GoodGurl: Well, so we last left off with Cess confessing her old feelings towards Auron and Lulu runs away from hearing it, sad and rather confused about her own feelings towards the Swordsman. And hey! Kai is being cared for by our dear, sweet, Yuna... then he collapses....@_@ Uh...okay! Enjoy!



*Oh yeah I haven't done this for a while so *ahem.* I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE FINAL FANTASY X CHARACTERS, EXCEPT FOR CESS AND KAI AND EVERYONE ELSE YOU HAVEN'T HEARD OF THAT'S NOT MENTIONED IN THE GAME! THANK YOU! ;)



Chapter 12 - Better Off A Lie Than The Truth



He woke up with a rather painful aura around him. The moment he opened his eyes and the moment he sat up suddenly, realizing he was in an unfamiliar territory, Kai winced at the same unbearable pain at his shoulder, almost crying out at the discomfort. He looked around him, noticing that he was in some kind of a ship, in one of the sleeping quarters.

"You sitting up that fast won't get you anywhere," came a soft, feminine voice from somewhere. The red head turned his head to the left and noticed the same young woman he noticed earlier. He stared straight at the young woman's eyes, both having different coloring than the other... her eyes were oddly green and blue (Don't ask me what side has what colour 'cause I forgot ^^;).

Kai scowled at her in disgust, moving his feet to the side of the bed, but grimaced wildly as another throbbing conflicted on his shoulder. "Uggh!" The red head had no other choice but to lay back down on the flat bed, which he found really uncomfortable. He felt his forehead sweat. "DAMMIT!" he hissed, clutching at his bandaged shoulder.

Yuna smiled, shaking her head. She reached down on the floor and picked up the wet towel that was being soaked in a silver pale full of warm water. She wrung it dry for a moment, then dabbed the hand towel sized cloth against his forehead. "You need to rest some more, Kai. You stayed out too long in the storm while you were injured, so you developed fever. If we didn't get to you in time, your wound would have been infected."

Kai said nothing. Why was this pathetic girl helping him? She was talking to him as if she was his old friend or something! Damn mortals! he hissed, thoughtfully. "When I get out of this bed, I swear I'll-" He jerked his head towards the door, as he noticed it opening, stopping him in mid sentence. A bald man dressed in only yellow pants and suspenders, stepped inside, followed by a reluctant blond he saw earlier, which he recalled was named 'Tidus.'

"Ah, I see our little Black Magician is awake," the bald man spoke.

Kai sneered at him, but all he got from the old man was a smile of satisfaction. The blond stepped in quickly beside Yuna, as if he just noticed him awake for certain, gripping a very dangerous looking sword in his right hand tightly. The red head moved his head to get the cloth from his head and it fell on the bed beside him.

"Are you all right, Yuna?" Tidus asked, glancing dangerously towards Kai.

Yuna nodded, smiling, putting the cloth back on the stubborn Magician's head. Kai growled, attempting to get up again, but to no avail. Expecting for the red head to attack, Tidus moved quickly, putting his sword close to his neck. Kai paused and looked up, staring into the eyes of his enemy.

"You got a problem, blondie?" Kai hissed.

Tidus gritted his teeth angrily and was about to say something, when Yuna's hand shot up, stopping him. "Tidus, can you and Cid step out please?"

The blond was about to say something out of protest, when he felt Cid's hand on his shoulder. Tidus looked over his shoulder at the bald Al Bhed man. "Come on, Tidus. Yuna needs us out of here. Don't worry..." The bald man's head jerked towards the red head. "You'll get your chance to kill him."

"I'll be waiting," Tidus spoke, through clenched teeth. With that, both men stepped out and closed the door behind them, but Tidus was cautious enough, by leaving the door slightly open so they can hear what was going on inside, to make sure that Kai did not attack Yuna.

"Why are you helping me?" Kai suddenly asked, when he was sure Tidus and Cid were out of earshot.

