Bitter Revenge
~A screwed up story by Kouen~
~Tuesday Evening, Balamb~
Fujin
let her feet drag as she almost sleepwalked home from the restaurant she worked
at. She'd never succeeded much as a
waitress, but had done well as a cook. It wasn't exactly the best pay, but combined with Raijin's and Seifer's,
it was enough to get them a place to stay and filling meals...with enough to
spare when they needed to. Fujin's
hours were late, but not as late as Seifer's, and at the moment, she was on her
way to meet him at Balamb's entrance. He did patrolling work. Suiting,
but not what he really wanted. Even still,
not herself or Raijin knew what he really
wanted, aside from being a knight, but he had promised them he'd never attempt
that again.
The
18-year-old waited for him on a bench just inside the city's entrance, across
from the Rent-A-Car Raijin worked at. He'd be home all ready; home being the apartment they all shared. When they'd first left the Garden, they'd
shared a hotel room, but that grew to be complicated and expensive. Soon enough, after they'd all gotten decent
enough jobs, they'd been able to rent an apartment, which satisfied them all
much better. Fujin rather liked it, in
fact, with its two snug bedrooms (one with twin beds, one with a double), tiny
bathroom, and cute conjoined living room and kitchen. Even Raijin had spent the first day happily running from room to
room like a little boy. Seifer, of
course, merely thought of it as a place to stay, but no one really cared. At least they had somewhere to call home.
Fujin's stomach rumbled, and she realized she
hadn't eaten yet. Maybe she could talk
Seifer into getting a bite to eat with her. He didn't do much with her, though she wished he would. They were "best friends," even though she
wished for so much more. She shook
herself out of those thoughts. Seifer
didn't want a relationship with her. Seifer didn't love her like she loved him. Seifer didn't care.
"Hey,
Fu," she heard him through her clouded thoughts. She smiled a greeting.
"Hi
Seifer," She stood off the bench like she did every day exactly half an hour
after she got off work. She'd given up
one-worded sentences shortly after they'd left Garden. They began their walk past the docks where
she'd watched him and Raijin fish countless times, keeping silent all the
while. "You eat?" she asked him, hoping
to start a conversation.
"Nah,
you wanna get something?"
"Sure."
The
conversation was cut, neat, and to-the-point. They stopped by a little restaurant not far from the apartment. They got the usual looks from the customers
as their waiter seated them. Everyone
thought they were a couple. In fact,
Seifer wouldn't of minded if that were true. Sure, Fujin had always been nothing more than a friend to him, but he
admired her. She went through so much
daily, what with the eye patch, and her albinism, and all the trouble he had
put her and Raijin through. Still, she
managed to live her life in her own perspective. Not to mention, she had the courage it took to stand up to him
when he'd been the sorceress's knight. "We
want the old Seifer back," she'd told him. Well, he was back, and he'd missed them more than he'd liked to
admit. They'd both been so happy to
have him back... and it wasn't as if he hadn't liked Fujin so much before. She was
beautiful, even with the eye patch. Her albinism was unique to her. It made her so... intriguing. He liked that in a girl. He liked the fight in her, the
toughness...Hell, what wasn't there to
like? But she didn't seem to like him
so much, and he didn't blame her. He
let his anger get the best of him all too often, and felt horribly guilty for
treating them so badly... but his ego never let him apologize.
"How
was your day?" She asked him
quietly. She sounded drained, and he
noted it.
"The
usual, boring. You okay, Fuj? You sound exhausted."
"Tired,"
she nodded. The waiter brought them
their food. Neither had ordered
much. "Hours long. Boss picky."
He
nodded in agreement. "I bet. You ought to get out some time and
relax. You know, spend a night away
from it all."
She
flicked her eyes to glance up at him, and he thought she was smiling a bit
before she flicked them back down to her sandwich. "And do what?"
"Ah...
I don't know see a movie or something? Maybe go dancing or something?"
"You
inviting me?"
He
raised his eyebrows offensively. "How'd
you get that out of a simple suggestion?"
"One
doesn't go dancing alone."
He
chuckled. "Okay so maybe I am. I go out every Saturday anyway, I always
wondered why you never tagged along with Raijin and I."
She
shrugged. "Didn't think you wanted me
there." She didn't like being a tag
either…
"Of
course we do, Fuj, you're part of the posse!"
"I'll
go then," he didn't note the drop in her tone, or the sinking of her
heart. Just once, Fujin wanted to go on
a date with Seifer. She'd fooled
herself into thinking he might actually be inviting her on one, and fooled she
had been. She bit her lip and sat
staring endlessly at her food.
"You
sure nothing's wrong, Fujin?"
He
didn't often call her Fujin, anymore, and somehow it surprised her. She'd liked his use of 'Fuj' and 'Fu'. She shook her head slowly. "Just tired," she lied.
