Voices Everyone had went to bed, Rinoa and Nicole shared the bedroom while Selphie crashed, enveloped by a beanbag chair in the den. Quistis meanwhile was fast asleep on the couch in the living room. She awoke to the sound of murmuring and the soft glow of television. She rolled over and squinted sleepily to see what was going on. Fujin sat quietly in front of the TV, the sound was down very low and familiar images danced on the screen. Slipping quietly from the couch Quistis knelt behind Fujin and rested her chin on her shoulder. "You're up awfully late hon." She whispered quietly. Caught unaware Fujin flinched slightly. "STARTLED." She mumbled. "I'm sorry." Quistis smiled and kissed her cheek. "What are you watching?" She asked then sat beside her. Looking at the screen Quistis saw herself as a young girl running about, chasing an even younger Zell and Xu, both of who were covered in chocolate. It appeared to be a birthday party. "Oh goodness." Quistis said in shock. "SORRY." Fujin said awkwardly and started to eject the tape. Quistis stopped her and smiled. "It's okay, where in the world did you find them?" Fujin gestured to the carrying case that held Quistis's tapes. Quistis looked back at the screen in wonder. "I must have grabbed them too by mistake. This was like, wow, at least thirteen years ago." "YOUR BIRTHDAY." Fujin added as quietly as she could, not wanting to wake anyone. The young Quistis was having a holy fit about Xu and Zell raiding the cake before anyone even had a chance to see it. Cid was trying his best calm the situation while Squall and Seifer were yelling at each other in the background. "This was before you even arrived." Quistis smirked. "NO." Fujin said dully and pointed out a small girl that sat alone at the far end of the cafeteria nearly out of the frame. She was a fragile looking thing, with long white hair and haunted eyes. She wore a black and mournful looking dress that was out of place in such a festive scene. "That’s you." Quistis said softly and leaned closer for a better look. Fujin said nothing but nodded. "I don't remember you from back then." Quistis admitted in a quiet and sad voice. Fujin shrugged and offered a thin but understanding smile. "Do you remember how long you'd been at Balamb when this was taped?" "NEAR A YEAR." "That long, you must have kept to yourself." Fujin nodded solemnly. The view on the screen changed abruptly to one of Zell's chocolate smeared face. The sound of Quistis yelling empirically at him could be heard in the background. "You were a adorable little girl." Quistis sighed sadly. It's a shame as kids we could be so distant and cruel to others. I can't even recall when we even acknowledged you. Fujin shook her head and turned off the tape; the memories of that time were too painful. "You were in mourning?" Quistis asked quietly even though she knew the answer. Fujin nodded and could feel herself on the verge of hated tears. "Were was Rajin?" Fujin shrugged, she couldn't remember where he'd gone during that dark period, only that, for a time, he hated her. "HE WAS ANGRY." Fujin said in a small voice. "It must have been hard losing your mother at that age. I was a baby when I lost my parents; I don't remember them, I don’t even know if they're alive" "BLESSING AND CURSE." Fujin said dryly. "I suppose so." Quistis said quietly as Fujin laid her head in her lap. "What was she like, your mother I mean?" Quistis asked curiously while letting her fingers sift gently through Fujin's silvery hair. Fujin frowned; the memories were clouded with time and the effects of the guardian forces. "PROTECTIVE." She recalled. "Overly so?" "AT TIMES." "Why?" "BORN EARLY, SICK." "Oh." Quistis said softly. "SHE NEARLY DIED." Fujin continued her voice quiet as her mind strained to remember. Quistis frowned at the revelation. "A hard childbirth, what about you father?" Fujin soured, she remembered her mother never spoke of the man. "NEVER KNEW HIM." "That’s sad, do you even know his name?" "NONE EVER SAID." "Well at least you had your mother." Quistis said cheerily. Fujin smiled thoughtfully. "YES, ALWAYS CHEERY." "Kind of like you huh?" Quistis teased lightly, hugging her. Fujin scoffed at the comment and continued. "WAS TIRED AFTER ME." She said with a murky tone. "I don't understand." "MY BIRTH, DIFFICULT." Fujin explained further. Quistis was sensing where this