you'd rather stay in prison than be with me?" I don't know where my words were coming from, all I knew was that I couldn't stop their flow.
"Tyssed Rikku – stop being such a child! Not everythin' is about you, you know." (Dammit)
My eyes narrowed with anger but inwardly, I flinched at his words. Was that what he truly thought of me? Was I doomed to forever by a child in Gippal's eyes? Immature, self-obsessed … I thought I'd left Cid's girl firmly behind me – was I wrong?
I couldn't let him see that he'd got to me. "
He looked so disgusted that I cringed. "I can't talk to you when you're like this." Without another word, he strode passed me, towards the lift which we take him down to the lower decks of the ship.
"That's it," I shouted after him, "just run away. Like you do every time the conversation gets a bit too personal! Honestly, I should have just left you in Bevelle!"
Gippal's hand slapped the lift button and I jumped. His back was still facing me, but I could see the tension in his shoulders. Something inside me told me that I had gone to far this time; that I should apologise and try and get Gippal to sit down and talk about our issues like adults. But before I could say anything more, he turned back to me. His face was set and there was none of the usual warmth present in his eyes. "Yeah, you should." His voice was almost inaudible. " 'Cos you've just guaranteed me a one-way ticket to jail. For real."
I stared at him in horror, his words stabbing through me like the claws of a Xiphos.
"Yeah – I'm really grateful to you Rikku." He paused and something akin to sadness blossomed in his eyes. "Hadn't you better see to your wrist?"
I glanced down at my injured wrist and became aware that the pain was slowly increasing. Impatient, I hurriedly changed into my White Mage Dress-sphere and healed the injury without a moments thought.
When I returned to my thief clothing and looked up, it was to find Gippal gone.
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Should I have seen it coming? Surely I should have twigged that there was something wrong about the whole situation. I mean, Baralai's a careful guy. Isn't it highly doubtful that he would have forgotten to tell Gippal about the plan? And his reaction to me … nothing seemed to add up – but why didn't I notice?
I wished I'd had hindsight on my side then. Maybe then understanding wouldn't have come to late and I wouldn't have been so surprised by what happened next.
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When I finally felt composed enough to venture out of the safety of the gallery, I stepped into the lift and directed it down to the bridge.
However, as soon as I got there, I regretted my decision. There was an icy tension on the bridge that enveloped me as soon as the lift doors opened. I felt like a thousand people were giving me accusatory stares and to be honest, I couldn't work out why.
There were only three people on the bridge: Gippal, Lreav and Elhandra. They were all seated around the CommSphere screen, watching something onscreen. In fact, I don't think they'd even noticed my entrance which made me realise my 'being-watched' feeling was probably a result over my mixed guilt and anger at Gippal, rather than any actual staring.
Still, my companions were unusually silent and despite the difficulties between me and Gippal, I wanted to know what was going on. So I drew myself up, flexed my newly-healed hand cautiously and then walked across the gantry to join them.
"What are you –" I began as I drew close but before I could get more than those three words out of my mouth, Elhandra spun around in her chair and hissed, "Shut up!"
Taken aback, I did just that, my eyes straying towards the CommSphere screen as I sank into a chair. As soon as the first words of the onscreen report reached my ears, the silence and tension made horrible sense.
'… mere moments ago. The blast shook the foundations of the already fragile buildings, obliterating many of them instantly. The number of dead is as yet unconfirmed, but there are already early speculations that the severity of this attack far exceeds those of Bevelle and Guadosalam. One official was quoted as stating 'there will be loss of life here today' and that sentiment has been echoed by the sheer devastation left behind by the terrorists.
This attack coincides with the escape of Gippal, leader of the Al Bhed Machine Faction and prime suspect in the bombing. Barely an hour ago, the suspect was rescued from his confinement in Bevelle by an as-yet, unnamed female accomplice. The couple evaded capture by the guards when they jumped from a tenth-storey window into a silver air-ship, which was last seen heading off in a southerly direction, towards the site of the attack.
Bevelle have already released a statement which promises they will do everything to apprehend the suspect as soon as possible. They ask for help from the general public, guaranteeing a generous reward for any information that can be provided as to the whereabouts of the suspect or that of the airship he escaped on. The ship's most distinctive feature is it's silver hue but the public have been cautioned against approaching it. All sightings should be reported instantly to the proper authorities so that the recent spread of atrocities in Spira can finally be stopped.'
