Lust for Sin
A Story by Rikku-Hoshi
Sorry again that it took me so long to update! I'm really into this story, but for some reason, I just can't seem to make it smooth out. So if it seems to have some bumps, I'm sorry! I'm kind of writing as I go, but I have a little bit of the plot figured out in my mind. Just the same, it's kind of...seemingly going no where! Don't worry about Tidus and Paine not being in it though–after this chapter, or so, they'll be two of the center characters! For now though, you'll only hear mention of them. Anyway, enjoy!
Chapter 5: Love is a Sin
Yuna softly shut the door, and then bit her bottom lip. Whatever was she going to say? "Apparently, Sir," she heard Seymour say to her father, "She doesn't realize how dangerous it is to be out that late..."
"I'm sorry if I worried you," Yuna just said, quickly, taking a step inside, "I got lost in the forest..."
"And just what were you doing in the forest?" Braska asked his daughter.
"Getting some fresh air," Yuna just answered, "Then, I got lost, and wandered into the village..."
"You went into the village?" Seymour then said, "Don't you know that it's dangerous to be out at night?"
"Yes, Wakka told me..." Yuna said, "And I was very frightened..."
Braska just narrowed his eyes at his daughter, and then said, after sighing, "From now on, do not go into the forest, or the village, for that matter, without my permission. From now on, you will just go to the temple in the morning, and anywhere after that, you shall be with either Seymour or Dona at all times."
"What? Why?" Yuna said then, her eyes passing from Seymour to her father, "I'm back in one piece, am I not?"
"You will do as I say," Braska just snapped, "It's dangerous out there."
"I heard the sirens going off earlier," Seymour then said, "We were afraid you were the one attacked."
Yuna bit her lip harder, realizing that it would probably be wisest to tell them about her discovery of the beast's killing, although she had wanted to forget about it.
"I was the one that came across the body..." Yuna just said.
Seymour and Braska both gasped, almost in unison, and Seymour said, "What? Weren't you frightened?"
"Horribly," Yuna said, looking away into nothing, as she said, almost distantly, "I guess I forgot there was something to be afraid of..."
"What?" Braska just said, and Seymour too, looked confused at her words.
Yuna snapped back, and said, "Well, I mean...I'm very tired, do you mind if I excuse myself and go to bed?"
Both men nodded, and Yuna walked past them quickly, toward the stairs.
"Oh, but Yuna," Braska called after her, "Although not official, do you realize that Seymour has asked for your hand in marriage?"
Yuna jumped. Up until then, she had forgotten all about that.
"Oh...Yes," Yuna said, shyly.
"I just wanted you to know we're discussing it," Braska said, and Seymour avoided her eyes, as she looked his way, "Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Yuna just said, although it probably sounded very bitter.
"Goodnight, Lady Yuna," she heard Seymour say. She turned around and looked at him, and the two stared at each other for some time, before Yuna finally muttered her own 'goodnight' to him, and bounded up the stairs.
She turned into her bedroom, only to be almost pounced on by Rikku.
"Rikku, don't startle me like that!" Yuna called, as she placed her hands over her heart.
"What, you can come across a dead body, but can't handle me?" Rikku asked, her eyes shining, "Who was it?"
"Who was what?"
"The dead guy! Did you see the beast?"
"I don't know who it was," Yuna just said, "And no, I didn't see the beast."
"Creepy," Rikku just said, "Were you really lost, or was that just an excuse?"
"Really, I was lost," Yuna just said, sitting on her bed, as her weariness began to kick in.
"So, were you scared?" Rikku asked then.
"At first," Yuna said, staring off into space again, "but when he came–."
"He?" Rikku interrupted.
"Um...I don't remember his name," Yuna said, "It was...Tidus! Yeah, a man named Tidus came and–."
"Tidus!" Rikku said, smiling, "Yunie, you just pick up the bad people, don't you?"
"What do you mean?" Yuna asked.
"Well, first it was Lulu, the witch of Besaid, and now it's Tidus, who's...Well, he's friends with Lulu, enough said!"
"You know who he is?"
"Yeah, he's the gorgeous blonde that came here a year or so ago," Rikku said, "Nobody knows where he's from, but he came with a girl. But nobody's really seen much of the girl. Anyway, girls all over Besaid have secret crushes on him, but he's never at the temple or anything, so it's basically forbidden to talk to him. Still, there's rumor floating around about him all the time! I'm pretty sure your friend Dona even has had her own flings with him..."
"Dona knows him?"
"Oh yeah," Rikku said, "It's rumored that she used to sneak out at night, despite the warnings of the beast and see him. So have plenty of other girls."
