A/N: I promise things will start to move along quicker now that everything is set up. I'm still not quite sure where I'm going to go with this so I apologize if I keep taking forever to update.

I'm sorry for leaving you on a cliffie last chapter, and I'm sorry for this next one :)

I would like to send a HUGE thank you to all my reviewers so far: oOoDancingQueenoOo, FFAngel, Jamie, MoMo-ChAn1, elegant-lil-lady, rikkufan, Black-Eyed Mistress, O-Rikku-O, dagger, Rikku SWiRLS, skyhopper, WhiteWillow, Cute-Kitty, mystic s n o w f a l, Stari-nite, kingleby, Jen, reviewer, and Lyphe.

Big hugs to you all. :)

-

"Yunie?" My voice cracked as I stared at her face in the commsphere. I was still in Djose.

"Rikku? Rikku, what's wrong?" She had a look of concern. She hardly ever saw me like this.

"Yunie... I need to talk to you." Tears streamed down my face, and I told her the whole thing. Everything. She knew that Gippal and I had been seeing each other, but she knew nothing about the pregnancy or what had happened. I felt bad laying all of this on her at once, but I had no one else to talk to. Nowhere else to turn.

Her eyes grew wide as the events unfolded, and after I was done she stared at me blankly as I sobbed.

"Rikku... do you want to come to Besaid? You can stay with us for as long as you want, or until you feel ready to go back. You know you're always welcome here." She gave me a reassuring smile.

I sniffled and stared into the commsphere. "I think I'll do that, Yunie. I'll only stay for a little while... just to get some stuff sorted out, you know?"

"Stay as long as you want, Rikku." Yuna smiled at me again. I didn't deserve such a great friend and cousin.

I reached Besaid in only a few days. The whole way there I kept getting seasick and I felt like I couldn't eat a thing. Add my physical problems to my mental anguish, and I just felt miserable. I knew Yuna could tell I felt awful when I stepped of the boat. She ran up to hug me and all she talked about was how pale and sick I looked, and insisted that I go right back to her and Tidus' home and get some rest.

Sleep was hard to come by for a long time, however, and I just kept feeling more sick as the days went by.

-

It seemed like hours before Gippal began his speech, although I knew it was only a matter of seconds. Even though his eye wandered away from me, I couldn't tear my eyes away from him.

"I would like to begin by thanking each and every one of you for coming here. I know many of you traveled far. I believe that you all feel just as much as I do that it was definitely worth the journey. It was worth all of the countless days, labor, and effort that was poured into it. It was worth the many days out in the middle of the desert, many miles from anywhere, going sometimes for days without food or substantial water.

"So many of you sacrificed so much to see this place come alive again. But can you tell me that it was not worth it? Can you honestly stand in the middle of all of this and not have your breath taken away? Do you not feel wonderful that you have returned?

"Sometimes you have to make sacrifices in order to see your dreams come true. Seeing Home again, in all of its glory, was just a dream two years ago. A vision fueled by our longing to return to the place we had grown to love so much. We can never return to the old Home, where so many of our cherished memories remain. But we can build anew.

" I would like to welcome you to the new Home, the place of new beginnings. A place where you can begin to rebuild your life. I know that some of you will not be living here because you have business elsewhere. That is fine. All I ask is that you do not forget the place where you came from. Keep Home in your heart, and visit when you can.

"Now that we have entered a time of peace, I believe that Home will be here for a very long time. And as we enjoy our new city, please remember the old Home and our loved ones that were lost with it. Don't let your memories fade into the dust."

Gippal waved a little bit more as the crowd cheered. Although his speech was short, he still knew how to move his people. He glanced over in my direction once again, but Rei was playing by my feet so he could not see her.

I decided that I should try and talk to him. I asked Dad to watch Rei for a few minutes, and I pushed my way through the crowd until I reached the outside. Gippal had just stepped off the platform, and a few older looking men were shaking his hand and talking about his little speech. I waited for a few minutes before they walked away, and one of the men stepped on the stage and the crowd burst into cheers again.

After he shook the last man's hand, Gippal turned around to face me. His eye was fixed on me intensely. He looked kind of sad, and confused. He gave me a little smile and walked towards me.

"I was startin' to think I'd never see you again, Rikku."

