No One Knows Like I Do
Chapter 19 – FateAn explosion rocked Balamb Garden, knocking out key navigational functions. Her face as pale as it could be, Fujin ran through the halls of the school searching for students. Her companions: a giant Mog and a Tonberry.
"Move it you two! We have to find the survivors before it's too late!" Fujin exclaimed while dramatically leaping over a gaping hole that suddenly appeared in the floor.
"I'm trying, kupo!" the Mog answered, flapping its tiny wings furiously.
The Tonberry remained silent and slowly followed behind the pair.
"You, Tonberry, can't you go any faster?!" she shrieked as she threw a fireball at a T-Rexaur. 'How the hell could I do that?'
Once again, the Tonberry said not one word and continued its slow and steady pace. Suddenly, another explosion sent the Tonberry flying right past Fujin and the Mog. All the while, it remained as calm as ever as it flew by. "
"Why did that explosion smell like fish? Or eggs for that matter? And sausage too?" Fujin wondered.
In reality, Fujin slowly awaken with a bewildered look on her face.
"What's the matter, Fuj?" Seifer asked chuckling at the look on her face as he entered the bedroom. "Had a bad dream?" While she was sleeping he attempted to fix her breakfast with the help of Raijin since he couldn't do it alone. It was questionable whether it was a good idea to let Raijin help after the Badamb fish incident, but Seifer needed help and Raijin was the only one around. They decided on an omelette filled with Balamb and a side of sausage figuring that it wouldn't be too difficult.
"………Yeah I guess," she answered as she sat up. "Why the hell was I fighting in the Garden with a Tonberry and a Mog? And then everything kept exploding all the time. "
"Yeah? I figured you'd be dreaming about me instead," Seifer replied coyly leaning closer to her while placing the tray on her lap. "I guess I'll have to fix that………" He leaned even closer to kiss her gently. Surprisingly, Fujin found herself accepting his kiss. She pushed the tray to the other side of the bed and took Seifer into her arms. Seifer placed small kisses along Fujin's neck causing her to sigh. Embarrassed, she gently pushed Seifer back and coughed nervously while eyeing her tray.
"Um, the f-food is getting cold. Hate to see your hard work go to waste," she noted lamely.
Seifer smiled wryly. "You were enjoying yourself and you know it. Don't be embarrassed………"
Fujin chuckled nervously. "I, uh, didn't think I would ever go that far."
"I only kissed your neck. That's not *that* far."
"To you it isn't, but to me it is." She took a bite of the lukewarm omelette and made a disgusted face. "Well, at least you tried." The omelette itself was a little too tough, but the Balamb fish inside was more edible. The sausage was more than done and a bit on the crunchy side. This was one of Seifer's more successful culinary efforts.
"It's not burnt, so what the problem?" Seifer shot back defensively.
"You can't cook. That's the problem," she smirked as smile took a bite of sausage and yanked it out of her mouth. "Too crunchy."
"So you're saying I'm a better kisser than a cook, is that right?"
"Let's just say you've had more experience in one field than in the other."
"HAHA, very funny. No need to be jealous." Seifer sampled the sausage and gingerly chewed it. Making a disgusted face as well, Seifer gulped down the meat and sighed. "I'll agree with you just this one, got it?"
"What'd I tell you?"
~*~*~
The trio lounged around at the beach taking in the scenery and in Raijin's case scoping out the bikini clad young women. Fujin sheltered herself from the sun's harsh rays underneath a large yellow and white rental umbrella. She perused through a copy of Occult Fan studying the odd pictures and articles. Fortunately, Fujin "allowed" Seifer to wear his regular beachwear of navy blue surfer shorts ever since the Triple Triad incident. In return, Fujin had to wear the black bikini Seifer sported days earlier, but under much duress. Raijin looked a little ridiculous wearing burnt orange surfer shorts complete with his favorite beads that he wears around his neck. His outfit didn't do much to his success of getting a young girl to look his way.
"Look at all these beauties here! I think I should live here after I retire from Garden, ya know!" Raijin exclaimed excitedly.
"Yeah, they are somethin'," Seifer answered while allowing his eyes to follow one particular girl in a tiny red thong bikini.
"PIG," Fujin snorted as she whacked him upon his head with her magazine.
"Aw come on, you didn't want me earlier and now you do?"
"SILENCE!"
