And yes, this is supposed to be Auron/Lulu, but I'm not feeling very Auron/Lulu-y right this moment, as I'm writing. Besiiiides, plot is good, too. Have some Quistis/Elaeus fluff and enjoy it.
"I think we have an emergency.
If you thought I'd leave, then you were wrong
'Cause I won't stop holding on.
So are you listening?
So are you watching me?
And I can't pretend that I don't see this.
It's really not your fault
When no one cares to talk about it, to talk about it.
'Cause I've seen love die way too many times,
When it deserved to be alive.
I've seen you cry way too many times.
When you deserve to be alive.
So you give up every chance you get just to feel new again.
I think we have an emergency
And you do your best to show me love,
but you don't know what love is."
Paramore: 'Emergency'
Disclaimer: I. Don't. Own. A. Single. Thing. (Except for the plot. That's mine.) Quistis, Lulu, Beatrix, and every other Final Fantasy character belong to Square-Enix. All of the actual Kingdom Hearts (i.e. Elaeus and Dilan) characters belong to Square Enix + Disney. Disney characters belong to Disney.
Warning: Random pairings that you may not like. Random backstory through Quistis's and Lulu's narrations that you may not like. Please don't leave me any reviews saying how I made characters and/or Final Fantasy events different, because if I did so, it was for a reason. You've been warned. Flames are used to roast marshmellows or attempt to revive Axel.
Just Another Star
by: Strike To Incinerate
Chapter Three
(Finished 05.15.07)
--
Quistis left the large bedroom, embarrassed to be crying in front of someone she didn't know well.
Lulu followed her. "Tell me today," she asked.
"Tell you what," Quistis replied bitterly, knowing well 'what' Lulu wanted to know.
"About Elaeus and Dilan..." she said softly, handing her friend a tissue. "How well do you know them? How long?" she inquired.
The strawberry blond sighed. "I may as well tell you... but, promise me that you'll tell me about your past afterward," she bargained.
Lulu nodded. "I will."
And Quistis began her story.
--
Beatrix and I grew up in a place called Radiant Garden. We didn't know how long we'd lived there, so we figured it was our entire lives. It was a beautiful world, one with trees, plains, flowers, and one small town. It was created by a man called Ansem the Wise. We loved Radiant Garden very much, more than anything else.
... Until we met Elaeus and Dilan.
They were a few years older than us, well-educated and studying under Ansem the Wise himself. We weren't stupid, either; we had completed the highest level of education available, but neither of us was interested in studying something mundane. Perhaps Ansem knew this, because he didn't offer to make us his apprentices like he did Braig, Dilan, Even, Elaeus, Ienzo and Xehanort. Instead, we looked after his daughter, a cute girl named Kairi, because Ansem had no wife. I was her tutor, and Beatrix was her governess and bodyguard.
That was how we met them.
I'm not sure exactly how Dilan and Beatrix fell in love; maybe some day, she'll tell you.
I can tell you how I fell in love with Elaeus, though.
I was done tutoring Kairi for the day, and Beatrix was kind enough to offer to watch her for a while, so I could have some time to myself. I was very grateful, and decided to explore the vast castle Ansem the Wise had created for both his experiments, and to live in.
I eventually found myself in a garden. At first glance, it appeared over grown; there were vines creeping up every stake, trellis and wall, endless amounts of plants all crammed side-by-side, flowers, fruits and trees, too many to count or name. Some, I didn't even recognize. Walking through it, I found no weeds, and everything was labeled and cared for.
I didn't see Elaeus at first. I thought I was alone in this garden. My fingers gently touched the soft petals of flowers. Some were pink, some were purple, some were tall, some were low to the ground, others grew on bushes, some on vines. Every color imaginable was present. Further along, I found some fruit. Most of the berries were red, but one type was deep purple, and the other was black. I wondered if the latter was poisonous, and curiousity got the better of me. I picked it, knicking my finger on a small thorn, and popped it into my mouth. It was good, but there were too many seeds.
"How's it taste?" a baritone voice asked from behind me.
