Note: Hi all! Sorry for making you wait again! ^_^. Okay, I know how you all must feel when I made Kai rape Lulu, but it's all part of a story, I mean something has got to happen to Lulu in order for her to be close to Auron and stuff. I mean, it's obvious now that Lulu is still hung up over Chappu after many years, while Auron is contemplating about his feelings for the woman and with Cess back in his life, he's not sure right now... Well, I hope you are all enjoying yourselves so far by reading this! Hope to hear more from you! ^_^


Chapter 5 - A Raped Heart



The water hit them like it was the hard ground itself. Auron held his arms tightly around Lulu so he wouldn't lose her during the fall and when they hit the cold, clear lake, he forced himself under the woman so he could take the hit instead of Lulu. He landed on his back with a splash. The current washed them like rag dolls and Auron, with an arm securely around an unconscious Lulu, swam to shore quickly. With Lulu and the weight of his large and heavy sword with him, it was even more difficult to process as he swam against the current. He was relieved when they finally made it at a riverbank. He pulled Lulu with him as he crawled out of the water and pushed her further with all his might safely and crawled beside her. Her eyes were closed and to his shock, she was not breathing. Auron leaned his head against her chest to hear any breathing, but there was none and his fear grew worse. So, he did the second best thing he could do. He removed his black gloves from both his hands and placed both palms on her chest and began to pump air into her lungs, counting at least a few pumps, until he pressed his lips against hers and breathed air for her. However, his effort was to no avail. He couldn't see her chest moving up and down.

"Damn it, Lulu! You can't die on me!" He repeated the attempts of resuscitating her, but Lulu did not respond. Auron continued to do so, however, despite the lack of life in Lulu and after a few more minutes, even after Auron was certain she was dead, it was as if the heavens had seen him struggle did Lulu came back to life. She was coughing up water from her lungs. Auron sighed a breath of relief. "Thank God," he whispered, helping her sit up.

Lulu opened her eyes slowly and looked around wearily. "Where...? Where are we?" She noticed Auron's face close to her, so she backed away a few inches. "Sir Auron? Where...where are we?"

Auron did not notice the way Lulu was acting to his closeness to her just a few seconds ago, instead he stood up, looked to where they had landed earlier and frowned. "We have to go find the others." He turned around to face her. "Are you all right?"

Lulu nodded. "I'm fine." She coughed up more water from her lungs as she stood up slowly. Auron walked up to her, but Lulu's instinct just told her to back away from him. However, a pain in her ankle shortened her attempt as she fell on the ground on her knees.

Worriedly, Auron approached her quickly, kneeling beside her. "Lulu! Are you all right? What happened?" He placed a hand on her shoulder, but Lulu shook it off, the thought of another man touching her, making her feel like a whore.

Lulu winced, dragging her knees back to get away from Auron's touch and turned away from him. "I am fine. I can manage on my own. Let's go find the others." She got up calmly and began walking away from him, towards the dark shadows of the forest nearby. She was limping when she started walking, but she wasn't about to let Auron carry her. With his touch, all she wants to do is get away from. She didn't need a man. She didn't want a man touching her.

"You don't seem fine to me, Lulu," she heard Auron speak from behind. His voice just brought chills down her spine. Did she look like she needed help? She had to admit, she needed Auron's support, but why need a man? She didn't need one! She felt a large hand on her shoulder. On impulse, Lulu turned, lifting a hand up towards Auron and was surprised when her hand made contact with Auron's face. Auron jumped back in surprise, shocked by her reaction and furrowed his eyebrows curiously. "I apologize for invading your space, but I thought you needed help with your ankle."

Lulu stopped walking, unable to look Auron right in the face. What should she tell him now? Should she tell him right now that she was a whore? Should she tell him that she was vulnerable to stop Kai from doing what he did? Will Auron think of her as a whore, instead of a part of their group or a friend? In all honesty, she didn't want to lose Auron's friendship. "I apologize for that, Sir Auron. That was uncalled for."

Auron shook his head, adjusting his sword on its sheath. "No need to apologize. What you did was understandable. He must have done something to you that might have caused you to act this way." He clenched his fists secretly for mentioning that to her. He knew what that bastard did to her, he could tell by the way Lulu was reacting to his touch. Even a friendly touch was a disease to her. "Lulu, did he do what I think he did?"

Lulu did not answer.

Auron knew it was not his place to intrude, but she had to tell someone, even if it meant telling the only person she barely knew. Taking a deep breath, he stepped closer towards her and held out his hand. "Trust me, Lulu, I won't do anything to hurt you. The man is dead and you're safe. It won't be long until we go home and be with the others that you can finally rest. Right now, you need help with your ankle. You and I both know it's dangerous for you to walk alone, while limping."

Lulu looked at his hand, so bare and calloused from previous battles and hesitated for a moment. "No...I can't... It's not you, Auron it's..." She looked up, surprised at how beautiful his eyes were without his dark, round glasses always concealing them. She glanced at his hands where his glasses were, its frames broken and sighed, pursing her lips closed to end her sentence.

"I know." He took a deep breath, looking down on the ground shamefully. He was fully aware that she was uncomfortable around him. Most of the time she was. They barely talked, they barely made eye contact and this was the first time they have ever done so. "At least let me help you. Didn't Tidus always say, we're all a team here?" Auron turned around and kneeled down on the ground, his back facing Lulu and glanced over his shoulder. "Teammates always look out for each other, so I'm going to look out for you. Climb on my back."

Lulu hesitated for a moment. She knew Auron meant no harm. She knew that it was Kai's fault this happened to her, not his, or any of her friends. Auron was trying to be helpful and she can trust him. She took a step forward; her arms shaking from her soaked clothes and wrapped her tiny arms around his neck. Auron, with barely any effort, lifted her up off the ground and curled his arms around her legs, then adjusted her on his back. He could feel her soaked body against his back, but Auron chose to ignore that as they began their trek into the woods.




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They had made it as far as where Kai lying dead on the ground, blood seeping from his dead body. Tidus and Yuna ran to aid an injured Cess with her back against the cold, concrete wall, while Wakka removed all the debris that had fallen from the building out of their way and went to check out Kai's body, to make sure he was dead.

"Hey, where's Auron and Lulu?" was the first thing Rikku said when she joined the others up at the top.

"Damn that Auron! He should have waited for us!" Wakka spoke, checking Kai's pulse. "Well, this man is sure dead, ya? Check out the blood coming out of his body, I'd say he is dead for sure."

Rikku looked at him. "You don't say," she replied, planting her hands on her hips.

"Cess! Where are they?" Tidus lightly tapped Cess' almost unconscious mind and waited for her until her eyes were opened ever so slightly.

"They fell..." she whispered.

"What do you mean they fell?" Tidus asked, looking around for any sign of the two who disappeared.

Cess got up slowly, using her arms as a lever and looked around. Yuna helped her up slightly, putting an arm around her back to support her and waited for her to answer. "I saw everything. Kai was about to kill Lulu with a dagger, but Auron pushed her out of the way and they ended up falling off the cliff."

Yuna's eyes glowed in fear. "No! They can't be... are they?" She glanced at Tidus, hoping to get a good answer from him. Thankfully, he shook his head.

"It's impossible for those two to be killed easily. Auron and Lulu are both strong people. I'm sure they would have found a way to survive."

"Yeah! There's a river down below. They could have fallen in without getting hurt. I mean the water probably broke their fall," Rikku spoke, looking at her friends. Tidus and Yuna breathed a sigh of relief. Rikku can be very naïve, but she can be very smart and serious when it comes to serious situations.

Tidus nodded. "Then, that's what we'll do. First, we need to take Cess back to the airship to get healed and then we'll look for them."

"I'm fine, really," Cess spoke, attempting to get up. However, the wound on the side of her stomach made her fall back down. Wakka approached her slowly and picked her up in his arms, without any effort.

"Yes, you do look fine, ya?" Wakka spoke, with a sarcasm in his voice.

"Let's go," Tidus announced, before walking ahead of everyone.



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It wasn't long until they found a cave, hidden behind thick berry bushes. The cave looked old, but sturdy and safe enough for them to stay for a while and get healed. Auron winced as the pain in the shoulder pinched him harder this time. His weak shoulder was making Lulu feel heavier by the minute. He could feel her warm breath against his neck, one that was fading slightly away. Auron knew Lulu had fallen asleep at that point.

Just a few more steps, he thought. The air around them felt fresh and the quietness of the forest added to the aroma of calmness that Auron has wished for in a long time. He was used to big cities and noisy people, but the things he was hearing now, felt like paradise. But, he had to think away from the dream and get back into the real world, because the real world, there were creatures lurking about, ready to devour them with their large predatory teeth.

After a few seconds, they finally made it to their destination. A snap from a twig that Auron accidentally stepped on awoke Lulu from her sleep. Being a swordsman brought up a skill of being quiet while walking in order to infiltrate the enemy from behind, that's why Lulu did not wake up for hours as he trekked through the forest, but one false move, the enemy would slowly find him there, just as Lulu had done.

Lulu rubbed her eyes with one hand and looked up tiredly. She realized that she had fallen asleep, her head resting on Auron's back. A hint of crimson colored her porcelain cheeks, but she quickly shook it away with a shake of her head. "Are we here?" she spoke, as she was carried inside a dark cave.