"Really?" Yuna said, "Well, why doesn't he go to the temple?"
"Because he's a sinner!" Rikku just said, "He's definitely not Al Bhed, but they say he worships Yu Yevon."
Yuna's eyes grew wide, and she said, "Really?"
"Yeah," Rikku just said, "But like I said, he's so cute that girls don't really keep their distance. It's lucky of you to meet him, really. People don't see much of him."
"Well, he seemed nice," Yuna said, "He even walked me home."
"Don't you be developing any crushes though," Rikku said, as she started toward the door, "After all, I overheard everything that happened downstairs, including Seymour's proposal."
Yuna's small smile disappeared, and she said, "Oh."
"Seymour's the most eligible bachelor in all of Spira, you know," Rikku said, obviously trying to cheer Yuna up, "He's so religious and powerful...Girls everywhere swoon over him. Sure, he's nothing for the eyes, but...Well..."
"Don't even bother, Rikku," Yuna said, "I don't feel much toward him."
Rikku laughed and said, "I've heard there's not much love these days, you know."
Yuna looked up at her, and said, "Why not? I should be able to marry whomever I wish to marry!"
"Love is a sin, remember that," Rikku just said, "Well, I've got to go. Goodnight, Miss Yuna."
Yuna didn't say anything else, and just said a soft goodnight. She then went to bed, her weariness finally consuming her.
Still, Rikku's words, although confusing, lingered.
"Love is a sin, remember that."
-
The walk to the temple the next morning was actually, very quiet. Rikku appeared in thought, but she wasn't the only one. Yuna too, was in deep thought as they made their way to the temple.
"Do you think Tidus will be there?" Yuna finally asked, breaking the silence.
Rikku laughed and said, "Didn't I tell you? He never goes. I haven't seen him there once."
"Is it because his friend is sick?" Yuna asked.
"Could be, I guess," Rikku said, "Since I've never even seen her. Seriously Yuna, I dare you to ask your friend Dona..." Rikku began to giggle then, causing Yuna to feel confused.
"Fine, I will," Yuna said.
"No! Don't!" Rikku said between giggles, "Well, you could, but Dona probably wouldn't like it...She's probably mad enough about Seymour and you..."
"Yeah, she probably is," Yuna agreed.
By then they reached the temple, so Rikku split off from Yuna, and Yuna went in the doors. Lulu was in her normal spot, all by herself, but as Rikku said, Tidus was no where to be found. It wasn't as if Yuna had a lot of time to look, because Dona had already found her and was pulling her to the seat in the front row.
"So, Yuna," Dona said, as the two sat down, "What's it like knowing you're marrying Spira's most eligible bachelor?"
"Huh?" Yuna just said.
"Don't play dumb," Dona said, "I told you that I'm the most powerful woman here, remember? Shouldn't it make sense that I should be able to marry Seymour? Shouldn't it?"
Yuna wanted to agree and hand Seymour over to Dona, but instead she just looked at the ground.
Seymour came in then, and Dona didn't even attempt to sit by him. She allowed Seymour to sit right next to Yuna–although it was to Yuna's dismay–and sat on the other side of Yuna, with Barthello on her side.
Feeling awkward, Yuna instead just looked behind her at the doors, hoping Tidus would come in, even if it was very unlikely. She felt as if she had to thank him. She didn't know what she would have done if he hadn't come. Plus, she had been so nosy about his business...She supposed really she should apologize to him as well.
"Who are you looking for?" Dona asked, interrupting Yuna's thoughts. Yuna jumped slightly and turned around. However, she reminded herself that Dona knew who Tidus was, and perhaps could tell how to find him.
"A young man named...Um...Tidus," Yuna just said.
Seymour snorted and said, "What would the likes of you want with him?"
Yuna suddenly felt stupid for asking, as Seymour gave her a look as if he was degrading her based off of what she had just said. Dona on the other hand was giving Yuna an interesting look.
"Yes, why are you wondering?" Dona just said, "Have you met him?"
"He's the one that...helped me yesterday," Yuna said, "If it wasn't for him, I would have been...I don't know, very lost, and probably wouldn't have known what to do. I wanted to thank him for his help..."
Dona gave a little laugh and said, "Tidus, huh? Well, we shouldn't talk about him here in the temple, but I could use some gossip. Know what he is?"
"No," Yuna just said, "But Rikku said he worships Yu-Yevon..."
"He's a pimp," Dona just said, laughing, "Talk to any girl here...They can tell you about Tidus!"
Seymour placed one of his long hands on Yuna's shoulder, causing her to hide a shudder, and said, "You don't want to get caught up with him."
