A/N: Whenever I get writers block I writes something else. So while I was working on Two Worlds Apart this suddenly came to me about how Rikku and Paine even met in the first place and how they lost touch. The first chapter is pretty short but chapter two is in the works.

Best Friends For Never

Chapter One

She didn't want to be here. She wanted to go home. She wanted her mom and dad. She wanted Dona. But they were all gone. Dona was at the temple. Why was it that she had to be everywhere but where she was. She wanted her mom back from the farplane. She wanted her dad to come back from where ever he had gone. Why did everyone have to abandon her? Now she was stuck here at this school in the middle of the Bikanil Desert and she had no friends or family.

Sitting at her desk she watched all the other little kids playing. There was a little blonde girl with pigtails and she was the center of attention. Everyone always wanted to play with her. She remembered her first day at Bikanil Community School. Rikku had run up to her and started blubbering on about something and Paine had simply walked away. Rikku never tried to talk to her again after that. And that was all well and good because Paine didn't want any friends. She wanted her life to be the way it was. They way it was before Sin had destroyed everything in her life.

"Paine?" One of the afternoon aides had appeared before her waving their hand in her face. "Paine? Honey, I need you to come with me. I need you to come with me right now, ok?"

Immediately she knew that something was really wrong. Something just wasn't right. Why did this woman want her to go with her and where were they going?

Reluctantly, Paine rose and followed the woman out of the classroom. She had a look of pity on her face and Paine absolutely hated it when people felt sorry for her. So what if Yevon had dealt her some bad cards, sometimes chimeras eat your baby. What can you do?

When they arrived at the front office the principal, vice-principal, the councilor and her social worker were all waiting for her. "Paine," her social worker said gently, "Honey, I'm sorry I am going to have to tell you something that you aren't going to like. And you are going to have to be a really good girl for me and do as I say ok?"

Paine didn't move, she stood there with her tiny little fists clenched together and stared off looking at nothing in particular. She hated when people called her honey. She hated when people tried to handle her with kiddie gloves.

"We are going to have to place you with another family. I am so sorry to have to move you again but we really have to do this honey. But the good news is that we already have a family for you and they want you to move there today. "

She didn't know what to say. She never knew what to say in this situation. This wasn't the first time that they had switched her foster homes. People didn't want a kid that wasn't bubbly. They wanted those fun adventurous one and that wasn't Paine. She felt like she was born with her eyes open. She saw things that kids her age didn't. This time wouldn't be any different than the others, they would keep her for a few months and then exchange her for a new one. So she would do what she always did, silently go and wait for the next trade.

"Look on the bright side hun, one of your classmates is going to be part of your new family," she continued. " You girls will have so much fun together. I just have a good feeling about it this time. And if you ever need anything the I am here for you and so is the entire staff here at school."

This was different. There had never been other children before. It had always been just her. She wondered who it could be. Paine didn't want another sister. She just wanted Dona back and then she would be happy.

"Honey, you know Rikku, right?"