Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Obviously.

Note: The beginning might be a little boring. Sorry.


Also, to help avoid confusion (I'm sorry!):

Host: Possessor of the Garden

Garden: Powerful being. Not a school like ion FFVIII.

BodyGard: "Bodyguard". Spelling derives from Garden.

Gardian: "Guardian". Spelling derives from Garden

Garden Force: "Guardian Force" or GF. Spell change to fit story.

SeeD: A Host who has realized their full potential. Unlike the mercenaries in FFVIII.

SeeDing: An adventure that ends in a Host becoming a SeeD. Kind of like the exams in FFVIII.


BodyGarden - Chapter II

"Zell! Stop fidgeting! Pay attention! This information may be very important to your SeeDing." The bland voice of Commander Xu echoed throughout the equally bland office. It was enough to drive Zell crazy but he had no choice but to sit through this damn lecture. Good thing he memorized the information so he could answer her questions as quickly as she asked them.

"Yes Commander..." Zell was bored and couldn't help but mumble.

"Now where was I? Oh yes. Gardens. The Gardens are powerful forces that cannot live in our physical world so they find a Host who they then Junction themselves to. Hosts are people who have become the avatar for the Garden of their respective state. Because of this they gain incredible powers and abilities. Some become wielders of unseen forces, some become grand swordsmen. Hosts are chosen by their strength that a Garden is only able to see, and they are chosen upon birth. The most important thing for a Host is to become a SeeD of the Garden. A host becomes a SeeD by going on their SeeDing. A SeeD is a powerful person in their state. They may have great economic prowess, an unmatched green thumb, or a talent for politics. Whatever it is that the SeeD has learnt about themselves while on their SeeD is used for the betterment of their state. A SeeDing also helps the Host grow not only personally, but also mentally. It helps them see what the world is and what the world needs. And a SeeDing takes place starting on the Host's eighteenth birthday, and goes until the Host is either found dead, or when they return to their state, A Host who flees their SeeDings and responsibilities will be executed. But this has never happened, just a safety measure. Though most respect Hosts and their abilities, some do fear or wish for the power. This is why the Host must be accompanied by a BodyGard. BodyGards are people who have shown great promise on the battlefield. They are hired by the state to protect the Host and will do so at any cost." Xu paused for a moment and Zell hoped she was done. Her rambles were long and her bland tone was just... torture. "Now Zell. Tell me why Gardens inhabit the bodies of mortals and why they help us."

Zell sighed and sat up a little. "Gardens choose a Host because when the Host grows and becomes stronger so does the Garden. And Gardens cannot survive without Junctioning to a human. That is why once the previous Host has died a new Host is born not long after. They help us so we can grow and change, which in turn helps them. Our advancement means their advancement... That seems rather selfish of them doesn't it?"

"Zell! You will not speak ill of the Gardens! But very well. I see you have been studying. Now let's change our subject to Sorceresses. Sorceresses are powerful humans who are born with the ability to use the ancient art of Magic. They are rare, but obviously not as rare as a Host. This being said, Lady Edea is a miracle. She is both a Host to the White Garden and a Sorceress. Zell, how many Gardens are there?" Xu had her hands folded neatly on top of her desk and was sitting up perfectly straight.

"I thought we were supposed to be talking about Sorceresses." Xu glared at Zell. "Alright, sorry. Uhh, there are four Gardens. Balamb, Galbadia, Trabia, and White. I am Host to the Balamb Garden, Sir Irvine is host to the Galbadia Garden, Lady Selphie Tilmitt is host to the Trabia Garden, and Lady Edea is host to the White Garden."

Xu nodded at this and continued. "Knights are to Sorceresses as BodyGards are to Hosts. But we will not dwell on this, it isn't very important to your SeeDing. Now, you will be starting your SeeDing soon. I want you to be careful. It is hard for a Host to trust people outside their state so I warn you against engaging in unnecessary relationships." Zell nodded quickly at this, hoping the lecture was finally over. "You may leave. But do not forget any of this. It is very important information."

Zell bolted up and quickly ran from the office, not noticing the tall blonde who was staring at him while being greeting by the Commander.


The busy hum of the crowd woke Zell from his thoughts. He had been thinking about when he had been lectured just a few days ago by Commander Xu. He was getting nervous so he was trying to remember something... useful. She had just rambled about stuff he learned when he was six years old. Useless woman. Zell shook his head to clear it and looked up. The men around him were all bowing and Seifer was standing only a short distance from him. One of the men spoke up.

