Chapter Ten: Diamond in the Wash
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Shuyin realized it was morning by the sunlight streaming in from the window behind him. He blinked several times and sat up slowly. Yuna wasn’t around and he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. Having momentarily lost his senses last night, he hoped that she hadn’t realized it wasn’t Tidus making love to her. That would completely ruin his plans.
He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sighed. He was angry with himself for having zero self control the night before. How could he have risked his entire plan just because Yuna had practically stripped to nothing in front of him? What would Lenne think?
He sighed again. In the end Lenne was Yuna, so it wasn’t like he had cheated. It wasn’t even like he’d done something wrong in regards to Yuna either. She was more than willing.
The sound of the door opening and closing caught his attention. Yuna was fully dressed in her usual attire and coming toward him with a grin on her face, “Good morning.” She said, leaning over to kiss him.
She must not have noticed a difference…
“Good morning.” He replied with a smile. There was definitely something about her.
Yuna crawled onto the bed, straddling him over the sheets, “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
With a grin, Yuna whispered in his ear, “Where have you been hiding that amazing performance last night?”
Shuyin had to stifle a huge belly laugh. Apparently she had noticed a difference, but it was one she really liked. He had figured she enjoyed herself, judging from her various reactions, but he hadn’t realized that it was far too different from her experience with Tidus. Apparently he was wrong…
Turning to whisper back in her ear, “I thought I’d try something different.” Shuyin felt Yuna’s tongue tracing slow, lazy lines across his earlobe to which he replied, “Find something interesting?”
In a quick move, Shuyin flipped Yuna beneath him and attacked her throat with his lips in slow languid movements while his hands traveled her body, rising from her hips to the crevice between her breasts to loosen the fasteners.
“Yuna, are you coming?”
Shuyin laughed and rolled off of Yuna who quickly hooked her shirt again, “I’m coming, Paine!” she called. She looked at Shuyin who was laying on his side staring at her, “I’m going with Paine, Nooj, and LeBlanc to see Gippal today.”
“Why?!” Shuyin asked, a little more forcefully then he had wanted to. Did they know something?
Yuna pushed herself off of the bed and walked to the mirror where she ran a brush quickly through her tangled knots, “Cid said the belt used on Baralai only had two sets of prints – Baralai’s and Gippal’s.” she sighed and their eyes connected in the reflection, “We’re hoping to get him to confess. Cid said he’d consider a plea bargain if he confesses.”
“What sort of plea bargain?”
“Life in prison instead of the death sentence.” Yuna turned to him, “It’s better than nothing.” Taking three quick steps to him, Yuna pressed her lips to his tenderly, “I love you, Tidus. I’ll be back later.”
“Hey!” Shuyin called as she started for the door. As she spun back around he smiled, “How about you and me do something together tonight, just the two of us?”
Yuna’s smile lit up her face and Shuyin joined her smile and felt really happy for the first time in a long time, “I’d love that.” She replied, “I’ll see you tonight then.”
“Tonight.”
“Oh!” she said with a start, “I almost forgot. I threw your shorts in the washer to get rid of that dirt stain. You’ll have to wear something else in the meantime.”
“Okay, Yuna.”
Shuyin lay back on the bed with a self satisfied smirk on his face for several minutes after she left. He wasn’t sure what it was he was feeling for Yuna, but he liked it. She was the best parts of Lenne minus Lenne’s annoying tendencies, like sacrificing herself over and over and over again. He hoped that when he used the diamond on Yuna, Lenne’s personality would remain much like Yuna’s.
The diamond!
Shuyin jumped up from the bed and quickly pulled boxers on, breaking out in a run out the door and down toward the washing area. He had left the ring in his pants pocket, and Yuna had put the pants in the wash!
Luckily during his streaking, Shuyin didn’t pass anyone and upon reaching the washing room, it was empty. Although there were several washers, only one was working and Shuyin stopped it, pulling his damp pants from the pile of other damp clothes. The diamond had become dislodged from the base of the ring, but luckily it was still in his pocket. He breathed a sigh of relief for that, but then wondered if the diamond had been damaged.
