Chapter 3: Bikanel

Rikku made sure that taking on Eden's form was a clandestine operation under the cover of night. Since she wanted to avoid being sighted by Paine and the rest of the Guardians, she stuck dutifully to the west coast of the Wilderia continent, well away from Mount Gagazet. It was a lengthy detour, and taking the long way around the Calm Lands left her with idle time to contemplate her next destination. Though meeting Braska again had given her a clear goal, it also made her realize just how much agony she'd put him through during his Pilgrimage. Paine's teasing remarks, in hindsight, left her deeply unsettled.

"Too chicken to ask Gippal yourself?"

She couldn't help but wonder if she was repeating history by avoiding contact with Gippal. Besides, the news Paine had told her of the Restorationists was also concerning. Besaid's isolation offered a welcome respite from the politics and social obligations of the mainland, but it also kept her completely ignorant about developments that apparently everyone else in the world was hyper-aware of and concerned her intimately.

Being a part of the Pollendina family wasn't something she could ignore… and Gippal wasn't someone she wanted to ignore, either. He'd certainly know what was going on if he was butting heads with Berrik, and he deserved to know how she felt about it… and him, as well. After a moment of waffling, she turned and steered her course towards Bikanel Island instead.

Dawn was breaking over the desert when she landed; it was much too dangerous to approach the Machine Faction's excavation headquarters from above in the morning light. While larger airships like the Fahrenheit were still a rarity in Spira, Bikanel was the one place where the Al Bhed were most likely to notice and spot her if she arrived from the sky. So, after some consideration, she touched down at the edge of the Cactaur Nation. The cactaurs were ancient and eccentric enough to keep the nature of her arrival to themselves, and the light sandstorm whipping around their village made for good cover. She paid Marnela's tiny reborn cactus form a visit and was secretly relieved that Benzo, the Al Bhed interpreter, was nowhere to be found.

Fighting her way towards the edge of the whipping winds, she donned her traveling outfit. Carefully she fitted her goggles over her eyes and wrapped a light scarf around her head to block out the scorching heat of the sun. Then, with a deep breath, she pushed out of the storm and began the familiar, arduous trek over the rolling sands under the clear blue sky.

The sun beat down mercilessly, painting wavering mirages over the sands, and it wasn't long before Rikku missed the coolness of the cactaur valley, gritty sandstorms notwithstanding. Though she made good time across the dunes, when the sun began to peak in the sky she slowed down, searching for shelter. A rocky outcropping offered just enough shade for her to take a pause and sip at her water. Settling against the warm sands, she inventoried her pouches, counting her grenades and dark gems. While the Al Bhed had reestablished regular machina patrols to keep the desert safe, nothing could truly tame the harsh wilderness of Bikanel. Zus and sandworms still crossed over and under the rolling landscape, waiting to capture unwary travelers in their jaws.

When she was satisfied with her defenses, Rikku leaned back and let herself doze; it was the hottest part of the day, and she wasn't foolish enough to attempt crossing the desert on her own. She watched the flickering heat create mirages that formed and dissolved endlessly, witnessing visions that she knew couldn't possibly exist.

A younger Auron and Braska caught her eye, struggling through the sands. Braska fell first, and Auron scrambled to pick him up, hauling the other man onto his back. They continued for a while, before even Auron sank to his knees, overcome by the heat. They lay there for some time, helpless, before a young Al Bhed woman rose from the sands, approaching them. She lifted her goggles, revealing a face that bore a striking resemblance to Rikku's own. Rikku recognized the other woman's outfit; she'd worn it before. It was her aunt, Braska's future wife. Raenn put her hands on her hips and shook her head, rolling her eyes, and then sank to one knee beside them.

The three figures disappeared and were replaced by a splash of red and gold. This time it was Auron, much older now, and accompanied by Tidus. Behind them, Kimahri followed carrying Lulu in his arms, two vivid splashes of dark color against the incandescent sands. The four of them crested the hill together, and then Tidus stopped. He jumped up and down, waving his hands, and raced ahead of the others over a sand dune. Rikku knew he'd find a younger version of her waiting at the bottom.

