Chapter 3

Paine tossed and turned as she shivered though was sweating profusely. It had been almost four hours spent in natural shelter, a wayward pine[1] but in that time Paine's condition had worsened and she had developed a fever. She slipped in and out of consciousness but never for more than a few moments was she able to remain lucid. Each time her eyes closed more nightmares filled her mind causing tears to occasionally fall from her tightly closed eyes.

Yuna and Rikku were at a loss on what to do. Their magic was not responding at all and they had no idea how such a wound could be so devastating to one such as Paine. The wound was grisly and definitely of significance but to bring down Paine? The mighty warrior who had saved the world from the dreaded machine that nearly obliterated all of Spira? This should be nothing but a scratch but the wound was dark and foreboding, almost as if it had a life of its own.

"Yuni… What if-" Rikku began, looking into her cousin's damp eyes.

Yuna interrupted her before she could finish. "She'll be fine Rikku!" She leaned close and gently wiped Paine's forehead with a piece of cloth torn from Rikku's scarf. "Can you go get some more water please?"

Rikku nodded and stepped out from under the branches that sheltered them and looked back at their little shelter. She was quite impressed at the wayward pine never having seen one before now. The tree had branches that came out at Rikku's shoulder level but had no needles at the base, only at the end. This caused a somewhat hollow interior, a natural cover from the elements and from view from the outside.

When they had first gotten Paine inside, she was already delirious and Rikku had set to the task of gathering some dry grass, small sticks and stones to build a fire-pit. Within minutes she had a small, contained fire going that had no danger of igniting the tree and the smoke curled towards the center of the tree and out without lingering at all. As she walked to the small stream she had discovered in her gathering she mused over the possibilities of remaining out in the wild and never returning to a large city. While there were those she would miss, she was with the two people she cared for most and she was unsure if she'd ever see anyone she knew apart from them again as it was.

In the wayward pine, Yuna was sitting beside Paine, cradling the warrior's head in her lap while wiping the sweat from her face. "What is wrong with you Paine? Why are you so sick and what is causing all these tears?" With a sigh, Yuna leaned back against the base of the tree. She was exhausted, mentally, from the whole ordeal and not knowing where she was or how she got there was not helping. "I need you to get better Paine. Rikku and I could not do it without you."

The sound of the branches moving caught her attention and she raised a pistol only to lower it as Rikku's familiar face popped through. "I got some more water. I just wish we had a pot or something so we could cook something." As if to agree with her, a loud rumble came from her stomach. "Owwie. Yunie I'm so hungry!"

Yuna took the water and sat Paine up slightly to try and force the febrile girl to drink some, resulting in a few small sips before a coughing fit wracked the warrior in her arms. "Oh Paine…"

Launching into another attack, Paine ducked under the creature's deformed arm and brought her sword up with all her might only to be parried again. Sweat dripped down her face and onto the cold stone floor as Paine continued a deadly dance with the monster engaging her. Her energy was sapped and her muscles fatiguing but the rage inside her at the thought of the monster getting to Yuna caused her to fight on with constant vigilance. She only wished she knew where Yuna was or how they had gotten in this terrible cavern.

Paine had awoken alone, her entire body sore but without visual injuries. As she stood she realized something was wrong and had tried to seek out Yuna. For hours she wandered the cavern until finally she heard a sound and had foolishly called out in hopes of it being her friend. Instead she was met with a ferocious beast that fought with an intensity she had not before encountered. The beast was a skeletal creature only slightly larger than Paine but was a burnt black with strange sinewy webbing holding it together almost like a tar.

It was strong, a lot stronger than Paine was used to and she found that despite her incredible strength, she was no match for it in that regard. On blows that missed, the creature's claws carved into the stone floor and walls leaving black valleys over the span of their battlefield.

After what felt like an eternity the monster finally left an opening that Paine took advantage of. As the monster swung high, aiming for a decapitating blow, Paine rolled between its legs and spun, driving her sword into the center of the beast with all her might. The result was as desired; the blade erupted through the creature, liquefying it instantly. Unfortunately for Paine, her battle had not gone unnoticed and two more had come to investigate the sounds of combat.

