A/N-Woo-hoo! Thanks for all the reviews, you guys! At the end of the story, I will have ending notes thanking my reviewers, and I will tell ya'll which story I will start on first! How exciting! Hee-hee! Alright, here we go! (Aren't you guys so glad it's summer and I have absolutely jack to do except piano?! Faster updates! WEEEE!!! But, I'm depending on you guys to be quick reviewers, too, because I mostly depend on you guys' reviews to tell me what you want to happen next. That is the reason why I'm inserting PainexBaralai.) Also, about my cliffhanger, the reviews you gave me made me crack up. I didn't even notice how ironic that was. LOL! Ok, and before I start, I'd like to thank all you guys for reminding me if I forgot anything, if you wanted anything put into the story, and all that stuff. I really appreciate the help! Ok, onward!

♥Every Heart♥

Chapter Fifteen: Helpless

                A platinum-haired man, around twenty, barged into the hospital, his unusual amber depths containing an emotion he hadn't felt in a long time. Fear. He pushed past the people in his way, muttering quick apologies. He stumbled in front of the reception desk, drumming his fist against the panel and grabbing the nurse's attention. Bewildered, the woman slowly slid the panel so that it was open and raised a fair brow.

                "Yes?"

                "I'm looking for someone here named Paine. She was in an accident. Please, tell me which room she's in."

                "I'm sorry, these aren't visiting hours—"

                "TELL ME!!!"

                The woman slowly backed away, cowering under his fierce glare. The praetor of New Yevon had never felt so frenzied in his entire life. He could feel himself shaking uncontrollably, on the brink of insanity. His fingers drummed incessantly and worriedly against the counter, impatiently awaiting the nurse's reply.

                "Please…" he whispered, his plea coming out whimpered. The nurse's dark purple eyes widened and she smiled in understanding.

                "I can't believe I'm doing this…" She sighed and winked at the man, "But don't tell anyone it was me! This isn't my shift; I'm just taking over for my friend for the moment." Baralai sighed in relief and nodded, feeling slightly better. The nurse turned to the computer and typed something in. "Ok, what was her name again, when did she come here, and how serious was her condition?"

                "Her name is Paine, she was in the accident just yesterday, and I don't know about her condition. I just received a message from Lady Yuna a while ago." The nurse nodded and typed some more things into the machine. Clicking the mouse twice, she nodded and refocused her attention on Baralai.

                "Ok, I got it. There's a Paine in this hospital, Room 390. Take the elevator over there to the third floor. The room should be on the left down the hallway." The praetor nodded his thanks and power-walked over to the elevator. Once inside, he tapped the button for the third floor and winced as boring music started to play. A few seconds later, the machine came to a stop and he hurriedly stepped out. He walked down the plain white halls and looked at the doors on his left.

                "360…370…380…" His boots clicked to the rhythm of his voice and he paused as he stood in front of Room 390. Hesitantly, he turned the knob and entered the room. The curtains in the white room where pulled back to show the setting sun. The monitor next to the bed was humming endlessly, the green lines going up and down. He focused his vision on his girlfriend. Her face was turned up to the ceiling, the bed sheets up to her chin. Her visage was blank, unseeing, almost lifeless. He hurried to her side, pulling a chair from a nearby table. Sitting down, he grabbed her bare hand, rubbing it comfortingly. A tiny spark of hope ignited in him when she squeezed back, mumbling incoherent things.

                The door opened again and a doctor entered the room, holding a clipboard. He was a middle-aged man, around fifty, with slight wrinkles creasing his forehead. Half-moon spectacles were perched onto the bridge of his slightly crooked nose and small white whiskers were splattered on his stubby chin. Noticing the young man beside Paine, he frowned slightly. "I'm sorry, but these aren't visiting hours."

                "I don't care. I'm here to see her." Baralai gazed intently at Paine's smooth face, his amber eyes shimmering. He reached out to touch her face and pushed away the bangs from her eyes. The doctor said nothing more, sighing.

                "Happens everyday," he muttered. The man clad in white walked over to the bed, clipping the clipboard to the edge of her bed. "Those are her results. You can look at them if you wish. Are you staying the night?"

                "Yes," the younger man spoke coolly. The doctor nodded and walked over to a cabinet, opening it.

