Glass Half-Full
(A/N: Oh...wow. I had an unbelievably tough weekend. I wrote, nonetheless, and had a ton of fun with it, but what really cheered me up happened about five minutes ago. When I came in, checked the stats of this fic, and saw the unbelievable feedback, I was floored! Thank you all so, so much for all the positivity in the reviews you left; you have no idea how happy they made me! Oh, and so you know, it was the passing of my drum instructor that had me in such a weird funk. He was misdiagnosed with 'acid reflux' and had a heart attack last Saturday. He couldn't have been older than 35. Anyway, thanks for cheering me up and please enjoy this next (and long) chapter! -Lindsay-)
Chapter 3: Unforgiving Memories and Too Much To Drink
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After roughly 20 seconds of Rikku's particularly humorous position, Yuna nudged her to snap her out of her deer-in-the-headlights trance. By this time, Gippal had looked, smirked, and turned his attention back to the groom, but Rikku stayed halfway bent over in her seat with her foot a few inches off of the ground, getting ready to inspect her shoe. She snapped back to reality, flushing and hastily sitting back in her seat; as much as Yuna tried to get eye contact, Rikku stared dead ahead. The music shifted, and everybody's attention was on the stage again.
Leblanc began to step out of the other end of the walkway, making her way up the spiraling pathway that led to the bridge. Despite Rikku's forecast, she really did look beautiful like every bride should, but a little quieter shade of lipstick would have been better. Waiting for her on the bridge were Nooj, his two groomsmen, and her Fem-Goon bridesmaids.
Aha. There it is. Rikku thought, regaining her ability to be normal. Somebody in this wedding was destined to look like a harlot. Try TWO.
She wasn't wrong. The bubble-gum pink bridesmaid dresses were strapless, with a slit going up their left leg and ending just below the hip. Instead of the traditional bouquets of flowers, they had...hmm. What a surprise. Miniscule fans that opened in front of their low-cut dresses. Momentarily side-glancing, Rikku saw something that nearly doubled her over, laughing. Paine's left eyebrow was cocked so high that it almost rested on top of her head, and her mouth was blatantly gaping open. She, too, must have noticed the over-the-top promiscuity of the bridesmaid's dresses and couldn't find much more to pay attention to. Yuna was being Yuna, trying to conceal her unbelieving grin and be as sophisticated as possible.
So there it was. Five minutes into the wedding, and the Gullwings had already broken into their true character right in the front row. Paine was finding some dry way of conveying her disbelief, Yuna was trying (and failing) to remain composed, and Rikku had already managed to embarass herself with her ADD-like nature. The rows of chairs behind them must be having a field day by watching them.
Suddenly, Maechen, an old, wandering storyteller, appeared on the side of the bridge that Nooj and co. had emerged from. He gingerly walked over, tall hat making him...well...still shorter than every person that accompanied him up there, and stopped when he came between the two pre-wed lovebirds. At that point, he turned, faced the audience, and delivered an expectedly long dialogue:
People of Spira, we are gathered here today to witness the exchanging of vows between this man and this woman: Sir Nooj, a former member of the Crimson Squad and founder of the Youth League, and dear Miss Leblanc, another wonderful asset to the defeat of Vegnagun.
Paine stifflied a half-scoff, half-laugh, and Yuna delivered a silencing kick to the back of her calf. Rikku watched as Leblanc teared up, reaching in her bosom to retrieve a tissue. In front of everybody. At that point, she recalled all the times Leblanc did fight around or against them, and realized that the down-the-shirt item grab was pretty commonplace. What else did she have in there? Small pieces of machina? Chocobos?
...whose love has run deep for each other as many years have passed. Accompanying the witnesses that sit before you are those among us that could not attend in body, but in spirit. The Farplane holds many people who would most certainly be joyous to see the world in the state it is in now. So much peace, so much prosperity, and so much rebuilding what was taken from us. Not only does this matrimony symbolize the uniting of these wonderful people, but the many people of Spira who are now and forevermore as one. Let us begin.
Do you, Sir Nooj, take this woman...
