Winding down As Fujin awoke, she heard strange sounds, splashes, yells, and sounds of children playing. Sitting bolt upright she was startled to find that she was not in her room. "THE HELL!?" She blurted, looking around in a blurred stupor, her head swimming lightly. Lightly, Quistis arm reached up towards her feebly then fell back onto the sand. "Sand." She noted with a start. "Ugh!?" She groaned, and then sat up, blearily. "Hi." A young girl around the age of six greeted them cheerfully. "Um, hello." Quistis mumbled, rubbing her face groggily. Fujin stared at the girl in a near rage; upon realizing her awakening had interrupted her apparent attempt to bury her in sand. "DOING!?" "I asked you if I could and you didn’t say anything." The girl squeaked. "SLEEPING." Fujin barked, causing the child to run away. "Fujin, stop that." Quistis sighed, standing up shakily. "What time is it?" "UNKNOWN." Fujin winced. "I can’t believe we fell asleep out here." "ITCHY." "Ugh, I know, I got sand in place I didn’t even know I had." "UNNEEDED INFORMATION." "Sorry." Quistis yawned, stretching her arms over her head. "Lets go get cleaned up." *************************** After a quick shower and change of clothes, the duo was preparing to depart, when an ominous red light began to creep through the windows. "QUISTIS." Fujin called. In the middle of brushing her teeth, Quistis stuck her head out of the bathroom. "Wha?" "OBSERVE." Fujin pointed out the slightly tinted windows. "What in the world...?" The glow, cherry red, and intense, bathed everything in a blood red glow. The cause was quickly forthcoming as the station’s orbit brought the full face of the moon into view. "THE HELL?" "Oh, wow." Quistis mouthed. "A crimson moon." "CRIMSON MOON?" "Yeah, they’re rare, rural folks hold festivals when they appear." "TROUBLESOME..." "Nah, they’re harmless." "IS DIFFERENT." "It’s just more intense because we’re so close." "IF SAY SO." "I do, now quit worrying, I’m starving." ************************ Fujin’s apprehension about the angry red sky dissipated upon seeing the station’s inhabitants going on about their lives in a normal fashion. As the duo sat quietly eating breakfast at a quaint diner, Quistis looked up curiously. "So?" "PARDON?" "What do you think?" "ABOUT?" "Ayane and Naomi?" "OH." "Oh? Why Oh?" "STRANGE." "I think they were sweet. At first I thought there was something funny going on, but I’ve been thinking. There’s probably not a lot of people up here they can relate too." "POINT BEING?" "I’m just saying it wouldn’t hurt to be nice." "WAS NICE." "Oh come on, you were chomping at the bit." "DO NOT CHOMP." "You’re being hardheaded." "DO NOT TRUST." "Fu, be honest. You don’t trust anyone." "TRUST YOU." "I don’t count." "ARGUABLE." "Okay, okay, look, what could it hurt?" "PLENTY." Fujin pouted. "Oh for the love of, why do you say that?" "AYANE." "Ayane?" What about her?" "LIKE YOU." "Okay, so she does, that was obvious." "SEE!" "Fujin." "WHAT?" "Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone to talk to?" "HAVE YOU." Fujin said evenly. Quistis sighed and rubbed her temples. "AM BORING..." Fujin sighed in dismay, hanging her head. "Wha?" Quistis gawked, looking up. "NOT ENOUGH..." "Fujin, come on I didn’t say that." "GO HAVE FUN." Fujin pouted. "Fujin." "IS OKAY." "Stop that." "UNDERSTAND." "Would you quit it, I’m not going to fall for a guilt trip." Quistis giggled, before nibbling on a piece of toast. Fujin stayed quiet, her gaze sullen and downcast. "Stop that." Quistis mumbled. "Fujin." She reiterated, still unconvinced. Fujin remained unflinching and Quistis finally began to feel bad. "Fu?" "SORRY." Fujin sniffed. "Oh Hyne, you’re really upset aren’t you?" Quistis frowned in dismay, reaching across the table to caress her cheek. "I’m sorry..." "GOT YOU!" Fujin snapped, looking up mischievously. Quistis looked startled by the sudden change then scowled. "Oh!" She sneered. "Oh you’re horrible." She added, then