Chapter 13
All through the voyages to Home, and then the desperate bid for freedom in the airship, Wakka fought with a fury. The group noticed, but did not say anything. As for Wakka, he was content only in the anger that he felt when he lay his eyes on fiends. He envisioned each fiend wearing Auron's face, and that was all the motivation he needed to put his body and soul behind the killing blow he delivered each time. With every kill, he pretended that he was proving something to himself, to the others, and most of all, to Lulu, and Auron.
He wished he could go right up to Lulu and tell her, "See, ya? You made the wrong choice!"
And to Auron, he wished he could say, "You're not necessary. I'm all she needs."
But he could do neither. As stupid as Wakka seemed outwardly, he was smart enough to realize that the group needed Auron, that they needed Tidus, and without one, the other would be gone. He was a guidance, a steadying. The pillar of strength that everyone needed. If Auron was not afraid of what was to come, then each of them had no reason to be. Besides...if Auron was who Lulu wanted....then he had no right to dissuade that choice.
The trip to Bevelle took the course of a day; Wakka found himself sitting on the roof of the airship, staring out at the scenary as it all flew past. Beneath, Tidus, and Rikku were planning their rescue of Yuna. Wakka found his thoughts on other subjects, however. Yuna, to his shame, was the furthest thing from his mind; nothing could be done about it at that moment, so he did not think about it.
He sat and thought about Lulu. Memories went through his mind. And this was mainly what he focused on. He stared out at the sea, which they were currently flying over. But he didn't see the sunlight breaking on the waves below. He saw Lulu.
"Something is wrong with you.."
Wakka jumped, and turned to glare at the offending party. He knew who it was, and this only made him glare more.
"What you want, Lu?"
Lulu moved to him, belts and beads clinking together. She crouched near him, and studied his face for a moment. And then she raised her face to stare out at the sea, just as he had been doing a moment before.
"You're melancholy. What is wrong?"
Wakka sighed, angry. He didn't want to discuss what was going on inside of him, most of all not with Lulu. But if he didn't say something, she would just hammer at him for a while, then turn sullen. He didn't want that. As angry as he was...he didn't want Lulu sullen. She'd been sullen for two years. No more.
"I'm not stupid, ya? None of us are. We all see what's going on between you and Auron."
Wakka dropped the 'Sir' from Auron's title. He no longer had enough respect for the man to be able to call him 'Sir.'
Lulu blinked. She had no answer for this. Faintness went through her, and a blush crept up on her cheeks. She had never wanted Wakka to know...but yet, there was no way she could have kept it from him.
"When you say 'we', you mean yourself..." She said weakly.
Wakka sat in silence. So what if he did? He was the only one that mattered. Lulu sat in silence. She had no reply for him. When, at length, one of them spoke, it was Wakka, in a fury.
"Is he gonna do the right thing, at least? Marry you, so you don't gotta have bastards?"
His voice was unnecessarily harsh. Right now, he wanted to strike out and hurt her, and was succeeding admirably. Lulu raised her hand to her lips, and turned her head away.
"I don't...."
"You don't what? Don't want to marry him? So, you just be a whore and have lots of his babies, and go your own way?"
"Wakka, why are you saying all these things?"
But inwardly, she agreed with him...she felt very much, like the whore..
"I say these things 'cause he's just taking advantage of you, and you too stupid to see it!"
"None of that's true."
"If you're not stupid, then you're just fickle, and it's a good thing Chappu died."
Lulu recoiled as if she'd been slapped. Wakka instantly regretted opening his mouth, but the words were out there. He couldn't un-say them.
There was a great length of silence from Lulu, and Wakka at last had to steal a glance at her. And he instantly regretted that too. Huge tears were rolling down her cheeks, smearing the kohl lining her eyes, and splashing off her chin.
"T-That was cruel..." Her voice quavered, and it tore at Wakka's heart.
Why had he said such a mean thing?