The winds blew again and they vanished, replaced by a scrap of a girl sprawled in the sand with binoculars in hand. The girl dropped the equipment to bury her face into the crook of her elbow, her shoulders shaking. A larger figure kneeled beside her, frowning fiercely into the distance, then looked at the prone girl with a gentle, conflicted gaze. Her brother, Keyakku, helped her younger self to her feet and dragged her away from her perch where she'd spied on Gippal and Nhadala.

Shutting her eyes, Rikku let herself drift. When she opened them again, she watched explosions flicker over the horizon, followed by an enormous plume of dust: the final end of their first Home, and also the grave of far too many Guado soldiers who'd blindly followed Seymour into his bloody war. The cloud of dust puffed higher and higher into the sky, darkening the endless blue and masking the burning sun.

"Enough," Rikku murmured, rolling onto her knees and scrambling to her feet. That last view of the sky was no illusion; twilight was descending, and the oppressive heat of the day had finally broken enough to permit for travel again. Taking one last long sip of water, she set out into the golden sands once more.

Activity picked up around her as she hiked her way in towards the excavation camp; besides the usual motley assortment of gravity bikes, sand sailors, and cross-country transports whizzing by, there was a familiar red airship parked prominently in the sky over the permanent headquarters. "Huh," Rikku muttered, adjusting her goggles. "Guess it's time for a family reunion."

She broke into a jog, waving at the scattered groups of Al Bhed working on machina around the outskirts of the camp. A few ignored her, but some waved back. And even more did a double-take when they recognized her. She noticed several figures go running towards the main building – Gippal had long replaced the tents with something more permanent – but was greeted not by the leader of the Machine Faction first, but a rather familiar-looking tattooed figure racing to meet her.

"Brother! What are you doing here?" she called out. And then wheezed as he hit her with the force of a professional blitzball player harboring all of her speed but double her mass. "Whoa! Hey! Lemmie go, you lunatic!"

After spinning her around once, Brother planted her on her feet and grabbed her by the shoulders, giving her a good shake. He fired off his questions rapidly in Al Bhed, slightly more eloquent in his native tongue than he was with his hard-learned Spiran.

"I should ask that of you. Are you not still living with your head buried in the sands of Besaid?"

"Ok, fair," she managed to bite out between his shakes. "But can you stop trying to shake all that sand out of me at least?"

He kept on going as if he hadn't heard her. "You finally got off of that island! It's about time! Tell me, how is Yuna? Is she still married to Tidus?"

Ducking out of his grip, Rikku reached up and smacked him on the side of his head. "Yunie's fine, and you need to stop asking about her already." She paused, and then reached her other hand up to rub her knuckles along both sides of his head. "Hey, you changed your hair!"

"Yes. I look good, don't I?" he said, leaning back and preening as he showed off. He'd traded in his signature Mohawk for a topknot with an undercut; it made his face slightly less stern and more angular to look at. "Calli told me I looked better this way."

A full-blown smirk overtook Rikku. "Ohh? Calli got you to change your hair, ehh? Since when did you start paying attention to what Calli thought, huh?"

Brother crossed his arms defensively, his face turning the same tell-tale red hers could as he glared at the sky. "Since she joined the Gullwings." He sniffed loudly. "Seeing as how somebody left us hanging, we had to start recruiting. Calli offered to join us and we have been having fun sphere hunting ever since. Lots of fun. So much fun. You would not believe how much fun we have." He peeked at her from the corner of his eye, still sulking. "Though you might if you rejoined us." The pleading note of hope in his voice was even more obvious than the puppy-dog side-eye he was giving her.

"Forget it," she told him flatly, smushing his face away with her palm. "I've had enough of being a third wheel on Besaid. I'm not about to start all over again on the Celsius." Turning on her heel, she marched towards the base camp, making for the entrance to the largest building.

