Note: Sorry for making you guys wait long for every chapter! I know, I know I keep apologizing, but you have to understand…. We authors need to think too! It's been hard for me to figure out how to continue without getting stuck and then lose my readers' interests in the story! *ahem* so on this chapter there is mostly Kai and Lulu's past!
Chapter 15 – Kai Maru
He was a boy who had many dreams. He dreamt of being the greatest magician Presia village has ever had. He dreamt of being the most beloved boy in the village and he dreamt of being with the only girl he has ever loved.
That was his dream…
But-
She shattered it all and left him for a new life to live and a new man to love.
However, despite all the sadness in his life, he can never forget the little girl, who smiled in all life's worth, without a care in the world. Part of him was angry at her for leaving him, part of him still loved her with all the past they had together and part of him felt anguish just seeing her.
~Fifteen years ago (Kai 08, Lulu 07) ~
"Kai! Don't!" A seven year old girl yelled. This girl had long dark hair, one that reached up to her waist and had the deepest shade of black eyes that made it look as though they were purple.
The little boy continued to splash water at the girl, making her face turn even redder with anger. "Hah! Hah!" he laughed, as his best friend ran after him. He had longer legs, so he had the advantage to outrun her. "You can't catch me!" He went further on into the deep water, but as he turned, his best friend just stopped only up to where the water reached her knees and looked up with a frightened expression on her face.
"No fair!" the dark haired girl pouted, grabbing the hem of her skirt higher so it wouldn't get soaked. "I can't swim!"
Kai sighed, turned and walked back to her. "Oh come on! You HAVE to swim. How are you going to be a Black Mage if you can't swim? All Black Mages will have to face the elements of water if they wish to become Guardians to a Summoner!"
Lulu's eyes widened in surprised. "But….I WANT to be a Guardian!"
The dark haired boy sighed again and held out his hand. "This means you HAVE to learn how to swim… eventually!"
The younger girl stared at his hand reluctantly and after a couple of seconds, she took it and waited. Kai led her down deeper into the water, but he felt his hand being squeezed too hard. "Hey, don't squeeze so hard!" he said, turning to frown at her.
Lulu hesitantly loosened her grip and suddenly backed away, feeling the water now reaching pass her shoulders. She ran back until she felt the cold water hit her knees. Kai turned around and frowned, folding his arms across his chest. "Come on! Stop being such a scaredy cat!"
Tears suddenly filled her eyes. Kai felt his heart stop. "Hey! Don't cry! Come on! I didn't mean what I- I'm sorry!" He ran to her, but Lulu's tears did not cease. They kept on falling from her eyes and into the water where it dissolved. She buried her face into her hands and wept. "I'm too scared!" she said. Kai took a long deep breath and wrapped his arms around her. "I promise I won't let you go!"
Lulu looked up. "You promise?"
Kai smiled. "I promise…" He held out his hand again and this time, Lulu took it with more confidence in her heart, knowing that Kai was going to be there to keep her safe if anything happened. He pulled her gently back into the deep side of the water. Unsure, Lulu held on tightly, but Kai didn't mind this time. He wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her steady and smiled reassuringly as Lulu struggled to keep herself from being scared whenever her feet touched nothing but air. "Trust me, Lulu," he whispered in her ear. "I want you to spread your arms." He loosened his hand around her right hand and moved it along with her while she moved her arms forward so that Lulu was at least spread-eagled face forward into the water.
Lulu blushed. "O- Okay," she replied, closing her eyes and swallowing hard. She felt the water hit her face, but she wasn't about to give up now. She had to trust Kai and that was all that mattered. "What do I do now?" Then, she felt Kai's arms were no longer around her waist to keep her balance. She suddenly opened her eyes and they landed right to Kai, standing a few centimeters away from her. "Hey!!!" She panicked and began thrashing her arms and legs about, trying to find the bottom of the water. Lulu swallowed the salty water while struggling to keep her head on the surface. She tried calling out to him, until finally; she felt Kai's arms around her.
"H- Hey! Calm down! OOF!" Lulu had backhanded him across the face. "I said-!" There was another backhand lash across his face. He knew that if he didn't bring her back to the surface soon, he was going to get bruises all over his face. "I got you okay? I got you! Calm down!" He was holding on to her now, keeping her head above water and lifting her up so that she was standing.
Lulu opened her eyes, wiping water from her face and glared at him. "Why did you let go!?" She wrapped her arms around his neck, her tears visible along with the water from her hair that fell down her face.
Kai couldn't help but laugh. "You didn't need to panic! Do you even know how deep this water is? It's only up to your neck!"
The dark haired girl slapped the back of his hand angrily. "Then why did you position me as if I was swimming when we're not even in deep water yet!?"
The taller boy shook his head, trying to suppress a laugh because Lulu was glaring at him constantly. "Well, not ALL beginners begin in deep water to swim! I was just starting you off and then the more practice you get, the deeper we'll go into the water, got that?"
"Stop confusing me!" Lulu scoffed. "Can we just go back to the surface please?" she begged, looking down at her feet floating. The dark haired girl looked up anxiously at him and, hesitantly, Kai finally nodded and swam her back to shore.
~The present~
The last day was finally here. It was finally time to defeat Sin. She looked out into the sky, where birds were flying high into the air. Freedom was theirs, but despite the thought of defeating Sin and going home, she knew there was no way she was going to feel freedom after that. Lulu felt there was just something she needed to worry about, before and after defeating Sin, but she had no idea what it was. Then… her thoughts went to Auron. She glanced to where he was standing, just near the pilot seat, looking out into the ocean below as if deep in a trance. Without a moment to think about it, Lulu joined him there. That same cold sensation surrounded her, but she chose to ignore that.
"Is something the matter, Sir Auron?" After that kiss last night, she knew she had to feel awkward around him, or he awkward around her, but since both of them were already adults, they knew it was time to act like one.
Auron said nothing for a few seconds, before saying, "That kiss," he said, lowering his voice so the others wouldn't hear. "I apologize for being direct towards you."
Lulu shook her head. "You don't need to. It was just…. In the moment, I believe." It was certainly the oddest conversation they have ever had. "But…something must be bothering you..."
