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ANNOUNCEMENT: As you all are getting pretty used to my announcements... thought I'd give the heads up that we are nearing the end... this chapter's end marks the spiraling end slope of the fic. For all that are worried of how it will turn out in the end: have hope.
savggrl - Patience, patience! I'll get them up, no worries.
Riverwood - you're welcome for the speech thingy. yeah, everyone is having a rough time, but then again, the good times balance out the rough times, so it just means there'll be many many good times ahead. no fanart? I agree *kicks Riverwood's mac.com* we want Fanart!!
Perfect Soldier 01 - Yeah, I couldn't stand the bluntness of the last version of chapter 11, so thus the change. Yes, Squall is a nice guy isn't he? [of course he also resembles a block of wood emotionally speaking for most of FF8, but the guy can be forgiven] You're about to find out where Fujin went, brace yourself she hasn't suffered her last, but she won't suffer much anymore after this.
Deity of Death - Thank you for your reviews, I am a review addict... not at all a confident one, either. Thanks for the support and encouragement hope you enjoy the following chapters as much as the first.
Twin-Lance - well, I'm glad you found it. Hope you enjoy, and no, you cannot have the first chapter, it is mine. mwah.hah.hah. :)
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Fujin heard the distant sound of water gurgling softly from the outskirts of her ears. She could feel the tangy coolness of the metal bangles firmly stretching her in the spread eagle position she was bound to in the air. Air. . . there was no wind here she thought, pulling her muscles groggily, testing the metal bracelets for any weakness she could use. As she tenderly shifted her weight and bent her fingers another sound penetrated the surrounding oxygen, although this sound was not the calmning gurgle of water. A hiddeous laugh wallowed and wheezed its way, sludging throught the hollow room until sloshing itself in past Fujin's ears and up to her aural sensory perception, contaminating her entire body with a sickening feeling she knew that laugh and who it belonged to: the Lieutenant.
Flinching her body stiffly, she heard the strict metal military boots he wore scuff and torment the floor, making the metal tiles whine and burst in short, painful yelps as he paced the area she could feel in front of her. Blindfolded, she tried to follow the sounds of his boots, trying to ascertain any weakness, a limp, a favoured side, scanning him like the warrior she was taught to be. But her head was too heavy, the magic or whatever he used to knock her out still drudged through her system with the speed of a slowly moving snail in thick, sticky mud. Hearing his horrid, sickening laugh eminate through the resounding space, she stopped,
"Awake now, are ya? 'Bout time, you SeeD's are weaker than I thought"
Fujin didn't answer, shutting her mouth and locking the jaw muscles closed, he wasn't worth wasting words on, plus, what would she say? Fujin smelled around the room, sniffing for a taste of Rajin in the pregnant air, knowing his scent almost as well as Seifer's, but there was nothing except that decrepit smell of decaying bullets and the military sweat of the career soldier.
"Don't feel like talking? That's alright, save your voice... I want to hear you scream"
The Lieutenant was close, Fujin shuddered as he breathed on her neck, sending the skin crawling with the decrepity of his voice... That was when Fujin noticed the collar of her jacket wasn't there... Oh my Hyne I'm naked! Fujin screamed internally, eye widening in shocked fear under the blindfold.
"Do you want to see yourself? It would make things much more interesting" the Lieutenant said, trailing his fingers up her shoulder, neck, cheek, until firmly grabbing the blindfold and giving it a yank, ripping a few hairs with it. Fujin cringed in pain, opening her eye to see a mirrored pannel making up the other side of the tiny room. She saw she wasn't completely naked, the bast**d had left her underclothing on her, but they were drenched with tiny cuts, red with the stains of blood some from the battle, some new. The Lieutenant took that moment to grab her chin in his hand, as she struggled he slapped her full force, causing her teeth to rattle as he grabbed her chin more forcefully and brought his tongue from her neck all the way up her face. Fujin's stomach heaved, but she was able to contain herself until he went back down, taking a small knife and slashing just enough to cut the skin, but not enough to permanently damage her.
"Have you ever seen someone die of blood loss? Horrible thing, they just go pale until they finally slump over. I always wanted to know what it would feel like... Guess I'll just have to watch you instead" the Lieutenant gloated, licking a bit of blood away from her collarbone, then backing away, taking the butt of the blade and jabbing the dull, handled end forcefully into her abdomen.
