Authors' Notes: Prologue. Way longer than what we originally thought, we actually had to cut down. Other chapters will be much shorter than this, however. Largely inspired by the very few, but very talented GippalxBaralai (or vice versa) authors out there. Among them: Hidama, Gysecune, Kursed SeeD and DJ Tifa. Go read their work and worship them!

Warning: Slash. Don't know what it is? Don't read. If that makes you want to head for the hills and run, then click that "back" button. No flames will be tolerated.

Note:

//speech// - Al Bhed

[speech] – CommSphere conversation

__________________   - Scene Transition, Story Begins, Story ends. (FF.net removed all our formatting. Grrr....)

Title: Zephyr

Prologue – Recruiting

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Building an airship is hard work. No, make that, very hard work. But after all those months, Gippal could finally gaze at his masterpiece with satisfaction and pride. Of course, the only thing left to do was assemble the crew.

Hmm...where to find a pilot, a navigator and a captain?

A slow, lazy grin spread across his face. That really was an unnecessary question. He finally got to his feet, moving across the hot sand to head to where Nhadala was standing.

//Is the communicator working?// He asked.

//I think so. The kid fixed it this morning.//

Ah, the infamous kid. Gippal had some form of grudging respect towards the cocky young Al Bhed. But of course, he always savored the moments where the cocky little thing was rendered speechless and all he could say was, "I'm only a kid."

//Good.//

//Are you going somewhere?// The grin on his face widened.

//You betcha.//

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Baralai caught sight of the pile of paperwork to his right, even as he skimmed over the page of the paper he was currently reading. He resisted the urge to groan, because, a praetor never groans. He was ready to give up on reading when one of the priests stepped into his office.

"Praetor, you have a call." The priest said, handing over the CommSphere to Baralai. Relieved for this short interruption, Baralai took the CommSphere, barely noting as the priest left the room when he saw the grinning face he recognized too well.

"Gippal!"

[Hey there, gorgeous!] It was good—no, great—to see the Al Bhed's face. It had been six months since their speech in Luca Stadium and although he had spoken to Gippal more than a few times after that, it seemed too long ago. Still, that greeting did manage to color Baralai's cheeks somewhat. Once a flirt, always a flirt.

"What news do you have for me?" Baralai paused. "Are you in Bikanel?"

[Yup.] It was then that Baralai noticed the different grin that Gippal had on his face. The Al Bhed looked as if he was ready to burst with excitement.

"Did you have some sort of a breakthrough? A new invention, perhaps?" Baralai asked, a fond smile on his face.

[Something like that.]

"You're being awfully secretive." He observed. "What aren't you telling me?"

[Well, I actually have a dilemma.] Gippal said, sighing dramatically. Baralai chuckled softly, Gippal can be the drama queen at times but that was more of an act to keep the others laughing than anything else. Still, it's one of the things he loves about him.

Eh, love?

Baralai's eyes widened slightly, but he managed to quell any thoughts that would cause him to panic. Having a panic attack in front of Gippal will not do, that would only cause the Al Bhed to take the first airship out just to make sure he's all right. He could always sort out his thoughts later.

MUCH later.

"What kind of dilemma?" Baralai thought that he should receive a medal for being able to keep his voice steady like that.

[Well you see, I have this airship. But it seems to be missing a navigator.] He paused, pretending to look curious. [Do you know anyone that could qualify for that position?] Baralai's eyes widened.

"You built it?" He whispered.

[I sure did! Wait till I tell Paine about this!] Comparing Gippal to an excited puppy would have been justified, at this moment. Baralai had to admit that until that moment he's never seen Gippal act so excited.

"I can't believe it." His own eyes danced with laughter, the smile on his face so brilliant, that Gippal had to put his excitement on hold to stare at him in awe. However, this brought reality crashing down. "I-I can't."

[You can't?] Baralai winced as the happy puppy look was gone and replaced by the wounded puppy look. Dammit. He really wasn't immune to Gippal at all, not since their Crimson Squad training days.

