Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, I don't own Final Fantasy X-2, I don't own my house, I don't own my car, I don't own my pants.

Warning: Sexual Content…I repeat Sexual Content. Lemons and Limes are my kind of fruit, and if you ain't cool with that turn around now.

Time to add a little good old American action…ok…violence to our pantheon of warnings and disclaimers…

Shot Through The Heart

Thinking of Paine in trouble had given Baralai the balls to break out of his room, seeing Yuna, Rikku and Paine using their feminine.. charm to 'get out of jail free' gave him an erection. He stood with his back to them as he heard them rustling to readjust themselves. The door creaked open before Rikku's chipper voice giggled and said "You can look now boys."

Paine stood in Baralai's face a little close then he had thought. She wound back her hand to hit him but Yuna grabbed her arm and Rikku wrapped herself around Paine and pulled her back.

Tidus was extremely confused. He pointed to the white haired boy and asked the entire room. "Is that Baralai?"

Paine frowned and pulled herself away from the other two girls. Gippal scratched his head and Baralai just looked down at the ground, acting guilty. Rikku's curiosity broke the silence. "Yes it is. Won't one of you two tell us what is going on?"

"Start with why your father is here…" Paine growled a little low as she crossed her arms.

"Especially when he's dead…" Gippal asked earning a flashed look from Baralai.

"…He's not dead" Baralai said shaking his head.

Rikku bent over a little and snuck closer to the tan skinned man. "Yes…He is…He fought us, turned into pyerflies…He's unsent."

Baralai closed his eyes tight. "Sorin…my father…disappeared when I was very young, I assumed he was dead…but after defeating Vegnagun…He came back. He said he had been trapped beneath Bevelle…that the fiends prevented him from becoming the Praetor…"

Paine lifted one eyebrow. "You believed him?"

"All I knew growing up was my mother's stories of him. She said he was a wonderful leader…A good man…You don't understand. Until you came…He was good. He was doing the right thing. He had to take over. I couldn't be the Praetor anymore…" Baralai explained, half turned away from them

"Why not?" Tidus asked

He looked up at Paine with a deep sadness and guilt. He looked at the three girls…and Gippal. "I fought against you…I drove a rampage and attempted to kill all of Spira. I threatened the eternal calm."

"not you!" Rikku said stepping toward him. "It was Shuyin"

"Not to those who saw me. Not to everyone. Not to me. I couldn't stop it but I felt it, Every movement. Every step. I played the keys. I attacks you…ALL of you." Baralai sounded angry at himself, his fist so tightly pulled that it seemed to dig into his own flesh.

Paine stepped forward and let her exterior melt a little. She took his hand in hers' and forced his fingers open with surprising strength. She held his hand. "No one blames you."

Rikku nodded and cheered with one arm in the air. "We fought to get you back and you know …save Spira"

"Again" Yuna added with a smile

"No one knows you were the one Shuyin controlled. Spira won't ever know. Even if they did, they would forgive you." Paine said giving him a little squeeze. "Your father told you that. He did it to manipulate you. To keep you in here and not in his way."

Baralai didn't seem to be listening to her, so she bent down and grabbed his face between her hands. She forced him to look at her. "That isn't your father anymore. He lied to you. No one blames you." She leaned closer and Baralai's heart began to race at the thought she might kiss him. He was suddenly very aware of her soft red lips, pale skin and warm touch on his face. The blood rushed to his cheeks making them a pink color.

She dropped her hands to her side suddenly and put them back on her hips. Her spine snapping straight and stony again. "Take us to where he is keeping our Dress Spheres"

Baralai nodded and cleared his throat. "Right this way, we have to go quietly." The man took off down the hall, his feet walking quickly without making any sound.

The girls followed, their bare feet padding softly on the floor. Yuna slipped up next to Paine and looked at the girl. Her soft pink lips parted, about to ask Paine a question but the pale girl lifted a hand to stop Yuna. Paine just moved faster, not wanting to talk about how she got Baralai's coat.

Rikku hung back a little and reached back to take Gippal's hand discretely. She squeezed it in a silent message. He returned the affection just as secretly. Neither of them noticed Tidus's watchful eyes close by. He made sure no one followed them but he was not single minded.

Baralai moved fast through the twisted hallways until he hugged a nondescript wall of the unfamiliar hallways and lifted his hand, palm out and caused all those following to stop and hold their breath. A guard rounded the corner and saw the prisoners in the hallway. The strange man's eyes widened and his mouth began to open as he lifted his gun. He was not quick enough however. Before a sound could exit his mouth Baralai's arm slammed into the man's chest with a dull thud. The air whooshed from the guards lungs without a sound. Another wall placed blow hit the slower man's throat and knocked his head back. Baralai's foot clipped the back of the man's knee and drove him to the ground while his elbow cracked into the base of his neck. The platinum blonde moved faster then most people could thing, sinking to catch the man's unconscious dead weight before it hit the ground and made a sound.

