Chapter 4
{The next day}
There was a tense wait for the results of the test, what made it worse was for those who had passed the test, another one was waiting for them.
Zell kicked at the tiled floor absently while he waited for his turn. He was in the infirmary waiting to be given his physical, the second last test he had to endure before he could get down to business and learn how to do some serious damage.
A student appeared from one of the rooms and Doctor Kadowaki followed close behind looking down at a clipboard she was holding. "Alright, next we have...Dincht, Zell Dincht." She looked up from the clipboard and gazed at the line of students along the wall.
Zell gave a small wave and pushed off from the wall and made his way past the doctor into the room she had just come out of. She followed and drew the curtain behind her. "Alright, first I'll need you to take off your shirt please."
Zell blinked but complied then flinched as she pressed a very cold stethoscope to his chest. "Cold." He said quietly.
She looked down at him and smiled wryly. "I'm sorry to say that I can't do much about that. The rest of the test aren't so bad so bare with me okay?"
The blond nodded simply and looked around the room. Scales and some machines he'd never seen in his life and one he hoped he never see again. She removed the cold instrument from his chest. "Good, you're heart rate's normal, now if you would please step up onto the scale over there?"
He complied silently and shivered at the considerable lack of warmth in the room.
"Just a moment and you can put your shirt back on." She said absently as she eyed the scale and waited for it to settle on a number. "Hmmm, you know if you're seriously going to take the class it wouldn't hurt if you added a bit more muscle to your skin and bones look."
Zell blushed slightly and nodded. "Yeah."
"Okay, you can put your shirt back on." She said calmly then quickly moved him about the room doing this and that before she finally sighed. "That's the last one, you'll get your results in class tomorrow and from there you can take the last test."
He nodded then waved and left the Infirmary, he looked down at the watch Lai had lent him as he walked. Five minutes till the end of classes for the day, he noted absently then made his way to the front gate. He'd promised his mother that he'd visit today and he'd forgotten about it entirely.
He was screwed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
{Four hours later}
Seifer grinned as the lights in his room flickered then went out followed by a loud road of thunder. Hyne did he love Balamb's storm season.
He waited for five minutes to make sure the lights were out for the storm then his grin broadened and shot off his bed and headed for his closet. He threw open the doors and waited a moment for his eyes to fully adjust for the darkness inside then began to sort through his clothes. He grabbed an outfit at random then quickly stripped and pulled it on before running a hand through his hair to push it out of his face then headed for his door.
No matter how many times he had experienced the blackouts he always loved and thanked the back up generator that kept the doors, elevators and more importantly the electric fences in the training center, operational even if the main power was out. Red light misted the hallway outside his room as the backup lights flickered on. It was rather clever in his opinion, they had built the back up lights into the floor next to the walls so it was like a miniature runway when the power went out, just enough light to get by but not enough to see everything you usually would with the power on. There was lots of 'accidental' bumping into people that went on when the 'Darklights' went on as if the seductive red glow summoned a persons inner being, the lust and need to move that was kept hidden during 'normal time'.
Halfway down the hall he spotted Fujin and Raijin making their way towards him and called out to them as he made his way toward them.
"Yo, Seifer, you heading down to the Quad?" Raijin asked when they were finally walking side by side.
Seifer grinned at his friend. "Where else?"
"Think you'll get lucky?"
The blond smirked and regarded his tall friend with a raised eyebrow. "Don't I always."
"PARTY."
"That's right, no holding back."
Music blared and bodies mingled and writhed together to its rhythm , pressing up against each other then moving away then touching again, mindless and ignoring everything but the music and their own need to move.
Thunder shook the ground but they danced on, others brushed against them but they danced on. SeeD's students and a few instructors all messed in together for the same reason.
To move.
Here there was no fear, no expectation and no empty promises.
There was no need for words, no need to know the name of the person you danced with, all that mattered was that you could. That you could dance, move, grind. All that mattered was the music and the freedom that only these impromptu parties gave them.
Freedom was one things they cherished without thought, freedom of movement, freedom of expression, freedom to be who you really were without fear of being judged. There lay the principals behind the party.
At first it was just something that was thrown together to pass the time, now the students and SeeDs alike sacrificed their own money to ensure that the equipment in the Quad was fully charged and had spare batteries just in case. It was a lucky thing that the music equipment, the CD player and amplifiers all had back up battery power, something all the students of garden loved even if they wouldn't join the Garden Festival Committee.
No one familiar, no new faces worth exploring so instead Seifer settled for an old favorite.
The lights were still out and the thunder still shook the garden, but that only served to intensify the experience. Seifer gazed down at his pale haired friend then bent his head to kiss her neck. Fujin smiled softly and tilted her head to give him better access and ran her hands over his strong shoulders and down his back.
