Warning: Contains Slash/Shounen-ai/MalexMale. Pick one. Don't know what it is? Don't read. Don't like it? DON'T READ. Not running yet? On with the Gippalai-ness!
------------------------------
Disclaimer: All characters (c) Square-Enix, et al. The song Kesenai Tsumi is sung by Nana Kitade. This is written for entertainment purposes only and no profit is made.
------------------------------
Wai says...Thank you:
YD – Um...pronounce Zephyr? Err...can't help you there. I'm bad with phonetics. *hides*
Hidama-san – Just because you like those nicknames so much, Aki and I came up with billions more. XD And what is this fascination with clowns, hmm?
[Note from Aki] Hidama-san (Remind me to kick Wai for this whole –san thing?), she's the one nagging about ideas *points at Wai* I only suggest the angst.
Gysecune – *laughs* Actually, I sleep that way too. That must be why I love Gippal so much! *glomps Gips* And yup, we're trying to push these two stubborn men together. But of course, there is something called divine intervention. *insert evil laugh here*
Eternal_Darkness2 – We figured that with Paine, Nooj and Baralai things probably got a little too serious during the Crimson Squad days. So to keep people sane, Gippal probably had to sacrifice his own feelings so they wouldn't all go crazy.
Liebchen – I like blonds too! *tackles Gippal* Love triangle? Oh, we wouldn't do that. *puts on innocent look*
DemonButtercup – Why is the joke always on Gippal? Because if we make fun of Nooj, he'll hit us with his cane! Oh and patience is a virtue! Although I really shouldn't talk...^_^;; They'll be together *cough*eventually*cough*.
moonwolf0 – Aaw, thank you! We need some more Gippalai fics though, because in comparison with other Final Fantasy fandoms, the slash fics in FFX-2 are lacking. ;___;
Cookie Cowgirl – *picks up bits and pieces of the chapter* Will you love these bits and pieces too? *gets bricked* ^_^;;
------------------------------
Note:
//speech// - Al Bhed
[speech] – CommSphere conversation
Anything in italics depicts flashbacks
------------------------------
Zephyr
Mission 1 – Baaj Temple
Part 2: From Death's Cold Arms
-------------------------------
Paine's father joined the Crusaders when she was only two years old. Her mother valiantly opposed his efforts, yet could not help the pride and sorrow of becoming the wife of a crusader. That was perhaps why she joined the Crusaders too.
Paine can't really remember her, but knew what she was like from the stories that her foster parents would tell her. Strong and kind, incredibly brave. She was a rebel at heart, defying the husband who lovingly and then sternly, forbade her to join.
Some called her foolish, but Paine knew the truth. Her mother was brave. Brave enough to defy authority and brave enough to fight in a losing war. And when Sin came and wiped both her mother and father, Paine didn't cry.
But it was then that she finally realized what she wanted to do. What she had to do. She's her mother's daughter after all.
~~*~~
The first thing he noticed, of all things, was that the ground felt too soft. It took a moment or two of blinking until his brain managed to piece things together and actually started working. He gasped, immediately sitting up.
A gentle hand pushed him back down, even as he groaned at the pain that followed his sudden movement. He blinked wearily at Paine, who merely smiled gently down at him.
"Good morning, sleeping beauty." She teased gently. "Nooj is getting pissed at this unannounced vacation."
Baralai groaned once more. "I didn't plan on getting hurt, you know."
"We all thought it would be a grab and go mission, I know." Baralai paused, eyes widening. He gazed at Paine fearfully, afraid of the answer to his unspoken question. She noticed his look straight away and the smile she had vanished. "He's still unconscious."
"But he's all right?" Paine nodded.
"We had to use a Phoenix Down on him."
"He...died?"
"For about half an hour, but we got to him before it could pass the one hour marker." Paine added quickly. She couldn't possibly tell Baralai that they made it within minutes of the time limit. They all knew that a Phoenix Down could only work if a person has been dead for less than an hour. If the person has been dead for even a minute longer, the magic wouldn't work.
"We could have lost him for good." Baralai whispered, looking over at the other bed across the room, where Gippal was sleeping peacefully. It didn't seem like Gippal at all. Not the Gippal who would often toss and turn in his sleep, mutter incoherent things and at times, snore. This Gippal was far too quiet. It was a terrifying thought for Baralai.
"We didn't. He's far too stubborn for that." Paine said reassuringly. "Nooj and I have been taking turns watching over him, so don't worry so much."
"How did you two get us out of there?" Baralai could only stare in wonder at the blush that spread across Paine's cheeks.
"It took us so long to get to you because I forgot how to activate the auto-pilot." Paine said in a low voice, obviously embarrassed. Nevertheless, Baralai couldn't suppress his amusement and he began to laugh. Paine's cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink as she scowled at the former Praetor.
