Tap. Tap. Tap. THUD. Tap.

The echoes of steel-toed boots thundered down the halls. Silver haired beauty, hidden behind the tough demure and strip of hated black eyepatch, moved slowly through them. Heart of ice as cool and serene as its wind-ridden cousin, but with the painful addition of the small, melted space at its center. Only one could keep her in that ever frozen, ever melted torture so easily. Did he notice? Care? No.

I am milk
I am red-hot kitchen

So the boots continued on. Running footstep cut along her way, and a young girl's laugh sounded. A laugh too familiar. The tapping of the heavy boots continued, speed doubled. Other's feet scattered away from the wind goddess, whose malice was well known. She showed apparent indifference. No one knows what the feeling is but the forsaken.

And I am cool
Cool as the deep blue ocean

Memories waltzed by in a sickening parody of fate. Running sunshine, barefoot, steps sure and strong and joyful, laughing… nevermore.

Quote the ivory.

And then the twisting, turning, the fire… the fire that turned the sunshine into ice.

Sweet irony.

I am lost
So I am cruel

How the beauty longed to shout out to the world, 'I am not who you think I am!' But the fire of the hatred had spared her even that.

And no one had saved her then.

No one would save her now.

But I'd be love and sweetness

If I had you

She had wondered if he would come. But her dark knight had not showed.

And she died in her soul.

And yet lived in the flesh.

Life was not kind enough to give her death.

Survival. The irony. How hilarious, she that aspired to die, lived, while others fell.

I'm waiting; I'm waiting for you

I'm waiting; I'm waiting for you

She spied from the shadows, longing… longing for something already taken. Warrior heart knew it was hopeless.

Yet she persisted.

Ignoring what was in front of her.

I am milk
I am red-hot kitchen

When he smiled at her… but that was long ago. Forgotten. No more. The sun of confidence that was the golden haired warrior was gradually pushing away the moon of her love, and the memories faded.

The fire was dying.

I am cool
Cool as the deep blue ocean

And the dark knight was pulling… again the irony, how the dark was white… Streaming upstream against the current, slowly, just slowly giving in.

The warrior never gives up.

And yet…

Something in seas of green…

Water melts ice after time…

I'm waiting
I'm waiting for you

It was the word that the goddess herself had come up with… posse. It… mattered, right?

A warrior needs no one.

But every warrior must have subordinates.

And someone in charge.

The lone wolf needs its pack.

The goddess needs her god.

Ice melts in the sun.

Yet not in the dark.

I'm waiting
I'm waiting for you

Someone who understands… to understand… is that too hard?

She had fallen in love with the lion and the gladiator.

Someone had to lose.

The knight and the wolf.

The day and the night.

The sun and the moon.

The choice was too much.

There was no choice.

In wanting both, neither was acceptable.

Irony.

I am weak

But I am strong

The click of heels soften as they approach a field. Wind reaches a roar, settling to an awful silence. The solitary figure falls, crumpled, despaired. Clear crystals glisten on hated ivory and raven. A sound is heard, laughing. Freezing, tensing, the goddess waits for the scene she feared.

A couple move into view, joy in air. The drops freeze on contact, ice queen once more. The wolf was already taken by the angel.

The azure and raven pair pass, not noticing the anguished warrior, now a girl once more, just human.

He didn't care.

I can use my tears to

Bring you home

A familiar swoosh set silence on fire, equally known cry of triumph following. The sound halted in the air as the mystified figure moved to the crumpled heap, sliding down to a fallen goddess.

"Fujin?! What… Fujin, are you- What the hell happened?"

Tearstained face was turned over roughly by callused fingers, single crimson orb meeting the pair of perfect seas. They closed forcefully, to be opened unwillingly by the same investigating nuisances.

"L-LEAVE."

Posse.

Sun.

Wolf.

Knight.

Nothing.

"Not until you tell me what is going on! Why on this cursed planet are you crying?"

Cursed planet. He didn't know the half of it. Irony played its hand again.

Warriors don't cry.

Perhaps goddesses do.

I'm waiting
I'm waiting for you

"Dammit Fujin, answer me!"

The sea looked stormy today. What were the ocean breezes telling her? Annoyance, probably.

There was something else there, though.

Something…

I'm waiting

I'm waiting for you

"Fujin?"

Softer. The knight, always stone. Soft stone?

The warrior needs no one.

"SEIFER."

"What is it, Fuu- jin?"

What was that slight pause?

"NOTHING."

He would fall for it; Raijin always did.

"Fujin, you never cry. Tell me what it is."

Why did he care? He shouldn- too late.

"CARE, WHY?"

That caused a pause. What for?

The warrior needs no one.

…Does a knight?

"We're the posse, remember Fujin? Sticking together, always."

So that was it. Just a stupid, stupid word. There was nothing else. Another perfect crystal moved down the silk of the ice goddess. This one was swiped away with the rough, now gentling hand.

Like she had dreamed…

No. Wait.

That dream was for normal girls, heads filled with fluffy, disgusting dreams of lollipops and Snow-White Prince Charming's.

Not for warriors.

I am cool
Cool as the deep blue ocean

Her flesh shoved against the dirt in the graceful uprising of the warrior princess. Firm and strong again. The white leader moved with her, customary smirk hovering, just there, returning slowly. Not before the words escaped.

"There's the Fujin I love."

I'm waiting

Time froze, as the ice melted.

Ice melts in the sun.

The sun was out.

I'm waiting for you.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

*~Author's Note: As stated, this is just Rain on Silk with major help. Hopefully it will now make more sense. Oh, and the song has changed… Again, I own neither FF8 (who'd want to? What would be the point of owning it and not being able to write the scripts!) nor Garbage (now, all of their CDs maybe… I've yet to get 2.0). R&R? Like the new version or the old?~*