A/N: I'm back with a second chapter. Yay! Thanks to everyone who reviewed my first chapter. Anyway on with the chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own FFX2.
Chapter 2: Responsibility
"What's your problem?" Rikku yelled at Gippal. It had been weeks since they had started seeing each other, though they still couldn't tell anyone. Gippal hated the secrecy. He wanted to announce to the world that she was his and that no other man could touch her. He knew Rikku was worried about him and that's why she wouldn't let him tell anyone, and he knew it wasn't her fault she had crazy over-protective family. But still he felt frustrated by the hiding and the lying. He knew Rikku disliked it as well.
What was worse though was that Cid had decided that it was time for his daughter to choose a husband and settle down. Of course the candidate had to have been approved by Cid first. So Rikku spent much of her daylight hours going on date after date with a string of wealthy young Al Bheds, though the most frequent was Noah, the Al Bhed from the party. Gippal hated to see these men going anywhere near Rikku, yet alone holding hands or hugging. He never allowed his thoughts to stray past that point. Yet Rikku did nothing about it, even seemed to enjoy it and Gippal had become increasingly more sullen and bad tempered before tonight, Rikku had just lost it and yelled at him.
"I want to know why you have to spend so much time with all these guys. I want to know why you don't just tell them to get lost. I want to know what is so wrong with me that I'm not even allowed near you in public. I want to know why we spend so much of our time lying and hiding. I hate it Rikku." He blurted everything out and Rikku looked at him in surprise. He had expected an argument and then they would kiss and make up and everything would be okay, but she just looked sad.
"I know you hate it. I'm sorry that my family ruins everything. Sometimes I wish they would just disappear and then everything would be simple. I'm sorry you don't like lying or hiding. But you know why I'm doing it. We both know Pops can be dangerous, particularly when he thinks I'm in trouble. It's just the way things are. I can't change who I am." She looked tired and upset. Gippal wrapped her in his arms and made her sit down on the bed which was behind her. He couldn't bring himself to say anything; he just held her and played with one of her braids.
"What if we could though?" Gippal said finally. Rikku gave him a blank look and he smiled. "Disappear. Go somewhere where no one knew who we were or where we came from. Your family wouldn't know where we had gone and they wouldn't be able to find us."
"Where, Gippal? We're both among the most recognizable faces in Spira, particularly you with your macho eye patch. There's nowhere we can go that they won't find us. Even if there was, we couldn't just leave them." Rikku was slightly annoyed that Gippal couldn't see the impracticality of the suggestion. He shook his head.
"I know that, but what if there was somewhere. Would you come with me?" His gaze held hers for a moment, but the intensity in his eye forced her to turn away.
"I don't know." Rikku said and she stood. "I should be getting back to the Celsius."
"Already?" Gippal asked, silently pleading with her to stay a little longer. He knew he shouldn't have pushed the subject. Rikku's gaze softened but she remained standing.
"Yeah. It's late and Yuna had started getting up early. I keep getting back as she starts to wake up and if she wakes up before I get back I'm going to be facing some awkward questions." Rikku sighed. She wasn't really angry with Gippal, just tired and frustrated.
"Just a little longer?" He pleaded and stood up wrapping her in his arms. She melted against him and he kissed her. He let her go after a moment and from the look on her face he knew she had to go.
"Goodnight Princess." He said and she nodded and left the room, leaving Djose temple silent in the early hours of the morning. Gippal lay still on his bed waiting for sleep, but it wouldn't come, because although he looked calm, inside his head his thoughts were racing.
Rikku was shaken awake maybe half an hour after she had gotten back from Djose. The sun was just starting to light up the edges of the horizon. Rikku grumbled as she rolled out of bed. She'd found it was often easier to just fall off the bed and let the shock of the landing wake you up, than to try to wake up in the nice warm comfortable bed. If you really think about it, is it any wonder that people had to hit the alarm clock so much before getting up. Beds were designed for people to go to sleep in, not for waking people up.
"RIKKU. REPORT TO THE BRIDGE IMMEDIATELY" Brothers voice yelled over the intercom. Rikku sighed, she must have taken longer to wake up than first thought. Oh well Brother could wait a moment while she got dressed. She sat on the bed and thought for a moment. Finally she just shrugged and dragged out her garment grid. Two seconds later she jumped down the stairs in her familiar thief outfit.
She arrived on the bride with an energetic cartwheel followed by a back-flip over the banister rail, landing right in front of the sphere-oscillator. Or she would've done if Brother hadn't been standing in her landing spot. As it was the two siblings fell to the ground. Yuna and Paine laughed as all they heard from the tangle of siblings was a groan and a "Ouchie". Several minutes later, everyone was back on their feet and unharmed, though Brother was glaring at his little sister.
"As I was saying, before I was soooo rudely interrupted." Brother paused to fit in another glare at Rikku. "Vydran will be here soon and we all have to be on our best behaviour. . ."
"Pops? What's he doing here?" Rikku turned her attention to Paine who just shrugged her shoulders.
"He's coming because he wants to talk to you Rikku. So we must get to Bikanel as fast as possible. We can't be late. . ." Brother went on and on.