"I have things to do here. My job-"

[It's alright.] Gippal said with a resigned sigh. [It was a mistake to ever build this ship in the first place.] He paused, looking at somewhere to his left. Baralai had no clue as to what it was, the CommSphere's signal would only go so far.

[You wanna take a look at it?] Gippal asked.

"Sure." Gippal's face faded from view, there was nothing but blue skies and sand for a few moments, before the CommSphere began to move. There was a crackle of static—Shinra never did manage to find a way to fix the transmission from the new Bikanel site properly—and a lot of blue. But slowly, the picture began to focus.

There was a sharp intake of breath from Baralai, mesmerized at the sight of the dark blue airship. It would have been plain blue, if not for the three olive green stripes at the sides, even as Gippal circled the ship slowly.

"It's beautiful."

[Isn't it?] Still a tad arrogant as ever, but of course, it was justified. Gippal had a knack for creating the most breathtaking machinas out of scraps of metal. He claimed that it merely took some imagination and his geniality. Funny how no one usually question him.

[I didn't want it to be another Celsius.] Gippal explained. [When I drew the plans for that ship, I had Brother in mind, since he's the pilot. So there was no way I'm going to build another ship that style. Had to redesign the piloting system and everything, you know? Just so that it'll suit Paine's style. But from what I heard last, she might not even want to be our pilot.](1)

"What?"

[Yeah. I was going to ask you to talk to her about it, but...] He trailed off, sighing. [Took some time putting this baby together, too. I got the design from Cid's old ship and everything. Man, I loved that thing.] Gippal murmured, staring dreamily at something in the horizon.

"So what are you going to do with this one?"

[Scrap it.]

"WHAT?" Baralai honestly didn't mean for his voice to be so loud. But to destroy that beauty? Was Gippal kidding? He had to be! This was his masterpiece, his 'baby' as he called it.

[Ow! Hey, mind the ears, Baralai! I still need my hearing you know!]

"Sorry."

[Damn, didn't think you'd be so loud.] There was a couple of muffled sounds and all Baralai could see was sand and more sand. And then, Gippal's face came to view again. [I'd feel sorry for your lover, they'll lose their hearing pretty quick.] The smirk was back on his face, prompting Baralai to blush, but he sighed and shook his head.

"What am I going to do with you, Gippal?"

[Hmm... punish me maybe? Or maybe a little spank?] Baralai would have sputtered and he did, the first time he heard that line. Fortunately, that particular line was slightly overused, so he was pretty much immune to it.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

[You know it, babe.] He said with a wink.

"Now stop flirting and tell me why you're going to destroy that ship." Gippal rolled his eye, but didn't say a word. "Gippal." It was that warning tone, the one that Nooj used on the Al Bhed too many times but never had any effect. Strangely, whenever Baralai used it, it was obeyed immediately.

[I built the airship for all of us. And I'm not about to let anyone else use it, but there's no point on letting it rust away in some corner, here in Bikanel or at Djose.]

There was a pause.

"Call me back in an hour."

[Huh? Wait Bara-] The CommSphere was shut off. Baralai leaned back against his seat, sighing loudly. He wasn't needed in Bevelle, really. Isaaru proved himself capable of running Bevelle, in the short time span that former High Summoner Yuna took to reason with Shuyin, who had possessed Baralai at this point.

Another reason why Baralai was seriously considering Gippal's offer. Well, besides the fact that he missed being with him...and the others. He straightened up nervously, but found that his mind wandered to a time not too long ago. Right before their now famous speech to all of Spira.

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"So, what do you say to all those people who's followed you blindly all this time?" Gippal asked, leaning against the wall. He received a piercing glare from Nooj, causing him to hastily elaborate his comment. "I mean, you guys did cause quite a stir, leaving the way you did. I mean, my men can do fine without me, but I don't exactly have a huge number of followers the way you two do."

