Ok sea monkeys! For some strange reason, sleeping makes me more tired than I was when I fell asleep. Go figure. Oh! Something scary happened! I was cleaning my bed-room, when I looked at my closet door and there was this big, HUGE SPIDER! I hate spiders. shudders So I got out 'Arachni-death' (my golf putter used specifically for killing spiders) and killed it, resulting in a small, ok, large dent in the door. All for a good cause.
This is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. So, even if no one you love has it, hug your moms and aunts and sisters, because you never know. My aunt had breast cancer, and it was scary. She was 700 miles away, and I couldn't go see her. She is better now, but it was one of the worst feelings in the world, knowing she was so ill. So hug them and love them!
On that cheerful note, let's get back to the story. Not much funny stuff, but lots of fluff! (FINALLY!) So, let me know if you likes!
Thank you bunches to all my reviewers! tagg hands out cookies and chocolate milk J
Chapter 7: Never Wear White when it Rains!
I don't own FFX-2, but if I did, I would buy a Mini Cooper!
Chapter 7: Never Wear White When it Rains
Rikku had walked with Gippal to the door, finding out where he would be the next day and with whom. Rikku knew most of the people he would be with, so their lunch date would be made all the more fun by the slack-jawed faces of her acquaintances. It really would be a classic moment.
"Think you can rig a sphere recorder to capture their expressions?" she asked with a grin.
"Possibly. You want me to?"
"Yes!" Rikku rubbed her hands together with glee. "It'll give us a laugh now and later."
"Okay. You promise you're going to steal me away from my work?" he asked pathetically.
"Promise. It's a date!"
Gippal smiled and pulled her into a kiss, which Rikku completely surrendered to. He had that effect on her. She watched him walk away into the night, then shut and locked the door. She leaned against it, sighing. After cleaning up the kitchen, she grabbed her shoes and almost walked out before she remembered the hand bag. Elizza would not like finding it on the table in the morning. Stupid hand bag. At least I didn't lose it.
Rikku trudged tiredly up the stairs, her feet protesting every movement. When she reached her room, the shoes were cast away onto the floor and the hand bag made its home on the little table by the door. She walked to her bed, and fell onto it face first with a soft squeal, kicking her feet in the air. She hugged her pillow, needing something to share her happiness with. I wonder if Yunie's up? Well, if she is up, she won't like being 'interrupted'. Hehe. Ok, first things first. I'm getting this goop out of my hair and this make up off, like now. Thought became action, and Rikku retired to bed, despite her damp hair. Her poor feet were thankful for not having to support her any longer. Sleep over came her quickly, finding her sprawled out on her bed.
Rikku did not know that Elizza crept into her room, wanting to see how the dinner had gone. She saw the dress, carefully laid over the vanity chair and the hand bag on the table. She smiled, and pulled a thick blanket over the sleeping Rikku. She left as quietly as she came, leaving Rikku slumbering happily.
The morning...
Rikku woke to the smell of breakfast. She blinked several times and rubbed her eyes clear. She debated about returning to dream-land, or eating. Both seemed to be good ideas. The rumbling of her stomach decided that food was of more importance than her head on a pillow. Rikku pulled a fuzzy robe around her, and followed her nose to the breakfast waiting in the kitchen.
She entered the kitchen, sleepy eyed but awake. A plate heaped with food was presented to her by Elizza. "Ohhh, yummy!" she said, and then smiled at Elizza. "You didn't have to make this much for little me." Rikku giggled.
"Don't be silly, dear. You need plenty of nourishment to tell me about last night." Elizza said, taking a plate of her own and walking to the table, Rikku in tow. After a few bites to silence her irritable stomach, Rikku related the events of her date. Elizza was as happy for Rikku as Rikku was happy for herself. All kinds of questions were asked, like whether he noticed the cut of the dress or the moonstones, or if he liked her hair or if he managed to conduct himself as a gentleman.
"He was as much of a gentleman as possible for him to be, Elizza. It's not like he's a cave-man or anything, but polite conversation isn't his strong suit." Rikku said, remembering Gippal's comments about dresses and lingerie. She giggled and put her head on the table, pounding it lightly with her hands. "I had so much fun! And he even got mad at some guys checking me out."
"That's wonderful! I told you he would come around, didn't I dear? I've always thought you to be an excellent judge of character." Elizza said, sipping her morning tea. Rikku preferred coffee, black with lots of sugar. She was finished with breakfast in record time, and was now savoring her extra-large mug of coffee. It had 'MINE! NO TOUCHIE!' written on it, signifying it as Rikku's own mug.