"You would not be a third wheel!" Brother exclaimed, hurrying after her. "The Celsius does not even have wheels! You should come back to us. Think of it. The Gullwings reunited! Spira's best sphere hunters, back in action!"

"How about no?" Rikku laughed. "YRP's days are over and done with. Yuna's married and Paine is practically leading the Guardians now. I'll leave you guys to it, if you don't mind. Besides, I have my own mission to fulfill right now anyhow."

Brother grabbed her arm, jerking her to a stop. She spun around, her smile fading at the intense look on his face. It wasn't quite a glare… rather more like concern. And even a hint of fear.

"Mission? You're on another mission? Your last one… did not end so well," he reminded her. "What are you planning?"

Rikku's indignation softened as she remembered Paine's warning. "I'm not going away again," she told him, grabbing his hand and patting it. "Not for a long while yet, at least. Stop worrying, this time my vacation isn't going to be dangerous."

"This time?!" Brother gripped her hands tightly, though his face drew down into a more familiar scowl. "You say that now," he grumbled. "Well, fine. It is good that you're here. Gippal needs to see you anyway."

The worry spiked back up. "This is about the Pollendina Restoration thing, right? I heard some guy named Berrik tried to win you over."

"Arg!" Brother's face screwed up into an expression of disgust. "This Berrik is an asshole. Did you know he is the reason I never signed with the Psyches? He is very good at spinning tales that have nothing to do with reality. And he thinks he is such hot stuff! Do this, do that," he mimicked with exaggeration. "I am the leader around here! I don't like how he tries to order people around."

Rikku nodded, resuming a slower walk towards the building. "From what Paine told me, he does more than try. He's even got Pops under his thumb?"

They let out a soft groan of exasperation at the exact same time, then stopped to laugh in cynical acknowledgement.

"Well you know father. He always starts something big that he cannot finish. Then he makes other people do it for him. And we all pay the price." There was a surprising amount of bitterness in Brother's tone; it was clear that he still hadn't forgiven Cid for forcing him to be the one to push the button that destroyed Home fourteen years ago. To be fair, she couldn't blame him. It'd needed to be done, but Cid had simply given the order. He'd left the most painful part of filling that order that to his followers… to his son.

"So how'd you get away from those fanatics?" she asked. "And what are you doing here?"

"I flew," Brother shrugged. "It's not like this Berrik could stop me. The Celsius was nearby, and I am not so bad at blitzing, even on land."

That brought Rikku to a stop. "Wait, he tried to kidnap you?"

Brother scratched his chin. "Maybe? He has experience with this you know. I think he might have tried to take the Celsius too, but Shinra installed new security measures and Calli and Buddy use the Garment Grids." He shook his head. "Berrik is just like that. Very grabby-grabby. He was convincing at first, but I do not think he actually wanted me to lead. Just stand there and look pretty for him instead. So I left. But I warned him to stay away from you and Yuna first," he added firmly. "Or else, he would get to see the Gullwings in action personally."

"Thanks. This guy sounds like bad news," Rikku grumbled, pushing her way past the heavy doors. She sighed in relief as cool air hit her face, a stark contrast from the dry desert heat. "Is that why you're here now?"

"Yes. He is challenging Gippal. Since he is making so much noise about our family, I thought it would be good to have at least one Pollendina standing behind the Machine Faction." He shoved her with his elbow. "Could be two you know!"

"We'll see." She paused as Brother pushed a set of double doors open for her, ushering her into what looked like a command center. Blue-lit maps with outlines of various excavation sites around Bikanel covered nearly the entire wall, and several Al Bhed were chattering and hustling in and out of the room with pieces of equipment, maps, and charts in tow.

Leaning over one of them was the man of the hour. Gippal looked up, his eye crinkling into a smile at both of them. "Well well well. The Pollendina siblings, together again. Now if that isn't a sight for sore eyes."

"Hey, Gip." Rikku raised her hand in an awkward wave, and Brother rolled his eyes, making a choking sound.

"You stop that," Brother declared, pointing a finger at Gippal. "Pollendina this, Pollendina that. I am a Gullwing first! Father can keep that stupid name for himself!"

