Chapter 1 -When It All Began..
As I walked through the quiet and almost eerie library, placing returned books in their proper places, I caught a glimpse of Zell
running past the library's door, towards the lobby. I didn't think much of it at first because Zell was always running everywhere. He
ran from classroom to classroom, from the Quad to the Dorms. He even ran in library. But, most of the time, if you could stop him
and ask him where he was going, you'll find out that to Cafeteria is where he was running to in such a hurry. He loves the hot dogs
there. It's funny how he always ran there but, is always too late to get any hot dogs!
So, I ignored him that time, seeing as I had so much work to do and I just figured he was running around as usual. Not
even 5 minutes later, my best friend Julie, who also worked on the library committee with me, came running in, yelling, "Bette! Bette!
Zell's going to Dollet for the SeeD exam!". Her hair was light brown and hung just below her ears. Her skin was pale and her dark
brown eyes lit up with excitement. I dropped the books that I held and ran towards the lobby.
"Oh my god!" I thought, "What if he gets hurt?" I always worried about Zell. I still do. He was so assertive and always
ready to jump right into action without thinking.
When I reached the lobby, he was punching and kicking air, like always. He was dressed in his royal blue Garden uniform.
I loved seeing him in it. He looked so sophisticated. He did a back flip and landed in front of Instructor Trepe and Squall Leonhart.
I never really liked Instructor Trepe. She seemed to cling to Squall all of the time…Or maybe it was just my imagination. Squall
barely ever said anything. He reminded me of one of those strong, silent types. He never smiled, which was saddening sometimes.
He was so handsome and smart. I thought he deserved to be happy. But, maybe he was…inside. Maybe he was just hiding it. I
don't think I'll ever really know for sure.
As the three stood there, I inched closer to listen in on their conversation. Instructor Trepe introduced the two. Zell
stretched his left hand out to shake Squall's. Squall looked away and rejected Zell's friendly gesture. I could feel Zell's
embarrassment. Why did Squall have to so rude to Zell?
After a while, Seifer came along with his "posse", The Discipline Committee, Raijin and Fujin.
"Oh no", I thought, "Zell, Seifer and Squall. This is not a safe team." Squall and Seifer were rivals ever since they were
small children. I always wondered why they were constantly at each other's throats. But, I guess that's another question of mine
that will be left unanswered. Seifer constantly called Zell a "Chicken-Wuss". How could anyone call that sweet, brave and wonderful
guy a "Chicken-Wuss"? That was an awful thing to say to Zell and I began to really dislike Seifer because of that!
Instructor Trepe and the rest of her disciples then went to the Parking Lot. None of them saw me so, I decided to follow
them there but, Julie came running, "Bette! You're being missed in the Library. Hurry before you get into trouble!". I ran with her
back to library. Luckily, no one of authority was there to scold me. For the entire day, I waited for Zell to return. Those 6 hours
felt like the sands of time moved through the hourglass like molasses. I couldn't bear to think that he was hurt. I checked in some
books that had been returned by Garden students. And just as my mind began to stray away from the fact that Zell was in danger,
I came across a book entitled, "Run, Pupurin, Run". I remembered that Zell really loved the "Pupurin" series. I laughed every time
someone mentioned them. Zell was way too old to be reading "Run, Pupurin, Run" but, it was good to see that he was a kid at
heart.
Julie had to leave early so, I took over her shift for the rest of the day. What else could I do? At least it would take
my mind off of worrying for a while. I sat in the back of the library, at the wooden cubicles as I catalogued. Finally, someone
interesting came into the library. He walked along the thick green carpet and tapped me on the back.
"Hey, y'know!"
"Hey, Raijin", I chuckled. After every sentence, he said 'y'know'. I irritated some but, I found it amusing.
"I got nothin' to do", He said, "Seifer's out takin' the exam an Fujin is…well, I don't know where Fujin is, y'know"
"Maybe you should find her", I suggested.
"Nah. When she goes off like this, she don't want anyone followin' her y'know. And, I don't wanna make her mad.
