Author's note: Man, fanfiction needs to work harder so their update can work quickly. Sorry for the delay, fanfiction was being a pain in the ass again!
Chapter 7 - For His Love
The world seemed like it was falling on him. This feeling was getting too much of a burden to him. Why can't he just let these feelings go? Zell fixed his gloves tighter in his hands and looked at the T-Rexaur lying dead on the ground. I guess there's no point in fighting it inside now, he thought. He would have to figure it out on his own, instead of fighting his emotions. There was no turning back on his feelings for Selphie. Zell was in love with her.
Has he been in the training centre for hours now? He glanced at his watch. It was a quarter pass seven at night, yet he wasn't really hungry. If he was, he wouldn't dare go back to his room and see Irvine and Selphie there. They might be reconcilling their relationship or something for Irvine being away for so long. Zell kneeled down to pick up the potion beside the dead beast and gulped it down. The injuries left by the Grat earlier on his arm quickly faded away, leaving only a trace of his regular skin colour. The only place he could go to now was the secret area, the place where Squall said he would go if he wanted to be alone. With another glance at the entrance to make sure no one was following him, Zell walked to the direction of the secret area.
Upon arriving there, Zell looked around and noticed that there were people there. He noticed two couples, one couple he recognized. They were kissing passionately under a shady tree, as if they needed it, since it was night time in Garden. He furrowed his eyebrows. Ignoring them, he walked passed the two and kneeled his elbows on the balcony. He looked up at the beautiful night sky. The stars were brighter this evening and the moon glowed with the same ethereal glow everytime he looked up at it. He heard shuffling of footsteps and felt two people walking to him. Each took their places from his left to his right, mirroring the same position he was in. He recognized a young man's familiar cologne to his left and a smell of strawberries from the young woman to his right.
"What are you doing here, Chicken-wuss?" Seifer looked at him. "Aren't you suppose to be sleeping by now? You do have a curfew."
Zell snorted and looked up at the older blonde. "So do you, Almasy." He glanced at Quistis. "Seems like Quisty was too busy worrying about her curfew."
Quistis looked down on him, which wasn't that much, since Zell was only two or three inches shorter than her. A hint of red shaded her cheeks, as she glanced at Seifer for help, but Seifer only winked at her, which made Quistis blush even more. She cleared her throat and straightened herself out. She placed a hand on Zell's shoulder. "Zell.... I don't want to be a bother to you, but you have to talk to Selphie."
Zell jerked his head up at Quistis. "You ARE a bother to me, Quistis. Why don't you stop being such a mom and leave me alone?!"
Quistis looked at him, hurt by his sudden outburst. Seifer furrowed his eyebrows, angry by the way Zell was acting towards his girl friend and grabbed Zell by the collar. He leered down at him, gritting his teeth and clenching his fist. "Listen, Chicken-wuss! I don't want to hit you, but talking to my girl friend like that just gets my blood boiling! Now stop bitching and apologize to her right now!" He was ready to strike Zell, when he felt a hand on his arm. He looked at Quistis, her eyes telling him not to do anything he'll regret. Slowly, Seifer let go of Zell and glared at the younger man, before taking Quistis' hand. "Let's get out of here, Quistis. Chicken-wuss wants to mallow in his defeat alone, instead of confronting Messenger girl with our help." With that said, Seifer dragged Quistis out of the area.
Zell watched them go. Seifer was right. He was being a bitch to Quistis. She was the only one who understood and this is how he was repaying her for trying to help. Zell sighed and slouched his shoulders. He didn't hear someone coming in as he closed his eyes and imagined himself standing by Selphie in the night, both of them just staring into the sky. A hand gripping his hand on the balcony startled him and he was surprised to see Selphie smiling up at him. He blinked a couple of times, making sure he wasn't dreaming.
"Sel- Selphie?" He swallowed. Hard. Was he dreaming?
Selphie smiled and rubbed Zell's hand lovingly. Her eyes were a glow of ember and her smile could shine the darkest of the night. "Yeah, it's me. I saw Quistis and Seifer leave. Seifer looked mad. What was that all about?"
Zell shrugged. "I wanted to be left alone." He removed his hand from under her and leaned more towards the balcony. He propped his elbows on the cold surface and sighed. "What are you doing here? Aren't you suppose to be with Irvine?"
The girl shrugged. "Irvine is sleeping, but I couldn't sleep, so I decided to go for a walk." She took a deep breath. "Why was Seifer mad?" she repeated.
