I have given up all attempts to make longer chapters. Possibly because my mind goes blank when I'm in the middle of my little writing spree and that little thing called writer's block knocks on the door of my brain. It's going all "Ahh, you haven't had Us in a while, So we will grace you with our presence and thereby disabling any legitimate ideas you've had" And such. So I will stick to the current amount I'm planning with.
And also, I actually hadn't meant for it to be this long already, it was supposed to be a short little story, but then it evolved into this, this monstrous ---thing! I had had all my ideas planned out and such, but then the plot bunnies kept saying "oooh, add this one in, and that part would make it more interesting." But I can't really complain with so many good reviews. (Although give me a minute to damn those stupid plot bunnies.) ...Okay. Good. Here is chapter 15. Read, enjoy and review!
(This chapter is a result of an evil Plot bunny)
And also, for those people who didn't know who Faleron was, he's the guy in chapter 6 that Gippal didn't like because Rikku thought he was hot. (In D'jose temple), It's my fault that he was overlooked. heh, sorry.
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Dream a Little Dream
Chapter 15: Sing me a Song
Gippal lunged forward, grabbing Rikku by the shoulders, effectively letting her drop the Moomba, who immediately started snarling at him.
Something of which he blatantly ignored.
"You are not going to go to Zanarkand to see Faleron, do you understand me?" Gippal said quietly, leashed fury evident in his voice and actions.
He expected her to be furious with him. To slap him in the face and tell him it wasn't any of his damned business who she wanted to go see.
The possibility of that kind of reaction from her made him chomp down hard on his jaw, resisting the urge to kill something.
However, the reaction he did get from her was something he wasn't expecting.
Rikku stared at him, wide-eyed. Then she blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then with a adorably confused frown she said. "Faleron? Who's he?"
Boy, did that make him feel better.
And made him feel like one hell of an idiot at the same time. "Never mind" He muttered. Torn between feeling ridiculously relieved and embarrassed.
Her head tilted slightly, studying him. "Who's Faleron, Gippal?"
"Princess?"
"Yes?"
"Shut up."
"Tell me who Faleron is first."
"No one."
"Awww...Gippal! Don't be such a party pooper! Who is he?"
"A bird"
"You're lying"
"No"
"It's a guy, right?"
"No"
"Is it a girl?"
"No"
"Gippal!"
"Yes"
"Will you at least give me an itsy bitsy tiny little hint?"
"No"
"You big meanie"
"Love you too"
Rikku froze. She stared at him. Then she shook whatever it was on her mind that made her stare at him as wide-eyed like that. Then she frowned slightly, enlightenment coming over her face. She hit her fist into her open palm and looked up at Gippal.
"He was the guy you sent to Zanarkand from D'jose right? The one with the really pretty eyes?" Rikku said tilting her head back slightly, and staring at the roof of the cave, as if reminiscing.
"Pretty eyes?" Gippal all but seethed. The thought of Rikku thinking of that overrated pretty boy really rubbed him the wrong way. He didn't know why he was even feeling this way, but he didn't like the thought that that idiot in her thoughts.
"Mmm-hmmm" Rikku hummed, still staring at the ceiling. Suddenly she found herself hauled into the arms of the Leader of the Machine Faction. Her arms instinctively placed themselves on his chest and she stared at him.
"You are forbidden to go near him, have I made myself clear." Gippal said, smashing her closer to his body.
Rikku snickered, she couldn't resist taunting him, even as her arms moved down from his chest to wrap around his waist instinctively, soaking in his warmth.
"Is little Gippal jealous?" Rikku grinned against his neck when he stiffened slightly, but made no move to go away from her.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." he scoffed, his hand moved up her back to tug at one of her braids, giving her no choice but to look at him.
"You're not going near him" He said again, adding in an intimidating frown at her.
She laughed, leaned up and kissed his nose, making a big smacking noise, like he'd seen her do to Cid when Home still stood.
"Don't worry" She stepped away from him and saluted "I wasn't planning on going near him in the first place, actually I didn't even know that he was in Zanarkand." Then she scampered away to pack the few supplies she had used.
He blinked. "Then what the hell are you going to Zanarkand for?"
She beamed at him, pausing to praise the Moomba who had come to help her, and the Chocobo for bending down slightly to give her more access. "Research of course!"
"Rikku."
"What?"
"What research?"
Rikku rolled her eyes. "Weren't you paying attention when I told you I was doing research on the holes?"
Gippal sighed, he wasn't getting anywhere with her like this. Oh, well, he'd eventually get it out of her.
"Hey Gippal."
"What"
"You don't happen to have any paupo fruit on you, do you?"
He blinked. "No, why."
"Cause the Moomba likes it. Ooooh, that's it! I'll call you Paupo! Pau for short, after that fruit you like so much."
He rolled his eye. She wasn't even paying attention to him anymore. It still amazed him how short her attention span could be. As it was, she bent down to cuddle the moomba and gave it a high-five.