"It has been a pleasure serving you Master Host. We will now depart so you can begin your SeeDing." They all stood in unison and marched away leaving Seifer and Zell alone in the crowd.

Zell lowered his eyes slightly. He was still upset with him but then he noticed something. "Hey... Where's all our stuff?"

"That Xu chick took our stuff to some richy hotel. We'll go there soon enough, but I got something planned remember?" Seifer was standing with his hand on his hips before he reached one out. "We never had a proper introduction. Seifer Almasy."

Zell glanced at his hand before reaching his own out. "Zell Dincht." He was then yanked roughly and realized he was in Seifer's arms being carried. "W-what the hell are you doing?" Zell was flustered and people were staring. "Put me down!" Seifer looked down at him and smirked.

"You're too short. You'd take forever to get to where I wanna go so shut up and enjoy the ride." At this Seifer winked and quickened his pace to a swift trot.

Zell had his face covered in his hands so he didn't realize they had left the town until he was, not so gently, put down by Seifer. "Oww. What the hell is wrong with you?" Zell was angry but his face froze when he realized where they were. "W-what are we doing out of the town...? What is it that you have plan-" Zell stopped himself by covering his mouth. "Oh no... Oh Hyne no..."

Seifer looked over at the boy and raised an eye brow in confusion. "Wha?"

Zell stepped back slowly, staring in horror at Seifer. "You... you're a radical... or a rapist aren't you! Oh Hyne... HEL-!" He backed into something hard and looked up, his eyes widening more. It was a man. Big and burly. He had dark skin and odd clothing.

"Hey! Nice to-" Zell screamed rather femininely. "H-hey. Calm down, you know?"

"QUIET!" the silver haired woman was standing beside the man. She glared at Zell with her one eye.

Zell felt a strong hand against his mouth and gasped. "Shut the fuck up. We're not going to hurt you. You have no idea what that damn Commander put us through just to even consider us for this job. We wouldn't screw up an opportunity like this. So shut your fucking mouth before I sew it shut." He dropped his hand hesitantly. "These two are your Gardians Fujin and Raijin." He waved a hand toward the woman and man, respectively. "They're good friends of mine. We've been working together for... Hyne. Years."

Zell studied the two people before him. They seemed like polar opposites. The man was hunched over slightly and had dark skin, with large smile on his face. The woman had fair skin, piercing eyes, and stood with perfect posture. "HELLO." Fujin greeted in her odd temperament.

"Nice to meet you, you know? Sorry we scared you." The man ruffled Zell's hair roughly. "Haha! Seifer was right! His hair does look like a chicken's butt!"

Zell glared up at Raijin and swatted his hand away. "Whatever... Anyway. Sorry about that. You people are just so weird looking that you can't blame me." He crossed his arms.

"NUISANCE." Fujin was looking at Seifer.

"Nah. All we gotta do is teach him a thing or two. He already knows some martial arts. Says he's pretty good." Seifer was resting his arm on top of Zell's head, using him like an arm rest. "He sure is short though. Hopefully we won't lose sight of him too often." Seifer chuckled at his own joke and moved away from Zell. "Now. Time to hunt some beasties." Seifer stretching and rotated his shoulder and swung Hyperion around briefly. "Monsters around Timber aren't too bad, this should give us an idea of where you stand though, in terms of ability."

Zell huffed and kept his arms crossed. He had to do his SeeDing with these freaks? This is going to be a disaster. "Fine."

Fujin took out a large chakram and spun it around a little, while Raijin took the long staff off his back. Seifer pointed in a direction and the other two started off. Seifer turned to Zell and waved him over. "Time to start moving Chicken!" Zell growled and stomped passed Seifer.

"Stop calling me that you arrogant ass."

"But it's fun!" Seifer ran up to walk beside Zell. "Don't worry. Those two are great. And they're far more reliable than they appear."


After walking for what seemed like forever Zell let out a frustrated sigh. "Where the hell are all these monsters! We shouldn't get too far from Timber anyway!"

Seifer looked down at Zell and the other two companions turned around. "But Zell... it's only been five minutes, you know?" Raijin looked rather confused. "Or has it been ten?"

Fujin smacked the back of his head. "SIX." She turned around again and pointed her pale finger. "MONSTER." The three men all turned too look where she was pointing.

