Disclaimer: i don't own FFX2 or any of the characters
Chapter 1: Paine's in pain
Paine sat in the cabin of the Celsius at one of the tables thinking. Rikku stumbled upon her and sat down across from her. "You feelin' alright Paine? You kinda haven't been yourself lately."
Paine looked up at Rikku and half smiled. "I'm fine Rikku just thinking that's all."
Rikku looked at the older girl and raised an eyebrow. "Yunie is even worried about you. It's almost like you are board being a sphere hunter."
Paine looked at Rikku and sighed. "I'm not board with being a sphere hunter. It's just after opening the Den of Woe and fighting Yuna and then fighting Vegnagun, it's just made me think that's all. Look Rikku it's not you or any of the others I just need time to forget my past."
"Forgetting your past in some ways is forgetting us you know." Yuna looked at Paine from the balcony.
Paine looked up at Yuna and smiled softly then hung her head. "I don't mean the past we've shared I mean the past before I met you guys. When I was their recorder, that's the past I want to forget. I want to forget watching all those men in the Crimson Squad kill each other. I want to forget getting shot by Nooj. I just want to forget all that."
Yuna walked down the stairs and put a hand on Paine's shoulder. "Our past is part of who we are. To forget your past is to forget a part of yourself."
Paine looked up at Yuna and smiled. "So much for Dr. P looks like its Dr. Y now."
Rikku chuckled and spoke to Paine in Al-Bhed. "Suna mega y pmeht cxiennem ev oy ycg sa." Rikku laughed.
Paine chuckled and shook her head. "Sayh pid dnia."
Yuna glared at her friends. "It's not fair speaking Al-Bhed you know I don't understand it."
Rikku smirked. "Now you know why we're speaking it."
Paine shook her head. "That's not very nice Rikku."
Rikku: more like a blind squirrel if ya ask me.
Paine: Mean but true --------------------------------------------------------------
"Thank you Paine." Yuna smiled and set a hand on the leather clad girls bare shoulder.
Paine smiled softly and crossed her arms across her chest. "Don't mention it Yuna."
Yuna looked at her friend knowing why she was feeling so down she smiled. "I don't want you to worry about what happened at Mushroom Rock, when we opened the Den of Woe it really wasn't your fault."
Paine looked over her shoulder at Yuna and smiled. "Thanks really."
Rikku smiled. "I told ya Yunie wasn't mad at you. If she could forgive me, she sure could forgive you."
Paine looked at Yuna then at Rikku and smiled softly. She was about to speak when Brother came across the p.a. "Gullwings…report to the bridge."
Yuna and Rikku ran towards the bridge. Paine sighed and stood up and walked to the elevator and went to the bridge. "What now?"
Buddy spoke quickly. "We're getting sphere waves coming from Zanerkand. Which is odd because it was quiet there up till about 10 minutes ago?"
"Well let's go and check it out." Yuna nodded to Buddy.
Buddy nodded and they flew to Zanerkand. Once the girls were on the ground they encountered a feind that was almost invincible. They were all on their last legs when Yuna decided to use her white mage dress sphere to heal them. As she was changing the feind went to attack her. Rikku was no help she was powering up a black mage spell. Paine growled and stepped in front of Yuna taking the blow full force. All Yuna saw after she was changed was Paine fall to her knees. It all seemed like slow motion watching her friend fall. Yuna tried to yell her friends name but nothing came out. Paine fell to the ground with a soft moan and Yuna went back to being a gunner and her attack combined with one of Rikku's level three black magic spells finally killed the feind. Yuna knelt down and rolled Paine onto her back. "Paine are you ok."
Paine moaned softly and opened her red eyes slowly half way and nodded. "I'm fine." Paine winced in pain as she stood up.
"Maybe you should sit this one out Paine." Rikku's green eyes shimmered and shown with worry.
Paine looked at Rikku and spoke in Al-Bhed. "E's ug naymmo Rikku, bmayca tuh'd funno ypuid sa."
Rikku nodded. "If you say so, but so you know I'll be watching you to make sure."
Paine smirked. "Fair enough I suppose. Lets go get that sphere huh." Inside Paine concealed the fact that she had a few broken ribs. She hid her pain from her friends up until they retrieved the sphere. After fighting the boss feind that guarded the sphere Paine dropped her sword and fell to one knee.
Yuna retrieved the sphere and Rikku ran to Paine's side. "Paine you are not ok you lied to me." Rikku looked at the silver haired girl and frowned. "Oui yna cu cdippunh. E lyh'd pameaja oui vuikrd rind. Cu ruf syho yna pnuga?"
"Ypuid ceq E drehg." Paine winced in pain again.
Paine: I'm ok really Rikku, please don't worry about me.
Rikku: You are so stubborn. I can't believe you fought hurt. So how many are broke?
Paine: about six I think ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------