Yuna didn't answer for a minute and lucky for her, Kai did not have the energy to scold her to hurry with her answer. She gave an odd smile towards the red head, but Kai could tell she was reluctant to tell him, or rather, afraid to tell him. He swore he saw sweat dropping from the sides of her face. "Why wouldn't I? It is every Summoner's duty to bring peace in the world. That is my mission." She couldn't believe she was having a conversation with the man who almost killed them.

Almost.

"Hah!" Kai cackled. "You really think YOU can save the whole world by helping the one who will destroy it? You and I both know that once I get well, I will kill you, your boyfriend and everyone here in this ship!"

Yuna dabbed more warm water on Kai's forehead and nodded. "I know," she said, as simply and as calmly as she could muster. "But there is greater force at work here that wants to destroy the world for no apparent reason. What I want to know Kai is... why do you wish for all of us 'mortals' destroyed? Aren't you a mortal yourself?"

Kai's eyes widened for a minute, then it disappeared quickly. Why was this girl not afraid of him? He turned away, gritting his teeth in annoyance. What the hell was this? Isn't anyone afraid of him anymore? Was he losing his touch? "MORTALS are different than us Black Magicians!" was the answer he could think of.

Yuna felt more confident. She was actually having a conversation with possibly the worse enemy she has ever faced. "How are we different from Black Magicians? We breathe the same air, have the same color of blood and have the same emotions we feel all the time."

The red head thought about that for a moment. All his life, all he's ever wanted was Lulu, but now that he thought about it. Why DID he want to destroy the world? Did he even have the thought to destroy it? "Uggh!" Kai shook his head angrily. This girl was playing with his head! With all his strength, he sat up quickly and grabbed Yuna's neck. The girl didn't have time to react, so she was trapped in his grasp. Kai smirked. "You're really good at this game, Yuna! Remind me to give you a prize!"

Yuna wrung her hands around his single hand, but didn't have enough power to pull his hand away from her throat. She felt herself coughing hard and she could feel her air losing. "I know *cough* that you're *cough* hurting..." She felt Kai squeeze harder and the harder his hand wrung around her neck, the harder she tried twisting it off of her with her hands.

"You don't know anything about me you stupid bitch!" Kai hissed, thinking of snapping her head in two. He gripped tighter, liking the look on her face when it started to turn purple.

The door suddenly opened. Kai was paying too much attention to the colors of Yuna's odd eyes that he didn't realize that the same two men he saw earlier had ran inside. He felt something hit him at the back of his neck and the last thing he saw before falling unconscious, were those same gentle eyes.



~Flashback~



He felt a hard smack across his face. An eight year old boy placed a small hand on his swollen cheek and looked into the cold eyes of his father.

"You stupid kid! I don't know why I ever called you my son! You get me back that girl or I swear by your mother's grave that I will hit you harder than last time, but not with my fists!" He grabbed the little boy's collar and pulled him so close that the boy could smell the alcohol in his breath. "You understand me, boy?"

The little boy nodded. "Yes..." he whimpered, sniffing.

The father grimaced, dropping him back on the ground. "Stop cryin' you pathetic, weak, boy! I could easily disown you for being so weak!" He turned his back on him and looked out the window. "Beaten by a girl! And a mortal!" He shook his head in disbelief. He jerked his head towards his son. "You are a disgrace to the family!" He lifted his finger towards the boy and scowled at him. "You will not eat, sleep or drink until you surpass that pathetic level of magic of yours! You will continue your training with me and I will tell you when or when not to stop! Understand?" He approached him again, his big footsteps stomping against the ground.

The boy hid in fear, forcing himself to scrunch up into a ball in the corner of a wall behind him. He was being lifted once again by the collar and once again felt his father's fowl breath. "Do you understand me, boy!?"

The young boy nodded. "Y- yes father!" Once again he was dropped on the floor... this time, much harder than the last time. He kept his eyes closed, fear of seeing his father's face again and in relief, he felt footsteps disappearing from behind him and through the back door.



~End of flashback~



She opened her eyes and scanned the room. There were so many memories in this part of her house. It used to be her best friend's home.

Used to be Kai's. That part of his life was not shared in her own memory. For a long time, her relationship with him dissipated and she never heard from him after that. She examined the walls, the ceiling, the living room, the kitchen and finally... the bedroom.

