Storms of the Heart By: Unoriginality

(Why can't he just let go?) Fuujin sniffed quietly and wiped away the tears from her eye. (Why can't he just move on? Why does he have to have a one-track mind that's too damn stubborn to let go?) She stared at her reflection in the store window. Her eye was red and puffy, and discolored streaks covered her cheeks.

"I'm gonna get him for this, Fuujin. I swear I'm gonna get that little bastard."

"Why?"

"What?"

"WHY?"

"Why? Fuujin, LOOK at what that bastard has DONE to us!"

"Over! Forget!"

"Why are you defending him? You know what, why don't you just go JOIN his gay-ass little band!"

"Fine! Will!"

"Fine! Good! Go, ya little bitch!"

Why had she gotten so angry? Why hadn't she just let him ramble? She just wanted to put it all behind them, to forget it and move on. She wanted them to be happy, she and Raijin. But they couldn't be happy as long as Seifer wouldn't let go of the past.

Fuujin glanced around to see if anyone was watching and saw the one person she had never wanted to see again coming up the road towards her: Squall Leonhart. She stared hard at the window display, hoping that he'd pass by.

* * *

Squall suppressed a groan when he caught sight of the petite albino. He was hoping to NOT run into any members of the exdisciplinary committee while on one of his rare excursions outside of Balamb Gardens. He didn't think he was asking for too much but apparently he was.

He unconsciously held his breath as he walked past. She didn't look up. She just stared intently at the window display.

Curious, Squall stopped and looked in the window.

Make-up.

Fuujin Kazeno was looking at make-up. Squall quirked an eyebrow, then walked on. What Fuujin window shopped for was none of his business.

* * *

Fuujin sucked in her breath when Squall stopped. He moved on, and she resumed breathing.

Fuujin took a moment to look at what window display she had been studying. Make-up. She crinkled her nose. Why the hell had she been looking at make-up?

She sighed and walked the other way, keeping her head down, hoping to put as much distance as possible between her and Squall.

* * *

Squall walked on. He'd gotten off lucky that time.

There was a crash, a loud "Rage!", the sound of Fuujin's steeltoed boot hitting someone's shin, then Zell Dinct's loud voice swearing every curse possible.

"DAMN STUPID BITCH!" Zell creamed. "HELL, SHIT THAT HURT!"

"Rage!" Fuujin's voice replied.

Squall sighed and ran in the direction of the two voices.

"You stupid bitch!" Zell screeched again, thrusting his fists at invisible enemies in the air around him.

Before any more could be said or done, Squall jumped between them. "Hey! Stop it, you two!" he shouted. "Get outta here, Zell. Before there's trouble." Zell looked like he was going to protest, but instead hit the ground in frustration and walked away, sulking.

"Help, unnecessary," Fuujin snapped at Squall. "Handle, self." Squall turned to her.

"I know. I had to make sure you didn't kill one of my SeeDs."

Fuujin snorted derisively at this comment. She crossed her arms across her chest and glared at him. It was then that Squall noticed Fuujin's red eye.

"Have you been crying?" he asked, concern lacing his voice. (Why do I care?)

She turned away from him to hid the tears that were threatening to fall again.

"Negative," she choked. "Business, none."

He stared at her. Why did hurt him to see her tears? He'd always hated the albino woman. Why did he care about her?

Fuujin squared her shoulders and walked away, then ducked into an alleyway.

Squall hesitated for a moment, then followed her.

He found her leaning up against one of the buildings that made the alley, sobbing quietly, her eye closed. He walked up to her and cautiously placed a hand on her cheek. She jumped as if bitten, and stared at him with a wide eye. He used his thumb to wipe the tears away from her face.

She waited for a biting remark or something that was sure to come, but Squall just stared at her silently. She realized with a start that not everyone was like Seifer.

"Come on," Squall said finally. "I'll buy you a drink."

Fuujin shook her head. "Negative. Sympathy, unwanted."

"Who said anything about sympathy?" he snapped.

"Reason, what?" Squall hesitated for a fraction of a second.

"Make up for Zell. He should have watched where he was going." When had he become such a fast liar?

"Liar, bad."

