A/N: Just wanted to say thanks again for the reviews! It was a little funny how everyone automatically assumed that the Yuveras' son was Kai though! Hm, I won't say anything more. You'll just have to find out. Hehe.
Sorry this took a long time to get up.
Chapter 4: Sneaking Operation
After her initial surprise had subsided, she smiled at him hesitantly.
"What a surprise, Rikku. I didn't know that you knew the Yuveras."
She quickly looked him up and down. A formal outfit, a fresh flower neatly tucked in the front pocket of his jacket. In his right hand, he was holding a perfect white rose.
Kai noticed her eyes on him and offered a short smile when she didn't respond. "Did you come alone?"
Rikku blinked, taking a short step away from him. "Oh, um, actually no…" she finally spoke up.
"Really?" He seemed to sound like he was making a statement rather than asking her a question.
She nodded slowly, noticing the grin on his face.
"So…you did…come alone?" he continued to ask, an inquisitive expression on his face.
Rikku suddenly narrowed her eyes playfully at him and crossed her arms. Under the moonlight, she could see the faint outlines of his face. He was smirking at her, his eyes twinkling curiously.
"Hey, mister. Why are you asking so many questions?" she asked.
Kai began pacing around her, looking her up and down. She suddenly felt self-conscious.
"I dunno…wouldn't you be curious if you saw a pretty lady standing outside here all alone?"
Rikku looked down at her feet in embarrassment, losing some of her gusto from before. She assumed that Kai had taken her earlier playfulness as a cue that she was flirting.
Well, I WAS flirting. But I didn't mean to!She cleared her throat, regained her composure, and prepared to give him a response. "Well, I guess so." Gippal's smirking face flashed quickly in her mind and she quickly shook her head firmly to rid herself of the image. "Yeah, actually. I did come alone," Rikku said instead.
Kai nodded. "Ah, I see." She could hear the smile in his voice, as if pleased by her answer.
"And are you by yourself, Kai?" she asked as well. If she was going to stand out here waiting for Gippal, she wasn't about to brush off Kai. Although she felt a little guilty for it, Rikku did still find him attractive. Okay, fine. So Kai was her guilty pleasure.
He nodded, interrupting her wild thoughts. "I am."
"Oh…" Rikku replied slowly, unsure of what else she should say.
A few seconds of uneasy silence hung between them. She glanced around the courtyard for a moment before looking up at him again, prepared to say something. It didn't take long before another voice cut her off.
"Soooo…did you wait long?"
Rikku and Kai both paused and turned around in the direction of the question.
Gippal walked casually up to them from the back courtyard, one hand in his pocket. He was fully dressed in a suit that complemented his light features, his boots clicking in the night air. Rikku had almost forgotten that he was actually that tall. She suddenly felt small and powerless standing beside the two men.
"Gippal. I wasn't aware that you were invited to the party tonight," Kai spoke up calmly, holding his ground. He was obviously surprised that the other Al Bhed was there, but the tone of his voice was neutral.
"Well…I wasn't exactly…invited by the Yuveras," Gippal replied smoothly, stopping next to Rikku. He glanced at her momentarily and she simply met his gaze with a confused expression.
Kai looked back and forth between them before realization finally crossed his features. "Oh, so you're here together." His gaze hung on Rikku for a few unnecessary seconds, and Rikku suddenly felt like a liar.
Well, it wasn't exactly a lie. Gippal and I aren't here "together."
She looked back at Kai helplessly and smiled weakly. "W-Well, we're not exactly here
toge—"
"Rikku," Gippal suddenly interjected, much to the surprise of both of them. "Cid's waiting inside. You shouldn't keep him waiting, y'know."
"Oh, right…" she trailed off, not quite knowing what more to say. As far as she was concerned, it seemed as if she had lied to Kai about coming to the Yuveras' party alone.
Great…now he'll probably be mad. Whoa, wait. No, maybe he won't…Gippal raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong? You seem like you don't wanna go in," he chuckled, seeing the hesitation on her face.
She stopped short. "No, that's not it."
"Kai, we're going first. I guess we'll be seeing ya around," Gippal said instead. Although he didn't show it, he knew very well that his sudden appearance had made Rikku fumble with her words a little bit. But Gippal didn't dare admit that he had interrupted the spunky Al Bhed and her tall male companion as he rounded the corner on purpose.