Her mind went back to tonight's little fiasco between Cess and Auron, then shook the thoughts away. She needed to be in this place... it will at least give her a chance to get her mind off of it.

Lulu searched around the room for a sign of Kai's human dignity, not the monster she encountered three days ago. She smiled when she noticed the same toys- the stuffed Mog she gave him on his sixth birthday, stacked in his closet, along with other old toys she remembered him playing with as a child. Nothing changed much, which quite confused her, because for a grown man like Kai, she expected him to be sleeping in an even bigger bed and expected his room to change from a child's point of view, to a man's point of view.

It made her wonder why the chocobo clock was still on the dresser drawer beside the bed and why the bed sheets were still that same childish cartoon they watched when they were younger. It made her think.

Just then, she heard something close behind her. The Black Magician turned around swiftly and noticed a very familiar figure standing in the shadows. It took her a while to realize that it was the same man that greeted them earlier this afternoon, though she was quite confused on why he was here... so late at night.

"It's been a long time now, Lulu. You're all grown up." the man spoke. Lulu noticed him rolling up his sleeves and she could have sword she noticed him licking his lips.

"Excuse me?" Lulu backed away, avoiding any contact as he approached her, but she was not trapped in between the man and the dresser drawer behind her. "Do I know you?"

"Can't you recognize your own..." he stepped into the spot where little light shone from the lamp. "Father in law?" He took out something from behind and Lulu noticed that it was a dark looking magic staff.

Lulu squinted her eyes and gasped, when she finally remembered who this man was. Kai's father... Mayor Moris."Oh! Hello, Mr. Moris how are you?" She needed something to use. Anything! Lulu quickly moved beside her, towards the closet and grabbed the stuffed Mog she saw earlier and grasped it in her arms.

The bald man smirked, advancing forward once again. "Let's see how good you are, Lulu! Show me and make me understand how you could beat Kai so well for someone who's not of Black Mage descent!"

Black Mage descent? What is he talking about? She was indeed a Black Mage descent! "I have Black Mage blood!" Lulu spoke, making her thoughts clear to him.

Moris laughed. Lulu was surprised. For a small bald man like him, he was quite threatening. "No you don't, little girl! You never had Black Mage descent in you! Your father and mother lied to you! They knew all along that you weren't a Black Mage! It was a good thing they both died, because they were just getting too attached to you. Well, maybe except your father. He knew what he was getting into, so he decided to make your mother, 'understand' what she was getting into!"

Lulu clenched her fists, then looked away shamefully. She felt hot tears ready to fall, but she held them back quickly. So, all along, this was what she has been living in? All this time, she's been living in a lie! Is this why she has felt alone all the time after leaving Presia, because her family was never real?

That's not true, Lulu a voice spoke in her head. Lulu opened her eyes, unclenching her fists and shook her head in disbelief towards the voice. "Then what is the truth?" she asked to no one in particular. "Who am I?"

"You?" Moris said suddenly. "You are a worthless creation that Brydon and Jean brought into their home. I should never have brought them into this village in the first place if I knew that they were going to love you so much."

'Love?' she thought. "They... they loved me?"

"That's right, Lulu and don't you think that you're not alone. You're not."

Moris and Lulu both looked towards the door. Clyre and Mira Mirkie stood by the doorway, hands grasped tightly around their own staffs. "We all love you, Lulu," Mira spoke, smiling at her.

Lulu frowned, still unsure.

"Your mother and your father were good people, but HE molded your father into someone else. Brydon and Jean loved each other very much and they were so happy when they brought you into this village," Clyre explained. "They raised you as their own and trained you to become a Black Mage."

The Black Mage nodded, knowing this story already and waited for Clyre or Mira to continue. "HE, being the mayor that he is in this village, sent some men to go hunting for food, INCLUDING your father!" Clyre glared at him. "Yes, Moris my wife and I knew what you were doing in the first place! We knew what your plan was! You wanted Brydon to believe that he didn't love his wife and daughter! You corrupted his mind! We knew that you were the only person who had the magic of manipulation!"