"Don't get like that, Fuuuuji," Seifer teased. "I know, you don't want me to mention it to RAIJIN, right?"
"YOU'RE FINISHED," Fujin proclaimed rising to her feet. "GET UP!"
"Way to go boss, now ya got her all angry, ya know," Raijin chuckled. "She's talking all scary, ya know!"
"Aw, she'll forgive me, wontcha Fujin," Seifer said confidently as he rose to his feet. "Let's get this over wi-" Seifer was cut off as Fujin jumped on the taller man's back with all her weight which caused the both of them to tumble into the sand, as well as knock the umbrella over.
"Look what you did! Now the sun's gonna get you!" Seifer shrieked as the pair rolled around in the sand causing other sunbathers to look curiously in their direction.
"WILL DIE!" Fujin exclaimed through gritted teeth as she rolled on top of Seifer and plopped herself down on his stomach.
"WHA IS YUR PROBLEHM?!" Seifer chocked from the force of her weight. "Get off me!"
"APOLOGIZE!"
Seifer smiled darkly. "You know I'm letting you win right now, dontcha?"
"Yeah, get her boss!" Raijin cheered from the "sidelines". "Get revenge for me too, ya know!"
"APOLOGIZE NOW!"
"Uh Seifer, dontcha think you should say you're sorry?"
"I don't apologize," Seifer sniffed snobbishly while struggling with the smaller woman.
Fujin pinned his wrists to the ground. "APOLOGIZE DAMMIT!"
"Playing rough, are we? Now if only I coulda got you to do that this morning………"
"THAT'S IT," Fujin groaned loudly. Fujin grasped his manhood through his shorts and yanked it hard enough to make him concede, but fortunately for him not enough to damage anything precious.
"Oh………man………," Raijin breathed in shocked. "………Ya know."
"All right, ALL RIGHT! Sorry!" Seifer screamed shrilly. "Let it go woman!"
Fujin released him, dusted herself off delicately and triumphantly strolled over to her towel and proceeded to read her magazine once again as if the whole situation never happened.
"You play dirty," Seifer said through gritted teeth as he brushed sand off his body and straightened himself out.
Raijin clapped his bronzed hand on Seifer shoulder and cried, "I can't believe she did that, ya know! I never made her that mad, ya know!"
"Who says I'm mad? It's was all in fun," Fujin said sweetly.
"You have a real perverted sense of fun," Seifer remarked, picking up the umbrella and setting back in its place. "I shouldn't do for you after what you did to me." He plopped down perpendicular to her and stretched out on his back.
"Don't be a sore loser," Fujin laughed brightly.
"Wow Fujin, ya seem to be more relaxed, ya know?" Raijin noted seemingly out of nowhere. "That's good, ya know."
"I guess so," she sighed putting the magazine down and placing her head on Seifer's stomach. "Must be the sun so don't get used to it."
"Sure." Raijin's stomach growled loudly as if on cue. "Whoa, time for my next feeding, ya know! I'm gonna get something to eat, do ya want anything?"
"Just bring whatever," Seifer answered absently stroking Fujin's silver hair slightly.
"Gotcha boss." Raijin smiled slightly seeing how comfortable Fujin and Seifer were in each other's company and ran to the nearest hot dog vendor. He decided that he would somehow get delayed to give his friends more time together. He may appear to be dimwitted to others, but Raijin had more common sense than people would give him credit for.
The couple relaxed in silence listening to the ocean breeze and laughing children as they played in the crashing waves of the sea. Seifer's stroking made her feel even more relaxed and she closed her eyes in response.
"Hey Fujin."
"What?"
"Did you really get mad at me earlier? I didn't mean anything by looking at those girls. They just look………nice."
"Yeah, yeah………you can look all you want, but do it right. I'm not supposed to see you ogling, remember?" Fujin smirked.
"Right, I'll remember that," Seifer chuckled. "You're really somethin', you know that?"
"So you say."
"I mean it, you're a great gal."
"You getting' mushy on me Seifer? Seems like the sun's getting to *you*."
"Come on Fujin, I mean it. You're different than most of the other girls I know."
"You said this to Rinoa too, didn't you?"
"Fujin………," Seifer warned through gritted teeth.
"Okay okay, sorry. Finish."
"I just wish you weren't so uptight. One minute you're giving me signals and the next you're pushing me away from you. What's a guy supposed to do?"
