The Side Effects of Unoriginality

I do not own FFX-2. I simply own the plot and grammatical errors.

Author's Note: There is a bit of…lemon? Fluff? I don't know. All I know is that it wasn't supposed to be here, but I couldn't help myself. It's marked, so those with sensitive eyes can avoid it, if necessary. I think that's the only business I need to remind you of. So, uhm, read on!

Chapter 13: Test Run II

The ride back to Djose wasn't the nicest, but it was comfortable and dry, at least. I limped aboard the ship while leaning on Gippal's shoulder. Rosemary and Cid followed behind us, Dezba carrying Turrang behind them. The other crewmates were carted on cloth stretchers; the remains of Gippal's ship attached to the main ship and strung along. Inside the tiny elevator shaft that would take us to the lower part of the ship, Rosemary, Cid, Dezba Gippal and I stood in complete silence. Even if I hadn't known Cid and even if he hadn't been my dad, I'd know what the terrible curl to his upper lip meant. I glanced quickly at Gippal to see if he sensed the disturbance in the force, too. Sure enough, he was inching away from my old man as we neared our destination.

When the elevator doors slid apart, Gippal and I took off running. This must not have been what Cid expected; he sounded, for a minute, as though he were drowning in his own anger. But, it didn't last long; he eventually got his second wind. And boy, did it blow.

"Kad ouin yccac pylg rana, oui pnydc!" Cid cried angrily, his face as red as a tomato. Gippal and I turned hesitantly on our heels, only to jump back an inch or two when we spotted my old man. "E'mm pa tyshat ev oui kad uvv fedruid cu silr yc y cmyb uh dra fnecd. Pid tuh'd kad ouin rubac ib zicd oad. E fuimth'd tnays uv kuehk dryd mekrdmo uh oui dfu." (Get your asses back here, you brats! I'll be damned if you get off without so much as a slap on the wrist. But don't get your hopes up just yet. I wouldn't dream of going that lightly on you two.)

"Muja," Rosemary cooed softly, patting his shoulders delicately as he stormed off the elevator, Dezba following behind him, only to whip around and hide behind me. I had to agree with him. Cid could be downright fiendish when he was angry.

"To hell with that," he barked angrily. Tearing away from the loving embrace of his fiancée, Cid rounded on Gippal, pointing a threatening finger at his face. "You idiot! Do you have any idea the kinda danger you put Rikku in? She could have been killed! Do you have any idea what could have happened to her?"

"Rikku's a big girl. She knows how to handle herself without you, Cid," Gippal said, shrugging just the slightest. I gaped at him. Had he lost his mind?!

"I know what the hell she is. She's my little girl, you arrogant punk! And if I ever—"

"Pops, chill out," I told him, frowning. "I'm not dead. And, Gippal did come to save me."

"That ain't the issue, Rikku," he growled, though his gaze never left Gippal's surprisingly smug face. Wait—I'm sorry, but if Cid were threatening me with that finger, I'd be trembling in my boots. How could he be so calm?

"Then what is the real issue here, Pops?" I demanded, growing slightly irritated, what with the throbbing pain in the back of my eyes and the terrible way he was treating Gippal. I'm not even gonna delve into the implications of that statement right now, so there.

"Uh—"

"Now that everyone's done yelling at one another, may I be allowed to examine my patients?" Rosemary asked softly, though anyone who knew her—and probably some that didn't—could tell that the sickly-sweet singsong tone to her voice was only there to mask the deadly sarcastic poison that would otherwise murder. "Or, Cid, honey, are you not done yelling at the boy for rescuing your daughter?"

Oh, low blow. That's the Rosemary I know. Hit 'em where it hurts!

"Well, uh…" Cid grumbled, but turned away from us. With all his hot air gone, what more could he have done?

Cid threw one more threatening glare at Gippal, which was easily deflected by his golden-boy aura, somehow. Grunting, he disappeared on the elevator, probably headed to the top floor, where all the shiny buttons were. He did better around machina when he was angry anyway. When he was gone, Rosemary sighed, though I didn't understand why. That was just Cid being regular ol' Cid. Right?

"I'm sorry about that, Rikku," she said softly, cupping my cheek tenderly. "Sometimes, fathers get like that with their only daughter. But what am I telling you this for? You should know that better than anyone could ever hope to tell you, dear."

