Da da da dah! Another two parter! But, alas, this is the last one. And--I know all of you'll love me for this--they're both being updated at once! And a lot happens in this story, and in case some fo you may have lost track of what's going on, Paine and Baralai are getting married on Friday. This is Thursday. Just so you know, okay, go ahead and read.

As she zipped up her boots, Nhadala stood and looked ahead of her with an annoyed look. For her, it was something normal, but this time she had a good reason; she had a bone to pick. She was dressed, ready to go, and had a mission that she needed to go through with.

Adedrea looked to her roommate with a look that asked 'are you kidding me?' as she still stood in her pajamas. Extended on her finger was her friend's bag, her arms folded over her chest.

"You sure this is going to work?" she asked. "I mean he can be stubborn."

The older woman's eyes narrowed and she laughed. "I should know, I've known my brother since he was born," she replied, taking her purse. "If I have to literally knock some sense into him, I will. I know he's behind this."

"Did Rikku say anything to you?"

"No," she said, but she smiled as she went over to the mirror beside the door. She looked in it briefly, fixing her hair. "But why else wouldn't she go to her apartment?"

Her friend shrugged. "True. What did you give her that made her sleep?"

She went into her purse and tossed her a plastic pill bottle. "Painkillers. She had a headache, so I thought I should give it to her. They make you drowsy. She needed it, she was up all night."

Adedrea sighed. "I have work you know," she said, a finger going to her temple. "I can't watch her."

"I'm going back to Bikanel, I can't watch her either," Nhadala replied. "But she needs someone taking care of her and since Elhana is MIA…"

"I know," she said. "I'll call you if there's anything she says about that."

"I'll try to find someone else to watch her," she said, looking at her watch and adjusting her gloves. "But I'm not promising anything. I have a tight schedule."

"Tight? How long does it take to kick your brother's butt?" she asked, almost laughing.

"Not long," she said, shrugging. "But I have to get something out of him. Let's hope he's in his office."

She opened and closed the door, and headed down the hall with her purse under her arm. Halfway down the hall, she paused seeing a woman that didn't look like she belonged in a construction area.

She was Al Bhed, seeing as she had spiraled green eyes and blond hair, but she wasn't what you'd find around there. Her hair was long, and held back in a small halfway ponytail. There were streaks of glitter and pink in it, and she had a beautifully painted face. She was a tall woman, accented by her high-heeled sandals, her toes showing a pedicure.

She wore a skintight short skirt, which was low to show her belly, decorated with a little charm on her belly button. The halter-top was short as well, the gap for the neckline exaggerated with her fairly large cleavage. And in her perfectly manicured fingers was a slip of paper that she kept glancing while looking around the hall.

At first, Nhadala continued in her original direction. But then, when she passed her, she stopped and turned. "Can I… help you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

The woman turned and sighed with exasperation, clapping her hands together. "Would you?" she asked. "I am so lost. All I want to do is visit my sister-in-law."

Hearing her words, she paused. " 'Sister-in-law'?" she echoed.

She nodded. "Yes, Lady Rikku. Do you know where her apartment is?"

Nhadala gasped and thought her tongue had been swallowed. Rikku only had one sibling the last time she remembered, and that was Brother. This very …attractive woman married Brother? Willingly?

The woman held out her hand so Nhadala could shake it. "I'm Astrah," she said. "I married Brother a few days ago."

Nhadala didn't even move. Her eyes were so wide; you would have thought she was looking at a woman that turned into a hypello. Astrah blinked when she didn't move. "You know, everyone I've told about my marriage who knows Brother, they all look at me like that," she said, rubbing her upper arm. "It's shock right?"

"Happiness," she said, smiling. Shaking her head to rid the look on her face, she showed some politeness. "I'm Nhadala," she said, holding out her hand to shake hers. "I'm in charge of the diggers in Bikanel."

She cocked her head to the side. "Why are you in Zanarkand?"

Nhadala laughed. "Shipment—and my brother, Gippal, lives here," she said.

"Oh, who's he?" she asked.

Had this woman ever been out? "Leader of the Machine Faction."

Her eyes widened. "Oh, that man with the eye patch at the hospital?" she asked.

Nhadala's eyes narrowed. "Hospital?"

