more?....MORE YOU SAY!?...WELL...OK THEN! I'LL POST MORE! YAY!
by akksgurl
Chapter Fourteen: The Truth Shall Set You Free
An explosion shook the floor of the Cloister of Trials forcing Gippal and Yuna to the ground. Covering their heads with their arms to prevent falling debris from connecting with their skulls, the duo squirmed on all fours to an over hang to wait for the shaking floor to calm.
“Are you okay?” Gippal asked Yuna.
Yuna nodded, “I…I think so.” She returned, “What was that?”
“I don’t know…” Gippal replied, slowly rising to his feet, “I just hope that Rikku’s okay…”
Falling in step together, Yuna and Gippal continued their creeping along the Cloister until they discovered a pathway that led below. The path twisted and turned and seemed to go on forever. Yuna was beginning to wonder if they should go back for help when Gippal suddenly dropped to his knees and started pawing at a wall. Raising a skeptical eyebrow at the man, Yuna knelt down beside him, “What are you doing?” she asked.
He turned to her, shocked at her close proximity that led to their lips being mere inches apart. Backing off slightly, Gippal faked nonchalance at her presence and replied, “There’s something here.”
“What is it?”
Gippal worked his fingers into a crevice in the wall and bit his bottom lip, “Give me a hand with this, Yuna. I think it pulls open.”
Tentatively, Yuna dug her fingers into the crevice just above Gippal’s hands and the two braced themselves to pull together. The wall creaked and groaned but moved relatively easily and the duo found themselves staring down at a darkened corridor with a set of stairs that led to a lower level than Yuna had ever knew existed.
“Is this another way to Vegnagun?” Gippal wondered aloud as he rose to his feet and took a step toward the stairs.
Yuna grabbed his shoulder, “Maybe we should go back and get some help?”
Gippal shook his head and hissed venomously, “If you’re scared than stay behind, but I’m going down there to find out what the hell is going on!” He disappeared into the darkened abyss of the corridor leaving Yuna no other option but to follow behind him wondering if she was making the right choice.
Yuna’s eyes tried to focus in the darkness but all she could see was shadows against the wall. She wasn’t sure how they were getting there since there was no light, but there was something about this place that seemed to defy normality and the laws of nature. Reaching out, she placed a hand on Gippal’s shoulder and the man in front of her paused and let her catch up.
“Stay close…” he whispered to her, lacing his fingers through hers and gently tugging on them to let her know that he was moving forward again. Hand in hand, the duo continued their careful trek down the stairs that curled around the walls that surrounded it.
“Where are we, Gippal?” she asked him, leaning forward to whisper the words in his ear.
Gippal stopped suddenly and his body pressed up against hers. He placed his free hand over her mouth and indicated for silence. Yuna strained her ears to hear what Gippal was hearing and she thought it sounded like whispering. He let go of her hand and leaned in close to her, “Stay here and stay quiet. I’ll be right back.”
She felt his presence leaving her side as she waited. She didn’t like that he had left her alone in this dark and dank place. After several minutes, Yuna became fed up and worried about Gippal. Reaching out with her hands, the brunette carefully continued down the stairs in the direction that Gippal had traveled. A breeze circled up the stairs before her and Yuna wondered if there was some sort of trap that Gippal had fallen into. The voices got louder the further she traveled, but she still wasn’t able to make out what they were saying. The thick stone walls were seeing to that.
A light flickered ahead of her and she wanted to call out for Gippal but she was worried. What if someone had taken him hostage? She didn’t want to make herself an easy target. Firmly planting one of her hands on her gun and the other on the wall to hold her steady, Yuna continued to blindly stumble along the path as the light and the breeze became more prevalent. The voices were also beginning to take shape. Some were distinctly male while others were distinctly female. All of the voices sounded upset and angry.
“….she….ake?”
“I….ow.”
Yuna stopped and pressed her ear against the wall.
