Dancing All Around Me : A Rikku x Gippal Fanfiction

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A/N : ::squeal!:: n.n! I love you reviewers! You are the ones giving me the inspiration and motivation for writing this fanfic... ;-; Thank you all so much for the wonderful comments! I wrote part of this chapter at 2 in the morning, so don't expect it to be great, lol. ;D

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CHAPTER NINE : Haunted In Her Dreams


The late afternoon sun was gradually crawling down from the sky, its round and hazy form glowing a bright coral red that so often accented Spiran sunsets. Nature appeared to be cooling down for the approaching night: rabbits darting down into underground burrows and shrubbery; birds perching at rest stops in nearby trees, seeking protection and comfort from the thick foliage; and crickets, along with various other evening insects, filled the air with their hearty songs.

The group of four was trekking down the remaining few hundred feet of Mi'ihen. There was the thief, the warrior, the black mage, and the... well, the Machine Faction leader. It was a strange yet typical team of heroes. But anyway, they trudged on in immense quietude, which was tense with an awareness of whatever lied in wait beyond the dirt road.

Rikku shuddered slightly, running her hands along her upper arms as she noticed how different Mi'ihen seemed in the evening. Everything possessed a darker feeling with the enlarging shadows and ominous silence. She almost wished she could have been back with her cousin Yuna at this moment, safe and secure in the home-like atmosphere that was Besaid. But, she thought, I'm with Gippal. And he's all the protection I need. She shifted her swirled green eyes to the back of Gippal's head as he walked a little ways in front of her.

Aure traveled to the Al Bhed thief's right, the sword strapped to her right hip clanked from time to time in its scabbard as it swung along with her movements. The dull brown cloak flew in the crimson-haired warrior's wake. Her calm and steady stride revealed the mysterious woman's demeanor, but she remained quiet.

The black mage Teyha made the most inaudible footsteps as she tagged along by Gippal. Her staff was clasped in her right hand as she walked, and basically everything about her seemed soft, tender, and fragile. Her flowing lavender robe failed to hinder her progress as she shuffled along, keeping herself at as close a distance as possible to the Machine Faction leader without getting in his way. She felt drawn to him, and so she wanted to make sure that he would fall into her own hands instead of into the Al Bhed girl's.

Gippal, however, paid little if any heed at all to Teyha's closeness. He simply sauntered on, his body appearing physically relaxed amid all the tension in the air. One would wonder how he managed to accomplish such a feat in such circumstances.

Of course, when Rikku glanced at Gippal (or the back of his head, rather) she noted how Teyha almost clung to him. And because of that, her worst fears were almost confirmed. Yet Rikku noticed Gippal's response—or lack of—to Teyha's encroaching proximity, and she began to question Gippal's feelings on his new black mage friend.

She then recalled how, earlier, as he was introducing her to Teyha, he almost let slip the phrase, "good friend," but managed to catch himself, merely replacing it with "a friend from the past." Rikku smiled as the memory brought a cheerful feeling to her senses. She felt that she had not fully recovered from the shock of the Insect Matriarch's assault, but she was getting better.

"Hey, what'chu smiling about, Cid's little girl?"

It was Gippal, and he had spoken so suddenly, so softly, as if he had said it right by her ear. Rikku jumped, startled, then relaxed as her gaze fell upon the blond, spike-headed man who had just moved to walk along beside her. She pouted as she looked up at him.

"I'm not exactly 'little' anymore, y'know." Unwillingly, yet she felt the urge to do so, Rikku risked a glance to Teyha, expecting the black mage to be watching them. On the contrary, Teyha had her back turned to them, and her head was slightly downcast, as if she were sulking as she walked.

Rikku turned back to Gippal, lest he decide to bring his attention to the black mage, too.

"Yeah, you're right about that... it's only been a year, give or take, and you're... you've changed." Gippal grinned down at the Al Bhed girl that walked beside him, and he noticed that despite the chilling atmosphere, there was a hint of the girl's optimism in her bouncy strides. That, he thought, hasn't changed. I'm glad she's still Rikku... a grown Rikku. She's not that little girl anymore.

Not knowing what to say, Rikku's gaze locked with Gippal's, and after a moment, she smiled at him. My heart... she thought. It's... it's overflowing with emotions. Rikku looked down as they continued walking. "Yeah..."

