Allegory of Time
Disclaimer: The characters portrayed here aren't mine, but they do belong to Square. This piece is mine, though.
Warning: Yaoi. There're SPOILERS for all who haven't defeated Ultimecia yet.
But it's IMPOSSIBLE that no one's finished after so many years. I've finished
twice. XD ß
what a showoff! I'm trying my best to keep up with the whole original story.
Note: Here's what the plot cockroach brought me – why must a sorceress' power be passed on only to women? Matron mentioned that she 'didn't want any of the children to become one'. Did that point to Squall? And why was Ultimecia so keen on compressing time? Why did she have Griever when we didn't? So, in some twisted way, I'm wrapping it up in a neat parcel, or at least hope to do so. Be forewarned.
Oh, and forgive my crappy language and title. Dude, I'm suffering from heartbreak here, okay?
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Chapter One – Castle On Still Waters
"I think you need a vacation."
Squall looked up from his work. His desk, as usual, was piled up high with files and documents. The blond pushed a few pieces away, and leapt up to sit on the desk. He clicked his tongue sympathetically at his friend's misfortune. To be piled up with plenty of official paperwork just was not for a SeeD like Squall Leonhart. And to make things worse, the death of Rinoa seemed to have taken effect; even after so many years, the cuts have not healed completely.
"… Zell."
He looked drawn and tired. Zell peered at Squall, a little apologetic. It was simply unfair to bring up painful memories again, after all the brunette had done for them during the Sorceress' War.
"…Sorry. Oh, look, I know I shouldn't have brought it up and…"
"You're crushing the papers."
"Oh," Zell blushed and jumped off. It had been three years. Three long years. Some things had changed, while some things remained the same. Zell had changed, Irvine had changed, Selphie had also stopped singing nonsensical songs in trains, and Quistis was more outgoing. Squall too, was slightly more open, and Rinoa…
Rinoa.
She died a short while after giving birth to her daughter. Squall was with her. The others never got to know her name. Squall had refused to tell them, saying that it would never change anything. He had lost them both. Strangely, Zell never said anything. He nodded, understanding. Soon after that, he became an Instructor.
Talk about being lucky.
"Earth to Zell," Squall waved his hands in front of the blond's face. Zell blinked, and then he broke into a grin.
"So, what d'ya say? Can we go to Balamb, huh, huh, huh, huh, huh, huh?"
"That's your idea of a vacation?" Squall mock-goggled back, folding his arms. "Balamb? Zell, we've been there so many times! We started our first mission there; remember? And you want to go to Balamb?"
"Yes."
"Very well, then," Squall relented, turning away. "Who's coming?"
"Me and you!"
"What about the others?" Squall was a little unnerved by the fact that he was going out with Zell in an uncontrolled environment. He might go insane with annoyance. He might simply hack off Zell's head with the Lionheart, go mad and burn the town down in a fit as if he had just found out that his mother was a pet project of a mad professor called Hojo Jojo, grow feathers in his hair and sell weapons to ugly women (as well as wear a dress), or dye his hair blue and laugh maniacally while he could.
You could never really see it coming.
But then again, Zell was not really as annoying as he had been years before. After all, things changed. Squall may have been pent up in his own emotions, but he was still observant enough to see the others undergo a transformation to become what they are now. Zell might have been such a chicken head then, but now he did not look so… 'Chickenish' anymore. Besides, their little journey round the world proved that Zell was really wide read and intelligent, beneath his cheeky smile and passionate love for adventure. His hair no longer defied Newton's laws. Squall had Zell to thank in their fight with the Omega Weapon. If Zell had not cast Aura on him right before the monster cast Light Pillar on Irvine, they would have all been dead.
(AN: Zell's the strongest magic user in my party. It's up to 255, since we gave him Mag+60 and Mag+40 and junctioned Meteor to his Magic. His commands during the fight, in all the fights, in fact: GF, Magic, Recover. One Thundaga could cause about 8000 HP worth per attack, whoo! XD who would've guessed??? But Zell's strength was only about a 100 or so. He didn't attack at all.)
Zell had still been grinning like a blithering idiot all the way up to Ultimecia's room. He seemed able to foresee the end. He saw it as a happy one, and he did not have any qualms that it was a happy one.
"Irvine's with the girls, and he doesn't want to come to a boring o' town like Balamb. Selphie wants to learn how to sing soprano with the older women for the coming Garden Festival, and Matron's practicing with her. Quistis' taking a student to get a new GF."
Squall sighed. He lifted his eyes to meet the blond's.