The sermon started then, so Yuna could ask no more questions. Still, their words about Tidus bothered her. Tidus...A pimp? He sure didn't seem that way before. He seemed like a nice enough guy who just had an ill friend. Despite the warnings though, Yuna knew she wanted to thank him just the same. Maybe...Maybe she could even figure out the link between Lulu and he. After all, she knew one existed.
The sermon ended just as it did every day, and the four walked out, just as they had in the last two days. There had been mention of the beast the night before, and how it had killed a young man named Gatta, and how the beast had been hunted, but still not found. Other than that, the sermon seemed almost the exact same as it had the day before.
"Well then, where to, you three?" Seymour questioned as they walked out, "Tea at my place?"
"I think Yuna should go thank Tidus," Dona put in.
Yuna looked at her, shocked, and said, "May I?"
Seymour shook his head, and said, "Of course not."
"Why not?" Dona asked, "She seems to owe him her thanks."
Seymour glared at Dona and said, "Her father requested that we stay with her at all times."
"What is she, a baby?" Dona said. Yuna smiled at Dona, and Dona smiled back. Maybe Yuna was wrong to think of Dona as...Well, whatever bad things she thought of Dona.
Seymour just continued to glare at Dona, and then looked at Yuna.
"I just want to say a quick thanks," Yuna just said, hanging her head shamefully. She wanted to yell, "It's not like you're my husband!", but something about that just didn't seem right.
"Fine, but if you're not at my place in twenty minutes, you'll be in trouble," Seymour just said, "Hurry up."
"Where can I find him?" Yuna directed this question at Dona.
Dona smiled a friendly smile and said, "That way, toward the beach. There's a nice little place with a gate around it. Just go knock on the door and Tidus will probably answer."
"And you know this how–?" Seymour said, giving Dona a little smile.
"I know things," Dona just said, and Yuna started off. Dona grabbed her shoulder, though, and sneered, just loud enough for only Yuna to hear, "And afterwards, tonight, you come to my place and meet me."
"Um, okay," Yuna just said, "I'll be right back!"
"Hurry up," Seymour just repeated himself, and shook his head, "We'd better see you in twenty minutes or less–preferably less."
"Right," Yuna just said, and started off. It wasn't like she wanted to take her time at Tidus' anyway. Especially if what Dona said about him was right.
Yuna walked very quickly in the direction that Dona had pointed her to. It was indeed toward the beach.
As Yuna continued that way, houses became fewer and fewer, and so did the people. Finally, she came across a cute little place with a fence around it, just as Dona had described. It was right against the forest, and the beach could be seen just a little ways off.
Yuna ran through the gate, and up to the door. She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt very nervous. Very nervous indeed, in fact.
She knocked on the door and waited, but there was no answer. Again, she knocked. Still, there was no answer. Yuna turned around, and started down the steps, only to see none other than Lulu, walking down the path, and through the gate.
Lulu was dressed elegantly in a black dress, with her beaded hair falling softly down her shoulders. Her lips were painted a violet color, and her crimson eyes raised, meeting Yuna's.
Yuna felt frightened, but Lulu just smiled.
"Hello there," Lulu said, walking up to the frozen Yuna, "Um...Are you here to see somebody?"
"Um...Yeah...Um...Tidus," Yuna said.
Lulu laughed and said, "Really?"
"Yeah," Yuna just muttered, "But no one answered..."
"Oh, he's just being stupid," Lulu said, again with a smile. To Yuna's surprise, Lulu passed her and opened the door.
"Um, can we just go in?" Yuna asked.
"Of course," Lulu said, "This is my place too, you know."
They lived together? But Lulu seemed so much older than Tidus...
"Come on in," Lulu said, causing Yuna to snap back to reality.
Yuna nodded, and slowly followed Lulu in. At first, the place seemed very ordinary. The door led to a very small kitchen, that was very dimly lit. In fact, Yuna realized right away one thing out of the ordinary. All of the windows had dark shutters across them, and dim candles were the only light. Yuna's heart clenched as she realized that darkness and candles were a sure sign of Yu-Yevon.
"He's down there," Lulu said, pointing toward stairs leading down to a cellar, "That's his room."
Yuna bit her lip out of her nervous habit and nodded. She stood there for some time, and finally went down.
There were two doors at the bottom of the stairs, and it was very dark. One door was shut tightly, but the other one was opened a crack.
Yuna placed her hand on the door handle of the door that was opened, only to have it pulled away from her. Her heart jumped, as the door was pulled out of her grasp. There though, looking surprised, stood Tidus.
"Oh, uh, hi," he just said, leaning against the door he had just opened, "Yuna, right?"