"Scream!" Fujin tried to cry out, to do anything to stop the madman from killing her, from hurting her precious cargo, but the more she struggled, the more the bangles cut into her wrists and ankles.
==========================================================
"Where's Fujin?" Selphie asked again, worry beginning to take her voice up to a higher octave, just as Kiros and two Estharian guards brought the shackled Seifer into the hall.
"I don't KNOW!" Rajin screamed, wrenching his body further towards the ground, and his knees.
"What do you mean? Where's Fu? WHERE IS SHE YOU SONS OF BIT**ES!" Seifer shouted, frantically searching the room for answers, looking at Rajin's anguished bulk, seeing the worry in his eyes. No one spoke a word, creating a panic in Seifer, making him struggle against his captors, until Rajin looked up at Seifer's shirt,
"There was this... magic... couldn't move... Fu... she was taken"
"BY WHOM? WHO? WAS IT THEM!?" he screamed, jerking his head to a few Estharian soldiers. Laguna took this moment to remember the man in Estharian officer garb, snapping his fingers and heaving his gun higher on his shoulder.
"I think I know where she is" Laguna said, staring the room down, eye to eye with Seifer, seeing the desperation and hate in his eyes.
"Let him loose. Give him back his weapon."
"Sir, you can't be serious!" one of the Estharian officers said,
"For once I am. Kiros, you're with me, Selphie, take Rajin back to the ship, all of you secure the area, call in re-inforcements, MOVE!" Laguna opened Seifer's shackles, Kiros placing Hyperion in Seifer's hands, as Laguna also placed his gun at Seifer's temple,
"Try anything, and I'll blow your head off, got it?" Laguna spat, mostly for the benefit of the men.
"Start moving! Kiros, patch into ops, get the techies to open a topographic map, get them to locate the quickest route to a room with mirrors."
Seifer's mind raced, searching for some recollection of a room with mirrors... Hyne!
"The detention room!" Seifer breathed, taking off in the direction of where he hoped Fujin was,
"Come on!" Laguna yelled to Kiros, keeping his gun trained on Seifer, and following the blonde man who wove is way along the corridors.
As they wove deeper into the corridors, Galbadian resistance became stronger, Laguna and Kiros began fighting their way through, as Seifer barked commands sneering at the Galbadians to stand down as they passed, Estharian troops filling in the gaps. Further towards the detention room, Seifer noted the odd number of troops filling strategic positions, until he rounded a corner right into a strong contingent of Galbadians, Seifer noted with enfuriating disgust that they were from the Lieutenant's troop.
"Stand aside!" Seifer said, swiping his arm in an arc to part the soldiers. They didn't move.
"MOVE! That's an ORDER!"
"They don't take orders from you, Lap Dog." the Lieutenant said, smoothly walking out of the darkened doorway. Seifer was ready to boil over, but a calm tap on his shoulder made him turn around to where Kiros and Laguna had their weapons drawn at the equal amount of troops at their back. An ambush.
"You see, the Sorceress knew your weakness, and ordered me to dispose of it if you should fail. Of course that meant stopping you from getting to the little minnow, so I thought killing you too would be so... tragic... dying like a ... HERO!" The Lieutenant drawled, acting out a melodramatic flair of pretending to faint with a sword in his gut.
"Where is she?" Seifer growled, eyes growing dark, snarling the words as the Lieutenant smirked from his safe position behind his men,
"Oh, she's in there... fading... I couldn't just kill her now, that would be too painless, too easy... I got her to scream for me" the Lieutenant gloated, as Seifer grew more enraged, breathing raggedly heavy twitching his muscles, itching for a fight, but he had to keep his head.
"Let her go, and you won't be killed."
The Lieutenant grinned evily, bowing theatrically as he steped back into the doorway,
"Say goodbye" he finished, ducking fully into the room. The Galbadian soldiers readied their weapons, as a bloodcurdling scream eminated from the room,
"SEIFER!!!!" Fujin screamed, the last of her strength belting through her lungs, as Seifer whispered,
"Fujin" and let out a battle cry as Laguna yelled,
"Go get her! We can handle them!"