                "There's a fold-out cot in here and a pillow. The guest bathrooms are down the hall. If you need anything, there is a button next to the bed with room service. It's the red one." The praetor merely nodded, absentmindedly stroking the woman's hand. "Alright then, I'll leave you two alone." Without another word, the doctor strolled out of the room, a slight smile tugging the corners or his lips.

                After the man left, Baralai quickly set up his bed, making sure it was right next Paine, but not close enough for him to roll off and fall on top of her. After he finished, he picked up the clipboard, examining her surgery results.

                X-rays were taken to see what the best way to take out the shrapnel was. It was in pretty deep, going through her completely. Also, when she had fallen, her head had gotten a pretty bad blow. It was the main reason why she had slipped into unconsciousness. She had received a concussion, and her skull had received a fracture. Nothing more was written on that. They had put a gas mask over her just in case she woke up. The surgery looked pretty painful. They had used a laser that was still pretty new, so it was risky. It was a tiny laser, used to zap away the metal. Once they had incinerated as much of the piece as possible, they melted the metal so that it actually closed the hole it had punctured. After that, they had stitched up her abdomen and backside, wrapping heavy bandages around her so the stitches wouldn't accidentally reopen. There was still a small percent that she wouldn't survive, so she would stay at the hospital for two more weeks in the intensive care room, and then be released.

                Baralai sighed with relief and put the clipboard away. He gazed at her face again, still rubbing her hand.

                "Wake up, Paine. I need you here with me." Suddenly, Paine's brow furrowed and she whimpered slightly, surprising the praetor. Encouraged, he continued to whisper. "Please wake up." Her hand squeezed his and he affectionately squeezed back. "I'll be waiting, no matter how long it takes. I promise." Her hand went limp and she stopped whimpering. Worried, Baralai stood up, checking the monitor. It was beating rapidly. Deciding to get some help, he hurried out of the room, completely forgetting about the red button in his haste.

Dream-Paine

                Darkness. That was all she could see. She could feel herself drowning in the shadows, feel herself losing the battle. She found herself not really caring and slowly giving up. Where am I anyway…? She could hear many voices calling out to her, voices she didn't know. They were crying, screaming a name…Was it her name? Desperately, she fiercely swiped at the shadows dragging her down, and started to run in the darkness, trying to find where those voices were headed.

                "Wait! Who are you? Where am I? Help me!!!" Her lonely voice echoed in the cold abyss. No answer. Confused, the woman stopped her running, looking around feverishly. Tears poured out of her ruby red eyes. Slowly, the voices started to come back, screaming once more. She slowly dropped to the ground, clutching her silver hair in despair. "STOP!!!!"

                Silence. Then, something enveloped her. She felt warm all over, protected. Confused once more, the woman slowly stood up, feeling her tears dry.

                "Wake up, Paine. I need you here with me..."

                "Who…are you…?" She took a step forward, and suddenly a blinding light illuminated itself ahead, beckoning her.

                "Please wake up…" She took another step forward, feeling entranced by the hypnotizing voice. The light seemed to grow brighter and she shielded her eyes, now a light shade of red.

                "I'll be waiting, no matter how long it takes. I promise."

                Soon, the silver-haired woman was in front of the light, hesitantly reaching out to it. She was soon engulfed in the blinding white, and then everything faded.

Room 390-Paine, Baralai, and Doctor

                Groaning, ruby red eyes slowly opened in an attempt to wake up. Her eyes were blurry, and her head was throbbing. She clutched her head with her right hand, wincing slightly. Looking around her, her vision cleared and she saw white walls. Confused, she sat up and immediately regretted it.

                "Shit--!!" she cursed, flopping back down onto the pillow. She looked down for the source of that searing pain, finding thick bandages wrapped around her lower abdomen. "What…happened?" Cautiously, she gently placed a hand over the wrapped fabric. Nothing came to her. Her mind was a blank blur. Suddenly, the door opened and two men marched into the room. One man had platinum-colored hair and a blue band around his forehead. A frown was on his slightly feminine face, and his bright amber eyes made her freeze. The other man was clad in white and frowning as well. As soon as the first man's gaze focused on her, his eyes widened and he was immediately by her side and holding her hand.

                "Paine! You're awake! How? When…?" Confused, Paine jerked her hand away. A hurt look crossed the man's face. "Paine?"

                "Who are you?"