I wanted to say something, but thought better of it. Seeing this, she nodded once and directed us to the infirmary so that she could check over our wounds. I was against it…at first. Then I remembered that horrible machina-stealin' machina. Those things can pack a wallop. I had bruises all along my back, the likes of which would make Gippal's face turn to a pale rendition of his smug grin, should he ever see it.

Inside the infirmary room, Gippal helped Turrang onto one of the cots there, where Rosemary began doing her work. She was a much better White Mage than I could ever hope to be. While she was trained to save lives, I was only educated enough to prolong death until a healer such as herself showed up on the scene. She made sure I knew how to keep myself alive long enough to do that for myself and others, should the need ever arise. If I remember correctly, she cried through most of that lesson.

"All right you two," she said, while leaning over Turrang and prodding at his body for broken bones and the likes. "Change. When I get done with him, I want to be able to work on you two."

"Wait. There's no changing room," I stammered. I had been all ready to get out of my wet clothes and into something warmer…until I noticed that. This ship wasn't made to accommodate large numbers of people, I realized. So I was in a bit of a debacle.

"And why should that make a difference to you two?" she asked quizzically. She didn't wait for me to answer, turning her attention back to an unconscious Turrang.

Sighing, as I realized there was no way to talk myself outta this one—though I wasn't sure why. Wasn't I, as a girl, supposed to be allowed to change in a different room than Gippal, a man? Since when had that changed—I reached for the bottom of my shirt and began tugging it over my head. I turned my back to Gippal, who, I assume, had done the same. Rosemary had her back to both of us and, from the unsatisfied sounds she was making, wouldn't be examining us for quite a while.

Gippal must have changed much quicker than I had. When I took my shirt off, something I had wanted to save for later, there was a stunned but definitely unnatural sound that echoed on the other side of the room. Turning, I saw Gippal glaring at the ugly bruises I knew had to make up my back. I winced at the underlying anger that was there, not for me but for whatever fiend had done this to me. I gave him a weak smile, hoping it would be enough to get him off my back. When Rosemary left to get her first-aid kit, I learned otherwise.

"What the hell were you thinking, Rikku?" he growled angrily, slamming his fist down on the cot. "Did you see what that fiend did to you?"

"Well, that's the thing—"

"This isn't the time for your antics, Rikku," he growled again, though this one was more pained. He averted his gaze from mine. "You…you could have been killed. But instead of doing what you should have, instead of taking care of yourself, you chased after some fiend. You were already beaten and bruised but that stupid pride of yours just had to get in the way, didn't it? You just couldn't let the fiend go. You had to be stupid about it, didn't you? And for what? Because it beat you? Instead of worrying about some stupid machina, you should worry about yourself—"

I had had enough of his words. How could he say that when I was out chasing down that stupid fiend for him? So what did I do? I slapped him. Hard. Hard enough for tears to sting at his one good eye and slide down his face. He rubbed the abused side of his face as I glared at him, suddenly angrier than I'd ever been before in my whole life.

"You idiot! I chased that stupid fiend because it took your stupid energy core for your stupid ship! But do I get a thank you? No! I get yelled at and called stupid for doing something that I thought was right!" I snatched a cloth-wrapped something away from Dezba's traveling case and shoved it into Gippal's stomach angrily. "I chased down that fiend, kicked its ass and got that back for you!"

I didn't wait around for him to realize that I had retrieved his energy core. I didn't wait around for him to be a sorry idiot, either. I didn't have to.

It happened so suddenly before me that if I had blinked, I'd have missed it all. Gippal's one good eye misted over before the tears streamed down his face freely. Seeing him so vulnerable made my knees shake. I rushed towards him, burying my face in his chest. I hadn't meant to make him cry. I just wanted to prove a point; that was all.

"Gippal, you idiot," I sobbed softly, trying to keep from crying and failing miserably.

"I know, kiddo," he cooed softly, nuzzling into me. "I know."

