Love and Fayth
Lulu hated this place. The first Summoner she had guarded had died here, in the valley gorge near the stolen Fayth. While she had grown quite fond of Tidus, and acknowledged that he was good for Yuna, there she was, wanting that Silence spell again. Did the boy ever stop talking? She looked at Auron. Huh, they had known each other for years… maybe Tidus' chatter was to make up for Auron's taciturn tendencies. She shrugged and took a deep breath. She would get through this somehow.
Auron looked at the Black Mage. She was always quiet and a little sad, but she seemed to be getting more and more withdrawn and tense as they crossed the Calm Lands. Now that they were near the Gorge and the Cavern of Stolen Fayth, she was silent and morose. He watched her carefully from behind his dark glasses; if she was going to break down he wanted as much warning as possible.
Rikku was wondering about Lulu too. She admired the older woman and was worried that Lulu seemed upset. They had defeated that Defender X the Guado had produced fairly handily, and without getting hurt much, and they were all stocked up on supplies; why was Lulu even quieter than usual? So when Tidus started walking around the bridge to the side, chattering as always (Rikku was amazed that he could talk more – and faster – than she could) and Lulu blanched as she explained what was down there, she felt a surge of sympathy for the Black Mage. Unusual; mostly she felt respect and a little envy.
Wakka was worried about Lu. This was where her former Summoner had died, and he was pretty sure she was handling it alone, rather than asking for support from her fellow Guardians. Her friends. She needed them, but she wouldn't ask them. He shook his head and sighed when Tidus stuck his foot in it again; Tidus was a great kid but man, he sure was a kid, ya? Always saying the wrong thing… sort of like Wakka himself, he admitted privately.
They defeated Yojimbo, the Aeon of Lulu's first Summoner, and Sent her spirit to the Farplane.
That night, in her tent pitched by the Save Sphere outside the Cavern, Lulu lay awake. For the first time in years, she let herself cry. She cried for the Summoner, for Yuna, for Chappu. She cried for all the Summoners and Guardians who had faced Sin or who – like Yuna – hadn't gotten that far. She cried for her people, all the Spirans who believed not only in Yevon but in His corrupt church. Eventually, she fell asleep, tears drying on her face.
Auron stood outside Lulu's tent, standing guard against the Fiends abroad in the night. He listened to her sobs – although she tried to muffle them – and warned Tidus off with a glare and a "Go. Get more sleep," rather than let the over-curious boy hear the heartbroken weeping within the tent. Poor Lulu, he thought, the last thing she needs is a perky blond kid in her face trying to help. When the sobs finally subsided, and Kimahri emerged from a neighboring tent, they nodded to each other as Kimahri took the watch from Auron. He sighed and went to bed in his own tent.
"Auron? Auron. Wake up." He heard a feminine voice, and sat up immediately. "Lulu, what is it? Is everyone all right?" He could see the traces of her weeping on her face, but she smiled at him and he relaxed. "I… Auron, I don't want to be alone tonight. I want to be with you. May I?" For a moment, he didn't answer; he just looked steadily at her. He realized that she had dropped the "Sir", and wondered what it meant. She held his gaze, thinking that this was the first time outside a Memory Sphere that she had seen him without his dark glasses. He looked younger and less… implacable without them. She raised an eyebrow in question. He said, softly, "You know what I am." She nodded and said, "Yes. I figured it out in Guadosalam, when you wouldn't go to the Farplane." He looked at her incredulously, whispering, "and it doesn't matter to you?" She shifted slightly. "Auron. Your body reacts as though it is alive. You bleed, you need to sleep and eat, you…" she glanced down, turned pink. "Let's just say that your body is working. You even blush. Your soul is obviously still here or you would not have asked the question. I like the combination package. May I stay?" He studied her face, the red-brown eyes and the traces of tears on her cheeks. He nodded once and reached out to her.
She met him halfway. She kissed him gently on the scar over his eye, showed him which of her many belts was the key to removing her skirt, and traded him move for move, kiss for kiss. He was gentle and kind and restrained under that gruff exterior, although it was difficult for him. In the dark and the quiet, Lulu and Auron comforted each other in the oldest manner humankind knew. It proved to them both that they were – on some level – still alive.
Kimahri stood at attention on watch. The humans of his little band all seemed to have paired off, which amused him. What did not amuse him was their next stop. He suspected – no he knew – that even if Maester Kelk believed that Yuna was innocent of the charges leveled against her, Kimahri would still have to deal with Biran and Yenke. He smiled, grimly, in the way of his people. He was looking forward to it.