Aure, who had moved forward earlier to give the two privacy, suddenly stopped ahead of them, and turned to face Rikku and Gippal. Teyha was alert enough to realize that Aure had paused and turned, too, to face them. Both Rikku and Gippal, in short, had to stop, too.

"Moonflow's just ahead, but we need to settle for the night." The crimson-haired woman rested a fingerlessly-gloved hand on the hilt of her sword. The cloak became motionless around her lithe body. "With the fiends on a rampage, we'd be better off stopping for the night."

"But it's not quite nighttime yet," Rikku protested from her spot beside Gippal. To be honest, Rikku didn't want to stop yet. She wanted to be out of Mi'ihen before making camp, not only because of the incident earlier but also because Mi'ihen seemed much more threatening now.

"Aure's right," Gippal said as he turned to look at the Al Bhed girl. "The sun's already completely down now. We can't risk traveling anymore for the night."

"We're almost out of Mi'ihen anyway, Rikku," the black mage remarked. "We'll be fine, don't worry." The manner in which she said that did little to reassure the worrying girl.

Rikku released a soft sigh and looked down at the dirt by her feet. She then nodded after a moment, acquiescing. But a second later, she jumped, startled again for the second time this night, when Gippal rested a warm, protective hand on her shoulder. She looked up, her jade-green eyes riveting on his as he gazed down affectionately at her.

"E's cunno ypuid clynehk oui cu silr..." I'm sorry about scaring you so much... He laughed. "I've been doing that a lot lately, haven't I?" He rubbed the back of his head with his free hand, then placed that, too, on Rikku's other shoulder before gently turning her to face him. "Rikku..."

Her heart was pounding, and she felt as though it would burst from her body before she could speak. Her cheeks burned as she lost herself in his eyes, seeing that same emotion that she had rarely seen in him.

"Rikku," he continued, keeping his hands on her shoulders, loving the way she felt under his touch, "I'll be here for you. You don't have to be afraid of anything... palyica E'mm pa rana du bnudald oui, mega E bnusecat." Because I'll be here to protect you, like I promised.

She was breathless, speechless, and her heart was singing inside, swelling with the purest happiness she had ever felt. She was melting within, drowning in the love she felt for him. Gippal... Finally, Rikku smiled, her eyes brimming with tears, but she held them back, refusing to cry before him.

He smiled, too, and gradually, reluctantly, he let his hands fall back to his sides. He felt overwhelming love for her, a love that he knew would probably never be returned. After what happened between us in the past, he thought, she'll never love me again. But that will never change my feelings for her.

Teyha observed this with growing jealousy, her dislike of the Al Bhed girl intensifying with every second. Why, she thought bitterly, does she have to be here? If only we had never come into Mi'ihen when we did... But she hid whatever resentment she felt from showing on her face; instead, she smiled sweetly at the two and spoke, intending to ruin the special moment.

"Let's find somewhere suitable to rest, shall we?"

Rikku thought she could sense the black mage's tone of voice drip with vile poison, and she suppressed a laugh as she grinned at Teyha. "All right then! I guess we can..." She looked up at the night sky, shaded a thick velvety blue. Wow, she thought. Have we been traveling that long already? The last she remembered, the Insect Matriarch incident occurred in broad daylight. Several hours had passed without her realizing it.

"How 'bout we just camp there by that tree?" Gippal gestured to a lonely, tall tree situated a few yards from them by the road, with wide leaves that expanded into the night sky. It was surrounded with low bushes and light grasses.

"I can deal with that," Aure commented as she spared the tree a glance.

"Then let's go!" Rikku adjusted the bag slung over her shoulder and walked toward the tree in a sprightly gait. Aure looked from Rikku to Gippal, then to Teyha before following the blond Al Bhed girl. Gippal smiled as he turned to do the same, not looking at Teyha as he passed her, for he was thinking about the little thief.

Teyha sighed and watched them go for a few seconds before deciding to follow, too.

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Rikku opened her eyes into a world of darkness. Silence reigned into infinity. The stifling darkness surrounded her everywhere. Her hands pressed down on the cold, clammy floor—a floor that was swamped in darkness, too—and she pushed herself to her feet.

Where am I...? Where is everyone?

She turned around and around, but she only saw the never-ending blackness. Panic immediately changed to utter terror as the Al Bhed girl desperately searched for answers to her questions and to her confusion. She opened her mouth and tried screaming, tried calling for her friends, but she found herself voiceless. She tried again and again, but still, her voice failed her. It was as if the darkness was swallowing her words and wrapping the deepest feeling of despair around her heart.

