Chapter 30: Ghost of A Rose
Paine looked at her mother and shook her head. "Complementing my fighting skills won't change anything." Paine sighed a little and looked at her mother.
Raven nodded. "You're right Paine it won't change the fact that I lied to you, nothing will and I know that, but please give me a chance to make things right."
Paine shrugged and as she walked away she spoke softly. "If you think you can be my guest."
Yuna watched Paine as she walked slowly out of the cave and finally ran after her. "Paine wait!" Seeing Paine wasn't stopping Yuna ran faster. Before Yuna reached Paine a Killer Hound and 2 Lupuses came running out of the brush.
The hound jumped on Yuna causing her to scream. Paine heard Yuna scream and turned around drawing her sword as she did and ran towards her lover. "Yuna!" Paine easily killed the 2 lupuses and grabbed the hound with her hands and pulled it off of Yuna and with one quick movement she broke its neck. "Are…are you ok Yuna?"
Yuna looked at Paine and saw the pain in her eyes and nodded and looked at the wound on her lovers side. "Paine you're hurt."
Paine looked down at her ribs and then back at Yuna and shook her head. "It's worth it to protect you and just knowing your ok makes the pain non existent."
Yuna slowly stood up and brushed herself off and smiled softly at Paine. "I'm fine Paine lets get you back to the airship and bandaged up."
Paine shook her head. "I'm fine really Yuna don't worry about me."
Hearing Yuna scream Rikku, Raven, Lulu and Synde ran from the cave towards her. When they arrived they saw Yuna standing in front of Paine talking to her and Raven shook her head seeing the wound on Paine's ribs and spoke to her daughter. "Getting yourself killed won't prove anything to her Paine it'll just break her heart."
Paine looked at Raven and huffed. "And just what do you know of broken hearts?"
Raven looked at her daughter and sighed. "About the same or more then you Paine. It took me dieing for you to come back."
Paine hung her head before speaking. "I couldn't face you after what I did."
Raven shook her head slightly. "You did what you were taught to do. You were simply protecting me."
Paine looked her mother square in the eyes as she spoke. "Then why the fear in your eyes when you look at me? Your heart trembles just simply standing by me. Don't deny it either Raven."
It was Raven's turn to hang her head. "I never could fool you, you always knew what I was feeling. I never knew you to lose you temper so quicky as you did that night and yes it scared the hell out of me. It still scares me that you are completely emotionless when it comes to fighting."
Paine got a smug look on her face and walked away from the group of woman. Yuna went to follow but Lulu put her arm on her shoulder. "Let her be alone right now Yuna." Yuna looked and Lulu and nodded. "Good girl. Let's go get something to eat shall we?"
Raven sighed. "She is defently my daughter. I could never fool her and she could never fool me. We are both very closed off when it comes to expressing emotion, Yuna you are defently special to her because she lets her walls down with you."
Yuna blinked then smiled. "Well she is very special to me also, and some times I feel guilty because some times it seems like she's only doing it to make me happy."
"She wants you to be happy Yunie don't feel bad because of that. She knows it makes you sad to see her sad so she does what she knows makes you happy. Before you say anything Yunie she not only does it because it makes you happy she does it because she loves you and trusts you not to see it as weakness and use it against her."
Paine stopped by a floral shop and bought a single white rose and on the card she wrote Promise me when you see a white rose you'll think of me...I love you so never let go...I will be your ghost of a rose...