I spun around quickly, frightened. The man was a giant, with a short mane of wiry brown hair, a square jaw, and an arm as thick as my waist. He had the softest periwinkle blue eyes, and when I saw his smile, I immediately calmed.
"Yes, it's delicious," I replied. "Sorry to intrude... I was just looking around..."
"It's alright," he said dismissively. "I wanted to test the blackberries anyways. I guess they came out alright."
I was relieved that he wasn't annoyed with me. He recognized me as Kairi's tutor, and we were friends from then on. I was a test subject for the fruit he was cultivating, and I never complained. He was an excellent botanist and gardener, and I got to taste fruits that many worlds had never seen. My favorites were the raspberries and pomegranate seeds, because they were so tart.
It was an unspoken agreement that we would meet in the garden every other day after our respective duties were done; his research for Ansem, and my tutoring for Kairi. We stuck to it.
The day I realized I was in love with Elaeus... we were testing strawberries. I never knew why they were called that; they were bright red, covered in seeds, and didn't resembles straws in the LEAST. Usually, I would just pick one and eat it, but today, he picked one and held it out to me. I leaned forward and took a bite.
After I had swallowed, he chuckled and pointed to the corner of his mouth. I gave him a funny look, and he said, "Come here." I leaned forward again, and he wiped the corner of my lip.
We stayed like that for what seemed like forever. My heart was beating so fast that it was even missing a few. His gaze locked on mine, until I scooted closer and pressed my mouth to his. He was so much bigger than I am, but I never felt scared in his arms; just loved and protected, and safe.
A month later, our meetings in the garden became less frequent, and I asked him why. He told me that Ienzo had convinced Ansem to continue with a new experiment, and it was very time-consuming. We didn't talk about work very much, so I never tried to get more information out of him.
Until our meetings had slowed to once every two weeks. I got angry that I saw so little of him.
He sighed and told me that Braig and Xehanort had brought in some Heartless. I told him not to play with fire, but he said they were being careful. I believed him, and made him promise to see me outside of the castle.
For the next month, he did. Whenever he could get away from the castle, we met, and dated like normal couples our age did. Once, we went on a double-date with Beatrix and Dilan.
And then he was gone. All 7 of them had disappeared into thin air, and Kairi had been sent away to a new world before Beatrix and I could stop them.
Of course, there was a funeral service, but without Ansem the Wise, Radiant Garden fell into disrepair. Without Dilan and Elaeus, Beatrix and I fell with it. The once beautiful world slowly descended into something like Traverse Town is now, but less organized. We hated being so empty and alone, even if we had each other. The Heartless attacked once, and we fought them off. Beatrix, unfortunately, lost her sight in one eye. We stayed in Ansem's castle, taught ourselves magic, and some alchemy.
Two years later, Leon arrived in Hollow Bastion, because our world was no longer worthy of the name, 'Radiant Garden'. Beatrix and I, and a few others, were the only people left there. We met Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, Tifa, Cloud and Cid... they promised to return our once-beloved world to the way it was. They told us that they were from a place called 'Traverse Town', where there were many refugees from worlds destroyed by the Heartless. Aerith said that we could live in her, or Leon's, home while the repairs were being done. They even had a Gummi Ship to bring us there.
I convinced Beatrix that it would be good to get away from Hollow Bastion, and start fresh somewhere. A week later, she caved, and we came here.
You took us in, and helped us acclimatize to life in Traverse Town. We could sense something about you... like you were a kindred spirit. We talked about it one night, and decided that there was nothing left for us in Hollow Bastion, even if Leon restored it to Radiant Garden. We decided that Traverse Town was our home, and we would stay here, with you.
We never thought there was a chance that Elaeus and Dilan could be alive.
--
Lulu tapped her chin thoughtfully. "And, what about Reeve?" she asked.
"Beatrix didn't find out about him until after the funeral service. He didn't seem upset about leaving Hollow Bastion. If he had wanted to stay, I wouldn't've pushed," Quistis replied truthfully.
"Everything makes sense now," the black mage said simply.
Quistis nodded. "We didn't want to hide anything from you, but... you never asked, and Beatrix didn't feel the need to share."
