Lust for Sin
A Story by Rikku-Hoshi
Okay, this chapter may be somewhat boring, but the action is finally starting to begin! (And the fluff should start too, let's hope:) Anyway, amidst the boredom, try to enjoy! Also, thank you everybody for the reviews! They are awesome motivators!
Chapter 6: A Visit
"Alright, I'm being a retard. An awfully stupid and babyish retard," Yuna said to her reflection as she brushed her hair, "I need to grow up, take responsibility, and finally repent for all of my sins."
"Do you always talk to yourself?" a voice said then, and Yuna jumped, only noticing that it was Rikku.
"Do you always have to walk in on me?" Yuna just asked.
"Aren't you so happy it's Wednesday?" Rikku asked, watching Yuna as she brushed her hair, "As much as I love going to the temple, a day off is nice every now and then."
Yuna looked at Rikku, and said, "I was planning on going there, just the same though."
"Really? You do live a boring life, Yuna."
Yuna just smiled and continued to brush her hair, and finally said, "Actually, it makes a very lovely excuse to get away from my husband-to-be."
"Yuna!" Rikku cried, in mock amazement, "You are so naughty. Why, what would your father think of you?"
Honestly, Yuna didn't know why she was telling Rikku the things she was telling her. It was almost as if she felt some sort of connection to Rikku, almost as if Rikku was her own family. Somehow, she felt closer to Rikku than she did to her own father...
"I'll be going home today," Rikku just said, "If that's alright with you?"
"You have a home?" Yuna asked, honestly shocked. She had supposed Rikku was homeless, spending her life living and working with and for Yuna.
"Of course," Rikku said, "I have a family, too. I have a father named Cid, and a brother who's name is...Well, Brother."
"Really?" Yuna asked, "What kind of work do they do?"
"My father does landscaping for the temple, and my brother helps him."
"Really?"
"They tend to the plants and whatever else needs to be done," Rikku explained.
"Interesting," Yuna just said, "And that's how they get fed?"
"Yup."
"It's nothing too amazing," Rikku said softly, "But as long as we're all fed..."
"What of your mother?" Yuna then asked.
"She's in the same position as your own," came Rikku's soft answer.
"That's too bad," Yuna just said, but honestly felt nothing toward Rikku. No regret or anything. As far as Yuna could say, everybody deserved only one parent. Why should she be the only one, after all?
"Well then, goodbye," Rikku said, and started off.
"Wait!" Yuna called, taking one last glance at herself in the mirror, "I'm going to the temple, remember? We can walk together."
"Fine," Rikku said, "Do you need to tell your father?"
"Yeah, just one second!" Yuna said, and ran off to tell her father, "I'll be right back."
-
"So...Where are you really going?" Rikku asked Yuna, as the two walked down the hill toward the town.
"To visit a friend," Yuna said.
"Who?" Rikku asked, her eyes aglow.
"Nobody of interest," Yuna just replied with a smile.
"You're going to see Lulu, aren't you?" Rikku guessed, causing Yuna to put her finger to her mouth.
"Not so loud!" Yuna cried, "You can't tell anybody, either!"
"Do you worship Yu-Yevon in secrecy?" Rikku asked then, causing Yuna to turn and look angrily at her servant.
"Of course not!" Yuna snapped, "I just enjoy Lulu's...Um...Views."
"Ah... 'Cause you're not there to see Lulu!" Rikku said, teasingly, "You want to see Tidus!"
"That's not true," Yuna said quickly, "I have no care in him."
"Then why Lulu?"
"Lulu seems...To be my type," Yuna said, "She, like me, just doesn't seem to fit in. I believe her when she says she's not a witch. And I believe her when she says she follows Yevon. Tidus on the other hand...I don't know how much I trust him."
"Then I wouldn't go there at all," Rikku said, "Tidus is...Different. He's so to himself, and nobody knows a thing about that friend of his. If I were you, Yuna, I would stay away, and Lulu. Honestly, Yuna, take it from someone who knows. Only someone like Dona could get by with being seen with Tidus. Anyone else is automatically looked down upon, and Lulu is worse than Tidus. You don't want to be friends with them. Why don't you come visit my family instead?"
Yuna wanted to scoff and say, "As if an Al Bhed family is better than witches!", but managed to hold her tongue.
"I'll just stop by Lulu's, and then head off," Yuna just said, "I only want to...Talk with them..."
"I knew it!" Rikku cried then, "You said, them, meaning, not just Lulu! You want to see Tidus."