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"Oh, man. I know I was dead for two years, but nothing seems to have changed for Maechan. He sure knows how to make a five-second Luca ceremony into a forever and a half soliloquey about Spira!" Tidus grumbled, poking at his food. He, along with Yuna, Rikku, and Paine all sat at a round table inside the Chateau Leblanc at the wedding reception. The lights were dimmed, all except those provided for by the Hypello DJ. That, and every table was adorned with tiny, red candles and confetti. The four had been tearing into the procession for a couple of minutes now, but it did seem like the perfect time. Paine would be leaving them by tomorrow, and everybody else was up and talking. That way, nobody could hear how slightly jaded the seeming anti-heros were that night.
You really couldn't blame them for wanting to fight the system once more. For starters, it was naturally in them; they had defied Yevon and, therefore, become the victors. But that aside, playing the role of the trophy-guest was getting old. It always just looked good for them to be places, even if it was completely unnecessary to be there. Yuna would never forget the hundreds of chocobo race ceremonies she had to attend to 'comfort her people.' She loved Spira, and she was eternally grateful to be the leader of the absurd pack that saved it, but sometimes the attention was a bit much. Like now, when the overjoyed Tobli came scurrying up to the table and began tugging on her skirt.
"Miss Yuna! How goody good good to see you on such a fantabulous evening! How fantastic for you to come! Are you ready to do your number for the people that adore you? Come, come! Let's get you ready!" he babbled, and Yuna visibly started chewing on the inside of her cheek to keep from snapping. Poor girl. Reluctantly, she stood, kissed Tidus on the cheek, and walked off with the walking, talking, endorphin.
"Who the hell was that...guy?" Tidus asked in a moment of sheer confusion. Paine swirled the contents of her glass, shaking her head and swallowing a great deal of it.
"He's most likely the reason the Hypellos have a speech impediment. Very excitable, not very trustworthy. We had to deal with him a lot when Yuna was searching for you." she answered, leaning back in her chair and watching the penguin-like creature talk excitably up to the apathetic High Summoner. Rikku, suddenly struck by curiosity, looked up at Tidus.
"Hey, Ti?"
"Hmm?"
"How does it feel to be in such a high position? Like, leading your people and all that?"
Tidus laughed a little, then replied,
"Why don't you tell me? I fell in love with Yuna, helped save Spira once, died, and here I am! You saved it twice, so you should be the expert of handling the fame, right?"
Rikku shook her head violently, letting her hair (that was left down for the night) whip her in the face.
"I mean...you're with Yuna, and she's sort of like...I don't know...the queen of Spira, so to speak. That would make you what would be her king, I guess. It's different than fame, it's a sort of power. Yeah. So it's different---what's it feel like?" she finally blurted out, trying to find a way to convey her thoughts. Thankfully, Tidus didn't laugh at her close-to-home analogy and did his best to give her a good answer.
"You feel obligated. I mean, not some bad obligation like going to a job you hate or anything. Sure there are diplomatic issues that aren't so much fun to deal with, but it's...hmm. It's different when you're in love. Heh. It's actually nice to go to work with the person you want to be with forever."
Rikku had always been thankful for the clumsy way Tidus explained himself, because she had always been the same way. In fact, she and Tidus had always had a strong connection, right from the get-go. Her two best friends had fallen in love, but rather than be jealous, she realized that this was a reason to be happy. As long as they never left her, she'd be happy. Suddenly, Rikku's thoughts were interrupted by her cousin's voice belting out,
"Way down inside..."
Which was accompanied by a piano-like melody and a trance beat in the background. (A/N: I usually don't do this, but the song is called "Let me be Your Fantasy" by Ashley Jade.) Hmm...this was different. Tidus's face turned two colors of red as he focused on his beautiful...well...co-worker.
Everybody got up to dance, Rikku included. The lyrics were definitely more risque than she was used to hearing Yuna use, but that was the type of thing that Rikku loved. Breaking the geisha-like girl out of her shell and into a bit of a sex goddess was a fun project, and Yunie seemed to have it on auto-pilot now. That's a girl. People of all ages moved together to the intoxicating thump of the bass, uniting as one on the dance floor. Dance was universal and joyous, and therefore had all the reason to be expressed at a wedding that was post-apocolyptic nightmare. Rikku observed everybody dancing around her as she, too, found her rhythem in the song.
Ooh! Baralai sure is getting close to Paine...how positively juicy! Wait, why am I concentrating on the fact that the two are dancing together when it's a miracle in itself that Paine was dancing at all! And without a songstress outfit, at that! Hmm...look at all the 12 year olds trying to hit on Tidus. Shame, shame you little pre-pubescent deviants. A girl saves you from your impending doom and you try to sneak in a hand on his----wait a second. Someone is trying to dance with me. OK, Rikki, act calmly and maturely. Do not turn around and maybe they'll go away...
