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Sins of Our Fathers

Chapter Eleven: Beautiful Things

The sun was beginning to set across the Macalania Forest. The rich hues of red and orange painted in the sky were reflected in the lake, the colors burned like fire across the watery surface. Tidus, laid on his back, kept dipping his bare feet in and out of the water. It’s been hours, he though. Where could she be?

He slid up to prop himself up on his elbows, the half-sun blazed brightly but within minutes it would be dark. The last time they met things had gone so well, what could have come up in the time they had been apart that would have caused her not to come? He had to think that she wanted to come, but was prevented somehow. That made him worry. He gathered himself up and stood to watch the last remnants of light slip beyond his view.

He wasn’t going home, not until he figured out why Yuna didn’t come. If he left now, he could make the last train to Gippal’s place. Maybe he could find some answers there? Rikku has to know something, he thought. She is her cousin after all.

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By the time Tidus found Gippal’s place he was soaked with rain, he was amazed he was able to find it at all. The last time he had been here, it was with Chappu and Wakka. He raised his hand and knocked loudly on the wooden door.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Who’s there?” called a voice from behind the door.

Tidus scratched his head; he probably should have sent a message ahead that he was coming. “It’s Ti, is Gippal there?”

The door swung open so fast it was hard to follow with his eyes. Standing there in front of him was not the muscled, eye-patched, imposing figure of Gippal; but the tall, wiry-framed, redheaded figure of Chappu, who was standing there with nothing but boxer shorts and a broad grin on his face.

“Tidus!” He yelled clapping him loudly on the back, just a little too hard. He then grabbed him and pulled him in for a nice big “man-hug” It was then that Tidus noticed the rather strong scent of Vodka.

Tidus managed to pull himself away from the stumbling Chappu. “I was going to ask you why you were wearing only your underwear, but…” he paused, looking passed Chappu to the group of giggling girls, all fully clothed, surrounding the kitchen table. They had a half empty bottle of Mt. Gagazet Vodka, and a deck of cards lay out on the table. Chappu followed his gaze, and then turned back to him with a lazy smile.

“So, I take it that you’re losing the game?” Tidus asked.

“I like to think of it as they are winning a little extra.” He grinned emphatically, “You know, winning the game AND getting to take in all of this.” He motioned to his body, sweeping his arm up and down.

“Right.” Tidus rolled his eyes, “So do you live here now buddy?”

“Yeah, basically.” Chappu said, “But I’m not too sure Gippal has figured that out yet.” He smiled oh-so-charmingly, “Just sort of came for a visit and never left, ya.”

“Well since you do live here, and I am getting even more soaked in the rain, do you think that I might be able to come in?”

“Oh yeah! Yeah, for sure.” he said as he stumbled backwards to make room for Tidus to enter the house.

“Is Rikku here?” Tidus asked quirking an eyebrow at Wakka who had been literally drank under the table.

“Yeah, she’s here.” Chappu responded, “Her and Gippal are upstairs. But best be knocking before entering,” he snickered.

“Yeah sure thing,” Tidus said. He looked at the girls at the table and motioned to Chappu, “Please make sure he makes it through tonight.” They smiled and nodded back. Tidus made his way up the stairs, as he passed the balcony, he paused. That’s why I’m here. To find out what happened to Yuna. Regaining his courage, he knocked on the door to Gippal’s room.

“For Yevon’s sake Chappu, you already drank all my booze. Go get one of your girlfriends to buy you some!” came Gippal’s irritated voice.

“It’s not Chappu.” Tidus called back. He could hear sounds of rustling from behind the door, and prayed to Yevon that Chappu had been wrong, because that way far more awkwardness that he was prepared to deal with at the moment. The door opened and Gippal was behind it.

“Ti!” he exclaimed. “Wow, how have you been? I had no idea that you were stopping by. It’s good to see you.”

“Good to see you too,” Tidus responded, “I didn’t know I was coming ahead of time. I actually wanted to know if I could talk to Rikku for a moment. I have something that I want to ask her.”

“Sure,” came a voice from behind Gippal. Rikku walked out from behind him. There was something different about her. The smile that was usually pleasantly placed across her lips wasn’t there. In its place a grimace had taken root.

“I wanted to ask,” he began.

“…About Yunie?” She finished.

“So there is something wrong?” he asked.

Rikku ran a hand through her hair. Gippal moved aside so that Tidus could enter the room. Both men stayed standing as Rikku made her way to the bed and sat on the edge. She looked up at Tidus.

“I haven’t been able to see her for the whole week, and every time I go to make sure that she is okay I am turned away at the door,” she explained as she twisted her fingers together, staring at her feet. “I’m Yunie's cousin, for Yevon’s sake. There is no reason why I wouldn’t be allowed to see her unless something was wrong.”

Tidus nodded, “We were supposed to meet today..." he hesitated," And she didn’t show up. It made me wonder if something was up.”

Rikku looked up, "You two were meeting up?"

Tidus ruffled his hair nervously. "Yeah." He turned to Gippal, "There is actually something that I need to tell both of you."

Gippal took a seat beside Rikku on the bed; they were both looking up at him intently.

He cleared his throat, "I'm not exactly sure what Wakka or Chappu has told you about me, but there is more to my story than you probably know. I'm not from Besaid Island."

Gippal shrugged his shoulders, "Where are you from?"

"I'm from Zanarkand."

There was a moment of silence before Gippal could speak again, "Z-z-Zanarkand? What?"

Rikku stayed silent, with a not-so-surprised look on her face. Finally she said, "I know that much. Yunie told me. It doesn't bother me where you are from, as long as Yunie likes you."

Tidus wasn't all that surprised that Yuna had told Rikku that, but he still wondered, "Did she tell you the rest?"

Rikku blinked, "The rest?"

Tidus nodded solemnly. "The truth, about who I really am."

"What Yunie said was that you were from Zanarkand," she continued, "And that it didn't matter to her, because a person is more than where they come from."