"Oh please, Rikku," Yuna said, showing her the ring on her finger, "I'm engaged, remember? I only want to see them because of their views. I can't help it that I find them interesting, even if they are against my own."
"You're so strange, Yuna," Rikku just said, shaking her head, "Anyway, here's my turn. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye," Yuna just said, and continued off, before Rikku could even say another farewell.
-
"Why am I so nervous?" Yuna said softly, as she prepared to knock on the door. Somehow, the house seemed darker than it had the day before. Maybe that was because the sky was gloomy and it looked as if it could rain, instead of the sun that had been shining. Still feeling somewhat frightened, Yuna finally managed to knock on the door.
The door opened a crack, and the house was also even darker than it had been the day before. Through the darkness, Yuna could just make out two crimson eyes. However, the eyes weren't like Lulu's. They were almost darker, with less violet in them.
"Who is it?" a voice much different than Lulu's growled.
"Y-Yuna," Yuna managed.
"Sorry, don't know you," the voice just said, and the door slowly began to close.
"Wait!" Yuna cried, "I'm here to see Lulu!"
"Let her in," Yuna heard another voice say, and she immediately recognized the voice to belong to Tidus.
The owner of the red eyes made a noise of protest, but then stepped aside, pulling the door open so that Yuna could enter.
Yuna entered into the kitchen, which was very dark. She noticed that all of the blinds had been pulled, and besides the light of a few candles, it was very dark.
She made out the figure of Tidus sitting on the table, but that was only before the door closed. As the door closed, all she could then see was the faint glow of the candle. Otherwise, it was pitch black.
Silence followed, and Yuna just stood there, frozen. She wanted to grab the door again and run away, as her heart began to race.
She heard the sound of a match being struck, however, and saw from where Tidus was sitting, another candle being burnt, and then another. They made little light, but soon she could vaguely make out the room, and again saw Tidus. However, the red-eyed girl was not to be seen.
"Hey there," Tidus greeted her, "Whatchya doin' here?"
"Um...I came to see Lulu," Yuna managed to spit out, as her heart continued to beat in her throat.
"Oh, she's at the temple," Tidus just said, "She'll be back soon though, if ya want to wait."
"I see," Yuna just said, "Um, the girl who opened the door...Was she your friend?"
"Oh yeah! Hey Paine! Come meet Yuna!" Tidus yelled, causing Yuna to jump.
Tidus laughed and said, "No worries, it's not like she's gonna bite you."
Yuna just giggled a nervous type of giggle, and the next thing she knew, a tall girl came up behind Tidus. The girl had short silver hair, but looked to be no older than Tidus and herself. She, like Lulu, was dressed all in black, but to much of Yuna's astonishment, she was not dressed in a dress, but in pants, much like Tidus'.
The girl–Paine, was it?–just nodded her hello at Yuna, and Yuna just nodded her own in return.
"Um...I take it you're feeling better?" Yuna said softly to the girl, wondering if this was the girl that nobody had ever seen before.
The girl made a noise of disgust, and shot a look at Tidus and then said, "Yeah. How long have you been around here?"
"Yesterday, she stopped over," Tidus answered for Yuna, as he jumped off the table, "She's the daughter of the Lord Braska."
"Indeed?" Paine just said, raising her eyebrows, "It seems odd that a girl of such prestige would be stopping to see us..."
"Strange indeed," Tidus said with a nod, but then smiled, "So then, why are you here?"
Yuna's voice was lost for some time, as she began to ask herself that same question. Why was she there? What was she thinking? How could she have been so stupid to stop over at the worst place to stop over? This time, she didn't even have an excuse.
"I um...I...Well, I..." Yuna just stammered, "I guess I honestly don't know..."
Paine snorted, and said, "Oh really? You just stop by random places to visit? You're not here to preach Yevon to us, are you?"
Yuna looked at Paine, who had narrowed her eyes at her, and then to Tidus, who was just watching her, as if waiting for her to continue, although she had nothing else to say.
"You're part Al Bhed, am I right?" Tidus asked her then, causing her to jump. Yuna just nodded though.
"It makes sense then," Tidus said, "You question the teachings, don't you?"
"No! Not at all," Yuna said, "I...I just don't feel like I belong with them. With Governor Seymour and Dona, and all those other people. I don't even feel like I deserve to have the Lord Braska as my father. I should be out there with the rest, starving on the streets, or being servants, or..."
