FicWad

A fair warning: If you don't like shoujo-ai/female-female relationships...you should be running.

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Boring.

That's the one word that described the way life was going at the time. Boring. Yuna had found Tidus...and of course, she was staying with him in Besaid. Kind of makes one feel a tad unwanted.

It was a rather sobering experience, standing there beneath the Celsius, watching her run into his arms. I really love Yuna. Don't get me wrong; a platonic sort of love. Sisterly, you might say. I don't think she realizes that, though. I doubt she ever will; I'm not the kind of person to just walk up to someone and tell them that I love them.

Anyways, back to my point. So there I was; watching the two embrace. Sure it was sweet, but it kind of left me feeling empty. I'm sure Rikku felt the same. The girl devoted her life to protecting Yuna; to make her happy. We both knew her job had been fulfilled. So what is one to do when they're work is done?

Sit around and do nothing, that's what. At least, that's what we did. They had a party in Besaid that night, honoring Tidus' return. That was fun, I guess. Actually, no it wasn't. It was kind of boring. Though Rikku looked like she was enjoying herself...I have my doubts. After the party, Tidus and Yuna took a late night walk together. Rikku and I...went back to the Celsius. How exciting.

At first, Yuna's absence from the Gullwings had everyone in a mellow sort of daze. Rikku was very quiet, which, needless to say, was kind of disturbing. More like incredibly disturbing. I have to be honest; I really felt bad for her. Her usually perky demeanor had seemingly vanished without a trace. There were several days when she didn't even get out of bed.

And that was the last straw. I was angry. Angry at Yuna for just leaving us like that. We were a team; we had fought so many battles together, we had overcome so many obstacles...and then she left us at the drop of a hat. A blitzball playing, blond haired, Fayth's dream hat. I wasn't angry on my behalf though, at least...not as much as I was for Rikku. I hadn't known Yuna as long as she had, and the former summoner's sudden absence wasn't doing Rikku any good. In fact, I'd say it was downright unhealthy for her. So I decided to take action.

"Rikku..." I began, seating myself at the foot of her bed. It was noon, and she was still curled up beneath the covers. I gently shook her, but she only batted at my hand and hid her head beneath the pillow. "Come on," I sighed, "Get out of bed. We should go do something." I heard her groan, and then silence followed. Rolling my eyes, I leaned over by her pillow, "You can't just spend the rest of your life in bed."

With that, she sat up. She glared at me through the tangled blond mass that was draped in front of her face, and I had to stifle a laugh. She proceeded to stick out her tongue and then...she blew me a nice, lovely raspberry. Surprising myself, I responded with one of my own. She just growled at me and hid herself beneath the covers again, proving my previous efforts to wake her futile. So I got up, feigning an exit, and I saw her relax beneath the covers.

I wasn't going to let her off that easy.

I tiptoed my way back to the foot of her bed, then reached under the covers and grabbed her ankles. She squealed and kicked as I pulled, but then she latched onto the headboard of the bed which added a new obstacle to my endeavors.

"Come on, get up," I ordered in an attempt to hold back the laugh that threatened to escape my lips. It worked...sort of. I couldn't hide a small chuckle as I listened to the stubborn noises she was making.

The tables turned as she finally let go of the headboard; the sudden relief of tension sending me back against the railing and her halfway to the floor. When I regained my composure, I looked down to find her smiling and laughing as she pulled herself to her feet. And I couldn't stop my smirk from making an appearance. That was the first time she had laughed in days...and it was definitely something to celebrate. Even for a 'poopie' like me. I offered my hand to help her up, but she smacked it away playfully as she brought herself entirely to her feet.

"Comb your hair before it becomes a natural habitat..." I teased, tugging on a few strands of the tangled flaxen fluff to emphasize my point. She just stuck out her tongue, then shoved her way past me, down the stairs...but not before sharing another smile. I'm not usually the romantic sort, but if I was in love with anyone's smile...it was Rikku's.

I turned around and looked over the railing, down to said blond as she seated herself at the bar. I eventually followed suit, though upon reaching the bar, I ordered some lunch instead. After a few moments of silence my gaze switched from my plate to Rikku, who was almost done with her meal.

"We should do something soon," I suggested. I was compelled to continue when she looked up, emerald gaze meeting my own, " Nothing's going to happen if we just sit around on the Celsius all day."

She nodded in acknowledgement, though a smile was absent from her features this time around. Still, it was...activity.

"Like...what?" She queried, looking back to her plate, resuming her eating. I opened my mouth to respond until I realized that I didn't have an answer. I never went anywhere just to 'hang out'. How was I supposed to know? "Uhh..." Wow, what a reply. I bet I've never sounded more intelligent. I had to think of something to say, and fast, "...I'll...let you pick, since you've been so down lately."

Ok, that sucked. But it was better than nothing. A short silence followed; a silence I spent watching Rikku. She stared at her now-empty plate inquisitively, as if it was going to suggest something to her. A few moments later she looked over to me again, a smile once again gracing her lips.