She'll kick me in the shins. My legs are all brittle now because of her, y'know"
"Oh" I smiled, "Do you want to hang out with me here for a while. My work gets boring if I have no one to talk to"
"Sure!" His spirits lifted. He pulled a chair from another cubicle beside my chair and sat down. He looked at what I
was doing, as I placed cards in the card catalogue. "That's boring, Bette!" He yelled, "You should join the Discipline committee,
y'know. You get to lay down the law and stuff. It's fun, y'know! You should join our posse."
I shook my head, "I couldn't. I'm too quiet for that job. If anyone tried to break the rules, I would just let them"
"Heh" He chuckled, "I guess. But you get to bust some heads at times, y'know!"
I looked at him and smiled. "Since you put it that way…maybe I will join! But, you Seifer and Fujin are doing well
enough already".
"Yeah. We are, y'know!"
I thought for a second. "Maybe I could get some information about Seifer and Zell from Raijin!"
"Raijin" I put my left hand on his shoulder, "What's up with Zell and Seifer? Why is Seifer so mean to him"
"Why do you care?" Raijin asked suspiciously, "Seifer's always pickin' on everyone, y'know!"
"But, not as much as picks on Zell!" I whined, "Did Zell do anything to him?"
"Bette, I don't know, y'know" He said, "It's been this way ever since we were little, y'know!"
"Do you think it's because he's jealous of Zell?"
"Nah. Seifer isn't jealous of anyone, y'know!" He looked me straight in the eye and then, narrowed his. "I think you
like Zell, y'know!"
"N-no, I don't." My eyes widened in shock. I took my hand off of his shoulder and shook my head as my long
brown braid flopped about.
"You do! I know you do! I see the way you look at Zell, y'know!"
"Okay, okay" I sighed, "Please don't tell anyone!"
"I won't, Bette." He stood up and out the chair back. He slammed his fist on his chest and nodded, "You can trust me
with your secrets, y'know!". And, the friendly giant walked off. His black, baggy pants made a squishing sound as he left. With
his wooden bow in hand, he left the library, his head almost hitting the top of the doorframe.
I smiled and got back to work.
Time passed, but not fast enough…
"Bette! Bette!" Julia came into the library "I just got news that the SeeD exam participants just docked in Balamb".
"Oh my!" I could feel my pale cheeks blush in excitement.
"Tell you what," Julie said, "I'll take over for you. You go and change. Meet him in the lobby after you've gotten
ready!"
I ran out of the library, pulling at the ribbons I tied my braid with. As I passed the Training Room, I threw the ribbons
to the ground and began working on my jacket. I unbuttoned it and pulled it off. I then sprinted past the Cafeteria in only my
unbuttoned blouse and Garden uniform's skirt. I held my high heels in my hand as I ran into my Dorm.
"Oh Zell" I thought, "Why do I do all this for you? Will you ever realize I really love you?" I stood in front of my mirror
and ran my fingers through my long dark brown hair. I stared into my face and examined it closely. "I wonder what he sees when he looks at me…My blue eyes? My small freckles? My button nose? My pink lips? Does he think I'm pretty? Does he even look at me close enough too see all of this?" I changed into my street clothes: A sleeveless black top, a short purple skirt and my black high heels. I walked back in front of the mirror. The outfit complemented my small waist, medium-sized chest and fairly short legs.
I ran out of my Dorm and past the Parking Lot, Quad and Infirmary, to the Lobby. I entered to lobby from the west
side, as Zell exited it from the east. I sighed and ran after him. Seeing as he ran everywhere and I was wearing shoes that killed,
it became a long and tedious chase, even though it only lasted until he stopped at the doors of the library. He was always
practicing outside of the library whenever he thought I was on duty. Maybe because he knew how I felt about him. I stopped and
walked up to him casually.
"Hey…Zell" I said, not knowing that I had run out of breath.
"Hey…Bette" He said, mocking me.
I bent down and put my hands on my knees for a second. I got back up and stretched my back.
"You alright?" He asked, "You look tired".
"I'm fine"
"Good. I didn't want you to have had a day as rough as mine."
"Are you alright!?", I said, almost yelling.
"Y-yeah" He backed away from me a little a chuckled.