I guess Gippal was pretty surprised that I managed to rescue his precious energy core. That had to be the only reason he was looking at me the way he had been for the past few weeks. Whenever we were in the same room, his eye would go all soft and fuzzy-like. And since that was true, Cid had to be angry that I had risked life and limb for a simple energy core. But where did Rosemary fit into all of this? Sure, she was like my mother and would naturally be worried about me. But she wasn't fuming like Cid had been doing; instead, she was acting more along the lines of Gippal. She didn't understand machina all that well, Al Bhed or otherwise. So what's the deal? Even Turrang was acting fishy. I had every intention of getting to the bottom of it.

It all started after they found us in the cave. Of course, I had no real memories of what happened after I got the energy core back. Most of them were cloudy, delusional dreams. Gippal had kissed me in one of those dreams, saying that he wanted me, but wanted to respect me too. Gippal? Respect? Definitely a dream. But that left me without a single idea as to what actually happened in that cave. Four weeks had passed since then and everyone was acting stranger than usual. I tried keeping myself busy with rebuilding the ship. Since the skeleton prototype worked, we figured we could begin filling in the insides and the outsides. But after a week or two of that, I was left roaming around Djose temple, shirking on my coordinator duties for a while.

One such morning, I had a cup of something warm in my hand, walking about the temple in a blind daze in little more than my thief's outfit. I never realized how beautiful the temple was. I touched some of the walls and was surprised to find them surprisingly cold and metallic. They shimmered in the sunlight and it made me smile. To imagine that Bevelle was capable of something so beautiful was such a leap of faith that I questioned my Al Bhed identity for a moment. Regardless of who made it or where it came from, I enjoyed it, so much, in fact, that I made myself cozy at the end of a hallway, mulling over my thoughts.

Immediately, they drifted back to Gippal, who'd been smiling at me a lot more often recently. It made something inside me queasy, but in a light, fluttery sorta way. It wasn't like being sick, though my world always felt upside down whenever he looked at me like that. I usually bolted from whatever room we were in and hid myself somewhere safe until the thundering in my chest died down and I could breathe normally without getting dizzy. Of course, this meant I was running and hiding quite often during the day, which was probably why I temporarily gave up my duties. Since it was his ship, he tended to be wherever I was.

"He's such an idiot!" I suddenly sighed.

"He probably is. But you're kinda insane for talking to the walls," Turrang said with a soft smile. He came around the corner with a clipboard and that matter-of-fact look about him, which meant that whatever he wanted to talk about was more or less likely to be work-related. That's Turrang for ya, keeping us on the ball.

"Oh, you're probably right," I agreed, getting to my feet. I dusted my bottom off, finishing the brown liquid in my cup in one gulp. Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I pranced over to where he was, peering over his meticulous writing for whatever line I needed to sign on. "What's up?"

"I need you to sign this," he said, pointing to the line I was looking for. Handing me a pen, I did as he asked and smiled, turning to find another place to think. "Uhm…"

"What?"

"Well, I also need Gippal to sign this," he said slowly, refusing to look at me. He must have known I was avoiding Gippal; he was one of the more clever people here. And the guilty way he was looking only answered that question. "Take this to him and get him to sign it."

"Why do I have to do it?" I demanded at once.

"It's your job," he said with a straight face. Of course, it broke into a Gippal-like grin when he saw I had no other options or snappy comebacks. If he could master that damn grin, he'd obviously been spending way too much time with the machina man. I would have to intervene and change that before it was too late and he was a womanizing, machina-addict.

"Oh, fine!" I pouted, snatching the clipboard from his oh-too-obliging hands. Storming off, I went in search of Gippal.

Ten minutes later and I found Gippal in his room. Great. He was actually in his office, which was connected to his bedroom by a door. Pushing it open, I knocked once and made myself smile at him, trying my hardest to overcome to the urge to drop the clipboard and run. When I saw him, however, I felt a little guilty. He was buried under piles of paper work, probably applications for the sand excavation team in Bikanel. Not that he actually ever read any of the applications, but he still had to look through them, assign them to certain teams and check to see how much he could afford to pay them.

The creaking door alerted him to me presence. He peered up from behind his stack of papers and smiled softly. Ushering me in, he got to his feet, closing the door and directing me to a seat. I sat down across from him, my fingers thrumming the papers of the clipboard as I looked at anything but his expectant gaze. When he realized my plans for evasive maneuvering, he sat down next to me, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up with static shock. Being so close to him made me tremble, something I didn't know how to explain.