laughed, putting a hand to her chest. "You scared me." "EASY." "Ugh, you." Quistis groaned, finishing her meal. "Are you ready?" "AFFIRMATIVE." "Let get out of here. Where do you want to go?" "SKATING, FINE." "Are you going to embarrass me?" "PROBABLY." "At least you’re honest." "AT LEAST." Fujin winked as they paid for their meal. The ice rink, much like everything aboard the station, seemed far larger than one would expect. A multitude of children and couples zipped about laughingly, some spinning, some cruising, others failing. All in all it was a festive and welcoming environment. "Oh this looks fun!" Quistis beamed, grabbing Fujin’s arm eagerly. "WEEE..." Fujin droned as Ayane noticed their approach. "Hey, hey, you came." The tall, dusky woman said richly, skating towards them. "We’re here!" Quistis beamed. Fujin made a noise but Quistis ignored it. "Naomi is sleeping in, she has a hangover." Ayane explained, stepping off the ice to walk delicately to a nearby stool. "OVERINDULGENT." Fujin noted somewhat sourly. "Uh, yeah." Ayane mumbled, eyeing her curiously. "So are you two going to skate or are you just observing?" "We aim to try, it’s been awhile." "It’s easy, I’ll teach you. I don’t suppose either of you have your own skates." "No." Quistis laughed, earning a curious look from Fujin. "Okay, follow me, we’ll get you equipped." Ayane explained, standing up. She promptly led them to the service desk where they were soon handed, rental skates. "STINK." Fujin said bluntly. "Fu..." Quistis whispered. "LIKE FEET." "Fujin, please." "SMELL." Fujin frowned, thrusting the open end of the skate under Quistis’ nose. Quistis quickly recoiled, having no desire to check for herself. "No thanks, I’m sure I can imagine." "They’re rentals." Ayane shrugged sympathetically. "What can I say?" "UNSANITARY." Fujin grumbled, not sure if she was still willing to participate. "Just put them on." Quistis laughed, slipping hers on without a fuss. "IS GROSS." "Fujin." "FINE." Fujin sighed, doing as she was told. "There we go." Ayane nodded in approval. "Okay, stand up." Fujin stood easily, while Quistis tottered a moment then leaned for support. "I’m going to break my neck." "I’ll catch you, don’t worry." Ayane smiled. Fujin bristled slightly at that, but kept quiet. "Come on, one step at a time. Have either of you skated before?" Ayane asked, leading them to the ice. "YEARS AGO." Fujin commented. "Um, once or twice." Quistis commented, watching her feet unsteadily. Reaching the ice, Ayane skated around a second then slid up to them. "See, nothing to it, it’s similar to roller blades." Fujin, being more adventurous than Quistis at the moment, bit the bullet and pushed off. Coasting steadily, she found it far easier than she would have imagined. "Ah, see there, you’re a natural." Ayane smirked. "PIECE OF CAKE." Fujin huffed, folding her arms. "Okay Quistis, your turn." "Showoffs, I hate both of you." Quistis soured, then wobbled forward with no sense of control. "WALKING BABY." Fujin joked. "Oh shut up." Quistis sneered snidely then fell on her rear. "Whoops." Ayane winced. "FOCUS." Fujin chuckled offering a hand. Quistis smacked it away in mock disgust then tried to stand. "I don’t need your help." She glowered as she tottered and slipped anew. Finally, she regained her footing and eyed Ayane skeptically. "And you said you would catch me. You’re both evil." Ayane and Fujin exchanged amused glances. Quistis ignored them, and tried to move forward again, only to have her feet fly out from under her once more. Prepared, Fujin and Ayane both caught her and hoisted her back to her feet. "Damn it." She cursed under her breath. "This could take awhile." Ayane mumbled as Quistis ranted in frustration. *********************** "No sir." Naomi chatted idly into a communicator. Sitting atop her bed with a laptop, she watched the events in the ice rink from a security camera she’d patched into. "She seems fine from what I can tell, but you know her better