Fujin opened her eyes and stared at the umbrella above her. "I told you I'm new to all this. I *told* you it would be difficult. Why complain now?"
Seifer stopped stroking her and became serious. "Who's complaining? All I'm saying is that you need to just stop holding back. If we're gonna be together, you gotta be honest with me. Just let go. You don't have to be embarrassed around me. I won't………I'll TRY not to hurt you." Seifer sighed slightly, then continued. "I know I fucked up a lot. And I know you're trying hard to trust me, but I'm pretty sure I'll fuck up again. It's my nature."
"How is that your nature? You're just trying to justify your screw-ups."
"Yeah? How 'bout you? You're always saying it's you nature to be as cold as you are. How's that YOUR nature?" Seifer countered.
Fujin remained silent for a moment. "Yeah, you're right. Old habits are hard to break, huh?"
"Exactly."
Fujin touched her eye patch lightly. "I think THIS has a lot to do with how I am. Ever since that time I lost my eye, I think the reason it happened was that I wasn't' serious enough. I figured it was punishment for not taking the exam seriously enough. You know, I could've been another Quistis by passing that exam then. I screwed up and deserved it."
Seifer shook his head slowly and replied, "Fujin, it was a freak accident. How was that your fault? I know you didn't underestimate the Mesmerize because that ain't like you. So what do you mean?"
"It's punishment. It has to be. I didn't take life seriously enough and this is the price I pay for it. Well, I learned my lesson," Fujin snorted disgustedly, her visible eyebrow furrowed.
"Fuj, I don't think the accident was meant to teach you anything. What can I say, shit happens. It's how you deal with it that matters. I understand that losing your eye scarred you, but I want to help. I want to get the Fujin back that I remember. The one that used to joke around more and was honest with herself. Believe me, it was nothin' to be ashamed of." Seifer glanced at her eye patch. 'Amazing how one situation can completely change a person………'
"People change, all right? I don't think I can go back to that. I grew up."
"Sounds like an excuse to me."
"Maybe so. Just don't worry about it, okay?"
"Impossible."
"TRY not to then."
"For now I won't. I just wanna enjoy the rest of the day."
Fujin sighed wearily. 'At least I thought to get a bathing suit that matches my eye patch. Then people would have even more of a reason to stare,' she thought bitterly.
Seifer peered down at Fujin noting the serious expression on her face. Hoping to cheer her up, he grabbed her face as if he was going to kiss her, then immediately put his lips on her neck and blew as hard as he could.
"Hey!" Fujin cried while shrieking with laughter. "S-s-stop! Hyne, okay OKAY!!" She roughly pushed his head off her neck and looked at him in surprise. "Are you insane?!"
"Just trying to cheer you up," Seifer replied breezily.
"Happy now?"
"Yep." Seifer looked at his watch. "Where the hell is Raijin? You made me use up energy I didn't have."
"Don't blame your outburst of weirdness on me. I dunno what's taking him so long."
"He probably got sidetracked by some girl. I'll call him." Seifer rose to his feet and yelled, much to the disdain of a few snobby people, "Yo Raijin, get your ass over here pronto! Me and Fujin are starving!"
Nearby, a woman and her friend glared at Seifer's low class bellowing. "My goodness, they let just ANYONE stay here these days," an older woman remarked to her friend.
"RAIJIN! Move it!" Mere few seconds later, Raijin came running from the other side of the beach with hotdogs and sodas.
"Sorry boss," Raijin puffed, "I got a little held up, ya know." He handed the pair their share of the food and sat down.
"Met a girl, huh?" Seifer joked, smiling wolfishly.
"A real catch, ya know! She's right over there." Raijin pointed with his hotdog to a tanned brunette that was a little distance from the trio. She blew a kiss at Raijin and he pretended to catch it, all the while grinning goofily.
"Nauseating," Fujin remarked.
"What do ya mean?"
"Never mind Raijin."
Raijin exchanged glances with Seifer and both nodded simply as if confirming something, then resumed their snacking.
"What's that all about?" Fujin demanded, bringing her soda from her lips.
"Just a guy thing, ya know."
"A guy thing?"
"That's right, Fuji baby," Seifer confirmed jokingly.
"I hate you both then."
"Don't hate me Fujin, I'm sorry, ya know!" Raijin pleaded.
