A/N: This story was written just as an attempt to do something slightly out of the norm from the traditional pairings and occurrences of most fan fiction. Don't misunderstand – most of my favorite stories are traditional pairings, but once in a while it's fun to change things around a bit. Enjoy this twist of fate and remember, Square-Enix owns the characters and the characters own you… for life, yo. Word.
If you're new to the idea of Yuna x Gippal and are having a hard time trying to picture them together, I've put together a sample picture to help your imagination (visit my profile for the link).
Light
Chapter Seven – Flickering
♥ ---
Yuna breathed in the crisp early morning air. She had a large bag slung over her right shoulder and another in her arms; both of which contained everything she would need while staying at Mount Olympus's training dormitories. She stared blankly at the large wooden doors that served as Traverse Town's world exit and wished she had taken that refill on coffee earlier that morning. She had planned on getting a good night's sleep, but a dull headache put an end to that. The odd thing was she hadn't really felt it coming on at all. Stranger yet, she couldn't really remember a time when she had ever had such a headache – it clouded her thoughts completely and just when she thought it might stop, it started to boom again.
It must be nerves, Yuna thought. Soon, the brunette could hear two sets of footsteps behind her.
"What've you got in there? A small nation?" Gippal quipped.
Rikku shot him an indignant look. "These are my absolute essentials!"
"Hmph… This is all I need," Gippal replied, holding up one duffle bag.
"Well gooo-oooody for you!" Rikku shot back. She caught sight of her cousins' equally large bags and ran up to her side. "SEE! We're prepared!"
Gippal stopped beside them and rolled his eyes. "This is a training camp, not a survival mission."
"Whatever," Rikku replied, waving a hand dismissively. She turned her attention to Yuna. "So… uhmm… Did you find anything at the store last night?" She asked cautiously.
"…Last night?" Yuna repeated slowly. She absentmindedly unzipped the bag in her arms and found a new set of clothes folded neatly inside along with her Queen Bees. "Uh… Y-yeah, I guess I did." Wow… That headache really did a number on me, didn't it. She thought. I don't even remember setting foot inside a store…
"Oh! Good…" Rikku replied, feigning a smile. She peeked into the bag and then her eyes widened. "Hey! That's the one I was going to show you!"
"Oh …really?" …I guess I went by myself? Weird…
"Oh no… One Rikku's bad enough; two just might kill us all…" Gippal said, smirking.
"Heeeey! You're just jealous that great minds think alike and your poor excuse for gray matter is WAY out of our league." She replied, sticking out her tongue at the end for (rather childish) emphasis.
"Riiiight… So, when's this shuttle supposed to arrive?" Gippal continued.
"It should be here in a few more minutes," Yuna said as she glanced at her watch.
As the three waited, a small crowd began to form behind them. People of all ages were packed down with their own sets of luggage, all eagerly waiting to arrive at Mount Olympus. Yuna glanced behind her and saw Cid and Merlin towards the end of the line. They would be staying at the training center just long enough to check on their latest customer's special device. Cid had mentioned something about "flying fish," but Yuna couldn't really remember all of it now.
Just then, the wooden doors opened, revealing a walkway that lead up to Traverse Town's loading dock. The three-sectioned shuttle hovered patiently as its passengers boarded. Then it made its way at tremendous speed towards the famed home of heroes.
♥ ---
By the afternoon, the three had unpacked, stored their battle outfits for the tournament, and taken a quick tour of the grounds. Huge training centers with varying temperatures dotted the landscape. Training warriors could choose from deserts to frozen wastelands to tropical retreats to train in. So far, the three had tried most of the moderate temperature ones and were now making their way to a rainforest training ground. As they neared it, the three could smell the poignant fragrance of tropical flowers and feel the intense humidity.
Suddenly, Yuna could feel herself getting dizzy. A dull pain was washing over her, and she began to have a hard time seeing clearly. What's happening to me?...
Just relax, it's just nerves… She could hear her own thoughts from earlier echoing back to her.
Just… nerves… Her eyes suddenly snapped back into focus. The dull headache had subsided a little, but she could still feel it beating at her temples. She looked up ahead at the two blondes walking in front of her. They're leading me again, aren't they…She thought with a frown. She quickly let it fade as her cousin turned around to face her.
"Alright, get ready to lose again, Gippal!" Rikku cried as she got into battle position.
"Hey, wait. You were teamed up with Yuna last time. Now it's your turn to be the single person." Gippal reminded her.