"...whatever."

Fuujin wondered what he was up to. Curious, she decided to humor him. "Fine. Drink, wanted."

* * *

"I think you've had enough, Fuujin," Squall said after her seventh glass of the bartender's strongest vodka.

"Shut up," she snapped, her words slurring. "I can drink you under the table anytime, Leonhart." She turned to the bartender. "Hit me," she told him.

Squall sighed as the bartender passed her the eighth glass that afternoon.

Fuujin quickly downed that glass and Squall decided that she'd had enough before she could order another one. He paid the bartender and led Fuujin outside. "Come on, I'll take you home," he told her. (Even though Seifer will kill me when I come up to his front door with you drunk and hanging on my arm. I'd probably deserve it for letting you get drunk.) He hesitated. "Um, where DO you live?" She seemed to consider in the only way a person like her that was drunk could, then shrugged.

"I live with those guys," she mumbled, a giddiness creeping into her voice. "You know, the stupid guy and that, that other guy."

Squall frowned. "Where do they live?" She looked around.

"I dunno." Squall sighed. "Great. What am I supposed to do with you now? I can't take you back to Gardens."

"I guess you're just stuck with me, Leonhart," she told him, pinching his cheek, nearly pulling his arm out of its socket as she stumbled.

* * *

They spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the field outside of Balamb. On occasion Squall would say something that would cause Fuujin to smile, a thin, rare smile that would gently tug at the corners of her pale rose petal lips.

Squall watched that smile whenever it appeared with a childlike curiosity in his eyes. A special gift indeed were those smiles, smiles that Fuujin rarely gave to anyone. It touched him in a way that he couldn't explain.

Despite the fact that she was drunk.

But Squall knew that they could be in for some trouble with the cool night rapidly approaching. They had no where to go for the night and it could be deathly cold.

Fuujin stumbled an remain laying on a bed of blue bonnets in the middle of the field. Squall glanced around. Fuujin didn't seem too inclined to go anywhere. He sighed and sat down. This place was as good as any. There was no where else they could go and they couldn't wander the field all night.

"So," he said after a long moment. "Why were you crying?" he asked, knowing full well that she was more likely to tell him why in her drunken state. And he was insanely curious as to what could make the strong woman cry.

She hesitated. Obviously it was an unpleasant subject even to her wasted mind. She sighed, letting out a rush of vodka-reeking air. Squall crinkled his nose.

"That bastard," she mumbled, her words slurred to the point that Squall almost couldn't understand her. She rolled over on her side to face him. "He can't leave alone, he can't just let it alone."

"Who?"

"Amalsy."

Squall's heart caught in his throat. He knew exactly who and what she was babbling about.

Seifer still wanted revenge. Squall shuddered. Maybe he'd find Raijin and let HIM take Fuujin home tomorrow. There was no way he was going anywhere near Seifer Almasy now.

"I'm not a bitch!" Fuujin suddenly cried out, taking her anger out on the grass by uprooting a handful of it. "He called me a bitch, I'm not a bitch, I'll show him a bitch..."

(It's unbelievable how bad Seifer treats his posse, the only people in the world who cares about him. Who the hell does he think he is?)

"He called me a bitch," she moaned miserably.

(I don't think you're a bitch. But what the hell do you want me to say?)

"I'm not a bitch!" she cried again, tears falling down her face.

(Oh, Hyne, I hate it when they cry. It makes me so damn nervous.) Squall looked around nervously, searching for an escape, then realized that there was none, and that he had an obligation to stay and make her feel better seeing how he had brought up the unpleasant subject. There was another reason, he thought, but he was unsure of what it was and even more unsure of what the pain in his chest meant.

He gently placed a hand on her shoulder, and she sat up and stared at him. He pulled her close and held her tight, letting her cry on his shoulder, her tears soaking his white t-shirt.

Part of him wanted to look away, focus his eyes anywhere but on the crying albino, but another part of him wanted to just stare at the petite woman, her pale complexion, her lips the color of the palest pink rose, her silver hair of spun silk...

Squall shook his head. What was wrong with him? Still, when he looked down at her, and ran his fingers through that soft hair...something stirred inside his heart, a beautiful pain that he couldn't explain, couldn't understand, not if he tried.

