Disclaimer: I do not own FFVIII or any of its characters...

FFVIII: The Stalker's Log

Chapter Eleven: Fight Night

By Traingham


Let it be known that whatever happens in this story is completely fictional. If this, by some remote chance, happened to you during your experience in playing Final Fantasy VIII or in real life for that matter, it is purely coincidental...and I wouldn't believe you. Get off the pipe, man.


[ On the last episode of FFVIII ]

Quistis walks into the emergency room to find Squall standing over an operating table with his fellow doctors. Doctor Almasy, and Doctor Loire observe the young woman on the operating table with grim expressions.

The patient; Selphie Tilmitt.

"What are we looking at here, doctor?" The blonde nurse asks, studying the bead of sweat on Squall's forehead.

"It doesn't look good. At four o' clock, this morning, she was stung by a Blood Soul near the shore of Dollet." Leonhart replies. "If we don't sever the affected portion of her liver in time-"

Camera closes up on his face.

"She'll die."

+...+

Detective Almasy lets off a shot at the running suspect-

-it misses.

"Damn him!" Seifer looks to his partner, Squall Leonhart. "I knew he was in on it!"

"Not to worry, then." Detective Leonhart says in his usual gruff voice. "We know where Mr. Kinease is heading."

Seifer raises an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

Squall offers a subtle smirk. "He's going to meet with her."

"Her?" Seifer rips the cigarette out of his mouth and drops it to the ground with a growl. "Shit! Of course!"

"Let's ride!"

+...+

Rinoa Heartily and her friends walk down the hall to her apartment after a night of dancing. They all laugh at a joke that Quistis Trepe tells as they reach the apartment door, and Rinoa takes out her keys to let them all in. She opens the door to find-

"Oh my god!" Rinoa screams in shock at the sight before her.

-Her roommate, Squall Leonhart, half naked on their couch with another woman.

"How could you?" Rinoa cries out at her boyfriend-to-be.

"Rin?" Squall looks between his roommate and the woman under him, resembling her in every way. "What the hell? But...if you're there-" His eyes widen with shock as he directs his gaze to the woman engaged with him. "Who am I with?"

The woman laughs, pulling off her wig, causing Rinoa to gasp in horror.

"My twin sister-"

Dramatic music rises with a crescendo.

"Ultimecia!"

+...+

Yuffie approaches the dining table with a platter of drinks in one hand, a professional smile on her face.

Her first target, Aerith Gainsborough.

"Here you are." The kunoichi says sweetly as she sets down the girl's drink for her.

Aerith smiles at her, sending shivers down her neck. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Yuffie offers her a nod before proceeding to give Fuujin her drink. She flashes the stalker a curious smile before moving on to serve instructor Leonhart and Xu.

"Everything is set now." Yuffie laughs to herself, taking her leave of the room.

Now, to see how it all unfolds...


... {THE} ...

~ Stalker's ] [Final Fantasy VIII] [ Log ~


"So, what is it that you do, Mr. Leonhart?" Fuujin asked the young commander, setting down her drink after taking a sip of it. All the while, her eyes swiveled over to Aerith to see if the young woman had taken a sip from her own drink. So far, she was neglecting it...now why would she do that? More importantly, what was up with the smile that Yuffie gave her after she served her, her drink? There was just something about it that felt a little too suspicious, and it wasn't just because the operation that they were carrying out felt suspicious either.

...Wait a second... Fuujin blinked when she saw Squall's mouth moving, but for some reason she couldn't hear a word of what he was saying. It was like watching someone talk to you from inside a car, only it would have been nearly impossible to hear them because the window was closed. "...Sounds like you have a lot on your hands..." She commented. Due to her shady past, she was an expert at reading lips.

"Instructor Leonhart does it all so easily." Aerith remarked with a grin. "One would be envious of his abilities."

"Or admire them." Xu added.

"One with fans, I see." Fuujin teased the commander before something odd happened. Squall's hair suddenly seemed to grow in length...well actually, it kind of looked as though it was melting onto his face...wait, wait...no, his face was melti-WHAT THE HELL?

Don't tell me... Fuujin looked to her glass with narrowed eyes before looking to Aerith's glass. From the looks of it, the flower had taken a few sips already, and yet, by the way she ate so calmly and naturally, she was either too oblivious to know that just drank from a drugged wine glass or she was simply impervious to the effects all together. That aside, what she was experiencing could only mean one thing. It had been a suspicion that lingered in the back of her mind ever since she set off from Balamb with Yuffie and Lulu, but now this confirmed it! Those two psychotic bitches betrayed her! Why, the nerve! The gall! Well, if they thought that they were going to-

BAthumpsh...

...

...

...

"Xu?"

"Yes, Instructor Leonhart?"

"Our host just fell unconscious, didn't she?"

"...Why, yes...she did."

"..."

"..."

"...I'll take care of it."

Urgh...

Fuujin opened her eyes to find herself lying against something soft. In fact by getting her eyes back in focus, she realized that she was lying along the couch in the living room of the inn, and to top things off, Squall was sitting in the chair across from her, watching her closely. How long had they been in here? More importantly, did he carry her in here? Well, Xu and Aerith hardly seem like the type to carry another woman in their arms while there was a big, strong, healthy...good looking...rugged...sexy-

FOCUS! Fuujin brought her mind back on track, feeling her face to find her shades still in place. Hmm, what were the odds?