Meadow/Cliff-Gippel and Rikku (Leblanc)

                My eyes widened in surprise as Gippel's lips covered mine. They were so warm and inviting, and I was paralyzed for a moment. At first, I didn't respond until I felt a gentle tugging on my lips as Gippel urged me to. I slowly closed my eyes and returned the kiss. My arms sneaked their way around his neck and he hungrily pushed me closer to him, intensifying the passion. It felt so right, and I'd never felt so alive before. I didn't want the moment to end. It was perfect. Too perfect. Something flashed in my eyes and I peeked one open. And yelped. I jumped off of Gippel, who looked extremely confused.

                "What's wrong…?" Too late, I didn't hear him. I was already chasing Leblanc down the pathway as she held a camera in her heads, cackling evilly.

                "You don't understand, love! I need pictures for the wedding scrapbook!" Her cries went on deaf ears as I increased my speed, my ears pink and my face as red as a cherry. I tackled her to the ground and ripped the camera from her gloved hand, surprised by my own strength. "No! Give that back!" I stood up from my position on Leblanc as she tried to grab her camera from me. Without a second thought, I ripped the film from the camera and listened as the older woman wailed, smiling. "Noooo!!! What'd you do that for?!"

                An arm sneaked around my waist and I yelped again, completely caught off guard. The camera fell out of my hands and Leblanc caught it before it fell, fumbling for something in her pockets.

                "G-Gippel! Tuhd tu dryd!" I sputtered pointlessly, feeling myself heating up again. He smiled down at me and winked, causing me to roll my eyes. Flash. I growled and faced Leblanc once more, reaching out to her as she continued to take pictures.

                "A good photographer always knows to carry extra film!" Leblanc cheered, smiling as her finger continued to press down on the silver button. Flash. Flash. Flash. I started to see spots as Leblanc slowly backed away, now using the flashes to stop me from advancing. The flashes suddenly stopped and I smiled with relief as I realized that Gippel and Leblanc were playing a game of tug-o-war. In a matter of seconds, Gippel had the camera in his hands, an arrogantly triumphant look on his face. He looked over at me and flashed a smile, making me blush. Wrong move.

                Leblanc took that distraction to start clawing at him and he gave a cry of surprise, loosening his grip on the electronic device.

                "GAH!!!" And so Leblanc took off at a run, jumping into the hover and racing away. Wait, what?!

                "Leblanc!" I cried, futilely chasing after the quickly disappearing machine. Nonononono!!! After a few seconds, the hover miraculously came back and I cocked my head to the side, confused. Leblanc hopped off of the hover and stood in front of me.

                "I'll let you ride back with me if you promise not to mess up the film in this camera. Or the camera itself," she added as she saw the slow smirk appearing on my face. It quickly diminished and I sighed, nodding reluctantly. There was no way that I was going to walk all the way back to Djose, knowing how long it took to get here by hover. Gippel soon appeared by my side and after I explained the condition for riding, he shrugged carelessly. Well, ok.

                Soon, all three of us were in the hover and suddenly the image of a certain red-eyed best friend of mine flashed through my mind. Poking Leblanc's back, the blonde woman turned around from her position on the passenger's side.

                "Yes, love?" she questioned warily, making sure my hands were out of range from her precious camera.

                "Do you think we can go to Luca to check up on Paine?" I immediately noticed Gippel tensing, and realized even though I had told him, he still had a small pinch of guilt in him. "Gippel…"

                "Sure, love! I think she should be awake by now. She'd probably like to see a familiar face. Excuse me, driver girl," Leblanc tapped the driver, "There's been a change of course. We're going to Luca."

                "My name is Samuto," the driver muttered, flicking back her long black tresses. Pulling down the neon green goggles strapped to her forehead, Samuto snapped them into place in front of her eyes as sand and rock bounced off the plastic. Changing the gear, the hover picked up speed as it turned around and headed in a different direction. Instinctively, I held onto the thing nearest to me, and blushed faintly as I grasped Gippel's arm. I was quite surprised when he looped his arm around my shoulders protectively, bringing me closer to his very hard chest. Eep!

Room 390-Baralai, Paine and Doctor

                "Who are you?"

                Baralai felt like he had been slapped viciously across the face. Who are you? Staring at Paine's confused face, he slowly turned toward the doctor.

                "What…why…?" he whispered brokenly, backing away from those enchanting red eyes. He felt like he'd lost her all over again. A lost memory was much worse than death to the praetor. At least when you die, you keep your memories. The doctor coughed politely, not looking in the least terrified.