"Same here." I felt so stupid. All I could do was give him a fake little smile, and stare at him like an idiot. What was wrong with me?

"Why did you come back?" He had stopped smiling now.

"Same reason as you... to see Home."

"You know there's more to it than that. If there wasn't then you wouldn't be talking to me."

Not even one minute into the conversation and he's already aggravating me. Same old Gippal. "Look, could we talk somewhere private? I think we both know that there's a lot more we want to say but not out here."

Gippal frowned. "I'm busy all day. How about we meet back here after the concert tonight?"

I was frustrated. I know we both really wanted to get this over with. I didn't think I could last until tonight. That might give me too much of an opportunity to change my mind. "I guess so." I turned around and started to walk away.

"Rikku... why did you leave?"

His words stopped me dead in my tracks. I looked at the ground and sighed. "You know why, Gippal. Don't play dumb." And with that I continued walking, not bothering to look behind me.

I couldn't let him see me cry.

-

The rest of the day went well enough. Rei certainly seemed to be enjoying herself; she got a green balloon (her favorite color) and a little moogle painted on her face. We did quite a few different things and by the time the sun started to set and the concert began Rei was wiped out. I held her in my arms for most of the concert as she slept. How she could sleep with all of the lights and loud noise and machina flying around our heads, I have no idea. There were only a few bands, however, and after a couple hours they made the closing speeches of the night. To my surprise, Gippal did not speak. I just hoped that he would show up on time to meet me.

I handed the sleeping Rei over to my dad, who offered to take her home and get her in bed. I gave him a smile of appreciation before I tried walking my way through the crowd again.

Emerging from the mass of people, I noticed that Gippal had not arrived yet, which wasn't a huge shock. I ended up waiting for about twenty minutes before he finally showed up.

I noticed that he looked kind of tired. He walked slowly, and he didn't smile at me or anything when he saw me. He just stopped and motioned for me to follow him.

We walked for only a few minutes before we reached the place. I assumed it was his new office or something, because it was toward the center of the city. Knowing him he probably lived in there too. He did at Djose, anyway.

We entered the building into a sort of a small reception area, and up a couple flights of stairs until we reached a small hallway. We entered the room at the end of it, and when Gippal flipped on a light I realized it was his bedroom.

I knew it.

His new room didn't look all that much different from his old one. It was a little smaller. He

still had a lot of his old furniture, arranged in a similar way. For a second I felt like I was back in Djose.

He sat down on the bed, and I sat next to him. We said nothing and sat in awkward silence for what seemed like hours. There was so much that we both wanted to say, so many questions... but yet we could not find the words. There were so many things I wanted to know, and I know Gippal wanted some things answered too.

"Rikku... I don't know what to say."

"Alright... I guess I'll start." I cleared my throat and looked at the floor. "Can you tell me what happened? I mean... you know I saw it, but... I guess what I want is for you to tell me what happened. And why."

Gippal looked at me with sadness in his eye, then looked away again. This was hard on both of us. "Well... I really don't have any more to tell you. All I can say is that I wasn't thinking, Rikku. I was stupid. She made the move on me, and I didn't push her away like I should have. I don't know why I kissed her back. I didn't love her. All I can say is that I am so sorry and I was an idiot. I know that doesn't make it any better. I know it doesn't make it hurt any less, Rikku. I'm sorry, and I hope you can forgive me someday." He looked at me again, and he tried to put his hand over mine. I pushed it away and choked back a sob.

"How could you do that to me, Gippal?"

He winced, and I knew my words had hurt him. At that moment, I really didn't care. I know it sounds horrible, but I wanted it to hurt. I wanted him to suffer what I had gone through for the past two years. I wanted him to feel pain.

After a pause, he spoke again. "I don't know. I don't know why I did what I did. After that day I told her that I never wanted to see her again because I was so ashamed. She resigned, and I haven't seen her since."

"Oh, I see. You were just using her... just like me."

Gippal seemed really hurt. He faced me and put his hand on my arm, but I didn't push it away. "Don't ever think for a second that I didn't love you, Rikku. That I was trying to replace you. I loved you so much... and I still do."

I couldn't stop myself from crying, and I desperately wanted it to be like the old days again. The days where I could just crawl up in Gippal's arms, and he'd stroke and kiss my hair and tell me that everything would be okay. Things were different now. "If you cared about me so much... why didn't you follow me?"