Moris gave a roar of laughter, making everyone's hairs stand on end by the sound of it. "Sadly, the villagers overlooked it. Bravo for that! Thank you, Clyre and Mira! Now, if you excuse me, I will be heading back to bed now." Clyre and Mirkie continued to glare at him. Lulu was just too at loss for words with the truth she just heard about herself. "What, did you really think I'd hurt your precious Lulu?" Moris glanced back at Lulu and smirked. "She's not worth my time anyway! And I think it's time that you all leave my house!" With that said, he shoved pass the elderly couple and left for the front of the building. Lulu sighed, glancing strangely at Clyre and Mira.

"Are you all right, Lulu?" Mira asked, taking a step forward.

Without saying a word, the Black Mage walked pass them and down the stairs, where a very amused Moris was waiting by the opened door. She didn't give him a look, as Lulu walked pass him and stepped out the door. Clyre and Mira were not far behind. Moris slammed the door behind them and proceeded up the stairs, where he can watch the young woman from the top window of his own bedroom in the darkness.

Every information felt like they were stuffed inside her head so severely, that she could feel her thoughts throbbing with many unanswered questions concerning about herself and her REAL past. Was she really just an orphan, just like Auron? Who was her REAL family? Does she have brothers or sisters? If she was not a Black Magician, then why did she surpass Kai's level? A pure blood Black Magician?

"Lulu," Mira started, but the dark haired woman just lifted up her hand to stop her from speaking and headed back towards the inn.

Clyre put a gentle arm around his wife and frowned, their eyes watching the young woman go inside the unfinished building. "Give her some time. I know she has been through a lot."

"Why didn't we tell her sooner, Clyre? We could have told her! Why didn't you let me?" Mira said, almost into a whisper.

Clyre shook his head. "It was not our place to intrude. I just thought she'd find out on her own."

"From Moris' lips? It was even better for her to know from us! The ones who knew her parents very well!"

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it. The truth has come out and all we can do for her is to leave her alone and let her think things through. She's a grown woman, Mira and you and I both know she can handle it."

Mira took a deep breath and nodded.



________



Lulu walked through the dark hallway, her mind swirling with mixed emotions and questions. She felt like the whole world was betraying her. Why did she have to go inside that particular room? It would have been better if she just stayed in her room and not know about it. She was better off with the lie than the truth.

Without thinking, the dark haired woman headed for the direction of Auron's room and when she got there, she slowly knocked on the door. Right now, even if Cess was in his room, she didn't care. She needed to talk to someone. ANYONE.

She noticed the door opening and a single figure's shadow clear in her eyes. Auron stood there, his eyes widening in disbelief at the look in Lulu's eyes. He wasn't sure what it was. It was the first look he has ever seen from her.

Fear? Disbelief? Shock?

It seemed like it was all those things.

"Lulu? Is there something you need?"

Lulu said nothing. Without waiting for his permission, the black haired woman gently pushed her way through the door and stepped inside, walking towards the window that only gave limited amount of light from the moon. She noticed Cess wasn't there. It was a good thing, because she didn't want her to see what she was going to do next.

She heard Auron approaching her. "Lulu? What's wrong?"

The Black Mage turned to face him, her eyes now full of rare innocence on such a mature looking woman. Auron was getting concerned about this. "I... I just..." She didn't know what she was doing. What was she doing here? Would Auron make it better it she told him what she knows about herself? How will that help her? Nevertheless, Lulu, without a second thought, walked over to his bed and sat down, turning her head towards the window. She looked up to see Auron approaching her cautiously, wondering what was wrong with her. Her face was just too impossible to read. "Can I... Can I stay here? Just for tonight?"

Auron thought about it for a moment, then slowly nodded.

Lulu nodded as well, then looked back out the window.

Auron, without a word, not even a question on why she wanted to stay in his room for the night, closed the door behind and sat down on the single chair across the room. He lifted up his eyes to watch her. It took him a few more seconds to have the courage to ask her finally on what was going on. "Are... are you all right, Lulu?"