~*~
~Saturday Evening, Balamb;
Around 5:00~
Thoughtlessly,
Fujin stumbled into the apartment. Her
favorite thing about Saturdays was the fact that she got off of work
early. Normally she would spend the
evening home, reading a book or just lazing. Once in a while she'd walk down to the docks by herself, and, on a rare
occasion when the guys weren't there, she'd call one of the girls in Balamb
Garden. Once Quistis had even found
time to go shopping with her. It had
surprised her at first that they'd wanted to even talk to her, but, as so many
say, life is full of surprises.
She
was the first one home on this particular Saturday, and was just picking up her
book when the phone rang. Startled, she
picked it up.
"He…
hello?"
"Fujin…?"
The voice was scratchy and rough sounding, but still recognizable. "It's Raijin, ya know? I'm feeling a little sick, so I can't go out
tonight. Tell Seifer for me, ya know? Maybe you can go with him or something, ya
know?" She'd forgotten she might've
gone with the pair in the first place. "Anyway, I'll be home in about an hour, okay?"
"Okay,
I'll call Seifer," she told him. They
said goodbyes and hung up. Her hands
shook as she dialed Seifer's cell phone number, anticipating a reaction, any
reaction, from him. He answered with an
annoyed 'Hello?'
"Seifer? It's Fujin," she spoke calmly into the
phone.
"Hey
Fuj, what's up?"
"Raijin's
sick. He wanted me to let you know he
can't go wherever with you tonight."
"Damn
shame," Seifer's distant sounding voice laughed. "Was gonna go to a club in Timber. Good place for picking up chicks." Fujin rolled her eyes and bit her lip. "So, Fuj, you wanna come with me?"
"I
don't pick up chicks."
He
chuckled again. "No, I mean, you could
go with me, get drinks, dance, whatever."
"Thought
you wanted to pick up chicks," she spoke each word individually, like it's own
sentence.
"Didn't
say I wouldn't! Maybe you'll even meet
someone! I'll stop by in an hour and a
half and we can catch the seven o' clock train, be ready. See you then." Click!
Fujin sighed in exasperation and threw down the phone. He hadn't even given her a choice in the end! Wasn't that Seifer for her, too? She never got a choice in the end, did she? Did she even want to go to this club? What the hell was she supposed to wear? She hadn't been dancing since… since the SeeD ball more than a year ago, and even then, that hadn't been the same kind of dancing!
The
phone was ringing, and she didn't answer. She'd let the answering machine take it. She'd had enough of that phone for one day.
Raijin's
smooth baritone filled the room as the machine clicked on. 'Uh…you've reached the former
disciplinary committee, but uh… we ain't here, ya know? So um… leave a message so we can get back to
you, ya know?' BEEP! It had been the first message ever recorded
on the machine, and no one had ever bothered to change it.
A
light, happy sounding voice came on the machine. "Hey hey hey, Fujin!!! It's Selphie!! I hope Seifer
doesn't find out I'm calling you! Anyway, I just wanted to say—"
Fujin
picked up the phone. She could use a
chat with another female. "Hey Selphie,
it's me. Seifer's not here." She plopped down on an armchair with her
feet over the arm.
"Hey,
girl, what's new?"
"Oh
the usual. Except Raijin's sick, and
Seifer's driving me crazy."
"Oh
really? What'd he do this time?"
"He
wants me to go to some damned club with him in Timber—"
"OH,
OOOO!!! You mean the Sacred Shack? Well, I guess since it's the only club in Timber! Irvine and I go there sometimes! You going tonight! Maybe I can talk the whole gang into going! That'd be so great! We haven't seen each other in so
long!!"
"Well…
I don't know… Seifer still really hates
Squall, and I don't think seeing anybody from Garden will—"
"Hey,
he doesn't have to know we set this up! We can just say its… coincidence!"
"Well,
it would be nice to see you guys again… I guess so."
"GREAT! I'll tell everyone not to mention a thing! What're you gonna wear? I didn't know you and Seifer were dating!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! We are NOT dating! Just going somewhere together, okay? I'm like Raijin's replacement or something."
"Aww,
poor Fujin! Well, I know you'll
have fun. I'd offer to go shopping with
you to get something new and cute, but well… I don't think we have that much
time! I'll see you there, okay? Tell Raijin I hope he gets better,
okay? Seeeeee ya!"
Click! Why did everyone just hang up
on her like that? Whatever! She
thought, and stood to hang up the phone. She quickly erased the message and grabbed her purse. She still had an hour before Seifer would
get home, and she did want to buy something new… maybe something he
would notice her in. She shook her head
in mild disapproval of herself as she headed out the door.
~*~
Raijin
had wolf-whistled when she'd stepped out of the bathroom in her new clothes,
but now she just felt plain foolish as she watched the world speed by. Seifer came up beside her and leaned on the
railing.
"Shame
Raijin's sick, huh?"
"Yeah. He's hacking up a lung, but he's still being
Raijin."
"I
take it he made some wry comment about your clothes, and you felt too guilty to
kick him because he's sick, right?"
"Something
like that," she was still feeling a bit touchy about not getting to make her
own choices.
