Inside out Seifer ran up the halls in a frenzied hurry, Xu had been on the intercom calling for security teams to the clinic and he knew it could only mean trouble. Zell intercepted him along the way and called out to him as they ran. "What's going!" Zell asked. "Dunno... but it I have an idea..." Seifer said grimly. When they arrived at the clinic Kadowaki stood outside talking to several security teams. "Yo doc, what's going on!?" Zell asked, pushing through the crowd. "Zell, thank Hyne, someone with some sense." "That’s a first." Seifer smirked, but was largely ignored. "It's Fujin and Ellone..." The doctor gasped as if out of breath. "Fujin...!" Seifer blurted growing pale. Celest and Raijin joined the growing crowd, as did Nicole. "Zell, damn it..." Kadowaki groaned in dismay. "They did it...I came in this morning, I went into check on Quistis and they were there..." "And!?" Seifer blurted growing impatient. "They're in some kind of trance, and there is ice everywhere!" "What!?" Zell gawked, pushing past her into the clinic, followed by Seifer and Raijin. A surge of people moved forward to investigate also but was cut off by Celest who moved in front of the clinic doors with a downright vicious look in her eyes. Inside, Zell, Seifer and Raijin crept towards the door leading into Quistis and Fujin's room. Kadowaki moved beside them and frowned. "I was going to try and snap them out of it, but I didn't want to risk harming them. "Good plan doc." Zell nodded as he cautiously opened the door. Sure enough, a thin sheet of Ice coated the floors and ceiling and the air was chill. "What the hell." Seifer blinked. "It has to be Shiva." Zell frowned as he looked over the three women. Ellone seemed well enough, albeit in a deep trance. Fujin however looked haggard, despite the chill temperatures she was sweating profusely and her left arm looked grotesquely bruised and gray. Her features where knotted as if concentrating intensely. Quistis too was sweating but her expression was as still as ever. "Um, I'm not sure what's going on here, but even I know it ain't good." Raijin mumbled. "That’s it, we wake em up!" Seifer snorted, grabbing Fujin by the arm. ******************* Shiva screamed like a hell bent banshee, breathing forth a monstrous torrent of freezing air. Fujin ran madly in a wide circle just ahead of the stream as Shiva slowly turned to follow her. The scenery had changed, this time Fujin found herself running through the shattered mixture of Balamb's halls and the sewers of what she assumed where Deling city. Ducking behind a broken wall of brick she narrowly avoid the chill blast. The icy blast flash froze the masonry and it shattered like so much glass. "How are you doing?" Ellone asked worriedly. "Fine!" Fujin snapped irritably as her cover fell apart. Shiva's eyes narrowed and she staggered forward crazily with arms outstretched. "Damn it..." Fujin grimaced as the insane guardian's hands began frosting over. She barely had time to react as an avalanche of ice shot across the ground towards her. Turning around, Fujin scrambled wildly to get out of the way but failed. The ice blasted around her burying her waist deep in ice. She screamed in pain from the shocking cold and crushing weight. She was only vaguely aware of someone grabbing her arm and a voice screamed in her head rattling her already shaky concentration. Her form shimmered and she began to fade. Luckily the distraction saved her because it made her incorporeal as an icy lance blasted through her skull. The attack occurred with such speed that she barely had time to register it. All she knew was that she had a brief reprieve and was going to use it. Mentally thanking Ellone for what ever she did, she used her temporary insubstantiality to pull free of the ice and charge the bewildered Guardian. With a scream of rage she leapt to tackle Shiva who was hastily waving her arms. A wall of ice sprung up from the ground between them and Fujin passed clean through it as well as Shiva. Landing haphazardly, Fujin rolled to her feet and scowled. "Ellone, stop it!" She screamed, again feeling the odd sensation of someone shaking her. "It's not me..." Ellone said, her voice shaky Fujin grunted angrily as she once again heard a strange voice in her head. Ignoring it, she closed her eyes and tried to refocus her thoughts. Shiva looked about in confusion then turned to find her foe standing behind her seemingly asleep. Babbling in an incoherent rage the Shiva slashed wildly at Fujin, only to pass through her. After a moment of futile attacks Shiva stiffened and snarled curiously. Leaning forward she peered curiously into Fujin's blank features. "HA!" Fujin blurted savagely, opening her eyes. Shiva's blank eyes grew wide with anger then shock as Fujin slammed her chakram hard into the guardian's stomach neatly eviscerating her. Fujin stepped back grimly as steaming entrails fell