"Aww, just a Jellyeye? I was hoping for a behemoth or something." Seifer smirked and pushed on Zell's back. "Show us what you've got Chickie."

Zell grumbled and stomped over toward the ugly beast. He looked it over before raising his fist. The creature tried to shoot a cold blast of energy at Zell, but the boy stepped out of the way. Zell took this as his cue to go in for an offensive attack. He punch the creature in its face... eye? Whatever. And then drop kicked it to the ground. It curled up and dissipated into nothingness. Zell pumped his fist into the air and cheered. He heard loud clapping behind him, getting closer.

"That was actually quite impressive. There's no doubt you're the Host." Seifer ruffled Zell's hair and smiled at him. "You actually might not be that much of a problem after all."

Zell glared at him before his eyes grew wide. "W-what the hell is that!"

Seifer turned around and stepped back, putting a protective arm in front of Zell. "Stay back. This is a much more powerful monster." Zell looked over at the large bulking creature that waddled toward the group. "Fujin." Fujin nodded and held her hand not holding her weapon toward her face before jetting it out.

A large, bladed, gust of wind came swirling out of her arm and torn the monster to shreds. "COMPLETE."

"What was that thing? I've never seen a creature like that before. A-and what did Fujin just do?" Seifer dropped his arm and turned toward Zell as the two Gardians strolled over.

"An Earth Sprite. New monsters have been popping up a lot lately. And Fujin just used some magic. We all can. Comes with using a GF."

"A GF? But I thought only a Sorceress could use Magic!" Zell was confused. What the hell was a GF?

"A Garden Force. They're issued to every BodyGard, and now Gardian. They are artificial Gardens. It's hard to explain. We Junction GFs to boost our capabilities and it gives us access to some artificial magic. It's something Esther has been doing for years. They started a long time ago when a Sorceress and a Host both agreed to go through some experiments. It comes in handy, as you can see." Seifer eyed Zell. "Do they teach you nothing useful at that damn school?"

"Obviously not. Stupid Xu... Anyway, that was wind magic wasn't it? That's awesome!"

Fujin smiled briefly. "YES." She seemed quite happy with herself. "PANDAMONA."

"Pandamona? What's that?" Zell was now looking at Fujin with big, admiring eyes.

"GF." She felt uncomfortable under the boy's stare.

"Fu's GF is Pandamona. It gives her access to wind magic and helps her move around more freely. Raijin there was given Quezacolt. It gives him access to thunder and lightning magic. It also helps him redirect electricity. And I was given Ifrit. The god of fire!" Seifer smirked arrogantly. Fujin rolled her eyes and Raijin laughed loudly. "It gives me some wicked fire magic and boosts my physical power when I'm in trouble or when I have a high body temperature." He winked at Zell who wrinkled his nose.

"I didn't realize normal people could use magic. Even if it is just artificial." Zell couldn't understand why Xu had never told him this.

"Yeah, well Fu here is the real Sorceress here, you know? Me and Seifer are no where near her magical level." Raijin rested a hand on Fujin's shoulder but quickly took it away as if it was burned. Fujin was glaring daggers at him.

"CONTINUE?" Fujin looked down at Zell and smiled slightly. She was starting to like this boy, even if he was a little loud. Zell nodded and led the group this time. He walked in front as the other three marched behind him. Zell was rambling away to Raijin about something Seifer didn't care about. "He is a strong kid." Fujin's voice was soft. "I think I will have fun." She smiled sweetly at Seifer, who smiled back.

"Too bad he's so annoying." Zell heard this and punched Seifer in the stomach before the man could even react. "Oww... Fuck. What was that for, you little brat!"

Fujin muffled a laugh, Raijin howled loudly again, and Zell looked at Seifer smugly. "Stop being such an ass. I heard what you said about me." Seifer glared at Zell and grunted. "Hey, a hardly touched you! Stop being such a wuss!"

"I'll show you whose a wuss!" Seifer raised Hyperion but stopped when a pillar of ice came flying at Zell from behind. "Oh shit, watch it." Seifer shoved Zell out of the and shot a bolt of fire at the ice which melted it instantly. "Where did that come from?"

Raijin was already engaging a blobby, blue creature, and Fujin was throwing her chakram at a bright, orangey one. A crystalline creature made a noise that sounded like shattering glass and dashed toward Seifer. The man jumped back when the monster took a swipe at him. He swung his gunblade down with incredible force, shattering the creature. Raijin had his staff deep in the watery beast and shot electricity through his hands, down his staff and into the creature causing it to erupt and explode.

