PART 4 One Dark Knight
Zell grabbed a towel and ran for the phone. 'Damn! I knew I shouldn't have taken a shower at this time!' He slipped on the puddle of water on the bathroom floor and struggled to get up as fast as he could. Luckily, when he finally got back to his feet, Fujin had already woken up and answered the phone.
"YES?" She saw the towel-clad Zell come in and handed him the receiver.
"Room 789?" the man on the other line inquired.
"Yeah," Zell replied.
"SeeD?"
"Yes."
"Good. These are your orders: Report to Presidential Residence at 1000 hours tomorrow. Be prompt. Details of your mission will be given out there." And with that, he hung up.
"SAY WHAT?" Fujin said.
"We go to the Presidential Residence and arrive there by 1000 hours."
"AFFIRMATIVE."
"Okay...so I guess that's it. Let's get some sleep."
~*~*~*~
The next day, Zell and Fujin left the hotel after having a hearty breakfast. They stopped by the hospital and picked up Raijin, who recovered quickly after nearly choking to death. He didn't speak to them and pretended not to see them when they came in, but after being given a peace offering of a bag of meat buns, he decided to forgive and forget. Of course, they also had to agree to go fishing with him after the mission, but they had to work as a team and it would be difficult if one of them refused to cooperate.
When they arrived at the Presidential Residence, they found Irvine with a group of people there.
"Hey, Zell!" Irvine greeted with a tip of his hat.
"What're you doin' here?" Zell asked. "You're on that mission, too?"
"Yep," the cowboy replied. "All the Gardens are involved in it. Galbadia, Balamb, Trabia. The new president wants everyone involved."
"Is it really serious?"
"Not yet...but the president wants it to be stopped as soon as possible."
A man then came out of the Residence. "Are you all SeeD?"
"Yes," a blonde woman came up and answered. Quistis. Zell's felt his stomach do flip flops and he suddenly didn't feel too well.
"Oh, whaddya know," Irvine said. "Quistis is here, too. I didn't see her there!"
"Come in then," the man said. "The President is waiting."
~*~*~*~
"Good day, SeeDs," the President greeted. "I hope you all got a good night's sleep. Well, first of all, I'm sure you know that there have been attacks on Galbadia and its people. Two of our naval ships have been bombed, and a shooting right here in Deling City occurred just two weeks ago. We have reason to believe that a 'sorceress cult'--believers in the sorceresses--are behind this, or at least involved with the incidents.
"Your duties will be divided by which Garden you are from. Those from Galbadia Garden will be working with our soldiers. SeeDs from Trabia Garden will be working with our investigation unit. And those from Balamb Garden, you will be working undercover as civilians and will be on the lookout for anything that will help us in our inquiry. Do I make myself clear then?"
The SeeDs, all in one perfectly straight line, saluted to show their understanding of the situation.
"Now, if anyone has any questions, I will answer them in our meeting tomorrow. Until then, be careful and don't get yourself into trouble!"
~*~*~*~
"MMM," Fujin sighed. "TEA GOOD."
They were at that restaurant again, having lunch. Raijin was chowing down on meat buns, carefully this time, and Fujin was drinking the wonderful tea. Zell...well, his plate had a hot dog on it. And the surprising thing was that that was what he had started with. He finally took it and chewed at it slowly.
'Working undercover as a civilian,' Zell thought, reflecting back on the president's words. 'It'll be a cinch... But...working with her...'
"TEA?" Fujin asked, offering the blond a cup of warm green tea.
"Uh...no thanks," Zell shook his head.
"How 'bout summa this, ya know?" Raijin said, handing him a half-eaten meat bun.
"Er...no..."
The dark-skinned man shrugged. "Suit yourself, ya know."
'I have to tell her,' the martial artist resolved. 'I can't work like this...thinking about her every waking moment! I have to get everything off my chest so I can concentrate on what's important here. My mission. This hot dog.'
"Hey, Zell!"
'Huh? Irvine? What's he doin' here?' He didn't look back to see the cowboy, but he could hear the clanking of his boots as he approached their table.
"Yo," Raijin mumbled, offering his half-eaten meat bun.
"Um...maybe later," Irvine replied.
"Geez," Raijin whispered to his silver-haired friend. "When I finally wanna share my food, no one wants them, ya know?"
"...IDIOT."
"Hmm... Ya want some, Instructor, ya know?"
'Instructor?!' Zell's head whipped around and he saw Irvine with an arm lazily draped around the shoulders of his one and only.
