Okay, in case you don't know it yet, I don't own any of these characters or their locations.
(Dammit! I could certainly use a bevy of bishies in uniform to do away with my enemies! )

This chapter is a little odd, but then again, anything involving time travel/compression/rearranging is going to be.
Bear with me, please? And forgive the creative rearranging of time that's already taken place with this story.
Kinda hard to make it flow right if you figure it only took what, three days? Sure...

And thanks to EVERYONE for reading, and Raven for helping me with the future scenes. (BTW, she also scanned the scene to make sure it was sufficiently confusing. If you're not lost, blame her. evil grins)

Time Compression

Slamming bindly into a wall, she rested her forehead against the cool metal. "COWARD" she growled, slamming an open hand into the wall. "Should've done it myself."

"Done what?"

"Killed him." She turned to Raijin, meeting his shocked expression with a sad smile. "Squall shouldn't be the one to free him from HER." A bitter laugh escaped. "Almasy was right. Told me I'd lose if I wouldn't take what was mine. And here we are ..." Her voice trailed off into harsh coughs that stopped when the room wrenched itself into a spiral and the ceiling bounced off her knees.


..


...

(what?)

Stretched and twisted, folded around and inside endless gray, Fujin screamed in rage
and pain until her throat was raw and there was nothing left.

(waves of cold fear)

Seifer slammed into the wall, eyes unfocused by the impact.. "Foolish boy." The sorceress growled
at the dazed knight where she'd tossed him. "Useless child." Reaching for her chakram,
Fujin's hand passed right through...

(the hell?)

... to grab the porch railing when Raijin nearly fell out of the tree. "I'm alright, ya know?
Grabbed the wrong board. Done soon, ya know?" The pile of wood on the ground was all that
remained of the treehouse. It was amazing how focused he was...

(someone help me!)

... even when he was coughing up blood. "I'm sorry. I ..." Pushing silver hair out of her face,
she laid one hand against his shoulder. She couldn't find the spells that should have been in her head.
"I don't..."

Seifer laughed and coughed, blood pouring from his side to pool on the ground.
"You go. I'm going to die, and you've got to get away." Gritting his teeth against the pain,
he didn't notice the shadow that crossed his face.
But she did, and looked up to a child standing there.
"Hey mister!" the girl said brightly, and Fujin allowed herself a glimmer of hope that...

(Hyne, make it go away!)

... slid down the wall after her. "Raijin?" She tried to reach out to him for help,
but the world was warping badly in time with the roaring in her ears.

"Fuj?" His voice was rough, cracking. "What's goin' on, ya know?"

"UNKNOWN" she gasped, the air suddenly heavier than the floor.
Watching in morbid fascination, they both saw the hole where the hallway turned itself inside-out with ...

(Make it STOP!)

... the smell of candle wax and eggs. Raijin singing loudly as Seifer laughed.
One by one, the candles fell over in slow motion. "WAX OMELETTE?"
One eyebrow arched at the food that was almost breakfast.

Shrugging, he grinned sheepishly. "Seemed like a good idea, ya know?"

With a shake of her head, Fujin stood and turned away, headed after ...

(Thought dead was supposed to be quiet?)

... more life absorbed from Rinoa. The SeeDs wouldn't touch the Sorceress,
their fear for the girl flavoring the air. When Leonhart finally swung,
his opponent just laughed coldly and drew again.

Fujin watched Instructor Trepe draw back and ...

(weak laughter crossed pale lips)

... fought not to shudder as she put the bottle back in the pack. "WOAH!" she coughed. "Wrong bottle!"

He burst into laughter after a brief struggle not to. "Shit'll get you drunk fast."
He seemed amazed she hadn't thrown up or fallen over.

"You DRINK this?" She pulled a face and coughed again. "Gah! It's so harsh!
Sure it's not just for cleaning wounds?" The acrid taste remained, as well as ...

(Anybody?)

... the smell of aftershave drifted in. "Daddy!" She tackled him as he walked through the door. Somehow
he always seemed to know what days she was going to jump off the couch at him.
Today was one of those days; he turned smiling to catch her.
"You peeked!" she accused, shaking her tiny finger at him.

"Nah. It's magic, Fu." He winked at her and set her on the floor.

"Like when mama knows about the cookies?" she whispered, grinning.

He smiled broadly, pushing up his glasses. "Yep, just like..."

(RAGE!)

... the hallway wrenched nauseatingly, and the gray shifted to a different flavor.
Shadows coalesced into a familiar form. "Mama?"

"Are we there yet?" A child tugged Fujin's pants leg. "Will daddy be there?"
Violet eyes looked at her with hope.

(Tired. Lost)

Fujin gave in to the chaos, letting it tear through her mind for the brief moment it took her to collapse.