A/N: My first final fantasy X-2 story, I hope everyone will enjoy. Before you get too into it I just want to say I'm still not entirely sure about the direction this will take or how often I'll be able to update it, just so you know.
Re-writing the first two chapters to see if I can get back into the swing of this story again. I'm also playing ffx-2 again to try and help with character personalities.
Disclaimer: (For the whole story) any characters/ resemblances from FFX-2 or any other FF game are the property of their respective owners.
"I'm telling you Yuna this is a pointless exercise, let Gippal do his own digging if he wants these machina parts so badly." Paine spoke in a cold tone as she crossed her arms over her chest. Rikku hunched her shoulders forwards and shuffled her feet rapidly in frustration.
"Come on Yunie it'll be fun!" She stuck her tongue out at Paine as she paused between sentences, "We could always leave you in Gippal's hands while we go dig with Nooj or Baralai."
"No!" Was Paine's quick and immediate response as Rikku attempted to tease her.
"Oooo, I wanna know what happened on that 'trip' of yours."
"Rikku, I'm warning you." Her tone was threatening and the smaller girl cowered behind Yuna. "I thought we had an understanding about this." She stated in a firm tone.
"So erm . . . . Did I loose points this time?" She asked while peeping over Yuna's shoulder. Paine seemed to ignore her question and began walking back to the Celsius. She turned back to look at the pair causing Rikku to cower behind Yuna even more.
"Yuna you promised we'd help him, let's get this over with."
"Yeah the quicker we get there the quicker we can leave again." Tidus said as he stood on the boarding platform of the Celsius beckoning the three over.
It's strange I thought that after we defeated Vegnagun we would all split and become lost from one another in the eternal calm. Instead I find myself standing on the Celsius once more with Buddy, Brother and Shinra; trying to understand how Yuna could have gotten us all dragged into helping look for some rare machina parts.
"So basically we should be able to find the parts with the spherescope." Shinra's words awoke Paine from her daydream, she had always enjoyed learning new things about machina and spheres and Shinra was defiantly the man, err boy, to talk to about it all. She stared down at the panel and all the strange Al Bhed characters, some of which she still didn't understand.
"Still don't understand them all?" Shinra asked as though he had been reading her mind. She smiled despite herself.
"Not all of them."
"Why don't I talk you through them." Shinra offered Paine nodded in response. She briefly recalled the first time she heard al Bhed, Gippal spoke to her in it the first time they met. He'd seemed so confident that she'd pick it up quickly and she did, she never mentioned to anyone that Gippal had taught her or that she even understood. She didn't want to loose the fun she had with Gippal as he tried to teach her.
Paine became easily bored after going over the symbols with Shinra a few times, he was a good teacher but she learnt a lot faster when Gippal had taught her. "How long are we gonna be stranded here for?" Asked buddy with a hand on his hip, it was obvious that he too was bored of just sitting around waiting to arrive.
"Don't ask me I'm just a kid." Shinra stated as he turned back round to sit in his seat. Paine stayed close the desk as Shinra worked at updating his information. She found herself easily distracted from that point on during the flight from Djose Temple to the Bikanel Desert. She willingly let her eyes wander around the bridge, carefully studying her friend's movements and behaviour. Yuna had settled near the far stairs with Tidus, whom Paine assumed had been dragged along for the ride. They both looked like they were happy just to be back with each other. Rikku was in her seat along with Brother and Buddy, Brother and Rikku were shouting back and forth to one another while buddy held his hands over his ears, singing loudly to try and drown out the noise of the other two. Their flight was not particularly long and it was hard to understand why so many of them had become so bored so easily. Never the less they arrived safely, and in one piece, at the Eastern expense of the desert dig sites.
Nooj and Baralai greeted everyone as they walked off the Celsius; Gippal however, was nowhere to be seen. Paine was the last to leave the airship and maintained her posture as Nooj approached to welcome her. "Maybe this really is fate?" He questioned as she raised an eyebrow.
"Or maybe it's just called Yuna." She suggested as she walked past him with little in the way of kind words to offer him and only a brief glare to offer Yuna. Baralai bowed respectfully her and she nodded in acknowledgement of his presence.
"We regret to inform you that you stay here may be extended more than Gippal first planned." Baralai's voice was so soothing that it was hard to be angry at the bad news but some of them managed to do so regardless.
"So how long will we be here for?" The question was asked by a previously silent Tidus.
"We don't really . . ." Baralai was cut off by Nooj.
"We estimate with the time required for each dig and the current population of fiends and casualties . . . almost three months."
"Three months?" Paine spoke with an obvious distaste for the information she had just been given.
"But its sooo long!" Rikku stated as she let her arms dangle in the air as dead weight.
"Hey I thought I recognized that voice." Gippal yelled to the group as he approached from the hover that had just landed behind them. "Cid's little girl!" He ruffled her hair as he walked past the younger girl.
"Hey how many times do I gotta tell ya? I have a name!" She moaned as she straightened out her ruffled hair and held her head like it was about to explode. Paine couldn't help but be amused at Rikku's annoyance with her nickname.
"So why does everyone look so unhappy?" He asked as he swung his arms around his body while he raised one leg up to rest against the other. Paine shook her head, it was an action he'd always done and she always thought it made him look like a really feminine dancer, she'd told him so too but it never stopped him.
"They just got the bad news!" answered Baralai and Nooj in unison.
"Hurt time!" stated Yuna and Paine as they moved together, forcing Gippal to the floor as he yelled out for help.
A/N: No flames, please. Ok well hopefully that's improved this chapter quite a bit, I'll get round to the next chapter either tomorrow or after Christmas.