"No thank you, Raijin," Quistis laughed, slapping away the cowboy's hand.
"H-How..." Zell blushed and turned to focus on his plate. "How did you know we were here?"
"Easy," Irvine said, ruffling the young man's spiky blond locks. "Chocobos are pretty rare around these parts."
"What?!" the flustered teen sprung to his feet and put up his dukes. "Ya wanna try that again, punk?"
"Whoa!" Irvine threw his hands up in the air. "Chill, man! I was just jokin'!"
"...Oh."
"Hey, why so jumpy all the sudden?!"
"I..." His eyes caught Quistis' for a second and he shook his head. "...Forget it."
"Okay, so like, you know we're havin' that meeting tomorrow, right?"
"Of...o-of course! What, ya think I'm stupid!?"
"Okay, sorry, man! What the heck's up with you, anyway?"
"I...I don't know! I said to just forget it!" He pushed the sharpshooter aside and ran out of the restaurant, ignoring the calls of the people behind him.
~*~*~*~
'What the hell's wrong with me?' Zell thought angrily at himself, his eyes beginning to moisten. After the incident at the restaurant, he rushed back to the hotel in hopes that having some time alone would clear his mind. Blinded by fury and confusion, he wasn't able to open the door and when it finally did open, it was because Squall had done so. Squall was inside the room and opened the door just when the blond was about to scream in frustration. He was gone now, and that left Zell to his thinking on the bed.
'I go crazy when I see her, and I think of her when I don't. I used to be able to control my feelings...and now, they're starting to take control of me... I just...I just can't stop thinking about her with that bastard Seifer! ...And Squall...'
"You stupid asshole!" he screamed, sitting up from the bed.
"Oh!"
He rolled over and saw her by the doorway.
"I'm sorry," Quistis said softly. "I didn't think anyone would be here."
"Damn..." he mumbled to himself. "...This is your room, isn't it?"
"Um...yes...as a matter of fact..."
It hit him. 'No wonder Squall was here!' He wanted to be alone so much then that he didn't even realize he was in the wrong room. He thought Squall was there for some other reason...not because it was his room! So if he was in Squall's room, it also meant that... 'I'm in Quistis' room!'
"I, um," Quistis began. "I was going to...but now... Okay, I'll just leave you alone now..."
"Wait!"
"Hm? Yes? Anything wrong, Zell?"
"I..." He got up on his feet and gazed at her longingly. "Quistis...what I wanted to say... I-I've been wanting to get this off my chest for a very long time... I think I've been this way ever since I could remember... The thing is... I... I-I..." '...I'm crazy about you.'
"Are you all right? What is it?"
"I...I am..." '...I'm head over heels for you.'
"Zell, if you have something to tell me, just tell me."
"I am..." '...I am in love with you!' "I-I'm in...I...I..."
"Just tell me."
"I...I am in love with Squall!"
"H-Huh?!" She began to nibble thoughtfully at her bottom lip as she registered the small, yet surprising bit of information. The realization of what he had just said dawned on him. He had meant to say her name, not Squall's! Zell stared at her while she pondered his words, and he tried to think up of some way to tell her of what he really wanted to say.
Drawing in a long breath, Quistis finally spoke, thus disallowing Zell his chance to take back his words. "Well...I'm glad you confided in me, Zell."
"I'm sorry..." he said, his voice low and almost inaudible.
"Why would you be sorry?" she asked, concern reflected in her clear azure orbs.
"I should have told you sooner!" He didn't want to lie to her, but the words just spilled out from his mouth. It was like a reflex, one to hide his true feelings. "I know that you...love...him..."
"What?" He saw a hint of pink in her cheeks. "Was it...really that obvious?"
He nodded solemnly. "...I know how you feel. When I'm around the one I love...it's tough, knowing that you--I mean...he would never feel the same way."
"No, you've got it all wrong! I don't care for him that way!"
"What!? Th-Then...I mean... Then who do you care for that way?" Suddenly, he was beginning to feel hopeful. A little, maybe. But his heart was weighed back down again, knowing that it was most likely, not him.
"I can't really say right now..."
"Oh..."
"But...that aside, with what you've told me... So you wouldn't mind if I take a bath then? Then maybe we could do something together?"
"Y-Y-Y-Y..." He paused and felt something warm and wet trickle from his nose...was he having a nosebleed? He hastily covered his nose and spun around. "Y-You really wanna?"
"Sure. Just sit down and I'll be ready before you know it."