No, he should stop thinking like that. It had to stop there. The poor girl was drunk and had been hurt. Squall felt like hitting something. How DARE Seifer treat Fuujin like this? How dare he break her heart?!?

He lifted her face to his and stared at her beautiful young face. He tried to stop himself as he leaned in and kissed her, but the feeling welling up in his chest like the tide coming in was just too powerful.

Their lips met and a fire ripped through Squall, tearing down his barriers and defenses, allowing the storm built up inside him to be released, like a fierce storm at sea.

Fuujin kissed him back furiously, blinded by her pain and the alcohol. But some part of her was dimly aware of what was going on, aware of the light shinning in Squall's eyes, so foreign, so strange.

So alike, the two of them.

Isolated from all but a few, and even then, they withheld a part of them from those they held dear.

But no one could remain isolated forever, and everyone needed someone to hold them, someone to lend them strength when they had none left.

They held on tightly to each other, passions coming unchained, both needing something from the other, unsure of what it was.

* * *

Fuujin woke up with one of the worst hangovers she had ever had. Even though her eye was closed, the sun that warmed her body was just too bright. It hurt her head.

She shivered as the cool morning wind touched her bare skin.

(Wait a minute,) she thought. (Why is my skin bare and why am I outside?)

She cautiously opened her eye to find herself staring at a blue bonnet.

She attempted to sit up, but her body protested in a terribly intimate way. She bit her lip and ignored the pain as far as she was concerned.

She racked her brain to remember what had happened. The last thing she could remember was Squall offering to buy her a drink.

(Obviously he bought me more than one.) She looked around to figure out where she was. (Okay, I'm in the field outside of Balamb. The question is: How did I get here?)

She was startled by the sudden realization that there was someone by the sudden realization that there was someone beside her, still asleep, gently snoring. She glanced over and was surprised to see Squall in the same manner of dress, or rather, lack thereof, as she was.

She jumped up, ignoring the screams of her body, and got dressed. She tugged on her steel-toed boots finally and jumped up and stared down at the dark-haired SeeD.

"Rage!" she screamed as much at herself as at Squall. How could she have shown her weakness to the enemy? How could she have been weak in front of Squall Leonhart? "Up!" she shouted at him, booting him in the side.

Squall woke with a start, groaning as he rubbed his side where a bruise was already starting to form.

"Fuck," he muttered, standing up. He grimaced. "What the hell was that for?" She sneered.

"Know," she snapped. "Happened." He tugged on his pants.

"I know what happened, I was there." She stared at him as he bent down and picked up his shirt.

"Sober?"

"Not you," he replied shortly. "You were drunk." She scowled.

"Know! You?" He looked at her, trying to interpret what she had said.

"Oh, you're asking if I was sober." Fuujin threw out her arms in a 'He finally got it' motion. "More or less."

"What?" she screeched. "Meaning?"

"More or less," he repeated. She glared at him as he fastened his belts, silently demanding an elaboration. Squall sighed as slipped on his jacket. "I had one drink," he told her. "Happy?"

"Negative!" she snarled. "Happy, not!"

"Fuujin, I know you can talk normally, you were last night. I do NOT want to try to translate your impediment." She sneered.

"Do I have to spell it out for you, Leonhart? No, I am NOT happy, this is the worst morning of my life!"

For a brief moment, Fuujin thought she saw hurt contort Squall's face, but if she had, it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.

"I would have taken you home, but you couldn't remember where you lived."

"Well I can remember now!" she spat, then turned around and stormed off. If she had turned around, she would have seen the hurt look on his face that had broken his stoic facade.

So alike, the two of them.

* * *

"Where the hell were you last night, Fuu?" Seifer demanded when she walked in the front door.

"Out," she replied all-too quickly. He frowned.

"Out?" he mimicked mockingly. "No shit. What were you doing all night? And WHY were you out all night?"

Fuujin paused, chewing nervously on her lip. She could NEVER tell him the truth. What could she say? 'Drunk. Sex, Squall,'? He'd be so hurt, betrayed, angry.

