Chapter 6- the house

Rikku watched Yuna and Tidus holding hands in front of her as they continued to trudge through the dark forest. "Do you think we'll ever get anywhere?" asked Yuna looking into Tidus's eyes. He kind of shook his head. "I dont know baby, I just dont know." He was growing tired and could tell Yuna was losing her energy. He had to something to get them all out of this situation. Gippal looked ahead at Rikku's back thinking silently to himself. 'Wonder what shes thinking' he thought. She was starting to veer off path a little from exhaustion, but brave little Cid's girl never gave up. Gippals legs were about to give out. He saw Rikku sway suddenly. He walked faster up to her. "What's wrong Cid's girl?" he asked looking her over. He caught her just as she collapsed and scooped her up into his arms. "I know your tired but we just cant stop now." he said to her. She moaned and relaxed into his grip. Tidus glanced back at the two. "Did she give out?" he asked Gippal cautiously. "Yeah, we need to find somewhere fast. I can barely hold myself up." Tidus started to say something but stopped himself. He put his hand on Yuna's shoulder to stop her. "Yuna, wait here with Gippal and Rikku and I'll run ahead and see if theres anything else anywhere." She looked up at him, exhaustion and concern in her eyes. "Okay." she said softly, collapsing onto a nearby pile of leaves. Gippal carefully sat Rikku down against a tree trunk and collapsed, himself, against the cold hard ground. Yuna told Tidus softly that she loved him, her voice weak and dry from thirst. Tidus nodded and said he loved her too as he took off into the dark depths of the woods.

Yuna watched Tidus's receding figure disappear into the trees until she could no longer see him. As soon as she lost sight she fell and layed still in the leaves. Tired taking over. Gippal slapped himself to keep himself awake. 'gotta watch the girls' he thought as his eyelids fluttered shut. He thought of Home and his mother. He thought of the memories Rikku and him had growing up. He didnt realize that he was asleep until his thoughts travelled farther and farther from reality.

Gippal awoke with a start. Tidus was shaking him, sweat running down his forhead. "Gippal, Gippal." He said his name repeatedly shaking him back into reality."Get up, I found a house." Gippal opened his eyes wide, realizing that he had fallen asleep. He jumped up to check on the girls. "Everythings fine. I think if we walk about one more mile from he we will reach a house." said Tidus whispering. The night had darkened still and Gippal could barely see two feet in front of him. He made his way over to Rikku who was still fast asleep. He scooped her up and headed over to Tidus. "Lets go then." he said nodding towards Yuna. Tidus strolled over and lifted her out of the leaves, and started off in the direction of the house light he had seen. "I haven't been gone for long so we should reach it fast enough. Its only about 12:00." They walked through the darkness, Gippal focusing on Tidus's back to keep himself from getting lost."How did you know the time?" he asked curiously. Tidus looked back at him. "A man told me." Tidus left it at that ignoring Gippal's questions. He tried to remember the way he had taken. Gippal started sweating growing tired of the walking. 'A tree trunk will suit me just fine' he thought wanting to stop. Then he saw it. Tiny at first. It grew and his hopes picked up as he saw the closeness of the light. They had made it. They were coming upon a house. Tidus picked up the pace as his excitement grew. He came first to the clearing of trees entering the houses humble yard. It was neatly trimmed and a stack of firewood was placed perfectly outside the houses front door. It was a Victorian style of rather large size being a two story house. The only light was coming from the upstairs bedroom.

Gippal knocked hesitantly on the front door. No answer. He knocked again. Still nothing. He slowly turned the knob and pushed the front door open. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" whispered Tidus harshly."YOU CANT JUST GO INSIDE!" Gippal ignored him and called up through the house. "Hello? Is anyone home?" There was an eerie silence as Gippal looked around him. The place was neatly kept but appeared to be abandoned. "Maybe its someones summer house." he said looking back at Tidus who stood transfixed in the doorway. "Gippal, Im not staying in someones house who isnt home!" Gippal chuckled. "Do we have a choice?" he said in an I-told-you-so manner. Tidus shrugged and stepped cautiously through the wide doorway. The floor creaked as he walked across the floor. The wind rushed through the foyer and blew leaves crunching across the wood floor. 'The place was still nice looking.' Gippal started upstairs. "Im going to check the place out." he said. Tidus nodded and followed. The stairs grunted under there weight apparently they hadnt been used recently."Thats odd..." said Tidus "...but this place looks so clean." Gippal shrugged and pushed open the first bedroom door he found. There was one twin bed and a door leading to a bathroom. The bed was made and looked comfortable enough so Gippal slowly set Rikku down on the bed and covered her up. Her emerald eyes slowly opened as she looked up at him worriedly. "Whats going on? Why are we-" but he cut her off putting his fingers up to her lips and touching them softly. "Just sleep." he said to her. "Ill take care of you." Rikku relaxed knowing he was there. She slipped back into slumber as Tidus found a room for Yuna. It had a queen size bed and was decorated more eerily with old paintings of people with staring eyes and a chair in the corner. Tidus kissed her forhead as he headed out the door to find Gippal. "We need to go back." He said asd he came across him. "What in the hell for?" asked Gippal eyeing him. "We left that guy out there knocked out." Gippal shrugged it off. "He deserved it. It was his fault for doing what ever he did." Tidus rolled his eyes. "Well Gippal I guess Im going alone then. Come with me or make yourself useful and watch the girls since you did such a marvelous job last time." Gippal sighed and followed Tidus back through the darkness of the house and out the front door. They jogged into the woods again and Tidus took one look back at the house before heading into the darkness of the forest. The top bedroom light was no longer lit. ' thats strange' thought Tidus with a nawing feeling at the pit of his stomach.

