Chapter 16

Paine and Baralai reached the Farplane Abyss, flowers covering the ground.

Paine sighed: "It seems like we were just here."

B: "I sure didn't want to come back so soon."

Paine smiled at him, "Don't worry, none of us are staying this time."

Baralai nodded.

Pyreflies began swarming in front of them, suddenly a woman's appearance was in front of them.

The woman looked young and wore a sleeveless black dress that flowed from her tall figure to the ground, she had long flowing silver hair, and crimson eyes, her features matching Paine's. "You must be Paine. I'm Cynthia."

She approached them and Paine stared at the woman,

P: She looks so much like me.

Cynthia reached out a hand a placed it on Paine's face, Paine felt comfort from her, something she hadn't felt from a woman in a long time, a mother's touch.

A tear rolled down Cynthia's cheek. "Paine," she spoke softly, "You look so beautiful, tell me, are you happy?"

Paine stared at the woman, then looked around, Baralai watching them and her other friends would be with them soon.

"Yes, Never Better."

"I'm glad to hear it, Now, you can finally learn the truth behind your parents, so that you can move on."

Paine nodded. "You're my mother."

Cynthia smiled at the girl and hugged her.

While Paine wasn't usually the emotional type, she couldn't help but to hug the woman back, not the woman, her mother.

Then a bubbly female voice came from behind, "Hey, who's that? She looks like you." Rikku said as Paine turned to look at her al bhed friend.

Paine introduced Cynthia to her friends. "This is Rikku, Gippal, (She just noticed he had shown up as well), and my boyfriend Baralai."

Cynthia: "It's a pleasure to meet you all." "I'm Paine's mother "

R: "Oh, so that must mean your father's here too - hugh? "

Cynthia: "Yes, he's ahead, he was helping another girl who showed up before ya'll."

R: "Yunie?"

C: "I'm not sure - he said he was her guardian and needed to help her."

R: "Let's go see, I'm worried about Yunie."

They all passed through a swirling vortex and soon found a man lying on the ground.

Rikku's eyes went wide as she saw the familiar form on the ground, "Auron!"

Auron sat up, slightly shaking his head, "That jackass wasn't kidding, that did hurt." He looked up to see the girl that had just called his name.

The al bhed eyes were familiar, although the outfit was even more revealing and she had definitely grown up a few years, "Rikku?"

R: "Hiya!"

A: "Yuna's not the only one having a good time these days."

Cynthia walked up to him, "Auron, are you ok?"

A: "I'll be fine."

Cynthia: "Well, it's time for you to meet her." She grabbed Paine's hand and pulled her towards him, "This is Paine."

Paine looked at him, his features were similar to hers, his hair, even some of his facial expressions seemed familiar to her. They were her own.

Paine nodded at him and he did the same.

A: "I hope you didn't mind the name too much, I just wanted . . "

Paine interupted him, "I know." She pulled out the sphere -

Auron smiled. "So you did get a hold of it. I - uh- didn't make it back alive after all. Call it a boy's stupidity."

She nodded her understanding.

R: "So your Paine's Father?" Rikku looked confused and looked at Auron, "But you never told us - "

A: "It would've slowed us down - and you were always looking for a reason to hold us up. Just like when you slowed us down at the Thunder Plains."

Rikku went defensive, "Hey - I'm not scared anymore - I camped there a whole week - so it doesn't scare me at all."

A: Humph

R: "I'm serious, I did."

A: "Did you stay alone?"

Gippal joined in then, "Of course not, Cid's little girl needed some company to face her fears."

Paine gave Rikku a questioning look then: "Rikku?"

R: "Well, I was too scared to stay all by myself - Nothing happened - honest."

Paine decided to leave it at that and introduce her lover: "Auron, this is Baralai"

Rikku called out: "Her boyfriend."

Baralai calmly bowed to Auron.

Auron nodded at the young boy, "Take care of my girl."

B: "I will."

A: "Yuna's ahead, I blacked out during the fight, I'm not sure what happened. I see she has plenty of friends, Why don't ya'll go ahead, Call us if you need our help. Paine, I'm glad we finally met."

Paine walked over to Auron and stood before him, paused for a moment -as if debating her own actions- then hugged him. Auron patted the girl and then Cynthia and Auron disappeared.

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(A/N) I didn't see any reason for Paine and Auron to have much more emotion than that, I mean, this is Auron and Paine we're talking about. Also, Nooj & LeBlanc are ahead of the group. I have a habit of getting the characters that I don't care for out of the picture, so they're kind of just not here right now, just like Brother. Maybe they'll come back; someday. Maybe, ---evil laugh--- And Cynthia is just a name I picked.

Another side note, It always bothered me that Auron was an un-sent in ffx, but yet he could still die in battle - he should've been like a character that couldn't get hurt, that would've really been helpful. So anywaz, I know I'm being silly. Hehe.

And also in ffx - in one of the jecht spheres we see when Auron and Braska go to pick up Jecht out of jail. Braska says something along the lines of - how ironic it would be if he, wed to an al bhed, his guardians - one who refused the hand of the preist's daughter and a man from Zanarkand were to defeat Sin. That's where I got my inspiration for the sphere's contents. And of course Auron being Paine's father is one of my favorite rumors, cause the two are so much alike.

Also, I have no intentions of a sad ending. Wow, that's a lot of author's notes, Thanks for reading and reviewing!