"And what? What you're doing now ain't?"
It was like a worm had crawled into Wakka's heart. Like a small seed of hate had been planted and was flourishing in the most fertile ground ever created. He couldn't stop himself from saying all these things; He wanted to say them. He wanted to hammer at her, and hurt her, until she broke down and admitted that she was wrong. That she was so very wrong, and would forget all about Auron and come to him. But he knew she wouldn't, and that made him want to hurt her more.
Suddenly, Lulu's hand flashed out, and her slap stung across his cheek. Wakka's head rocked back a bit, and then he looked up at her, honestly surprised.
Lulu stood over him, a dark goddess of fury. Anger showed plain in her features, while tears continued to fall down her cheeks. The salt water left black trails where the kohl had mixed.
"How dare you! How do you dare?!"
Her voice cracked. "Chappu died! I waited for him and he died. He left me behind, and died, and I sat on Besaid, waiting for his ship to come in. Regardless of the feelings between you and I, Wakka, I have a right to be happy! Don't you ever doubt that again."
She could have slapped him again. She was sorely tempted to, but she didn't. She couldn't, when Wakka was staring at her so stupidly.
"Yes, Wakka. I know there is tension between us. I know there's feelings. But did you ever stop to think for a second that I might grow sick of waiting for you too?"
Why didn't she speak first? She knew well enough that Wakka was in love with her. Because she knew that Chappu's shadow hung over him, and that he would never do anything to dishonour his brother's memory. Taking his dead brother's fiancee to wife would do exactly that.
Wakka watched, surprised, shocked, as Lulu turned on her heel, and dashed to the door.
He heard her sniffling as she went, and pain went through his heart as he realized that she was crying once again.
**************************************
There was a long silence between Lulu and Wakka. All through the raid on Bevelle, and their time spent in the Via Purifico, and even afterwards, the two did not even look at each other.
Which is not to say that they didn't think about each other constantly.
The scant time that Lulu had with alone with Auron, they fell into each other's arms as if they were dying of thirst, and it could only be quenched from each other's lips. But even still, Lulu's heart was heavy. As Auron's arms surrounded her, and his stubble brushed at her face, she wondered if it should be Wakka's stubble, and Wakka's arms, and Wakka's lips.
But she had meant what she'd said. She too, had a right to be happy. And Auron gave her happiness.
As for Auron, he was clueless about what happened. Lulu had not told him a word. He knew only that something more was weighing on her heart, and that Wakka had the same sullen expression on his face. He guessed, correctly, that words had been exchanged between the two, and that those words had not been to Wakka's liking. But be that as it may, Auron focused himself on the task at hand, and comforting Lulu when he could.
At length, the group escaped from Bevelle, and fled to the Macalanian woods. Yuna had taken Kimahri with her to a small pond not far from the campsite. Tidus soon followed, to talk with Yuna.
Auron was weary. He'd been riding through the days with little sleep, and it was beginning to wear on him. Even unsent as he was, he had his limits, and he had reached them. His masamune was leaned against a tree, and he stretched out at Lulu's feet.
Auron slept like the dead.
Wakka and Rikku kept their distance from the pair. Rikku had noticed the particular closeness between Auron and Lulu of late, but thought little of it. Some things were her business, and others were not. She thought they were a terrific match, actually. They were both so cold and grumpy. What a pair.
But Wakka, with thoughts swirling through his mind, knew only that he must make things right with Lulu. The time he'd spent in the Via Purifico with Tidus and Rikku, had served to clear his head a bit.
Lulu was right. She was completely, and totally right. She did have a right to her own happiness. She couldn't sit around and wait for him forever.
Wakka's footsteps echoed, crunching and snapping of twigs beneath his sandals. He approached Lulu, where she sat by Auron, with a spellbook in her hands. She looked up as he approached.
"Lu?" Wakka's voice was soft. "I got to talk to you."