"Well I'm afraid that there is more than that." He said. "You know me as Ti, but that's short for my full name, Tidus. I'm the son of Jecht of Zanarkand, brother of Shuyin."

Both Rikku and Gippal's mouths were hanging open at this point. It was several seconds before anyone spoke again.

"You're the leader of Zanarkand son," said Gippal, "And Yuna is the leader of Bevelle's daughter?" He put his face in his palms, "My head hurts."

Rikku stared straight into Tidus eyes, "What exactly is it that you want with Yunie? State secrets, a way into the palace, some kind of secret agent thing?"

Tidus rolled his eyes, "If I was a 'secret agent', why would I have just blown my cover?"

"The man has a point," said Gippal, muffled through his hands.

Rikku's eyes narrowed, "Well then, you never answered my question. What is it that you want with Yunie?"

"What I want with her?" He said, "All I want is to be with her, and her with me." He paused a moment, feeling the emotions welling up in his stomach, he felt ready to explode, but he couldn't form it into words. "I... I love her. I swear that I'm telling you the truth, all I want from Yuna is for us both to be happy, and to be together."

Gippal was looking at him, "We believe you Ti," he said, and Rikku nodded in agreement, momentarily speechless. "But you have to understand just how impossible it would be for you two to be together. There are some things in this world that are bigger than you, and bigger than love even."

"I don't care." Said Tidus simply.

"There is..." Rikku began, "There is more to it than that."

"What do you mean?" Both Tidus and Gippal asked in unison.

Rikku seemed to be having a hard time deciding if she could say what it was.

"Yevon's sake Rikku," said Gippal, "What is it?"

"Yuna's father," Rikku began, "He has been trying to find her a husband for awhile now. People say that he is sick, and wants to make sure his affairs are in order if something happens." Rikku paused for a moment. "I'm not sure about that part, but I know that there is someone that he wants Yunie to marry. No, It's worse, someone that he forced her to become engaged to. His name is Seymour and he is a total slime ball," Rikku made a face as she said his name. "I know that her father keeps moving up the date for the wedding. So that is what makes me nervous. Seymour seems really ambitious, and I know that he is after Braska's office whenever he passes on. Also the way he looks at Yunie, it's scary." She looked at Tidus for the first time during her speech, "I know she wanted to tell you, she told me so. She just didn't know where to start. Being around you made her forget all the terrible things in her life... so she probably had a hard time talking about it. You know?"

Tidus nodded silently. He wasn't sure what to feel. Something in his gut told him that this was the reason why Yuna couldn't show up. The thought of this Seymour guy, touching Yuna, marrying her, made him sick to his stomach. Jealously and rage were at war within him. "I have to stop it. I won't let him marry her." He stated firmly.

Rikku nodded, "I am with you."

"Me too," said Gippal, "Do you know how long we have?"

"The last time Yunie mentioned it, she said her father had moved it up to six months. But that was a while ago. It could be sooner now."

"We have to stop it," he said again. "But first, Rikku, is there any way that I could sneak in to the Palace to see her. If she can't come to us, I would like to go to her."

"It would be very dangerous," she said. "Especially if they know who you are. I don't know what they might do to you."

"I am willing to take the risk if you can get me in."

"Okay," She nodded, "Tomorrow I will show you the back gate, it leads directly to the pool and garden that are right under Yunie's balcony. This time of year it is too rainy, so no one really uses the pool. If you sneak across there to the wall, you can try to climb up the vines on to her balcony."

"Have you ever tried this way?" He asked her.

"No I don't think I could climb up the vines, but I will distract the guards for you while you sneak in the gate."

"It's a plan."

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The air was getting colder; it felt heavy, as if droplets of water were hovering around. Distracting the guards proved to be an easy job for Rikku, who Tidus could still hear making a scene about how the stones along the walkway were too uneven and she had stubbed her toe, or some other insignificant thing. He was sure the guards would have been able to ignore her, except that she was ear piercingly loud.

He was currently making his way through a thicket of bushes; he could see the light of an opening coming up ahead of him. Walking through bushes without making any noise is a lot more difficult than it sounds during the planning process, he thought to himself as his foot got caught on a root, almost tripping him. Silently cursing he tumbled out on to the pool deck. Quickly regaining his cover he crept close to the wall. As soon as he was sure that there was no one in the area that could have heard him, he began to move.

The pool was probably the largest one he had ever laid eyes on. He was almost sure you could play Blitzball in a pool that size. On the opposite side of where he was perched, he could see Yuna's balcony, and the wall of vines Rikku had told him about. He sincerely hoped that wouldn't be as much trouble to get up, as he feared.

Tidus was still having a difficult time coming to grips with the fact that Yuna had a fiancé. An unwanted fiancé to be sure, but he felt jealously retching his insides until it all felt like jelly. I have to tell her, he thought to himself. I have to have my chance; I have to tell her that I love her. There is no one else.

He wrapped his arms around himself, trying to retain some of the warmth in his body, but the wet and the cold were winning.

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Yuna lay on her bed staring up at the ceiling. She was searching for patterns in the white textured surface. Her bedroom was beginning to feel like the prison that she knew it was. It had been eight days since she found out the oh-so-wonderful news that she was about to become Mrs. Seymour Guado in a month, now it was only three weeks left. Ugh, she shuddered. Every time that she thought about it, a twisting feeling would begin in her stomach. Great, now he really is making me sick, she though, I think I preferred it when it was only a metaphor.

Since that night she hadn’t really left her room, except to eat. If she had gone anywhere, there was no doubt in her mind that he would have had her followed. He was already using her relationship with Tidus as blackmail, there was no need to implicate any more of her loved ones, like Rikku or Gippal. Seymour would use anyone or anything to achieve his ends, especially if it meant her obedience.

More than anything she wished that she could have sent a message to Tidus. In her heart she knew that he came yesterday, and he probably waited a long time for her not to show up. But she couldn’t, it was too dangerous. Whatever fate awaited her at Seymour’s hands, she did not want Tidus to feel pain, or to be caught up in it.