"Go tell Brother to head to Bikanel. I'll get dressed and meet you on the bridge in a few." Before I had a chance to say anything, she was already halfway up the stairs.

Bikanel? What the hell was there to do in Bikanel? Dig? Why would we want to dig? I really wasn't in the mood to di...

Then I remembered. It was Rikku's idea; Rikku's choice. She was the one who was depressed, not me. That meant I pretty much had to go along with it; otherwise I'd be losing some major respect points. So I stifled a sigh and made my way to the lift.

Around a half an hour later, Rikku made an appearance on the deck; just as she said she would. She was in her normal clothes...or lack of, rather. You know, the skimpy skirt and yellow bikini top being the main 'substance'. By that time, we were still a good four hours away from Bikanel, which left me with the chore of entertaining Rikku until we got there. I was beginning to regret ever suggesting we do something; it was resulting in me getting screwed over twofold. Digging under the hot desert sun AND babysitting for four hours.

Well, lucky for me, by the time we arrived at said desert, dusk had fallen. No worries about the hot desert sun. Then again, digging at night had it's disadvantages; that's when all the really nasty fiends come out. As we stepped off of the Celsius and onto the sands of the desert, I held a hand up in a feeble attempt to block the wind from whipping at my face.

"So..." I began as Rikku skipped off ahead of me, "Where are we digging?" The blonde stopped and turned around, giving me a funny look. Then I noticed that she was heading away from the camps. I blinked, a tad confused. So maybe I had been wrong about the digging part...but what on Spira was there to do in Bikanel? In the end, I figured that Rikku knew more about it than I, being Al Bhed and all, so I decided to just go with the flow. We walked for what seemed like hours into the sandy abyss of the island...and then we walked some more. And then some more. Just as I was about to inquire as to where exactly we were going Rikku stopped and turned around to face me.

"Well, we're here!"

Mmm. More sand. Cool.

...I still didn't know why we were out there. I was beginning to wonder if Rikku had lost her marbles.

It was then that I noticed that the ground was shaking. Well...it didn't shake as much as it pulsed. Looking down, I noticed that the sand shifted ever so slightly in time with the beat, and needless to say, I was even more confused.

Quickly enough, as if to answer all my un-asked questions, Rikku made her way over to what appeared to be a portion of an old abandoned machina that was protruding from the sand. She began to pull at a handle sticking off of it, but her efforts proved to no avail. She then kicked it, and to my surprise, a door swung open revealing a staircase leading down, beneath the sands. Despite the fact that I actually found this to be pretty neat, I couldn't hold back a sarcastic remark with my smirk.

"What's this, your little clubhouse?"

Rikku smiled.

"You could say that." She replied cooly, beginning her descent down the metal steps. I quickly followed, closing the door behind me before any more sand could make it's way inside.

I was just this side of being in awe. The staircase was bigger than it seemed at first glance, stretching farther and farther down into the depths of the ground. The passageways it lead us through were all metal; very old metal it seemed, rusted in several places. We walked down for seemingly miles, the air becoming progressively more thick as we continued our descent. Finally, we reached a stopping point in our little journey, in front of a set of huge metallic doors. The pulsing from before had grown louder, and could now easily be recognized as the beat to music. Before I had the chance to make any conclusions, Rikku pushed the doors open to reveal the biggest mass of bodies I had seen gathered in one place since Yuna's concert in the Thunder Planes, all writhing and dancing together to the beat of the loud, booming music. It all made sense now; it must be some sort of Al Bhed night club. I looked to Rikku, who was now smiling at me; practically beaming...as if she was expecting me to say something.

...Vilg.

"Um...neat place." I groped around for words, but that's all that I could come up with. It seemed to satisfy the blond, though, "...where are we?"

"About half a mile underneath Bikanel. Some diggers found this old airship deep underneath the sand...it was too far down to bring back up, so they decided to make use of it where it was."

"So they made it a night club," I mused as all of the other things they could have made it swam through my mind. Oh well. Al Bhed need to have fun too, I suppose.

About that time, another song came on, which sent Rikku into even more excitement.

"Oooh, E muja drec cuhk!"

Before I had a chance to respond, she had grabbed my hand and was dragging me towards the mass of dancing Al Bhed. Shit.

"Oh no, I don't dance." I said, quickly retracting myself from her grip. She turned around and looked at me, her lips coming together in a pathetic (but cute...) pout. I still wasn't going to give in. "I'll...go order some drinks. You can come get yours whenever you feel like taking a break." She nodded, but not without a sigh of disappointment. I would have felt kind of bad if I wasn't...me.

Sticking to what I said, I made my way past the dancing crowd and up to the bar.

"Dfu Venac," I ordered, seating myself at one of the only empty barstools I could find.

Vena...the rather infamous Al Bhed liquor I had heard so much about. So notorious for it's unmatched intoxicating powers, not to mention it supposedly packed a mean punch. Naturally, I had to try it for myself. So I ordered one for Rikku as well. Guess I learned my lesson that night.