"Only if you beg."
"Please forgive me-"
"You wuss, you're gonna let her bully you like that?" Seifer asked incredulously.
"She got you earlier, ya know. REAL GOOD."
"Don't remind me."
"So how does it feel to have the short one get the upper hand?" Fujin quipped. "I can't lose." She laughed arrogantly to prove her point even more.
~*~*~
The posse's last day at the resort had arrived much to their dismay. All of their belongings were packed and ready to go in the rental car. Fujin and Raijin waited outside while Seifer checked out of the resort.
"Damn, last day already. Time to go back to Garden, ya know," Raijin observed wistfully.
"Yeah, now we have to go back to all the idiots there. On top of that, I have to go to a training class to learn how to teach. What luck," Fujin answered dryly.
"Who knows, ya might just like it, ya know. They're gonna make you teach somethin' you're good at, so maybe it won't be that bad, ya know?"
"Hope so." Fujin kicked at a random pebble on the ground. "Can you imagine Seifer teaching a class? I wonder what that's gonna be like?"
"I dunno sis, the boss'll prolly shoot his students with Hyperion as punishment, ya know!"
"You think so? I'd love to see that."
"You'd love to see what?" Seifer asked as he walked towards his friends.
"I was just sayin' how ya'd prolly shoot the class you'll teach as punishment," Raijin repeated.
"Probably so. They'd better not piss me off." Seifer slid into the driver's seat and slammed his door shut. "Get a move on you two. Let's blow."
"Coming 'boss,'" Fujin remarked getting in on the passenger side. Raijin climbed into the backseat stretching his arms on out across the seat. "So drive."
Seifer shifted the car into gear and sped off down the road leaving paradise behind them.
~*~*~
Simultaneously, a certain annoying snob was hemming and hawing over her "lost" summer. As fate would have it, Rose was staying at the exact resort that the posse had. Not once did she cross paths with Seifer because she spent most of her time lounging around the pool with all the other rich snobs being waited on hand and foot by waiters. She sat in the air conditioned room of the deluxe townhouse her family stayed in giving herself a manicure.
"So bored………" She wandered over to the balcony and looked out of the French doors and as fate would have it, saw Seifer climb into his car along with Fujin and Raijn and speed off.
"Wha-WHAT?! SEIFER WAS HERE?! HYYYYYYYNE!" Rose shrieked in the shrillest voice imaginable causing her father to run to her room.
"Princess, what IS the matter?" Her well groomed father asked in a slightly nasal tone.
"Daddeeeeeee, my beloved was staying at the resort!"
"Oh, that low-class boy Seifer? What DO you see in him dear?"
"Daddy! We have to leave now! I have to follow my love!"
"I'm afraid we can't do that, Princess. I paid two weeks of rent and we've only been here for three days!"
"I don't care!" Rose pouted folding her arms. "I can't believe you aren't interested in keeping you dear daughter happy!"
"Princess………"
"DADDEEEEEEEEE, I wanna go NOW!" Rose was on the verge of throwing one of her world class tantrums. "Don't do this to me! DADDEEEEEEEE!"
"All RIGHT Rose, we'll go!" Her father found it very difficult to say "no" to her whenever she was threatening to give him a splitting headache. "I'll go find your mother." He promptly left her room.
Rose looked out at the balcony once more. "Fujin really thinks I've given up on Seifer? Well, I guess I'll just have to show her I'm serious. I ALWAYS get what I want and this time won't be an exception. Seifer my love, I'm coming for you………"
End chapter 19
A/N:
Hello everyone! I am BACK! I told you I wouldn't give up! First, I would like to thank my new reviewers and the ones who have stuck with me even though I haven't updated in so long! You guys are the ones that keep me going; believe me when I say this. Writer of the Blaze, welcome back!!! Good to see you on FF.net again! Thanks for the reviews! Oh yeah and I need to catch up on your story………among others as well. *Whew*, that's A LOT of reading to do. Good thing I love it.
Btw, please excuse any errors. It took me 5 hours to do (in between other things I had to do) and I haven't slept AT ALL. It's currently 4:48am. x_X
I finally got my groove back for this story, so I SHOULD be updating more frequently. I can't give up on this; it's my passion! Enough of my rambling. See you next chapter!
Your humble scribe,
Fuu-sama