"Yes," Auron said quickly. That startled Lulu. The answer was just sudden, as if he was waiting for her to say that so that he had a reason to reply. "I feel that my end is near." Those words were meant for Lulu and Lulu alone.
Lulu looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?" Was he talking about dying? Does he already know he was going to die eventually after defeating Sin? "I do not understand your words, Sir Auron. Surely you cannot be saying that we will all die because you think we cannot defeat Sin. And we will! Yuna and we Guardians will make sure of that!"
Auron did not look at her when he said, "Is that so? Hm…." She will never know the truth until he was ready, but he knew he had to get it out sooner, or else it will eat him alive… which was really an odd expression considering the 'condition' he was in. He was already dead so how can Yuna make sure that ALL of them were going to live? Without a word, he turned and suddenly left, leaving Lulu to ponder in his short, but discreet answers.
**************
Was that a dream? Or was it a memory he knew he wanted to forget? Whatever it was, it felt real… He quickly sat up in bed and looked around wearily. How long will they keep him confined in this room? He knew he couldn't get out. He knew that that blond jerk was out there ready to find some kind of reason to kill him. Kai knew he was still injured from his brush with death, and that he couldn't find his staff (which he presumed was hidden by Lulu) to even pick a fight with the armed, younger man. He had a mean looking sword and…on top of that, there was Auron; a tall man with the scar across his right eye and a sword big enough to cut this airship alone. "Dammit!" he swore, glancing down at his injury. He was tired of being cooped up in this room. He had to get out.
"Where do you think you're going?" Kai stopped in his tracks and looked around, searching for the source of the voice and there, just to his right, was a dark shadow. The figure stood up, but Kai knew all this time that the figure belonged to. The dark haired man folded his arms across his chest (though with so much effort since his shoulders were still injured) and sat back down.
"You really intend to keep me cooped up here forever?" he asked, frowning.
Lulu stood up and approached him slowly, the new attire she was wearing, which shorter than her old one, was dragging on the ground. She looked at him with those dark eyes of hers, but they weren't full of hatred. In fact, her eyes were full of…was that pity he saw?
Kai kept his lips turned into a frown and turned his back to her, unaware that he was showing her more than he intended; his scar. "I don't understand you at all, Lulu. After what I did to you, you still keep me alive? I thought you would've killed me by now."
Lulu looked at the scar that ran from his right shoulder down to the lower spine to his left. "I don't like killing people, especially those who are unarmed."
He snorted. "So, that's it huh? You plan on killing me once I'm armed?"
"If I have to…yes." She hated answering his questions. "But I know you would just harm anyone who would get between you and me….right?" For some reason, Lulu began to trace his scar with her finger. "I never saw this before, Kai. Who did this to you?"
Kai shivered at her touch and jerked away. "I told you…it's nothing."
Lulu always knew Kai was a stubborn boy. Even when they hit thirteen years old, Kai was always injured after every match he had with another Black Mage to be tested and when he lost, full of scratches and bruises, the first word he would say was…. 'It's nothing.' "You always say that," she finally said after a few moments of silence.
The long haired man looked at her over his shoulder. "You still remember that?"
"Of course. I would never forget all those things we shared together."
Once again, Kai said nothing and turned his head back towards the wall in front of him. After all these years, he thought Lulu would forget their childhood. He never forgot. He promised himself he wouldn't so that he could always remember what Lulu was like.
"You know you've changed," Lulu said, sitting down on the bed.
"We both did," he answered, without looking at her. "There was always a smile on your face every time you saw me." He looked at her again, but this time without any hatred in his eyes. There was a genuine look she knew he was capable of.
Lulu turned away. "You were always a nice boy…what happened to you?"
"You left," Kai said, as simple as that.
"Did my leave affect you THAT much?" she couldn't believe her ears.
"What do you think?" He glared at her, now a look full of hatred. "You didn't even stop to think how it would affect me if you left. You didn't even bother to tell me WHY you left instead YOU DECIDED TO RUN OUT WITHOUT A CARE IN THE WORLD THAT-!" A loud crackling snap forced him to stop. Kai's head was thrown to the side, followed by redness on his cheek. Startled, he placed a hand on his swollen cheek and looked at her defiantly, but that look was replaced with an expression of remorse when he noticed Lulu's eyes filled with tears.
"How DARE you say something like that to me!? Without a care in the world? If you must know, care was the only thing I thought of when I LEFT!" She turned away, not wanting to show that she was once again weak. She wanted to be strong.
Kai was left speechless as he sat watching her.
"Every time I thought of you, I keep remembering that night when I…." She swallowed hard. "When I…When I killed him." Lulu placed her hands on the bed spread and gripped hard on the sheets as hard as she could to try to suppress her anger she was feeling right now. "If they knew about what I did, and what you were doing to protect me, they would have immediately suspected that both of us planned to kill him. I didn't want you to go down with me…so I….So I left. That was the only choice I could think of."
Surprised at this revelation, the dark haired man continued to stare at her.
"I had no idea that leaving you affected you that much, because I was too wrapped up in my own fear to worry about that. I was scared that they would kill me. There was shame and guilt all around me and I couldn't stop myself from leaving. I had to go. I didn't want to stay and remember what I did. And when I saw you… I began to remember all those things." She stood up and turned around to face him. Kai made to move to look at her a lot clearer, but the darkness in the room concealed their expressions all the same. "I loved you Kai. I truly did, but I don't know if I can love you anymore. You have to accept that I am moving on with my life and so should you. If you truly love me, then you'll have to let me go. I don't know what you did to Cess' whole family but-!"
"That is NONE of your business!" he spat, interrupting Lulu.
"I know you didn't kill them," Lulu said calmly.
Kai jerked his head towards her, but the injury caused him to wince and turn away. He clutched at his wound in pain. He took a moment to breathe and calm down before saying, "Of course I didn't!"
That answer startled her. She didn't expect him to answer that honestly and quickly. "Then who did? Why does she think it was you? Unless you're lying to me…" He was hurting. From what Yuna told her, she saw the pain in his eyes whenever she mentioned something that relates to his own past. "What happened to you?"
Kai laid back down on his bed. He closed his eyes, but whenever he did, his father's face would start flashing. Kai decided to think of Lulu to get rid of that horrible feeling and when he did, his father's face disappeared.
