Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Final Fantasy x-2.

A/N: (Yawn) Hello everybody…so tired this very moment. Yep, finished typing up this chappie at about 1 to 2 in the morning and yeah, had school the next day, and yep, wasn't really listening to what teach was saying much.

Nwaiz! Omg, thank you guys so much for the reviews! but of course, every story I do, I don't really take the credit for it, but thank you anyway!

Now, on with the story…

Chapter Nine

There is a wicked inclination in most people to suppose an old man decayed in his intellects

"Dad! What're you doing here? You're ill…you're supposed to be…"

Gippal broke off in speechless confusion.

Chandos beamed down at his disconcerted, gape-mouthed son from the front of the Temple.

"Glad you're home, my boy." He said, and bounded toward them and clapped Gippal on the shoulder.

Gippal managed to grit out. "You look extremely healthy. You're positively blooming."

"You sound disappointed, son." A thick white eyebrow soared upward. "Did you expect me to have cocked up my toes? No, couldn't do that. Too much to be done, you know."

"Of course I'm not disappointed! I'm happy, I'm ecstatic and astonished."

Grunyon was just coming out of the airship. Rikku emerged, to see an older version of her husband striding toward her. His hair was white and very thick, just as, she imagined, her husband's would be in the years to come, and his very sharp, piercing eyes were just a shade or two darker than his son's. He was built on more slender lines, not tall and muscular like Gippal.

"It's Rikku, isn't it?" said Chandos, stepping forward to hug her close.

"Y-Yes, sir. I'm Rikku." Rikku said. How did he know who she was? What the hell was going on here? Her husband had told her his father was gravely ill. Just an hour before, when they'd stopped for a few minutes, he'd informed her again, his voice low and worried, that he'd be sure to find the best white mage in Spira to heal his dad.

"I don't understand, sir." She said.

"I do." Said Gippal, his voice grim. "Oh, yeah I'm starting to understand quite well."

Rikku's eyes swung to her husband. He sounded absolutely furious. He sounded almost…betrayed. If a man could be said to gnash his teeth, Gippal was doing it.

Chandos ignored his son, and wrapped his arm about Rikku's shoulders, giving her another affectionate hug. "All the staff's waiting to meet you, Rikku. Come alone, you too, Gippal. I hope the staff hasn't forgotten who you are! Grunyon, don't strain your back! Here's Hawk to assist you with the luggage!"

Indeed, Rikku saw with a sinking heart, there were at least twenty Al Bheds lined up in front of the great double doors of Djose Temple, all the women on one side, and the men on the other.

How does he know which daughter I am?

Rikku wondered yet again, her feet dragging as Chandos walked beside her toward the array of Al Bheds. They'd hate her, despise her.

She looked hideous, she knew. But Chandos didn't seem to have noticed. If he'd noticed, it hadn't fazed him in the least. Her hand went up to pull off the glasses.

"My damned workers are dressed better than you are." She heard Gippal say in an angry undertone. "Yevon, I don't believe this!"

She left her spectacles firmly balanced on her nose, and thrust her chin upward.

What didn't he believe? Why wasn't he delighted that his father wasn't dying? Why was he acting like such a stupid idiot?

Chandos said pleasantly: "This devout personage, my dear, is Otis, the butler of Djose Temple. Otis, this is Lady Rikku."

Not a muscle moved on that lined, austere face, but to Rikku's sensitive eye, there did seem to be a slight spasm of distaste about the man's thin lips.

"Hello, Otis." She said in a clear voice.

"Lady Rikku." Otis said, bowing from the waist. "Welcome to Djose Temple."

"And this. Rikku, is Frances, a gem of a housekeeper. She and I are growing into old age together."

Frances, looking unemotional and terribly efficient in an array of black bombazine, proffered Rikku a curtsy. She looked to be a long way from state of old age, as did Rikku's high-spirited father-in-law for that matter. "Lady Rikku." She said in her low, somewhat hoarse voice.

"Nice to meet ya, Frances. And Rikku'll be fine."

"I'll introduce you to the crew tomorrow, Lady Rikku." Said Frances, and clapped her hands. Like magic, the long line of women faded away, Otis, taking his cue from Chandos's nod, dismissed the men.

Gippal suddenly cleared his throat. He was furious, so furious he wanted to throw a fit. And here his damned father was introducing Rikku to his workers, as if Djose temple belonged to him!

"Otis." He said in an overly loud voice. "Can you please have another footman help Hawk with the luggage?"

"Yes Mr. Gippal." Said Otis, and snapped his fingers.

