Chapter Two
In the Night Skies
Lulu gasped as the airship loomed above her, hovering over the small island like a gigantic bird of prey. "AL BHED! IN BESAID!" yelled out a voice in the island, and several men rushed forward, ready to guard their own homes. A single splash was heard, and slowly but surely, Lulu could tell who it was. The men, who were focusing their attention on the airship overhead, paid no mind to the single Al Bhed who snuck into the island using the cover of darkness and made her way to Lulu's hut. "Stop right there!" yelled a voice behind Lulu. The voice revealed itself to be Wakka's, and he stepped forward, angry at the intrusion. "Identify yourself!" he commanded, and the Al Bhed giggled.
"Is that anyway to greet an old friend?" said the voice, a high-pitched, childish drawl.
"Rikku!" Lulu said, recognizing the voice.
"Yup!" said Rikku, as she stepped into the light, clad in her usual Al-Bhed Dressphere, tiny shorts, a small top, and armguards covering her skinny arms. Her hair was longer this time, and several strands were tied back in dreadlocks.
"What are you doing here, shouldn't you be helping your father rebuild Home?" Inquired Wakka, still keeping an eye on the airship.
"Home's nearly done, and Yunie wanted us to come see her perform!" said Rikku, throwing her arms out.
"Perform?" asked Lulu softly, recalling that Yuna had left without notice not too long ago.
"Yes! She's a songstress now! So anyways, I was thinkin' what could make Yunie really happy?"
"Finding Tidus?" replied Wakka, smugly.
"I thought about that, but I'm still confused, so I went on with the second best idea…to have her friends gathered for her first concert!" said Rikku excitedly.
"Will it be a long trip?" asked Wakka, scratching the back of his head.
"It won't! Besides, Wakka, you're going there anyway." Rikku responded, "The final is going to be held in Luca, just before Yunie's performance."
"Oh, that's right! I'll meet with you then and there, ya?" he said, and returned to his hut.
"What about you, Lu, mind going?" Rikku asked, blue, swirling eyes piercing Lulu's.
Lulu nodded, and spoke. "Let's get going. My students won't mind me missing out for a moment. Besides, I want to see my little sister again."
"Ok! Let's go! I do hope you can swim." Rikku took off, back into the water. Lulu followed, Rikku into the water.
Lulu never liked swimming much, swimming reminded her of Chappu, how his machina weighed him down as Sin attacked, and he couldn't swim to safety in time. It was a fear she needed to get over. Rikku swam ahead, and stopped at a spot marked with a tiny light sphere. As Lulu reached Rikku, a ladder splashed down, and the two girls grabbed onto it. As the latter started to pull up slowly, Rikku chose this as a moment to strike conversation.
"So, Lu, what have you been doing all this while?"
"I started my own small training group, to train girls to be guardians as I was. Hopefully Sin won't come again, but it doesn't hurt to know a little bit of magic." Lulu replied quietly, the glare of the airship's spotlights shining on her ivy eyes.
"It sure doesn't! I've gotten myself a new arm-claw, the Apocalypse Claw. Lookie!" she said, as the ladder reached the underside of the airship and the duo boarded. Lulu took a look at Rikku's outstretched arm. It was a metal armguard-bracer-weapon, it had sharp spikes jutting out of the sides and covering the fist was a metal shell, from which four sharp metal claws extended and retracted.
"Lulu!whereswakkaandyunaandkimahri?" spoke a voice from the front of the airship. Lulu looked up, it was Rikku's brother and pilot, Brother.
"Oh, brother, here we go." She muttered, and Rikku giggled.
"Hello, Brother." She said tiredly, not wanting to deal with questions for the night. "Good evening, Lady Lulu! How is you doing this night?" he said, in broken Mantongue.
"I'm fine, Brother. I see you have been working on our language." She replied, moving to the edge of the airship to dry off.
"Yes, I have. I is practicing for getting a girl in Luca! They will fall for mine Al Bhed charms!" he laughed and returned to piloting the airship.
"They'll definitely fall for something. I'm not so sure if it's his charm, though." Muttered Rikku, and the two laughed.
"How soon do you think we will get there, Rikku?" Lulu asked, an hour later. Rikku cocked her head in curiosity.
"Why, you want to leave already?" she started running around, fake-sobbing.
"Aw, Rikku, cut it out. I'm just nervous." Lulu said, crossing her legs and looking outside.
"But why?" Rikku wondered, sitting with her back to one of the many strange machina aboard the airship.
"I've changed…they're expecting a grown up, formal, Lulu." She said, looking at herself on the reflection on the glass.
"And they're getting a grown up Lulu. Who just switched into an outfit that accentuates her beauty." Rikku cut in, sounding like a modeling narrator. Lulu couldn't help but blush at this.
"Now, let's see if grown-up Lulu is ticklish!" Rikku pounced on Lulu, and before long, the two were giggling together like little girls. All was fine until something hard struck the Airship, sending the two girls tumbling against the opposite side. The ship started yelling out commands in Al Bhed, Lulu remembered the words as 'To your battle stations!" the two ran to the back of the ship and boarded the lift outside, and prepared themselves to fight…
A/N – Thanks to those of you who have reviewed. As of yesterday, I cleared Besaid in FFX-2 (Yeah, go on and laugh, I'm a newbie to real role-playing games.) and I found out Wakka and Lulu were getting wed and having a son within the year. I didn't see much sense, I saw Lulu incapable of giving Wakka the love she gave his deceased brother. I figured she'd look for love somewhere unconventional. This is where Square Enix and I differ. They should hire me! Oh well, hope you're enjoying it so far. Expect the next chapter sometime Wednesday, latest Thursday.