Gippal's eye narrowed. "Names have power."

"Bah!" Brother replied, crossing his arms and stomping to a corner of the room. "And leave my sister out of this thing. She will run back to Besaid and disappear again the moment you start!"

"I can speak for myself, you know," Rikku huffed, crossing her arms and standing across the table from Gippal. He straightened and winked at her. "Brother's kinda right, though. I didn't come here to join anybody's cause. I just wanna know what's going on first."

Gippal's eyebrows shot up. "You can't tell me you haven't heard anything yet! Spira might be gearing up to go to war again, and your dad's at the center of it."

"Paine gave me a rundown," she admitted. "But I want to hear it from you. Everywhere I go, people keep bringing up the family name and this Berrik guy. How bad is it, really?"

Gippal sighed and flopped backwards into a chair, gesturing for her to have a seat. He started speaking once she was settled.

"Well, you know Berrik. He's thirty-three years old and still as hot-headed as he was heading the Psyches. Since signing on to Cid's idea of a royal family, he's been spreading rumors about the Pollendina dynasty's great history with Spira." He laughed at the look of horror stealing over Rikku's face. "Yeah, really, that's what they've been calling it. According to the Restorationists, the dynasty has always been an integral part of shaping important world events.

You know, they're even saying now that Lord Braska traveled with an Al Bhed guardian at his side. That your aunt Raenn married him just so she could give birth to a savior of Spira that could unite the two races. Since she actually pulled it off, she pissed off the Church so much that they tried to have her assassinated. But those Pollendina leadership genes were strong enough to win over even Yevon's top assassin, the legendary guardian Sir Auron.

Seeing that plan backfire, the Church then tried to spread the rumor that Raenn was killed by Sin instead. But Berrik's claiming that what really happened, see, was that the three of them busted Sir Jecht out of Bevelle's dungeons. Then they left on the Pilgrimage together. Without Raenn Pollendina at his side, Lord Braska wouldn't have defeated Sin the first time." Gippal shook his head in disbelief. "They're even saying they have sphere recordings from back then to prove it."

Rikku had long since frozen over from the moment Gippal started regaling her with 'Raenn's' adventures. "This is a total disaster," she managed to mumble through her slack-jawed shock.

"Yep. Then Yuna came along and picked you up for her Pilgrimage, and you guys saved the world again. Twice. Every single time something good's happened, a Pollendina's been right in the thick of it."

"That's just a coincidence!" Rikku snapped, feeling some of the surprise starting to fade into embarrassment and indignation. Being compared to a mythological version of Aunt Raenn sucks.

"Yeah," Gippal said blithely, unaware of her inner turmoil. "You know it's all bullshit. You were there."

Rikku stifled a manic laugh.

"The problem is that everybody else wasn't," Gippal continued obliviously. He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his forehead, letting out a tired moan. "Berrik's just too good at this shit. He knows how to put a spin on anything and he's got Cid eating out of his hand, backing up every single story he fabricates."

"Father already gave him the Fahrenheit, but he still tried to steal the Celsius, too," Brother reminded them.

Gippal nodded. "The only reason anyone would be looking to establish that much air superiority is for strategic reasons. He's being pretty obvious about this power grab – I already had to cede control of Djose temple to him. If my guess is right, he'll be moving on to Luca next, since they're likely to be more receptive to his propaganda. At any rate, he's gotta secure his south flank before he moves north onto Bevelle. And he's got half of the Al Bhed population hanging on his every word already anyway."

"Everyone wants to believe they're special," Rikku murmured. "That all of their suffering has a greater meaning. That's… it's just cruel, to exploit our people's misery like that. To be honest… it feels a lot like what Seymour did to the Guado during Yunie's Pilgrimage."

"Yeah, and we all know how well that ended," Gippal agreed. "The Machine Faction keeps bleeding talent to him, though. He's promising instant results. Not just equality, but superiority. All the recognition and respect that the Al Bhed never had before."