Conjuring an enormous ball of flames, Seifer shot it at the Galbadians he used to command, twirling his body with the gunblade, slashing at the remaining men in front, hacking to the sides as they tried to hold their defence, but Seifer was a madman, he didn't look back. Running into the doorway, Seifer had to duck and roll as the heavy metal door was blasted from its hinges, and a great burst of wind sent the Lieutenant crashing through metal, wall and rock until snapping against a jagged outcropping, falling the four feet to the ground with a thud, he never got up. Seifer ran into the door, catching a lasting glimpse at the mighty wind Guardian Force Pandemona, who had answered its master's cry for help. As Pandemona faded, Seifer flinched, the scene before him forever etched into his mind, as Fujin's limp body hung from the metal shackles blood coating her clothing, her hair so thick with it that the colour had become a sick pallour of red. Reaching forward, he hit the release of the shackles, lunging forward to catch the falling body in his arms. He sank down to the floor with her, wiping her blood and sweat soaked hair as he let out a groan of anguish, yelping at her chapped, broken lips and the white colour of her skin. Reaching forward, he brought her wrist to his inspection, biting his lips lest a scream would rock the entire Lunatic Pandora. Carefully, he took off his greatcoat, wrapped it around her, laid her down on the floor, and began to give her CPR, blowing into her lungs, being careful not to damage her any further until she heaved with a breathless, moistureless groan, as Seifer grabbed her to him gently, kissing her cheek and whispering appologies and I love yous in her ear. Her head sank back, as darkness took her, but Seifer saw her stomach raising and falling, she was going to live... she had to live. Picking her up, he walked solemnly back to where Laguna was battling the last forces with the butt of his machine gun, he had run out of bullets, and Kiros was twirling and twisting his way, hacking at the monsters the Galbadians unleashed, and at the Galbadians too, until a lake of water swept the rest of the enemies away: it was Selphie and she wasn't alone.
Laguna turned to see Seifer walking towards Selphie, and the Estharian contingent she had brought, most of the soldiers rushing through Lunatic Pandora to secure deeper areas. Kiros turned, bowed his head at the sight of Seifer's grimmly set face carrying the dangling body of Fujin close to him, Selphie audibly gasping and turning away at the scene. Seifer stared each of them down, even as he got closer to the Ragnarok, Laguna, and Kiros followed, Selphie going on a word from Squall to help with the battle with Adel, Rinoa had been taken. Seifer told her how to get there easiest. As they approached Command Central, the men gasped, turned away, or both, sinking their heads down as Seifer stared at each and every one. Rajin could be heard, voice booming to let him see what was happening, let him see Fujin was still alive, so Ward went to the holding area, and unlocked him, allowing Rajin to rush forward, knocking over soldiers as two medics got a gurney over to put Fujin down on. Rajin let out a booming, sickening yelp, falling onto his knees, as Seifer put Fujin carefully on the gurney, holding onto her,
"I... Hyne, I'm sorry, ya know" Rajin muttered, his face locked in teh most serious expression it had ever held. Seifer found he couldn't speak, his body shaking as the shock wore off and he looked at Fujin, bloodied and scarred on the gurney. His body began to tremble, as he looked desperately around, as Rajin stood up, wideyed at his friend, firmly grabbing his shoulders and leading him to the most private section of command central, where Seifer vomitted onto a pile of debris, his joints giving way as Rajin caught the smaller man, whose face went pale as he shook. Leaning over, Seifer barely noticed Laguna walking up, passing him a water bottle and a towel.
"Wash your mouth out and wipe your face, you don't want Fujin to see you like this do you?" the older man said, as Seifer thanked him with his eyes, taking a swig of the water, swishing it in his mouth and spitting it onto the debris pile, drenching the towel with more of the refreshing liquid as he washed his face, steadying himself on Rajin as the three men walked towards where Fujin lay. Kneeling down beside her, Seifer took the water and towel, carefully, and gently washing her face, letting some of the water run through her hair, carrying mass amounts of blood with it as it drained onto the floor. Everyone present at that act felt their hearts give way as Seifer dabbed and cleaned as much of Fujin's face, neck, and arms as he could, dropping the ruined towel to the floor with a splatter as the medics helped him bind her wrists and ankles in gauze and bandages. Seifer took some and wove it around her head, covering her scarred and damaged eye, she would have wanted that. Laguna put a strong arm on his shoulder,
"I have the medical staff ready to transport Fujin to my personal physician and the best surgeons Esthar has"
"Why? Why help..."
