XIII - Hyperion

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the FF 8 characters, but I own all the Temera characters.

A.N.: So guys, as you've probably already noticed, we're heading right towards the end of "Snow in May" (don't look at me like that – it's definitely NOT going to end with that chapter).

Moments passed in which her life rushed past her again in bits and pieces. Keeping her eyes shut tightly, she waited for the spell that would end her life in pain. And damn she was afraid. Once again, it was her turn to admit that she was scared to death.

Moments passed but nothing happened. No electricity in her body, no pain, no satisfied laughter from Foda. Nothing but the echo of footsteps that reached her ear through the ice she lay on, nothing but the familiar sound of a blade cutting the air into pieces. She knew the sound. This one special sound. "Hy… Hyperion?"

Shoving back the thought that she should be right dead actually, she opened her eyes again and tried to sit up. Still, she couldn't ignore the pain under her ribs that kept her half sitting, half lying. What she saw made her blood freeze immediately.

She hadn't mistaken the sound. It was Hyperion. It was that silver, shining blade which he was so proud of. The weapon that could cut bones like a knife did with warm butter.

He had found her.

>>>

"Congratulations, Almasy." Rubbing his wounded arm, Foda stepped back once again. "Excellent work. If you were that good in combat-"

"I would have killed you the first time you touched her." Trying to catch his breath again, Seifer gave her a sideways glance. She seemed to be unharmed, but he knew the pain inside her body filled her to bursting. He had to get through this quickly. "If you want to kill her, Foda, you've got to get past me first."

"Oh, really?" A slight smile crept across his face. "All of a sudden? What got into you, Almasy? Are you tired of dating damn bimbos? Or is it your simple, romantic, but fatal tendency towards playing knight for wanna-be-witches? You didn't care about her for whole ten years, so where does this change come from?"

"None of your fucking business!" With rage growing inside him again, he tried another slice through the beast's body. But Foda was – he had to admit this despite all inner rejection – more than just a damn monster. He was quick, clever and less distracted. "Damn Fujin, go! Leave, now!"

The words struck through her like lightning. He was her leader, so she had to follow his order and go, didn't she? But wasn't it her task, too, to help her leader in such a fight? And did she really want to leave him alone with that murderer Foda? Pushing any thoughts about pain away, she tried to stand up. No way in hell she would leave him there, up in some godforsaken, frozen forest with nothing but Hyperion as protection. As she made her way to her weapon, she heard him sigh again. "Fujin, dammit, get off here!"

He couldn't remember much of what happened next. First, there had been Foda's ugly grin, then the darkness, the icy snow, the pain. Somewhere on his cheek, he felt blood running slowly. Considered Fujin had earned the same kick to her stomach, he wondered she could still move anymore.

"Foolish, Almasy, really foolish. Almost stupid, one would have to say. Rule one: Never let yourself be distracted by anything. But women manage that so well, don't they… Seifer?"

"Fucking bastard." As he tried to stand up again, he felt the profile of boots on his hurt cheek. It made the wound burn even more.

"I could stamp your head into a pulp right now, if I wanted it that way."

"Off." As the beast looked over to her again, Fujin straightened up again. "Get your boots off him, Foda, or I'll cut off your head and kick it from here back to BG, you hear me?"

Surprise was easy to see in his face. It made him smile again. Not from victory or satisfaction, but from pure astonishment. "Now look who speaks… It's no use to speak in one-word-sentences no more, right? After all, you two are gonna die within the next two minutes, so no reason anymore for hiding yourself from the others, right? Oh, Fujin, I really liked you better before, you know." Content with her blank face, he looked down to his prey again. "So what about you, Almasy? One last word for your obedient slave?"

Closing his eyes, Seifer gathered what was left from his powers, before he slammed his free fist on the ice next to him. "I'm sorry, Fuu."

A short shriek left her mouth, but again, everything happened to fast. The fire spell he had concentrated on, the frightening sound of thick ice breaking, the shock in Foda's face as the ground to his feet vanished and ripped both him and Seifer into the dark floods. Shocked, Fujin stood at the shore and stared. Simply stared. She couldn't believe he had really done this. "Seifer, dammit!"

Ignoring all good warnings, she stormed onto the ice and tried to rub the snow of it. The waters beneath were red now. Blood red. The colour made her breath quicken. "Seifer! Seifer!"

Seconds passed, nothing happened. Silence filled the air around her. Once more, the woods seemed dead. As she gazed around helplessly, she felt tears coming to her eye slowly. "Seifer…"

It was the sound of water splashing that brought her back to life. Next to the whole he had created in the massive ice, Hyperion now lay again. She wanted to be cursed if it had laid there before. When his hand appeared next to it, she stormed off to it, finally. "Seifer!" Grabbing his arm, she tried to pull him out of the dark, cold waters. It had soaked through all of his clothes, drawing him deeper into the lake with every second. Besides, the current was still calling for him. Grabbing Hyperion, she pulled him out of the water completely and helped him to stumble to one of the tress at the shore. Exhausted, she sank down with her back against it.

"Did-didn't I tell y-you to leave?" When she smirked slightly at him stuttering from the cold, he smiled faintly, but at the same moment, felt blood coming up his throat again, making him cough. Immediately, her amusement dissolved into sheer panic. "Seifer!" as his eyes closed again, she felt something shattering inside herself. "Seifer? Seifer!"

A.N.: Love tricky cliff hangers, love tricky cliff-hangers! Hehe to be continued soon…