She grabbed a pillow and pushed it down over her face. Just a week ago life had seemed so sunny, and bright. Now she felt as if she was hurdling at top speed through a dark cave, aware of the dangers that lurk at every side, but knowing that she must become a part of it. That sunny world, and all that it entailed, was lost to her now. If she could have, she probably would have cried. At this point she felt like there were just no more tears left to cry.

Suddenly there was a noise, and a rather loud one at that. It sounded like a thud followed by a muffled cry. Yuna slid to the edge of her bed and swung her legs over the side. She could hear rustling in the hallway, which was proof, that she was not the only person who heard it. Standing up, she made her way across her room to the two large doors that gave her access to her balcony. Brushing aside the floor length white lace curtains she opened the double doors.

Yuna was in such a state of shock at what she saw, that it took her a moment to recover. Tidus was clinging tightly with both arms to the railing on her balcony. His body was dangling precariously below him. It appeared as if he had attempted to jump from the vines on the wall on to the balcony.

“Yuna…” he gasped, clearly very out of breath. “Help… me... before… someone sees!”

Springing to action she grabbed a hold of his arms and pulled with all of her strength. She could feel the muscles in her arms burning from the strain. Finally she managed to pull him up, but he was coming up a bit to fast at the end and slammed into her full force, knocking them both on to the floor. He was lying directly on top of her, their eyes locked in a stare. Before either of them had time to say anything, there was a loud knock at Yuna’s bedroom door.

“Get under my bed,” she whispered hastily at Tidus, getting herself up from underneath him.

“What? Your Bed?” He whispered doubtfully.

“Just do it,” she ordered, “Hurry!”

Tidus crawled on his knees over to her bed and wedged himself in the space between the bed frame and the floor. Yuna quickly, and as quietly as she could, shut the double doors to the balcony. She flattened out her hair with her hands, and fixed her short pale blue dress, which had looked rather disarrayed from Tidus landing on it.

She reached the door just as they were knocking for a fourth time. There were several security guards standing in the hallway. “I’m sorry,” said Yuna, “I was taking a nap. What’s happened?”

“There may be an intruder on the premises,” said one of the men, “Have you seen or heard anything suspicious?”

Yuna shook her head, “No I haven’t, I’m sorry.”

The second guard spoke up, “We are going to do a search of the area, it is probably best if you lay low in your room, and make sure to lock the door.”

“Of course,” Yuna nodded, “Thank you for letting me know.”

With a nod of acknowledgement then men were off. Yuna shut the door and fastened the lock, as well as the deadbolt. She didn’t want anyone else to be coming inside. She scanned the room, and walked to her balcony doors, also fastening the lock. Now, without use of extreme force, no one was getting in.

Yuna turned back to the bed, “Tidus?” she called softly as she walked. There was no response. “Tidus?” she asked again, becoming concerned. She kneeled down by the side of her bed and ducked her head so she could see under. “Did you fall asleep?” she asked incredulously. She could see his chest rising and falling, but got no vocal response to her question. This whole situation was so utterly bizarre she couldn’t help but laugh. How did he fall asleep, she thought to herself.

Unsure of what to do, she got a broom that was in her closet. Clutching the base end of it, she poked him in the ribs.

“Gah!?” Tidus sputtered, “What’s going on? Where am I?” He brought his head up fast and whacked it off of her bed frame. He muttered several curses.

“It’s okay,” Yuna tried to get his attention, “Over here Tidus. It’s me Yuna. For some still unknown reason you snuck in to Bevelle Palace and jumped onto my balcony.”

“Help me out of here,” he asked. She reached her arm out to him and helped him pull himself out and up on to the bed.

He ran a hand through his blonde hair, “Well, it’s much nicer up here ON the bed.” He shot her a crooked smile.

Yuna sat down beside him on the bed and crossed her arms; she was about to demand to know why he had risked so much to see her when she really looked at him. She hadn’t noticed until now but he had several large gashes, which were still bleeding. The one was a rip right through the middle of his shirt. “Tidus...” she began, “What happened to you?”

He looked down, “Oh, yeah. Don’t worry about it. I just didn’t realize until I was hanging from it, that the vines on the wall outside were covered in thorns.” He ran a hand across the wound on his abdomen and winced.

Yuna frowned, “Wait here,” she said, “Let me get something for that.” She got up and walked into her on-suite bathroom. She came out carrying a bottle of rubbing alcohol and some ripped white cloth. “Here, take off your shirt and I will make sure these don’t get infected.”

Tidus raised his arms above his head and lifted off his shirt, his face showed the strain from his wounds. Yuna moved closer to him, “This may hurt.” She said apologetically.

He smiled at her, “Do your worst.”

When the alcohol touched his cuts she could see the pain in his eyes, but he was doing an admirable job at trying to hide it from her. He made a small whimper now and then, but Yuna pretended not to notice. As she was finishing bandaging him up, he took her hand in his. “Yuna…” he breathed.

She raised her eyes to meet him. There was so much emotion, it was almost pouring out of him. She felt the skin of her face go hot, she must have been blushing, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. “Why did you come?” She asked him.

“I had to see you,” He said simply. “When you didn’t show up in Macalania, I got worried something had happened.” He positioned his body and laid out flat on the bed. Yuna moved up, and lay down at his side. Their hands were still touching, and he held her eyes captive with his own.

“Yes, something did happen.” She frowned. She didn’t know how to even begin to explain her sad situation with Seymour.

He continued on with his story, “I waited for a long time, and then decided I had to find out. So I took the lift-train to Gippal’s. Figuring since Rikku was your cousin, she might know what happened to you.”

Yuna raised her eyebrows. Rikku… she though, did you tell him? “What did Rikku tell you?” she asked apprehensively.

She felt Tidus’ grip on her fingers tighten, and he pulled her hand closer to his body. “She told me… “ He finally said, “That you were likely not able to leave… because of your… fiancé.”

