A/N: OMG. I SWEAR I was ready to update yesterday but the site wouldn't let me upload (some Request Timeout Error thing). But thank you so much to everyone who took their time to review (only 1 review away from 100 mark)! I appreciate it very much, and am glad people are actually reading this. The next chapter is very loosely written so far. I don't know when I'll update, but I'll try as soon as possible. Just haven't been in the proper mood for this fic lately. I'm sorry for continously making and breaking promises to you wonderful people. Sigh.

Vic Viper: Just a very public THANK YOU! Haha, you're so sweet :)
And incalculable special thanks to Canada Eh for her continual help and support.

Three Stupid Words
Chapter 6: Night Before: Rikku

It's unbelievable. It's outrageous. It's downright unthinkable that –!

– I can't find my yellow g-string. Hmpth.

Pushing the drawer shut, I move on to the one beneath it - my second underwear drawer – and rummage through all the laces and bright colours for my precious, lucky g-string. I know it's here somewhere, it just has to be. Where else could have gone? It couldn't have just gotten up and walked away with my strawberry fruit juice now could it? The one night – the one night in Spira who knows how many nights, I finally have an underwear emergency and my entire colour-coordinated system goes kapooey!

…Alright, so maybe this isn't exactly 'the night'. And in all morality, there shouldn't be the slightest chance for 'the night' at all considering this man already has a stable, one month relationship. And I know its wrong, and I know its bad, but… but…

Oh… silly me... What am I doing?

I take a glance at my reflection in the mirror. I'm embarrassed with myself. For these unexplainable, giddy feelings in my heart and for my foolish reaction to having Gippal in my home. Spira, what was I thinking?

I'll tell you what, I wasn't thinking! And that's a big no-no because thinking is the basis of everything. Thinking prevents you from doing stupid things like accidentally getting gum in Paine's hair, or setting Paine's tent on fire, or spilling milkshake on Paine's lap, or damaging Paine's boots, or blurting out the name of Paine's crush.

But sometimes, thinking is a kind of difficult thing to do… It takes up too much time, and it requires such an attention span. I mean, if everybody stopped to think about every single action they did, why, we sure would all function less efficiently! You see… hmm… OH – If Yunie paused in the middle of a battle to 't h i n k'… then her enemy would knock her out before she'd know it!

Now I'm not saying that all thinking is bad. I mean, you'd surely have to think before you accidentally spill grape juice all over Paine's jacket, or accidentally push Paine into a mud puddle, or forget to put Paine's diary back in place after you've secretly read it. It's just, in most situations, I'm more of a… spur-of-the-moment kind of girl, you know? I like going with my gut. I like doing things based on how I feel. It gives me energy. Gives me drive. Gives me motivation.

I sigh, collapsing on my bed tiredly.

Yeah, right. Gives me motivation to break up a perfectly good relationship! Sigh… It's sad really, that I've stooped this low for a self-centered guy like him. And it's not just that. I'm hurting Syrisina as well. Out there, in my living room sits a committed, currently vulnerable, man who has a loving girlfriend completely unaware of the crazy feelings in my heart. She doesn't deserve this, and neither does he.

I reluctantly pull myself up, feeling a bit proud of myself for having thought the whole ordeal through. I can't believe I almost went through with it. Must have been that beer I accidentally drank earlier. Ugh… what a vile drink. I'll start a protest tomorrow for the prohibition of liquor.

I grab a random magenta thong and slip it on. It is followed by a matching bra, a fitting pair of light green shorts and a plain, white T-shirt. I don't bother to clean up the mess of lingerie scattered about my room from my half-hour underwear panic. I've already spent nearly an hour taking a shower according to Gippal.

I turn off the lights in my room and step back out into the living room, expecting Gippal to give me a teasing look and asking if I always drained all the water from New Home each time I took a bath. But to my surprise, he was no where to be found.

I look around the room carefully, wondering if he had dozed off somewhere or collapsed unconsciously. But there is no trace of his body anywhere. His shoulder pads, straps, and gloves are still lying on the ground where I had last seen him, suggesting that he hadn't just gotten up and left. So… where did he go?

My eyes wander over to the door where I notice that his boots are missing. Wondering why he'd want to go out at this hour – and then suddenly worried what a guy in his drunken state could do at this hour unsupervised, I made a run for the door, snatched my keys, slipped on my own boots and was outside before you could say TADA!