"I said some things, which is not important." He dared not look at her. He had to get away from her, but how can he do that without hurting her feelings? He already hurt Quistis and he was glad that Seifer didn't tear him up in pieces and he didn't want to hurt anyone else, especially the girl who caused him to be so bitter after a few days. What happened to him? What made him change his mind about Selphie? He never really cared about her this way, except for being just a friend. And he never really liked her all that much. What made him change his mind?
"Zell, the real reason why I'm here is...." Selphie looked up at him, which the only face of Zell she could see was his tattooed side. "To talk to you."
This was Zell's turn to glance at her. "About what?" He suddenly felt a knot in his stomach.
"About what we were talking about earlier...." She turned her face away and looked straight ahead at the beautiful lights in the back of the Garden. "Zell, was there something you were going to say to me?"
Zell swallowed. Harder. Questions played in his mind. What was he going to say? Deny it? Tell her it was just a stupid crush? If he tells her, who knows how she'll react to it. She'll probably look at him like he was strange or something. If he doesn't tell her, he'll regret it for the rest of his life. He'll live with it and end up telling his future wife about the one woman who got away, because he didn't tell her he loved her. He'll be considered a wimp. Seifer's voice, calling him 'Chicken-wuss,' echoed in his head. He was right. He was a 'Chicken-wuss!' He kept staring into the distance and avoided Selphie's face. "Like I said before, Selphie.... I can't stop thinking about that kiss."
Selphie stared at him, wondering if the words came out from his lips. She couldn't say anything. She was shocked, scared and confused. All these feelings were mixed together into one empty bowl. She looked down, avoiding Zell's glowing green eyes. "Zell.... I've forgotten about it, so maybe it's time you forget about it too." She turned around to face the entrance. She couldn't hurt Irvine. She loves Irvine! She didn't mean for the kiss to happen. She was caught up in the moment and she had made a mistake. "It was just one innocent little kiss and that one kiss shouldn't bother you, so maybe you should just let it go and let me live a happy life with Irvine." She began to walk away.
Zell watched her heading for the exit. That was something unexpected! It seemed like a million knives stabbed through his heart all at once and felt like everything around him was surrounded in darkness and no one would pull him out of it. He couldn't understand it.... What did he do wrong?
A loud booming voice of Xu came on the announcer, startling both Selphie and Zell. Selphie paused by the door, opening her ears to Xu's voice. Zell turned to face her back, listening as well.
"Could Zell Dincht, Irvine Kinneas and Seifer Almasy please go to Headmaster Cid's office. I repeat, could Zell Dincht, Irvine Kinneas and Seifer Almasy please go to the Headmaster's office immediately. Xu, out!"
Zell took a deep breath. He walked pass Selphie, holding back the hurt in his heart and followed the path towards the exit. As he glanced behind him, he was surprised to see Selphie walking a few feet behind him. It was over. Eventhough it was only a short period of time, Zell will never forget his time with the girl he grew to love. But he knew he can't live on forever loving her. He would have to move on.
****************
He glanced from the man with the gunblade and the man with the rifle. Both tall men were standing up from his left to his right, watching as the Headmaster began his speech. Cid walked around his desk and set himself down at the edge of his table. He pushed his thick glasses tighter at his nose and studied the three men that were called down, making sure they were all there. He was silent. Only silent, as if expecting for someone else.
Thanks to Seifer's impatient manner, the silence was broken by his irritated voice. It seems he was eager to go back with Quistis in the cafeteria. He had come in the office, mumbling about meeting Quistis at the cafeteria and their anniversary. He lifted his eyes up at Cid and rolled his eyes. "What is it, Headmaster? Are we just standing here for no apparent reason or is there something you'd like to say to us?!"
Cid glared at him. He adjusted his glasses once again, as if everytime he moved it would fall and shook his head. "Patience is a virtue, Seifer," he replied, calmly.
"Well in this case, I don't think patience is a virtue for Seifer, sir. You kind of called him at a bad time, since it's his and Quistis' second anniversary of their first date," Irvine replied, looking at Cid.
"It does not explain how he should act this way. Many of us have missed many anniversaries. Even I have missed a few," Cid retorted.
Seifer smirked. "How can you miss your anniversary a couple of times? Don't you love Matron?" He folded his arms across his chest.
Zell watched them as they conversed to each other as a father would talk to his sons. Why talk about love all of a sudden? Is it enough that he betrayed Irvine and lost the one girl he thought loved him? All three of them had somebody, why can't he have anyone? Why can't he have Selphie?
Cid nodded. "Of course, Seifer, but I have my duties as well. It is important to keep myself busy for my wife's sake."