-30 minutes later-

Rikku was standing at the bathroom mirror. She closely examined herself looking over her every detail. "I look fat." she said, pudging out her stomach. "WHAT!" Yuna squealed. "If you look fat then what does that make me?" Yuna let the bathroom sink water run over her hands. Rikku stopped looking and instead reverted her gaze towards her cousin. "your the most beatiful person I know Yunie!" She smiled at her. "Thanks Rik." she said. "your beautiful too." Rikku didnt argue but instead bounced into the bedroom of a house she didnt know. Yuna stopped examining herself worrying."Rikku? Do you think the guys are okay?" Rikku plopped herself onto the twin bed and smiled at Yuna. "Well seeing as they left us here with confidence, I figure They'll come back for us." Yuna looked at her with concern. "But what If I they are hurt?" Rikku giggled."Yuna they managed to get us here didnt they? And what did we do? We fell asleep. I think they will be fine." Yuna looked away towards the window. It began to sprinkle again as tiny drops of water began running down the glass. "Aww it's going to rain again Rikku."Yuna said as they both crawled under the twin bed's warm fluffy blankets.Yuna's legs were hurting from all the walking. "well we should get some sleep Yunie. We have a big day ahead of us, Im sure." Rikku said. Yuna agreed as they curled up on the bed listening to the low rumbling of the storm. It shook the quiet room's window that was above the bed. "Wonder who's house this is." Yuna said but when she looked over she noticed Rikku already fast asleep. 'She's so cute.'Yuna just watched the worsening storm watching the rain, now pouring down in rivulets against the glass. It slowly made her sleepy. 'Wish Ti was here to hold me.' was the last thought that crossed Yuna's mind. She closed her eyes as sleep overtook her.

Rikku woke up. The thunder seemed to shake the whole house. She crossed her arms over herself. Goosebumps popped up on her arms as she started getting cold. The rain slammed against the window, the sound of the storm shaking her very thoughts. She sat up, afraid. It was pitch black. The only light in the small room was coming from the occasional flash of lightning. Rikku curled her legs in front of her and wrapped her arms around them. "Yunie?" Rikku almost whispered in the darkness. But as Rikku looked over Yuna was gone. the covers were pulled back where she had once layed. Rikku shivered as she tiptoed out of bed and put her feet on the cold wood floor of the strange bedroom. She stood scared, imagining what things could be in the darkness. she began creeping towards the bedroom's door. It was slightly ajar. She slipped out into the dark hall, the floor was freezing. The whole house was dead quiet except for the pitter patter of Rikkus feet on the wood and the storm. She saw a master bedroom's door also ajar. She crept in whispering yuna's name. she was answered. "Yeah Rikku?" it was a mans voice. She recognized it instantly. "Tidus is Yuna with you"? "Yeah." said Tidus in a sleepy and not-all-there kind of voice. He sat up running his hand through his messy hair. He squinted in the darkness to see a female figure in his doorway."You can go back to bed. Shes allright here with me." Tidus looked down at her peacefully sleeping form. He smiled to himself. 'hey beautiful' he thought. He was happy just to finally be alone with her. He hadnt been able to see her in the longest time because of a blitz game in re-built Zanarkand. Yuna had gone to stay in Kilika with Rikku until Rikku had to leave and wasn't going to be able to watch him play so he had departed sadly, without her. Rikku jarred him from his thoughts. "Allright Tidus, thanks."Tidus nodded and then curled back up to Yuna's tiny but warm form under the covers. It was going to be a good night.

Rikku tiptoed ever so slowly back into the room. She was about to cry from fright. She hated sleeping alone. She always got scared of the dark. Especially when it was storming. She crawled back into bed taking up Yuna's old spot. She closed her eyes but all of a sudden they shot back open. She felt breathing beside her. She felt someone or something in bed beside her. She held her breath too scared to roll over. She listened closely and heard nothing. She finally mustered up the courage to peek over at it. A man was beside her in bed. She opened her mouth to scream and heard, "Hello Cid's girl." She screamed and flipped over out of bed. She clunked to the floor as the person in bed with her began to laugh. He laughed harder when he saw her flip off. "Didnt mean to scare the living daylights out of you." he said, still chuckling. "You allright?" she stood up anger in her. "GIPPAL IF YOU EVER DO THAT TO ME AGAIN THEN SO HELP ME-" but he cut her off pulling her down onto the bed beside him."Hey Cid's girl relax. I was just messing with you." He smiled at her.' She melted with that smile. His strong face. His green swirled eye.' She looked him over. He still looked exhausted. "So how were you two while we were gone?" he asked and she smiled. "Fine, up until now! Everytime you come to bother me, you always pull a joke on me!"He still smiled and pulled her close all of a sudden. She flinched for a second but the relaxed into his warm and strong arms. "I miss being with you ya know?" he whispered into her ear. "I miss being with you too." she whispered into his shoulder. "Why did we break up Cid's girl?" he remembered thier breakup at Home and looked at her seriously. She looked down. The thunder of the storm shook the windows again. She looked up into his eye. "I...Im not sure... I guess we just-" but he cut her off. He genlty lifted her chin and brought his lips to hers. The kiss sent tingles through Rikku's body. The kiss deepened and he pulled her close, as the rain continued to run down the window. She felt the heat of his body against hers, as they continued to kiss. He pulled off his over armor and his shirt. He took off his boots and slip over pants. He leaned back on her pillow on her bed. She smiled and layed on his bare chest. He was tan and muscular and felt warm in the cold night. She placed her head upon his chest and closed her eyes lightly. He smiled and looked down at her. "I see your comfortable." he said smirking down at her, but she was already taken over from exhaustion.He wrapped his arms around her back and held her as the storm continued to rumble through the night.

Not so sure about this chapter. Do ya think I plowed into things too fast? Review please!