than I do. No sir, she’s getting around fine too, I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. I appreciate the fact that you’re just making sure you made the right choice, but I have to ask why you didn’t just have one of your own people watch her, or just ask her?" She asked curiously, zooming in for a better view of Fujin’s rear. "Not that I’m complaining mind you." She added. "Somehow I doubt that, surely she’d tell you if she weren’t up to it. Quistis seems pretty willful, and from what I can tell Fujin would defiantly speak up about it. "Yes, I understand, see, that’s the problem with you military types, you all worry more about duty than the individual." She frowned. "No, I beg to differ, a business is different, well, okay you got me there, you win. Anyway as I was saying, she seems fine. As a matter of fact, if you hadn’t told, I’d have never guessed she’d been in a coma for six months." She said, leaning forward interestedly as Ayane gave the camera a discrete glance. "No sir. That depends. You’d have to talk to my father about that, he and Laguna know more about the Centra Project than I do. Yeah, I’ve seen it; it’s enormous, though the fact that they’re letting Dr. Odine aid in the research is worrisome, the man is a genius but a quack. Well see, we do agree on something then." She smiled. "I will sir, you too, and don’t worry, I’ll take good care of them. They’ll be treated like queens. Okay, we’ll see you in Esthar, bye." She chuckled, signing off. Resting back on her hands she smiled contently as she watched Quistis fly by on the monitor, out of control and with Ayane and Fujin hurrying after her. ************** By the time Naomi made it to the ice rink, Quistis had managed to master the basics and was now flitting around nicely while Fujin tried her hand at racing Ayane. Though stronger and more agile, Fujin lacked her skill and was soundly beaten time and time again. Relenting, Fujin scowled at her dryly. "You go to far out on the turns, don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it. I have to say, you’re quite the athlete. Do you play any sports?" "NEGATIVE." Fujin grumbled as they made their way to Quistis. "That’s not true." Quistis grinned proudly. "Fu here, won the last War God tournament." "A martial artist, impressive." "NOT SPORT." Fujin explained sternly. "I’ve a brother who fights, I’ll have to introduce you two." "IS OKAY." Fujin said, dismissing the suggestion outright. "Or not." Ayane grinned. "Coming through!" Naomi shouted, announcing her presence. Her intention was to grab Ayane but the taller woman merely back stepped, allowing her to slide past and straight into Fujin. Unprepared for the assault Fujin toppled backwards with the girl sending them both sliding across the ice. "Fujin, stop flirting." Quistis laughed. "GET OFF!" Fujin stammered, dislodging herself. "Oh! So sorry, so sorry!" Naomi blushed, scurrying away. "I can’t take her anywhere..." Ayane sighed. "I know the feeling." Quistis giggled. "CLOD!" Fujin hissed in annoyance. "Hey, watch it." Ayane scowled defensively. "Fujin." Quistis coughed discreetly. "APOLOGIES..." Fujin sighed, her features softening. "It’s okay, it was my fault." Naomi smiled sheepishly as she regained her footing. "You two, seem to have taken to this well." She noted. "They’re doing okay." Ayane admitted approvingly. "Oh hey, did you guys see the crimson moon earlier!?" Naomi sputtered. "Yes, we did, it was intense." Quistis answered, nodding to the dull red glow outside the windows. "Is it always like that up here?" "Yeah for the most part." "My granddads used to tell me crimson moons were bad omens." Ayane said darkly. "MOTHER SAID SAME." Fujin commented. "You’re grandparents still alive?" Quistis asked Ayane curiously. "Nah, the passed several years ago." "I’m sorry." "They had long lives." Ayane shrugged. "They were okay with it. What about you two?" Quistis and Fujin exchanged uncomfortably looks. "Most of the students