Kingdom Hearts: Those Left Behind

“Tidus, Wakka, I want you meet Lulu.” Said Selphie, a smile on her face as she gestured to the young girl standing next to her. “Lulu, this is Tidus and this is Wakka.” She would then say, pointing to both Tidus and Wakka respectively. “Hello.” Said the girl named Lulu in a low, sultry tone. She was a tall girl and looked to be about Wakka’s age, maybe a year or two older. She was pale with short black hair that had two long braids that trailed all the way down to her lower back. Her hair was held in place with a couple of pretty pins and she had dark-brown eyes, one of which was covered with a bang. Her lips were a bright-purple and she wore a black leather corset that hugged her form. She had long nails at the tips of her fingers and was painted purple to match her lips, and she also wore a short skirt that stopped just above her knees.

Her skirt was a rather curious article of clothing, for it looked as though it were made almost entirely out of many leather belts that wrapped around the lower-half of her body in a tangled mess that rattled as she walked. She wore long black stockings and in her hand was a stuffed Moogle plushie that had a loose stitch, for there was a small bundle of cotton that poked right out of its left shoulder.

“Hi.” Said Wakka, a warm grin forming across his rather rugged features as he held his Blitzball to his side.

“Uh, yeah, heya’!” Exclaimed Tidus rather excitedly. “Hey, uh, Lulu?”

“Yes?” Replied Lulu, quirking a brow as she examined Tidus, taking note of his slim, athletic build that was almost completely bare save for a pair of black shorts.

“So, uh, there’s a rumor going around that you’re from another world. That true?” Asked Tidus, a small glimmer of hope in his bright-blue eyes.

“Tidus!” Barked Selphie, her hands on her hips as she looked right in his eyes.

Tidus quickly turned to face Selphie, waving his arms about defensively before her. “What!? I really want to know!”

“Ya’ knucklehead!” Shouted Wakka, reaching over to wrap his arm around Tidus’ neck, pulling him back and then holding him close to his body in a headlock. “That was kinda’ rude, ya’?” Asked Wakka, tightening his grip around Tidus’ neck as he wiggled and writhed beneath him, kicking up some of the sand as he punched Wakka’s arm repeatedly. “H-Hey! Let me go Wakka!” Shouted Tidus, groaning. “Not til’ you say you’re sorry, ya’?”

Lulu shook her head as she looked on at the two wrestling with one another, a soft chuckle escaping her lips before she parted them to speak, “It’s alright, really.” Wakka looked up at Lulu, raising an eyebrow as he struggled to keep Tidus in place. “Ya’ sure?” He would then let go, Tidus stumbling back before falling on his rear. “Wakka, you jerk!” Shouted Tidus, reaching up to feel his throat.

“Well someone has to teach you a lesson.” Said Selphie, folding her arms as she looked down at Tidus. “Maybe next time you’ll be a little less rude.”

“I-It’s okay, really.” Repeated Lulu as she stepped on over to lend Tidus a hand. Tidus looked up and smiled, grabbing Lulu’s arm. Lulu would then help him stand back up on his feet before finally answering his question, “Yes, I am from another world. I was actually displaced from my world by the Heartless.” “The Heartless!?” Asked Tidus excitedly. “So, the rumors, they be true, ya’?” Asked Wakka. “But I thought Sora and his pals took care of the Heartless, ya’? What gives?” Selphie put a finger to her chin, humming a bit before answering with, “Maybe he didn’t defeat them all…?”

“That’s impossible!” Said Tidus, resting his head against the palms of his hands, lightly kicking the back of his left foot.

“Well…Sora did say that the Heartless are born from the darkness in people’s hearts, right?” Said Selphie as she placed her hands behind her back. “I guess so as long as there still exist darkness in people’s hearts, you can never truly defeat the Heartless, maybe…” Wakka groaned. “Yeah, well, let’s just hope they don’t show up around here again, ya’? I’ve had enough of Heartless, thanks.”

“You saw Heartless?” Asked Lulu, holding her plushie close to her side.

“Yeah, they were everywhere.” Answered Tidus.

“What happened?”

“We don’t know.” Replied Wakka. “One minute, there were hundreds of the things, and then the next, blackness. It was some pretty scary stuff, ya’?”

“According to Sora, this world was destroyed by the Heartless. But thanks to him, everything’s back to normal.” Said Selphie.

“Sounds like what happened to my world.” Said Lulu. “But after the “blackness”, I woke up here, on your world.”

“You have any memories on where you came from?” Asked Selphie.

Lulu shook her head somberly. “No. I do not. I somehow lost all memory of my world when I woke up here on the islands.”

“Sorry to hear that. Maybe it will all come back to you, ya’?” Said Wakka.

Tidus was silent, his hands clutched into fists for a brief moment as he looked down at the hot sand below.

“That’s a cute doll.” Said Selphie with a smile, pointing at the worn Moogle plushie that was pressed against Lulu’s side. “Where’d you get it?”

Lulu would look down at the doll momentarily, answering with, “Thanks. He was a gift from my mom. I named him Moggie.” Lulu smirked, reaching over to run the back of her hand across its big, red nose tenderly in a motherly fashion, as if it were her own child. “You must like it a lot, ya’?” Asked Wakka, spinning the Blitzball, balancing it on the very tip of his finger. Lulu smiled at Wakka, her almond eye locked on his. She would blow away the bang covering her other eye before speaking, “It’s all I have left to remind me of home. I-I don’t know what I’d do without it.” She looked down at the Moogle once more, a gentle breeze blowing her twin braids to and fro. “And without it, I can’t use my magic.”

Selphie’s eyes widened. “You know magic?”

Lulu turned to look at Selphie. “I do. I channel my magic through this doll. And sometimes, it even comes to life.”

“What!? Now you’re just pullin’ my leg, ya’?” Blurted Wakka, his concentration broken, the Blitzball hitting the sand with a faint “WHUMP!” He would then squat beside Tidus, reaching down to pick it back up.

“It’s true.” Said Lulu. “Though, I’m not sure how it happens. I think my magic has something to do with it.”

“That’s kinda’ creepy, ya’?”

“Hey!” Shouted Tidus rather abruptly. “Aren’t we forgetting something guys?”

“I don’t know. Are we?” Asked Selphie.

“I already did all my homework.” Said Wakka.

“No guys. “The plan”, remember?”

“Oh, yeah!” Said both Selphie and Wakka in near-perfect unison.

“What plan?” Asked Lulu, curiosity in her voice as she blew away her bang again, giving the other three a quick glimpse at her other eye.

Tidus chuckled, pounding the palm of his hand with a tight fist. “We’re gonna’ build a raft.”