"I just heard that the exams are very, very awful. I just didn't want anyone to be hurt!", I said, trying to cover up for
myself.
"Well, I'm glad someone cares" He smiled and returned to punching air. He was very skilled in the Martial Arts. His
punches were direct and made you flinch, even watching from afar. I noticed his uniform was dusty and in some places (some
places that I would only notice), ripped. His face looked angry as he punched the air around him. He looked as if was trying to
punch out an opponent, not just practicing.
i"He must have had a very rough exam. I doubt being on Seifer's squad helped at all"./i
He stopped his practicing and caught me staring. As always, he didn't want to embarrass me so, he asked, "Do you
have 'Run, Pupurin, Run' yet?"
"N- ", Then I thought for a second, "As a matter of fact, we do!" I began to walk into the library, "Follow me".
"I really hope you got it this time. I wanna read that book so much!" His eyes lit up, just like a child in Dollet's toy
store.
I picked up the box of returned books searched through it.
"It's not here!"
"Julie!" I called.
"Yes?" She called from the other side of the book self. Her high pitched voice seemed annoyed.
"Where's 'Run, Pupurin, Run'?"
"Gone! One of the younger kids found it and borrowed it!"
"Oh" I sighed
Not looking over the book shelf, Julie said, "Well next time you see Zelly-Baby, give him a big kiss and tell him that
you're sorry and that you'll make it up to him by bearing his children!"
"Julie!" I said, shocked.
"What? You know you like - no, love - the guy!"
"JULIE!"
She looked over the bookshelf and saw Zell standing behind me, his face turning beet-red. She could do nothing but
sink behind the shelf, where she before.
I sighed and looked at Zell. His lips were curled into a smile and he glanced at me. His face turned red all over again.
"Attention all students who took the SeeD exam this morning" We heard Headmaster Cid say over the loudspeaker,
"Please Report to Hall outside of the classrooms on Level 2! That is all."
"I-I gotta go, B-bette" He smiled and walked off.
"JUUUUUUUULLLLLLIIIIIIIEEEEE!!!!" I screamed
~Chapter 2 Coming Soon~
As I walked through the quiet and almost eerie library, placing returned books in their proper places, I caught a glimpse of Zell
running past the library's door, towards the lobby. I didn't think much of it at first because Zell was always running everywhere. He
ran from classroom to classroom, from the Quad to the Dorms. He even ran in library. But, most of the time, if you could stop him
and ask him where he was going, you'll find out that to Cafeteria is where he was running to in such a hurry. He loves the hot dogs
there. It's funny how he always ran there but, is always too late to get any hot dogs!
So, I ignored him that time, seeing as I had so much work to do and I just figured he was running around as usual. Not
even 5 minutes later, my best friend Julie, who also worked on the library committee with me, came running in, yelling, "Bette! Bette!
Zell's going to Dollet for the SeeD exam!". Her hair was light brown and hung just below her ears. Her skin was pale and her dark
brown eyes lit up with excitement. I dropped the books that I held and ran towards the lobby.
"Oh my god!" I thought, "What if he gets hurt?" I always worried about Zell. I still do. He was so assertive and always
ready to jump right into action without thinking.
When I reached the lobby, he was punching and kicking air, like always. He was dressed in his royal blue Garden uniform.
I loved seeing him in it. He looked so sophisticated. He did a back flip and landed in front of Instructor Trepe and Squall Leonhart.
I never really liked Instructor Trepe. She seemed to cling to Squall all of the time…Or maybe it was just my imagination. Squall
barely ever said anything. He reminded me of one of those strong, silent types. He never smiled, which was saddening sometimes.
He was so handsome and smart. I thought he deserved to be happy. But, maybe he was…inside. Maybe he was just hiding it. I
don't think I'll ever really know for sure.
As the three stood there, I inched closer to listen in on their conversation. Instructor Trepe introduced the two. Zell
stretched his left hand out to shake Squall's. Squall looked away and rejected Zell's friendly gesture. I could feel Zell's
embarrassment. Why did Squall have to so rude to Zell?
After a while, Seifer came along with his "posse", The Discipline Committee, Raijin and Fujin.