heavily onto the frozen ground at her feet. Shiva let out an unearthly scream of pain and outrage. Lunging forward with startling speed, she gripped Fujin's head with both hands. This time it was Fujin's turn to scream as she felt Shiva preparing to flash freeze her brains. Bringing her knee up, she struck the guardian hard in the gaping wound she'd caused. Shiva's grip weakened from the shock of the blow and Fujin spun free. Completing the spin, she delivered a backhand swing with her chakram and decapitated the guardian. Shiva's body began to fade into a wispy mist and Fujin, as she did with Leviathan, willed it to join with her. The battles complete, Fujin then collapsed exhausted. Ellone appeared before her and helped her stand while beaming brightly. "You did it!" She shouted happily. "We..." Fujin nodded weakly. "Oh I was just a bystander, you did all the work!" "You helped free me from the ice." Fujin noted. "Wasn't me." Ellone grinned as the battered, broken landscape faded once more into a barren, flat wasteland. "Who then?" "I think someone tried to wake you up...chances are we've been found out." "Foolish!" "Yeah, well, foolish or no, they saved your life I think..." Ellone winked, then asked curiously. "So now what?" "Unknown..." Fujin whispered, things looked as bleak as always, but there was a tangible peace in the air. "How long does this memory loss usually last when guardians are used? "Varies..." Fujin said absently, glancing about in hope of seeing something positive. "Well, perhaps it's just going to take time, surely we've made the situation better by yanking them nasty buggers out of her." Ellone smiled, trying to be optimistic. "Yes, perhaps." Fujin mumbled. "How very odd." A familiar, yet strange voice sounded behind Fujin causing her to jump. "Oh my!" Ellone blinked, stunned. Another apparition had appeared and it took Fujin a moment to realize that it wore her own face. Ellone realized it too after a moment and looked between the two Fujins curiously. While it the two did indeed look like alike, something about the spirit Fujin seemed far more tranquil and delicate in a shy way. Coming to terms with what she faced, Fujin realized that the ghostly form was a side of herself she only shared with Quistis. Still though, the phantom was like the one of Aeka and Luccian, having star filled eyes a colorless form. It also spoke with a mix of Quistis' voice as well as her own. Fujin stammered awkwardly, unsure what to do. "Precious, if you could see the look on your face." The phantom giggled brightly. Ellone bristled, it was kind of eerie seeing the normally stoic Fujin teeter so, even if it wasn't really her, or was it, the whole thing was kind of confusing. Fujin made a face at the sight and blushed. "Another fragment of Quistis' mind perhaps?" Ellone finally mumbled, looking to Fujin for answers. Fujin had an idea of what was going on but kept it to herself. "I miss you." The ghost smiled warmly, moving towards her. Ellone looked about awkwardly. "I..." Fujin mouthed, uneasily. "Quistis...?" "I um... I think it’s a representation of her...love, her affection, what, who... she loves..." Ellone surmised quietly. "I know that..." Fujin winced, cutting her a dry look. "Oh, um...I'll be...going...um somewhere." Ellone stammered, fading from view. Fujin took a breath and sighed, looking at the wispy figure before her. It was strange, seeing how someone else sees you. It was oddly flattering in a strange way. She couldn't help but smile, somehow the spirit seemed far prettier than she ever thought she was. "I never gave up..." She whispered. "I know..." The phantom smiled, touching her cheek. "Come back to me... I need you." Fujin sniffed quietly. "Beautiful..." The phantom replied dreamily then grew solemn. "What is it!?" Fujin frowned worriedly as the horizon darkened. "I love you...!" The phantom said with a tinge of fear in its voice. Quickly it drew Fujin into its arms and kissed her sweetly on the lips as the shadows overtook them. ***************** "Seifer dude wait!" Zell shouted, pulling him off Fujin. "You could kill them!" "Look at her, she's dying already!" Seifer snapped, shaking her once more. "Fujin! Wake up, wake up damn it!" "Stop it!" Raijin shouted, grabbing Seifer and hoisting him away. "Hey!" Kadowaki yelled, moving to break them up. Quistis coughed once then began to spasm violently. "Damn it!" The doctor cursed, moving to her side as Ellone stiffened and opened her eyes looking around wide-eyed! "She's dying!" She screamed. "No!" Zell cried out in dismay. "All of you out of here right now!" Kadowaki ordered. "Fujin!" Seifer yelled. "Doc K will take care of em, but we gotta get about of the way ya know!" Raijin said gruffly, hauling him away. Zell pulled the shut and looked gravely at the crowd of people standing in the clinic's lobby. Celest moved forward with Nicole at her side. "What's