"I was wondering when you'd wake up." The lion told her.

"OH...ahem...oh, how long have I been..." Fujiin trailed off, sitting up on the couch.

"Less than half an hour." He replied, narrowing his eyes at her somewhat. The look in them started to make the silver-haired beauty a little nervous. "At first I was a little suspicious about it..."

Suspicious? What's got you suspicious? Fuujin tensed at his words, shifting on the couch uncomfortably. Was tonight the moment she had been dreading since the moment she laid her eyes on him so long ago? Did he finally uncover her dark secret? Would he even want to look at her again, now that he knew the type of woman she was? Oh, the blood shed would scar the minds of all who witnessed it if those two girls ended up being responsible for destroying her chances of ever making her deepest desires a reality. Yes, they would know true fear.

"But the maid told me about your sleeping disorder, so my worries are at rest." Squall explained to her.

HUH? Fuujin blinked a few times after hearing his words. So...he hasn't...I don't...oh, thank Hyne!

"Ah, yes..." Fuujin feigned a bit of shame, bowing her head slightly. "The doctor told me that with enough therapy, I should be able to control it...still, it's so embarrassing..."

"Problems plague everyone." Squall told her, getting the stalker to raise her head with a bit of surprise. What was he doing? Was he trying to cheer her up somehow? "What affects that is the person's will to fight them," The commander's gaze grew intense as their eyes locked, "There's no shame in getting knocked down once in a while, but back down and you'll only allow them to get the best of you."

"...Thank you."

"Are you coming back to dinner?" Squall asked her, standing up from his chair. "I haven't eaten anything since you passed out."

"You can go on without me." Fuujin told him with a shake of her head. "I must...tend to another matter."

"Fine." The commander nodded before he left the living room to join the women in the dining room again.

Good. Fuujin stood up from the couch and cracked her knuckles. Now then, time to take care of business...


[ Looking to the kitchen of the inn... ]

Lulu stirred her cup of tea as she watched Yuffie do her little victory dance around the kitchen table. A little grin crept up on the lovely mage's face for a moment, disappearing in an instant when the kunoichi finished celebrating her personal victory over their appointed leader to turn to her with a smile of glee. Oh, she looked so happy. She was completely oblivious to that fact that perhaps there was another force at work in her plans.

"Haha!" Yuffie did a little turn and jumped up and down with joy. "Fuji is outta the game now! In the end, she was the one being used."

Lulu nods absently, drinking from her cup.

"She thought that she could stick us with instructor Xu," Yuffie's voice squeaked for a moment, saying her next words, "and A-Aerith, while she had Mr. Leonhart for herself, but the tables have turned now!"

Lulu nods again, setting her cup down on the counter top.

"Well, they should just about be done with dinner no-"

"TRAITORS."

It was at that moment that Yuffie Kisiragi got that feeling that all heroes felt when the final boss of their quest suddenly got back up after being knocked down for the first or second time. It was the same feeling that Squall and the others felt when Griever and Ultimecia decided to do the fusion dance. It was the same feeling that Cecil Harvey felt when Golbez failed to destroy Zeromus after descending countless floors of crystal and moon rock, loaded with invisible creatures of terror that materialized at random intervals in an attempt to force a game over. Perhaps even the same feeling that the espers felt when Kelfka decided that he wasn't going to take their crap anymore, and just unleash an unspeakable evil upon them. Yes, she had just moved on the level two of her biggest obstacle, and things were looking rather grim for her.

It didn't help that Fuujin had a knife in her hand when she turned around to face the infuriated woman.

...Her ATB was on the verge of filling to its maximum as well...

...looks like it was time to throw down.

"Lulu!" Yuffie called to her partner, holding out one hand. "Knife, please!"

Nothing.

Yuffie shook her hand her outstretched hand for a bit of emphasis of how dire her situation was, "KNIFE, NOW!"

Fuujin stalked closer, and still no knife.

"Lulu, would you-" Yuffie whipped her head to find no one standing behind her. The only proof of Lulu ever occupying the space beside the kitchen counter top was a steaming cup of tea. Yuffie was bordering on hysterical. Did she teleport out of here,or what-when-how... Yuffie turned her attention back to Fuujin, and her smirk of confidence dropped like a withered flower petal.

"Survival time!" She cried out before rushing to open the counter top drawer for a knife to defend herself.

"So, she decided to stay behind?" Xu asked Squall, setting her fork and knife down upon her plate. If there was another peculiar thing about Xu that Squall had yet to understand, it was the mysterious storage in which she stored the contents of food that she consumed because he was sure that all she had eaten did not go to her stomach. Of course, searching for the answer to the mystery would come after he found out the truth about Angelo. That dog wasn't off the hook just yet. His time would come, and soon.

"Yeah." Squall answered her before drinking from his glass. "She must have been a little embarrassed." I don't blame her...

"How nice of you, instructor, to care for her." Aerith praised him with delight.

"Whatever." Do you naturally talk that way?

"Don't be so modest." Xu told him with a light pat on the shoulder. "Though I suppose it must have been a treat for you."

Those words made the young commander turn to face his fellow instructor. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, she isn't exactly hard to look at, is she?" Xu told him without a slightest bit of mirth in her voice. Even her lovely face, though wearing a smirk, looked serious. It was something that only the enigmatic instructor could pull off and it unsettled him well. "I'd say the fact that she was unconscious the entire time you watched over her must have been a bonus."

