Chapter 8

Fujin looked away from the large mirror in front of her, a small look of fatigue appearing on her face. Quietly, she strode out of the room and towards the Hospital Wing, where Squall was being nursed back to health. There, she walked towards the Prince of Esthar and examined his sleeping face.

"Fu, what are you doing here?" Seifer mumbled, walking towards his small companion.

Fujin looked up towards Seifer and shrugged. "THINKING," she replied, looking back towards Squall. Gently, she pressed a finger on Squall's forehead, muttering something under her breath.

After a moment or so, she gasped, moving away from Squall. Seifer quickly caught her before she fell. "What did you do?"

Fujin stayed silent for a moment. "MEMORY," she answered plainly.

"What do you mean–" Seifer began.

"Lady Fujin?" a young servant squeaked, entering the room. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but you are needed at the Council."

Fujin sighed and reluctantly strode out of the room, nodding silently.

Seifer watched as Fujin left, while quietly thinking to himself. After a moment or so, he glanced at Squall, who was slowly opening his gray eyes. "I see you've come around."

Squall groaned as Seifer's face came into view. "You were the last person I was expecting to see," he grumbled, clutching his forehead with a gloved hand.

Seifer gave him a cynical look before replying. "Better believe it, Puberty Boy," he retorted, grinning mischievously.

Squall sighed, raising his arm over his eyes in order to block the glaring light. "Ugh, what do you want?"

"Don't act so hostile. I'm just here to check up on you," Seifer answered. "That a crime?"

"…" Squall didn't reply, as usual.

"Actually, I'm here to ask you a few things. Answer 'em and maybe I'll leave your miserable life alone."

"…Whatever…"

Seifer crossed his arms over his chest as he thought for a moment. Leaning against the wall, he looked up against the ceiling. "I couldn't help but notice that Quistis' arm was severely wounded when she came back here. It didn't look like any normal kind of wound. It seemed like something tore up inside her arms and ripped out of her skin," he said, remembering the wound. "You were there when it happened. What do you think?"

Squall thought for a moment, picturing the wound in his mind when he first saw her injury. "…She said it was just a small injury when I saw it. Afterwards she hid it from me so I couldn't really inspect it."

"Do you know how she got it?" Seifer asked curiously.

"…All I remember was a powerful force shooting up from her fingers, killing the monster that attacked us…What's weird about it was that she was unharmed before and during the battle. I never let her out of my sight, so it was impossible for her to be wounded by that creature," Squall replied.

Seifer stayed quiet for a moment, thinking Squall's words carefully in his mind. "…Interesting…"

Squall sighed as he removed the arm off his eyes. Slowly he sat up and glanced out the window. "…Her body can't withstand the powers within her. She's going to explode if she continues to use her magic recklessly," he finally said, hiding any traces of emotion in his voice.

"Hmph. You sound like you don't care much," Seifer pointed out coolly.

The Prince of Esthar remained calm and emotionless as he glanced out of the window, staring at the clouds. "…My opinion doesn't count. I'm just basing this all on facts. I have no intention of getting my emotions into this."

"What makes you say that?" the blonde prince asked, his emerald eyes sparkling with interest.

"It's obvious that this power is new to her. She's got to learn self-control or she'll burst like a balloon. Plus, her body seems too weak to withstand her untamed energy," Squall answered, lying back down on the bed. "I don't believe that it something worth protecting…"

Suddenly, Seifer looked up, his eyes flickering slightly, as if he felt a presence nearby. "Did you hear something?" he whispered, his sensitive ears ringing slightly, as if a loud sound had occurred.

"…The door…" Squall mumbled, looking out the window once again, as if nothing was happening.

With quick reflexes, Seifer quietly made his way towards the hospital wing's door. Whoever it was, he did not care, for he was sure to torture whoever it was in some way for trying to eavesdrop on him. "If it's that Chicken wuss…" he grumbled under his breath. Furiously, he hurled the door open, about to snap angrily at whoever was outside the other. Yet, before he ever had the chance to open his mouth, he stopped half way, too surprised at the person standing before him.

A pair of blue eyes gapped at him calmly. It was Quistis…

*

"The barrier!" was the booming cry as there was a sound of glass shattering into a million pieces.

Another blinding flash of light occurred, as the prison that contained the GFs shook violently. It soon began to crumble, disintegrating in an instant.

There was a shrill cry, as Leviathan broke through the crumbling barrier first, stretching his long body so high s if he was able to reach the burning sun. Of course, he had not intended to stay out in the sun for long. He of course was the ruler of the sea before his title was taken away from him and he was thrown into the hell they had called the "Sealed Underworld." His scales beginning to dry, Leviathan glanced at the once "Sealed Underworld" as his fellow GFs emerged.