Lulu's eyes registered an expression that was unreadable to Wakka. She seemed to deliberate, to turn things over in her mind. And then she nodded.
In silence, they walked away from the campsite, left Auron sleeping, and Rikku happily dissecting a piece of machina she'd found. There were other clearings, where they could be alone, and discuss what they wanted, as loud as they wanted. Lulu had no doubt that there would be shouting eventually, and so she was glad that the place where she and Wakka went, they would not be disturbing, and could not be heard.
Wakka paused, and then sat down on a fallen log. A heavy sigh went through him. His eyes went to the black mage, and then down once more. There was silence.
"Out with it." Lulu said. "What do you need to say?"
Wakka gazed up at her. His throat constricted suddenly, but he swallowed, forcing it back. Say the words...he thought to himself. Let her go.
"You were right, Lu." His eyes went to his feet. He could not look at her.
"You were right all along. You gotta right to be happy. I was wrong. I was jealous."
Lulu stood watching him. Her stomach had been knotting and unknotting with tension, but it was quickly slipping away. Now only a heavy sadness was moving in. She waited as Wakka opened his mouth to speak once more.
"You were right about the feelings, you know? I did love you. I do...love you." Wakka corrected himself. "But I was scared. I didn't know what people would say. They'd say bad things about you, you know? Losing one brother then going after the other. Then they'd say bad things about me. Say that I was happy when Chappu died, so I could have my shot. They'd say all kinds of horrible things."
"You know that's not true." Lulu's voice was cold.
"I didn't know that. You know how everyone talks."
"We aren't in Besaid anymore. We don't know if we're going back to Besaid."
"I'm sorry, Lu. I was just scared that it wouldn't be right. I just wanted to take care of you."
Even though she knew it shouldn't be, Lulu felt her heart melting. He did take care of her. Yevon, but he did. In so many ways. He did all her menial chores for her. He brought her gifts, he cooked for her. He did everything he could to show that he loved her besides outright taking her in his arms, and saying the words out loud.
"I know you do." She said softly.
Wakka's head snapped up, tearing glinting at the corner of the blue eyes. Lulu had to fight the urge to brush them away.
"Then let me, Lu! I promise I won't care what anyone says now!"
"I made my choice..." Her eyes went darting away. She couldn't look him in the face.
Wakka climbed to his feet, and came to put his hands on her forearms. They slid, skin over skin, to enclose her little hands in his huge, bear-like paws. He held her, so small and fraile. So cold.
"You know I love you! You know I loved you for a long time! We take care of each other."
"I can't help that."
"Yeah, you can. Why you want him anyway? You don't even know if he's going to stick around after the pilgrimage is over."
"At this point, we don't even know if there is going to be a pilgrimage." Lulu looked up at him.
"Is that how it's gonna be? You exclusive to him, and him to you?"
"I don't know." Lulu looked away. She didn't know when her strength had fled her. She didn't know when she'd become so meek. She didn't like it, but couldn't help it.
"I just don't want to see you hurt more. If you're happy with Auron, then that's good." Wakka looked down, biting at his lip. "But you deserve it all! The best. I gotta be sure that's what he's going to do for you. Babies, and marriage, and all that."
"It's not any of your concern..." Lulu tried to force the hard, cold tone back into her voice. Her words must have came out a little more harsh than she would have liked, for Wakka looked up at her. His eyes spilled over this time, and he dropped her hands.
Lulu's heart wrenched. She could not look at him; tears were stinging at the back of her own eyes.
Wakka retreated from her, and sat down once more on the log. He bent over, and cupped his hands over his face. Tried to hide his eyes from her. Tried to hide the crying. His shoulders shook with silent sobs. He made no sound.
Lulu could stand no more of this. Whatever happened between them, she loved Wakka in many ways. She'd made her choice to be with Auron, but it didn't mean that she wanted to watch Wakka cry. It didn't mean that she didn't want to be with Wakka at the same time.