~Eleven years ago (Kai 11, Lulu 10) ~
Everyone in the village was there. The men, women and the children all waited for the moment of truth on who was the better Black Mage; Kai or Lulu? All this was to be determined by a match of strength and skill and despite being young; Mayor Moris knew that these two had the potential. But he would bring straight his own child to hell if he was beaten by a mere half black mage!
"You two ready?" a man with long blond hair spoke (which seems to be the style these days) as he lifted up his staff. "Be careful where you aim, for there are spectators around you. A Black Mage should know that rule. Harm only when you need to, heal only when you have to and…" he paused and looked at the young girl with short dark hair.
"Fire only when it's necessary," she replied.
The blond nodded, satisfied, lifted up his staff and said, "GO!"
The roar of the villagers echoed throughout the forest. Mayor Moris lifted up his hand to them and they suddenly quieted down. All that was left of the noise was silence. Everything was still and all eyes were focused on the two youngest Black Mages ever to surpass those who were much older than them. Mayor Moris knew Kai had the potential. Kai was very young when he learned meteor, while his father was fifteen when he fired his first meteor. There was a big age gap in their skills and Moris was very confident with this.
Lulu grinned. "Are you ready?"
Kai smiled. "Of course!"
Suddenly, the battle started. The first one to move was Kai as he launched forward, lifting up his staff in the air and yelling, "Firaga!" The spectators were in awe at the high level use of fire magic from an eleven year old. They suddenly gasped when his Firaga was countered by Lulu's Waterga, another high level magic that was usually learned mostly by older teens. Kai retaliated with his high level meteor, which Moris knew was enough to defeat someone as powerful as Lulu, despite her age. But Moris felt that Kai used his meteor too early in the match. And, just as he feared, Lulu used her shell to protect herself from the glistening rocks that fell from the sky. The dark haired girl quickly moved to the side to avoid the last rock that was heading her way and felt the need to conjure up her bio spell.
Kai stopped in mid-step when something green began to surround him. It disappeared inside his body and as soon as it did, he felt his face grow hot and his eyes growing heavier and heavier. He felt really sick. "Anti-antidote!" he yelled, closing his eyes in pain. Bright light surrounded him and soon the effect of the bio wore off, leaving him cured and untouched. He ran forward, casting Thundaga on his foe. Lulu quickly moved away, but his attack was faster, leaving a torn right shoulder strap and a cut on her left arm.
Lulu cast Shell and Protect on herself, and then moved forward suddenly, firing her Firaga towards an unsuspecting Kai. However, the dark haired boy dodged that attack quickly and cast another meteor towards Lulu. "METEOR!" he yelled as loud as he could.
The dark haired girl gasped. About a hundred molten rocks fell from the sky, heading down directly towards her. Lulu moved as far away as she could, dodging every one of the rocks that hit the earth, while figuring out how to attack him back without him noticing. After the last one hit, Lulu took time to look up and figure out what he was up to now. From the looks of it, Kai, despite being so far away from him, was sweating from head to toe. Lulu knew he was running out of energy to conjure up another powerful magic to finish her off, so she took this chance. She ran quickly forward, cast reflect on herself and yelled, "FLARE!" A large fire ball exploded from the palm of her doll's hands and began to fly into the air towards Kai's direction. Unable to move because his stamina was low, the fire was heading his way and the dark haired boy could feel the heat rising in his face as it came nearer and nearer. Kai only had one chance before he could get badly hurt.
Lulu watched in fear. She knew that she went too far, but that was how it went in every match. When she watched in the sidelines, Black Mages much older than them fought with great agility and unmatched skills that even some had to be injured badly in order for the other to get the title of a Guardian. But… Lulu swallowed hard. They were still kids. She was still ten and he, eleven. She didn't want this to happen. "KAI!" she yelled suddenly.
The large fireball consumed the one spot Kai was standing in. Light began to form and the only thing Lulu could hear was the blast that erupted in the fighting arena. Everyone held their breath, while Moris, turned and left without a word, knowing well that Kai had lost. Lulu opened her eyes as soon as the light faded. Kai stood, his palms held in front of him and from what the dark haired girl noticed, he had absorbed all the power from the Flare and reduced it into a smaller size. Impressed, every face in the village felt their eyes glow in astonishment.
They all held their breath, waiting for the right moment…for the result.
Kai and Lulu stood, staring at each other, while everyone waited until one of them collapsed in order to confirm the winner. Kai took a deep breath, closed his eyes and fell unconscious on the floor. "Kai!" Lulu yelled, running to his side.
**********************
Darkness had fallen by the time he made it back home. He looked down at the bandages around his injuries that was inflicted on him by Lulu's flare and stared up at the door of his home. He frowned. He knew what was going to happen now. He could just see his father's face, but he had to be brave. His father should know that he did the best he could out there, so why should his father be angry about that?
Kai, with his left hand, opened the door and stepped inside quietly. Everything was darkness in the house, even the kitchen where his mother was supposed to be cooking dinner had the lights turned off. For some unknown force, Kai had the tendency to keep his eyes from looking to the direction of the living room.
"I am disappointed Kai," came his father's voice from somewhere. However, Kai had an idea where it came from. Nervously, he turned his head as cautious as he could towards the living room, where a chair's back was facing him. The chair, as if moving on its own, began to slowly turn. His father was there now, his eyes a look of dangerous malice. His fingers were crossed in front of him and all Kai could do was stare back, gulping some kind of large thing that was stuck in his throat. Moris stood up and approached his son and stopped just inches from him, towering over his eleven year old son. "For the second time, you failed to defeat a half breed Black Mage!" Kai noted his father clenching his fists beside him.
"Don't call her a half breed! She's my best friend!" Kai spat back.
Moris' eyes turned into thin slits. "Are you talking back to me!?" Suddenly, his lips turned into an evil smile. "Well, I guess that requires a punishment!"
Kai's eyes widened. One punishment was enough, but two!? "No…please, father, anything, but that!" His heart pounded enormously in his chest as if it was about to come out of its skin and backed away, while his father advanced forward, reaching out with his hands to grab him. But the wall kept him from going anywhere and Kai had no choice.
"Take off your shirt!" Moris growled.
He was an eleven year old boy. He had no power over his father whatsoever. Despite him having the power of magic, his father was the founder of Presia, a Black Mage descent with the skills and magic of a warrior who fought in many battles. He was just his son. Kai had no choice but to take off his shirt.