Rikku whirled around to find none other than Gippal dancing right behind her. He had that smug look on his face, the one that said, "Yeah, go ahead and try to ignore me. You can't." And unfortunately for Rikku, he was right. By this point, he'd hung his coat up and was sporting only his white shirt and tie. A white shirt that had already become slightly damp with the sweat he'd been working up dancing. Gross! Ok, not gross at all. Completely wonderful. But wait...
"What's the matter, Cid's girl? Forget how to dance?" he teased, reaching out for one of her hips. It was then that Rikku realized how long she'd been staring at him with a blank expression on her face. She really needed to stop getting lost in her thoughts like that. With a swift movement, she avoided his gesture and immediately wished she hadn't. The horrible battle inside her was raging again; one side screaming at her to turn and run away from the former heartbreaker and probably current ladies' man, and the other half wanting to jump him right then and there. So naturally, the obvious answer was to stand there and just look at him.
"No. I know how to dance!" Rikku spat back defensively. Yes! This was it! Get him, girl; you're off to a great start! "It's just...I just...I just remembered that I have to pee." she finished, and immediately wished she could physically reach out, grab her words, and stuff them back into her big, stupid mouth. Gippal cocked an eyebrow as Rikku felt the urge to vomit all over her beautiful green gown. He spoke again,
"You wore---"
Rikku brushed past him and into the bathroom. He sighed, finishing his sentence.
"You wore your hair down. Just like you used to."
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How could he? How could he have been so rude as to make fun of our breakup like that? How could I have done something so stupid as to blurt out that I had to pee! Oh, sweet, lying, Yevon. What now?
Rikku paced in the Chateau's beautiful bathroom, wringing her hands. Finally, she forced herself to stop and looked in the mirror. Her usually tied-up and braided hair had been left down and put into big, spiraling curls for the night. It was an awkward feeling, since she hadn't worn it like this in roughly three years. Her mind then faded into a memory that she had tucked away for quite some time.
She and Gippal would sneak away for the night, hiding in the machina graveyard that they used as their very own refuge. What they did had become somewhat of a ritual: about once every month, the two would pick a night to stay in the abandoned plain, sharing secrets and enjoying each other's company until daybreak.
"Rikku?" Gippal would whisper.
"Hmm?" his girlfriend would respond, already knowing what he was about to say.
"Why don't you ever wear your hair down?"
"Because it always gets in the way of working and it's too much to fuss with."
"We're not working now."
"No, we're not, Gippy."
At that point, she would finally look at him and his goofy, pleading face. Then, as always, she would roll her emerald eyes and let her blonde hair down for her boyfriend. Gippal would smile, burying his face in the floral-smelling mass of hair and whisper to her,
"Any lesser of a man couldn't handle all your beauty." with his cocky tone, and she would playfully punch him. Always. And when the sun began to rise over the horizon, they would hurry back home, never getting caught, and go into work that day as tired as ever. Yet no matter the consequences of staying awake all night, everything was worth risking when you were a young teenager in love.
Rikku snapped back out of her trance, shaking her head. Memories are nice, but...
The song ended outside, and the DJ's broken English voice was heard asking for all the members of the wedding party to come to the dance floor. There. The threat of evil Gippal was gone.
Rikku sauntered back into the room, unnoticed, and slipped back into her seat at the table. Everybody was red in the face from dancing so much except for her, which she was glad for.
It turns out that now was the time for the bride and groom to share their first dance, leaving the wedding party to join in after a moment. A slow jazz number started playing, and the six wedding members joined together for the tradition. Everybody else stood around talking, including Yuna, Tidus, and Paine. Yuna and Tidus stood together with a group of Gagazet ambassadors and Paine was exchanging words with other former members of the Crimson Squad that had also been invited by Nooj. Neither group had 'Rikku' written on it, and she didn't want to look like such a loner at the table, so she decided it was time to mingle. Picking up a glass from the drink table, she wandered over to a group of important-looking people.
"...so, furthermore, the whole thing should be built back up again!" a larger man belted out, and everybody nodded in agreement. Rikku nodded as well, though she hadn't the faintest idea of what they were talking about.
"What do you think, miss?" the large man asked, shifting his attention to Rikku. She paled a bit, then replied,
"Of course! All the way! Agreed!"