was going and didn't want Fujin to stress herself by digging up painful memories. "I'm sorry." She said sadly. Fujin reassured her by kissing her hand. "SHE WAS PAINTER." Fujin said with a grin as the memory of her mother sitting out on their porch bubbled forth. Every weekend she'd have a canvas stretched out before her and a table full of oil paints at her side. "Famous?" Quistis asked curiously, a plan of finding one of her paintings already forming in her mind. "UNKNOWN." Fujin frowned. "What was her name?" "SASHA." Fujin smiled. Quistis grinned curiously at the obvious differences in names. "Where'd you get your name?" "GRANDMOTHER'S I THINK." "So then, were you always a little hell raiser?" "I AM NOT." Fujin pouted in protest. Quistis nearly laughed aloud but held it in from fear of waking Selphie. "Oh that’s lovely, you're getting better, I wish I had a camera." She giggled. "BRAT." Fujin swatted playfully at her. "WAS GOOD DAUGHTER." She added proudly. "So do you paint too?" "NEGATIVE, ONLY WATCHED." "It's funny, the first time I remember you, I was hall monitor and you were late. So I had to escort you to class." "LOST ACTUALLY." Fujin admitted with a grin. "I couldn't have been more than eleven then. I remember you used to be such a perfectionist. What do you remember about me from back then?" "ACTED BOSSY." "Who did?" "YOU." Fujin answered with a wry smirk. "I was not!" Quistis squawked. Fujin nodded briskly then turned, she could have sworn she heard a giggle somewhere. She heard Selphie snoozing in the den, mumbling something in her sleep about Irvine and whip cream. Fujin made a face and turned her attention back to Quistis. "Bah what do you know." Quistis said with an indignant huff. "I was just trying to be a good student." "GOODY, GOODY." Fujin corrected. "I'm wasn't a goody, goody either. I'd been in trouble before." Fujin arched a daring brow at her. "WHEN?" Quistis furrowed her brow in thought. "I pushed Cid into the pool once." Quistis said proudly. Fujin laughed. "I SAW, WAS ACCIDENT." "Yeah but they thought I did it on purpose. He'd just gotten on to me about being underfoot." "LAME." Fujin chuckled. Quistis soured and thought back. "I used to sneak out to the area behind the training center, that's bad." Quistis offered hopefully then shook her head with a grin. "There was this boy I was friends with, his name was Kevin. We used to sneak out there and talk for hours. He transferred to a school in Timber when I was fourteen. I wonder what happened to him? "BOYFRIEND?" Fujin asked curiously. "Hmm." Quistis said thoughtfully. "I suppose so, I never thought about it like that back then." "CUTE, BUT STILL LAME." "Your horrible." Quistis laughed, smacking her playfully atop the head. Fujin giggled a cute girlish giggle that brought a huge grin to Quistis's face every time she heard it. "What about you?" "WHAT ABOUT ME?" "Ever have any boyfriends, or girlfriends?" She added with a sassy grin causing Fujin to blush profusely. "NO." She answered simply. Quistis was genuinely surprised. "What about Seifer?" Fujin bristled slightly but kept it hidden. "NO." She said again, somewhat stiffly. "I always kind of thought, you two, were, you know." Quistis shrugged. "NEGATIVE." Fujin didn't like talking about Seifer but didn't want to hurt Quistis's feelings by telling her to drop it. "I'm sorry, I was under the impression you used to love him." Quistis felt stupid for making such an assumption. Fujin sat quietly, unsure what to say. She felt Quistis's arms tighten around her comfortably and she relished the contact. She frowned softly and looked up at Quistis with a heavy heart. "I DID." She admitted with a heavy sigh. "Oh." Quistis said quietly. "FEELING NOT RETURNED." Fujin explained. "I know how you feel." Quistis nodded knowingly, her mind going back to Squall and how she gave up any hope of being with him when Rinoa arrived. "Did you ever tell him." "NO!" Fujin blurted at the absurdity of the question. "HE HAD MANY GIRLS, PRETTIER." She explained. "Slept around huh?" Fujin nodded, annoyed at the memory. "NEW ONE EVERYDAY." "Well if I may say so, you're better off not being with him. He apparently was never one to settle down with one person." "RINOA." Fujin said dully. "He was serious about her?" Quistis said in shock. "I THINK." "She said she was never sure if it was love they had, I think he must