There was a sweet, peaceful breeze that feathered out the leaves of the massive palm trees on Besaid Island on February 14th. A pair of jade- emerald eyes opened, exposing their unique spirals to the midmorning light that poured in through the gaps in the blanched roof of the straw hut. A delicious smell wafted through the tropical air and Rikku bolted upright, taking in the scent and almost tasting it. This girl had sunbleached golden-blond hair that was gathered into two thin beaded braids at her ears and the rest of it hanging in a messy ponytail in the back, resembling a horse's tail, all under a large blue headband that seemed to be taking over her whole head. Orange feather earrings hung from her earlobes like tiny flames lighting up the cream-ivory of her face. She stood in what seemed to be a yellow-orange bikini top, pale yellow ribbons tied around her arms in bows, an ostentatiously-short and wide-pocketed olive-green skirt that revealed the strings of a thong at her hipbones, navy-blue boots over her ankles with white toes and yellow ribbons at the heels. Her red scarf hung low enough to brush against her calves. The faint smell of hot food grew stronger and she sat upright, looking to see a tall woman at her right in a thick, woolen gray dress, wondering how she could wear something like that in the subtropical heat. She stood with her back to Rikku, surrounded by many colorful rugs and wicker baskets similar to the rough-framed bed she was lying on.
"Are you awake?" asked the woman, turning her head to look at him and giving way to the sound of the contents bubbling in the pot in front of her. Rikku thought she was stunningly pretty, with a perfectly-shaped face, fiery scarlet eyes, purple lipstick and her hair pulled tightly into several thin, dark-brunette braids that hung down to her thighs. She had various needles and colorful pins holding her hair at the top of her head. Her voice was mysterious and quiet. The woman turned around and it was seen that the front of her dress was cut extremely low on her round, carved bosom that it looked like it should fall off at any minute. Rikku had known Lulu for years now and wasn't bothered by it anymore.
"Yeah... finally. How long have I been sleeping?" Rikku yawned and stretched.
"Maybe for about three hours now. Gippal dropped you off pretty early this morning." Lulu smiled warmly and went back to stirring her concoction. "Did you have a nice nap?"
"I feel great! I think I wanna run out onto the beach for a bit."
"Have you had anything to eat yet?"
"Huh?"
"Here. I made lunch. Wakka should be coming home soon." Lulu took the pot off the stove and set her dish into three hearty-sized ceramic bowls, patterned with colorful stripes that matched the same decorative scheme all about the small tent-like house. She sampled a bit of what seemed to be pasta in a thick tomato-like sauce with meat and fish in it.
"This is good! I've never had this before. I didn't know you could cook so well!"
"What with the baby and all, and Wakka being so busy coaching the Aurochs again, my next option is grazing." Lulu turned around and checked on the baby, asleep in his crib, and wrapped in a vibrant, neon and multicolored set of blankets imported from Kilika. She and Rikku turned around at the rustling of the dark rug that hung over the doorway.
In walked a man who could have been nearly 6'5" because of his auburn hair that stood up like a tall ocean wave, but in spite of that he was short and stocky, although still very muscular. His eyes were a flaming cinnamon- brown and friendly underneath a big blue headband that made his hair stand. He wore a silver fish necklace on overall straps that connected to a patterned vest which was part of a yellow baggy pants suit. Various arm guards and long sporting gloves covered his thick arms. Along with him blew in the smell of sea water.
"Hey there, Lu!" he greeted her cheerfully, kissing her cheek and making Lulu blush slightly. "How's our boy?"
"Sleeping soundly. It was cute. He and Rikku, lying there quiet and breathing in synch... Well, quiet except for Rikku's snoring and all."
"Hey! I don't snore!" Rikku exclaimed softly, so as not to awaken her friends' son.
"I'm just teasing," Lulu's violet bottom lip spread as she formed a wide grin.
"Hey, you made lunch!" Wakka said, throwing an arm around Lulu's shoulders. "Thanks!"
"You smell like seawater." Rikku and Wakka laughed as the three of them heard a soft thundering coming from far outside.
"That sounds like the Celsius," Lulu told Rikku. "Wasn't Gippal going to come back to get you?"
"Yeah," Rikku said with a confused expression, "but that wasn't supposed to be until like 5:30. He's planning a special dinner for Valentine's Day and then we're going to see Yunie in a private concert for awhile. It's for us, but I think she's doing it mainly for Tidus. Oh yeah! And she told me to ask if you two wanted to come."
Lulu and Wakka reflected each other's embarrassed looks. "I think I'm going to let Wakka try to do something romantic tonight," Lulu told her shyly. "Things are different when you're a married couple. You young people have fun."
"Okay! Well, if you change your mind, just tell us, and we'll pick you up. Yunie's gonna be singing at the Moonflow. I'll see you later, okay? I'm gonna see who's there."
Rikku waved off politely and dashed out of the straw hut, her small boots padding against the worn cobblestone pavement with clumps of grass emerging between the crevices. She stalked her way up the steep dirt hill and ran along the beaten path leading to the beach. Large pieces of ancient machina fell across the treetops. When she reached the twisting tree roots at a corner, a colorful flickering caught her eye and she stopped. She remembered that door, a red and rusted piece of machina, that served as an entrance to a chamber in which she, Yuna, and Paine had discovered a sphere. That door was ajar for some reason, and the screen and button on the control panel were busted. Beautiful rainbow-colored pyreflies came flowing out of that door like a ribbon in heavy winds or water.
"Wh-what!" Rikku stammered, peering in and seeing nothing but darkness, unable to find the pyreflies again. She pushed the door in further and walked inside, hearing nothing but water trickle from the ceiling down onto the damp floors.
"RIKKU!" a voice shrouded in static called out in the darkness. Rikku shrieked in fright and swerved, then remembered the transmitter in her pocket. "Rikku! Come in already!" Brother's voice resonated throughout the cavern. "We've been trying to contact you forever!" His voice was high-pitched and loud, and in the familiar Al Bhed accent.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming!" Rikku sighed and tucked the transmitter back in her pocket. Checking over her shoulder one more time, she saw nothing, and continued on toward the sandy beach.