from Balamb are orphans." Naomi explained quietly. "Oh, I didn’t know..." Ayane frowned. "Is that true?" "Yeah, for the most part." Quistis shrugged. "CHANGE SUBJECT." Fujin grumbled, not liking the personal direction the conversation was taking. "Yeah really, I didn’t mean bring up bad memories." Ayane apologized then nodded to a group of athletes in hockey gear eyeing them. "Oh hell." She sighed. "Gah, when did those jerks get here, damn it I thought I had them banned." Naomi scowled. "I guess your dad overruled you." Ayane frowned. "Problems?" Quistis asked curiously. "Not really, just a rowdy bunch of drunkards." Ayane huffed, dismissing the lot of them. "They’re the Galbadia hockey team, a real bunch of losers." Naomi explained. "They started a fight with my track team a few weeks ago when we were up on vacation." Ayane explained. "Well, well look who it is." One of the boisterous youths called out. "Ayane Kitsun." "Great." Ayane grumbled then turned to face him. "Where are your boyfriends?" Another youth, this one the size of a house chuckled. "Don’t you assholes know anything, she don’t like men." A craggy looking gentleman huffed, stepping though the ranks, obviously their coach. "You guys get the hell out of here before I call security." Naomi ordered sourly. "Our sponsor’s paid your father a fair bit of change so we can train up here, so you’re out of line little girl." The man huffed. "Don’t you boys have something else to do?" Quistis scowled. "Hey, no one asked you!" The man barked then balked. "Hey!" He pointed. "I know you!" He all but screeched. "Me?" Quistis smiled. "Yeah you, you broke my damn back several years ago!" "Well if your actions today are any indication, you probably deserved it." Quistis said in a delightfully pleasant tone. The man took a step forward. "Galbadia Garden, you and your little band of high rollers tore up my school." "Oh, I remember you; you cracked a friend of mine over the head with a hockey stick." Quistis nodded knowingly. "You ruined my career; I was going to be a big man!" He barked, the veins in his head throbbing clearly. "Well judging by the gut, I’d say you got your wish." Quistis giggled. The man lunged to grab her but was summarily stopped by Fujin who, in one fell swoop, swept his legs and chopped him across the throat with her arm. This action caused him to go horizontal in the air, where she then aided his decent onto the ice with a brisk elbow to chest. With a sickening thud the man hit the ground flat on his back. Winded and stunned, he groaned pitifully as his players looked on. Startled and more than a little impressed by the speed of the attack Ayane couldn’t help but laugh. The ensuing chaos really happened too fast for anyone to follow, but mainly consisted of the surrounding mob of hockey players trying their damnedest to get a hold of Fujin, which was a hopeless cause. Ever since Quistis’ recovery, she’d decided to stay linked with her guardian force at all times. With Pandemona augmenting her already impressive abilities, the melee was quick, painful and horrifically one sided. "Hyne!" Quistis blinked, in stunned silence as the dust settled. "Tell me you’ve a guardian?" "YES." "That’s really not fair." "LIKE CARE." Fujin huffed, stepping over a moaning youth. "That was brutal..." Ayane mouthed, looking over the carnage. "I hope you didn’t kill any of them?" Naomi frowned. "HAVE PADS." Fujin noted, kicking one of her attackers in the rear as he tried to stand. "Fujin..." Quistis squeaked. "Um thanks, but next time use a little discretion." "COULD BEEN WORSE." "Worse!?" Naomi blinked. "What the hell is a guardian?" Ayane finally asked, her mind catching up with what just occurred. "It’s like a spirit." Naomi answered. "They’re benevolent and boost a person’s natural abilities or something like that." "Impressive." Quistis said in surprise. "How do you know that? Few people know of them." "She is a nerd after all." Ayane joked. Naomi ignored the