Living Legacy

Chapter 4: Kilika

The next day, I woke from what felt like the deepest sleep of my life. I guess I hadn't realized what a toll the past few days had taken on me, and finally getting some good sleep was the best feeling I could have asked for. I walked outside the Crusaders lodge, and saw Zack, Lulu, and Riku standing around near the front of the temple.

"Good morning sleepyhead." Zack waved me over. I was honestly kind of planning on just running to the dock to avoid having to talk with Riku or Lulu, but it would be a little awkward now. Still, somehow not as awkward as talking with grumpy and grumpier.

"Uh, yeah. Guess I didn't know how tired I really was." I shrugged, trying to avoid meeting Lulu's icy, glaring gaze.

"Running around through temples like fussy child really takes it out of you." Riku shot, his glare now seeming just slightly more unbearable than Lulu's.

"Ah-ha-ha...such a kidder." Zack threw his arm around Riku's neck, trying to lighten things up.

"Where's ≈≈≈≈≈≈?" Lulu asked looking around for the new summoner. I would be lying if I said I wasn't also glancing around, looking for her too.

"We're taking the same boat as her, right? Why do we have to wait here?" I asked, hoping that maybe I could convince Zack to take off with me and leave the grumps behind.

"≈≈≈≈≈≈ came to this village ten years ago, when the last calm started." Zack began, but I interrupted him.

"The calm?"

He ignored me, "Since then, she's been like a little sister to us. But she had the talent...she became an apprentice. Now, today, she leaves as a summoner."

"This is our journey. We should leave together." Lulu finished his sentiment, and then I noticed Riku smile slightly, while looking at the doors of the temple. I turned back, and saw ≈≈≈≈≈≈ trying to get a massive trunk down the front steps of the temple.

"You really don't need all that luggage." Riku said, smirking lightly as she gave up being delicate with it, and kicked it down the remaining steps.

"They're not really my things." She explained, rushing to the trunk and setting up upright, regretting her rough treatment of it, "They're gifts, for the temples we visit."

"This isn't a vacation, ≈≈≈≈≈≈." Zack said, shaking his head.

"I guess...I guess you're right." She said, looking at the trunk, then walking away from it, leaving it behind.

"Okay, off we go!" Zack beamed as she walked over to us all. We started walking for the beach, but while everyone else was facing forward, I noticed that she had stopped to look back at the little village, just one last time. She bowed her head, then turned around to continue on, when she noticed that I had seen her. Her cheeks went slightly pink, and she tucked a bit of hair behind her ear and pretended like she didn't see me as she passed me. It was...endearing to see how much she was going to miss this place.

We got to the top of the hill that overlooked the whole village, and stopped there for a moment. I wasn't sure why, until I saw Lulu walk over to ≈≈≈≈≈≈.

"Take your time." Lulu said, as ≈≈≈≈≈ looked over the village, the temple, the fields of flowers where she used to play growing up. After seeing how hard it was for her to leave home, I started feeling a little homesick for Zanarkand, and of course needed to cover it up before Zack saw me getting emotional.

"Let's get going, man." I said, wanting to leave.

"We're going to wait until ≈≈≈≈≈≈ is ready." Riku said, crossing his arms over his chest.