"Seffie and I are in good terms and never forget each other's anniversaries. How can you say that duties are much important than your loved one?" Irvine asked, arching an eyebrow at the older man.
The chubby Headmaster stared at both men. "Because it is important. It may not be to you, since you are both dedicated young men to your girl friends, but I have been Matron's husband for a long time. I have been there for her longer than you have and I see her everyday. Now, I have a job to do, protecting the students and training them to be better SeeDs, while Edea has a goal of raising orphans in her orphanage. We both have our own duties, but that doesn't mean I don't love her."
Irvine and Seifer looked at him, as if he had shed a whole a new light. They had no idea Cid could have so much knowledge about women. Seifer cleared his throat, Irvine shifted his weight from his left to his right and Zell fixed his gloves, saying nothing at all. They were silent once again.
"Hello, Headmaster.... Am I too late?" a feminine voice spoke, softly. All three turned their heads behind them. A girl with a dark pony tail, wearing a Garden uniform entered the room. She wore a belt, where two short daggers were encased between her waist and the black leather belt. Like Quistis, she had on long black boots that reached above her knees.
Cid stood up. "Not at all, Miss Kline."
The girl nodded and walked over to the three. She glanced at Zell and almost blushed, but kept her composure. She took her place, standing beside Seifer. She shook Cid's hand.
"Seifer, Irvine, Zell.... this is Brynne Hailey. She's a new SeeD so she's going to be in this mission with you."
Seifer nodded, acknowledging the girl beside him. Irvine winked at her, making the girl blush and Zell just stared at the new SeeD. This was the girl who visited him in the SeeD ball after the battle with Ultimaecia. He never really saw her after that, since they drifted apart. He never really understood why.
"What is the mission going to be?" Irvine asked, shifting his weight to the other side again. Zell noticed this. Irvine can never stand still for one minute or so.
Cid cleared his throat and went around his desk to sit down at his chair. "Your objective is to clear the underwater stations of Galbadia of the water submarines they have secured in there. I asked Miss Hailey to come with you since she is an expert in decoding the locked vaults where the submarines are kept. The turpedoes in the submarines are very dangerous to us. They can use it to attack Balamb in one attack, so that is why we have to debug the computer system that is controlling the submarines so it will keep the Galbadians from using it. Your job is to guide Miss Hailey to these underwater stations and protect her at any cost. She is very important for this mission. Is that understood?"
"But, sir... what about the air assault? They can easily attack us from air," Seifer said.
"That has been taking care of, Seifer. You don't need to worry about it," Cid replied. "Is there anymore questions?" He looked around.
No one else opened their mouths. They all nodded, accepting the mission ahead. They all saluted him. Satisfied, Cid nodded and saluted as well.
"Good. We'll meet here tomorrow morning at 0600 hours. Dismissed."
All of them shuffled out of the office. Zell thought about the mission for tomorrow. Basically, the three Senior SeeDs are just the bodyguard to the Junior SeeD? He was pretty impressed about how much of an expert Brynne is. She was just a library girl to him all that months ago and he had no idea how good she was. Zell watched at Irvine and Seifer, talking about some problems with their girl friends. He didn't mean to overhear, but he heard Seifer complain to Irvine how much he didn't have a present for Quistis, except for that dinner he planned for tonight. Irvine listened attentively, adding in some of his problems with Selphie. He said to Seifer that Selphie seems to be pre-occupied lately.
"Hey, Zell!" Brynne's voice struck in the air. Zell was startled to see her jump beside him as he walked. He looked at her and grinned, almost forcefully.
Brynne didn't seem to see it. She smiled and walked with him. "So, are you free tonigh?"
Zell listened well to Seifer and Irvine's conversation.
"Do you know what's wrong with Selphie?" Seifer asked, looking at Irvine.
Irvine shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "I have no idea. That's why I'm going to talk to her tonight."
Seifer nodded. "That's a good idea. I hope Quisty will like my anniversary present tonight!"
Irvine patted Seifer's back. "I'm sure she will, Seifer. I'm sure she will."
"Hey, Zell?"
Zell glanced at Brynne. "Yeah?"
"I asked you a question," Brynne said, looking kind of hurt.
Zell stared into her blue eyes, feeling really bad for ignoring her. "Oh, um...." He didn't really know what to say. Brynne was a nice girl. She was the type whom most guys would definitely go out with and Zell did want to go out with her before, but now.... now was different. He wasn't paying attention as Seifer and Irvine stopped to walk beside the two. