So, here is chapter two of Brontophobia. Gippal makes his appearance in this one, never fear. So, here we go with day one.
Day One
Rikku continued to pack her bag, ignoring Brother leaning on the doorframe, watching her and shaking his head.
"Do you need something?" Rikku asked, as she stopped packing and straightened to look at him. Brother shook his head.
"I just can't believe you're going to do this," he said. "It's so unlike you to step up to a challenge." She looked at him, appalled.
"You say taking part in kicking Sin's ass isn't stepping up to a challenge? Agreeing to go take a summoner and her guardians? Swimming in the ocean for some underwater ruins? Friggin fighting Aeons-?" she said.
"Alright, alright! I just… didn't expect you would do something like this. I'm a little worried about you. I don't want you to get hurt," Brother mumbled."Aww," Rikku said, holding her arms out, "you do have a heart!" She started to run at him for a hug. He shooed her away.
"Eurg, I wouldn't have said that if I knew you were gonna go chick on me!" he said, running from her room. She smiled after him. There was one way to get him out of her room. She reached under her pillow and pulled out her old diary. She always kept it with her, for reasons that she was too sentimental to toss it, but didn't want anyone to see her thoughts and handwriting from when she was ten. She stuffed it into her bag. She finally looked at everything she had and her checklist then, with a satisfying zip, closed the bag.
Tomorrow. She would go with the team tomorrow to set up her tent and get situated, then, they would leave her there. Maybe she would know someone in the team that was staying for a week. If something went wrong, she could go to them for help. She was determined not to leave those Plains for a week. This was the only way unless she wanted to get shocked by Lulu or live for the rest of her life with a fear of thunder.
She came out of her room to see Cid pacing.
"You worried about me too Pops?" she inquired. He nodded.
"I just don't think you're ready to be goin' out and campin' in no less the Thunder Plains with no one to take care of you. What if fiends attack?" he said.
"I'll be fine, Dad. Really," she replied. She was surprised that she had actually called him 'dad', but this was a sentimental moment. She could spare it for once. She hugged him tightly.
Sometimes, she wished she could be little Rikku with pigtails again who held onto her daddy's leg when she was scared. Little Rikku who could sit on his knee and have him tell stories of the great person she would be when she grew up. And sometimes, it pained her heart to know that she hadn't turned out to be any of the things her father had told her she'd become. But it didn't matter anymore. She knew her father was proud of her 70 of the time. It was just not the same proud she would have had if she had been the daddy's little girl he'd told her she'd be. She finally tore away from his hug and skipped off through the streets of Luca, looking to kill time. She finally found the team, packing things into an airship for tomorrow. She walked over to Nere.
"I'm kinda scared," she said. He turned and grinned.
"Don't be. It's only a week," he stated, handing a crate to one of the men. Rikku sighed.
"I'm trying not to show it, because I don't want my dad and brother to worry about me but… I'm really freaked out. What if I get hit? Tidus got hit, like, a zillion times!" she said, getting agitated. "And you were the only person I thought to come to, because you're the only person I would talk to about this and… rrgh!" She was getting sentimental with everyone today.
"Aw, you got me right here, kid," he said, pounding his heart with his fist. Kid? Why is that familiar…? She suddenly felt a hand close around her wrist and tug her forward. She gasped as she was encased in Nere's arms. She nervously hugged him back, soon relaxing and squeezing tight. She let all of her fears slip away. She would be fine, as long as she could come back and Nere would be waiting for her. She pulled away from him, feeling a blush starting at her toes.
"I gotta go. I just remembered I forgot to pack something," she claimed, turning around and waving over her shoulder.
"See ya," Nere called after her. As soon as she was out of sight, she ran the rest of the way to her home, bursting through the door with a squeal.
"Rikku! What's wrong?" Brother asked.
"Nothing! Nothing at all, Mo Bro!" she said. Brother ran his hand over his Mohawk with a confused look, and then turned back to his book on machina.
Rikku woke up the next day and threw back her drapes. It was only dawn. She went to her lamp and turned the switch. Soon as she did, the light bulb popped and went out in a flash of light. She jumped back, and then remembered. Today, she would be going out into the Thunder Plains. She was overcome by regret.
And screamed.
Later that day, Cid asked her for the tenth time if she was sure she was alright. She nodded weakly.
"Just getting a little airsick, Pops," she said. He looked confused.
"You've never gotten airsick before," he stated.
"Well, you know. Flying on an empty stomach. It's… really… bad…," she ended feebly. Cid walked away, shaking his head.