"Turn around!"
Kai turned; his back to him.
"I want you to remember this, boy!" he heard his father say. "This will be a reminder that no male from Presia should be defeated by a half breed girl!!!!" He lifted up his arm and roared, "THUNDAGA!"
Loud thunder boomed around the room. Kai knew what the pain was going to be, but he never imagined it was going to be a different type of spell this time. Something that was crueler than the last one he had. He closed his eyes and prepared for the worst. A sharp, searing pain hit him in the back, as if someone hit him with a bamboo stick, but a lot more painful. Kai did more than just wince at the pain. He screamed as loud as he could, but it seemed his father liked that sound and didn't mind it at all. He could hear the splatter of blood and then the sound of a door opening.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" a female voice yelled.
Kai had no time to turn and look at his mother's face, because he had fallen unconscious.
~ Present ~
She sat there, frowning…waiting for him to answer her question, but Kai just laid in his bed, his eyes quickly opened. Did he just have a dream? Was that a dream? No…. it was his past. The past he chose to forget, but why now? Why did he have to remember all that?
Finally, what seemed like forever, Kai felt himself sink into the bed, realizing that Lulu had just stood up; given up on her question and walked out the door. Her footsteps faded as Kai looked over his shoulder to make sure she was gone.
Lulu sighed. It was impossible to let Kai talk now. Whatever happened to the boy I knew? She pondered. The Black Mage did not pay attention to where she was going, so she ended up bumping into someone tall and strong that when she fell backwards after the impact, she felt strong arms holding her still. "Lulu?"
In the dark she couldn't recognize him, but his voice was familiar. "Auron…I apologize, I should have been watching where I was going."
Auron shook his head. "No need. It is much too dark for us to see anyway." He felt her shoulder tense. "Is something wrong?"
Lulu looked up, her face hidden in the shadows. "No there is nothing wrong at all," she replied, but Auron could tell there was something she wanted to share with him and decided against it. He stared at her through the darkness and began thinking about the kiss they shared. How could one woman affect him this much? It didn't make much sense really… Even if something happened between them, he didn't want to make it a long time thing and have his or her heart broken in the process. Auron has dealt with that problem before and he didn't want to do it again.
Suddenly, the ship began to move, but Auron and Lulu felt their body moving from side to side, as if struggling to keep its footage. The Black Mage fell forward, but the swordsman caught her just in time before she hit the floor. The sound of alarm echoed around the Al Bhed ship, followed by Cid's deep and raspy tone through the Communicating box above them. "Could all members of those wanting to defeat Sin please come to the bridge, right away!"
Lulu and Auron looked at each other. It was really an odd way to call them 'members of those wanting to defeat Sin,' but nevertheless; they followed his instructions and headed for the elevator. Rikku appeared right in front of them as they turned the corner, her eyes blood-shot. Lulu could tell that she was trying to sleep but couldn't and when she noticed Rikku holding a letter, marked, 'Vance' at the back. The Black Mage smiled, knowing that Rikku's reasons for not being able to sleep was because of that boy she met in Presia.
The three of them were the last ones to arrive. Wakka, Kimahri, Yuna and Tidus were already there, dressed in their usual attire. The moment they all turned to look at who arrived, Yuna immediately stared to look at Rikku. "Rikku! Are you seriously going to wear THAT against Sin!?"
Rikku was still half asleep as she rubbed her eyes and yawned, before looking down to see what her cousin meant. That little gesture brought a violent blush on her face. "Oh…Um…You see… I was um…" She looked around at Lulu, hoping to get help from the Black Mage, but the older woman was as baffled as they were. Lulu never realized that Rikku was wearing only her nightgown. Her guess was that the blond girl daydreamed too much of Vance while trying to sleep and because of Cid's emergency call, didn't have time to change, or rather, was too tired to change.
"RIKKU!" Cid roared, looking at his daughter with a mixture of shock and anger. "What are you doing wearing that thing!? And what is that letter of!? Is that a love letter!? Why do you have a love letter!?"
The blond said nothing and dashed out the door to change into her usual clothes. It took a moment to everyone to calm down, before Auron asked, "What's going on, Cid? Did something happen?"
Cid was still fuming from Rikku's letter and her embarrassing look, but answered Auron anyway. "We need to take a little detour everyone. The ship needs to be refueled and needs to be fixed from the damage Kai inflicted on my little baby."
"Why do we need the ship? We can walk from here…" Tidus suggested.
"It is impossible," Auron answered. "Sin can only be approached on ship if we are to weaken it. It is very dangerous to approach it on foot."
"The best bet is that we have this ship help you guys out weaken its defenses with its missiles and it won't be able to fire anything if it's out of fuel and is weak," Cid added.
Tidus thought for a moment, and then looked at Yuna. "What do you think?"
Yuna looked at Cid. "Where are you planning to refuel?" she asked.
The bald mad ran a hand through his bare head and looked up the moment Rikku came back fully clothes. "We are going to Al Bhed Home," Cid said proudly.
Rikku looked up at the sound of the name she has never heard for a long time. "Are we?" she asked, her eyes full of excitement and hope. "Are you serious, daddy!?" She began jumping up and down. "OH! I can't WAIT to see Brother!!!!"
Cid winced at the sound of Brother's name, but ignored it. "Yes, we are going there to refuel. Since this airship requires machine parts, we need to go there for it." He glanced at Giron and nodded. "Full speed ahead! Be careful not to use too much fuel though. We need to save it if we want to reach home!"
Giron nodded. "Yes, sir!" He saluted and pushed the lever as far as he could. No one had time to hold on to their lives when the airship went forward full blast. Lulu was surprised that she was thrown forward, but Auron was there to catch her fall. Rikku was able to grab a handle beside her, but ended up dropping the letter marked 'Vance' in the middle and began flying around the bridge. She gasped and ran after it and almost hit her head against the side, but her father pulled her up just in time before she hit her head and cause a massive injury. Wakka and Tidus were able to grab on to handles beside them, while keeping Yuna balanced. The only one who was not thrown back by the force was Kimahri, who stood just as still as the ship when it is on the ground.