"It's not my fault! I was worried about the two of you." She sighed. "And every time I asked Gippal where the switch is he'd switch it himself anyway, so of course I don't remember."
Still chuckling, Baralai apologized. "I'm sorry, I know how worried you must have been. What happened anyway?"
"Get comfortable. This might take a while."
~~*~~
Paine bit her lip as she looked at Nooj. "It's been half an hour, Nooj. I don't like this at all."
"It's definitely taking longer than I predicted. Maybe that fiend they encountered is more powerful than I thought."
"Shouldn't we go down there and look for them?"
"Scan the area first, make sure there aren't any other fiends that can surprise us."
"And the ship?"
"We'll set it to auto-pilot and lock it. It's a voice-activated lock anyway." Nooj said, before muttering under his breath, "I still can't believe that brat's able to create something this complex."
Paine nodded, choosing to ignore the muttered comment as she searched for the autopilot switch.
Wait...autopilot switch?
Red eyes widened as realization finally dawned on her. Torn between wanting to kill Gippal, having a panic attack or simply keep all emotions bottled up inside till they burst, she decided on option three.
Something's probably in the middle of executing option number one, she thought grimly.
"I can't find the switch." Paine said, looking up to stare at Nooj. She half-expected her Captain to start yelling at her for being a pilot and not knowing where the autopilot switch was. Then again, she noted that this is Nooj. Therefore, he wouldn't shout unless there was something drastic.
Well, something more drastic than a life or death situation...and the total annihilation of Spira, because she vaguely remembered a somewhat disquieting calmness that Nooj possessed when they fought Vegnagun.
"Hmm. That's a problem." Nooj said quietly, calmly thinking for a moment or two. It's moments like these that Paine would pray to the fayths that Nooj is, simply put, Nooj. Any other person would go crazy and make a mistake, but Nooj simply cannot allow such things to happen.
See, Nooj isn't calm because it's his nature, but it's because he orders himself to be calm. Strange, yet it works.
"I have an idea." Nooj spoke up. Finally shattering the silence around the airship, save from the ever-present sound of the engine. "It's not a brilliant one. It might even make things worse, but it'll have to do for now."
"What is it?"
"I'll stay on the ship and you get down there." At this point, Paine was about ready to yell at him, but managed to stop before she could.
"Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, who knows what's down there." Paine pointed out. She didn't want to say it, but she didn't think splitting up again would make their situation any better.
"Oh? I suppose you have a better idea?" Nooj asked calmly. "Because you should take into account my inability to swim, pilot." Paine blushed, knowing that she did forget this fact. Maybe it was the hero worship that all three underlings were accustomed to. They have the utmost respect for Nooj—even Gippal, though he wouldn't quite admit this fact—and it was so easy to forget their captain's limitations.
"Sorry." She said softly.
"Don't be." Nooj replied with reassurance. "As long as you go down there well-equipped, which they're not-"
"But they have their weapons!" Paine interrupted.
"They don't have other supplies. I noted that Gippal carried a couple of potions and I think Baralai has a high potion or two, but neither carried even an Elixir. And I didn't see, at the very least, antidotes or eye drops either."
"Antidotes? Eye drops?" Paine paused, suddenly realizing what Nooj was implying. "Of course. The fiends around here can inflict darkness or poison."
"They should have carried a remedy or two." Paine sighed, nodding.
"I should get going before anything really bad happens." She said.
"Good idea. And noting from those underwater tremors we felt earlier, I think some of the underwater structures collapsed. I'm not sure whether or not that's a good thing."
"I'll check it out and communicate back." Paine said, walking out of the bridge to head to the engine room. It was the quickest exit, since they're hovering above the water anyway.
~~*~~
She wrinkled her nose at her wet clothes, conceding to Gippal's very vocal claim that the water is freezing.
"That's strange." She said, walking towards the collapsed bridge where Gippal and Baralai were standing.
[What is?]
"Gippal told us before that he's been here. So why didn't he realize that he would need a remedy or two?"
[I suppose that you'd have to ask him yourself.]
Paine was quiet for a moment, looking down at the water below. She shivered slightly, not knowing what to expect. Taking a deep breath and making note that she would probably plunge into a fight or a fiend ambush, she nodded once before jumping down.
There was an ominous feel within the depths of the water, almost similar to the cold hand of death on your shoulder. Paine pushed the thoughts away, blinking and trying to get her bearings.
It wasn't really that dark, whatever light there was on the surface provided the meager light below, but it was enough for her to look around. It didn't take her very long to notice the recently collapsed temple entrance. Crimson eyes widened, and then narrowed. She rummaged around her pockets for the very thing she needed.
She was thankful to Rikku for teaching her alchemy without the use of a dress sphere. It would be quite a hassle to actually change into the dress sphere and then change back. Precious seconds could be lost.
