A Moonlight Song
Serenity started off after Silver, feeling if they didn't get down to the village soon, she might as well make camp right there. "Am I ever glad to be back home!" Serenity yelled into the treetops.
Silver turned around and met the Ronso just standing there. "Hello," he called and kept walking down to the village. He could heard music, something was happening down there. That voice...
…
(Being smug eh? Well alright, I'll play along...) Lhinx thought.
"Lhinx Ronso." Lhinx said, trying to sound gruff like Elder Kimahri.
Lhinx's ears picked up a faint sound, something that she thought was rather lovely.
"Who that?" Lhinx asked curiously.
…
Zephyr blinked, and her ears twitched at the noise. " . . . Strange . . . I can feel the melody drawing me closer." She looked around at the group, who all seemed entranced by the song, and started walking towards it.
…
Tallulah finished her song and was met by claps and cheers from the village people. She bowed and walked to meet her fans. She was wearing her special kimono... one someone special gave her a long time ago. "You liked it?" she asked the people around her.
…
Lhinx headed toward the village, curiosity fueling her steps as well as the thought of the inn she remembered seeing upon her arrival.
Lhinx then heard clapping.
(Strange...I wonder what's going on...) The Ronso wondered.
"It's her!" Silver yelled and started running towards the village, as he knew very well the person that was singing. He hoped Lucine had his scarf as he got closer and finally saw the pretty, purple-haired girl surrounded by people. "Tallulah!" Lhinx walked into the village, Lucine well ahead.
Tallulah turned around and saw a familiar face standing there. A tiger demon wet from ears to toe, but it was him. "Silver Fang," she simply said and smiled at the brown-skinned guy.
Zephyr blinked and continued walking, surveying the scene through cobalt lenses from afar. A songstress and her fans . . . but a songstress with an enchanting voice, and the half-Guado didn't often grant that distinction. Nonetheless, she took her time.
"Sing a lullaby," she muttered with a yawn. "So tired . . ."
…
"It has been a long time, Tallulah" Silver said in a low voice. Long indeed, around three or four years, at the Moonflow. Something Silver wouldn't talk about. He was nervous, so he simply looked at Lucine who had both his scarf and blitzball.
…
Kai walked towards the group. "This is great, so many people maybe I will be able to find something out." After reaching the crowd he scans it for anyone who may have info he is looking for.
…
Serenity ran along with the rest of the group into the village. She looked around, everyone seemingly out to here someone sing from the looks and sounds of it. "Wow, a real songstress…" Serenity whispered to herself. Silver sure seemed to know the lady. Serenity looked around for a place to sit with people she knew, hoping the lady would sing again.
(A songstress? Wow, Elder Kimahri was right. I wonder if she too is looking for Lady Yuna...Almost everyone I'm bumping into is...) Lhinx thought.
…
"Yes…Many years now. How have you been blitzhead? Still with your black blitzball I see," Tallulah giggled, looking at the girl that was carrying that heavy ball. When she handed it to him it looked like she was relieved. "Oh, you kept the scarf!" She was happy when she saw Silver still had it, she thought he had lost it or burned it after what she did to him.
"Yes, I kept it," Silver said, wrapping it across his neck and putting the blitzball on the ground. "Why wouldn't I, it was a gift from the famous Tallulah Moonlight, Spira's number one songstress."
…
As Kai scanned the crowd he noticed a familiar face and one he didn't expect to see. After a second he walks toward the figure. "Well I'm surprised to see you here, Serenity!" Kai says as he walks toward and stopping right next to her.…
As Zephyr looked on at Silver and Tallulah, she took a moment to puzzle over human relations. A romantic past had existed here; it was something Guado could sense, just as they could sense death. The unsent were, after all, memories too strong to fade, as was a lost love.