Fujin was moving around with incredible speed and kept her distance with a barrage of spells and chakram tosses. She was having trouble. "HELP."

Raijin threw his staff into the creature and shot a bolt of lightning at it, while Seifer thrusted his gunblade into its back after he made his way over. The creature made a hissing sound, like bacon cooking on a pan, and erupted into a bright light.

Seifer skidded back and stood beside Zell. "What the fuck? That thing should be dead!" The creature was now much larger and spat Raijin's staff onto the ground. It made another hissing sound before shooting a ball of fire at Fujin. "Fu! Watch out!" Seifer jumped onto the creature's back and started to stab its head furiously.

Fujin had dodged the ball of flames easily and raised a hand into the air. "PANDAMONA!" Seifer back flipped off the monster when a large bird-woman-thing came from the sky. It was magnificent. Pandamona inhaled the creature and the air around it into small pockets on its shoulders. It built up power before exhaling, causing a large tornado to tear at the monster. Pandamona disappeared and the creature was dead.

"What the hell, you know? That thing was crazy!" Raijin was huffing, trying to catch his breath as he bent over to pick up his weapon. "Way to go Fu. Pandamona sure did a number on that thing, you know?"

Seifer grabbed Zell's hand and hoisted him up. "Are you okay? You didn't get hurt did you?" He pawed at Zell, trying to find any injuries.

Zell shook his head and pushed Seifer's hands away. "No, I'm fine. But what just happened exactly? I'm assuming those things were more Sprites but..." Zell tilted his to the side slightly.

"No idea. We've never seen that before. They must be... evolving or something." Seifer turned away from Zell. "You two okay?" Fujin nodded, as did Raijin. "Good. We should get out of here before more come back. Let's go." Seifer tugged on Zell's arm and started to head back to Timber.

"Oh, hey. What was that large bird thing? Fujin said PANDAMONA! and then that thing appeared."

"That was Pandamona. Unlike the real Gardens, the GFs can be summoned into a physical form. It drains a lot of energy but Fu is tough, she can handle it." Seifer scowled a little. "We gotta hurry. I don't like these new things. The sprites are getting out of hand." With this they quickened their pace, keeping quiet the rest of the way back to Timber.


"Oh, wow..." Zell was in awe. He had never seen anything like it. People scurrying around, windows in stores that displayed merchandise, clerks shouting out sales, the smell of people, food, cloth, oil, mud, and steam all mixed together. He had never been allowed out in a place like this before, and it was all so exciting. "I can't believe everything in my life has changed so quickly!" He ran ahead and started window shopping and speaking to random people. Most people were taken aback by the excited blonde but usually warmed up to him in seconds. He had a weird talent of making people like him, much to the annoyance of his BodyGard.

"Hey Chickie! Get back here! Stop running around so much! Ugh! Don't touch that! Oh Hyne... he's going to be the death of me." Seifer was chasing after Zell, having an oddly hard time even though he was a good 7 inches taller than the boy. Fujin giggled and walked slowly.

"They are rather cute. A Master and his Gard. How romantic." Fujin watched the two with a smile on her face. "I don't think I've ever seen Seifer this happy."

"Say wha? I thought he was pissed, you know! And what are you saying! Are those two like, an item, you know? Did I miss something?" Fujin glared at him a slapped the back of his head.

"MORON." She sighed and looked back at the two blondes. "Of course they aren't an item. They just met. But you can see what joy being around Zell gives Seifer. It's cute. That's not to say they will be together, but they are obviously fast friends. You can just tell." Fujin sighed and hurried her pace as Zell screamed when Seifer put his head in a lock in his arm.

"Seifer! Let go of me! I command it! Arg...!" Zell wiggled around trying to get his head free.

"Are you going to calm down Chicken Wuss or am I going to have to put you on a leash! Stop being a nuisance." Seifer dropped Zell and stepped over him. "Now where the hell is that hotel." He scanned around the street before spotting a small store. "Hmm... Maybe we could get some directions. Let's go ask the people over there." He pointed his long finger at the small blue store and started heading toward it, ignoring Zell's insults and growls.

"Seifer, you ass! Why are you such a jerk to me!" Zell jumped up and ran after Seifer, Fujin and Raijin following closely behind.

