"The Personal Secretary", chapter 10 to 'Strangers'
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy X2 or any of its characters. Sadly enough. I’d be a rich mofo by now.
Author: Senpai//xelijahbabe07x //beautiful nightmare07
Rating: This chapter, PG13. Overall, M.
Characters: Rikku, Gippal, main Final Fantasy X/X2 cast, some OCs, Gippal/Rikku
Author’s Note: Originally posted to ff.net. Wanted to post it to my community as well because I’m still debating on deleting my ff.net account and I want this in separate places. So, with that being said, this is the story. It’s based off the song, “Until We Ain’t Strangers Anymore” by Bon Jovi. Enjoy.
--
"Awwwwwww, ain't it sweet?"
Tamai and Rikku tore away from each other's mouths as soon as their exchange had been interrupted. The pair flicked their eyes towards the opening that lead towards the village to find Tidus standing there, watching with a slight smirk on his face. His arms were crossed and most of his weight was centered on his left leg, a typical mannerism he displayed whenever he thought he had a discovered a juicy detail.
"Shutty, Ti!"
The equally bubbly blond jogged up to the two Al Bheds, his eyes mischievous, "So… had to sneak away for a little lover's reunion, hrmm?"
As soon as he was within reaching distance, Rikku landed a heavy smack across the blitzer's lower arm, "You have the worst timing, ya know that?"
He raised an eyebrow, his lips pursing together in a thoughtful expression, "Maybe…or maybe I have the best timing ever."
Rikku rolled her emerald eyes, catching a quick glimpse of Tamai's flushed face laughing. So apparently he found the entire situation funny as well? Was she the only one who was completely embarrassed?
"What do you want, Tidus?"
"Well…I was sent here by the future misses. She wanted to see what you wanted for dinner."
Tamai raised an eyebrow, "Future misses?"
Tidus blinked stupidly before letting out a bewildered sigh. There he went, ruining another surprise, "Yeah we're engaged. Just act surprised when she tells everyone at supper, alright? If she finds out I blurted it out to you then my ass is had."
Rikku gave him a sly smile, "Well then maybe we should tell her."
The dream man coughed in dismay, "Wha? You wouldn't dare, Rikku! You can't do this to me. If she finds out I might as well ask the Fayth to make me disappear again because if they don't, she'll send my ass to the Farplane! She wanted to be the one to tell everyone."
"And she could send you to the Farplane, too," The thief informed him nonchalantly.
Tidus nodded eagerly, "I know this! I've seen her with that gunner dress-sphere. If she's sportin' the warrior dress sphere I'd blow her outta the water, but that gun…damn! I couldn't even out run it if I wanted to…and I can run!"
Rikku sniggered, "We all know this. Mr. 'Live and let live!'"
Dark blue eyes cast her a devious glare at his famous words he usually yelled as he commanded the party to run away from a fight, "Well at least I know when I've met my match, Al Bhed."
Tamai cleared his throat, "alright, alright. That's enough. No need for friends to argue. I won't say anything, Tidus. I swear. Rikku won't either."
She threw him a disappointed stare, "What?…you take all the fun out of it! It's fun to watch him squirm."
The half Al Bhed sighed, "It may be but I would like to make it back to Djose in one piece. Something tells me he's a rather skilled fighter. And I don't want to have to explain to Gippal why you're on bed rest."
She blushed, "T-true. Fine, Ti. It's a draw. Next time though, it's goin' down. Hard."
Tidus rolled his eyes, "Pllllllease. I'm not afraid of you, Cid's girl!"
Her heart pounded as she took a determined step towards Tidus. How he knew Gippal's irritating name for her, she wasn't sure. Nor did she care. He immediately recoiled, throwing his arms up over his face in protection, "ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT!"
Tamai simply laughed.
--
The rest of the day and night ran smoothly. And oddly enough, instead of feeling awkward with one another, Tamai and Rikku seemed closer than ever. There was even a point, after the engagement had been announced and Wakka had recovered from his near heart attack, that Rikku actually got up from her spot beside Yuna, and went to sit beside Tamai.
The insightful moment they had shared on the beach had been forgotten. A silent vow had been agreed to between the two parties to never speak of it again. Tamai definitely didn't mind. The less she thought about Gippal, the happier it made her. And the happier it made him.
