Hello everyone who decides to read this. Thank you for taking an interest in my first fic here. I hope you enjoy it and please leave any feedback. Thank you!
A Single Voice
Morning came around in Balamb Garden and chimes rang in announcement. Today was a special day for eveyone trying to become SeeD. It was their evaluation day to see if the students had what it takes for them to become SeeD members. But one member in particular didn't seem so fond of today...
"..."
"You're awake. How do you feel?"
"...Fine."
"You and Seifer need to tone it down next time. You almost got killed."
"..."
"Now tell me, what's your name?"
"Squall."
"Good. You haven't forgotten your name. I'll get your instructor down here...It's Quistis, right?"
The bandaged teen male on the bed nodded and put an arm over his eyes to block out the light. 'It was Seifer's fault for getting too rough...I just returned the favor,' Squall thought to himself how he would have to put up with Seifer today and all the other days at class...Today's the evaluation day!
"Squall. Let's go." said a blonde woman.
"..."
Squall got up and went to his instructor's side to leave the infirmary. Quistis watched her student go past her to the hallway outside. She saw that something was eating at him inside. Her black leather-clad student walked, but then stopped. He saw a silver-haired girl with an eyepatch scold some students with a dark-skinned man. Sure, he saw the two before in the Garden, but he never really paid much attention...especially to the girl.
"..."
"What's wrong, Squall?"
"Nothing-"
"Nothing!"
Squall glared at his instructor as she started to giggle. It was times like these that he really hated being around her...well, anyone for that matter. He turned his focus back to where the silver-haired girl was. She kicked the bigger, dark-skinned man in the shins. She then hesitated on the second kick, then turned to see what was the matter. Her eye locked onto his as he looked on and walked with Quistis. The girl tilted her head at the leather wearing boy.
He watched as her partner made a comment to where she kicked him in the shins again. Squall shook his head and left for his class. He cast a sideways glance back to the girl as he passed. The girl did the same as she glared at her partner.
"Fujin! Why you kickin' me, ya know?"
"SHAME."
"Let's go before class starts, ya know?"
"AFFIRMATIVE."
The two left running to their respective classes. Squall watched the two leave until the elevator doors closed shut, courtesy of Quistis. 'Fujin...She's part of the Disciplinary Committee.' He thought. He then followed Quistis to the classroom where he took his place at his desk and Quistis, hers. She made her way to the front of the class to make an announcement.
"As you know, the SeeD evaluation test begins today and I want to let you know that I have faith in all of you...And Seifer, you are not to injure your partner during practice."
Seifer slammed his fists on his desk before glancing at Squall's head. Squall just sat at his desk studying for the day's test.
Class went on for a few more hours before the bell chimed. Quistis stood with a group of students until Squall came near.
"Squall, I want you to meet me at the [Front Gate]."
She left soon after, leaving Squall to walk by himself before running into a girl with twin pigtails.
"AHH! S-Sorry!"
"..."
"I-Is class over?"
"...Yes."
"O-Ohhhh. Man...Hey! Can you show me around this Garden? I'm new and I just transferred from Trabia's Garden."
"...Sure."
He motioned for the girl to follow him to the elevator.
"My name's Selphie. What's yours?"
"It's Squall." he said as he pushed the button to go down.
"Hey! The Garden's festival is coming up! I was wondering if you wanted to help out?"
"...Maybe."
Selphie pouted as she followed Squall out of the elevator. They made their way down to the Directory and Squall made short work of showing Selphie where everything was.
"Thanks for showing me, Squall...huh?"
Squall's focus was elsewhere as the same girl from before ran to meet her partner at the Library. They made brief eye contact before Fujin broke away to scold students for bringing candy into the library. Selphie went in front of his field of vision with a smile on her face.
"Oooooh. I see what's going on here..."
"...Whatever."
"You have the hots for her don't you?"
"...No."
He was getting tired of her already. He also needed to meet Quistis at the Front Gate. So he left Selphie pouting by the map and ran to get as far away from her as possible. What he didn't know, was that Fujin was watching him leave as she was walking to the Library.
-SeeD Evaluation Test-Dollet Invasion-
Now Squall was having a bad day. Not only was he paired with a loud and annoying blonde fighter, Zell, but he was also annoyed at the fact that Seifer was his captain. Seifer was already bossing both Squall and Zell around before they reached the beach of Dollet. He was sick of it. He needed to take it out on somebody or something. A group of Galbadian soldiers rushed the Balamb group. Squall wasted no time on going offensive. Zell and Seifer also attacked without mercy. Seifer had backed up with Squall and were now fighting back-to-back.