comment then looked around nervously. "Come on you two, you need to get out of here, I’m going to have a hell of a time paving this over." "I’m sorry for the trouble..." Quistis frowned. "AS AM I." Fujin added. "Forget about it, they deserved it..." Naomi smirked. "Where can I get one of those guardian things?" Ayane asked eagerly, as they hurried away. ***************** Naomi, deciding the better part of Valor, brought everyone back to her suite to wait for things to calm down. As she sat on the phone with security, Ayane, Quistis and Fujin sat in the living room anxiously. "I bet you two do this sort of thing everyday?" Ayane asked. "What? Beat the hell out of hockey players?" Quistis laughed. "EVERY MORNING." Fujin huffed sarcastically. "All of that, and on ice skates too. My kind of girl." Ayane chuckled, settling back into the couch. "I heard that!" Naomi screeched from the hall. "Fujin was just showing off. I mean really..." Quistis droned, rolling her eyes. "ATTACKED ME." Fujin said in defense. "We’ll be lucky if we don’t get arrested, much less kicked off the station." Quistis smirked. "Cid’s going to have a cow." "Nah, Naomi will smooth it over, she’s good at that." Ayane assured her. "Well." Naomi smiled, walking over to them. "That’s taken care of." "See." Ayane winked. "The scene was caught on tape, and I told them that unless they wanted it shown to Galbadian media for all the fans to see, they’d best drop the charges. I mean, come on, a whole hockey team trying to beat up one small girl, and then getting beat. Oh dear, how embarrassing." "SMALL?" Fujin groused. "Tape? Who recorded it?" Quistis gawked. "Security." Naomi grinned. "Should have known." Ayane chuckled. "WANT COPY." Fujin insisted. "You have to teach me some of that." Ayane asked hopefully. "QUISTIS BETTER." "Your joking!?" Naomi laughed. "Too cool." Ayane chuckled quietly. "Fujin’s exaggerating." Quistis responded humbly. "She’s a lot better at martial arts than I am." "OVERALL THOUGH." Fujin smiled. "Stop that." "QUISTIS COOL." Fujin chirped causing Quistis to erupt into giggles. Embarrassed, she buried her face in her hands. "She’s blushing!" Naomi grinned. "Stop it all of you." Quistis laughed. "FUNNY." Fujin huffed in amusement. "See, now I’m pissed." Ayane frowned. "Huh?" Quistis blinked, looking at her curiously. "You guys at Balamb seem to be in the middle of everything. I so wish I could’ve joined one of the gardens." "Sign up." Quistis chuckled. "Ha, I’m too old." "Not really, you can take the SEED courses anytime you want, if you qualify." "So long as you’ve graduated advanced studies. Did you graduate or have any college?" "Yes." "Then you’re qualified for SEED training, though that doesn’t automatically mean you’ll make it." "Really...I’ve and idea, but what exactly is a SEED?" "Special Forces." Naomi blurted. "Um, sort of." Quistis chuckled. "We’re trained to deal with, um, unique threats and the occasional peace keeping duties in various city-states." "When did you become a SEED?" Ayane asked curiously. "Sixteen." Quistis answered simply. "SEE, COOL!" Fujin barked, pointing at her. "Sixteen!?" Naomi stammered. "TEACH AT SEVENTEEN." Fujin explained further. "Hyne..." Ayane mouthed. "Fujin’s making more of it than there is." "IS TRUE?" Fujin asked. "Um yes..." "REST CASE." "You did all of that at Sixteen and you expect me catch up!? Ayane frowned in dismay. "QUISTIS, FREAK." Fujin grunted evenly. "What happened to cool!?" Quistis pouted, shoving her lightly. ****************** The day wore on and turned into evening while the three chatted companionably. Even Fujin managed to relax enough to join in on most of the conversations. Naomi chattered on about various things pertaining to her father’s work, mostly science related, a topic that, while keeping Quistis entranced, bored Fujin and Ayane to no end, forcing them to converse amongst themselves to their sanity. "So let me get this straight?" Ayane asked curiously. "You let