"Shut up Chicken. Now's not the time. We need directions." He pushed the door to the store open and Zell walked in. Zell could instantly tell it was the shop belonging to a Sorceress.

The Garden in side him could feel Magic and it was strong here. He gazed around at the many magical items, pawing at some but getting his hand wacked by Seifer.

"Oww... Stop that!" Zell was rubbing his sore hand when he heard a voice from the back room.

"Oh. Is someone there? Sorry, I was out back-" A cute teenage girl came around the corner of the back door and gasped. "OhmyHyne! Seifer?" She squealed loudly and ran to the tall blonde, jumping into his arms, hugging him.

"Hey Rin. How have you been? Short as ever I see." He laughed at her pout and gave her a kiss on her forehead. Zell just stared blankly.

"That's Rinoa, you know? She's like a little sister to Seifer. But she's a powerful Sorceress. She's kicked Seifer's ass a few times, you know? Oww!" Raijin rubbed the back of his after Seifer wacked him.

"Shut up Raijin. Anyway, this here is Zell, the Balamb Host." Rinoa dropped down and walked over to Zell. She walked around him slowly and eyed him curiously.

"Hmm... Ah... I see..." She stopped in front of him and frowned deeply, this worried Zell. "I don't know..." She turned his head slightly to the side, so she could better see his untainted cheek and grinned. "Aww! He is so adorable!" Rinoa grabbed Zell into a crushing hug and planted a kiss on his cheek. "He's shorter than I would have expected but he'll do!"

"Do? Wha..?" Zell was confused and flustered after the strange hug.

"Rinoa is just being a weirdo again. Ignore her." Seifer said this dryly and Rinoa puffed her cheeks before walking over to Seifer and hitting his arms, yelling out 'you're so means' and 'I hate yous'. Seifer stood there as if he couldn't even feel it. "So, Rin. It was your eighteenth birthday recently, huh?" Rinoa stopped her assault and smiled even wider than before.

"Yep! And Squall had a big surprise for me! I was so happy!" Seifer physically flinched at the name Squall Zell noticed. He'd ask about that later. "But anyway. What brings you guys here? You didn't just stop in to say hi to little ol' me, did you?"

Seifer scoffed. "Of course not." This made Rinoa pout and turn away. "We were looking for directions to a hotel, and I knew you'd know!"

"Why should I help you? You're such a jerk to me!" Zell could see a resemblance in Seifer's relationship with Rinoa and his own. This made Zell wonder if the tall blonde bugged him because he really liked him. Of course not! Seifer was just an ass.

"Because you want to. I know you. You love me too much!" Seifer hugged Rinoa from behind and kissed the top of her head.

"Ugh. Fine! Where is it that you want to go?" Rinoa turned around and looked up at Seifer.

"The Grand Timber Hotels on Birchwood Street." Seifer said this with a small smile. "And thank you."

"No problem." Rinoa closed her eyes for a brief moment. "So... Hmm..." she opened them again and snapped her fingers. "Come back a visit sometime, please? Bring Zelly too!"

Before Seifer or Zell could react their surrounding changed. Seifer smiled widely and stretched. "That girl can work wonders."

Zell felt like he was ready to vomit and he hunched over so as not to throw up. "Ugh... what the hell just happened?"

"TELEPORTATION." Fujin walked over to Zell and rubbed his back gently. "SICK?"

Zell shook his head and stood up again, the nausea disappearing. "I'm fine now. Wait, teleportation? Rinoa can do that?" Zell was shocked. He had no idea Magic worked like that.

"Yeah. She's pretty good at it too, but it can make you throw up your own lung sometimes." Seifer yawned after saying this and walked toward the tall golden building in front of them. He pushed the door open for his three companions, ushering them in with his hand. The hotel was high end, and the interior showed this quite loudly. The lobby was golden and majestic looking. The ceiling was adorn with crystal chandeliers and mirrors, while the walls were decorated with golden candlesticks. The walls were covered in expensive wallpaper and the floor was covered in a lush red carpet. Small sofas were arrange for waiting and faint music coming from a piano sitting off to one side filled the air. Zell was awestruck and didn't notice the employee who walked toward them.

"You must be Sir Zell's party. Uh, yes. We have a room booked for you up on the suite floor." The man bowed as Zell turned to him. "I am sorry, but the room has only two bed rooms. Your Gardians will have to sleep in a room on the floor below."

