It was beautiful, sunny day in Besaid. However, with Besaid being like it is, 'beautiful' and 'sunny' lost their meaning long ago. If truth be told, weather on the Island got to the stage of being a shockingly simple concept: a day either made you sweat like hell, or it didn't. Either way, you'd get a pretty nice burn if you sat in the sun for too long without the appropriate protection…
Yuna sat in the shade of the little hut, beside the dock. Although her hands were well occupied with the colourful embroidery hoop on her lap, her eyes stared wistfully out over the water, towards the horizon. She was finally, definitely, 'absi-posi you better believe it' leaving the island. No buts about it. She was totally 100 sure of herself this time. Yep, she was completely sure.
"What's this, Yuna? You've started sewing?" Lulu remarked with surprise after peering around the door, toddler Vidina on her hip. Yuna smiled, a little blush colouring her cheeks.
"Well, it passes the time… I guess." She quickly dumped the project on the bed.
Her former Guardian gently plopped her child down beside Yuna and picked up the piece of fabric, despite the girl's protests. She closed her eyes briefly and sighed. Lulu didn't even have to look to know what it was, really. The name 'Tidus', embroidered meticulously, over and over again into a piece of blue satin. Lulu tossed it back onto the bed and sat down beside her sister-figure, while Vidina cooed happily in Yuna's arms.
"Yuna..." Lulu paused, to consider a way to put it delicately and positively. "I think you need to get out more."
The High Summoner was puzzled. "What do you mean? I do get out, Lulu."
"Not as much as you think."
Yuna frowned.
"I work a few shifts at the shop, I help clean the temple and I take the all the kids to the beach, if you and Wakka want quiet time…"
Lulu smiled appreciatively and caught the girl in a quick hug.
"We appreciate it honey, we do! But soon the Shopkeeper's Daughter will be returning from Kilika with her Grandmother. Bolla only needed you to work there until they get back, remember?" She smiled sympathetically, before continuing. "And you know that the old dear always takes Vidina for us. She can't work in fabrics anymore, with the arthritis. The only thing she can do is look after the kids. It makes her feel needed. We really do love her. But, what will you do then?"
"I'll clean the temple…" Yuna told her evasively, without much conviction.
Frankly, Lulu was getting annoyed. She picked up the toddler from Yuna's lap and deposited him carefully in the playpen. Then she turned to face the teenager, hands on hips.
"You really plan to do this for the rest of your life?
Yuna recoiled, uncomfortably.
"D-do what?"
"Act so selfishly. Do you want to spend your entire life as a cleaner, puttering around a musty old temple and crying over statues, who spends her spare time embroidering the same name into so many pieces of cloth that there's no room to keep them all? Do you want to look back at ninety and see nothing, but a wasted life without joy?"
Yuna leapt to her feet and glared aggressively at the mage.
"I've accomplished more in three years than you ever will!"
There was an awful silence. It lasted for a brief, horrible moment, until Lulu smartly slapped her across the face. Yuna stood there for a moment, stunned, before plunking herself back down onto her bed.
"So what?" Lulu was unyielding. "I'm happy. Can you say that? I'm sure you were once, but each time as the press and the excitement and the glory faded away, you've just stagnated. You can say what you like, but deep down you need the fame. You don't have anything else, do you?" She walked briskly to the playpen and scooped Vidina up into her arms.
"You've done so much for Spira, Yuna. More than I have. More then New Yevon, the Youth League, the Machine Faction, the Crusaders. More than anyone else in history, granted. But every morning I can wake up and look at the face of my husband and my son and I can be happy. This is my advantage and that of every single person you 'saved'. We might never accomplish anything, but there is nothing futile about the creation of a life." She stared at Yuna for a moment, her beautiful red eyes piercing. "We miss him too, but that's no excuse to give up." Then she was gone.
Yuna had locked herself up in her room until late at night. When she finally emerged, eyes puffy and face tearstained it was well after dinner. She cautiously slid open the woven door to see Lulu sitting at the kitchen table, clad in a silk nightdress and deeply engrossed in a book. She looked up at the noise, causing her loose hair to tumble in inky waves over her shoulder.
"Sit down. I saved some dinner for you." She got up and bustled over to the oven and switched it on."
"Lulu, I…"
"I know. Sit down."
Yuna obeyed and the beautiful woman sat opposite her and took her hands.
"I'm sorry too, Yuna. I'm just worried about you."
Yuna squeezed her hands tightly.
"I'm…I'm worried about me too. I'm really sorry."
"It's alright. That's what I'm here for."
Lulu reached up and touched her face gently.
"It's okay for some people to sit around on this island for their whole life, Yuna. Most of the people, who were born here, die here. Most of them don't do anything extraordinary except start a family. A lot of them don't even leave the island… But you're not that kind of person. You were born in Bevelle. You're a city girl." Lulu smiled sadly and cut Yuna's protests short. "I know you were raised here, but ever since you were young, you've had a purpose. You've been so goal driven and helpful and it's got you far and taken you so many places. You're not the kind of person to just sit there and do nothing."
"I don't know what to do." She admitted, blushing furiously.
Lulu released her hands, stood up and went to the oven. In seconds, Yuna found a plate with vegetables and two perfectly crumbed and seasoned piranha fillets in front of her. Lulu passed her a knife and fork, a strange look in her eyes.
