The fiends were hot on her trail as she ran. Struggling to catch her breath, Yuna pressed on. Suddenly a flyer fiend broke free from the pack and dived-bombed her, leaving it's mark upon the arms she raised to protect her face.
"Lulu!" she cried, "Lulu!" The sudden explosion of pyreflies told her that her best friend had arrived.
"Yuna, are you ok?" Lulu asked, concern clouding her features.
"Lulu," Yuna gasped between breaths.
"Calm down." Lulu said calmly, "Look at your arms, your bleeding!"
"Lulu, quick!" Yuna continued, "Its Wakka, he's in trouble!"
Yuna watched as Lulu's expression went from surprise to fear. "What happened?" she asked.
"Wakka and I were exploring that new cave, you know, the one that quake revealed? Well, we walked into a nest of fiends. We were surrounded! Wakka cut a path and told me to run. I thought he was right behind me, honestly I did!
"Where is he?" Lulu demanded.
"I don't know!" Yuna cried. Lulu was off in a flash with Yuna on her heels.
"Where, Yuna?" Lulu asked.
"He-" Yuna stopped abruptly at the sight ahead of her. "Oh, my…" She stuttered.
"What?" Lulu demanded, her eyes scanning the scene in front of her.
Yuna stared straight ahead at the scene before her, her eyes coming to rest on a single figure. He was lying down in a pool of blood, his eyes staring lifelessly at the sky. In his hands lay an unmistakable object, a blitzball.
"No!" Lulu screamed as she ran toward Wakka's body.
"Lulu, the fiends!" Yuna cried. She watched helplessly as her friend collapsed in tears beside her other best friend. "Look out!"
Lulu looked over in time to see a fiend streak across her exposed back taking away pieces of her with it. She stared at the surrounding fiends, her eyes one with fury. Slowly she got to her feet. The spells came faster than the fiends could attack, stronger that anything Yuna had ever seen her do.
Her emotions must be running the show, Yuna thought in horror. More and more fiends attacked as Lulu gained power.
"Lulu!" Yuna screamed, "Lulu, stop!" Jumping to her feet she rushed to her friend's side. "Lulu!" You're out of control!"
Gingerly she reached out and touched her friend's shoulder. Like a whip, Lulu snapped away from her grasp, a bolt of lightning sprayed from her fingers. The velocity pushed Yuna across the ground, knocking the wind out of her. "Lu!" Yuna gasped, "get a hold of yourself!" But deep down, Yuna knew her cries were in vain. It was as if Lulu was letting go of all the pain, anger, sadness, and every injustice that had been handed her over the years; emotions that in the hands of a mage, were deadly. To be stoic was to be a mage. Disconnection from feelings was mandatory. Loss of that control could cause them to go into a frenzy, causing the havoc happening right in front of her.
I may have to stop her by force, Yuna thought, But that could really injure her. "Lu!" she called again in desperation. She watched as her friend's attacks became random, it was as if she was hitting her own unseen demons. A rock exploded near her feet.
"I guess I have no choice," Yuna said under her breath. Standing to her feet she to conjure up an attack she hadn't uttered since the defeat of sin. Closing her eyes she blocked out the chaos around her. "I'm so sorry, Lu." She whispered. Then, snapping open her eyes, she focused squarely on her best friend. She watched as blinding white light enveloped Lulu in a tornado of power. She covered her ears to Lulu's screams of anguish, of pain. Finally, it all died down to silence. Lulu stood still for just a second, before falling straight back, unconscious.
Slowly Yuna picked her way through the broken bloodied bodies of fiends and scattered debri to her side. Silently she began to tend her wounds. She didn't hear the footsteps of kimari coming toward her.
"Yuna." He said.
Yuna looked up at him with tear-stained eyes.
"Is Yuna alright?" He asked in his gruff, but tender voice.
"I'm alright," she said quietly, "There was an ambush of fiends. Wakka tried to fight them but…" She looked over at his body, "He didn't make it. Lulu went crazy when she saw. I had to stop her before she hurt herself, or me.
"Is Lulu ok?" he asked.
"Yes, she's just unconscious." Yuna moved over as kimari picked up Lulu in his strong arms.
"Come, Yuna." he commanded.
"But what about Wakka?" Yuna asked.
"We will deal with him later." Kimari answered, "first, we need to take care of Lulu." Slowly Yuna followed her former guardian back to her village. With tears in her eyes she grabbed the one tool she'd hoped to never need again, her staff. Slowly she palmed it over and over in her hand not believing what she had to do.
"Yuna, go," Kimari said softly, "Kimari will watch Lulu."
"Thank you," Yuna said. Numbly, she walked out of Besaid Village. Images and memories of Wakka filled her heart with grief. Her body swayed, and she danced, washing away the tragedy with her tears. With silent Lips she breathed a prayer for the dead, and a prayer for the living. Sin may be gone, but death still reigned supreme.