"Squall, I know you don't want to hear anything from my mouth right now, but I wanted to say-hyagh!- I'm sorry for going too far in the Training Center..." he whispered.
The other teen glanced back for a moment, surprised that it was Seifer of all people apologizing. He looked at the ground, downcast.
"I'm sorry, as well...I got out of hand."
Seifer gave a grin.
"It happens when you're in the heat of battle...plus, we have similar scars."
Squall wanted to facepalm so bad if not for the situation they were in.
"Whatever..."
"To your left!"
"Got it."
This went on for three more minutes before the trio moved on into the city. They encountered more and more soldiers the further they went into Dollet. At this point, they cleared the area and now were awaiting orders. Zell paced about impatiently. Seifer kept shifting his gunblade on his shoulder. And Squall was watching the area for more soldiers, also impatient with waiting. He had to admit that his day was slightly better with Seifer not bossing him around and apologizing for his injury...He now had a question to ask Seifer privately. He made his way to the alley Seifer was in before stopping in front of said man.
"...I have a question to ask you..."
The shifting sword stopped as the teen looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Shoot."
"...Who is Fujin? I know she is part of your Disciplinary Committee, but who is she?"
Seifer couldn't help but grin at this. Squall frowned at him.
"Ohhh. Got a thing for her, eh?"
"No...Why do people assume this? I am curious about her."
The grin was still there.
"Yeah, yeah. She's Fujin Kazeno. A strong magic user, and uses a chakram for physical attacks. She is quiet most of the time, but can be verbal with only one word."
"...I could tell."
Seifer kept a wary eye on Squall, who was looking at the Radio Tower in a daze. He still kept his grin, knowing he's got something on Squall as a friendly joke. Zell came over alerting the two.
"We have Galbadian soldiers coming over this way."
All three got ready for a fight and hid behing the center fountain. They watched as the soldiers ran past them and to the path towards the Dollet Tower. Seifer stood up.
"Let's go. I'm ready for a fight."
Zell sputtered.
"But we have orders to stay here!"
Zell looked to Squall.
"...I follow the Captain's orders."
There was a look of defeat on the fighter's face. Seifer looked at Squall with a silent 'thank you', where the other just nodded in return.
"Let's go! Last one there gets less EXP!"
They all ran where the Galbadian soldiers went and cut through some basilisks that were in the way. It was easy up until the point where a girl with twin pigtails caught up to them.
"Waaaaaait!"
All three stopped before looking at her on top of the hill.
"...Oh no."
Seifer and Zell looked to Squall.
"You've met her before?"
"She had me show her around the Garden..."
"Looks like you're quite the lady's man."
"Shut it, Seifer."
Selphie tumbled down the hill before coming to a stop. She got up, dusted herself off and saluted.
"Group C Captain?"
Seifer looked at her.
"That's me."
The girl stood up straighter.
"Message from Base: Group C is to withdraw immediately and meet at the [Beach] at 20:00 hours."
The captain looked horrified. Squall looked away in disappointment and Zell...He looked a little relieved. Squall placed a hand on Seifer's shoulder.
"Withdrawing takes initiative...That's what the Headmaster said, right?"
The captain nodded.
"I know, but...I get a feeling that if we don't go, something big will happen..."
Squall looked down.
"I get that feeling too..."
He then looked up with determination.
"But like I said before: I follow the captain's decision."
Seifer smiled. Squall replaced his hand on the holster of his blade.
"Let's go!" shouted Seifer.
"Wh-What?! Hey!" Selphie and Zell ran after the two scarred friends.
-Top of Dollet Tower-
"What is that thing?!"
Squall used a quick scan.
"It's Elonyle. A strong opponent...and has a GF in it."
"Draw: Siren!" Seifer called out.
The energies came out of the opponent and drifted into the group captain. Selphie made the first move and struck the flying monster. Not much damage was done to it. Squall narrowed his eyes and brought a hand to his face.
"Summon: Quezacotl!"
Everyone ran back from the appearing GF from the sudden thunderstorm. It came out from the lightning and struck. The damage was intense, but not enough.
"Squall, it looks like it still wasn't enough...Let's all get our GFs to attack!" mentioned Zell.