"Oh no", I thought, "Zell, Seifer and Squall. This is not a safe team." Squall and Seifer were rivals ever since they were
small children. I always wondered why they were constantly at each other's throats. But, I guess that's another question of mine
that will be left unanswered. Seifer constantly called Zell a "Chicken-Wuss". How could anyone call that sweet, brave and wonderful
guy a "Chicken-Wuss"? That was an awful thing to say to Zell and I began to really dislike Seifer because of that!
Instructor Trepe and the rest of her disciples then went to the Parking Lot. None of them saw me so, I decided to follow
them there but, Julie came running, "Bette! You're being missed in the Library. Hurry before you get into trouble!". I ran with her
back to library. Luckily, no one of authority was there to scold me. For the entire day, I waited for Zell to return. Those 6 hours
felt like the sands of time moved through the hourglass like molasses. I couldn't bear to think that he was hurt. I checked in some
books that had been returned by Garden students. And just as my mind began to stray away from the fact that Zell was in danger,
I came across a book entitled, "Run, Pupurin, Run". I remembered that Zell really loved the "Pupurin" series. I laughed every time
someone mentioned them. Zell was way too old to be reading "Run, Pupurin, Run" but, it was good to see that he was a kid at
heart.
Julie had to leave early so, I took over her shift for the rest of the day. What else could I do? At least it would take
my mind off of worrying for a while. I sat in the back of the library, at the wooden cubicles as I catalogued. Finally, someone
interesting came into the library. He walked along the thick green carpet and tapped me on the back.
"Hey, y'know!"
"Hey, Raijin", I chuckled. After every sentence, he said 'y'know'. I irritated some but, I found it amusing.
"I got nothin' to do", He said, "Seifer's out takin' the exam an Fujin is…well, I don't know where Fujin is, y'know"
"Maybe you should find her", I suggested.
"Nah. When she goes off like this, she don't want anyone followin' her y'know. And, I don't wanna make her mad.
She'll kick me in the shins. My legs are all brittle now because of her, y'know"
"Oh" I smiled, "Do you want to hang out with me here for a while. My work gets boring if I have no one to talk to"
"Sure!" His spirits lifted. He pulled a chair from another cubicle beside my chair and sat down. He looked at what I
was doing, as I placed cards in the card catalogue. "That's boring, Bette!" He yelled, "You should join the Discipline committee,
y'know. You get to lay down the law and stuff. It's fun, y'know! You should join our posse."
I shook my head, "I couldn't. I'm too quiet for that job. If anyone tried to break the rules, I would just let them"
"Heh" He chuckled, "I guess. But you get to bust some heads at times, y'know!"
I looked at him and smiled. "Since you put it that way…maybe I will join! But, you Seifer and Fujin are doing well
enough already".
"Yeah. We are, y'know!"
I thought for a second. "Maybe I could get some information about Seifer and Zell from Raijin!"
"Raijin" I put my left hand on his shoulder, "What's up with Zell and Seifer? Why is Seifer so mean to him"
"Why do you care?" Raijin asked suspiciously, "Seifer's always pickin' on everyone, y'know!"
"But, not as much as picks on Zell!" I whined, "Did Zell do anything to him?"
"Bette, I don't know, y'know" He said, "It's been this way ever since we were little, y'know!"
"Do you think it's because he's jealous of Zell?"
"Nah. Seifer isn't jealous of anyone, y'know!" He looked me straight in the eye and then, narrowed his. "I think you
like Zell, y'know!"
"N-no, I don't." My eyes widened in shock. I took my hand off of his shoulder and shook my head as my long
brown braid flopped about.
"You do! I know you do! I see the way you look at Zell, y'know!"
"Okay, okay" I sighed, "Please don't tell anyone!"
"I won't, Bette." He stood up and out the chair back. He slammed his fist on his chest and nodded, "You can trust me
with your secrets, y'know!". And, the friendly giant walked off. His black, baggy pants made a squishing sound as he left. With
his wooden bow in hand, he left the library, his head almost hitting the top of the doorframe.
I smiled and got back to work.