The men looked at each other with confused expressions and the man spoke again,
"But...you worked to shut down the theme park that your own father set up. Now, you want it rebuilt again?"
Oh, cred.
"Ahhh...uhmmm...what is it that you're drinking?"
Rikku scurried away from the men and joined a second group of people, downing her alcohol and grabbing another glass from the table on her way.
"Rebuilding Kilika was just another time that we had to pull together, even though Sin might have attacked again at any moment. Now, all of the threats are gone and the city is really expanding..." a woman was saying. Boo-ooring. Rikku stood with the group of four or five, but looked over another woman's shoulder onto the dance floor. Fem-Goon number two was dancing with Gippal and giving him a nauseatingly lovesick look. He, in turn, smiled somewhat politely and tried to avoid how close she was getting to her. Baralai appeared to be in a similar predicament, and Rikku saw Paine eyeing the pair as she conversed with the Crimson Squad veterans. Gippal's Fem-Goon stepped closer as she swayed, wrapping her arms around his neck and making both him and Rikku squirm. She began whispering something in his ear, much too closely, and Rikku reached for drink number three.
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Warm, warm, warm. Rikku was so very warm and delightfully happy. She sat at the table, swaying in her chair a bit, and watching the room dance around her. Not the people, but the walls themselves moved in very happy motions. By now, it was getting late in the reception, and people were slowly filtering out of the party and towards home. The dance floor still had a good number of people in it, but Yuna and Tidus had already gone home, and Paine and Baralai sat at a table in the corner, conversing deeply. Not that Rikku had really noticed. She was too busy eating all the peanuts on everybody's table.
"Ooh. So thirsty. Salty, salty peanuts." She earnestly told an older man whose peanuts she was currently stealing. He eyed her with a bit of concern, a bit of pity, but reluctantly nodded.
"Don't wait up for me..." she hiccuped, standing up to make her way to the drink table. She definitely needed something to wash down those darned salty peanuts. Ooh! Drinkies. Rikku wobbled her way to the table, reaching her tiny arm out for another glass of whatever she had been consuming the entire night.
"I think you've had a bit much, don't you?" a deep voice asked her. Rikku whirled around, glass and hand, and nearly fell into the table.
Gippal once again stood behind her, but caught her before she singlehandedly destroyed the table. Rikku scowled, taking a sip. He once curiosity had quickly rushed into a bit of drunken anger.
"You..." she growled, pointing a misaimed finger at the Machine Faction leader, "You are a mean...mean, mean boy. And you are not nice."
With that, she downed the rest of the contents, dropping the glass and allowing it to shatter on the floor. Gippal winced and reached for her.
"Rikku, I really think we should get you home. Come on, let me take you back to the airship."
Finally, Rikku let everything spill out.
"Gippal...! ...N-no!" she protested, clumsily avoiding his grasp and beginning to create a scene. "You br...:hic: broke my heart you big meanie! You broke my heart and my hair and I really do not like you right now. Please. I am very warm, and I am going to be a queen someday, so do not follow me and my broken hair home."
Rikku was beyond the realm of hammered. Gippal simply shook his head as he watched her walk out of the Chateau's doors. In his mind, he counted down from ten and allowed himself to follow her. Surely enough, not five feet from the building's exit, Rikku lay sprawled out on the ground, unconscious. Gippal's heart sunk into his stomach. Rikku...his Rikku. Something had gotten to her and changed the girl she used to be. He doubted that she made getting drunk a habit, but he didn't doubt that she had a lot of inner demons to fight. She'd seen a lot in her young life and had a lot of memories to keep locked away. Lots of mental scarring that she had to hide away from the world in order to be a hero. Including...
He sighed. He'd hurt her so many years ago, but she never knew why. If only he had been able to get her on her own without her being relentlessly angry or inebriated, he might be able to explain himself and his actions. Until then, the once vision of perfection lay spread out on the Guado soil. It was then that he lifted the light woman off of the ground and carried her to the Celcius, fully planning on doing what he should have done years ago; take care of his girl.
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(A/N: Yayyyy! There is chapter three and all of it's (hopefully) glory. This chapter was so much fun to write that I stayed up way late on Friday to finish it. A drunk Rikku is a very fun Rikku to write about. Anyway, please read and review, and I will churn out another chapter as soon as I possibly can. Thanks for reading! -Lindsay-)