"Because you were possessed, because Rajin cut a deal with us, because no woman deserves to die without her lover, without living until she gets old" Laguna's words cut hard, personal for the President, as Ward ordered two Estharian MP's to take Rajin away, Seifer looked up at his bronze behemoth, questioning.
"I told 'em everything, ya know... Ya told me to protect her with my life... that's what I'm doing, ya know... Don't hate me, ya know..."
"Rajin, what?"
"Rajin confessed to everything, taking full responsibility for the three of you, he's charged with conspiracy, treason, warmongering and attempt to murder all of Garden and the SeeD's... among other things. There will be a war crimes tribunal in Esthar when the war is officially over." Laguna said, watching Seifer's face drain further in shock at his friend, who gulped and smiled pathetically, raising up to his full height,
"Don't worry, ya know... I got 'em to keep you and Fujin together. I know what I'm doing, see you later, ya know tell Fujin I love her... like a brother, ya know..." he said, walking away with the soldiers.
"Rajin!" Seifer said, standing up, placing Fujin's hand carefully down onto the blanket they had draped on her,
"Thank you. When this is over... we'll go fishing, spend all the time in Balamb you want"
"Yeah, I'd like that, ya know... when this is over" Rajin echoed, smiling assuringly, yet sadly at Seifer before he entered the military prisoner 'copter and was gone.
From a distance, Kiros stood watching the scene, smiling as he watched Seifer say goodbye to Rajin, kneeling down, reaching for Fujin's hand as the medical staff brought the gurney into the waiting air-lift vehicle, the doors shut and they were gone, their fighting was of a different nature now. Laguna stood behind Ward, turning as an officer gave word that Squall needed them, so Kiros joined his friends,
"She's not Raine" Kiros whispered to Laguna,
"I know... She'll live" Laguna said, hefting another of his machine guns on his shoulder as the three walked off to save Ellone, Rinoa and the world.
ANNOUNCEMENT: As you all are getting pretty used to my announcements... thought I'd give the heads up that we are nearing the end... this chapter's end marks the spiraling end slope of the fic. For all that are worried of how it will turn out in the end: have hope.
savggrl - Patience, patience! I'll get them up, no worries.
Riverwood - you're welcome for the speech thingy. yeah, everyone is having a rough time, but then again, the good times balance out the rough times, so it just means there'll be many many good times ahead. no fanart? I agree *kicks Riverwood's mac.com* we want Fanart!!
Perfect Soldier 01 - Yeah, I couldn't stand the bluntness of the last version of chapter 11, so thus the change. Yes, Squall is a nice guy isn't he? [of course he also resembles a block of wood emotionally speaking for most of FF8, but the guy can be forgiven] You're about to find out where Fujin went, brace yourself she hasn't suffered her last, but she won't suffer much anymore after this.
Deity of Death - Thank you for your reviews, I am a review addict... not at all a confident one, either. Thanks for the support and encouragement hope you enjoy the following chapters as much as the first.
Twin-Lance - well, I'm glad you found it. Hope you enjoy, and no, you cannot have the first chapter, it is mine. mwah.hah.hah. :)
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Fujin heard the distant sound of water gurgling softly from the outskirts of her ears. She could feel the tangy coolness of the metal bangles firmly stretching her in the spread eagle position she was bound to in the air. Air. . . there was no wind here she thought, pulling her muscles groggily, testing the metal bracelets for any weakness she could use. As she tenderly shifted her weight and bent her fingers another sound penetrated the surrounding oxygen, although this sound was not the calmning gurgle of water. A hiddeous laugh wallowed and wheezed its way, sludging throught the hollow room until sloshing itself in past Fujin's ears and up to her aural sensory perception, contaminating her entire body with a sickening feeling she knew that laugh and who it belonged to: the Lieutenant.