So when the night grew late and morning spoke of its arrival, the friends all said goodnight. Tidus and Yuna walking hand in hand back to their hut, wicked grins plastered on their faces. What they planned on doing before bed was more than evident. Wakka and Lulu walked back in silence, smiling at each other with knowing expressions. And Rikku and Tamai…well…they just couldn't stop talking.
At one point Rikku even had to clasp her hands over her mouth to keep from laughing so loudly. A grumpy Wakka was not something that one wanted to mess with.
This reaction to one of his many tales he found to be quite adorable, "I didn't know you found me so humorous."
Rikku grinned, "Well, there has to be something about you I like. We've been close since day one, right?"
"Only because I took pity on you. You seemed so lost."
She laughed again, "Oh so I should be thanking you? Oh my savior, how will I ever repay you?" She teased, sticking her tongue out playfully.
Tamai rolled his eyes, "Like you have anything I want."
Her mouth fell open in an intrigued look of surprise, "Squeeze me? Did you just…burn me, Tamai?"
His eyebrows shot up and his cheeks turned pink as he fought back his own need to laugh, "Me? No…never."
"No, I think you did. Well I'll remember that. You just wait. You're gonna get yours when you least expect it."
He simply waved his hand at her dismissively as they headed into the abandoned inn.
This time Tamai took the bed by the window, Rikku in the one next to his.
"You know I had dibs on that."
"Blah, blah, blah. You always have something. It's hard to keep up with. Can't I just sleep here tonight since it's our last night on the island?" He asked her, sticking out his lower lip in a pouting expression.
She stared at him for a moment before sighing, "Fine. You big meanie."
"Yes!" Her friend exclaimed, settling into the mattress with a content sigh.
Rikku grumbled to herself as she did the same, punching her pillow a couple times out of agitation before finally flopping her long mane of hair down.
As she squeezed her eyes together, she heard the faint sounds of snickering. After she had offered him the bed, he still had the nerve to laugh at her discomfort? Maybe if she ignored it…
Still he chuckled.
She remained silent.
So he continued to laugh. In fact, her silence seemed to only add to his amusement. That's it. She had it.
With a growl, she flipped over onto her side and glared at him. He was staring out the window; his blue eyes alight with the dancing moon and stars that littered the outside sky.
"Oy, what's so funny?"
His eyes rolled to the side to glance at her as if he were completely disinterested in her anger, "What do you mean?"
"Don't play stupid. That's what I'm for. You're just sitting there giggling to yourself. It's annoying."
"You sure do get a little too upset when people are laughing."
"I don't care about that; it's when people are laughing at my expense."
He raised an eyebrow, "Is that the work of Patches?"
For a moment, she didn't know whether to smack him or punch him. And then…something happened that even surprised her.
Her nose wrinkled and her eyes began to water and then…her mouth fell open and the most beautiful sound came out. A laugh. A heartfelt, jovial laugh that sounded like bells.
Tamai rolled onto his side so that he was completely facing her, "R-Rikku?"
She sniffed as she tried to catch her breath, "P-P-Patches?" And again, she laughed.
The half Al Bhed man smirked at the humor she found in his nickname for Gippal, "Well…just sayin'."
"That's great! I didn't know anyone else called him that except for me."
"Well I don't usually…typically I just think it."
And for the second time that day, something unexpected occurred. The bed creaked under her sudden movement. Tamai's breath fell from his chest in a gasp of surprise and the beginning of a protest when he felt her smile against his mouth and press a shy peck on his lips. It was over and done with before he really had a chance to react. But her point had been made. He was finally silent. Laughter had long subsided and she was already turning back over on her side to fall back asleep.
Touching his mouth, he stared in disbelief at her back for a few moments before clearing his throat, trying to find his voice. He struggled. She had rendered him speechless by her forwardness and the lightest amount of pressure of her lips seeking out his. Instead of the other way around. Something he had been wanting ever since he had laid eyes upon the Al Bhed goddess.
After a few more swallows, his speaking ability finally broke through, "W-w-what was t-that?"
Her shoulders shook with quiet laughter, her back remaining towards him, "It shut you up, didn't it?"
Licking his mouth, he leaned back against the wall, the longer pieces of his black hair shading his eyes from the world, "But…why?"
Thankfully her face was hidden. She was grinning like a mad woman and her cheeks were tinted pink under her forwardness, "Like I said earlier…I told you that you were gonna get yours when you least expected it."
Tamai gave a slight grunt of being impressed as he leaned back, watching as her breathing slowed and her fidgeting ceased, sleep leaving her quiet and peaceful.
