Quality Time: Chapter Nineteen
A Woman's Intuition
By PrettyGothGirl
Summary: Cid contrives to have Rikku and Gippal spend some quality time together. Chapter 19: Gippal discovers the location of some of the hovers, he has a hunch and decides to check it out himself. Rikku worries.
A/N: I'm taking requests. So, this was the chapter I was stuck on for about six months, I finally said the hell with it recently and this is what it is. R/G Best of 2008 Nominations are still going. Check it out and help us out!

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Rikku put her hands on her hips and looked around.

"Positively sure, before you ask." Gippal frowned.

Rikku looked around again. "This is the Moonflow and I don't see any hovers." The amount of hovers that Yoorvin's gang had been taking would be an obvious group on the riverbank. One hover would be obvious on the riverbank. The shoopuf was still the most reliable transportation across the river.

"You aren't looking in the right place." Gippal slid his arms around her waist and put his head on top of hers. "Look down."

"Down is the ground and the water." She leaned into him, wiggling to get comfortable.

"Exactly."

"Are you being vague to be annoying? Just tell me already."

He grinned. "They're under the water." He let her go, sliding his hands along her skin. She sighed, her eyes closing. He stepped away from her and began to pull his shirt over his head.

She turned, her mouth open to say something about letting her go. The hem of his shirt caught on his chest. She snapped her mouth shut. Damn it, he had way too many muscles that needed to be touched. She ran her eyes down his abs and licked her lips. She shook her head quickly. The shirt kept moving upwards again. "Not that I mind you stripping, but why are you stripping?"

He pulled it over his head, dropped the shirt to the ground and adjusted his eye patch. "I'm going to check the dump site out and you're going to stand guard."

She was going to what? She was not a puppy. Her eyes narrowed and she poked his chest. "Hey, I'm the blitzball player, not you. I can go check it out and you can stand guard."

He grabbed her hand and pressed it against his chest. "Too late, already decided."

"Decided by who? You?"

He smirked. "Yeah me. I have a hunch and I want to check it out."

"Then tell me and I'll check it out." She flattened her hand. His heart pulsed under his muscles and bones. It was a strong heart. One she liked and one she wanted to keep beating. Her stomach tightened, something didn't feel right about this.

"If I'm in there longer than five minutes, I want you to come get me." He tilted his head to the side. She opened her mouth and he pressed a finger onto it. "No arguments. I'm the leader remember."

She closed her mouth and scowled. It was almost as an afterthought that she kissed his finger. "Fine."

"Fine?"

"Five minutes." She narrowed her eyes. "No more."

He grinned and waded into the water, disappearing completely once he reached the edge of the shelf.

She bit her lip. There really was no point for her to be standing guard on the shore. In fact, it would look rather silly for her to be standing around. She kicked the dirt. Why did he have to be so vague, annoying and bossy anyways? Telling her to stay out of danger wasn't the type of bossy she appreciated. Okay, if somebody came around, say like the gang who had hidden the hovers here in the first place, it would be rather dangerous. However many against one odds and all, the safest course would be for her to run away. Preferably running away into the water so she could warn Gippal and not leave him in a lurch.

She started to pace. How long had it been?

She needed to distract herself and try not to think about the fact that Gippal was under the water possibly running out of air. Damn it. She played blitzball. She was used to five-minute half times. She could hold her breath for ten minutes if she had too. He was not qualified to do this and why couldn't he just stand aside and let her work?

How long had it been again? This was the longest five minutes of her life. What was going on down there?

She really needed a topic change. She glanced at the water again. He'd touched her in public. She grinned. It hadn't been a big touch, but it hadn't been him pushing her around either. This definitely needed to be encouraged, given positive enforcement, rewarded. It was small step in the right direction and she wanted him to know she welcomed it. She just wasn't sure how. She started to gnaw on her lip again.

She hadn't been lying to him when she said she wasn't very good at being girl, but she was a girl and he was just going to have to deal with it. She groaned and rubbed her forehead. Now would be once again the time to have someone to talk to about all this. If only Yuna wasn't as clueless as she was and so damn attached to Tidus that she didn't need to tell him what she wanted. And Paine was always Paine, no help whatsoever. Did the girl even have a sex drive? Maybe Tidus would know what to do. She paused and shook her head. And then he wouldn't be able to keep his mouth shut. She was on her own. She swallowed hard. She didn't want to be on her own with this. Life would be so much easier if Gippal would just take what she knew he had to want. He touched her and kissed her enough in private and around strangers.

Oh for fuck's sake, this wasn't helping her anxiety at all. Had it been five minutes yet?

She no longer cared. She stalked into the water. Gippal could deal with her be a few minutes early. Not that she could remember the exact time he went into the water anyways.

It took a few minutes for her too see him through the light refracting in the water. He floated, leg hooked under a hover skid, eyes closed. Her heart stopped. Had she waited too long? Her heart started again, pounding in her ears as she clawed towards him not caring about the extra oxygen she was using. She had to get to him, before it was too late. She'd known something like this was going to happen. She'd known. When they got back to the surface, she was going to scold him, then hug him, lecture him, then kiss him and so on. Why couldn't he just trust her skills and abilities for once? She grabbed his face, smashed her lips to his before trying to pry them apart with her tongue. They separated and she blew in a good lungful of air. Was it enough? Would it work? Her heart raced as fast her mind. Was she too late? She didn't know what else to do!

He stirred, eyes opening. She went limp in relief. She wanted to sigh or wrap her arms around him and kiss him silly. They didn't have time for that. The little bit of air she had given him would last only so long. She swam downwards, keeping a hand on his body the entire time and tugged his foot loose. It hadn't been badly caught and then she pushed him up towards the surface.

She followed, kicking strongly until she caught up with him. They broke the surface together. She shook water from her ears and turned to face him.

He burst out laughing. "Yo- you're face."

Her jaw dropped and her stopped again for another crucial moment and then felt like it sank to the bottom of the river. He'd been faking. She'd been so scared she was going to lose him just as things were beginning to right and it was all a lie. Her blood pounded through her veins. She snapped her mouth shut and started to swim to shore. He was playing with her, again.

His laughter died off. "Rikku?"

Good, at least the jerk realized something was wrong this time. "I'm going home." She said. The words were as tight as her throat.

He didn't say anything, like there was anything he could say. It was a vindictive thought. Sorry wasn't going to cut it this time. She reached the shallows and strode out. She walked away as fast as she could. He might have longer legs but she would always be quicker.

She didn't say goodbye and she didn't look back.

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