- - -
"Yuna! Yuna!" screamed the raven-haired woman, nearly stumbling off the edge of the dock. On the horizon, she saw the large gray blob of a ship fade from view.
She was…too late.
"Lu!" exclaimed Wakka, running to her side. He was horrified to find her on her knees, leaning heavily on the palms of her hands. "Lu, you—"
"She's gone," muttered Lulu in her deep voice. She stared down toward her pale fingers, but she really didn't see anything. "Yuna…"
"We're not guardians anymore, ya?" Wakka said, not caring to mention his own feelings: anger, disappointment, and guilt. "There's no Summoners, no aeons, no pilgrimages…"
Lulu breathed heavily. Her round belly almost touched the ground in her present fetal position. If only I could have run faster… It wasn't the first time she had regretted becoming pregnant. It was more than encumbering. A burden? No… She wouldn't answer that question. She could not think of the baby growing inside of her…like that.
You poor baby, she thought, speaking to the little soul in her womb. I am sorry that I am your mother. You deserve a lot better.
"You'd better get back in bed," Wakka suggested, but it was more like an order. Yes, he did not like seeing Lulu cooped up inside all day. It just was unavoidable. Like Yuna's duties…
"Let me watch the waves a little while, Wakka," Lulu said, trying to hide the effort it took to talk.
"Awight, but I'm right here," Wakka relented after pondering what was best. Just sitting here, watching the waves… That wouldn't be so bad.
Lulu leaned to one side and then the other, slipping her legs from underneath to hang off the edge of the dock. Her feet almost touched the water. It was high tide.
Wakka plopped down next to her in his usual oafish manner. It didn't put Lulu off like it used to; instead, it was a comfort. Wakka was just thick-headed enough to be cute…sometimes.
Neither of them said anything for a while. Wakka watched Lulu with a mixture of awe, concern, and love. He liked Lu just like this: her clothes a long black skirt, a deep gray sleeveless shirt. Her long hair the color of midnight came down her back in one big braid, and he could see clearly her two beautiful eyes. The best part of her looks, he thought, was her round stomach—much more clearly defined than his. Here was where his child was growing.
Wakka reached out his hand and slipped some of the loose hair behind Lulu's left ear. He planted a soft, wet kiss right on her cheek. "Lu," he whispered, and it was enough to convey all of his love and affection. He didn't even have to say 'I love you.' She knew.
Lulu closed her dark eyes and took the feeling of his light, warm breath near his ear. She was content to hear him breathe, slowly and surely. Her eyes fluttered open when she felt his hand on her body.
"Wakka…" she said, looking down at her belly.
"I wanna touch our baby, ya?" he explained, applying gentle pressure to her stomach. "I'm sure she'll be as beautiful as you."
What if it's a boy? Lulu thought, and it would have been the endearing, cliché way to continue the conversation. But Lulu couldn't debate the gender of their child, or who's attributes it would have. None of that mattered.
"Wakka," she said honestly. "I don't know… I don't think I can take care of a baby."
Wakka froze, his hand affixed to her bulge of life. It was like before, with Rikku. He felt bad, but he couldn't come up with anything to say. "You don't want the baby?" he couldn't help but ask.
"No, I do… But I don't know, Wakka. It's just I'm tired of being pregnant. I can't leave my bed for most of the day, and it's so difficult to move around. The baby's so big, Wakka."
"But you're almost ready, right? Just another week or two—"
"Wakka, you don't see," she murmured. The water came up over her toes in a rush as the waves grew in strength. Once I have the baby, there'll be even more responsibility for me. I can't handle this now, how could I handle taking care of another human being?
"Lu, I'll be there for you," Wakka promised, even without hearing her thoughts. "It's my baby too, ya?"
"Wakka…" she said simply, and she buried herself in the side of his chest. He wrapped his arm around her tightly.
Lulu knew the problem wasn't resolved. But for a while, just a few minutes, things seemed…right. Safe, maybe.
No, not safe. There was still Yuna, and there would still be the baby. Lulu sighed. "What are we going to do about her?"
"Yuna? Who knows," muttered Wakka. He unfurled his arms from around the woman's soft body and hopped up to stomp along the dock. "Y'know, I didn't think they were just going to go like that. Those two are so—reckless!"
Lulu chuckled, and she was surprised that she could. "I agree their actions are foolish…and rash. But you can't stand there and say that you've never acted in the same way, Wakka. Every person has, at one time or another."