"It's simple enough." Nooj said blandly, not explaining any further as he walked out of the room. When the door closed behind him, Gippal's gaze fell on Baralai. He hesitated for a few seconds, as if contemplating something.

"How are you doing?"

"Nervous, but I'm fine." Baralai replied with a grin and a nod.

"Good." Baralai looked at the wall for a moment, feeling a knot in his stomach and not liking this uncomfortable silence.

"We better head out there." He said quietly, but just before he reached the door, he found that Gippal was holding his arm in a tight grip. He looked at him with bewilderment, but Gippal didn't look like he was going to let him go any time soon.

"I have something to say, before we go."

"What is it?" There was no tremor in his voice, he had to give himself credit for that. But Gippal sure wasn't making things easy. And he certainly was making things a lot harder when Baralai found the other's face inches away from his own. The gaze of his remaining eye was hard and determined.

"I don't ever want to point my gun at you ever again." His voice was barely above a whisper, but the harshness of the tone clearly stated that he was dead serious. "So don't ever pull anything stupid ever again. Got it?"

A nod. That was all he managed.

He's fought fiends in an endless ocean of sand with barely enough ammo, limited resources and cuts, bruises and other injuries. But it seemed he was finally defeated by Gippal's gaze, speaking volumes more than his words ever could.

"I promise, Gippal."

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It was approximately two hours later when Baralai finally made up his mind. Mind you, Baralai isn't one to leave his duties just like that, so it took serious consideration and a lot of thinking. Of course, the knowledge that he would be in Gippal's company didn't hurt either.

"Isaaru." It had taken him about half an hour to track down the former Summoner, as he was always all over Bevelle fixing this and that. It made the guilt of leaving Bevelle somewhat easier, knowing that he was leaving it in the hands of someone well capable of the enormous task at hand.

"Praetor, what can I do for you?"

"I have to speak with you, in my office, if you don't mind?"

"Not at all." Isaaru said, more than a little baffled, yet he quickly concealed it as he followed Baralai back to his office. Isaaru knew the layout well, as he had been working there, albeit for a short period of time.

Baralai motioned for him to sit and he obliged, yet the Praetor himself chose to stand facing the windows, his back to Isaaru. Baralai is a familiar face around Bevelle, well known for his soft-spoken manners. That's not to say that he's a pushover, of course. He has lead Bevelle for a while, by this time and he knew all too well what could happen if he succumbed to the wishes of others.

Isaaru silently agree with the general consensus that Baralai was the perfect leader. Soft-spoken, polite yet able to give out orders and not at all wary when it comes to upholding the beliefs and teachings of New Yevon. With the history that comes with Yevon's teachings, even in times of peace, trouble still rears its ugly head now and then.

"What I am about to tell you will be somewhat of a shock, I'm sure." Baralai begins, knowing there just isn't time for small talk. "I am leaving Bevelle."

"Oh. Will you be gone long?" Baralai turned around to smile politely at the puzzled Isaaru.

"I believe so. I'm afraid, I won't be coming back."

"Praetor!" Isaaru immediately jumped to his feet, his protest was silence by a simple wave of Baralai's hand.

"I joined New Yevon because I wanted answers, not because I believed in their teachings. And I think it's time for this charade to end, don't you agree."

"Baralai."

"Isaaru, you were a fine leader during my absence. All I ask from you now, is for you to be that leader. Permanently." There was no room to argue and no room to try and convince Baralai otherwise. And Isaaru was never fond of convincing anyone to do anything anyway, unless of course it's Maroda, so he didn't bother trying.

"I am honored, Praetor."

"In a few moments, you won't have to call me that." Baralai said with a brilliant smile.

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"So where is Paine, anyway?" Baralai asked from his perch on the couch. Gippal shook his head, a wry grin on his lips. His initial delight at having seen Baralai at the front step of his tent had fizzled down by this time. Because it was time for the next step, the one he was a little worried about.

"You wouldn't believe it even if I told you."

"I thought she was in Besaid Island, that's where Yuna is living, correct?"