--
The morning came too quickly. The ride back to Luca was even quicker; the walk on the highroad passed by in the blink of an eye. Before they knew it, they were standing on the bridge that led them back to Djose and their every day life. Would things turn back to normal? Or would this still remain on this new playfield?
Tamai studied Rikku as she kicked a couple of stones that covered the surface of the bridge, "What are you thinking about?"
His voice was always so warm. It was comforting. But she couldn't honestly tell him what she was thinking. It would hurt his feelings. 'Why did I kiss him? Did he like it? Does he know that I was thinking of someone else the first time he kissed me? Will Gippal be jealous? I don't care if Gippal's jealous…do I? I'm not talking to him any more so I don't care if he is jealous. It's not like he'll say anything anyways. Moron…Tamai isn't like him at all…Tamai is so sweet.'
She stared at him with unseeing eyes, thoughts racing wildly through her cute little head.
Suddenly his mouth pulled into a small smile, "Why are you staring at me like that?"
Her eyes rounded as his question cut through the cloud of thoughts, "I was --ah….nothing. Are you ready to go back?"
He shrugged, "Not in particular. I could go for another night with you and your friends."
She nodded eagerly, "They seemed to really like you."
Tamai threw her a wink, "I'm glad they did. I liked them as well."
"Tidus seemed to really enjoy your company."
"He's quite a laugh. I can see what your cousin sees in him."
Rikku giggled, "Yeah, they're totally cute, aren't they?"
He threw her a curt nod before motioning towards the temple, "Shall we?"
Taking in a deep breath, she gave a groan in agreement. Hopefully the weekend away from here would make her a little more patient when it came to Gippal and his mouth.
Probably not.
--
The workers were just greeting the morning when the pair arrived back to Djose. And although they were a little battle worn and hungry, they were rather eager to work on Gippal's monster machina. Well…not so much work, but the company they found in one another. Rikku was beginning to find that she was growing increasingly more fond of Tamai and his conversations. As well as the way he made her stomach feel when he looked at her. It was nice. She felt like she mattered when Tamai was with her.
"I can't believe you got sun burnt," Rikku told Tamai, glancing at his burnt upper arms.
He smirked, "Well…like I said, I haven't ever been to Besaid. And I'm always inside working on that machina. And Luca is pretty shaded. I haven't really had a chance to work up the magnificent tan that you walk around in all the time."
Rikku batted her eyelashes at him playfully, "It is rather magnificent, isn't it?"
They were laughing when they stepped inside the temple. Just when they were about to have another round of the infectious giggling, their breaths caught in their throats when their eyes fell upon the new layout of the inside.
No longer was the room dark and omniscient, but light and dusted. No longer did the statues speak of easier times. They were nearly covered by plants and lighting. As a matter of fact, the office setting off towards the right half of the temple main room pretty much killed any religious vibe the temple still had going for it.
"What…the…hell?" Tamai asked to no one in particular, spinning around to get a full view of the room.
"What is he thinking? Can't he just make an office outside in one of the tents or something? Like inside the tent for people who want to work in the sands of Bikanel for treasure excavation?'
Sure, Gippal was thoughtless most of the time to everyone else's needs or wants. But this was ridiculous. She didn't believe in Yevon. Nor did she support it. But she was a pretty nostalgic person and this place meant something to a lot of people. Gippal didn't have any right to go and completely destroy it just because he felt like something new. Although such actions shouldn't have been a surprise to her. He had always been one for change.
"When did we get ferns?" Tamai continued blubbering, staring at the green plants like they were from a different planet entirely.
"They're pretty damn tacky," Rikku hissed, crossing her arms in her disdain.
"Tacky? I think it gives the place a little more pizzazz, don't you?"
Like a knife to butter, his voice shot straight through her. The returning pair lifted their eyes to find Gippal exciting his room, walking around the large oak desk that was placed obscenely close to his bedroom door.
In that normal gait filled with cockiness, he came to stand before them, tilting his golden head to the side, "What, no souvenirs?"
With her lips sealed firmly shut, and her resolve never stronger, Rikku simply remained stoic and clearly unimpressed.
"What's with the desk, Gippal?" Tamai finally asked, picking up on Rikku's silent treatment immediately.
"Ahh, the desk. Well, while you both were away I came to the conclusion that a personal secretary would definitely help keep things orderly around here, don't you agree?"