"You can't help what you are," Paine said, and it was the first time she didn't practically growl it at Yuna.
"I know," Yuna said, "But my father reminds me of it every single day."
Tidus laughed and said, "Even though it's all his fault that you're that way? Give me a break. No offense Yuna, but don't take into consideration what everybody says about you. I mean, look at Lulu. Even though the entire town hates her and thinks she's a witch, she still goes to the temple, she still bakes for the needy, and she still helps people out. People are just to stupid to see the goodness in much. All they ever see is the evil."
Yuna nodded, and Paine and Tidus exchanged nods. Something told Yuna just by watching them that there was nothing going on, going on, between them. They seemed to Yuna to be almost like siblings. A close pair of brother and sister.
"Well then," Yuna said, "That's why I'm here. I guess I feel like such an outcast, even though I'm not. I feel almost like I should be considered an outcast. Plus...Something just doesn't seem right about how Seymour and Dona act. I don't know..."
"He's a jerk," Paine said, "I'm sure he has some secret motive, being governor and all. He seemed too happy when his father died, which allowed him to take over the ruling of Besaid."
Tidus was silent, and his eyes remained downcast, before he said, "Yeah, I'm sure he has something else on mind than just being a governor..."
"What do you two mean?" Yuna asked.
They both looked at her, and as if deciding they couldn't trust her yet, turned their heads and said, "Nothing..."
The three of them sat in silence, before Paine said, "I wonder what's taking Lulu so long?"
"Hey Yuna, it's not sunny outside, is it?" Tidus asked Yuna then.
"Not at all," Yuna said, "It's getting darker and darker, too. I'll probably storm in a couple of hours or so."
"I'll go look for her," Paine said.
"I can," Tidus offered, but Paine just said, "It's been a while since I was out. I'll be back soon, hopefully."
Paine stood up and slowly left the house, almost cautiously, leaving Tidus and Yuna alone in the darkness of the house.
"What could have happened to Lulu?" Yuna asked Tidus.
Tidus was silent for a while, but he finally said, "Lulu's almost like an older sister to us. We've only been here a little over a year, right around the time of her trials, and kind of became the first to know her as a 'witch'. After the trials and the first attack, no one liked her anymore. Everybody hated her. So Paine and me befriended her, and she invited us to stay here. We're kind of nomads, Paine and I, you see. Here, with Lulu, is kind of the first place we've thought of as home in a long time."
"What happened to your parents?" Yuna asked then.
Tidus was silent again, but finally said, "Paine left hers, years ago. They ran a tavern and were wild. Paine's anything but wild, and is calm, but hard to read. Her and I met when I was traveling through, and there was...Well, she came with me, and we've been together ever since."
"What about yours?" Yuna asked again.
"My father left us long ago," Tidus said, "And, he's dead. I mean, I'm sure he is, by now. My mother though was attacked by...something like a beast, and was killed from it. I managed to escape though."
"I see," Yuna said, "Do you miss her?"
"Who, my mother?" Tidus asked.
"Yes, your mother, who else?" Yuna just said.
"Sometimes," Tidus said, "But rarely. It happened so long ago...I barely remember it."
"How old were you?"
Tidus was silent, and he said after a while, "Yuna, there are some things I cannot explain to you, or at least, not yet. It wouldn't make sense."
Yuna wanted to open her mouth to continue to prod, only to remember that it was rude and not the nicest thing at all.
"How about you?" Tidus asked her then, "How did your mother die?"
"She was diseased and sickly for as long as I can remember," Yuna just said, "She finally was able to die only a year or so ago."
"Ah," Tidus just said, nodding, "Do you miss her?"
"I barely knew her," Yuna just said, "Because she was always in the sick bed, but sure, I miss her."
The two sat there in silence again, and still, it was beginning to bother Yuna that Tidus wouldn't tell her anything. She suddenly had so many questions for him. Why wouldn't he answer a simple question as to how old her was when his mother died? Why wouldn't he tell her where he was from? Why wouldn't he tell her anything at all?
The door burst open then, and Paine ran in just a ways, before practically screaming, "Tidus! They've got Lulu up on the scaffolding! They want to kill her!"
"What?" Tidus screamed, and in a heartbeat flew past Yuna and to the door.
Yuna stood up to say something, but the two had already fled out the door.
"Wait for me!" Yuna cried, although they didn't hear her, and at that, Yuna burst out of the house too, following them, just as the first few drops of rain began to fall.