He didn't know why, but Kai just outright irritated him. Gippal knew he had always tried to give people a chance, but there was just something about the other Al Bhed that made him uneasy.
Clearing his throat, he tried to push the unwanted thoughts away. The last thing he needed was to get involved in any type of drama with Rikku, and Kai for that matter. Gippal was simply her bodyguard. He was doing this job because it was required. Nothing more.
Gippal offered his free arm to her, and she slowly accepted, albeit with a hesitant expression on her face.
Kai said nothing as the two headed in the direction of the front entrance. He reached into his pocket for his phone, ready to dial the familiar number as he saw Rikku and Gippal disappear around the corner.
"Gippal…what's going on?" she asked once they were out of hearing range.
Instead of taking her to the massive double doors leading into the main house, he had walked past the entrance and to the side of the courtyard near the lake. Stopping, Rikku tucked her hair behind an ear and tried to read his expression. A tiny sliver of moonlight allowed her to make out faint outlines of his face, but she could tell that something was on his mind.
"Hey…Gippal. C'mon, my dad's waiting inside."
He turned to her then and seemed like he was fighting against saying something. She leaned forward a bit waiting for him to speak up, but when he didn't, she simply sighed.
"Alright, what's going on. You've avoided my questions. That just isn't like you."
"Rikku…what were you talking about with him?" he finally said.
She seemed a bit startled by his question. "What? That's what's bothering you?"
"Not really. Just curious, that's all."
"Gippal, you really are strange sometimes…!" Rikku shook her head.
He stopped short. "Wait, why are you laughing at me?" It was his turn to raise an eyebrow at her. He couldn't help the slight irritation that leaked from his voice.
She walked over to the railing and leaned on it a bit. "I think the right question to ask here is why you're acting so weird tonight," she continued.
Gippal stared at her for a moment before finally letting out a short sigh mixed with a hint of amusement. "Well, it's not like you answered my question either."
Oh, so now he's getting smart with me?
"Fine, I'll answer you. As long as you promise to answer my questions," she said. Despite the light way she was handling the situation, Rikku wasn't the type to back down.
"Okay. So, what were you talking to Kai about?" Gippal repeated immediately.
"…It was nothing, y'know. He just asked if I came to the party with anyone," she told him simply, deciding to leave out the part where she consciously flirted with Kai. Why would she need to tell Gippal that part, anyway?
"You seemed a little too close back there," he replied. Rikku paused, wondering how long he had really been watching them.
"Huh? I don't know what you're talkin' about, Gippal," she lied.
Too much lying tonight! What's wrong with you, Rikku!
"Hey, it's not like it's any of your business or anything," she added calmly, a little bit perturbed by the way he was acting.
She mentally slapped herself for the way the words came tumbling out of her mouth. She had sounded a little bit too defensive. Gippal was without a doubt skeptical about what she had just told him. His face, even under the dim light, gave it all away.
"Oh, well, to answer your question then, I'm trying to buy you some time." He didn't ask her anything else.
Rikku couldn't help but clear her throat at his announcement. "Um, sorry, what did you just say?" She was genuinely surprised that he made no response to what she had just said.
Usually, he would tease her and insist that she did have feelings for Kai after making a comment like that, but instead, he had ignored it?
"Time. You know, to fix yourself up. Because, you sorta have this leaf sticking in your hair," Gippal said with amazing calm. In the darkness, she couldn't tell if he was joking or if he was serious. His voice was neutral as well.
Her hands immediately flew to her hair, and she felt the unmistakable crunchiness of a dried leaf tangled between her locks on the right side of her head. The Al Bhed beside her suddenly let out a loud laugh, bending over a bit to hold his stomach.
"I'm sorry…it's just that…well, I couldn't tell you all that in front of Kai. Wouldn't want to embarrass you in front of your crush," Gippal explained after his laughs had subsided. He let out one short chuckle again before falling silent.
Rikku simply stared back at him with shock clearly spelled out on her face. "What! He's not my crush…!"
The fact that she had chosen to reply to the crush part and not the leaf-in-her-head situation made Gippal tilt his head slightly to the side as he studied her.
