Alrighty! This is a REWRITE attempt at "A New Start". I began writing "A New Start" in 2004 and wrote ten chapters before the Army took me away. I returned for a single chapter in 2005 then fell away again for reasons I don't recall. I've not played FFX-2 since then but due to popular demand, I am going to give it another go! Rather than pick up at Chapter 12 however, I will be redoing the whole thing.

Just a note, I do not own Rikku, Paine, or Yuna, the rest are completely mine and no one else's. Not everything will coincide with past events in FFX and FFX-2. I love both the stories but some things just had to be changed for creative purposes and for memory lapses. I will not be posting above each and every chapter unless I feel the need to do so for specific ones.

Chapter 1

Yuna sat up in a daze and looked around to find unfamiliar surroundings. The floor beneath her was cold and damp, causing her to shiver with a chill and the only illumination came from a small hole in the ceiling a few feet in front of her that allowed the moonlight in. As Yuna looked herself over, she discovered no injuries and looked up at the moonlit gap. 'Where am I and more importantly, why can't I remember how I got here?'

The sound of approaching footsteps snapped her from her thoughts and Yuna slowly drew her pistols and checked the ammo on both, discouraged at the low supply. 'It must have been a fight of some kind, why am I so low on ammo?' As the footsteps neared Yuna leveled her prized weapons at the darkness before her and trembled slightly, her fear almost as gripping as her worry for the others. 'Paine, Rikku, where are you?!'

"Yuna? Are you alright?"

That voice, it was so familiar in its calm, almost cold tone. Yuna's heart began to race as she hoped against the odds it could be…

"Paine?"

As the warrior stepped into the moonlight Yuna felt her face heat and lowered her pistol quickly, embarrassed by her rash action. Before she could speak again, Paine rushed forward and fell to both knees before Yuna and embraced her tightly, shocking Yuna into silence.

Pulling back and blushing from the uncharacteristic display of emotion, Paine inspected Yuna's face as best she could in the darkness, her eyes filled with concern. "Are you okay Yuna? Are you hurt?"

Yuna smiled and felt a blush creeping up her neck but could not understand why. "I'm fine Paine. I just have no idea where we are or how we got here." She looked around again and sighed. "Do you have any ideas?"

"No." Paine shook her head and sighed before standing with a pained grunt, obviously favoring her left side as she got to her feet. Before she could continue, Yuna yelped.

"Paine! You're bleeding!" Rushing to her knees, Yuna placed a hand on the Paine's hip and inspected the injury just below the warrior's ribs; a deep gash almost as long as Yuna's hand travelled parallel to the belt Paine wore.

Feeling uncomfortable about their current positioning, Paine pulled away with a scowl. "I'm fine, it is just a scratch."

Frowning at Paine's typical stubbornness Yuna got to her feet as well. Blood oozed steadily from the wound and disappeared into the waistline of her stoic companion who seemed oblivious of the fact. "If we don't do something about it, it will only get worse Paine!"

Paine rolled her eyes and replied coldly. "With what supplies? We have nothing on us and if we did I'd not have you waste them on me." Suddenly she gasped and reached for Yuna who was tearing at skirt. "Yuna! What are you do-"

"We're fixing you up Paine and that's that!" A defiant Yuna stared up at the taller ruby-eyed warrior; her green and blue eyes showing a toughness that halted any argument from the larger girl.

Without protesting further, Paine watched on as Yuna wrapped the makeshift bandage around the wound and tied a tight knot over the gash itself to provide steady pressure. Holding in the smile that threatened to break her disinterested exterior, Paine marveled at the gun wielder's work; it was as if she used a healing spell but without magic.

Yuna looked up with a brilliant smile that showed brightly in the moonlight. "There! All better!"

Paine felt a blush creep into her cheeks and looked away. "Yes well if you're finished we had best be off."

Curiosity was burning at Yuna with enough intensity she couldn't help but lean forward on her toes and tilt her head to see Paine's face. "What happened?"

Startled by the younger girl's intrusion, Paine attempted a half-hearted scowl but couldn't entirely suppress the smile that crept onto her face from how adorable Yuna was right now. "I was attacked by," she paused in an attempt to rationalize what she had seen, "something."

Yuna's eyes widened and she placed a hand gently over the wound causing Paine to stiffen. She seemed to accept this answer, seeing the fear dancing in the ruby eyes of her companion. "We need to get out of here. If only I could rememb-" she gasped and grabbed ahold of Paine's wrists. "Where is Rikku?"

Frowning, Paine looked off in thought. "I have not seen her since awakening here."

"We have to find her Paine!" Yuna sounded desperate. She knew her cousin was capable of getting into all kinds of trouble and in a place that caused such a wound to Paine, she was even more worried.

Paine scowled and replied in her usual distant tone. "Must we?" Turning back she saw Yuna pouting and groaned, knowing she was bested in an instant. "Let's find a way out first, Rikku is resourceful and is likely waiting for us in a warmer, drier area."

Rikku being in danger frightened Yuna terribly but she was getting quite tired of this dark, damp cave. A rumble from her stomach added to that sentiment and caused Paine to raise an eyebrow. "I can't just leave her here Paine." Yuna nearly whined.

Biting her lip, Paine nodded. "I understand Yuna, but what if we get lost while wandering further in? I know you are hungry but we have no food and I am very low on water."

Yuna sighed dejectedly. She knew Paine was right, after all she was unaware of how long they had been here or when her last meal was. "I am out of water completely and I don't know when I ate last. But promise me, when we get out we will look for Rikku okay?"

Paine immediately produced her canteen and forcibly pushed it at Yuna. "Take it."

With a frown, Yuna shook her head and pushed it away, "I can't Paine, it's yours and you are injured. You need it more than I do."

Her beautiful ruby eyes burned into Yuna's two-toned ones. "You have not had water for hours. I just had some prior to seeing you, take it." The lie came out easily enough; in truth Paine hadn't touched it apart from a single sip upon awakening hours before. She had reserved the rest for when she found Yuna.

Yuna nodded and accepted it, drinking a little from it to wet her parched throat. "Alright, let's get out of here."

Paine nodded and took Yuna's hand, responding quickly to her questioning gaze as she did so. "So that I don't lose you again."

Yuna smiled and nodded. "Okay, let's go."

After what felt like hours of walking, Yuna noticed a change in her companion's movements and appearance. Her face was pale, almost ghost-like and covered in a sheen of sweat. She had also slowed down noticeably and favored her left side significantly; the wound she had brushed off earlier was a lot worse than she let show. Coming to a stop she smiled as Paine looked at her questioningly.

"Paine?"

"Yes Yuna?"

She looked around. "We're lost, could we maybe rest for a bit?" She knew that by making it seem like she was asking, Paine would consider the request. If she tried bringing up Paine's condition she would be blown off for sure.

Paine thought a moment, knowing it would be better to keep going, but aware of her own physical condition. "Alright, we can rest."

Yuna smiled and sat down, motioning for Paine to come over. Paine walked over and looked down at her questioning. "Come on, It's cold, we can use each other's body heat to keep warm."

Feeling her face heat up, Paine found herself glad for the darkness to hide the blush she knew was overtaking her face. 'What is wrong with me? Why do I feel this way?' Shaking her head she nodded and knelt down next to Yuna before lying beside her.

As Paine draped an arm over her, Yuna felt electricity at the touch and couldn't help but feel a blush of her own rising. Within moments Yuna was asleep, for the first time in as long as she could remember not only did she feel warm, but secure.