"Great!" He waved a hand and sat down on the bed. He could hear the rustling of clothing as Quistis looked through the drawers and his bloody nose got even bloodier from thinking about the love of his life undressing right behind him.
"Don't go anywhere," she said, and he heard a door shut. When he heard water running, he felt it was safe to assume that she was in the shower and he began his frantic search for something to clean up his bloody mess. It was getting worse now, with the sounds coming from the bathroom and the...images...in his head. He finally found a box of tissues on the dresser. As he wiped his face and hands, he saw in the mirror Quistis' neatly folded clothes on the bed he had occupied. It was that peach combat attire of course, they were unmistakably hers. That outfit was a trademark of hers and...
'I was on Quistis' bed!!!' His eyes widened at the realization and he grabbed a handful of tissues. A few minutes, and several bloody tissues later, Zell calmed himself down and got the bleeding to stop. He walked over to the bed and stared down at the clothes. The temptation was too much...
He took the cream-colored shirt with both hands and buried his face into the soft fabric. She wasn't like Selphie or Rinoa, who practically bathed themselves and their clothes in "exotic" perfumes, so her scent wasn't at all noticeable. But when he found that light, sweet fragrance, he lost all his senses and the sudden uncontrollability caused him to instantly drop the piece of clothing.
'I can't take this anymore!' He ran for the door and grabbed his sneakers along the way.
"Zell?" Quistis called, poking her head out from the bathroom, just when Zell's hand landed on the doorknob.
'Damn,' he cursed in his mind. 'That was fast.'
"Are you going somewhere?"
"I..." He turned and just froze.
"Do you need to be somewhere?" she asked, her left hand pushing a damp piece of hair behind her ear as her right hand kept a firm grip on the fuzzy white towel, which was, truth be told, the only thing covering her body. He could only do so much to hold back another nosebleed.
"Could I use your bathroom?" he asked.
"Of course."
"Thanks." He, very slowly, made his way to the bathroom, all the time keeping his back to the confused young woman. Once he got there, he slammed the door shut and made sure it was locked.
'I've never been so embarrassed in my life!' he thought, so angry he could punch himself. 'She believes I love Squall... What am I gonna do now?' He splashed himself with ice cold water, and took a minute to inhale her sweet, refreshing aroma, still painfully present in the warm, moist air. 'She said she didn't care for him that way... But she likes some other guy... It...it couldn't be me... Irvine? Hell no! ...Seifer? So it's Seifer... She still loves him...'
He sighed, turned off the faucet and opened the door to see that Quistis was already there and dressed up.
"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly. He nodded weakly and she smiled. "I'll just fix my hair."
"Sure," he answered dully. His eyes followed her as she went into the bathroom and began drying her hair. He was captivated as her rich, golden tresses were tousled by the hot wind from the blowdryer, groomed neatly with a black metal hairbrush, then finally styled in its usual updo.
'Quistis.' He lowered his eyes. 'I...I wish I could tell you...but I just can't say it...in words...' He had no idea why he had said Squall's name instead of hers back a few moments ago, but he decided he would let her believe that...for the time being, at least. Until he could tell how he felt for her in words.
~*~*~*~
"Here," Quistis said, taking a hanger from the rack and handing it to her companion. "Try this on."
'You've gotta be kidding me.' Zell took the light-blue dress shirt with ruffles from her and looked it over. He almost immediately returned it to the rack. "Quistis...when you said you wanted to go shopping to get a new look, I didn't mean you meant me too. We've been shopping for the last hour for my clothes... I mean, I'm not that noticeable, am I?"
"Well..." She playfully messed with his blond hair. "You don't see so much Chocobos around Deling City, do you?"
He blushed and tried to flatten down his bright, yellow, Chocobo-like spikes.
"And..." She pointed to her left cheek. "The tattoo?"
"Wh-What?" He slapped a hand over his own cheek. "Okay. Fine. Yeah, yeah, so I'm not the most 'normal' guy in the world but I like bein' different!"
"That's my favorite part about you," she smiled. "But you'll have to settle for being normal this time, okay?"
"...Yeah...that's right."
"Here, just try this one outfit."
"Er...no."
~*~*~*~
'Man...how humiliating...' Zell sighed as a tall, young redhead blow-dried his hair, and four other girls worked on his nails. He was the only male in that beauty salon...except for the drag queen in the next seat, but he really didn't count. 'I just hope I'll see my spikes again...'
