Note: Hi everyone! Wow, thanks for all your reviews! You guys are the best! You guys are the reason I'm motivated to write longer and more better chapters! I hope I hear from all of you until the end of this story! ;) Note: K, remember the first chapter how I said Auron met Lulu when she was twelve? Well, scratch that and everything else when Lulu was twelve and how she went to Besaid. I just don't feel like writing it all over again u know? Anywayz, just stick to Lulu's past from now and get the other ones out of your mind. K? Good! Well, enjoy this story!

Chapter 7 - Back to the past... Presia

They were young. They grew up in the same town, knew the same people and basically had the same family. But they knew they were different the moment they met. They had their difference in interests and as they grew up, their interests changed after another, clashing with each other. Their parents didn't know that. All they cared about was keeping them together so it wouldn't ruin their reputation in living in the village. He was, after all, the son of the Village Mayor who paid for their bills, who let them live in a house for free and basically took care of her family. They didn't have to pay for anything, except for one thing. She would have to marry him. Her best friend, her companion, the one who held her while she cried when she fell and hurt herself. She was too young to understand anything about marriage, so her parents took that advantage. She was ashamed of them and of herself for being naive about the whole thing. She was ashamed that her own parents would let her marry someone she just knew as a good friend and nothing more. Even though she was really young, at the innocent age of seven, she refused to marry her best friend, who was like a brother to her. However, her parents signed the papers to show they were engaged anyway when she turned sixteen. Without her knowing, Lulu became a wife in Kai's eyes. His father diseased him the thought that she was going to be his wife from now on...that he would have to stick by her and be her lover from the day they died. Lulu had no idea that Kai felt this way and she believed that Kai was just her best friend, while Kai thought of the opposite. They fought together in battles to begin their training as Black Mages and when the training was over, when they were ready to take on challenges, they were suddenly separated by the laws of the Black Mages. Kai was more devastated by their separation from one another. Lulu was ready for it, unaware that Kai was heart broken about it. She left without a word and moved on with her life in Besaid, while Kai was still fawning over her back home, where she grew up and where she was secretly beaten by her father. That's another reason why she desperately wanted to leave. She didn't mean to leave Kai. She dearly loved Kai as a brother. Why couldn't he understand that?

Lulu opened her eyes and found herself on the ground. Lifting up a hand to touch her head that hurt like hell, she looked up to where Auron sat, on a dirty log, making fire. How many times has she collapsed? Twice now? Maybe three times? Who knows... they had to get out of here.

"I'm glad you're awake," Auron spoke, looking up, as she sat up from the ground. Lulu stood up slowly and walked over to him. Night time had already greeted them with the moon's light. Perfect timing. Night time was her best friend. Night time made her worries wither away. She couldn't understand why, but that was how she was. When the night fades, the sun would come up and reveal her true self. Darkness wouldn't do that. She would rather hide in the shadows from the pain she endured all her life than step into the sunlight and reveal all her emotional scars and bruises.

"What happened to me?" she asked, sitting down beside him. She had gotten more comfortable sitting beside Auron ever since that incident happened. She chooses to forget everything about what happened. The hole in her heart would continue to rust away if she thought about it over and over again.

Auron threw a small piece of wood in the burning fire he made. "You really destroyed that Cerberus back there. I'm impressed. With all that power you inflicted on him, I can only imagine how much energy it drained you."

His words made her understand, so she nodded agreeably. "I see," she replied. She turned her head towards the fire and stared at it, her mind moving back to her childhood. She could still feel her father's fists making contact with her body and her eyes, her face, her mouth, her nose, everything delicate that she kept hidden in the darkness. Ever since Kai came back, all these memories kept coming back to her, haunting her every time she woke up. It would sometimes wake her up like a nightmare or like a dream. She wanted to think of those happy years she stayed in Presia, but HIS face kept snarling back at her. Kai wasn't there to protect her. Kai wasn't there to save her from him. He was never there. Her father was always there, beating her, forcing her to marry Kai so that they could keep the house for their own benefit, not for hers. Her mother was too afraid to stand up for herself- too afraid to stand up for her own daughter. Lulu chocked back tears that threatened to fall. Why did it have to be here? Why did it have to be now, when she was ready to move on to the future? Why did it have to be this time where she was ready to beat Sin, so they can all go home and live normal lives? Why did darkness have to be her only friend?

"Lulu, were you ever in love with Kai?" That question surprised even himself when he finally asked her that. He turned his head towards her, afraid that Lulu might think he was crazy for asking her that, or might get the hint that he was in love with her, however, Lulu just sighed and answered his question with a straigh-forward answer.