"T-Turrang needs you to sign these," I said, handing him the clipboard before he had a chance to say anything. "Uhm, afterwards, take them to him and everyone's happy."

I tried getting to my feet and running to the door, but for a man with one eye, Gippal was perceptive. He had beaten me to the door and was gazing at me curiously. I'd have given him the same look, if he weren't standing between me and the only exit from the room. Damn Gippal and his strategically placed doors! Frustrated, I finally met his gaze. On hindsight, that was probably a stupid idea.

All of a sudden, something thunderous came to life in my chest, pounding painfully in sync with my heart. It took everything I had not to fall to me knees from the intensity of it. My stomach was alight with what could only be described as excited pyreflies. I squirmed, but not from my insides going haywire. Looking at Gippal made me knees quake and my breathing shallow. I was dizzy and afraid of falling, a serious case of vertigo attacking my senses. I staggered…right into his awaiting arms.

"Something wrong, Cid's girl?" he asked softly, his breath brushing against my bare neck.

"N-No," I stammered.

"Then why have you been avoiding me?" he said, shifting me so that I was staring at him. I couldn't look at him for long, though. There was something undetermined in his eyes, an emotion I didn't know how to name. That scared me, so I looked down, away from him.

"I haven't been avoiding you, Gippal," I lied, trying to sound casual. "I've just been busy. What with working on the ship and—"

"Except, you've been avoiding your duties. At first, I thought it was because of what happened on the ship that it bothered you to be around it," he said, tightening his arms around my waist. "But then I noticed you'd run from places where the ship wasn't, but I was. So what is it, Rikku? Are you angry at me?"

"What are you talking about, Gippal? You're being ridiculous. Why would I be angry at you?" I laughed hysterically, my panic attack coming in moments, I could tell. Being so close to him was doing wonders to my mental sanity. And when I say wonders, I mean wonderfully horrible things that could make my brain into jelly.

"You're angry because I stopped when we were kissing in the cave, aren't you?" he whispered, this time sounding so very close to me. If he hadn't been so close, maybe I wouldn't have heard him confess to my dream, which, if I heard him correctly, wasn't really a dream. That, more than anything, bolted me out of my delusional world.

"W-What?!"

"I told you why I stopped," Gippal said, pressing his forehead to mine.

"I thought…I was dreaming…" I admitted softly, suddenly feeling as light as a feather. "All this time I was worried that I began having dreams about you because we'd been so close these past few months…"

"So that's why you were avoiding me," he said, nuzzling into my neck. I could only nod.

XxxxxxX

Gippal's lips found Rikku's in ecstatic revelation, bruising her soft, pinkish petals with his urgent need. When he found she wouldn't run from him, he eased in urgency, but increased in heady demand, crushing her body to his. He backed her into his desk, hoisting her up until she was seated in front of him. He pressed into her space until her legs opened to receive him. Staring up at him shyly, his chest swelled with pride as her bruised lips and vibrant blush seemingly intensified.

Taking her face in his palms, he kissed her softly, enjoying the feel of her lips pressed against his. A soft moan escaped between them, her body arching into his. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Rikku pulled Gippal deeper into her space, welcoming his soft, wet tongue as it snaked its way into her mouth. She suckled the new incomer, eliciting a moan from the man pressed against her body. He buried his tongue deeper into her mouth as her slid past his and into his mouth, exploring the warm crevices of uncharted territory, all while her fingers dragged along his scalp, tugging at his hair to make him closer.

Hands sliding down the front of her shirt, Gippal moved to untangle her body from the bikini top. His palm brushed against her breasts, the erect nips crying for his attention. Tracing circles around them through the fabric of the top, he turned Rikku into a moaning heap of hormones and sighs. Smiling, he let the top fall and pool in her lap. Reaching his hands up, Gippal cupped her breasts in his cold hands, her body arching into his. He sunk his teeth into her neck, her legs tightening around his waist.

"Gippal!" she moaned, tossing her head back as his body smashed against hers.

Rikku's fingers soon found the rippling muscles buried beneath his shirt and armor. As they pooled at his feet, she traced his body with her fingers, paying especially close attention to his defined stomach, causing him to shudder from her feather-light touch. She would have continued her exploration of his body, had his mouth not made contact with her right nip. Trembling with pleasure, Rikku arched into him again, her panties rubbing against the bulge in his pants. As he suckled her breast, his other hand massaged her left mound in a steady rhythm, her body rocking against his. She tightened her legs around him, her skirt hiking up far past her golden thighs, inviting his attention.