Raas, who was a late riser, came down to join them in the kitchen. He gave a sleepy kiss to his wife before sitting down. He drank tea, like Elizza, but in large portions, not delicate cups as she used. Raas had broken one too many of the good tea cups for Elizza to mind him using a mug. Once rejuvenated by food and tea, Rikku went through the interrogation about last night once again. She did not mind, because it had been such a good night.
Raas left for work, and Elizza and Rikku were left with the dishes. Rikku wrinkled her nose at them, and then helped Elizza clean and put them away. During her stint of dish drying, Rikku asked "Can I wear that sun-dress? The white one?"
"Of course, dear. I told you that you are welcome to them whenever you like."
"Cool, thanks."
"Are you going out with that young man again, tonight? That's not something you would wear in the evening."
"Nope. Lunch. I've got to save him from doing actual work for a while." she said with a giggle.
"That's such a nice thing to do. Make sure you put your hair half up with that dress. It will look so sweet."
"Will do! Hey, can you show me how to use that evil make-up stuff? I don't want to drag you into it every time I go out."
"Certainly. Let's finish these dishes and we'll get started."
The crash course in make-up lasted an hour. Rikku was completely baffled by all of the different kinds. The application was complicated and one had to be careful not to smudge what had already been applied. "You mean people wear this stuff every day? What's the last step? Spray sealant?" she asked incredulously.
By the time afternoon rolled around, Rikku had a basic grasp of make-up application, but that did not mean she would be using it much. She even put on her own eyeliner, without Elizza hovering over her. She did a good job, but was frightened at how easily it came to her. I am NOT turning into one of those girls that paint their faces. What am I going to do next, buy five pairs of black heels that all look the same? Rikku shuddered at the thought of voluntarily buying the vile shoes.
Rikku was finally in her outfit, and headed out the door without a hand bag and wearing white leather sandals. When she was half way to the inn Gippal was staying at and working from, the wind picked up a little, bringing the scent of rain. Rikku frowned at the wind, and looked up to the sky. Most of it was clear blue, but dark clouds lined the far western horizon. She stomped her foot, angry that the weather would turn bad just when she did not want it to. With a sigh, she continued on at a faster pace. She did not want the rain to ruin her lunch with Gippal.
She arrived at the inn, which was large compared to the Sun Rose. It was nice, but no where near as comfortable as her inn. The desk clerk looked up at her entrance and inquired if he could help her with anything. Mr. Helpful directed her to the second set of double doors on the left as the room the Al Bhed were using. She thanked the man and walked up to the doors. She listened for a minute, hearing dull reports and paper shuffling. He wasn't kidding about the paper shuffling. After a moment, she opened the doors and walked in.
A large table dominated the room, with small side tables holding steaming pots of coffee or cool drinks and finger foods. Gippal sat with his back turned to the door, head in one hand while writing with the other. The other Al Bhed occupying the table were similarly occupied. Some looked up at her entrance and started in surprise at her appearance. Talk and paper shuffling ceased and they all looked up from the boring dribble they called reports to stare at her. Rikku smiled and waved, knowing many of them did not recognize her as 'Rikku'.
Gippal looked up at the sudden silence and turned around to see what was distracting his workers. He smiled at Rikku, shaking his head when she gave him an innocent smile in return. She raised an eyebrow at him, silently asking if he was recording this. An almost imperceptible nod was her answer and she giggled.
"What brings you here all dressed up, Cid's girl?" he asked, causing her to mock-scowl at him. Gippal grinned at her, knowing full well how much the nick name bothered her. Some things never change.
"I came to save you from the hideous thing called work, but I'm not sure I want to anymore." she said saucily, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Gippal got up from his seat and fell to his knees in front of Rikku.
"Please! Please save me form all the monotony! I can't take it anymore. Shall I kiss your feet to earn your forgiveness?" Rikku laughed out loud at his antics and nodded.
"That's not necessary. You'll just have to pay for me." was her response. Gippal hopped up and pulled her into his arms for a kiss. Rikku complied, making it count for all it was worth. Several gasps and stuttered 'bu-bu-bu" 's came from the Machine Faction workers.
"Do you have any where in mind, honey-lips?" he asked after the kiss. Rikku smiled too sweetly at him.
"Oh, any where you want to go, luscious." she said in her best imitation of Leblanc around Nooj. Gippal let out what sounded like a cough, his ears turning a little red, and turned to the man sitting at the right of his vacated chair.