Quistis had suggested going to the parlor after a good five hours of shopping. He was reluctant, but he agreed anyway. There was something about Quistis. He'd rarely seen her let loose, and that little shopping spree had given Zell the opportunity to see the happier, lighter side of Quistis. It was definitely worth it to see her like that. If it was Selphie, however, the situation would be much different. He'd be out of sight before she could even say 'Booyaka'. Selphie was a bundle of immeasurable energy and being stuck with her for five straight hours would be comparable to baby-sitting a roomful of kindergartners...that had been cloned about seven times... Speaking of a certain spunky, five foot one and a half teenager...
"Zell! Is that you!?"
"Huh?" He turned and recognized his hyperactive brunette friend in the blink of an eye. "Selphie!?!" He jumped out of the chair and rushed over to the girl to make sure he wasn't seeing things.
"Hiya!" Selphie greeted. "Wow, Zell, your hair is beautiful! It looks so much silkier and shinier and softer and so full of life!"
"Ya really think so?! Well, they used this shampoo that fully revitalizes your hair and--hey, wait a second, what am I talkin' about--what are you doin' here?!"
"She's with me," a familiar girl looked up from the Pet Pals magazine she was reading. "Hi, Zell!"
"Hey, Rinoa," Zell nodded.
"Besides," whispered Selphie, "I'm on that mission as an undercover SeeD."
"Hm? But I didn't see you at the meeting."
"Well, not everyone was there."
"And, Rinoa, why're you here? Aren't you supposed to be in Timber?"
"I..." She seemed to hesitate. "Well, Deling City is still my hometown, and I wanted to make sure it was safe."
"And she's my shopping buddy!" Selphie happily added in. "Silly Zell, you don't think I'd go shopping without her!"
"O-Of course not!"
"Anyway, what are you doing here?"
"It's a unisex salon, I got the right!"
"You're finally convinced of how tacky those spikes of yours are... I knew you'd come to your senses after I've bugged you about it long enough."
"No, I--"
"He's with me," a tall, gorgeous woman with long, luscious strawberry blonde curls interrupted.
"Wh-What?" Zell stuttered. "Wh-Who are you?!"
"Hm?" The young lady cocked her head inquiringly.
"You don't know who she is?" Selphie laughed. "It's Quisty!" She threw her arms around her friend and hugged her tight.
"Q-Quistis?!" Zell stumbled backwards from the shock. Well, she did look kind of like Quistis, but her hair was so different and... He looked at her eyes. A lovely milk chocolate color. He already missed those sky blue orbs of his golden-haired angel.
"Are you done already?" Quistis asked.
"Um..." He looked over to the five girls who were waiting for him. "Uh...not really..." He grinned sheepishly and trotted back to the chair.
"So what's with your new look?" Rinoa asked.
"Trying to impress your new lover boy?" Selphie teased.
"What?" Quistis shook her head, the action causing her luxurious curls to be tossed around. "I don't know what you mean by that."
"You know," Selphie rolled her eyes over to a certain blond, "...him."
"You've got it all wrong. What I do is of a professional nature, nothing more. I got this makeover so I wouldn't attract any attention to myself."
The two girls looked at each other then out at the young men ogling the strawberry blonde-haired goddess with their faces pressed against the window.
"So you wouldn't attract any attention, huh?" Selphie said, raising an eyebrow.
~*~*~*~
"Hey, Miss, wanna date?"
"Good day, pretty lady!"
"Woah, lookin' good!"
"Wanna visit heaven with me?!"
"Marry me!!!"
As soon as Quistis stepped out of the parlor, the men who were admiring her from outside began to follow her, and soon after, were joined by a handful of others. They followed her everywhere, to the stores, the restaurants and when Zell decided he was going to use the men's washroom, Quistis practically begged to come in with him because she knew she would be stuck with the group of what seemed like, newly recruited Trepies. He couldn't take it anymore and seeing how uncomfortable Quistis was, decided to do something about the long line of adorers.
"Okay! That's it!" The teenaged boy's voice was so loud, so powerful, that it could make a mighty T-Rexaur's roar seem more like a dying Grat's whine. It seemed that everyone within a two-mile radius stopped what they were doing to see what all the commotion was about.
Despite the strange looks he was being given, he continued. "I've had enough of this," he announced. "Leave. My. Girlfriend. Alone!!!" He glared at the group of men, the expression on his face showing far more than minor irritation.
"Why doncha make me?" A tall man with light brown hair and muscles in his arms larger than most newborn babies, stepped up. "Bring it on, pretty boy--oof!"
Zell's eyes widened at the amazing display of strength. 'Whoa...'
"Ow..." The burly man dropped to his knees and keeled over, clutching his stomach.