She blinked and looked away for a moment, shocked and embarrassed for the second time that night.
"Hm, really?" he asked quietly, a hand in his pocket.
"Yes, really. I don't like him…in that way," Rikku protested, irritated at the way he was acting that night.
Gippal couldn't see her face all too well in the darkness, so he simply nodded to himself.
"Great, now that we're all made up again, let's get inside," he announced, a smile tugging at the edge of his mouth.
She followed after him unwillingly, but knew that she had to get inside sooner or later. Mumbling, she cursed him under her breath.
"Pops!"
Cid stood up from his seat immediately, seeing his daughter rushing over to him. She made her way over and stopped as the Yuveras came into view.
Rikku had never seen Firul and Rumminia Yuvera up close. Just by sweeping her gaze over them, the couple gave off a dignified aura that was difficult to ignore. Firul Yuvera was in his early forties, his face just barely showing signs of age. His light hair had solitary streaks of gray, but were barely visible. Rumminia appeared to be a delicate woman, but her deep green eyes were strong. She seemed to be in her mid-thirties, but looked as if she was only twenty-five or so. Age had not caught up with her yet, and her smile was warm as Rikku stopped next to Cid.
"Is this Rikku? My, isn't she a lovely young lady!" Rummminia exclaimed, her bell-like laugh filling the air.
Rikku smiled shyly and looked down at her feet.
Firul stood up, gesturing to the open seat. "Please, my dear. Have a seat."
She nodded quickly and gently sat down, paying extra attention to her manners. Glancing up momentarily, she spotted Gippal in a dark corner of the ballroom, leaning against a column. He had a glass of punch in one hand and sipped it slowly as her eyes met his. He was watching her intently.
Strange…
Rikku tore her gaze away from his and turned back to the couple and her father.
"So your father tells us that you're a bright young lady. Beautiful and intelligent? I'm certainly impressed," Firul smiled. He glanced over at his wife and Rumminia nodded approvingly.
"I'm very happy that you decided to come, my dear," she said.
Rikku shook her head. "Oh, it's really an honor to meet you. I've always wondered about you," she smiled softly.
Cid offered a smile to the Yuveras as well. "It took me a long time to get her to come."
Her smile faded and she tossed a shocked expression to her father. "Pops!"
The Yuveras laughed. "Well, we certainly aren't a very public family, if you know what I mean. We tend to remain in the background and avoid publicity," Firul explained. "So I wouldn't be surprised if not many people know who we are."
Rumminia nodded. "I'm afraid we don't always leave a nice impression on the Al Bhed community either," she frowned.
"I'm sure it's not that. They just…don't know you too well, that's all," Rikku offered, feeling bad for the couple.
Firul smiled warmly. "Thank you, my dear. I'm glad you feel that way."
The song suddenly changed to a slow and mellow piece, and Rikku glanced up to see couples slowly moving to the center of the room. Rumminia watched Rikku and smiled.
"Why don't you go up and enjoy the party, my dear? I'm sure you'd rather go and dance instead of staying here to chat with us."
Rikku shook her head again. "Oh, no, I'm fine. I don't really…dance," she laughed nervously at them.
"Oh, everyone dances. It's just a matter of who you dance with," Firul chuckled, turning to his wife. "Shall we?"
Rumminia stood and took his hand automatically, and the two drifted to the floor to join the others.
Rikku looked on at the couple. Despite their age, they were obviously still very much in love with each other. She watched as they danced gracefully under the low light.
"Nice dress ya got there, Rikku. Did you just buy it today or something?" Cid's rough voice interrupted her thoughts.
She nodded. "Yeah, picked it up with the help of Gippal."
Cid raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Hm, not bad. The kid's got taste in women's clothes!"
Rikku shot her father a shocked expression. "What! No, I picked it!" she exclaimed, her delicate manners suddenly gone.
Her father roared with laughter, and as he looked up, Rikku saw him wave at someone across the ballroom.
"So she finally makes an appearance. Be back later. Gotta talk to Nadhala 'bout something," Cid announced, making his way over to the dining tables. He stopped and turned back to her. "Why don't you try to find the Yuvera's son or something? I haven't met him either, y'know!"
