DISCLAIMER I don't own Final Fantasy 8, or it's characters. Sad, isn't it.

A/N Prologue added- chapter 1 still the same. This acts as kind of a starting point, covering what happened after Fujin and Raijin broke up the posse. Includes an unexpected meeting and plenty of mystery and humour. The main story is focused on Seifer; part one takes you up to the ending, but this story spans beyond that. Even if you don't like Fujin and Raijin I've tried to make the prologue interesting, so give it a shot! You will be well rewarded in chapter 1!

Prologue

Let Go

Fujin gazed at the window, her image reflected back to her by the room's light against the star field beyond. She sat rigidly, a contradiction to the soft red chair she occupied. Her silver hair obscured a harsh black eye patch, as her other eye glittered along with the vague outline of stars. Raijin was reflected from his adjacent seat, his head thrown back on the headrest and legs spread across the walkway. His snores were audible even over the purr of the Ragnorak's engine.

IDIOT, she thought. She couldn't wind down, despite her exhaustion. A months worth of tension seemed presently compacted within her. As she continued to stare, the large scarlet window frame became like a TV screen playing the calamitous day back to her.

Fujin and Raijin loitered indecisively on the entryway stairs of the Lunatic Pandora. Seifer had always made their decisions for them, even in his absence, for they would follow him anywhere. But now that they had chosen to cut their ties with him, they were like driftwood with not even a tide to guide them down the river. Raijin sat on the stairs and jostled his pole on his shoulder, whilst Fujin stood nearby in the vast entryway opposite the three elevators. She leaned against the wall, arms crossed.

"So… what now, y' know?"

THINK! She ordered herself. They weren't in a good situation. They didn't have a way of escaping the Lunatic Pandora, hovering over the Esthar region as it was. Barring the arrival of a Ruby Dragon that consented to give them a ride before incinerating them, they were stuck in there, at least until it landed or got closer to the ground.

"If we could find some rope or a ladder or something, we could climb down, y' know." Raijin suggested, not for the first time. "It's a long drop, but if it lowers a bit… Anyway, those soldiers must have a way of getting in and out of here, y' know. Maybe they have some of those mobile units like they used in the battle against Balamb Garden? They must be stashed here somewhere… I guess we don't have much chance of finding them, this place is like a maze, y' know? Seifer would know… "

"RAGE!" She kicked a piece of debris viciously enough to send it cart wheeling across the vast lobby, skittering to a stop next to the central elevator door. Raijin, apparently realizing he broached an off topic, or just glad she hadn't kicked him instead, shut up.

"SEIFER…" she said and looked back at elevator A as though she could see what lie beyond it.

Truth was, escape and transport were far from Fujin's main concern. Unlike Raijin, she knew there was at least one way out- the parked Ragnorak; it's open hatch begging for stowaways. The reason she hesitated to tell Raijin her plan was that, despite leaving him, she was worried about Seifer. Her mind was a whirlpool of doubts about her decision. It had cost her and Raijin to stand by Seifer up untill now, but it cost them equally to leave him, perhaps even more so. Ever since the sorceress had come into the picture they had felt torn between their loyalty to Seifer and their aversion to what he was doing; what she was making him do.

"DAMMIT."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Raijin hovering from one foot to the other, looking at a loss as to what to say. She'd far exceeded her personal word count for the day. She didn't have another speech in her to explain what she wanted to do. But one word was usually enough, at least for him, and for Seifer, to understand her. Surely he understood now?

She stood by her feeling that Squall was the only one capable of getting through to Seifer, even as it saddened her that his words may work where Raijin and hers had failed. But Squall had known him even before they had, there were bonds there she didn't fully understand. But what if her trust in Squall was misplaced? What if, rather than pulling him back, Squall tipped Seifer completely over the edge? He may be the only one that could bring him back, but he was also the only one that could push across the line of no return, as well.

Better off dead than used, she thought harshly.

"Do you think Seifer's ok in there?" Raijin asked.

"DEFINE." She said in a distinctly threatening tone.

He waved his hands in the air. "Whoa! Hang on! I don't mean that they could hurt him! You know Seifer- he's unstoppable. But it's just, y' know…"

Finally she nodded curtly, knowing that his thoughts matched hers. His being "unstoppable" was exactly the problem right now. Which was ironic, really, as it was usually his most admirable personality trait.

Raijin stood and stretched his muscular arms over his head. "No harm seeing what's going on. I mean it's been hours! No point hangin' round here, y' know…"

Fujin pulled her silver pocket watch from the inside of her jacket, a casual gift from Seifer during her phase of always being late. It had actually been less than one hour. MORON, she thought, but it had felt longer.

