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The Rainbow Bridge[10.17.01] » by Erin It had been a hard day, Squall thought as he made his way to the dorms. For some reason, his training, which up until now had seemed elementary, intensified threefold. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he was now sixteen and was eligible to take the SeeD exam. Yes, that had to be it. You just don’t work someone as hard as he’d been worked for no reason. The halls were quiet at this time of the evening, as they usually were. Squall’s Guardian Force class was one of the last to take place in Garden, and it was often ten or eleven o’clock by the time they were released. This time, they were held over especially late, and though the reticent boy was annoyed, he kept his feelings to himself. Seifer had complained almost nonstop. Oh, well. Squall shrugged off the memory as he made a slight detour in the dorm hallway. Rolling up the sleeves to his leather jacket, he pushed aside a tangle of vines to reveal a narrow passageway. This led back to a small room where he and a couple other students sometimes gathered, but normally, when it was this late, he could be alone. The orange lights outlined the form of another sitting huddled in the back of the room. Slightly surprised, Squall inquired stupidly, "What are you doing here?" "UPSET," was the response. Fujin. Squall rolled his eyes, ready to back out of the room and leave, when he noticed something normally absent on Fujin’s face. It was a funny look, almost as if she was concerned. Her one eye caught more light than usual. She was crying, an emotional reflex that no one thought Fujin could perform. "Hey, are you okay?" Squall found himself asking. He ducked around the pipes and such that jutted through the walls and sat down next to Fujin on board that served as a makeshift bench. He noticed that she was cradling a tiny little bundle in her arms... something wrapped in a blanket that rhythmically moved up and down and squeaked now and then. "CRYING" Fujin explained, removing the top corner of the blanket from the bundle. Two little burgundy eyes peered up at Squall. They were almost concealed in the bandit-like mask that adorned the creature’s face, yet they shone strangely in the meager light. Squall knew that look... "A ferret? Fujin, you aren’t allowed to have pets in..." "SILENCE." One hand shot up and pushed Squall away, before going back to rest on the ferret’s side. "BLADE. SICK." Okay, so the ferret’s name was Blade. Rather than risk Fujin’s wrath again, Squall remained silent for a while, before asking, "Do you know what’s wrong with her?" "NO," Fujin said, removing a little more of the blanket to reveal that the poor thing was almost bald. "BAD." Yes, it was bad. Blade was emaciated and pale, and her skeleton was unhealthily visible. It seemed there was no fat on her body at all, almost as if she was only made out of delicate bones. The eyes were shiny, yet at the same time lifeless, and there was the overwhelming scent of death that Squall had recently recognized. When one of the monsters in the training center was close to dying, it gave off the smell that Fujin’s ferret gave off now. With motherly grace, Fujin reached to a spot beside her on the bench and filled a syringe with water. She held it to Blade’s mouth, and the tiny thing drank half-heartedly. "Fujin," Squall said, his voice filled with remorse. "She won’t live much longer, Fu... perhaps..." Perhaps what? What could they do? "HELP. RAINBOW BRIDGE." Squall’s face scrunched up into an incredibly confused expression and Fujin couldn’t suppress a chuckle. She wished she could speak normally so she could express what she was talking about. Might as well try. "PLACE... WAIT FOR ME." Squall thought for a moment. "The rainbow bridge is a place." "AFFIRMATIVE," Fujin nodded, her voice dropping off slightly as Blade uttered a plaintive cry. She rubbed the top of her head gently. Those shiny eyes dulled a little, and Fujin looked up at Squall. "...UNCONSCIOUS." A black-gloved hand touched the bony back of the creature. Squall was still trying to figure out what Fujin was talking about. "The bridge..." It was Fujin’s turn to look confused. No matter how many words were in her mind, she could only say one or two at a time. She smiled a little as she got an idea. "BRIDGE... ... IS... ... PLACE... ... THIS... SIDE... HEAVEN... ... PETS... ... ... WAIT..." Squall held up his hand and nodded. "I understand," he said, finding a tear rolling down his cheek. He smiled a sad smile as he looked down to Blade, who’s breathing had ceased. Blade would be waiting for Fujin by the Rainbow Bridge... ~@~@~@~@~ "Just this side of Heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food and water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing: they miss someone very special to them; who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. The bright eyes are intent; the eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to break away from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. YOU have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart. Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together......." ~Anonymous In memory of Roxanna Baby Kisser, 1994 - 2001 |
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