She'd betrayed her beloved Seifer and she felt terrible about it.

"Battling, field," she replied finally.

"You don't LOOK like you've been battling all night." He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "In fact, you looked wasted." She shook her head.

"Wasted, not."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. You look more hung over than wasted. Were you drinking last night?" She hung her head.

"Sorry." But instead of being angry, he laughed.

"Why didn't you just say that in the first place? Hell, you're allowed to drink!" He seemed to hesitate. "Um, Fuu?"

"What?"

"I didn't mean that stuff about tellin' you to join Squall and gay-ass little band. It was uncalled for," he apologized, or rather came as close to apologizing as Fuujin knew Seifer Almasy would ever come.

Fuujin froze. She wasn't sure which shocked her more- Seifer's apology, or the sudden rush of blood to her cheeks at the very mention of the dark-haired young man.

"Forgiven," she murmured quietly. Seifer beamed. He could always count on his Fuu-sama to let him worm out of an actual apology. "Shower, needed," she mumbled as she took off down the hall to the bathroom, her head and heart pounding. Yes, a cold shower is what she needed to sort things out.

Seifer didn't answer, rather, he went back to polishing Hyperion as he had been before she had come in the door. So like him.

She closed the door and leaned heavily against it. She closed her eye and breathed deeply. Too much. Too much to sort out all at once. Take it one step at a time.

She stripped and stepped into the shower, the cool water sliding down her clammy skin. Even though she had been under alcoholic influence, she could remember the feeling of being in Squall Leonhart's arms, taking him inside of her, feeling his strength and passions unleashed as they fed her own desire...

No, she shook her head irritably and furiously lathered the soap. No, he had caused her to betray her beloved Seifer, and even Raijin. They were her family, the only ones that cared about her, and that bastard Leonhart had caused her to betray them.

But Squall's face kept appearing in her mind's eye, that look in his eyes, that honest, sincere light shining in those beautiful, blue-gray eyes. The gentle caring in those strong arms as he comforted her.

She bent down to pick up the soap she had dropped, the pain in foreign places serving as yet another reminder of the night before.

Part of her was disgusted by the very thought, much less the memory of sleeping with Squall. But part of her, a part she didn't know existed, relished it, even thought about another interlude, as secret lovers. She twisted the words around in her mind. Secret lovers. They both had happy homes, people who would be very hurt if she and Squall were lovers.

She turned off the water and angrily chided herself for letting herself lose control of her thoughts.

Squall didn't care. He was probably laughing about the poor, little, drunk albino and knocking up Rinoa right now.

She wrapped the over-sized towel around her slender body and walked back to her room.

Without a second thought, she decided that Raijin and Seifer must never know about the previous night. Content that at least those two would not be hurt, she got dressed.

* * *

Squall had wondered aimlessly for a few hours after Fuujin had left.

"Do I have to spell it out for you, Leonhart? NO, I am NOT happy, this is the worst morning of my life!"

Her words, the angry bitter look on her face, had hurt him more than he would have cared to admit. Part of him couldn't quite understand WHY they had hurt.

He actually CARED about the bitchy albino woman. She hadn't been some fling he'd forget, he realized with an unpleasant start.

But that was still no excuse for his lapse in self-control. He had no excuse, no cover of alcohol to hide behind. He had probably ruined her life, he had hurt her so badly.

The wind blew through his hair, its feather-soft touch caressing his face.

(Gods, Fuu. What is this feeling? What do they call this? Why does this hurt?)

He turned back towards Balamb, deciding that if he could find her, he could if nothing else apologize, even though an apology probably wouldn't help any. At least that's what he told himself. In truth, deep down, he knew he just wanted to see her again.

* * *

Fuujin opened the front door, preparing to go out.

"Where are you going?" Seifer stopped her.

"Out," she replied.

"You gonna get drunk again?" he teased.

"No," she replied indignantly. "Town."

"Okay, jeez!" He held his hands up in mock-defense. "I'm just kiddin' ya!" He chuckled.

She frowned as she left. Just what was Seifer implying? That she enjoyed being drunk and what happened because of it? She shivered in mixed repulsion and desire at her fragmented memory.