"You
do look nice though," he elbowed her playfully in the arm, and she smiled for
the first time all day.
"Thanks." Truth be told, she liked her clothes
too. She'd picked them out quickly so
she could get back in time for a fast shower, but she had chosen well. Her outfit consisted of a low-cut black tank
top with a skull on the chest, and some simple, tight black pants. Not very Fujin-like, but suitable for a
dance club.
The
train jerked to a stop in the Timber station, and Seifer headed for the door
without a word. She followed just as
quietly.
"Aw
what the Hell?!" Seifer grumbled as they entered the club, eyeing those who'd
showed up from the Garden. Fujin
glanced around quickly, noting that besides Selphie and Irvine, Quistis and
Zell had also showed. She sighed in
relief that Squall had stayed back, meaning there was no real reason for
bloodshed. As smoothly as she could,
Fujin raised her hand to send a hello in Selphie's direction. The bouncy brunette grinned and winked in
return.
"C'mon,
Fuj, let's get something to drink. Don't
bother talking to the losers in the far corner." He grabbed her wrist and pulled her over to the bar, ordering
them both a drink without once asking her what she might like.
They
drank their drinks in silence, and she could see that Seifer was sulking about
the members of Garden who'd shown up. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to let Selphie invite them…
Suddenly
a grin spread over his face. "I'll be
back in a while, okay, Fuj? I'm going
into the back room to play pool…"
She
watched as Seifer strolled with dignity up to Zell, grabbed his arm, and
dragged him into the back room. As soon
as he was gone, Selphie bounced her way over.
"Heeeeey! Looks like Mr. Tough Guy is in a baaaaaad
mood today!" She nodded towards the
back room. "I bet he and Zell get in a
fight before the night's over. At least
he doesn't bring his gunblade in here. This has happened before."
Fujin
nodded and finished off her drink. She
wasn't in a very good mood anymore.
"Cute
clothes, by the way." Selphie winked. "Why don't you come out on the dance floor?"
She
shrugged. "No good songs."
Selphie
laughed and pulled her arm. "Oh come
on, I know you want to! You can even
dance with Irvine for a while!"
So
Selphie dragged Fujin out to the floor. At first she felt a bit awkward, but after a while things fell into
place. She found out that dancing
wasn't too hard if she didn't think about it. Irvine, of course, was flirting with everyone, despite the looks he was
getting from Selphie. In the end, she
ended up enjoying herself, even without Seifer around.
After
a while, she sat down at a table with Quistis where they watched Selphie and
Irvine slow dance. They talked a
little, but where interrupted by a huge crash from the back room.
"Here
we go," Quistis shook her head in disapproval. I bet Zell beat Seifer at pool or something…" She stood and headed to
the back room, and Fujin followed. They
got there just in time to see Seifer hurl Zell onto the pool table.
"Damnit,
Chicken-wuss! I told you not to
cheat!"
"I
did NOT cheat! You're just a sore
LOSER!" Zell yelled back, springing to
his feet with his fists raised.
"You're
asking for some serious—"
"SEIFER!!"
Fujin interrupted. "L-Leave him a…alone." She hated standing up to him.
He
smirked and put one hand on his hip. "Getting soft, Fujin? You
like our Garden enemies now?"
She
balled her hands up into fits. "N…no
bloodshed tonight… Please?"
He
laughed. "Fine, fine, have it your
way," He glared at Zell one last time. "We'll settle this some other time, Chicken-wuss."
Zell
was shaking with rage, and Quistis was all ready trying to control him, but
shook her off and stormed out of the club entirely, but not with out a final
"You'll pay for this!" to Seifer. Quistis mouthed 'sorry' to Fujin then followed him out.
Seifer
laughed gleefully and threw an arm around Fujin's waist just as a slow song
came on. "Dance with me?" and for once
he waited for her simple not between pulling her to the dance floor and folding
her in his arms.
~*~
Fujin came home laughing.
Despite
the fight between Seifer and Zell, the evening had been almost too
enjoyable. Fujin was grinning ear to
ear. She never thought she'd have so
much fun. She practically danced into
the bathroom.
And
there she stopped dead in her tracks.
There
was blood on the floor. A trail of
dark, dark blood that led to the now broken window. Carefully, she followed it, and peeked over the edge timidly, and
immediately regretted it.
The
primal scream tore from her throat like an escaping monster. She screamed her throat raw. She backed up so quickly she smacked into
the wall. She began a new scream as she
turned to run from the bathroom, and ran right into Seifer, who caught her and
held her tight enough that she couldn't move. She wouldn't stop screaming, so he covered her mouth with his
black-gloved hand.
She
stopped screaming and sucked in air violently for a few seconds. Knowing nothing better to do, Seifer held
her tightly and stroked her hair gently. "What happened Fuj? What's
wrong?"
She
was crying now, between her gasping breaths for air. "Ra…Raijin!" Her voice
cracked out. "Raijin's dead!"