XII: The Announcement
Yuna and Lulu watched as a sculptor chipped away pieces of rock. When the people of Spira demanded a statue of Yuna, she agreed only if they also made one of each of her loyal guardians, including those who didn't survive the battle. Each of the statues would be placed at a different temple in Spira. Yuna decided to have them start with Auron. She couldn't stand the thought of watching someone chip Tidus' image into stone. Not yet, anyways.
"It doesn't look like Auron." Lulu whispered in Yuna's ear. The bitter man looked up her with a mean glare. Apparently, Lulu made the remark a little louder than she thought.
"It isn't finished yet," he roared. Lulu was embarrassed. She grabbed Yuna by the arm, and they hurried away, laughing as they walked.
"Lulu, I had the most wonderful dream this morning… It was early- before sunrise... and he was standing on a beach with his feet in the water... and he said to me…"I'm coming home." Yuna's eyes began to water.
"Oh, Yuna." Lulu noticed the tears forming in Yuna's eyes. "I'm not going to have to rescue you again, am I?" Yuna smiled as she dried her eyes.
"Hey, you had a good time last night." Yuna nudged Lulu with her elbow and watched a smile form on her face. Lulu remembered Wakka holding her closely by the campfire.
Lulu's smile vanished and her cheeks blushed. "Yuna. I cried all over him. He must think I'm such a baby." Lulu buried her face in her hands.
"Lulu, he really cares about you. Don't you see that?" When they began to walk again, they saw Wakka, Rikku, and Kimahri standing together by Wakka's hut. They looked very serious. "Come on, let's see what's going on." Yuna and Lulu hurried over to their friends.
"Hey guys!" Rikku yelled. "Over here!" Rikku jumped and waved the girls over. "Hey guys. Kimahri wants to talk to us all." Kimahri motioned for them all to go inside Wakka's hut, where they could talk. Yuna and Rikku sat in two chairs on one side of the room, and on the other side, Wakka and Lulu sat on his bed. Kimahri stood before them all in the center.
"Kimahri leaves." He announced. They all looked at each other in shock.
"Kimahri, you can't leave." Rikku was the first to speak.
"Why?" The others asked in chorus.
"Kimahri goes to Mt. Gagazet… Meet other Ronsos" Yuna understood that he was lonely in Besaid, but she didn't want to see him go.
"You'll come back, won't you?" Yuna asked.
"Yes. Kimahri comes back someday." Yuna smiled and nodded. Wakka and Lulu did the same, and then Rikku suddenly bounced up from her chair. "We'll have a going-away party." She grabbed Yuna by one hand and Kimahri by the other. "Come on guys! We have to tell the whole village."
After Rikku dragged Yuna and Kimahri out of the hut, Wakka and Lulu were left alone. They were both smiling at the amount of energy the little girl had. The room was quiet and dimly lit. They sat without speaking, both of them a little nervous.
Finally Lulu broke the tense silence. "Wakka, I have to tell you something about Yuna." Wakka looked up at her. "She tried to kill herself yesterday."
Wakka's gasped. "What!?"
"I found her by the falls. She almost threw herself over the edge." Wakka shook his head in disbelief. "Please don't say anything to her."
"I wont." Wakka promised. "Man... I had no idea."
"She was mumbling that she wanted to see him again." Lulu added.
Wakka thought about what he saw the day before. He remembered Lulu crying on the forest path. Curiously, he asked, "When did that happen?"
"Yesterday morning." Lulu answered.
Wakka didn't understand. When he found the girls, it was late afternoon; long after Yuna's suicide attempt. And it was Yuna that he saw consoling Lulu. 'There's something you're not telling me, Lu.' Wakka pondered, but then eventually decided to let it go for the moment. He was with Lulu now. Alone with her. Lulu was looking nervously at the floor. They were once again experiencing the same awkward silence.
It had been several minutes since the rest of the group left them alone. "Maybe we should join them." Wakka offered. Lulu nodded in agreement, though she didn't really want to leave.
Wakka stood up and held his hands out to her. He felt her soft palms in his, and pulled her up gently. Her eyes met his, and their bodies froze. Her chest inches from his, and their hands intertwined. Their eyes locked in an electric gaze, their bodies motionless, as time stood still. "Lulu?"
"Yeah?" She waited. He wanted to tell her right there… in his room… with her hands in his. He wanted to tell her that he loved her.
"Come on, guys!" Rikku dashed back into the room. "Are you guys gonna help with this party, or what?" Rikku grabbed them both and dragged them outside.