"Then it looks like you'll need us too, ya know?" said a voice.
"HELP."
Everyone looked at the newcomers in surprise.
"Fujin?" Squall questioned.
"Raijin?" Seifer finished.
Fujin stood by Squall and Raijin. And Raijin stood next to Seifer. The dark-skinned man glanced at Seifer.
"We're a posse, ya know? We stick together."
"OTHERS."
"That's right. Squall, Zell, and New Girl are in on it too, ya know?"
Squall looked at all of them. 'I am? Since when was I ever in a posse?' He took a sideways look at Fujin, who was looking right back at him. She nodded in greeting. A slight decline of the head was his response.
"SUMMON: SIREN!" called out Fujin.
"SUMMON: Quezacotl!" Squall shouted.
The two GFs helped out in their own ways to defeat the floating monster. Siren quited the Elonyle with Silence and Quezacotl electrocuted the stunned monster. The Guardian Forces returned back to their owners. The Elonyle tried to use it's Storm Breath, but to no avail. It was a battle royale for the group of students. They kept attacking it without a pause in their movements.
"Raijin Special!"
"Renzokuken!"
"Demon Slice!"
"Duel!"
"ZAN!"
"Slots!"
Everyone used their limit breaks to bring down the monstrosity. It trembled before it blew away to ashes.
"Alright! We did it!" Selphie cheered.
"Ya! Mission accomplished, ya know?"
Zell fisted the air in excitement. Squall and Seifer nodded to each other. Fujin closed her eyes and sighed.
"OVER?"
"Yeah. Let's go before more trouble heads our way." Seifer announced.
The posse left in a hurry. The way down was easy with no enemies...Too easy.
"No guards..." Squall mentioned.
"BAD."
Squall nodded in agreement. They left the tower and went onto the pathway back to the beach. 'Something doesn't feel right...' The black clad teen looked to his captain. Seifer gave a nod.
"I feel it too...ABOVE US!"
Everyone moved away as a metal machine crash landed into the ground. The machine rose up on six mechanical legs.
"A metallic spider...They planned this all along." noted Squall.
"Hurry! We have to run to the beach before it gets to us!" Zell yelled out.
The group ran as fast as they could, away from the heavy machine. They made it to the bridge leading back to the city, until the machine dropped from the sky in front of them. Squall steeled himself for what he was about to say next.
"Zell, Seifer, on me. Fujin, Raijin, Selphie, you three go. We'll cover you."
"What?! You can't be serious, ya know!"
"That's suicide!"
"SQUALL!"
The other two nodded, knowing what had to be done. Seifer readied Hyperion and Zell adjusted his gloves.
"There's not much time. You need to leave, now!"
The three hesitated, before Fujin stepped away first.
"...APPRECIATED."
"Make it back alive, ya know?"
"What the big guy said!"
Fujin ran ahead first with the other two following her. She stopped to look back at the defenders.
"Fujin, we have to leave, ya know? They'll be fine!"
"...HOPE."
Squall readied his revolver and charged with Seifer and Zell right next to him. He caught a glimpse of Fujin, Raijin and Selphie leave. 'Good...they'll be safe.'
"Summon: Quezacotl!"
"Draw: Thunder!"
"Draw: Thunder!"
A heavy offense of lightning slowed the giant machine down and short circuited it.
"Let's get the HELL out of here!"
All three ran to the city, where they found the others at the fountain. Zell waved at them to run.
"RUN! RUN!"
Seifer looked back, and a look of 'Oh shit' was on his face.
"RUUUUU-!"
The mechanical spider unleashed a beam of energy at all of them, destroying the fountain and creating a small nuclear explosion.
-Shortly after explosion-
Clouds of smoke billowed into the sky. A figure slowly made its way up. Torn leather jacket was hanging off of the person's shoulder. 'Are we...all okay?' Squall stumbled along the smokey ground until he felt something under his foot. He bent down to look at it...a lone chakram. 'Fujin?'
"U-uuuugh..."
Squall looked around before seeing a dark shape on the ground.
"Fujin?"
"S-Squa-*cough cough*"
"Hold on...Let's get you out of here and find the others..."
He made his way to her. Her blue sweater was ripped in places and her eyepatch was coming undone due to a tear. Squall knelt down to her and picked her up bridal style. Fujin's head leaned up against Squall's dirty white shirt.
"Warm..."
A pink color tinted his cheeks.