"What's up with him?" Paine whispered to Rikku as Brother continued to rant on.
"He's always been like that. He wants pops to respect him and maybe make him the next leader. It hasn't worked yet." Rikku whispered back stifling a giggle. Yuna glanced at them and Rikku shook her head, mouthing "I'll tell you later".
Brother was still going on when they landed in Bikanel five minutes later. The most pathetic part of that was that everyone had moved on leaving him standing talking to no one and he hadn't realised. Rikku grinned as she looked at him. He'd just proved her theory that he had less brains than a Zu.
A loud bang snapped brother out of his talking. It snapped everyone else's attention back to where it was supposed to be too. The elevator could be heard moving and two minutes later Cid entered the cabin. Rikku sighed, her Father still knew how to make an entrance. Maybe for once though he'd be pleasant and civil to talk to.
"Where's Rikku?" So much for greeting people civilly.
"I'm right here, Pops. What you blind or something?" Rikku replied looking up from her seat to the right of Brothers seat.
"There you are. Good. Come on I have to show you something." And with that Cid turned and left without saying a word to anyone else. Yuna and Paine glanced at Rikku who just shrugged and followed her Father. She found him out on the deck just staring out at the desert.
"So Pops, whatcha going to show me." Rikku smiled and there was an obvious bounce in her step. Cid made a gesture indicating the desert. "We came out here to look at sand?"
"Not just any sand. This sand has been the home of all the Al Bheds in Spira for generations." Her father replied.
"I know that. You've only told me a thousand times. What's you're point?" Rikku was confused now. Her father had bought her all the way to Bikanel so he could show her sand.
"Well. I ain't gonna be around forever ya know. And I've decided that I want you to replace me as leader." Rikku's eyes widened significantly and she opened her mouth to object. "No buts. I'm not giving the position to that idiot brother of yours. But I need you to realise that many things can rest on even your smallest decision. You need to start thinking about what's best for your people, not just what's best for you."
Rikku just sat there in a stunned daze. Her? Leader of the Al bhed? She was only 18! No more fun parties, no more staying up all night talking to Gippal. So much would depend on her. So much responsibility. Cid stood up next to her after a moment.
"Well I gotta get going. Things to do ya know? Good luck Kid." He walked away and then as if he'd just remembered something, turned back for a moment. "Oh by the way you have a date with Noah this afternoon at 6. It's that new fancy restaurant in Luca."
Rikku sat there for a long time after Cid had gone. The airship hadn't moved and she just stared out at the sand. Eventually Yuna came up to the deck looking for and took her back inside. Questions were fired at her the moment she stepped into the cabin and Rikku shook off her daze. She smiled mysteriously and took her seat.
"C'mon Rikku. Tell us why he called you all the way out here?" Yuna asked. Buddy was looking intrigued and so was Brother and Shinra. Even Paine looked interested.
"My lips are sealed." Rikku promised making an exaggerated action of pulling an invisible zip across her mouth. Yuna frowned.
"Why can't you tell us?"
"It's a secret." Rikku said. She enjoyed holding stuff back sometimes. She wasn't the only one who could keep a secret. She'd tell Gippal later though. Cid was planning something and she didn't know what.
"Minus Ten respect points." Paine said making Rikku glare at her.
"Hey no fair. Meanie." She whined. Paine just smirked.
"You tell us you get them back." She interjected. Paine was really curious, even if she didn't show it.
"Fine. I've got a date with Noah tonight." Okay so she lied. Well not really, Rikku did have a date with Noah. That just wasn't the secret she was keeping. Oh well. Rikku blocked her ears as Yuna let out a squeal. Yuna'd been spending way to much time around Rikku lately.
"Really? Where are you going? What are you going to wear?" The questions flooded in.
"Yes Really. That new place in Luca. And I don't know." Rikku answered. She was immediately dragged away by Yuna and heard something that sounded like. "Shopping".
Paine followed slowly behind the pair a smirk on her face. Brother, Shinra and Buddy just shook their heads and turned their attention back to actually driving the ship, because despite what most people thought, it didn't drive itself.
Rikku sat at a candlelit table fidgeting nervously in her dress. Yuna had insisted on buying Rikku an evening gown for the night. It was a green halter neck which left almost all of her back bear and had a split most of he way up her left leg. To make matters worse, Yuna had insisted on high heels. Rikku wished she could kick them off and throw them at something right there and then. But then she'd be making a scene. Noah was sitting across from her in a suit. He looked quite handsome but Rikku couldn't help but compare him to Gippal. Everyone failed in comparison there. Noah looked nervous and he kept reaching for her hand but he usually fell short before he got there. Finally he managed to grab hold of her hand and he placed both his hands over the top of it.
"Rikku, you know that you're a very special girl to me. I've only known you for a short time but I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Noah paused and seemed to nervous to go on. Rikku wanted to pull her hand away from his but something stopped her. She kind of felt sorry for the guy. Eventually he worked up his courage and continued. "Rikku would you do me the honour of being my wife? Will you marry me?"
A/n: Okay so I'm evil. I know how much I hate authors who put in cliffhangers but oh well. Please Read and Review and then I'll have the initiative to post chapter 3 faster.