And apparently I need someone to be my teammate as well? "I'll be odd man out!" Yuna yelled forcefully. She was quickly met by the blondes' surprised looks. "Uh… I mean, I'll be by myself this time. You guys go ahead and pair up." She replied in a gentler tone.
"Okie dokie, Yunie!" Rikku replied. "You're goin' down!"
How did I get stuck with these two? Yuna muttered inwardly. She gripped her Queen Bees and got into starting position. I'm tired of this.
"First to get to warning health level loses! Ready…GO!" Rikku shouted and began to run at Yuna with her blades ready to strike.
Yuna dodged out of the way and shot back using a firestrike attack Gippal designed for her guns. Rikku just barely inched out of the way and Gippal began to fire at Yuna. Yuna flipped out of the way and cast haste on herself. She held one gun aimed at Gippal and the other at Rikku and began another round of firestrike attacks. The two managed to dodge most of them, but were struck quite a few times.
"So you wanna play rough, eh, Yuna?" Gippal switched his Mortar's grinder on and ran at the brunette. She nearly escaped, but her speed was no match for the Mortar's reach. After recovering, Yuna began to charge her guns with holy magic. Gippal ran towards her again, but she stopped charging and dropped to the ground. She swept her leg around, kicking Gippal's legs and throwing him off balance. He flipped over onto Rikku, who was in the process of running towards Yuna, and the two blondes fell to the floor. Yuna scrambled to her feet and finished charging the guns. Just as the two were getting back into position, Yuna fired her new "Holy Smokes" attack and the alarm sounded.
White magic pumped into the room, restoring the three to full power once more. A satisfied smirk spread across Yuna's face while the other two stared dumbfounded at her.
You see? You are more powerful than the both of them combined.
"Wow…" Gippal began, laughing with disbelief. "Good shot!"
"Yeah," Rikku chimed in. "I didn't know you had it in you!"
Yuna just shrugged and began to walk away.
"H-hey! Where're you going, Yunie?" Rikku called after her.
"I need a real challenge," Yuna replied, not even bothering to turn around.
Rikku and Gippal exchanged confused looks. "You mean like the desert grounds?" Rikku asked as she and Gippal jogged up beside the brunette.
"No. Opponent-wise." Yuna said simply. "I'll see you two later!" She began to jog down the street towards the colder training areas.
Rikku's mouth dropped and for a minute all she could do was utter surprised sounds, point after her cousin's disappearing form, and narrow her eyes even more. "W-what the heck was that all about!" She finally spat out.
Gippal scratched his head. "Ya got me…" I've never seen her act like that… Suddenly, his voice got quieter. "Is it that time of the month?"
"What? No!" Rikku replied, slapping his shoulder. "And she's barely bitchy then!... Not that you need to know!" She slapped his shoulder again.
Geez, maybe it's Rikku's…
Rikku glared at him. "And it's not mine either!" Gippal smirked at her and she continued. "This is what I was talking about! This is what she did yesterday, too! And then this morning she acted like nothing happened! Arrrgghhh!"
"Well… fine! If she wants to go find a 'real challenge', let her." Gippal replied, face still mirroring Rikku's pissed expression. Suddenly, he became aware of a gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach. "I'm hungry, c'mon!" With that, he grabbed Rikku's hand and began to make his way towards the cafeteria.
♥ ---
Rikku was still fuming as she forcefully shoved curly fry after curly fry down her throat. "I can't believe the nerve of… oooohhhh…" Shove, shove. "Can you believe that? I can't believe that!… Grrr…."
Gippal simply continued to sip his root bear and zone out Rikku's muttering. He was still annoyed about being brushed off, but didn't really want to think about it while he was trying to enjoy his meal. He glanced over to the side and caught sight of Cid and Merlin. Seated nearby was the famed sea princess, Ariel, and close by were the other princesses. All of them seemed to be excitedly chattering and Cid had that trademark dreamy look on his face signifying the prospect of more work. Apparently, he and Merlin had impressed them with their newest device, the Aqua-Aeroga. With it, Ariel was now able to "swim" through the air as she would underwater; and she and her friends couldn't be happier.
Suddenly, Rikku stopped mid-sentence when she caught sight of a tall blonde several feet away. "Hey… look…" She pointed towards the tall, spikey-haired man.
Gippal looked up and saw Cloud looking absolutely miserable. He had never seen the stoic warrior look so completely down before.
