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He sat in silence legs crossed thumbs pressing together and separating in a steady rhythm as he thought about the last half ho

He sat in silence legs crossed thumbs pressing together and separating in a steady rhythm as he thought about the last half hour or so, from the T-Rexaur to the walk through the halls, bearing a bloody Fujin across one arm, as fast as she could manage which was quite a clip all things considered. He looked up to the Clinic door for the umpteenth time in half an hour, and thought his head dropping back to his thumbs as he sat circumspect. he had fulfilled a debt he owed from so long ago. it was something of a weight lifted from his chest he didn't know he had been carrying. He glanced again to the door and sighed inaudibly and slouched a bit trying to relax. he was so lost in thought that he hardly noticed when the door behind him opened and a blonde woman stepped in and looked around following the trail of dripped blood to the rather caked commander slouched uncharacteristically in his seat. she stepped into the room and knocked on the wall twice quickly. this gave the commander quite a jump as he bolted upright and his head snapped to the instructor, softening a bit as he recognized the bespectacled face.

"Quistis..." he felt a twinge of self anger at the realization he didn't know what to say, but the Instructor picked up where he left off, somewhat lessening his slight discomfort.

"Squall I ran across this suspicious trail of blood that leads right to the infirmary with a report a brunette flash was sprinting the halls... anything I should know about?" Squall's cheek tweaked into a slight quick smirk and then fell away but the effect had been there Quistis patted herself on the back for relieving a little tension. Squall raised a hand and swatted the air before his face with the back of his hand. he paused noting the state of the appendage and frown at the bloodstained glove a moment before looking up to Quistis.

"One of our instructors ran afoul Rex on her own." he said telling the least amount he figured he could get away with. Quistis changed her footing, placed her hands on her hips, and raised a brow.

"the initial report mentioned a certain Silver haired instructor. Any basis to these accusations commander?" Squall looked at her a moment and she tried to read his expression getting little more out of it then that he was weighing something before he spoke.

"Yes it was Fujin. what of it?" Quistis shrugged listlessly and looked back to the commander sternly.

"the real reason for me asking was the state you seemed to have been in when I came in, you looked rather concerned... were the injuries really that serious?" she asked with a mix of genuine concern herself and a bit of curiosity about another little tidbit she had gleaned from talking to a certain tattooed blonde instructor. Squall again looked at her with that weighing look that frustratingly vanished just before she got a handle on his thoughts.

"she was on her knees when I arrived on the scene. after slaying Rex I rushed her here full tilt. I didn't have time to notice more than that her clothes were rather badly stained. Does that answer the query?" he asked his eyes narrowed the slightest bit and Quistis got the distinct impression that she had best choose her next words very carefully lest something get out of hand.

"yes, completely Commander." Squall softened a bit and his head turned to look at the floor again. Quistis too was able to relax a bit knowing that intensity was no longer directed at her. she carefully made her way back out of the clinic it was clear something had Squall on edge and it was never wise to bother Squall when he got that way.

He brooded on this turn and then forced himself to pause midthought, and question himself. He asked himself the simplest question he could, why does this rattle me so badly? That question splayed his mind, and forced himself inward, he refused to lie to himself this time so he paused and zoned and thought, like there would ever be a better moment than this.

Fujin Lay in the hospital bed as the stitches went in it hurt a bit, but the anesthetic told her in no uncertain terms that she didn't care. This freed her mind to process the last twenty or so minutes with a bit more clarity now that is was anesthesia in her mind and not adrenaline. she pondered the last bit of time mulling the finer details as she remembered the string her eye went wide, he had saved her life, single handed, he had triggered Limit and slain her attacker... the Rex... it had died, messily. and then he had carried her here... she looked down at the stitches going into her side. She owed him her life. she took a brief but deep breathe and let it out careful not to tension the stitches as Kadowaski snipped the last of stitch, securing it in the wound, she looked up to Fujin and sat quietly, her eyes on the Silver haird woman hands crossed in her lap as she looked on.

"Fujin, is there something on your mind?" The rather annoyingly astute Doctor asked.

"...No." Fujin Lied and the doctor sighed a bit and stood looking toward the door and then back at the prone woman.

"Squall is waiting outside, you need to stay calm and don't do anything stupid or you'll pop those stitches. in other words, calm and slow. you hear me?"

"Understood." Fujin looked at the doctor and nodded. Kadopwaski then moved out to the door and paused with her hand just about on the handle and looked back to the silver haired woman.

"He will likely want to see you, should I let him?" Kadowaski asked and quirked a questioning brow, Fujin laid her head back a moment, looking up to the whitewash ceiling and nodded slowly, best to let it happen. Kadowaski walked out of the room and she said something once outside, but Fujin didn't listen to it, she had a good idea what it was and to whom it was spoke.

Squall stepped into the room, Fujin was wearing an undershirt that had once been white. now rather red tinted across it's bottom, she lay flat and still her eye turned to him as the commander walked across the small distance and pulled up a chair to sit near her head to make it more comfortable they sat in silence a moment before Squall broke it.

"The doctor says you'll be fine, given you take it easy. but I wanted to ask you." He said as he looked at her, he was seated leaning on his elbows which rested on his knees, his hands folded together loosely in front of him, he looked at her with an air of seriousness, and an undercurrent of concern.

"Medication." she replied smoothly and cracked a small grin, which gave squall a swift exhalation that may have been a laugh in minor.

"I like to think we get our hands on some pretty good stuff." It was Fujin's turn to chuckle quietly. they sat in silence for a few more moments before Fujin spoke up.

"Commander?" Squall's head, which had lulled a bit snapped back up to her a small questioning noise rose in his throat and she paused a moment to elaborate.

"Class?" He mulled her question for a moment, extrapolating the meaning out.

"A substitute for tomorrow. I do not think you should be going anywhere until then." he said and she merely nodded and relaxed a bit, at least she wouldn't have to worry about that, she had the lesson plan three days in advance already.

"Fujin." She looked to him as he took a deep breath, he closed his eyes a moment, he wasn't any good at these kind of things but he'd try, he had her undivided attention. might as well ask and get shot down here.

"I was wondering, if you might want to get dinner at the next Leave." There, it was out there. he composed himself for the violent rejection and the admonishments.

"Yes." she said with a slight smile, he opened his mouth and then his brow furrled and he closed it a moment before asking another question

"What? yes?" He had just been thrown for a loop yet again by this woman, but now he had something really... she said yes. wow.

"Yes." She confirmed with a small nod of her head and turned it to look at him. "Where?" He paused to think before comeing back a moment later with his answer.

"Moriarti's at FH? best seafood in the hemisphere." Fujin nodded and they both sat back a bit and sighed in almost perfect harmony. and then looked at each other and neither could suppress the nervous chuckle that rose between them.

"It's a..." Squall started, but Fujin cut him off to finish it. "Date."

A/N:had to think on this one a bit, I must have rewritten it three or four times I still don't like it but this is proly about as good as it will get. I'll give more next time. Thanks for the reviews all, It is nice to know people still care about my badly written story.