(Oh, gods, am I falling for that brat?) she wondered (Gods, no, please don't let me be falling for Squall Leonhart of all people.)

She turned her thoughts to less confusing subjects: Like why the hell was she going to town? She honestly didn't knew. She just went wherever the wind took her. Was that how she'd ended up with Squall? She shuddered. No, the alcohol had taken her there...hadn't it?

She dismissed that thought. Her destiny could not be with Squall Leonhart.

She entered town and casually strolled down the streets.

After a while, she began to get the eerie and distinct feeling of being followed. But whenever she turned around, there was no one there.

"Fuujin," a voice whispered from a dark alley to her right. She looked cautiously around, then peered into the darkness. She could just make out the form of someone.

"Who?" she asked.

"Fuujin," the voice whispered again, more urgently this time. Never one to resist a good intrigue, she slowly walked towards the figure. "Who?" she asked again. "Fuujin, it's me," the voice answered, and this time, she recognized it.

"Squall?" Anger flared up inside her. "Leave, alone," she snapped and spun on her heel.

"No, please, don't go," he pleaded, his hand shooting out and grabbing her arm.

She whirled and glared at him, just barely keeping herself from slugging him or kicking him.

"Please," he continued. "Just hear me out."

"Why? Reason, one. Good." He shook his head.

"I can't give you one," he admitted, guilt and pain creeping into his voice. "But I wanted to say I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Sorry?!?" she shrieked. "Idea, have? Did?"

"Yes, actually I do," he answered quietly. "And I know my apology can't change anything and I don't expect you to be able to forgive me."

"Why? Why did you do it?" He looked at her in surprise.

"I don't know. I can't think of one single reason that I can justify what I did. I'm sorry." She snorted derisively.

"Is that the reason you offered to buy me a drink? You were horny? What, was Rinoa's bed already taken?" Squall looked indignant.

"That's not true. I had no intention of anything when I offered to buy you a drink! I had intended to take you home..."

"When would have that been? After you wormed your way into my pants?"

"No! You couldn't remember where you lived! All you could remember was that you lived with 'the stupid guy and that other guy'." She giggled, her anger subsiding and that strange feeling working its way to the surface.

"Is that what I said?" Squall was relieved that Fuujin's fury was lessening. He nodded, a movement Fuujin could just barely see in the darkness.

Her earlier thoughts of being secret lovers crept back into her mind, making her acutely uncomfortable. What was wrong with her? If it were anyone else she would have killed them already.

Maybe the wind HAD taken her to Squall Leonhart, she admitted reluctantly, letting go of some of her pride and hatred.

Too fast. It was all too fast though. Whenever she looked into those eyes the color of a storm at sea...something stirred inside her, something unfamiliar. It caused her head to swim.

"I should go," he mumbled, turning to go.

No, don't go, she wanted to tell him. she didn't want to fight these feelings anymore. There was no point, they were just too powerfully commanding.

No, she wouldn't let him leave, not yet. She dashed in front of him, stopping him, catching him by pleasant surprise. (This isn't like me,) she thought, her heart catching in her throat. (Why is this happening?)

Gingerly, she reached her hands up and grabbed the cottony collar of his leather jacket, weaving her thin, delicate fingers through the soft fibers.

Without thinking, she pulled his face down to hers and kissed him. Squall wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, pulling her close to him.

"Fuujin!" Raijin's voice called. They reluctantly pulled out of their kiss and stared out the alley, watching for Raijin.

"Damnit, Raijin, I told you that Fuujin is fine on her own and we don't need to look for her!" Seifer shouted at him.

"But she could be hurt, ya know?" Raijin whimpered. "She was gone last night and now she's gone again, ya know?"

"Raijin, you stupid bastard, I told you she was wasted somewhere last night."

"Yeah, but she gets in trouble when she's drunk, ya knew?"

"Fine, fine, we'll look for her. But it's your ass she'll kick when we find her."

Squall and Fuujin looked at each other, fear coloring their eyes.

"We can't be seen together," Squall whispered. "Get out of here."

"Negative," she answered, shaking her head. "Seifer, kill. Revenge."

"I can handle Seifer."