“I hope it has been, you son of a bitch.”
Shuyin groaned, “What are you doing awake again?”
“First you kill Baralai,” Tidus hissed, “Then you sleep with my girlfriend. I could kill you for this.”
Shuyin threw the shorts back into the wash and turned the cycle on again before whispering, “You can’t do anything to me, Tidus. I’m the more powerful of the two of us. I’m in charge.”
“You won’t get away with this.”
Shuyin laughed, “I think I already have.” He replied, “The only difference Yuna has noticed was the fact that my sex was better then yours.”
“Lenne is going to hate you for what you’ve done.” Tidus answered, “She won’t be able to get over this as easily as she got over your affair with Allyn.”
“Go back to sleep, Tidus.” Said Shuyin, suddenly furious. He hated that Tidus was getting into his memories but it hadn’t started working in the opposite yet. The merger was taking forever to work. He had been told by the fayth that the merger would join the two souls together, allowing the true one to have all the memories. So far, it was taking forever. At least Shuyin still had his strength. Closing his eyes, Shuyin strained and focused until he felt Tidus going back into his world of darkness.
With a sigh, Shuyin looked down at the broken ring in his hand. A little glue, some time to dry, and then he could test it to see if the thing still worked.
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Gippal was grateful to have a cell to himself, but he still didn’t like the catcalls he had received from the inmates upon being taken into the Al Bhed maximum security prison. He hadn’t been allowed to shave since thoughts of suicide were common among prisoners and giving them razors just ended in a bloody mess so he had blond stubble lining his face. Bags were firmly planted under his eyes since fear for his life had prevented any thoughts of sleep.
Gippal’s mind had been racing since his arrest about who could have killed Baralai and then managed to escape, but he couldn’t think of anyone who would have wanted his best friend dead. When he had been told that Paine, Nooj, LeBlanc, and Yuna were coming to see him, hoped it was to tell him that they knew he was innocent.
If only Rikku would come.
“Oui kud jecedunc.” Said a portly Al Bhed guard just outside of Gippal’s cell. Gippal stood and walked toward the cell bars which were about two feet from the cot they gave him to sleep on. Next to that was a toilet with a crust on it that made Gippal glad he could pee standing up.
Yuna was visible first, followed by Paine, LeBlanc, and Nooj. Nooj came up to the bars and gripped his hands through them, “Are you okay?” he asked.
“I suppose.” Gippal replied.
LeBlanc kissed his forehead, “We know you didn’t do it, love. We’re going t prove it.”
Gippal noticed that Paine and Yuna hung back during this time and he frowned. Looking directly into Paine’s crimson eyes, he asked, “What do you think?”
“Trust me, Gippal.” She replied, “You don’t want to know.”
Yuna gave him a half-hearted smile, “We’re not here for pleasantries, Gippal.” She said, rather harshly for Yuna, “I’m here to tell you that the only prints on the belt were yours and Baralai’s. Cid said if you confess now, he’ll give you a plea bargain.”
“You’re all here to get my confession?!”
LeBlanc shook her head, “No, love. Noojie and I are here to give you our support.”
Gippal’s green eyes bored holes into Paine as he hissed, “Well at least someone knows I wouldn’t harm Baralai.”
“Gippal,” Yuna began, “I want to believe it too, but everything points otherwise. Will you confess or not?”
“Confess to something I didn’t do?!” Gippal shrieked, “I’d rather die.”
“Fine.” Said Yuna, her voice suddenly becoming cold and distant, “I tried.” Spinning on her heels, Yuna left.
Gippal sat cross-legged on the hard cement of his cell floor and started to think over what Yuna had said. Only his prints and Baralai’s were on the belt. How was that even possible? He scratched his head and looked at Nooj, “Did anybody figure out where Baralai went yet?”
