The next morning Paine opened her eyes slowly and looked around. She moaned softly as she starched. Her head spun and her ribs were still slightly sore. 100 my ass Paine thought as she stood up. She looked in the two beds next to her and saw Yuna and Rikku asleep. A small smile played at Paine's lips as she looked at Yuna cuddling her extra pillow. Paine walked over and pulled the covers up more over Yuna and smiled softly as Yuna snuggled into the pillow. Paine looked over at Rikku and saw her on her stomach her blonde hair covering her face. Paine chuckled at the sight and walked over and picked the covers up off the floor and covered Rikku up. Paine walked to the opening of the tent and looked back at her friends and smiled softly before walking out of the tent. Lulu was walking towards the tent when Paine stepped out.
Lulu smiled. "Good morning, how do you feel?"
"A bit lightheaded and a tad sore in the ribs but other than that I feel ok."
The black mage nodded. "The lightheadedness and soreness will pass in a few hours. Are Yuna and Rikku still asleep?"
Paine nodded. "Yea they are, why?"
Lulu smiled. "Looks like they get to eat breakfast with Wakka and Vidina then, come let's go get something to eat."
Paine and Lulu walked to the temple and went to the lower level and sat in the small café down there and talked while they waited for their food.
"So Paine how exactly did you meet Yuna?"
Paine leaned back in her chair and looked at Lulu. "I helped her and Rikku out with a pack of killer hounds with a few lupuses mixed in."
Lulu shook her head. "Yuna always did befriend the hero types."
Paine got a funny look on her face. "Whats that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing really I meant nothing by it. I was simply saying Yuna has a habit of befriending people who bail her out of jams. That's how she met him you know." Paine looked at Lulu and then shook her head. "What is it?"
Paine shook her head again. "Its nothing, just for a second there you reminded me of my mother is all."
Lulu cocked her head to the side causing a few black braids to flop over her shoulder. "Oh how so?"
Paine shook her head. "Just how the tone of your voice never changed the whole time you said all that."
Lulu smiled softly and nodded. "You have very sad eyes when you speak of your mother."
Paine looked at Lulu. "I lost both to Sin 2 years ago."
Lulu frowned. "I'm sorry."
Paine shook her head. "Don't be, thanks to you and Yuna my mother has been avenged."
A faint smile fell on the purple painted lips of the older woman and she spoke softly. "Please don't mention it." Lulu looked at Paine and smiled ever so softly.
Paine was about to say something when she felt a hand on either shoulder and lips on either side of her neck. "You two really have to stop that. We all know its not me you want either of you so just stop huh."
Yuna frowned and looked at Paine with hurt in her two different colored eyes. "You can be so cold sometimes Paine."
Paine saw the look on Yuna's face and frowned. "I'm sorry Yuna."
Rikku whapped Paine in the back of the head as she walked over and hugged her cousin. "Don't be sad Yunie…" Rikku drifted off and sighed heavily before dragging Yuna off to the side and speaking softly. "You can't let Paine know I told you this…" Yuna nodded. "Do you swear Yunie cuz she'll kill me if she ever finds out I told you." Yuna smiled and nodded again. "Ok well you see you're the one Paine opens up and talks to right?" Yuna nodded slightly. "Well I over heard her and Buddy one day sitting at the bar talking in Al Bhed and well to make a long story short she loves you Yunie…When she realized I was in the room and heard everything she told Buddy she swore me to secrecy by sword point and I'm not kidding. I honestly thought she was gonna kill me. So please don't tell her I told you. Her cold responses are because she knows you're in love with him, and she doesn't think you'll ever want or return her love so she keeps it buried and comes off as cold so that you won't ever know how she feels." Yuna looked at Rikku and then down at her feet. "I see, so Paine is in love with me and you and Buddy knew and I've been so blind to the fact…I've probably hurt her so much these last 2 years looking for him and telling her how I felt about him…" Yuna trailed off and looked over at Lulu and Paine but only saw Lulu. She walked over to the Black Mage stunned to see her looking dazed. "Lulu whats wrong, and where did Paine go?"
Lulu looked at Yuna and sighed. "Gone…She muttered something in Al Bhed picked up her sword told me not to follow her or to tell you guys where she went." Lulu motioned with her head in the direction Paine had walked off in.
Yuna closed her eyes then opened them. "We need to find her; we can't let her go off on her own. I'll…we'll miss her to much. And besides she too good a friend to lose."
"Try the beach there's a ship leaving for Luca today. I don't know what stops are in between but if the boat already left head for Luca."
Rikku and Yuna ran towards the beach as fast as they could hoping to stop their friend from leaving. They ran across the pier just as the boat was pulling away. Yuna looked dead at Paine and Paine hung her head. She ran to the edge of the ship and tossed something to Yuna. "I'm sorry Yuna!" Paine yelled to her friend and true love as the boat pulled away. "I'm sorry I hurt you…" Paine whispered as she walked below and sat in her cabin.