Disclaimer: Anything in this chapter and the following ones does not belong to me, but belongs to Squaresoft. The only thing I have to pride is the way I write. D

Gippal. I thought he was the one for me...

Maybe not.

Okay, definitely not. I know I say this A LOT, but this time I know for sure.

He was always so funny and made me laugh—no one knows this, but we have memories together. Lots would probably find this stupid, but me and Gippal grew up in Home together. As children.

When he still had two eyes.

Let me tell you a bit of the story, a memory that remains fondest in my mind...

"Look, Rikku!" A ten-year-old blond grabbed the 9 year old by the arm and pointed to Home. "Doesn't it look cool at night?"

Rikku giggled and ran up beside him. "It sure does!" The two stared at the metal monster in awe, as the moonlight shone down on its brassy surfaces.

Suddenly Rikku, being a restless young girl, fell to the sand and started rolling around.

"What are you DOING?" The boy asked.

"Oh, Gippal! It's called having fun! Don't you know what that is?"

Gippal ginned impishly and grabbed the small girl, twisting his knuckles into her head. "I sure do!"

Rikku screamed with laughter. "GIPPAL! STOP NOOGYING!"

The two laughed and fell apart, lying down on the sand together.

"Rikku...?" Gippal asked, turning on his side and looking at the young girl.

"Yea?" She asked, while still counting the millions of stars in the sky.

"I love you."

Rikku grinned. "Really? Cool!"

Gippal gave a heavy sigh. She still didn't know the meaning of those words. A thought formed in his mind and he turned to her once more.

"Do you love me?"

There was a silence where Rikku pulled at her thumb for a few moments. "Sure I do. You're my best friend! How come?"

Her blond tresses fell around her eyes as she stood up. Gippal sighed and stood up also.

"No reason."

"Race ya!"
"You're on!"

The two, still yet children, ran off down the sand dunes towards Home.

Yea, I know, pretty cheesy. But he cheated me out of the answer, and even if I didn't really know the meaning of the words, I still knew they were important to Gippal. He said them with such sincerity in his eyes, it was hard not to see.

And yet, as we grew, we fell apart. My dad, Cid, was always off on some adventure, forcing Brother to take care of me. Doesn't he have a creative name?

Brother didn't like me spending time with Gippal. Noo, 'Gippal was a ruffian' and 'He's a nasty one', would occasionally appear in his long lectures in Al Bhed. But I paid no attention.

I would continuously sneak out at night so Gippal and I could run off and do things together. Of course, we never saw it as more then having fun (like throwing the rocks over Home wall so the guards would come running), or just relaxing and talking to each other.

But it grew.