“Not yet,” Nooj replied, “The pilots that flew him wherever it was he went aren’t back from another run yet. Cid said they’ll be back by the end of the week.”
“What does it matter where he went?” hissed Paine suddenly, a rare display of anger coming from the usually stoic female, “All that matters is that he’s dead and that someone killed him!” Her face scrunched up a little and Gippal was shocked to realize that, upon turning her back to him, Paine had started to cry.
Nooj’s heart went out to Paine as he stepped behind her and placed two comforting hands on her shoulders, much to LeBlanc’s chagrin. Pressing his forehead against the back of her head, Nooj whispered, “But we both know that Gippal didn’t do it.”
Paine spun around suddenly, her eyes afire, “Don’t tell me what I know!” she screamed, “I know what I saw the last time I saw Baralai alive! I saw Gippal threaten him and then three hours later Baralai was dead! His prints being the only ones on the belt besides Baralai and we sure as hell know Baralai didn’t break his own neck!”
“The prints mean nothing!” shouted Gippal, silencing Paine and gaining all attention back to him. He stared at Paine with desperation in his eyes, “Don’t you see that someone is trying to frame me?! Why would I use my own belt to kill Baralai and then leave it there?! It just doesn’t make sense!”
“Then what do you think happened?” asked Paine, sarcastically.
“Maybe Baralai’s killer wiped his prints off of the belt!”
LeBlanc shrugged and shook her head, “Sorry, love, but that wouldn’t work. All the prints would have been damaged then.”
“Exactly!” said Paine, motioning wildly with her hands.
Gippal sighed and fell backward onto the cement, defeated. All the evidence did point to him and the only person who would believe his alibi wasn’t there. Oh if only Rikku had come!!
Thoughts and possibilities flashed through Gippal’s head. How could the killer have used his belt without leaving prints or messing up any others? Was it even possible? The only way would have been if the killer had worn gloves and…
“Gloves!” he suddenly shouted, sitting up suddenly, “The killer was wearing gloves!”
“I was thinking the same thing.” Nooj replied, “but we still don’t know who it could have been.”
Gippal’s sudden happiness was deflated just as quickly. Nooj was right. Just because he had a hunch, didn’t change anything. The prosecution would still bury him with their ‘evidence’. He had to come up with a suspect or even a motive that would help his case, but he couldn’t think of anyone who was crazy enough to murder Baralai and who wore gloves or even had a pair.
Suddenly a face flashed before Gippal’s eyes and he thought his heart stopped. Was it possible? He stared at Nooj, “Tidus…”
Paine was in front of him in a moment, slapping him hard on the cheek, “How dare you start accusing other people!”
Rubbing his face gently, Gippal protested, “But Paine! Think about it! He’s been acting weird, he was MIA, and he wears gloves!”
“He was also coming into the ship at the same time you claim you were!” Paine reminded him, “You said that yourself.”
“Oh…yeah.” Gippal said with a frown. Tidus had been coming up the front plank to the Celsius at the same time Gippal had entered from the engine room entrance.
There really was no hope…
Nooj and LeBlanc said their goodbyes and left. Gippal was surprised that Paine was still there but he didn’t voice it. Even without her saying a word, just knowing that someone – anyone* – was there made him feel better.
“Gippal…” Paine whispered suddenly, breaking the silence that had permeated the room.
“What is it?”
“Did you notice how the window was open just a crack that day?”
Gippal did remember it. It had been odd since Brother insisted on keeping all the windows closed so that they weren’t left open during flight. He stared at Paine, trying to figure out her line of thought when she said, “The side of the ship is like a big sliding board. The three of us liked to slide down, especially if we were on the roof.”
He suddenly realized where she was going. If someone – namely Tidus – had slid down the side of the ship after killing Baralai, they would have had plenty of time to get back to the front of the ship and inside before his body was discovered. Gippal stared at her in wonder as she whispered, “I believe you.”