"Yes," she replied.

Auron nodded, his heart sinking.

"But as a sibling I never had. I never loved him as more than just a friend. We were two different people, with different interests. I can understand why he would love me so much, since his father poisoned his mind, thinking I loved him back, thinking that we should be married. My parents were too engulfed in their greed to ask me what I thought about it that they went on ahead on signing the contract to have us married. I was lucky to leave without having to be married with him, but I found out we were still engaged when I was there with him." She sighed, thinking of that night he.... He had told her that the ring she had on her finger was a sign of their engagement. He had given that to her when they were children. She always thought that the ring itself was a promise ring, not as an engagement ring. Lulu closed her eyes. She was deceived.

Auron felt his heart soar. He stood up suddenly and looked up at the moon. A dark cloud hovered over the sky. Storm was coming. "We should get going if we wish to find shelter from this storm." He picked up his sword from the ground and placed it inside the sheath of his jacket, then put the fire out with the sand on the ground that he kicked with his boot. He may never see through Lulu's past and she may never see his, but one thing for certain that if they were to survive this wilderness, they will have to survive it together- no questions asked.

Lulu nodded, then stood up, the dark clouds making the sky even darker than usual. She followed suit behind Auron and they began their trek once again into the woods, hoping to find shelter in a nearby village or something.

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"What? She's gone?" Cid looked around at his daughter's friends, the group that volunteered to save Spira from Sin. "Uggh..." He placed a rough hand on his forehead and massaged it slowly. With all the people they had in their group, they couldn't keep one woman in the airship.

"Don't be angry with all of them," Yuna spoke up. "It was my fault. I wasn't paying attention. I went to get her some soup and I turned my back on her for a moment. I'm sorry." She bowed her head in apology and looked up, waiting for Cid's reply.

Cid sighed, shaking his anger away. He couldn't be angry with his niece. Yuna was most kind and generous to everyone and she was standing up for her friends. He couldn't blame her for it. "Well, I guess all we have to do is look for Lulu and Auron now."

"I think we should split into two groups. One should go look for Auron and Lulu on the airship, while the others go back to that mountain and face Kai if he is alive. Yuna..." Tidus turned to face her. "We should go look for the two, while the rest of you..." He looked at Rikku, Wakka and Kimahri. "You three can face off with Kai, I know you can handle it."

All three of them nodded.

"No... My daughter is not facing a madman!" Cid's voice rang in the air.

Rikku frowned and looked at her father. "Daddy! Come on, I can handle this! There's three of us!"

Cid stubbornly shook his head. He glanced at Tidus and gave him a firm look. "I am not risking my daughter's life! She can look for Auron and Lulu as well."

"Daddy! Why do you do this?!" Rikku stomped her foot like a child and stepped in front of him, staring straight into her father's eyes. "I can handle this, okay?!"

The bald man shook his head again at his daughter, remembering what his wife used to say that now left Rikku's lips. "That's what your mother used to say."

The blond girl frowned. How can he bring her up at this time? Why? "This has nothing to do with mom, dad! This is my life! Mom was different! She didn't know how to handle things! I do! I've been in bigger battles than she has! No matter what you say, I'm going to go!"

All was silent for a moment. None said a word. All they could hear was Cid's silent, deep breath as he thought about maybe grounding his daughter, but then he remembered her words just a few seconds ago. No matter what he said, she would still go. Even if he grounds her, or keeps her locked up in a room, she would still find a way to get out. She was right. She was not like her mother. But then again, she was like her mother. Vatilla had a strong will, stubborn and always wanted her way, yet she did it out of love for her family, out of generosity to everyone and out of kindness to save the world. Unlike Rikku though, Vatilla was not as strong as her. Vatilla usually had mental break downs when she failed at certain things. Rikku was more confident about failing, more relaxed about situations instead of worrying about them so much. It was unfair to compare Rikku to her deceased mother. "All right, Rikku. Please be careful." He took another deep breath and looked at his daughter's companions. He couldn't be angry with them for turning Rikku into a more confident girl, because that's how she always was. After all, they were all strong. He'd seen them fight many battles before. He'd seen them defeat bigger monsters or stronger monsters than Kai. Kai was human after all...a Black Mage. "I guess defeating Sin will be delayed for a while."

Those present in the room nodded their heads in unison. Cid ordered their pilot to head back to the Arjo Mountain Pass and land there so Rikku, Wakka and Kimahri can make their own way to the mountain where Kai was thought to be dead. They said their 'good lucks' to each other, Cid watching his daughter from the main window as the three stepped off the aircraft. The Al Bhed ship took off silently into the air as Cid continued to watch worriedly towards his daughter, who disappearead along with her two companions into the mountain pass that was covered behind bushes and tall trees that it was impossible to see from up top.