One hand slid down to between her thighs and he began to pet and massage what he found there, eliciting a few gasps from her at the contact. He moved his mouth down from her neck to her collar bone and sucked on it for a moment then moved further down and took one hard nipple into his mouth and sucked on it.
She gasped again and her hands fisted against his shoulders. With a mischievous grin he released it then blew on it, bathing in the moan that escaped past her lips.
"Nah..."
She shuddered as he repeated the gesture on her other nipple then clenched her jaw.
"DO IT."
Seifer gazed up at her for a moment then grinned and used his hand to spread her legs then positioned himself at her entrance, one last look into her lust filled eyes then with a thrust of his hips he was surrounded by beautiful warmth.
Fujin gazed at him from beneath her dark lashes and smiled softly as he pulled out to thrust again this time he hit the spot causing her to push her head back into the pillow and bite her bottom lip in attempt to keep from moaning out loud. He began to set a pace thrusting in and out trying to hit that certain spot each time.
Somewhere along the line he fell in routine, doing what he knew she liked, touching the spots he knew effected her the most, it was simple.
In his mind though he recalled the dream he had every night.
The tall dark haired woman who visited his dreams, who called to him, whispered sweet things to him.
Somewhere along the line he orgasmed while still deep inside, he felt her tighten around him, heard the sudden intake of breath before she orgasmed, saw her mouth open in a silent scream before she relaxed and lay back to bathe in the afterglow.
He felt her hands tracing lazy patterns on his arms and shoulders as she stared off into the distance.
He moved off her and rolled off he bed before searching for his clothes then the decision was made.
He would spend the next few years here, training, becoming stronger then one day when he was worthy he would find the dark lady from his dreams and would stand by her side.
He would have someone who would deserve his respect and worship.
The time had come for him to shed his childish behavior, the weak exterior.
The time had come.
He was ready.
Lai smiled as he felt Leo place a hand on his shoulder then lean in close, stopping when his mouth was next to his ear. He could here the music from his dorm room and the fact that Leo was there during a storm confirmed his guess, the power was out and for the students of Garden that meant a Darklight party.
"You okay?" The ebon haired teen asked quietly.
He nodded then brushed a stray strand away from his face. "I'm okay, are you going to the party?"
"Yeah, wanna come?"
"I don't really feel like it this time." He said calmly then turned when he heard Leo open his closet. "What are you doing?"
Leo rummaged around for a moment then found what he was looking for, a A4 sized sketchbook. "Well I heard that Squall wasn't going either..."
"You didn't go nag at him did you?"
"Hey I don't nag...anyway since you're both not going it was decided that keeping you together was better than leaving you alone in the storm, so you're going to pay him a visit until I come and pick you up later." The taller teen informed him in a matter of fact tone while he gathered this and that from about the room and stuffed it into Lai's bag. "That should be enough to keep you busy."
The white haired teen frowned slightly as Leo took hold of his elbow to help him stand. "I'm not a child Leo, I can walk on my own, plus who decided on this, don't tell me you just decided on your own to lump him with me until you think it's convenient for you."
"Stop being such a drama queen LaiLai." Leo said as they passed through the doorway into the dimly lit hall.
"I'm not a drama queen and stop calling me that." He reprimanded his childhood friend and shook his arm loose.
"Fine, fine. Can you manage on your lonesome or do you want me to walk you there?"
Lai scoffed at that. "How, you don't even know the way. I'll be fine on my own Leo, you should know that by now."
Leo shrugged then danced away from him slightly and bowed formally. "Then I will leave you to your own and Squall's most probably capable hands princess."
"Leo?"
"Hmmm?"
"Get lost." He ordered firmly then listened to his friends joyful laughter as he moved away then his voice disappeared and he turned and started walking in the direction he remembered Squall's room to be.
The advantage of living in the last room on the corridor was that he always knew which way he had to turn and after Squall help escort him 'home' the last time they had been together he knew the way to and from his room.
His listened intently to the area around him steering himself this way or that when someone else's footsteps got too close. It took him five minutes to cross the corridor and he was finally moving up to where Squall's door should be when a voice stopped him.
"Lai."
He beamed at the owner of the voice, he hadn't been expecting the brunette to be waiting for him but it was a pleasant surprise. "Squall, it's nice to hear your voice."
Squall nodded then took the bag Lai was carrying and gave him a gentle nudge towards the open door to his room. "Your friend, Leo, said you don't like storms."
"Not really, there's too much noise...no it's more that the noise is too sudden and since I can't see the lightning I can't prepare myself for the sound...does that make sense?" He asked as he sank down onto Squall's bed.
"No."
Lai smiled warmly then frowned. "Ummm, Squall, could I have my bag please, Leo packed it for me so I don't really know what's in there." He requested politely before a sudden loud clash of thunder made him yelp in shock.