these, um guardians get in your head, and they roost there, feeding on your memories like drug?" "BLUNTLY, YES." "Isn’t that dangerous?" "NOT PERMANENT." "Still, I don’t like the idea of something lounging around my skull, poking around my private thoughts." "IS TRADE." Fujin sighed. "What keeps them from spreading important information?" Fujin paused; she really lacked the vocabulary to explain correctly. "QUISTIS?" She asked worriedly, turning to her. "Hmm?" Quistis smiled warmly. "AYANE, ASK." Fujin prompted. "What keeps those guardians, from spreading important information?" Ayane asked with a somewhat skeptic tone. Turning around to face her, Quistis put on her best teachers face, and rattled out an explanation. "Well first off, we try and keep them bonded to one person only. Like Fu has one named Panda." "Panda?" Naomi giggled. "PANDEMONA!" Fujin elaborated sourly. "That, and once separated, the Guardian quickly looses anything it previously learned. Also, they know if they act up, we’d stop using them. It’s a symbiotic relationship, they get to experience the material world through us, and protect us in return." "Show us!" Naomi beamed. "NEGATIVE." Fujin frowned. "It’s not something to be taken lightly; they dislike being put on show." Quistis said sternly. "Their intelligent, not pets." "SIREN." Fujin pointed out. "Well, she doesn’t count, she’s a flirt." "SHIVA." "It’s not her fault, she’s never been the same since that time I let her go with Irvine." "Who’s Irvine?" Naomi giggled. "Irvine Kinneas, resident pervert." Quistis explain ruefully. "Ah, I see." "RESTROOM?" Fujin announced, rising to her feet. "I beg your pardon?" Naomi asked curiously. "WHERE?" Fujin elaborated. "Oh, oh here, I’ll show you." Quistis smirked as the two left while Ayane took the opportunity to go to the kitchen to refill everyone’s drinks. "So, a teacher by day and a mercenary at night. I must say, you lead a remarkable life Miss Trepe." Ayane called out. Quistis rose and joined her in the kitchen so she needn’t yell. "Yeah well, saving the world costs money, we have to get it somewhere." Quistis said, half-jokingly. "Since things have been somewhat quiet lately, we’re trying to lean more towards being a premiere academy." She continued, while putting herself to work, restocking the small tray of finger sandwiches they’d been nibbling on all night. Finishing with the drinks, Ayane leaned on the counter to watch Quistis artfully slice and prepare the tray with the trained precision of a master chef. "Is there anything you’re not good at?" Ayane asked with serene curiosity. As if on cue, Quistis nicked her finger and quickly put it in her mouth with a frown then looked to Ayane sourly. "You’d be surprised." "You okay?" "Yeah, it’s just a scratch." Quistis answered, before cleaning up. "You two are leaving soon aren’t you?" "Yeah." "When?" "The day after tomorrow. This place is nice, but it’s eating a hole in my wallet." "Why’d you come then?" "Fujin mostly, she’s always been fascinated by the stars." "You love her don’t you?" "Of course." Quistis laughed brightly as if it were a silly question. "Okay, that was obvious." Ayane smirked, feeling foolish. "I’m glad I met you two, it’s a refreshing change of pace. Naomi and I have few friends together, she hates my teammates, and I can’t stand the stuffy nerds she hangs out with." "Hey, I’m a stuffy nerd." Quistis grinned. "Yeah right." Ayane scoffed. "Well, you two seem happy enough regardless though." "We are, she keeps me in line. We hardly get to see each other though. I’m always clear across the world somewhere in competition while she flies back and forth to Hyne knows where with her dad." "That’s got to be horrible." "Yeah, but we both knew what we were getting into, besides, we have an understanding." "That sounds naughty." "Not really." "Okay, now I know it is." "Nah, we just give each other free leave to enjoy ourselves when away." Ayane admitted with a shadowed smile. "Enjoy