"The night I married Brother, we told his father, Cid, right?" She played with her fingernails almost shamefully as she looked to her with an explanation. "Well, Cid fainted and we took him to the hospital in Luca. Brother called Rikku, who came with everyone she had with her. They were all in fancy clothes—some kind of dinner party."

The older woman didn't get to speak, for she continued. "Anyway, do you know Buddy or Brother, for I heard them talking about you."

"Buddy's my fiancé…"

She brightened with joy. "Oh, how wonderful!" she said. "When are you getting married?"

"Two months," she said, then cleared her throat and shook her head again. She had to stop changing the subject. "But, anyway, you said you were looking for Rikku?"

"Oh, yeah, I haven't been able to see her since we first met, and since we are good friends, I wanted to see how she was doing. I even took the entire day off from work, and Brother dropped me off," she explained, happily. "Do you know where her apartment is? Her office was closed."

Nhadala sighed, and came up to the younger woman, taking her by the shoulders and leading her through the hall. "Well, I can show you to her," she said. "But I have to ask you something; have you ever dealt with guy troubles?"

"Oh, Rikku…"

As Astrah went over to the younger girl, asleep in the bed, Adedrea looked to Nhadala. "Her in-law?" she whispered, bewildered.

The older woman nodded. Astrah sat on the bed next to Rikku, who looked like she had been through hell and back. She had tear streaks all over her face, mascara everywhere, and her hair was frizzy and tangled. Awful was an understatement, even in sleep she looked like she was crying anyway.

Astrah leaned over, a hand on her shoulder and gave her a little hug. "She looks terrible," she said, and then looked to the other two. "What happened?"

"She wouldn't tell us," Adedrea shrugged. "We were hoping you could get her to talk."

"My brother is her roommate, the one I was telling you about," the older woman stated, nodding. "And she didn't go to her room last night, so that might mean something."

She made a face after nodding, brow wrinkled with thought. "Okay, I'm going to need both of your help," she said, standing.

Nhadala hesitated. "I have to get going…"

"It won't take long at all," she said, confidently. "Believe me, this works every time."

"Rikku?"

She heard the voice, but only nodded in response. There was a hand stroking her hair, that moved between her back and that spot. Whoever it was, was had a very calming voice. It was still so familiar, that she looked up.

Her head rose from the pillow, removing her face to look around at the scenery. Blinking, she saw moving forms. "Hot water running?" the original voice asked.

"Yes…"

"By the way, thanks for letting me borrow the bikini, and I'll wash it and return it soon," the voice replied.

As her eyes focused, Rikku saw the speaker. "Astrah?" she asked, sitting up. "What are you doing here?"

"Giving you a little TLC," she replied, smiling.

Rikku looked around, seeing the two women that actually lived there. Nhadala sighed and came back into the room. "Coffee's done. You sure those were the right ingredients? Those were weird things for coffee."

"Yup," Astrah replied. "You can go right now. But Adedrea, I'll need your help too."

As Nhadala turned to leave, she saw that both Adedrea and Astrah were wearing bikinis. She blinked and then looked at herself. She was wearing one under her original clothes, but still. "What's going on?"

"Giving you the spa treatment," Adedrea said with a laugh.

Astrah practically picked her up from behind, her 'assistant' pulling from the front. Still weary, she looked around with confusion. "Wha—what are you two doing?"
"We told you," Astrah stated. "Just help us get you down to the bathing suit; we're going in the shower."

For a moment, Adedrea was gone, as her sister-in-law bent to help with her stockings and then her skirt. Once she returned, Astrah got her top off from around her shoulders, and she handed Rikku a mug. "Drink," she said. "And a bit of it too."

She looked at it with confusion, and then took it from her. She really just wanted to bury herself in the covers and never come back again, but she did what she was told. Maybe it'd be good for her to do whatever they had planned for her. She put it to her lips and swallowed the mixture.

It felt like coffee, smelled and even looked that way. The taste, though, was a little different. It wasn't bad, not good either; there was a sweetness and creaminess to it. Whatever it was, she woke up with one gulp and looked around. "What time is it?" she asked, as it was taken from her and the two led her to the bathroom.