Siren was next to follow, her wings thrust themselves forwards towards the azure blue sky, unfolding in glory as she stretched in relief, her pale skin absorbing the sun's warmth. With a relieved look on her face, she bathed in the sun's warmth for a moment, a tinge of her color rising to her oddly pale skin. In the years when she had once roamed the world freely, Siren had once been an exquisitely beautiful sea-maiden, luring men with her sweet song to their deaths as they caught sight of her. Her long golden hair and her tanned skin had been her pride, until she was defeated in battle and was trapped in the "Sealed Underworld." Of course, the Trepe who had locked her up would have to pay.

The Thunder God Quetzacotl broke through the barrier third, streaking the sky with a blazing color of neon. Bolts of thunder ran through his entire body, sending blinding sparks of light to fall towards the blue ocean below him. For thousands of years he had ruled the thunderous clouds and weather, sending forth the tempest storms and the destructive lightning as he pleased. When that power was taken away from him, he certainly vowed revenge.

"At last!" A darkening shadow overtook the world, as two dark figures emerged from the Sealed Underworld. Diablo, accompanied by the massive Bahamut rose to the bright sky. Bahamut spread his colossal wings as he took flight, blocking out the sun's rays in an instant. Diablo let out a small chuckle as he calmly hovered through the air, folding his arms over his chest.

As the rest of the GFs emerged from the hated prison, Shiva and Ifrit were the last to taint the sky with their glory. Ifrit let out a mighty roar as his claws unsheathed themselves, catching the light in an instant. A small ball of fire erupted from the giant beast's mouth as his roar carried throughout the world in one mighty echo.

By the fiery GF's side hovered the Goddess of Ice, shimmering in radiant blue as her hair cascaded down to her feet the moment she lifted her hood from her face. A smile touched her lovely lips as she spun in the air slowly, allowing her hair to flow ever so loosely into the breeze. No matter how long she had been held captive in the depths of the ocean prison, she had somehow maintained her magnificent beauty, as she had always been thousands of years before. Tainting the world with a soothing blue color, Shiva smiled, floating up higher in the air with her arms spread out wide. "Well, we've managed to escape the Sealed Underworld. Now it's time for the last seal to fall…"

Carbuncle peered its head from behind the giant Pandemonium and nodded in apprehension. "There's no need to worry about that…the Chosen One will awaken soon enough…"

*

"Princess!"

Quistis found herself staring up at her fiancé, who had a very shocked expression on his face. Her hand was brought up in mid air as if she were about to knock on the door. "Sir Almasy!" she said in surprise, recoiling in defense.

Seifer calmed down slightly as he looked the princess over suspiciously. "Hmm…a princess, eavesdropping?" he finally said, raising an eyebrow. "Bit of a step down isn't it?"

"I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, Sir Almasy. I was merely here to check up on Sir Leonhart," Quistis replied coolly, brushing past Seifer and towards where the Prince of Esthar had been lying. "Sir Leonhart, I trust you are feeling better?"

Squall did not bother looking at the princess as his gaze continued to gap at the marble ceiling. "…I'm fine," was the plain reply, as he placed the back of his hand on his forehead.

Quistis gave a small nod, folding her pale hands in front of her. A small smile spread across her lips as she glanced out the window. Quietly, she walked towards the window and opened it, allowing a small breeze to rustle by. "Correct me if I am wrong but–"

"Seifer!"

Suddenly, the door to the hospital wing burst open as Rinoa, followed by Raijin came in. Seifer gave a loud yelp as his hand was crushed against the wall from the impact of the door slamming against it. Wincing, he glared at his friend and at Squall's fiancée. "Dammit! What is it now!?"

Rinoa paused to catch her breath. Apparently, it had appeared that she was running for some time. "We…we were…" she began, her cheeks red and flushed.

"We were walkin' and we were lookin' around, ya know," Raijin continued, also out of breath.

Seifer looked at the two impatiently, massaging his bruised hand. "Spit it out already!" he snapped angrily.

"Raijin, shut up! Let me handle this!" Rinoa snapped angrily, regaining her breath slightly. She glanced at Seifer, still panting for breath. "In the Council! It's Fujin! She's–"

But before Rinoa could finish her sentence, Seifer sprinted out of the room as fast as lightning, not bothering to excuse himself out of the room.

Quistis glanced at the direction Seifer had bolted out of, a small curious look on her face. "Something wrong?"

"Something about the Council…" Rinoa began. "They say something's wrong with her…They sent me and this buffoon, Raijin, to inform you about it."

Hearing this, Squall rose from his bed, an annoyed look playing against his cold face. "…The Council overreacts itself. For all we know it could be about something pointless…"