They walked to elevator A and rode up, exiting into the weird corridor that could only be described as alien. The walls were a mesh of turquoise shades, varying between green and blue. It looked somehow liquid, like ice, though to the touch was evidently stone. Their steps echoed as they proceeded through the long tunnel, and along a less claustrophobic metal corridor, until they reached the place where they had last seen Seifer.

"DESERTED." Fujin's heart sank, though she wasn't sure what else she'd expected. "CLUES. SEARCH." She added, hoping something may hint at what transpired there.

She stepped forward several paces, then knelt on the cold floor. There was a splash across it, rusty brown around the edge but still wet and red in the centre. So it had come down to a fight. Of course it had.

Fujin suddenly felt foolish. They had left Seifer to face off against five SeeDs and a new Sorceress alone. All of who must think him the worlds greatest traitor. And in a way, he was, but her reasoning would differ dramatically from theirs. He was a traitor to their posse, to their beliefs.

"You're being manipulated, Seifer. You've lost yourself and your dream. You're just eating out of someone's hand."

She wanted the old Seifer back- she didn't want him dead! When facing the possible reality of it, her earlier thought that she would prefer him to be dead than used seemed childish.

She shook her head at her own doubts. The Seifer she knew was as resilient as a cockroach. But knocking some sense into him and knocking him out were two different things.

Raijin, having found nothing on the podium, looked over Fujin's shoulder. "That's a lot of blood, y' know, Seifer must've given one of them a nasty wound…say, there's another spot over there." Raijin pointed towards the corridor they had entered from. There was a trail of red marks, so vague as to be unnoticeable unless looking for them.

As they entered the corridor, they heard a clanging noise to their left. Fujin drew her missile blade from her back and held it ready beside her whilst Raijin grasped his fighting pole. They nodded to each other, and rushed forward to examine the strange construction.

She barely had time to wonder if it might be Seifer or Squall, when a guy with a loose dark brown ponytail in beige trousers and a pale turquoise shirt came into view, climbing down a ladder. She looked up to see the girl with the impractical green shawl draped over her elbows following closely behind him.

As the guy stepped off the last rung, he called up, "come on Elle! Not much further!"

Ellone, still on the platform above, said "behind you."

The guy turned around and visibly started to see them standing there. "Hey, who are you guys? I- it's rude to sneak up on people like that!"

"SEIFER?" Fujin said.

"Isn't that a guys name?" he asked, frowning with his hand to his chin, seemingly oblivious to the fact that there were too rogues in front of him with weapons whilst he stood there unarmed. He was about as threatening as a bite bug, yet past signs of age there was a certain handsomeness to his features. Fujin lowered her weapon and Raijin followed suit.

"We're looking for a guy, y' know? Scar across his forehead, blonde-"

The guy startled slightly at the mention of the scar.

Ellone, who had finally caught up, answered. "Seifer's not here. We don't have time for this right now. This place is unbalanced- we have to get out of here!"

The guy declared, "I don't know who you guys are, or why you're looking for Squall, but we have to get out of here!" As though it had all been his idea.

Fujin looked up and saw where the dangers lie. The levels above looked like they would if viewed through steam, the floor bumping and bubbling. Only, there was no steam.

TIME COMPRESSION?

"Hurry!" Ellone called as she ran past. Fujin nodded to Raijin, and they followed.

They ran full out, back to the elevator floor and through translucent yellow tunnels until they reached the entrance the Ragnorak had forged into the Lunatic Pandora mere hours ago.

"Phew! I think we're safe now!" the guy said, hands on knees. "It's been a while since I had to run like that. It was when Kiros and Ward accidentally cracked open a gas cylinder with a bullet… I mean, a harpoon!"

"Really, Uncle Laguna?"

"Would I ever lie to you?" He said warmly, and ruffled Ellone's hair. Fujin scowled. The girl was older than she was, and he was treating her like a child. She would kick him in the shin, or worse, but the girl just laughed.

PATHETIC.

Raijin, she noticed, was doubled over almost as much as Laguna was. "WIMP!" She accused before kicking him in the shin.

"OWWW… hey, that was totally unnecessary, y' know!" Raijin hopped on one foot, face creased with pain.

She put her hand to her forehead. IDIOTS. SURROUNDED.

