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

A/N: Hey dudes, sorry for the lateness of this chappie. Was a bit too preoccupied with some school stuff. Gah, wretched exams.

Nwaiz, on a happier note, this is the chappie when Gippal will finally see Rikku as the beauty she truly is. I truly love this chapter, as I hope you guys will to. And thank soo much for the hilarious reviews you guys are giving me!

Chapter Thirteen

All hell broke loose

"Mr. Gippal! We weren't expecting you!"

"Really? Well, I've decided to come back today. Can't keep the work here on hold for much longer, you know. Where's my wife, Otis?"

Gippal was slapping his fine black leather gloves against his left hand. Waiting for a response. There wasn't an immediate one, and he looked intently ay his butler's unbelievably distraught face.

"Well, Gippal…" Otis began, wishing he could wipe the sudden perspiration from his brow.

"Yeah, Otis?" What's going on here? Otis sweating?

Otis pulled himself together. "I believe, sir that Lady Rikku is in the estate room."

"Estate room? Hmmm, okay then. Thanks Otis."

What the hell was Rikku doing in his estate room? Was she hiding from the workers? Had she taken over the small chamber as a safe haven? Why was Otis acting so particularly? He strode across the vast entry hall up the stairs toward the back of the temple.

The door to the estate room was closed. He frowned at it a moment.

He slapped his hand down on the control switch, half-expecting it to be locked. It opened smoothly, and Gippal stepped into the room, coming to a complete and utter halt.

He stared, his mouth dropping open. There was a woman seated behind his desk, a beautiful woman, and Carruthers was standing beside her, speaking quietly, his finger pointing to a piece of paper on the desk in front of her. Gippal blinked, not understanding, completely at sea. That woman…her hair was a glorious golden color, with delicate wisps trailing down her graceful neck. Her outfit was exquisite, (Rikku's songstress outfit)

"What the hell!"

Rikku, intent on Carruther's explanation, looked up to see her husband standing inside the door, a look of utter confusion and chagrined disbelief on his face.

He had to come back sooner or later. But so soon? Why, dammit?

She said in a calm voice: "Hello Mister. You've just came back?"

"Rikku?"

"Yes, sir."

Gippal continued to stare at her, stunned. "Where're your spectacles?" he asked stupidly.

She shrugged and gave him a small smile.

At that moment Gippal became completely aware of Carruthers. He'd managed to move a bit closer to Rikku, as if protecting her. His look, his posture, looked intimate. Gippal felt rage rise in him.

"What the hell's going on here?"

Rikku blinked at his outburst.

A jealous husband's outburst? It was all too absurd.

Very slowly she rose. "I'm not plotting anything evil, Gippal. Carruthers, thank you very much. We'll make a decision on this a tiny bit later."

Carruthers saw the skeptical expression on Gippal's face. He was concerned about Lady Rikku. Did he dare leave her alone with him?

Idiot, Gippal was her husband.

He cleared his throat. "Welcome home, Gippal." He managed to croak. "I'll see you later." He added, but neither Gippal nor Rikku knew exactly to whom he was talking to. He slipped out of the room, noting as he walked past Gippal that his hands were fists at his sides.

"As I said before, welcome home." Rikku repeated, her mind a whirling chaos of stray thoughts. She didn't move from her post behind the desk.

"Where's my dad?"

"He left for Besaid last week." She added silently that he had waited until she was well in control of everything at the Machine Faction before taking his leave. She wished he were here now. Her sinful husband was the only thing, the only fiend, she couldn't control.

"Rikku…you owe me an explanation." His voice was very soft, gentle almost, but Rikku wasn't fooled, not for a minute. He was furious, very probably wanted to strangle her, and was barely in control of his temper.

"Well, somebody had to continue work around here Mr. G." She said mildly. "You weren't here. I was."

"You know that's not what I mean!" He strode toward her, his eyes growing wider as he neared her. "What the hell happened to you?" He still couldn't believe it. She was lovely enough to almost make a man ache just gazing at her. Her eyes were large and green, fringed with dark lashes, eyes dark emerald now, cold like the Oasis in winter. Her delicate chin rose, as if in challenge.

No, not just delicate, stubborn as hell. Who and what had I married?

"What d'you mean?"

She smiled at him then, and he sucked in his breath. His eyes roved over her face, noting the high cheekbones, the beautifully shaped brows, the soft mouth now turning up at the corners into a mocking smile. How could he have thought her eyes looked like tiny mean raisins? How could he have believed her complexion sallow as a dead prune? His eyes fell to her breast.

"Why, dammit?"

Rikku cocked her head to one side as if she didn't understand, but she knew exactly what he meant. She'd known that when she saw him again he'd ask, and her answer was well-rehearsed. She realized now that she'd never planned to retreat into her dowdy shell again, even though she'd told herself she would.