GoodGurl: I know I changed the story a little and yes I know that the Al Bhed home was attacked by the Gerudos, but I'm going to say that in my story, it wasn't attacked and that it's perfectly fine. I have my reasons why! :D
Chapter 15 – Kai Maru
He was a boy who had many dreams. He dreamt of being the greatest magician Presia village has ever had. He dreamt of being the most beloved boy in the village and he dreamt of being with the only girl he has ever loved.
That was his dream…
But-
She shattered it all and left him for a new life to live and a new man to love.
However, despite all the sadness in his life, he can never forget the little girl, who smiled in all life's worth, without a care in the world. Part of him was angry at her for leaving him, part of him still loved her with all the past they had together and part of him felt anguish just seeing her.
~Fifteen years ago (Kai 08, Lulu 07) ~
"Kai! Don't!" A seven year old girl yelled. This girl had long dark hair, one that reached up to her waist and had the deepest shade of black eyes that made it look as though they were purple.
The little boy continued to splash water at the girl, making her face turn even redder with anger. "Hah! Hah!" he laughed, as his best friend ran after him. He had longer legs, so he had the advantage to outrun her. "You can't catch me!" He went further on into the deep water, but as he turned, his best friend just stopped only up to where the water reached her knees and looked up with a frightened expression on her face.
"No fair!" the dark haired girl pouted, grabbing the hem of her skirt higher so it wouldn't get soaked. "I can't swim!"
Kai sighed, turned and walked back to her. "Oh come on! You HAVE to swim. How are you going to be a Black Mage if you can't swim? All Black Mages will have to face the elements of water if they wish to become Guardians to a Summoner!"
Lulu's eyes widened in surprised. "But….I WANT to be a Guardian!"
The dark haired boy sighed again and held out his hand. "This means you HAVE to learn how to swim… eventually!"
The younger girl stared at his hand reluctantly and after a couple of seconds, she took it and waited. Kai led her down deeper into the water, but he felt his hand being squeezed too hard. "Hey, don't squeeze so hard!" he said, turning to frown at her.
Lulu hesitantly loosened her grip and suddenly backed away, feeling the water now reaching pass her shoulders. She ran back until she felt the cold water hit her knees. Kai turned around and frowned, folding his arms across his chest. "Come on! Stop being such a scaredy cat!"
Tears suddenly filled her eyes. Kai felt his heart stop. "Hey! Don't cry! Come on! I didn't mean what I- I'm sorry!" He ran to her, but Lulu's tears did not cease. They kept on falling from her eyes and into the water where it dissolved. She buried her face into her hands and wept. "I'm too scared!" she said. Kai took a long deep breath and wrapped his arms around her. "I promise I won't let you go!"
Lulu looked up. "You promise?"
Kai smiled. "I promise…" He held out his hand again and this time, Lulu took it with more confidence in her heart, knowing that Kai was going to be there to keep her safe if anything happened. He pulled her gently back into the deep side of the water. Unsure, Lulu held on tightly, but Kai didn't mind this time. He wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her steady and smiled reassuringly as Lulu struggled to keep herself from being scared whenever her feet touched nothing but air. "Trust me, Lulu," he whispered in her ear. "I want you to spread your arms." He loosened his hand around her right hand and moved it along with her while she moved her arms forward so that Lulu was at least spread-eagled face forward into the water.
Lulu blushed. "O- Okay," she replied, closing her eyes and swallowing hard. She felt the water hit her face, but she wasn't about to give up now. She had to trust Kai and that was all that mattered. "What do I do now?" Then, she felt Kai's arms were no longer around her waist to keep her balance. She suddenly opened her eyes and they landed right to Kai, standing a few centimeters away from her. "Hey!!!" She panicked and began thrashing her arms and legs about, trying to find the bottom of the water. Lulu swallowed the salty water while struggling to keep her head on the surface. She tried calling out to him, until finally; she felt Kai's arms around her.
"H- Hey! Calm down! OOF!" Lulu had backhanded him across the face. "I said-!" There was another backhand lash across his face. He knew that if he didn't bring her back to the surface soon, he was going to get bruises all over his face. "I got you okay? I got you! Calm down!" He was holding on to her now, keeping her head above water and lifting her up so that she was standing.
Lulu opened her eyes, wiping water from her face and glared at him. "Why did you let go!?" She wrapped her arms around his neck, her tears visible along with the water from her hair that fell down her face.
Kai couldn't help but laugh. "You didn't need to panic! Do you even know how deep this water is? It's only up to your neck!"
The dark haired girl slapped the back of his hand angrily. "Then why did you position me as if I was swimming when we're not even in deep water yet!?"
The taller boy shook his head, trying to suppress a laugh because Lulu was glaring at him constantly. "Well, not ALL beginners begin in deep water to swim! I was just starting you off and then the more practice you get, the deeper we'll go into the water, got that?"
"Stop confusing me!" Lulu scoffed. "Can we just go back to the surface please?" she begged, looking down at her feet floating. The dark haired girl looked up anxiously at him and, hesitantly, Kai finally nodded and swam her back to shore.
~The present~
The last day was finally here. It was finally time to defeat Sin. She looked out into the sky, where birds were flying high into the air. Freedom was theirs, but despite the thought of defeating Sin and going home, she knew there was no way she was going to feel freedom after that. Lulu felt there was just something she needed to worry about, before and after defeating Sin, but she had no idea what it was. Then… her thoughts went to Auron. She glanced to where he was standing, just near the pilot seat, looking out into the ocean below as if deep in a trance. Without a moment to think about it, Lulu joined him there. That same cold sensation surrounded her, but she chose to ignore that.
"Is something the matter, Sir Auron?" After that kiss last night, she knew she had to feel awkward around him, or he awkward around her, but since both of them were already adults, they knew it was time to act like one.
Auron said nothing for a few seconds, before saying, "That kiss," he said, lowering his voice so the others wouldn't hear. "I apologize for being direct towards you."
Lulu shook her head. "You don't need to. It was just…. In the moment, I believe." It was certainly the oddest conversation they have ever had. "But…something must be bothering you..."
"Yes," Auron said quickly. That startled Lulu. The answer was just sudden, as if he was waiting for her to say that so that he had a reason to reply. "I feel that my end is near." Those words were meant for Lulu and Lulu alone.