She fell to her hands and knees, shutting her eyes as tears welled up and threatened to spill forth. Yunie! Paine! Aure! Where are you?! ...Where am I...?! Gippal...! She felt the depression overwhelming her, forcing her to surrender. She tried screaming again, but there was only silence.

Sobbing now, Rikku sat back on the cold, uncomfortable floor, feeling more lost and helpless than she had ever before felt in her life. The darkness choked her and hurt her. Just when she thought she would give up, a voice sounded in her mind.

"Rikku."

Her head shot up, tear-stricken eyes darting about as she looked for the source of the voice. Gippal?! But she saw nothing.

"No. I am not your Gippal."

All panic forgotten, Rikku looked around her. Who are you? Where am I? Why can't I talk?

"I am someone you will eventually meet on the battle field."

Confused, Rikku turned around into more darkness, still futilely searching for the speaker. What does that mean?

The voice didn't answer. Rikku shouted in her mind again. Hey! What's that supposed to mean?! Answer me!

After another minute, the voice finally spoke. "You are the One, Rikku."

Yet before Rikku could respond, the darkness appeared to move in on her, and its clutches about her heart tightened, sending her into endless sobs and agony.

Stop it! Stop it, stop it, STOP IT!!

She woke up.

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Gippal had doused the campfire and was just drifting off into sleep when a scream pierced his ears. He jolted upright and turned to see Rikku sitting up, her face stained with tears, and her hands clasped to her ears as she shook her head, seemingly wanting to shake off whatever had plagued her.

He rushed to her side, trying to take her hands gently and soothe her, but she screamed again. "Stop it!"

"Rikku! It's okay!" Gippal shook her slightly, managing to bring her back to her senses. Somewhere deep inside, his heart clenched when he saw the terror in her green-swirled, glassy eyes, the remnants of tears slipping free and sliding down her cheeks. When she realized who he was, she wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his shirt. She cried again, her sobs muffled yet still plainly audible.

Gippal held her in his embrace, wanting to be her solace and protection from whatever had so devastated her in her dreams. He ran his hand up and down her arm, all the while murmuring words of comfort into her ear. "It's all right now, Rikku. You're safe... I'm here for you, like I promised..."

At the point, Aure and Teyha were fully awake and watched the scene. Teyha's envy remained strong, if not stronger, as she bitterly observed the two intertwined in each other's arms. Aure felt sympathy for Rikku, but she let Gippal do the comforting.

Rikku and Gippal stayed that way until the Al Bhed girl's tears finally came to a cessation. Yet even after Rikku had stopped crying, they remained in each other's arms for a moment longer before pulling apart. Rikku wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand. Gippal watched with worry in his eyes.

When Rikku had composed herself, Gippal spoke. "Are you okay now? That was just a dream, so don't worry about it..."

Rikku looked down at her hands. After a moment's hesitation, she replied, "Yes... I think so. But it felt so real... I thought I was going to die..." Her voice faltered as she said the last statement. She looked back up to meet Gippal's gaze, her eyes shining, as if she wanted to cry once more, but she restrained herself. Crying would do no good.

The Machine Faction leader averted his gaze and glanced at Aure and Teyha. They both wore expressions of sympathy. Gippal looked back to Rikku, who was staring down at the tufts of grass between Gippal and herself. He reached out and placed a hand on hers, causing her to meet his eyes.

"Rikku, I don't know what terrified you so much in your dream, but I don't want to know. All I want you to know is that I'll be here—we'll all be here—whenever you need us."

"Gippal's right," Aure said. "We're a team now, so it's a duty to protect and be there for our teammates."

Teyha smiled at Rikku. "Yeah... if you ever need to talk, you can come to me."

The Al Bhed girl managed a weak smile and looked at each person in turn until she finally let her gaze rest upon Gippal. "Okay... thank you all so much. Thank you, Gippal."

He smiled at her. "No problem. I'm glad you're not hurt." He then lifted a hand up and ruffled Rikku's hair, bringing some humor back and breaking the tension. Rikku gave a "Hey! Stop that!" and the entire party broke into laughter.

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A/N : How'd you guys like that? :D? It's pretty cute, all the Gippal x Rikku moments. Please review! Thank you!