xpunky-galx – you are one of my fav reviewers because you have reviewed every chappie. Thank you! Huggles for you
Letselina – you are my savior! You always help me out on the things that just never cross my mind. First it was the translations and now the summary changes. Thank you soooooooo much! You can have a doughnut (I'm eating doughnuts right now. The little chocolate waxy ones. If you don't like 'em I'm sorry it's the best I can offer) Thank you! Huggles for you too.
Sweet Demon Slayer – they totally are! (meant to be, I mean) by the way I like your signature. Thank you. You can have huggles too!
Tori Tsubasa – I like Paine and Baralai too! They are cute. He's so polite and she's so...well, I haven't quite figured out what she is yet. Anyway, I'm glad you're reading my RikkuGippal fic. Summer break is fun. I like you! You make me laugh. Thanks and huggles to you too for reading and reviewing
kingleby – I know, I put Paine in a dress. But I couldn't resist the opportunity. She looks very pretty in it in my mind. Besides, I can do whatever I want with her. Muah-ha-ha-ha! Hmm... anyway, you are also one of my favs! You reviewed all chappies too! Huggles, doughnuts, and thanks for you!
Ed Black – I guess all of my pushing and tormenting finally paid off. You finally reviewed! Yeah! Thanks. Oh yeah, and ROAR! By the way don't worry, I will keep writing if only for myself.
Disclaimer (I forgot it for the last chappie so just pretend this was there too): I don't own any of these characters or places or anything Boo hoo hoo (sobs)
Huggles for everybody and thank you for reading this. I had fun writing this and hope you like it. ENJOY!
Chapter 3: The Party
Rikku bounded up to Paine and Baralai knocking several people over in her haste. After muttering a few sorrys, she turned to the twosome.
"You guys! That was so beautiful!" Rikku bawled first wiping away miniscule tears and then beaming up at them.
"Thanks, Rikku," Paine said taken aback by the tears.
"Thank you very much," Baralai said stepping closer to Paine, slightly intimidated by Rikku's sudden change of emotions and never-ending pep.
Rikku leapt from the happy couple to the dance floor, searching for someone to hang out with. She glanced around but discovered that everyone she knew was with someone else dancing to a slow song: Yuna and Tidus, Nooj and Leblanc, Brother and Shelinda, Wakka and Lulu, and Buddy and Nhadala. Even Shinra was with this little girl Rikku had seen on Besaid playing with a dog. Rikku sighed and glanced around again hoping to see Tobli or a random Al Bhed or even Barkeep. Instead she saw Gippal.
'Gippal!' she thought excitedly. 'Finally someone else who isn't paired up.'
He was sitting at a table near the edge of the dance floor by the bar. She ran over and beamed down at him. When his view of the dance floor was blocked he looked up to see who the heck it was. It was Rikku and she was looking as happy as ever and maybe even more excited. This had to be the first party in a while where she and Yuna weren't the main event. He smiled.
"Heya Rikkster," he said reaching up to ruffle her hair. As he did, he noticed she had left it down but added random braids everywhere.
"Hey Gippal," she replied sliding into the seat across from him. Then scowled catching the slur on her name. "How many times do I have to ask you to call me Rikku?"
"I dunno. You've never actually asked. Only demanded," he answered teasingly. He knew one day she'd get really mad at him but that day was apparently not today since she smiled at him and punched him lightly on the arm. She was about to reply when Yuna's voice rang through the crowd.
"Hey y'all!" she shouted clouding her voice with a southern hick accent. This got everyone's attention. Nobody in all of Spira spoke like that. (A/N: Just to tell you, I've got nothing against southerners. In fact I've got a bit of a southern accent, not to mention, I am a slight hick) But their confusion declined as she switched back to her normal voice. "Alright, now that I've finally got your attention, the bride and groom have asked me to sing for you," she said turning towards the two and bowing. Paine had asked Yuna earlier, at the request of Baralai, to sing her two most popular songs.
"Okay everybody. For the first song, Real Emotion, grab your best friends and have a good time. For the second, 1000 Words, get the love of your life, and be thankful you've found them. Trust me, I know how it feels to lose and be unsure if you'll get a chance to tell them you love them. So don't hesitate, just do it."
Rikku turned to Gippal, "Hey, do you want to dance with me?"
"Sorry Rix," he said looking at Rikku mischievously, "but I dunno how to dance. Will you teach me?" He winked at her, "Please Cid's Girl."
Rikku scowled at him. "Well," she muttered ignoring the name thing, "slow dancing isn't hard to do."
At that moment Yuna yelled from the stage, "Rikku, come here! You have to dance with me first!"
"Alright, I'm coming!" Rikku yelled back over the dull roar of the milling crowd, then turned towards Gippal. "First I have to dance with Yuna on stage, but then I'll teach you how to dance, okay? After this song meet me at the front of the stage!" she yelled running towards the stage.
When Rikku got to the stage Yuna began singing Real Emotion. Rikku danced beside Yuna completely in sync with her. You could tell that they had practiced before.
Gippal sighed and headed towards the stage smiling. By the time he had reached the stage, the song had ended. As Rikku came off stage, she smiled at Tidus who was on his way up. Even before the music had started, Tidus had wrapped his arms around Yuna's waist holding her tightly.
"So, Gippal," Rikku began. "First off, you have to put your arms around my…" But she was cut off as Gippal twined his arms around her waist and drew her in close. Rikku's breath caught in her throat.
"Maybe I'll teach you a few things Rikku," Gippal whispered smiling down at her and pulling her even closer, so that she was resting against his chest.
"Gippal, you lied to me didn't you?" she whispered not really caring about the answer. "You do know how to dance."
"Yeah, I do," he whispered tightening his grip and her.