"...Your thoughts-"

"Arouse you?" Xu offered, resting her cheek in one hand.

"Quit that." Squall's lips curled into a snarl.

"Oh, look." Xu pointed to someone over his shoulder. And sure enough, Lulu had been standing over the lion like some sort of stalking predator, inspecting its pray for the impending kill. It didn't help matter that she had a measuring lace in one hand. What was the maid taking his measurements for? Judging by how she just rose up from behind Squall like a gopher from its hole, she must have been working his waist the entire time they had been talking. My, she was a sneaky one, wasn't she?

Some interesting characters I'm meeting today.

"What happened to the shorter maid?" Aerith inquired curiously. "Is she alright?"

Lulu shrugged her shoulders.

Aerith smiled in a knowing fashion that even confused the mute mage. "I see." She turned to her instructor. "Well then, Mr. Leonhart." The flower girl got the commander's attention. "It is getting kind of late, so I'm going to sleep."

"Sure." Squall told her. The less women to deal with, the better.

Fuujin and Yuffie both were lying against the kitchen floor with their respective knives still somehow gripped in their hands. What made this scene rather peculiar, however, was the fact that there wasn't so much as a spot of blood on the floor. Well, actually that wasn't something very odd in this particular world, but this would technically apply as an alternate universe, so we'll consider it an anomaly. Now, both women appeared to be snoring...lightly, but snoring nonetheless.

Fuujin twitched...

...she twitched some more.

"Mmmm..." The eye patched beauty moaned in an adorable fashion as she stretched out on the floor in a rather suggestive fashion. The fact that her hands began to grip something invisible didn't seem to help the awkwardness of the scene much at all. "...Deeper..." Fuujin bit her lip in her deep slumber. "...Pleas-HUH?" She awoke with a start, losing her grip on her knife and sitting up in place. With a cursory of the kitchen, she realized that she and the kunoichi must have had an epic battle, though judging by their close proximity, and the fact that she had just regained consciousness with no signs of suffering casualty, they both must have fallen asleep in the middle of a grappling match.

The drug must have taken effect on me again. Fuujin thought to herself, getting back to her feet unsteadily, however, after brushing herself off, a rather disturbing thought came to mind. Now, the questions is, why did Kisiragi fall asleep? Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. Unless...Lulu! Had that last though left her mouth, it would have come out in a growl. That black mage had been planning to take the commander for herself the entire time, and they both fell into her trap! A formidable one indeed, that mute serpent.

She won't triumph in this. This is my scheme! Squall and I are des- Fuujin's legs nearly gave out on her as she rushed to the kitchen door to take her leave. Apparently the sleeping weed wasn't exactly the type of drug that would wear off after a simple nap. Boy, this was sure to make things a little more complex than usual.

"DAMNATION." The stalker grumbled to herself before she heard Yuffie stir in her sleep. Well, a little (KICK TO THE HEAD) would fix that...


[ Now, how about that item shop... ]

I didn't know that these places ever closed. Fuujin thought irritably, staring at the closed door of the item shop near the end of town. Now this might have been a hunch, but didn't the game designers only thrust in these sort of odd inconveniences whenever something weird was about to take pla-

"Stunning evening, hmm?" Fuujin turned away from the shop door when she heard a smooth voice from behind her. It was the kind of voice that you would hear in a love song by a heavy set male with a last name that could be considered a color. So when she found a rather short individual whose face was completely impossible to make out from under a pointed wizard hat, surrounded by the high collar of a navy wizard jacket, she was a little surprised. Then again, this totally followed that train of thought that was cut off a few lines up.

"YOU ARE?" Fuujin asked, crossing her arms suspiciously.

"Vivi, mystery merchant of the-"

"DRUGS?" Fuujin cut him off.

"That, too." The short black mage said almost dejectedly. "You need some?"

"MUST STAY AWAKE."

The black mage's yellow eyes narrowed with interest. "I see. Well, I've got just the thing for you." He unbuttoned the first four buttons on his jacket and reached in to pull out a small vial of what resembled candy corn. The only difference with these would have to have been the little tentacles that wriggled out of their cone shaped tops. The stalker was beginning to hope that they weren't supposed to be eaten as they were. It sure didn't look like one would recommend it.

"THOSE ARE?"

"Ochu gels." The shady mage replied, holding the vial out to her. "These will keep those eyes open all night. Of course, the effects wear off quicker depending on what activities you might have in mind."

The stalker regarded him silently as if contemplating whether to accept the odd looking gels, or to turn him away. "SIDE EFFECTS?"

"A little heightened arousal." Vivi replied, eyes swerving to the side. "Nothing a sensible individual wouldn't be able to handle."

"PRICE?" Fuujin asked with a little more eagerness than one would expect. Even the mage was caught off guard by how unfazed she seemed by the side effects that the gels carried. Perhaps she had a little something in mind that would put those effects to use. In either case, it was no business that he wanted to get involved in. By the looks of how she was breathing, he actually felt a little sorry for whomever she had as her designated target. Surely, her intentions were to consume them in any manner possible; as long as it got the job done, she didn't look like she cared.

