I'm updating! I really am! I'm sorry I haven't updated this in a year! D: I'm so, so, so, so, SO sorry! I hope you forgive me and I hope people still want to read this. xD Pwease? Enjoy!

Day 6

Rikku jumped and took a deep gasp as the zipper to her tent whipped open. She yelped as something landed right in her face. She looked at it. It was a sleeping bag. She looked up then. Gippal climbed through her tent hole and zipped it back up.

"I-you-what?" she spluttered out.

"The team abandoned me, and then took the liberty of packing up my tent for me," Gippal spat irritably. Rikku just stared at him with disbelief, her mouth a perfect 'O' and then looked at his sleeping bag.

"You-tent-uh?" She wanted to slap her face into her hands. Gippal gave her a crooked smile, and she wasn't sure what to do next.

"Use your words, Princess," he said. She frowned at him.

"Why are you in my tent?" she asked. "With your sleeping bag?"

"I'm moving in," Gippal said simply.

"No, you're not!" Rikku said. She took his sleeping bag and unzipped her tent flap, pitching it out into the storm. He stared at the opening as she zipped it back closed, his sleeping bag easily being picked up by the howling winds. Rikku immediately regretted it as she realized what his solution would be. He shrugged and gave her his lopsided grin again.

"Okay. I'll just share yours then."

"No! You can sleep… on the ground," she said.

"I need a sleeping bag," Gippal said solemnly. It was quite possible that he was more high-maintenance than a girl.

"What, afraid to get dirt in your hair?" she asked. Gippal imitated her, and she did the same, until he unexpectedly grabbed her by the waist. She screamed as he unzipped the opening and then grinned at her. "You wouldn't," she growled. He kissed her cheek.

"I certainly would," he said. He tossed her out of the tent. She landed on her butt perfectly in a small patch of mud. It jumped up all the way to her face and gave her some streaks across it like army paint. Lightening crashed around her, and her eyesight went in and out in her fear. She heard another one crash to the ground nearby. Right in front of her. She curled her legs up, then stood up and turned just in time to see Gippal close the gap in the tent. She ran to the zipper and tugged. It wouldn't budge.

"Gippal!" she screamed. Lightening crashed behind her. She felt a zap and tingles up her spine. She took a deep breath. That wasn't fear tingling. That was electricity-jumping-through-raindrops-onto-her-slick-clothes tingling. She used her newly filled lungs to scream as loud as she could.

"You've got some impressive lungs there, Cid's Girl. It's too bad you're such a terrible singer," Gippal yelled from inside.

"Shut up and let me in!" she yelped.

"Go get my sleeping bag!" he said.

"You can have mine! Just let me in!" she screamed. More lightening crashed. She was going to die, and she knew it. And her biggest regret? That the only person nearby was going to be Gippal.

"No, I want mine. I've got some lovely memories in that sleeping bag," Gippal said.

"….. Ew." Gippal laughed.

"Now go get it!" he said.

"I can wait you out," she said. Actually, she couldn't. She would be on her knees begging in a few minutes.

"I have no problem just sitting here. Listening to you screaming myname," Gippal said. Rikku rolled her eyes. She was most definitely not taking him seriously when she was stuck outside, in the lightening, fearing for her life.

"You're gross."

"You asked for it," Gippal said. "You shouldn't have thrown my sleeping bag out." She didn't say anything. "The sooner you go and get it, the sooner your can come back in here. With me." Rikku sighed in aggravation and let go of the zipper, standing up. "I knew you'd see my side. I'll be waiting impatiently."

"Crid ib, cdibet," she said. (Shut up, stupid.)

"Ooooh, here come the insults," Gippal said. She rolled her eyes and was about to take a step, but the sky had other plans. She saw the lightening hit the ground a few meters in front of her, and she yelped and danced from foot to foot. She then knelt down at the zipper.

"I'll give you a kiss if you let me in," she said.

"You would have kissed me anyway," Gippal said arrogantly.

"That is so not-."

"It's so true," Gippal said in a girlish voice.

"I'll have you know that when I got back to my tent yesterday, I decided I was not going to kiss you ever again," Rikku said. She closed her eyes immediately. She had been hoping she wasn't going to open that can of worms ever with Gippal.

"Why not?" Gippal asked.

"Because I decided that I don't actually like you," she said. "I just miss Nere so much that I'm using you as a replacement." Gippal didn't say anything. "And it's just weird. You're like my brother, y'know?" He still didn't say anything. "So… we're friends?"

"…" She was afraid he wasn't going to answer. "Yeah. We're friends." He actually sounded like he meant it. Rikku's eyebrows went up in surprise. Could Gippal handle being rejected by anyone? "But you still have to go find my sleeping bag." Rikku sighed and looked out at the storm. She saw his sleeping bag latched to a lightening tower, and she took a deep breath, then screamed a battle cry. She ran out at the tower, and she heard the tent zip open. Gippal was going to watch. She kept screaming anyway, even though it developed from a battle cry to a 'holy Spira, I'm going to die' scream. She grabbed the sleeping bag and stood under the tower for a second. Gippal gave her a thumbs up, and she ran back to the tent, throwing the sleeping bag at him and diving into the tent. He rolled on to his back, cackling, as she tried to catch her breath.