Using mix, she managed to whip up the L-bomb with an ordinary grenade to get a cluster bomb. She tossed it towards the rocks, swimming as fast as possible to get away from the blast. The bomb exploded on impact and the blast created a current that pushed her away from the site.
Quickly swimming towards the gaping hole, it didn't take long for her to resurface inside the temple. The coldness gripped her, causing her to shiver. It was an abandoned temple after all and it was partially submerged, so the cold air remains.
"Baralai!" She called out, voice echoing. "Gippal!" Receiving no answer, she felt the beginning of anxiety, threatening to take over.
"No. Not now." She told herself. "Not until I find them both and get them back to the airship." She was ready to call out again, reaching the circular room, when she spotted two huddled forms in one corner.
"Guys!" She cried out, rushing over to their side. In another time and place, she would have giggled at sight of the two men in each other's arms. Or more specifically, Gippal in Baralai's arms. But given the gravity of the situation, all she was concerned about was whether or not they were still alive.
She noted that Baralai was breathing from the slight movement of his chest. But Gippal was another story. Her hand was shaking as she reached over to check Gippal's pulse.
Nothing.
"Damn you." She cursed, preparing herself to cast a spell. Thankfully Paine is a smart girl, knowing white magic would be of better use to her than carrying bottles of remedies and high potions.
The Life spell and curaga spell she cast on Gippal didn't seem to help. At least, that was what she thought for a moment.
"Gippal, don't you dare die. Not before you tell me where that stupid autopilot switch is!" She hissed under her breath, before adding, in a quieter tone, "And certainly not before you tell Baralai how you feel."
Maybe Gippal felt guilty for not showing Paine where the switch was or maybe the fayths thought Baralai deserved happiness and that Gippal was taking the coward's way out by managing to get himself killed in a battle. Either way, Paine couldn't help but sigh in relief when she finally found his pulse.
Now, however, she was left with the problem of carrying both men back to the airship. Groaning, she looked at Baralai and then Gippal, not knowing who to carry first. Deciding that Baralai's condition was stable, she nodded grimly as she looked at Gippal.
Prying Gippal away from Baralai actually took effort. For a moment, Paine was tempted to knock the former Praetor over the head. When she finally managed to pull Gippal away from his friend's death grip, Baralai whimpered. Paine shook her head, muttering disbelief under her voice.
"I need to change." She said, pulling out her Berserker dress sphere, knowing she would need to boost her strength before she could carry Gippal out. The swimming part would be easy. It's the carrying him to the water would be a nightmare.
~~*~~
"You carried us both out?" Baralai asked incredulously.
"Yes." Paine replied, nodding grimly.
"T-thank you Paine." He blushed. "I'm sorry that you had to come to our aid like that." She let out an exasperated sigh.
"Just don't scare me like that ever again!" She exclaimed, before jabbing her thumb in Gippal's direction. "And tell him that too when he wakes up."
"I will." He whispered softly, eyes drifting to the other bed to look at Gippal. "When he wakes up." He echoed. Paine patted him gently on the shoulder.
"I'm going to check up on Nooj and then I'm heading to bed." She told him. "I know you're strong enough to walk, so you go get some food yourself, OK?"
"OK. Thank you, Paine."
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight." Baralai said, watching her walk out of the room, door closing behind her. He let out a soft breath, barely a sigh, before staring at the opposite bed. Baralai didn't know how long he spent staring at the motionless form on the other bed when a soft whimper startled him out of his thoughts.
"Gippal?" Walking tentatively to his roommate's bedside, he paused for a moment, looking down at the sleeping blond. A moment ago he looked unconscious but it had quickly progressed to sleeping by this time, because the blond was actually moving.
Baralai frowned, noting how his friend was tossing and turning in slumber. His face twisted in an anguished frown, soft whimpers escaping. Knowing Gippal's tendencies to reach out and smack at whoever woke him, Baralai was trying to find a way to comfort him without the danger of getting a black eye.
But the distressed sounds coming from the blond was getting louder. By this time, the former Praetor finally decided that the risk of being smacked was insignificant, especially when Gippal's discomfort was obvious.
He carefully sat down beside the Al Bhed, reaching out to brush blond strands away from the younger man's face. Gippal let out another whimper, but he stopped moving around. Taking a deep breath and placing both his feet on the bed, Baralai drew his friend into his arms.
With his fingers tangled in blond locks, he looked down at the golden head currently pillowed on his chest. Gippal's breathing was beginning to slow down and his body seemed to welcome both the embrace and the fingers running through his hair.
//Mother.// It was a soft breath, muttered between the folds of Baralai's shirt, but he caught it anyway. He peered down at the blond in concern, noting that Gippal was clinging onto him as if he was afraid that Baralai would disappear.