“Don’t move her!” shouted a voice.
“I didn’t!”
Yuna took a few more steps toward the light ahead of her with her ear still firmly planted against the wall. Someone was hurt. Was it Rikku?
“Geez dude!” scolded one of the voices, “You were pretty wild with that gunblade. What were you thinking anyway? You could have gotten your girlfriend killed!”
“She’s not my girlfriend…”
Yuna stopped in mid-step, her breath caught in her throat. Her heart pounded the blood between her ears until the only sound she heard was that sentence repeated ad infinitum in her mind.
“She’s not my girlfriend…”
“She’s not my girlfriend…”
“She’s not my girlfriend…”
“Tidus…” Yuna breathed, positive that the voice belonged to her former guardian. Without much of a care in the world, Yuna began to bound down the stairs toward the small flicker of light that grew larger with every step she took. She was moving so quickly and with such determination, she barely noticed a second set of footsteps approaching her or a shadowy figure coming toward her from the light until she slammed right into the muscular chest of Gippal. The thud of their heads connecting caused grunts of pain from the two of them. Yuna tried to grab onto something, but the force of her body shoving against his caused Gippal to lose his footing. He kicked out and his foot wrapped itself around Yuna’s leg, pulling the brunette down with him as they tumbled the remaining few feet down the stairs and rolled into the large room that was lit from the overhead lamps where they stopped with Yuna and Gippal sprawled out on the floor, dazed and confused.
-----------------------.
The first thing Tidus realized was that two people had fallen head over heels into the room. He could see long limbs, blonde and brown hair, and hands groping around trying to figure out how to untangle themselves from each other.
The next thing Tidus realized was that he recognized one of the legs.
“Yuna?!” he cried, momentarily forgetting that her cousin was lying unconscious on the floor. The leg he recognized straightened instantly and suddenly the other person was shoved violently away. Tidus recognized Gippal then.
Yuna jumped to her feet and jumped into his arms, spinning the both of them around in her haste. Her lips crashed down upon his in a fury as her arms wrapped tightly and possessively around his neck and his own around her waist. They stood there, embracing and kissing, for several seconds until Gippal tapped them on the shoulders, “Um…sorry to interrupt, but what did you do to Rikku?!” he asked, rather sarcastically.
Tidus reluctantly pulled away from Yuna, “She passed out after we killed Ultimecia.”
“You did what?!” Yuna shrieked, a hand coming firmly to stop over her mouth in a look of surprise.
“We killed Ultimecia.” Squall supplied.
Yuna wrinkled her nose at Tidus, “Why did you do that?! She’s the New Yevon Praetoress!”
“What?!”
“She was Baralai’s replacement.” Explained Gippal, “Why’d you kill her?”
“She was trying to destroy the world!” Selphie chirped, swinging her nunchaku around her head in her excitement.
“Tidus…” Yuna whispered as she leaned her head closer to Tidus, “Who are these people?”
Tidus cleared his throat and introduced each person in his entourage to Yuna and Gippal one by one. Hand shakes and one big hug were given by Zell, Quistis, Irvine, Laguna, Ellone, Rinoa and Selphie. Curt nods came from Seifer and Squall.
Yuna stared at Rinoa for several seconds as did Gippal. Neither said a word, but looked at each other in mute surprise. Tidus cocked an eyebrow at her, “What is it?”
“N…nothing…” Yuna said, tearing her eyes away from Rinoa, “Y…yeah, i…it’s nothing. Just a trick of my mind.”
“So who are they, Tidus?” Squall asked sarcastically, “Or do you want us to guess…”
Tidus glowered at Squall and them motioned toward Gippal, “This is Gippal and this is Yuna.” He smiled triumphantly at Laguna, “See, she does exist!”
Laguna shrugged, “Still doesn’t mean I believe this whole ‘dream’ nonsense.” He said in reply before motioning down at the prone Rikku, “I think we should do something about her.”