"Fifty gil." Vivi answered her, holding out both of his hands. One with the bag in hand, and the other held out for the gil exchange. After the exchange was done, Fuujin looked at the bag with a look of hesitation.

The black mage stared at her silently.

She looked back.

She isn't going to do it. I don't know anyone who would actuall- If Vivi could make some kind of facial expression, his eyes would have narrowed to near slits, his mouth would have clamped tightly shut, wrinkles on his chin from how tightly it would have scrunched up in disgust. Sweat would form puddles in the pocket between his cheeks and eyes lids, and his brows would have formed arches too tight for sweat to pass between. All of this and more if possible because the woman before him had just opened the bag and gulped down the gels as though they were normal drops of candy. Yes, her face nearly turned purple upon the first five seconds of consumption, but it had returned to its normal shade in almost no time at all.

"THANKS." Fuujin told the short individual before walking past him, back on her way to the inn.

"...No problem." Vivi told her just as she was out of earshot. When Fuujin had entered the house, he turned away and adjusted his wizard hat. "Creepy girl." Of course, since this was indeed a story of many odd occurrences, Vivi would surely come across another customer just as odd. Not that I'm foreshadowing or any of those other terms that one would use when talking about a story, but if that didn't bring up a light bulb somewhere, then...what the hell?


Lulu was a woman that could honestly tell a person that she had experienced death before. Of course, it was also because of that experience that she was unable to tell that tale, which was cruel irony in itself. The point was, there was hardly anything that could possibly frighten the woman to the point that she would call out in desperate need of help, or pure unadulterated horror for that matter. In all honesty, that was the truth, however, there was something to be said of the young woman that went by the name Aerith Gainsborough. Meeting the flower girl for the first time at Edea's orphanage, Lulu was sure that she had finally come across something to worry about.

She was enigmatic.

She was odd.

Unnatural.

Hollow.

There were so many words in the known languages that could be used to describe her, and then there were words beyond that. All jokes aside, assisting Aerith in the bath had to be the hardest experience Lulu ever had the misfortune of being put through. First of all, the girl didn't even appear to be affected by her presence in the slightest. She was welcoming in an eerie way, and she didn't seem to mind being touched by her either, but she never said a word. It was all done in silence, and when it was over, she simply turned to her with a smile and dried herself to take her leave. Then there was that sowing on her back and her stomach that couldn't possibly go unnoticed by anyone who had the pleasure of getting a view of her curvaceous figure. The skin brought together by the sutures on both sides was a completely different color from the vanilla cream that made the young woman's complexion. It was dark and rotten looking. A possible stab wound, perhaps?

Lulu did her best not to let her thoughts linger too much on the subject as her next guest entered the bathroom from the small dressing room with nothing more than a black towel draped over one arm, and her shower supplies in a small bucket held against her waist with her other hand. It was at that point in time that Lulu realized that Xu did take care of herself well. The woman didn't seem like the type to put herself under any strenuous exercises, or activities that would fall under such a category, and yet, looking at her legs and her stomach (Since Xu did come in facing her), that was a clear misunderstanding. Then again, Lulu had come to join the garden with her fellow White SeeDs after the entire Sorceress incident had come to pass, so she didn't know just how involved the enigmatic instructor was with all of the action that consumed the military academy.

"Service?" Xu asked, raising an eyebrow at the sight of the voluptuous black mage. Mind you, Lulu was completely dressed, so no worries there. After Lulu nodded in response to the instructor's question, Xu proceeded to walk to the steaming bath tub/ jacuzzi. She dropped her towel to the floor before ascending the short steps and dipped into the cloud of steam with a sigh of pleasure. Yes, mentioning the dark lion's name during her conversation with Quistis of their plans for the Winhill trip was a wise idea, indeed. He was definitely coming with them to the Shumi village next month. The possibilities of just how Squall's presence might affect that trip sent shivers of anticipation through Xu.

"So..." Xu began, pulling her body scrubber by its thing rope from her bucket as it bobbed up and down in the water. "...since you've already assisted Ms. Gainsborough, and you're attending to me right now," Xu turned her body to face Lulu as the posing maid made the appropriate adjustments to her skirt so that she could dip her legs in the water to assist her guest, "would I be right to assume that Instructor Leonhart is no exception to this generous service?"

Lulu nodded in response, turning her head down slightly in an attempt to hide the blush that crept up on her lovely face.

"Oh..." Xu squeezed some of her scented, liquid soap on to her scrubber as she studied the mute doll maker's face. "Well, how long have you been working this business, anyway?"

Lulu showed her two fingers.

"Right." Xu nodded as she began to scrub her right arm, working a smooth lather. "Then I guess you're familiar with a man's body." Xu watched another faint blush color the woman's cheeks and a smirk played upon her lips. "His back, anyway."

Lulu offered her an unsteady nod in response.

"By the way you blushed when I mentioned my fellow instructor's name, however; I'd have to say that you're taken by him, aren't you?"

Lulu bowed her head with no indication of answering her question.

Xu started on her other arm, grinning to herself. "No shame in that. After all, no one can blame you for fancying his looks." She stood up from the water, giving the mage a good look at her behind before she started working a lather around her body. "He carries himself well, and there's a strong presence about him. Anyone would be attracted to that." Xu held out the scrubber to Lulu before taking a seat on the ledge of the tub and the mage started scrubbing her back.

Silence...