Yuna snapped her hand back to her side and sat up on the bed. Tidus sat up as well, just staring at her, waiting for her to say something. She couldn’t believe it, this was the second time she had been unable to tell him something herself. She felt so small, so ashamed of herself. “Tidus I…” her voice broke with emotion, “I was going to tell you, I swear it.”

She felt him move closer to her, and he gently rested his palm on the top of her hand. “I know,” he told her.

“No, I… I didn’t want you to find out this way. I don’t even want to marry him,” she sputtered, “I’m being forced. When we were together everything felt lighter than air. I could have been able to fly I was so happy. I just, I couldn’t think about it.” She felt the hot, salty tears already streaming down her face.

“I believe you,” he said, trying to reassure her. “Yuna, just don’t do it. Don’t go through with it.”

She looked at him shocked, “What?”

“Forget about all of this, forget about Bevelle, about politics.” He explained, “You know, live a normal life. What do you say?”

Yuna thought about that idea, just leaving everything behind and not looking back. “Maybe I will.” She said calmly, trying to imagine what that would be like. “Wouldn’t everyone be surprised.” She thought about her father, about Auron, all her friends.

“Except Rikku,” he said, “She’d be with you. She’d understand.”

Yuna nodded, she knew that this was all very true. “What will I do though? This has been my life for as long as I can remember.”

Tidus looked deep in thought, as if he was unsure to say something. “Let’s go to Zanarkand.”

Her eyes widened, he couldn’t be serious. “Pardon?”

He moved in closer, reaching out and touching her face with his hands, they were so gentle on her skin. “Run away with me, come to Zanarkand.” He whispered in her ear.

She decided to indulge the fantasy, “What is Zanarkand like?” she asked, “What would you want to show me.”

He smiled at her, “Let’s go to the sea, before the sunrise. The city lights go out one by one. The stars fade…”

Yuna closed her eyes as he continued to describe where he wanted to take her. The smooth sound of his voice, and the warmth of his hands, which now rested on her hands, gave a dream like quality to his words.

“Then the horizon glows,” he said, “Almost like it’s on fire. It’s kind of rose-colored, right? First in the sea, then it spreads to the sky, then to the whole city. It gets brighter, and brighter… till everything glows.”

She could feel his excitement reverberating off of him as he spoke. Even though it sounded so beautiful, she couldn’t help the gnawing feeling that was starting to grind in her stomach.

“It’s really… pretty.” He finished, staring into her eyes. “I know you’d like it.”

Yuna nodded, the knot in her stomach growing. “I’d like to see it, someday.”

Tidus flashed her a smile, “Well you can, Yuna. We can both go!”

She couldn’t take it anymore. The fantasy wasn’t ever going to come true. She would have to marry Seymour; she would have to bend to her father’s will. She couldn’t risk the lives or well-being of people she loved. She just couldn’t be that selfish. Her whole body started to shake; all she wanted was to be able to be that selfish. To find somewhere that her and Tidus could go, where no one would judge them. No one would think anything of the fact that they were together. She knew tears were spilling out, Tidus had been trying to get her attention, and he sounded so worried. This only made her cry more.

“Yu..” he started to say, his arm was against her back, trying to comfort her.

“I can’t go, I just can’t.” She managed to whisper, “I can’t go.”

“Yuna…” He said again. He gathered her up into his lap and wrapped his arms around her, surrounding her in his warmth.

“I’m helpless,” she cried into his chest. “If I don’t marry him, he will go after people I care about. He already knows about us. He had someone tail me last time. That is why I couldn’t risk going back to Macalania. He said he would tell my father, and have you killed if I ever saw you again.”

“That won’t happen Yuna,” he said, he sounded so confident in his words. “I promise you that will not happen, and I also swear to you...” He pulled her away from his chest, to look in her eyes, “I swear to you Yuna, I will not let him marry you. I will find a way out for you at any cost. I… I love you, and I will kill him if he tries to touch you. With every last ounce of my strength I will fight for you.”

Yuna felt like her heart was going to explode. It was so impossible, but she believed him. She believed he could do what he said. “Tidus… I love you too.”

That was all he needed to hear, and when his lips came crashing down on her own, it was all she could do to surrender to the wave. This kiss drove her into oblivion and back; their bodies felt like they were charged with electricity.

Her hands were on his chest, avoiding his wounds but trying so desperately to discover, to touch, to feel anything and everything that was him. She was gripping and kneading his skin as if to prove he actually existed, that he was something tactile, and real, and he was doing the same.

The lay down on her bed, their lips together and bodies entangled, he whispered in her ear, “I feel as if my body and soul are going to burst apart from wanting you.”

She kissed him back intensely, to tell him that she felt the same. She could not form the words, to get them out, but she knew that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. His arms came around her back and slowly undid the zipper to her dress. She wriggled out of it, and caught his eyes as he was staring at her, only in her bra and underwear.

“You’re beautiful.” He said.

Clothes were discarded one by one, until they felt nothing but each other. Yuna felt as if she was melting into him, she felt exhilarated, but also frightened, “Tidus…” she said quietly after breaking off a kiss. He opened his eyes and waited for her to finish, “I’ve… never, done this before.” She said. Her face felt like it was getting warm again, all the blood rushing to her cheeks to betray her nervousness.

He just smiled at her, “You don’t have to worry, if you want to stop, just say when. I don’t want to do anything that you’re not comfortable with.”

“Thank you,” she said, “But it’s not that. I just, I don’t want to disappoint you.”

He looked honestly taken aback. “Yuna, never for one moment have you disappointed me. I could never want anyone but you.”

“You are all I have ever wanted,” she said, “Stay with me, until the end. Please?”

Tidus shifted his body so that Yuna was now underneath him, and he propped himself up on his elbows. “Not until the end…” he said. He lowered himself down just enough, so that his mouth was beside her ear, “Not until the end… always.” He whispered, sending shivers down her spine. “Always,” she repeated. His mouth found hers again.

In the moment their bodies connected, she felt like it was more. It was their souls joining as well, their destinies, and their lives becoming part of the same thread. She knew that he would always be a part of her, an extension of herself, her own beating heart, separate from her body.

