Hi. This is my first fanfic in a long time. I hope you enjoy it. This is the prologue of a hopefully long piece of fiction about Zell and maybe one or two others. Let me know who you think it should be. I'm leaning towards a straight coupling later on, but it can be slash too. Please suggest. I know this isn't a great author intro, but I'm just trying a rusty art that I used to have fun with. Oh, and I am taking down some of my old fan fiction due to embarrassment that I have encountered over the course of rereading them. This one is different. Please try it out and review. Thank you.

Disclaimer: I don't own FFVIII. If I did, there would be a lot different, especially who the main female was.

When The Red Moon Rises

By: Angel Samantha

Zell walked down the shiny, circular hallways of Balamb Garden. He was actually silent, hands in his pockets. His usually vibrant eyes were downcast to the ruby-carpeted floor. He heard noise flow around him in a cluttered mess, unable to distinguish one voice from another. It was late. He was supposed to be out on a mission, but it had ended miserably, and he was going to have to tell Squall. How could he? Squall would murder him for what he done, but he'd have to wait in line because Zell wanted to kill himself first. How could he have been so stupid…? Why did he even accept this mission? Because it was supposed to be a very simple mission, perfect for those who just passed the SeeD test like Rinoa and her companions just had. They had passed together. Even thought Rinoa was a sorceress and had helped save the world, she insisted that she pass the exam just like everyone else had to. She had the most problems with scouting missions. Zell felt himself smile sadly despite himself as he remembered how Rinoa had failed so many spying missions. She must have always had Zone spy for her when she was 'Princess'. He sighed again, thinking about what had just happened.

His shoes squeaked as he entered the elevator. His fingers were trembling as he pulled them out of his pocket to press the third floor button. Zell sighed as the room started to move him upwards. They all had depended on him. All three of the girls… And what had he done…? He let them be slaughtered. He, the leader, had led them into the depths of Hell, only to have him rise above it. He wasn't worthy of it. He should be dead. Why did they want him to live? Dammit. This wasn't fair. He went to kick the wall, but stopped shy as the door opened in front of him. He sighed. The brown-haired man looked up from his desk to see the short blonde standing in the elevator.

"Zell? You should… Where is Rinoa?" Squall growled in his normal ice-cold tone. Zell made sure to carefully avoid his gaze. The commander knew something was wrong. The hyper man looked drained of the pure energy he usually radiated past the point of annoyance.

"About that…" The blonde shuffled his feet nervously, but before he could finish, the elevator doors slid open, allowing a man with a long white trench coat to enter the room.

"Why are you here, chicken-wuss?" Seifer teased, leaning against the wall next to the doorway, looking at Zell's back. The short man turned around and looked at Seifer dead in the eye.

"Shut the fuck up, Almasy. I'm not in the damn mood," Zell hissed, his dull voice barely lighting up with anger. Seifer raised an eyebrow and backed off, just out of the shock of the blonde's dead sapphire eyes.

"What happened to Rinoa, Zell?" Squall repeated with more fury than before. Zell winced and looked down again at his shuffling feet. Seifer listened carefully to Zell's next and probably last words.

"She's dead, Squall…"