have sent her mixed signals." "DON'T CARE." Fujin said with icy bluntness. Quistis chuckled and shook her head causing Fujin to look at her quizzically. "WHAT IS FUNNY?" "It's ironic, both of us losing someone we cared for to the same woman." Fujin blinked and smirked. "INDEED." "Seems so long ago doesn't it." Fujin nodded and snuggled against her. "Ever wonder what the future will bring?" Quistis asked, her tone haunted. "NO." Fujin answered simply. "Why not?" "HAPPY NOW." "Ah, I see." Quistis said merrily before letting out a yawn. "GO TO SLEEP." Fujin ordered motherly. "I suppose so." Quistis relented; she patted Fujin's shoulder lightly, signaling her to move. Fujin sat up and yawned widely as Quistis climbed back onto the couch. "Join me?" She asked with a sly smile. "DON'T TEMP." Fujin said sternly as she bedded down on the nearby loveseat. "Oh poot." Quistis pouted and pulled the blankets around her. "Love you." She said softly. "LOVE YOU." Fujin responded quietly. Quistis smiled and settled against her pillow. "STILL BOSSY, GOODY, GOODY." Fujin said sarcastically from the darkness. A pillow arced high through the air and landed atop her head with a thud muffling her quiet laughter. ********************* "So what do you think boss?" Zell asked as he watched the crackle of the fire from under the cover a foul smelling fur blanket. Squall, who did without, was lying on his back staring at the rock and thatch ceiling of the ruins. "About?" "All this." "What about it?" "Do you think we'll make it back?" "Who knows." "You think Seifer is dangerous?" "Yes." "Have any good plans?" "Not yet." "Are you even worried?" "Yes." "What are you gonna do?" "We'll find out together." "You know, you're doing a lousy job of making me feel better." "I'm not you're girlfriend." "You could be, just for tonight." Zell said lustfully while puckering his lips ridiculously. Squall felt sick at the thought and tried to ignore him. "Seriously man, do you think Seifer will come through?" Zell said, growing serious. "He claims he has a way out of here, all we can do it wait." Squall sighed. He missed Rinoa, this had been the first time he'd been away from her for so long and he was worried about her. He wondered what she was doing, what she was feeling, if she missed him like he did her. "Squall." Zell said quietly breaking his train of thought. "What!?" Squall snapped. "I need a hug." "I hate you." Squall sighed with a helpless grin before they both broke into laughter. ************************* Fujin was startled awake by a firm, but harmless kick to the ribs. "DARES!?" She blurted jumping up. "Oh hush it wasn't that hard and be quiet you'll wake Quistis." Selphie giggled and shoved a plate of eggs and toast at her. Fujin took it warily then looked over at Quistis who was all but dead to the world on the couch. "I got up early, so I made breakfast. Rinoa and Nicole are up already, Quistis likes to sleep in so be quiet." Selphie said brightly before skipping back to the kitchen. Fujin blinked in confusion and sat back down to nibble on a piece of toast. "Juice, water?" Selphie called to her. "WATER." Fujin answered, Selphie's suddenly cheery demeanor was worrisome. "One of you guys must have left the TV on last night, I swore I kept hearing voices." Selphie said chattily as she walked back from the kitchen with the water. "APOLOGY." Fujin said guardedly. "Nah it's okay, it's funny, what kind of things you think you hear while half asleep though." Fujin kept her expression void of reaction as Selphie handed her the water. "Anyway eat up, Rinoa is dragging up all to the pool later." "POOL?" "Yeah as in to swim?" "WHY?" "Why not? What, you don't know how to swim?" Fujin scowled. "Oh you're as bad as Nicole she scared of water too." "CAN SWIM." Fujin snapped. "Goody." Selphie said with a smile that Fujin found unsettling. "Well eat up, tell the others that the eggs are ready and the toast is in the oven. I'm going to head over to house and see what my cowboy is up to." Fujin nodded and Selphie pranced out the door without another word. Nicole ran out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel and a frantic look. "I heard the door!?" She said eagerly. "SELPHIE." Fujin said then pointed to the oven. "TOAST." "Oh." Nicole sighed and crept back to the bathroom in defeat. Rinoa looked at her sideways as she exited the bedroom