A/N Okay, I haven't gotten as much reviews. I'm really looking for five reviews per chapter. The entire Fanfic is finished. But in order for me to post the next chapter I'm going to need at least Five reveiws, that way I know I still have your interest. FLAMES WELCOME. It can be as short or as long as you want. Just review please. That way I can post a new chapter every day. Hope you Enjoy.

Chapter Three: Deadman's Scar

Yuna didn't move. Her mind was working overtime trying desperately to establish why Yunalesca was alive, and how she was standing before Yuna. The guns were cocked,ready to fire off a trigger happy round of bullets into Yunalesca's exposed chest.

The woman smiled gnelty at Yuna. "I figured you would treat me this way." She stated, leaning back against the doorframe. "I do not blame you." Yuna didn't respond. Her eyes narrowed at the intruder. "What do you want?" she demanded, her voice low and dangerous, a side that she had never let out before.

"What do I want? Why the same thing you wanted. I two once defeated sin. Or have the two years of peace already forced you to forget that?" Yuna glared at her. "What do you want?" she repeated. Yunalesca sighed. "Stubborn aren't you?" She moved closer and Yuna fired a warning shot. Yunalesca glared at her, all politness gone."

"I need your help." she stated firmly. "I am unsent." Yuna didn't even blink. "I want you to send me."

"I'm not a summenor anymore." Yuna hissed. Yunalesca smirked. "You have no choice. I've spent two years searching for you. Send me or your life will become more of a hell than you can ever imagine." Yuna rolled her eyes. "Your threats fall on deaf ears." She hissed, her voice dangerously low.

"Am I to understand that a summenor refuses to send an unsent?" Yunalesca demanded. Yuna didn't reply. Yunalesca's eyes narrowed. "You bring this on yourself." She hissed and snatched Yuna's hand before Yuna could even blink. Then she was gone. The only reminder that she had ever been there a faint scar along Yuna's wrist.

"Yunie?" Rikku's voice sounded confused. Yuna turned around slowly. "Yunalesca was just hear." She whispered. Rikku shook her head. "No way, we defeated her." Yuna slid her guns back into their holistars.

"She was hear. She's unsent." Rikku remained silent. "She wanted me to send her."

"Did you refuse?"

Yuna nodded. "She said I would regert it." Her eyes traveled to the scar on her arm and widened. It was lighter already than the rest of her skin, and it was shapped oddly. Unlike anything she had ever seen. A second ago she could have sworn it was simply a line along her wrist. Now it was more than one line. It was more like a spider, with millions of legs spreading in every direction. Before her eyes it stretched, moving from her wrist to her hand slowly, like sap oozing from a tree. Yuna squealled and tried to rub it off. Nothing happened.

Without warning Rikku snatched her hand and turned it toward the only source of light in the room. Her eyes widened. "It moved" she whispered. She touched it lightly and looked up at Yuna. Tears threatened to form in her eyes. She hadn't felt Rikku touching it. The skin was dead. "What is it?" she demanded. Rikku shrugged, her eyes never leaving the mark. "I've never seen anything like it. Maybe Lulu will…" but before she could finish the sound of the engine starting reached their ears.

"Too late for that" Yuna mumbled. She unwrapped the black ribbon from around her other wrist and wrapped it tightly around the scar. "I don't know what it is or what it's doing, but there's no sense in showing it to the world." Rikku nodded her agreement.

"So what do we do?" she asked. Yuna shook her head. "We go to Luca, like we planed." She glanced at the door. "Maybe there is a black mage…or a white mage on board." Rikku was already at the door and openeing it. She took a step out the door and fell back in, landing on her rear.

"Hey!" she protested. "Sorry," said the voice as a white haired boy leaned down to help Rikku up. "Botta!" Yuna cried, a smile spreading across her face. Botta dropped Rikku again in his surprise. "Lady Yuna…what…why are…" Yuna laughed at the confused look on his face.

"We needed a ride to Luca." She explained. Botta smirked. "Glad to have you along." He stated. "You gona watch us play, ya?" Rikku nodded but Yuna corrected her. "We have…other things to attend to." Botta frowned.

"Wakka doesn't know your hear…does he?" Botta crossed his arms over his Besaid Aurochs uniform. Yuna shook her head. Botta shook his head. "Shoulda known." He sighed. "Well, to late now, ya? Why don't you join us for breakfast?"

Rikku's stomach growled, answering for her. Yuna giggled and followed Botta out of the cabin. "Oh, Botta?" He turned and smiled at Yuna. "Do you know if there is a mage on the ship?" He nodded. "Some creepy girl. Can't miss her. She got short black hair and uh…all black uniform. She say she just a swordsman but she knows the craft well. Name's Paine." Yuna nodded.

"Is she going to be at breakfast?" He nodded. "Always is."

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At first Yuna was shocked. Paine was nothing like she had imagined. She was tall, Yuna's height, with black boots that stretched all the way up her legs and were hooked to her shorts by red straps that traveled up past her shoulder only top to go around her neck and down the other side. Black gloves covered her hands and seemed to be permanetnly crossed over her chest. Her hair was not black but a soft gray, that did nothing to destract from her menacing decore.

