Disclaimer: I don't own the Final Fantasy characters, I own baby Chappu and Paine, and any other character's I decide to add.

Pieces of Pain

Chapter 5

Paine

Paine sat down on the ground of her prison and thought about what the voice had said.

"You have to find the rest of yourself." Paine tried to think of the first bad thing that had ever happened to her. Then it hit her; it was the day her parents died.

Little six-year-old Paine sat on her father's lap as he guided the chocobo drawn wagon across the calm lands. He was telling her a story about Zanarkand and all the machina wonders they had there. He had a problem with thinking all machina was bad, however he was no Al bed.

Paine's mother called from the back that it was time to stop so she could make some lunch, so her father stopped the chocobo and helped Paine down from the wagon.

Then went to help her mother out of the back. Paine being a very curious child decided to go for a walk. She found a deep cave and went inside. She lost track of time but when she regained it she immediately ran back to her parents.

Paine's eyes filled with tears when she remembered what she had found on her return. The wagon was turned over and on fire, the contents strewn about.

She ran forward calling for her parents she got to the other side of the wagon and screamed. Her parents where torn apart, the ground was crying blood. Paine sank to her knees and cried.

She never knew just how long she cried for but once she had stopped she went looking for her father's sword. She found it lying a few feet away in the body of a small drake.

She pulled it out and lifted it into the sky. The sun shining on the sword made the blood boil and stain the blade a deep red towards the tip.

It was a heavy blade, and she was just barely able to lift it but the fury and anger gave her strength to do what she knew must be done.

She buried the remains of her parents and covered them so the fiends couldn't drag them back up. Then she stacked the fiend bodies on top of the burning wagon and watched the flames destroy the remains in a matter of minutes.

Rikku

Rikku sat up and looked around the temple. After the celebration the gang had decided to sleep on the temple floor together.

She stood and glanced down at Auron who was sleeping soundly next to where she had been. Her eyes sifted to Nooj and Leblanc who surprisingly had arrived for the party and stayed through it.

Yuna and Tidus were attached at the hip over towards the front door. She couldn't blame them, after all Yuna had lost him for two years.

Kimarhi was asleep leaning against the wall. Rikku stifled a giggle and continued gazing around the room. There was Baralai asleep and softly snoring.

Wakka and Lulu had been the only ones to go home and that was because they had two newborns and a baby boy waiting at home.

Brother, Buddy and Shinra were strewn out over the floor. Suddenly she realized Gippal was missing.

She looked around again just in case she had missed him somewhere, but she hadn't.

She quietly made her way to the door sidestepping Yuna and Tidus' sleeping forms. She escaped the temple and stood outside in the cool midnight air.

Rikku looked around the village but didn't find Gippal anywhere. She walked around the island a bit and was just about to give up when something above the waterfall caught her eye.

She made her way there and found Gippal sitting above the waterfall quietly gazing over the island.

"Gippal?" Gippal turned to face Rikku and sighed.

"Well if it isn't Cid's girl." He said for old times sake.

"How are you?" Rikku asked as she sat down next to him, she tried not to show her pain when he edged away from her.

"I'm as good as can be expected I guess." He said emotionless.

"I'm sorry it didn't work out for us but we have to stop being so cold to each other!" Rikku demanded.

"This has nothing to do with us any more Rikku! Get over yourself!" Gippal said harshly then he launched himself up and practically ran from her.

Rikku watched him run and then turned back to the waterfall. She missed Paine so much.

She never even got to say goodbye. Her tears fell into the waterfall as she stood and began the walk back to the temple.