Moments later, the bartender set down two particularly small shot glasses halfway full of the fiery red liquid in front of me. For the gil I forked over, they weren't exactly generous with the quantities they served. I lifted the glass up in front of my face, smelling the liquid before consuming it. It smelled...spicy. To the point of making my nose itch; it was all I could do not to sneeze.

Well, bottoms up.

I downed the glass in one gulp, and soon after...I wish I hadn't. I'd had my share of liquors before, but none of them had ever burned quite this badly going down. When I put the now empty glass back down to the bar, my eyes were watering and the barkeep was laughing at me. Despite my current discomfort, I shot him a nasty glare and he resumed his work, though in a more bemused attitude.

As I got used to the burning sensation lingering in my throat, I turned around in my seat to watch all the people dancing. It was kind of entertaining, watching all those unwashed rapscallions rubbing up against eachother.

I had just about built up the courage to order another Vena...and then I saw her.

Rikku. Revealed from behind a curtain of dancing bodies, her body glistening with sweat, her hips swaying so seductively to the pulsing beat. Then I realized the burning in my throat had moved down to my chest; and this time, it wasn't the alcohol.

After a few moments I realized my mouth was agape, and I promptly shut it. A few more moments passed before the song ended and she caught sight of me, then made her to an empty barstool near by. Her emerald eyes glanced from her untouched drink, to the empty glass by me. Her lips curled up into a smirk.

"You ordered Vena?" I nodded slowly, still slightly taken aback by her suddenly attractive form. I could tell she wanted to laugh, but she seemed to hold it back fairly well. She took a small sip from her drink; something I wish I had retained the wisdom to do... She then put her glass back down and took me by the hands.

"Come on, Paine, dance with me! Just one song!"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pleeeeeeeease?"

"Fine."

Wow, I must have been more drunk than I thought. And lucky me, there was no turning back after that. Her jade eyes lit up almost instantly as she squealed with excitement, pulling me up to my feet, dragging me into the sea of writhing bodies.

I had never really danced before; I had never felt the need to. Not to mention the embarrassment I was so sure would follow. But as the next song started, and I began moving my hips against Rikku's nearly bare backside...

...damn, she was hot. That's all that can be said. And it's particularly weird, coming from someone like me.

The music pulsed in my head, coursing through my body as it swam with my thoughts. I felt Rikku's hands reach back and glide over my hips as she pressed herself back against me, and I found myself unable to control my arms as they slid around her waist, holding her there. We stayed like that, moving with the music, for I'm not sure how long. But I had become so lost in her body, her movements, her scent, that...in the end it didn't matter. All I know is that we were definitely out there for more than one song.

At some point in time, she turned around in my grasp, and the sight of her front side only intoxicated me more. Her usual orange scarf was loosened, threatening to fall off at any given moment. Her hair was still up, but dripping with perspiration near her neck and face. She smiled up at me, her eyes wild with excitement, happiness...lust.

Umm, I forgot at which point her tongue found it's way into my mouth, but it was some time shortly after that. And surprising myself...I returned the gesture.

Now, I had kissed my share of people before; both male and female...but none of them had ever really meant anything to me. This one did, though. Even through the intoxicants flooding my system, I could tell this one was different. Her arms slid around my neck, my arms around her waist tightened... It was hardly magical, but it was a damn enjoyable moment. She tilted her head slightly to deepen the already avid kiss, running her fingers through my hair which was beginning to droop due to sweat and the constant movement I was engaged in. I didn't notice the small group of people who had stopped dancing to watch us until after she pulled back, gasping for air as I was. Se hastily pressed her forehead against mine, sucking at my lower lip longingly between breaths. I proceeded to glare at those who had put a halt to their dancing to gawk at us...needless to say, they resumed their dancing soon enough.

Rikku began to tug me back towards the exit between our incessant kisses, her hands exploring areas of my body previously unchartered.

Out of the club we went, blindly up the winding staircase.

"Brother," I managed into the recently-activated intercom clipped onto my black leather shawl, "Get your ass down he-" I was cut off as Rikku's lips claimed my own again. Oh well. I got enough of the message accross...

Minutes later I was pushed back against the door which opened in response to my weight, spilling both Rikku and I out onto the cool desert sand. I had no idea what time it was, but it was still dark...and that was all that mattered. She leaned over to my ear, lips brushing accross my cheek as she did so, then whispered,

"E fyhd oui..."

The next thing I remember, I was waking up in my bed in the cabin, a foreign weight on top of me. My eyes opened and I was greeted with the not-so-surprising sight of Rikku's bare form sprawled out over me, arms locked around my waist. Looking to either side of me, I found both of our clothes scattered accross he floor messily...which was also expected. I was rather disappointed that I didn't remember too many of the details from the hours past, but as my eyes once again fund their way to the sleeping girl on top of me...I wasn't about to complain.

Screw Yuna. We don't need her after all.


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Just FYI, I don't hate Yuna. I love her to death, but I was trying to look at this from Paine's perspective.