"I don't know kiddo, but backwater Besaid isn't the place to do it…"
Yuna found herself on a boat that was Kilika bound, the very next day. She checked herself into a nice Inn and spent a couple of days scouting around in the various Real-Estate agencies and looking at the range of papers and the few sphere-pages that were available. Nothing really grabbed her attention until the third night she was in Kilika. It was around 7.30 when she was lying on her bed, flipping through the local paper when a small, glossy magazine fell out opened to the 'International' Page. Her eyes fell upon an advertisement for a flat in Luca. On impulse she picked up the Comm-Sphere that sat on her bedside table and dialled the number, hoping that it wasn't too late.
"Hello, I was calling about the flat advertised in the Kilika Herald…"
Two days later Yuna was back in Besaid, waiting for the Airship to come pick her up and take her to Luca, where she now had her own flat. It had begun to move incredibly fast. Hearing footsteps, Yuna guiltily stuffed the embroidery into her backpack and stood up.
"So you're leaving for sure now, ya?" Wakka grimaced as Vidina pulled at his hair, from atop the perch that was his father's shoulders.
Yuna nodded quickly, her eyes filling up with tears.
Lulu stepped into the hut and slipped her arm through Wakka's.
"Yeah, I have my own place and everything…I'm going to go and do something." She smiled, finally letting the tears come as they heard the Airship approaching.
Lulu quickly unlinked her arm from Wakka's and ran forward to embrace Yuna.
"Now you take good care of yourself!" She whispered into Yuna's hair. "No tears, now…"
After they separated, Wakka moved in to hug her with Vidina following suit.
"Don't forget about us? Make sure you write sometime, ya?"
"I'll visit as much as I can, Wakka!"
All four of them had a group-hug, laughing and crying at the same time, while the Gullwings boys picked up her luggage and began to haul it over to the Celsius.
Soon enough, the airship was back in the sky and Yuna felt strangely at home. It would be a short flight to Luca. Then she'd really be home. Or so she hoped. She'd felt at home when she was a part of the Gullwings, hadn't she? Well, until she said she was leaving to go back to Besaid. Now the atmosphere was unpleasant and on the verge of hostility. Heck, she was lucky they were helping her out today. Rikku and Paine, although initially very disappointed at her resignation, held no grudges towards her. That was a huge relief… Both of the girls were extremely competent in the art of holding very mean grudges and they were evidently holding the threat of this above the heads of the Gullwings boys if they refused to help out. Ah, Whatever. At any rate, Yuna figured that she might as well enjoy the trip. She could worry about everything later. For now it would be enough to lie back and feel the wind in her hair, while thinking about the ground flying past, thousands of feet below.
After a few minutes, Yuna heard gentle footsteps and became aware of Paine sitting beside her. The warrior didn't speak at first; she just sat and stared off into the clouds.
"It's nice, isn't it?" She remarked softly, turning towards Yuna.
"I miss it sometimes…" Yuna admitted, sitting up and leaning on Paine's shoulder briefly, by way of greeting.
Paine smiled gently and jokingly ruffled her hair in return.
"Well, we miss you."
"I miss you guys too. We had a lot of fun together." Yuna said honestly, a whimsical smile on her face that faded slightly. "But I joined the Gullwings to find answers to my questions. I found my answers, even though they're not what I wanted to hear…" She paused, not really sure how to explain what she was thinking. Paine nodded encouragingly.
"Go on."
Yuna thought for another moment, her forehead wrinkled in concentration, before speaking.
"When I was a Summoner and we had just defeated Yunalesca, we had basically destroyed the only option for Spira's salvation that we had at the time. I was feeling really down, because now we had to think outside the teachings to find a way. I realised that outside the teachings, I knew nothing." She laughed a short laugh. "When you think about it, I still don't. Not really. I know a lot more about Spira's shady past and how to save the world…"
Paine exhaled in quiet laughter. "Not exactly the secret ingredients in Mom's chocolate chip cookies…" She quickly silenced herself at Yuna's hurt expression.
"Sorry. Uh, did you have anything in mind once you've settled down?"
"I don't know. What can I do, Paine?" The High Summoner chewed on her lip, thoughtfully. "I have no idea."
"You'd cause a riot in the History Department at the Luca University…" Paine replied, wryly, getting to her feet. "The weather looks bad. Better go inside…"
Seated at the bar with a nice bowl of soup, Yuna was struck by a sudden thought.
"Uh, where's Rikku?"
Paine smirked and ran a hand through her steel coloured hair.
"Oh, Rikku? She's usually simpering around the Djose area. Or Bikanel Island…"
Yuna smiled. "She's out of Gil?"
"I said 'simpering', not 'digging'. I think you missed out a few letters…"
"Gippal!" She exclaimed, the clues clicking together. "They're together again?"
The younger girl snorted and took a long drink from her beer.
"Not hardly… And if they are? It's only in Rikku's mind."
Yuna's expression was reprimanding. "Paine…"
"What? It's true though. She's stuck in a fantasy world with that guy…"
"I see…"
Paine looked away, uncomfortably. "Well, that's Rikku for you!" She laughed and slapped the table with her gloved hand, a little too loudly and cheerfully to be entirely credible. Before Yuna could reply, the siren began to wail and Brother's voice came over the intercom:
"Ced Dekrd, Gullwings! Duilrehk tufh eh Luca! (Sit Tight! Touching down in Luca) WOOHA!"
Yuna smiled. It was nice to know there was something likely to stay the same.
Author's Notes:
Hi guys! Especially my readers who are back for more, if you are! Nahhh, I won't be that vain. Hahaha… Well, Bleh! Yunie is out in the real world! How excitement! Sooo, what will she be up to? What mysteries will she unravel? Who will she meet? ;) Lol, I'll stop before this starts to sound too much like a bad spy novel… I HUG YOU! Ps. This formatting may be effin weird...