In the game Final Fantasy X Paine

"Pain(e)"

Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy X-2 characters copyright Square.

I first beheld her months ago.

I immediately knew her type: the kind of girl young boys dread being forced to play with, and remember with a shudder afterward. She was not particularly feminine-looking: wearing black leather, hair in an upsweep instead of loose and flowing, shorts rather than a skirt, had curves but nothing to draw attention to them.

She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.

Her hair was an odd hue – a shiny gray. When the light struck it just right, it shone white and silver – like moonstone. Her eyes were even more strange – deep red, like two drops of blood.

Paine spoke rarely, deferring to her two friends to do the talking. Her voice was low for a girl's, but it was always a joy to hear. When she spoke, she belied her incredible wit. Every word stabbing poniards, like her sword.

I never saw her smile. I saw her satisfied, like when she turned fiends into puffs of pyreflies, but her lips seemed incapable of curling upwards. I wanted to make her smile, or offer her my smile.

One day in Luca, I resolved to tell her how I felt. I went straight to the flower shop and bought a dozen orange tiger lilies. Then I ran to the Rosebud Cafe, where I knew Paine would be having lunch with Yuna and Rikku.

I went in and spotted their table. Paine was delicately eating her steak. I stepped forward, then stopped.

How did I think she'd react? "I like you too"? "I think you're cute"? Yeah, right. She'd stab me with her fork. I'm not a charmer. At the rate I'm going, Brother will get laid before me. I tossed the flowers on the floor and ground them under my foot until they were unrecognizable.

What do I know about girls? I'm just a kid.

Paine (パイン, Pain?) is a main character in the Final Fantasy X sequel Final Fantasy X-2, is designed by Tetsuya Nomura. The character is voiced by Megumi Toyoguchi in the Japanese language version and by Gwendoline Yeo in the English language localization. She is eighteen years old, is 170 cm tall and uses a sword for combat for she is prominently featured as a warrior. She has a sarcastic personality and can be very serious. Paine is easily irritated by those who seek to use Yuna rather than do things themselves. Paine was very sensitive about talking about her past, and was easily offended if Yuna or Rikku tried to pry. She also seems to be well versed in the Al Bhed language.

Paine is armed with a one-handed sword and a lukewarm attitude. It seems she joined the Gullwings because of something that happened in her past. None of the Gullwings know exactly what that might be, though. The often ridiculous antics of the Gullwings tend to prompt sarcastic remarks from Paine, but the others don’t seem to worry about it much.