Flinching her body stiffly, she heard the strict metal military boots he wore scuff and torment the floor, making the metal tiles whine and burst in short, painful yelps as he paced the area she could feel in front of her. Blindfolded, she tried to follow the sounds of his boots, trying to ascertain any weakness, a limp, a favoured side, scanning him like the warrior she was taught to be. But her head was too heavy, the magic or whatever he used to knock her out still drudged through her system with the speed of a slowly moving snail in thick, sticky mud. Hearing his horrid, sickening laugh eminate through the resounding space, she stopped,
"Awake now, are ya? 'Bout time, you SeeD's are weaker than I thought"
Fujin didn't answer, shutting her mouth and locking the jaw muscles closed, he wasn't worth wasting words on, plus, what would she say? Fujin smelled around the room, sniffing for a taste of Rajin in the pregnant air, knowing his scent almost as well as Seifer's, but there was nothing except that decrepit smell of decaying bullets and the military sweat of the career soldier.
"Don't feel like talking? That's alright, save your voice... I want to hear you scream"
The Lieutenant was close, Fujin shuddered as he breathed on her neck, sending the skin crawling with the decrepity of his voice... That was when Fujin noticed the collar of her jacket wasn't there... Oh my Hyne I'm naked! Fujin screamed internally, eye widening in shocked fear under the blindfold.
"Do you want to see yourself? It would make things much more interesting" the Lieutenant said, trailing his fingers up her shoulder, neck, cheek, until firmly grabbing the blindfold and giving it a yank, ripping a few hairs with it. Fujin cringed in pain, opening her eye to see a mirrored pannel making up the other side of the tiny room. She saw she wasn't completely naked, the bast**d had left her underclothing on her, but they were drenched with tiny cuts, red with the stains of blood some from the battle, some new. The Lieutenant took that moment to grab her chin in his hand, as she struggled he slapped her full force, causing her teeth to rattle as he grabbed her chin more forcefully and brought his tongue from her neck all the way up her face. Fujin's stomach heaved, but she was able to contain herself until he went back down, taking a small knife and slashing just enough to cut the skin, but not enough to permanently damage her.
"Have you ever seen someone die of blood loss? Horrible thing, they just go pale until they finally slump over. I always wanted to know what it would feel like... Guess I'll just have to watch you instead" the Lieutenant gloated, licking a bit of blood away from her collarbone, then backing away, taking the butt of the blade and jabbing the dull, handled end forcefully into her abdomen.
"Scream!" Fujin tried to cry out, to do anything to stop the madman from killing her, from hurting her precious cargo, but the more she struggled, the more the bangles cut into her wrists and ankles.
==========================================================
"Where's Fujin?" Selphie asked again, worry beginning to take her voice up to a higher octave, just as Kiros and two Estharian guards brought the shackled Seifer into the hall.
"I don't KNOW!" Rajin screamed, wrenching his body further towards the ground, and his knees.
"What do you mean? Where's Fu? WHERE IS SHE YOU SONS OF BIT**ES!" Seifer shouted, frantically searching the room for answers, looking at Rajin's anguished bulk, seeing the worry in his eyes. No one spoke a word, creating a panic in Seifer, making him struggle against his captors, until Rajin looked up at Seifer's shirt,
"There was this... magic... couldn't move... Fu... she was taken"
"BY WHOM? WHO? WAS IT THEM!?" he screamed, jerking his head to a few Estharian soldiers. Laguna took this moment to remember the man in Estharian officer garb, snapping his fingers and heaving his gun higher on his shoulder.
"I think I know where she is" Laguna said, staring the room down, eye to eye with Seifer, seeing the desperation and hate in his eyes.
"Let him loose. Give him back his weapon."
"Sir, you can't be serious!" one of the Estharian officers said,
"For once I am. Kiros, you're with me, Selphie, take Rajin back to the ship, all of you secure the area, call in re-inforcements, MOVE!" Laguna opened Seifer's shackles, Kiros placing Hyperion in Seifer's hands, as Laguna also placed his gun at Seifer's temple,
"Try anything, and I'll blow your head off, got it?" Laguna spat, mostly for the benefit of the men.
"Start moving! Kiros, patch into ops, get the techies to open a topographic map, get them to locate the quickest route to a room with mirrors."
Seifer's mind raced, searching for some recollection of a room with mirrors... Hyne!
"The detention room!" Seifer breathed, taking off in the direction of where he hoped Fujin was,
"Come on!" Laguna yelled to Kiros, keeping his gun trained on Seifer, and following the blonde man who wove is way along the corridors.