"But I fear that my own greed pushes me to look for more than that in him." Xu suddenly said after a long moments silence. "As a woman, I want his body and his soul for myself, however, speaking as a soldier...I want his passion and his fury. I don't want him to surrender himself to me. No...that would be far to dull and boring. I want him to fight and dominate me before I succeed in doing the same to him. That is what I desire from a man of his caliber, and throughout my years knowing him, I know that I will not be disappointed."

Lulu nodded rather stiffly in response. Hearing the instructor speak that way started to rouse something within her that she wasn't very familiar with, or rather she was, but the current situation simply didn't click very well with it. Maybe if Squall was around, it would make a little more sense.

"So-" Xu dipped into the water to rinse herself, and reached into her bucket for her shampoo. After squeezing a bit into her hand, she worked it into her hair and smiled at Lulu. "-have fun with him."

...You sure you don't want to take my place? Lulu thought sarcastically.

Fuujin entered the inn quietly, but not in a manner that would be considered suspicious. She didn't want Squall or Xu becoming suspicious of her if they had a glimpse of her stalking through the halls in such a stealthy manner, but there was still the chance of Yuffie or Lulu trying to get the jump on her. Well, Yuffie could actually be considered less than a threat than the mage since she was undoubtedly still trying to battle the effects of the drug. Lulu, on the other hand, was an adversary that would possibly prove to be a challenge. Not only was she able to slip by as an enemy to the both of them, unnoticed, but she was able to execute everything rather well with even Yuffie as a pawn past the point that they had betrayed her. It didn't really help matters that she was a black mage. She was way more efficient in the ways of long range combat than even she was.

She would just have to deal with it.

Carefully reaching the stairway to the main floor where the bedrooms were located, Fuujin got a glimpse of Xu leaving the direction of the washroom to reach her room with nothing more than a towel wrapped around her. If memory served right, she was going to be sharing a room with the young commander...that left a bad taste in the stalker's mouth. The enigmatic instructor wasn't exactly someone that she wanted to cross, even if she was a possible obstacle in her plan to gain Squall's affections. To put things in the plainest terms, Xu would ultimately own her. Then there was Quistis as well. The blonde instructor was possibly a goddess of death given human form. Why hasn't anyone questioned the fact that she was able to erase an individual from existence with a simple point of her finger? If that wasn't enough, she could shoot rays from her eyes and her chest, rain bullets upon unsuspecting enemies without carrying any sort of ammunition, send victims to the highest reaches of heaven to obliterate them, breathe fire, and make a real mean dominatrix queen if she so desired. If that wasn't considered multi-talented, then what was?

Not the time to be thinking of such things... The stalker thought to herself before she started her ascent to the top of the stairs. Squall didn't appear to be heading in for his bath yet, so this would have been the time for her to strike, however, taking a glance at the door to his room on her right, she found it closed. Well, of course it would be closed since Xu just went in to get dressed for the evening, but still...he wasn't in there with her...was he? Luckily, Fuujin, was able to restrain herself from running up to the door and giving it a solid round house kick to do a little investigation. There was still another matter at hand. And so, rushing to the bathroom with feet so light, a ninja would be put to shame-

-she found no one...

Dammit. Fuujin thought before ducking out of instinct, and it served her well, saving her a concussion from the towel bar that Lulu swung at her head. The stalker rolled forward, twisting around to face the doll maker when her feet was planted on the floor again, and a staring match ensued...

-"Dead End" plays-

Fuujin rushed forward and blocked a swing from Lulu with her right arm, gritting her teeth at the painful sensation that tore across her forearm from the surprisingly solid hit. For a mage, Lulu had a pretty good swing. With that in mind, Fuujin countered with a back hand to her face, but the mute woman ducked and took her by surprise with a leg sweep. Finding her enemy temporarily stunned, Lulu lifted the towel bar over her head and prepared to bring it down upon her, but something unexpected intervened.

"Hyaa!" Lulu jumped back when Yuffie charged in with a silver candle holder in her hand, giving Fuujin the opportunity to roll aside and put some distance between the two other women and herself. It turned into a three way stand off.

-"Never Look Back" plays-

"I'll admit, you almost had me." Yuffie told Lulu with a maniacal gleam in her eyes. "But I'm not going down this time! I'm all jacked up on ochu gels, and I'm ready to kick some ass!" Declaring this to the black mage, Yuffie never took notice of how Fuujin slipped a fresh soap bar out of its box and took aim for her head before letting it fly at her head with enough force to put her lights out-

SHPACK!

-and so, it did, cutting the back ground music short.

Lulu and Fuujin faced each other again.

They charged.

Lulu swung-

-Fuujin ducked, grabbed her by the hair, and slammed her to the floor tiles.

K-O!

"Stick to magic, bitch." Fuujin spat at the unconscious mage before she looked to the hallway from the bathroom door. Finding two unconscious maids in the bathroom wouldn't do very good for her plans. She had better get Yuffie and Lulu somewhere safe before Squall came out and decided to take his bath...

(((((... Just a moment...)))))

Fuujin closed the closet door beside the bathroom, sighing with relief.

"Taken care of." She said to no one in particular before the closet door creaked open a bit to let an arm hang out. Seeing this, Fuujin quickly stuffed the arm back in and closed the door again, leaning against it to make sure that it was shut tight. All that was really left now was to wait for the lion to enter the bathroom. From there, things would flow nicely.