"...Whatever."
He unstrapped the chakram that was on his waist.
"Here. I found this."
Squall placed it gently in her hands. Fujin looked up at him in gratitude.
"...Thank you."
He nodded slightly.
"Squall! Over here! We found Raijin and Selphie! But we haven't found Fujin!"
The smoke was starting to clear up and Squall saw Zell's bright red shoes and Seifer's white trench coat.
"She's fine...I have her."
He power walked over to them. Seifer's coat was scorched in the front and Zell's pants looked too short. Raijin's beads were missing and Selphie's uniform was torn and her pigtails were messed up. All in all, everyone looked beat up. Seifer pointed to where the spider-bot was.
"That thing used a lot of its energy to shoot us. We should be able to make it out without a problem, but let's just hurry. We don't know when that thing is going to reboot or whatever it does."
Everyone agreed on the action and ran. Selphie was picked up fireman style by Raijin so that they could all run without having to worry about losing anyone. They made it to the beach and were on their way to the boats.
"I can walk...Squall." Fujin whispered.
"...Okay."
He set down the girl in his arms gently. She stood up and attached her weapon to her side. Fujin adjusted her eyepatch while looking at Squall, observing him. Her eyes widened when she looked behind him.
"Behind you, Squall!" Shouted Zell from the boat.
"Fujin, RUN!"
Squall pushed the girl onto the boat and turned around to meet his attacker. The metallic spider had rebooted and was now advancing towards him. He got ready for an attack but did not see a panel slide open in the spider's front. Shots were fired off from the panel and struck Squall.
"A-Agh..."
"SQUALL!"
Everyone stood there horrified at the events that turned. Seifer ran to Squall and dragged him to the boat. The machine was on the move again, but was forced back by bullets. Raijin was on one of the turrets and was letting loose onto the mechanical spider.
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" raged Raijin.
The mechanical spider was driven back and eventually stopped working. The boat closed the doors and was riding the waves back to Balamb. The only evidence that the Balamb group was there, a blown up fountain and bloody sand washing up into the ocean.
-On the Balamb SeeD Boat-
"SQUALL!" exclaimed Fujin.
"We need a medic!" Zell shouted.
"S-Squall!"
Seifer looked at his friend's wounds to see if they were vital or not. Three bullets were lodged into his right shoulder and two were in his chest. None of them were life threatening.
"It's okay...they didn't hit anything important."
"No one use any magic for fear of moving the bullets." ordered Selphie.
Squall laid there not moving. His face showed peace and without any anguish.
"I'll move him to the lower deck..."
Seifer had Raijin help him pick up Squall and place him in a bed downstairs.
"I'll get a rag and some warm water." Selphie chimed in helpfully.
Zell went to the cockpit to talk with Quistis and Xu. Fujin stood alone to her thoughts. She thought about how Squall pushed her out of harm's way to risk his life instead of hers. She owes him her life. No one had ever done that for her...No one...
"Squall..."
Fujin followed the two carrying the unconcious teen down the next level. Seifer and Raijin placed him on the mat with a towel underneath him to soak the blood. They soon left to talk outside the hallway, but noticed Fujin.
"Is something wrong?"
Fujin shook her head.
"...RESPECT."
Seifer agreed.
"Yeah. I have respect for him too...He's not a bad guy once you get to know him, I guess..."
"He's one of us, ya know?"
Fujin nodded.
"US."
Raijin smiled and Seifer closed his eyes, grinning.
"...One of us...Who'd have thunk it?" mused Seifer.
Selphie came walking down the halls with a bucket of water and a cloth. Fujin stepped in her way.
"HERE."
She offered her hands for the supplies. Selphie blinked.
"Okay. I wanted to help too..."
"You did help. We are grateful, ya know?"
"Although, Squall would probably say 'I didn't need help.' " mentioned Seifer.
Everyone smiled except Fujin, who was deep in her thoughts. She took the supplies away from Selphie and walked into the doorway.
"WASH."
"Okay, Fujin. We'll be out here, ya know."
Fujin came into the room and knelt beside the unconcious hero. She used her chakram to cut away his shirt to get to the wounds underneath. Smooth skin was revealed and Fujin gently brushed Squall's chest.
"...warm..."