"Don't you worry too much, Uncle Cid," Yuna spoke, placing a hand on her Uncle's shoulder. "If Rikku gets into any trouble, Wakka and Kimahri will be there to protect her. They are all strong fighters."

Cid nodded. He knew that. He knew that Wakka and Kimahri were capable of fighting monsters on their own. "I know. Now, it's our turn for our quest. Where do you think they are, Tidus? Yuna?"

Tidus thought for a moment, then glanced at Yuna. "That river they fell into was just below the mountain where Rikku and the others are. Cid!" He turned his head to the old man, but before he could say anything, Cid nodded. He seemed to know where the boy was getting at.

"I gotcha, boy. There's a forest just a few kilometres from the river where they fell in. There's a river bank around Halu Forest so they must've gone in there."

"Then, that's the first place we'll go to."

"All right! Yeehaw! Hit it Giron!" Cid smacked the back of Giron's head, the pilot who was driving the Al Bhed Ship. The young man mumbled something in his breath, wanting so much to tell it to his leader, but closed his mouth. Cid did not like insults, so Giron just nodded and steered the handle to the right, pass the Arjo Mountain Pass and the Al Bhed ship followed the Kleimef River down to their destination- to the Halu Forest.
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"So, do you know where we're going?" she asked, glancing beside her. She lifted up her ripped skirt and walked across the muddy ground in front of her. Her socks inside her boots were now soaked and her feet were getting cold from it. Her hair felt like it was about to fall off and her clothes were falling apart, but she didn't need to complain. She was just thankful her and Auron were able to survive this long.

Auron glanced towards Lulu and shook his head. "I have no idea, but I have learned that if I walk straight, we'll eventually find a village."

Lulu frowned. "Oh, that helps," she spoke, almost smiling.

Behind the tall collar around his neck, Lulu could tell Auron was smiling. It was unusual for both of them to add humor to a serious situation they were in. They both must've gotten the humor and the contagious smile from Tidus. That thought made her laugh even more and when she tried to hide that laugh, it came out into some kind of sneeze. She wished she hadn't done that.

Auron glanced at her. Lulu was being coy, by not looking at him, pretending that she didn't hear anything or do anything unlike her. The man laughed to himself. The cute little laugh she just did, even though she was trying to hide it, made him think how much pain Lulu must have had during her childhood. He had known her to be a woman who held no humor, just a serious frown and when he thought about her engagement with Kai when they were children, he became to understand. He could see the shield she surrounded herself with and how many people put it there. Her parents, with all the pressure they put her through, placed the first shield around her- independence. The second, was her friendship with Kai, which was ruined when she was one day forced to marry him- and with that, she became unemotional, inexpressive about her feelings and she has learned most of her life to feel nothing by hiding behind a mask. He wouldn't know anything about it, of course, because he had no family. He had no parents to confide in and the only family he turned to for comfort were his friends. His friends were his family. Braska, Jecht and yes, even Cess.

They continued to walk through the woods, the mud making their shoes dirty and less attractive to their eyes, but there was no time to whine about those things. They had to get out somewhere, or eat something, or rest on a more comfortable bed before more predators find their meat on them, or before the storm kills them. Auron led the way, while Lulu took the rear, trying to catch up with him. She was weakening, Auron thought. They had to find shelter soon or they will be washed away by the storm.

Suddenly, something sharp and fast sped pass him. Auron moved out of the way quickly and turned his head towards an arrow that pierced through the tree. Lulu noticed it as well. They both turned their head towards a dark haired man, around his mid fifties, holding a bow in his hand, perching on a large branch, just staring at them. "Oy! Whatcha think you doin' trespassing hee'?" He landed smoothly on the ground, took out another arrow out from behind him and placed it in his bow, then aimed it towards Auron...mostly. He glanced at Lulu once, then turned his attention back towards Auron, who seemed to think he was more of a foe than the woman.

"Do you have a sign that says, 'no tresspassing?' If there was, then we would not have gone here," Lulu spoke.

The man was surprised at Lulu's words. He looked at Auron and frowned. "A little bit young fer ya, doncha think?" he spoke.

Auron ignored the comment. "Look, we are not here looking for a fight. We are just trying to find our way to a safe place, away from the storm that's coming up."