"Okay, I suppose I'll go with you."
Zell gave a whoop of delight. He flipped over and nearly squashed Squall to death with a bear hug. For someone that short, Zell sure had a lot of strength. "YEAH! I knew you'd never let me down! Oh, man! Will we have a good time and all and you'll be so happy and all and the others will be so pleased and all that you've decided to get Seifer –"
At that point, Zell fell abruptly silent. He shuffled uneasily and flashed a nervous grin at Squall. "Uh, let's go then. I was just babbling, you know? I'm a klutz, you know? Heh, heh, heh…"
Before Squall could answer, Zell had half-dragged him out of the office.
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"This is the LAST TIME I'm going to allow you to drive!"
Squall clambered out of the car, wobbling slightly at the headache he had acquired. Zell grinned sheepishly at him. "Let's eat!"
"WHAT?" Squall shot a shocked glance at Zell. "NOW? HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY EAT AFTER THAT CHAOTIC DRIVE????"
"Not so loud, Squall," Zell hushed him, still grinning. "People are staring, you know. But it's not time yet to explore. Let's sit down and relax, instead! How about some coffee, huh?"
"You don't drink coffee."
"I know, but you do," Zell grinned. "C'mon! Let's move! You're boring me!" he whined, and then half-dragged Squall, again, to the new restaurant. He stopped for a moment and peered at the menu. "I could do with some hotdogs!"
"You always do with some hotdog –" He never finished his sentence.
They ate and chatted a little over things that had happened. Squall spoke about new missions he received from clients, and Zell talked about the new recruits getting stronger and bolder by the year. Without a discipline committee, things would get out of hand. Most of the students preferred breaking rules and most of them were inclined to make rude comments and sometimes even passes at Instructors.
Squall understood that well. Zell may be troubled by indiscipline, but he was far too lenient to take any action towards the students. They picked on him due to his height, or rather, the lack of it. Besides, Zell was indeed a looker amongst the stern and trim and proper instructors. He barely wore formal attire, since most of the time his training involved physical training, trashing monsters and coming back dripping with monster blood. In fact, a girl once fainted when he stormed out of the Training Center after being felt up by some student (who was sent to the infirmary later to treat a palm mark on his face), covered head to toe with T-Rexaur blood, and leaving a trail of it right round the hallway to the dormitories.
Squall chuckled, remembering how the janitor grumbled over it and how he, as Headmaster, had to pay him double to clean up the mess. He remembered how Zell stomped into the room apologizing to the janitor, and offered to clean the mess up himself. He even remembered how Irvine stopped his flow of smooth talk with the girls and helped a very surprised but grateful Zell with it.
"Actually, I'm shocked that Irvine wouldn't leave the girls and spend some time with you," Squall smiled slightly over his mug. Zell lifted his brows.
"Huh?"
"Oh, nothing, really," the brunette mumbled. Zell could be really dense at times. He was sure Irvine had refused to come due to frustration. Besides, they both were bashful over such things. Irvine professed to be a ladies' man. Zell was a loudmouthed Instructor who has not even smelt puberty yet.
Zell checked his watch and jumped suddenly. "Oh, hey, it's nearly four! C'mon, drink up! It's time to explore!!!"
Once again, Zell half-dragged Squall out and walked determinedly to the docks. A gentle breeze was blowing, tousling Squall's chocolate locks against his fair face. The sky was as blue as his eyes; save for some golden streaks in the horizon signifying that it was nearly dusk.
They strolled along, enjoying the cool breeze. Squall spotted a candy man, and filled with a sudden desire to satisfy his hunger for sweets, he asked Zell to move out on his own.
"Yeah, okay, I'll be at the jetty, huh? Come, you know!"
With that he hurried off, leaving Squall behind to buy some cotton candy. He made his way to the jetty, and scanned the area, before smirking when he found his target. Grinning, he skipped to the familiar figure and flopped down beside him.
"HEYA! NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN!"
The other person goggled at him. "Zell?"
"The one and only!" Zell grinned back. "Here's your Chicken Wuss! How've things' been?"
"I kind of forgot," Seifer admitted, shifting his gaze back to the water. "I tried helping round the town fight monsters, using GF's, and magic. In three years, and there wouldn't be much to remember anymore."
"I'm an Instructor, I use GF's, but I still remember stuff. Keep it in a diary, you know? It helps."
"If I'll ever remember to read it."