Her face became warm and held a soft expression. She brought the rag up and dunked it in the water. The rag was wrung up before being dragged across Squall's skin. The blood soaked into the small piece of cloth quickly. Fujin repeated the dunking and wringing process a few more times until the blood stopped flowing and his chest was clean of anything. Her focus went up to his face, which had not changed since they brought him to the room. His face was the dirtiest part of everything.
"...dirty, but...handsome."
The warm water was once again washing skin and dirt and smoke came off easily. Squall moved a little from the contact. Fujin noticed and placed the rag in the bucket. She placed her hands on both sides of Squall's face to get a reaction. He furrowed his brow, before easing his face. Squall mumbled in his unconscious state.
"...Fu...jin...safe."
Heat spread onto her face like a wildfire. She quickly removed her hands.
"...others...safe...Fujin...safe..."
The silver haired girl gave a warm smile before getting up and leaning over to give her hero a kiss on the forehead. She stood up and left with a wistful look, carrying bloody water and used rag. Seifer tapped Raijin, who was in the middle of a sentence, and pointed to Fujin. She was walking with a little more...pep in her step. The two males looked at each other in question.
"Fujin."
Said girl straightened up and turned around.
"Something happen?"
"N-NOTHING..."
Seifer raised an eyebrow, but Fujin just fled to dump the water out. She went to the top of the boat and threw the bloodied water out. She looked at the sunset with a thoughtful look on her face.
"Squall Leonhart...finally noticed me..."
-At Balamb Bay-
All the boats had docked and not a single one was missing in action. Students walked out, while some rushed with the injured to their vehicles. One group in particular ran to their yellow Garden transport. Seifer and Raijin were carrying an injured Squall as gently as they could while running.
"Instructor Quistis, call Dr. Kadowaki!" ordered Seifer.
"C'mon, Squall...You're bleeding too much now, ya know!"
On the boat, Squall's wounds were much worse than they thought. The bullets were lanced with magic, causing the wounds to never heal until they are taken out. The magic also caused more bleeding than usual, resulting in the victim dying from blood loss.
Fujin was on the verge of tears. She tried to help Squall to the best of her abilities, but to no avail. She felt helpless knowing there was not a thing she could do for her crush. The only thing she could do when Squall's wounds refused to stop bleeding was scream, alerting Seifer and Raijin outside.
"S-Squall..." cried Fujin.
The group got inside the Garden van and sped off, Squall sitting in between the two males that helped him out. His face was of anguish and had a greenish tint to it. The teen's head lolled to the side, almost leaning on Seifer. Zell was in the driver's seat speeding up the car to its max. His face full of rage towards the Galbadians.
"How could they do this! This is...It's...INHUMANE!"
Raijin heard Zell's shout and turned to Seifer.
"Is this how they fight? Through cowardly ways, ya know?"
The blonde male's eyes darkened.
"Apparently...but if that's the way it is...We're going to need somekind of magic to prevent this from happening again...or some kind of armor..."
Selphie's eyes glowed.
"MAGIC!"
Everyone looked at her.
"I got it! Draw: Esuna!"
The status magic flowed from the small girl and traveled to Squall's still-bleeding wounds. It spun around his shoulder and chest for a half a second before disappearing into him. Seifer and the others checked it out...No bleeding. Everyone smiled in relief. Raijin grinned extra wide at the smart girl in front of him.
"Nice thinking, Selphie!"
Selphie beamed at the pride.
"I just happened to think of it from our studies on magic."
Fujin finally let her tears flow in happiness. Squall was going to be fine. Her Squall was going to be fine.
"Woah! Fujin, you okay?" asked Raijin.
All she could do was nod. She couldn't risk uttering a word in worry of letting her voice betray her. Seifer just watched her, then letting his gaze go to Squall. Then back to her...and then to him...and back. A ping rang in his head.
"Fujin...let's talk later okay?"
The silver haired girl rubbed her eyes and nodded, fearful of what he wanted to talk about.
"We're here!" shouted Zell.
There was a scuffle of feet as the same two guys picked Squall up and kicked the door open to run to the Infirmary. Zell, Selphie, Xu, and Quistis tried to catch up with them. Fujin jumped out of the van and ran at a sprint to catch up with Squall, leaving the others in the dust. Selphie watched her go, tilting her head to the side.
"I think she likes Squall..."
Quistis straightened up after hearing this. A pang of jealousy striking her heart.
"What?! Her? No way." said Zell, disbelieving.
The blonde instructor stayed silent, running with her students and fellow instructor.
