The next morning happened far to early for Squall's tastes. he had been up until all hours the previous night thinking. unfortunately for the commander he would be lost in thought a lot today. though that he didn't know yet, or even have and inkling of. he got out of bed, just like always and changed his clothes into his street clothes, the black jacket and pants that had almost become his trademark, carefully setting his medallion against his neck he sat in the dorm room, he had been offered the room for the headmaster, but he had thought it better the room converted to the room to greet foreign dignitaries. he had gotten pretty much used to this smaller dorm room and bedded in the SeeD wing. He looked at the walls, as well as the stacks of weapons monthly magazines and battle series, but aside from a large-scale replica of the Lionheart framed on his wall they were bare, except for one other picture across from his bed and over his desk. it was an image from right after the defeat of Ultamecia it was him with Rinoa in his arms, they were kissing, it was a covert photograph taken by the number one hyperactive garden master herself. Selphie had been very proud of the image. Squall hadn't been exactly pleased but he got a copy anyway, it was a pretty good picture.
The day began normally enough it was sunny outside and seasonably warm as spring wore on and many of the cadets were enjoying the weather. he could hardly argue with them only he didn't have anyone to share it with since the sorceress had left his life. he pondered her for another few moments just standing looking out across the quad. He shook his head seeing Zell jogging across the quad with a pack of wiped out looking students behind him as he yelled and made a forward sweeping motion, he could be heard even at this range, if nothing else the guy had some lungs.
"come on! it's only been two miles, one more! if you stop jogging to get an extra mile! come on! SeeD need to be the top of the top, and who gets blamed if you arn't? ME!" He carried on and looped back around them to yell at them from behind, it was almost comic, he looked like he should be wearing a Galbanian Drill Sergeant's uniform. Squall stepped out into the quad and Zell spotted him and jogged right up, a sheen of sweat on his face as he gave a good old fashioned shit-eatin' grin and waved, then looked back at his class.
"okay take five boys! Squall buddy, morning! you're up late, what's eating you?" It rather irked Squall that the blonde could read him like a book every time. That'll teach him to be so damned sociable. Squall was silent for a moment and slowly shifted from one foot to the other as he thought of an acceptable answer short of the truth, and came up with a good half-truth, not even a lie in his book.
"I was thinking about Rinoa." that was a safe answer, an expected answer, and not a lie. he had been thinking about Rinoa only in a slightly different context. But he held his face passive as he spoke and his tone even, letting it drop a little bit in defeatist tone. The blonde's face contorted for a few moments and then he lay a fingerless glove on his friend's shoulder and patted a few times. before speaking quietly.
"You don't have to lie man. just tell me who it is."
"I have no idea..." he was cut off right there by the martial artist who wouldn't even let him finish the thought.
"Man, we have known each other for how long? And I can tell when something is bothering you. you can't lie to me, what is her name?" Zell was looking right into Squall's eyes as he spoke, searching them for the answer. Squall in the meantime was flabbergasted. Of coarse he didn't let on, but since when had Zell become a mind reader? Especially about women, this was the guy who couldn't get a girl to talk to him, even after he saved the world. Until a girl caught him showering off, then news of him had spread fast, but that was a different story entirely. Squall could have done without the Details. But back to the matter at hand, how to deal with this new issue, if it were salvageable at all. Zell looked at him hard for a few moments then a smirk ghosted across his lips and was gone just as fast. Before he spoke.
"It's Fujin isn't it?" Now Squall couldn't hide his surprise, his eyebrows raising an inch and his eyes going wide, was it really so obvious that this oblivious clown could pick it up? or had he spent the last few years completely underestimating the spiky haired tattoo-bearing one-man-mauling-machine? Zell's smile became full blown and he nodded and leaned on his back foot and stroked his chin with a smile, looking entirely too smug.
Squall couldn't think right. and brushed past the punching machine almost knocking him over, without a word and made his way to the main halls of the building as Zell called after him rather loudly.
