Disclaimer: I hope you've figured out by now that I do not own Final Fantasy X-2 and Square-Enix does.
Reminder: Just a reminder, Rikku is in Gippal's body so it's Rikku's mind in Gippal's body and vice versa.
Change!
Chapter Seven: Machina Mambo No. 5
The journey from Luca to Djose was an uneventful one to say the least. No chocobos were available and the hovers were mysteriously out of commission so they had to hoof it to the temple.Gippal kept expecting something to come up, something that would deter their progress and force them to go on some wacky adventure. But nothing did. It was like the calm before the storm. Gippal knew it couldn't last long. And he was right.
They entered the temple workroom and found several of the best Al Bhed mechanics clustered around the workbench, fussing over something they couldn't quite see from their vantage point. It was only when they were just a few feet away that they saw what it was.
"What's that thing doing here?" Gippal exploded, startling the mechanics who then headed sheepishly out the door.
"I brought him here," Rikku said simply, scooping up the flan in her arms to give it a squishy kiss. "You say 'no' to this face."
Gippal suppressed a shudder. How could anyone in their right mind think that pile of goo was cute?
"Uncle Gippy doesn't understand you, no he doesn't," Rikku cooed as the baby flan gurgled. "You're so cute, yes you are."
'Uncle Gippy' shook his head in mortification, most likely at his new nickname. He sighed deeply. "Forget the flan. Let's just fix the machina and get back to our own bodies."
Rikku, who was now playing peak-a-boo with Jimmy, turned around. "Fine."
Gippal turned around to begin repair on the machina when he noticed something was wrong. "Rikku…"
"What?" She had resumed her game of peak-a-boo.
"The machina's gone!"
"What?"
Gippal eyes darted around the room, searching every corner, but there was no sign of his machina. Rikku abandoned Jimmy to join Gippal's search, looking under the desk and in the closet. Not likely hiding places of a giant machina robot but she searched there just the same.
"Where could it have gone?" she moaned. "There's no way someone could have moved it. That thing's huge!"
"You're right. I couldn't-" Gippal stopped in mid-sentence as his foot hit something hard. Not as hard as a brick mind you but hard enough to stop Gippal in his tracks. He looked down. A tiny sphere sat there, a tiny sphere engraved with the symbol of the Leblanc Syndicate. "No, no, no… they wouldn't…"
"What? What'd you find?" Rikku bounded over to where Gippal was.
"This." He tossed her the sphere.
A look of comprehension dawned on her face when she saw the Syndicate logo. "Those jerks! What would they want with your machina? …Want to watch it?"
Gippal made an indifferent gesture and Rikku played the sphere.
"Boss, you sure you want this thing?" Ormi asked as he and Logos attempted to move the machina. 'Attempted' being the key word. They hadn't gotten very far.
"Yes!" Leblanc had wandered into the path of the sphere's broadcast and shook her fan at the two men. "How many times have I told you it's a super treasure sphere finding machine? That Al Bhed was developing it for the Dullwings. Once we have this, we'll be top of the sphere hunting world and my Noojie-Woojie will be so proud. Now move!"
"Yes, Boss," Ormi and Logos answered before they continued to try and move the machina. The picture faded to black. .
Rikku and Gippal stared at the sphere in disbelief. They knew the Syndicate was thick but this time they hit a new low. A super treasure sphere finding machine? Pu-lease.
"They must have dropped this before they left…" Rikku said thoughtfully, twirling the sphere in her palm. She turned to face Gippal but found he was already headed towards the door. "Hey, where're you going?"
"Guadosalam," Gippal replied, glancing briefly over his shoulder. "Coming?"
"Definitely."
She was about to follow but she heard a tiny voice calling her.
"Faa?"
Smiling, she placed Jimmy on her shoulder and went after Gippal.
"Boss, you sure this thing ain't dangerous?" Ormi questioned, pointing a stubby finger warily at the machina. A mess of wires was sticking out, sparks flying from the ends. It looked as if it could explode at any moment.
"Of course. We got it here without incident, didn't we?" Leblanc countered, sweeping her fan up to her face.
