A tall, white haired red eyed young woman barely restrained a snort. "At least he isn't up playing nursemaid... again."
"You have to admit that his concern is very nice," said the third of the assembled girls, Yuna. "Not everyone is so considerate."
"Ahhh, it's not really consideration that plays into it, Yunie," said the first, the ever energetic and spirited Rikku. Although at this time of night, even Rikku wasn't feeling all that energetic.
Certainly, the rise of monsters in Spira, literally exploding out from all the former Yevon temples to spread out over the land had left the Sphere Hunters very tired, if not the worse for wear. It literally felt as though the moment they had one area clean, another had become infested and were calling them for help.
And after doing three such missions in a row, it had been decided by the three that what was needed the most was a well deserved rest.
Looking over at her friend and fellow Sphere Hunter, Yuna could tell that Paine, most of all, needed this. It wasn't as though she didn't push herself more than anyone else, but as the more physical of the three, the battles seemed to had taken more out of her than anyone else, as evidenced by the droop in her normally impeccably clean hair and the slight bags that were growing beneath her eyes.
"So, see you two later... get some rest now, or else Brother might come to tuck you in."
Yuna couldn't help a slight blush at that. "Rikku!"
But it was too late, and Rikku had disappeared into the elevator with a giggle, riding it back up into the main cabin where the remainder of the crew were finishing preparations before landing the ship for the night.
Leather & Lace
WRITTEN BY: Jamie Jeans aka Big-Wired, Lemon Ranger Blue
E-mail: May 13th, 2005Finished: May 14th, 2005
Edited: May 15th, 2005
Legal Stuff: I do not own any of these characters as they belong to the fine folks of what is now SquareEnix. I am simply borrowing them for a tad. However, if this is read by any of the people from that fine company and wish to use this particular story, which is mine, then by all means do so. I shall accept any and all payments in the form of mucho merchandise such as games, game OSTs, and detailed resin figures.
"That was almost worth the deduction of a respect point," Yuna heard Paine behind her say, and even though there was fatigue in her voice, there was also the soft hint of playfulness as well.
Which was always the way with Paine; soft hints of respect, anger, laughter, humour, fear. Never had Yuna heard Paine given anything more than that, but never had Yuna asked her for anymore. It was simply the way that Paine was, whet ever one liked it or not.
"Maybe," Yuna said with a warm smile as she turned to face Paine. "But perhaps you should have saved it for when she's here to hear you?"
Paine shook her head as the two turned to take their beds upstairs in the Gullstore, which also acted as the trio's bedroom, bar, supply store, and occasional Chocobo storage ground. It hadn't been intended as such in the beginning, but if there was one thing that her time with the Al Bhed had taught Yuna, it was that they could improvise anything out of anything with the machina they unearth.
Starring out through the windows of the Gullstore upon reaching the top of the stairs, Yuna smiled. It really was a beautiful night, with a large moon out that provided enough light for the two to make their way without difficulty, and seemed to convey a sense of peace that she wasn't really feeling as of late.
"Hmph..."
That was probably a little louder than it had been intended, for Yuna
gave her friend a look of concern as she struggled with her garments.
"Paine?"
"Nothing, Yuna."
"No fooling me, Paine," Yuna said sternly, taking a seat in front of her and reaching up. Paine caught her hand, and for a moment, looked as though she were going to force her away.
Showing vulnerability, even to friends, wasn't on the list of things that she did frequently, after all.
However, her resolve soon melted beneath the warm yet determined look Yuna gave her, and she heaved a very slight sigh.
"Just a tad over stretched from battling the monsters," she finally said.
"We all are." Yuna reached up into the folds of Paine's clothing, and began undoing button after button. "But that doesn't mean we can't take the time out to relax, and even let someone else help out."
Paine simply watched her, not really having anything more to say as Yuna finished undressing her, leaving her in a simple black bra and panties. "Maybe I should wear something a little less complicated," she said softly, almost too much so for Yuna to hear her.
"Maybe it'd be best to use the dressspehere to change into a thief. After all, look at Rikku and see how little she has to bother with at the end of a long day." Yuna sat down on her own bed and began to undress as well, stopping only when she saw Paine watching her.
No, watching wasn't really the exact term. It was more like studying.