The city is still awake. The bars and a few shops are still open. After a tiring day working under the glare of the desert sun, it's reasonable why many Al Bhed would reside to relaxing themselves with a beer or two in the comforting glow of the desert moon.

I wonder if that's what Gippal did. Or maybe he got sick of the jam sandwiches and decided to leave and get a decent bite to eat without telling me, considering I took so long in the bathroom… Or maybe he just wanted to be alone.

I frown, crossing the street and walking down the sidewalk to a livelier part of the neighborhood. I peek in at the first bar I see for a familiar head of spiky blond hair, and then another, and then another, and before I knew it, I had reached the end of the street and still I couldn't find him. A heavy feeling starts to sink in my chest and I begin to wonder if he really did leave. That he suddenly realized somewhere during his drunken condition that he'd much rather be spending the night at his girlfriend's than 'visiting' a kid like me.

I decide that that is probably so. And that he'd just forgotten – in the rush of trying to get away from me – that he'd left his belongings behind. It's understandable, I guess. The guy has a real relationship now, and it's to be expected that he's not interested in spending time with anyone but his girl.

Stupid Rikku…

Like a taunting voice, my mourning song begins to play dramatically in my mind as I miserably saunter back down the sidewalk towards my little house. It upsets me how worked up I got just because of his 'visit'. It upsets me how worked up I got just because of him. I'm eighteen years old now, dammit! And I'm as single as a dead fish in the desert sand! Why isn't it that I haven't gotten seriously involved with anyone since my infatuation with him? Why isn't it that I am somebody's girl other than my father's?

Maybe I should start living the nightlife like everybody else. You know, work all day and bitch all evening. Drink and eat freely until my gut explodes of this aching feeling inside of me, and I am left with a completely free and careless mind to go up to any stranger I please and make him my boyfriend. Yes, that's what I shall do! Yep. I have thought it through, just like Paine always tells me, and I have decided that this is from now on, my new life. Today, I am a new woman. TADA!

With mighty confidence, I am about to march into the first bar I see and buy out all of their stock when out of the corner of my eye, I notice a bickering couple. And when I turn, to my astonishment, I see Gippal, standing in the middle of the street, shouting in an angry, drunken tone at his girlfriend, Syrisina.

I watch the couple in curiosity, along with other bystanders, trying to make out their words. But I can't hear them. So I walk toward them slowly... not eavesdropping, mind you! It's just… I – I think I see a gil on the floor…

"…I do wrong?" he says.

"…not that… Things… different now…" she replies.

"but… lasting relationship!"

"…gotta stop, Gippal… know…love me… just please… accept it…"

I can't believe what I'm hearing. Are they – Have they already – broken up? Is that why he came to my home of all places? Is that why he's drowned himself in alcohol? Is that why he's so depressed tonight?

Syrisina steps back, stumbling into her friend behind her. "I'm sorry, Gippal," she mouths, before taking off down the street, leaving him alone and dejected. He doesn't even realize that the people around him are watching with focused eyes, amused at the entire scene and feeling sympathy for his pathetic self.

I don't know what came over me, but I just couldn't stand seeing him like that. Even a jerk like Gippal didn't deserve that kind of humiliation, especially with such a ladies' man reputation that he'd built up. This embarrassing incident will just destroy him when he finds out tomorrow morning in his soberness.

So I quickly jog toward him, cup his chin gently and avert his attention away from Syrisina's retreating figure. "C'mon," I whisper. "I'll make you a sandwich."

He almost collapses on top of me, heavy with misery and shame, as I lead the both of us through the gathered crowd who'd witnessed the emotional scene. They're all giving him a pitiful look. 'What a loser,' their faces are saying. 'I bet he's gonna cry.' And even though it's him and not me; and even though this was the fault of his karma for having so many one-night stands; I feel angered under their disgusted and amused glares. He's a fairly good guy. He's undeniably my ex. And I guess… I guess he's my friend.

I tighten my grip around his torso, giving him a little boost so he'd lose the hunchback position he was in. And then, I tippy-toe up and peck him softly on the cheek. I know everyone is watching in surprise.

I'm Cid's daughter. And he's the rejected loser off the street. And I don't care what they think or what they say. He's devastated. He's hurt. He's pathetic. He needs me. And tonight, I'll be his girl. Tada.

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