At Raijin's agonised howl, Laguna seemed to remember that they weren't alone, and looked up at them, hand still in Ellone's short brown hair. "Hey!" suddenly and somewhat viciously, he stood straight and faced them. "Are you the ones who kidnapped Ellone?"

"There's no time for that now," Ellone interjected. "I'd feel better if we got further away. I'm not sure how safe we are while we're still here. We should go!" She ran aboard the spaceship.

Laguna hesitated. "Alright. You guys can come with us for now." He ran in after her.

"Do you think we should go? I mean we did take his niece hostage. He'll turn us in, for sure. I don't fancy going to the D-District prison, pretty nasty there, y' know?"

Fujin scowled, wishing they had stowed away after all. But, those two obviously knew more about Seifer's fate. They could find out what happened, and break free if they had to.

"NO CHOICE."

They approached the dragon-like spaceship and their steps clanged on the entry stairs. Once inside, Ellone pushed a button to close the hatch. The idling ship rocked to life, and all three of them lost their footing. Ellone motioned for them to follow, and they walked through a dull grey aisle to a small lift. Raijin looked around like he was in wonderland, muttering things like "so cool." They took the elevator up to the pilot room as the ship lurched again.

Laguna sat at the front in the left hand seat, then stood, rubbed his head and changed to the right hand seat. Fujin and Raijin shared a sceptical glance as Ellone teased "they might have been safer left behind with you piloting, Uncle Laguna"

"Do you really know how to fly this thing?" Raijin enquired doubtfully.

"Yeah, of course! I read the manual and everything!" Laguna said. "Ok, first we'll get outta here, then decide where we're headed!"

"Esthar is the closest town. Shouldn't you be heading back?" Ellone asked.

"Well… I don't have any pressing presidential duties right now…"

Raijin exclaimed, "You're the president!?" He waved a hand in front of his nose, as though smelling something he didn't like. "Whoa… wait a minute, y' know… doesn't that mean you're gonna hand us over for questioning about…"

"RAGE!" Fujin kicked him in the shin, and as he began hopping, holding his leg, she regarded the president coolly, hoping Raijin hadn't given him any ideas.

"Oh yeah," Laguna pressed a few buttons. "That should do for now," he muttered before standing and facing them. "So, what's the deal with you guys? Are you the ones who kidnapped Ellone?"

Ignoring him and suppressing the impulse to kick Raijin again, Fujin regarded the girl coolly. She wasn't offering a public apology for his sake- that was transmitted by the act of releasing her. When Ellone had looked back at her at the time, Fujin knew she got that. She never understood why people felt the need to speak so much; they usually just ended up tying their tongue into knots.

Raijin looked at the ground. "Umm… yeah. We're sorry, y' know? We shouldn't have let things get this far. We're just… we're with Seifer…y' know? We were doin' what he wanted, but now…"

True, she decided, and nodded curtly.

Ellone waved it off as though all they'd done was step on her flower patch. "Uncle Laguna, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Laguna nodded. "Alright. You guys wait in the passenger room. It's down on your right." From his tone, he wasn't done with them. When it came to Ellone, his idiotic anecdotes disappeared and were replaced by a much more stern and commanding man. It reminded Fujin a little of Squall.

"Alright, y' know, but we wanted to ask where…" Fujin raised her foot threateningly, and Raijin headed to the lift. "Alright, alright, we're going! Geez…"

As they entered the passenger room, Raijin collapsed into one of the chairs. "What do you think their gonna do to us? Should we really have left them like that? I mean, we've got weapons, and they don't. Maybe they've got some stashed away, or they're calling in reinforcements… the president! Was he for real, y' know?"

"AFFIRMATIVE." Taking the Galbadian president hostage hadn't exactly improved Seifer's life. She doubted threatening the Esthar president would do them any good, either. As for weapons, she could hardly picture the demure girl levelling a machine gun at them.

Laguna and Ellone soon joined them. "Ellone explained what happened," Laguna said, crossing his arms and nodding deeply as if he understood everything that had occurred. Then he shrugged. "Well, you did let her go. What's done is undone."

Ellone smiled at him, before meeting Fujin's scowl with a smile. "That's his way of saying it's alright."

Laguna nodded deeply again. "Actions shout louder than words!"

Fujin wondered if the guy suffered any severe mental health problems, and who would vote such an incompetent buffoon as president.

Raijin let out a relieved sigh, but then his gaze flitted between Ellone and Laguna. "Say, if you're both here…"

"PILOT?"

Laguna rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I left it on autopilot, it should be all…" the ship shuddered. "Uhh, I'll go check it's alright."