"You heard the lady. I've got to go!" was all he said and led Rikku out of the room. When they got onto the street, they burst out laughing, supporting each other so that they did not fall. Several moments were dedicated to mirth, and then hunger made itself know to the two of them in the form of complaining stomachs. Rikku had made sure to arrive hungry.
"Did you record that, Gippal?" she asked as they began walking.
"You better believe I did. Man, that was better than I hoped it would be. And where did 'luscious' come from?"
"What, do you mind my pet name for you?" she asked playfully.
"Uh, not really, but do you have to say it like Leblanc? That lady gives me the heebie-jeebies whenever Nooj is around her."
"Absolutely. It doesn't sound right if I say it normally." Gippal shook his head and changed the subject.
"You look lovely today, Cid's girl." Rikku beamed up at him for noticing. Her dress was form fitting white linen that fell mid thigh and had narrow shoulder straps. The neck line was just below her collar bones. The only jewelry she wore were her feather earrings; her hair was half up, half down, so that it cascaded around her shoulders.
The wind picked up again, blowing her hair around like a toy. "Hey!" she yelled at the wind. When it died down, Rikku grumbled curses under her breath as she attempted to untangle her hair.
"It looks fine, Rikku." Gippal said, leading her on toward a little café that had a large, steaming cup of coffee on the window. Rikku immediately liked it. Any place that served coffee was fine by her. She then turned her attention back to her messy hair. "I said it looked fine, what are you worried about? You can brush it later. Or I can, if you stay up late."
Rikku frowned at him. "But it's all messy!" she said. "It took forever to brush it smooth." Gippal removed her hands from her hair and wrapped them around his neck, his own hands around her slim waist. This quieted her, but she was pouting slightly, her heart not entirely in it. Gippal kissed her deeply, drawing her close against him, forcing all unhappy thoughts from her mind.
"I know it's messy, but it's a good messy." he said.
"How is it 'good messy'?" The smirk appeared on his face and Rikku almost dreaded his answer.
"Because it looks like we just incredibly great sex together."
Rikku dropped her head onto his chest, not wanting Gippal to see her blush. "You really are an ass." She could hear him laughing and it made her smile in spite of herself.
"True, but you're not worried about your hair anymore, are you?" She sighed and looked up at his face. Her blush had been under control, but the look Gippal gave her brought it back full force. "What? I did say you looked good..." he said with a real smile. "Or don't you like being the one the girls are jealous of? Hmm?"
"Why would they be jealous of me and my messy hair?" Rikku asked with a frown.
"Rikku, Rikku, they're jealous because you're with me and they aren't."
"You are so conceited."
"Right again. Shall we eat, oh messy-haired one?" Gippal dodged a hand that was aimed at his head and kissed her again. He then led her into the café and found a small booth to sit in. Rikku was sitting opposite Gippal, still trying to fix her hair, but giving up hope of ever getting the knots out. With a sigh, she tossed her hair over her shoulder so that she would not be reminded of its presence.
After a delicious lunch, coffee was ordered. Gippal watched in amazement as Rikku poured nearly half of the sugar container into her coffee. She took a sip, then added a sprinkle more sugar. Now it tastes right. she thought.
"How do you drink it black? Coffee tastes much better with creamer in it."
"No way. I like it black. It's more stimulating, or something." was her reply followed by a sip of her coffee. "Creamer makes it too mellow."
"If you say so. For some reason, I don't think you need extra stimulus. Besides me, of course." Gippal ignored the glare she sent his way. Just then, his comm unit bleeped, and upon answering it found his right-hand man wanting to know when he would be back. Before he could respond, Rikku leaned over the table and activated the unit.
"Gippal's busy right now. Why don't you talk to him when he gets back?" There was silence on the other end and then a scared sounding 'okay'. Rikku sat back down in her seat, savoring her coffee. She loved the smell of it as well as the taste. Gippal was smiling at what had just happened. He was smiling for so long, Rikku wondered if something was wrong. "Uh, Gippal? What are you grinning at? Nothing funny happened."
"You, my sweet, are very selfish. Wanting me all to yourself."
"You have a problem with that?" she asked with one eyebrow raised.
"Not at all. I like it, actually. Makes me feel special." Gippal finished his coffee and turned back to Rikku. "Are you finished? We should leave before it starts raining." Rikku glanced out the window and saw that the sky had turned gray and cold. She drank the last gulp of her coffee and followed Gippal out of the café. Only a few minutes had passed, the couple walking swiftly towards Gippal's inn, when it began raining. Huge rain drops splattered on the ground and on pedestrians, quickly soaking everything that was not under cover. This included Rikku and Gippal.
