Oblivion Fujin had tried all night to find someone to take her across the eastern tracks. She was more than perturbed when she learned no one hardly ever went that way. She had no desire to wait around, so she stocked up on supplies and set off on foot. She learned earlier that it would take her about three days at best to reach mainland on foot. It was noon now, she had been jogging all morning. and the heat was killing her. She grew faint and a bit delirious. She could easily see herself jumping off the tracks into the ocean below in a mad fit.. She saw signs that mentioned a wayfarer station a few miles up ahead, so she toughed it out. By time she arrived she was sunburned badly and was extremely nauseous despite her use of several curga spells she had stored just in case. She hated hot weather with a passion, it was the one weakness she could not overcome. But late afternoon she arrived the station, it had not seen a human hand in years by the look of it. The sign over the door was faded away and the windows all had their storm shutters drawn and bolted tight. She finally staggered weakly up to the door only to find it welded shut. She screamed in outrage and kicked it hard as she could, to her credit she managed to dent it. She sat down on nearby dry rotten bench with a heavy sigh. Then she saw it. The body had been here gods knows how long it was little more than white bones now. Most of the clothing had disintegrated with the combined efforts of the ocean air and blistering heat. Beside the body was a plastic fuel container that was as bleached and gray as the bones. She noticed the corpse was sprawled along the steps as if it he sat down and waited to die. Looking around she saw a fuel car set off the tracks against far side of the building . Upon closer inspection she found that the pumps on the car had heavy gauge locks on it. "POOR BASTARD." She said aloud looking back at the body. She heard the call of seagulls and looked up. They circled overhead like waiting vultures some even sat nearby watching her. The very thought of it made her shiver. "BE DAMNED" She shouted in defiance at them chasing them into the air. She was losing it, her temper was growing. This was a mistake and she knew it. Then it occurred to her, why he would have had a fuel container? He must have vehicle of some sort nearby and ran out of gas. She ran over to the corpse and inspected it closer. Not finding anything she regarded the mocking grin of the skull glaring at her. "LOOKING AT?" She slapped it off the steps in anger. She ran her fingers through the soggy mop of her hair worriedly. She did not know if she could last another day like this one. Having underestimated the power the sun held over her. She felt the tingle of panic in her heart. "Quistis." She thought, the very name calmed her greatly and she let out a ragged sigh. Something metal caught the rays of the setting sun. Something had fallen between the planks of the steps. "KEYS." She yelled in triumph as she kicked the corpse aside. She squeezed her fingers between the boards cutting her fingers deeply on the gnarled wood. She braced her legs and pulled with all her might. The plank all but crumbled in her hands as she yanked sending her flying backwards unexpectedly. She backpedaled to get her balance only to step the skull who grinned up at her maliciously. Her ankle twisted painfully and she heard a dull pop, followed by white hot pain. Her reflexes dulled by the heat failed to save her in time. She fell hard, her head hitting the walkway with a definitive thump. She saw the skull spinning merrily upside down as she blacked out. She barely realized the irony of the matter when it came to rest looking right at her. ************************************** Quistis stood in the hall arguing with Cid and Squall. She was in no mood for any of this right now. "Yes I hit him! He raised his fist at me." She said sternly. "Quistis, you can not strike students like that it’s just wrong." Cid tried bleakly. "He hit Fujin and he’s on the disciplinary committee how right it that." She snapped. "That whole situation is hearsay, we have no doubt about the altercation in the gymnasium. The other students said he defend himself from her." "Only after he provoked her. You know how he is Cid." "Yes and I know how she is. She was always a problem student Quistis you know that." "She’s not even here to defend herself." She shouted, Cid looked hurt, she had never yelled at him before. He adjusted his glasses and folded his arms in discomfort. "Quistis calm down." Squall snapped thinly. "Don’t tell me to calm down." Quistis said pointing at him. "Why aren’t you backing me on this." "Because I don’t have proof." He responded simply. "So she’s guilty till proven innocent. How draconian of all of you." "Quistis. Please the girls not even here anymore just let it go." Cid said as fatherly as he could. "Screw you! You just don’t want to waste time on justice." She screamed, Cid staggered back in shock. "God damned it Quistis that’s enough." Squall yelled. "To hell with you too Squall. Your just as bad as he is." She turned in a fury and stormed off. Edea walked into the office as soon as Quistis left. "I heard everything, I will go talk to her." She said quietly. Cid and Squall stood in shock looking at each other. Quistis stood in the elevator positively steaming. "How dare they." She was nearly in tears. "Quistis." She jumped in fright as she heard Edea’s . She jumped again when she realized the ghostly woman stood demurely beside her. "We need to talk child." Edea said simply as she touched