Rikku was led into the entrance hall, actually an elaborate drawing room, its ceiling very high. She followed Chandos up the stairs where the Chamber of the Faith once residence.

Rikku was very aware of her husband's furious silence throughout their little tour.

Chandos came to a sudden halt. "Rikku, my dear, you're ready to rest now, right?" At her silent nod, he continued: "I've asked Frances to assign a maid to you." He pulled on a bell cord, and very quickly a young woman appeared, fresh-faced, shyly smiling. She gave Rikku deep curtsy. "My name's Viola, Lady Rikku." She said.

And the old rascal had the guts to give my wife a maid, all without asking me!

Gippal stood silently, fuming.

Rikku nodded, then to her father-in-law. "Thank you, sir." She said, and he smiled at the obvious gratitude in her voice.

"You rest until dinner, Rikku." Chandos said, and patted her cheek. She looked toward her husband, but his face was a closed thundercloud.

As Rikku followed Viola out into the main entry hall, she heard Gippal say furiously: "You damned old bounded! You planned this whole thing, didn't you? You wanted me married off, so you pretended that 'touching' illness! Dammit, I don't believe it!"

"You'll forgive me, wouldn't you my boy?"

Rikku stiffened, Gippal's words flowing through her, but she continued to follow Viola up the corridor.

"Your rooms…they adjoin Gippal's suite."

"That's great…" Rikku said under her breath.

Back in the Drawing Room, Gippal was still raging in fine form.

"Well, it's the truth, isn't it? All that damned illness of yours was just an act, a trick!"

"A son should never underestimate his father." Said Chandos, not visibly moved by his son's outburst.

"And now you're quoting a damned cliché!"

"Not really. I just made that one up, but perhaps it's worthy of being remarked upon in future generations. Now, Gippal, there's no reason for you to get so angry. Really, my boy—

"No reason! NO REASON!" Gippal thrust his hands into his pocket and began to pace the length of the room. His father regarded his progress with mild interest.

"You manipulated me!"

"Well, yes, I suppose you could say that." Chandos conceded. "In a more fortunate manner, perhaps. But it was time, Gippal, time for you to marry. You're not getting any younger, er, you know."

"I'm twenty-one!"

"Nearly twenty-two." Chandos corrected.

"Another thing." Gippal said. "How the hell did ya know that she was Rikku? There were three daughters. No one ordered me to marry any one of them in particular."

Now, I have set a problem by making her so warmly welcome.

Chandos studied his sons' flushed face. He said slowly: "Well, I knew that Rikku was Cid's favorite daughter. I imagined, well, perhaps Cid pressed a bit more in her direction."

"Like hell he did! I was worried that when I brought her to meet you—on your death bed, of course—that you'd have a heart attack! I was even going to make her remove those glasses for you!"

Cid wondered if he should tell his son that he'd seen a painting of Rikku, painted only a year before. He'd hoped desperately that Gippal would select her from among the sisters.

Interesting, why'd Rikku donned the disguise of a hag? For that was how she appeared. And Gippal hadn't seen through it. Most strange, the whole situation.

"Why did you marry her is she repels you?" he asked. He hoped at least his son's part of the puzzle would solve itself.

Gippal fidgeted with a fleck of dust on his purple sleeve. He flushed, and was furious with himself for doing it, for his dad, that old dog, had the keenest eyesight imaginable.

"Why, Gippal?" Chandos asked again.

Gippal cursed, and flung his hands out before him. "Alright, I'll tell you. Her sisters, Sister and Rielle, were both pretty. And amusing and charming, and they wanted that if I married them I'd introduce them into Spiran society and allow them to hang on my sleeve. I just happen, dad, to like my life the way it is. Rikku, no matter what she looks like, was preferable. She's quite shy and nervous. She doesn't chatter. Can't you just imagine beautiful silence at the breakfast table? She doesn't like crowds and entertainments, and she won't…"

Gippal faltered, and his dad said in the driest voice: "And you expect to leave her here, don't you, and continue with your ways in Luca after you've finished work here."

Gippal cursed again.

Chandos wanted to tell his son that his motives were those of a bourgeois, but he didn't, for the simple reason that Rikku was, according to Cid, beautiful, charming, witty, intelligent, and a handful. No matter his son's motives, he had ended up with the right daughter. He suddenly wanted to laugh at his son's folly, his blindness, his gullibility.

But Rikku did look awful.

Well, he'd take care of that…eventually. First, he had to find out from his new daughter-in-law the reason for her elaborate charade.

Then he would deal with his son.

