Hi Everyone

Chapter Four is here, hope you all like it

WARNING:

This chapter contains underage drinking so if you'll get offended by it don't read

Chapter Four:

The weeks that followed had a unusual sort of calmness about them.

I should of embraced the fact that the fighting had stopped, but I didn't because my parents were doing something so much worse then fighting with each other ... they were ignoring each other.

They refused to look at each other, speak to each other, no acknowledgment what so ever.

The air was so tense it made my stomach turn and Khan and I skirted around our parents like scared rabbits.

Night was beginning to fall, another day much alike the last had passed and the air was becoming too heavy to breath

I needed to get away, and I saw my chance when Khan walked out the door, I caught a glimpse of him messily spiking his hair and I knew he was going out.

"Khan" I called quickly, all most kicking down the old fly wire door.

"Oh yeah sissy, can you tell mum I prolly wont come home tonight" Khan said with relief

"Why can't you tell her?" I asked

"Tried, mum screamed go away, guess she thought I was dad" Khan said with a shrug, he didn't look very concerned but Neeka could see a glimmer of worry in his intense green eyes.

"Where are you going?" I questioned, changing the subject.

"No you cant come" Khan said quickly, after spending fifteen years in my company he could easily read my mind.

"Khan, please?" I asked in my most shrilly whine.

"Sissy its just going to be me, Jame and the guys, you'll be bored" Khan reasoned

I looked desperately back at the house and said quietly "Don't make me stay here"

Khan looked incredibly conflicted, he bit his lip back, then rubbed the back of his head with his hand and looked at our house, he shook his head and said

"Fine, if your that desperate to get out"

Immense relief washed over me and I automatically hugged my surprised brother who pushed me of him because he just fixed his hair.

Me and Khan walked through the desert trail for twenty minutes or so, not many people could handle living in the desert because of the intense heat and the views were hardly panoramic, it was just endless dunes of sand, but my brother and I had grown up in Sanubia and Bikanel.

Our parents had taught us from an early age of the importance of the desert, it was such a large part of the Al Bhed heritage and Khan and I had been taught to never be ashamed of our heritage, and embrace it instead, that was exactly what we did.

The desert was a source of comfort for us, we thought it was beautiful.

Khan and I arrived at a dusty pale blue house surrounded by cacti and a rusty old gate, loud music blared, Khan knocked on the door while I lurked behind him nervously, I had hardly met any of Khans friends, let alone been to one of their parties.

Jame opened the door, beer in hand and beckoned us in.

"Hey it's Gippals girl, I see your brother finally let you out" Khan said, he looked pleasantly surprised

"Keep Kiyak and his idiot friend away from her mate" Khan said dead serious.

"Course I will" Jame said, then he threw me a beer and said "welcome to the dark side"

Khan looked like he wanted to snatch it away, but instead he took a deep breathe and told me no more then two.

I curiously tasted the beer and nearly choked on the vile taste but I drank it anyway, then I followed Khan into Jame's backyard where a small group of people were sitting and chatting.

"Guys, this is my little sister Neeka" Khan quickly introduced.

Everyone smiled, said hi, eyed me up and down and then went back to their conversation.

As everyone started to get more into there beers, I begun to grow more and more bored, every now, one of Khans friends would come up to me and make polite conversation, but then Khan would give them a 'warning look' that looked suspiciously like mums, then they would get up to get another drink and never come back.

By the end of the night I was almost convinced staying home in that awkward silent house would be more fun then watching a bunch of drunken strangers.

I finally decided to just go home, at least I had gotten out of the house for awhile.

As I made my way to the front door Jame tapped my shoulder.

"Going home?" He asked

"Yeah, I take it Khans sleeping here" I smirked, thinking of my brother who last I saw was running around the yard like a drunken chocobo.

"Want me to walk you home?" He asked

I gave him a strange look, to which he begun to laugh.

"Don't worry, I'm hardly going to violate my best mates sister ... without his permission anyway" Jame with a wink

I blushed slightly and tried to figure out if he was joking, it was hard to tell with Jame, he had such a carefree nature.

The silence could be considered awkward as we walked, could be, but not to someone who had been living in a silent war zone for the past month

"I'm surprised Khan bought you here tonight"

"I really need to get out of the house"

"Khan told me your folks are having some problems, sorry about that"

"Its been hard" I admitted, my heart was no longer beating madly, it was just consumed with the sadness of my parents problems.

"It's never easy" Jame said quietly

Uneasy silence polluted the air, the only sound of shoes, and the crunching of sand.

"You speak from experience?" I asked, I wish I had stopped myself, I felt so rude but Jame didn't seem to mind.

"My mum left when I was eleven, shes in Luca now" Jame said, his expression never changed but I saw a flash of unimaginable hurt and anger in his eyes.

"Whats it like? living with one parent I mean?" I asked solemnly

"It's hard ... at first, because you miss them so much, then it gets better I guess, you just get used to it" Jame said, staring at the ground.

I was so deep in thought I didn't notice just how close to the house we were.

Apparently Jame did, he watched transfixed as Gippal stood outside the house, hoisting something into our hover.

"I better go, before your dad asks what I'm doing with his princess and Khan notices were both missing at the same time" Jame said jokingly

"yeah" I said with a laugh

"Hey do you think maybe some time we could -" Jame started

"NEEKA" Dad yelled, spotting us

"Cya Neeks" and Jame begun to run as fast as humanly possible.

Anticipating the worst, I walked up to the house but my eyes weren't transfixed on my fathers angry face ... it was tranfixed on the 'something' that dad has hoisted in the hover.

It was a suitcase

"Dad" I said slowly, wanting an explanation, where was he going? I thought desperately

"Where were you" He interrupted

"With Khan" I said innocently

"And where was Khan?"

"Jame's"

"Who was the person with you before?"

"He was walking me home"

"I asked WHO he was, not what he was doing"

"Jame"

"Wheres Khan?"

"Jame's"

"I'll deal with him later"

"How? you wont be here will you" I said boldly

My father glanced guiltily at the hover

"Look I'm just going to stay at Jose for a few days ... work related" Dad said quickly

"Don't insult my intelligence" I snapped with angry glare

He laughed slightly "Alright you caught me out, I have to leave for a bit because well ... your mum says I have to" Dads eyes travelled to the window where mum stood there with a hard glare, then he looked back at me.

"It wont be too long" Dad assured

"Promise?" I begged sadly

"Bye Princess" Dad said smiling sadly, then he got into the hover and sped off into the cold desert night, I felt my heart breaking.

Tears begun to fall from my face and I looked desperately at Mum in the window but she was watching the swirling dust that had been lifted from the hover ... she was crying too.

I then walked into the lonely house that was no longer a source of comfort, it would be broken, just like the broken dolls we now were.

A/N: awww, Rikku kicked Gippal out, sorry if the Neeka at Khans friends party thing bored you but it was necessary, I just wanted to show you Neeka desperate to get out of the ''silent war zone'', I also wanted you too see Khans protectiveness of her and I wanted Neeka to talk to Jame about divorce so she could get a glimpse of what it's like, it wasn't as long as I intended but I have a feeling next chappie will be longer ... hope you all liked it ... review pretty please?

Review Replies:

FlyHigh4Life:
hehe, your a perceptive one, I like you even more! don't worry something will happen all right, lol

Randomcat23:
Yay, this is one of your favorites! you have no idea how good that feels and as for Gippals "activities" ... all will be revealed next chapter