Gippal grabbed her hand and they ran all the way back to the inn. Being out of the rain was wonderful and all, but it did not alleviate the condition of their clothing. Rikku stood in the lobby, shivering from the cold rain, her hands rubbing her arms and jumping up and down for warmth. She looked like a drowned lupine and she knew it.
Rikku started when Gippal snapped at Mr. Helpful, making the man go pale and stammer an apology. She had not heard what he said, being more concerned with getting warm and dry than with Mr. Helpful.
"You sure picked a bad day to wear a white dress, Rikku." His tone of voice startled her. He was angry; she could see that by his expression. Angry on her behalf. It made her warm up inside despite her soaked condition.
"How was I supposed to know it would rain like this?" she asked, as Gippal propelled her down the hall and up a flight of stairs. He unlocked a room and ushered her inside.
"It's called a weather report."
Rikku's eyes narrowed at him, sending invisible daggers at his good eye. "What got you into such a bad mood?"
Gippal stepped right in front of her, glaring down into her face. He was intimidating, but she knew he would never hurt her, so she was not afraid. "What got me in a bad mood? Here's a hint: you can see right through that dress of yours. The desk clerk was getting an eye-full."
"Oh." Rikku could see how that was a bad thing. "It's not like I can help what white does when it gets wet! Don't you get mad at me for that!"
"I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at that idiot for undressing you with his eyes. Not that your present state of attire leaves much to the imagination. He's lucky I didn't gouge his eyes out." Ohh, so he's jealous again. I get it. Hehe. She snuggled herself up against his body, both for warmth and for effect. She pulled his head down by the hair and gave him a passionate kiss. It only took half a second for him to respond, pulling her tightly against him.
"What brought that on?" Gippal asked breathlessly.
"Because you were thinking about gouging that man's eyes out for looking at me."
He shook his head at her logic, but did not dispute it. Rikku was happy to have changed his mood. She liked to whole angry-male thing, but she did not like being the cause of anger, even if it was not directed at her.
"Um, not to ruin the mood or anything, but I'm really cold." she said, shivering.
"Sorry. Go dry off. The bathroom's in there." He indicated a door on the other side of the bed. Rikku ran inside, desperate to get dry and warm. She peeled the dress off and laid it carefully on the counter. She looked around and found towels in a small closet and a large, fuzzy robe beside them. Rikku sighed and removed her bra and panties. As much as she wanted to be clothed, wet undergarments were extremely uncomfortable. The robe was quickly wrapped about her small person, looking quite large on her. It was warm though, and that was all that mattered.
The under-ware found themselves wrapped inside the dress and she emerged, towel in one hand, wet clothing in the other. Gippal had already changed, except for his shirt, which was just being pulled over his head.
"Nice abs." was all she said. He really did have nice abs, the kind one would start drooling over. Gippal turned to her and gave a smirk, then gathered his discarded clothes from the floor and reached for hers. She gave them up, and started drying her hair. It was tangled and wet and she had no hope of getting it under control. Gippal disappeared out the door for a few minutes, and then returned to find Rikku sitting on his bed, attempting to unknot her hair with her fingers. She was sitting on one leg while the other was over the side of the bed, her foot on the floor. The robe had fallen open at the bottom, revealing quite a bit of leg.
"Nice legs." Rikku looked up at him through a curtain of hair.
"Thanks. I've always thought they were nice too." She continued to untangle her hair with curses uttered every so often.
"So, you just couldn't wait to get in my bed, huh?"
"I'm not in your bed, so don't go there. Do you have a comb or something? This isn't working at all." she said with disgust. Gippal chuckled and brought her a comb, sitting down behind her so that she fell into his lap from the shifting of the mattress. "Hey!" she yelled, making herself more comfortable against him. "You could have made me fall!"
"I'd have caught you." he said, taking the comb form Rikku's hand and began the detangling process. Rikku protested but subsided after a few futile attempts to get the comb back. She tried to stay still, but could not. "Quite squirming, wiggly-worm."
"I'm not a worm you pile of gug-snot."
"Gug-snot! I am not a pile of gug-snot! I'm a BIG pile of gug-snot. Thank you very much." He said it to make her laugh, and it worked.
"My mistake then. I'll remember that for future referance." Rikku's hair was now untangled, much to her surprise. He even braided it for her. She admired Gippal's handy-work in the mirror. "You did a good job! Where'd you learn to do that? Or do I want to know?"
