I'm very sorry that I haven't updated in a while. I went to the beach and had to deal with my family and all their drama. Other than that I've just been busy goin' places and doin' stuff… heh heh, 'stuff'. I should be back on track now… unless I get a writers' block or have other 'stuff' I have to do. Also, while I have your attention, I want everyone, next time you pass a bookstore, to go in and see if they have a book called A Surrender to the Moon. It is a book of poetry and I only want you to read the first poem in the book. The poem is by a lovely and dear friend of mine her name is Tiffany Oakley. Tell me what you think about the poem if you read it and I will relay your thoughts to her. Thank you all. Now… without further a due… on with the show!

As always… I own nothing. pouts

Thanx go to all of my reviewers. Love you guys!

CrazyLittleThingCalledLove

Chapter 3: Truth Be Told

Paine awoke to a violent shaking. She bolted upright, knocking the blonde attacker off of her. The emerald-eyed girl, now on the floor, responded with a quick "Owie!" and received a nasty glare from the 'Sleeping Beauty'.

"Rikku, what the hell was that about?" the crimson-eyed warrior questioned coldly.

"I just wanted to tell you that we're here, at Gagazet. Yunie already went ahead and I tied Brother up so we won't be bothered… while in the springs, I mean." Rikku coughed the last.

"Okay. I'll go change." The warrior got off her bed and started towards the bathroom. She was about to turn and walk down the stairs when she heard the quick shuffling of feet and felt a soft hand rest on her shoulder. Coming to a halt, the older girl waited for the other to speak.

"Um, heh…. Can I talk to you about something? Later, not now though."

"I guess that would be fine. What is it that you want to talk about?" Paine felt uneasy with this 'wanting to talk' ordeal. Things like this usually meant that Rikku wanted to pry into her business, but the blonde usually was very forward about things like that. This time she was almost being… cautious, but why?

"I guess you'll have to wait to find that out when you get to the springs!" the Al Bhed quickly chirped as she skipped around the taller woman and down the stairs to the elevator. "And hurry it up!" she yelled in a happy tone before the doors to the elevator shut.

"If she tries one of her stupid stunts…" Paine walked back over to her bed and her thoughts of harming the other girl disappeared as she remembered a certain outfit. Kneeling down, pulling the built-in drawer of the bed out and rummaging through its contents, she found what she was looking for. A black two-piece suit that she thought adorned her figure quite well.

'Hmm… should I? Keh, why the hell not?' she thought to herself. 'We will just see what happens if I dress more… like her. If she likes me the way I like her then this outfit just might do the trick.' With that she went to get dressed.

In the springs

"Okay, Yunie, when she comes out I want you to say, 'I'm going to go over here and think for a while.' Or somethin' like that, 'kay?"

"Well why don't I just go now and then I won't have to say anything." Came the brunettes' reply.

"Um, yea. I guess that will work."

"Rikku, you have to tell her. You have to tell her now or you might not find the courage to do it again. Remember Lenne's song and what it was about? Tell her. Everything will work out fine if it's meant to be." The bi-colored-eyed girl reassured her cousin.

"If you say so, Yunie. She should be here any minute." The full-blooded Al Bhed said, jumping around in the water.

"Time for me to go then." The older of the two stated as she swam off.

"Huff. It's really gonna be hard to tell Dr. P this…" the lone thief said to herself as she stared at her distorted reflection, in the ripples of the water.

"Hard to tell Dr. P what?"

Rikku whirled around to see the person of her thoughts standing at the waters' edge. All her courage was lost, yet it seemed as though she could do anything. She felt like she was flying and falling at the same time and she only felt those emotions when she was near Paine. The blonde stared at the girl with her mouth agape and at a total loss for words. The girl never expected in a million years to see Paine in such an outfit. It was like a dream come true.

"Well? I know it's not every day you see me like this, but do you have to stare so hard? Do I look that bad?" the older girl asked jokingly.

"Un-uh." Came the reply as the girl in the water was still trying to regain focus. Paine smirked at this and walked into the warm, soothing water letting her mind momentarily drift to the possibilities of what could be the outcome of this night, if Rikku was thinking the same thing she herself were thinking. She made her way to the younger girl and stopped roughly two feet from her.

"So, now that you've gotten me out here, what is it that you wanted?"

"Oh… uhh…" Rikku was still slightly taken back by what Paine was wearing.

"Uhh what? Come on my hair is going to turn grey." The warrior inwardly laughed at her own joke and cracked a smile when the younger girl laughed too. Then it was quiet, except for the distant sound of small waterfall trickling its' way into the calm, warm waters of the spring. Finally, the Al Bhed spoke, with confidence at first, but as she went on her level of confidence slowly dropped to where the girl was in tears by the end.

"Um, Paine, I have kinda had feelings for you for a long time. At first I didn't think too much of them, but then I started to worry about you in battle and I felt so bad every time you were hurt. Almost like it was my fault for not doing something more to protect you, though I know you don't need protecting." The blonde looked into the wine-red eyes of the warrior before her and that's when she started to lose it. "And when we were in the Den of Woe… I, I almost broke down when I had to fight Yunie but, when we had to fight you," the girl was lightly sobbing now, yet the silver-manned girl still listened, " I felt so, so empty. I felt as though I had lost you and I… I couldn't take it anymore." Now the blonde was heaving and sniffling, trying to remain calm and getting more upset because she couldn't do so.