Her eyes were what startled Yuna though. They were red. Rikku wasn't intimidated at all. Without pause she walked right up to Paine and interoduced herself. "Hi, I'm Rikku, remember me?" Paine stared at her for a moment then nodded slowly. "Have we met?" Paine's voice was soft, yet menacing all the same. Rikku nodded. "You were a member of the Gullwigns. Remember me?" Paine's expression softened as she smiled at Rikku. "Brother's sister." Rikku nodded.

"You remember!" She snatched Yuna's hand and pulled her toward Paine. "This is my counsin, Yuna." Paine nodded at her. "Nice to meet you." Yuna replied.

"How can I help you?" Paine asked, uncrossing her arms and smiling at the pair. Rikku snatched Yuna's hand and yanked the ribbon off. Paine's eyes widened. The scar had stretched to her knuckles now, ever so slowly. Without a word Paine snatched their hands and drug them out of the dinning hall. She waited until she was alone to turn on Yuna.

"Where did you get that?" she demanded. Yuna yanked her arm out of Paine's grasp and replied, "An unsent." Paine nodded. "I've seen it before." She said sadly. Yuna swallowed hard. "The last person I saw that had it…died about a month later."

"What is it?" Rikku asked. Paine was staring at the scar. "It's called a Deadman's scar. For many reasons. Only an unsent can create it. Only an unsent can remove it. It's a slow working disease. You'll probably lose the use of that hand in a few days. It moves slowly, as you've already seen. Anything the scar touches…dies. That's why you have no feeling in the wrist." Yuna tried ot flex the wrist. It didn't move, only her fingers twitched.

"It stretches over the area it comes in contact with first. In you case your arm. Once that has lost all life it moves on, stretching across your body until everything but your mind and heart have been killed. It attacks those last. The time limit is usually one month. You may have longer, or you may not."

Rikku spoke before Yuna could. "How do you get rid of it?" Paine glared at her. "I already said that. Only an Unsent can remove it."

Yuna slowly wrapped the ribbon around it again, conceling it. "I don't have a month." She whispered. "I can't waist any time looking for an unsent. Tidus is…" Rikku interupted her. "He's alive isn't he? We'll find him…" Yuna shook her head.

"We find him first. Then I'll deal with this."

Paine sighed. "I take it this is a love issue?" she asked. Yuna nodded. Paine held out her hand, indicating to Yuna's wrist. "I can postpone that…but not for long. The effects will wear off every night. Then whatever the scar has not consumed it will consume at night. But it will give you the ability to use your limbs for a while longer. You're going to need them to find an unsent. I'd start with the Farplane. Where are you heading anyway?"

"Luca." Yuna answered automatically. "I'll join you if that's allright. Your going to need a lot of healing to keep that thing at bay." Yuna nodded. "The more the better." She replied and smiled softly. Paine shook her head.

"I still think you should get that taken care of first. But that's your decision." Yuna nodded. "I've waited two years without him. I'm not going to let this opportunity pass by."

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Luca was just as Yuna remembered it, except the people weren't in a panic. The Besaid Aurochs were pumped and ready for the first Blitzball game. As soon as the boat docked they were off, locating their hotel. Together, Paine Rikku and Yuna set off to begin their hunt.

"Kimahri said he saw the man in a local shop. Why don't we start with that." Rikku suggested. Yuna nodded. Thanks to Paine she was able to have full use of her wrist. But for how long? Together they started off into the vast city of Luca.

The first seven shops they stopped at were useless. No one had seen the rugged man from the sphere. Yuna was beginning to feel lost when they entered the next shop. At first glance the exterior of the building had appeared to be an ordinary shop. But when the three girls entered the room, their eyes widened. It wasn't a shop at all…but a bar.

The barkeep was Hypello and was currently talking to someone at the bar. The bar was full, the lights dim to help those who had hangovers. Slowly the girls made their way to the barkeep, their eyes alert and hands ready to snatch their weapons if the need be. When they reached the counter, the Hypello greeted them.

Without hesitation Yuna handed him the sphere. "Have you seen this man?" The screen had been paused on his picture, so that they wouldn't have to play and replay the sphere to every person they asked. "Yesh," the Hypello nodded. He pointed to a dark corner of the bar and handed the sphere back to Yuna. "He's here?" she asked, surprised. This was better than what she had hoped for. The Hypello nodded. Yuna thanked him and turned toward the corner.

Rikku grabbed her hand. "Be careful Yunnie." She cautioned. Yuna nodded. She walked up to the table slowly. The man was drunk. Not only did he reek of beer but there were empty glasses covering the corner table he had chosen. He was slumped over, drinking another beer when Yuna walked up.

He looked up at her slowly. It was definatly the same guy from the sphere. The black eye patch was a dead give away. She smiled politly at him, her hands finding their way behind her back in a shy manner. "Um, hi." She said. He looked at her, his eyes barely seeing her. He ran a hand threw his blonde spiky hair as he leaned back. "Hi." He siad calmly. He indicated to the chair across from him but Yuna shook her head.

"What's you name?" she asked. He cocked an eyebrow at her and said, "Listen sweetheart if your wanting attention go find someone else. I ain't buying an underaged a drink." Yuna blinked then realize what he had meant. "Oh no!" she cried shaking her head violently. "That's not what I meant." She produced the sphere and handed it to him. His eyes widened.

"Where did you get this?" he whispered. Yuna looked around the bar. Curious eyes watched them. "Let's talk upstairs," Paine suggested. The man nodded. He rose shakily and turned toward the stairs. "Names' Gippal, by the way."

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