So how was it that two lovers could talk as friends . . .? Zephyr had loved no one in her life, and planned never to be so foolish as to fall in love. The only man who could have understood her was long gone, and even if she had lived then, he would have disregarded her completely in favor of the beautiful Lady Yuna. A gawky half-Guado girl had little to offer any man . . . but that was a good thing. A loveless life led to an unclouded, sharp mind, like a lake so pure that no fish could survive in it. Synthetic. Exacting.
. . .Maybe she wouldn't be happy, but she could get things done.
…
(The inn seems crowded...so much for a peaceful nap.) Lhinx thought. The Ronso eyed the bonfire wearily and headed toward the temple just for something to do.
…
Tallulah blushed and smiled at him, although she could feel some weird tone on his voice. "I'm sorry about what happened. I just wanted to tell you that."
…
Zephyr watched as Lhinx walked towards the temple, and decided that it was a wise move. Too loud. There would be no sleep here, she knew.
She took a moment to remember the island from her last visit, which was a few months ago, and recalled a beautiful place to relax . . . far away, where she wouldn't hear the offensive sounds of the village.
The half-Guado began walking to the overhang at the lagoon to sleep beneath the stars.
…
Serenity looked at the figure that had spoken her name, and her face brightened up. "Kai!" Serenity yelled, and hugged her brother tightly. "Not as surprised as I am to see you here! What are you doing here?"
…
"Don't worry about it," Silver said and smiled. "Oh, almost forgot, these are my friends. The cute girls are Serenity and Lucine. The cute Guado is Zephyr and the Ronso is Lhinx."
…
Within the temple, Lhinx could barely hear a conversation.
"...The chamber of the Fayth? What is wrong with it?" A male voice asked.
"No one dares set foot in there since Vegnagun's time. I just wonder if it might have something to do with Lady Yuna's disappearance." The other voice said. It had an odd accent to it, the accent Lhinx had been hearing from the majority of the people on this island.
"Anything's possible I suppose, but nothing is concrete, Wakka. We can not allow anyone to set foot within the chamber. It's out of the question."
"I think I got a right."
(Sounds interesting.) Lhinx thought. (I hadn't even thought about this. What if the temples had something to do with the disappearance of the Gullwings?)
…
Kai smiled and hugged his sister back. "Probably the same as you. Doing the same thing as you are. Looking for anything to help find Mom and Dad." He releases the hug and steps back.
"Tell me Wakka didn't let you come alone?"
…
"I can guess you, too, are looking for Yuna aren't you?" Tallulah asked, remembering how much Silver liked High Summoner Yuna. "You just couldn't stand without doing nothing."
…
Serenity laughed nervously and scratched the back of her head. "Well, actually, Wakka doesn't even know I left…But!" Serenity pointed a finger at him, "I found some friends during my short stay in Luca." Serenity looked around for them in the crowd. "Well, there's Silver, and Lucine, and Zephyr…then two other that I didn't catch the names of…" She looked back at him and shrugged sheepishly. "Did you…find anything or anyone?"
…
"Wakka, there's a songstress outside, why not take your family and enjoy her singing? Leave the worrying about Lady Yuna to us priests." The first voice said.
"I was her guardian when she was a summoner. I still consider the job my first priority even if she might not need my protection, Zaruk." Wakka snapped.
(Wait, that's Wakka?) Lhinx then stepped even closer into the temple, making sure to find whomever it was talking.
"Wakka, leave or I'll be forced to have you escorted out by our temple guards."
"Temple guards...this place has gone to trash, Zaruk. This temple is an important place to the village, even if we don't follow Yevon's teachings anymore, and now you got guards everywhere harassing anyone who so much as breathes wrong around here. It ain't right!"
"Wakka..."
"I'm goin', I'm goin'. But I'll be back."
Right then a chamber near the steps to the Cloister of Trials opened and a very disgruntled, tan man with semi gray red hair walked out.
"Whoa." The man stopped. "Didn't know anyone was out here. You heard us, didn't you?"
Lhinx nodded.
"Are you Wakka?" Lhinx asked.
