Chapter 9: Kilika Bound

"I hate you!" Tidus yelled, as he jumped from his bed.

"Shhhh!" I hissed from the entrance to the tent, "You want to wake everyone in Besaid." I motioned for him to join me, "I think they're talking about us." I whispered, pointing outside.

Near the dying the flames, Lulu and Wakka were arguing and well…Lulu was winning. "He does look a lot like Chappu. I was surprised when I saw him…but still he isn't Chappu, no matter what he looks like. You shouldn't have brought them here in the first place. Yuna could've gotten in a lot of trouble." She snapped.

"Yeah…but they needed our help…" Wakka said. Totally unconvincing.

Lulu shook her head, "Excuses again?"

"Yeah but…"

"No more! Enough Wakka!" she ended the conversation and disappeared into the night.

"Man you gotta be pretty lame to take that kind of abuse." I said looking up at Tidus. He nodded in agreement.

"Hey here he comes let's get back to bed." Tidus said quickly.

We rushed back to our beds just as Wakka entered the lodge. "No use trying to pretend." He said, "I saw you both, ya."

"We've been busted, Tidy." I said nudging him.

Tidus sat up and looked at Wakka, "So uhh who's Chappu?"

"He's my little brother. He joined the Crusaders when they fought Sin last year. He didn't make it. I first heard about it on the day of the tournament."

"So that's why you couldn't focus." I said. I already knew that but hey it's fun to play along.

"So after the last tournament I quit blitzball and became a guardian full-time."

"Revenge?" Tidus asked.

"Yeah. But I couldn't concentrate on that either. I was thinking about the game. Sad, huh? I can't even avenge my own brother. So after this tournament, I'm quittin' for good. And I know it looks like I'm using you. But I'm not."

"It's okay Wakka. I owe you a lot. Besides, if I had to spend anymore time alone with her, I would go absolutely crazy!" he said pointing to me.
"Hey! It's not like you're a walk in the park either, bucko!" I said pushing him on his bed.

Wakka laughed, "Are you two positive you aren't brother and sister?" he asked.

"Yes!" we said in unison.

"All right. Sorry, ya. Get some sleep. We're Kilika bound in the morning." He said leaving us alone in the lodge.

Tidus lay back on his bed with his arms behind his head, "Maybe we should stop fight so much." He said looking over at me.

"I will when you stop being so annoying." I said playfully.

"I'm the annoying one? Yeah right. Get your facts straight sister."

"Goodnight Tidy britches." I said turning on my side.

"Tidy britches? What happened to Tidy-Kins?"

I didn't answer. Tidus sighed, "Goodnight Siry."

He's a good guy. But if I let on that I liked him, he would stop arguing with me and well where's the fun in that? But then again…I guess he could already tell that I liked him.

"Come on Siry, Tidus. We're moving out." Wakka's voice called inside the lodge early the next morning.

"Siry wake up." Tidus said shaking my arm.

I groaned and swatted at him. I am not a morning person. I mean if Sin caught me early in the morning and I'm in a bad mood, Yuna wouldn't need the Final Summoning. "We're going to leave you here if you don't come on." Tidus said yanking me out of bed.

I followed Tidus sleepily outside. "Good Morning," Wakka said cheerfully.

"Ugh must you be so cheerful?" I said looking at him. I don't like cheerful morning people.

"I got a present for you." Wakka said handing Tidus a BIG blue sword.

"That was Chappu's sword." Lulu said, looking at Wakka.

"He never used it." Wakka answered.

"And I doubt it will do him much good now." I said finally opening my eyes.

Tidus accepted the sword and smiled.

"Don't fall over this time." I said teasingly.

"Shut up." He said swinging it playfully at me.

I jumped back and nearly knocked Luzzu over. "Oh Luzzu I am so sorry." I said.

"It's okay." He said with a small chuckle, "Oh by the way, Siry I have a present for you."

"For me?" I said clapping my hands.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of finely made fingerless leather gloves. There were tiny gold spikes on the knuckles. "Yesterday when we talked, I noticed your other gloves were kind of worn from fighting fiends. So I went digging through my things and found these. They once belong to great Crusader. She was a skilled martial artist…and a great friend."

"What happened to her?" I asked accepting the gloves.

"She died fighting Sin." His face saddened at the mentioning of this mysterious woman. I could only guess that Luzzu loved her, "Seeing you reminded me of her." He continued.