Sliding his hand down the insides of her legs, Gippal watched her face light up with pleasure. He traced her mound through the soaking fabric of her panties. Rikku buried her face in his chest, his name tumbling from her lips as he pressed against her swollen nub. Pressing two fingers against the swollen flesh, he began a circular motion all while watching her face. At first she squirmed, her legs wanting to clamp down as her orgasm threatened to come. He kept her steady, biting down on her neck as he gently pinched the swollen nub. Rikku bit her bottom lip to keep from screaming as she came undone, her orgasm nearly throwing her from the desk.

XxxxxxX

"Gippal," I said, smiling as I pulled him closer. I nuzzled into his warm body, enjoying his musky scent. He kissed me softly, offering me my abandoned bikini top.

Taking the fabric from him, I began to cover myself up, though it seemed he was happy to remain as he was. As I finished dressing, the door creaked open behind Gippal to reveal Turrang. His head was down, re-reading whatever it was he was carrying. He walked into the office and peered up, finding a half-naked Gippal and me on his desk. Cheeks brightening with embarrassment at the steep implications, he smirked softly.

"Well, I did say do whatever to make him sign it. Of course, I didn't know you'd take me so literally," Turrang teased, turning on his heel.

Gippal chuckled softly before turning back to see me pouting. He smiled, leaning over to kiss my forehead. I didn't see the humor, apparently. I was fraternizing with my boss, for machina's sake! What was I thinking? And it was Gippal, no less! I punched him in the chest lightly, paling as I realized what we had done.

"Gippal…this was a bad idea," I told him softly. If I had looked at him, I'd have come undone again. I just know it. "You're my boss, for crying out loud. I can't be in this sorta relationship with my boss. It's just not…it's a bad idea."

I slid down from the desk and quickly exited before any of what I said sank into his head. As quickly as my wobbling legs would take me, I ran back to my room. Closing the door behind me, I sank to the ground and cried. I cried because of what I had just done. I cried because of what we wouldn't do. I cried because for once, I could have been happy but…

The next six months passed by with relative silence. Everyone seemed to have noticed the growing distance between Gippal and I, but no one was bold enough to say anything about it. All of my efforts were now focused on trying to get Gippal's ship into the air. He said it would take 18 months and we'd been at work for more than half that time. For as much as we'd gotten done, I was impressed.

Several experiments had taken place since the initial test run seven or eight months ago and we were well on our way to getting Gippal his ship. It would be one of his making and would probably take the entire 18 months he promised it would. I laughed at that now, thinking of how much work he knew he'd allow for his ship. He never shirked on work and was a dedicated man once he set his goal.

With nearly eight months gone, I stared at our nearly finished model and smiled. It wasn't the piece of junk Gippal and his men had dug up all that time ago. After it was done, I could leave. I could go back to playing in the sand back in Bikanel… It was what I wanted after all…right?

As I stood staring at the nearly complete ship, I began calculating the amount of time it would actually take to finish it. What I found, I did not like. Another week or two at the most and I'd be back in Bikanel…away from Djose…away from Gippal… Sighing, I forced myself to smile, though it came out all wrong. It was a painful smile and I didn't need a mirror to tell as much. Walking back into the temple, I sulked as reality settled in.

"Look sharp, Rikku," someone said, though having spent so much time here, I knew it was Turrang. "Hey, what's with the sad face? I thought you'd be happy to be almost finished with Gippal's ship."

"I am," I lied and he must have known. He came closer to me, taking both of my shoulders as he tugged me into a hug. If it had been anyone else, I wouldn't have thought twice about it. As it were, this was Turrang we were talking about. He wasn't the type to hug. "T-Turrang?"

"You look like you need it," he said softly. "Even Ms. Sunshine needs something to smile about."

Never had more mysterious words been spoken to me. Then again, he had seen Gippal and I together and then suddenly we weren't. He was clever enough to put two and two together, I'm sure. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out what had likely happened. I just wondered if Gippal knew. He never talked to me again after I ran out on him the way I did. I suppose I wouldn't have too much to say to me either if I'd been so cold.

