She wasn't happy.
Lulu was already a reserved individual. She didn't wear her heart on her sleeve like Rikku did. She didn't exactly go with the flow. It was more like she was unflappable. Yes, that was the word. Unflappable. Nothing could take her by surprise anymore.
Except now. Now she was surprised by herself.
Sin had been defeated. The world was now in an Eternal Calm. Her duty as a guardian had finally been fulfilled. And everyone was happy.
Save herself.
Why? Why wasn't she happy?
She looked out to the bonfire in Besaid, watching her friends chat amongst themselves. They were all there, yet at the same time there was a missing piece.
...No. That was a lie. They weren't all there. Notably, Tidus wasn't by Yuna's side. It was a marked occurrence considering how attached he and Yuna had become. One that would be a solid reality now.
Less notably, yet more obvious to Lulu, was the missing swordsman of their little group. Auron's presence likely went unnoticed by most, but it had always been a source of comfort for Lulu. She missed him. His reassuring aura made everything calm and manageable.
Suddenly she couldn't handle being there. She needed quiet. She needed to be with him. That was impossible now, so instead she would be alone.
Lulu got up from the edge of the camp and made her way into the temple. Ever since the betrayal of Yu Yevon was shown, the temples had been partially abandoned. No one wanted to worship something that hated them so thoroughly as to torment them for generations, after all.
She continued down the hallways, her memory of the pilgrimage still fresh enough in her mind to make it fairly easy. It didn't hurt that it was one of the less involved temples. Not so much that could disorient one here.
Her memories of their travels flooded her as she paused at the elevator that went into the belly of the temple. He hadn't been there for this particular temple, but he had been there as a support for most of the rest of their pilgrimage. Auron, even back then, had his eye on the prize. Focused, determined, completely set on achieving his goal. She admired him for that.
The hairs on her neck stood on end as a whisper seemed to echo up the elevator shaft. It sounded achingly familiar. So much so that she felt a lump cone to her throat. Whether it was panic or sadness she couldn't tell.
Something pushed her to keep going. So she stepped onto the elevator and made her way down.
For some reason, once she got there she found herself hesitating in the antechamber. Lulu had never had the privilege of entering the Fayth's chamber. It had been a right only granted to the summoner.
She frowned.
Superstition now. Nothing about Yevon was sacred. Auron would be admonishing her for almost forgetting that.
Lulu gathered herself. Then, with purpose, she walked up the stairs and entered the main chamber.
Once she entered, it felt...anticlimactic. There was a cracked, drab glass crest of a half-human, half-birdlike creature on the floor and the walls were plain and undecorated. The walls had the faint glow that was present in the rest of the temple. It took a moment before Lulu realized the mural looked like Valefor, the Aeon of the temple. Rather unsurprising.
Lulu ducked down to look more closely at the crest. It looked like it had been majestic before. Likely the power of the dreaming that had kept it going. Now, however, it was devoid of anything resembling life.
...What has she been hoping to find here? Some kind of reward for her good deeds? Everyone else had what they'd wanted deep down. Peace. Tranquility. Family.
Lulu sighed. She traced a finger along the edge of the glass crest. If wishes could come true...
She closed her eyes and thought on the one thing she wanted, needed, right then to make her world right. Her eyes opened to—
Nothing. The chamber was just as dark, just as empty, as it was before.
Why had she had a strange sliver of hope? It had seemed like the right thing to do, wishing upon the Fayth. It had had powers that weren't fully understood. It might have had the power to bring him back.
...Before.
She shook her head as she stood up straight. The melancholy was threatening to eat her alive. Solitude may be what she needed, but clearly it wasn't here.
She turned, thoughts beginning to venture on to the waterfalls outside of town, when a small flash of light from the floor caught her attention. Lulu looked down, curious.
Dancing at her feet was a pyrefly. It seemed to have something it wanted if the pattern it was flying meant anything, which was patently ridiculous. Pyreflies couldn't think. Where did it even come from?
Then another one grew into existence. It came from the crack in the crest. Now, Lulu noticed, the crest had a mild glow in the middle.
Now the pyreflies began to come out, a few at a time. They swept around the room to their own tune. The display was beautiful and pulled at a piece of Lulu.
"Now!"
Earnestly, fervently, Lulu wished.
The pyreflies swarmed in the middle of the room, hovering just above the crest. They grew together into a humanoid form. A giant flash that filled the chamber made Lulu flinch back and cover her eyes.
The light vanished as quickly as it had appeared. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust back to the darkness, but she heard breathing—
Her head snapped in front of her as her heart soared with hope.
There, standing like he'd never left, was Auron. Same sword, same clothes, same hair...his expression was...curious. He was looking at her like she never remembered being looked at before.
Hesitantly, Lulu took a step onto the crest. "Are you...?"
"Yes. I think I am," he replied in his normal gruff tone.
Lulu took a couple more steps until she was in front of him. Crossing her arms, she sternly noted, "You left."
"I came back," he countered.
That brought the obvious question. "Why? I thought you had accomplished everything you wanted to do."
Auron coughed, and Lulu was certain he felt embarrassed. "I...found something. Something that I wanted to stay for. Someone that wanted me to be here as much as I wanted to be there with them."
It was clear what he meant. "Oh? No beating around the bush then?"
"I think we've danced around it long enough."
As one, he ducked his head down as Lulu reached her head up. Their lips met carefully. It was clear they were both novices, yet it was pleasant nonetheless. The scruff on Auron's face added an interesting tactile element to the rough, dry lips of his.
They parted after a moment.
"...Sorry. Haven't done that much," Auron noted.
"We can practice it a bit more if you want?" Lulu flirted lightly.
"I don't think that's a bad idea at all," he agreed.
As they again gave each other another long-awaited kiss, Lulu couldn't help but to smile into it. Apparently wishes actually did come true.