Wakka was always amazed how Lulu could have such a monotone, calm voice in most every situation. He could sense how scrambled her emotions were lately, but she kept a lot of it inside. Often, her face would go blank and she would return to reality with nothing but silence on her lips and a frown curving her distinct lips. But she would talk in the same, even voice.
You're strong, Lulu, Wakka thought. The man scratched his orange-haired head. "Let's go back now, ya? Get some lunch in ya."
Lulu nodded her approval. She let Wakka pull her up. Her knees a bit wobbly, she leaned against him, enjoying his scent and the slow, steady beating of his heart. "Wakka…never leave me," she insisted quietly.
He didn't seem to hear.
-
"Now," Rikku announced, "for your disguise." She giggled—almost evilly.
"You've really been waiting for this, haven't you?" Yuna asked, sitting down on the bunk bed in the cabin they girls had come to.
Rikku smirked, handing Yuna a stack of clothes. "Put this on, and I'll be back in a minute to do your hair," she instructed, leaving Yuna to her privacy and snickering all the way. "This is going to be fun!" she called. She skipped all the way down the hall.
Yuna puzzled over the outfit she'd been given. She undid her kimono and folded it in the traditional manner. She stared at the various articles of clothing. These were…her clothes? They looked like Al-Bhed clothes.
Yuna pulled on the small, tight black shorts, which were less of shorts than Rikku's. She pulled up incredibly high black boots next, which went halfway up her thigh. These took a while to lace. Next, Yuna pulled long black gloves almost all the way up her arms. There was a tight, sleeveless emerald shirt that went past the tops of the boots. Across the shirt was a thick black band right over her chest. Last came a belt with a small purse hanging off one side and a big silver buckle in the middle.
"Done yet?" wondered Rikku, knocking.
"Y-yes," replied Yuna, a bit nervous.
Rikku opened the door. "Perfect!" was her judgment, and she clapped her hands enthusiastically.
Rikku handed Yuna a pair of sleek green goggles. "You can wear those later." She pulled up a stool and told Yuna to sit on it.
Yuna was obedient. "I'm sure I don't look like myself," she said aloud, trying to start a conversation. I certainly don't feel it.
"No way! I'm so good," Rikku congratulated herself as she began tugging through Yuna's hair with a comb. First, she brushed it out completely and got rid of all the knots (there weren't many). Then she ran a part right down the middle. But she stumbled across something. "Yuna…"
Yuna's fingers clung to the elaborate earring. "Do I have to get rid of this?" she wondered sadly. "My mother gave this to me…"
"You can always put it back on sometime later," Rikku said.
"O-Okay. Take it off, then."
Rikku's enthusiasm trickled out of her as she carefully removed the ornament. "You can put it back on later," she mumbled again, telling herself more than Yuna. Sometimes, thinking of the past wasn't so fun…
Rikku let the thing fall into her palm. She handed it to Yuna, who put it into the little silver purse without taking the time to look at it.
The Al-Bhed thief returned to parting Yuna's hair. Then she pulled one side up until it was high on the back of Yuna's head. She affixed the ponytail with ribbons and pins, then she curled the hair with the comb so that it twisted around itself, hanging next to the Summoner's ears in cute little spirals. She repeated the process with the other side, so that Yuna now was the proud owner of twin pigtails spurting out from the sides.
"Oh, you're so cute, Yunie!" exclaimed the perky young thief.
"Can I take a look?" wondered the half Al-Bhed, scanning the room for a mirror. She saw a full-length one near the door.
"Nope, you need the full affect..." Rikku plucked up the goggles from Yuna's lap and placed them over Yuna's eyes. "Now, no one would guess that both halves of you aren't Al-Bhed."
Yuna smiled nervously, the sort of smile that makes your mouth feel like it might crack because it's so dry and you have to move it anyway. She came up off the stool and looked at her complete reflection in the glass.
"Is that really a mirror?" Yuna asked. "I don't think I can see myself in it."
Rikku jumped into the air. "Yep! I'm an espionage expert!"
-
"Wakka…? Wakka, where are…?" Lulu reached her hand up, but she realized that all she could see was a blurry peace object—a lot different from an arm. She felt hot and dizzy, like she could faint. Except that she was already lying down.