She drifted over, and let her hands fall on his shoulders.
"I'm sorry." She said weakly. "I'm so sorry."
Wakka shoulders drooped a bit, and then he raised his face to hers.
There was silence, save for the sounds of the woods around them. The sound of water running somewhere. Small birds twittering in the twilight.
Wakka's hands went to hers, and closed once more around them. He squeezed gently, and took a hand to his lips. He kissed the cold, soft skin, and then pressed it to his cheek. His eyes closed. Lulu swallowed hard, and put her other hand to his other cheek. She caressed him gently. Ruby eyes stared down at him. She could think of nothing to say.
Without warning, Wakka jerked her down to him. She uttered a small cry, and fell to her knees, fell into his lap, and Wakka wrapped his arms around her waist and dragged her up. A huge hand cupped around the back of her neck, and Wakka's lips settled on hers with such a possessive air that she gasped.
Lulu braced her hands on Wakka's shoulders, and shoved at him, but to no avail. He was so much stronger than her, and though she tried to turn her head away, his hand kept her from moving much, and she had no choice to to endure the kiss.
Her heart fluttered within her chest. He couldn't be doing this. He wouldn't force her. She knew he wouldn't. And when his lips moved away from hers, she knew she was right.
It was so very awkward. Wakka felt like an ass. Lulu was at a loss as to what to do. She knew she should break away.
One more, Wakka's lips descended on hers. He kissed her again. He tried to so hard to do what was right. He tried to kiss her the right way. Show her that he could be just as exciting as Auron. But she tried to move away from him again, and he knew that he had to let her go.
Wakka released her, and Lulu fell back from him. She stared at him. There were no words that seemed appropriate.
In silence, she got to her feet, straightened her clothes. Knew that if Auron awoke, he would want to know where she was.
Her eyes went back to Wakka.
"I'm going back to him...."
It wasn't necessary to word it like that. But she did.
Wakka bowed his head, and listened to her walk away....
*******
More to come!
All through the voyages to Home, and then the desperate bid for freedom in the airship, Wakka fought with a fury. The group noticed, but did not say anything. As for Wakka, he was content only in the anger that he felt when he lay his eyes on fiends. He envisioned each fiend wearing Auron's face, and that was all the motivation he needed to put his body and soul behind the killing blow he delivered each time. With every kill, he pretended that he was proving something to himself, to the others, and most of all, to Lulu, and Auron.
He wished he could go right up to Lulu and tell her, "See, ya? You made the wrong choice!"
And to Auron, he wished he could say, "You're not necessary. I'm all she needs."
But he could do neither. As stupid as Wakka seemed outwardly, he was smart enough to realize that the group needed Auron, that they needed Tidus, and without one, the other would be gone. He was a guidance, a steadying. The pillar of strength that everyone needed. If Auron was not afraid of what was to come, then each of them had no reason to be. Besides...if Auron was who Lulu wanted....then he had no right to dissuade that choice.
The trip to Bevelle took the course of a day; Wakka found himself sitting on the roof of the airship, staring out at the scenary as it all flew past. Beneath, Tidus, and Rikku were planning their rescue of Yuna. Wakka found his thoughts on other subjects, however. Yuna, to his shame, was the furthest thing from his mind; nothing could be done about it at that moment, so he did not think about it.
He sat and thought about Lulu. Memories went through his mind. And this was mainly what he focused on. He stared out at the sea, which they were currently flying over. But he didn't see the sunlight breaking on the waves below. He saw Lulu.
"Something is wrong with you.."
Wakka jumped, and turned to glare at the offending party. He knew who it was, and this only made him glare more.
"What you want, Lu?"
Lulu moved to him, belts and beads clinking together. She crouched near him, and studied his face for a moment. And then she raised her face to stare out at the sea, just as he had been doing a moment before.
"You're melancholy. What is wrong?"