Time passed, but not fast enough…
"Bette! Bette!" Julia came into the library "I just got news that the SeeD exam participants just docked in Balamb".
"Oh my!" I could feel my pale cheeks blush in excitement.
"Tell you what," Julie said, "I'll take over for you. You go and change. Meet him in the lobby after you've gotten
ready!"
I ran out of the library, pulling at the ribbons I tied my braid with. As I passed the Training Room, I threw the ribbons
to the ground and began working on my jacket. I unbuttoned it and pulled it off. I then sprinted past the Cafeteria in only my
unbuttoned blouse and Garden uniform's skirt. I held my high heels in my hand as I ran into my Dorm.
"Oh Zell" I thought, "Why do I do all this for you? Will you ever realize I really love you?" I stood in front of my mirror
and ran my fingers through my long dark brown hair. I stared into my face and examined it closely. "I wonder what he sees when he looks at me…My blue eyes? My small freckles? My button nose? My pink lips? Does he think I'm pretty? Does he even look at me close enough too see all of this?" I changed into my street clothes: A sleeveless black top, a short purple skirt and my black high heels. I walked back in front of the mirror. The outfit complemented my small waist, medium-sized chest and fairly short legs.
I ran out of my Dorm and past the Parking Lot, Quad and Infirmary, to the Lobby. I entered to lobby from the west
side, as Zell exited it from the east. I sighed and ran after him. Seeing as he ran everywhere and I was wearing shoes that killed,
it became a long and tedious chase, even though it only lasted until he stopped at the doors of the library. He was always
practicing outside of the library whenever he thought I was on duty. Maybe because he knew how I felt about him. I stopped and
walked up to him casually.
"Hey…Zell" I said, not knowing that I had run out of breath.
"Hey…Bette" He said, mocking me.
I bent down and put my hands on my knees for a second. I got back up and stretched my back.
"You alright?" He asked, "You look tired".
"I'm fine"
"Good. I didn't want you to have had a day as rough as mine."
"Are you alright!?", I said, almost yelling.
"Y-yeah" He backed away from me a little a chuckled.
"I just heard that the exams are very, very awful. I just didn't want anyone to be hurt!", I said, trying to cover up for
myself.
"Well, I'm glad someone cares" He smiled and returned to punching air. He was very skilled in the Martial Arts. His
punches were direct and made you flinch, even watching from afar. I noticed his uniform was dusty and in some places (some
places that I would only notice), ripped. His face looked angry as he punched the air around him. He looked as if was trying to
punch out an opponent, not just practicing.
i"He must have had a very rough exam. I doubt being on Seifer's squad helped at all"./i
He stopped his practicing and caught me staring. As always, he didn't want to embarrass me so, he asked, "Do you
have 'Run, Pupurin, Run' yet?"
"N- ", Then I thought for a second, "As a matter of fact, we do!" I began to walk into the library, "Follow me".
"I really hope you got it this time. I wanna read that book so much!" His eyes lit up, just like a child in Dollet's toy
store.
I picked up the box of returned books searched through it.
"It's not here!"
"Julie!" I called.
"Yes?" She called from the other side of the book self. Her high pitched voice seemed annoyed.
"Where's 'Run, Pupurin, Run'?"
"Gone! One of the younger kids found it and borrowed it!"
"Oh" I sighed
Not looking over the book shelf, Julie said, "Well next time you see Zelly-Baby, give him a big kiss and tell him that
you're sorry and that you'll make it up to him by bearing his children!"
"Julie!" I said, shocked.
"What? You know you like - no, love - the guy!"
"JULIE!"
She looked over the bookshelf and saw Zell standing behind me, his face turning beet-red. She could do nothing but
sink behind the shelf, where she before.
I sighed and looked at Zell. His lips were curled into a smile and he glanced at me. His face turned red all over again.
"Attention all students who took the SeeD exam this morning" We heard Headmaster Cid say over the loudspeaker,
"Please Report to Hall outside of the classrooms on Level 2! That is all."
"I-I gotta go, B-bette" He smiled and walked off.
"JUUUUUUUULLLLLLIIIIIIIEEEEE!!!!" I screamed
~Chapter 2 Coming Soon~