Description
Sins of Our Fathers

Chapter Eleven: Beautiful Things

The sun was beginning to set across the Macalania Forest. The rich hues of red and orange painted in the sky were reflected in the lake, the colors burned like fire across the watery surface. Tidus, laid on his back, kept dipping his bare feet in and out of the water. It’s been hours, he though. Where could she be?

He slid up to prop himself up on his elbows, the half-sun blazed brightly but within minutes it would be dark. The last time they met things had gone so well, what could have come up in the time they had been apart that would have caused her not to come? He had to think that she wanted to come, but was prevented somehow. That made him worry. He gathered himself up and stood to watch the last remnants of light slip beyond his view.

He wasn’t going home, not until he figured out why Yuna didn’t come. If he left now, he could make the last train to Gippal’s place. Maybe he could find some answers there? Rikku has to know something, he thought. She is her cousin after all.

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By the time Tidus found Gippal’s place he was soaked with rain, he was amazed he was able to find it at all. The last time he had been here, it was with Chappu and Wakka. He raised his hand and knocked loudly on the wooden door.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Who’s there?” called a voice from behind the door.

Tidus scratched his head; he probably should have sent a message ahead that he was coming. “It’s Ti, is Gippal there?”

The door swung open so fast it was hard to follow with his eyes. Standing there in front of him was not the muscled, eye-patched, imposing figure of Gippal; but the tall, wiry-framed, redheaded figure of Chappu, who was standing there with nothing but boxer shorts and a broad grin on his face.

“Tidus!” He yelled clapping him loudly on the back, just a little too hard. He then grabbed him and pulled him in for a nice big “man-hug” It was then that Tidus noticed the rather strong scent of Vodka.

Tidus managed to pull himself away from the stumbling Chappu. “I was going to ask you why you were wearing only your underwear, but…” he paused, looking passed Chappu to the group of giggling girls, all fully clothed, surrounding the kitchen table. They had a half empty bottle of Mt. Gagazet Vodka, and a deck of cards lay out on the table. Chappu followed his gaze, and then turned back to him with a lazy smile.

“So, I take it that you’re losing the game?” Tidus asked.

“I like to think of it as they are winning a little extra.” He grinned emphatically, “You know, winning the game AND getting to take in all of this.” He motioned to his body, sweeping his arm up and down.

“Right.” Tidus rolled his eyes, “So do you live here now buddy?”

“Yeah, basically.” Chappu said, “But I’m not too sure Gippal has figured that out yet.” He smiled oh-so-charmingly, “Just sort of came for a visit and never left, ya.”

“Well since you do live here, and I am getting even more soaked in the rain, do you think that I might be able to come in?”

“Oh yeah! Yeah, for sure.” he said as he stumbled backwards to make room for Tidus to enter the house.

“Is Rikku here?” Tidus asked quirking an eyebrow at Wakka who had been literally drank under the table.

“Yeah, she’s here.” Chappu responded, “Her and Gippal are upstairs. But best be knocking before entering,” he snickered.

“Yeah sure thing,” Tidus said. He looked at the girls at the table and motioned to Chappu, “Please make sure he makes it through tonight.” They smiled and nodded back. Tidus made his way up the stairs, as he passed the balcony, he paused. That’s why I’m here. To find out what happened to Yuna. Regaining his courage, he knocked on the door to Gippal’s room.

“For Yevon’s sake Chappu, you already drank all my booze. Go get one of your girlfriends to buy you some!” came Gippal’s irritated voice.

“It’s not Chappu.” Tidus called back. He could hear sounds of rustling from behind the door, and prayed to Yevon that Chappu had been wrong, because that way far more awkwardness that he was prepared to deal with at the moment. The door opened and Gippal was behind it.

“Ti!” he exclaimed. “Wow, how have you been? I had no idea that you were stopping by. It’s good to see you.”

“Good to see you too,” Tidus responded, “I didn’t know I was coming ahead of time. I actually wanted to know if I could talk to Rikku for a moment. I have something that I want to ask her.”

“Sure,” came a voice from behind Gippal. Rikku walked out from behind him. There was something different about her. The smile that was usually pleasantly placed across her lips wasn’t there. In its place a grimace had taken root.

“I wanted to ask,” he began.

“…About Yunie?” She finished.

“So there is something wrong?” he asked.

Rikku ran a hand through her hair. Gippal moved aside so that Tidus could enter the room. Both men stayed standing as Rikku made her way to the bed and sat on the edge. She looked up at Tidus.

“I haven’t been able to see her for the whole week, and every time I go to make sure that she is okay I am turned away at the door,” she explained as she twisted her fingers together, staring at her feet. “I’m Yunie's cousin, for Yevon’s sake. There is no reason why I wouldn’t be allowed to see her unless something was wrong.”

Tidus nodded, “We were supposed to meet today..." he hesitated," And she didn’t show up. It made me wonder if something was up.”

Rikku looked up, "You two were meeting up?"

Tidus ruffled his hair nervously. "Yeah." He turned to Gippal, "There is actually something that I need to tell both of you."

Gippal took a seat beside Rikku on the bed; they were both looking up at him intently.

He cleared his throat, "I'm not exactly sure what Wakka or Chappu has told you about me, but there is more to my story than you probably know. I'm not from Besaid Island."

Gippal shrugged his shoulders, "Where are you from?"

"I'm from Zanarkand."

There was a moment of silence before Gippal could speak again, "Z-z-Zanarkand? What?"

Rikku stayed silent, with a not-so-surprised look on her face. Finally she said, "I know that much. Yunie told me. It doesn't bother me where you are from, as long as Yunie likes you."

Tidus wasn't all that surprised that Yuna had told Rikku that, but he still wondered, "Did she tell you the rest?"

Rikku blinked, "The rest?"

Tidus nodded solemnly. "The truth, about who I really am."

"What Yunie said was that you were from Zanarkand," she continued, "And that it didn't matter to her, because a person is more than where they come from."