-At the Garden Infirmary-
Dr. Kadowaki inspected the multiple injuries in Squall. Her face unreadable to the trio inside the room.
"Well? Will he be fine or what?" Seifer asked irritated.
The docter stood upright and smiled.
"Of course he will. Nothing that I can't do. Also...he won't give up that easy."
The Disciplinary Group breathed out in relief.
"I'm surprised at you, though, Seifer..."
"What? What about?!"
The older woman smiled gently.
"With how you and Squall have been at each other's throats, I didn't think you would bring him here...Showing compassion."
Seifer looked at his scarred counterpart.
"He and I are alike, I realized. We both have no families. No memory of who our parents are. But...he is strong. I respect that. I also respect how he saved one of our members without a thought of saving himself...He's part of us now...and we stick together no matter what."
Dr. Kadowaki was taken aback at the speech Seifer made. She smiled at them.
"I'm glad to hear that...Squall has been a bit of a...black sheep. No one really notices him, until he does something to surprise them...He needs his friends, Seifer."
Seifer looked back up to Dr. Kadowaki.
"We will stand by him, Doctor."
Fujin and Raijin nodded in agreement.
"That's good to hear...Now, I need this room to myself. Those bullets need to get out somehow."
"Of course! We'll wait outside, ya know?"
The three left Squall and the doctor to perform the 'surgery' and waited in the spacious hallway. Fujin leaned against a pillar looking at the Infirmary door. Seifer squatted down by the door, looking down the hallway. And Raijin sat on the small wall and crossed his arms. They heard the patter of feet down the path.
"Heeeey! Is he okay?" called out Selphie.
"He's fine. The doc is removing the bullets as we speak, ya know?"
"I'm glad. You guys really helped us out."
Seifer shrugged in response.
"It's what friends do." he said.
"It's what a posse does." Raijin mentioned.
Zell stared at them.
"What about us? We're his friends, too!"
The captain of the D.G. rose from the group.
"What are you talkin' about? You just got assigned to his group and now you're his friend?"
The spikey blonde sputtered.
"Well...yeah, I mean..."
"I've known him since he and I moved here in the Garden. I'm his real friend. Even though we fought, I still considered him a friend...It's because we had differences that kept us apart."
Everyone stayed silent from Seifer's words. Zell couldn't even think of a retort to say.
"We've been around Seifer to know enough about Squall. Even though he acts cold all the time, there are moments when he can be emotional and have a heart, ya know. It takes a friend to know a friend."
"..." Fujin said nothing.
The others noticed her being quiet the moment they got out of the van.
"What about you, Fujin? What are you to Squall?" asked Zell.
She tore her eyes away from the door to glare at him. He backed up from her.
"...FRIEND."
Seifer glanced sideways at her, knowing something.
Zell, defeated, walked away. Quistis looked at the posse before leaving, having no words to describe how she was feeling. Xu followed behind her friend. Selphie looked at the people leaving with sad eyes.
"I would like to be Squall's friend, too...If you guys'll let me. I don't have many friends here to begin with, but Squall seems like a nice enough guy to be around. And you guys don't seem bad either. I really like hanging out with you!"
Raijin got off of the small wall to put his hand out to Selphie.
"Of course. We have room here in our posse. If you want friends, we're already here, ya know? We aren't heartless, but Seifer takes these kinds of situations at heart. So put 'er there, ya know?"
The small teen smiled and shook the big guy's hand.
"Thanks...friend."
"Now you're gettin' it!"
The doors slid open, revealing Dr. Kadowaki cleaning her glasses.
"He's sleeping right now. You can see him if you want...Seifer, can I see you for a second?"
Seifer nodded, supsicious of the older woman. He walked into her office alone.
"What do you need?"
She produced five medium sized bullets. Seifer looked at them, then at her.
"Do you want me to keep them or throw them away?"
"Throw them away. I want no memory of it."
Dr. Kadowaki nodded.
"All right, your friends can come on in now."
"Thanks, doc. Guys!"
The others came in and immediately went to Squall's room. He was sleeping just like the doctor said. His jacket and white shirt were off and a bandage across his shoulders and chest replaced them. A light blush spread across Fujin's face.
"First time seeing Squall without a shirt on, Fujin?" kidded Seifer.
Her blush increased and she froze on the spot.
"..."
"Oooooh! I think she does like him." chimed in Selphie.
"Really? Wow. Who would've thought it, ya know?"