"What can you expect? The Host suites only needed to accommodate two people before. It's alright, I'm sure they understand." Zell smiled at the man and turned his head over his shoulder. "That's okay right guys?" Raijin and Fujin nodded and the man handed them a key, as well as handing Seifer a key.

"These are the keys for your rooms. Your luggage has already been sent to your rooms but if you need anything else please do not hesitate to ask." The young man turned and left. The group made their way toward the elevator.

"Awesome! Are we always going to spend our nights in places like this?" Zell was excited and bouncing a little.

"Of course not. After this we're going to have to fend for ourselves. I guess this is a going away present from Commander Xu." They walked into the elevator shaft and hit the appropriate floor buttons. "We're going to have to go make our own money by doing odd jobs. Like killing monsters and such. Since we're a Host party we should be able to find work relatively easy." Seifer and Zell waved good bye to Fujin and Raijin as they stepped out of the elevator. The door squeaked shut and the shaft began moving again. "Looks like it's just you and me, eh Chickie?" Safer ruffled Zell's hear and smirked at his angry protests.

"Ugh! Why you! Why couldn't it be Fujin or someone else? Even Xu is better than you!" Zell swatted Seifer's hand away.

"Xu? That hurts Chicken." Seifer placed a hand over his heart as the elevator dinged. "You can be so cruel sometimes." The two boys stepped out of the elevator and walked to their room quietly. "805. This is it." Seifer pushed the key into the keyhole and unlocked the door, pushing the door open for Zell.

The room had pretty much the same general design as the lobby except the walls were a more brownish colour, and the lush carpet was white. The first room was a small sitting area. It had a comfortable sofa and a mini bar. There was a door a few steps away from the front door, which was the closet. The sitting area had two doors on opposite ends of the room, leading to the two bed rooms. The large window on the wall across from the front door looked over the busy streets below, and gave a nice view of the surrounding forests. Zell opened the door to the right of the sitting room and peaked in. He saw his luggage bag sitting in front of the bed. The bed was large and had a red comforter. There was a wall with a large mirror and a dresser. Beside the dresser was a door, which Zell assumed was another closet. On the other wall, across from the dresser, was another door. Zell checked, and discovered this led to a small private bathroom. Seifer's room was the same. Zell hopped onto his bed after exploring the suite and started to take out his things. Clothing, a tooth brush, some books, and a chocobo plushy.

"Oh? the Chickie sleeps with stuffed animals?" Seifer walked over to Zell from his place leaning on the door frame. Zell tried to grab the toy from Seifer. "Aww, wittle Zelly want his teddy?"

Zell blushed and looked away from Seifer. "S-shut up... She's important to me..."

"She? Oh? What's her name?" Seifer tossed the toy at Zell, who quickly tucked it in his arms. "And why? Did your mommy give her to you?"

"Her name is Chocolate and yes... my mom did give her to me." Zell made a sad face and looked down at the stuffed bird. "She gave me her when I was only two... It's..."

Seifer saw the look Zell was making and frowned. He didn't like when the little blonde was upset, not unless he was the cause. "Zell... Sorry." Seifer quickly turned to leave. "Let me know when you're ready to get something to eat."

"Huh? Wait, where are you going? I was talking to you!" Zell stood up and grabbed Seifer's hand. Seifer turned around again and looked down at the boy. Zell had his head down and looked about ready to cry.

Seifer huffed. "Fine. What did you want to say to me?" Zell looked up and smiled weakly.

"My mom... She died two years ago. She was my favourite person in the whole world, and was my only real friend. Chocolate reminds me of how happy we were together..." Zell sniffled quietly causing Seifer to frown. "I miss her so much... but a Host is never supposed to cry... It shows weakness." With this Zell couldn't hold back and tears started to run down his face.

"Zell... Why are you telling me all this? We just met..." Seifer raised his hand that wasn't being clamped by Zell's and brushed a tear away, lifting his head. "And crying is normal. It's not weak."

Zell rubbed his eyes and turned away. "I'm sorry... It just kinda happened. I don't mean to bother you..." He sniffled again but felt himself being pushed over. Seifer had shoved him.

"Shut up. You're such a Chicken Wuss. Now, let me know when you want to eat something. I'm going to go unpack my things for the night." Seifer smirked at Zell, who was lying on the floor looking up at him.

Zell's eyes filled with angry and he jumped up. "Asshole!" Seifer just laughed as he left Zell's room. Zell hugged the chocobo to his chest and sat on his bed. "What a jerk..." A smile crept onto Zell's face and he wiped the remainder of the tears away.