Auron glanced slightly towards her and nodded. Without answering the obvious question, he slowly laid her down on a sandy floor, beside a bon fire that was evident of someone's presence before. Lulu sat up, resting her back against a cold, stonewall behind her and looked up at Auron, who seemed to be struggling with something. She looked at him curiously.

"Sir Auron? Is something the matter?"

Auron shook his head slowly, not wanting to show Lulu how weak he was, but his legs gave way, adding to the pain on his shoulder, forcing him to land on his butt on the floor with a loud 'thud!' Auron closed his eyes tight, feeling the same pain getting through his body. Lulu's eyes widened. She quickly crawled to his side, placing a reluctant hand on his shoulder and looked at him worriedly. Auron stepped away from her slowly and shook his head once again. "I am fine. You need help."

Without hesitating this time, Lulu quickly removed his red coat, putting it behind his back and winced at the large gash across his shoulder bone. A small piece of metal that seemed like it belonged to a knife of some sort was stuck on it, making the bleeding even worse. "It looks like you need help more than me," she spoke, removing the coat fully, revealing a full bodied Auron, wearing a white tank to conceal his chest, which was contradictory, since his chest was still showing. Lulu tried not to think too much about his chest and focused on the wound. She had no idea how to heal this kind of thing. Only Yuna knew how, since she had most of the healing magic with her. Compared to Yuna, she was a black mage, with offensive magic, instead of defensive ones. Sighing, the only thing she could think of was pull the metal out and conceal the wound with some kind of fabric. She looked up at him with expressionless eyes and nodded. "Okay, this will hurt, but it is for the better."

Auron nodded. "Don't worry, I'm used to pain." He has to be strong for the both of them.

Lulu nodded and with one quick move, without hesitation at all, pulled the metal from his shoulder, forcing a short cry from the man and threw the piece aside somewhere behind her. She quickly ripped a part of her skirt of her dress and wrapped the fabric around his shoulder fast, so the bleeding would stop and stood aside. Auron had his eyes closed as Lulu noticed. Pulling out the metal was a bad idea. It was painful than it looked. Why did he have to act so tough? She thought.

Auron pursed his lips together, chanting to himself about not thinking about the pain. He took quick breaths and calmed down after a while, not realizing that Lulu was watching him all this time. He opened his eyes and found her staring, despite the darkness. She must have thought he couldn't see her, but he could see her quite clearly. Lulu was in tears. Alarmed, Auron took a step forward, but Lulu just backed away for a minute.

"Why did you have to do that, Sir Auron? Why do you think I deserve to live?" She wrapped her arms around herself. "If you hadn't taken the knife for me, then you wouldn't be hurt. Why does everyone have to risk their lives?"

"I couldn't let you die, Lulu. You mean a lot to Yuna and to everyone," Auron replied, quietly, stepping away from her. He knew she needed space for now. He placed a hand on his shoulder, the soft fabric of Lulu's dress made him think less of the pain. "I know she would have been devastated if you died."

"Dying makes more sense than living," Lulu spoke. "I would rather die than live in this pitiful world that we call Earth."

Auron looked up. "Why? You have so much to live for. I mean I..." He paused. He couldn't tell her that he was already dead. "Living is better than dying. Living your life is the most important thing, especially if it means making others happy. That is what's important."

Lulu turned away. "I feel like such a whore."

"You're not a whore, Lulu. That bastard made you think like this. You know you want to live. He took away everything from you, but why should you run away from it? It would make him think how he owns you now even after he's dead. If you just want to die and let it go away, believe me, it can never go away. The pain can never leave you, even in death."

Lulu looked back at him. She thought for a moment, thinking about what Auron said. He was right after all, but he doesn't understand what she had to go through. He doesn't understand that her parents were abusive to her and that Chappu died and that being raped felt like someone ripped her heart out. He has never experienced that kind of pain and that kind of anguish that will forever haunt her while she was still living. She laid her back down against the wall and said nothing.

Auron closed his lips. He knew what she was thinking. They were too much alike. He knows that he will never understand her pain, her anguish and he will never understand everything about her past, about her childhood and about her love for Chappu, but there was one thing he knew about her. He knew that she could change. She could survive the world of pain and anguish, like he had, even after he died.

The moon glowed through the large door, creating a light and a shadow on Lulu. Auron watched her form, her eyes searching his. They were looking at each other, thinking of the others' thoughts. He looked at her intensely, as if telling her something that only she understood. 'You and I can survive this together,' he thought.



























GoodGurl: Awwwww, I think I did a great job on the last part. Hee hee! Uh oh, what happens now? Will the others ever find Auron and Lulu? Will Auron be able to heal Lulu's raped heart? Will Auron survive the wound on his shoulder? Find on the next chapter! ^_^