"Well I'm afraid that there is more than that." He said. "You know me as Ti, but that's short for my full name, Tidus. I'm the son of Jecht of Zanarkand, brother of Shuyin."

Both Rikku and Gippal's mouths were hanging open at this point. It was several seconds before anyone spoke again.

"You're the leader of Zanarkand son," said Gippal, "And Yuna is the leader of Bevelle's daughter?" He put his face in his palms, "My head hurts."

Rikku stared straight into Tidus eyes, "What exactly is it that you want with Yunie? State secrets, a way into the palace, some kind of secret agent thing?"

Tidus rolled his eyes, "If I was a 'secret agent', why would I have just blown my cover?"

"The man has a point," said Gippal, muffled through his hands.

Rikku's eyes narrowed, "Well then, you never answered my question. What is it that you want with Yunie?"

"What I want with her?" He said, "All I want is to be with her, and her with me." He paused a moment, feeling the emotions welling up in his stomach, he felt ready to explode, but he couldn't form it into words. "I... I love her. I swear that I'm telling you the truth, all I want from Yuna is for us both to be happy, and to be together."

Gippal was looking at him, "We believe you Ti," he said, and Rikku nodded in agreement, momentarily speechless. "But you have to understand just how impossible it would be for you two to be together. There are some things in this world that are bigger than you, and bigger than love even."

"I don't care." Said Tidus simply.

"There is..." Rikku began, "There is more to it than that."

"What do you mean?" Both Tidus and Gippal asked in unison.

Rikku seemed to be having a hard time deciding if she could say what it was.

"Yevon's sake Rikku," said Gippal, "What is it?"

"Yuna's father," Rikku began, "He has been trying to find her a husband for awhile now. People say that he is sick, and wants to make sure his affairs are in order if something happens." Rikku paused for a moment. "I'm not sure about that part, but I know that there is someone that he wants Yunie to marry. No, It's worse, someone that he forced her to become engaged to. His name is Seymour and he is a total slime ball," Rikku made a face as she said his name. "I know that her father keeps moving up the date for the wedding. So that is what makes me nervous. Seymour seems really ambitious, and I know that he is after Braska's office whenever he passes on. Also the way he looks at Yunie, it's scary." She looked at Tidus for the first time during her speech, "I know she wanted to tell you, she told me so. She just didn't know where to start. Being around you made her forget all the terrible things in her life... so she probably had a hard time talking about it. You know?"

Tidus nodded silently. He wasn't sure what to feel. Something in his gut told him that this was the reason why Yuna couldn't show up. The thought of this Seymour guy, touching Yuna, marrying her, made him sick to his stomach. Jealously and rage were at war within him. "I have to stop it. I won't let him marry her." He stated firmly.

Rikku nodded, "I am with you."

"Me too," said Gippal, "Do you know how long we have?"

"The last time Yunie mentioned it, she said her father had moved it up to six months. But that was a while ago. It could be sooner now."

"We have to stop it," he said again. "But first, Rikku, is there any way that I could sneak in to the Palace to see her. If she can't come to us, I would like to go to her."

"It would be very dangerous," she said. "Especially if they know who you are. I don't know what they might do to you."

"I am willing to take the risk if you can get me in."

"Okay," She nodded, "Tomorrow I will show you the back gate, it leads directly to the pool and garden that are right under Yunie's balcony. This time of year it is too rainy, so no one really uses the pool. If you sneak across there to the wall, you can try to climb up the vines on to her balcony."

"Have you ever tried this way?" He asked her.

"No I don't think I could climb up the vines, but I will distract the guards for you while you sneak in the gate."

"It's a plan."

--------------------------------------------

The air was getting colder; it felt heavy, as if droplets of water were hovering around. Distracting the guards proved to be an easy job for Rikku, who Tidus could still hear making a scene about how the stones along the walkway were too uneven and she had stubbed her toe, or some other insignificant thing. He was sure the guards would have been able to ignore her, except that she was ear piercingly loud.

He was currently making his way through a thicket of bushes; he could see the light of an opening coming up ahead of him. Walking through bushes without making any noise is a lot more difficult than it sounds during the planning process, he thought to himself as his foot got caught on a root, almost tripping him. Silently cursing he tumbled out on to the pool deck. Quickly regaining his cover he crept close to the wall. As soon as he was sure that there was no one in the area that could have heard him, he began to move.

The pool was probably the largest one he had ever laid eyes on. He was almost sure you could play Blitzball in a pool that size. On the opposite side of where he was perched, he could see Yuna's balcony, and the wall of vines Rikku had told him about. He sincerely hoped that wouldn't be as much trouble to get up, as he feared.

Tidus was still having a difficult time coming to grips with the fact that Yuna had a fiancé. An unwanted fiancé to be sure, but he felt jealously retching his insides until it all felt like jelly. I have to tell her, he thought to himself. I have to have my chance; I have to tell her that I love her. There is no one else.

He wrapped his arms around himself, trying to retain some of the warmth in his body, but the wet and the cold were winning.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yuna lay on her bed staring up at the ceiling. She was searching for patterns in the white textured surface. Her bedroom was beginning to feel like the prison that she knew it was. It had been eight days since she found out the oh-so-wonderful news that she was about to become Mrs. Seymour Guado in a month, now it was only three weeks left. Ugh, she shuddered. Every time that she thought about it, a twisting feeling would begin in her stomach. Great, now he really is making me sick, she though, I think I preferred it when it was only a metaphor.

Since that night she hadn’t really left her room, except to eat. If she had gone anywhere, there was no doubt in her mind that he would have had her followed. He was already using her relationship with Tidus as blackmail, there was no need to implicate any more of her loved ones, like Rikku or Gippal. Seymour would use anyone or anything to achieve his ends, especially if it meant her obedience.

More than anything she wished that she could have sent a message to Tidus. In her heart she knew that he came yesterday, and he probably waited a long time for her not to show up. But she couldn’t, it was too dangerous. Whatever fate awaited her at Seymour’s hands, she did not want Tidus to feel pain, or to be caught up in it.

