Love That Will Not Die

Chapter 3

"Hey Yuna!" Wakka greeted Yuna. "Where's Rikku."

"She said she was going to keep Lulu company, and make sure that she's ok." Yuna replied. "Somebody needs to watch her after all."

"All right. That's cool. We better get a move on, ya? Well er...what can we do?"

"Well," Yuna thought about it for a while. "Oh! The Maechan is here today. He knows a lot. Maybe he knows if there's a cure!"

"Great! Let's go."

They had found the maechan not too far away. He was an old man who knew much. He often liked to tell boring stories. He figured that way if someone knew it, they could tell the stories to others because he was not so sure how long his memory would last. Yuna and Wakka told him all about Lulu's disease. Yuna explained to him what kind it was and how it had caused her to become very weak.

The Maehcan thought about it for a while and said, "There is something I have heard of but if it really exists or not, I am not so sure. It is a precious flower called 'The Healer of Soul.' What a silly name indeed, but they say it can cure anything. People have claimed to have found an entire field of these flowers, but they also say many have taken all of them by now. In order for it to heal someone, you must extract the nectar from it. Like I said, these are things I have heard from others and I am not so sure if it is true or not."

"Did anybody tell you their location?" Wakka asked.

"Him..."the Maechan thought for a moment. "Most people said they have seen it in the Macalania Woods. It was found by accident when someone found a secret path."

"It may seem pathetic," said Wakka. "but it's the only chance I got at saving her. I know a way we can get there quick, ya! We'll take Rikku's brother's airship!"

"It actually broke last week." said Yuna. "They crashed into a tall mountain."

"Perfect." said Wakka, sarcastically."Just fucking great! Know what? Forget it! I'm going there right now, ya!"

"Wakka, no!" Yuna tried to stop him. "At least let me go with you!"

Wakka smiled. "I really want you to stay here and take care of Lulu. I'll be fine."

"But it'll take forever for you to get there! By the time you get there and back Lulu may--"

"She won't! I won't allow it. I'm going now. Just gotta get some stuff and I'm out of here. Take care of Lulu for me, ya? It'd mean a lot to me."

Yuna could see there was nothing she could do to stop Wakka. She simply nodded. When Wakka left, Yuna went to tell Rikku everything and that Wakka had left.

"Should we tell Lulu?" Rikku asked.

"I don't think we should." replied Yuna. "The last thing we want to do is make her feel worse."

"But he's going to find a cure! It's so romantic!"

"I just don't want to take the chance. After all, we thought Wakka winning the Blitzball game would surely win her over, and it didn't."

"But he isn't trying to impress her this time! He's trying to save her life!"

"I know Rikku, but...let's just not tell her, ok?"

Rikku pouted. "Alright fine."

"I'm going to go pray for Wakka." Yuna said, heading towards the temple.

"I'm not worried." said Rikku. "I have faith in him. I think if he's determined enough, he'll come here just in time to save Lulu!"

"Perhaps your faith will be with him."

"It better!" Rikku said, then giggled.

Wakka had been traveling for about three days and had successfully made it to the Mushroom Rock road. He had been moving nonstop during the day, and at night only got a few hours of sleep. He knew if he was going to go all the way to Macalania Woods, he had to do some serious moving. He had enough money to buy food, but he bought very light meals, and continued traveling as soon as he was done eating. Wakka had been finding all kinds of ways to travel besides walking. In a few places, he rode chocobos, and in others, he got rides from the Al Bhed on their machina. The machina were strange machines built by the Al Bhed.

Back at Besaid, Lulu was only getting worse. She could hardly get out of bed now. She had gone so pale, and it seemed as though her beauty was fading. Yuna and Rikku were doing everything they could to keep her well.

She can't die! Rikku thought. Wakka HAS to come back with the cure. Oh I hope he's working hard to find it. Lulu doesn't seem like she'll last much longer...no! I have to stay positive. I have complete faith in Wakka!

"You're going to be ok." Rikku assured her.

"Don't even bother saying something like that to me!" Lulu cried. "We both know I won't. Where is Wakka? I want to apologize to him. I don't want that argument we had to be our last moment together. Where is he?"

Yuna and Rikku were not sure what to say. They did not want to tell her the truth, but they were not sure of what else to say.

"He's not here." Rikku replied softly.

"What?"

"He's headed for Macalania Woods." said Yuna. "He heard there was a cure for your disease there. He went to find it."

"Is he insane?" Lulu said angrily, but in a very weak voice. "Macalania Woods is so far away. By the time he gets back, I'll---I've got to get to him!"

Lulu tried to get out of bed, but Yuna and Rikku would not let her.

"You can't go after him!" cried Rikku. "You're too weak! And the only way you can get to him is by walking. There's no way you can walk all the way there!"

"But I need to apologize to him!" Lulu was never the type to do something crazy or dangerous.

"If you go after him, you're bound to die!" said Yuna. "You're just way to weak."

"So there's...no way I can get to him in time." Lulu said, sadly. "By the time he gets here, I'll be dead. And if I try to go after him, I will surely die. Either way, I won't see him again." Lulu let the tears roll down her cheeks.

"Please don't cry." Yuna said. "If you manage to be strong, Wakka will return in time. He'll be back with a flower called the Healer of Soul. Its nectar will heal you!"

"OH NO!" Lulu cried. "He actually believes that it exists! Those are just rumors! He went all that way for nothing! Wakka!" She tried to get out of the bed once again, but Yuna and Rikku kept her from doing so once more.

"The Maechan said it may be a rumor." said Yuna. "Wakka figured he would take the chance of finding it in case it's real! Lulu, please understand he's trying to save you and is taking any chances he can to keep you from dying."

Yuna and Rikku were surprised to see a smile on Lulu's face.

"He really does care, doesn't he? But...there's still a chance that flower doesn't exist. I fear that I've already spent my last moment with Wakka. Please, when I die, tell Wakka I am truly sorry and that I love him with all my heart."

Yuna and Rikku sighed. Apparently, there was no way of convincing Lulu that he would make it back with the cure. Lulu had felt that all hope was lost, until she got an idea that night.

To be continued...