The airship was left by the Moonflow, and they had to walk the rest of the way. Rikku walked silently through Guadosalam, trying to keep the disdain from her face. Her burning hate for the Guado was not how everyone felt, but just about everybody had their head down and tight lips. Rikku continued to wonder if she could do this. She didn't worry about whether or not she should anymore, because she knew she wanted to do this. She just was afraid if she would get too scared.
"Aww, don't worry, Rik! I'll be right here waiting to give you a kiss when you get back," said an annoying voice behind Rikku. She sighed.
"Not now, Gail. I'm kinda not in the mood for you," she said. Gail. Nere's brother, who had only been tagging after her trying to get her into his 'net' of love since she started the team. Nere's younger, ugly, aggravating brother.
"Come on, baby. When are you gonna let fate take hold of you?" he asked, putting his arms out in a way of displaying himself. Rikku rolled her eyes.
"If you were four years older, you would have two percent more chance. That would get you up to a whoppin' three percent! Dream on, kid," she said, turning away again.
"You could always invite me along on your trip. I would keep you warm every night," he continued. Rikku gaped.
"You are the most pervish little kid I have every met!" she said, shoving him into a wall. Sometimes, she wished she could kick that kid's ass without having to worry about getting in trouble.
"Just one of my many charms, babe," he said with a smile full of crooked teeth. She turned away and flipped him off over her shoulder. Her hands itched near her grenades, but she pulled them away and clung tight to her duffel bag. Someday that kid would get what's coming to him.
They got to the entrance to the Thunder Plains and Rikku stood still, gazing out with fear. Her knees shook slightly, and she was afraid she wouldn't even be able to go out. But soon, she took a rigid step forward, then another, and was soon walking stiffly beside her father. She flinched her chin towards her shoulder every time the lightening flashed, but tried her hardest not to cry out. This was the beginning. While the team started getting to work on the towers, Rikku helped Nere pitch the tent. They nearly buried the stakes into the ground. Rikku didn't know what she would do if her tent blew away. She sure wasn't going to go to the Travel Agency. Even though it wasn't far away, she didn't want to admit defeat. She was sure she could do this if she only tried her very best. It took them about forty five minutes to pitch the tent –since the wind was blowing it around so much- and the team was done by then. She laid her bed roll out on the floor and put her pillow inside. She looked at it, then around the tent. It wasn't a castle, but it was nice enough. At least it was warm inside. She crawled out and grinned at Nere.
"Thanks for the help. I'm hopeless with anything that can't be done with machina," she said. Nere waved a dismissive hand.
"It's no problem. I'm gonna miss you," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. She smiled.
"I would miss you, but I think I'm gonna have too much to think about," she said. Lightening flashed about a mile away, and Rikku could see the sparks from where it had hit. She shrieked, and then covered her mouth with her hand. She clenched her teeth and tried to think of something else. The desert. Lying in the sand by the oasis. Spending time with Yuna. It didn't work. She thought instead about terrible things. Her mother dying. Home on fire. Tidus and Auron disappearing. She felt tears sting her eyes. Her mother wouldn't have wanted her to do this. She would have told her she was fine the way she was. She suspected that Nere wouldn't be able to tell if she was crying, but she made the mistake of whimpering slightly in her tears.
"Don't cry, Rikku. Everything will be fine," Nere said. He put his hands on both sides of her face and moved it so she looked up at him. She stared up at him, suddenly afraid. Then, he kissed her lightly, pulling away for a second then coming back down on her lips. As soon as it began, it was over, and Rikku's eyes fluttered open. "Maybe you'll think of me during the week now," he said. Rikku grinned at him as he turned around and went to the rest of the group. The group looked suddenly larger, and Rikku realized that the other team to work on the technical things for the towers had joined the group. Brother was talking to a tall Al Bhed she couldn't see, so she decided she'd say goodbye to him later. She went to Cid and smiled up at him.
"Well… here we go," she said, looking over Cid's shoulder at the camp the other team was setting up. Cid nodded.
"You be careful. You hear me? No doin' anything reckless or somethin' like that. That's how stupid people get killed. And you're not stupid," Cid coached her. She nodded with a faraway look in her eye.
"Bye Pops," she said, hugging him. He patted her twice on the head, then went over to help back the tools again. Brother came over to Rikku.
"Extra," he said, tossing a grenade to Rikku. He was insanely lucky she was a good catch, because it just saved him from having whatever brains he had from being blown up. She put it in the bag at her hip and turned back to him.
"Thanks," she said, grinning. "I guess you don't want a sentimental goodbye like Pops did, so I'm just gonna say, see ya at the end of the week," she finished. He looked relieved.