She said straightly: "I didn't wanna marry you, that's why."

That drew him up and he stared at her in stunned silence. He couldn't quite comprehend that. He spoke aloud his confusion. "But why? I'm a rich Al Bhed who has a suitable job, I'm not old or ugly, and I have all my teeth. You can't say no!"

Rikku laughed, she couldn't help herself. "You've an excellent opinion of yourself, sir, not that I ever doubted it for a tick."

"Gippal." He said, his voice filling with rage.

"Well, yeah, if you want." She said. "You're right. You have excellent teeth. Very white and straight." She smiled, an ironic smile, showing him her own set of very white, straight teeth.

"What was Carruthers doing hanging all over you? Is he your damned sex partner?"

That was straight talking, but no more than wounded male pride, of which he had more then he was meant to have. "No." she sad, the smile still fixed, her eyes now a sparkling green, mocking him.

"You've made a fool of me, Rikku!" There, he'd said it, said what he really thought. He felt enraged, so angry that he wanted to spit nails.

"It wasn't hard." She said, enraging him all the more. He took a step toward her, and she took a quick step back.

He saw the length of her now, and his face paled even more with anger. Had he seen her in Bikanel as she was now, he'd have been sniffing after her like a rutting fiend, along with all the other men.

Yes I saw her. That was what Lazarus had said. "Damn you." He said aloud. "No woman has played me false."

"I told you that Carruthers wasn't my 'wild' sex partner." She said, a bit of a sneer in her voice.

"And you're no shy little girl, are you? Not a shy bone in your body. Did you build a bonfire, Rikku? Did all your ugly clothes and caps go up in flames? I bet you were laughing at me as you did it."

"No, actually, I gave all those clothes and caps to the monks. They were really happy, don't worry."

"I'm not a blind man," he said, knowing that he had been, knowing that he'd not only been blind, he'd been a hopeless fool.

"Nah, I'm sure you're not, at least not in the normal course of events." Rikku said, willing to be a bit conciliating now. "You being forced to come to Bikanel Island wasn't normal, but you see…" she continued, only to break off abruptly when Otis appeared in the doorway.

"Miss Rikku, is there anything you want? Tea maybe?"

Gippal swung around to see Otis, standing tall and unintimidated in the doorway, his eyes fixed on Rikku.

Rikku smiled. "That'd be really nice, thank you, Otis. Mr. Gippal, d'you want some?"

"Yes." He nearly roared, then said, more quietly, despising himself for allowing this ridiculous situation to anger him. "Yeah, I do."

"It'll be in the drawing room, Mr. Gippal." Otis said, and withdrew with all his dignity still intact. Gippal's dignity was in tatters and he knew it. Suddenly he smiled, an evil smile.

"Come here, my dear." He said, very quietly.

Rikku froze, her eyes widening. She didn't move a muscle.

"I said come here. Right now."

"No." she sad, backing up another step. "But I'll have tea with you now."

"Before I have tea, I wanna…look more closely at my wife. Come here, Rikku."

She began to walk toward him, then at the last moment ducked away, and nearly ran from the room. He whirled about, but she was too fast. His hand caught air, but her arm.

"Rikku!" He roared.

But she was gone. He heard her footsteps in the corridor.

He strode from the Estate room toward the Drawing room. He came to a disconcerted halt when he reached the double doors. It felt like he stepped onto the stage of a very bad comedy. The blind fool of a husband, and he didn't know his lines.

"Mister, welcome home." Said Rikku, a tight smile on her lips. "Tea's ready! Sit down, sit down."

"If the general'll dismiss her soldiers." Gippal said acidly, and saw Rikku stifle a smile.

She said in that damned calm voice that enraged him to the point of insensibility. "Thank you, Otis, Frances. I'll give him the tea."

Both old retainers took their blessed time leaving the drawing room. Otis didn't close the doors. Gippal strode to the doors and pulled them closed with a snap.

He turned to see Rikku calmly pouring tea. "This is really tasty, you know?" She said, all her concentration on the teacups. "Cook has got them perfect! I think that you'll like them, I did."

"Rikku, shut up."

"Okay then." She said, not looking at him. As if she didn't have a single bloody care in the whole of Spira!

She simply stuck out the cup of tea in its saucer, and he took it, out of habit. He sat down opposite her, his long legs stretched out in front of him. He sipped the tea, getting a hold of himself. He said: "I didn't want a beautiful, energetic wife."

"I know you didn't. That's what I was about to say when Otis interrupted me. If you'd told me, I would have appeared as you…expected."

"You said you gave your clothes to the monks."

"I lied." She shook her head ruefully and his eyes were drawn to her quite beautiful ears with the soft tendrils of hair caressing them. "Well, I did lie, but not about that. I didn't wanna go back to the diffident me. But, I'd have preferred it if there was some sorta warning of you coming back. Then I'd have done something about this!"

