A/N: I'm back with a new chapter. I think In the City of Lights is a pretty good title, so I'll keep it! By the way, I'll tell you right now that this time I am not just making things up as I go...completely, that is. I do have the basic idea and all planned out, so the updates shouldn't be too slow. Now to the beautiful reviewers!

Kotono116: Thanks. I really appreciate it! I hope that I don't disappoint you.

DiamondLucy: I wouldn't even dream of killing Gippal before he gets to atmeet Rikku.

oOoDancingQueenoOo: Yep, GIPPY! By the way, what's UDS?

FlyHigh4Life: Thanks for the comment!

randomcat23: thank you! i will usually update within 3 weeks, maybe?

Chapter Two: The Killer That Protects

"I won't kill you. However, I will if you do something to put my life in more danger than it already is in." said the man. The voice seemed cold, yet it had a strange sense of warmth to it. The warmth was enough to give Rikku the courage to speak. Somehow, she can trust this person. It puzzled her that she was now going to talk normally to a man that just killed someone seconds ago.

"I don't plan on telling anyone about you, or else running away would have been pointless." Rikku couldn't see the man's expression, but saw that he hand motioned for her to come over.

'Well, I did run away, so it's not like it'll matter, but if I go to him, the chances of seeing Yunie and Tidus again will be zero. Not just them, everyone...but...' Rikku took a long gaze at the man. When he turned to leave, she made a decision.

"Can I come with you?" He just gave a short nod. Rikku smiled and followed him into the alley. He seemed nice for a guy who just killed someone, and he seemed strangely familiar. On her way to him, she took a small glimpse at the man that was shot. That man had blood all over his head and around him. She could see that the bullet was shot through his head. She couldn't take it anymore so she covered her mouth and quickened her pace. She heard a light chuckle from the guy.

"Heh, can't take a bit of blood Miss Runaway?" At that, she stared at him. The way he said it seemed familiar, and it gave her a strange sense of comfort. It also seemed like something a carefree and nice man would say.

'If I met him under different circumstances, I could never imagine him killing someone.' She continued to stare while walking to him. He turned around, revealing his face. He seemed young. In fact, he didn't seem much older than her. She probably would have made more observations, but he suddenly grabbed her and started jumping from one spot to another until he jumped across a wall. When they were back on the ground, she saw that there was nothing but a metal box. The guy opened the box and said something inaudible to it. Part of the ground beneath her opened and the guy motioned for her to follow. While following, a thought struck her.

'Why is he letting someone he just met on the streets follow him to his hideout.' Suddenly she collided with the back of the man.

"Hey, Rikku, watch it! We're still on the stairs!" said the guy.

"H-How do you know my name?" At this, the guy smirked, but his eyes showed that he was disappointed.

"'Cause I do, RIKKU. Bet you don't know mine though. You can call me Gippal. You pronounce it Gi-ppal." The way he was treating her was getting on her nerves, but his name got on her nerves even more. It reminded her of something, but she couldn't remember what and that bothered her.

'Ugh, this is just too much. WHY did I follow him anyways?'

"Hate to interrupt your thinking, but when are you going to come down the stairs?" Rikku looked at him to see him already down the stairs with another smirk plastered on his face. Rikku stomped down the stairs, annoyed at more things than one. She didn't expect anything like this when she decided to run away. She had planned on taking a bus to another city and start over fresh, NOT following a cute but cocky killer to his hideout! As much as calling him cute disturbed her, she had to admit that he was cute.

"DARN!" she shouted. That earned a very confused look from Gippal. When she looked at him, she bursted out laughing at the expression. This didn't help his situation because he was now even MORE confused than before. He just continued to stare at her laughing while he scratched the back of his head. After a while, her laughing called down.

"So, you want a room to sleep in, Miss Runaway?"

"Excuse me, Mr. Cocky, but since you know my name, shouldn't you use it?"

"I believe I asked you a question first Miss Runaway, but being the gentleman I am, I'll answer your question. Miss Runaway seems to fit you perfectly so I'll call you that. Now, back to MY question. Would you like a room, or do you want to sleep on the kitchen chair?" By the time he finished, Rikku could feel her anger level rising.

"Sleep on the kitchen chair! Of course I want a room, you jerk! And...MISS RUNAWAY SO DOES NOT FIT ME!" Gippal only laughed in response and told her to follow him. He then left her there to unpack and everything. Rikku realized that she was being too carefree in the company of a killer.