Lulu looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?" Was he talking about dying? Does he already know he was going to die eventually after defeating Sin? "I do not understand your words, Sir Auron. Surely you cannot be saying that we will all die because you think we cannot defeat Sin. And we will! Yuna and we Guardians will make sure of that!"
Auron did not look at her when he said, "Is that so? Hm…." She will never know the truth until he was ready, but he knew he had to get it out sooner, or else it will eat him alive… which was really an odd expression considering the 'condition' he was in. He was already dead so how can Yuna make sure that ALL of them were going to live? Without a word, he turned and suddenly left, leaving Lulu to ponder in his short, but discreet answers.
**************
Was that a dream? Or was it a memory he knew he wanted to forget? Whatever it was, it felt real… He quickly sat up in bed and looked around wearily. How long will they keep him confined in this room? He knew he couldn't get out. He knew that that blond jerk was out there ready to find some kind of reason to kill him. Kai knew he was still injured from his brush with death, and that he couldn't find his staff (which he presumed was hidden by Lulu) to even pick a fight with the armed, younger man. He had a mean looking sword and…on top of that, there was Auron; a tall man with the scar across his right eye and a sword big enough to cut this airship alone. "Dammit!" he swore, glancing down at his injury. He was tired of being cooped up in this room. He had to get out.
"Where do you think you're going?" Kai stopped in his tracks and looked around, searching for the source of the voice and there, just to his right, was a dark shadow. The figure stood up, but Kai knew all this time that the figure belonged to. The dark haired man folded his arms across his chest (though with so much effort since his shoulders were still injured) and sat back down.
"You really intend to keep me cooped up here forever?" he asked, frowning.
Lulu stood up and approached him slowly, the new attire she was wearing, which shorter than her old one, was dragging on the ground. She looked at him with those dark eyes of hers, but they weren't full of hatred. In fact, her eyes were full of…was that pity he saw?
Kai kept his lips turned into a frown and turned his back to her, unaware that he was showing her more than he intended; his scar. "I don't understand you at all, Lulu. After what I did to you, you still keep me alive? I thought you would've killed me by now."
Lulu looked at the scar that ran from his right shoulder down to the lower spine to his left. "I don't like killing people, especially those who are unarmed."
He snorted. "So, that's it huh? You plan on killing me once I'm armed?"
"If I have to…yes." She hated answering his questions. "But I know you would just harm anyone who would get between you and me….right?" For some reason, Lulu began to trace his scar with her finger. "I never saw this before, Kai. Who did this to you?"
Kai shivered at her touch and jerked away. "I told you…it's nothing."
Lulu always knew Kai was a stubborn boy. Even when they hit thirteen years old, Kai was always injured after every match he had with another Black Mage to be tested and when he lost, full of scratches and bruises, the first word he would say was…. 'It's nothing.' "You always say that," she finally said after a few moments of silence.
The long haired man looked at her over his shoulder. "You still remember that?"
"Of course. I would never forget all those things we shared together."
Once again, Kai said nothing and turned his head back towards the wall in front of him. After all these years, he thought Lulu would forget their childhood. He never forgot. He promised himself he wouldn't so that he could always remember what Lulu was like.
"You know you've changed," Lulu said, sitting down on the bed.
"We both did," he answered, without looking at her. "There was always a smile on your face every time you saw me." He looked at her again, but this time without any hatred in his eyes. There was a genuine look she knew he was capable of.
Lulu turned away. "You were always a nice boy…what happened to you?"
"You left," Kai said, as simple as that.
"Did my leave affect you THAT much?" she couldn't believe her ears.
"What do you think?" He glared at her, now a look full of hatred. "You didn't even stop to think how it would affect me if you left. You didn't even bother to tell me WHY you left instead YOU DECIDED TO RUN OUT WITHOUT A CARE IN THE WORLD THAT-!" A loud crackling snap forced him to stop. Kai's head was thrown to the side, followed by redness on his cheek. Startled, he placed a hand on his swollen cheek and looked at her defiantly, but that look was replaced with an expression of remorse when he noticed Lulu's eyes filled with tears.
"How DARE you say something like that to me!? Without a care in the world? If you must know, care was the only thing I thought of when I LEFT!" She turned away, not wanting to show that she was once again weak. She wanted to be strong.
Kai was left speechless as he sat watching her.
"Every time I thought of you, I keep remembering that night when I…." She swallowed hard. "When I…When I killed him." Lulu placed her hands on the bed spread and gripped hard on the sheets as hard as she could to try to suppress her anger she was feeling right now. "If they knew about what I did, and what you were doing to protect me, they would have immediately suspected that both of us planned to kill him. I didn't want you to go down with me…so I….So I left. That was the only choice I could think of."
Surprised at this revelation, the dark haired man continued to stare at her.
"I had no idea that leaving you affected you that much, because I was too wrapped up in my own fear to worry about that. I was scared that they would kill me. There was shame and guilt all around me and I couldn't stop myself from leaving. I had to go. I didn't want to stay and remember what I did. And when I saw you… I began to remember all those things." She stood up and turned around to face him. Kai made to move to look at her a lot clearer, but the darkness in the room concealed their expressions all the same. "I loved you Kai. I truly did, but I don't know if I can love you anymore. You have to accept that I am moving on with my life and so should you. If you truly love me, then you'll have to let me go. I don't know what you did to Cess' whole family but-!"
"That is NONE of your business!" he spat, interrupting Lulu.
"I know you didn't kill them," Lulu said calmly.
Kai jerked his head towards her, but the injury caused him to wince and turn away. He clutched at his wound in pain. He took a moment to breathe and calm down before saying, "Of course I didn't!"
That answer startled her. She didn't expect him to answer that honestly and quickly. "Then who did? Why does she think it was you? Unless you're lying to me…" He was hurting. From what Yuna told her, she saw the pain in his eyes whenever she mentioned something that relates to his own past. "What happened to you?"
Kai laid back down on his bed. He closed his eyes, but whenever he did, his father's face would start flashing. Kai decided to think of Lulu to get rid of that horrible feeling and when he did, his father's face disappeared.
~Eleven years ago (Kai 11, Lulu 10) ~
Everyone in the village was there. The men, women and the children all waited for the moment of truth on who was the better Black Mage; Kai or Lulu? All this was to be determined by a match of strength and skill and despite being young; Mayor Moris knew that these two had the potential. But he would bring straight his own child to hell if he was beaten by a mere half black mage!
"You two ready?" a man with long blond hair spoke (which seems to be the style these days) as he lifted up his staff. "Be careful where you aim, for there are spectators around you. A Black Mage should know that rule. Harm only when you need to, heal only when you have to and…" he paused and looked at the young girl with short dark hair.
"Fire only when it's necessary," she replied.
The blond nodded, satisfied, lifted up his staff and said, "GO!"
The roar of the villagers echoed throughout the forest. Mayor Moris lifted up his hand to them and they suddenly quieted down. All that was left of the noise was silence. Everything was still and all eyes were focused on the two youngest Black Mages ever to surpass those who were much older than them. Mayor Moris knew Kai had the potential. Kai was very young when he learned meteor, while his father was fifteen when he fired his first meteor. There was a big age gap in their skills and Moris was very confident with this.
Lulu grinned. "Are you ready?"
Kai smiled. "Of course!"
Suddenly, the battle started. The first one to move was Kai as he launched forward, lifting up his staff in the air and yelling, "Firaga!" The spectators were in awe at the high level use of fire magic from an eleven year old. They suddenly gasped when his Firaga was countered by Lulu's Waterga, another high level magic that was usually learned mostly by older teens. Kai retaliated with his high level meteor, which Moris knew was enough to defeat someone as powerful as Lulu, despite her age. But Moris felt that Kai used his meteor too early in the match. And, just as he feared, Lulu used her shell to protect herself from the glistening rocks that fell from the sky. The dark haired girl quickly moved to the side to avoid the last rock that was heading her way and felt the need to conjure up her bio spell.
Kai stopped in mid-step when something green began to surround him. It disappeared inside his body and as soon as it did, he felt his face grow hot and his eyes growing heavier and heavier. He felt really sick. "Anti-antidote!" he yelled, closing his eyes in pain. Bright light surrounded him and soon the effect of the bio wore off, leaving him cured and untouched. He ran forward, casting Thundaga on his foe. Lulu quickly moved away, but his attack was faster, leaving a torn right shoulder strap and a cut on her left arm.
Lulu cast Shell and Protect on herself, and then moved forward suddenly, firing her Firaga towards an unsuspecting Kai. However, the dark haired boy dodged that attack quickly and cast another meteor towards Lulu. "METEOR!" he yelled as loud as he could.
The dark haired girl gasped. About a hundred molten rocks fell from the sky, heading down directly towards her. Lulu moved as far away as she could, dodging every one of the rocks that hit the earth, while figuring out how to attack him back without him noticing. After the last one hit, Lulu took time to look up and figure out what he was up to now. From the looks of it, Kai, despite being so far away from him, was sweating from head to toe. Lulu knew he was running out of energy to conjure up another powerful magic to finish her off, so she took this chance. She ran quickly forward, cast reflect on herself and yelled, "FLARE!" A large fire ball exploded from the palm of her doll's hands and began to fly into the air towards Kai's direction. Unable to move because his stamina was low, the fire was heading his way and the dark haired boy could feel the heat rising in his face as it came nearer and nearer. Kai only had one chance before he could get badly hurt.
Lulu watched in fear. She knew that she went too far, but that was how it went in every match. When she watched in the sidelines, Black Mages much older than them fought with great agility and unmatched skills that even some had to be injured badly in order for the other to get the title of a Guardian. But… Lulu swallowed hard. They were still kids. She was still ten and he, eleven. She didn't want this to happen. "KAI!" she yelled suddenly.
The large fireball consumed the one spot Kai was standing in. Light began to form and the only thing Lulu could hear was the blast that erupted in the fighting arena. Everyone held their breath, while Moris, turned and left without a word, knowing well that Kai had lost. Lulu opened her eyes as soon as the light faded. Kai stood, his palms held in front of him and from what the dark haired girl noticed, he had absorbed all the power from the Flare and reduced it into a smaller size. Impressed, every face in the village felt their eyes glow in astonishment.
They all held their breath, waiting for the right moment…for the result.
Kai and Lulu stood, staring at each other, while everyone waited until one of them collapsed in order to confirm the winner. Kai took a deep breath, closed his eyes and fell unconscious on the floor. "Kai!" Lulu yelled, running to his side.
**********************
Darkness had fallen by the time he made it back home. He looked down at the bandages around his injuries that was inflicted on him by Lulu's flare and stared up at the door of his home. He frowned. He knew what was going to happen now. He could just see his father's face, but he had to be brave. His father should know that he did the best he could out there, so why should his father be angry about that?
Kai, with his left hand, opened the door and stepped inside quietly. Everything was darkness in the house, even the kitchen where his mother was supposed to be cooking dinner had the lights turned off. For some unknown force, Kai had the tendency to keep his eyes from looking to the direction of the living room.
"I am disappointed Kai," came his father's voice from somewhere. However, Kai had an idea where it came from. Nervously, he turned his head as cautious as he could towards the living room, where a chair's back was facing him. The chair, as if moving on its own, began to slowly turn. His father was there now, his eyes a look of dangerous malice. His fingers were crossed in front of him and all Kai could do was stare back, gulping some kind of large thing that was stuck in his throat. Moris stood up and approached his son and stopped just inches from him, towering over his eleven year old son. "For the second time, you failed to defeat a half breed Black Mage!" Kai noted his father clenching his fists beside him.
"Don't call her a half breed! She's my best friend!" Kai spat back.
Moris' eyes turned into thin slits. "Are you talking back to me!?" Suddenly, his lips turned into an evil smile. "Well, I guess that requires a punishment!"
Kai's eyes widened. One punishment was enough, but two!? "No…please, father, anything, but that!" His heart pounded enormously in his chest as if it was about to come out of its skin and backed away, while his father advanced forward, reaching out with his hands to grab him. But the wall kept him from going anywhere and Kai had no choice.
"Take off your shirt!" Moris growled.
He was an eleven year old boy. He had no power over his father whatsoever. Despite him having the power of magic, his father was the founder of Presia, a Black Mage descent with the skills and magic of a warrior who fought in many battles. He was just his son. Kai had no choice but to take off his shirt.
"Turn around!"
Kai turned; his back to him.
