Author's Note-- I sped it up a bit. It has been two weeks, and Rikku is still nowhere to be found. In case you guys didn't catch who her secret kidnapper was, it was Gippal. The over jealous Gippal. Now, enjoy the chapter! I do not own any of the characters; Square Enix does.

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Two weeks had passed. Two weeks. And still no sign of Rikku. Vincent barely even talked anymore. Nor did he eat or sleep much. His friends were worried about him but said nothing. Tifa succeeded in comforting him...sometimes. Yuffie only became an annoyance to him, like always. Cloud just gave him company, never really knowing what to say. Cid would ramble on about how he shouldn't blame himself, cuss words included. Barret just left him alone. 'Why won't she send a sign of some sort so I can tell if she's ok?' Vincent asked himself later that night. He was laying in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He must've fell asleep without meaning to, because next thing he knew, he was back in the manor main floor on the couch, Rikku sitting across from him. 'It's a dream,' He thought. 'Definitely a dream.' But it wasn't a dream. It was a flash back.

--The dream/flashback--

"Sing to me, Rikku." Vincent said.

"Why? Wouldn't you rather hear Yuna sing?" She retorted, obviously tired. The gunslinger just shook his head.

"No. I want to hear you sing."

A seemingly long silence. He heard Rikku sigh before her next words. "Alright. Every song has a reason to them. So once I'm done, you have to tell me that reason why I chose to sing it, 'kay?" Vincent nodded. Rikku paused before singing. "If you be my star, I'll be your sky. You can hide underneath me and come out at night. When I turn jet black and you show off your light. I live to let you shine. I live to let you shine. And you can sky-rocket away from me, and never come back if you find another galaxy far from here with more room to fly. Just leave me your stardust to remember you by."

She paused again, trying to remember the next words. Vincent sat there, unmoving, his eyes closed. He would've looked dead if his chest wasn't moving from his breathing. 'She'll sacrifice herself for me,' He thought. 'That's why she chose the song.' Rikku then continued singing. "If you be my boat, I'll be your sea. The depth of pure blue just to probe curiosity. Ebbing and flowing and pushed by a breeze. I live to make you free. I live to make you free…That's all I remember of it, Vince." Vincent opened his eyes and looked at her, crimson meeting green swirls. "You'd sacrifice yourself for me, that's why you sang the song. I can't help but to wonder, Rikku, why?"

"Because…" Her voice trailed off into a yawn. "Look, Vin, I'm tired. Can I answer your question tomorrow?"

--End of dream/flashback—

Vincent woke up and looked around. He was still in the spare bedroom in Tifa's bar. He sighed and layed back down until sleep over took him again.

--Rikku's captivity—

'I live to make you free' Those words circled around Rikku's mind many times. She had wanted to say it to a certain person, but the right time to say it never came around. She looked around her. Darkness; The only thing that surrounded her. Sometimes, Gippal would come from the darkness and tell her that she'd bear his child. Each time she said no, and he'd just stomp off back into the darkness. Today would be different, and she knew it. It had two weeks since she was there, but it felt like a year. Every minute that passed seemed to taunt her, saying, "You'll never get out. Your 'Knight in Crimson Cloak' will never come for you. You're gonna stay here forever," She wasn't tied down or anything, but she had a big metal thing on her ankle so each time she tried to escape, it'd send a electrical current through her whole body, which hurt her very much. She tried three times already, and each time was more painful than the last. She grunted and crossed her arms across her chest while sitting on the hard hospital-like bed the was under the light above her; The only light. "You can't keep me here forever, y'know!" She shouted. "You're right. I can't." Came the reply. It was Gippal's voice. She'd know his voice anywhere. His figure emerged from the darkness and he stood in front of her.

"Now, if you say yes to me today, then I'll let you free. Once you're free, you're free from me, too. Meaning that we're done and that your stuff has to be out of my house by next week, got it?"

Rikku thought for a bit. She'd regret her answer and she knew it. But all she wanted right now was to see Vincent, Tifa, Yuna, Yuffie, Cloud, Barret, Cid and even Paine again. She quietly swallowed and nodded.

--In Tifa's bar—

Tifa cleaned the counter while Yuffie sat on one of the stools to the bar. Yuffie was talking non-stop, but Tifa didn't mind.