"No," Lulu answered abruptly. He killed her own father... and all along he was being controlled by Moris. He made her hate her father for beating up her mother. All this time it was HIS doing! Kai's own father...

The swordsman said nothing after that.

For the rest of the evening, they stayed like that, lost in their own world. All that mattered to Lulu was Auron's presence in the room. She felt comfortable staying like that, just sitting on his bed, watching the stars. Auron too, felt the same way.

They both liked the others' company.



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



"Hey where's Lulu?" Rikku whispered in the darkness.

Cess opened one eye lazily and turned her body the other way, away from Rikku's questioning gaze. "I don't know," she mumbled.

"I haven't seen her go in this room yet," Rikku said.

The brown haired woman groaned, picking up her pillow to put over her right ear, then squishing the left one against the mattress, hoping to muffle Rikku's voice. Why of all people did she have to be roomed with THESE people?

"Is she going to be okay?" Cess could now feel Rikku sliding from her bed and heading towards the door. "I'm going to look for her," the blond announced.

Cess removed her pillow from her ear and glanced at the blond, ready to open the door. "Hey!" she whispered.

Rikku paused, turning around to face the older woman. "What?"

"What do you think you're doing? You don't need to be worried about your friend. She can handle herself."

"Well, what's wrong with worrying a little for my friends?" Rikku asked, lifting up a single eyebrow over her eyes. "If you had friends, Cess, you'd understand." She turned back to the door and opened it slowly, careful not to disturb anyone else in the building and stepped out.

When she was gone, Cess thought about what Rikku said. Then, she remembered that the blond girl was wearing nothing but her night gown. She should have told her to change while walking alone in the middle of night with a bunch of strangers sleeping under the same roof.

The brown haired girl shrugged. "Ah, well..." She closed her eyes and went back to sleep.



__________



The blond girl tip toed down the hall, trying to remember the number to Wakka's room or maybe Auron's room to ask whether they know where Lulu run off to. She knew she didn't have to worry about anything, but it was just in her nature to worry about her friends. After being together for so long, the worries she has for her friends grow stronger and the bond she has with them increase after every battle they face. She turned a corner, feeling her way with her hands so she wouldn't trip on to anything or run into a wall or a door. She was just taking a few more steps, when she felt something hard collide against her. Rikku was falling backward, but strong hands caught her just in time.

"Hey, are you all right?" the voice whispered through the darkness. Rikku recognized the voice to be deep and young. Just by their voices, the blond knows just how to distinguish the age of the source of the voice.

The blond nodded. "I'm fine." She squinted her eyes, blinking them a couple of times so they could get used to the darkness and when they were, she noticed an attractive looking young man with long, dark hair staring back at her. His hair was tied back into a neat ponytail behind him and head the greenest eyes she has ever seen. "Are you?"

The young man, maybe two years older, nodded. When he noticed what she looked liked, he quickly turned his head away, blushing. "Uh... yeah I'm fine." He scratched the back of his head nervously.

Rikku looked at him curiously. She looked at herself and blushed a dark shade of red when she realized that she was wearing almost nothing underneath her bright blue coat, which slipped while she walked. The blond bit her lip nervously and turned around. "Sorry, I must be heading the wrong way." She began to walk away, but the boy's voice stopped her.

"Are you looking for someone?" he spoke, almost to a whisper.

Rikku shyly turned around, hiding herself underneath the darkness to make sure she wasn't 'showing' herself too much. She covered her coat over it some more. "Yeah, I am actually. How did you know?"

"It's either that or you need to get a... a drink of water?" the boy shrugged.

The blond stared at him, then, for no apparent reason, started laughing. She approached him and held out a hand. "My name's Rikku. Sorry for all the noise I was making. I probably woke you up didn't I?" It couldn't hurt to talk to him. Besides, he was really cute, Rikku thought.

The boy shook his head. "Nah. I was awake already anyway. My name's Vance Rideau," he replied, shaking her tiny hand. "I was just going to get some water and then maybe practice my Black Magic."

"Practice your Black Magic?" She glanced at her watch, which said three o'clock and she looked back up at Vance curiously. "At this hour?"