                "If you read the clipboard, she suffered from quite a concussion; most likely the fall resulted in her damaging some memory cells. But you needn't worry, sir. In a few days time she should regain full consciousness as to who she, you, and everyone else she holds dear is. You just need to remind her of some things. That ought to trigger some of her memory." The praetor numbly nodded, slumping back down into his seat next to his girlfriend. The doctor coughed politely once more and backed out of the room, wisely stating that the two get some rest.

                Feeling suddenly tired at the doctor's command, he leaned back in his chair as Paine shifted uncomfortably. Raggedly breathing, he closed his eyes, hoping that Paine's memory would come back. He would sort all of this out first thing tomorrow morning.

Luca-Gippel, Rikku, and Leblanc         

                The colorful, vivacious, and cultural city of Luca came into view and I literally hopped out of the hover, not even waiting for Leblanc or Gippel to catch up. I hadn't realized how badly I wanted to see Paine. It hadn't been that long since I'd last seen her (I winced at the flashback), but it seemed like centuries. Jogging up to the help desk up front, I ignored the strange looks civilians gave my attire and impatiently tapped on the table. The girl walked up to me and smiled cheerily.

                "Yes? How may I help you?"

                "Where is the hospital?" As if she expected this question, she drew out a brochure from somewhere and opened it up, showing a color-coded map of Luca.

                "Welcome to Luca! As you can see, these colors correspond with the legend down here. For example, the color purple shows the hotel area. For those who are colorblind, there are pictures that correspond with things on the map. Now, you are looking for the hospital. Here it is!" she exclaimed, pointing to it with a carefully manicured finger, "Just follow the black lines, those are roads you can take, and you should be there in no time!" She handed me the brochure, smiling.

                "Rikku! Don't run off like that!" I recognized Gippel's worried voice immediately and waved the two blondes over, holding the brochure tightly in my hand.

                "Oh, you have a nice catch, honey," the girl whispered, returning to her work before I could comment.

                "C'mon, you guys! Let's go!" I raced off before Gippel or Leblanc reached me, intent on finding the hospital. After wandering aimlessly for a while, I realized I had a bad sense of direction, even with a map. Gippel took the brochure from me and within a few minutes, we finally arrived at the hospital. It was a large edifice, plain white with LucanHospital splayed out in large golden font. Tentatively, I walked through the automatic doors and headed toward the reception desk, where a lady was working. I approached her and she slowly turned to face me, a snotty expression on her face.

                "Um, I'm here to visit someone—"

                "Visiting hours start at seven. Please wait until then," she nastily cut in, blowing up her bubblegum in my face. She returned to filing her nails, purposely ignoring me. I checked the clock in the room. It was 6:35am. I wanted to scream. Moping, I stomped away from the desk, plopping down onto an unoccupied seat. The doors at the entrance slid open and Gippel and Leblanc entered.

                "Rikku…" Gippel started, a slight frown to his face.

                "I know I should've waited, but I really wanted to see Paine," I started defensively, crossing my arms. He rolled his eyes and smiled slightly, impressed by my persistence.

                "So what are you waiting for?"

                "It's not seven yet."

                "Oh…?" He looked at the girl, then a slow and sexy smile came upon his face and he sauntered over, earning the girl's attention. Leblanc seemed to sense what was going on and she rolled her magenta orbs, leaning against the wall next to me. "Hey there. We're here to visit someone. Can you please let us through?" he spoke huskily, making me roll my eyes. I nearly choked when the girl returned the smile, stopping her filing.

                "Oh, I don't know. I mean, what do I get out of it?" she playfully pouted, her overly glossy lips shimmering in the light. Gippel kept his act up, leaning towards her.

                "Anything you want, baby," he whispered, making the girl lick her lips. I sure hope he's kidding…As if reading my mind, he looked over in my direction and winked reassuringly, earning a small smile from me.

                "Oh…ok," she leaned forward next to his ear and whispered something which made Gippel's ears turn pink. I rose a fair brow, wondering what the heck was going on. He coughed and backed away, nodding reluctantly. After giving him the address of Paine's room, he slowly walked over to where Leblanc and I were standing. I was sure he was going to say something to me, but his gaze was on Leblanc.

                "What?"

                "Um…that girl noticed me coming in with you…"

                "And?" Leblanc stressed, confused.