"Dude! Good Luck!" Squall didn't even look back, that had thrown off an already messed up morning, now teetering on the edge of being one of the more bizarre days in hi life since the Time Compression. all he could focus on was a singular desire. Hotdogs.
&8&
Morning Pains, but that was hardly enough to keep her in bed she stood up and with about ninety degrees of backbend and a number of popped vertebra later she stood and stretched out a little with a yawn and reached to the table beside her bed and took up the black patch that settled over her one eye blind. Next task was changing into proper attire for a day off, no schooling today. She smiled at the thought and after throwing on a slightly darker version of her Prewar attire settled into her desk chair leaning back a bit as she pulled up the blinds and let the sun in. it was bright yeah, but few things are nicer than some warm sun after a long day. Or, in this case a long night. Another yawn later she had that good warm loose feeling that only came with a good deep yawn. Another day in the life, right?
She paused at her desk and snagged a notebook, not a diary really. more like a log. not deep personal thoughts or anything, just notations and lessons she'd picked up, memos and things to think about. She placed it with a manila envelope and stepped out of the room locking it from the outside with her key. Her next move was too head outside, not to the quad, no better, she'd head up to the second floor to the balcony aside from the classrooms and stood out on the breezy balcony. There she paused, if only for a moment and just drank it in. The soft sea breeze, the murmurs of gulls that were never too far away and a view of the Galbanian coastline, lush, green and picturesque. She could see the tops of trees from her perch as Garden just sat, hovering over the water silently awaiting its next global transversal. she liked it here. When they weren't at FH she could have some peace and quiet. No one came up here, it wasn't even likely anyone knew she was here. Which suited her just fine. She sat down against the rim of the balcony and opened the notebook, removing a pen from it's spin marking her place as she made a few short notations. She read over her notes after that, just thinking and noticed a trend she hadn't seen before. Both in grades and general ability, that girl from first period was top of her classes. Interesting Factoid, Fujin, had never been top of the class but she was one of the top two, always. It was a resonance that made her think back, and consider the past, including the events leading to the very patch she lay her had against now. She still remembered her curt and strong refusal of a false eye, taking her eye patch instead. It Felt like a badge of honor, no one could forget anymore. She had always been recognized after that. She smiled and then in a fit of mirth dropped her head back and let out a laugh. it felt good to occasionally let go of things, and this was just one of those moments. Whether in her room or anywhere alone she always felt better about letting things like that show. Emotion. Her mind drifted to the previous night and she lowered her head a bit tapping the pen on her page a few moments before she scrawled in her handwriting, which was almost illegible outside someone who was not used to it, the message was simple and marginal, like an afterthought. Hyperion, Location? It was a simple question. and something to ponder. she made a small list of places, each of the storage areas, but then she realized, like an idiot where it would be. The Confiscated Items locker, probably right next to Zell's Z-board... she placed the pen and closed the notebook in one simultaneous motion and stood up. That thought led her back to reality when she realized she wouldn't be able to get it. she sighed, the peace was gone, and she felt the need to hurt something. Standing, she walked back inside and back to her dorm to drop off the papers and pick up her pinwheel, something she was rather proud of, that she was again allowed her weapon. Quite a measure of trust, and headed down to the training area spinning the weapon on her finger as she walked by various students who looked up and whispered as she passed, she was used to it. It had been that way for years. she heard murmurs of killer, and sabotage, but she knew it was all just idle rumor. even if she didn't discourage it, let them have their kicks. It didn't hurt her, unlike how she was about to hurt a few Grats.
&8&
Squall stood up, eight was enough, he waved to the lunch lady and smiled slightly and she waved back, there was a reason he increased their budget. best money spent in a long time. He wandered out of the Cafeteria, and after a stint of wandering headed back to his quarters, the best way to work off a meal like that was a little life or death training. he picked up Lionheart, pleased as the energy and metal of the blade remained as potent as ever, he took a moment to admire the blade, Blue and glistening like it's made of energy, but it was just constantly warm to the touch, almost like heated glass, flat and knickless. he was never exactly sure how it cam to be but it was hella cool. his Blade was one of the few things he took pride in, always shining and oiling the revolver to integrate the heavy pulse shells it fired. he gave it a spin and adjusted his grip setting himself and checking the balance for issues and then set it in it's holster and left his room heading to the training area. he had a mind to get a little rowdy, and inflict a little damage. he strolled with calm finesse, one hand on the hilt of his Gunblade, the other in his pocket, he was comfortable, and that was a rarity all in itself.
