Paines in the Past
By: Mari the Homicidal Maniac
Disclaimer: Mari: *sighs* Great. I have to do one of these again. *Looks at Toey* Do you want to do it?
Toey: NO! Just do it!
Mari: Ok! Ok, Mr. Pushy!
Toey: I'm a guy?
Mari: *shrugs* Eh. Who knows?
Toey: Aren't you supposed to be disclaiming?
Mari: Ok, keep your fur on! *Monotonously* I do not own Square Enix or Final Fantasy X-2.
Toey: It would be cool if you did, though.
Mari: With your luck you'd break it.
Toey: Just read and review the story will ya?
It was yet another uneventful day in Mi'ihen Village, and Paine was getting bored. Sparring against her brothers could only fill up so much time. Now, she sat with them on the roof of the Travel Agency and watched as chocobos sped by. The tree of them often came here to watch summoners pass through on their pilgrimage to defeat Sin. If they were lucky, they would get to see them summon one of the legendary aeons that summoners called upon in battle. But such occasions were rare.
Paine sighed and lay back against the roof. "So," she said, "What do you guys wanna do with your lives when we leave here?"
Her youngest brother, Corin, was the first to answer. "I wanna be a Crusader!" He shouted and pumped his fist into the air. "Sin'll shake in terror when he hears MY name!" Paine chuckled slightly and ruffled his hair. "You do that squirt."
"I want to travel all over Spira and become a great philosopher like Maechen," replied Crew, her other brother. He was wiser well beyond his years and loved books more than anything else in the world.
Paine rolled her eyes at her 13-year-old brother's plan. "Him? Honestly, Crew; the man doesn't even remember how old he is! He spends most of his time crouched over and looking at statues! Is that what you want your life to be like?"
Crew scowled at her. "Well, I'd like to hear you come up with something better, Miss Smarty Pants!"
Smiling that dreamy smile of hers, she stared up at a passing gull. "I want to join the Crimson Squad."
"The what?" her brothers chorused.
"It's some sort of elite fighting force that Maester Kinoc started. You go all around Spira, fighting fiends, toppling machina. Sound's like heaven compared to here!"
Corin scrunched up his face in confusion and Crew just shrugged. They went back to silently watching the ocean.
Finally, Paine had had enough. She sat up and jumped off the roof. "You guy's want to go to Luca? I hear the Beasts and Goers are at it again for the championship."
Crew slid off the roof. "I dunno, sis. I heard Sin was pretty active today."
"Oh come on guys! When was the last time that Sin attacked Luca?" she said, waving off the warning.
Her youngest brother shook his head as well. As much as he would have liked to go see a blitzball game, he went along with whatever Crew did. Realizing that they wouldn't change their minds, Paine scoffed and trotted down the Highroad. As usual, she was careful for fiends, which attacked even with all of the crusaders patrolling the road.
At last, the great city of Luca appeared in her view. It was the largest city in all of Spira. Cities never got any bigger than Luca, because when a lot of people started to gather, Sin came.
She jogged over to the booth and bought a ticket for the game. Legend had it that it was played in Zanarkand 1000 years ago before the city was destroyed.
The Championship for the cup was between the Luca Goers and the Kilika Beasts, two of the best teams around. Paine found a spot in the crowd and sat down just as the pipes turned on and the sphere began to fill with water. She smiled and opened her mouth to root for the Goers, when her brief moment of serenity was shattered.
A tremor shook the stadium. Then another, and another! She felt the air grow colder as a shadow passed over the sun. Her head turned upward...
"SIN!!!" the horrible sound that everyone dreaded erupted from the crowd, conveying all of their emotions into that single, terrifying word. Sin. Destroyer. Murderer.
Paine wasted no time in getting to the Highroad. She couldn't stop Sin, but she could at least save her family. Her feet acted on their own accord, propelling her forward through the screaming crowds.
Someone grabbed her arm as she left the perimeter of Luca. A Crusader. "I'm sorry, miss, you can't go that way. That's where Sin is coming from!" But Paine could not be stopped. Red eyes blazing in fury, she whirled around and drove the point of her sword into him. She didn't care. She just kept on running.
It was just a little bit longer to get to the village. She saw it all in her head. Her brothers would rush toward her, wind whipping at their clothes. They would rescue her parents and hide in the underground shelter that they had built on the Oldroad. And Sin would come and destroy the village, but it could all be rebuilt. At least they would be together.
She rounded the corner, mouth open to yell for them.
The village was gone. Every bit of wood and grass had been taken away by the wind. "Corin!" she shouted into the emptiness. "Crew! Answer me, damn you!" Her short, brown hair wildly flew around her face. She looked in the direction of the Oldroad, and saw only a crater. The whole shelter had been ripped out.
Her bloody sword clattered on the remaining stones, and she fell with it. "How..." she murmured. "How can this be happening?" She drew in a sharp breath as a low, inhuman moan resonated behind her.
She didn't need to look to know what was there.
Hands clenched into fists, she rose to face Sin.
It looked like a gigantic, flying, whale, with monsters dripping out of its leathery body. Arrow-like fiends shot everywhere from its hideous shell.
"How could you?" she hissed between her teeth, all her fear gone. "How can you do this?" Then she looked up into the face of death... and death's jaws parted in a hideous, diabolical smile.
One of the arrow-fiends flew at her, and struck her in the chest. She staggered back, feeling blood trickle out of the wound. Her vision of the monster blurred and went black.
She knew no more.
Toey: "She knew no more." Don't you think that's kind of clichéd?
Mari: *shrugs* Meh. It works. You know, I'm not sure where Paine used to live, so I just picked the Mi'ihen Highroad.
Toey: ...Whatever. Oh by the way, see that little purple button down below? The one that says Go? Click on it. Now.