He walked back out and then turned in the entryway. "Elle? You coming!"

"I'm going to stay in here for a while. I could use the rest, it's been a long day," whilst Raijin muttered to Fujin, "I think the ship would fly better unmanned than by him, y' know,"

They looked up as Laguna addressed them. "We have some downtime right now. We can take you guys wherever you're headed, within reason. But, like, no trips to Galbadia, ok?"

The moment he left, Fujin turned to Ellone "SEIFER?"

Ellone met her piercing gaze unflinchingly, a feat not even Raijin could always pull off. The girl smiled sadly, and Fujin put her hand to her heart in shock. There was more to her gaze than understanding over the kidnapping; she saw her own concern for a loved one reflected sympathetically in the girl's guileless blue eyes. But it was probably to do with Squall and her other orphanage siblings, excluding Seifer. It had hardly been his choice to release her, after all.

"I'm sorry. All I know is that, after you guys left, he fought Squall and lost. He kidnapped Rinoa, gave her to Adel and he was just gone."

Raijin waved his hand in front of his face. "That's… so not Seifer, y' know? He'd wanna see how things played out, y' know? Through to the end."

"None of this is like the Seifer I grew up with. He's not the boy whose scraped knee I cleaned anymore. He's willing to tear the world apart to get what he wants."

"WRONG!" Fujin slashed her arm through the air. "WHERE?"

"I don't know. I'm sorry. I've exhausted my power for a while. I don't know when I'll be able to use it again. Seifer…" Ellone paused, then gestured helplessly. "I don't know if he can change back to who he was. I understand that you want to help him, but there's nothing more any of us can do for him. I wish there was. You should think about yourselves now, think about what you want. I'm so sorry."

The sympathy in the girl's eyes and voice was beginning to grate on her.

"RAGE!" Fujin snapped, and stalked out of the room.

"Sorry, y' know… you're tired, right, you should sleep," Raijin said before following her. "What's wrong? I think she told us everything y' know. And…"

"BITCH SORCERESS."

Raijin started. "You think he went back to her again?" He paused. "Yeah… that kinda makes sense. If he left before the battle was over, he would've gone to tell her what he'd done. He must've had a connection with her no one knew about, some way of talkin' to her, bein' her knight and all… right?"

"KNIGHT?" Fujin almost laughed. "DOG."

"Seifer always hated dogs. It's weird, y' know. Him bein' so subservient." Raijin put his hands on his hips. "So, where do we go from here, y' know?"

Fujin crossed her arms. She felt more lost than she had whilst stranded on the Lunatic Pandora. Truth was there was no place left for her and Raijin. They had no home and no leader. No one to rely on except...

"GARDEN."

"Huh? Oh, I get it. You want to speak to Squall and find out what happened. Yeah, he would know if anyone does. I bet that's where he'll head after he whoops the BI- I mean, the sorceress' ass, y' know!" Raijin looked away, and seemed to be holding his leg off the ground slightly, as though ready to launch it out of the line of attack. "But… y' know… Seifer went through with his plan. Which means Squall didn't get through to him, after all. Seifer's lost himself. This is hard to say, kinda painful, y' know… but, y' know…" He stopped and swallowed. "I think Ellone's right. Maybe it's time that we let Seifer go, let him follow his own path, y' know? He's made his decision. He chose the sorceress over us, y' know? So… we need to find something new. I think… we need to forget about Seifer."

Fujin moved slightly, and Raijin jumped away from her, but all she did was raise a hand to her heart. "SHOCK!" She fiddled with her eye patch. She couldn't forget about Seifer, not ever. But she couldn't find a reason to repute Raijin's argument, either. In fact, it was her thoughts exactly.

"MISUNDERSTOOD," she explained. Forcing her hands away from the patch, she finally declared. "AFFIRMATIVE. RETURN."

"What, you mean return to…?" as she nodded curtly, Raijin stepped back in shock "no way! We can't, y' know. They'll never let us back in after what we did. We told Squall that we were cutting our ties with Garden." He seemed to wind down slightly. "Ah geez, but without Seifer, that's all we have left. I think Squall knew we didn't wanna go, y' know?" He paused, and finally concurred. "I guess it's worth a shot. And, if he doesn't let us back in, he might at least tell us…something."

Fujin nodded curtly. "CLOSURE."

A/N Please review and let me know what you think! I'll reply to all your comments if they are signed, and keep any suggestions in mind.

Next time Seifer makes his not-so grand entrance, and he is in bigger trouble than ever before. Which, really, is saying something for him…