"S-SHUT UP..."
"Aww, it's okay, Fujin!" said Selphie.
"May you two raise quiet and moody children someday." Seifer added.
Fujin's eye bugged out and she turned a scarlet color.
"That's a little far there, Seifer...not even there yet, ya know?"
"Ahhh. Sorry, Fujin."
"OUT!"
"Alright, alright. We're goin'..."
Seifer, Raijin, and Selphie left the room...only for Seifer's head to poke into the room.
"Better not get any ideas when we're gone." he teased.
He ducked his head back out when a chakram thudded into the metal doorway. Fujin moved to get it out, but it was stuck in there. She threw it harder than she thought. Her head turned back to Squall, the unconscious and quiet teen she admired. She made her way to the small stool that was there and sat down, watching her crush sleep. Fujin's eyelid seemed to have gotten heavier as she started to nod off. Finally, she was asleep.
-Later that Day-An Hour later-
Squall opened his eyes. He had a faint spell of deja vu and sat up. A sudden pain lanced through his shoulder and he looked down to see what happened. Bandages were wrapped around his torso and shoulder. 'What happen- I remember! FUJIN!"
He looked around with panic in his eyes, only to find the girl sleeping in the corner. His breathing went back to normal and he breathed a sigh of relief. 'She's not hurt...good.' Squall swung his legs around off the bed and stood up. He put on his torn SeeD jacket and picked up Fujin. He didn't bother putting on his white shirt because it was bloody and ripped.
On his way out, he noticed her weapon embedded into the doorframe. 'Must've been mad at someone...' he took out the weapon with some slight struggle and placed it next to his gunblade on his side. Pain was lancing up and down his shoulder from the weight of the short girl in his arms, but he didn't care. He was getting this girl into a comfortable bed somehow. He checked the time by looking outside. 'Still light out. So it must be around 3...'
A faculty member stopped him when he was close to his dorm.
"What are you doing with this girl?"
"I'm taking her to her dorm." he lied.
The faculty member stared from behind that thing he had his head in. Squall never knew what it was.
"Go to your dorm shortly after, until then, await SeeD Graduation announcements."
"Yes, sir."
Squall slipped by the Garden faculty and went to his dorm with Fujin. He laid the girl on his bed and set her chakram on the nightstand.
"Mmmmm...Squall..."
He stood up straighter and turned around. Fujin was still sleeping. 'Weird...she talks in her sleep as well...Ah! I gotta piss!' Squall unclasped his revolver and quickly placed it in its case before running to the dorm bathrooms outside. Fujin stirred from the heavy running from the room. She stretched, but then froze. She was too comfortable on a stool...that's not a stool...She opened her eyes.
"This is...Squall's room..." she realized.
Fujin looked about the simple room and saw the hangers of his leather jackets on his wall. She got up and inspected them. Each one was clean without a mark, evidence he takes good care of them. A shine came from the corner of the room. Her chakram. She smiled and placed it on her hip.
"...sweet..."
Her eyes went back to Squall's jackets. Looking out into the dorm hall, she made sure he wasn't around. He wouldn't mind if she tried one on, would he? Fujin unzipped her blue sweater revealing a short white tank top. She placed her sweater on his bed and unhung one of his jackets. She carefully placed her arms through the sleeves of the leather coat. Her hands didn't quite reach the end of the sleeve and the bottom of the jacket came down to her naval. A scent filled her nose.
"...mint?"
"...It's a good smell."
Fujin whirled around to find Squall in the doorway staring at her. A strong blush flooded her cheeks as her eye widened to look back at him. He was staring cooly at her...observing her. They stood in silence, neither one wanting to talk. Squall cleared his throat and looked away.
"...I can alter the coat to your size...if you want..."
The girl blinked at his offer.
"...You're...not mad?"
He shook his head no. Fujin looked down and nodded in the slightest bit.
"I...would like you to...alter this...please..."
Squall nodded at the answer.
"Do you want it blue?"
"...No."
He nodded at the request.
"I can have it ready tomorrow morning...Is that fine?"
"...Yes...That's fine."
Fujin shed the jacket off and gave it to Squall, who put it on a hanger and placed it on his desk. He turned back to her and blushed softly.
"Uh...your, uh...jacket is still...ah, on my bed..."
"Oh! I-I-I-" she stuttered.