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More on the way...
Yuna and Lulu watched as a sculptor chipped away pieces of rock. When the people of Spira demanded a statue of Yuna, she agreed only if they also made one of each of her loyal guardians, including those who didn't survive the battle. Each of the statues would be placed at a different temple in Spira. Yuna decided to have them start with Auron. She couldn't stand the thought of watching someone chip Tidus' image into stone. Not yet, anyways.
"It doesn't look like Auron." Lulu whispered in Yuna's ear. The bitter man looked up her with a mean glare. Apparently, Lulu made the remark a little louder than she thought.
"It isn't finished yet," he roared. Lulu was embarrassed. She grabbed Yuna by the arm, and they hurried away, laughing as they walked.
"Lulu, I had the most wonderful dream this morning… It was early- before sunrise... and he was standing on a beach with his feet in the water... and he said to me…"I'm coming home." Yuna's eyes began to water.
"Oh, Yuna." Lulu noticed the tears forming in Yuna's eyes. "I'm not going to have to rescue you again, am I?" Yuna smiled as she dried her eyes.
"Hey, you had a good time last night." Yuna nudged Lulu with her elbow and watched a smile form on her face. Lulu remembered Wakka holding her closely by the campfire.
Lulu's smile vanished and her cheeks blushed. "Yuna. I cried all over him. He must think I'm such a baby." Lulu buried her face in her hands.
"Lulu, he really cares about you. Don't you see that?" When they began to walk again, they saw Wakka, Rikku, and Kimahri standing together by Wakka's hut. They looked very serious. "Come on, let's see what's going on." Yuna and Lulu hurried over to their friends.
"Hey guys!" Rikku yelled. "Over here!" Rikku jumped and waved the girls over. "Hey guys. Kimahri wants to talk to us all." Kimahri motioned for them all to go inside Wakka's hut, where they could talk. Yuna and Rikku sat in two chairs on one side of the room, and on the other side, Wakka and Lulu sat on his bed. Kimahri stood before them all in the center.
"Kimahri leaves." He announced. They all looked at each other in shock.
"Kimahri, you can't leave." Rikku was the first to speak.
"Why?" The others asked in chorus.
"Kimahri goes to Mt. Gagazet… Meet other Ronsos" Yuna understood that he was lonely in Besaid, but she didn't want to see him go.
"You'll come back, won't you?" Yuna asked.
"Yes. Kimahri comes back someday." Yuna smiled and nodded. Wakka and Lulu did the same, and then Rikku suddenly bounced up from her chair. "We'll have a going-away party." She grabbed Yuna by one hand and Kimahri by the other. "Come on guys! We have to tell the whole village."
After Rikku dragged Yuna and Kimahri out of the hut, Wakka and Lulu were left alone. They were both smiling at the amount of energy the little girl had. The room was quiet and dimly lit. They sat without speaking, both of them a little nervous.
Finally Lulu broke the tense silence. "Wakka, I have to tell you something about Yuna." Wakka looked up at her. "She tried to kill herself yesterday."
Wakka's gasped. "What!?"
"I found her by the falls. She almost threw herself over the edge." Wakka shook his head in disbelief. "Please don't say anything to her."
"I wont." Wakka promised. "Man... I had no idea."
"She was mumbling that she wanted to see him again." Lulu added.
Wakka thought about what he saw the day before. He remembered Lulu crying on the forest path. Curiously, he asked, "When did that happen?"
"Yesterday morning." Lulu answered.
Wakka didn't understand. When he found the girls, it was late afternoon; long after Yuna's suicide attempt. And it was Yuna that he saw consoling Lulu. 'There's something you're not telling me, Lu.' Wakka pondered, but then eventually decided to let it go for the moment. He was with Lulu now. Alone with her. Lulu was looking nervously at the floor. They were once again experiencing the same awkward silence.
It had been several minutes since the rest of the group left them alone. "Maybe we should join them." Wakka offered. Lulu nodded in agreement, though she didn't really want to leave.
Wakka stood up and held his hands out to her. He felt her soft palms in his, and pulled her up gently. Her eyes met his, and their bodies froze. Her chest inches from his, and their hands intertwined. Their eyes locked in an electric gaze, their bodies motionless, as time stood still. "Lulu?"
"Yeah?" She waited. He wanted to tell her right there… in his room… with her hands in his. He wanted to tell her that he loved her.
"Come on, guys!" Rikku dashed back into the room. "Are you guys gonna help with this party, or what?" Rikku grabbed them both and dragged them outside.
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More on the way...