'Not really…since when do you need help keeping your stuff together? You're the most obsessive compulsive person I know, Gippal. What are you up to?' Sure…mentally she could carry on a conversation with him but as long as he wasn't directly ordering her to do something or asking her something concerning her job, she wasn't about to answer him.
And he knew it too. A glint of amusement hinted in his jade eye as he took in her stone appearance. She was blocking him, just as she had informed him she would before she left on her little family reunion. No matter…even the strongest of stones would break if their weakness was targeted. Luckily for him, he knew exactly what would break her. Silence wasn't something that Gippal took too kindly too, especially when it was Rikku who was doing the ignoring. He could dish it up but he definitely didn't like to be treated to the cold dessert.
"Um…sure," The raven haired mechanic finally offered, still rather puzzled as to what was happening here.
Gippal glanced from Rikku to Tamai, a nasty little sneer covering his otherwise handsome face, "I'm being rude. I haven't even asked about your little trip. Did you two enjoy yourselves?"
Immediately a matching blush covered the two mechanics' faces, both shifting uneasily under Gippal's scrutiny. The reaction had only been a slight falter on their parts, but Gippal was quick enough to deduce their uneasiness. Immediately a dark look formed on his face as understanding came into his realm of thought.
"We did. Her friends are really something," Tamai said, smiling down at the emotionally distraught Rikku.
With a grunt and a slight flick of his hair, Gippal straightened back to his full height, crossing his arms calmly, "I'm glad you two had fun. Now, let's get down to business. I would like to introduce my new personal secretary. You should remember her, kid. She's an old Home favorite."
Immediately that piqued Rikku's interest. And the rounding of her green eyes and a slight parting of her lips told him of that. With a nearly silent chuckle, Gippal clicked his fingers. The door to his room opened again, and a woman approached.
"She's pretty experienced, so she should be quite the asset for the Faction."
She came to stop beside Gippal, nearly leaning against him. Strawberry blonde hair was tied up into a loose pony tail, thick rimmed glasses played on her dainty nose. Pearls adorned her elegant neck, offsetting the white dress shirt that covered her upper half. Which, Rikku almost immediately noticed, was unbuttoned enough to tease the men with a slight view of cleavage. The red skirt she wore fell down just above her knees, but the slit that came with it was all the way up her hip, falling short of where decency ended and strip tease began. And the black high heels she wore made her a whole foot taller than she probably was typically. Her curvaceous figure screamed at Rikku, speaking of its power over her own lean figure --a body that left much to be desired.
Once she had recovered enough from the official unveiling of the new secretary, shocked emerald eyes locked with equally green eyes of her past rival.
"Rikku! It has been too long, my dear. My, you are so thin! Do you eat at all, honey? I'm sorry I told you would eventually fill into that lanky body of yours. Apparently I was sadly mistaken."
Her voice screamed of a temptress. A voice that she had forgotten on purpose. A voice that made her blood boil. A voice that brought back hundreds of memories that she didn't care to relive. A voice that…even if she didn't believe in hating something, she was rather sure that she did hate.’
Gippal walked over and clasped Tamai roughly on his sunburn. The half Al Bhed cringed in physical pain, "Oh I'm sorry, Tamai. That's my bad," Gippal offered, his mind screaming its praises.
"Tamai, please meet my new personal secretary and a very good friend of mine and Cid's kid's, Takeira. Takeira, this is Tamai. One of my best workers. Please make her feel welcomed."
Tamai stuck out an awkward palm, greeting her. She smiled at him brightly, shaking his hand back before she turned to Rikku.
"What, too good to say hello? Don't be a little bitch, Rikku. Surely you're past that phase by now?"
Immediately Rikku's mind cleared and her body responded, a sweaty hand reaching out to grasp Takeira's, "H-hi Keira…welcome to Djose."
The strawberry blonde fluttered her long eyelashes as her childhood friend, smacking away Rikku's hand, "Now is that any way to treat an old friend? Come here you silly little girl."
Rikku let out a wail of unabashed surprise as Takeira grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her in for a snug hug.
Tortured eyes glanced over to find Gippal scratching the back of his head, a cunning grin on his face, "There, now see? We're all friends here, aren't we? Now…this is going to be a lot of fun, right?"
As Takeira pulled away and Rikku fell back to her spot beside Tamai, she couldn't help but register the slightly spinning sensation her head supplied her with now. Had he seriously just said fun?
Her eyes narrowed in and held his one, a look of despise clearly held within her depths. He just didn't know when to quit did he?
This was going to get worse before it could ever get better. Much, much worse.