"Hey hey. Enough of this serious talk," Brother cut in, glancing warily at her. "This does not have to be your problem, Rikku. You have done enough for Spira already. You said you are on vacation, yes? Another personal mission? Gippal and I will handle this Berrik. You… just take your break."

A sudden fondness flooded Rikku at her brother's awkward attempts to protect her from the rising storm.

"Thanks. But I'm not the only one who could use a break," she noted, seeing the weariness etched onto Gippal's face. "Why don't we get something to eat and catch up?" she said impulsively. "There's more to life than Berrik's scheming. Let me remind you guys of that!"

This time Brother was smirking. "What is it? No, I think I will not be this 'third wheel.' Eat your food without me!"

Gippal leaned back and crossed his ankle over his knee, grinning. "Oh! So little miss hard-to-get is finally asking me out on a date, huh? I accept."

"Hey, waitaminute—!"

"See? Go on! Have your date!" Brother was already making for the exit, but he paused, then turned around and pointed at Rikku. "You are going somewhere. When you are done here, I will take you there on the Celsius. No arguments!"

"You know, I-"

"Rikku!" He matched her glare for a few moments, before grunting and storming for the doors.

"… Fine." Rikku wilted, glaring half-heartedly after her retreating brother.

"You know he's just worried about you," Gippal pointed out.

"But I'm fine!" she repeated with more volume. "We're both adults now! It's not like I need a chaperone!"

"You might." Gippal's unusually somber tone caught her off guard. "I wish you'd take this more seriously. He already tried to trap Brother. If word gets out that you're traveling the world again on your own, it's only a matter of time before he makes a move on you." His face turned down in distaste at the phrasing. "Maybe literally. I wouldn't put it past him to pull a Seymour on you. You remember the whole sham marriage with Yuna thing?"

"I don't even know the guy!" Rikku grumbled. "You really think he's dumb enough to try some caveman attempt to hit me over the head and drag me back to his base in Djose?"

"Maybe. It wouldn't be the strangest idea he's had yet," Gippal admitted. "But let's grab some grub first. I'm starving."

Rikku followed him to the communal cafeteria, which was crowded with a line of faction members grabbing trays of food from a food counter. She observed Gippal making easy conversation with his subordinates as he waited for his turn. He'd never insisted on treating anyone differently by rank and station, and that included himself. That had always been the Al Bhed way, and it was comforting to see him staying true to their roots even as their leader. The thought of anyone trying to impose an artificial order, a privileged ruling class over her people, filled Rikku with a deep-rooted sense of wrongness.

As her tray was handed back to her, Rikku was pleasantly surprised by the aromatic smell of garlic and cinnamon wafting from the golden-hued plate of rice on her tray. It was topped with hearty chunks of braised meat doused in a creamy spiced yogurt sauce, garnished with fresh green herbs and a smattering of toasted almonds. A surprisingly crisp salad of lettuce, tomatoes, radishes, and cucumber interspersed with fried bits of flatbread and doused liberally with a tangy lemon dressing accompanied the meal.

"Syhcyv and vydduicr? I haven't had this in so long!" she gushed, salivating over the mouthwatering dishes.

Gippal laughed, bumping her towards the exit. "C'mon. It's too crowded in here. Let's eat outside."

They hiked out to the edge of the camp, settling to eat on a pair of desert trawlers overlooking the rolling sands.

"How'd you keep your vegetables so fresh?" she managed to mumble around a mouthful of food, moaning in delight at the explosion of flavors.

Swallowing, Gippal shrugged. "It's not just weapons that we're digging up here. We discovered ways to transport and keep food cool even without magic. It's been great for morale. We're even thinking of trying to advertise Al Bhed cuisine and fashion as an export now. Nobody else in Spira lives the same way we do, after all."

"Mmph," Rikku agreed. They finished their meal in companionable silence, and didn't move afterwards, both caught in the lethargic stupor of a good meal after a hard day of work.

"I'm glad you came," Gippal said eventually, not bothering to look at her. "Nearly missed us, too. We were just about to leave tomorrow morning. This way you can hitch a ride on the Celsius with us."