"I was stupid again, Rikku. I was so ashamed of what I did I couldn't face you. I figured I'd just let you have some time before I would talk to you again, so you could have time to think about it for a while and calm down. I never thought you'd leave, though. I never thought you'd disappear on me like that."

I covered my face with my hands and the tears kept coming. Out of the corner of my eye Gippal was wiping away tears with his sleeve. Gippal... crying. I never thought I'd see the day.

"I know you're not going to forgive me right away, and I can understand that. Just please think about what I've said, Rikku. I still love you. I haven't been with another girl since you, Rikku. Do you know why? Because I can't forget about you. As much as I wanted to move on, you were always there. I kept seeing your face and your smile and your laugh and you know what? I realized that I couldn't ever forget about you. You're special, Rikku. No woman could ever replace you."

I began to cry a little more, and Gippal took me into his arms. It felt so nice that I didn't object. Instead, I let his warmth envelop me like it used to as I let the tears flow down onto his shirt. I clung on to him, helpless, confused, wondering why the tears wouldn't stop falling. He just held me, saying nothing. That was all he needed to do.

-

After a while Gippal bid me goodbye after I promised to meet him there again the next day. I couldn't bring myself to tell him about Rei that night. There were already too many things being said, too many emotions. I resolved to tell him the following afternoon.

The stars shone brilliantly in the dark sky, and I stood outside of Gippal's home for a while, just staring into the abyss. I began to walk like that, staring at the sky. I crossed my arms and tried to warm myself up a little bit against the chilly night air. It was not that long of a walk back to Dad's house, and before long I was entering his dark living room. It looked like everyone was asleep. I walked slowly towards my room and opened the door as quietly as I could. I gently sat on the bed and snuggled under the covers next to my slumbering daughter. She was clutching her bear tightly and I just watched her for a while. I knew sleep would not come easy that night. There were too many things to think about.

I really couldn't decide whether I thought Gippal was telling to truth or not. I wanted to believe so desperately that he really did truly still love me and want me in his life. What he did kept running through my head, however, and for a moment I found it hard to believe that I could forgive him. I didn't think I could ever forgive him, no matter how much he claimed to love me. What he did forever changed things between us.

The look he gave me, though... it really did seem like he was telling the truth.

The next day Rei was up bright and early again, leaving me to the comfort of the bed. I got very little sleep and I didn't feel like I could pull myself out of bed. Rei, of course, would not leave me there for long. After much persuasion, I finally forced myself to get up. Breakfast was done, but I didn't feel really hungry. Dad had to comment on me not eating, of course, and finally persuaded me to eat something after his familiar short speech on "no daughter of his was gonna be ungrateful for what they had" and "wastin' food when many people don't have none." I had heard this so many times as a child I had the entire thing nearly memorized.

After forcing something down, I got Rei dressed. She picked out a blue sundress with little yellow flowers on it and she had me put a couple of barrettes in her hair. She was a real girly-girl, unlike my childhood self, although not afraid to get dirty. She still had me and her father's adventurous spirit.

Dad wanted me to get a few things from the store, and I decided to take Rei with me. It was nearing noon, and the sun was already starting to beat down. This didn't bother Rei, though. She just skipped happily along, holding my hand and trailing her bear Datto behind her, his little arm dragging in the dust. I laughed and told her to pick him up a little bit. That bear was so dirty but Rei wouldn't ever let me wash it.

A few people were gathered around the main street, going about their daily business. Some people were picking up a few streamers and things left over from last night.

When we reached the store, I had Rei help me shop. She would find the things we needed and point them out for me. The cashier mentioned how cute she was and gave her a little piece of candy, which she enjoyed thoroughly. With a bag in one hand and Rei's tiny fingers in my other, we left.

There were more people out than before helping with the cleanup. I just walked around them and laughed as Rei let go of my hand to go after a little bug she found.

"Don't go too far, sweetie." I just smiled at her as she picked it up and asked if we could take it back home to grandpa's house. Despite everything I had on my mind, I was having a good time. I felt like today might just be alright.

I did not notice that Gippal had seen us coming out of the store. I did not realize that he was standing only a few feet behind me as he stopped and stared blankly in my direction, his mouth open in confusion and disbelief.