and panel on the elevator number pad, it slid to revel a key slot. She waved a hand it clicked audibly. "What are you? How?" Quistis babbled nearly terrified. "We are just going someplace you’ll feel more comfortable. Then we can talk." The elevator went past the lobby level, and descend to the sub basement. "Why are we going down here?" Quistis could envision the woman taking her down into the depths of the garden and killing her for yelling at her husband. "Yes, Poor Cid you nearly had him in tears." "Your reading my mind!?" Quistis said shocked and feeling more than violated, she was growing angry. "No need to get angry child, here lately you are all but screaming you emotions. It’s hard to filter them out" "I thought you lost you magic’s." Quistis said suspiciously. "I retain a measure of my past power to be certain." "I bet you do." Quistis said cattily. "Tsk clam yourself child. You know I would never hurt any of my children especially you." "Why me." Quistis said folding her arms in disbelief. "You are one of my oldest children." Edea smiled her hauntingly dark smile. "So? What that have to do with anything." "Well to be honest my dear you where most well behaved of all the children. The others even Ellone had a tendency to get into all sort of trouble." "Is that a fact." Quistis grinned slightly. "Oh yeas I remember the biggest fights would break out between Squall, Seifer and little Zellmondo. You where always to the one to help break it up. You also help me with the chores and my errands. Such a good girl you where" "Zellmondo???" "Yes little Zell." Edea said simply. Quistis died laughing. Edea let her enjoy her merriment and waited calmly for her to quite down. The elevator stopped and the door opened. "After you." Edea said still standing in the elevator. A cool blue light washed over her as Quistis stepped into the chamber. "Where.? This is, was Norg’s chamber." She said looking incredulously at Edea "I know what you are planning Quistis." Edea said with barely a whisper. "What do you mean?" Quistis replied softly, knowing Edea knew what she had been planning. "Do not play games daughter. You know what I mean." Edea said softly as the light in the elevator grew dim. Shadows played across the older woman’s face shrouding her eyes. "What do you want?" Quistis felt herself trembling. "Stop being selfish and think about what would happen to everyone you claim to care for." She had all but vanished now in the inky blackness, only her pale hands where visible. "Oh matron it’s just so hard." Quistis whimpered softly biting her lip. "I know child, I know. Love always is." The darkness said breezily "Love.." Quistis murmured. "She needs you." the whisper sang to her dreamily "Needs me?" Quistis’s heart sank weakly. "Yes." "What can I do? I have nothing, I am nothing." "Just be there..." Quistis knew she was alone and she held herself terrified. She looked about shakily. The only sound was he breathing and the hum of the engines. Dim blue light filtered along her face as she moved about. She saw a bed nestled in the center of the room amid a series of silken sheets. They fluttered from the ceiling like spider webs in the cool breeze. She approached the bed with it’s comfortably large pillows and soft black satin sheets. She looked at the night stand and saw a couple of photographs in silver frames. One was of Seifer and Raijin horse-playing in a tangle of fishing poles. "Fujin." She whispered. "So this is where you have been hiding." She smiled softly then noticed the other picture was of herself. "What the?" She whispered picking up the small frame. She recognized it from her apartment it was one of her in front of her desk, she recalled when the Treppies took it. "You stole this." She grinned faintly. "You little minx." She yawned cutely and laid on the bed with smile. The satin welcomed her with it cool embrace. She felt safe here, all here worries driven back in the depths of her mind. She could hear the beast roaring in anger somewhere far away as she let herself drift to blissful sleep. *********************************************** Fujin lay still as death in the inky darkness. The only light coming from the slender crescent of the moon that peeked through the roiling clouds. The skull near her teetered back and forth teasingly as the wind picked up. A raindrop plinked atop her head not getting the slightest reaction. The sky lit up brightly then exploded with a monstrous thunderclap. She flinched at the sound, then stirred, slowly clutching at the dirt with her blood caked fingers. She cried out pitifully as she tried to move, her skin was dry and a angry red. She felt it cracking with each breath, driving her mad with pain. She opened her only eye to realize she could barely see her vision blurred from blood and dirt that had encrusted the side of her face. She blinked weakly trying to clear it. Her throat burned with thirst and she forced herself to sit up only to cry out in agony as her ankle announced to her that is was broken. She collapsed weakly on her side as the rain began to fall. She looked to her bag and saw that the seagulls had torn it asunder. What was left of her gear was quickly being blown about by the rising wind. She buried her head in her arms in a useless attempt to keep warm, shivering feebly as the rain soaked her. The ocean waves rose and crashed into the tracks spraying her with briny mist, the salt water only aggravating her wounds. She choked and convulsed in pain. Then for the first time since she could remember. she cried.
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