Ooooh! I love you people. I will marry you all, that is, um....if you were all really hot guys and all. But I'm sure the majority of you are girls expressing their artistic ingenuity like I am so I will resist temptation. As promised, I'll give you guys the longest chapter I've written so far. Read and Enjoy.
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Dream A Little Dream
Chapter 14: In the Hot Pot we romp
I stared at Gippal, hoping beyond hope that someone would come to my rescue. He looked so angry, frustrated, hurt, betrayed, and confused, that I wanted to smother him in my unrequited affection.
And ironically, I willed him to suffer a momentary seizure, enough so I could get away and rush down to the gorge. On the bad side, he would most likely see that I've gone down to the gorge and follow me. I then considered stabbing him with my sword(the one that the Gate spit back out, obviously wasn't the right flavor) but I figured, either his armor was good enough to withstand the force of my very nice sword, or it must be his ominous aura of jerkiness that fend off my sword. Either way he's a lucky bastard that I don't kill him on the spot for following me.
...Why was he following me anyway..?
Oh well. I didn't much get into that as much as I was getting into praying to anything, the Fayth, Spira, Aeons, heck, I would even pray to Yevon(whom I really don't give a crap about, since they're the ones who shipped the Al Bhed off anyway). I was praying, that someone would save me from Gippal's sexy(and quite frankly frightening, in a shivery Oh-dear-Spira,-don't-let-my-knees-turn-into-goo) stare.
My rescue came, quite surprisingly, in the form of a slightly stinky, adorable little orange butterball that was the Moomba.
He pounced on Gippal's shoulders, and started gnawing on Gippal's head.
Of course, from the color of the Moomba's fur, and it's size and approximate weight, I would say that this Moomba would be considered a toddler (in Moomba years). heh heh I read it in a book 'Raising wild, slightly dangerous, animals'
I figured that the Moomba would be growing it's fangs(slightly sharper then some fiends) soon. And needed to Teeth. Gippal was currently yelling out blasphemies that a sailor would blush at.
He was trying to throw the Moomba off him, but it was hanging on for dear life, growling.
I guess the Moomba didn't like him. Finally after a while (still too stunned by the Moomba's actions to actually do anything to help Gippal, not that he deserved it, the jerk) He finally managed to pry it off him, more angered then he already started out, he took out his gun.
"eeeeek!" I practically shrieked at him, grabbing his arm "Gippal, if you try to hurt that Moomba, So Shiva help you, I will rip off your legs!"
He was frustrated, I was frustrated. We were both frustrated.
Him from my avoidance, and me with the whole Fayth mission thingy. I snatched the Moomba, who had dropped down on all fours, snarling at Gippal, fur bristling, normally wide friendly pupils turned into slits (a lot like a cat's) and bearing the little teeth it had, since it was so young and hadn't grown a full set yet(Definitely a sign of hostility, which was odd, because Moomba were usually friendly creatures, although, first impressions mean a lot to them, it depends in the way they act towards a person, and Gippal had not made a good first impression on the Moomba).
Like I was saying, I snatched the Moomba off the ground, cuddled it a bit, so it would smell my sent. It relaxed slightly, though still keeping a weary eyes on Gippal. I put it down, on it's two feet, it stuck close to me, growling slightly when Gippal got too close.
"What the hell is wrong with you!?" Gippal growled. Taking a step towards me.
The Moomba stepped in front of me, trying to protect me, poisonous claws drawn into shining points(Only used as when they feel really threatened). The protective attitude of the Moomba had me feeling ridiculously touched.
I bent down and grabbed it again. "Oooooo, aren't you a cute little darling!" I squished it against me, ignoring the slightly stinky smell.
"Damnit Rikku! Where did you get that little monster?" Gippal growled.
"I found it." I grinned at him. His eye softened when he looked at me. Then he gave an exasperated sigh. "Whatever, C'mon." He said, moving towards me, the Moomba glared at him. The Moomba started growling.
The Growling got louder as Gippal got closer.
"Behave." I muttered sternly to the Moomba. The growling stopped, it just kept glaring at Gippal.
"hmmm....." I muttered offhandedly. "What should I name you.....?"
"Rikku!" Gippal snapped.
"What?"
He sighed. "Forget it."
I shrugged, I looked at the currently un-named Moomba and said. "Why do you go wait by the on the Chocobo?"
As the Moomba ambled off, I stood up and gave my most charming smile to Gippal. I saw his lips twitch slightly, and then he moved it back into a scowl. Oh, he's good.
I sighed, I started making my way to the, him following me.
"what are you doing?" He asked.
Going to save the world? Why do you care?
"Oh, noooothin....." I placed both hands behind my head. Still walking ,the Chocobo, Moomba, Kuppo, and Gippal in tow.