Quistis held her head high in the air triumphantly. "You'd better hope I didn't break any of my nails or I'm afraid I'll have to slug you again."
"Come on, dear," Quistis said, grabbing Zell's arm. "Let's go."
~*~*~*~
"Hm...Squall...?"
"What is it, Quistis?"
It was a day later, and they were at the Presidential Residence for the meeting. They were told that the president was still in a meeting with someone, and they waited patiently. Quistis gestured out the window to a group of soldiers by the gates.
"What are those soldiers doing out there?" she asked.
"The President made an appointment with one of the Galbadian Army's generals. That troop is probably accompanying him on his trip to the new missile base."
"Oh."
"Hey, Quisty! Squall!" Selphie greeted. "Squall, have some of this parfait!" She took a spoonful of the dessert and shoved it into the startled teen's mouth. "You like it? Come on, let's get some more!" She grabbed his hand and dragged him off somewhere.
Quistis pushed a blonde curl away from her eyes and put on her glasses so that she could get a clearer view of a certain soldier that caught her attention. He unsheathed his sword and made a strange, yet familiar movement. He held his sword straight up in the air and slowly brought it down...in some sort of salute.
'Who is that guy?' Quistis wondered.
"SeeDs, the president is waiting for you. Please enter."
~*~*~*~
He sighed. He had seen them talking again back at the Presidential Residence...Quistis and Squall. Maybe she still did love him but denied it. She always seemed so much fonder of him...
"You okay, Zell, ya know?" Raijin asked, sitting up from the bed he and the martial artist took turns in sleeping on.
"Yeah," Zell sighed. "I'm okay."
Then, there was a knock on the door. Fujin put her book down on the table to answer its caller.
"Good evening," Quistis greeted with a bow. "May we come in?"
Fujin looked past the tall blonde to the two other behind her and nodded. "STATE BUSINESS," she said as they entered the hotel room.
"We're here to discuss what we are to do for this mission," Quistis replied. "As leader, it is my duty to explain the details of our assignment and mission objectives."
"ALREADY KNOW."
"Are you sure?" She looked over to the two other guys and they nodded. "All right then, I'll tell you about my plans. Everybody will need some kind of disguise so no one stands out. Then--"
She was interrupted by the phone.
"Hello?" Zell picked up the phone, wondering who would call at that time. "Yeah, she's here. It's for you, Quistis."
"Um..." Quistis took the phone. "This is Quistis Trepe. Yes... Oh my! That's terrible! Sure, we'll be there right away. Good bye."
"What happened?" Selphie asked.
"A troop being sent to the Galbadian Missile Base... There was a surprise attack and they're at the hospital."
~*~*~*~
"General Caraway and his troop were on their way to the base when a bomb was suddenly dropped on them," the doctor explained, whom was one of the president's special aides. "No one was killed but pretty much all of them were severely injured."
"Why would they do that?" Selphie wondered out loud.
"General Caraway is one of the army's top strategists," Squall said. "With him out of the picture, whoever is behind all of this would get an advantage over them."
"That soldier," Quistis told the doctor, looking over to the soldier occupying the last bed. "Why is he still in his uniform?"
"I haven't the slightest idea," the doctor responded. "He's a strange one. We managed to bandage his wounds on the way here but when we tried to fix his leg, he wouldn't let us. His leg and perhaps, his arm, are broken, but he refuses our help. He prefers to keep his uniform on, with the helmet and everything..."
"He needs treatment, doesn't he?"
"Of course. Or else the broken bones in his body will not grow back properly."
"Let me see if I can do something..."
"But Miss Trepe, he's quite aggressive! You mustn't--"
It was too late. Determined, Quistis went on her way over to the soldier.
"Excuse me," she said. The soldier looked up and then began to turn his head, but only for a second. He then looked away again and sat on his bed, motionless. "I hope you're listening...and you can understand me, because this is very important. You need to let the doctors help you, because if you don't, you might not be the same again. They can help you."
The soldier seemed unaffected by her words. He just sat there, with no response whatsoever.
"Be careful, Miss Trepe..." the doctor warned as the others gathered by the foot of the bed, making sure to keep their distance.
"Let me see your face," Quistis said softly. She placed her fingers at the base of his helmet then felt the soldier's hands go up to hers. It was that way for a while until he let go and she gradually lifted the helmet off his head. First, she saw his nose, then a strange mark next to it. The mark ran across his face, past his dark green eyes and stopped by a golden brow, which matched perfectly with his golden head of hair.
"...Seifer?!"