Rikku looked after her father and sighed. After a few seconds of silence, she suddenly remembered Gippal.
Her eyes flew to where he had been standing earlier. To her surprise, he was still there. It was hard not to notice him. He could easily turn the heads of any woman at that party, and sure enough, she was right.
Rikku tried not to make it seem as if she was watching. A pretty girl in a charming deep red dress slowly went over to him. From her position, Rikku couldn't see the girl's face or Gippal's. She glanced up discreetly as she watched the girl lightly touch Gippal's arm. A few seconds later the girl walked away from him, and Rikku froze as Gippal's eyes automatically locked onto hers again.
Oh damn. I think he saw me.
She waited for a moment, pretending to munch on some of the snacks on the tray in front of her. After some time, her eyes slowly drifted up to where Gippal was standing, and he was indeed still looking at her. Much to her surprise, he slowly walked away from his position and retreated in the shadows. She watched as he disappeared into the hallway.
Curious, she stood from her chair and followed him.
The gentle strings and soothing harp filled her ears as Rikku walked around the dancefloor, staying close to the walls. She spotted the Yuveras dancing gracefully and Cid and Nadhala had even decided to take a spin.
Her heart was racing in her chest and she didn't know why. Gippal had been staring a little too intently at her, and it had caused her heart to skip a beat.
She hurried into the hallway after him.
It was silent when she arrived. Two guards stood on either side up ahead, and another couple had just entered and walked past her towards the ballroom. Gippal was nowhere to be seen, and the low light made it even harder.
She suddenly glanced behind her, feeling strangely self-conscious. There was nobody there.
Rikku continued on undaunted, but nearly jumped out of her skin as a pair of arms grabbed onto her and she was quickly pressed into the wall in an area away from the hallway. She looked up at the face of her attacker.
"Gippal? What are you doing…!" she gasped against him.
He darted his head out into the hallway and then turned back to her, burying them deeper in the shadows.
"Ssshh, look," he whispered.
Rikku looked around him and finally saw what he was pointing to. Or rather…who he was pointing to.
"Wait, that's Kai," she whispered, seeing her classmate in the hallway with another Al Bhed. "He's just with a guy. What's going on, Gippal?" Rikku asked in confusion.
He was nearly pressed up against her when the two men had passed by. When they had turned the corner, he looked back down at her.
"That guy he was with was Vynne, the Yuvera's son."
She pealed herself off the wall at that point and went back into the main hallway, Gippal following right behind her.
"That's their son?" she said curiously.
Gippal looked on. "Yeah, what'd you think?"
Rikku turned back around to him. "Hm, I don't know. Didn't really see him too well," she shrugged.
He nodded after a while. "I guess not."
They stood in awkward silence, her heart still racing a bit from how close he had been to her.
"Hey um…what was that all about, anyway?" Rikku finally asked. "Why'd you grab me like that? You're lucky you weren't someone else or I woulda given it to 'em."
He smirked, looking down at the ground momentarily. "I was trying to get you away from Vynne."
"Huh?"
"Did you see me looking at you back there?" Gippal asked, a hand on his side.
Rikku nodded slowly, remembering his intense gaze.
"He was watching you, Rikku. It was too obvious, and no one but me noticed it," Gippal informed her.
She turned back to him quickly. "You mean…you were just watching…" she trailed off before picking back up again. "Oh, I see…"
"Huh? What's the matter? Of course I meant I had been watching him. Rikku, he had his eyes on you since we got in there."
"So…why didn't Vynne just come up to me then?" she asked instead, trying to hide her unexplained disappointment.
Gippal smiled. "That's what we're gonna find out. You ready to go after him?"
"Wait, what do you plan to do, Gippal?" Rikku asked, startled that he had something planned the entire time. She felt like some character out of a spy novel or something.
"Nothing. All we're gonna do is talk to Vynne. Actually, just you," he explained. Obviously, Gippal had already thought about all this, and it puzzled Rikku.
"And what'll you do? Watch me from the shadows again?" she laughed.
He smirked.
"Yup."
End of Chapter 4.
Well, I hope I managed to surprise a few of you. I'll get the next chapter out as soon as possible. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. It means a lot to me!