happening?" Nicole asked, a worried look in her eyes. "Quistis had some kind of seizure...." Zell said quietly, looking back at the closed door. He could only barely hear Kadowaki and Ellone exchanging frantic words. "What about Ellone and Fujin?" Celest asked. "Ellone woke up, but Fujin's still unconscious....I don't know what happened." Seifer answered. "I do! You psycho jerk, you tried to wake her up!" Zell snapped angrily. "Hey, hey, he was only trying to help ya know." Raijin said calmly. Miguel and Jaya pushed through ever-growing crowd of students and rushed forward. "What has happened?" Miguel asked curiously. "Come on, I'll explain everything." Raijin sighed, leading them to one of the waiting room couches. "Way to go ass..." Zell mumbled, looking at Seifer sourly. "Hey, that’s not fair, he was trying to help." Celest countered bitterly. "Everyone shut up." Nicole said in exasperation. "Isn't it enough that our friends are in there fighting for their lives. We could at least try and be civil to each other. Now why don't we all shut up and sit down, and wait for some word. The two men looked at each other in understanding and did as they were told. Xu could be heard screeching in the hallway, shepherding the crowd and ordering them to disperse. After several moments the lobby was clear and she walked in with a severe expression. "This can't be good." She sighed, then noted everyone's faces. "She gone..." She said quietly, it was more a resigned statement than a question. "We don't know yet." Nicole said softly. Xu looked unsteady and sat down. "Damn it Quisty..." She murmured worriedly with tears in her eyes. ************************ The convulsions had ceased and Kadowaki stood by cautiously. Ellone was at her side, shaken but unharmed. "Well?" Ellone asked tensely. "She's okay, I think." "You think...?" "Her signs are weak but stable, but on the plus side, there is some slight brain activity being registered..." "That’s good right!?" "It may be, we'll just have to wait and see." "And Fujin?" Kadowaki looked to Fujin who was laid out on the couch. "She's sleeping as far as I can tell? What happened in there?" "Well, we got the guardians then Fujin ran into a fragment of Quistis' consciousness and everything went black..." Kadowaki noted the readouts on Quistis' monitoring equipment. "These reading say she went into shock moments before the seizure. Which I can assume was brought on by your actions." "Oh my..." Ellone gasped. "Damn it I told you two!" Kadowaki sighed in exasperation. "You could have killed her." "It was my fault..." Ellone mumbled quietly. Fujin exploded off the couch in a fit of screaming and thrashing. Lunging to her feet, she staggered towards the two women then fell over, only to stand up again on legs as unstable as a newborn calf. "nooorg...." She rasped hoarsely. "Fujin!?" Ellone squawked, terrified by the outburst. "My eye!" Fujin croaked, staggering around the room like a drunken lunatic while clutching at her eye patch. Kadowaki grabbed her in an attempt to calm her only to be punched in the face awkwardly. She fell back, holding her nose and cursing. "ZELL!" Ellone shouted, calling for help. The door to the room all but burst off the hinges as the trio of Seifer, Zell and Raijin stormed into the room in all their well meaning glory. Fujin started to scream again, only this time it was cut short by a wet and haggard coughing. "Fu!?" Raijin shouted, terrified. "What the hell is wrong with her? Is Quistis okay!?" Zell babbled. "Grab her, get her to sit down, she's freaking out!" Ellone shouted. Fujin tried to speak but only a ragged gurgle came out. Celest, Nicole and Xu peered in the doorway in dismay just as Seifer and Raijin grabbed Fujin and wrestled her back onto the couch. "Doc, is Quisty okay or not?!" Zell shouted again. "Yes, yes, she'll be fine!" Kadowaki snapped, touching her bruised jaw gingerly. "Fujin...?" Ellone whimpered worriedly. "Someone tell me what's going on ya know!" Raijin blurted as Fujin thrashed wildly. "NORG!" She screeched. "Fu calm down, it's okay." Seifer said sternly. "FUJIN!" She snarled weakly. "Calm down, you're going to hurt yourself!" Ellone shouted fearfully. Taking a shuttering breath Fujin went limp. "Where is she...?" She wheezed pitifully. "Quistis is okay hon." Ellone answered, pointing to the bed where Quistis lay. "You did it." "I'm.... Fine..." Fujin mumbled weakly, raising her head. Her expression tightened in horror as she saw Quistis lying still and motionless. "What!?" She croaked, stiffening. "Um, Fu?" Raijin said warily. "WHAT!?" Fujin spat again, sounding as if she teetered on the edge of insanity. "Oh, she's about to pop." Zell said fearfully. "RIGHT....NOT RIGHT!!!" She gurgled, amid a series of vicious coughs. "Hold her!" Kadowaki ordered, as she approached with a needle in hand. "NOT RIGHT, NOT RIGHT!!!" Fujin wheezed her gaze wide and fearful. "What