This chapter is dedicated to Akira Silveracious Majere O Brother "What are you doing here of all places?" Quistis asked, her head still spinning from the bear hug. Raijin stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "Good a place as any ya know." "Uh yeah." Quistis smiled thinly. "What about you, where’s Squall and the others. You guys usually a team ya know?" Quistis forgot how much he annoyed her at times with all the -ya know- mess. "Just here on vacation, needed some time off. As for the others they are at Balamb still." "How have you been, it’s been awhile since I seen you guys ya know." "I’ve been okay, ya know." Quistis slapped her forehead and sighed. "How my sister doin, she still hanging out there? She always thought of Balamb as her home ya know?" Quistis fumbled her bags. "Oh, Fu? I mean Fujin, well she good. Fine I mean. Wait? She doing good." She stammered and smiled sheepishly. "Good, I should visit her ya know." "Yeah, I suppose. Are you staying here or just visiting?" "Staying, been here for three weeks ya know." "Wow, that must get expensive." "I’ve been bounty hunting, catching criminals and monsters ya know." "Must be exciting." "You know it." Quistis laughed. "It’s fun, I’m in charge of my own life now. Not having to be in anyone’s shadow or take orders. I come and go as want, when I want. It’s a good thing ya know." "I imagine so." "How long are you here for? It’s a good place to visit plenty thing to do ya know." "Hi sorry if I’m interrupting." Bryce coughed apologetically as he walked up. Quistis could’ve tore her hair out, she thought she seen the last of him. "This a friend?" He said smiling. "Um." Quistis looked hopefully at Raijin and quickly took his arm in hers. "Boyfriend." She said sheepishly and fluttered her eyes at Raijin praying for him to play along. "Um. I was talking to him." Bryce said coolly and gave Raijin a questioning look. Raijin bellowed with laughter. "Quistis this is my buddy Bryce. He’s hired me to clear out a nest of wyrm’s from his land. One of those good jobs I was telling you about ya know." He thumbed towards Quistis who was hoping for a coronary. "Bryce this is an old buddy of mine, but I have a feeling you’ve met ya know." "Yeah we met yesterday, her and her lady friend. What was her name again?" Quistis could’ve fainted. "Fujin wasn’t it?" He asked curiously. "Fujin?" Raijin said slowly and disengaged himself from Quistis. Quistis laughed nervously and smiled a toothy smile. "Yeah was going to tell you, she’s here too." "What, really that’s great ya know! Where is she?" Bryce looked on curiously. "Er in our, her, our room, she’s sick and resting up." "Sick aw man that’s not good ya know. She used to get sick all the time when we was kids ya know." "I’m taking care of her." Quistis said cautiously. "Let’s go see her, she’ll be glad to see me ya know. Bryce you have to meet her she’s the coolest ya know, perhaps you two will hit it off." "Somehow I doubt it." Bryce said with a dull grin. She gave them a smiled at them through gritted teeth. "I don’t think that would be a good idea Raijin." "Why not ya know?" "Well she’s really under the weather." Raijin just looked at her firmly. "Damn it." Quistis sighed. "Okay come on then." She said in resignation. Fujin still lay in the bed going in and out of restless sleep. At least her stomach stopped flopping around like a dead fish. There was a laughing bellow somewhere out in the hall that caught her attention and she focused her attention on it. "Can’t be." Fujin thought sourly and dismissed it. The door rattled a moment and she readied another pillow in case it was another maid. The door burst open as Raijin charged into the room arms wide and smiling ear to ear. "SURPRISE!" He bellowed loudly. Fujin leapt from the bed with a hoarse yell and landed in a battle stance. She blinked several times at the lumbering brute charging at her. She leapt into the air and caught him in the jaw with a jumping spin kick. He shrugged it off and grabbed her in a bear hug that lifted her off the ground. Her stomach heaved and she knew neither of them would like what happened next. Bryce stood staring out the window while Quistis leaned on the dresser rubbing her temples. Fujin had taken a shower and changed clothes she now sat on the bed snarling angrily. Raijin meanwhile could be heard singing in the shower. Bryce had been kind enough to get him a change of clothes a maid had already came to clean up the mess. "Nice room." Bryce said in an attempt at small talk. Both women looked at him venomously. "Yeah ok." He grumbled and resumed gazing out the window. "You okay Fu?" Quistis asked with a soft smile. Fujin looked up with a lost expression. This was the last thing she’d expected or hoped right now. "He thought you’d be glad to see him." Quistis tried feebly. "Yeah he talks about you all the time. He speaks highly of you." Bryce said as he started to pace. Fujin looked miserable just wanted to enjoy some peace and quiet with Quistis and not worry about any of this. Raijin came out of the bathroom in his new clothes and drying his short-cropped black hair. "Nasty spew ya know." He said laughingly "NISGUSTING." Fujin sniffed wearily before going into a fit of sneezing. "Hey sis you’re the one who did it ya know. So how ya been I’ve been thinking about ya