As they wove deeper into the corridors, Galbadian resistance became stronger, Laguna and Kiros began fighting their way through, as Seifer barked commands sneering at the Galbadians to stand down as they passed, Estharian troops filling in the gaps. Further towards the detention room, Seifer noted the odd number of troops filling strategic positions, until he rounded a corner right into a strong contingent of Galbadians, Seifer noted with enfuriating disgust that they were from the Lieutenant's troop.
"Stand aside!" Seifer said, swiping his arm in an arc to part the soldiers. They didn't move.
"MOVE! That's an ORDER!"
"They don't take orders from you, Lap Dog." the Lieutenant said, smoothly walking out of the darkened doorway. Seifer was ready to boil over, but a calm tap on his shoulder made him turn around to where Kiros and Laguna had their weapons drawn at the equal amount of troops at their back. An ambush.
"You see, the Sorceress knew your weakness, and ordered me to dispose of it if you should fail. Of course that meant stopping you from getting to the little minnow, so I thought killing you too would be so... tragic... dying like a ... HERO!" The Lieutenant drawled, acting out a melodramatic flair of pretending to faint with a sword in his gut.
"Where is she?" Seifer growled, eyes growing dark, snarling the words as the Lieutenant smirked from his safe position behind his men,
"Oh, she's in there... fading... I couldn't just kill her now, that would be too painless, too easy... I got her to scream for me" the Lieutenant gloated, as Seifer grew more enraged, breathing raggedly heavy twitching his muscles, itching for a fight, but he had to keep his head.
"Let her go, and you won't be killed."
The Lieutenant grinned evily, bowing theatrically as he steped back into the doorway,
"Say goodbye" he finished, ducking fully into the room. The Galbadian soldiers readied their weapons, as a bloodcurdling scream eminated from the room,
"SEIFER!!!!" Fujin screamed, the last of her strength belting through her lungs, as Seifer whispered,
"Fujin" and let out a battle cry as Laguna yelled,
"Go get her! We can handle them!"
Conjuring an enormous ball of flames, Seifer shot it at the Galbadians he used to command, twirling his body with the gunblade, slashing at the remaining men in front, hacking to the sides as they tried to hold their defence, but Seifer was a madman, he didn't look back. Running into the doorway, Seifer had to duck and roll as the heavy metal door was blasted from its hinges, and a great burst of wind sent the Lieutenant crashing through metal, wall and rock until snapping against a jagged outcropping, falling the four feet to the ground with a thud, he never got up. Seifer ran into the door, catching a lasting glimpse at the mighty wind Guardian Force Pandemona, who had answered its master's cry for help. As Pandemona faded, Seifer flinched, the scene before him forever etched into his mind, as Fujin's limp body hung from the metal shackles blood coating her clothing, her hair so thick with it that the colour had become a sick pallour of red. Reaching forward, he hit the release of the shackles, lunging forward to catch the falling body in his arms. He sank down to the floor with her, wiping her blood and sweat soaked hair as he let out a groan of anguish, yelping at her chapped, broken lips and the white colour of her skin. Reaching forward, he brought her wrist to his inspection, biting his lips lest a scream would rock the entire Lunatic Pandora. Carefully, he took off his greatcoat, wrapped it around her, laid her down on the floor, and began to give her CPR, blowing into her lungs, being careful not to damage her any further until she heaved with a breathless, moistureless groan, as Seifer grabbed her to him gently, kissing her cheek and whispering appologies and I love yous in her ear. Her head sank back, as darkness took her, but Seifer saw her stomach raising and falling, she was going to live... she had to live. Picking her up, he walked solemnly back to where Laguna was battling the last forces with the butt of his machine gun, he had run out of bullets, and Kiros was twirling and twisting his way, hacking at the monsters the Galbadians unleashed, and at the Galbadians too, until a lake of water swept the rest of the enemies away: it was Selphie and she wasn't alone.