Vance grinned. "Yep. I always do."

Rikku rolled her eyes. "Of course!" she spoke softly, trying not to talk too loud. Lately, that's been her habit.

"And..." He looked into her eyes, then blushed, turning away nervously. "Ah.. Well uh... I actually saw you this afternoon practicing your fighting skills against that big man."

The blond giggled. "You mean Wakka?"

"Yeah, him and I couldn't help but ask you if..."

"What is it, Vance?" She looked around, hoping that Lulu would come back soon.

Vance rubbed the back of his neck nervously, unaware that the blonde's attention was somewhere else. "Are you up to practicing with me? I do need someone who can fight to help me practice my magic. I mean if you don't want to...that's fine. If you're tired and all..."

Rikku thought about it for a moment. A sparring match? With a Black Mage? She nodded, smiling excitedly. "Yeah I'd like that. First, let me change into my outfit and I'll meet you at the front in five minutes, okay?"

Vance's eyes widened in surprise. "You would?" When he noticed the blond staring back at him, he blushed again. "Okay, at the front it is."

The blond smiled. "All right, see ya then!" With that planned out, she waved and ran slowly back to her room. The dark haired boy watched her go. He took a deep breath and blushed even more that he was going to be sparring with the cutest girl she has ever seen. He grinned and went back to his room to change into a better fighting outfit than the one he was wearing. He has seen the cute girl fight. He needed to take precautions!



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



"Yuna, let me kill him," Tidus whispered in her ear. He and Cid ran inside the room where Yuna was in with Kai and found him strangling his lover. Cid was the one who knocked the Black Mage unconscious, while Tidus pulled Yuna way safely, wrapping his arms around her.

The young Summoner shook her head. "No, Tidus."

The blond warrior shook his head in disbelief, pulling himself away from Yuna. "Why not? He could have killed you! If we let him go after he's healed, even though I think he should be killed for, then he'll make even more damage! He'll look for Lulu still and once again we'll be starting from the beginning!"

Yuna stepped away from him and stared into his eyes. "I know, Tidus, but I almost broke him."

"Excuse me?"

"I could see sorrow in his eyes, Tidus. There is still human left in him. I saw his dream... his past..." Yuna explained quietly.

Tidus sighed. "I don't care what you saw, Yuna! If he is healed, he will continue to wreak havoc! Do you want that to happen? I mean we have other things to worry about! Like Sin!"

Yuna nodded again. "I know, Tidus! But please, trust me on this! I know that if I can break down his wall and see his past again and find out why he is like this, then we can take him in as one of us! We need more power to defeat Sin!"

"Are you listening to yourself?" Tidus asked, his eyes widening in disbelief. "You're trying to change a blood thirsty man who's out to kill anyone if they were to be in his way of Lulu! You're asking for more than just changed, Yuna! You're asking for his redemption!"

"And that's what I intend to do," Yuna said. She looked at him, making him see that her decision was final. Giving up, Tidus nodded and watched as Yuna slowly went back inside the room where Kai was, unconscious. Cid was standing by the door, his eyes firmly on the sleeping man. Yuna gently dismissed her Uncle and after a few protests, Cid finally stepped out of the room, leaving Yuna alone with Kai once again.

"I don't know she's so kind to him," Tidus said to Cid, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Well, that's because she's Yuna," Cid replied.

Tidus nodded. Despite Yuna's request to trust her on this, he couldn't help but feel cold feet around him. How will Yuna's plan work? Why would she go to all this trouble? Is she not comfortable enough to defeat Sin, that's why she needs more power from someone else?

Is that it?

'He will never change,' the blond thought. 'A monster will always be a monster.'



GoodGurl: Hee hee! So, Yuna plans on changing Kai's 'attitude' and turn him around to their side? Is Tidus right, that Kai will NEVER change? Is Yuna only planning on putting Kai to their side because she's not confident enough to defeat Sin? And hey! Rikku meets a cute guy! At least she's with someone not with Auron......*shudder* So.... will Lulu open up to Auron after that whole scene with her and her true past? Hm....... stay tuned! o.O