"Thank you." I looked down at them, "What was her name?"

"Leila…She never named the gloves so you're welcome to call them whatever you like but anyway. I wanted you to have them. Take good care of them all right." He said, "Gatta come on. We're heading to the docks." Luzzu smiled at me once more before leaving the village with Gatta.

I took off my old gloves and slipped my hands into my new ones. They fit like a dream. I wiggled my fingers so that they would contour with my hands.

"Wait, we're all going on the same boat right? Then why are we still here?" Tidus asked.

"Yuna's been here in Besaid since the Calm started, and she's like a sister to me and Lulu. But she had the talent. She became an apprentice, now she leaves as a summoner." Wakka explained to us.

"This is our trip. We should leave together." Lulu concluded.

I walked over to them still staring at my new gloves. "Whoa nice accessory, ya." Wakka said noticing my new weapon.

"Yeah aren't they?" I said punching the air playfully, "Luzzu gave them to me."

"I didn't think he would ever part with those things." Lulu said looking at me, "I don't think we've been properly introduced. My name is Lulu."

"Siry." I said smiling at her.

We turned toward the temple just in time to see Yuna coming out lugging a huge suitcase.

"You don't need all that Yuna." Lulu said.

"Well they're not really my things. They're gifts for the temples." Yuna tried to explain.

"This isn't a vacation Yuna." Wakka said.

"I guess…I guess you're right." She said leaving the luggage behind.

We began making our way out of the village when we were stopped by a voice.

"Lady Yuna…Wait." The shopkeeper yelled coming out of her shop, "My dog dug this up yesterday. I thought it might be useful." She handed over the blue orby thing and magically Valefor learned her second overdrive, Energy Blast. Sweet Deal if you ask me. We then left Besaid only after Yuna said her silent goodbye. As we walked along the hill, a dog looking thing leapt out in front of us. "Hey Tidus why don't you try out that new sword of yours." Wakka said.

"Hiya!" Tidus yelled, instantly defeating the dingo.

"All right. You may make a good guardian one day." Wakka commented. Another appeared and he turned to me, "Siry! Your turn. Show me what you can do."

"My pleasure." I said running up to the dingo and kicking it into the air.

"Good deal." Wakka said nodding to me. Suddenly though, a condor flew down from the sky. "This one's mine, ya." Wakka said hurling his blitzball at the bird, "Moving on?"

During our trip up the slope, Wakka and Lulu taught us the basics for fighting. Mostly about the different elemental properties of some fiends and that well Tidus doesn't listen to instructions cause he tried hitting a bird with his sword and nearly got his eyes plucked out. Needless to say, I laughed at him. We stopped on top of the hill, and Yuna looked back at the village. "Take your time." Lulu stated simply.

Yuna nodded and stared down at Besaid. "Hey let's go!" Tidus whined.

"We're going to wait." Wakka said. He then went over to the statue and began praying, "People pray here for a safe trip." He explained to Tidus and to me, "Chappu didn't pray that day. Said he'd miss his boat." But hey I already knew that. Lulu, Yuna, and Tidus joined him. I crossed my arms and watched. I knew what Yevon was and well it just didn't feel right.

"That should do it." Wakka said standing, "Come on."

Our trip to the beach continued on. Once we reached the ruins though, a big blue blur jumped down. Kimahri growled and punched the ground as his nails grew like a bazillion inches. Okay so that's an exaggeration. I screamed like a little girl and hid behind Wakka. Tidus brandished his sword and the two began fighting. They traded blows for several minutes before Wakka finally stepped in, "That's enough you two." He said, ending the fight.

Kimahri didn't even speak, he simply walked away. "What's his deal?" Tidus said crossing his arms.

"Kimahri Ronso of the Ronso tribe. He's learned the fiend's way of fighting." Lulu explained.

"He's another one of Yuna's guardians." Wakka added.

Tidus and I exchanged a glance as Yuna giggled, "Sometimes we don't understand him either. Kimahri doesn't talk much anyway. But he has protected me since I was a child."
"Well let's give him a cookie." I said, "Can we go please?"

We continued on and eventually, we made it to the beach. Half of the village had come to see Yuna off. I wonder if there are only three actual houses in Besaid where do all those people live at? Hmm maybe they all share one really big bed. That's kind of gross and disturbing. We all boarded the boat and Yuna waved to the mourning villagers, "Goodbye." She whispered, performing the prayer for them one last time.