Chapter Six

The Winds of Change

Seifer lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He couldn't go to sleep with the knowledge that Fujin was still out there in the storm, possibly hurt or maybe even worse. And when he thought about telling the others the worst story he had the unfortunate memory of having, he could only think about how much of a dirt bag he was. And not just because of that one incident, there have been countless times when he has been an inconsiderate asshole to just about everybody in Garden.

And while he wasn't thinking about stopping his non-stop barrage of insults to the lower and upper classmen, he was sure as hell gonna start treating Fujin and Raijin better. Raijin because if this happened to him he would feel just as bad and wouldn't want the big lummox dying thinking his friends didn't give a shit about him.

Seifer turned his head to the door of his room and sighed, I don't know why but I'm just expecting Fuj to come walking in here and letting me know she's all right.

And with that he couldn't take the wait anymore. Seifer got up from his bed, got on a shirt and his long, white trench coat and left his quiet room and preceded into the silent hallways of the dormitory. He didn't bring the Hyperion this time and while that may not seem important, Seifer never went anywhere without it. Maybe his worry for his friend overcame his need for constant security.

Seifer walked down the hall with his stocking feet making little more than a light slap on the floor when he walked. He looped around the corner and came into the lobby, stopping before the stairs and just leaning on the guardrail with his elbows, hoping that she would come in.

The guards are gone. If she comes back I'll be able to open the door...and I'm going to wait here all night if I have too.

But he didn't have to wait long. A light click and the whoosh of automatic doors sounded down the entry hall. The rain was very loud in the empty hall and the thunder that proceeded made Seifer think the whole school would wake up. But no one did (or so he thought) and the doors closed.

Seifer ran down the steps to see a drenched Fujin slosh down the walkway, brushing a dripping lock of hair away from her lame eye.

Seifer was happy beyond relief at that moment and with a big smile across his scarred face, he walked toward her. She had apparently not noticed him yet and was quite startled when she heard him approaching but calmed herself when she saw who it was.

"Hey Seifer, what's going on?" she asked innocently but with obvious signs of a cold behind her soft voice.

"Well, for one thing you scared me shitless. Where the fuck were you? And how did you get in? Wasn't it locked?" He asked with immense sternness.

"I can only answer one question at a time," she replied stoically. "Primarily, I left because I had to figure out what I was going to do with my life."

"Fuj, you don't graduate for another year, why worry now?"

"I know I don't but you and Raijin graduate in three months and I don't want to be stuck here waiting. Seifer, I'm getting out early. I'm gonna join SOLDIER."

He raised a curious eyebrow. "Soldier? Your gonna go into the military?"

"No, they are reopening SOLDIER. Along time ago they were a very elite group of fighters that worked for some big company, I don't know what it is but I don't care. I think I have what it takes to go into it. If it doesn't work out I'll come back here, wait until I graduate and join SeeD." Fujin sneezed and felt the metal patch on her left shoulder slide down a bit and she readjusted it.

Seifer strained to digest all of this up at once and ended up just shaking it off. "Look, we'll talk about this in the morning, but right now your sick and need to get a shower and go to sleep."

"No, Seifer, I'm not going to be here in the morning. I'm going to fill out a resignation form tonight and be out of here by dawn."

"Fujin this is too sudden! Can't you at least wait until Raijin and I do graduate? We want you to be there! You're our friend, a member of our posse! Decisions like this get discussed with the team!"

"Seifer please, this is hard enough as it is. I don't want to go into verbal jousting with you." Again she sneezed and her shoulder guard fell down a once more, this time to her wrist. She slid it back up and firmly tightened its strap. "I know you're just worried about me and you don't have to be. I'm a big girl now, and I need to take command of my life and that doesn't involve staying here being apart of nothing."

"You are not apart of nothing!" He growled, furious that she would ever think such a thing. "You have friends other than Raijin and myself whether or not you know it and they care about you. I know Ms. Trepp, Selphie and Rinoa bombed on the 'get happy' campaign but the fact that they tried ought to tell you something."

"Yeah, like they can't spell my name right."

"They know how it's spelt now, don't they?"

Fujin smiled and gave Seifer a warming hug, and walked past him without another word back to her room to get cleaned up and pack the few articles of clothing she owned.

Seifer watched her leave, shook his head sorrowfully and went back to his room too. Then he made a quick run to Raijin's room, woke him up, told him the situation and they both went back to the lobby too wait for her.

*~*

It was almost dawn, only one hour and thirty minutes until the sun reared its ugly head.

Fujin walked nimbly down the steps of the lobby with a duffel bag slung over one shoulder and a fresh change of clothes including a new eye patch and her new Vigilante strapped on her back. She was walking rather slow and delicately because she was no doubt still feeling the ill effects of her battle.

When she got to the base she saw Seifer and Raijin waiting for her and smiled somewhat annoyed and glad that they were sending her off.

Raijin smiled, obviously trying and failing to restrain the tears stinging behind his eyes. "Good luck with this, Fuj. I wish ya all the best, ya know?"

"Thank you, Raijin." She dropped her stuff and gave them both a group hug which lasted quite a while, but then again they were a family, and families don't cut short final goodbyes.

"We'll make sure to tell you which SeeD station were sent too and demand you come and visit us." Commented Seifer who now had the Hyperion at his side; maybe he wanted her to remember him like she always had. Prone to violent outbursts of unwarranted rage.

"Yes sir," she mocked cheerfully. As of late the whole disciplinary committee thing was kind of a big joke that everybody but Seifer made fun of.

Fujin bent over at the waste, picked up her bulky duffel bag and walked toward the exit but was stopped with singing in a beautiful high soprano.

"Fujin, Fujin get well soon, don't get as bleak as the moon, I wish you well and don't be sad, nothing is as bad as when your sad! Be happy!" Selphie was standing at the base of the elevator, grinning from ear-to-ear and even had a little tear in her eye. Then she reached down at her feet and revealed another hastily thrown together banner that read, "Don't forget us, Phujin!"

Fujin frowned and shook her head, "You still can't spell my name right." And with that she turned around and left the Garden hoping that someone would tell them that she was all right and was going on to bigger and better things.

Seifer and Raijin waved her off and went back too their rooms not just wondering if she would be all right, but how the hell Selphie knew she was leaving. She must just have really good hearing.

~Fin~