Although... Fuujin looked down at the clothes she was wearing and frowned a little. ...a maid uniform would be much more appropriate for this sort of situation. With that in mind, she proceeded to descend the stairs to the first floor and look for the outfit that Lulu made for her. At the exact moment that she had taken her leave of the second floor, the door to Squall and Xu's room opened and the commander walked out with a look of annoyance plastered over his features.

Xu is just doing this to annoy me. Squall thought to himself as he crossed the hall to reach the bathroom. First the woman entered the room casually as though the young man wasn't sitting on the bed the entire time, and then she simply let the towel drop without warning him. Did she consider him a man at all? And I thought Quistis was bad enough with the teasing. No wonder her and Xu get along so well.

He closed the door behind him when he entered the bathroom, looking for the towel bar to drape his towel over to find it lying on the floor.

"...Did someone break it off?" The commander questioned, lifting it from the floor to inspect the end that was formerly attached to the side of the bath tub/ jacuzzi. Well, it doesn't really affect me, anyway. He thought to himself, dropping his towel to the floor. After setting the bar down somewhere out of the way, he reached for the bottom of his shirt and pulled it over his head before folding it and laying it on top of the toilet seat. He did the same with his pants, and dropped his boxers on the floor with his belt.

...I knew I was forgetting something. The commander growled, knitting his brows. Fortunately, looking down, he found a bar of soap on the floor. He studied it for a moment after picking it up and shrugged his shoulders before entering the tub and adjusting the water until it was just the right temperature. Taking a seat, he sighed as the water gradually rose to his waist. "This is more like it." The lion purred, shutting off the water before it got, too, high. He sat back again and closed his eyes.

I guess this wasn't so bad after all. A nice relaxing soak like this is all I needed. He opened his eyes for a moment when he swore he heard something, but a few seconds later he closed them again. Maybe I should do this again some other ti...hmm? His train of thought came to a halt when he felt a bit of warmth on the sides of his face. He brought up his right hand to feel a calf beside him. Where did that come from? He did the same with his left hand to find another calf.

"What the-" Squall opened his eyes and let his head fall back to find himself looking up at Fuujin's face from between her legs. Since she had her shades on, however, he simply mistook her for the hostess again. Certainly, any man would have found this sort of situation very awkward. How often did you find a woman with you in the bath that wasn't there seconds ago, and to make matters more complicated, in such a...ahem...compromising position? Then again, if Squall Leonhart was just 'any man', we wouldn't have much of a tale to tell, would we?

"You..." Squall managed to say, overcoming his initial urge to flip her off of him.

"A problem?" Fuujin asked innocently.

"You don't see one?" The commander asked, raising an eyebrow, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Fuujin was gradually closing her legs to trap him in place.

"This is a service we have here."

"Service?"

"Yes." Fuujin replied with a nod before dipping her hand into the water, dangerously close to his legs. Squall's eyes darted to the arm within the water, unable to make out anything else beyond that since there was so much steam rising from the water. It wasn't until she pulled it back out to reveal a sponge that he relaxed. "I'm just here to assist with your bath. Nothing else." She ended her sentence with a shockingly cheeky smirk. One would wonder if it was just a way to keep him from thinking that it was really her, or if the side effects of those gels were finally starting to take effect.

"Right." Squall replied, coming to the conclusion that any questions he might ask her would be skillfully answered until he threw in the towel, so to speak. That was something he would much rather not waste his time with, so as long as she just did what she came for and left, all would be just fine and dandy. Looking at her face did bring a bit of a disturbance though.

"Aren't you...the hostess?" Squall asked, quirking a brow up at her. For a moment he could swear that it was getting a little harder to breath.

"Yes." Fuujin answered, relieved that he had not caught on to her true identity. Of course, it also brought a faint worry to the back of her mind. If it was this easy to fool her beloved, then who was to say that no one else could pull off the same thing and get away with it? Hm...much to fear, indeed.

"...Oh." Squall nodded with a bit of hesitation. Then...doesn't that mean there's a chance that she could just suddenly doze off? The image that was brought to his mind after the thought passed made the commander just a little tense. That certainly would not turn out well. "Is that really advised?"

"I've taken my pills if that is your concern." Fuujin assured him. "I won't just fall asleep on top of you." Though, that wouldn't be such a bad idea...

"Alright." Said Squall...

Silence...

...Blink...Blink-Blink...

It's still kind of hard to bathe... The commander thought, unable to make any movement while the woman was present. Not that Fuujin was bothered by this in the least. In fact, it brought up some rather interesting ideas.

"Shall I get to work then?" Fuujin asked, shifting forward a bit to reach for his right arm. In the process, she had Squall's head squeeze a little further between her legs until he was completely enveloped. Now, it wasn't that Squall was, too, oblivious to know when something was up, but for the first time in his life, his mind had come to a sudden grinding halt. All he could do was allow her to scrub his arm. After all, she wasn't exactly doing anything wrong, right? She probably didn't even know what she was doing to him right now.

No. That's just a damn excuse to cover up the fact that you're freezing up. The commander inwardly berated himself. There has got to be something you can do. She's practically giving you a bath, man. Hm...I've nevr done this with Rinoa before. I wonder if I should surprise her one day.

"Something on your mind?" Fuujin asked with a hint of worry when he had gone completely silent.

"Hm?" Squall snapped out of his daze before turning to look up at her, rubbing against her unintentionally. "...Actually," He thought of something quickly, studying the blush that was blossoming on her lovely face. Was she getting something out of this? Hey...she looked a bit familiar now that he really though about it. "I was just thinking...you remind me of someone..."

"An old girlfriend, perhaps?" Fuujin asked boldly.

"No." Squall answered her bluntly, bringing a rising fear to her stomach as he narrowed his eyes somewhat. Definitely not.

Fuujin's mind started chugging like a locomotion. I'd better distract him. She dropped his right arm into the water, and grabbed a hold of his other arm, forcing him to turn at an odd angle as she said, "Then, a friend, maybe?"

"...Well..." Squall seemed a little unsure much to her building dread. Did he think of her as anything than just one of Seifer's old partners? Geez, this was really beginning to piss her off. "I suppose you could say that." His answer put her anxiety to rest, and had the blush return to her face again. Me and Fuujin...friends? Well, we have been talking a lot lately. Hrm...talking? I probably wouldn't think that sort of thing was ever possible between us a year ago.

"Tell me about this girl." Fuujin told him, scrubbing his shoulder in a fashion similar to worship.

"Why?" Squall asked, a little puzzled by her interest in the subject. Then again, it's probably my fault anyway. Anyone would be curious to know about a person if you told them that they were similar in some way.

"CURiosity." Fuujin told him, glancing at the dialogue box that popped up in the air with hopes that it would disappear before the young commander saw her mistake. "So..." She made him lean a bit so she could get to work on his shoulder blades. It took every ounce of will power in her to keep from substituting the sponge with her bare hands. Oh, how she longed to grip those muscles and caress them. No, she wanted to do more than that. Screw the accursed sponge; She wanted to lick him all over until he was clean. She wanted to get a taste of his days worth of sweat. "...t...tell me about her." She forcefully shoved such temptations to the back of her mind before they controlled her very will.

That drug is...beginning to interfere...

"What's her name?" Fuujin asked, making sure to pinch herself so that she would return to her senses.

"Fuujin." Squall answered her, making her heart leap a little.

He is talking about me.

"I've known her for a while, but I suppose you could say that I didn't actually meet her until a week ago."

Oh, but I've known you far longer.

"She was always pretty distant to begin with, anyway."

It couldn't be helped, but couldn't the same be said about you? In the past you were practically unreachable...until Heartily appeared before you.

"Given the circumstances, before, I guess it wasn't much of a healthy relationship."

"Meaning?" Fuujin asked curiously, having him lean forward a little further so she could bring the sponge a little lower down his back. If she really focused her eyes past the steam, she could swear that she could make out the outline of his butt. She clicked her teeth a few times as a private thought passed through her mind.

"She didn't really like me in the past." Squall told her. "There was a bit of animosity between us."

His words dropped an atom bomb on her thoughts. BLASPHEMY!

"Especially since I wasn't a good terms with the guy she was interested in." Squall went on.

SEIFER? YOU MEAN, SEIFER!

"I mean, I think she was. She'd follow that guy to hell and back if he needed her to." The lion said with a bit of distaste in his voice. "It was admirable, but a little sad at the same time."

DAMNATION!

"...I guess I wouldn't know how that's like...standing beside a person even as the world ended around them." The commander's voice took on a sudden change in tone. It was almost as if he wasn't really speaking to her anymore. "To fight for them even as others tried to convince you how wrong they were in their views."

I would do the same for you...

"Yeah...it angered me to see her follow that guy so willingly, but I still couldn't help but admire her for it. I mean...damn...she was just unshakable. Nothing could bend or break her. I guess you could say that I'm a little relieved that things have changed between us." Squall sighed, ripples forming on the water from the rush of breath.

"Sounds..." Fuujin paused, digesting his words. "...complex."

"Yeah." Squall nodded, bobbing his chin up and down on the surface of the water.

"So might it be possible..." The stalker trailed off.

"For what?" Squall blinked at her question. You're pretty absorbed in this...

"For the two of you to become closer?"

"...I suppose so." Squall's answer almost elicited a loud gasp from her, but his next words dashed her misunderstandings with a hammer. "I wouldn't mind having her as a close friend."

"...Oh. That's nice." Fuujin commented, bowing her head somewhat. She pulled the sponge away from his back, allowing him to sit up again, and said, "You can stand up now."

Squall pressed his hands on the sides of the ledge just beside between her legs to help himself up, but-

-Wait a second!

-he let go quickly, letting himself drop back in to the water before it was too late.

"Y-You're not serious, right?" Squall asked her, turning his head to regard her with a bit of surprise clear on his face.

Fuujin simply smirked at him. Well, at least I got to see his butt.


To Be Continued...

So, Squall, is that where you draw the line for me? Am I forever to be the woman on a far shore from you? I want to be more than that. Yes, I am pleased to know that our bond can go as far as a close friendship, to know that one day you will share your secrets with me, and possibly share a laugh or two, but that is not enough. It will never be enough, and I'll never accept it. I want you to desire me and no one else. I want you to hold me, to kiss me, to caress me, and share yourself with no one else. I refuse to let the line be drawn between us, and I will do all I can to ensure that one day you will feel the same way that I desperately feel for you. Please...hold on just a little longer...