The man stared at him for a moment and when he knew that the two were not enemies, he put his bow down and sighed, then turned around, towards the direction of a path that Auron and Lulu swear hadn't seen before. "Well, there is a storm a-comin'. It looks as though ya really need a place to stey with the condition yer both in. Follow me." He began to walk through the path. Auron and Lulu looked at each other, both hesitating for a moment, but decided to follow the man. "By da way, ta name's Clyre, Clyre Merkie," the man said, as they walked through the path.

They were both lead down narrow paths, followed by deeper bushes and quiter surroundings. Before they knew it, a village appeared in front of them, pass the beautiful waterfall hidden behind taller trees. The village was small, maybe housing around thirty houses in total. Barely anyone was outside. It was just an empty place and as they followed Clyre inside, they noticed a man nailing his door shut tight with thick lumber, while another one, probably his son, shutting the windows closed and securing them tight with the same soft lumber and nails.

"See hee'?" Clyre pointed to all the windows and all the doors shut by the same lumber in each household. Lulu and Auron watched curiously as another man did the same thing as the other two did from the previous house, but after he was finished, he wrapped his beautiful flowers that was growing in a small garden in front of the house with plastic. "We know der is a storm a-comin', so we shut everything using nails and lumber to keep the water out from our homes. Ya both cen stay in da Clyre Inn just ahead. That is where I live, with me wife, Mira." Clyre led them to the Inn, as they followed quietly and listened intently to Clyre's stories about the village, how there were many corrupted families living there and how there was once a girl who lived in the village, but left because of what her parents were doing to her.

Lulu looked around, staring at many shops and homes that seemed familiar to her.

"Tis, tis house here? They were our neighbors." Clyre pointed to a small house to his right. Auron and Lulu turned their heads on that direction and examined the house for a minute. Inside it looked cozy, but it was too quiet. They didn't see a man or a woman making an effort to seal their house tight so the storm would not blow them away.

"What happened to them? It looks as though no one lives there anymore." Auron asked. He was rather curious. He was never that curious about anything. He would normally let things be as they are without finding out everything about it. But, there was something inside him that made him ask that question. He glanced at Lulu, who was looking at the house as if she's seen it before.

"No one does. Ta family that once lived there became greedy with who te'were. Ta father beat their daughter almost ta death and rumor say ta girl left because of him, but ta'were other reasons as well. Ah! Hee we are!" He opened the door to the Clyre Inn and stepped inside, Auron still thinking about that house, while Lulu forgot about it as she followed Auron inside the Inn. "Mira! We have outsiders! Tey need shelter from ta storm."

"Really?" a voie spoke from the back room. A petite woman with short, brown hair peeked her head out and as soon as she noticed Auron and Lulu, she approached them quickly, made her way towards them and smiled sweetly at them.

"How do you do?" Lulu spoke politely.

Mira looked at Lulu up and down and shook her head. "My! You are such polite young lady, yet you look terrible! Come! Come! Follow me upstairs and Mira will clean ya up!" She gently walked upstairs, followed by a reluctant Lulu. Auron watched her go and almost smiled to himself. They were lucky enough to find a nice, quiet village to stay in for a while. The two woman disappeared behind the wall and once they did, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Auron turned his head towards Clyre.

"Na, let me fetch you some change of clothes and you help me shut ta doors and windows, hah?"

Auron nodded. "All right." It was the least they could do for their generosity. He glanced up the stairs where Lulu and Mira disappeared to.

"Don't worry, Mira will take good care of her," Clyre spoke, opening the back door. The wind was starting and the darkness already engulfed the village with its dark clouds. Auron followed Clyre out the door and closed the door behind him with all his might, the wind trying to push its way inside. He watched as the older man picked up two or three lumber from the floor that were stacked at the side of the house and handed then to Auron. He also handed Auron a bag of nails and a hammer. After that, Clyre picked up his own stuff. "All right, what we to do is to shut all ta doors and windas with these....got it? Make it like this." He placed two of the lumber across each other against the kitchen window and nailed them shut. Auron watched him carefully and followed the man's example, covering the window that looked like it led to the living room. He followed suit with the old man and when they were finished one side, they moved on to the next, one near the upstairs bedroom, where Lulu and Mira disappeared to.

She looked around the room. It was a plain room, with white walls, white bed sheets with drawers and a closet, but it was bigger than her bedroom when she was a child. Lulu stared at a photo framed with a picture of a young Clyre with his arm around Mira. He had a different style of hair then, while Mira's looked like it stayed the same. She stared at the picture for a long time, staring at the couple. Another thing that reminded her of the couple she knew before. Where had she seen this picture?

