Return of the Aeons
Discy: You really should know it by now! I don't own any characters from squaresoft/enix! Ok? Learn it!
A/N: OK, I've FINALLY run out of things to say in the damn Authors note...um...
Icedfirestar: stop writing more chapters for your story, I'm still only on chap.15! I then get a message saying you've written YET ANOTHER ONE! My spleeeeeen.....
Yunie-star-tidus-cutie; keep up the good work!
Musicstarlover: sorry about not reading YOUR story yet, I'm still stuck on shiv's one (glares up to icedfirestar).
S T A R T
Chapter5:
Paine slowly made her way towards the crowd on Gullwings and their new-found "friend".
"So what's your name anyway?" asked Rikku to the man.
"Oh, I nearly forgot! My name is Byron." He replied
"And this is Angra" he said pointing at the snow leopard.
"You name your weapon!" said Rikku "how original"
"How lame" Paine muttered.
"So your name is Paine" Byron said striding over to where she stood.
"Yes" she growled
"Nice name" Byron commented
"Unlike yours"
"Paine! Be nice to Byron!" Yuna scolded.
"Whatever" Paine answered in response.
She walked away towards the bar to buy some fire-brew.
"Touchy, isn't she?" Byron said "I like it! So, where do you guys live?"
"The Celsius" Brother answered "it's an Airship"
"An airship you say? I must say that's a surprise!"
"I..."
Suddenly, the large guy that had been guarding the door flew down the stairs and slumped at the bottom.
Paine sat up in her seat and drew her sword, Angra (the snow leopard) jumped up and growled up to the narrow shaft of light from the top of the spiral staircase.
Rikku took off her scarf and drew her weapons; Yuna, Brother; Buddy and Shinra followed suit.
Byron however, casually stood up and laid a hand on Angra's sleek head. Both made their way to the stairs and stood blocking the bottom of it.
Paine, anxious to get rid of her anger, rushed to Byron so that she could fight too.
"You like fighting then little lady?" Byron muttered, his eyes fixed on the stairs.
"Love it, you?" Paine had forgotten her anger with Byron in her eagerness.
"I was first to get up wasn't I?"
A heavy shape passed in front of the light, barkeep and his lady friend ran, hand-in-hand to a dark corner to hide.
The stairs began to shudder and groan under the weight of the un-known figure.
A beam collapsed, and the leaden stairs fell, along with the figure.
The dust parted, a Gemini fiend stood there.
"Holy..." said Paine
"...Shit" continued Byron
Angra looked up expectantly at Byron.
"Ok, let's go" he said, pulling out a large, decorated sword from his belt. Angra thundered towards the fiend, fur bristling, saliva dripping from her teeth.
Byron ran after her, shouting.
"Wait for me!" Paine said running too.
The force that hit the Gemini was mountainous, Angra lunged at it's metal throat and settled on its shoulders clawing at it's eyes. Byron dodged an attack and climbed it also.
Paine meanwhile stopped, flabbergast by what she was witnessing, Byron, the rich kid, had transformed into a battle-hardened animal.
She rushed towards the Gemini, choosing to fight from the ground; this was a mistake when fighting a Gemini.
It slammed its hammer down on her frail body. She screamed and fainted from the pain, she was encased in darkness, like a never-ending sleep.
"NO! PAINE!" Byron jumped down to her aid, the Gemini towered above his head, ready to strike the life out of him.
An hour later...
Paine subconsciously heard a voice, a mans voice, it sounded familiar.
"Don't leave me Paine"
Paine slowly opened her eyes, she was propped up against Byron's body, on his lap, Byron had his arms around her shoulders to keep her steady. Angra lying on her feet to keep her warm.
"I told the rest of them to go and wait at the air-ship" Byron whispered as he saw she had awoken, moving a strand of hair that had drifted across her face. "Sleep" he said, "I'll carry you back. Your friends were a big help".
"Tha.." Paine replied softly, her heart fluttered as if it were about to stop.
"No problem" Byron replied lovingly
Paine could feel herself drifting off again, slowly sinking away, but before she could think, Byron had lent over her, and kissed her.
Not the usual stiff kind you get from your first boyfriend, but a warm friendly one that seemed to flow into her bones and warm her insides.
She slowly drifted away into the darkness once again; Byron only stopped once she was totally asleep. She had fainted.
.: On the airship:.
It was late at night when Paine finally awoke; she was lying in her bed, covers up around her face, she groaned, she had a throbbing headache and it hurt her to move her stiff body. Paine wasn't used to losing a fiend battle.
She turned over on her side and saw Byron in the bed next to her. She smiled; she had begun to think he had all been a dream.
Angra was still with her; she was lying down on the floor next to her bed.
Paine lent down and stroked its fur; it was unusually soft for a wild cat.
Angra slowly stood up and sat beside her, resting her head on Paine's bed. Paine stroked her until she heard Byron stir and get up. She shut her eyes quickly, Angra understood and lay down too, pretending to be asleep.
Byron got up from his bed and pulled a chair up to Paine's bed.
Paine felt his hands stroke her face gently and caress her hair.
"Don't die on me Paine" he whispered softly "not after what we've survived"
She felt lips close around hers as Byron lent closer. She loved it when he kissed her, she felt secure and warm.
Byron pulled away and whispered in her ear "I thought I'd lost you"
"I'm still here" Paine whispered in reply, opening her eyes.
Byron smiled "So you're not dead?".
"Not yet." Paine whispered.
.: Next morning:.
Paine woke up to the sound of birds, which was unusual for an airship as you didn't get birds that high up. (A/N: well duh, it's gotta be about 5,000 ft)
She looked out of the window, the airship had landed on an island, Kilika.
She looked at her watch, it was midday.
She got up, her head spinning and made her way to the steps down to the gullstore, tripping now and again as if her legs refused to take her weight.
"Good morning Mish Paine!" said barkeep.
He was joined by his lady friend he'd met in Luca behind the bar
"I hope you don't mind that I brought my friend with ush mish Paine!"
"I don't mind, where are the others?"
"downshtairs having lunccch I think"
The hum of the elevator was heard, and the doors opened to show Angra who bounded towards Paine like a dog.
Barkeep leapt back in alarm along with his friend.
Angra put her front paws on Paine's knees and licked her hand.
Paine had found a new friend!
Angra turned for her to follow.
Both got into the elevator and went up to the bridge.
"Paine!" shouted Rikku who ran over to her with a certain similarity to Angra.
"Paine?" Yuna said
Both female Gullwings galloped over to Paine and hugged her.
Angra loped towards Byron, who was sitting in a chair by Shinra, learning how to make comm-spheres with much difficulty.
"I think you've got an admirer," said Rikku tilting her head towards Byron who was still deep in his comm-sphere lesson
"Another one?" joked Paine to the surprise of Rikku and Yuna, they had never known Paine to joke about anything.
A/N: sorry about the mushiness of this chapter, but I was kinda running low on ideas! Read and Review!