Just as I began thinking of him, still caught up in Turrang's arms, I felt the tears pinch at my eyes. Try as I might to stop them, I couldn't. I let them fall freely as I sunk deeper into the man's arms, thankful that he had been bold enough to stop my madness.

"Thank you," I said softly, pulling away from him. I wiped my eyes and gave him a true, genuine smile.

"Now there's the Rikku we all know and love," he teased playfully. Patting me on the head, he went towards the exit. "Oh. Gippal wants to do another test run today. You have to be present to pilot it."

"All right."

Later that afternoon, we found ourselves somewhere in the Calm Lands. Rosemary and Cid, who came back to visit, were also there, watching nervously as we began getting things underway. I sat in the pilot's seat nervously, my fingers thrumming against my knees as I waited. The command center for the ship was relatively small. There was me in the pilot's seat right in the middle, Turrang seated to my left in the navigator's chair and then there was Gippal in the captain's chair, doing nothing as always. Of course, I avoided making eye contact with him, though I felt his eye drilling into my back, willing me to look at him.

"Nothing but clear skies," Turrang said after a quick analysis. He turned to me and nodded.

"Right."

Tightening my grip on the steering mechanisms, I took a deep breath and moved the ship forward, into the air. It shuddered but eventually evened out. Regardless, I could feel everyone's held breaths. We hadn't gotten far enough last time to see how well she maneuvered in the sky. Today we hoped to change that.

Guiding the ship forward, I kept my attention between the skies above us and what was directly in front of us. Pushing a few buttons, we gained momentum and altitude, rising higher into the clear skies. Far beneath us were the cheering members of the Machine Faction and my parents. I smiled as we soared through the sky smoothly, listening to the internal humming of Gippal's beautiful ship. She seemed as relieved as we were of her working condition.

"This is amazing," Gippal said from behind me. "It really flies. Well done, team. I guess that means you can get back to the desert now, Rikku. I'm sure you missed it out there."

I didn't say anything; I kept my eyes on the sky before me. I slowly urged her back towards the ground, turning so that we would be near those we left on the ground. While there was still more work to be done on the ship, all of it could be done with the hands of Gippal's men. I was no longer necessary. Only eight months had passed and his need for me was already gone. I don't why I felt so upset. I should have been happy to return to the desert. But I couldn't bring myself to believe that; it was a lie.

When the ship touched back down, everyone filed out of the door. I remained where I was, making sure I turned off everything. Once I was sure everyone had left, I slumped in my seat, staring out the window. Was it so hard to believe that in a few day's time I'd be heading back to Bikanel? It was what I wanted…right? I didn't want to think about that just yet. I wasn't ready to look at my life in long terms.

Opting for a different view, I took the elevator to the ship's helm. Unfortunately, I wasn't alone in my thinking. Standing atop the massive ship was Gippal, his arms crossed over his chest as he stated out across the large plain of grass and rock. I approached him slowly, not sure of what to say around him anymore. Six months of not talking to someone can do that to you. Whatever the case, he seemed to know I was there. He didn't jump when I came to stand beside him.

"You're still here, huh?" Gippal asked, still staring at the white, fluffy clouds as they traveled above us at a sluggish pace.

"…Yeah," I said slowly, trying my best not to be so antsy around him. Try as I might, some part of me or another was in motion. If it wasn't my tapping feet, it was jittery fingers. Even my hair was in civil disarray and wouldn't remain still for the life of me or lack of wind.

"Odd. I thought you'd have taken the first ship back to your beloved sand already," he said, slightly colder than usual. "Aren't you in a rush to get back to Bikanel?"

"Not…really," I admitted shyly. I stared down at my feet, my hands fidgeting nervously at my sides. "I thought maybe I'd stay here for a while. You know, help out or something…"

"I see," he said, turning on his heel. He walked past me, but stopped before he reached the elevator shaft. "I've decided on a name for the ship."

"What are you gonna name it?" I asked, turning to stare at him.

"Rikku."

Author's Note: Well? How'd you like it? Oh, I've got an idea! You can tell me how much you liked (or disliked) it in a review! Isn't that a wonderful idea? On a more relative note, I decided to put the fluffy business in 3rd person POV. It's much easier methinks.

It would mean the world to me if you would review and give me your honest opinion. Thank you.