Inside, it was already steamed up with the warmth. Their shower was like hers, with a large tile floor that the shower could drip onto. The curtain was open and they brought her over under the faucet. "Wait—!"

But the water in her eyes and mouth instantly cut her off. For a moment, anger hit her, but the water was nice after some time. After a little bit of them holding her there, they let up and she stood on her own. Her aching muscles and tired body felt so much better as she stood there. The caked on make up on her face was washed away and there were fingers that took out the things in her hair.

Astrah came up from behind her, and smiled, not getting much of her wet. "Feel better?" she asked, calmly.

She inhaled. "Yes," she said.

Then, the older girl nodded to Adedrea. "You can head out now. I can take it from here," she told her in a hushed tone.

The other woman put a hand on Rikku's shoulder. "Try to clean yourself up, and not only literally."

When she was rewarded with a smile, she walked out the door, and Astrah turned to Rikku again. "I know you're feeling a little down, and I'm not sure why," she said, taking her hand. "I'm just going to be here for you. You don't have to tell me anything, but I am here if you do want to."

Rikku smiled, and almost laughed through tears. "Thank you," she said. But then, with a smile, she wiped away the tears with her palm and looked away. "I don't feel like I know anything anymore, though."

Astrah smiled, but not truly. "Okay, cheer up potion here we come," she said. "I'm going to help you wash your hair, and then you're gonna have a long soak in the tub. Then, I'm going to even give you one of my complete beauty treatments."

Rikku raised an eyebrow, but she answered before she could as anything, "Hair, skin and nails."

When she got to her brother's office, Nhadala wasn't surprised to find the door closed. She even heard thumps, crashes, and flying curses. Sanron wasn't present, so she just walked to his. Opening the door, she found Gippal throwing things around.

He looked tired, as if he hadn't slept that night. There were bags under his eyes and he didn't even shave this morning, since she saw a bit of stubble on his face. She was sure that he hadn't gone to bed at all. Did he even go home?

His tongue was rogue with swearing in Al Bhed as he went through drawers, opening them so hard that they were flung against the walls. Pens and papers were cluttering the floors, and folders were in tatters. She couldn't see the floor anymore, and the shelves were in disarray.

He didn't look up when she came inside. "There should be a caution sign outside," she said flatly, arms crossed over her chest.

The look on his face could scar a fiend, that's how angry he was. But she, being his sister, was used to it and just returned the glare with annoyance. "Throwing a tantrum?" she asked.

Growling, he fell back into his chair, not looking in her direction. "Very mature of you," she continued. "Is this the way you're planning on winning her over?"

"Oh for everything, just shut up!" he screamed at her. "You have no idea what I'm going through!"
She laughed, slamming the door shut. "I don't know?" she asked, coming around to face him. "Alright, tell me what's going on and I can disagree."

"She hates me," he said, tone softened. "She's the only thing I've ever wanted, ever. I've loved her ever since we first met, and she can't even stand to look at me!" He stood and put a hand to his chest, pointing his arm behind him to the air. "I told her what I feel and do you know what she did? She cried!"

Her eyes narrowed and her hand rose. It fell quickly with a crack, and his head was turned away, cheek red. "Snap out of it!" she hissed. "You're acting like a big baby. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and consider someone other than you for a minute!"

Almost pouting, he looked to the ground. She didn't need him looking at her to know that he was listening. "You are so selfish," she said, shaking her head. "Rikku came to our apartment last night, because she couldn't go to hers. She couldn't face you, do you know why?"

When he didn't say anything she continued. "She is confused and hurt," she said. "I found that book you were talking about when we were young in her things. You read it didn't you?"

"She wasn't honest with me, what else could I do?"

"Ask her!" she snapped. "Come out seriously and ask her the truth. It's not that hard." She growled and shook her head again. "Have you ever thought that maybe she doesn't know what she feels? She's never been in a romantic relationship before, and she's scared."

She poked him in the chest as she backed him into the wall. "And now you come along after being life long buddy and make a move on her! What do you think is going through her head now?"

"I have a messed up girl in my apartment, and my other roommate is missing," she said. "Now, are you going to tell me what happened? And make it quick, I have a ship to catch."

He sighed, rolling his eye. "Sit."

"Assuming there's a chair under this mess."