"Call him over," Rikku whispered as she nudged Gippal's shoulder.
"He doesn't look like he wants to be bothered."
"I won't bother him. Call him over."
"Why don't you do it?" Gippal replied lazily.
"Because, you have the whole spikey-haired brotherhood thing going for you. Now do it!"
Gippal shrugged and stood up. "Hey, Cloud." He said, waving slightly to get the man's attention. Cloud turned towards the Al Bhed and stared blankly at him. "Erm… Why don't you join us…?"
Cloud nodded slightly and trudged over to the table. He seated himself next to Rikku and began to stare at the table. Rikku and Gippal looked at one another. Gippal shrugged his shoulders and gestured slightly towards the other blonde man as if to say "So now what?"
"So… Cloud… Something on your mind?" Rikku began.
Cloud averted his gaze from the table and now peered down at the floor. "…Not really…" The sudden feeling of a hand being put on his arm broke him from his trance. He looked up to find Rikku looking back worriedly at him.
"C'mon, you can tell me." Rikku tried softly.
♥ ---
"And then she looked at me with this… icy glare and said, 'Just leave me alone!' And… I don't know what I did wrong! …I… I love her, you know?"
Rikku patted the blonde warrior's shoulder. "I know, Cloud. Maybe she just needs some time to herself. If we see her, we'll be sure and talk to her."
Cloud nodded and stood up. "Thanks. I appreciate it." The two Al Bhed watched as he walked out of the cafeteria.
"Okay… How did you do that?" Gippal asked.
"Do what?" Rikku asked as she finished her meal.
Gippal shot her a look of disbelief. "The man just spewed out his soul! He!... You!... Cloud never shows emotion!" He gestured wildly with his hands.
Rikku simply nodded. "I know. It's a gift." Her expression darkened. "I can't believe Aerith would be so mean to him, though. They're crazy for each other! Well… at least, they usually are…" She paused for a moment, then slammed her fist on the table and stood up. "I won't stand for it! Every day you hear about another perfect couple breaking up! It's just not right! Those two are meant to be together! And so help me, wild chocobos couldn't drag me away from this, my newest mission: to get those two back together again!" She placed her hands on her hips and Gippal was almost afraid of the determined look in her eye… Especially when her gaze fell on him. "And YOU are going to help me do it!"
Before Gippal could utter a single word, he found himself being dragged out of the cafeteria and back towards the training centers.
♥ ---
"I'm surprised, Larxene. I had my doubts when you told me you were planning on tapping into more than just the Spiran's consciousness at once, but I must admit, this is working out rather nicely."
"Yes… It was a rather brilliant idea, wasn't it?" The blonde stepped out of the shadows and gazed out across the sea of training centers. "And now it's time for phase two. I've already introduced them to weaker dark power. Now we'll see how they like this…" She revealed a small vile of liquid, swirling black and dark pink.
"Essence of Darkside?"
Larxene nodded. "It's perfect. It can be absorbed quite easily and without detection. Even that wretched boy was overcome by its effects at one time."
"But it did wear off by the time he reached Traverse Town. It will wear off of them as well."
"In time, yes… But I'll have destroyed them long before that."
♥ ---
Aeris dodged another weak blow, then swung her staff at her latest opponent. The dark-haired man opposite her was breathing heavily, sweat dripping down his face. She grazed his leg and as he fell backwards, the alarm rang.
Aerith looked up at the white magic vents, annoyance glowing in her eyes. "Already?" She snorted. "How hard is it to find a real warrior in this place?"
"G-g-good fight," The man stammered as he stood up and extended his hand to the pink-clad woman.
Aerith eyed the man contemptuously. "You must be joking…" She turned and made her way out of the training center, leaving the man looking rather stunned.
She continued to fight her way into the colder training centers, each time attacking with greater power. She seemed to even surprise herself at how strong she was getting and how quickly it was occurring. Hmph… And they think I'm such a weakling… Fools…
♥ ---
"Uuuuuggghhhh! We've been EVERYWHERE and still no sign of Aerith or Yunie! Where the heck are they!" Rikku cried exasperatedly.
"Chill out, Cid's Girl. It's not like they disappeared off the face of the world or something." Gippal replied calmly. "Look, there's still a couple more training centers left. Let's try this one…" He said pointing towards the nearest center.