Squall moved over to stand next to the wide eyed teen then frowned as the back up lights flickered and went out. "Damn."
"Squall?"
"It's nothing, the back up generator just died." He said quietly. "Though I suppose that isn't a problem for you."
Lai shook his head then jumped at another particularly loud clash. "I'm used to it."
Squall simply nodded then sat the black bag on the bed and opened it then waited for his eyes to adjust to the dark. Inside there were two notebooks, what looked like a sketchpad and a container holding various different pens pencils and other an artist might use. It puzzled him, Leo definitely knew Lai was blind, he'd said so earlier when he had talked to him, so why had he packed them. Surely he hadn't meant for him to use them, so why?
"There's a sketchpad, some notebooks and some other art stuff." He said quietly then put a hand on the other teens shoulder when he saw a flash of light outside his window, seconds later there was another crash but this time Lai didn't just but Squall could feel the sudden tensing of his muscles underneath his baggy black shirt.
"Thank you, can I please have the sketchbook and container?" He asked politely.
Squall took them out and handed them to the other boys waiting hand then noticed something that had been hidden beneath the book and container. He reached into the bag again with one hand and blinked when he felt his hand brush up against it. It was fabric, cotton and there was something like silk or satin next to it.
/Clothes/
"Squall? Is something wrong?"
He blinked again then moved to sit on the stool next to his bed. "Leo packed some clothes."
He watched as Lai's face contorted into a frown and marveled at how easy his coloring made it for him to see the other teen in the dark. The expression eased and he heard Lai sigh. "I can hear the music from here." He sighed again. "I'm sorry for bothering you."
/He's apologizing?/
"You're not."
Lai smiled at him then flipped the sketchbook open. "Would you mind if drew a picture of you?"
"You can still..."
The other teen laughed softly then yelped at the next crash of thunder that shook the window. "...y-yeah, I started drawing when I was really little so it's not so bad, but the stuff I draw is pretty limited."
Squall frowned. "Then how are you going to draw me?"
He watched as Lai set the book aside then move off the bed to stand in front of him. Puzzled Squall raised his head to see what the other boy would do but was surprised when Lai gently began to touch his face. They were feather light touches that seemed to simply glance across his skin and unable and unwilling to fight it he let himself relax and his eyes fluttered close. Lai's hands stayed on his face, searching for a few minutes more before moving up to run through his hair then back down again to lightly touch his neck, shoulders and the top of his chest.
Finally the gentle searching fingers left him and he heard Lai settle back onto his bed again and pick up his book and he had to fight the sudden urge to sigh at the loss of contact.
He opened his eyes again and watched as Lai withdrew a pencil from his container the touched it to paper and started drawing. "How...how long has it been?" He asked haltingly.
"I've been blind for ten years, so ever since I was five. I've had a while to adapt to it so, now most people don't even realize I can't see until I tell them. I had to go through a few tests before they decided it would be okay for me to study here, with all the steps and stuff." Lai explained quietly without looking up from the sketchbook even though they both knew he couldn't see what was on it.
Squall nodded absently then tilted his head as he watched the other teen draw. "How long have you been here then?"
"I was...ten when I first came here, they gave me specialized classes to help me get used to the building and to help me figure out which way was which. It was a little weird at first because Leo came with me and since he's usually so protective of me he wouldn't let anyone else come anywhere near me. We're in the same classes most because they think of him more as my aid then a student...I don't think he minds either because he gets away with a lot of stuff because they think I still need someone to look after me."
"Do you?"
Lai stopped drawing for a moment and smiled sadly. "Sometimes, like if I leave Garden to go into Balamb or if there's a storm like now."
"What about the training center?" The brunette inquired softly then reached out to touch the hand that was holding the sketchbook when he caught sight of a flash of lightning from outside.
Lai tensed at the sound of the thunder then shook his head and continued drawing. "When I was being taught how to move around Garden they helped to work on my senses to make up for the loss and to use it to my advantage. Then they taught me how to fight so I could defend myself in a 'worst case scenario'. They made me train until I could hold my own against a SeeD, so I guess I'd be fine, plus I've gone in there a couple times before, even if they were with someone else it shouldn't be too bad."
"Hn."
They spent the rest of the night like that, sitting and talking about this or that as Lai continued to draw picture after picture before finally his eyelids started to sag and his head started to slowly sink forward as he fought to stay awake only to be jolted by another crash of thunder. Eventually the thunder grew further between on crash and another but refused to die down completely.
In the end for reasons he couldn't explain Squall moved up onto his bed the lay down next to the wall on his back before calling Lai softly to lie down with him, he marveled in the comfortable warmth that his closeness brought. It didn't take the white haired boy long to fall asleep, pressed up against him and it wasn't much longer after that that Squall finally succumbed to his own exhaustion.
On the horizon, beyond the dark, rumbling clouds, the sun began to rise.