the hell is wrong with her!?" Xu shouted. Kadowaki ignored them as she carefully stuck the needle into Fujin's arm. "not right..." Fujin cried out again, tears welling up in her eye. "Oh hyne..." Nicole whispered, crying as well. "Help her, someone please help her..." "What did you give her?" Raijin asked Kadowaki as Fujin mumbled incoherently. "A sedative, it'll calm her." She answered grimly. "What's wrong with her?" Xu asked, stepping cautiously into the room. "It could be any number of things... I'll...have to run some tests...brain damage...dementia...I just don't know." "Brain damage!?" Raijin stammered. "Son of a bitch..." Seifer growled under his voice, looking down at Fujin in dismay. "No, no, no!" Ellone cried. "It's all my fault, I should've stopped her!" "Oh, hey, hey, hey!" Celest blurted grabbing the near hysterical woman. "Easy hon, you don't want the Doc to have to sedate you too." Kadowaki sat down heavily on the edge of Quistis bed. "What's happened!" Cid blurted, rushing into the room. "Sir..." Xu stammered, caught off guard. "Are the girls okay?" He asked quickly, surveying the situation. "I don't know yet." Kadowaki said once more, growing flustered. "That’s the best I can offer until I run some tests." She said busily, while motioning everyone to leave once more. "Now if you excuse me, I think there's been enough drama for the day. I'll let you know if there is any change in their condition." Regretfully, everyone did as they were told, Zell and Ellone walked with Cid to explain what happened while the others lingered briefly then went their separate ways. Xu remained behind and sat down heavily in the waiting room. Quistis was like a sister to her, and she wasn't going anywhere until she heard something more from Kadowaki. After several long torturous hours, Kadowaki walked out of the room looking haggard and confused. Xu stood up to greet her with a fretful look. "I thought I told you to leave." Kadowaki frowned. "I wanted to be here in case...." Xu mumbled. "How are they...?" "I um...." Kadowaki sighed as Fujin staggered weakly out of the room, bracing herself against the doorway. "Fu?" Xu whispered. Fujin looked to Kadowaki as if for some sort of answer. She had none and merely shrugged helplessly. "Well...are you okay?" Xu asked. "I'm...fine...." Fujin stuttered, wincing slightly. "Thank Hyne." Xu breathed a sigh of relief. "And Quistis?" She asked, daring to pray. "I...fine..." Fujin said again, her voice barely audible as tears streamed down her cheek. "What?" Xu blinked. "I..." Fujin started to speak but fell instead into a series of wracking coughs. Kadowaki ushered her to sit then she turned to face Xu. "You should sit down, this is going to be hard." "I prefer to stand." Xu said stiffly, fearing the worst. "Okay then..." Kadowaki nodded, then looked to Fujin, who sat holding her head wearily." "Quistis is..." "No..." Xu mouthed wordlessly cutting her off. "Alive..." Kadowaki finished. Xu nearly fainted. "And?" She quickly asked, waiting for some sort of bad news. "She um..." Kadowaki started, but found herself at a loss. "Xu..." Fujin choked, rubbing her throat. "I'm here..." Xu looked at Fujin in confusion then back at the doctor. "What?" She asked tilting her head curiously like a confused child. "I...Quistis..." Fujin whispered thinly. "That’s not funny." Xu frowned then looked back at Kadowaki. The look on Kadowaki's face showed no sign of humor. "Oh, no, no, no, that can't be right!" Xu stuttered, shaking her head while backing away." "Xu..." Fujin groaned, as she tried in vain to stand but ended up falling back onto the couch feebly. "It's true." Kadowaki sighed, helping Fujin to her feet." "What!?" Xu stammered. "Somehow, they were switched..." Kadowaki explained as if she didn't believe it herself. "You're lying, both of you." Xu spat, looking terrified. "Xu...heart..." Fujin said awkwardly. "I...what...? No...!" Xu cried, shaking her head. "Quisty!?" Fujin nodded then choked on her tears. "It's a lie, that’s not possible." Xu stammered, overwhelmed. "But...what of Fujin then!?" She finally said in exasperation. "Well..." Kadowaki said slowly. "Quistis'.... Err...her body...that is, is showing signs of brain activity, and her pulse and respiration are stronger than they've been for months... I can't explain it, but I'm pretty sure Fujin is inside Quistis..." Xu twitched as if she had a nervous tick as she looked between the two women. "I...this..." She groaned, holding her head. "I need to sit down..." She murmured then fell back into a waiting chair." "FIX!" Fujin barked awkwardly startling Xu and Kadowaki both. "We will...calm down..." Kadowaki winced. "I...FINE..." "You're going to hurt yourself trying to talk so much." Kadowaki sighed, rubbing her temples. "She's right." Xu nodded. "SCARED." Fujin whimpered. "We all are hon..." Xu said awkwardly, still ill at ease. "Doc... How...?" "I