"Okay dear, I have drawn the bath fer ya." Mira stepped out of the bathroom and smiled as Lulu placed the picture back on top of the dresser drawer. She stood up as Mira handed her a long, green towel. She also handed Lulu a bag. The Black Mage stared at it, confused. "This is fer yer clothes. I can wash them fer ya," Mira explained.

Lulu nodded, took the bag from Mira's hand and stepped inside the bathroom, closing the door behind her. When she was inside, she was surprised at how neat and tidy it was that she was afraid to touch it and ruin the moment. In front of her, just as Mira had said, was a drawn bath with foam almost rising to the top. She leaned over to touch the water and felt the warmth of the water. She sighed. Lulu couldn't wait to step inside.

Slowly shedding off all her clothes, first removing her last belt, then her whole dress, she stared at the dress made for her by someone, which she couldn't remember who and grimaced at how much dirt it had. She has worn the old thing for a long time that she had forgotten how it would look like with dirt around it. Lulu placed the dress inside the bag and stood there, naked, thinking about this place, which seemed so familiar to her. She shook off the thought and stepped inside the tub slowly, feeling the warmth of the water go through her cold, tired body. When she was completely inside, she sat down and leaned her head against the wall, the soap bubbles massaging every ache in her body. This was the first time in months ever since she left Besaid to be with Yuna that she has been on a bath and just relax herself in it and get lost in its comfort. She looked beside her where a bottle of shampoo was sitting. She reached for it, squeezed some contents into her hand and began washing her hair with it, the smell of strawberry engulfing her nose. It felt like she was back in paradise, but she knew she couldn't be. She heard a hard thump against the wall. It was the men shutting the doors and the windows or just the hard wind blowing against it. Lulu had never felt so relaxed. She wished she could stay like this forever, but she knew she had a task to do. Soon, her and Auron would have to go back out into the woods, clean and refreshed and look for the others and go back to fighting Sin again. After all, it was their mission all along, to be Guardians to the young Summoner. She closed her eyes once again and imagined herself back in Besaid, back to the time they were just relaxing without the presence of Sin. Back to the time they all met and to the time they met Tidus, the love of Yuna's life. Love. Her thoughts went back to Chappu. She wanted to tell him everything about her past, about her and Kai and about her father. Everything. But now...it was too late. Chappu left her life forever. She wasn't sure if she would find love again.

Auron wiped the sweat from his forehead and nailed in the last window, below the last one he just shut tight. Clyre was standing below, waiting for him to finish and when he was finally done, the two men went back inside the house, closing the door tight behind them. Mira came downstairs the moment they came inside, with a towel in one hand. She approached Auron and handed him the towel. "You can go ta the shower over there," she explained, pointing to a hallway to her right. Auron thanked her and followed her finger. "Tis at the end of the hallway," he heard Mira say. Auron followed her instructions and walked all the way to the end of the hallway and opened the last door. Upon seeing it, he was amazed at how clean it was, he was almost afraid to ruin everything Mira had worked for. But then again, why would she offer it to a stranger like him? Bathrooms were not meant to be clean all the time and to be looked at. Bathrooms were meant to be used. With that in mind, he closed the door behind him and began his process of 'cleaning.'
After ten minutes or so, Auron was the first one to get out of the shower. There was a pair of white clothes folded neatly on top of the closed toilet. He thanked Mira for being so generous about everything, even giving him a new pair of clothes to change into. It wasn't much though, just a white, long-sleeved tunic, one that looked like it was worn by the more shorter and smaller Clyre and when he put it on, to his surprise, it fit him perfectly. The pants were a little different, it was nothing like the stretchable tunic he was wearing. It was loose near the bottom and tight near the top, but it wasn't tight enough to cut circulation. When he was done changing, he stepped out of the bathroom, taking his clothes with him, making sure everything was clean and closed the door behind him, to keep the steam inside. He was greeted by Mira who opened a plastic bag for him. Auron stared at it, confused.

"Tis bag for yer clothes I can clean," she spoke, smiling.

Auron nodded and put his clothes inside, even his heavy coat, which seemed too heavy for Mira as she struggled to pull the bag full of clothes inside a room two doors down. Clyre appeared a moment later after Mira disappeared and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I am a glad tat tunic and me pants fit ye perfectly!" A great big grin painted his face. The younger man couldn't help but smile.

"Yes, they do. Thank you very much," Auron spoke.