Wakka sighed, angry. He didn't want to discuss what was going on inside of him, most of all not with Lulu. But if he didn't say something, she would just hammer at him for a while, then turn sullen. He didn't want that. As angry as he was...he didn't want Lulu sullen. She'd been sullen for two years. No more.
"I'm not stupid, ya? None of us are. We all see what's going on between you and Auron."
Wakka dropped the 'Sir' from Auron's title. He no longer had enough respect for the man to be able to call him 'Sir.'
Lulu blinked. She had no answer for this. Faintness went through her, and a blush crept up on her cheeks. She had never wanted Wakka to know...but yet, there was no way she could have kept it from him.
"When you say 'we', you mean yourself..." She said weakly.
Wakka sat in silence. So what if he did? He was the only one that mattered. Lulu sat in silence. She had no reply for him. When, at length, one of them spoke, it was Wakka, in a fury.
"Is he gonna do the right thing, at least? Marry you, so you don't gotta have bastards?"
His voice was unnecessarily harsh. Right now, he wanted to strike out and hurt her, and was succeeding admirably. Lulu raised her hand to her lips, and turned her head away.
"I don't...."
"You don't what? Don't want to marry him? So, you just be a whore and have lots of his babies, and go your own way?"
"Wakka, why are you saying all these things?"
But inwardly, she agreed with him...she felt very much, like the whore..
"I say these things 'cause he's just taking advantage of you, and you too stupid to see it!"
"None of that's true."
"If you're not stupid, then you're just fickle, and it's a good thing Chappu died."
Lulu recoiled as if she'd been slapped. Wakka instantly regretted opening his mouth, but the words were out there. He couldn't un-say them.
There was a great length of silence from Lulu, and Wakka at last had to steal a glance at her. And he instantly regretted that too. Huge tears were rolling down her cheeks, smearing the kohl lining her eyes, and splashing off her chin.
"T-That was cruel..." Her voice quavered, and it tore at Wakka's heart.
Why had he said such a mean thing?
"And what? What you're doing now ain't?"
It was like a worm had crawled into Wakka's heart. Like a small seed of hate had been planted and was flourishing in the most fertile ground ever created. He couldn't stop himself from saying all these things; He wanted to say them. He wanted to hammer at her, and hurt her, until she broke down and admitted that she was wrong. That she was so very wrong, and would forget all about Auron and come to him. But he knew she wouldn't, and that made him want to hurt her more.
Suddenly, Lulu's hand flashed out, and her slap stung across his cheek. Wakka's head rocked back a bit, and then he looked up at her, honestly surprised.
Lulu stood over him, a dark goddess of fury. Anger showed plain in her features, while tears continued to fall down her cheeks. The salt water left black trails where the kohl had mixed.
"How dare you! How do you dare?!"
Her voice cracked. "Chappu died! I waited for him and he died. He left me behind, and died, and I sat on Besaid, waiting for his ship to come in. Regardless of the feelings between you and I, Wakka, I have a right to be happy! Don't you ever doubt that again."
She could have slapped him again. She was sorely tempted to, but she didn't. She couldn't, when Wakka was staring at her so stupidly.
"Yes, Wakka. I know there is tension between us. I know there's feelings. But did you ever stop to think for a second that I might grow sick of waiting for you too?"
Why didn't she speak first? She knew well enough that Wakka was in love with her. Because she knew that Chappu's shadow hung over him, and that he would never do anything to dishonour his brother's memory. Taking his dead brother's fiancee to wife would do exactly that.
Wakka watched, surprised, shocked, as Lulu turned on her heel, and dashed to the door.
He heard her sniffling as she went, and pain went through his heart as he realized that she was crying once again.
**************************************
There was a long silence between Lulu and Wakka. All through the raid on Bevelle, and their time spent in the Via Purifico, and even afterwards, the two did not even look at each other.
Which is not to say that they didn't think about each other constantly.