'Or is this ok? Gosh, that meanie! Although he doesn't seem to be a bad guy, he killed that man a while ago! He could kill ME if he wanted, too.' Rikku heard a soft knock on the door. She went to the door and saw Gippal with that smirk and a sheet of paper folded several times. He handed her the sheet of paper and watched as Rikku carefully skimmed the contents of the paper. He saw her calm face gradually getting angrier. He decided that she would be his source of entertainment for a while.

"So?"

"So? What do you mean so! This is a list of chores! You expect me to do this stuff?"

"Of course! I need someone to do the work around the house, and we're going to be living together from now on, so you need to do some stuff around the house!" Before Rikku could answer he quickly kissed her on the lips and went to his room. Rikku stood there in shock and suddenly her brain took in what happened.

"ARGH! That...that...that meanie! That's it! This is too much for me! I'm going to bed!" screamed Rikku in aggravation. She didn't expect a response, but got a nice, annoying one from Gippal through the walls.

"That's great, honey! Now please keep it down so that you don't disturb others, ok? Thanks. I'm going to sleep now, so goodnight sweetheart!"

Rikku chose to ignore this and went to bed. She fell asleep almost instantly from tiredness. Immediately, she saw a child version of herself next to a blonde-haired green-eyed boy in her mother's garden.

"Gippal, look at all the butterflies!" said the small Rikku. She was jumping around trying to catch one. Gippal was watching in amusement, laughing when she tripped.

"You're scaring them away, Miss Graceful!"

"Well then, you try Gip! Bet you can't do better!"

"Fine! Watch and learn!"

The small Gippal went to an open area and held out his finger. He didn't move until a butterfly landed on his finger. He turned to Rikku and smiled triumphantly at her. Rikku pouted at him, making Gippal feel guilty. She almost always made Gippal give in to her. Gippal motioned for her to sit on his lap. He showed her to relax and made her wait. He kept telling her, "Soon, Rikku, just be patient." When one landed on her nose, they both giggled and spread themselves out under the Sun.

"I got one to come to me!" said Rikku.

"Of course! Who do you think you're with?" said Gippal with a smirk.

"GIPPAL!"

"Yeah?" That voice wasn't the little boy talking. The voice was deeper, though just as cocky. When no one answered him, something hit her head and she woke up. When she opened her eyes, she saw an eye-patch and a green eye. Finally realizing who Gippal is, she hit him on the head.

"OUCH! What the heck was that for!" Gippal whined. When he looked at Rikku, he closed his mouth. He could tell that whatever she was dreaming about told her who he was. Her screaming his name was a sure sign of it, so he wasn't surprised at her question.

"You knew who I was when we met in the alley, didn't you Gippal?"

"…yeah, I knew."

"So you're my childhood friend?"

Gippal nodded with guilt. He didn't lift his head up for a while. When he did, he saw Rikku staring at her fingers, probably trying to get the information into her brain. She was silent for a moment, and he decided to leave. When he got up, she decided to speak.

"I don't believe you! I can't! How could the Gippal I knew kill someone! He never even used a gun! The Gippal I knew couldn't jump the way you did either! You can't be him!"

Gippal looked at her with pain in his eye. He looked at the girl crying, clutching the sheets like they would disappear if she let go. He went up to her and held her tight, listening to her sobs. When her sobbing was almost gone, he decided that he would one day tell her. She deserved that much.

"Hey Rikku, I know you must be upset. I know I wasn't exactly the nicest and most innocent person there was, but that person no longer exists. That boy died with his mother. You'll know what happened, someday." Gippal felt Rikku grab onto his shirt. They sat like that, content with the silence. Rikku loosened her grip after a while and looked at his face.

"That boy didn't die, he still exists deep within you and…and…one day, he may come out again. When you're ready to tell me why he's supressed, I'll listen. I won't ask about what happened until then. Just tell me, why did you kill that man earlier." Gippal looked at the ceiling for a while and then spoke.

"Because that man kills others. He works with people that sells things such as drugs and weapons. My mom found out and…" Gippal stopped and Rikku took the hint. It was still painful for him to talk about it. She put a hand on his shoulder, telling him that he could stop. He smiled gratefully at her and told her he would prepare breakfast. She thought about what happened that day, and there was a lot that happened. She was only sure of a few things. One, Gippal is a killer that only kills those who he thinks deserves it. He wouldn't kill an innocent person. Another thing is that things will never be the same for her.

"Ah...this is too much..."

A/N: I'm not exactly pleased with the way it turned out. I will have to try to work with this, though. I can't think of another way to do this chapter. I think it went a bit too fast, so I'll try to slow it down as much as possible so that it's ok in the other chapters.