"Now, we go and have wine! Me best wine made by me grandfather before hee' pass away!" He led Auron back to the direction of the back room and into the living room, where a fire was lite brightly with a fire place. It was pretty small, where two chairs sat, not directly in front of the fireplace, but just a few meters away from it. In between the two chairs, was a table with a bottle of wine that said, 'Besaid Best.' Auron smiled to himself. It has been a long time since he tastes Besaid Best. It was his favorite ever since he started drinking wine on occasions. Clyre must have seen him look at it, because the older man started laughing. He patted the chair beside him and sat down. Auron nodded and sat down on the other chair. "I think ya seen Besaid Best before?"

Auron nodded again. "Yes. They were mine and my two friends' favorites."

"Ah," Clyre spoke, lighting the pipe that he fished out of his pocket. "So tell me boy, where ye from? Besaid?" He uncorked the bottle of wine, picked up one of the cups laying near the bottle and poured one half full, then handed it to Auron.

The swordsman took it from him and replied, "Yes." He took a sip and let the taste run down his throat until it disappeard in his stomach. The taste of Besaid Best stayed the same- same good taste as he remembered. He can imagine himself back in Besaid, inside Braska's living room with a young Braska and Jecht on each side of the couch while he, at the age of twenty-one sat on a different chair, just drinking wine and just talking about their lives. Cess was nowhere in sight. This was the time she and him were in a fight. That was another topic they discussed about. "Although I was not born there, I felt like I was. My whole family were my friends."

"I see. So, you were an orphan, yes?" He puffed his pipe silently, the smoke blowing against the fire and disappeared in the air. But Auron could still smell it somewhere. The sound of the wind was getting stronger, telling them the storm was soon coming.

"Yes," Auron simply spoke.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps. Both men looked up and noticed Mira coming down, followed by Lulu, her face bare naked from the dark makeup she usually wore. She looked well, human for once. She not hidden behind a mask of makeup that hid the real features of her face. The powder she wore on her face was gone, revealing a less paler Lulu, her face now revealing a more skin toned Lulu. Her hair was now up into a bun, not the style she had before. She was wearing a blue dress, one plain dress with its long sleeves and its white collar, covering most of her skin. Auron has never seen her wear without her usual attire, the one that showed her cleavage everytime she bent down. The two men stood up automatically, greeting the changed Lulu as they walked down the stairs.

"Ah, you look beautiful, young girl," Clyre commented.

Indeed she did. Even without makeup and her revealing dress, she looked normal and even more attractive. Auron nodded in agreemtn and silently sat back down, embarrassed. Lulu said nothing, blushing at Clyre's comment.

"Na, enough with the flattery!" Mira spoke. "Let us eat dinner I prepared! Come! Come!" She waved her hand at Auron, who just stood there, staring at Lulu stupidly. Clyre had to pat his back to get his attention before Auron realized what he was doing. The two men followed the two women to the dining room. Inside they were greeted with the smell of good food. Chicken, beef, pork- everything was on the menu.

Auron could smell, even taste it all. He waited until the two women sat.

Lulu couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was as if she was in a dream. Mira sat her down on a chair and when Lulu was seated, she too seated herself beside the young Mage. Auron sat across from Lulu, while Clyre across from his wife. They were silent for a moment, until Lulu could no longer take the silence.

"This looks all delicious, Mira," Lulu said, politely placing a napkin on her lap. Mira gave her a sweet smile.

"Yes of course it is! All is made especially for ta both of ya! Now, dig in before it gets cold!"

Auron and Lulu both looked at the food, none of them know where to begin. They were undecided, until Mira took the liberty of putting bread on both their plates and added a piece of chicken on them. The pair gave her a thank you smile and took this opportunity for them to each grab a piece of corn. The husband and wife waited until they were done picking until they both were able to pick.

They were shocked as to how fast the two were eating. Mira couldn't help but say, "My, my, you must have been out in ta forest fer a long time."

Auron swallowed his food and nodded. "We were."

"What exactly happened there, me lad?" Clyre asked.

Mira looked at him. "Na, Clyre, ter is no need to ask these kind strangers questions tat they do not wish to answer."

"Yer, right. I apologize for asking suddenly," Clyre said.

Lulu shook her head and swallowed the piece of chicken whole and said, "It's fine. There's no need to apologize."

Mira and Clyre nodded. They continued to eat their meal, silently after that.

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"Damn!" he swore, stomping his foot angrily on the ground. Rikku appeared after a while and was shocked to find their enemy... missing. She looked up as Wakka threw a large rock against the wall in frustration. "I should have made sure he was dead for good!"