The scant time that Lulu had with alone with Auron, they fell into each other's arms as if they were dying of thirst, and it could only be quenched from each other's lips. But even still, Lulu's heart was heavy. As Auron's arms surrounded her, and his stubble brushed at her face, she wondered if it should be Wakka's stubble, and Wakka's arms, and Wakka's lips.
But she had meant what she'd said. She too, had a right to be happy. And Auron gave her happiness.
As for Auron, he was clueless about what happened. Lulu had not told him a word. He knew only that something more was weighing on her heart, and that Wakka had the same sullen expression on his face. He guessed, correctly, that words had been exchanged between the two, and that those words had not been to Wakka's liking. But be that as it may, Auron focused himself on the task at hand, and comforting Lulu when he could.
At length, the group escaped from Bevelle, and fled to the Macalanian woods. Yuna had taken Kimahri with her to a small pond not far from the campsite. Tidus soon followed, to talk with Yuna.
Auron was weary. He'd been riding through the days with little sleep, and it was beginning to wear on him. Even unsent as he was, he had his limits, and he had reached them. His masamune was leaned against a tree, and he stretched out at Lulu's feet.
Auron slept like the dead.
Wakka and Rikku kept their distance from the pair. Rikku had noticed the particular closeness between Auron and Lulu of late, but thought little of it. Some things were her business, and others were not. She thought they were a terrific match, actually. They were both so cold and grumpy. What a pair.
But Wakka, with thoughts swirling through his mind, knew only that he must make things right with Lulu. The time he'd spent in the Via Purifico with Tidus and Rikku, had served to clear his head a bit.
Lulu was right. She was completely, and totally right. She did have a right to her own happiness. She couldn't sit around and wait for him forever.
Wakka's footsteps echoed, crunching and snapping of twigs beneath his sandals. He approached Lulu, where she sat by Auron, with a spellbook in her hands. She looked up as he approached.
"Lu?" Wakka's voice was soft. "I got to talk to you."
Lulu's eyes registered an expression that was unreadable to Wakka. She seemed to deliberate, to turn things over in her mind. And then she nodded.
In silence, they walked away from the campsite, left Auron sleeping, and Rikku happily dissecting a piece of machina she'd found. There were other clearings, where they could be alone, and discuss what they wanted, as loud as they wanted. Lulu had no doubt that there would be shouting eventually, and so she was glad that the place where she and Wakka went, they would not be disturbing, and could not be heard.
Wakka paused, and then sat down on a fallen log. A heavy sigh went through him. His eyes went to the black mage, and then down once more. There was silence.
"Out with it." Lulu said. "What do you need to say?"
Wakka gazed up at her. His throat constricted suddenly, but he swallowed, forcing it back. Say the words...he thought to himself. Let her go.
"You were right, Lu." His eyes went to his feet. He could not look at her.
"You were right all along. You gotta right to be happy. I was wrong. I was jealous."
Lulu stood watching him. Her stomach had been knotting and unknotting with tension, but it was quickly slipping away. Now only a heavy sadness was moving in. She waited as Wakka opened his mouth to speak once more.
"You were right about the feelings, you know? I did love you. I do...love you." Wakka corrected himself. "But I was scared. I didn't know what people would say. They'd say bad things about you, you know? Losing one brother then going after the other. Then they'd say bad things about me. Say that I was happy when Chappu died, so I could have my shot. They'd say all kinds of horrible things."
"You know that's not true." Lulu's voice was cold.
"I didn't know that. You know how everyone talks."
"We aren't in Besaid anymore. We don't know if we're going back to Besaid."
"I'm sorry, Lu. I was just scared that it wouldn't be right. I just wanted to take care of you."
Even though she knew it shouldn't be, Lulu felt her heart melting. He did take care of her. Yevon, but he did. In so many ways. He did all her menial chores for her. He brought her gifts, he cooked for her. He did everything he could to show that he loved her besides outright taking her in his arms, and saying the words out loud.
