Chapter 14
On Lila's sixteenth birthday, she and her mother walked far along the coast of Besaid Island. Rikku was surprised to find that the island was a different shape now. She mentioned this to Lila, who told her that the sea level had been going down for years. Rikku wondered why. However, she didn't dwell on it much. Perhaps, in retrospect, she should have.
Years before, Ifalna and Rikku had taught Lila and Llaman to listen to the planet as they had both done before the Meteor had hit. Lila often thought that she bonded with her long lost father through machina, and with her mother through the planet, although she never voiced this out loud. The planet was one connection that mother and daughter had always shared.
Rikku looked at her daughter now, already older than she was when she had accompanied Yuna on her pilgrimage, so long ago. Lila's hair was lighter than Rikku's, more like Gippal's. Her eyes were wide, and as green as emeralds. She had Gippal's strong face and commanding manner, and his lean strength, although in a feminine format. She was taller than her mother already.
Rikku hugged Lila, hiding the tears that had sprung to her eyes as she relived Gippal's last moments. The way he had looked at her then smashed the Comm sphere, not wanting her to see the terrible deaths of all in that fated shelter. She had never told Lila exactly how her father died, and Lila had never asked.
Without any conversation, mother and daughter lay down side by side, to listen to the planet. This was a ritual on Lila's birthday, and both appreciated the closeness afforded by it.
They had only been a short time when Lila sat up swiftly. Rikku sat up too.
"What's wrong?"
"I – I – something…weird, that's all,"
"What do you mean?" Rikku asked. Lila had always been quicker at reaching the meditative level of calm required than Rikku was. Rikku often wondered if this was due to their respective personalities – Lila being so much calmer than Rikku ever was. Rikku attributed her daughter's calm nature to her white mage training, a discipline that required slow thoroughness rather than a thief or an alchemists hasty scrabble for items.
Lila shook her head, not finding the words to explain to her mother. "Just…I…Just something,"
Taking the hint, Rikku changed the subject. Her thoughts of her daughter's training still fresh in her mind, she asked, "How's the white magic?"
"Oh…it's okay,"
"Hmm?"
"Aunt Yuna's been a bit…"
"What?"
"Well, mom, to be honest…I just don't like her that much. She's always so sour,"
Rikku was surprised at this. Though she'd been worried about Yuna's quietness and obvious depression she'd still thought of her as the cheerful girl who had defeated sin and Vegnagun, smiling all the way to keep those around her happy. However, Lila had never known that Yuna, and thinking about from her daughter's point of view, Rikku had to admit that she had a point. Yuna was sour.
They headed back to Calm, Rikku troubled by this new image of Yuna.