"You aren't hiding anything from me, are you, Princess?" He said.
Yep, I'm a dream, But I can't tell you, bummer huh?
"Noooo....." I said, glancing back at him. He was staring at me oddly.
"Rikku....."
Since my back was to him, he couldn't see me shut my eyes. Please don't say my name like that, I'm already feeling guilty enough for lying to you.
"Where are we going?" Gippal asked. I had to feel kind of weird, because I didn't really know why he was following me. It made me feel uneasy and gooey at the same time.
I don't think I liked it.
So I just ignored his question and burst out into song. I think I might have gone more then a little loony with all the pressure of this mission and everything. But I just started singing the first song that came to my mind. Which, incidentally, wasn't the greatest song either…
But did that stop me from singing it? Nooooo.
"Ooooh, give me land, lots of land, under starry skies above, Don't, fence me iiiiinnn" I sang, I remeber Pops and Mama, singing this when I was a kid, my brothers and I would usually hide for cover once Pops started singing. Although, it did start to grow on me....(shhh, don't tell that to my dad, I never want him to sing that song again)
"Let me riide through the wide open country by myself, doooooon't fence me iiiiiin" I continued shuffling my feet to the tune.
I heard Gippal twitch suspiciously behind me, then a strangled cough.
My eyes narrowed(although he couldn't see it)
Was he laughing at me? My voice wasn't that bad! I even sang a solo for Yuna and the rest of the residents in Besaid, and they were genuinely impressed with my voice, thank you very much.
I strived to ignore him. "Let me be by myself in the evening breeze, listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees,"
Another strangled cough. Grrr. I really wanted to hit him. But I continued.
"Send me off forever but I'd ask you please, don't fence me in, just turn me, loose let me rattle my old saddle underneath the western skiiiiiiiies"
There was a soft snicker behind me, and then a cough.
"Rikku---" Gippal gasped. "Stop---!" and then he chuckled slightly, but managed to turn it into a cough the last minute.
I ignored him. I was not going to let him ruin my ballad, no matter how bad it was.
"On my caiouse, Let me wander over yonder tiill I see the mountains riiiiiiiiiiise." My voice picked up. Mostly to drown out the desperate coughing and snickers behind me.
"I want to riiiiide through the wind, where the west commences, gaze at the moon till I loose my senses, can't look at hobbles and I can't stand fences, Don't fence me iiiiiin" I rang out my finale with an exaggerated motion with my hands.
Someone behind me sounded like they were having a seizure. I spun around and glared at him. He was clutching his stomach, laughing hysterically.
I stomped right at him, heartstrings being pulled at the mere sight of him laughing like that. Spira, it was crazy how much I loved this guy. I stabbed him in the chest with my finger.
"You're laughing." I stated angrily(and somewhat lamely)
Yes, Rikku, we know he's laughing.
"Why are you laughing?" I asked, somewhat rhetorically. Why wasn't he mad at me? He should hate me for doing things like that to him(the cage thing, I mean).
And we know why he was laughing. I wanted to kiss him at that moment.
He was so incredibly sexy when he was panting, out of breath with laughter and his green eye sparkling with mirth.
Did I mention that was unfair that he had that effect on me?
"You're crazy, princess" he said, one he composed himself(mostly, he still had sporadic moments of snickering).
When did he start calling me princess?
I opened my mouth to ask him, when suddenly the chocobo chirped. I looked around.
We were in front of Yojimbo's cave.
"What are we doing here?" Gippal asked. More then a little puzzled, and perhaps a little hurt that I wouldn't answer any of his questions.
I didn't answer, I didn't look at him. I just went inside. We made our way through the cave without a hitch, occasionally wiping the asses of a few fiends, but nothing too serious.
We got to the chamber of the fayth. I stopped. I looked at Gippal.
"You have to wait out here, Gippal"
He blinked. "why?"
Debatably, he had every right to ask that question. I just couldn't bring myself to answer them. I wanted him to be trapped in a little bubble of ignorance, at least for a little while longer.
I knew I'd have to tell him, maybe before the last one. But I don't want to tell him unless I have to.
"Just doing some research, that's all, about the holes and stuff." I lied.
He watched me for a second. Hurt overtaking his face. He knew I was lying to him, but in an act that was so Un-Gippal Like, he let it go.
Maybe because he knew that he wouldn't get anywhere when I didn't want him to know anything of what I was doing, and he probably knew he wouldn't get an answer out of me until I wanted to tell him about it.
Never the less, it put me on another, "Rikku's a bitch" ride.
I smiled at him.
"I'll be right out"
I walked in. Leaving Gippal to his thoughts.
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Gippal stood outside of the Chamber of the Fayth. Debating whether or not he should go in with her. Although he knew that something like that would probably have gotten him stuck in a cage again.