you know." Fujin scowled. "What’s that all for Fujin, I come here to say hi and you kick me in the head, puke on me and then give me the cold shoulder, that’s not nice ya know." "DESERVED." She snorted in disinterest. "What’d I do, I’m clueless ya know?" He knelt by her and put a hand on her shoulder. She slapped him, hard, the sound drawing everyone’s attention. "Like that then, okay I’ll go ya know." He said sadly and stood. Quistis looked on heartbroken by the disappointment in his voice. "Come on Bryce lets go ya know." He said weakly. Quistis walked quietly over to Fujin and put a hand on her shoulder. "Fu.." She whispered softly a plea in her tone. Fujin scowled and huffed, folding her arms and not wanting to hear any of it. Raijin looked back at the two, the bright merriment in his eyes dimmed considerably. "See ya round Quistis, tell Squall and them I said hello ya know." "I will." She said gently and waved. Bryce waved sourly, what had started off humorous had taken a downright depressing turn. "ABANDONDED!" Fujin shouted abruptly, startling Quistis. Bryce nearly came out of his shoes as he turned around. Raijin paused in the doorway and his shoulders slumped. "I know Fu, I can’t explain it well ya know." He said sadly. "Felt I let you down ya know. Supposed to look out for you, that’s what mom told me before she died ya know." He turned around and looked at her misty-eyed. Fujin sat firm in her resolve as he tried feebly to explain. Bryce chose to be respectful and decided to wait in the hall, Quistis was about to follow but Fujin took her hand and held onto it firmly. "Felt useless ya know, Seifer was always talking down to me like I was an idiot ya know. Then we let him go crazy and he nearly gets everyone killed, but hey he was our friend ya know. I though we were supposed to stand with out friends through thick or thin." He sniffed and shrugged. "Then I gets to thinking about when we was younger ya know. After we got back to garden and they said we should remove our Guardian Forces stuff started coming back ya know. How Seifer was to us, you most of all." He hung his head in shame. Quistis listened intently though dreading what she was about to hear. She looked at Fujin with worried eyes. Fujin just stared intensely ahead as if in judgment of him. "I remembered that night..." He gestured to his left eye. "Ya know..." Fujin nodded solemnly and lightly touched her eye patch. "I got mad ya know, how could I have sat back and do nothing when I knew what happened. I wasn’t there, but I knew, everyone knew but just let it go." He wiped his eyes and walked to her and sinking to his knees. "Hated myself for letting him get away with it ya know. All those times he treated you bad I shoulda done something, sure he was mean to me too but you deserved better. I mean your smart and pretty and me, well.." He laughed weakly "Well I’m not brightest bulb in the box ya know." He rapped his knuckles on his head gently. Fujin’s exterior cracked slightly and her eye began to mist. "I felt you’d be better off ya know, without me or him. You could do better on your own without all the bad memories. Your strong, not like me you never backed down from anything. You’d do better being around good people like Miss Trepe here." He smiled up at Quistis, who was now in tears her self. "I never meant to hurt you ya know." He sighed and took her other hand in his. "You’re my big sister ya know. I love you more than I do myself." He smiled hugely. "And you know how much I love myself." "BIG HEAD." Fujin murmured wiping her eye with her palm. "That’s me." He sniffed with a grin. "I just hope someday you can understand what I’m trying to say ya know." Fujin stood with a scolding look and regarded him a moment. Raijin stood sheepishly and sighed. "I’m sorry Fu." She smiled slightly then kicked him hard in the shin. "YEOUCH!" He shouted in pain as he hobbled about on one foot. Quistis put her hands to her mouth in surprise. "Fu!?" She squeaked in shock. Raijin looked at Fujin with a huge grin as he gingerly put his foot back down. "KEEP IN TOUCH." Fujin stated simply and offered a hand. "You got it, you’re the best ya know." He laughed heartily and took her hand as is to shake it but instead pulled her into a tight bear hug. Fujin cursed and sputtered angrily before finally submitting to be hugged. She awkwardly patted him on the back and smirked at Quistis, who was beside herself at the touching scene. He let her go then grabbed Quistis before she could protest. "ACK!? RAY RAY RAY CAN"T BREATH RAY!?" She shouted hoarsly. "Take care of her Miss Trepe, ya gotta promise me ya know." He said sternly as he let her go. Quistis felt lightheaded as blood rushed back into her head. "You can count on it." Quistis finally managed and gave Fujin a wink. "You better." He laughed brightly, the twinkle returning to his eyes. "I best be going before Bryce has a fit ya know. Hey Fu I think he likes you." He whispered loudly, Fujin all but turned green at the thought. "Bye Raijin perhaps we’ll see you around the slopes." "Who knows, take care ya know." He waved happily as he left. Fujin fell back on the bed exhausted by the ordeal. Quistis tucked her in and kissed her forehead before lying next to her to watch over her while she rested.
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