                "Well, you see…um. Let's just say she's not interested in me." I noticed Leblanc paling visibly.

                "W-what does she want me to do?"

                "…She wants you to…um…keep her 'company' while Rikku and I go up."

                "What?!" Several heads turned in her direction, annoyed, "What?!" she whispered fiercely, turning red. "You do know I'm married, don't you?!" Gippel scratched his head sheepishly.

                "Leblanc, please do this as a present to our wedding," I pleaded. "I really need to see Paine. What if she's dying right now as we speak?" Leblanc glared at me, her gaze slowly softening. Sighing, she combed her hair with a gloved hand and sighed.

                "Oh…alright." Hesitantly, Leblanc walked over to the girl who was giving her a smoldering look. I winced. Leblanc was a really good friend. Grabbing my hand, Gippel and I ran towards the elevator. I waved back to a frowning Leblanc and smiled slightly. We reached the plain white halls and without a moment's hesitation, I turned the knob to Room 390.

                The first thing I saw was a sleeping Baralai. He was sitting in a chair beside Paine's bed, head lolled back over the chair and mouth open. I almost giggled at the comically sight. Who knew that someone as dignified as the praetor of New Yevon could sleep so oddly? Then I saw Paine, who was sleeping soundly, paler than usual. I walked over to her side, sighing sadly.

                "Paine? Please wake up," I whispered, overcome by guilt. As if on cue, her eyes fluttered open and ruby red focused on me. I gasped and had to restrain myself from tackling her into a hug. My eyes watered and I smiled brightly. "Paine! You're awake! Oh, I have to tell Baralai!" Already, Gippel was at his side, blatantly slapping the older man's face.

                "Wake up, wake up, wake up," he muttered in monotone, smirking. Baralai's amber eyes opened up and he dazedly looked around.

                "Where am I?"

                "Baralai, it's Paine! She's awake!" I spoke happily, not noticing the confused look she was giving me. Immediately, he regained full consciousness and gazed at her, a sad look in his eyes. "What…what's wrong?" I asked, confused.

                "She has to remember," he mumbled quietly, loose strands of platinum hair falling into his eyes.

                "Remember? Remember what?" I whispered, surprised at the lump forming in my throat. His amber eyes pierced through my swirled green ones and he sighed.

                "The doctor said that she lost her memory, but only temporarily. We have to remind her of some things to trigger her memory. She should remember in a few days' time…" He trailed off, a distant look on his face.

                "What?! Well, she'll remember for sure, right?" I whispered, glancing at Paine who was staring at Baralai.

                "She should," he replied. I glanced up at Gippel who was frowning. For the first time in my life, I felt completely helpless.

A/N-I'm sorry if Baralai was OOC. I'm not really familiar with his character, so I kind of winged it. Tell me if you think I should fix it a little or if it's fine the way it is! And about Paine's surgery, I'm no doctor, so I don't know if that would even work…Same thing with the memory cell deal. ; So sorry if any of you guys are doctors and are offended. Hee-hee…And also, that evening when Baralai barged into the hospital is the night that Rikku and Gippel talked at the secret place, so I was kinda going back in time if any of ya'll are confused with that. Oh, and do any of you guys know how long it will take until you have to get stitches removed? I'd appreciate that. I don't want to forget to have Paine's stitches removed! Lol.  Also, this chapter was way too long so I had to cut it in half and make it two chapters, so this is focusing on Paine and Baralai's relationship. I remembered someone once telling me that making a chapter too long will get painful on the eyes, so I've kept that in mind. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It goes for those who requested some PainexBaralai! Oh, and for If Love is a Rose, I decided to change the summary completely because it was too blah, but I liked the title.

Summary: Back in their younger years, Gippel and Rikku used to be best friends (after they got past hating each other when Rikku first came to Bikanel), and they even had crushes on each other. So what happened? Why didn't they become a couple? It was all because of a misunderstanding. Will Gippel finally be able to tell her what happened the day that their friendship broke apart?

Ok, the summary's REALLY bad, but I assure you I have everything, will almost everything, planned out and it will be super!!! I would really appreciate it if some of you guys could rephrase the summary for me so that it would be more interesting, because I'm seriously psyched up about it. I'm just really inspired, is all. Well, the ending is drawing near! Please, please, please review! See ya next chapter!

-Moshi Moshi Mai

Translations:

Tuhd tu dryd! : Don't do that!