"You… are so… mean," she said.

"But you didn't get hit by lightening," Gippal said. "You're alive." She stared at him in shock.

"Yeah… well…" she snuggled up into her sleeping bag. "Night."

"It's only… 5," Gippal said.

"I'm tired," she said. "And I get to leave tomorrow. If I sleep until then, then…" She didn't finish her sentence. She was furious with him. He had barricaded her out of her own tent. And now, he was telling her when she could and couldn't sleep? Who does he think he is? She huffed in her sleeping bag, then yelped as it was unzipped. Her wet clothes were hit by the chill of the tent until Gippal slipped in, making it warmer than ever, and re-zipped it. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"My sleeping bag is all wet," he said cuddling into her.

"So I just went and got it… for nothing?" she asked.

"Well… now you're covered in mud," Gippal said.

"Thanks. Thanks so much." Rikku wiped some mud caked to her face. It just spread it around mostly.

"Don't try to blame this on me!" Gippal said. "It's your fault for throwing it out into the storm."

"It's your fault for trying to move in here."

"It's your fault for making me care enough about you to want to make sure you're okay," Gippal said. The clockwork in Rikku's brain turned quickly, searching for a good response.

"It's your fault for trying to coach Brother on his aim," Rikku said. It was a commonly known fact that Rikku's fear was not entirely on Brother's shoulders. At least… it was commonly known to her. She just repressed the memory mostly, so she didn't hold it against him. Much. Gippal had only been trying to help, anyway. However, with his one eye, he was a bit lacking in aim. And Brother should have known better than to take his advice on this. Nevertheless… That thunder spell had gone horribly awry.

"I'm sorry, okay?" he asked.

"I know you're sorry," she said, rolling and turning away from him. "And I forgive you." Gippal took a piece of her hair and looped it around his finger. She shivered. "But still… I'm out here."

"And you're doing fine," Gippal told her. She turned to him.

"You're really bipolar, you know that?" she asked him. He shrugged.

"It happens," he said. He shimmied out of her sleeping bag then, and it was significantly colder in it. He unrolled his own sleeping bag and smiled at her before getting into it. She almost wanted to invite him back into it. But then again, she didn't. "Gross… this smells like a wet Chocobo." Rikku started to giggle uncontrollably. "It wasn't that funny." Gippal stared at her until he started laughing too. He died out before her and turned the lamp off, snuggling into his –soaking wet- sleeping bag. Rikku continued to laugh, unable to stop now. But they just came in short spurts until she laughed herself to sleep.

She woke up about an hour later. She heard Gippal's slow breathing and knew that he was asleep. So, she just laid there. Then, she sighed and stood up. She carefully stepped over Gippal and unzipped the tent. A hand gripped her ankle.

"Where you goin'?" he asked sleepily.

"I'm just going out for a minute," she said.

"But… storm?"

"I have to pee," she said dully. He let go of her ankle and by all appearances fell asleep again. She stepped out into the icy rain and crouched there for a second as she quietly re-zipped the tent flaps. She heard lightening, and it made her heartbeat skip a few times, but… she couldn't run away. Because there was no impulse. No fear. She had no idea what had happened, but suddenly, something switched in her mind. And she wasn't scared.

She walked out into the storm and stood under a tower. She stared at a puddle with confusion written across her face. There was no way she could just… not be afraid anymore, right? There had to be a reason.

Was it the staying there for a week? She shook her head. There had been no progress until that day. So what was it? Lightening flashed, and for once, she appreciated it. She appreciated how, no matter how dark it was out there, when there was lightening, she could see everything. For miles. Her mouth dropped open, and she got the feeling like she just wanted to run. She ran out a few meters, then stopped.

"Rikku!" Gippal yelled. She turned and looked at him as he ran out to her. His hand locker around her arm and he pulled her away from the middle of the field. Lightening was striking all around them, and she started to giggle. She wasn't afraid. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Gippal asked.

"I'm not scared anymore, Gippal!" she said. He frowned.

"What?" he asked.

"And… I think it's because I forgave you for hitting me with the lightening. Or, helping to hit me."

"Cid's Girl, that's not-."

"No, I know it sounds stupid, but I think it's the truth! I really think that now that I've forgiven you, I've made my peace with it, and it's just gone!"

"I think you just got used to it," Gippal said. Rikku suddenly hugged him, and he hugged her awkwardly. Rikku rolled her eyes. Apparently, Gippal was kissed more than he was hugged. But he rested his cheek on top of her head and she smiled. He then took her wrist and pulled her back to the tent roughly. "'I have to pee' my ass," he grumbled. But she could still hear. And she laughed brightly again. All she wanted to do now was go home and tell her dad that she would see him at the next assignment. And maybe take a walk in the sunshine.

Liked it? Probably wasn't worth the wait. T_T Again, I'm sorry. I am determined to finish this. I will finish it within the next month! I love you all sooooo much! Review to let me know that I'm not entertaining an empty house? =D Did I mention how much I love you all? I love you. xD

P.S. I had to reread my own story to remember what happened. xD Isn't that sad?