"Where are you and Brother going?" she asked. "It's not like him to take a break from sphere hunting."

"Yeah, well, we've got too much going on right now," Gippal admitted, a bit of weariness creeping into his voice. "Berrik isn't my only problem. Did Paine tell you about New Yevon reforming?"

Rikku hummed in agreement. "I heard. Yunie's already been contacted by them, you know? Shelinda wants to teach more people to perform the Sending. I can't believe I'm saying this, but… I don't think that's a bad thing?"

"Well," Gippal hedged. "Maybe not, but I'd still be a lot more comfortable if Baralai was back in on this, keeping her in check. Shelinda can be a little… intense," he said with a short laugh. "I was planning on stopping by Bevelle to parley with them. Keep the Machine Faction off of their shit list and make sure they knew we weren't a part of that Restoration craziness." He shook his head. "I fought too hard for this, Rikku. I don't want to see us go back to those heretic-hunting days."

She nodded quietly. "Well, you know… Shelinda can be an experience, but at least her heart's in the right place. Besides, don't you like intense?" she teased. "Maybe you could think about pulling a Seymour yourself. Start dating her, and roll all those New Yevonites into your Machine Faction. Paine's Guardians would back you up, and then you could put this Berrik guy in his place. Together. You know, the way it should be?"

"Hah! When'd you get so calculating?"

"Hey, this is pure self-interest speaking." Rikku put her palms up, shaking her head. "I don't want this Berrik guy coming after me either!"

"You know what the hardest part about all this is?" Gippal flopped backwards with a sigh, hiking his feet up and staring at the darkened sky. "That all these problems cropping up now are our fault. The trouble and fighting isn't being caused by the Yevonites or the Crusaders or the Youth League. This time it's on us. The real enemy's within ourselves."

He was being unusually candid with her for once, and Rikku spared a glance at him. "You scared?"

"Mmm," he agreed, shutting his good eye. "This might just be a first for me. Wondering if I was wrong. We were wrong. Spreading machina all over Spira, trying to make ourselves relevant now that Yevon wasn't breathing down our collars. Maybe we should've slowed down a little. Not pushed so hard." His eye slid open, and for a minute, he looked hollow and tired. "If it comes down to a fight, it's gonna be messy, even without Sin. I'm starting to think Yevon was right. If you use machina for everything, eventually you're gonna end up using machina for war."

She dropped her head onto her knees, silent and unsure of what to say. Up until Braska's Pilgrimage, she'd agreed with his old attitude. She'd even spent her time after the Eternal Calm traveling the world as teacher, showing people everywhere how to restore and use machina. It was only after seeing the pure, unspoiled landscape of the past that she'd realized just how much the Machine Faction had pushed to industrialize Spira. And that maybe it wasn't always a good thing.

Their silent agreement was comfortable, if sobering. A familiar feeling of warmth spread through her; sitting in the dark next to Gippal was reminding her of her childhood, when things were simpler… and they were actually friends.

So she stiffened instantly when he reached out to grab her hand. That comfortable atmosphere evaporated, replaced with an unwelcome tension.

"I've got more headaches than I have painkillers, Rikku." He twined his fingers between hers. "And I'm wondering if you came here to become one of my painkillers. What's the deal with you? With us?"

It was the right decision to come here, she realized. Still, it didn't make what she had to do next any easier.

"I'm a Pollendina, Gip. The only thing I'd bring you is more headaches." Gently, she untangled her fingers from his and drew her hand away. "I'm sorry. You're a great guy, but we work better as friends, don't you think? Let's keep it that way."

She heard him shift and kept herself from turning to look. She didn't want to see his disappointment. After a minute, he let out a gusty sigh.

"Thanks for being honest." He sat up, running a hand through his hair and chuckling. "That's the third time you've rejected me. I can take a hint." He caught her eye and grinned. "Hey. No hard feelings, alright? We're still good."

