A/N Final Fantasy X-2 is owned by Square Enix and not by me
Quick note for all of those who've asked about the sphere from the first chapter, well, it's smut and ffnet doesn't allow smut, plus I don't think that two seriously drunk people having sex is a plot device. So, I won't be writing it. Now, as usual my email is at my profile and reviews are welcome! On to the end of the story!
Last Night
Epilogue
By Ringy-P
It had been a perfect year for Rikku and Gippal, a year of clandestine dinners in Bevelle, covert walks at the Moonflow, sneaking into the Machine Faction's box at blitzball games in Luca (making out when no one was watching) and secret trysts everywhere. Somehow if they knew that one or the other would be in the area they'd manage to get together. All without their friends knowing, Rikku wasn't sure if Baralai had forgotten or just ignored it. Paine seemed more interested in everything but anyone's love life. Yuna and Tidus were always distracted by other things, namely each other. It was perfect and of course that meant it was doomed to end sooner or later.
The Psyches were playing the Aurochs in Luca and so that meant the Gullwings had to be there because Tidus had a contract with the Aurochs. There was no way Tidus would miss a game and while he practiced before it started, it left the girls at loose ends to do what they would. And Rikku had 'run' into Gippal at a Lucan square and they were discussing something along the lines of getting food before the game when it happened.
Rikku felt a strong hand on her shoulder. Its grip tightened and wrenched her around. She looked up into the scowling face of her father.
"Pops!" She shrugged out from under his hand and moved away. She glanced over and saw Brother standing nearby. His arms crossed and foot tapping. She looked back at her father. "Evidently you aren't here for the game." She said slowly rocking back in forth on the balls of her feet.
Cid glared down at her and then over to Gippal. Gippal's eye widened and he wanted to step back or even lean away from the anger he saw in Cid's eyes. Gippal didn't, he didn't want Cid to gain an advantage over him.
"Young lady, I have had enough. Brother and I have been talking and we've discovered a few things. I don't care what your relationship is with Gippal. I want it to end right now."
"My what?" Rikku stuttered, eye's widened and skin paled under her tan. "You what?" She added.
Gippal frowned.
Cid wasn't finished. "It's not like I approve of what you do for a living to begin with, but no daughter of mine is going to be with,"
"I'm right here," Gippal placed his hand on his hip. "Please do continue."
"That lazy punk, he isn't good enough for you." Cid went on without noticing Gippal's presence and also trotting out the cliché lines of father's everywhere.
"Rikku, how could you do this, with Gippal of all people?" Brother railed at her, shaking his fists in the air.
Rikku looked between her brother and father. She looked over to Gippal and Gippal winced at the pain he saw in her eyes. If you hadn't known her, you wouldn't have seen it. He then saw her fists clench and her jaw bunch. 'Oh no,' he thought. He had only got Rikku angry enough to kill at him once and had survived the experience through the benefit of Crimson Squad training. He swore never again would he get her that mad. Rikku began to fling herself at her father, fist's still curled and Gippal grabbed her about the waist. "Whoa girl, slow down." Gippal said into her ear. She struggled for a few moments and he grasped her tighter. "You aren't getting away," he told her. Neither knew the picture of couple solidarity they made, nor did they notice the crowds beginning to gather.
Rikku ceased struggling and did the next best thing. She began screaming, fortunately it was coherent and in Al Bhed. "We have been over this parochial old man! My life is my life and what I do with it is not your business."
"Well, I'm making it my business." Cid yelled back.
"That is so beyond obvious." Rikku retorted. "It would be nice if you trusted me for once in your life! I know what I'm doing."
"You cannot," Brother waved his arms. "What of your reputation!"
Gippal growled. "Brother, stay out of this! We've had our differences in the past, but now is not the time."
"Fuck my reputation, Brother! We could get into you instead." Rikku spat. "You've been jealous of Gippal for no reason for years now. Get over it!" She turned back to her father. "And since when could you dictate who I did and did not love! Did it ever occur to you that I love Gippal!"
