IV – Beast
A.N.: Thanks for all your nice reviews. Of course I'm going to explain why Fujin was that scared and what had happened to her. Just wait a bit.
Disclaimer: I don't own Fujin, Raijin or Seifer. They belong to squaresoft. But I own Kyte.
When the lesson started, she was glad she had changed classes and was now sitting next to Seifer. She needed someone to lean on, someone she trusted.
The man walking into the room just at the second the bell rang looked quiet charming on the first sight. His black hair was neatly strained back to a short plait while his ice blue eyes roamed the students, lingered at her spot for a few seconds. His clothes were as neat as the rest of his appearance, his moves slow and steady. He was definitely one of the strict ones, she decided.
"So, ladies and gentlemen. Good morning everyone. As you've probably heard already, I'm your now combat teacher from now on. My name's Kyte Foda, but you may also just call me "Kyte"."
"Show-off." Fujin whispered and made Seifer chuckle. "Right, Fujin, he's probably going to invite you ladies for a romantic dinner after the lessons."
She wondered shortly if Seifer would fight with Foda to get rid of the competitor. When Foda had finished his short introduction, she turned to her teacher again. He was giving instructions for the next lessons, mostly practical training sessions and just a bit of theory. She had gone through the system twice already, so she felt slightly bored by his endless talking.
"Miss Kazeno." Her attention snapped back immediately. "I want to talk to you in private after that lesson."
She couldn't explain why she suddenly felt both annoyed and frightened by his order, so she just nodded. "Affirmative." The smile he sent back to her made her grit her teeth. "Idiot."
"Why, Fujin, you're getting more precise with every minute." Seifer mentioned, chuckling.
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The lesson went by as most did – boring her to death and leaving a lot of rubbish to throw away inside her head. The only reason why she didn't stride off as fast as possible was the "talk in private" with Foda. And the urgent wish to wash that smile from his face.
"Problem?"
"You're still a woman of few words, Fujin. But I appreciate that." He took a few moments to watch her brother and Seifer, who were standing at the door, waiting for her. "Has Raijin kept his habit, too?"
"Confused." The word made him laugh lightly. "Ah, so you don't remember me. Well, I remember you, Fujin. It has been a long time. Seven years, wasn't it? Nevertheless I'm disappointed. I thought I had left quite impressive memories in your head." He watched her eyes flicker with interest and rage for a moment and decided just to go a little farther. "Do you dream at night, Fujin?"
Her fist shot up fast, but he was used to it. After all, he was a combat teacher. With a few easy moves he blocked her blow and caught both her wrists. "You're still a bad girl, Fujin. That's why you're still alone."
"Beast!" She spit the word out like it was a knife she would have gulped otherwise. Oh, how she would love to pond that smirking face of his into the floor.
"You can't evade yourself, Fujin."
"Leave her alone, dammit." Sure that he had heard and tolerated enough, Seifer stepped in and shove Foda's hands away from her. "Who the hell do you think you are?"
"Your combat teacher." He still smiled coldly. "And as exactly that I'd advice YOU to leave ME alone. You don't want to risk being thrown out of BG forever, do you?"
He turned to Fujin again. "I wish you a nice evening, Miss Kazeno."
She waited until he had left the room, then hissed out her breath. "Bastard."
"He sure as hell is. You're pale, Fujin." When she glared at him angrily, he smiled slightly. "Paler than usual, Fuu. What did that asshole say to you?"
"Nothing." She stalked off to the door. "Nothing."
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It was late in the evening when Raijin finally left her alone. He had tried to make sure she would be okay, but he knew she wouldn't accept his help. She blocked him again.
Outside her dorm, Seifer waited with a look of concern on his face. "She kicked you out?"
"Said she doesn't want company, ya know. Told me she was alright. Liar."
"Until self-destruction, I guess." He noticed the fatigue on Raijin's face. "You know that Foda, don't you?" But Raijin merely shook his head. "I don't know. But I have a feeling I know what she meant with that "Beast"-thing, ya know."
Immediately, Seifer's attention was back at full power. "Tell me. Everything."
"It's a bit complicated, ya know." Raijin tried to evade. "And really private."
"Private?" The simple word forced Seifer to laugh between amusement and anger. "I tell you something, Raijin. Foda's talk with her was private. Her memory is private. My concern for her is private. And you're telling me I shouldn't get to know what I can do for her just because you consider it private? Hell, Raijin, I'm far too deep into private to step back now."
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They found some quiet at the cafeteria. It was too late in the evening for anyone to come here, as everything was closed down. The only light they had came from the white moon, shining directly onto the table they always sat at. They put two of the three chairs down carefully and kept sitting there quietly for a few seconds.
He could see it was hard for Raijin to even get used to the fact he had to tell anyone about what he knew of Fujin's past, but there was no way to get around it.
"I know about the beast-thing." He tried to start out, but realised it was harder than he had expected. "Fujin has always been reduced to her looks only, ya know. You, me and her mother, we were the only people who didn't seem to be frightened or disgusted by her albino-look."
"Because it's not her fault. Freaky decision of Mother Nature. I wouldn't even call it freaky, just strange."
"Well, that's the way we see it, ya know." He shook his head again, trying to get rid of the echoes inside. "Children can be really cruel. Fujin didn't have a happy childhood, ya know. They were all just teasing her about her pale skin and red eyes, called her an ugly freak and thousands of other stupid names. She didn't seem to care." He took a deep breath, the sorrow swinging within. "But she did She did care a lot. She was like the ice around our town – we were living far in the north – cold, beautiful and fragile. She kept bursting into tears regularly when no one was around, but I managed to console her most times. Well and then she started talking in those one word sentences all of a sudden. And the first thing she said in that manner was "beast". She didn't tell me who she meant with it, but she was definitely shocked, scared, desperate. I did never manage to find out who she connected it with, ya know."
On the other end of the table, Seifer tried to put together the pieces of what he knew about Fujin by now. Considered that she was his second in command and one of the only people he really trusted, he knew almost nothing about her. In fact, he had never seemed to bother. "Foda?"
"Not sure, ya know. But I got a feeling I know him, too." He faced the cold moon in the sky and wondered if it made her tears glisten like crystals just that moment again. "Me and Fujin, we tried to get rid of our past, ya know. I don't want to remember either, but I'm sure I'll have to. And she with me."
"Leave it to me, Raijin." He was surprised he managed the words without making it sound like an insult. "I've messed up both your lives, so I owe you two something." He stood up again, left the chair where it was. "Let's just give her a few hours of sleep. I'll go talk to Kadowaki tomorrow. I don't have to tell her the whole story of course." Seifer mentioned as Raijin's head jerked up in anger. "Let's just try to keep her out of sight of that damn Foda for the moment."
When he strode off to the dormitories again, he realised it was just what he had expected: Foda worked like a damn monster. There were only questions to know how to defeat it: What the heck was it and where the hell was the weakness?