"I want you to remember this, boy!" he heard his father say. "This will be a reminder that no male from Presia should be defeated by a half breed girl!!!!" He lifted up his arm and roared, "THUNDAGA!"
Loud thunder boomed around the room. Kai knew what the pain was going to be, but he never imagined it was going to be a different type of spell this time. Something that was crueler than the last one he had. He closed his eyes and prepared for the worst. A sharp, searing pain hit him in the back, as if someone hit him with a bamboo stick, but a lot more painful. Kai did more than just wince at the pain. He screamed as loud as he could, but it seemed his father liked that sound and didn't mind it at all. He could hear the splatter of blood and then the sound of a door opening.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" a female voice yelled.
Kai had no time to turn and look at his mother's face, because he had fallen unconscious.
~ Present ~
She sat there, frowning…waiting for him to answer her question, but Kai just laid in his bed, his eyes quickly opened. Did he just have a dream? Was that a dream? No…. it was his past. The past he chose to forget, but why now? Why did he have to remember all that?
Finally, what seemed like forever, Kai felt himself sink into the bed, realizing that Lulu had just stood up; given up on her question and walked out the door. Her footsteps faded as Kai looked over his shoulder to make sure she was gone.
Lulu sighed. It was impossible to let Kai talk now. Whatever happened to the boy I knew? She pondered. The Black Mage did not pay attention to where she was going, so she ended up bumping into someone tall and strong that when she fell backwards after the impact, she felt strong arms holding her still. "Lulu?"
In the dark she couldn't recognize him, but his voice was familiar. "Auron…I apologize, I should have been watching where I was going."
Auron shook his head. "No need. It is much too dark for us to see anyway." He felt her shoulder tense. "Is something wrong?"
Lulu looked up, her face hidden in the shadows. "No there is nothing wrong at all," she replied, but Auron could tell there was something she wanted to share with him and decided against it. He stared at her through the darkness and began thinking about the kiss they shared. How could one woman affect him this much? It didn't make much sense really… Even if something happened between them, he didn't want to make it a long time thing and have his or her heart broken in the process. Auron has dealt with that problem before and he didn't want to do it again.
Suddenly, the ship began to move, but Auron and Lulu felt their body moving from side to side, as if struggling to keep its footage. The Black Mage fell forward, but the swordsman caught her just in time before she hit the floor. The sound of alarm echoed around the Al Bhed ship, followed by Cid's deep and raspy tone through the Communicating box above them. "Could all members of those wanting to defeat Sin please come to the bridge, right away!"
Lulu and Auron looked at each other. It was really an odd way to call them 'members of those wanting to defeat Sin,' but nevertheless; they followed his instructions and headed for the elevator. Rikku appeared right in front of them as they turned the corner, her eyes blood-shot. Lulu could tell that she was trying to sleep but couldn't and when she noticed Rikku holding a letter, marked, 'Vance' at the back. The Black Mage smiled, knowing that Rikku's reasons for not being able to sleep was because of that boy she met in Presia.
The three of them were the last ones to arrive. Wakka, Kimahri, Yuna and Tidus were already there, dressed in their usual attire. The moment they all turned to look at who arrived, Yuna immediately stared to look at Rikku. "Rikku! Are you seriously going to wear THAT against Sin!?"
Rikku was still half asleep as she rubbed her eyes and yawned, before looking down to see what her cousin meant. That little gesture brought a violent blush on her face. "Oh…Um…You see… I was um…" She looked around at Lulu, hoping to get help from the Black Mage, but the older woman was as baffled as they were. Lulu never realized that Rikku was wearing only her nightgown. Her guess was that the blond girl daydreamed too much of Vance while trying to sleep and because of Cid's emergency call, didn't have time to change, or rather, was too tired to change.
"RIKKU!" Cid roared, looking at his daughter with a mixture of shock and anger. "What are you doing wearing that thing!? And what is that letter of!? Is that a love letter!? Why do you have a love letter!?"
The blond said nothing and dashed out the door to change into her usual clothes. It took a moment to everyone to calm down, before Auron asked, "What's going on, Cid? Did something happen?"
Cid was still fuming from Rikku's letter and her embarrassing look, but answered Auron anyway. "We need to take a little detour everyone. The ship needs to be refueled and needs to be fixed from the damage Kai inflicted on my little baby."
"Why do we need the ship? We can walk from here…" Tidus suggested.
"It is impossible," Auron answered. "Sin can only be approached on ship if we are to weaken it. It is very dangerous to approach it on foot."
"The best bet is that we have this ship help you guys out weaken its defenses with its missiles and it won't be able to fire anything if it's out of fuel and is weak," Cid added.
Tidus thought for a moment, and then looked at Yuna. "What do you think?"
Yuna looked at Cid. "Where are you planning to refuel?" she asked.
The bald mad ran a hand through his bare head and looked up the moment Rikku came back fully clothes. "We are going to Al Bhed Home," Cid said proudly.
Rikku looked up at the sound of the name she has never heard for a long time. "Are we?" she asked, her eyes full of excitement and hope. "Are you serious, daddy!?" She began jumping up and down. "OH! I can't WAIT to see Brother!!!!"
Cid winced at the sound of Brother's name, but ignored it. "Yes, we are going there to refuel. Since this airship requires machine parts, we need to go there for it." He glanced at Giron and nodded. "Full speed ahead! Be careful not to use too much fuel though. We need to save it if we want to reach home!"
Giron nodded. "Yes, sir!" He saluted and pushed the lever as far as he could. No one had time to hold on to their lives when the airship went forward full blast. Lulu was surprised that she was thrown forward, but Auron was there to catch her fall. Rikku was able to grab a handle beside her, but ended up dropping the letter marked 'Vance' in the middle and began flying around the bridge. She gasped and ran after it and almost hit her head against the side, but her father pulled her up just in time before she hit her head and cause a massive injury. Wakka and Tidus were able to grab on to handles beside them, while keeping Yuna balanced. The only one who was not thrown back by the force was Kimahri, who stood just as still as the ship when it is on the ground.
GoodGurl: I know I changed the story a little and yes I know that the Al Bhed home was attacked by the Gerudos, but I'm going to say that in my story, it wasn't attacked and that it's perfectly fine. I have my reasons why! :D