She grabbed a pillow and pushed it down over her face. Just a week ago life had seemed so sunny, and bright. Now she felt as if she was hurdling at top speed through a dark cave, aware of the dangers that lurk at every side, but knowing that she must become a part of it. That sunny world, and all that it entailed, was lost to her now. If she could have, she probably would have cried. At this point she felt like there were just no more tears left to cry.

Suddenly there was a noise, and a rather loud one at that. It sounded like a thud followed by a muffled cry. Yuna slid to the edge of her bed and swung her legs over the side. She could hear rustling in the hallway, which was proof, that she was not the only person who heard it. Standing up, she made her way across her room to the two large doors that gave her access to her balcony. Brushing aside the floor length white lace curtains she opened the double doors.

Yuna was in such a state of shock at what she saw, that it took her a moment to recover. Tidus was clinging tightly with both arms to the railing on her balcony. His body was dangling precariously below him. It appeared as if he had attempted to jump from the vines on the wall on to the balcony.

“Yuna…” he gasped, clearly very out of breath. “Help… me... before… someone sees!”

Springing to action she grabbed a hold of his arms and pulled with all of her strength. She could feel the muscles in her arms burning from the strain. Finally she managed to pull him up, but he was coming up a bit to fast at the end and slammed into her full force, knocking them both on to the floor. He was lying directly on top of her, their eyes locked in a stare. Before either of them had time to say anything, there was a loud knock at Yuna’s bedroom door.

“Get under my bed,” she whispered hastily at Tidus, getting herself up from underneath him.

“What? Your Bed?” He whispered doubtfully.

“Just do it,” she ordered, “Hurry!”

Tidus crawled on his knees over to her bed and wedged himself in the space between the bed frame and the floor. Yuna quickly, and as quietly as she could, shut the double doors to the balcony. She flattened out her hair with her hands, and fixed her short pale blue dress, which had looked rather disarrayed from Tidus landing on it.

She reached the door just as they were knocking for a fourth time. There were several security guards standing in the hallway. “I’m sorry,” said Yuna, “I was taking a nap. What’s happened?”

“There may be an intruder on the premises,” said one of the men, “Have you seen or heard anything suspicious?”

Yuna shook her head, “No I haven’t, I’m sorry.”

The second guard spoke up, “We are going to do a search of the area, it is probably best if you lay low in your room, and make sure to lock the door.”

“Of course,” Yuna nodded, “Thank you for letting me know.”

With a nod of acknowledgement then men were off. Yuna shut the door and fastened the lock, as well as the deadbolt. She didn’t want anyone else to be coming inside. She scanned the room, and walked to her balcony doors, also fastening the lock. Now, without use of extreme force, no one was getting in.

Yuna turned back to the bed, “Tidus?” she called softly as she walked. There was no response. “Tidus?” she asked again, becoming concerned. She kneeled down by the side of her bed and ducked her head so she could see under. “Did you fall asleep?” she asked incredulously. She could see his chest rising and falling, but got no vocal response to her question. This whole situation was so utterly bizarre she couldn’t help but laugh. How did he fall asleep, she thought to herself.

Unsure of what to do, she got a broom that was in her closet. Clutching the base end of it, she poked him in the ribs.

“Gah!?” Tidus sputtered, “What’s going on? Where am I?” He brought his head up fast and whacked it off of her bed frame. He muttered several curses.

“It’s okay,” Yuna tried to get his attention, “Over here Tidus. It’s me Yuna. For some still unknown reason you snuck in to Bevelle Palace and jumped onto my balcony.”

“Help me out of here,” he asked. She reached her arm out to him and helped him pull himself out and up on to the bed.

He ran a hand through his blonde hair, “Well, it’s much nicer up here ON the bed.” He shot her a crooked smile.

Yuna sat down beside him on the bed and crossed her arms; she was about to demand to know why he had risked so much to see her when she really looked at him. She hadn’t noticed until now but he had several large gashes, which were still bleeding. The one was a rip right through the middle of his shirt. “Tidus...” she began, “What happened to you?”

He looked down, “Oh, yeah. Don’t worry about it. I just didn’t realize until I was hanging from it, that the vines on the wall outside were covered in thorns.” He ran a hand across the wound on his abdomen and winced.

Yuna frowned, “Wait here,” she said, “Let me get something for that.” She got up and walked into her on-suite bathroom. She came out carrying a bottle of rubbing alcohol and some ripped white cloth. “Here, take off your shirt and I will make sure these don’t get infected.”

Tidus raised his arms above his head and lifted off his shirt, his face showed the strain from his wounds. Yuna moved closer to him, “This may hurt.” She said apologetically.

He smiled at her, “Do your worst.”

When the alcohol touched his cuts she could see the pain in his eyes, but he was doing an admirable job at trying to hide it from her. He made a small whimper now and then, but Yuna pretended not to notice. As she was finishing bandaging him up, he took her hand in his. “Yuna…” he breathed.

She raised her eyes to meet him. There was so much emotion, it was almost pouring out of him. She felt the skin of her face go hot, she must have been blushing, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. “Why did you come?” She asked him.

“I had to see you,” He said simply. “When you didn’t show up in Macalania, I got worried something had happened.” He positioned his body and laid out flat on the bed. Yuna moved up, and lay down at his side. Their hands were still touching, and he held her eyes captive with his own.

“Yes, something did happen.” She frowned. She didn’t know how to even begin to explain her sad situation with Seymour.

He continued on with his story, “I waited for a long time, and then decided I had to find out. So I took the lift-train to Gippal’s. Figuring since Rikku was your cousin, she might know what happened to you.”

Yuna raised her eyebrows. Rikku… she though, did you tell him? “What did Rikku tell you?” she asked apprehensively.

She felt Tidus’ grip on her fingers tighten, and he pulled her hand closer to his body. “She told me… “ He finally said, “That you were likely not able to leave… because of your… fiancé.”