"Yep. The one an' only." Wakka grinned a bit. "It's good to see Ronso around here. I'm beginnin' to think our towns are getting too closed off. Did Kimahri send you here?"
Lhinx nodded.
"Elder Kimahri ask Lhinx find Lady Yuna." Lhinx said.
"Hmph... It's good to know Kimahri's doin' his best too. Hey, I gotta a favor to ask ya'."
Lhinx nodded once in acknowledgement.
"Ya' see." Wakka pointed up the stairs. "That door leads to the Cloister of Trials. Get through those and you can get to the Chamber of the Fayth. Can ya' do it?"
"Is it right?" Lhinx asked.
"I doubt that Zaruk's gonna argue widda Ronso."
Lhinx nodded and ran up the stairs.
…
"How could I just do nothing? She saved Spira not once but twice, I cannot abandon her," Silver said. "I'm strong enough to do something to help her, so if I can why not do it?"
…
Kai laughed when Serenity said that Wakka didn't know where she was. "Sister, you are starting to act more like me. And it is good that you have made friends." Kai then looked down, for in his travels he found nothing. "No I haven't found anything or anyone. Its makes angry that no one seems to know anything!"
…
"Well, count me in," Tallulah said, smiling at the demon. "I'm coming with you, can't leave you with so many girls or you will be hard to control." She giggled and walked again into the small stage that was prepared for her. "Come here and sing that song with me again."
…
(Jeez, this thing is simple...Elder Kimahri was right.) Lhinx thought as she walked through the already solved cloister. (I wish I could keep the sphere, but that would be stealing...)
The cloister had not taken but ten minutes, and the Ronso was at the elevator.
(Well here goes nothing…)
…
"I can't," Silver said, almost laughing and blushing bright red at the time "It's too embarrassing..." 'Specially after what happened at the Moonflow...
…
Serenity smiled at Kai's comment. "Yeah, you're a bad influence, Kai!" She teased him, poking at him lightly. "I'm sure they'll be your friends, too, if I can ever find them in this crowd." She looked at him as he looked down, and Serenity's eyes filled with sadness. "We can't give up, Kai." She poked him again to try and cheer him up.
"My friends and I, we're on a journey! Like mom and dad were before! Please say you'll come with!" She jumped up when she noticed the songstress was going to sing another song. "Oh, you have to come with me when we see Wakka. Make sure he won't have a fit with me, ya?" Serenity giggled at her impersonation of Wakka.
…
Zephyr arrived at the cliffs overlooking the lagoon a few minutes later, and lay down in the long, dew-covered grass with a contented sigh. "If only every night were like this . . ."
…
"Oh come on you blitzhead," Tallulah said, pulling him onstage. "You still remember it don't you?" She grabbed onto the microphone and began singing again.
"Somewhere out there,
Beneath the pale moonlight,
Someone's thinking of me,
And loving me tonight..."
…
Kai laughed at Serenity's impersonation. "Well, if they don't mind me joining then sure I will go with. And of course I will keep Wakka off your back, sis." Since he was suddenly in a better mood since he was going to continue his search with his sister, Kai pokes her back. "For now let's listen to the songstress."
…
Silver smiled slightly as Tallulah began singing, and did sing when Tallulah passed the mic to him.
"Somewhere out there,
Someone's saying a prayer,
That we'll find one another,
In that big somewhere out there.
And even though I know how very far apart we are,
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star!"
…
Serenity smiled and nodded, sitting down where she was. She looked confused and surprised at the same time when Silver went on stage and began singing, too. "Hey, there's one of my friends! Silver!" Serenity closed her eyes and swayed slowly from side to side. "What a romantic song…" Serenity said, suddenly thinking that Silver and the songstress were together.
"And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby,
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky!"
Tallulah and Silver looked at each other and then sung the last verse together.
If love can see us through,
Then we'll be together,
Somewhere out there, out where dreams... come true..."