Paine now felt as though she had to do something. She wanted to be with Rikku but she didn't want all the complications. People might not approve of the couple and what would Yuna and the rest of the crew think? What would all the people in Spira think? They were the Gullwings and everyone had either seen or heard of them. What would be said of them if people were to hear of this? Paine's mind flooded with these thoughts, yet her heart took control and made her reach out to the sobbing girl.

"Rikku," Paine moved closer to her and wiped a stray strand of hair from the blondes' face. "It's okay, Rikku. You can tell me."

"I'm sorry!" the emerald-eyed girl wailed as she threw herself into Paine's arms. "I don't know what's wrong with me. Please, please don't hate me!" She cried into the crook of the older girl's neck.

"Rikku." Paine said, lightly prying the girl from her. The thief stood, still sniffling, with her head bowed as though she were a child in trouble. "Rikku, look at me." The gothic warrior cupped the girl's chin and forced the emerald-swirled orbs to meet with her own plain, crimson ones. After a few moments of gazing into the brilliance of those eyes did the warrior find what she truly wanted to find there; love. Suddenly, all of her thoughts of what others would think or say vanished and all she wanted was to be with the beautiful woman before her, forever.

"Don't bother. I should've known you weren't like that." The blonde sniffed again looking off to the side. "If you hate me I can see why."

"I don't hate you. I'm not even remotely close to hating you."

"Yea… right."

"Okay. Fine then, I hate you." Paine said emotionlessly. Rikku's breath caught in her throat.

"You do?" she squeaked, hardly audible to even herself. She felt as though someone had shot her, leaving a massive, gaping hole in her chest.

"Really, if I hated you so much would I do this?" the older girl asked inquisitively, her voice once again soft and caring, as she took the younger girl in her arms and kissed her passionately, placing both her hands on the smaller girl's waist pulling the girl closer to herself.

At first, the blonde was shocked almost into paralysis. Then, she realized what was going on and suddenly relaxed, wrapping her arms about the warrior's neck, she returned all the heat and passion of the kiss. The Al Bhed deepened the kiss by sliding her tongue into the other girl's mouth, receiving a moan in response. Finally, Paine broke the kiss, gasping for air. The sly thief snaked her arms down and around the crimson-eyed beauty's waist and snuggled her head under the girl's chin, pulling their bodies even closer together.

Yuna watched from behind a rock and sighed, "At least now they can both be happy…." Suddenly an image of him flashed through her mind followed by a dizzy spell and an odd sense of de ja' vu. "Oh, my. Uhn… must be this heat." She tottered back and forth trying to regain her balance. Lifting her arm up to the boulder beside her she called out to Rikku. Even though she didn't want to break up what the newly found loves beautiful moment she really was in need of assistance.

"Huh? What's Yuna doing here?" Paine looked down at the grinning girl in her arms.

"Uhh… heh, heh. Support?" she beamed at the older girl, standing and calling back to her cousin, "What?"

"Can you help me? Please?" came the strained reply.

In the Cabin, a little later

"Hey. How do you feel?" the silver-haired warrior asked sitting on the edge of her own bed.

"I'm fine now. I think it was just the heat that got to me." The bi-colored eyes glanced from the clouds flying passed the window above the bed into the crimson eyes of the girl on the bed next to her bed.

"That's good to hear. We'll be in Besaid in a few min-"

Suddenly, Buddy's voice boomed over the intercom, "Yuna, Paine to the bridge. We are above Besaid and I'm picking up some strange waves, might wanna check this out." Both the girls heard, but couldn't quite catch what Rikku and Brother were incoherently babbling about in the background.

"I say we go check it out. How bout it?" the leather clad woman stood.

"Let's!" came the reply as the auburn-haired girl threw off the covers and followed the other girl over the banister and through the hall leading to the elevator. When the elevator stopped at the bridge the girls walked out together, only to be tackled, in unison, by a flying Rikku.

"Go look at the grid station! Quick! Quick!" the overly hyperactive blonde dragged her cousin over to the machine with even more bounce then what the girl usually had. The machine made a low pitched humming as its screen went from static to a bird's eye view of the ocean off the coast of Besaid Island.

"Uh… What am I supposed to see?" Yuna questioned, confused. Rikku looked at the screen and pressed a dial. Paine walked over and leaned on Rikku's shoulders to see what the fuss was about.

"Ah ha! Now tell me whatcha see." The perky thief danced as though she had a cactaur in her pants.

"I see… a body."

Rikku zoomed in a little closer and then realization struck the ex-summoner like a lightning bolt in the Thunder Plains.

"Rikku, Rikku it, it's… him. It's Tidus."

Bwuahahahahaaa! Cliffy! Okay, this wasn't even part of the original plan, oh well, this chapter changes everything. Well, I'm going to bed. I will update again soon, I promise. AND AS ALWAYS, REMEMBER TO REVIEW!