"Really?" she asked, unable to stop the relief from bubbling up in her voice. "I'm so glad. And you know… I do wanna help. I mean with the Machine Faction. You guys are my real family. Like Brother said, Pollendina's just a name."

"I wonder," Gippal replied. "You say that, but you've been different ever since you came back from the Farplane. It feels like you lost something important to you there and anyone who knows you would have to be blind not to notice. It's like somebody snuffed out a flame in you, and you're just going through the motions with us now."

Rikku chewed on her lower lip, her fingers playing restlessly with one of the beads in her hair. "You're not too far off the mark," she admitted. "But I'm working on it, okay?"

She could feel Gippal's lone eye boring into her cheek. "Did I mention that we're testing out some new radar?" he said suddenly. "We've been installing satellite dishes all around the perimeter of the island to track air traffic coming in and out. Can't be too cautious, right? So I've been wondering how you got here, since our instruments didn't pick up anything."

"Oh. Well that's cool. Good luck working out all the kinks in your new tracking system." The silence drew out between them, and she picked at the laces of her boots, stubbornly refusing to elaborate.

"Yeah, well… maybe one day you can tell me all about it," he said in a noticeably cooler voice.

Wincing, she finally met his gaze. "Listen, one day I will – but I'm on a mission right now, and if it's successful, I think you'll understand."

"Don't jeopardize the mission?" Gippal asked dryly. "And here I thought you said you were on vacation." He grinned at the look of chagrin on her face. "Fine, fine. I won't press. I'm still worried about you, though. Cid's not the only one who gets ideas that go outta control. Last time you became Yuna's Guardian."

"I'll be careful," she promised. "You guys need to stop worrying. It's not like my vacations end in disaster every single time!"

"I'd feel better about whatever you were doing if you'd at least ask Paine for a couple of bodyguards."

"Ugh, no way! I wonder whether you know what a vacation really is or not. Maybe you need to take one yourself to find out!"

"I wish." Gippal rolled off of the vehicle and offered her a hand. "But I can't take a break. Not now, not until this mess in Djose is dealt with." As he helped her down, his voice turned quiet. "What're you really doing, Rikku? Is it something I can help you with?"

Hopping down, she released him and dusted her skirt off. "I appreciate it. But I'm still searching for my happy ending. And that's something I have to find on my own."

"Well, you know where I am if you ever want me to be a part of it," he joked with a hint of melancholy. "In the meanwhile, the least I can do is throw Berrik off your scent. Where're you heading to?"

They strolled back towards the encampment, and Rikku scanned the area to make sure they weren't any eavesdroppers. "I'm going to Macalania," she admitted under her breath. "I've heard rumors of something going on up there."

"Figures," Gippal said. "That area's not really any of my business, but I've heard stories of funny things happening in the forest there. People are confused, and there's rumors that Shelinda's New Yevon movement might have something to do with it. If you ask me, that's why they're picking up so much steam now."

"What do you mean?" Rikku frowned, already suspecting the answer.

"What I mean is that they're taking credit for 'bringing back the Fayth'. It seems pretty harmless, since it doesn't look like Shelinda's gunning for world control the same way Mika was. But I'm taking a trip up to Bevelle all the same, just in case. Gotta make sure this new wave of piety doesn't sweep up the Al Bhed as a bunch of heretics all over again."

Rikku put her hand on her chin, frowning. Jecht, what exactly are you up to now? "Thanks, Gippal. I mean it."

"So… need a ride? Brother can drop you off, it's on the way anyhow."

She'd been planning on sneaking off the island quietly. Still, looking at Gippal's hopeful expression, and thinking about Brother's concern gave her pause. "Yeah. You know, I think I'll take you guys up on that offer. Thanks," she said, a genuine smile returning to her face as she felt herself reconnecting with a part of her life that she hadn't even known she'd missed.

"You got it," Gippal replied with an easy smile.

It feels good to be an Al Bhed again, she realized.

AN: The Al Bhed meal is a mostly made-up dish that has a strong basis in Arabic cuisine (specifically mansaf and fattoush).