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Yuna’s return was well timed. Shuyin had just finished making sure the diamond wouldn’t fall off of the ring when she walked back into their room. Quickly slipping the object into his pocket, he turned and smiled at her but was greeted by a frown in return, “What’s the matter?”
“He wouldn’t confess.” Yuna replied, “He’s going to die because he’s so damn stubborn!”
Shuyin pulled Yuna toward him in a gentle embrace, “It’ll be okay.” He whispered.
“Do you think he did it?” she asked.
Shuyin hadn’t expected that question. He thought for a moment and then said the only answer that he felt would aid him in his plans, “Yes, I do.” He whispered, taking advantage of this opportunity to slip the ring onto her finger. He felt Yuna slump in his arms and a momentary panic took over. Had he killed her? He laid her down gently on the bed and was relieved to find she was still breathing.
Time passed slowly as the minutes went by and Yuna didn’t wake up. After five minutes, Shuyin made a move to take the ring from her finger when she groaned softly and opened her eyes. She stared from him, to the room, and then back to him before she whispered, “Shuyin, where are we?”
It was Lenne. She was back, however brief the interlude might be. His plan would work. Shuyin smiled at her and started in on his well rehearsed explanation, “The guards chased us, but I managed to get us shelter here.”
He had decided it was best to let Lenne think it was still 1000 years before. She’d ask less questions that way.
Lenne, in Yuna’s form, sat up slowly, as if testing her limbs, “I had the weirdest dream.” She said, “I dreamt that the guards shot us and that I died. The fayth told me I needed to be reincarnated in order to stop this monster that was destroying Zanarkand, but I said I’d only do it if you were reincarnated with me. Then I was allowed to visit you one last time and these guards were locking you in a cave to let you starve and…”
“Stop it!” shrieked Shuyin and at Lenne’s shocked look, he said, much more calmly, “It was just a dream.”
Lenne stared at him as if seeing him for the first time. She gripped strands of his hair gently and asked, “Why did you cut your hair?”
“Like I said, the guards are looking for us so we had to adopt disguises. I cut yours too.” He said, motioning toward Yuna’s hair.
Lenne ran her fingers through the short strands and frowned, “Yes you did.” Then she let her eyes search the rest of her body and stared in disgust at the clothes, “Shuyin, just where are we?”
“A safe place.”
“Is this place a whorehouse?!” she asked, motioning toward the clothes, “What is this outfit? It looks like something Allyn would wear!”
“Oh, Lennie, stop it.”
She sat up farther and smacked her hands next to her on the bed, “No, you stop it Shuyin. I want to know exactly where we are.”
“It’s not important.” He replied, “What is important is that you and I are safe and together.”
Lenne nodded, “I guess you’re right,” she said, making a move to rise that was quickly rebuffed by Shuyin’s hard and fast grip on her waist, “What is the deal?!” she shouted, “I just want to look at what you did to my hair!”
“No.”
Her eyes immediately showed their skepticism and she glared at him, “Did you just tell me no?” she squirmed out of his arms and rolled onto her side to stare at him, “I don’t know what your problem is, Shuyin, but the bottom line is that I’m going back to the front tomorrow. I won’t let you keep me prisoner here.”
Shuyin couldn’t believe his ears. Even after 1000 years she still wanted to go to the frontlines! He felt a flicker of fury forming in his gut. Nothing had changed! Didn’t she ever learn?! Yuna learned. Yuna said that she wouldn’t have risked her life again if she had it to do all over and yet there was Lenne, ready to let herself die!
With a furious sweep of his hand, Shuyin ripped the ring from her finger and threw it across the room. He was sick of trying to save her life! He was sick of her always putting the war ahead of them! He was sick of Lenne!
With a sigh, Shuyin leaned back to wait the five minutes for Yuna to return to consciousness.
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AL BHED TRANSLATION
Oui kud jecedunc: You got visitors