She felt really embarrassed at having Squall see her in less clothing. And Squall was embarrassed at seeing a girl with a thin tank top that you can see the bra in. She's the first girl to be in his room, trying his stuff on, and getting unclothed before him...Fujin hastily put her sweater back on.
"I'm s-s-s-sorry...I-I don't know wh-what I was thinking..."
"It's, ah, alright..."
They stood there in an awkward silence, neither wanting to talk. The familiar 'ding ding ding diiing' of the bell sounded. The two looked up at the speakers.
"May I have the following students that participated in the Field Exam wait in the [2F Hallway]. That is all, thank you." called Cid.
Squall looked to Fujin who nodded and they calmly strolled out to the dorm hallway. People stopped to stare at the two, who were walking side-by-side. Fujin glared and let her hand accidentally brush Squall's. He turned his head to look at her.
"...I heard Seifer and you talk in my room with the others..."
Fujin's eye sharply glanced at him in shock.
"...I want to know...Do you like me?"
She swallowed nervously and Squall stopped in the middle of the walkway. She noticed he wasn't by her anymore and got scared. Fujin whirled around to find him looking at her a couple feet away.
"I want to know..." he repeated.
"..."
"..."
"...yes."
Squall's eyes widened. He had a faint feeling that she actually did, but now that she really did...shocked him. He's never had a girlfriend as far as he knows and he's not all that great with communication and relationships. Fujin looked down. 'Is he...rejecting me?' She shut her eye hard. Footsteps made their way to her.
"..."
"..."
"...I don't know how I will do with this...I've never done this...relationship thing before..."
"?!"
Fujin looked back up at him. Squall was close and he was nervous, she could tell. She could also tell that he was afraid...afraid of growing attatched and then getting hurt in the end...it was all in his eyes. No body language, just his eyes. Her eye softened, then glared at her surroundings. People were starting to stop and stare at them.
"I know. These people are bothering me too..."
She smiled as she looked back at Squall.
"I will give you a chance, Squall...This is my first relationship, afterall..."
He looked shocked at her statement, then relaxed...they will learn together. Fujin grabbed his hand and motioned for them to go to the elevator. They left a group of people transfixed on them and having them learn that Squall had finally gotten a girlfriend. The two went into the elevator and went up to the 2nd Floor. Fujin scuffled closer to Squall, and Squall gripped her hand a little bit more. They watched the red numbers and letters on the elevator turn to 2F and waited for the doors to open. Squall reveled at the warmth her hand gave off. Fujin looked up at him, smiling.
"I want to thank you for saving me, Squall."
"...It's not necessary. I had to do what was right."
The stoic girl sighed.
"Same old Squall..." she joked.
The doors opened and they walked out into the hallway. Her hand still in his. They saw Seifer leaning against the wall talking with Selphie, while Raijin paced around. Zell was bouncing and air boxing. There were some others there that they didn't know. Seifer took a glance their way and did a double take. A smile crept onto his features. Selphie asked him what the grin was for and he pointed towards them. Squall went to walk away, but Fujin's hold on his hand kept him with her. He looked at her for an explanation. Her face showed that she was scared.
"Don't leave!" she whispered.
A pain ran through Squall's chest. He knew it all to well.
"Okay...I'm sorry."
Fujin nodded, wiping her eyes.
"COME."
It was Squall's turn to nod.
"Heeeey! You two are finally going out?" called Selphie.
Squall watched as people heard her and stared. Their jaws dropped and Raijin high-fived Seifer. Fujin went closer to her crush. He looked down to her to see her start to get nervous. He straightened up and glared at everyone.
"Mind your business! As you were!"
They didn't want to anger the lion so they respected his wish. Fujin squeezed his hand.
"Thanks..." she whispered.
"No problem...They're annoying anyways."
"Well...How goes it, you guys?" asked Seifer.
"Considering that I heard you while I was out...don't expect babies anytime soon."
Seifer sheepishly scratched the back of his head.
"You heard that, huh?"
Squall stared at him.
"Yes. And I don't have a throwing weapon, which means...I won't miss."
The blonde male's eyes widened as he gulped.
"Y-You wouldn't!"
"Friend or not, you don't joke around our private lives like that."
Fujin came up to Seifer and kicked him in the shins.
"PERVERT!"
"Hey! Hey! I was joking!"
A small grin was on Squall's face.
"So was I."
"SAME."
Seifer looked at them and facepalmed.
"I should've known..."