At this point, Lreav leaned forward and switched off the CommSphere screen, cutting off the news report. It didn't matter; I'd heard enough and for several moments I could nothing but stare blankly at the dark screen, wishing desperately to wake up and find that this was all a dream.
"Where?" I asked finally, my voice cracking.
I didn't have to explain what I meant. "Kilika," Gippal replied, his voice devoid of all emotion.
The blow that the initial report had struck was doubled at this news. If there was one town in the whole of Spira that least deserved such an attack, it was Kilika. A victim of the Sin attack we had been helpless to prevent, the people of Kilika had only recently finished rebuilding their homes and town – making it something to be proud of. It was hard to believe that all of that hard work had been destroyed in the blink of an eye.
"Why would anyone do this?"
I wasn't aware that I had spoken aloud until Elhandra swung around in her chair to face me. "What does it matter? Who knows what's going on inside this psycho's head?"
Normally I would have argued with her just out of principle but now I simply hung my head, overwhelmed by the report that I had just witnessed.
"What happens now?" Lreav asked hesitantly, after another long minute of silence had passed.
Gippal rubbed his hands over his face. I watched him quietly, thinking how tired he looked and wishing he would meet my gaze. But his eyes remained stubbornly fixed upon the floor. "I'm a wanted man now," he said slowly. "Seems I've got two options. I can keep runnin' or I can turn myself in."
"After all the trouble I just went through to get you out?" Elhandra snorted. "I don't think so."
I expected Gippal to argue – after all, he'd been hard enough on me so far for rescuing him – but instead, he sank back into his chair. "Looks like I'm runnin' then, doesn't it?"
I couldn't help it; I felt jealous. Why had he so quickly accepted Elhandra's words when not five minutes ago, we'd had a vicious argument about the same subject? And why did his resentment at the situation seemed to be focused solely no me?
I no longer questioned why Gippal was angry with me. I wasn't stupid; I could see how the latest bombing cast an almost unbreakable suspicion over him. Whoever was behind these attacks was clearly using Gippal as a scapegoat, and I'd practically gift-wrapped the chance to incriminate him.
But who could have possibly known that we were going to break Gippal out of prison? Or was it just a coincidence that the bombing had occurred mere moments after his escape?
Somehow, I didn't believe in coincidence.
My eyes flickered back towards the CommSphere screen and even though it was blank, I shivered. At the end of the day, it didn't matter how or why; it mattered who. And that who was about to find out what happened when they came up against an Al Bhed. There was no way I was going to let another bombing happen. Spira – and her people – had been through enough.
"We have to stop this," I said firmly.
"What do you think we've been trying to do?" Elhandra scoffed but Lreav held up his hand to forestall any further comment.
"You sound like you've got something in mind," he said to me.
I nodded slowly, thinking rapidly. "It's no secret that we didn't have any luck in Guadosalam. Whoever's behind this is clever; they plan ahead. But with this latest bombing coming so quickly after Gippal's escape … you've gotta think that maybe this time, the attack was more hurried."
"You think they might have left a clue," Gippal concluded. I smiled at him, before I remembered that we were arguing and quickly wiped the expression off my face.
"It's worth a try, surely? I mean, what else can we do?"
I looked to Elhandra then, expecting some kind of protest, but she simply shrugged her shoulders, looking elegantly indifferent. If anything, this served to irritate me more than a protest might have; couldn't she even pretend to be interested in what was happening?
Lreav cleared his throat. "Um … I hate to be the voice of reason here, but I have to say I think this is a bad idea."
I frowned at him, surprised. "Why?"
"As Gippal's already pointed out, he's a wanted man. His face is going to be plastered all over the media – which rather limits his movements. And not only that but the Melatha is a fairly unique ship in terms of appearance …"
"So Gippal stays on the Melatha and we drop it down out of sight somewhere; approach Kilika on foot." I returned promptly. "Can't be as hard as defeating Sin, you know?"
My attempt at levity fell flat as Lreav only served to look more concerned. "But what about the guards?"
"They didn't stop us in Guadosalam."
