Chapter 15: Moving On

Fujin's POV

I awoke to a thumping headache, and found myself exactly like I was before I had fallen asleep. Except for the fact that there was now no Seifer…

I turned my head towards the clock, and groaned at the time: 3.17 pm. Luckily the SeeD tests were today, and so lessons were cancelled.

I hurried quickly back to my room as to avoid suspicion. Lately I had spent a lot of time in the vicinity of Seifer's room, and rumours were beginning to take flight…and so I decided that it was for the best if I tried to figure things out in my own room.

But no matter how hard I tried, I could figure out why these dreams were occurring a) during the middle of the day, and b) why I was dreaming of such strange, painful things…It just didn't make any sense to me at all! I didn't want to remember my past or see what would happen in the future…if those visions were the future at all…

My head felt like it was about to split in two from all the stress it had been enduring over the last few days as the dull, pulsating beat grew louder. I wanted to lie down and close my eyes, and forget about everything…forget about my past, my pain, and the suffering.

Why me? Not only do I have the worst possible background, an orphan who roamed the streets, but now this too? Was I to be tormented for life? Why in Hyne's world must I be the one to bear the world's pain and sorrow?

Suddenly a knock rattled outside my door. "Come in." I called. Once again Rajin stood in the doorway.

"He didn't make it ya know."

"What?" The haze in my mind stopped me from concentrating on the conversation.

"Seifer. He failed."

"Oh." I was only half listening to what my friend said.

"Nice to know you care." A new voice entered into the atmosphere.

"Seifer?"

"Yes its me you idiot." He joked as he stepped out into my view. "So yeah. Yet another SeeD test down the drain!" his face lit up as he smiled.

"Why is that?"

"I got reprimanded. But I couldn't care less." He shrugged the matter off of his shoulders.

"What?! How could that be something to NOT care about?" I asked.

"Listen Fuu…"

"NO! IDIOT!" I shouted at him as I stomped out of my room. I didn't want to hear him gloat anymore. I didn't want to listen to him right now, as my head was beating like a loud drum inside my head. I could hear my name being called behind me, but I ignored it, and tried to shut it out of my mind.

As I stomped down the corridors ignoring the shout of my name, I attracted many more stares than I thought I would, and whispers buzzed through the air, making me extremely uncomfortable.

"What are you looking at?" I shouted to a nearby student. Everyone promptly stopped talking, and the halls fell eerily silent.

"Fujin!" Seifer had finally caught up with me. "Let me explain…" he started.

"NO! Let me explain! I've had enough, you hear? ENOUGH!" I turned and left, glaring at anyone who stood in my way. I left a stunned Seifer, and a whispering hallway behind me, and sort after the quad where I cool my temper.

I stepped out onto the open air balcony and leaned over the edge, letting the wind weave through my silver hair, and ease my throbbing head ache.

"Why? Why did I do that?" I mumbled to myself. Was it because he never paid enough attention to what he was doing, always headstrong and arrogant in his own ways? Or was it because I couldn't do anything to change him? I can't stop him from becoming who he wants to be, or what he wants to be…

"He's so important to me…but why is it that I feel I'm in the way, a distraction and a limited time offer to him?" Does he not feel the same way about me that I feel about him? Surely since I met him, he had already found a place in my heart…so why does it seem as though he's falling away?

"Fujin?" a small and humble voice said behind me. I sighed and turned round, keeping my gaze towards the floor.

"Yes?" A long silence followed.

"I'm sorry." I looked up, and saw his eyes pleading down at me.

"I know…" I turned back and leaned once more over the railing. I felt his hand grasp mine as he leant over by my side.

"What's wrong?" he asked looking towards the fields down below. In the distance was the town of Balamb, and further as the sea. For some unknown reason even to myself, I wanted to go down there and get away from what was harnessing me here.

"I want to go down there." I said quietly. "I want to leave Garden."

"I knew you would." He turned to look at me.

"What?"

"Come on…I'll take you there. We'll leave together."

"Okay."

"You'll follow me right? You'll come with me where ever I go won't you?"

"Yes" I breathed as I leant into his shoulder.

"Good girl." He whispered into my hair.

"Rajin too."

"Yeah…him too. We'll all go together. Just us three…"

I fell into his embrace as my old Seifer returned to me. I didn't want to part from his side again. I didn't want to feel the pain anymore…

The sun rose out from behind the clouds and shone down on us, warming my back, eradicating my headache.

I felt Seifer smile above my head, and he pulled me back. "Come on…" he said, but as I looked more closely at his face, I could see his eyes were ablaze with ambition, his face eager for adventure. A drop of blood fell from his scar and trickled down his cheek. He licked it with his tongue as it neared his mouth, and I could tell that the Seifer I was just holding in my arms, wasn't the same Seifer standing before me now.

I backed away from him, breathing much harder than before, as the light faded behind the dark rain clouds that were beginning to form in the sky. It was all a lie. He wasn't sorry for anything.

"Seifer what's wrong?" I asked quietly. "Why are you acting like this?" I felt tears form in my eye, longing for the kind-hearted Seifer to return to me.

"Nothing."

"You're not acting like yourself! What are you doing to yourself? Stop it!" I cried as he advanced towards me. Without warning he pulled his arm back and let his punch fly into my stomach. I keeled over at once, as the rain started to fall from the black, thundering clouds above me.

"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!"

My eye went wide with shock and I scrambled away from him, wanting desperately to run into the safety of Rajin's arms. He'd protect me…he wouldn't turn against me like this…

However, as I was continually backing away, running from him like a frightened child, I hit a wall, realising I had cornered myself in with no way out. As he came nearer and nearer, I hid my face in my hands, wishing that this would all be a dream.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him cast a spell, but I didn't know what it was until it was too late. I felt very drowsy and unable to control my movements, my body fell towards the floor, and I fell into unconsciousness.