Gippal tried to keep the shock out of his face and managed in spite of himself or at least he hoped he looked smug, angry, but smug. His inner thoughts didn't at all go along with his bravado. 'Hoo boy, I need a drink. I did not just hear that. She loves me. She loves me!' His thoughts made him smirk. 'Cid's little girl loves me.' Gippal's head felt light.
"You love him!" Cid shouted back. "You don't know what you're talking about. He's tricked you into thinking that."
"And you always know what you're talking about. Yevon, Father spare me! Spare me your excuses for whatever it is you're mad about. If you truly are mad about Gippal and I being together as a couple then can it. I don't want to hear it."
"He seduced you!" Cid cried.
"He seduced me!" Rikku's jaw dropped. "I don't know where you got your story from Father, but it was the other way around, not that I can remember it! Which is another thing, why are you delving into my sex life?" Rikku spat the first things that were coming to mind.
'This is going from bad to worse,' Gippal shook his head and then saw both Shaami and Shelindra there with recorders reporting the ruckus. 'And is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.'
"You're not married."
"Oh here we go again with the parochial nonsense. Father, get over it. It's a new Spira. We are in the Eternal Calm and I can fuck whomever I want whenever I want wherever I want and you have no say in the matter. And if I want to fuck Gippal, then I'll fuck Gippal. That is between him and me!"
Gippal snorted. 'I sure hope so, since we've been going at it how long now? A year or more,' he kept all thoughts to himself and decided that looking angry rather than amused would be best in this situation.
"Rikku!" Brother yelled.
"Shut up!" Rikku screamed back. "Better yet, find a woman, get laid! I'm tired of your complaints!" She turned back once again. "You, you are so… argh! Get with the times as I am not a little kid anymore and way beyond consenting age to do what I want, which I have been doing for quite some time and am not going to change for you."
Cid opened his mouth and Rikku's rage enveloped her.
"Don't say anything." She yelled. "I do not want to hear it."
Gippal narrowed his eye and frowned. "I think it's time we all left to cool down. So, my girlfriend and I will be leaving." He started walking and because he still had his arms around Rikku forced her to come with him.
"I wasn't finished yet," she sputtered.
"You are now," Gippal replied.
"Fine, just can I walk beside you?"
He let her go with one arm, but made sure the other was still around her, "No problem."
Rikku paid no attention to where they were going or the heads that turned to stare at them. She was still caught up in her rage to care. Gippal paid for a hotel room, got the keys and managed to get her in the room before she even noticed. He counted down from ten in the back of his head and wrapped her in a hug, just as she threw herself into his chest and burst into tears. They stood like that for a while and Gippal led her to the bed and lay down on it.
"I hate him," she hiccupped into his chest.
"He's your father," Gippal reminded her. "You can't hate him."
"Yes, I can," she looked up at him. "I can hate him for not approving of you."
Gippal frowned. "Cid isn't going to approve anyone for you, Ri. You're his little girl. I doubt Yevon would be good enough for you."
Rikku sniffed and shook her head. "It's not right."
"What's not right is you telling your father you love me, before telling me," Gippal chuckled.
"I, I," Rikku sputtered. "I said, I loved," she groaned and put her head back on his chest. "We're doomed."
Gippal frowned. "So, does that mean you don't love me?"
Rikku started and looked up. She didn't like the look she saw in his face, fear and uncertainty. "Oh, you fool." She pulled herself up to look at him straight on. "I said it, I think I screamed it actually. I love you." She leaned in and kissed him as if she needed to prove it to Gippal after she had stated it.
"Oh, Rikku," he breathed as she pulled away. Gippal stared into her green eyes, still blood shot from crying and thought her the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. "I love you, too."
She giggled. "I know, it's I told my father before I told you." She kissed him swiftly. "That's why were doomed." She added.
He chuckled, "I see your point."
Rikku sighed and looked around. "We're missing the game."
"Yeah," Gippal rubbed her back. "But it isn't like we can't do the things here we were going to do there. We could actually do more." He sniggered.
"And we were going to get something to eat," she pointed out. "I'm still hungry."
Gippal reached over and pulled a menu off the bedside table. "We could always order room service."
"That's expensive," Rikku protested and took the menu from him.
"We can afford it," Gippal pointed out. "I run the Machine Faction and I know you have a bunch of money squirreled away, besides look where we are."