Rikku looked around. All was left was a debris of rocks and bricks from the wall where Kai and Cess were fighting. The spot where Kai's body was supposed to be, remained empty. Kimahri joined them after a while and did a double take on the place, before he turned to Rikku and Wakka and frowned. "We did not pay attention enough. It is not your fault Wakka, do not blame yourself."

Wakka did not pay attention, for he was searching for something. Rikku approached him. "What are you doing?" she asked.

The man looked up and frowned. "I was looking for any trails of his footsteps or something...anything to show where he'd gone," Wakka replied.

"There are no footsteps," Kimahri spoke. "There are only footsteps of monster."

Both of them turned towards the Rhonzo. "What do you mean?" Rikku asked.

"He is Black Mage. Kai had a monster with him the first we met him. His monster flies him somewhere." He pointed to a pair of large footsteps, ones that looked like it had sharp claws. Rikku and Wakka watched it carefully and knew that Kimahri was right. They both remembered a monster that created a hole in the Al Bhed ship the first time they met Kai and took Lulu away.

"So he's flying in the sky right now, looking for Lulu. What do we do now? He flew on his dragon, but we don't have anything to take us to the sky, except for the Al Bhed and daddy is using them to look for Lulu and Auron."

Wakka shrugged. The best answer he can give her was, "All we have to do I guess is find them ourselves on foot or on a chocobo and with any luck, we might be able to meet up with them in a village or something to wherever it leads them."

"You don't have to look far," a voice spoke. All three turned to find the last man they wished to see. Kai stood there, with a serious look on his face. He had no blood all over him, to show any indication that he was dead at all. "You're the ones that are keeping me from getting Lulu! I guess I'll have to kill you first. You know, to get the PESTS out of the way!"

Wakka took out his weapon, the Blitzball, while Rikku fished out a bomb from her belt. Kimahri stood on his battle stance, growling at the man. Kai just stood there and began to laugh, making all three of Lulu's friends confused. "You really want to die so badly don't you?" Kai folded his arms across his chest and closed his eyes.

Wakka stepped forward. "Get ready you two. I think he's ready!"

Rikku and Kimahri nodded and waited.

"Not without me he isn't!" Cess appeared from behind and joined the group.

The blond girl turned towards the older woman, shocked to see her there. "Cess! What are you doing here?!"

"I'm going to finish what I started!" Cess replied, drawing her sword out. The wound in her arm inflicted pain, but she wasn't about to give up. She wasn't going to let the pain get the better of her. Kai was going to die once and for all, even if it means killing him without the Black Mage. She had the weapon to kill him, the tactic to finish him off that the three friends of Auron cannot dish out. She had it all. She started this fight, now she was going to finish it.

*************************

Dinner brought back all the energy she lost. She ate all she could, finished everything in her plate and excused herself. She decided she needed a good night's rest, even though it was only close to seven. She usually slept late, but with everything that's happening, all she wanted to do WAS sleep. Mira told her she could sleep in on of the beds and with the many good choices she had, she decided on room 23, the last room in the second floor. Lulu plopped tiredly on the bed and thought about where they would go after Auron and herself decide to leave the comfortable Inn. She also thought about how the Inn reminded her so much of another Inn from Presia. It was similar to the one here. More roomy and more comfortable. Lulu glanced out the window, the color of storm shining through the bedroom. The wind was getting heavier now. A branch of a tree was tapping against her window, making an eerie shadow, like a ghost wanting to be let in so it could haunt her. Lulu remembered how she used to be so scared of the night...now, she wasn't. It was her best friend now. Without a second thought, Lulu got up from bed and stood near the window. Outside, she could see the familiar house glaring at her.

Images then began flashing in her head. An image of a young girl being cornered by a large man cowars in fear. She moved closer against the wall, curling herself into a ball, afraid that if she uncurled, he could reach her. Tears fell from the girl's eyes. She cried out her mother's name and when her mother approached her, shouting to her father to stop, she was pushed back hard. She watched as her mother fall to the floor unconscious.

"You bitch! Are you going to marry him or not?!" he hissed, grabbing her arm. He punched her in the face, leaving a dark, right eye. He pulled her hair and pulled her with him as he started walking to the direction of the stairs, where he did the worse to her. When they were there, he sat her down on the highest steps and hit the back of her head, then began calling her vulgar names. She fell unconscious, her body falling down the stairs, but not before her mother caughter her in time.

Lulu closed her eyes. She didn't want this memory to come back to her. She didn't want it! Yet, no matter how hard she tried to get rid of the images, it kept coming back to her- to THAT moment.