In all honesty, he really didn't know why he was following Rikku. When she went missing in Kilika, everyone was worried about her. No note, No "goodbye".
She was just gone. When he saw her again in Luca, she had done her best to avoid him. He knew that those two ladies in the Style place, 'Whatever it's called' he though sullenly, were in on whatever she planned.
Something in her eyes, when they were on the Highroad told him something was wrong. Sure, she was still bubbly little Rikku. And maybe someone who didn't watch her as closely as he did wouldn't have noticed. But he had been watching her closely. Though he would never admit to such a thing.
He leaned his head back against the wall. Staring at the transport pad that would take him to the Chamber of the fayth. She was avoiding him. That by itself was new.
In the past, she would always seek him out, for one mundane reason or another.
That day on Kilika, the day she disappeared, before the tri-counsel meeting, she had grabbed his arm, tore him away from his conversation with Nooj, dragged him over to a balloon vendor, and like a little girl, asked him to buy her a balloon.
And when he did, she was so ecstatically happy that she had give him a big hug and cried "ooooh, Gippal, you're the best!"
Then scurried off, turning down his offer to go with him to the tri-counsel meeting.
The Rikku he saw now.......She was still his Rikku, the Rikku he grew up with. Except now, she had underlying secrets, hidden beneath the beautifully large green eyes of hers. It reminded him of the last time he saw her before vegnagun.
That was two years ago, the sadness and determination, he had seen in her eyes as she told him she was going to stop Yuna from throwing her life away.
He saw that now, only it seemed like the world was resting on her shoulders.
And he didn't like it. She had shoved him in the Moonflow. The second time she escaped him. He had watched her run. Not as if she was running away from him.
But as if she was running towards something.
He was confused. He was still mad. But somehow, not at her. Just at whatever was causing the little Rikku he knew to act the way she was acting at the moment. It frustrated him, hurt him, and in away, angered him that she was so adamant about him leaving her alone.
He wanted her to tell him what was wrong. But he knew that she'd never tell him, at least, not willingly, not with the attitude she had.
He put his hands over his head, and glared at the warp pad. That boy, what's his face, Calko, or Clasko, or whatever. He didn't like him.
At first, he wanted to kill him, but now.....now there was only traces of homicidal thoughts about that chocobo loving idiot in his mind. He was pretty proud of himself to have gotten that far along. When he was trapped and in that cage, and that, that, Clasko, had let her out of the cave without a fight, offering her the Chocobo, and supplies, letting her leave, he had wanted to murder him.
But then they had gotten to talking. Or Clasko had gotten to talking.
Which had made him want to murder Clasko even more. He had gone on, and on, and on about chocobos. What time they were likely to sleep. What they liked to eat, what their migrating patterns were. How strong and cute they were.
He had wondered if Rikku had left him in that cage to purposely get him to loose his mind.
He had been pretty damn close to it too. But then the cage had faded away. Which had left him the free rein to kill Clasko, reason had kept him from doing so.
Admittedly, it would have been a waste of time to actually kill him, plus it would have been bad for the Chocobos, they needed that idiot to take care of them to be healthy right?
So he had just charged out of the temple and gone with his intuition.
And there he was.
Sitting outside of the Chamber of the Fayth, just six feet from the pad that would lead him in to the chamber if he wanted to go in.
And it pissed him of to know that Rikku didn't want him in there.
Finally, about an hour and a half later, Rikku came out of the chamber, looking a bit miffed, only to find Gippal and the Moomba in a staring contest.
The Moomba broke the staring contest first and rushed over to her, launching itself into her arms and nuzzling his slightly stinky body into her neck.
"What the hell took you so long?" Gippal snapped.
Rikku stroked the Moomba's head like she would stroke a child's head.
"Research took a little bit longer then expected, right Kuppo?" Rikku said, the mechanical bird Gippal had given her chirped in agreement.
Gippal's eye narrowed.
Research, my ass.
He thought. He wanted to grab her and shake her. Demand what was going on. Instead, he gritted his teeth and asked, as calmly as possible.
"So, where to, next?"
Rikku was still preoccupied with cooing at the Moomba.
"Hmmm? Oh...next....uhmmm....Zanarkand" Rikku trailed off, frowning at the paupo fruit stain on the Moomba's fur.
Zanarkand?! Gippal's eyebrows shot up.
But that's where Faleron was.
And then, because he couldn't maintain his cool anymore,
Gippal snapped.
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Baaaaaah!!! My computer has been experiencing some technical difficulties! I wanted to make a longer chapter. But that doesn't seem to happening any time soon. Sigh. So I'll try to update regularly until I get around to actually typing longer chapters. so sorry for the needless wait.