Please...

-Stalker's Log, September 24-


The camera gets a close up of Shiva and Siren sitring side by side at a reporters table with professionally matched smiles and folded hands.

"Welcome to the post chapter section." Shiva greets. "I am Shiva, and I'll be your host for the night."

Siren nods to the camera, "And I am Siren. Good evening to you all."

"Quite a-

"Chapter, wouldn't you say?" Siren cuts off her partner before she can go on any further. "It appears that our main female lead has come to understand a little more of what Squall thinks of her, and yet, was it everything that she had hoped for?"

"Yes..." Shiva picks up with a slight growl in her voice. She's clearly peeved by her fellow guardian's rudeness. "Nothing but disappointment in the end, but could she honestly expect any more than that? It's not as if Ms. Heartily has been severed from his heart. Then there's the fact that our main heroine isn't that close to the commander to begin with."

"How tragic." Siren feigns a bit of sadness. "Kind of like your relationship with him, Shivy." Siren smirks at her partner wickedly.

"Um, excuse me? What was that?" Shiva raises an eyebrow.

"Oh come on. Don't play dumb with me." Siren chuckles. "You two will never be anything more than partners on the battlefield."

Shiva gasps, sounding insulted. "I'll have you know that we are quite close! We talk with each other almost every time we have the opportunity!"

Siren regards her skeptically, "And when is that? I haven't even seen any scenes between you in the story."

"It's called, 'behind the scenes', dummy." Shiva defends her point, crossing her arms when Siren scoffs at her words. "Besides, who are you to talk? If that's the case, you live a far more horrible tragedy everyday."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, don't 'Huh' me. You and your mistress hardly get any chances to bond with him!"

Siren blushes furiously. "Just give us some time, dammit! We'll have him soon enough!"

"Yeah. I'll give you time to come to your senses!"

Odin looks to Gilgamesh awkwardly...

"I don't think this is very wise." Odin tells the red clad guardian. "You might, very well, make it worse."

Gilgamesh laughs in a haughty fashion. "You keep forgetting how ingenious I am, friend." He turns away from Odin for a moment to peek through the window at Shiva and Siren as they continue to argue. "Just tell her to go in."

Odin hesitates. "I still say-"

Gilgamesh slaps his shoulder. "I said, send her in."

Odin rolls his eyes before looking to the woman behind him. "You can go in now."

"Alright." The woman says with a nod.

The focus returns to the room Shiva and Siren are squabbling in, directing the camera to the portal to the room. A young woman materializes in front of it and waves at the camera. Along with being blessed with a lovely face, she has unruly green hair, emerald green eyes, green lipstick. Her dress of choice is a scanty green outfit that one would usually find on an exotic dancer, revealing her shapely legs for all to see. The outfit hugs the contours of her body, offering a generous view of her cleavage as well.

At the sight of her, Shiva and Siren freeze in place, going completely silent...

"Um..." Shiva is stunned.

Siren coughs loudly after choking on her own spit.

There's silence...

...

"RYDIA!" Both lovely guardians call out to her after they recompose themselves.

"Um, hey guys." Rydia greets them back, approaching the table.

"Here!" Shiva has a chair of ice materialize beside her for the summoner to sit on. "Have a seat beside me!"

Siren frowns at her. "You want her to freeze her butt off?"

"Whatever." The blizzard goddess stands up from her folding chair, instantly defrosting it in the process and takes a seat on her own newly created seat. "Take my seat, then."

"Thanks." Rydia nods to Shiva before doing just that.

"S-So, what brings you to our realm?" Siren asks the summoner.

"Y-Yeah." Shiva joins along with the questioning. "I haven't seen you around her for a while."

"Gilgamesh invited me over." Rydia replies cheerfully.

Shiva and Siren send death glares at said guardian through the observatory window.

Odin and Gilgamesh turn away from them innocently.

"Oh, that's cool." Shiva says with a forced smirk.

"Yeah..." Siren does the same with a nod.

"So are you going to be joining us on the show from now on?" The ice queen inquires hesitantly.

Rydia nods in response. "Whenever I get the chance, yeah."

Siren nudges her with a grin. "It kind of sounds like you're going to be busy. What's going on?"

"You really wanna know?" Rydia asks with a mischievous tone of voice.

Shiva nods fervently. "Yeah! Spill it!"

"I'll be making an official appearance in the story soon!" The summoner informs them excitedly.

Shiva and Siren go completely silent, staring at her...

...and they stare...

...and stare...

"Are you guys okay?"

Carbuncle walks into Bahamut's room to find the dragon playing cards in the corner with Tiamat...

"Hey, Bahamut." The furry, green guardian calls the dragon's attention.

"What?" The dragon king asks, setting down another card on the table.

"Another one of your cousins just came from Square-enix's office. They say that he's going to be living here from now on." Carbuncle announces, walking to the dragon with the letter in his hand.

"Damn." Tiamat laugh, spouting flames from his nostrils. "Another one?"

Bahamut growls, tapping his claws on the table. "Who is it this time?"

"Bahamut Skyline."

"Skyline?" Bahamut regards the green guardian with disbelief.

"Isn't that a car model?" Tiamat chortles.

"Yeah..." Carbuncle nods, stifling a laugh.

Silence...

"Tell them I said, screw that shit."



[ END TRANSMISSION ]