"Oooohh… we better find them soon! These places are FREEZING!" Rikku whined. She reluctantly followed Gippal into the icy room, still muttering. "Resistance training or no resistance training, these people are completely nuts…"
The two Al Bhed scanned the room and quickly caught sight of a particularly fierce battle taking place at the far end of the center. A blur of pink, silver and brown was mercilessly pummeling a rather muscular man into the snow. The health alarm was blaring, yet the fighter would not stop.
"STAND UP AND FIGHT ME!"
The blondes' faces paled. That couldn't be Aerith! They shook themselves out of shock and ran to her side. Gippal grabbed her arms and while she struggled to shake the Al Bhed away, Rikku dragged the man as fast and far away as she could. He was breathing heavily and had incurred several wounds. Rikku glanced up at the ceiling.
"Where's the white magic?" She wondered out loud. Rikku turned her attention back to the man and began to cast round after round of cure on him. If I had my dressphere, this would go a lot faster… "Don't worry, you're gonna be just fine," she reassured the man.
Meanwhile, Aerith had successfully bucked Gippal away from her and was now glaring at him. "How dare you interrupt us!" She growled.
"Did you even hear the bell? You could've killed that guy!" Gippal shot back. "What were you thinking?"
A deadly glow began to emanate from Aerith's eyes. "That's none of your concern," She began evenly. "I will do what I see fit! I refuse to be pushed around any longer!" She gave the fallen man a final glare and stormed out of the room.
"Rikku, stay here. I'm gonna follow her." Gippal ordered. Rikku nodded in reply and he began to silently follow the fuming brunette.
He soon discovered that someone else was following her, too.
"Did she tell you anything?"
Gippal spun around. "Geez! Don't do that!" Gippal all but yelled at the tall blonde behind him. "No, she didn't say anything… But now I see what you mean. She's not acting like herself at all."
Cloud nodded. "She's been this way since last night. Although… she's in a worse mood now…"
The two crept from corner to corner, watching as Aerith made her way towards the farthest, coldest training center. As soon as she entered, the two left the shadows and ran to the opening. They peered into the dimly lit room of ice. Gippal's eye went wide at what he saw. There, in the middle of the room was Yuna. Her skin and lips were almost completely blue, yet she looked absolutely unfazed by the freezing temperature. She simply stared blankly at the newcomer approaching her.
♥ ---
Larxene smiled as the two women neared each other. "They'll destroy each other without me having to lift a finger." She watched from behind an ice wall as the remaining amount of dark magic filtered through the air and entered the two brunettes' bodies. "Now… begin!" She commanded softly.
♥ ---
Without a word, the two women began to attack one another with full force. Aerith's staff darkened in color until it became completely black. She swung it over and over at Yuna's quickly retreating form. Yuna, on the other hand, opened fire at her opponent, sending bursts of dark energy at Aerith.
"There's no way those guns can do that!" Gippal exclaimed. He dashed inside the training room, closely followed by Cloud.
"Aerith! Yuna! Stop!" Cloud shouted.
Aerith dodged another of Yuna's shots, then somersaulted backwards towards the two approaching men. "I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE ME ALONE!" She leapt to the side of one of the ice walls, pushed off and leaped into the air. As she came down, she swung at Cloud, grazing his head. He let out a stifled cry and dropped to the snowy ground, unconscious.
Aerith whipped her head around and stared straight into Gippal's eye. "AND YOU! You've disrupted me for the last time!" She raised her staff, but before she could strike, Yuna sent another round of dark magic at her and she dropped weakly to her knees. "That wasn't fair!" Aerith forced out. "You caught me off guard!" She took a few more ragged breaths before passing out and falling back against Cloud.
"Oh boo-hoo." Yuna replied. She blew the curling smoke away from the gun's barrel. "I simply expedited the inevitable." She turned her attention to Gippal. "And why are you here?" She hissed.
"I've been looking for you," Gippal began cautiously. "Rikku and I were worried about you. You… You haven't been acting like yourself lately…"
"AND WHAT IS ACTING LIKE MYSELF, EXACTLY?" She cried. "Like the obedient puppet I should be? I'M TIRED OF IT! I'm sick to death of everyone bossing me around! All my life I've had to do what everyone else wanted me to! I'm sick of being the world's servant!" She raised her gun and aimed it straight for Gippal's head. "So allow me to serve you one last time…"
It took all of Gippal's strength to keep his voice steady. "All right then, shoot me if you think it'll prove something. But let me remind you of this: When the temples were inundated with fiends and the Gullwings were out saving them, I didn't ask for your help. What I told you then, I still believe. We can't come running to you every time we have a problem. No one should have to have that responsibility."