"Lets go Rikku, hey, where did you get that sword?" He just noticed it, sitting idly at her hip, right next to her gun holster.
"I found it. Lets go" She trotted to the entrance of the cave, Chocobo reins in her right hand, the moomba riding the chocobo, and the mechanical bird he'd given her (what was the name? Kuppo) perched on her shoulder.
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Damn it. Rikku started singing again. She had a good voice, he admitted, but sometimes when she was excited or distracted by something, she tended to sing off key.
Like now.
"Why do you fill me up, Buttercup, baby just to let me down, and mess me around-" Rikku sang, almost jubilantly.
They were more then half-way through the trail leading to Mt. Gagazet, and Rikku had been singing about a quarter of the way there.
He mentally groaned. Damn, this wasn't what he meant when he'd told Brother that he'd watch out for Rikku when she trapped him in that cage.
He had the incredible urge to gag her right now, and he fought with reason weather he should do it or not. Of course, if he did do it, she would naturally break free and make his life a living hell. It was always the way it worked with her.
"But worst of all, you never call baby, when you say you will-" Rikku continued singing.
"Rikku..." Gippal groaned.
"But I love you still-"
"Rikku! Damnit stop!" Gippal snapped out. She stopped. Stared at him, then stuck her tongue out at him.
"Party Pooper" Rikku said.
They walked on in silence for a while after that, Gippal was in the process of thanking the Fayth, Spira, his mother, his father, basically all his ancestors that she had stopped singing--and then he stopped.
Rikku had started humming again. This was how it started, she hummed, and then she would break out into sporadic moments of song.
Damnit.
Someone up there obviously hated him."Damnit Rikku."
She blinked those beautifully large green eyes of hers. "What?" She asked innocently. He didn't believe it for a second. "I wasn't singing!"
He snorted and kept walking.
"Gippal!"
He didn't answer her, just kept walking, of course, she couldn't see the grin on his face.
"Hey!" she caught up to him, didn't notice that they were at the entrance of Gagazet already. They didn't notice that a very peculiar group was watching them.
"I was talking to you, mister! Hey! Get back here!"
He spun around, just as she was jogging up to meat him, she managed to stop herself just inches from colliding with his chest.
He lifted on finger, and brandished it like he was scolding a very naughty child. "You are hereby forbidden to sing in my presence. Do you understand?" His finger just inches from her face.
She glared that, I-really-wish-I-could-kill-you glare that he was very used to.
She bit his finger in response. He yelped, more from surprise then pain. He wrenched his finger away, and shook it to dispel the minuscule pain her bite had elicited.
She reached up, and stabbed him in the chest with her finger. "Now listen here, you overgrown baby! One, it's my voice. Two, you don't like it, don't listen. And three, I can sing when I want, where I want, and in whomever presence I'm in, do you understand?"
Damn, she was sexy when she was riled up.
As if to prove her point, she opened her mouth and started singing.
He took his free hand(the one she hadn't bitten) and slapped it closed over her mouth.
"Mmmmgh! Mmmmou herk!" Rikku raged, reaching up to try to pry his hands away. No avail, he was still stronger then her.
So she settled for calling him all the bad names she could think of.
"Now, now princess. What would your father say if he heard you?"
"I'd say it was fucking hilarious, that's what I'd say." A voice startled them both. They looked to the side to find Kimahri, Cid, Brother, Buddy, Shinra, staring at them with amusement.
"Cid?" Gippal asked, still startled.
"mmmrr?" Rikku said, seemingly just as shocked, before glaring at him, accusingly, and slapping his hand as hard as she could.
He yelped again. "Ouch, Damnit Rikku! That Hurt!"
"It was supposed to, Jerk." she answered loftily. Cid grinned. He stared at his daughter and the boy he considered good enough to be his son. There was obviously some potential in them hanging out together.
"Rikku." Cid said, in that authoritive tone that had her cringing slightly.
"Yes Pops?" Rikku said almost timidly, afraid of what he might say.
"If you're going to hit Gippal, just remember, he's the leader of the Machine Faction, so it ain't a good idea to kill him."
"Hey!" So said leader cried out indignantly.
Cid grinned, pleased by her answering chuckle and salute "Right-O Chief!"
He beckoned his daughter closer, to ask her where she had been, trying to hide the relief he'd felt that she wasn't hurt, and was obviously doing okay. The worry he had had when he found out that she had left without a note eased. And his pleasure at seeing his only daughter with his best friend's son increased.
Before she could take a step closer to him. A man ran right out of the Pass leading to Zanarkand, panting, out of breath, torn clothing. Looking like he was going to pass out.
"Fire!" He screamed. "Zanarkand is on Fire!"
With that he collapsed. Leaving a crowd of very stunned Al Bheds and Ronsos in his wake.
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Dun dun Duuuuun! and the plot thickens. I need you all to start paying veeeerrry close attention now, mwahahahahahaha. I Cliff hangers are fun! wheeeeeee!