"Yes?" she finally said after a few moments of silence. She placed her shirt aside and removed her shoes, leaving her in just her bra and hot pants. Were it anyone else, she might have felt uncomfortable, but not Paine. Yuna couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something about her...
"Just curious," was Paine's simple and enigmatic reply.
"About what?"
"Well, you..."
Was it Yuna's imagination, or had there been something about Paine just now that seemed... uncomfortable?
"You're... the second woman in all of Spira..." Paine paused, and although Yuna knew her to be quite articulate in her own way, she downright seemed unable to put into words right now what she was thinking. It certainly wasn't nervousness, just an inability followed by mild frustration.
It was almost enough to make Yuna think the world was ending, or some such thing, and she quickly glanced out the window, just to make sure that Sin wasn't rising up from the ocean depths.
Finally, Yuna saw a decision in Paine's eyes and she came over to sit on the bed with her, turning slightly to lean against her.
"May I?" she asked, upon seeing the look of surprise on Yuna's face. With a nod from her, Paine continued to lean against her, and the two shuffled back against the headboard, with Paine stretching out on the bed and resting with her head laying on Yuna's stomach. She inhaled slowly, and the former summoner could see the warrior's body relax, much like a giant jungle cat, as she nestled in.
"Just as I thought. You're just like her."
Her? Her who?
Pushing aside the slight embarrassment she was feeling right, Yuna's mind whirled with what must have been a very dear secret revealed so comfortably. She wanted to ask, but knew that pushing Paine for an a answer just might push her back onto her own bed, and it was pretty rare that the sphere hunter became so comfortable with another of the Gullwings.
Instead, Yuna snuggled Paine in return, giving her a warm smile when she looked up at her, and ran a hand through her slightly messy hair.
"Hope you don't mind," Paine said with a half grin.
"Had I, I would have said so from the beginning," Yuna replied.
Paine smiled, and the exhaustion of their daily adventures finally caught up with her, and she fell asleep against her friend.
Slightly confused, Yuna nevertheless leaned back on the bed, content
to remain in the remainder of her clothes rather than wake Paine up,
and contemplated what she had said. It was obvious now that the whole
matter was based on trust, and that Paine had it in spades regarding
Yuna and the intimacy of their pressing bodies.
She certainly wasn't going to be snuggling up to Rikku to use as a pillow.
But just who was this second person she had spoken of? And further more, when had this mysterious woman gained such trust from Paine and also, did Yuna know her? Or vice versa?
Shaking her head, Yuna simply smiled and relegated such questions for future thought when she and her friends could go back to being Sphere Hunters. Maybe they might even find one of Paine and her trusted friend...
"You, Paine, are simply full of mystery," Yuna commented softly before she too, leaned her head back and fell asleep.
Notes: I remember me and Racewing discussing the pairings of various games, and FFX-2 in particular, and how some thought should be put into it. For example, one popular pair we discussed was Paine and Rikku, and how the simple reason for that was that they were polar opposites in terms of personality. That doesn't work for me in terms of plausibility (unless someone out there would choose to take that as a challenge AND write such a well done and plausible story and send it to me), just because it's... well, supposedly unexpected and whatnot.
Furthermore, it takes more than just completely different personalities to string two people together, be it real life or fiction, and Racewing and me got onto the subject of a Paine/Yuna pairing, and how maybe it wouldn't be so much of a pairing, as I look back on it now, but simply a confiding of Paine to Yuna and becoming quite cozy with her.
From the games, I've seen Yuna act both strong and soft, like an iron bar wrapped in silk, seemingly frail yet with an undercurrent of power that would surprise any that did not know her.
And in Paine, I saw... um, that twit... whatsisface... you know, Storm, or Hurricane, or whatever, the lead idiot from Final Fantasy 8, done right. A visible source of strength and trouble should people seek it from her, Paine also has an gentle undercurrent of emotion that is always just beneath the surface but firmly under control at all times. It was quite a pleasant surprise to see this done well by both the Japanese and English voice actresses.
Thus, I found a Paine/Yuna pairing much more intriguing, and plausible. than a Rikku/Paine one. Not that I hate Rikku, no way! Just that the only other pairing in the immediate cast that comes to mind is her and Yuna... which is an immediate no, considering that Yuna is her cousin.
Sorry people, but that's just a "No way am I going there" hunk of territory for me.
Anyhow, sorry for rambling on, and I hope you enjoyed it.
Until next time...