Chapter 2 - Chapter 1

For those with the Evanescence CD `Fallen' during the story I recommended a few songs, if you don't have the CD add a .com to the end of Evanescence and click on music, you can find a sample track of the song there.



AntiMortal: First off, thank you so much for reviewing! I've been looking around this site and it's a tough crowd... not many reviews... on fanfiction.net I got five reviews in about 2 days... I really do appreciate it! Anyway, to answer your question, it's Evanescence inspired from the song's lyrics. Example: The song “Hello” fits this chapter quite well... I put notations in every chapter of what songs fit and what song sparked each scene.



Lost Redemption...

Chapter 2



Sakurako picked up her cloths off the shelf in the low-class, scanty, restaurant she worked in, happy she could soon be-rid herself of the tight and skimpy red uniform of waitress at the restaurant. She couldn't believe every other job in town turned her down for not finishing high school! But how could someone expect her too, she had to take care of Paine when she was eight! She turned to crime until she could get a job; she had done a lot of bad things, when she was younger, then when Paine tried to copy her, she stopped, she didn't want her sister to end up the same, and so far she wasn't. But at school, because of her upbringing, the parents of the other kids told them to stay away from Paine, so she was a miss fit, which gave Sakurako reason to worry. More then anything she wanted Paine to go to Besaid and live with Wakka and Yuna, Paine's only friend, and from what Wakka said Yuna too had no other friends. Maybe I can surprise Paine next weekend and we can go back to Besaid! Yes, she'd be so glad! And I want a chance to meet Lulu, Wakka talked about her a lot, he said she was good with black magic! Maybe she can teach me some, more then the weak spells I know! Paine should learn too, maybe even Yuna! Yuna, poor thing is always preying and practicing with white magic, it would do her some good! These thoughts brought Sakurako joy; she couldn't wait to tell Paine!



Sakurako left the restaurant, in her own cloths thank the sky, to go pick Paine up from school. She started the short walk to Paine's school; she could already see it in the distance.



“SIN!!!!!”



“SIN IS HERE!!!” Came the frantic cries of the locals. Sakurako recognized some of the people screaming as parents of the kids from Paine's school, which they were running away from, without their kids! Sakurako ran forward and grabbed one woman by the collar of her shirt.



“What's going on?!” she asked through gritted teeth.



“Sin is here!!!!” the woman screamed.



“Where?!” more and more ear shattering screams were piercing through the air each moment making it very hard to hear.



“At the school!” the woman burst into tears, frightened.



“Are the kids safe?” was Sakurako's last and most important question.



“No!!!” The woman sobbed, she was disgraced that she was too scared to save her child. Sakurako threw the panic-stricken woman to the ground, and began running. She ran as fast as she could until she reached the school. “Paine! Paine, where are you!” She yelled but even at the top of her lungs she was drowned out by the screams of the children. Finally she saw her sister confused standing amides the crowd of screaming children on the school's black top, Paine began running toward the playground for shelter, from the enormous ball of water above them. Sakurako began running in the direction Paine had gone then she felt a sharp pain in her back she fell turning just in time to see the sinspawn that stuck her. She fell to the ground she felt the taste of blood in her mouth, she began coughing and the blood spilled out onto the gravel that was spread on the ground. She turned over only to be struck again and again. She squinted her violet eyes shut. “PAINE!!!!!!!” she screamed feeling the blood spill out of the open wounds in her body.



Across the playground Paine hear someone scream her name. “Sakurako? Sakurako!” Paine called. Just then a beam of wood above her head was shot down by one of Sin's lasers. She screamed and felt a the wood swung around and hit her and everything blacked out...







(listen to `hello' here)



Paine woke up and felt a splitting pain (not a pun!) in her head. She stood up and examined herself her skin had been scraped off by the stones and she was covered in blood. Her memory hadn't retuned yet. “Sakurako?” she asked her head still spinning far too fast for her to think straight, she felt light-headed like the whole thing was some sick dream. She stumbled across the ground through the wooden structure, she saw dead kids all over the ground. “What's going on...? Where is my sister...?” Paine suddenly saw the broken from of a girl, it seemed vaguely familiar, then around her she what she now recognized as a sinspawn fortunately it was dead... Paine hobbled toward the girl. She knelt at her side and swept her limp black hair from the girl's face. Paine gasped, as her memory began to return, sin, the wood that knocked her unconscious, and the voice that screamed her name, this lifeless girl she saw before her she knew was her sister. Paine's eyes set on the crimson blood still wet but no longer seeping from her sister's wounds. The second her eyes set on the blood, like dust clouds clearing from a path, all tones of brown disappeared from her auburn eyes as they mirrored the color of the blood, they would stay that way for the rest of her life... “This isn't a dream… But Sakurako can't be gone, she must be okay...?” She stared at the now closed eyes, once violet and beautiful, now never to bee seen again… “Sakurako? Sakurako, get up! It's me Paine! It's your sister. Everything is okay I'm safe...” Paine's newly scarlet eyes filled with tears. Has no one told you she's not breathing? A voice from inside Paine's head asked. Sakurako is gone... she's dead and there's nothing you can do now... You are alone... Paine shook her head “Sakurako!” Paine screamed.