"Later," he said, quirkily waving at her from over his shoulder. She shook her head. Mom might've been ashamed of him. The other team's leader yelled orders above all the noise, and Rikku was impressed. It took quite a voice to yell that loud, but the voice struck a chord in her heart. It made her… annoyed. She looked for the source, but she couldn't find it. She sighed and flinched as the thunder crashed again. She hurriedly crawled into the tent. From here on, she was on her own.
She looked at her clock. It was six o clock. She couldn't stay in her tent forever. She had to go for a walk. Do something significant. She slowly crawled out and looked around, waiting for some lightening to touch down on her head. When nothing came, she squeezed her eyes shut. She had been in the tent for about three hours and was just about to explode from lack of movement. She stood up tall and screamed up to the storm,
"Hah! I'm not afraid of you!" As if in answer to her pathetic attempt at braveness, the thunder cracked as loud as ever, sending Rikku shivering back into her tent. After a few minutes, she emerged again, silently apologizing to the storm, and crept along the path. She jumped and flinched at every flash, and screamed freely since there was no one around.
But these assumptions of hers were always wrong.
She saw, only about ten feet away, a man standing under the rain, his face turned up to the sky. He looked like an Al Bhed, so she guessed he was from the other team. She took a few steps towards him.
"Hello?" she called. He didn't move. "Hello?!" She cried louder. He turned with a confused look. Rikku got closer until the mist of the rain cleared away. Then, she gasped. "Oh my-!" she started, putting a hand to her heart. He squinted at her.
"You're Brother's sister, right? Yeah, can't forget that voice," he said, turning his face back to the rain. Rikku put her fists on her hips. She couldn't tell if that was an insult or a compliment, but coming from his mouth, it was probably an insult. She smoothed her wet hair down.
"What was your name again? Oh, right, Gill," she said, staring icily at him. He sneered at her.
"Gippal. I don't even remember your name. Something with a T," he said.
"Rikku," she reminded him. She knew he hadn't forgotten. Everyone knew about her and Brother because of Cid.
"Right. Rikku. So, what've you been up to for the past three years?" he asked, turning his face away from the sky and taking a few steps toward her.
"You can't just ask me what I've been 'up to' after how you treated me!" she said. This was outrageous. Gippal was the last person she would ever want to see if she was stuck in the Thunder Plains for a week. She considered packing up and leaving now if she had to be around him all week. But she pushed that thought away. This was another thing sent to test her. And she would not give in. This was to get rid of all the things she hated. Gippal would be one of them.
"Why not? It's in the past," he stated. Rikku shook her head.
"You were so mean to me! You made fun of me and pulled my hair and threw water balloons at me. I bet you're still as arrogant and annoying as you were," she said.
"Didn't your dad ever tell you that's what boys do when they like you?" he asked, quite obviously teasing her. She couldn't stand him trying to act so familiar with her. Sure they were familiar, but in the worst possible way. She could rip his head off here and now if his skin wasn't so slippery.
"Well if you must know, I've been doing the normal stuff. Like, becoming a guardian, kicking Sin's ass, and fixing machina. You know. Fun stuff like that. And what have you been doing?" she asked. He shrugged. He didn't seem bothered by her curt tone.
"I started the Machine Faction. I got bored sitting around after the whole Crimson Squad thing, so…," he trailed off. They stood in silence for a little while. They both started talking at once, followed by silence again. "Go ahead," Gippal said. Rikku nodded. She didn't know why this was so uncomfortable. Maybe because he was trying to be civilized, and it was just making the tension thicker. She opened her mouth to talk, when lightening streaked across the sky, illuminating Gippal's face. That same face that she had had nightmares about when she was younger. She went down to the ground and hugged her knees with a cry. "Whoa, what the hell?" Gippal said, as he kneeled in front of her.
"Don't you dare laugh at me. Don't you laugh at me ever again!" Rikku said, her chin on her knees. She turned her body away from Gippal. Then, she stood up and ran back to her tent. She curled up inside and took out a small box of cereal. Angrily ripping it open, she dove her hand into it and stuffed some into her mouth. "I hate him… I hate him so much!" she mumbled to herself, pretending every crunch of cereal was another piece of his little 'machine faction' chipping away. When she finished, she crawled into her sleeping bag and smacked her head down onto her pillow, covering her head with the blanket.
Things were starting off great.
So yeah, I like this fic, but nobody else seems to like anything I'm writing anymore. :( Maybe it's just because it hasn't picked up yet. Well, ihdem haqd desa!