brushing her hair. Heading into the living room she looked around. "What's with Nicole and where's Selphie?" "NOT ZELL, COWBOY." Fujin answered. "What!? I didn't say you were Zell and I'm not a cowboy you crackpot." Rinoa said bewildered. Fujin groaned helplessly, she was used to Quistis ability to understand her clipped sentences. "SELPHIE LEFT FOR IRVINE." "Oh, um okay." "NICOLE THOUGHT ZELL RETURNED." "Why do you do that?" Rinoa asked, somewhat flustered. "WHAT?" "Talk like that, you sound like an out of breath Drill Sergeant." Fujin felt a poignant and cleverly designed string of obscenities playing at her lips but held them in check. "NONE OF YOUR BUISNESS." "Figured." Rinoa grumbled before fixing herself a plate. ************* Unaware, asleep and helpless, he was easy prey. Irvine yelled helplessly as he was attacked in his sleep. Unrelenting his attacker moved in for the kill. "RASPBERRIES!" Selphie yelled planting her mouth on Irvine's firm stomach and blowing hard. The sound was something akin to an elephant with chronic gas and Irvine thrashed about under her laughing. "Fool woman what's gotten into you?" He roared between guffaws. Grinning ear to ear Selphie looked up at him. "What? I can't be in a good mood?" "Well it's not that. It's just that you've been, how shall I say." Irvine started slowly as he chose his words with care. "Moody." He decided. "I know, I know." Selphie sighed and crawled up his torso to lay on his chest. "Our talk the other day, and some things I've learned made me reevaluate myself and the way I've been acting. You were right." "I was?" Irvine said in surprise. "Yup." "Heh, told you, this cowboy knows some stuff." "Don't get a big head." Selphie warned him. "Me, nope, never." "Anyway." She sighed, putting a hand over his mouth to shut him up. "I'm going to try, to be more understanding to Fujin." "Did you bring me pictures?" Irvine mumbled hopefully. "Be serious you nut, I'm trying to say important stuff." "Hi I'm serious what's your name." Irvine chuckled. "What's with you." Selphie groaned. "Hey I'm going to be a dad, I can't help but be happy." "Yeah okay, dad, shut up and listen." Selphie giggled and put her hand back over his mouth. "You were right it's not her fault, its Seifer's and there is no need for me to get bent out of shape about it, it's not like he's around anymore. For all I know he's dead or something." Irvine nodded. "Regardless, no more worrying about the past for me. I'm only looking to the future from now on." She said with a proud smile then removed her hand from Irvine's mouth and waited for a response. "Well?" She said expectantly. "Do you have any idea how corny that sounded." He laughed. Selphie slapped him lightly then rolled of his chest. "Look you goon, we're all heading to the pool later, you want to join us." She sighed while digging through her dresser for a bathing suit and a change of clothes. "Let me think, hot girls in bathing suits, and me being the only guy in the group now that Zell and Squall have taken vacation. Let me think." He said, looking thoughtfully and weighing his options. "I don't know why I bothered to ask." Selphie sighed before heading to the shower. ************** "How about this one." Quistis asked thoughtfully, holding up a relatively modest bikini. Fujin stuck her tongue out. "Your being difficult aren't you?" Fujin shook her head. "We've been through just about all I have that will fit you. You're gonna have to settle." Fujin poked idly through the pile of outfits that lay on the bed. "While you do that I'm going to get ready." Quistis sighed, slipping out of her skirt and blouse. They had left Nicole's after breakfast to shower and change clothes. Quistis then had some errands to run before heading back home to get ready to go swimming and now Fujin was being picky. She sighed murkily as she reached for a suitable swimsuit. Warm hands slid along her bare hips and up her stomach before lightly caressing her breasts. She shivered deliciously and raised up with grin. Fujin nibbled playfully along her neck. "You're being bad." Quistis murmured dizzily then spun around to face her. Fujin smiled sheepishly as Quistis threw her arms over her shoulders. "I'LL BEHAVE." Fujin promised. "Don't you dare." Quistis growled with a devilish smile and pushed her gently onto the bed.
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