By NightsDawne
Chapter 11: Marooned
"DRINK!"
"Maybe you should just open his mouth and force it on him, ya know?"
"INSTRUCTOR!"
"I'm alright, Fujin. It's just a bruise on my wrist. Finish taking care of Irvine."
Irvine felt as if he were floating, not breathing, in a vast sea of darkness. The voices sounded as if they came from some radio play, disconnected. He felt his head rise, his lips chill. He was drowning, choking.
"Oh good, he's coming around."
Irvine opened his eyes, coughing on the last mouthful of healing potion that Fujin held to his lips, his head cradled on her arm. The sun was blinding, heat radiated into his back by red desert sand. Quistis and Raijin kneeled nearby, the latter holding an icepack to the instructor's wrist. The red hulk of the Ragnarok lay partially buried in the sand, one wing cut in half, the body charred.
"What happened?" Irvine croaked, sitting up groggily.
"CRASH!" Fujin helpfully supplied.
Irvine rubbed his ear. "Thanks, Fuu, I got that much on my own. I meant what happened ta me?"
Raijin looked over. "You got smacked a good one by a projector, ya know? It coulda killed you."
Quistis gave Irvine a slight smile. "Or me. Thank you."
Irvine flashed a charming grin by reflex. "Hey, no problem, it's what I'm here for. Where's Seifer and Sefie?"
As if in answer, Seifer appeared in the lopsided hatch, Selphie getting a piggyback ride, one of her boots in her hand. "Hold on," Seifer instructed her before jumping down to the sand four feet below.
"Yikes, okay, I'm not going to dance on that foot." Selphie waved her boot to the others. "Sorry about that! Gee, I feel really stupid. I just got no warning whatsoever that missile was coming."
"Not your fault, Selphie," replied Quistis, taking over with the ice pack. "I'm just glad everyone's alright."
Seifer crouched to let Selphie down. "We're going to need another healing potion."
Irvine helped Selphie into a sitting position. "What happened to your foot?"
Selphie smiled sheepishly. "I got it jammed in the foot pedals when we hit. I would have been stuck there forever just yelling for help if Seifer hadn't used his gunblade to get me free."
Seifer took the potion Fujin handed him and held it out to Selphie. "Just drink this. That's a pretty bad sprain and we're going to have to get out of here before whoever shot us gets here to pick up the prisoners."
"Thanks." Selphie raised the potion in cheery salute and tipped it back.
"No problem." Seifer's voice was just a little softer than usual.
"We'll need to get all the emergency supplies we can carry, water, and our weapons." Quistis looked to Fujin and Raijin. "Can you two handle that?"
"YES!" Fujin hopped to her feet, pushing Raijin ahead of her to the wounded ship.
Irvine moved over next to Quistis. "You sure you don't need a potion, too?"
Quistis shook her head. "We have to conserve, and this isn't a serious injury. Honest, it's just a bump, it won't even interfere with my whip."
Seifer helped Selphie up. "Can you stand on it?"
Selphie dropped her foot down, then yanked it back up quickly, hopping on the other one. "Ow ow ow ow ow!"
Seifer's eyes widened and he wrapped a supportive arm around Selphie's back. "Maybe it was broken. Are you okay?"
"Hot sand," explained Selphie, looking up at Seifer sheepishly. "Forgot to put my boot back on."
Seifer chuckled in relief and helped her back down to get her boot put on. Irvine couldn't help a grin as he watched the two. A more opposite pair he couldn't think of, but he had to admit they would look good together. He glanced back at Quistis, who was somewhat clumsily wrapping a bandage around the icepack to hold it in place.
"Here, let me help ya with that." Irvine rolled onto his knees in front of her, taking her injured hand in his.
"You sure you're not just doing this as an excuse to hold hands with me?" Quistis raised a brow, but let him start bandaging.
"Let's just say it's not 'not just'. But you do have nice soft hands." Irvine looked up at her, his chin-length bangs blowing across his eyes a bit without his hat to hold them back.
Quistis shook her head. "You never stop, do you, Irvine." She reached up to brush his hair out of his face, tucking it behind his ear.
Irvine grinned. "Why'd you do that?"
Quistis paused, pulling her hand back and looking away. "I don't know. It looked uncomfortable, having your hair in your face like that."
"That's all?"
"Irvine, we don't have time for this. We're marooned in the middle of hostile territory."
"Sorry." Irvine tied off the bandage, lifting her hand to his lips and kissing the backs of her fingers. "Promise I'll be good."
Quistis tilted her head and sighed. "And I'm sure there's a double meaning in that."
"Now look who's got her mind in the gutter." Irvine stood, helping her up.
"Nonsense." Quistis raised her chin. "You're just too predictable."
"Oh, like Squall. Say, didn't you kinda like him?"
Quistis put her good hand on her hip. "I might have had a few weak and lonely moments."
"I'd put an end to that." Irvine fixed his eyes on hers. Quistis gazed back at him for a moment before turning away.
"We've got a job to take care of."
"MOVE!" Raijin, loaded with six packs and weapons sticking out in every direction, teetered on the edge of the hatch before suddenly plummeting forward to reveal Fujin, boot still uplifted from shoving Raijin forward. Seifer laughed and walked over to help Raijin up, Selphie bouncing behind. Fujin jumped down to the side and retreived her pack, ring, and a water bottle. "READY!"
Irvine picked up a pack for Quistis and helped her get it on, then slid his own on. "We should split up the GFs."
Quistis nodded. "Good idea. Fujin, I know you're used to Pandora."
"DRAW!" Fujin threw her hand out. "PANDORA!" The GF originally assigned to her but currently with Quistis flashed off of Quistis's charm bracelet, the charm attaching itself to Fujin's.
Selphie slid a ring off of her thumb and held it out. "Here, Raijin. I think you and Doomie will get along."
Raijin took the ring with a questioning look. "Doomie? I don't know him, ya know?"
"Doom Train," Selphie explained. "He'll definately throw your enemies for a loop." Raijin grinned and slid the ring onto his pinky.
"Guess that leaves me ta give ya one, Seifer." Irvine looked at his charms. Carbuncle was shy, and while a great defense, not much in the way of an attacker. Ifrit was uniquely tied to the cowboy, providing him with special ammunition for his rifle. "Take Diablos. Time and space elemental."
"I know." Seifer held his hand out, palm facing Irvine. "You used him on me. Diablos!" The GF was transferred in a flash of light.
Quistis shielded her eyes with her hand. "Alright, let's get moving. We'll try to make the bluffs by nightfall."