"Negative. Hide. Come." She grabbed his hand and led him out of town through the back alleys.

She led him to a small house just outside of Balamb that had been recently built.

"Where are we?" Squall asked, looking around.

"My house," she answered, grinning wolfishly at him. "Raijin will have Seifer in town for awhile, so you'll be safe here." Squall raised an eyebrow.

"...whatever. What will you do when they come back?"

"Sneak you back to Balamb Gardens."

Squall wondered why she just didn't do that in the first place, but he wasn't protesting.

She opened the door and escorted him in. On the table lay gunblade polishing equipment.

"Great," Squall muttered. "That gives me thirty seconds less to escape before he kills me.

"Sarcasm, unfitting." He shrugged.

"...whatever." She frowned as she wrapped her arms- almost hesitantly- around his neck.

"Funny, not." He chuckled as he ran a hand through her silvery hair.

"Are you gonna hide me here in the living room?" he asked, grinning. "I'm kinda obvious out here, don't you think?" She flushed, bringing a pinkish, rosy glow to her white cheeks.

"My room. Raijin, Seifer. Enter not."

She led him down the hall to her room, pausing occasionally to listen for sounds of Seifer and Raijin returning home. As soon as Squall was in , she quietly shut the door and once again listened for the guys she lived with. Nothing. They were not home...yet.

Squall, meanwhile, was studying the room. White walls, white carpet...the girl went for simplicity.

He was surprised when elegant arms wrapped themselves around his middle. He half turned and smiled when he saw Fuujin leaning her head against him. He twisted an arm around so that he could hold her.

After a moment, he turned clear around and pulled her to him, his arms encircling her waist, leaning in and kissing her.

She kissed him back furiously, her harsh tongue forcing its way into his mouth, breaking the barrier of isolation between them.

It was then, and only then, that they realized what the feeling inside them was.

* * *

Raijin frowned when he heard the noises, strange, low, screamish groans coming form the room down the hall.

Fuujin's room.

He walked down the hall, trying to identify the sound.

"Fuu-sama?" he called quietly.

The noise came again, and Raijin placed an over-sized hand on the door handle and quietly opened the door, fearing for his friend's safety.

Fuujin grabbed wildly for the sheets that had fallen down to waist level and pulled it over her chest, though it was too late for modesty.

There was someone else in the bed with her, Raijin realized. He could make out the form of Squall Leonhart in the moonlight streaming in from the window.

They stared at Raijin in surprise and fear. Raijin slowly backed away from the door. What did one do in a situation like this?

Seifer. Yes, Seifer would knew what to do. He turned and ran back down the hall.

Fuujin and Squall scrambled out of bed.

"Hurry," Fuujin hissed. "Dress."

Within minutes, Seifer's enraged cry could be heard throughout the house.

"I'LL KILL HIM! I'LL FUCKIN' KILL HIM!" Seifer screamed, and the sound of angry steps coming down the hall followed.

"Window!" Fuujin exclaimed, throwing open the window.

They clambered out and took off across the moonlit field, Squall pulling out Lionheart as they ran.

Storm clouds built up along the shoreline, and the wind blew fiercely across the field, blowing back their hair. The moonlight, still unhindered by the clouds, shone down on them, making Fuujin's hair glow with an unearthly color of silvery-blue. The lightning flashed, and the thunder rolled as the high-pitched cry of the wind increased in voracity, creating for an surreal, dream-like atmosphere as they ran blindly in the general direction of Gardens, though, unknowingly, they had passed the military school and were headed for the high cliffs by the sea.

They ran up to the edge of one of the cliffs, barely getting stopped before they would plummet to their deaths on the jagged rocks below.

"Back up! Back up!" Squall called, grabbing Fuujin's waist and pulling her away from the edge when she was about to fall over.

They turned to go back, and found themselves face to face with Seifer.

Lighting streaked across the sky and a loud clap of thunder followed. The storm from sea had reached the land. Rain poured down from the heavens on them, making the rocks they stood upon dangerously slick.

They faced each other for a long time, silence on all parts. Squall watched his rival, the rain sliding down his face, his blonde hair clinging in clumps to his skin.