He took the guards gun and slinked back into onto the wall, carefully peeking around the corner by checking the reflection on the barrel's surface. He nodded the all clear to the girls and took them around the corner to another long hallway. Hallway down he stopped and turned to the wall. He placed his hand on the surface and moved it around slowly. Looking. He found the correct place after a few seconds and the entire wall began to glow, a small door sized slit opening for them. He walked through it and the others followed closely. Inside there was only a large door that looked like a puzzle. Baralai had no trouble this time, quickly moving the pieces into place and the vault swung open.

Paine was tired of following and slipped in front of Baralai to enter the vault. The room was more massive then they had expected, three towering stories of silvery metal that held small containers, each under lock and key. A grand splitting stair case was on the opposite wall and this door appeared to be the only entrance. The center was open, allowing them to see up to the third floor and at the roof a stained glass mural of the faith cast a beautiful light that mingled with the artificial light. In the center was a singular space, an island. On the shinning metal slab was their Dress Sphere's, all of them and more, one she recognized as the Sphere she recorded for Baralai, another was her portable Comm Sphere. She picked up her Sphere and narrowed her eyes at the Baralai. "Why did you give this to him?"

Baralai looked at the sphere and shrugged his shoulders "I didn't, I've never seen that before in my life…"

Paine's mouth dropped a few inches. She didn't want to believe him, she wanted to remain angry at him for a very long time. It was easier to accept he didn't love her and be mad that he ignored her. However, if he never saw the sphere, she neglected to contact him and it would bring up the question why she didn't get suspicious sooner. "Baralai. Are you telling me…You never saw this?"

Baralai sighed, a little tired of being treated like an idiot. Just because I can be manipulated by my dead father…does not mean I am incompatant. "No Paine." His voice was a little aggressive. "I have not seen that sphere before. I-"

Not even Baralai could remember what he was going to say after that, he was too preoccupied with Paine's lips on his, her arms wrapped around him. She was kissing him! She was kissing him? She was…kissing him. Baralai was too confused to react and by the time he was aware of what was going on her lips were gone. She placed the sphere in his hand. "Watch it when you have a chance." She said with a sneaky little smile.

Rikku and Yuna giggled as they equipped their gear and stashed their items. Baralai just stood there for a moment, blinking, letting the kiss compute. He looked down at the Sphere and hit the play button. Paine's hand shot out and shut it off. "Not now…this is not the time."

Baralai looked frustrated and about to burst. "P! you can NOT just kiss me like that and hand me this and expect me to do nothing!"

Paine lifted an eyebrow at the forceful tone in his voice. She pulled back the hammer on Gippal's gun checking the chamber and let it snap back, tossing it over her shoulder at him with ease. "Well do what you want but your not watching that now."

The boy's speed was just as blinding as earlier as he grabbed the taller girl and pulled her backward, dipping her into a kiss. The girls reactions had her feet on the island and one hand on the ground, but his lips were firmly on her's and he let her realize what he was doing before he slipped his tongue into her mouth and stroked her tongue. The tense, crimson eyed girl relaxed in his arms and trusted him as he continued the slow pressure Eventually.

Rikku looked at them smiling, holding the thief sphere in her hand, she looked at Yuna and gave her a small smile.

Yuna whispered softly, "We should put these on"

Baralai let Paine back onto her feel and turned to a glass case which housed his weapon and Tidus' sword. His face was a little red but it was difficult to notice with his skin color. Paine was a bright pink that sharply contrasted her white skin.

The blonde girl closed her eyes, but as she was equipping the Dress Sphere she felt something hit her. Like a ton of bricks slamming into her stomach When she looked down …everything seemed to be going so slowly. Her head tilted to the side looking at the long stick with small feathers on the end sticking out of her stomach. She could hear Gippal scream her name, but it was muffled in her ears. She could feel warm blonde soaking his shirt; she could feel herself getting dizzy. Tilting up her head she forced her green eyes to focus. On the second floor, over the balcony guards stood, and Sorin was poised with an ivory bow.

She heard glass breaking, gunfire, but she couldn't stand anymore. The girls small legs gave out and she vaugly felt warm arms catch her. She could hear muddled voices. "Yunie.." She asked reaching out the white hooded figure. "Phoenix Down…" The brunettes face was a little clearer to her, she had tears on her face.

"Wha?" came the dieing girls voice.

"You have to be in a Dress Sphere for that to work…I can only heal you…" Yuna said waiting for her Curaga to cast. She held Rikku close to her. "When you feel like you can…try and equip something….anything."

Rikku coughed and her body seemed to feel cold, but her eyes still looked around in their cloudy state. "Wha…oing…on?"

"Shhh!" Yuna said petting her hair softly. "It's ok. It's ok. They are fighting. It's ok."

