A/N: So here we are with part two. Sorry it has taken me so long to update. I had a family crisis and wasn't able to do much in the writing area. Some of you didn't get the last chapter. So just for those of you who didn't know what was up with Paine, she was a porn star. This story is meant to be vague and abstract. So with that said, I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

Stripped: An Intimate Portrait of the Crimson Squad

Part 2: Gippal

It was cold inside the D'jose Temple and Gippal could feel the chill deep within his bones. He could hear hushed whispers of Al Bhed floating through the corridors. He wondered if they were all talking about him again.

He sat at his desk fiddling with random machina parts. But tonight that wasn't silencing the arguments raging on inside his head. One side of him was telling him to get on the next airship to Bevelle and confess his love to Baralai. The other told him that he was being unreasonable and that he should accept the fact that he was in a relationship for the long haul with Rikku. It wasn't that he didn't love her, it just wasn't in the way that she needed and wanted to be loved. On the flip side Baralai wouldn't necessarily return his feelings because of his position in the temple. Besides, Gippal didn't want to be alone. If he was unsure about everything else, he was positive that he didn't want to be alone.

Standing up Gippal ran his fingers through his blonde spiky hair. He looked around at the drab gray walls. He hated living in the temple. Ironically, if he and Baralai were ever to be in a serious relationship that would mean that he'd have to live in the temple in Bevelle. Well, not exactly in the temple but in the Bevelle Palace, which was basically the same thing.

He cursed himself for falling in love with a Yevonite. And the Praetor at that; even worse a man. Yevonites were trouble. They just didn't mix with Al Bhed. They were a prejudiced and hateful sort of people. His missing eye was a testament to that. But when it came to Baralai all reason flew out the window. All he could see was the fair haired Praetor's resonating smile and his confident and calm demeanor.

Pacing the floor Gippal thought about the reasons Baralai would reject him. Tugging at the sleeves of his shirt he wrapped his arms around himself and shivered. He hated this feeling and desperately wanted it to end. The pain was burning his insides and he had to make it stop. He just had to.

He had promised himself a million times that he's stop. It wasn't that easy to do on his own and he was to ashamed to seek help because that would mean revealing his secret and admitting to others that he had a problem and wasn't okay. Gippal knew what he was about to do was wrong and he hated himself for it.

Rolling up his sleeves he looked into the bathroom mirror. He could barely recognize the man staring back at him. His normally tanned skin was deathly pale, his lips were dry and cracked and he had a dark circle around his eye. He needed rest and should have been taking better care of himself. In fact he should have been at Rikku's.

Opening the medicine cabinet, he removed a small shiny razor blade. Then he began to slice into the tender flesh of his arms. He felt the warm blood seep out from the fresh incision spilling over the sides of his wrists. For some reason beyond him, he didn't feel any pain, just a bittersweet release. It amazed him how one pain could numb another. It wasn't like he was proud of himself or his actions. There just came a point when the emotional pain became too much to handle.

After he cleaned himself up, he dressed himself for a trip to Bevelle. Tonight something new had to begin. He was going to summon the courage to reveal his true feelings to Baralai. And if he couldn't do that, he'd still be able to catch a glimpse of the Praetor.

Once Gippal had reached the Bevelle Palace he felt a strange sensation come over him. Something just didn't feel right. As he walked across the courtyard he saw the light flicker in and then off in Baralai's room. He could see the young Praetor sitting at his desk. His head bent low as if he were deep in concentration. But why was he sitting in the dark? He watched as Baralai began to stand up but he faltered and collapsed to the floor.