"Leaving, Rikku?"

Rikku turned around, the heat making her sluggish. On an average day she would've whipped to face the speaker and greet them with a smile. Today, she wasn't in the mood. The hyper girl from the Bikanel was sad, for some reason. Everyone else was happy, now, except maybe Paine, but you never knew.

Lulu was sitting beneath a tent shielding her from the scorching waves of heat beneath the sun in Rikku's hometown, holding her baby in her arms and smiling to herself as Yuna and Tidus spoke with herself and Wakka about their adventures, good and bad.

Rikku sighed, knowing that, on a normal basis, she'd be playing hand games with the infant and nodding along with Yuna as they discussed their voyages.

Today, she was sad. As she faced her friend, she may've known why, deep inside.

"Gippal," she breathed, raising an arm above her eyes to keep the sun from them. They sparkled, the green color spectacular behind the array of braided hair that hung in her face.

"Cid's girl," Gippal teased.

"Don't start, Gippal, I can't take it today."

Gippal, puzzled, took the hint and plopped down gracefully in the sand beside her.

"Don't be sad. It isn't like I'll be gone long, I'm just going to go to talk to Baralai about something, and you know that."

"Oh, come off it!" Rikku gave him a shove, and Gippal laughed. "I'm not shedding any tears for the likes of you, goof. Don't make me sic my pet on you."

"Aw, c'mon. I don't wanna be eaten by your stupid monkey friend. I have respect for you, why can't you have some for me?"

"Oh please," Rikku said with a pout, "you can't even spell respect!"

"R E S P E C T. Care for me to sing?"

"No, thank you."

"You know, Rikku, for all the praise you've gotten, you haven't gotten as much as Yuna." Gippal looked at the sky, trying to sound thoughtful. "Although it was kinda sad that you had to drag your own high summoner around for protection—"

Rikku leapt on Gippal and they flailed around in the sand as Rikku proceeded to pound the crap out of him.

"Rikku!" Gippal caught Rikku's fists in his hands, which were twice as large as hers, "I missed you while you were gone, dork."

Rikku sat up suddenly, leaving Gippal laying in the sand. The sun disappeared behind a cloud and Rikku looked down at Gippal.

"I'm very sorry to hear that," she said, eyes full of tears.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! No crying, Rikku!"

"I'm not," Rikku said stubbornly, "You've gotten sand in my eye!"

Gippal frowned, a serious affair on his tanned, handsome face. He looked sinister with his black eye patch on, and the upset look slightly frightened Rikku, but…she had made up her mind.

"I…am leaving too."

"Give it a break, Rikku; I'm just going to talk to the praetor."

"I'm not going with you, idiot. I'm going…elsewhere, I guess…..alone."

Gippal blinked. Then he started laughing. The distressed look on Rikku's face shut him up, and fast.

"You are going, aren't you?"

"Why lie?"

"Rikku, you…just…I don't know, you just can't."

Rikku turned on him. She was sick of this, she needed excitement in her life, not the same places. She wanted to meet new people.

"Why can't I?"

"You want reasons?"

"Give me five!" Rikku placed her hands on her hips and glared at Gippal, insides crumbling. Stop me, she begged silently. I don't want to be alone.

"You're too young. You can't go out alone. It's dangerous out there. There are still fiends."

"That's four," Rikku gasped out, feeling a pressure on her heart.

"Well," Gippal said thickly, not noticing, "there are five; I've just chosen to give you four."

"Well," Rikku replied, tipping back and forth on the balls of her feet, "Guess five isn't important, and I'm off tomorrow."

She got up to leave, but Gippal grasped her arm and pulled her rather close to him.

"What idiot has decided to take you places?"

"I'm going by myself. On foot."

"Er. Oh."

"Goodbye, Gippal," Rikku said softly.

Gippal grabbed her arm again. The sun was sinking, and the moon was already out.

"When are you coming back?"

Rikku smiled.

"When I've had enough adventure," she said with a blissful sigh, "And when I'm stronger, I guess. I want to go places, not hang around in the Bikanel for ever."

"But you've been here nearly all your life," Gippal argued, picking up sand in his fist and sifting it through his fingers, "This sand and this desert are part of you."

Rikku looked at her childhood friend.

"As are you," she said quietly, then raced down the hill, leaving Gippal stupefied on the sand dune.