"Yeah," Yuna said, trying to catch her breath, "Um...I just wanted to come and say 'thank you' for everything last night. I felt like I kind of...Wasn't very nice to you."
"Ah, whatever," Tidus just said, "It's fine."
"Um, well, thank you," Yuna just said, nodding her head toward him. She wrapped her arms around herself then, feeling rather chilly.
"You cold?" Tidus asked then, a small smile on his face.
"A little," Yuna said, "It's really dark down here, too."
"Yeah, it is, isn't it?" Tidus agreed with her, "I keep telling Lulu to somehow get some windows down here, but..."
"How do you know her?" Yuna found herself asking.
"Well, when Paine and I first came," Tidus said, "We had no place to go. Lulu took us in. Of course, that was also around the time of...Well, surely you've heard of it."
"You mean, the time when she was supposed to be...killed?" Yuna just said.
"Yeah," Tidus said softly, and leaned against the door even more so, "You don't believe in that foolishness though, do you?"
"I'm not sure," Yuna said softly, "I've heard a lot of things about you, yourself, too, you know..."
Tidus laughed, which surprised Yuna, and Tidus said, "What, that I worship Yu-Yevon?"
"Yeah," Yuna said softly, "Do you?"
Tidus shrugged, and said, "I don't know, I guess."
His answer surprised Yuna, so she said, "How can you not know?"
Tidus shrugged and said, "I haven't thought about it."
"Do you worship Yevon?" Yuna then asked.
Again, Tidus shrugged.
"So you are sacrilegious!" Yuna said, and had to clamp her hands over her mouth. For some peculiar reason, Tidus suddenly seemed so exotic. It was as if the thought of him not following the rules was the most exciting thing in the world.
"Hey, I didn't say that!" Tidus said, although he continued to smile, "But you sure seem interested enough. How about, Yuna? Who do you worship?"
"Why Yevon, of course," Yuna just replied, "But lately, I've found myself so interested in people who don't..." Yuna found herself trailing. Tidus was practically a stranger! Why ever was she having such a conversation with him? Somehow though, it felt almost right. It felt right to talk to him like this.
Tidus just looked away from her, and said, "That's not necessarily a good thing, you know that?"
Yuna bit her lip and looked away from him as well, and said, "Yes, I do know that."
"Don't you hang out with the governor and Dona?" Tidus asked then, causing Yuna to look back at him.
"Mm-hm," Yuna just said with a nod, "Basically because my father forced me to, but..."
Tidus laughed and said, "What, have you heard that I'm a pimp? A lady whore?"
Yuna jumped at his words, as she probably had at many of his other words, and then blushed and said, "Actually, I have..."
Tidus laughed again, and said, "Yeah, that sounds like something Dona would say. See, I turned her down for a lay once, and ever since..."
"What?" Yuna said. Honestly, she didn't understand Tidus' choice of words, although she thought she might kind of know what he meant.
"Uh..." Tidus rubbed the back of his neck, as if apologizing for his words.
"That doesn't sound much like Dona," Yuna just said, "She's so religious. Really, I almost envy her."
Tidus gave Yuna an unbelieving smile, and then he laughed and said, "You're a naive little thing, aren't you?"
Yuna wanted to say that she wasn't, but really, his words were probably true. She chose to simply stay quiet.
"Look Yuna, it was nice talking to you," Tidus just said, still smiling at her, "But I actually should go check up on Paine."
"Yes," Yuna just said, "I should actually get going too. I just wanted to say a thank you."
"You're welcome," Tidus just said, "But...Don't go wandering around at night anymore, okay? It's horribly dangerous."
"Right," Yuna agreed, "I should go now...Goodbye."
"Goodbye," Tidus said, and Yuna started off. Tidus watched her until she was at the stairs, and he suddenly said, "Hey Yuna!"
"What?" she said, turning around.
Tidus smiled at her, and said, "Stop by anytime you want."
Yuna smiled back and said, "Thanks, I just might. Goodbye!"
"Bye."
Yuna ran up the stairs, and couldn't look back, but she felt as if Tidus' eyes were on her the entire way up the stairs.
She reached the kitchen again, and saw Lulu, humming to herself.
"Goodbye Lulu," she called to the so-called witch.
"Goodbye Yuna," Lulu said, and smiled at her.
Yuna returned her smile and then ducked out the door. Really, she felt like she could stay all day. Especially since really, anything would be better than going to see Seymour...
Sighing, Yuna walked toward Seymour's, stealing a glance back at the little house.
"Don't worry," she said softly, almost to the house, "I'll be back tomorrow."
At that, she quickly walked away, being that fifteen minutes had passed.
"Tomorrow..."