yourselves?" Quistis asked warily. "You mean an open relationship right?" "Yeah, you could say that." "I see." "What about you and Fujin?" "You’re kidding right." "No." "Oh heavens no. I have all I need..." Quistis laughed at the thought of it. "And Fu." She added, eyes bulging at the mental image. "I’m fairly sure she’d sooner set herself on fire." "That’s too bad." Ayane smiled, placing a careful hand atop Quistis’. Every the diplomat, Quistis didn’t immediately yank away, nor did she give any signs for her to continue. "If I didn’t know better I’d say you were trying to ask me something." She commented quietly. "That obvious?" Ayane smirked. "I’m good at reading people." "Really, so what are you reading?" "Well." Quistis said smoothly. "You find me attractive." "That’s awfully bold of you." Ayane countered, arching a brow. "You’ve been watching me since we met. Tell me I’m wrong." "Okay, you got me." Ayane chuckled lightly, brushing her hair back. "Pardon me, but I just want to clarify. You and Naomi are swingers right?" "You make it sound dirty." "Not at all, we’re all adults here." "Does that mean you’re interested?" Ayane smiled, arching a brow. Quistis gently slid her hand from under hers and smiled apologetically. "I don’t think that’d be wise, besides, that kind of thing really isn’t me." "I’m sorry." Ayane winced then flushed slightly until Quistis gave her a reassuring smile. "I’m flattered though, if that helps." "I’m okay; though I bet Naomi will be upset." "Oh?" "She really likes Fujin." "What!?" Quistis squawked. "Yeah, she does, this was her idea, I wanted to wait." "You’re kidding." "Not at all. In fact, she wanted to talk to Fujin first, but I thought that would probably be a bad idea." "You have no idea...." ***************** After freshening up, Fujin walked out of the restroom with a yawn. Naomi, waiting for her, smiled as the approached. "Fujin?" "WHAT." "Calm down, I just wanted to ask you something." "CALM." "You have the be the most tense person I’ve ever met." "NOT TENSE." "Yeah right." "ASK QUESTION." Fujin sighed, walked past her only to pause sharply. "I was wondering what you think of me?" Naomi asked quietly before noticing that she was being ignored. "What?" She frowned, noticing Fujin staring at a small painting hanging among others along the hallway. She didn’t answer immediately and Naomi followed her gaze. The painting was a fairly simple but lovely oil painting, somewhat abstract, and depicting two children at play amid billowing snow. "What?" Naomi asked again. Ignoring her, Fujin gently traced a finger along one of the children, a pale girl with long white hair. "WHERE...?" Fujin whispered harshly. "What?" Naomi asked yet again. "WHERE FROM!" "The painting?" "YES." Fujin all but growled. "Um, I dunno, my dad bought years ago, why, do you like it?" "KNOW PAINTER." Fujin answered simply. "Hey that’s interesting, I know a few painters myself." Naomi chattered then paused to scrutinize the painting. "Cute, I’d say the little girl favors you if your weren’t a sourpuss" Fujin rolled her gaze then continued up the hall. "What?" Naomi blinked. "Hey wait up. I was joking, your aren’t a sourpuss." "NAOMI." Fujin sighed. "Yah?" "SILENCE." "Yeah, yeah, I know, but you still didn’t answer my question." "WHAT QUESTION." "What do you think of me?" She asked cutely, bounding into Fujin’s path to stop her. "BARELY TOLERABLE." Fujin grumbled, pausing her trek. "Wow..." The smaller girl frowned then replied sarcastically. "You’ve such a way with words." "WAS BEING NICE." "Oh!" Naomi gawked in an open mouthed stupor. "You’re so mean." "THEN LEAVE ALONE." "No, because Quistis says you don’t mean it." She countered with a beaming grin. Fujin’s gaze widened in surprise then dodged around the girl and head quickly to the den, where Quistis and Ayane waited. "There you are." Quistis smiled as Fujin sat at her side. "DISTRACTED." Fujin explained, earning a wary look from Ayane. "We we’re talking about