"That's what I thought too, but then I heard from Yuna that Paine only stayed for a week or so before she took off."

"So? Where is she now?"

"Calm Lands."

"Calm Lands!" Exclaimed Baralai, incredulously.

"Yup. No idea what she's doing there, though. Must be really bored."

"And we're here to save her, is that it?" Baralai asked wryly. Gippal grinned.

"Now you're thinking!"

"Tell me again why I'm friends with you?"

"Because I know all of your deepest and darkest secrets and I'll tell all of Spira if you don't do as I say?" Gippal offered.

"Hmm. That must be it then." The two shared a laugh, although silently, Baralai was thinking of something else.

Gippal didn't know his deepest and darkest secrets. At least, not all of them. There was one little secret that he'd keep to himself, maybe forever. After all, Gippal's the closest friend he had and he wasn't about to let that friendship slip away from his fingers just because he's been having peculiar thoughts lately.

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"So why won't you come with us?" Baralai asked, finally. Paine looked at him for a long moment, before her gaze slowly drifted back to the horizon. She didn't speak for the longest time and Baralai was about to ask again, when she finally replied.

"My parents were killed by Sin." Her voice soft, not unlike the tone she used when she was telling her Crimson Squad days to Yuna. "For the longest time, I was always on my own, looking out for myself. But then, I signed up to be a recorder for the Crimson Squad."

"You found us." Paine smiled, it was a small smile but significant nonetheless.

"Yes, I found you. You three became my family and I loved every minute of it." The smile faded and her gaze drifted to her right, shielding her face from Baralai's view. "And then I lost you all, just like I lost my parents. And I don't want to ever feel that way again. I've lost a family twice, I don't want to lose it the third time."

"You won't, Paine." Baralai's voice, always full of soft and gentle, was the voice of assurance. This was the main reason why Gippal had asked him to talk some sense into Paine instead of going down himself. Paine is stubborn—no doubt about that—but once past that tough shell of hers, one would be amazed to find that the girl inside can break. And she has.

"How do you know?" She asked, looking at him with anguished red eyes. "I've asked Yuna a million times. How does she know this Calm will last? I'm sorry that I can't be optimistic like everyone else, but Sin appeared once before, it can appear again."

Baralai closed his eyes for a moment, lessons of past flowing easily through his head. "Sin appeared because Spira was at war. It appeared because everyone was too busy fighting to notice that there really was no reason to fight. Sin existed because we became too proud and surely we've learned that lesson by now."

"You have too much faith in us."

"Someone has to."

"Even if Sin does reappear, we'll be able to beat it." A familiar voice spoke up. Both Paine and Baralai turned around to see Gippal walking in their direction.

"I thought you were going to let me handle this?" Baralai asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You took too long." Gippal said with a grin. "Not that I don't appreciate your pessimism, Doc P—by all means, be pessimistic—but don't you think there are those out there who can beat that thing twice?"

"I'm not sure Yuna will be up to the challenge."

"I wasn't talking about the High Summoner."

"Who? Us?"

"No." Gippal said, shaking his head and sighing, as if he was talking to a bunch of kids. "Every single living person in Spira. You think the people of Spira will stand around and do nothing if something like Sin does appear?"

Paine didn't reply for a long moment, knowing that there was truth in what Gippal said. It took seven people—one summoner, two people from a small island, one Ronso, one Al Bhed, one unsent and one dream of the fayth, a dysfunctional group thus—to beat Sin. Even if something else took Sin's place, if all of Spira united, beating it would not be impossible. Still...it felt nice to hide for a while. Even if her fears didn't really make sense.

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Act all serious, all of a sudden?" Paine demanded. //You're never one to be serious.//

"Hey, even a prankster has to have a day off." Gippal raised an eyebrow, smirking.

"Is that a yes?"

Paine sighed. "Someone has to help you keep him in line." She said, motioning Gippal.

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"Man, Nooj, how did you ever get Leblanc to let you go?"

