GoH, this is the chapter that made me cry.
The Chapter That Made Me Cry: Discovering The Waterfront (Silverstein)
Asuka nodded at Gerard, who once again held up his sword and cut the Lunacy Fringe into pieces. They fell to the ground and the triplets had smashed them into even smaller pieces. The machine was reduced to rubble. They snuck back into the air vents and had escaped the palace quickly.
A week later...
"You ready?" Asuka asked Gerard. He smiled back at her and nodded. He got into the queens chair in front of the desk and Asuka started pressing keys on the keyboard in front of him. The monitor displayed various figures and charts. A screen had appeared and Gerard brightened up.
"Hi there," Tatsuki smiled. "How's everything going?"
"Alright, let's start from the beginning. I arrived here on the planet and met up with Asuka here on the jungle," Gerard started.
"Asuka's there?"
"Yep," Asuka answered.
"I haven't seen you in so long. We all miss you here on the station," Tatsuki said.
"I knew you guys would miss me,"
"We sure do... Now, Gerard, please continue,"
"Alright," Gerard said, "we had crashed the north's Queen's ball. We found this Lunacy Fringe, which in the end was this robotic battle armor. Anyway, they caught us and we were forced to retreat back to the south. Here, we planned our retaliations. We infiltrated the place once again and destroyed the armor. There. Misison Complete," Gerard said folding his arms with a smirk.
"Someone looks happy. Great job Gerard. We miss you too. Especially, Marielle," Tatsuki joked. Gerard heard Marielle yelling at Tatsuki in the background. Suddenly, Gerard had an idea.
"Err... How did you find out about me again?"
"Surveillance cameras. And our PATRIOTS. Why?"
"Who's the patriot on Spira?"
"It was... Gippal. I think that was his name,"
"Tall, blonde, eyepatch guy?"
"Oh yeah! That's him,"
"Huh... I would have never though of it. Can you establish a link with him?"
"Let's check the camera's to see what he's doing. I'll send a direct feed to you, then you should be able to communicate with the microphone,"
"Alright then," Gerard said. He longed for contact with his home. Especially contact with Rikku. As the loading screen appeared on the monitor, Gerard watched in anticipation. The screen showed static, but as soon as it cleared, he saw Gippal. He walked down the street whistling a tune. He held something behind his back and entered a large building. He ran up the spiral stairs to the very top.
Wait. That's my penthouse! he thought.
The door opened. Rikku stood smiling. Gippal handed the roses he hid behind his back the whole time, and Rikku's face had brightened. Gerard smiled at the sight of Rikku's face. But, the smiling wouldn't last long.
I will promise myself I won't care
distracting myself from your stare
and I've seen this mistake once before
with your games I will never fall for
I've hung up my guns
I won't kill again
Rikku wrapped his arms around Rikku, and she did the same. Gerard felt as if a limb was being tore off his body. Rikku looked up earnestly at Gippal. Gippal moved in closer to her. She closed her eyes and the two kissed.
I won't forget you (I won't forget you)
I'm not gonna let you win (I'm not gonna...)
but I'm tired of lying
tired of fighting you
and it's not gonna change
Gerard's heart had pounded heavily. His eyes started to tear up. Asuka bit her lower lip.
Is that the girl he keeps telling me about? she thought. Gerard's eyes were glued to the screen.
You ask for my heart
you know that I'm down
but not the way you lie to me,
you tear it all apart and beg for me to say
I sail off to sea (I sail off to sea),
I'm not coming back
Gippal and Rikku were pressing each others lips on each other. Gerard was at the point of crying. Rikku hugged Gippal even tighter and continued on. Gerard grabbed his chest, as if trying to rip out his own heart. Gippal stopped and Rikku leaned her head on his shoulders.
Counting down
Make that sounds
And you know it makes no sense
Counting down
Till you mess around
And I know you can't ever change
When I'm trembling,
Thrown overboard
And I'm ready to relive the past
Counting down
Make that sounds
Break the silence
Pretend it's not forever,
I'll pull myself together
I'll say that I'll forget her,
I'll breathe.
And I'll say she never hurt me,
And look at it as learning,
And laugh about the good and the bad.
Because I won't live forever
We don't belong together,
I know I'll feel better,
One day when I can make it through.