Rikku looked, really looked. "You put us in the honeymoon suite," she gasped and looked back at him.
He wiggled slightly underneath her weight and looked away. "It was the most private place I could think of on short notice." He met her eyes. "Look, your screaming fit drew quite a bit of attention, media attention."
"Oh no," Rikku whispered.
"Oh yeah," Gippal raised an eyebrow. "We are probably now the hottest news story out there bar Yuna announcing she's pregnant with Tidus' love child."
"Don't joke like that."
"Joke," Gippal lengthened his face. "Who me?" He grinned. "Look, if we go out that door, we will be mobbed. So, I think it's better that we just stay here and relax for a bit. Let your father get used to the idea that his little girl," Gippal's hands drifted down her back, caressed her sides and didn't settle when he reached her thighs, "is not so little anymore."
She pursed her lips. "I hate it when you're right."
He grinned. "No, if I remember correctly, you love me."
"And hate you," Rikku tossed her hair. "It's a curious contradiction." She flipped the menu open. "Oh, cacti wine, we haven't had that in a long time."
Gippal's hands stopped moving and his lips parted slightly. Rikku looked over the menu at him and wiggled her eyebrows. Gippal swallowed hard. His mind flooded with images from that very wild and erotic night so long ago. He had this very desirable urge to forget dinner and skip ahead to the sex. "Sounds good," he croaked.
"You stopped," Rikku pouted and looked down at him.
"What?" Gippal shook his head.
"You stopped," she glanced at his hands. "I was enjoying that."
"Oh, sorry," he began stroking her legs again. Lightly dragging the tips of his fingers up and down them.
Rikku looked back at the menu. "I don't know," she turned it around. "What about you?"
"You know me, as long as it's protein I don't care." He scanned the menu.
"Pasta is more fun, though." Rikku cocked her head.
"Get both," Gippal shrugged.
"Oh right, money is no object," Rikku muttered and turned the menu back around. "So, how long do you think it will take the media to die down?"
"Until there is another story to replace it. Despite the fact they'll have to translate the Al Bhed first."
"And Pops will sulk for days if not weeks on end." Rikku sighed. "Good for nothing old man," she muttered under her breath.
"And Brother?"
Rikku groaned, "Hide me."
"I am," Gippal reminded her.
Rikku rolled off him and bounced off the bed. "Okay, now to actually get food."
Gippal stretched and sprawled to cover almost the entire bed. He heard her doing something in the other room, supposedly ordering whatever they were having. Shinra's commsphere system was being implemented everywhere. He threw his arm over his eyes and sighed.
Rikku giggled and belly flopped back onto the bed beside him and on her last bounce ended up on her side looking down at him. "Gippal."
"Hmm," He rolled his arm up slightly to look at her.
"Tell me again," she smiled at him.
He raised an eyebrow and racked his brain for what she wanted to know.
She sighed and found a throw pillow to thwack him with. "Tell me that you love me," she whined. Gippal grabbed the pillow and threw it away from her. He rolled over and trapped her underneath him. Her hair splayed around her head and she frowned at him.
Gippal grinned back at her. "I love you, Rikku." He told her and leaned down to kiss her. He decided that right now, there was enough time to have sex before dinner.
--
FIN
Three chapters, you got three chapters! Now, I must secede for some time and work on something LONGER!
Yuffie Kisaragi2: Glad you thought it was cute, and here is the 'more' you requested
Dragon Lady Ruth: 'so kol,' huh. Well, thank you, I do try.
Rena: You can see this happening! That is so awesome, and makes me feel really good.
TheSereneWolf: I'm glad you enjoy my dialogue. I've worked hard to make it the way it is. My number one adage is 'No question and answer exchanges!' And yep, no smut.
Star: Humor, irony, wit, puns (especially the latter) I love them all and glad you can appreciate my use of them, thanks!
The Flaming Angel: well, that's wonderful to hear… since I've been writing for five or six years now.
Gippal nd Rikku x 3: isn't fan service great, of course X-2 is all fan service.
CherryBerry: of all the cast, I can see R&G getting together the most.
SonnyB: Hush boy, and perfection, what is that?