They were now over three days behind the original schedule. Leon kept the ship on manual and gunned the engine to speeds only possible in empty space.

Paine finally got tired of reading the histories, they all sounded the same. Wars were fought for ridiculously small and petty reasons, people-'good' and 'bad' fought for what they believed to be true, always thinking they were in the right. Heroes were made, usually by accident and almost never by choice. She keyed the screen to show only the worlds affected by the Heartless Wars. Now here was a story of good and evil, heroes and villains, light and darkness. The records were incomplete, gaps existed. Paine though of asking Leon for clarification but he was completely focused on piloting the small ship. It was a good thing, too or they may have had a repeat of the their previous adventure (which Paine had labeled 'Crash and Burn' in her mind). Another ship pulled up right beside their silver craft and a red light blinked on at Paine's console.

"I think we're being hailed!" she yelled to Leon. He snapped out of piloting mode, and tossed over his shoulder: Answer them! Purple button."

With a little searching Paine located the reply controls. The Holo-vid screen lit up. Paine caught her breath. Gracing the screen was the most beautiful woman Paine had ever seen. She was so unclassical and unique, smashing any traditional stereotype of beauty. Her hair was an incredibly intriguing shade somewhere between red and blonde, and fell straight onto her shoulders. Her skin was smooth, free of impurities and matched perfectly with her startling bright green-hazel eyes. Her mouth was wide and generous, eyes luminous with laughter and the smile she wore only added to her delicate facial structure.

"Leon," she greeted, quietly and not just a little bit suggestively. Her mouth drew tight.

"You didn't tell me you were coming to my system," she chastised, playfully. Paine shuddered in disgust. Even at her most annoying Rikku would never take such a tone, she had too much pride and dignity. Paine looked at Leon to gauge his reaction but of course he (shockingly) didn't have any.

"I hadn't planned on coming, Sevren," he answered evenly, "I'm sure-"

"Well, you simply must come aboard, we have so much to catch up on." Leon shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but I am already behind schedule and I really must move on." Paine realized the young woman couldn't see her as she was a bit off tot he side and below Sevren's line of sight. Paine also didn't miss Leon's use of first person, implying he was alone.

Sevren crossed her arms although the effect was lost as only her head was truly visible.

"I won't take no for an answer, Leon. My ship is much larger and more powerful than yours. I've already started the docking procedures." Her tone had gotten uncharacteristically hard, and a silent threat hung on the air. Paine smiled. At least the girl had a backbone. Leon sighed in resignation. Sevren smiled in triumph.

"See you soon, love."

Paine started. She'd heard that tone and term of endearment before and it hadn't sounded any less patronizing before. The screen went blank. Paine swiveled in her chair.

"You're doing what she says?" she asked, loosely though the implication of 'You wussy pushover' laced every word. Leon shrugged, ignoring her unspoken insult.

"No one else knows of our mission, right?"

She nodded.

"If we rush off, someone will get suspicious and come after us. Sevren hosts many treasure finders and bounty hunters on her yacht, and we don't want them on our trail. Trust me, we'll save more time but just going on, making an appearance and leaving." Paine hated to admit it, but his logic was correct.

As they walked down a tunnel that now linked the two ships, Paine asked, nonchalantly: "So, who is she?"

Suprisingly, Leon answered immediately.

"Remember when that old man said I kidnapped his daughter?"

Like Paine could have forgotten in so short a time. She nodded.

"Well, Sevren was that man's step-daughter. They weren't really related, and let's just say you don't want the gruesome details of his plans for her." Paine could guess.

"Anyway, when I arrived on that planet, there were some…misunderstandings with the management, and eventually I had to make a break for it. Sevren asked for my help and I-"

"And you just couldn't refuse her," Paine finished, sardonically. Leon sent her an annoyed look. By now they had reached the doorway. It opened with a clean hiss, and the first thing both of them noticed was the smell. After being locked in a small craft, the scent of open clean air was a welcome one. Paine looked around, in a mixture of awe and thinly veiled contempt. The ship was made for luxury not practicality, made obvious by the ridiculous amount of lights that floated around, illuminating every corner with a soft white glow. The ceilings were high, vaulted, and decorated with an angel motif. In the center of the room (which was the central area of the ship) was a large, ever-flowing water fountain. It sparkled like a jewel in the sun, the sound of its falls floating in the air. Paine was instantly uncomfortable. It was too sweet, too sugary, and unreal. Leon's ship, that was real. The Celsius had been real. This…this was all clouds and air, there was no substance. She didn't have much time to ponder the issue because almost immediately after boarding, their hostess made her grand appearance. And it was quite the spectacle. She was radiant in a dress of iridescent white, with a high collared neck, glittering with gems, and a long flowing skirt. She moved across the floor with an easy grace, and closed the distance between the two of them quickly. Paine melted into the background, standing next to, and slightly behind a large frond plant. Sevren didn't even say hello. She moved in front of Leon, held his face in her hands, and kissed him passionately. Paine blinked. Then she half laughed, half snorted. For his part, Leon didn't encourage Sevren, but he didn't immediately push her away either. When she pulled back, his face was in exactly the same neutral position it had been before. This didn't seem to bother her, she just smiled, took his arm and said:

"Come, you must be exhausted."

