Irreplaceable

Chapter eight, a startling discovery

"Hurry up! They could be getting away!" Rikku exclaimed in a whisper.

They were running now, but they were still trying to stay quiet. Gippal was panting behind Rikku as they checked every corner of the secret passage for signs of the She-goon who had 'abducted' Paine. Gippal knew Rikku was only bossing him around because it helped her get out her stress, but it still was annoying. If they didn't find Paine soon, Rikku might really lose it.

As soon as Rikku saw a door she kicked it open. Logos and Ormi, who were playing a game of cards on the floor, stared up at her in shock.

"What in the world..." Logos started only to be cut off.

"Logos!" Rikku exclaimed. "Besides this room and the vault are there any other rooms down here?!"

Logos paused a minute to think before Rikku prompted him.

"We're running out of time!" she exclaimed.

"Alright, alright." He said "I remember now, there is a break room that leads to an emergency exit. You get to it by entering the vault and pressing the switch in the back of the room. "

"Thank you." Rikku said in a harsh tone and she turned and ran from the room.

"Sorry about that...she's just a little...ugh forget it." Gippal attempted to apologize before following after her.

In seconds Rikku had opened the vault door and stepped the room she'd called 'The vault.' She marched through the ugly pink room and to the back wall. She examined it for a moment before seeing the light blue switch in the corner of the room. She punched it with so much force she nearly broke it and kicked the wall; it didn't open like the other one had.

"Owie!" she exclaimed and hopped up and down cradling her foot.

Gippal sighed and pushed her aside. "You can't be so forceful with machina and expect it to work." He stepped closer to the button and examined it. He grabbed it and pulled the button out of the jam it was in. Then he pushed it again gently and a small section of wall lit up next to him before returning to normal. "See" he said and then he pushed the disguised door open and stepped inside.

"Whatever. Let's just find the culprit and get out of here." Rikku said as she entered the room. Then she saw the she-goon just standing there in the middle of the room. Her helmet was off to reveal shoulder length strawberry blond hair and frightened green eyes.

"Hey you!" Rikku shouted "What did you do with our friend!?"

The girl shrieked and turned to face them. "Um....well....um...."

"You abducted her didn't you!?"

The girl stared at her with wide eyes "What? I...I..I don't know what you're talking abou..."She was interrupted by Rikku slamming her against the wall and pinning her there.

"Rikku!" Gippal protested, but she cut him off.

"I want the truth!" She exclaimed. "All of it."

The girl squeaked and her hands trembled. "O..Okay." She swallowed the lump in her throat, and then went on. "You...your friend ran away. I..I didn't abduct her. Sh..she said that she needed to start over...she said it was complicated."

Rikku pushed her harder against the wall. "How do I know you're not lying!?"

The girl took a deep breath to calm herself, and then released it again. "Well...um...she left you a message...she told me to tell you that Dr. P. is fine. And that uh...she didn't want to hurt you like this."

"Anything else?"

"Y..y..yes." the girl stuttered. "She said the password is 'Monkey' and that um...uh..what was it again?" she paused for a quick moment before continuing in her nervously rapid-fire way. "She said that when fiends appear you find a sphere...I mean umm...that when you find a sphere, fiends appear. Yes, that is what she said."

Rikku started to let her go, but then reconsidered and shoved her back up against the wall."You could have tortured all of that out of her!" she challenged. "How do I know you didn't force her to give you a message to tell me?!"

She was interrupted by Gippal shoving her aside; she fell to the floor ungracefully and glared back up at him.

"Riks, you can't just attack people like that!" He scolded. Then he turned to the girl. "Are you okay?"

The girl nodded. "Th..thanks." she mumbled.

Rikku complained from her spot on the floor. "B..b..but!"

Gippal interrupted her. "Rikku, do you really think Paine would do anything that would put you in danger? I'm pretty sure she would rather die than cooperate if she knew it would jeopardize your safety." He sighed and helped her up. "Besides, do you really think that she'd stand a chance against Paine?" Gippal turned to the girl "No offense, Paine could pound me too...so don't feel bad." He turned back to Rikku "I mean come on; it's far more likely that Paine ran away than she was abducted."

Tears filled Rikku's eyes. "But...but..." She sighed. "You're right...sorry, She-goon." She said dejectedly, and she left the room.

Gippal sighed as he watched her leave. Then he turned to the She-goon in question. "Sorry" he said "She's not always like this...just when stuff like this happens." He sighed again. "Oh, can you do me a favor?"

"What?"

"If you see Paine again, tell her that Rikku might drive the rest of us insane if she doesn't come back soon...thanks." He said and then he left.

Lydia sighed with relief then collapsed on the floor. "I am not getting paid enough for this job." She muttered to herself. And then she enjoyed the peace and quiet that not one of Paine's friends would feel for a long time.

A/N Hi everybody, I actually kept my promise this time YAY! (This is how far my life has fallen , apparently. LOL jk) Seriously guys, sorry for all the deadlines I missed. This should make up for me missing Friday though. Speaking of  which, you can definitely expect another chapter on Friday, I'm going to really make it a priority to keep updating on schedule.  Admittedly, this chapter was really fun to write, since it's fun to write for Rikku's crazy side...and poor Gippal trying to balance out her crazy. Rikku isn't always going to be this crazy I promise lol. Anyway, so comment and tell me what y'all think so far, and keep reading for more Final Fantasy goodness. Love y'all- Reibun