"I watched your mom untangle it plenty of times before we could eat dinner." Gippal then grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her down onto the bed, making her squeal. She found herself beside him, held close against his body. Rikku did not mind in the least. She shifted onto her side so that she could put her head on his chest.
"I always thought you watched because it embarrassed me." she said, moving her head to look up at Gippal.
"I did. But that doesn't mean I didn't learn anything from it." Rikku poked him in the stomach for that comment, making him laugh. Ah ha! I forgot that Gippal's ticklish! Mwahahahaha. She attacked without warning, tickling like a fiend (if fiends tickled). Gippal tried his best to get away from her, but then resorted to tickling her.
"No fair! No fair!" she yelled, unable to fend off the tickling hands. She tried rolling off the bed, but Gippal would have none of it. He pulled her back to him and continued the tickle war until Rikku admitted defeat. She was panting for breath, and so was he. His clothes were disheveled and her robe was coming slightly untied. It was just their luck that Gippal's assistant decided to walk in at that moment. He stopped short, jaw unhinged, staring. Rikku frowned at the man. "Didn't you ever hear of knocking?" she said.
"I-ah I'm sorry. I just knew Gippal needed his paper-work and..."
"And that means you don't knock on the door before entering?" Gippal laughed and turned to the man, named Plaazt.
"Its okay, Plaazt. You weren't interrupting anything disreputable."
"He still should have knocked..." Rikku said, still frowning.
The man looked relieved at his leader's words, but gave a wary look in Rikku's direction. Gippal laughed again, and Plaazt retreated as fast as he could to get out of Rikku's glare.
"I think you scared him, honey-lips." he said with a grin plastered on his face. The grin turned evil. "Want to watch the sphere of your entrance?" The frown disappeared, replaced by an impish grin.
"Yes! I can't wait to see it! This'll be great."
The sphere recorder was retrieved by Gippal and they watched it over and over, delighting in the expressions on the faces of the Al Bhed. Rikku was even more delighted by what happened after they left. No one in the room moved for a moment, and then Plaazt spoke up. 'Was that really Cid's daughter?'
'No, couldn't be. She won't wear dresses.'
'You sure? Cause it looked like her."
'Gippal sure is brave. Cid's going to skin him alive.'
The conversation continued in this vein, the workers wondering what kind of punishment Cid would have in store for Gippal. Or for any man that tried to date his daughter. Gippal winced at some of the ideas they came up with. Rikku laughed all the harder. Finally they returned to working. She turned the sphere off, not wanting to watch anything boring. Rikku moved over on the bed, patting the spot beside her for Gippal to sit next to her. He did not sit, but lay down, hands behind his head, one heel balancing on the toe of the other foot. Rikku snuggled down next to him.
"I think I know what I'll buy you to wear." he said moving his arms to hold Rikku.
"What are you thinking? I bet it's naughty."
"I'll buy you a robe, so that you can walk around naked underneath it."
"What makes you think I'd do it?" she asked.
"Well, you're naked now aren't you?" Rikku sat up and glared at him.
"How do you know that?" she said incredulously.
The smirk returned, and Rikku wondered if she had shut the door when she changed. "I 'accidentally' dropped your stuff. I like your taste in bras." Rikku pummeled his shoulder with her fist. Gippal grabbed her wrists and held them together so that she could not hit him again. Rikku pouted, unable to free her hands.
"I didn't hit you that hard, you big meanie." she said, trying once again to free her hands.
"Careful, Rikku. I might just start a wrestling match with you. Though I think I would win that round, don't you?" Rikku was still pouting, this time with full force. Gippal sat up and brushed his lips against hers, barely touching them, but somehow pulling on her lower lip. Rikku felt a chill go down her spine. She leaned forward against him, parting her lips slightly, inviting his tongue into her mouth. Gippal complied, pulling her to lay half on top of him.
Rikku found that her hands were released, and she laid one on Gippal's chest, stroking the muscles beneath the cloth. The other hand was being run through his hair. It was very soft, making her want to put both hands in it. Her other hand was happily occupied, so only one got to play with his hair.
Eventually, the kisses became gentle, and Rikku laid her head on his chest just below his chin. She was happy. She was also warm and so very comfortable. Between the rain beating on the windows and the rhythmic breathing of Gippal, she fell into a deep sleep, a smile gracing her lips.
Soooooooo...what did you think? I'm not sure I'm quite awake, so forgive errors, please. And if it sucks, blame it on my wretched sleep-cycles. Anywho, sorry it took me a while to post this, but I hope it is worth the wait!
Please r&r! thanks! J
Tagg.