Zell laughed. He flung his arm around Seifer and clicked his heels in the water. Some of it flew up and spotted Seifer's trench coat, causing him to frown. "Zell, I would've thought you'd changed after those years with the heartless lion. It would've done us plenty of good. But then, it's great to see that you've finally decided that your old hairstyle didn't fit you. Did you get laid?"
"Nope, but I did get groped two weeks ago."
"Oh, by whom?"
"My pupil."
"You're an Instructor?"
"Uh huh."
It was Seifer's turn to laugh long and loud. "Zell? An Instructor? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! I never would've guessed! What do you teach? How to eat thirty hotdogs in a spilt second?"
"Aww," Zell looked hurt. "Three years, Seifer, and you're still an ass." He leaned back, sighing. "Squall's not really that heartless you know. He's shown quite a bit of emotion, here and now. He even shed a tear when Rinoa died."
"…Rinoa?" Seifer looked stunned. He evidently had not forgotten the Asian girl yet.
"Sorry, man. Squall married Rinoa, and about a year later she gave birth to a baby. But she died, Seifer… But I believe she was happy, though."
"Where's the baby?"
"Gone," Zell hushed down. Seifer shut his eyes and heaved a sigh.
"He's not gone into his shell again, has he?" Seifer asked quietly. Zell shook his head slowly, drinking in Seifer's concerned tone. Even though Seifer was Squall's rival, he cared for the brunette enough to inquire about his mental health. They both knew what Squall could fall into.
"No… I don't really know. But it's up to you to decide whether he will or not."
"Squall's here in town," Zell smiled at Seifer's confused expression. "He's gone for some candy, and might be here any minute. Why don't you have a chat with him?"
"Will he talk to me, after all I've done?"
"What have you done, Seifer?" Zell clicked his heels into the water again, this time much more gently. "You were brainwashed, and I think I know exactly why you served the Sorceress."
"… I don't remember why myself," Seifer blew a few stray golden strands from his eyes. His hair was still short, and he looked every bit as handsome as a god. He landed his greenish-blue gaze on the other blond's face.
"She knew what you wanted, deep inside, Seifer," Zell cajoled, "as she did us, all of us. We would've broke down, if he weren't here to lead us. But even so, he's not free from the spell. Why don't you try to talk to him, Seifer? Why don't you come back?"
"… I…"
"If he asked, would you come?" Zell questioned, tilting his head slightly. "Will you come back, take the SeeD Exam and be his knight?"
"What…?"
"It's up to you, Almasy," Zell turned back. "Think about it."
"…Zell? …Seifer?"
They spun round to meet Squall's confused gaze. In one hand he held a stick of cotton candy, and in another there was a large and rather colorful lollipop. If it were not so awkward, they would have burst out laughing. But Seifer and Squall continued staring at one another for some time, while Zell wisely kept silent.
"Squall, I'm uh…" Seifer started. "Look, I'm sorry for what I've done and…"
"Whatever," Squall waved it off. Zell openly gaped at Squall, while Seifer fell quiet and turned away to face the water again. Zell couldn't believe it! Squall was turning back into an antisocial heartless SeeD! He was –
"This is for not calling back," Squall struck Seifer's head with his cotton candy, causing it to stick onto the golden locks like a clown's wig. "And this," he struck Seifer's face with the lollipop, smearing the color onto his bronze skin, "is for constantly avoiding us while we were in Balamb before."
There was a stunned silence before Seifer growled. He leapt up and started chasing the brunette round the docks, candy sticking on his hair and face. The people stared in amazement at the two laughing people, as well as the grinning blond at the jetty. He simply shrugged; glad to see the two reconciling easily. He had expected a brawl.
Caught up in his happiness, Zell failed to see the water beneath him bubbling, until there was an explosion and it rose into a curious shape of a semi transparent woman. He gave a yell when he saw it, alerting his two companions, who came a bit too late.
The shape seemed to gather some energy, before hovering in the air, upright. They saw a mist, like that of magic being drawn, sucked into the creature from Zell's body. After a while, it gave a watery howl and disappeared, as Squall slashed it with his blade.
To Seifer's horror, Zell's face was blank, and even as he gazed at him, blue eyes fluttered shut as he tumbled to the ground lifelessly. "Squall! Something's wrong with the Chicken!" he yelled, frightened.
Squall ran in the direction of his two comrades, and knelt down to check Zell's condition. He was alarmed to see his friend paling out, and how his skin felt cold to the touch. But other than that, his pulse was fine and he was still breathing.
As they pulled him up to support him between their arms, Squall caught a flash of metal under Zell's sleeve.
It was an Odine bangle.
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To Be Continued… XD
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Note: PRETTY BORING, HUH???