She woke up in her mother's arms. She was cradled in her mother's arms, her mother whispering sweet words in her ears. However, their moment was crushed when he comes running down the stairs, picked her up by her dark locks and forced her once again on that same wall. He lifted his leg behind him, ready to strike his daughter with his foot, until suddenly, the child looked up, her eyes changed from innocence to that of a young woman with so much rage. Her mother watched in shock as her daughter stood up defiantly and raised a palm towards her father.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" she yelled.

Surprised by her will, the father stood there, aghast, unable to move.

A beam of fire escaped from the palm of her hands, striking the man as fast as lightning. It caught fire in his clothes. The man began to run around, yelling in pain as the fire scorched through his skin. The girl yelled again. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" And more fire escaped the palm of her hands, scorching the man even more.

After a couple of minutes, the man lay dead on the floor. The girl stood there, shocked. Tears ran down her cheeks. What has she done? She killed him....is he dead? The girl lost her balance. She landed on her butt and stared at the body on the floor. Her mother approached her quickly and wrapped her arms around her daughter and cooed her with her soft voice saying, "Sshhh, it's okay now, my love. It wasn't your fault. It was self defense. It was self defense," she kept saying. She glanced behind her and then back at her daughter. "It was self defense," she said again.

The girl watched as her mother left her side. She watched as her mother pulled the dead body and dragged it out the back door, to where it disappeared forever. The girl sat on the floor, thinking. She killed him! She killed him! She could still her mother say, "It was self defense! It was self defense!"

Lulu closed her eyes, her mother's voice coming back to her. She was back to the present now. More images came flashing back in her mind again, ones that was before she killed her father. Before everything turned upside down. She was back again to that place where her life was happy, where there were no worries, where her family was happy. That was before they moved to Presia.

Presia was her downfall. Lulu landed on her knees, the pain in the back of her mind becoming more and more unbearable. She didn't want this! Why did all this have to come back to her? Why was she back here in Presia?! Why did she have to come back here?!

"NO!" she yelled. Clyre and Mira's flashed in her thought. She saw her younger self, maybe at ten, being treated like their own daughter at the Clyre Inn. A young Lulu and Kai ran around the Inn, while Mira tried desperately to make them stop. Clyre made his point by grabbing both their collars before they could get away and staring at them. The two children were scared, but Clyre ended up laughing. He told them to stop running around. And they listened. "STOP IT! I DON'T WANT THIS!"

She heard a harsh knock on the door, but she just ignored it. She wanted the images out of her mind. She didn't want this!

"Lulu?" Auron called. He knocked again. He heard her scream. Auron felt the worse had happened. He knocked once more, harder this time. "LULU!" She did not answer. "Are you all right in there?"

"What's going on?" Clyre appeared behind him. "What's happening to the girl?"

"She's screaming! I need to get in there!" Auron knocked again. "Uggh! There's no time for this! LULU! Hang on!" He backed away a few centimetres, just until he felt the other wall touch his back and charged at the door, bashing his shoulder against it. His wound had not fully healed yet, but he didn't care. He would do anything for Lulu. She was in pain. She was in so much turmoil. He needed to be there. He did it the second time again, ramming his shoulder against the door, despite Clyre's protests and despite the pain on his shoulder.

Clyre sighed and ran out. Auron did not acknowledge that as he continued to ram the door down. The man appeared later with an axe in his hand. "Stand back!" he yelled. He smashed the axe against the door, the sign '23' falling off. Auron watched impatiently and when there was enough wood chopped off from the door, he squeezed his way inside and ran to the frightened woman. He turned her around and looked at her. She was crying. He wrapped his arms around her and felt her whimper in his embrace. Clyre and Mira appeared later inside the room and watched the pair.

"It was self defense! It was self defense!" Auron heard Lulu chant. "I didn't meant to do it! He was hurting me! He was hurting us!"

"Who was hurting you?" Auron asked.

Clyre watched on. Lulu. He was afraid it would come to this. He was hoping she wouldn't remember all the bad things and remember the good memories in her childhood. But it cannot be helped when the past comes back to haunt you. He turned towards Mira and led her out the door. "Come, let them be for now," he told her.

Mira nodded and both husband and wife left the pair on their own.

Lulu closed her eyes, the same images kept flashing. It was as if a broken reel on a film kept blinding her with its images. She felt warmth against her body. Normally she would care who touched her, but right now she needed comfort. She needed someone she could trust and right now, she needed Auron. It was time for her to tell everything about what happened to her and the real reason WHY she left this village a long time ago. She needed to tell someone or else it will forever haunt her.
GoodGurl: Woah! Yes I did it! A longer chapter! Yeehaw! Thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter! See ya on the next one! ;)