He was not allowed any conversation with Rikku that evening, for she sent word through Viola, who informed Frances, who very straightly told Otis, who in turn announced to Gippal that "Lady Rikku is not feeling well, Gippal. She wants to be excused."

"Pity." Said Chandos, frowning a bit. "Rikku's not ill, is she?"

"Nope." Gippal said, then frowned. "Well, she was sick during our journey from Bikanel Island. She mistakenly quacked herself with some rare machina potion—thought it was a potion."

Chandos appeared thoughtfully silent throughout their very formal dinner, and Gippal, still peeved with him, said little to enliven things. No, he was thinking.

Rikku wasn't sick, not this time. What she was, was a damned coward.

After three snifter of brandy, consumed in loneliness in the Smoking room, Gippal was in a proper way of blaming Rikku for all his misfortunes. "Why can't life just be normal again?" He said aloud to the empty room. His voice reverberated off the high ceiling. "But it can't be, not until she's with child I guess."

He had to do it and keep doing it. Gippal rose and made his way to Rikku's bedroom.

He stripped off his clothes in his own bedroom, shrugged into a velvet dressing gown, and strode purposefully to the connecting door.

If it weren't for her, everything would be as it should be.

He opened the door and strode in.

The room was in darkness.

"Who is it? Who's there?"

"It's just me." He said.

"What do ya want?" Rikku felt her heart begun to pound, felt herself begin to sweat.

"Just be still, Rikku. I'll be gone in no time at all."

"No!"

"Please Rikku."

"Sir—

"Gippal."

"I want you to leave me alone…please!" How she hated herself and the damned pleading, no, begging. "Go away!"

But he was now standing beside her bed, and she could hear his breathing. "Just lie on your back." He said. "Rikku, I'll leave you alone after I'd finished."

She sucked in her breath on the helpless sob. "Yevon, I hate you." She whispered.

He grunted, but she wasn't certain whether or not it was a grunt to signify he'd heard her and didn't care, or just an isolated male sound.

She felt the bed give under his weight, felt his hands clasp her about the waist and pull her under him.

"Dammit." Gippal said. He'd forgotten the cream.

He frowned into the darkness, but was unwilling to leave her to fetch it from his bedroom. He'd just have to make do.

Without further words, or sounds, he jerked up her nightgown and pulled her legs apart. He could feel her trembling, and that slowed him a bit. "Just hold still." He said, beginning to feel like a complete loser.

He eased his hands between her thighs, his long fingers finally touching her. He slipped his fingers into her, and began to move. To his relief, he felt her accommodate him, felt her small body becoming damp.

"Don't move." He said, and without another word, came into her.

Rikku cried out, and pounded his chest with her fists.

He could feel her pain and for a moment cursed himself for treating her badly. She was so damned small, and he prayed he wouldn't tear her. He stopped and waited.

She was filled with heat and pain and fullness.

"I hate you." She said, her voice a hissing sob.

He ignored her words and began to move within her.

"You animal!"

He thrust deep, arching his back, and groaned.

He fell on top of her, not really from the strength of his release, but from the knowledge that he shouldn't leave her, not yet.

She lay still as a stone beneath him, her only sign of life the occasional bursts of rasping gasps.

His breathing slowed, and he felt himself retreating.

He pulled out, felt her flinch with pain, and rose.

"I'm sorry Rikku. I'm sorry." He said. "I'll see you in the morning."

Even before he'd closed the adjoining door behind him, he heard her scrambling out of bed and knew she was running to the basin of water on the commode.

He was tired, he realized, very tired. And he was still furious at his dad's deceit. And Rikku was the result of that deceit.

He sighed and eased himself between the cool covers of his bed. It wasn't her fault. He'd acted a rutting bastard. Tomorrow night, he would use cream. He wouldn't hurt her again. Never again.

I hate you.

That bothered him a lot. He didn't want her to despise him.

Life'd become excessively grim. Gippal finally fell into a deep sleep, but his dreams were filled with shadowy women who shrank away from him whenever he approached them. He couldn't make out their faces, but he knew that they were fearful of him, that they wanted to escape him.

TO BE CONTINUED…

A/N: Lol, I'm really sorry that Gippal is so mean in the last couple of chappies. He's nto meant to be that mean, so please bear with me! Gah, No excuse really, but that wasn't really the intention. Hmmm, just about three or four more chappies before Rikku is gonna reveal herself! Woot! So don't mind me if everything is rushed again, I just want to quickly write Gippal's reaction when he sees Rikku for the first time as herself.

Until then, Adios!