Nodding his ascension, Rikku was gently lifted into the air and held carefully in Laguna’s arms as the group made their way back to the top of Bevelle Temple. Yuna gripped Tidus’ hand tightly as if trying to make sure he was still there as she leaned in to whisper, “Everybody is going to be so thrilled to see you! We’ve got to go to Besaid!”
---------------------------.
The trip back to Besaid took longer than anyone had expected. Rikku lay with her head on Paine’s lap as the gray haired woman dabbed her forehead with a damp cloth. Gippal knelt down beside her and gently played with a stray strand of hair until he caught Paine’s glare, “What are you doing?” she hissed.
“I…I was just…”
“Don’t you think you’ve done enough?” she spat at him, catching the attention of everyone on the ship.
Tidus looked at them, “What did he do?” he asked. Tidus didn’t notice the pained and desperate Yuna shot her friend, nor did he see her silently mouthing ‘no’ toward her.
“It’s nothing.” Paine said to him, “Just something between Gippal and me.”
Tidus was placated with that explanation and the rest of the trip back to Besaid was silent. Tidus wrapped an arm around Yuna’s shoulder and didn’t want to let her go. Although he was back from the dead again, he couldn’t fight this feeling creeping up his spine that he wasn’t out of the woods just yet. His gaze wandered from Rikku over to the corner where Rinoa was standing silently with Squall and he frowned, casting a covert glance to Yuna before focusing back on his hands. Yuna was going to say something about Rinoa. Did she recognize her from Seymour’s group too or was it something else?
He’d have to ask her later.
Rikku’s sudden squirming brought attention of the entire ship settling down upon the Al Bhed – except Buddy who was busy piloting. Reluctantly unwrapping Yuna from his arms, Tidus crossed the room, knelt and nudged Rikku gently, “Rikku…?” he whispered, “You awake?”
Bloodshot eyes with a faraway glaze over them shot open at that second and shocked Tidus back to his butt on the ground. The girl took several deep breaths and then rubbed her eyes gently. The redness and glaze vanished almost instantly and Tidus wondered if he had imagined it, but upon closer inspection he saw that the red was still there, just not as obvious.
“Are you okay?” Gippal blurted, rushing closer to Rikku and staring into her eyes.
She looked at him blankly for a moment as if trying to place where she knew him. Her eyes traveled his length and then focused one by one on everyone surrounding her. They boldly grazed Squall before she turned back to Gippal and smiled, “I’m just fine.”
-----------------------.
Nobody was happier that Tidus was back than Yuna, although Wakka gave her a run for her money when he squeezed the newly returned so tightly that Tidus turned various shades of blue. She watched him as he interacted with the residents of Besaid and the people who had come from miles around just to see if the rumor they had heard was true and she didn’t bother trying to hide her love and admiration for him. She heard him recanting his adventures as he introduced his uncle and the other teens to each and every person one at a time.
She was so happy…
The only thing that marred that happiness was the memory of Rikku’s face earlier in the day. Her cousin had been furious and hurt and it had been all Yuna’s fault. Even though she had blamed Gippal, she knew in her heart that the blame was hers and hers alone. Rikku wasn’t acknowledging Yuna or Gippal. In fact, her normally outgoing and rambunctious cousin was sitting alone off to the side of the party watching Squall and Rinoa covertly.
“Hey beautiful…” came Tidus’ whisper in her ear. She hadn’t noticed that he had snuck away from his group of followers and she smiled broadly as she turned to face his handsome countenance.
“Hey yourself.” She said, letting herself become wrapped in the strong embrace of his arms.
Tidus kissed her lips tenderly and began to pull her toward him as he backed off slightly. He took several more steps, leading her with him until she noticed the half leering grin he was giving her and she blushed, “Just what are you thinking?” she asked, knowing full well what was on his mind.