"You're not gonna ever, EVER put on those spectacles ever again, okay?"

"Nah, I won't."

"As I said, I didn't want your kind of wife."

"My kind?" She arched a brow at him.

"You know damned well what I mean, Rikku!"

"Oh yeah, I guess I do. You didn't wanna be leg shackled to a woman who'd demand your time, isn't that right? You didn't want a wife who'd follow you to Luca! And you knew I wouldn't."

"Did you know that I hate liars and frauds?"

"And did you know that I hate conceited, arrogant, bullying idiots!" She rose jerkily to her feet and began pacing the room. Gippal's eyes followed her progress.

Very nice, trim ankles. Long elegant legs.

She whirled about to face him. "As I said, mister, I know you didn't, but I didn't realize it until it was waay too late."

"So, your whole little charade backfired on you, eh?"

"I'd say, yep. And yours too, ol' course. I'd have told you the truth, but you rushed from Bikanel as if Sin were on your heels, so I didn't have the chance. Then my pops wouldn't allow me to say a single thing!"

"Why'd you continue the charade?"

"Because, as I told you, I didn't want to marry you. I didn't want to leave my home or Bikanel Island. Since I couldn't avoid it, I knew you'd leave me alone a.s.a.p if I appeared to be VERY ugly. And, of course, ya did."

Gippal was silent for many moments. He stretched his arms over his head and lounged back in his chair. He looked indolent, and in perfect control. She felt a frisson of alarm.

What was the wretched man thinking now? Oh! I know! Something evil, no doubt.

He said finally: "You are quite stunning."

"Thank you."

"And you're everything I don't want in a wife."

"You, mister—

"Gippal." He said mildly.

"You're everything I don't want in a husband!"

"Than we're even. I'm guessing you had a hard time keeping that sharp tongue in your mouth when I was…away?"

"A very hard time, you're right about that."

"Rikku, If you don't stop being sarcastic, I'm gonna spank you… in front of my workers."

"No, you can't, you won't. Try it and I'll lay you low!"

"I'd love to see you'll try since you're half my size."

"Well…I'd think of something!"

Yes, oh yes, she would, he knew. Gippal swept his mind nearly clean to find something that would intimidate her. He sat forward suddenly and gave her his most leering smile. "D'you wanna know why I came back unexpectedly?"

"Nope, but you're gonna tell me anyways."

"I came back to seduce my wife. I felt so guilty, I had to come back. I want, finally, to see your breasts."

To his immense satisfaction, a flush started at her shoulders and spread upward to her eyebrows.

"A dear friend told me very sarcastically that spectacles, ugly caps, and clothes could be removed. That's what I plan to do, very soon."

Rikku licked her lips. She stared at him. "No." she said, shaking her head, her voice a thin, high sound.

"And why not?"

He had terrified her, he knew it, but something deep inside him angered at her enormous and obvious distress at him having sex with her, He wasn't ugly, for Yevon's sake.

And you've got excellent teeth, stupid sod!

"Go back to Luca, sir!"

"No."

"I want nothing to do with you!"

"That's bizarre." He said thoughtfully, drawing out his words so his brain could invent more. "Before, you'd just be lying as still as a log, suffering everything in silence. But now you stand before me a beautiful person and now you deny me?"

Rikku was silent. Why hadn't she realized that he'd be far more interested in sex with her new appearance? What would he do? Would he treat her as he had before, abruptly, quickly, with determined silence save for his abrupt instructions?

"I don't know." She said, her shoulders slumping for the first time.

He'd won, and he smiled. He had her now where he wanted her. He realized that he wanted to take her upstairs this very moment, strip off her clothing, and throw her on his bed. He wanted to kiss every inch of her, he wanted…

"You know what? You might find that you enjoy this business with me. You might even—

"Shut up! I don't have to listen to your…evil words!"

"Evil words? Making love to my wife is called evil words?"

"Making love?" She nearly shouted at him. "Is that what you call it now? Now that you don't think of me as a gross excuse for a female? You, mister, are a vile animal!"

"What? You're not even sure that you're right about what you say, and you call me a vile animal?"

Rikku saw that he'd rise, and quickly retreated. "I've got soo much to do! Excuse me, but we have, er…some guests for dinner. I have to speak with Cook! I have to—

It was a lie; he knew it, but said nothing. He watched her rush from the drawing room, and knew her next task was to send a plea to those 'guests' to come to Djose Temple.

He couldn't wait. The evening would be like the second act of the bad comedy. Only this time, he knew his lines, and Rikku didn't.

He was grinning broadly as he rose and left the room.

TO BE CONTINUED…

A/N: And so Rikku is revealed, Gippal is furious and no doubt planning something evil. I promise that in future chappies, things will definitely become more interesting…