Deciding that finding Yuna was more important than dying alone in an abandoned hallway, Paine turned and ran as fast as she could, taking random turns in hopes of coming across her dear friend. After a few minutes of this, Paine stumbled to a stop gasping for air. The cavern had heavy, moist air which was good for normal exertion but between the fighting and the running Paine was completely exhausted. Turning back to assure she was clear, Paine failed to notice the shadow coming from in front of her. As she faced forward a blinding pain erupted from her left side as the creature impaled her with a long blackened finger under her ribs. In two swift motions Paine amputated the arm attached to the finger followed by the head of the beast that had assaulted her.

Dropping to her knees Paine gripped her side where she had been wounded. It was a significant wound but nothing that would stop her. However as she moved to stand she felt an odd sensation in the wound as if the wound itself was alive. Dismissing the thoughts as delusional, she returned to her search for Yuna.

Yuna had long since fallen asleep and Rikku was kneeling at Paine's side, watching the older girl sleep. 'She's always been so strong. I wish I was as strong as she was.' Leaning close, Rikku inspected the sleeping figure's face. 'Even now, febrile and injured, she is so beautiful. If only she wasn't so cold-hearted all the time.'

Tossing a few more twigs on the small fire, Rikku couldn't help but smile at their situation. Here they were in an unknown place with unknown origin and no idea what they were going to do but for now they were safe, warm, and together. She just hoped Paine would recover soon so they could get out and adventure.

Leaning back on her elbows she glanced over at Yuna and noticed she was fast asleep with a smile on her lips. "Well," she stated to no one in particular. "at least Yunie is having a nice dream." Looking back at Paine one last time, the young thief sprawled out between her two friends and succumbed to sleep as well.

When Yuna awoke she startled at seeing a pair of ruby eyes gazing down at her behind a soft smile. "Good evening Yuna."

Sitting upright with such speed her head swam, Yuna threw her arms around Paine's neck and hugged her tightly. "Oh Paine you're awake!"

Obviously uncomfortable at the affectionate display, Paine cleared her throat and pulled away. "Yes, and it is thanks to you that I am. My fever has broken because of the care you and Rikku provided me." She bowed her head. "Thank you, Yuna."

Yuna blinked in astonishment. "Paine, you're our friend, of course we would take care of you! There's no need for thanks!"

Blushing at the comment, Paine looked away. "You say that like I should be accustomed to such things. Yuna, I've never been the type to have many friends."

Rikku took this opportunity to jump on Paine's back and hug her tightly. "Well you have us and you always will! Right Yuni?"

Giggling at Rikku's typical overzealousness and Paine's annoyed expression, Yuna nodded. "We'll always be here for you Paine, you will never need to be alone again."

Paine shrugged the small girl off. "While you two slept I managed to get us some food. It's nothing special I'm afraid but it's something I picked up in my travels." She turned and pulled a bowl-shaped piece of bark from behind her that had a paste inside it that was gray with streaks of red. "It is tava-root[2] porridge with some berries mixed in."

Yuna stared at Paine in awe. She simply could not imagine the girl before her going out and picking berries and the image made her giggle which caused Paine to scowl leading to further giggling. "Oh Paine, you're so cute sometimes."

Flustered, Paine forcefully handed the bark to Yuna. "Just eat some, I already had enough." With that she turned around and began cleaning the knife she kept in her boot that had been used to dig up the roots as well as mash them.

Rikku frowned in concern, a thought suddenly dawning on her. "Um Paine, where is your sword?"

The moment she spoke, she knew it was not something the warrior wished to speak of. "I lost it."

Yuna's eyes widened at the comment; Paine loved that sword and for her to have lost it was of significant importance. However, she decided against prying for now and motioned for Rikku to do the same as they ate the porridge in silence apart from commenting that it was surprisingly good. 'Paine, what happened to you in that cavern and why won't you share that burden?'

Author's Note

Enough angst for the first three chapters? I hope so, but there is plenty more I promise. And if it's going "too slow" for you, I'm sorry but I refuse to be a 12 chapter finish!

[1] Wayward Pine from Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth (Wizard's First Rule, the first book) is basically a pine tree where the needles only grow at the end of the branches, allowing a nice hollow base and perfect cover and concealment from the weathr.

[2] Tava-root porridge also from Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. He uses it a few times and I figured I wanted a porridge of roots… why not go with one I know!