“I was thinking…” he said in a hushed whisper as he pulled her close to him and whispered in her ear, “…that maybe we could have some private time on the Celsius while everybody is out here getting drunk…”
Yuna stifled a giggle of glee as she nodded and let Tidus lead her quietly up into the abandoned ship that was parked several yards away from the party. The ship was incredibly quiet as they wandered up the stairs that lead from the bridge to the elevator leading to the crew’s quarters. She felt Tidus’ hand snaking around her waist and she twisted out of his grip, giving him a mock look of shock, “Felt up in public! The audacity!” she said with feigned appall.
Tidus grinned at her and elbowed the button to open the elevator while his hands slipped around her and swept her rear possessively, “I intend to feel you up in public and in private for many years to come…” he said. The dinging of the bell indicated the opening of the elevator doors and the young couple entered. Tidus pulled her to him and whispered hoarsely, "Yuna,” as his hands cupped her face, kissing her passionately.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and hitched her legs around his hips as he slammed her back against the wall of the elevator. His fingers fumbled at the fabric of her half-skirt, finally letting it fall to the ground as the doors opened again.
Without breaking contact, he half carried; half pushed her down the hall toward the crew’s quarters with his lips touching her skin at every opportunity. They stopped as Yuna’s back made contact with the door that kept them separate from the bed. She pressed her lips to his roughly, tongues dueling with passion as Yuna reached behind her and forced the door open.
With great gusto, Tidus rushed forward. Yuna tightened her legs around his waist as he made his way up the stairs, never letting his lips leave hers. Tidus tightened his grip on her before setting her on her feet at the edge of the nearest bed.
Tidus smiled at her, “I love you…” he whispered.
“I love you too…” she replied as she let him lower her to the bed.
-----------------------------------.
It was dark when Tidus awoke. He smiled when he saw Yuna still sleeping soundly next to him with a small trace of a grin on her beautiful face. He sighed quietly. He was really thirsty. Slipping his naked body out from the sheets, he felt around in the dark for his boxers before padding quietly down the stairs. He had taken note that no one had joined them in the crew’s quarters for the night.
They must have known they wanted to be alone…
Slipping quietly out of the room and closing the door silently behind him, Tidus made his way toward the tiny kitchen that was sheltered in an out of the way room just south of the crew’s quarters. It was no larger than Wakka and Lulu’s hut but it served the purpose well. The light that illuminated from the open refrigerator did enough to tell Tidus that there was someone else in the kitchen and judging from the long blonde hair that cascaded down the person’s back, he was willing to guess it was Rikku.
“You thirsty too?” he asked.
Rikku stood up straight, obviously startled by his presence but she quickly smiled at him, “Have a good reunion with Yuna?”
Tidus was glad it was dark or else Rikku would have seen him blush, “Yes…”
“Good…” Rikku said and there was something in her voice that made Tidus shiver slightly. The girl walked away from the open fridge for a moment and reached for a glass. Tidus couldn’t help but watch her with barely concealed awe. There was something different about the way she was carrying herself. She seemed more…
Mature.
“So I suppose you and she had a long talk about what happened.” Said Rikku suddenly.
Tidus cocked an eyebrow, “About what?”
Rikku turned to him slowly and a sly grin was on her features but at his shocked look, she quickly erased it and took a step closer to him in the darkened room, “So you didn’t talk about it…?”
“Talk about what?” he asked, instantly regretting that he had. There was something in Rikku’s demeanor that was making him uncomfortable. Her hand was a little too familiar upon his knee, her face just a tad too close to his own.
“I think it’s time you know…”
“Know what?”
Rikku leaned in so that her lips gently caressed his ear as she spoke, “I think it’s time you know what Yuna was doing while you were gone…”
~_~_~_~_
OOOOOH SNAP! RIKKU GONNA TELL! OOOO *tapes rikku's mouth shut* SHUTUP BLONDEY! DONT WRECK YUNA AND TIDUS'S LOVE LIFE!
(eating pizza. pizza=me hyper!)