Disclaimer: Mari: *sighs* Great. I have to do one of these again. *Looks at Toey* Do you want to do it?
Toey: NO! Just do it!
Mari: Ok! Ok, Mr. Pushy!
Toey: I'm a guy?
Mari: *shrugs* Eh. Who knows?
Toey: Aren't you supposed to be disclaiming?
Mari: Ok, keep your fur on! *Monotonously* I do not own Square Enix or Final Fantasy X-2.
Toey: It would be cool if you did, though.
Mari: With your luck you'd break it.
Toey: Just read and review the story will ya?
It was yet another uneventful day in Mi'ihen Village, and Paine was getting bored. Sparring against her brothers could only fill up so much time. Now, she sat with them on the roof of the Travel Agency and watched as chocobos sped by. The tree of them often came here to watch summoners pass through on their pilgrimage to defeat Sin. If they were lucky, they would get to see them summon one of the legendary aeons that summoners called upon in battle. But such occasions were rare.
Paine sighed and lay back against the roof. "So," she said, "What do you guys wanna do with your lives when we leave here?"
Her youngest brother, Corin, was the first to answer. "I wanna be a Crusader!" He shouted and pumped his fist into the air. "Sin'll shake in terror when he hears MY name!" Paine chuckled slightly and ruffled his hair. "You do that squirt."
"I want to travel all over Spira and become a great philosopher like Maechen," replied Crew, her other brother. He was wiser well beyond his years and loved books more than anything else in the world.
Paine rolled her eyes at her 13-year-old brother's plan. "Him? Honestly, Crew; the man doesn't even remember how old he is! He spends most of his time crouched over and looking at statues! Is that what you want your life to be like?"
Crew scowled at her. "Well, I'd like to hear you come up with something better, Miss Smarty Pants!"
Smiling that dreamy smile of hers, she stared up at a passing gull. "I want to join the Crimson Squad."
"The what?" her brothers chorused.
"It's some sort of elite fighting force that Maester Kinoc started. You go all around Spira, fighting fiends, toppling machina. Sound's like heaven compared to here!"
Corin scrunched up his face in confusion and Crew just shrugged. They went back to silently watching the ocean.
Finally, Paine had had enough. She sat up and jumped off the roof. "You guy's want to go to Luca? I hear the Beasts and Goers are at it again for the championship."
Crew slid off the roof. "I dunno, sis. I heard Sin was pretty active today."
"Oh come on guys! When was the last time that Sin attacked Luca?" she said, waving off the warning.
Her youngest brother shook his head as well. As much as he would have liked to go see a blitzball game, he went along with whatever Crew did. Realizing that they wouldn't change their minds, Paine scoffed and trotted down the Highroad. As usual, she was careful for fiends, which attacked even with all of the crusaders patrolling the road.
At last, the great city of Luca appeared in her view. It was the largest city in all of Spira. Cities never got any bigger than Luca, because when a lot of people started to gather, Sin came.
She jogged over to the booth and bought a ticket for the game. Legend had it that it was played in Zanarkand 1000 years ago before the city was destroyed.
The Championship for the cup was between the Luca Goers and the Kilika Beasts, two of the best teams around. Paine found a spot in the crowd and sat down just as the pipes turned on and the sphere began to fill with water. She smiled and opened her mouth to root for the Goers, when her brief moment of serenity was shattered.
A tremor shook the stadium. Then another, and another! She felt the air grow colder as a shadow passed over the sun. Her head turned upward...
"SIN!!!" the horrible sound that everyone dreaded erupted from the crowd, conveying all of their emotions into that single, terrifying word. Sin. Destroyer. Murderer.
Paine wasted no time in getting to the Highroad. She couldn't stop Sin, but she could at least save her family. Her feet acted on their own accord, propelling her forward through the screaming crowds.
Someone grabbed her arm as she left the perimeter of Luca. A Crusader. "I'm sorry, miss, you can't go that way. That's where Sin is coming from!" But Paine could not be stopped. Red eyes blazing in fury, she whirled around and drove the point of her sword into him. She didn't care. She just kept on running.
It was just a little bit longer to get to the village. She saw it all in her head. Her brothers would rush toward her, wind whipping at their clothes. They would rescue her parents and hide in the underground shelter that they had built on the Oldroad. And Sin would come and destroy the village, but it could all be rebuilt. At least they would be together.
She rounded the corner, mouth open to yell for them.
The village was gone. Every bit of wood and grass had been taken away by the wind. "Corin!" she shouted into the emptiness. "Crew! Answer me, damn you!" Her short, brown hair wildly flew around her face. She looked in the direction of the Oldroad, and saw only a crater. The whole shelter had been ripped out.
Her bloody sword clattered on the remaining stones, and she fell with it. "How..." she murmured. "How can this be happening?" She drew in a sharp breath as a low, inhuman moan resonated behind her.
She didn't need to look to know what was there.
Hands clenched into fists, she rose to face Sin.
It looked like a gigantic, flying, whale, with monsters dripping out of its leathery body. Arrow-like fiends shot everywhere from its hideous shell.
"How could you?" she hissed between her teeth, all her fear gone. "How can you do this?" Then she looked up into the face of death... and death's jaws parted in a hideous, diabolical smile.
One of the arrow-fiends flew at her, and struck her in the chest. She staggered back, feeling blood trickle out of the wound. Her vision of the monster blurred and went black.
She knew no more.
Toey: "She knew no more." Don't you think that's kind of clichéd?
Mari: *shrugs* Meh. It works. You know, I'm not sure where Paine used to live, so I just picked the Mi'ihen Highroad.
Toey: ...Whatever. Oh by the way, see that little purple button down below? The one that says Go? Click on it. Now.