"Don't apologize. We'll get her back," Lulu said with soft confidence.
"Aunty Lulu?"
Lulu's head whipped around to see a little boy. She knelt down to pick him up. He had long, black hair past his shoulders and bright blue-grey eyes.
"What is it, Reeve?" she asked the child.
The child looked up at her with unnaturally serious eyes. "Where's mama?" he asked.
"She's just out on an errand," Lulu replied flippantly.
The boy frowned at her. "That's NOT what aunty Quistis said."
Auron was quite surprised to realize that his toddler's mother must've been Beatrix.
'Must be,' he corrected himself. 'She's missing, not dead.'
Quistis flushed. "I only said that she was gone, I didn't say whe--" she began.
"You said a sorcerer took her. Mama says that there's no such thing. Where's mama?" the child said, looking from one 'aunt' to the other and back to the first.
"Aunty Quistis was joking," she told him, stressing the last word. "Your mother will be home soon."
The child smiled thinly, as if he didn't really believe her. "Okay," he said.
Quistis walked to him and lifted him from Lulu's arms. "Come on, your mother made dinner for you..." she said.
"Aunty, who IS that man?" he asked the blue mage.
"Just a friend."
"Like Squall?" he asked.
"He doesn't like it when you call him that..."
"Well, Mama says it's alright to call him that when he's not around," the child said smartly.
"Reeve..." she warned.
Auron looked to Lulu. "So... he's Beatrix's son," he said simply.
She nodded, wrapping her arms around her waist. "Yes."
He chuckled. "Cute kid."
She sighed. "He is. He's only two, but he's so smart... he knows we're lying."
Auron saw his sword propped against the wall. "I could help you find Beatrix," he said.
She shook her head. "We can't let you do that..." she began.
"Well, you can't really stop me..." He started for the blade.
"Sir Auron, you're in no condition to--"
He glanced at her. "What?"
Her mouth was shut tight, amethyst lips pursed together.
"How do you know me?" he asked, wondering if she could be the dark, feminine outline from his memory. Was that even possible, if it was a memory from a home world that was destroyed?
"What do you mean? We just met," she finally said with controlled nonchalance.
"Exactly. So, how do you know my name?"
She paused, then answered, "Lucky guess. You look like someone I used to know."
That reply didn't sit well with him, but he accepted it, ignoring the curiousity about the title that tugged at him.
"You, Quistis and I will search for Beatrix...?" he tentatively asked.
Lulu relented. "I suppose so. I'll get Zell to watch Reeve for us..." she said.
There was a flash of black, and Reeve was tugging at her skirt.
"Aunty Lulu, you aren't going to leave me, too, are you?" he asked, then held out his arms to be picked up.
"Just for a little while..." she said, picking him up and carrying him towards his room.
"Are you and aunty Quistis and mama going to be gone forever?" he continued, tears welling up in his eyes.
"What? No, Reeve! Just for a little while!" she insisted.
"How long?" the child sniffled.
"Not long. A few days, maybe. Zell and Kuja will take very good care of you," she promised.
He brightened a little. "Really? Can I have a lot of ice cream?" he asked.
"Only if they give it to you," she responded.
He seemed more content, but not entirely satisfied. "I don't want you and aunty Quistis to go. Why is that man taking you away?" he pointed to Auron, scowling.
Auron wasn't surprised that Reeve was blaming this on him. Children had never been fond of him. A picture on the wall suddenly seemed fascinating.
"It wasn't his fault," Lulu said, laying the boy down in his bed.
Reeve's scowl quickly turned to a pout. "Can I keep Stiltzkin while you're gone?" he asked.
She handed him the stuffed moogle. "Of course. Now..."
"Tell me the story of Lady Yuna!" the child whined as soon as she started to walk away.
She sighed, as if this were a terribly bothersome thing (which it wasn't). "Alright, Reeve. Will you go to sleep after that?" she asked, her cimson gaze suspicious as she turned it on him.
"I will!" he promised eagerly, hugging the moogle.
"Okay. Once upon a time, there was a land called Spira," Lulu began.