"I know you do." She said softly.
Wakka's head snapped up, tearing glinting at the corner of the blue eyes. Lulu had to fight the urge to brush them away.
"Then let me, Lu! I promise I won't care what anyone says now!"
"I made my choice..." Her eyes went darting away. She couldn't look him in the face.
Wakka climbed to his feet, and came to put his hands on her forearms. They slid, skin over skin, to enclose her little hands in his huge, bear-like paws. He held her, so small and fraile. So cold.
"You know I love you! You know I loved you for a long time! We take care of each other."
"I can't help that."
"Yeah, you can. Why you want him anyway? You don't even know if he's going to stick around after the pilgrimage is over."
"At this point, we don't even know if there is going to be a pilgrimage." Lulu looked up at him.
"Is that how it's gonna be? You exclusive to him, and him to you?"
"I don't know." Lulu looked away. She didn't know when her strength had fled her. She didn't know when she'd become so meek. She didn't like it, but couldn't help it.
"I just don't want to see you hurt more. If you're happy with Auron, then that's good." Wakka looked down, biting at his lip. "But you deserve it all! The best. I gotta be sure that's what he's going to do for you. Babies, and marriage, and all that."
"It's not any of your concern..." Lulu tried to force the hard, cold tone back into her voice. Her words must have came out a little more harsh than she would have liked, for Wakka looked up at her. His eyes spilled over this time, and he dropped her hands.
Lulu's heart wrenched. She could not look at him; tears were stinging at the back of her own eyes.
Wakka retreated from her, and sat down once more on the log. He bent over, and cupped his hands over his face. Tried to hide his eyes from her. Tried to hide the crying. His shoulders shook with silent sobs. He made no sound.
Lulu could stand no more of this. Whatever happened between them, she loved Wakka in many ways. She'd made her choice to be with Auron, but it didn't mean that she wanted to watch Wakka cry. It didn't mean that she didn't want to be with Wakka at the same time.
She drifted over, and let her hands fall on his shoulders.
"I'm sorry." She said weakly. "I'm so sorry."
Wakka shoulders drooped a bit, and then he raised his face to hers.
There was silence, save for the sounds of the woods around them. The sound of water running somewhere. Small birds twittering in the twilight.
Wakka's hands went to hers, and closed once more around them. He squeezed gently, and took a hand to his lips. He kissed the cold, soft skin, and then pressed it to his cheek. His eyes closed. Lulu swallowed hard, and put her other hand to his other cheek. She caressed him gently. Ruby eyes stared down at him. She could think of nothing to say.
Without warning, Wakka jerked her down to him. She uttered a small cry, and fell to her knees, fell into his lap, and Wakka wrapped his arms around her waist and dragged her up. A huge hand cupped around the back of her neck, and Wakka's lips settled on hers with such a possessive air that she gasped.
Lulu braced her hands on Wakka's shoulders, and shoved at him, but to no avail. He was so much stronger than her, and though she tried to turn her head away, his hand kept her from moving much, and she had no choice to to endure the kiss.
Her heart fluttered within her chest. He couldn't be doing this. He wouldn't force her. She knew he wouldn't. And when his lips moved away from hers, she knew she was right.
It was so very awkward. Wakka felt like an ass. Lulu was at a loss as to what to do. She knew she should break away.
One more, Wakka's lips descended on hers. He kissed her again. He tried to so hard to do what was right. He tried to kiss her the right way. Show her that he could be just as exciting as Auron. But she tried to move away from him again, and he knew that he had to let her go.
Wakka released her, and Lulu fell back from him. She stared at him. There were no words that seemed appropriate.
In silence, she got to her feet, straightened her clothes. Knew that if Auron awoke, he would want to know where she was.
Her eyes went back to Wakka.
"I'm going back to him...."
It wasn't necessary to word it like that. But she did.
Wakka bowed his head, and listened to her walk away....
*******
More to come!