They, meaning Logos and Ormi, had indeed dragged Gippal's invention all the way to Guadosalam and into headquarters. Don't ask them how they did it. It did, however, have something to do with a rope and pulley system.
"Now, hit the switch, loves," Leblanc commanded, her fan narrowly missing Ormi's backside.
"Yes, Boss," Ormi and Logos answered in unison.
Logos flicked the switch.
With a rumbling noise the machina began emitting a series of beeps and flashing lights, much like a disco ball. For a few minutes the members of the Syndicate were swept up in a two-bit imitation of the Hustle.
A blinding white light followed the impromptu dance session and Leblanc and Ormi were thrown unceremoniously to the floor.
When Ormi came to Logos was leaning over him. "Are you alright, Boss?"
"What are you talking about, I'm not-"
The screams that emanated from the mansion that night still haunt some of Guadosalam's residents to this day.
Gippal and Rikku made it to Guadosalam in record time, thanks in part to Jimmy. The shoopuf driver at the south end of the Moonflow believed in some crazy superstition that flans would bring about the end of the world if their demands were not met and therefore ushered Rikku and Gippal to the front of the line, smiling nervously at Jimmy. When they entered the town they headed straight for Leblanc's manor and found it mysteriously unguarded. Gippal didn't think much of this. It was the holiday weekend after all (Spiran Independence Day to be precise). Even goons need some time off.
He pushed open the huge double doors, not even holding them open for Rikku. Their footsteps echoed loudly in the foyer but no guards were to be seen. Again, mysterious but largely overlooked by Gippal. He didn't have time to worry about goon's rights right now. He charged into the main hall off the foyer, Rikku barely keeping up.
He suddenly stopped and Rikku bumped into him.
The machina sat there in the middle of the room as if it was waiting for them to find it. And maybe it was, Rikku thought to herself. Gippal might have installed some sort of intelligence chip in it.
Gippal circled around the machine, checking it for damage but there was none to be found. It was in perfect condition, well, near-perfect condition anyway. The bottom of the machina was covered with mud and the entire machine smelled slightly of sulfur.
"Let's get this back to Djose," he said, wrinkling his nose a bit. The sulfur was getting to him.
"10-4, Kimosabe," Rikku quipped while saluting. "But how exactly are we going to do that?"
Gippal didn't answer but half and hour later they were on their way back to the temple. Don't ask them how they did it. It did, however, have something to do with a rope and pulley system.
Gippal's invention once again sat in the middle of his workroom. Rikku was once again playing with Jimmy. And Gippal was once again looking to repair the machina.
"Okay, let's do this thing." Gippal pulled a pair of goggles over his eyes. He checked his pocket for the machina part. If it was gone…! He breathed a sigh of relief. It was still there.
He set to work on fixing the machina, occasionally tweaking a wire here and there and winding in another screw. Rikku was completely oblivious to this, however. Jimmy kept all her attention. For five hours there was nothing but silence, save the occasional drop of a screwdriver or burble of happiness from Jimmy. Finally Gippal wiped his brow and loudly cleared his throat. Rikku (and, to a lesser extent, Jimmy) looked up at him.
"It's done."
Putting Jimmy down, Rikku stood up.
Gippal held his breath, going over the machina repairs he had just done in his head. He didn't forget anything. It was just like before. He held the wire cutters in his hand. Slowly he clamped them down on the particularly fat red wire. A bright white light stretched across the workroom and Rikku closed her eyes in anticipation.
This was it, she thought, the white light engulfing her. They were going back.
Author's Notes: I realize this is a pretty short chapter but I got in up in record time :) (for me anyway). The story will wrap up fairly quickly in the next chapter. But don't worry; I'm planning to put something extra into it, too (cough Rikku/Gippal one-shot cough). You don't want to miss it! It'll be up fairly soon, too. Probably next week sometime.
Next Chapter: The finale (yup, it's here). Have Rikku and Gippal finally returned to their bodies? Don't assume anything, 'cause you know what that does :)
Question: How do you authors out there usually write your story? Do you write it out on paper first or do you just start typing? I usually write out an outline by hand then type the actual story on the computer. What about you?