"What the fuck do you want from me?"
Zell started at the sheer venom that coated Seifer's rich voice. "What?"
The tall blond began to stride towards him, his long smoke-colored trench coat snaking about his legs. Within the inky blackness, his eyes were hardened chips of bone, glinting and dead. "How much more can you take from me? I have nothing now. I'm fucking disgraced because of you!"
Something akin to fear slipped into his veins. "What the hell are you talking about? You were wrong! Ultimecia was wrong! We had to-"
"I don't care what you had to do!"
Zell tried to move backwards but found that he could not. A poignant rush of dread swiftly enveloped him. Around him the air grew murky, thick and inky like a melting shadow. His hands were naked and immobile, sending cold shivers of stark vulnerability jetting up his spine. His voice was desperate when he spoke. "You were possessed! We had to stop you! Ultimecia was going to-"
"Shut up!" Seifer was approaching quickly, his face a scribble of livid frost. "You ended up a fucking hero while the whole world dumped shit on me. But that all ends here, chicken-wuss." The cloying darkness was sliced apart by cool steel as Seifer hefted Hyperion into view. The sleek gunblade shone manically, taunting Zell with its power. "It's your turn to lose."
He still was unable to move and in the end, it probably wouldn't have mattered. Hyperion was swift and he gasped as the unforgiving metal slipped into his skin, carving inwards. Pain leaked into his being as wet fluid twisted away from him. He couldn't speak and couldn't think, as the world tilted around and suddenly he was staring up into icy eyes, the hard floor beneath him.
Aristocratic features sneered down at him. "You're the loser now, chicken-wuss. I won't be bothered by you again."
Something was spilling from him as the room grew cold. Zell struggled to keep his eyes open but he was suddenly so weary. Even in the darkness, behind closed lids, he could still see bitterly detached sapphire-colored eyes smirking down at him.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Zell didn't scream out loud or bolt upright drenched in sweat when he woke. Instead, his eyes opened quickly and struggled to adjust to the darkness of the hotel room. He found that he was still cold, as if a part of his dream lingered on against him. He quietly gulped for air and then looked beside him to see if he'd woken his companions.
Selphie was laying on her stomach, her arms hanging limply off the sides of the bed. Her face was buried under her pillow and she was snoring quietly. He managed a shaky smile at that; even when sleeping Selphie was cute.
On his other side, Irvine was also soundly sleeping. He couldn't help but note that the gunslinger wasn't wearing his hat; he'd often wondered if Irvine slept with his hat on or not.
Silently, Zell sat up and pulled his comforter firmly around him. He shivered silently as he contemplated the dream.
While Seifer had constantly insulted and ridiculed him, his abuse during their Garden years had never been physical. Unlike Squall, Zell never trained with or fought against Seifer. Seifer liked to fight with those who gave him a challenge and he'd made it clear on numerous occasions that 'chicken-wusses' weren't worthy opponents.
"Bastard," Zell muttered, clenching his teeth.
He didn't understand why he'd dream about being killed by Seifer. It wasn't as though he was sorry for defeating Seifer; he'd only done what he had to. He was a SeeD and SeeD's were trained to kill sorceresses and that included their Knights. Surely there was no way that he could possibly feel guilty about it...was there? Afterall, it was Seifer for God's sakes. Seifer, who had been nothing but cruel to him, so why the hell should he care?
Zell shifted, uncomfortable with the notion that he might actually feel guilt over his role in Seifer's current plight. He had done nothing wrong, Seifer had been the one to try and kill them. Possessed or not, it made no matter to Zell.
Still, he couldn't forget the chilly hatred that shone in eyes of the Seifer in his dream. Zell had to wonder if Seifer really did despise them. Things had gone so horribly wrong for Seifer that by the end, he wouldn't have been able to back out even if he'd wanted to. Everything had been taken away from him, by Edea and Ultimecia as well as by them. Seifer did have a right to hate him and that was another notion Zell found disturbing. Although he couldn't quite put his finger on why he did.
Laying back down into the cushy embrace of the mattress, he wrapped his blanket tighter around his cold body. Sleep eluded him for a long time as he stared up into the shadows, puzzling thoughts muddling his mind.