"Do you think Vincent would worry this much about me if I was gone for two weeks without a trace?" Yuffie asked. Tifa shrugged. "He hasn't eaten, slept or talked while she's been gone," Yuffie continued. "What makes her so special that he has to not eat, sleep or talk since her absence?"

"Well, she's the only one he's opened up to." Tifa said.

"He'll open up to me one of these days."

"She never backs down from his death glare, all she does is just giggle whenever she sees his death glare."

"I can resist his death glare, too." Tifa raised an eyebrow. "C'mon. Give me the best imitation of it as you can." Tifa did Vincent's death glare as best as she could. Yuffie shrank away then crossed her arms. "Okay, so maybe I can't…,"

"I think I see the green monster of jealousy coming out of hiding," Tifa said in a sing-song voice. Vincent quietly came downstairs, heading for the door without disturbing the two.

"Alright, alright. I'll admit it. I'm in love with Vincent Valentine! Happy now, Tifa?" Yuffie kept her arms crossed, looking at the brunette. Vincent froze as his name was said. Tifa looked at Vincent as if he where a ghost. Yuffie blinked.

"Tifa, why do you look like you've just seen a ghost…?" No answer from Tifa. "…Vincent's behind me, isn't he?" Tifa nodded and Yuffie turned around, a blush creeping onto her cheeks. Vincent said nothing, but his suprisement showed on his face. Yuffie lowered her head, muttered a soft 'sorry' and went upstairs. "She'll be fine," Tifa said. Vincent nodded and walked out of the bar, heading to Nibelhiem Mountains.

--Out of captivity; Rikku—

"You're free."

Rikku quickly changed back into her clothes and walked to the now lighted exit. The metal collar had been taken off of her ankle, so she was free to go. She grabbed her bag and hurriedly went out of the place before Gippal changed his mind. "Tell me if you're pregnant or not when you find out!" Gippal shouted after her. She did not reply but just kept on her way to the exit. She opened the door, blocking her eyes from the sunlight as she stepped out side. Sunlight. It felt so good to finally feel it on her skin again. She then looked around. She was in Nibelhiem. She knew because she'd been here before on one of her travels. She stretched her arms above her head then stretched her back. Her back hurt, though. Gippal abused her again with the same whip, only this time it had had a hook on the end. She also had a sprained ankle from trying to run away from Gippal the day he kidnapped her. She tripped and fell, spraining her ankle that day. It still hurt like hell, but, hey, she was glad to be free. She walked to a man passing by and asked him if he'd seen a man in a red cloak come by. The man said yes and that when he saw him, he was heading to Nibelhiem Mountains. She thanked the man and, despite her sprained ankle, ran towards the Mountains. Many people stopped her and offered to take her in and cure the lined wounds on her back. She just shook her head and said that she was fine and then continued on her way. Once in the mountains, she came to a fork in the road. She didn't know which way to go. She kneeled and inspected the ground for footprints. Sure enough, there were pointed boot footprints leading to the left. She followed them and found Vincent standing on the edge of the cliff. She set her bag down and walked up behind Vincent, wrapping her arms around his stomach. "I live to make you free…," Her voice was barely above a whisper. Vincent's eyes widened as he recognized the voice. "Remember, Vince? When I sang to you that one night in the manor? I told you to tell me the reason behind the song that I sang...," Vincent relaxed a bit as the memory came back to him. "Yes, I do remember." He answered. "I said that the reason why you sang it was because you'd sacrifice yourself for me."

"Then you asked why..," She continued.

"And you never answered." He finished then turned around and hugged her tightly. A small cry of pain came from her and he released her. He turned her around and looked at the scars across her back, very gently tracing them with his human fingers. "The whip had a hook this time…," Rikku nodded. He then caught a glimpse of her swollen ankle. "Sprained ankle, too, huh?" She nodded again. Vincent picked her up, bridal style, and headed back to Shinra Manor. "Wait!" She said. He stopped and looked down at her. "My bag." She pointed next to a rock where her bag was sitting. Vincent went over and picked it up, laying on her stomach for her. She held her bag closely to her and rested her head on his arm, soon falling asleep.