Laguna turned to see Seifer walking towards Selphie, and the Estharian contingent she had brought, most of the soldiers rushing through Lunatic Pandora to secure deeper areas. Kiros turned, bowed his head at the sight of Seifer's grimmly set face carrying the dangling body of Fujin close to him, Selphie audibly gasping and turning away at the scene. Seifer stared each of them down, even as he got closer to the Ragnarok, Laguna, and Kiros followed, Selphie going on a word from Squall to help with the battle with Adel, Rinoa had been taken. Seifer told her how to get there easiest. As they approached Command Central, the men gasped, turned away, or both, sinking their heads down as Seifer stared at each and every one. Rajin could be heard, voice booming to let him see what was happening, let him see Fujin was still alive, so Ward went to the holding area, and unlocked him, allowing Rajin to rush forward, knocking over soldiers as two medics got a gurney over to put Fujin down on. Rajin let out a booming, sickening yelp, falling onto his knees, as Seifer put Fujin carefully on the gurney, holding onto her,
"I... Hyne, I'm sorry, ya know" Rajin muttered, his face locked in teh most serious expression it had ever held. Seifer found he couldn't speak, his body shaking as the shock wore off and he looked at Fujin, bloodied and scarred on the gurney. His body began to tremble, as he looked desperately around, as Rajin stood up, wideyed at his friend, firmly grabbing his shoulders and leading him to the most private section of command central, where Seifer vomitted onto a pile of debris, his joints giving way as Rajin caught the smaller man, whose face went pale as he shook. Leaning over, Seifer barely noticed Laguna walking up, passing him a water bottle and a towel.
"Wash your mouth out and wipe your face, you don't want Fujin to see you like this do you?" the older man said, as Seifer thanked him with his eyes, taking a swig of the water, swishing it in his mouth and spitting it onto the debris pile, drenching the towel with more of the refreshing liquid as he washed his face, steadying himself on Rajin as the three men walked towards where Fujin lay. Kneeling down beside her, Seifer took the water and towel, carefully, and gently washing her face, letting some of the water run through her hair, carrying mass amounts of blood with it as it drained onto the floor. Everyone present at that act felt their hearts give way as Seifer dabbed and cleaned as much of Fujin's face, neck, and arms as he could, dropping the ruined towel to the floor with a splatter as the medics helped him bind her wrists and ankles in gauze and bandages. Seifer took some and wove it around her head, covering her scarred and damaged eye, she would have wanted that. Laguna put a strong arm on his shoulder,
"I have the medical staff ready to transport Fujin to my personal physician and the best surgeons Esthar has"
"Why? Why help..."
"Because you were possessed, because Rajin cut a deal with us, because no woman deserves to die without her lover, without living until she gets old" Laguna's words cut hard, personal for the President, as Ward ordered two Estharian MP's to take Rajin away, Seifer looked up at his bronze behemoth, questioning.
"I told 'em everything, ya know... Ya told me to protect her with my life... that's what I'm doing, ya know... Don't hate me, ya know..."
"Rajin, what?"
"Rajin confessed to everything, taking full responsibility for the three of you, he's charged with conspiracy, treason, warmongering and attempt to murder all of Garden and the SeeD's... among other things. There will be a war crimes tribunal in Esthar when the war is officially over." Laguna said, watching Seifer's face drain further in shock at his friend, who gulped and smiled pathetically, raising up to his full height,
"Don't worry, ya know... I got 'em to keep you and Fujin together. I know what I'm doing, see you later, ya know tell Fujin I love her... like a brother, ya know..." he said, walking away with the soldiers.
"Rajin!" Seifer said, standing up, placing Fujin's hand carefully down onto the blanket they had draped on her,
"Thank you. When this is over... we'll go fishing, spend all the time in Balamb you want"
"Yeah, I'd like that, ya know... when this is over" Rajin echoed, smiling assuringly, yet sadly at Seifer before he entered the military prisoner 'copter and was gone.
From a distance, Kiros stood watching the scene, smiling as he watched Seifer say goodbye to Rajin, kneeling down, reaching for Fujin's hand as the medical staff brought the gurney into the waiting air-lift vehicle, the doors shut and they were gone, their fighting was of a different nature now. Laguna stood behind Ward, turning as an officer gave word that Squall needed them, so Kiros joined his friends,
"She's not Raine" Kiros whispered to Laguna,
"I know... She'll live" Laguna said, hefting another of his machine guns on his shoulder as the three walked off to save Ellone, Rinoa and the world.