From all over Luca the scream could be heard, Paine's anguish spread like a blanket over everything. The sky clouded and rain began to fall, the sky cried for this small girl, and it screamed with its thunder. Paine screamed too meeting the agony that it represented, and beyond.



Hearing her scream a crusader came from inside the school and grabbed her wrist. “Are you okay?” he asked harshly.



“Sakurako...”



“Come on... Looks like you've been traumatized, we better get you back home where you'll be safe.” He pulled Paine up and began yanking her down the street toward the crusader head quarters.



“But my sister...” Paine pleaded she stretched out her hand reaching for her sister but she was small and weak and the crusader could pull her with ease.



“Yep, Sin's toxins can make people go insane... You must have gotten to close... Come on kid!” He grunted as he continued to pull her further and further from Sakurako.



“Sakurako! ...Sakurako!” Paine cried and screamed and once he had gotten her a block from the school, she collapsed. She screamed and fell to her knees. The crusader picked her up, feeling somewhat sorry for the girl, but he knew who she was, she was the misfit girl with a sister who was almost thrown in jail, he didn't feel much remorse for a girl that could just as easily be the same. He acted like she was cursed because of what her sister had done a long time ago.



He threw her in her the door of the crusader head quarters in Mi'ihen. “It's Sakurako's sister, she was attacked by Sin...” he said Paine stayed on all fours on the floor where she had been cast down by the strange crusader, she was shaking violently and had broken out in a cold sweat.



“Oh my goodness!” A woman who was casually leaning against the wall ran to Paine's side. “Shh, shh... It's alright dear, what happened?”



“Manami! Didn't you hear me?! That's Sakurako's sister!” the male crusader exclaimed.



“Yes Hitoshi, I heard you. Can't you put aside you hatred for some minor troublemaker for a moment to help a frightened child?!”



“Mana! Sakurako knifed a man when she was twelve!” he lapsed to her informal name to show her he was serious.



“No Hitoshi! This girl is frightened she was attacked by Sin! I want to help her!” Manami glared a Hitoshi who stormed out of the room muttering something about Sakurako.



“Now dear, what happened?” Manami put a tentative hand on Paine's shoulder.



“Yesterday, S-Sin attacked a-a-and I g-got knocked unconscious and…” Paine began crying again sitting up and leaning into Manami.



“And what?” Manami could hardly keep from crying herself at site of this young girl alone and sobbing.



“Sin killed my sister Sakurako!” Paine sobbed and sobbed no longer aware of passing time. After a while Manami picked her up carried her to a bed.



“Rest now dear, all will be well in the morning.” Manami turned off the light and closed the door, she made herself two mental notes, one to slap Hitoshi and two to let Paine go home in the morning, but Paine had other plans.



(listen to `my last breath' here)



When she could see it was late at night Paine slipped out of her room and went home. She sat in an open room full of windows the only light in the room was the small candle she had in front of her and the occasional clash of thunder outside. “This is it… My life is rotten enough, this is the end! Sin! If you're out there I hope you can hear this! You took my father before I was born you and then you tormented my mother and sister! So much so that my mother died while giving birth to me! You left a nine year old to raise me! Now you took my only family left! My sister! -Mark my words, I will avenge Sakurako's death!- And you left me with no way to get to Besaid, I can't even find my only friends!” Paine's breath grew rapid as she yelled into the night. “I'm not gonna take it anymore! I'm going to join the crusaders and destroy you!” Paine lifted a huge blade that had been owned by her father. She lifted it into the air and sliced her long flowing sandy brown hair so it hung just above her shoulders, and from that day on her hair didn't grow brown, her emotional torment not only turned her eyes the color of Sakurako's blood but also it her hair grow silver. She spiked it and wore it the same every day after.



Paine completed her education but at a fighting academy near Djose temple, where no one knew her or her sister. She excelled so much there, she graduated at fifteen!



When Paine turned sixteen, she was old enough to join the crusaders, but when she heard about a new force being formed by Maester Kinoc, the Crimson Squad, she opted to join them instead, rumor had it they were being formed the control the crusaders. She applied a week after her birthday, and a letter of acceptance was sent to her home in Djose soon after...



-Chapter 2 Complete-



Lizzard: Wow... Geez... Advice: When you write try to think like you character. More Advice: DON'T write a scene where you're character is disoriented and tired, then try to take a break in the middle... Oof! I tried I almost collapsed I was so tired already then thinking like Paine just before she saw Sakurako... Not a good combo! You'd never believe how hard it is to get all the characters to the precise age so that they don't interfere with the game! What else... Paine is now Paine and not Rikku (she reminded me of Rikku in chapter 1)! And... that was a really intense chapter *rubs the back of her neck* Yes I'm hard on Paine! But next chapter, marks the end of the prologue baby! When Baralai enters the picture... I got plans, but no time line for this story, so don't be surprised if it's long... don't be surprised if it's short either, but I anticipate it will be long! Chow! P.S. I'm the queen of killing original characters! I make them to kill them! (I won't kill Nalah from Trust and Lies though, not now, not ever!)

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