//Don't leave me.// The words were louder and Baralai's passable knowledge of the Al Bhed language finally resurfaced. He understood what they mean. //Please...mother.// Eyes widened in shock, his fingers stilled, staring at Gippal in something that wasn't quite disbelief, but more of an ache in his chest that caused brown eyes to soften.
Arms tightened around Gippal, drawing him closer than before. Gippal never really talked about his past, except for some stories about his experience in the desert with his friends.
"You never tell us anything." Baralai whispered softly, leaning forward to place a gentle kiss on top of the sleeping blond's head.
//Don't leave me.// Back to a whisper, it seemed as if he was finally drifting back to a dreamless sleep.
"I won't leave." Baralai knew that Gippal wasn't talking about him. Of course not, he was crying out for his mother, right? And even though it made his heart ache that Gippal would probably not think of him in the same way, he couldn't deny his own feelings.
He pushed them aside, weeks ago, but they persisted. And only now, in a dim room, with the love of his life in his arms, he could finally admit it to himself. He smiled in amusement, thinking of what Gippal's reaction would be if he were to find out about this.
"Lean on me." He whispered. "I'll keep the nightmares away." The blond let out a contented sigh, as if he understood the promise, before falling silent into a deep sleep.
They remained that way for some time, Baralai stroking Gippal's hair as the blond slept on. It was hours later when Baralai finally managed to pry away from Gippal's grip to cross the room back to his own bed. He cast one last longing look before drifting to sleep himself, all the while wishing his feelings could be returned.
What he didn't know was that the last words Gippal uttered before succumbing to rest once more was meant for him.
~~*~~
The deck of Zephyr was larger than that of the Celsius, giving anyone ample space to brood on their own, even if the four of them were on deck at the same time. Strangely, it was usually Gippal that occupied the deck. Paine bumped into him a couple of times whenever she wanted to go clear her head.
It was the best place to do so really, feeling the wind on her face, combing through her hair the way she always remembered her mother did. That was the strangest thing about memories. You can't choose what you'll remember and what you won't.
In Paine's case, she remembered a lot of the physical aspects. She remembered her mother's fingers running through her hair, soothing her while she wept at night. The feel of her mother's skin, the callused hand that would wipe the tears away. The tenderness of her kisses, the trained strokes of her paintbrush as she painted yet another picture and most of all, the warmth of her embraces, banishing away any fear in her mind.
She bowed her head in respect. The room was still except for Marya's quiet sobs. She straightened and saw that her foster mother did not move from where she sat. She managed a small smile, before she turned around and headed towards the door.
"Paine." It was barely audible, but it held no trace of sadness. Marya was always that way, happy one moment, sad the next and vice versa.
"Yes?"
"Why are you doing this?" The woman she long ago considered her mother asked her. Paine was silent for a long while and she could hear Marya's quiet sigh at the unanswered question. But she knew she couldn't leave Marya without replying at least. She owed her that much.
"Because I have to be stronger, to protect the ones I love."
"It was so easy to say." She whispered softly, brushing her hair from her eyes. "But it didn't matter in the end, did it? Marya died along with many others when Sin attacked Kilika. She failed to protect her loved ones.
"How strong must I become so that no one will be hurt?"
------------------Chapter 4 Completed---------------
Wai: The focus is shifted slightly towards Paine this chapter. We want to change the focus a little mainly because this story is about all four of them, not just Gippal and Baralai. Just building up on Paine's unknown past and the mission to Kilika that's coming up soon. Besides, I love Paine.
Aki: I don't.
Wai: *sputters, throws a pillow at Aki*
Aki: *dodges pillow* I just want to point out, that this time Wai wrote the angst all by herself. No provocation from me whatsoever.
Wai: You're wiping your hands clean, aren't you? *pouts*
Aki: *dryly* Of course.
Wai: I blame...Fullmetal alchemist. Now THAT is angst. *cries* The underlined last line is actually taken from the first end theme of Fullmetal Alchemist. Anyone who's never seen it should. It's by Square-enix too!
EXTRA NOTE: EVERYONE! Check out Hidama-san's "A Short Vacation" which features the drool-worthy Baralai with Tidus, Gippal and Nooj. Well, the first chapter is TidusxBaralai and the second is a threesome. XD You have to read it!
----------------------------------------------------------------
Next Chapter:
Mission 2: Besaid
Is Baralai prepared to meet with the young man who looks very much like Shuyin? How will he handle it? And what is this new sphere that the Crimson Team found?
"Nothing to it!" Gippal exclaimed loudly. "Should be easy!"
"You mean like Baaj?" Paine asked dryly.
"I'm planning on staying out of the water this time." Huffed Gippal, causing his other three companions to laugh.