He kept his eye locked with hers, but noticed that she began to lower the gun ever so slightly. "It's not fair you've had so much pressure thrust upon you. You deserve to live your life the way you want, just like anybody else." Her eyes were beginning to soften.
He took a cautious step forward. "I'm sorry you've had to go through so much pain." Another slow step. "But you can't change the past with more pain." Step. "You stopped Spira from its eternal spiral of death." Step. "You ended Sin with the Calm." One more step. Her eyes seemed almost their normal glow. His voice became soft. "I haven't saved any worlds, and I'm definitely no superhero, but… I don't want to see you hurt anymore." He swiftly took hold of her arm and pulled her towards him, taking firm command of her icy lips.
Gippal's warm kiss and his breath burned against Yuna's skin. Every inch of her felt like it was scorching within his grasp. She couldn't move against the fire surging through her. She could feel herself becoming lost in the welcome heat, but her head was starting to throb harder than ever.
STOP! He's feeding you more LIES! Don't listen to them! He just wants to use you!
…To use me…
It's your power he wants! He doesn't care about you! He'll fail you!
…Fail…
(As you have failed me, so shall others fail you…)
She could hear voices swirling through her mind.
You're not the real… You're not real!
(Everyone will leave you eventually…)
No…NO!
He, too, will leave. You'll be completely alone. You're falling into the spiral again…
Yuna shoved herself out of the Al Bhed's grasp and gripped her gun, screaming at the top of her lungs. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"
BANG!
Gippal's vision blurred as he anticipated the shot. He could feel his heart pounding rapidly against his chest. He listened as the sound of the shot rang across the icy walls.
He heard a soft thud directly in front of him.
As Gippal's sight began to come back into focus, he became aware of heavy breathing close by, towards the side of the room.
"Impossible…"
Gippal's eye locked onto the source of the voice, Larxene. She wiped her hand across her right arm and stared thunderstruck at the sticky red substance covering it.
"Impossible…" She mumbled again. Before Gippal could reach for a gun, the woman vanished.
Gippal kneeled down next to Yuna's still form. He placed his hand to the side of her neck and breathed a heavy sigh of relief when he felt her pulse. A moment later, he could hear footsteps quickly approaching and soon Rikku was standing in the doorway with Cid and the man she had helped earlier.
"What the hell happened in here?" Cid exclaimed as he rushed to Cloud and Aerith's forms.
"It's a long story. I'll fill you in once we get everyone out of here." Gippal replied as he carefully picked Yuna up. Cid lifted Aerith while the man and Rikku grabbed hold of Cloud, and they all proceeded out of the training center and towards the infirmary.
♥ ---
Gippal yawned and stretched his free arm over his head. His other hand was gently holding Yuna's as she slept in one of the infirmary rooms. "Well," Gippal began softly to himself, "You've really done it this time, Gippal. You kiss the girl and she goes and collapses! Tch… I must be losing my touch." He squeezed her hand and frowned slightly. "I wish she was after me instead of you." He kissed the back of her hand, then put his head back down on the edge of the bed he was seated near and closed his eyes. He had been by her side since he brought her in a few hours before. Tests showed that the former summoner was simply drained of energy and needed rest, but he refused to leave her alone. An hour earlier, Rikku had tried to persuade him to go back to the dorm and come back in the morning, but he held firm to his decision.
Rikku grinned at him and ruffled his hair. "Awww…"
"Hey, cut it out," Gippal replied, swatting her hands away. "I just want to make sure that psycho bitch stays away from her, that's all." He tried to keep his normal, cool appearance.
"Sure, sure, I understand." Rikku winked at him. She was almost to the door, when she stopped and turned around. "Just remember: you hurt her and I hurt you." She gave him a half-hearted glare.
Gippal rolled his eyes. "Goodnight, Princess." He smiled as he heard her walk away, muttering how much she hated that nickname.
It wasn't very comfortable to be sleeping halfway on a bed and halfway seated on a chair, but the Al Bhed was thoroughly exhausted from the day's events and easily drifted off to sleep.
♥ ---
Yuna's eyes fluttered open and she squinted in the darkness. A clock on the opposite wall read 3:20 AM in bright red. She jumped a little in surprise when she realized that she wasn't in her bed and that a dark figure next to her was hunched over the side of the bed, holding her hand. As her eyes became more accustomed to the darkness, she realized it was Gippal.