Yuna snapped her hand back to her side and sat up on the bed. Tidus sat up as well, just staring at her, waiting for her to say something. She couldn’t believe it, this was the second time she had been unable to tell him something herself. She felt so small, so ashamed of herself. “Tidus I…” her voice broke with emotion, “I was going to tell you, I swear it.”

She felt him move closer to her, and he gently rested his palm on the top of her hand. “I know,” he told her.

“No, I… I didn’t want you to find out this way. I don’t even want to marry him,” she sputtered, “I’m being forced. When we were together everything felt lighter than air. I could have been able to fly I was so happy. I just, I couldn’t think about it.” She felt the hot, salty tears already streaming down her face.

“I believe you,” he said, trying to reassure her. “Yuna, just don’t do it. Don’t go through with it.”

She looked at him shocked, “What?”

“Forget about all of this, forget about Bevelle, about politics.” He explained, “You know, live a normal life. What do you say?”

Yuna thought about that idea, just leaving everything behind and not looking back. “Maybe I will.” She said calmly, trying to imagine what that would be like. “Wouldn’t everyone be surprised.” She thought about her father, about Auron, all her friends.

“Except Rikku,” he said, “She’d be with you. She’d understand.”

Yuna nodded, she knew that this was all very true. “What will I do though? This has been my life for as long as I can remember.”

Tidus looked deep in thought, as if he was unsure to say something. “Let’s go to Zanarkand.”

Her eyes widened, he couldn’t be serious. “Pardon?”

He moved in closer, reaching out and touching her face with his hands, they were so gentle on her skin. “Run away with me, come to Zanarkand.” He whispered in her ear.

She decided to indulge the fantasy, “What is Zanarkand like?” she asked, “What would you want to show me.”

He smiled at her, “Let’s go to the sea, before the sunrise. The city lights go out one by one. The stars fade…”

Yuna closed her eyes as he continued to describe where he wanted to take her. The smooth sound of his voice, and the warmth of his hands, which now rested on her hands, gave a dream like quality to his words.

“Then the horizon glows,” he said, “Almost like it’s on fire. It’s kind of rose-colored, right? First in the sea, then it spreads to the sky, then to the whole city. It gets brighter, and brighter… till everything glows.”

She could feel his excitement reverberating off of him as he spoke. Even though it sounded so beautiful, she couldn’t help the gnawing feeling that was starting to grind in her stomach.

“It’s really… pretty.” He finished, staring into her eyes. “I know you’d like it.”

Yuna nodded, the knot in her stomach growing. “I’d like to see it, someday.”

Tidus flashed her a smile, “Well you can, Yuna. We can both go!”

She couldn’t take it anymore. The fantasy wasn’t ever going to come true. She would have to marry Seymour; she would have to bend to her father’s will. She couldn’t risk the lives or well-being of people she loved. She just couldn’t be that selfish. Her whole body started to shake; all she wanted was to be able to be that selfish. To find somewhere that her and Tidus could go, where no one would judge them. No one would think anything of the fact that they were together. She knew tears were spilling out, Tidus had been trying to get her attention, and he sounded so worried. This only made her cry more.

“Yu..” he started to say, his arm was against her back, trying to comfort her.

“I can’t go, I just can’t.” She managed to whisper, “I can’t go.”

“Yuna…” He said again. He gathered her up into his lap and wrapped his arms around her, surrounding her in his warmth.

“I’m helpless,” she cried into his chest. “If I don’t marry him, he will go after people I care about. He already knows about us. He had someone tail me last time. That is why I couldn’t risk going back to Macalania. He said he would tell my father, and have you killed if I ever saw you again.”

“That won’t happen Yuna,” he said, he sounded so confident in his words. “I promise you that will not happen, and I also swear to you...” He pulled her away from his chest, to look in her eyes, “I swear to you Yuna, I will not let him marry you. I will find a way out for you at any cost. I… I love you, and I will kill him if he tries to touch you. With every last ounce of my strength I will fight for you.”

Yuna felt like her heart was going to explode. It was so impossible, but she believed him. She believed he could do what he said. “Tidus… I love you too.”

That was all he needed to hear, and when his lips came crashing down on her own, it was all she could do to surrender to the wave. This kiss drove her into oblivion and back; their bodies felt like they were charged with electricity.

Her hands were on his chest, avoiding his wounds but trying so desperately to discover, to touch, to feel anything and everything that was him. She was gripping and kneading his skin as if to prove he actually existed, that he was something tactile, and real, and he was doing the same.

The lay down on her bed, their lips together and bodies entangled, he whispered in her ear, “I feel as if my body and soul are going to burst apart from wanting you.”

She kissed him back intensely, to tell him that she felt the same. She could not form the words, to get them out, but she knew that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. His arms came around her back and slowly undid the zipper to her dress. She wriggled out of it, and caught his eyes as he was staring at her, only in her bra and underwear.

“You’re beautiful.” He said.

Clothes were discarded one by one, until they felt nothing but each other. Yuna felt as if she was melting into him, she felt exhilarated, but also frightened, “Tidus…” she said quietly after breaking off a kiss. He opened his eyes and waited for her to finish, “I’ve… never, done this before.” She said. Her face felt like it was getting warm again, all the blood rushing to her cheeks to betray her nervousness.

He just smiled at her, “You don’t have to worry, if you want to stop, just say when. I don’t want to do anything that you’re not comfortable with.”

“Thank you,” she said, “But it’s not that. I just, I don’t want to disappoint you.”

He looked honestly taken aback. “Yuna, never for one moment have you disappointed me. I could never want anyone but you.”

“You are all I have ever wanted,” she said, “Stay with me, until the end. Please?”

Tidus shifted his body so that Yuna was now underneath him, and he propped himself up on his elbows. “Not until the end…” he said. He lowered himself down just enough, so that his mouth was beside her ear, “Not until the end… always.” He whispered, sending shivers down her spine. “Always,” she repeated. His mouth found hers again.

In the moment their bodies connected, she felt like it was more. It was their souls joining as well, their destinies, and their lives becoming part of the same thread. She knew that he would always be a part of her, an extension of herself, her own beating heart, separate from her body.