Chapter 3

It took Rikku a moment to realize where she was. She had fallen asleep somehow and now she was... at Djose temple. She suddenly realized that she was holding someone's hand. Gippal. Ah, yes, she remembered now. He had told her that he loved her. She smiled and gave his hand a squeeze. Suddenly she realized how cold it was. She looked at his face and the peaceful expression she saw there. He looked asleep but... she put her fingers to his neck. No pulse... "No!" He was dead. She had accidentally fallen asleep and he had left without saying goodbye. Silently, she cursed herself for getting her hopes up. Gippal had been able to accept and was trying to make the most of the time they had left. She had refused to believe and had wasted it all. She had been a fool.

She lifted the covers to expose his torso, desperate to see what had taken him from her. A huge gash covered most of his abdomen and had festered and turned green. (AN: Ew! . ) Rikku shut her eyes as she fought hard to resist the urge to vomit. She hadn't realized that it had been this bad. He had shielded her from it. In his last moments he had tried to protect her. That alone was a tribute to the strength of his love. A love that she would never get to enjoy and experience.

The tears were falling like rain now. Everything was blurry as her eyes watered. And the sudden blinding light wasn't helping. She shut her eyes to block it out. To block out everything. Rikku's head was all fuzzy. She could have sworn that she heard Gippal trying to comfort her. When she felt someone drying her tears her eyes snapped open. Gippal was smiling at her, his eyes dancing. Eyes. Two of them. Now she knew she was halucinating. If he was an illusion then... she slapped him and, much to her shock, her hand didn't go through. Gippal didn't look too happy either. "What? Not happy to see me?"

"You're not real," she whispered, desperately wishing that she was wrong. He smirked that smirk. The one she hated. She had never been happier to see it. Not even when he had showed up to help them fight Vegnagun.

"Oh really?" Suddenly his mouth was on hers. Where on Spira did he learn to kiss like that? No one had ever kissed her like that. He pulled back and smiled at her as she gasped for air. "Real enough for you?" he asked lightly.

"Mmmmmmh," she said intellegently. "How is this possible?" she asked when her brain was working again. Gippal looked serious for a moment, a look that Rikku thought did not belong on that face.

"I don't know. But I think..." Their eyes locked. "I think you did it." Rikku stared at him incredulously. "I was... so cold. But then there was this warm rain and all the pain stopped. The next thing I know I'm looking up at you and your crying. And I'm looking up at you with both eyes. I haven't done that for like ten years. I'm not even sure I was really dead. Err, was I?"

"Where you what?" Rikku asked, amused. She had definately established the fact that this was no dream or halucination or anything. She certainly wouldn't have dreamed up anything like that kiss. So that meant that Gippal was back and she was going to make the best of it.

"Dead of course!" Rikku couldn't help it, she burst out laughing. "And what, may I ask, is so funny?" he snapped. This, of course, only caused Rikku to laugh harder and now she was rolling around on his bed laughing.

"Look... on.. your... face!" she managed to gasp out. Gippal chuckled and shook his head.

"I love you so much you goofball," he said as he watched her. Rikku stopped immediately as she heard these words. She looked up at him uncertainly.

"You do? You didn't just say that because you were in a lot of pain and your mind was playing tricks on you?" Gippal rolled his eyes in disbelief, how could she be so ignorant?

"Rikku, so muja [my love], I have always loved you. I was just to stubborn to admit it to you or even to myself. Rikku, do you love me back? Please say yes?" Rikku smiled, a smile that she reserved only for him.

"Are you so oblivious?" she asked, echoing his words from the previous day. They both looked at eachother and burst out laughing. Yes, Rikku thought, everything is going to be alright. "Now come on. Your public awaits?" Rikku smiled at his confused look. "Come on and see," she said as she pulled him out the door.

"But Rikku!" he protested. "I'm not wearing a shirt!" And that was the first words that the Al Bhed heard their leader say after he had been healed. Rikku wished she had a spherecamera to capture the looks on all their faces. Especially Gippal's when Nhadala threw herself at him and burst into hysterical sobs.

"Ur maytan! Fa yna cu kmyt dryd oui yna pylg! Fa fana cu funneat ypuid oui. Ruf tet drec senylma lusa du pa? [Oh leader! We are so glad that you are back! We were so worried about you. How did this miracle come to be?]" Gippal managed to pry the woman off with diffuctly only to be glomped in a similar fashion by Paine and Yuna. "Fryd dra vilg?! Paine drec ec hud mega oui! [What the fuck?! Paine this is not like you!]" Paine smiled and wiped her eyes as she pulled away.

"I'm sorry Gippal but I thought you were going to die or that we were too late." Rikku burst out into a fit of giggles. Paine flushed. "And just what is so funny? This is a serious matter."

"You were too late!" Paine stared at her friend, bemused.

"We'll talk about this later," Gippal said pointedly. Then his face broke out into a huge grin. "You have the airship here don't you?" he asked Rikku who nodded. "Good. My friends," he announced to all the Al Bhed standing in the Temple proper. "This has been a truely exhausting ordeal and after something like that I believe that I need a vacation! Rikku has graciously agreed to allow me aboard her airship."

"I have?!" she squeaked. Paine kicked her in the shin. "I mean, yes, I have!" She smiled smugly at getting the hint and Paine rolled her eyes."Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" As she shoved her friends up the ramp everyone tried to ignore Brother's childish, whiny protests.

...................................................................................

AN: Whew! [whipes brow] That was harder than it looked. As I said, I hate to type romance. Then why am I writing this fanfiction??? Oh well. Once Upon a Dream was good. IS! It still is. And I do plan on finishing that one. After I finish with Tenth Ringwraith which is when I end up with writer's block for this one. Until then I am going to keep the creative juices flowing. And after a very intellegent suggestion from an anonymous reviewer I have started to put the translations right next to the Al Bhed phrases. Easier to read, ne? And I am aware that Paine is really OOC in the chapter but consider the circumstances! One of her closest friends was completely healed after being mortally wounded! Would you be happy to? Review would be appreciated! Reviewers are about to be bribed. Reviewers get their very own Cactuar plushie. Huggle it all you want!