It was the middle of the morning, but the dreams of night had just released the mage from their clutches. She was alone in the small hut on Besaid Island that she and Wakka had shared for several months now.
Lulu groaned and tried to roll over on her side, but she found that she could not. Her pregnant belly prohibited her from moving very much. So Lulu wrenched the single remaining blanket that covered her and let the thing land in a sweaty heap on the floor.
It was midsummer, the busiest time of the year. All village men, from fifteen to fifty, were fishing. The women collected salt, clams, and other gems from the sea, and the girls searched through the trees for herbs and other useful plants. The youngest children could be heard everyone, screeching as they placed tag along the beach or hide-and-seek in the woods. The village elders would playfully scold them for interrupting the preparation of the afternoon meal or the knitting of a new hammock.
Midsummer was the busiest time of year, and now the happiest. The ocean was alive and it gave life to the people of Spira freely. No longer did it hold the bringer of death, Sin. It was the first time in one thousand years that villages and towns grew and prospered, not having to concern themselves with mere survival any longer.
Besaid was growing too, like most places. People who had been scattered by Sin were rejoining with their kindred, their friends. The world was wonderful…
Lulu wished to go outside and see it—no, she wished to go and take part in this activities. She heard each day from her bed the sounds of everyday life: the winds whistling, birds squawking, children giggling, women gossiping. It reminded her a bit of her own youth, during the Calm, although the times before and after were completely different.
Sometimes, she thought, maybe gossiping like an old woman would be better than withering away in the heat in a dark room for all hours. She yearned to cast an ice spell to cool herself, or a lightning one to illuminate the pages of a book. But she had no energy, and few books existed on Besaid, anyway. She had only her own tomes of ancient magic lore by her side, and those she practically knew by heart.
Being imprisoned here, it…well, it gave her a lot of time to think, above all else. She worried about everyone, especially Yuna. Lulu had learned a long time ago that, no matter how good a guardian you are, no matter how much you may try, there's no way to prevent someone from feeling the pain of a broken heart.
Lulu had felt great empathy for Yuna after the defeat of Sin. She herself still felt the loss of Chappu strongly, those years ago. The loss of a loved one leaves an eternal scar. Lulu had tried to grow closer to the Summoner in the months following the pilgrimage's end, but Yuna was bombarded with callers all day long, and she ended up building a wall around herself in order to tolerate it all.
She even shut out her friends.
Yuna would treat all people the same way, most of the time. She would wear a polite smile and speak respectively. She would tell them the best answer she knew, and then quickly dismiss them. She would seem like an efficient person, a leader, almost… But there were times when she disappeared for long spans of time, especially in the late evening, only to be found coming home late from the beach with wet clothes and a face reddened in the setting sun.
"Yuna—Yuna! Come here, what are you doing, covered in sand like that?" Lulu remembered scolding a year and a half ago, like many other times. "Do you sit and let the tide wash over you?"
Yuna merely shook her head. Each beautiful eye, one like jade and the other sapphire, were big, bright, and distant. "I like to watch the sea at night. I see in the stars…a great city lit up by people—by machina, with buildings so high it would hurt your neck to look at them! Everything is so big, and the people are everywhere having fun and not worrying about a thing…"
Lulu held up a nearly white hand to stop the babble. Are you a child, Yuna, reciting a fairytale? "Zanarkand. You have told me…before." A dozen times. Don't you remember?
Yuna frowned slightly, and it was not a pleasant sight. Her ever-spacey gaze was enough to pinch the heart, but a true, disappointed frown was a squeeze on the emotions.
Lulu sighed to herself. "Zanarkand doesn't exist like it used to. Maybe, with the machina we can use now, Spira will have great cities like before." But wouldn't that just continue the cycle from a thousand years ago? No, no use in troubling Yuna more…
"But I want to go to Tidus's Zanarkand!" Yuna shrieked suddenly, sounding ten years younger, and she turned tail and ran for who knew where.
Yuna didn't come back until dawn, when Wakka had found her trying to sneak back into the village.
"She's done no harm, ya?" Wakka had said to Lulu privately when the mage reacted angrily to the news.
"She should not have run off like that, all alone and so upset—"
"Y'know, she ran off because she was upset," Wakka said, speaking without thinking (it wasn't the first time, nor the last).
Lulu was of half a mind to smack him one upside the head, but she restrained herself and went off in a huff. Men are stupid, she'd told herself then, and many times since.