"But what about –"
"Lreav," I cut him off gently, "what is this really about?"
He swallowed awkwardly, darted a guilty glance at Gippal and then looked down at his hands, where they were resting in his lap. "It's just … I'm worried about you. The news report almost identified you and I – I don't want you to get hurt."
"Oh please, I'm going to be sick," Elhandra muttered.
I couldn't help it; I blushed. On the one hand, Lreav's words could be taken in a perfectly innocent way, as concern for a friend. But somehow, I knew there was more to them than that and what's worse, I'm sure everyone else on board the Melatha knew it too.
I couldn't look at Gippal. I was too afraid that I would see betrayal on his face. Or even worse – cool disinterest. After being so sure of our feelings for one another since the beginning of this whole nightmare, the argument had shaken my belief.
I tried to cover up my insecurities by laughing, but even to my ears it sounded fake. "I'll be fine Lreav. I am a master of disguise, you know. Besides, I've been doing this kind of thing for years."
"But Rikku –"
"I'll be fine," I assured him, with a distinct edge to my voice. "I want to do this."
"So she's going and Gippal's not," Elhandra said impatiently. "Can we please try and do something productive now? Such as actually getting to Kilika?"
"Wait." Once again, Lreav forestalled us, earning himself an exasperated look from both me and Elhandra. Gippal simply remained impassive.
"I don't think Rikku should go alone."
I fought the urge to throttle him. Couldn't he understand that his concern was misplaced? Especially in front of Gippal?
"He's right."
My head jerked around as Gippal spoke. His arms were folded across his chest and he looked resolute. "Rikku shouldn't go alone. It's too dangerous."
I wanted to protest – he was treating me like a child again! – but the expression on his face spoke volumes. He wasn't going to be backing down anytime soon.
"I can't go with her. And Lreav can't go either – the authorities are looking for a man and a woman. Which leaves you." He nodded his head towards Elhandra, who blinked.
"What? Me? With her? Again?" She sighed dramatically, flipping her braids back over one shoulder with a negligent toss of her head. "I just have all the luck."
Her words irritated and I found myself glaring at her. "Excuse me, I'm not exactly jumping for joy myself here." I hated how petulant I sounded.
"Ahuikr!" (Enough!) The word came out short and tense and Elhandra and I both spun around to see that Gippal had stood up. His normal good-humour wasn't evident anywhere on his face and he looked as angry as I'd ever seen him. "I'd leave you two right here and go myself if I could. But thanks to you, that's not an option anymore. Which means it's left to you to try and save Spira by stoppin' these attacks. Now I don't care that you don't like each other; I want you to stop this stupid bickerin' and do what I've damn well told you to do. 'Cos the way Isee it, you owe me."
I'd never heard him use that tone before. By Elhandra's stunned expression, neither had she. To my intense embarrassment, I felt my cheeks burning under Gippal's intense gaze and I hated the fact that he'd made me feel about five years old.
Coming straight on the back of our argument, I had to confess that things weren't looking good for mine and Gippal's relationship. All he seemed to do was shout at me and all I seemed able to do was make him. There was none of the warmth that had always been present between us, even back when we were constantly at one another's throats. I was starting to wonder whether something had happened during his stay in Bevelle – something he hadn't told me. What if he'd changed his mind about me? Was his coolness towards me a subtle way of trying to tell me this?
Suddenly I felt like I couldn't breathe. The feeling of being watched returned, more intense than ever before and coupled with my raging thoughts, I began to feel trapped. Like the walls were closing in on me. Gippal's reaction to the rescue, the Kilika bombing, Gippal's recent lecture – it was all too much for me. I had to escape.
Without a word to anyone, I jumped out of my chair and walked hurriedly towards the door. I slapped the release panel and chewed anxiously on my lip as it slid slowly open and allowed me to pass.
"Some people are so touchy," I heard Elhandra mutter behind me.
"Rikku?" Lreav called, sounding worried.
Gippal said nothing.
I ignored all of them and walked down the gantry without looking back.
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Don't worry – I can promise that the reconciliation between Rikku and Gippal will come very soon. (It's in the next chapter!) And as I mentioned before, the end is drawing nigh so enjoy every moment you can!
As always, please read, review and enjoy : )