All Rikku could concentrate on was the warmth emanating from Gippal's chest. But then Yuna started singing. She liked this song, but in a way it tore her apart. For a while, Rikku had thought this song was about her and Gippal's relationship right before he left for the Crimson Squad.
Rikku's POV
I know that you're hiding things
Using gentle words to shelter me
You're words were like a dream
But dreams could never fool me
Not that easily
Even back then, I knew there was something you weren't telling me. But every time I asked about it, you would tell me that I worried too much. You always insisted everything was fine. But I knew better. You would never look me in the eyes when you told me that. Even though I didn't want to know what was wrong, I knew that I had to know. So, I made you tell me. It was hard but one day you finally broke down and told me. You were joining the Crimson Squad.
I acted so distant then
Didn't say goodbye before you left
But I was listening
Don't fight your battles far from me
Far to easily
I stopped talking to you, stopped asking you for help, I even stopped looking at you. I was trying, in distancing myself from you, to make the transition easier. To mend the heart you had broken. I was stupid. I should have treasured those last few days in your company, instead of hiding from you. But I was scared, sad, and afraid of being lonely. The night before you left, you found me in my room. You said we needed to talk. You talked, I cried.
Save your tears
cause I'll come back
I could hear that you whispered
as you walked through that door
But still I fought to hide the pain
as I turned back the pages
A windy answer
What if I cried my eyes out
and begged you not to part
But now I'm not afraid to say
what's in my heart
You tried to calm me but I couldn't stop crying and I told you that. So you held me. For hours you held me and if I'm not mistaken I felt a few tears drip onto my head. Then you left. After that I became a very happy, never-crying, never-let-anyone-else-be-sad kind of girl. I wasn't over you, I just didn't want anyone else to know how much you hurt me. So I was happy. At least on the outside. But whenever I saw two people in love, my heart broke all over again. Every night I would sit on the deck of the Celsius and cry over you. One time Yuna discovered me. It was the night after I saw you at Djose. I yelled and cried so loudly that someone was bound to hear me. I was mad but at the same time I was relieved. Relieved that you were alive but mad that you hadn't come to see me. It seemed I was out of your life and memories forever. So, I made myself believe that stupid saying 'Memories are nice but that's all they are'. Now I know the truth. I still care about you.
Normal POV
At this thought, Rikku began to cry.
Feeling tears against his chest, Gippal looked down at Rikku. "Rikku what's wrong?" he asked quietly. As an answer Rikku pushed away from Gippal and ran towards the door. Gippal took off after her murmuring quiet apologies to the people he bumped along the way. A few steps after Rikku burst through the doors, she heard someone else burst through behind her. She made it all the way to the edge of the cliff before he caught her, grabbing her wrist.
"Let me go!" she sobbed turning towards her captor with tears pouring down her flaming cheeks.
"No," Gippal said surprised by the multitude of tears on her face. "Not until you tell me what's wrong."
"What's wrong?!" she yelled breaking out of Gippal's grip and turning burning eyes toward him. "You of all people should know what's wrong! What's wrong is that song brings up a lot of bad memories," she said resentfully, collapsing on the ground, hugging her knees to her chest.
"You mean memories about what happened before I left?" Gippal asked sadly sitting beside her and leaning back on his elbows.
"What?" Rikku asked surprised. "You mean you think about it too?"
"Yeah, Rikku. How could I forget? You were so pissed when I told you I was leaving."
"No," Rikku said looking at Gippal tears still streaming down her face. "I wasn't pissed. I was sad and I was scared. You broke my heart when you left. I didn't even know that my heart could be broken until it was. I only thought I liked you. Turns out, I…loved you." Rikku paused gathering herself together and hugging her legs even tighter. "There's one line in that song that I've always wondered about. The one that says 'What if I cried my eyes out and begged you not to part'. If I had asked you," she choked out trying to detain the sobs that were destined to come. She began again, "If I had asked you, or even begged you not to, would you have still left me?"
Gippal sighed and lifted his head to look at the stars shining brightly above them. "Rikku," he replied sadly. "I…I don't know. The Crimson Squad was important to me. It was something I felt obliged to do." He paused thinking. "But you had such a…a hold on me, that I don't know if I could have left you if you asked me not to."
"Rikku," he said standing up in the darkness and holding a hand out for her to pull herself up with. She did but Gippal didn't let go of her hand. He wiped away the dwindling stream of tears from her face. "I loved you." He let his hand dwindle on her cheek and felt her lean into it.
"And how do you feel now?" Rikku whispered her tears stopping completely. Her face was covered in streaks the tears had left behind.
"I…don't…know," he stammered taking his hand from hers and wrapping it around her waist, pulling Rikku closer. He moved his face to the side of hers so that his lips were close to her ear. "How do you feel about me?" he whispered seductively.
"I…don't—" But she was cut off as she felt Gippal's warm lips gently land on her rather chilly ones. Her mind was instantly wiped clean taking the sadness and resentment away. She raised both arms and wrapped them loosely around his neck.
She was left with only two feelings: happiness and something else. She couldn't quite identify the something else but that was okay. Rikku wasn't ready to explore that emotion…yet.
Whoa. I'm so wiped. That took forever to write/type. I had to keep changing it but I'm rather happy with the changes I made. The next chapter may take a while longer because I'm not exactly sure what the plot will be so I have to go meet up with Ed Black again and get help. She really is great because I can call her anytime and she understands my need to write and get it right.
Anyway, Thank you for reading. Now I can go eat and be lazy for a while. But that's it so whaddya think?
PS: Review. I like reviews and they motivate me to write more chappies! Besides, it's kinda like having a pen pal because I talk back.
Buh bye y'all
Yunikka24