Squall's own dark hair stuck to his neck, plastered to his face, as did Fuujin's. There would be a fight here, they all knew.

"Couldn't stand it, could ya?" Seifer shouted above the storm. "Ya couldn't stand that I might have something you couldn't have. What, it's not enough that you took my dream, my pride, everything I had, no! You had to go and take my goddamn posse!"

"Seifer," Fuujin cut in, hoping to calm him down.

"Shut up, bitch! Is THIS what you were doing last night, too? Fucking your little gay-boy?"

"Leave her out of this," Squall snapped, holding Lionheart up. "Your fight is with me."

Seifer flashed them his trademark, cocky smirk.

"You wanna fight, brat?" He brandished Hyperion. "Fine. I hope you're ready to die, Leonhart."

He charged, swinging Hyperion up at his rival's throat, a blow Squall barely blocked.

Squall spun, bringing Lionheart up at Seifer, who brought Hyperion up. The two weapons clashed, the sound of gunblade striking gunblade mixing with the dull roar of thunder. The wind whipped around them wildly, moaning in their ears, sweeping away their harsh breaths as they battled.

It was a dance, a deadly waltz with dueling partners. Every step and movement was a testimony to grace, every harsh blow struck with the most bitter hatred.

"Stop!" Fuujin screamed, her cry matching the desperate pitch of the wind. "Stop it, both of you!"

Seifer attempted to run Hyperion through his rival's vulnerable flesh, but Fuujin suddenly appeared between them, trying to stop them from killing each other.

Cold, hard steel pierced soft, warm flesh. Hot red blood flowed over Hyperion's blade, dripping on the ground.

Fuujin screamed. Never had she felt such pain. A sharp, burning ache was left in her chest as Seifer pulled Hyperion out of her gaping wound, a shocked look on his face.

"No! Fuujin!" Squall shouted. Anger flared up in him like a fire raging out of control. Lightning flashed in his sea storm eyes. With an animal cry, he charged Seifer, Lionheart embedding itself in Seifer's side.

Squall pulled Lionheart out of his rival, dropped it, and watched him stumble and fall. He crouched by Fuujin, supporting her with his arm.

"Squall," she whispered.

"Don't talk," he snapped, working at healing her wound.

"Squall, behind you!" Squall turned.

Seifer stood over him, his blood-stained trenchcoat whipping wildly in the wind, weapon ready, waiting for him to turn to face him. Seifer would not strike a man in the back.

Hyperion's sharp blade found its way to Squall's heart, just as it had Fuujin's, the blood of the two lovers mixing on the blade.

Intense pain ripped through every nerve cord in Squall's body. A cry of pain escaped his lips.

Squall's body twisted back around, and he faced Fuujin. For a moment, his blue-gray eyes locked on her crimson one, the last of their strength being used on saying their silent 'I love you,'s in that look.

His strength gone, Squall's arm dropped a lifeless Fuujin. His body collapsed, draping itself across hers.

Protecting her, even in death.

Seifer took a step back and watched the two lovers die in each others' arms.

He'd won.

He'd finally won. A second glance at Fuujin and the dull throb in his side reminded him how costly the victory had been. He had sacrificed everything to kill Squall. Fuujin lay dead in the sweet embrace of her lover, and he could no longer go back to the last of his posse, not now, not after killing Garden's highest-ranking SeeD.

No, Raijin would not go through that again. He had promised.

Never again.

The thought flitted through his mind that maybe the brat had still won, even with his death.

He flinched as he turned and left the bodies there: his most hated rival and his most beloved friend.

Seifer Almasy disappeared that day.

Raijin was accepted back into Gardens to try to restart his life, to move on and create a new life for himself.

He killed himself later that year.

He was found in his room, a dagger with a dragon hilt in his chest. Cause of death: a blade through the heart, just like his Fuu-sama.

They never found Seifer. The bloody trail he'd left stopped at the sea. No one knows if he has survived the years or not.

Every year Gardens lights two candles and observes a day of silence on the anniversary of Squall and Fuujin's deaths. The story of Garden's greatest hero and his lover is still told over and over again: The story of two people who had severed most connections with other people, but had opened up to each other.

So alike, the two of them.