What are we doing here…?
Slowly, some of the memories of the previous day began to come back to her. She remembered the headaches and becoming increasingly angry, but not much else. An anxious feeling rose in her stomach and she willed herself to remember more, but couldn't. She turned her attention back to the sleeping figure next to her. She was extremely glad to have someone familiar nearby. She knew she would have freaked out just now, otherwise. She had to admit, though, she was rather surprised that it was Gippal. He seemed to be at her bedside often.
She leaned closer to him and studied his face. He didn't look the least bit cocky while he slept. He looked almost boyish, actually. Yuna smirked to herself. Part of her felt slightly nervous that he would wake up and catch her staring at him. But then there was her curious side that wanted to examine every interesting curve of his face.
She had to admit, he was rather good-looking. …Actually, really good-looking. It probably wasn't such a big surprise that she had had that …interesting dream while she slept next to him a few days before.
She watched his back rise and fall slightly as he breathed. It really was no wonder that so many people were crazy over him. But it seemed to Yuna that he had changed a lot since she had seen him last on Spira.
It was months since Vegnagun's attack, and although she tried to assure everyone otherwise, Yuna still felt depressed that the only link she had left to her first love was gone. Rikku was sick of her cousin moping around, so she decided to bring her along on an errand at Djose Temple.
When they arrived, they found Gippal surrounded by a multitude of women, all eager to hear how Gippal faced off against the killer machina, Vegnagun… for the millionth time. Gippal was just about to get to the part about "saving Logos and Leblanc" when Rikku tapped him on the shoulder. "Cid's Girl! And the High Summoner, too? Well, isn't this a surprise? I feel honored," he added with a mock bow.
Rikku rolled her eyes. "Just tell me where that nit-wit of a machina is and I'll let you get back to your fairytale."
Gippal glared at the Al Bhed girl, then turned his attention back to his audience. "Ladies, I'll be right back." He motioned for Rikku and Yuna to follow him up into the heart of the temple. "Geez, Rikku, way to kill a moment there…" He muttered.
The two had begun their usual banter, but Yuna hadn't really listened to any of it. She absentmindedly gazed from one wall to the next, and was only brought out of her own little world when Gippal snapped his fingers in front of her.
"Huh? Oh… sorry…" She said sheepishly.
He waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it, I have that affect on people. Blindingly good looks… It's a curse." He added with a shrug. Yuna just stared blankly at him. "Uhh… anyway, while Rikku's working on that giant monstrosity," he gestured to the huge machina Rikku was now working on, "you can work on these little drones." He offered Yuna a wrench and she silently took it. Gippal scratched his head. "Uh… here, let me show you what to do…"
Yuna watched as he changed out one of the damaged parts and replaced it with a new one. Then, he gave the wrench back to her and supervised as she followed through the same steps. In no time, the drone was functioning perfectly. For the first time that day, Yuna smiled.
Gippal nodded approvingly. "You are part Al Bhed after all."
Just then, one of the other workers came running upstairs. He said something to Gippal in Al Bhed, then took his leave.
"Well, I'll leave you two to your work. It seems those girls are threatening to start a riot if I don't come back." He added with a smirk. Even the way he walked away embodied conceit.
And now, it seemed he would gladly put his life on the line for Yuna or Rikku. When he had a cocky remark, he didn't actually believe it, but was really just poking fun at his reputation. She liked this new Gippal. He had proved himself to be an irreplaceable friend.
Yuna gently brushed his fallen blonde bangs out of his face. She liked the way he was concerned about her or that he took his own free time to build weapons for her. As she looked into his peaceful face, she began to wonder what it'd be like… if she were always his primary concern… and he were hers. She definitely wouldn't mind it… She brushed her lips against his forehead before lying back on her pillow. "I wish…"
To be continued…
AHHH! Sorry I haven't updated in so LONG! School's been royally kicking my arse… Which is partly why this chapter is kinda blarg… I hope you found it semi-interesting at least lol. So, just to clarify: Larxene really was shot, Yuna doesn't remember everything that happened (including that "heated" conversation with Gippal ohohohoho…) and Rikku has awesome powers (at least where getting people to express their feelings are concerned?...) In the next chapter, we say goodbye to a dear friend… GASP! Until then, thanks for reading and please review! AND THANK YOU TO ALL MY LOVELY REVIEWERS!