don't even know." Kadowaki said, cutting off the question. "Most likely, something Ellone did by accident." "I'll go get her!" Xu blurted, jumping up. "No, no. It's late, let her rest. In fact we all should, everyone is okay for now, we can deal with this in the morning." "WHAT!?" Fujin, blurted. "WHAT IF WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING BY...." She started to spout then fell over in pain. "I told you..." Kadowaki frowned, checking her over. "Is she okay?" Xu asked, moving tentatively closer. "Yes." Kadowaki answered then turned her attention back to her patient. "Look, Quistis, you have to be careful. You have to realize you're in Fujin's body, you have to be careful or you're liable to hurt her." She said in a motherly tone. "Fu..." Fujin murmured worriedly. "It'll be okay, I promise. You just need to take it easy and stay calm." Kadowaki smiled softly. "We'll um, take care of everything..." Xu said weirdly, still having trouble dealing with everything laid out in front of her. Fujin nodded stiffly and wiped her face clean of tears. "Okay, now." Kadowaki smiled. "It's best we all turn in for the night, were in for a long day tomorrow." ****************************** Fujin, or more accurately Quistis, spent the majority of the evening sitting quietly gazing at her body as it lay helpless in its bed. "This is wrong...." She thought glumly. No one had taken much time to accurately explain what had happened. The last thing she recalled was the fight with Norg and some odd dream where Fujin appeared to her. The next thing she knew she was awake and staring at her own form, gaunt and apparently caught in the throes of a deep coma. Somehow, someway, Fujin had saved her, but at what cost? "Fu..." She whispered, then winced. Talking was a hellish affair, as if the body she inhabited wasn't built for normal speech. Which wasn't far from the truth, Fujin's impediment was a constant hassle for her and now she understood just how much. Fujin had her entire life to learn to deal with the problem and was still only able to talk in short clipped sentences. Small wonder then that Quistis had no idea how to begin doing so without causing pain. It was a minor annoyance though, for what was really troubling her, was Fujin's fate. She knew, somehow, that Fujin was alive and trapped in her own body just as she was in hers. She was overwhelmed, all her years of training and experience in dealing with Guardians never prepared for anything like this. Sighing, she prayed Ellone had the answer. Reaching out, she awkwardly stroked her hair, it was strange, seeing herself from the outside. Then thoughtfully, she caressed Fujin's cheek then her lips, the same lips she had kissed so many time before. "You can't leave me.... Not after all we've been through." She thought helplessly. "I won't let it end like this...I won't give up." Standing up shakily she tottered. Everything was so alien. The way she heard things, the way she moved and most off all her vision. It was distracting, with Fujin having only one eye, the entire world looked different, narrower. She had to use the restroom, a prospect that was wholly uncomfortable considering it wasn't her body. As she started to walk, she wobbled from foot to foot like a toddler learning to walk. If not for the dire circumstances she would've been fascinated. It was startling how much someone takes advantage of the little things. Fujin's body was trained to walk a certain way, dictated by her personality and the way she carried herself, as well as her height and weight. Quistis' mind however was used to her own form, which was slightly taller, so she tended to try and take longer strides, which translated into a lumbering gait. She giggled in spite of herself as she entered the restroom, it was more a giggle of nervousness than of any real humor. She caught her reflection in the mirror and it startled her. It wasn't that Fujin was monstrous or some such, it was more a matter of ones instinct to expect to see their own reflection when looking into a mirror. Quistis paused to study her reflection, it was calming to see Fujin again, even if it was under such odd circumstances. She couldn't help but wonder how things would change if things stayed this way. Would she become the loner, distant and moody while Fujin became more outgoing? She grinned solemnly at the thought and the sight of her doing so caused her to giggle slightly which just made the situation worse. It was all too strange. Her mirth was brief and the seriousness of the situation overwhelmed her once more and she almost broke into tears. Fighting them back angrily she looked back up into the mirror. Quietly, she put an unsteady hand to it. "I miss you." She thought with a sad sigh. "We'll be okay though, we have to be..."
Back to Frozen Index - Back to Final Fantasy 8 Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction