One and the Same
He stared at the door reticently. There *was* a door, too, which just made him wonder all the more why no one ever knocked...
"Sir, you have a visitor," the young trainee reported.
(...I'm not a "sir," you nut. I'm Squall.) "It's a high honor," the Seed deadpanned. "Tell them to go away." He turned his back to the door and laid back down pointedly.
"But sir, she says it's urgent."
He sighed, getting impatient. "Who is it?"
"Ah... she didn't give me a name. She said... well, yelled really... 'USELESS FOOL. DO JOB. SEND-'"
Squall stood and nodded. "I know her. Send her in."
"'-NOTE,'" the boy finished. "Here."
The elder man snatched the note, ripping it open. His eyes skimmed the small paper quickly as he contemplated what it might mean. "Thank you. Dismissed." As the kid ran off, Squall grabbed his gunblade as a precaution. It had only been so many days, and Fujin's loyalty and sense of justice was almost as widely recognized as her temper.
"Meet me in the Parking Lot. And don't be dense - come alone," he relayed in his head. (What could she want?)
By the time he reached the end of the parking hall and approaching the garage, he had fifty different speeches running through his head that he forgot as soon as he entered the room. He scanned the room carefully and stepped lightly in. His eyes twitched left and right, soon redirected when he heard a voice come from behind him.
"So you came after all."
Squall spun around to see Fujin propped against the glass wall, looking rather inquisitive. "I thought you might not. I'm a criminal, after all," she continued.
He blinked, only having heard her speak normally once. "It's my duty to see to everyone. You're no different."
She smiled, halfway, surprising him once more. "In that respect, I suppose you're right."
There was an awkward pause as both stared at the ground. Squall shifted his weight and spoke snappishly: "Listen, Fujin. ...Garden is going to have to recover before they can even think of forgiving you all. You cost us a lot, and if you're here to cause trouble or what have you, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
The girl nodded. "That's understandable. My actions were of my own accord, as were Raijin's; you have no reason to forgive us for what came of our own free will."
"I appreciate that."
Fujin stared at the ground momentarily, thinking. "...We never had the chance to talk." She nearly smiled again as she placed her eyes on Squall. "Never mind what little opportunity I've presented. I'd like to now, though I do suggest you put your weapon away if you prefer a civil conversation."
He glanced at his Lionheart. She seemed peaceful enough so that he trusted her. He placed the blade in its sheath and crossed his arms. "All right."
"I always have respected you, rival of my friend or no. You seemed so familiar."
"Yeah, I guess. I never really thought about it."
"I had a lot of time to think."
"I did, too." His eyes drifted to one of the wires on the floor that needed repairing. (Too much. But I never thought of Fujin - she was with Seifer, that was the end of it.)
"You didn't think you were the only one around here who hid from everything, did you?" She shrugged. "I knew what it was like, concentrating so deeply on all your imperfections... and you feel so inept that you can hardly approach the mirror."
Squall's gaze wavered a bit. He looked back up at her. "So you talk to a wall."
She nodded. "Or the grats in the training center."
"And then they die, and you're alone again."
There was a glimmer of appreciation in her voice as she said, "We are one and the same, or at least to some it might seem that way. That's why, on certain levels, I trust you. Everyone seems to come you for comfort, and I hate to add to the list... but I do. Silent Squall."
He felt a pinch of remembrance and lowered his voice. "But I'm not like that any more."
"No, you're not." Again, that almost-smile. "You've found your soul mate. You have Rinoa." She gazed off past his shoulder, sighing happily. "I'm very glad for the two of you. She is to you what Seifer is to me."
"Ah, back to the business at hand. You want-"
"I'm not here for him," she interrupted. "I'm not his lapdog: I do not fight his battles for him. While I do believe he was beside himself and you're wrong in punishing him for something he was helpless to control, I'm here for my own reasons. I'm not here to ask lenience on our sentence, nor do I come to offer apologies. I ... want to thank you."
Squall started. "Thank me for what?"
"Saving him. In the end, Raijin and I stood by you because we hoped that somehow, you might get to him. That you might cure him. We never could ... no matter how much we tried, he *wouldn't come back*. We needed you, Squall, and you didn't let us down. Thank you."
He paused for a long while as he absorbed her words, her intentions. Finally, he spoke. "...There was little room for error. We did what needed to be done, regardless."
Fujin pushed herself off the wall. "And again, I thank you. If need be, I offer my strength as a service to Balamb Garden. I will repay you for what you've given me. ...Squall, never forget where you came from. Your beginnings. Live and revel in your joy, but know where I remain. Take comfort in Rinoa, that's where you belong... but I am as you are." She smiled wholly, finally. "Thank you for giving him back to me."
As she walked away, he watched her, and as he thought it over he developed a liking for this unnoticed bond. "Fujin!" he called, stopping her. She didn't turn around; he didn't want her to. "...You're his to protect. Take your solace there."
She continued on her separate path as he remained in Parking; a soul for a soul, and the strings were tied.
***********************************************************************
A/N: And there you go. ...Shut up, don't taunt the fluff.
He stared at the door reticently. There *was* a door, too, which just made him wonder all the more why no one ever knocked...
"Sir, you have a visitor," the young trainee reported.
(...I'm not a "sir," you nut. I'm Squall.) "It's a high honor," the Seed deadpanned. "Tell them to go away." He turned his back to the door and laid back down pointedly.
"But sir, she says it's urgent."
He sighed, getting impatient. "Who is it?"
"Ah... she didn't give me a name. She said... well, yelled really... 'USELESS FOOL. DO JOB. SEND-'"
Squall stood and nodded. "I know her. Send her in."
"'-NOTE,'" the boy finished. "Here."
The elder man snatched the note, ripping it open. His eyes skimmed the small paper quickly as he contemplated what it might mean. "Thank you. Dismissed." As the kid ran off, Squall grabbed his gunblade as a precaution. It had only been so many days, and Fujin's loyalty and sense of justice was almost as widely recognized as her temper.
"Meet me in the Parking Lot. And don't be dense - come alone," he relayed in his head. (What could she want?)
By the time he reached the end of the parking hall and approaching the garage, he had fifty different speeches running through his head that he forgot as soon as he entered the room. He scanned the room carefully and stepped lightly in. His eyes twitched left and right, soon redirected when he heard a voice come from behind him.
"So you came after all."
Squall spun around to see Fujin propped against the glass wall, looking rather inquisitive. "I thought you might not. I'm a criminal, after all," she continued.
He blinked, only having heard her speak normally once. "It's my duty to see to everyone. You're no different."
She smiled, halfway, surprising him once more. "In that respect, I suppose you're right."
There was an awkward pause as both stared at the ground. Squall shifted his weight and spoke snappishly: "Listen, Fujin. ...Garden is going to have to recover before they can even think of forgiving you all. You cost us a lot, and if you're here to cause trouble or what have you, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
The girl nodded. "That's understandable. My actions were of my own accord, as were Raijin's; you have no reason to forgive us for what came of our own free will."
"I appreciate that."
Fujin stared at the ground momentarily, thinking. "...We never had the chance to talk." She nearly smiled again as she placed her eyes on Squall. "Never mind what little opportunity I've presented. I'd like to now, though I do suggest you put your weapon away if you prefer a civil conversation."
He glanced at his Lionheart. She seemed peaceful enough so that he trusted her. He placed the blade in its sheath and crossed his arms. "All right."
"I always have respected you, rival of my friend or no. You seemed so familiar."
"Yeah, I guess. I never really thought about it."
"I had a lot of time to think."
"I did, too." His eyes drifted to one of the wires on the floor that needed repairing. (Too much. But I never thought of Fujin - she was with Seifer, that was the end of it.)
"You didn't think you were the only one around here who hid from everything, did you?" She shrugged. "I knew what it was like, concentrating so deeply on all your imperfections... and you feel so inept that you can hardly approach the mirror."
Squall's gaze wavered a bit. He looked back up at her. "So you talk to a wall."
She nodded. "Or the grats in the training center."
"And then they die, and you're alone again."
There was a glimmer of appreciation in her voice as she said, "We are one and the same, or at least to some it might seem that way. That's why, on certain levels, I trust you. Everyone seems to come you for comfort, and I hate to add to the list... but I do. Silent Squall."
He felt a pinch of remembrance and lowered his voice. "But I'm not like that any more."
"No, you're not." Again, that almost-smile. "You've found your soul mate. You have Rinoa." She gazed off past his shoulder, sighing happily. "I'm very glad for the two of you. She is to you what Seifer is to me."
"Ah, back to the business at hand. You want-"
"I'm not here for him," she interrupted. "I'm not his lapdog: I do not fight his battles for him. While I do believe he was beside himself and you're wrong in punishing him for something he was helpless to control, I'm here for my own reasons. I'm not here to ask lenience on our sentence, nor do I come to offer apologies. I ... want to thank you."
Squall started. "Thank me for what?"
"Saving him. In the end, Raijin and I stood by you because we hoped that somehow, you might get to him. That you might cure him. We never could ... no matter how much we tried, he *wouldn't come back*. We needed you, Squall, and you didn't let us down. Thank you."
He paused for a long while as he absorbed her words, her intentions. Finally, he spoke. "...There was little room for error. We did what needed to be done, regardless."
Fujin pushed herself off the wall. "And again, I thank you. If need be, I offer my strength as a service to Balamb Garden. I will repay you for what you've given me. ...Squall, never forget where you came from. Your beginnings. Live and revel in your joy, but know where I remain. Take comfort in Rinoa, that's where you belong... but I am as you are." She smiled wholly, finally. "Thank you for giving him back to me."
As she walked away, he watched her, and as he thought it over he developed a liking for this unnoticed bond. "Fujin!" he called, stopping her. She didn't turn around; he didn't want her to. "...You're his to protect. Take your solace there."
She continued on her separate path as he remained in Parking; a soul for a soul, and the strings were tied.
***********************************************************************
A/N: And there you go. ...Shut up, don't taunt the fluff.