painters." Naomi elaborated. "Oh?" Quistis smiled curiously then regarded Fujin. "Since when are you an art buff?" Fujin mumbled an incoherent response and hugged against her arm quietly. "You okay?" Quistis asked worriedly, noting something amiss. Fujin didn’t answer but nodded quietly. "You sure?" Fujin nodded, again, offering her a soft smile of reassurance before resting her head against her shoulder. While Quistis questioned Fujin, Naomi looked hopefully to Ayane. Discretely, Ayane shook her head with a wry grin. Dejected, Naomi rolled her eyes then clamored onto the couch by her side. Quistis, ever observant, noticed the look on the girl’s face and chuckled inwardly. ********************* The idle chatting and swapping of stories continued late into evening. Fujin, not known for conversing was perfectly content to listen until she drifted off to asleep, against Quistis shoulder. Finally, when Quistis woke her, she blinked awake with a start. "WHERE?" She murmured awkwardly. "Have a good nap?" Quistis whispered. "DAMN." Fujin groaned, rubbing her eye in annoyance. "She’s awake." Ayane whispered with a grin. Naomi yawned cutely and fell over on her side into Ayane’s lap. "Well guys, it’s way past our bedtimes." Quistis grinned, rising to her feet. Fujin joined her, still half asleep. "Yeah really, what time is it?" Naomi asked, mouth agape in another yawn. "LATE." Fujin answered gruffly. "Here." Ayane started, while prompting Naomi to move so she could stand. "I’ll walk you guys out." "Hey, it’s a long walk back to your room; you guys could always stay here for the night." Naomi offered cheerfully causing Ayane to cringe slightly. Quistis eyes widened slightly as the cast a questioning glance. "Um, there’s a guest room." Ayane explained quietly then glanced to the beaming pixyish girl sitting on the couch. "I’m sure they’ll be okay." She said through clenched teeth. "Yeah, but um, thanks." Quistis smiled appreciatively. "TIRED." Fujin groused, getting cranky. "Okay, we’re going." Quistis chuckled, then waved goodbye to Naomi who sat trying her best not to pout. As Ayane walked them to the door, she sighed heavily. "Sorry about that." "She’s persistent." Quistis smirked. "HUH?" Fujin questioned, feeling left out. "I’ll tell you later." Quistis smiled. "You two have a good night, it’s been fun." "Okay, see you later, good night." Quistis waved as they exited. "EVENING." Fujin added in an awkward attempt at courtesy. Ayane closed the door quietly, leaving the two standing in the hall, where Fujin quickly turned to Quistis questioningly. "MISS SOMETHING?" "Pardon?" Quistis said, feigning ignorance as they walked back to their suite. She made it about two steps before faltering and falling to her knees. "QUISTIS!" Fujin blurted, catching her. Quistis groaned in aggravation and tried to stand, her legs shaking. "I guess I over did it today." "YOU ARE TIRED." Fujin commented, looking her over worriedly. "I guess..." Quistis sighed. "I hate this..." "STILL RECOVERING." "It’s been six months..." "LITTLE LONGER." "I guess." "BE OKAY." Fujin smiled gently, caressing her cheek. "Yeah, I guess so." She sighed, her legs still quavering. Fujin moved in front of her and knelt. "COME." She ordered, looking over her shoulder. "What?" "GET ON." "You’re kidding. You’re going to give me a piggy back?" "FUN." Fujin said with an exaggerated smile. The site was more frightening than amusing and Quistis balked slightly. "Don’t do that, it’s weird." She said with a somber grin before doing as she was told. Wrapping her arms around her neck snuggly Quistis yelped giddily as Fujin stood. "Aren’t I heavy?" "CARRIED YOU BEFORE." Fujin smiled, as she trudged up the hallway with her precious cargo. "Yes," Quistis smiled warmly, kissing her cheek. "Yes, you have." End chapter 99 To be concluded... Authors note. Whew, gang, it’s almost over, and there are no words to express how sad I am over it.
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