Chapter 20

Ok let's review shall we? I was cold and alone, and let's not forget scared out of my mind, both for myself and my baby, in a dark, damp cave like place that was oddly familiar and for the life of me I couldn't figure out where I was.

And of course let's not forget the cold maniacal laugh I heard not moments before.

"Show yourself!" I shouted, my fear momentarily forgotten.

The figure stepped out of the shadows, laughing.

My eyes widened in shock as I gasped, "You! I knew it. You lying son of a bitch, it was you all along."

"My, my. What colorful language for a princess and heir to the Al Bhed throne."

"Oh spare me your noble thoughts you sick bastard. It was you; you did kill all of those people."

"On the contrary princess. I have never killed anyone in my life. . . Yet." Dravidian smirked, brandishing a gun.

"Oh well, excuse me for not believing you, but I don't tend to believe people who hold me at gunpoint." I was sitting up straight, or as straight as a person can be when tied to a stone column, glaring at the person I have the misfortune of calling family.

"True, I suppose that the situation does seem a bit misleading. But make no mistake princess. I haven't killed anyone. You will be my first and only victim, and by the time you body is found, hmm if it's ever found, the evidence will be far too old to process, and there would be no way to prove it was me." He shrugged as if to say 'oh well sucks for you'. It was as if he had no compassion. He talked about murder as if it was the weather.

I still didn't believe him about not killing anyone, but I couldn't dwell on that fact I had to try something. I had to try to reason with him. It wasn't just my life on the line anymore, it was my child's too, and I'd be damned if it let anything happen to it.

I was silent for a moment, contemplating my next words carefully. "Maybe, but could you really do it? Killing me is one thing. But killing an innocent unborn baby is another."

"Any child born to parents such as you and Gippal can not be called innocent." He said, eyes hardening.

"Then how can you call yourself innocent? I mean considering the way you were conceived. You claim that the sins of the parents are transferred to the child, well then you're one to talk." I was frustrated, and angry. There seemed to be no reasoning with him, I was so scared. The only thing I could hear was the pounding of my heart, and his voice, my own sounded hollow to my ears. I was trying to think of a way out, but my mind was still foggy, the effects of the sleeping powder not fully worn off.

"I never claimed to be innocent, just not guilty."

"Fine, but tell me, what sins have Gippal and I committed that would transfer to our baby? We have done nothing wrong. We both have saved the world. So pray tell, what sins do Gippal and I posses that would taint our child?" I sat there with a haughty expression on my face, eyebrow raised, head held up high, trying so desperately to mask the fear that was ever present.

"You and your family are the reason I'm like this. I'm sure you know that I was a sickly child, and as such had to move to the main land of Spira with my mother to get the medical attention that I needed. The trauma of never knowing my father, never fitting in anywhere because of what I was, and then finding out that Cid had another family, his acknowledged family, made me feel that I wasn't worth anything, that I was a failure, something not even my father could love, put me into a poor state of mental health."

"That doesn't give you an excuse for killing people! We've all lost people we love and have had to go through some horrible things during the time of Sin. I lost my mother when I was very young. I never had her to teach me the things mothers are supposed to teach their little girls, and my father, he abandoned me for two years after Sin's defeat. I help get rid of Sin, and he abandons me."

He continued as if he didn't hear me. "And then, when I had finally just recovered, had just come to terms with everything, even starting my own chain of restaurants, starting my life over again, after. . ." He looked away for a moment as if remembering some far off memory. "Well that's not important anymore. Then the bombings started, and you come along sniffing you nose where it doesn't belong, because you have to go and play hero every chance you get, and it just resurfaced old memories, all of the anger and hatred for Cid came back, just as strong as they used to be."

"Gippal doesn't even know his parents. He was raised by all of the Al Bhed. Do you know how impersonal that it is? To not have one single person you are closer to than others, to not have parents always there to love you and dote on you? And what about Yunie? She's half Al Bhed, and orphaned. You don't see here running around killing innocent people. Instead she tried to kill herself to save the rest of us."

I could tell he really didn't like me interrupting him. He was getting anxious , like he really wanted to get on with this and put it past him. He was pacing back and forth waving the gun around as if it was nothing. Spira I had to find a way out of this. I could not die this way. I've saved Spira twice! There was no way I was going to die at the hands of a psycho. Come on Rikku think. There has to be some way out of this.

He continued on, like saying all of this, all of what happened to him was the most important thing right now. "I eventually realized that I was reverting back to my poor mental state and as such decided to check my self into a hospital. I decided to go to the one on Bikanel, hoping that maybe I could also have a talk with Cid, maybe at last straighten things out, after all that was what my therapist suggested I do."

I shifted, positions not really paying attention to what he was saying anymore, trying to figure out some way out of this, when I felt the rope that was binding my hands shift slightly. I tried not to let my emotions show through, I was excited, if I could loosen these ropes enough I could get my hands out and try to escape.

"Though when I got there something just outside of Home attacked me. Not long after, you came charging into my room already convinced I was the culprit before you had a chance to hear my side of the story. Your anger is what made me realize what I had to do. I had to get rid of you, hurt Cid almost as much as he hurt me. See I know the pain of losing a child and so I knew that, that would be adequate revenge. I knew Cid and I would probably never be a real family so I had nothing to lose."

That stopped me. Dravidian knew the pain of losing a child? He had a family? I growled to myself. Pops was keeping more things secret than he let on. That explains his rush for grandchildren I suppose. I filed this piece of information away, hoping to use it as plan B if push came to shove.

He noticed my look of surprise and smirked but the emotion never reached his eyes. "You seem surprised Princess. Yes I had a family, and yes it was destroyed, I lost everything that was important."

He paused for a second, forehead creased in some painfully memory.

"Now nothing matters to me and I will probably never return to a healthy state of mind, but I can't see any other way out. You and your baby would be a constant reminder of what I lost. Actually your whole family is a constant reminder but that would be over kill, don't you think?"

"Look, Dravidian, I agree what our father, Layla, and my mother did was not the best choice. You should have had the chance to grow up with your father, but they were young, and didn't know what to do. They thought they were doing what was best for you. But that's not my fault, and all of the evidence pointed to you. What did you expect me to do? Turn the other cheek because you're my brother? I can't do that. I don't like the thought of it, but people have been killed. I would convict vydran if I thought he was behind it. But you're right I could have handled it differently, I shouldn't have gone charging in like I did, and for that I'm sorry. But I was worried for my baby Dravidian, I wasn't thinking clearly. All I want is to see my child born into a safe world, and to raise it and watch it grow up with Gippal at my side. Do you think I want this? A life where I constantly have to look over my shoulder in fear, a fear not just for myself but for my baby as well?" I realized that I was crying and couldn't stop. All of the feelings that I had been trying to repress came out. All of the hurt, anger and confusion, and the sense of betrayal all stung and I felt like I couldn't breath, I tried keeping it cool, but I just wasn't working. My hormones were working against me and there was nothing I could do.

I could see that my emotions were getting to him. "Please Dravidian, let me go." I whispered.

I could se him warring with his thoughts, deciding whether or not to let me go. Just when it seemed he was going to lower his gun the caves shook. He turned to me with a sharp expression. "What's going on?"

"I don't know, I swear." I tried to see through the dust and the blinding light of the explosives did nothing to reveal my place of capture. I just saw stone columns and stone walls everywhere I thought I saw other paths leading to other places but it was all too fast. I couldn't see much.

"Rikku!" I heard someone shout.

"Liar! You called backup somehow didn't you?!" He shouted pointing the gun back at me, showing no signs at all of backing down. His eyes were manic, any trace of reachable emotion was gone. There was a very good chance that he would kill me now and I could do nothing about it unless I got out of these ropes.

"No, Dravidian, I swear, I have no idea what's going on."

The dust cleared. "Rikku!" It was Gippal. He'd come to save to me.

"Gippal!"

I was dizzy with emotion. I felt like a giggling girly pre-teen again, Gippal, my husband, my hero come to save the day, and yet his timing left much to be desired. At this rate Dravidian was never going to trust me, I had just about gotten him to lower his weapon when Gippal came. I had no idea what was going to happen next. I just knew that it wasn't going to be good.

"Dravidian, put down the gun, or I swear I'll shoot," Gippal threatened, brandishing his mecha weapon.

"No I don't think I will." Dravidian mused. He waved the gun. "I have no problem with death, and anyway what's to keep you from shooting me after I lower my weapon?"

"My word."

"Hmmm, nope, sorry not good enough. Now lower your weapon before I shoot your wife."

I could see the look of indecision in Gippal's eyes. If he shot Dravidian then there was still the chance that I would get shot, and that could possibly kill the baby. Yet if he put the gun down there was still the chance of making it out alive, or he could just shoot us booth. Gippal slowly lowered he weapon to the floor and raised both hands.

Dravidian sneered and kicked the gun to the shadows and out of sight. "Now I suggest you go kneel by your wife and keep your hands where I can see them.

Gippal did as he was told. "Are you okay?" he whispered.

"Yes," I sighed, trying to figure a way to get us out of this mess.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'll tell you later."

"Rikku," he growled.

"I promise I'm fine."

"Now where were we," Dravidian started.

"You were letting us go," I tried sweetly.

"No, nice try though. Now as I was saying by the time your bodies are found, if they ever are, the evidence will be far to old to process, and this will be they only murder I ever commit. . . and probably get away with."

"Dravidian please, Gippal's arrival changes nothing. I didn't call him or any one else to come and rescue me."

"You can't honestly sit there and tell me that you didn't want, didn't hope someone would come and rescue you," he sneered.

"Well of course I did, that's human nature. It shows I have a healthy sense of self preservation, but Dravidian you're my brother."

"Half- Brother," He interrupted.

"Half is better than nothing. You're still a part of my family. I want to get to know you. I am sorry I accused you of the bombings, all of the evidence did point to you. If you let us go we can help you clear your name, find the person who framed you. Please, don't you want to know your little niece or nephew, to get to know pops? He does love you, he loves you a lot Dravidian. He didn't mean to hurt you, he was trying to protect you. He thought he was doing what was best for you."

I could see that my promise of a family was starting to get through to him. That's all he ever really wanted.

The gun lowered a bit.

"Do you promise? Vydran doesn't hate me?"

He looked and sounded so much like a lost little boy that at that moment I just wanted to reach out and hug him.

I felt Gippal stiffen next to me, holding his breath hoping my pleas would get through to him.

"Oh Dravidian, vydran could never hate you. You're his son."

"And I could get to know the baby?" The gun lowered even more.

"Of course. You could visit him or her and play with the baby anytime you like. Right Gippal?"

"Of course Ddravidian, you're family. You could visit anytime you want." Gippal said. I wasn't quite sure if he meant it, and was worried that Dravidian would feel the same. But he didn't. It worked.

The gun dropped to the floor and Dravidian fell to his knees with it.

Gippal used Dravidian's breakdown to untie me.

Kissing me quickly he said "You okay?"

"Perfect."

Dravidian was sobbing silently still on his knees not all that far from me.

Untying my ankles I walked over to him and kneeled down wrapping my arms around him. He returned the embraced while he continued sobbing into my shoulder.

"Rikku… I'm… Sorry."

"Shhh, it's okay my pnudran. No damage was done."

It's funny how one second can change everything. One second my brother is trying to kill me, the next I've accepted him as a part of my family and he's sobbing in my arms.

One second changes everything.

A/N: i am so sorry it took me this long to update, i was trying to make it the best chapter i could. That and i haven't had much time to write. So i really don't know when the next chapter will be up. I just wanna say thanks to Pretty Goth Girl for helping me edit, and thanks to everyone for sticking with me thus far.