"They need you..." Rikku groaned out. "You …need to help them…"

Yuna's arms were shaking a little. "SHUT UP! I think your poisoned Rikku! Every time you talk it hurts you more, every time you move! So…just stop…"

The Brunette looked peeked around the relative safety of the island, Paine was in her Dark Knight Dress Sphere, while Gippal was shooting with everything he could find. He was so angry. He knocked guards off the second story…he brutal smashed them into walls. Baralai stood directly between the Island and the Staircase, preventing anyone from coming near Yuna or Rikku. Finally there was Tidus, …she couldn't see him, not really, she could only hear the sounds of Energy Rain, showering down and his sword doing a Slice and Dice.

It seemed like forever before the Curaga would cast and Yuna was angry that she hadn't cast it on the part also. She could see their Hp dropping into the yellow. Gippal didn't seem to notice himself getting any weaker. The blonde man looked over the balcony and felt his heart clench in his chest seeing Rikku still in his bloody shirt and still on the ground.

Yuna turned felt Rikku open her eyes again. "Come on Rikku! Equip something please…" She fumbled for an Antidote and dropped the bottle onto Rikku's wound. The bottle melted away and the girl began to glow but it was obvious it hadn't worked.

Bralai's voice rang through the echoing room as he called out Paine's name and Yuna realized that the girl hand been Knocked Out. She watched the small girl glow in her arms and change into her Mascot Dress Sphere. Yuna pushed off the blonde's Cait Sith head and touched her face. She was Knocked Out as well. She looked up at a guard who rounded the island and aimed his gun at Yuna on the floor. She saw Tidus on the third floor, Gippal and Paine KO on the second and Baralai with only a few HP still defending her. Immediately the brunette put herself over Rikku and set her turn for defense, checking the blonde's pulse to see if underneath being KO she was still alive. Yuna winced as the shot depleted her HP.

A loud explosion came from the door that they used to enter the vault and to Yuna's surprise when she looked up, Lulu stood with her Onion Knight in a fiery hole that used to be the door. "Look's like we're just in Time…"

Kimahri was a stream of tall blue hair as he drove toward the guard and thrust his Spirit Lance into the belly of the man. Wakka threw his World Champion with an intense concentration, guiding it to hit enemies on the second and third story.

"LULU!" Yuna screamed, crying as she held the ironically ridiculous dressed girl. The older girl leaned down and pulled Yuna to her feet.

"Calm yourself" came the woman's strong and caring voice. "You have friends hear that need your help. Rikku's just KO'ed"

Yuna shook her head wildly. "She got hit…before she was in the Dress Sphere"

Lulu just blinked, and thought for a moment. She couldn't very well let Yuna know Rikku may die without the protection of the Dress Sphere. The girl reached into her pocket and pulled out a Mega Phoenix Down. She threw it onto the ground. "We'll see."

The magic spread throughout the room and breathed life back into the party as it reached them. First was Baralai, freshly fallen he pulled himself up and began immedatly fighting to protect the Island and the girls behind it. This time he was surprised to find a strong honorable Ronso Elder and a Blitzball star fighting with him. Wakka flashed him a smile. "You doing good Kid. Keep it up ya know!" He threw another ball to help the weakened Tidus on the third floor.

The next reached Paine and caused her to arch, taking a deep breathe. Immediately she spun into action and got right back on her feet.

Gippal's arm twitched first, reviving and pulling him up. He was a little confused as to what was going on but immediately began the hunt for Sorin again.

Rikku moved on the floor and opened her eyes. She sat up and winced in pain. "Yunie…"

"Don't move" Lulu said in a softly concerned voice. "Your loosing HP, Your poisoned." Before the dark haired girl could finished her sentence Rikku was already glowing, changing into her Alchemist outfit. Now the blood stained skin was a little visible through the slits in her outfit as she began dealing out Mega Potions.

"I can still help. Even if I don't move." She said looking up a Lulu. "Thanks for the help…"

Lulu nodded. "Brother and Buddy came to get us. Said something went wrong with the 'rescue'"

Yuna nodded and hugged Rikku tight before glowing as she changed Dress Sphere's into a Gun Mage and jumped onto the Island. Firing Trigger happy she took down several enemies in a single turn. Lulu unleashed a flurry of Ultima spells while Rikku continued to dispense aid as needed. Gippal peered over the edge and saw the blonde girl breaking bottles on the floor. He immediately jumped over the edge of the second floor railing to go to her.

Tidus and Paine retreated down the stairs and slid in next to the line already formed. "There are only a few left on the second." Paine reported as she dug her sword into the floor and a wave of darkness spread throughout their enemies. "They are on their way down."

Tidus ran, using his Slice and Dice against a stronger enemy as he fell back he whipped off his sword. "None on the third, but no way out and no sign of Sorin."

Yuna kept firing in patterns with Wakka. "He is in here…" Her eyes were a little dark, sinister. "and we are going to make him bleed."