He shot an emphatic look back at Paine. Sevren looked over his shoulder and saw the concealed warrior for the first time.

"Well, hello!" She looked pointedly at Leon. "And who's this?"

Paine moved out of the shadows and stepped into the light. The two sized each other up, and eventually gave each other the expressive look of two women who would never be friends. Leon answered before the animosity grew to be too great.

"This is Paine. I am escorting her to her home world."

Paine would have opened her mouth in protest (implying she was incapable of taking herself anywhere on her own rather grated on her), but she recalled what Leon had said about secrecy. She ground her teeth in silence instead. Sevren's eyes narrowed.

"Oh, really?" She moved from around Leon and stood in front of Paine. They were close to the same height, though they really couldn't be any different. Paine crossed her arms in a defensive/offensive gesture.

"And which world would that be, dear?" Sevren asked in a tone that informed all present that she didn't buy a word of it. Leon made to answer quickly, but Paine beat him to it.

"Pandora." Paine knew that if she had given her true home world, it would have raised too many unwanted questions, so she chose one from the histories she had read. Sevren nodded, but still seemed unconvinced.

"Ah, yes. I seem to recall a great war took place not too long ago. Were you involved in that?"

Paine thought quickly. The words from the screen flashed through her mind.

"No, my village was unaffected. As you undoubtedly know, the war was one by only three individuals from the Tenoka, Fiery and Verence clans. Of those three, only two survived. The Wolf Ninja of Verence was killed by the Wind General."

Behind Sevren, Leon looked impressed. Sevren seemed satisfied, for the moment at least. As soon as she had discarded Paine as a threat she ignored the black clad warrior completely. She grabbed possessively at Leon and said:

"Well, come along, I'll show you around."

Three hours later, Paine hoped she never saw a shred of pink, peach, satin, silk or various kinds of angels, or angelic beings. She felt like gagging but wouldn't allow even a whisp of weakness to show, for certainty Sevren would jump on it. In fact, more than once the fire blonde would remark things like:

"My dear, you look tired. Are you holding up okay?"

Paine would smile sweetly and reply, "Just fine, dear."

Sevren would get a vaguely serpentine expression before turning back and smiling endearingly at Leon, who seemed to enjoy having all the expression of a block of wood.

Of course Sevren's yacht (sired 'Heaven's Kiss') was always well lit so night was non-existent, but there was a large clock that let the occupants know when to begin their rest cycle. Coming from Spira, where there were some places like Zanarkand that were always shrouded in night, and places like the Bikanel Desert that never darkened, so the idea of absolute sleep times was a novel one for Paine. Sevren showed them to their rooms on the quarterdeck. Paine didn't miss the implication brought on by the arrangement. Sevren's room was in between her and Leon's.

Paine ignored both of them as she tried to bolt in to her assigned room, but Leon stopped her in the doorway. He leaned down a little and talked quietly so only she could hear.

"Listen, we may have to get out of here pretty fast, so stay alert."

Paine looked at him carefully, trying to see if he was kidding. She repressed the desire to laugh.

"Aye aye, Captain," she whispered, mockingly. He searched her face a moment longer, before turning away, and disappearing into his own room.

Paine's room was comfortable, well furnished, and best of all, dark. The lights were dimmed, and the bed coverings were a deep shade of blue. Paine sat down, and felt the weight of her body sink into the bedding. She groaned. She hated really soft beds, and inwardly she knew she wouldn't sleep much tonight. Although she considered, as she looked around, it was unlikely she'd sleep much in a place like this anyway.

She lay down, and stared at the ceiling and clenched her hands in frustration. Too much time lost, too much time resting, sleeping, dreaming…

She wanted to move, to get going, anywhere, nowhere, she didn't care, just to have a mission again. Admittedly, Leon was not the first person Paine would have asked for in a companion, but at least she knew he could handle himself.

After an hour and half of not sleeping, Paine decided to explore a little. She didn't know how far she could get before being seen and shuttled back to her gilded prison, but she figured it couldn't hurt to find out. Unfortunately, she never got past the hallway.

She opened the door and silently looked around. Her eyes rested on a lone figure leaning on the opposite wall in the hallway.

"What are you doing out here?" she hissed. Leon shrugged. A mischievous gleam came into Paine's eyes.

"Bored with your little sugar coated damsel already?" she asked, tauntingly, every word dripping with sickening sweetness.

Leon pushed himself off the wall and swaggered towards her, and Paine had to stop herself from taking a defensive posture immediately. He smiled, meanly, cruelly, and standing very close to her, he asked:

"What bothers you more? That I could go in her room? Or that I'm not in yours?"

Paine almost choked at the implication. Her eyes flew open, and she clenched her hands so tightly that several knuckles cracked. He laughed, knowing he had scored, but it was worth at least 3 points, putting him in the lead. Paine breathed heavily through her nose, her jaw feeling wired shut. She wouldn't look at him, and her entire body shook with anger. And so he took his leave of her, with her dark thoughts, most involving the gruesome death of several small fuzzy animals, and one smug Gunblade wielder.