"Tied her up and sneaked out, did you?" Paine teased, smiling. When they didn't receive a reply, they weren't surprised. What surprised them, however, was the faint blush that crept across Nooj's face. Paine's eyes widened and Baralai could do nothing but gape. Gippal, on the other hand, grinned and reached over to pat Nooj on the shoulder.

"Never knew you had it in you, man. Good for you! A man shouldn't be tied down!"

"Brat."

"That's why she's not attached to you like a squatter monkey to a tree, right?" Gippal barely missed the broken CommSphere aimed at his head. "Still touchy when it comes to the jokes, huh?" He shook his head. "Or is it because you truly care for her?"

"That's really none of your business." Gippal shrugged.

"Suit yourself. But seriously, she gets to call you Noojie Woojie, right? Does that mean we get to call you that too?"

"Do it and die."

"Well you didn't like Noojster very much." Gippal paused, thinking for a moment. "How about just Noojie?" Now, anyone who didn't know Nooj would probably not notice the slight twitch that he seemed to have developed at Gippal's words. Baralai and Paine, however, noticed it and knew it too well, which was why they were trying their best not to laugh out loud.

"Heh. What about Nookie?" Paine's hand flew to her mouth, snorting slightly. She received a glare from Nooj, but he quickly turned his attention back to Gippal, who was relentlessly coming up with new and more creative nicknames by the second. Well, he was, until Nooj's cane came in contact with his head.

"Ow! Nooj!" He exclaimed, rubbing his head.

"Good. It seems that you've finally memorized my name." He said firmly. "Now if you don't mind, please address me by that name or I will make sure that you have an intimate relationship with my cane." Gippal visibly paled, then he rolled his eye.

"Man. I was only joking. Sheesh!"

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//What is it?// Brother demanded, planting a fist on his hip and tapping his foot slightly. Buddy resisted the urge to throttle him, but instead he focused on the comm signal he was receiving over the CommSphere unit that Shinra had left them.

//Looks like there's a new group of Sphere Hunters roaming around.// Buddy said. A blonde head perked up suddenly, jumping up from Shinra's old station, bouncing over to where Buddy was seated.

//Oh, oh, oh! Who is it? Do we have competition? Oh! Let me see!// It was difficult to concentrate on work when you have a jumping Rikku and an impatient Brother right next to you. However, by some miracle, Buddy always managed to pull through.

//Hmm. This is interesting.// He muttered, mostly to himself.

//What is? Let me seeee!// Whined Rikku.

//Seems we have significant competition after all.//

//Against the friendly neighborhood Gullwings? Huh! I don't think so!// Brother boasted proudly.

//Ya know, we haven't used that name ever since all those fiends poured out of the temple. Now, we're just the Gullwings.// Rikku pointed out.

//I knew that! Rikku, are you trying to make your leader look stupid?// Rikku rolled her eyes, ignoring Brother altogether.

//Well this is good, right? We haven't been very competitive lately! I'm sure this new group will be good competition!// Rikku exclaimed.

Buddy remained silent, not knowing how to break the news to the other two. How was he supposed to tell them that this new group consisted of a former member and three former faction leaders?

He was about to—really he was—until he turned around and saw Rikku and Brother dancing merrily. And then, it really wasn't worth the trouble anymore.

//I need to get a new job.// He muttered to himself.

//Buddy! Come and dance with us.// Ordered Brother.

/I really need to get a new job.//

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Notes:

(1). [Wai] Gippal's the inventor, right? So I figured, he could have been the one to design or help create those airships! Feel free to disagree, but I find it very appealing for a guy to be able to create something out of scratch. ^___^;

Next Chapter:

Mission 1 – Baaj Temple

Akagi have their very first mission. They're picking up some sphere waves from the old ruins of Baaj Temple. But what lurks beneath the depths of the sunken temple?

Note: If it seems that some parts are missing, it's because they'll be in future chapters in the form of flashbacks.

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