He stepped into the green and out looking across the rather large complex area when he heard a crash and looked up, Rex was on the loose again, but that Pinwheel was a little too familiar, immediately he Bolted. Full tilt, knocking over a few grats as he went hardly paying them mind as the battle came into view it was Fujin alright... and Rex was mad...
&8&
Fujin shot backward dodging another bite. The massive beast dove in with a roar and tilting it's head took another bite as she jumped forward and slashed it's exposed eye earning a roar of pain as she landed laughing a solid block of ice that struck it in the side, that had been her last Blizzard, she was in trouble again, and likely not for the last... in the next moments she felt herself come under a Gf and the blue woman over her froze the battlefield and shattered it, Shiva, that could only be one person. she watched as he charged past her wreathed in energy, Limit broken, she had witnessed this once before, but every time it amazed her as the blade became like a wall of energy the massive beast thrown from the dirt into the air only to be met with a fury of assaults. one slash after another bright flashes of energy as the revolver pounded shell after shell compounding the injury as massive gouts of blood appeared across it's body as it flailed in air the Lionheart specialty was almost beautiful when one wasn't being subjected to it's strain.
as it fell back to earth and Squall landed beside her in a crouch after leaping from it using it's chest as a springboard as it landed on it's flank and fought to it's feet and roared but it seemed diminished some, likely because of it's multiple horrible looking wounds she had to hand it too him for damage, she stood and nodded to him, she herself was sporting a number of wounds, for such a large creature it was fast and she couldn't dodge everything, at least not completely. she had a number of wounds none life threatening but she wasn't in top form, not by a long shot. but she forced herself to stand and drew on her spells and grabbed one that felt promising and pushing forward one palm let lose the wind picked up off her palm and like a razorblade she took it and moved it, she threw the wind, not as a weapon itself but let it soar right past the wounds leaving a vacuum behind it, and anyone with a science major can tell you what happens in a vacuum, things rush to fill it, in this case flesh. the massive beast howled in pain as Squall moved in, his blade coming up as it's head came down and Fujin pulled on another spell, and aimed carefully before letting it go squall's blade leaving a freezing trail as the super cooled blade met the beast's head cleaving into the cranium and ripping it free as the wound froze the monster falling to the ground with an earth shaking Rumble and thrashing it's death throws slowly. Fujin dropped to one knee with a sigh, she had thought for a moment that she would die... that she would really die right there. Squall, relatively free of gore, stepped forward and offered out a gloved hand and a slight smile, the light from the sun backlighting him as she looked up and took his hand. Squall gave a soft pull and raised her to her feet.
Fujin opened her mouth to speak but Squall cut her off with a motion before he spoke softly.
"We'll talk after we get you to the doctor, she'll be able to do more than a simple cue spell. nice finishing spell." and Fujin's mouth opened as if to say something then closed and she nodded looking up into his eyes she felt a relief, and a warmth as she walked with him, skirting the slow moving plantlike Grat as they headed to the infirmary. and deep inside squall felt good, a deep strength of a debt fulfilled.
A/N: First I would like to say, thanks to my constant reviewers, and all the poeple who throw in thier two bits, it helps me stay motivated. and speaking specifically to "Amazed" and "Daksheena" that is exactly what I hope will happen, that people will step outside the Canon and accept new ideas, no matter how far fetched they sound. if the charactors can stay in charactor then I consider it legitimate pairing, hands down. And now we have that moment of connection everybody has been looking for high and low! there it is! WOOO! I did it! now for the hard part!... damn... oh well.
Regards, Last Harlequin.