"Where Lady Yuna lived!" Reeve added.
"Yes, Lady Yuna lived there," Lulu agreed patiently. "Now, no more interruptions.
"Lady Yuna grew up in a village called Besaid with her two friends, Wakka and Kimahri, and her cousin Rikku. One day, a great monster rose up from the sea..."
"Sin," Reeve, who had obviously heard this story many times since moving to Traverse Town, mumbled with a shudder.
"Yes, it was named Sin, and it began attacking Spira. Lady Yuna was so kind-hearted that she convinced her friend to go with her to fight Sin.
"At first, the protested. Kimahri said that Sin was too big and too strong for the four of them to defeat.
"Rikku was uneasy about Yuna's idea--"
"LADY Yuna," Reeve corrected.
"She wasn't a lady yet," Lulu replied. "Where was I? Oh, Rikku didn't like the idea, and Wakka thought that Yuna was crazy, but Yuna assured them that the could find a way to save Spira.
"And so, they began to travel through Spira, looking for this way to save it. The people of Spira heard about their quest and gave Yuna their support. They believed in her so strongly that they began to call her Lady Yuna."
Auron found himsel drawn in by this bed-time story and stood beside the door frame, listening. Her words brought a feeling of nostalgia so strong that it could be mistaken for deja-vu...
or someone telling another about a memory.
"You know, aunty Lulu, I like this story better than the one that Leon and aunty Quistis told me when we still live in Hollow Bastion," he yawned.
She smiled. "Thank you. But, what did I say about interrupting?"
"Sorry," he mumbled sleepily.
"It's alright. During their travels, Lady Yuna met a man named Tidua. Tidus thought Lady Yuna was so strong and beautiful and caring that he fell in love with her immediately. Slowly, Yuna fell in love with him, too.
"But, they couldn't get married and live happily ever after like everyone else in fairy tales did. They still had to defeat Sin. One day, Lady Yuna discovered that the only way she could defeat Sin would be to summon a powerful creature called the Final Aeon.
"But, the Final Aeon would demand Yuna's life. Yuna would have to die to save Spira."
'That's odd,' Auron thought. 'I didn't think self-sacrifice was a common theme for a child's bedtime story.'
"Yuna decided that she loved Spira so much that she could easily gve her life so that the Final Aeon could kill Sin.
"Tidus knew there was no way to stop Yuna. It would be wrong to fault her for being so selfless, but he didn't want her to die. All too soon, the day of the Final Summoning came.
"Yuna summoned the Final Aeon, and it appeared in the form of a tall, elegant woman with long silver hair and bright blue eyes. Just as it was about to claim it's sacrifice, Tidua jumped in the way and refused to move.
"The Final Aeon was so touched by Tidus's love for Yuna that she let Yuna live and killed Sin regardless.
Now that Spira was at peace, Yuna and Tidus could have their happily ever after," she finished. "Goodnight, Reeve," she kissed the top of his head and started toward the door. He was already asleep.
--
End. Finally. This took me forever to get done (I know, three days is so long. -.-) because I wrote the second part of the chapter (Lulu's bedtime story to Reeve, THE LONGEST PART) at school and typed it up when I got home. My shoulder kind of hurts now. Appearing next chapter: Zell, Kuja, Amarant and Seymour. Maybe some of the Turks. Because I said so. And because lame FF characters like Wakka and Vivi (who is cute, but still lame) and Rai (y'know?!) and dead characters (like Sephiroth and Aerith) got to be in KH but cool characters like Quistis, Zell, Reno and Vincent DIDN'T.
Ohhh... and before you scream at me about me ruining Beatrix by making her a teen mom: I didn't. Quistis is 23, Beatrix is 24, and Lulu is 21. Final Fantasy never gives their ages specifically (except for Quistis. I know she's only 19 in FFVIII, but... I aged her. Too bad!) I also don't know how old Xaldin and Lexaeus would be, so let's go with... 26 and 29. Just for fun. They ain't no spring chickin's.
Leave a review. Pleeeeeeease? I looooove reviews! They make my world go 'round! (Or, in this case, they make me want to update my stories.)