Chapter 14: Dreams of Departure

Seifer's POV

"Fujin…Fujin…Come on…Wake up Fujin." I called softly. Her serene face lay unchanged still. Ever since she had fainted again two hours ago, she had remained as quiet and cold as a dead body. The only thing that reassured me was her steady, even breathing. She hadn't made any noises or movement, unlike the last time she fainted.

"Fujin…" I put my hand to her face, but this time received a response. Her eye fluttered open, revealing the red orb to the light once more. She sat up, still a little drowsy from her sleep. Her thin hand came to rub her eye and shield the light away.

"You're awake!" I said relived, but she acted as if she didn't hear me.

"Why are you here?" she said timidly, her head buried in her knees.

"What?"

"Why am I here? She said in the same tone of voice.

She looked up at me, and I saw her gasp and shy away. Her eye had lost that spark, and a dull glaze had replaced it. I reached out towards her, but again she shied away from my touch.

"Fujin…What's wrong?" She stared at me, frightened. "What happened? Tell me." Fujin stayed silent, but I could see small tremors in her lips. She wanted to say something, but there was something else holding her back.

The silent reigned for what seemed like an eternity. I was trying to keep myself from shouting at her, but she just sat there against the wall, like a paralysed animal in the headlights of a car. 'Give her time and she'll talk…' I thought to myself. But how could I help her when she said nothing? I glanced at the clock and saw that half an hour had elapsed since she'd woken up.

"Fujin! Please tell me what's wrong!" She seemed shocked at my tone of voice. Still she remained silent. "Look Fujin. You're wasting my time here. I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong…"

'Calm down!' my conscience shouted in my head. But I ignored it.

"Look. If you won't speak, I have more important things to attend to. Stay here for all I care. What's gotten into you?" I said, my anger mounting with each word that slipped out of my mouth.

I rose out of my chair, and stood over to grab my gunblade. I crossed the room again and opened the door, leaving my silent friend in there.

But just as I stepped out of my room. A black figure collided with me and my head wound up in a collar of white fur.

"Hey watch where you're going!" I shouted.

"Whatever." And the figure strolled on.

"Squall!" he turned round. "Outside now. You and me." I held up my gunblade and poised it towards him.

"Whatever." He repeated and presented his own gunblade before my eyes. Great, the idiot had accepted my challenge. I needed someone to vent out my anger on, and I couldn't think of a better person than him.

Ever since we were kids, I had teased him, and tormented him. Partly because I saw him as a rival, someone I could beat, and take advantage of it. Things had stayed that way ever since.

---

Fujin's POV

"You…You were there…hitting me, calling me names…thrashing me over and over…" I said to the silent room. He had gone over an over ago, and jut as the door shut, the words I'd wanted to tell him, flowed out of my mouth.

I heard him shout to a boy outside, and I knew what would happen. He'd get hurt, and be scarred for life. For I had seen it in my dream. He was there, blood dripping down his face…

Then, for what had been a fairly silent time by myself, there came shouts and screams from in the corridors, all telling one thing. 'Squall Leonhart collapsed bleeding in the hallway!'

He was the boy Seifer had been shouting to. Fear struck up inside me. I had heard no shouts about Seifer…Why hadn't he come back yet? Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

"Seifer! Open up!" I went to the door to answer it. There was a distressed looking Rajin. "Fujin!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Never mind. Where's Seifer?"

"I thought he was here."

"So he hasn't come back…" I mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing…Come with me…" I grabbed his hand and dragged him behind me towards the entrance.

***

The outside forest was deserted, the only sound being that of the beating rain on the muddy ground. I ran with my friend through the wet overhanging leaves, in a dying effort to find Seifer. After what had happened earlier, I wasn't really sure why I was so worried…

But there was something drawing me to him…That bond that we shared back then…was it that? Or was it that my dream oppressor was calling out to me…I touched my lips where he'd kissed me. I could still remember the feeling that had run through my body that day.

"Seifer!" I shouted to the unknown. "Seifer! Where are you?" No answer came back to me. But just then, Rajin and I came to a clearing. There sat Seifer on a stone at the edge of the clearing. He was holding his head in one hand, blood dripping from his glove, with other various stains on his white trench coat.

"Seifer!" I cried running over to him. He remained still, staring at the ground. "Seifer! Are you ok?"

"So…you're talking now are you?" he said smirking. Blood coloured water still dripped from his head, off his glove to the floor.

"Never mind that…You need help! You're bleeding!"

"So what? I have been for ages."

"Seifer get a hold of yourself ya know!" Rajin said angrily.

"No I don't." he growled.

I didn't know what was happening. Why was he acting so strangely? He was anything like the late teenager I'd was with earlier today.

"Seifer…Please…Let me help you." I pleaded with him while I forced his hand away from his face, but gasped at the site I saw. Blood was smeared all over his forehead and still dripped down his nose onto his cheeks. His blonde hair was dirty and speckled with blood as well. "What did you do to yourself?!"

"I didn't do anything…It was Leonhart."

I felt like crying at that moment. He could have been killed…Why would Squall do that? He was so quiet, and never talked to anyone…He was occasionally a bit rude, but nothing out of the ordinary…But then I remembered that it was him that Seifer teased and bullied at the orphanage…

"I'm so sorry…" I broke down, kneeling on the ground, leaning my head on his arm. "I'm sorry…" I whispered.

"Come on Seifer." Said Rajin helping him up. "Lets get you back to Garden. Its getting late ya know."

Just then, a loud roll of thunder soared through the sky, making us all jump. The rain also began to fall faster and harder, grazing our bare skin. All I wanted was to get Seifer home safely. Nothing else mattered to me at that moment.

***

"I will NOT go to the infirmary." Grumbled Seifer. "I'm fine. Really." The corridors had long been deserted as the hour had come for lights out. Rajin had also left us for his room.

"Yes you will." I insisted.

"NO I won't."

"Fine. I'll take care of you myself."

"NO you won't." he whispered loudly. "I want to go back to my room…without you!" he mumbled afterwards.

"Look. If you don't get medical attention now, you might even die!" for he was still bleeding…

"Fine…" he growled in defeat. I smiled and he led me back to his room.

"You're really stubborn you know that?" I said as we reached his room.

"Hn." He said sitting down on his bed, waiting for me to mope up his wounds. As I sponged away the dried blood, he winced slightly.

"Sorry." I apologised, but he ignored me. "Look, I'm sorry about earlier. It was my fault you got hurt."

"Why you?"

"If I had said something, you wouldn't have gotten angry, and challenged Squall…"

"Don't be stupid…"

"But its true…" he sighed in defeat. "I didn't mean to…"

"Its ok…" I wound the bandage diagonally around his head and looked into his eyes. He really did mean it…It really was ok…

"Listen…I've got my SeeD test tomorrow, I…need to get…some…sleep" he said yawning while he fell towards his pillow, completely tired out.

He looked so sweet and peaceful as he slept. The bleeding had stopped for the moment, and hopefully under the bandage it was clotting nicely. But it looked as though more blood was beginning to seep through a little. I went to get some more bandages and I applied it around his heavy sleep-ridden head, but something was making me drowsy too. Almost as if someone was possessing me from far away…and I too fainted and fell asleep.

***

"Get up!" I looked up from my position on the floor. There he was, glaring at me…"I said get up!" I slowly rose, rubbing the place where he'd shoved me down to the floor. "I can do what I want. You can't tell me what I can and cannot do!"