Yuna clung to the past now, as Lulu once had. Now Lulu saw the futility in such things, but it was only because she had matured beyond them. It was simple to see flaws when they weren't your own, easier yet to dismiss them as childish…
Presently, Lulu felt her baby kick, and she came back to the world of hot weather and noisy villagers and the prison that was pregnancy. The baby kicked again.
"Shush," the raven-haired vixen whispered. "I'm sorry, I try not to think of you as a burden. But…" She gave an exasperated sigh. What's wrong with me?
-
"You wanna go up on deck?" Rikku asked, swinging her hips in an impatient fashion. "Or what?"
Yuna pulled the goggles over her eyes. "I could use some air."
The two girls climbed up into the sunshine. Rikku was very surprised that Yuna had been able to sleep for half the day without stirring once.
"Did ya have any dreams, Yunie?" Rikku wondered, figuring a few gems must have come to fruition given all the time.
"Some…" Yuna was thoughtful, and she squinted in the blinding light. "Hot, isn't it?" she commented on the weather, moving to the railing to sniff the salty water.
"The water's cold…" Rikku winked. "We could go for a swim if this weren't such an extra important mission, huh?"
Yuna nodded absentmindedly.
"Well, we'll be wishing for this hot air once we gotta climb Mount Gagazet," Rikku said, trying to fill the silence. She turned her back to the dark ocean and rested against the metal, sleek elbows jutting out over the edge.
Yuna watched as the metal knife of a ship sliced expertly through the water. She had never gone faster on a ship, excluding Cid's.
"Is this a present from Uncle?" Yuna asked.
"No way!" retorted Rikku. "Me and the boys found this baby ourselves and fixed it up real nice!" 'The boys' were Rikku's crew, even though some of them were female.
"Oh, so you surround yourself with young male companionship, cousin?" teased Yuna, her thoughts shifting toward the more positive end of the spectrum.
Rikku didn't miss a beat. "Hey, no way! They're my subordinates!" She poked out a small, pink tongue. The other crewmembers within earshot raised their eyebrows in her direction.
"You think boys are icky?"
"Most of 'em."
Yuna looked at her cousin. No member of the pilgrimage had really changed outwardly since the defeat of Sin two years ago. They had just aged two years, just a little. Lulu, with her swollen abdomen, was obviously the most different. But Yuna now saw in Rikku the subtle lines of maturity, the little refinements of the body that occur slowly with age until, all of a sudden, a person looks very adult and very different.
Rikku had been just fifteen when Tidus brought her into the party. Now she was almost three years older. Eighteen. The number didn't fit the spunky Rikku, but Yuna supposed twenty didn't fit her either. Still, time dragged on, and people aged. Just a little at a time. It was a difficult opponent, time was.
"Rikku…"
"Hmm, what?"
"N-Nothing."
"Whaaaat?" Rikku burst Yuna's bubble, sticking her face right into Yuna's so that the Summoner could see the spiraled green eyes quite clearly. "Tell me!" she begged.
A strong gust of wind came across the sea and blew a curl of hair into Yuna's field of vision. She changed her question. "Rikku, am I going to be discovered? My hair's not blond—aren't all Al-Bhed blond?"
"Most," agreed Rikku, strolling around thoughtfully. "But not all. Besides, most of the people we're worried about are pretty ignorant when it comes to Al-Bhed—and all of us are on your side!"
"You're famous too, Rikku… I think someone will recognize us."
"Non-sense!" was her reply. "I'm Al-Bhed, traveling with another Al-Bhed. Big deal."
"But you're famous, too, and I'm not Al-Bhed."
"It'll work, it'll work. Besides, the disguise is just for you not getting bombarded with fans, so don't worry. Someone notices us, it means they've got a little brains in 'em—which also means they should have enough brains to leave us alone."
"What if they're your biggest fan, Rikku?"
Rikku made a face. "I don't have any fans."
"Secc Rikku, fa'na ymsucd drana!" announced a man who had run up from the control room.
"Almost there, huh?" Yuna said quietly to Rikku, hoping her Al-Bhed was good enough for this.
Rikku nodded. "Bnabyna dra cibbmeac! Kad nayto du lmesp y suihdyeh!"
"Climbing a mountain…?" Yuna looked down at her legs concealed in the tall black boots, and wondered if she was ready for this as well.
- - -