"Seeeeeiiiiifffer! I'm huuuugry!" Zell was banging on Seifer's door, whining, as his stomach ate at its self. "Oooopen up!" He could hear movement and stood back, grinning. Finally. The door flung open.

"Shut up! Hyne! I heard you the first time! I can't get ready?" Seifer was furious. The little brat had been banging on his door for 5 minutes straight. "Go wait on the couch or something." He turned away and grabbed his trench coat. He had been washing his face after putting his stuff away. He hadn't realized before but his encounter with those sprites earlier had caused his face to get a little dirty. He sighed and walked out of his room, seeing Zell bouncing on the couch. "Come on. Let's go get Rai and Fu."

They left the room and locked up. Raijin and Fujin declined going out to eat. Raijin just said he had food packed, and Fujin said "NO." as if it was an explanation. Seifer and Zell just shrugged it off and were now out in the street again.

"Oh, hey. Before we go eat something do you wanna go see if Rinoa would like to join us?" Before Seifer could even get a reply out Zell had already started walking off. "I think her shop is over... here... Ah! I see it!" Zell started to sprint and Seifer followed close behind.

"Hyne, sit still for 5 seconds! You're going to kill me." Seifer was gasping for breath when they reached the small store. "Ugh... Chickie. How do you do this all the time? You're making me tired just by watching you." Seifer followed Zell into the store and they were met by Rinoa who hugged them both.

"Hey Rinoa! Do you wanna go out and eat somewhere? We were just on our way." Zell was bouncing on his heels.

"Sure! Sounds like fun. Be right back!" Rinoa hurried behind the front desk and grabbed a light blue coat. As the three left the shop she put up her Closed sign and locked the door. "So, where to?"

Seifer and Zell looked at each other and shrugged. "We don't know the places around here. Where would you like to go?" Seifer asked this as they started on their way.

"Well there is this one place I like. It's just down here. It has awesome food!" At this Rinoa started to go on a rant about all the food they had, and why it was so good. Zell joined in and they started to go on about their favourite food. Seifer just watched them in amusement.

"What do you mean hot dogs are gross!" Zell and Rinoa had stopped walking and Zell was looking at Rinoa in shock.

"What do you mean? Hot dogs are nasty!" Rinoa said, as if it was well known fact. Zell gasped and crossed his arms.

"I don't know if this is going to work out! I can't be friends with someone like you! Hot dogs are my favourite food!" Zell was ready to go on another rant when Seifer cut in.

"You probably just like them because they remind you of a cock. Now shut up, both of you. We're here." Seifer's voice was dry and emotionless. He loved the look Zell gave him. He was pissed and embarrassed. It was priceless. "Let's just eat and head back. I don't want to be seen in public with you two more than I have to." With this Seifer walked into the restaurant. Rinoa was laughing her head off as she followed Seifer, and Zell was mumbling something to himself, neither of them hearing him.


After saying good bye to Rinoa and getting back to their suite Seifer and Zell started playing a game of cards with Raijin and Fujin. Fujin and Seifer both won 4 games, and Zell had won 1. They all decided that this would be their last game.

"So, Chickie. You feeling okay now? No more crying?" Seifer asked absentmindedly, putting a card down. "Because if you are you can just go to your room now. I don't want to see it again."

Zell looked up in shock. He just told Fujin and Raijin he was cry. "S-Seifer! You're so mean!" Zell threw a card down, and Fujin smirked.

"VICTORY." She threw down her entire hand and stood to leave.

"Hey! You cheated!" Seifer stood and started to argue with Fujin. Raijin just stretched and yawned, waving goodbye to Zell.

"See you tomorrow, you know?" He left the room, leaving Zell and the arguing pair. Zell stood and started to walk away from Seifer and his friend before Seifer called to him.

"Hey, I wanted to ask you something." Zell turned around. "Why did you tell me all that earlier?"

"You mean about my mom...? I don't know. I just felt... like I could. I felt comfortable around you... And not in the way that you're thinking pervert! I almost feel like I had a friend like you once. But then I remember that I didn't." Zell shrugged and walked away, heading into his room. "I'll see you guys in the morning. Don't argue for too long." Zell closed his door and went to bed.

"Are you going to tell him?" Fujin's face turned serious and was staring at Seifer.

"Don't look at me like that! And no, not yet."

TO BE CONTINUED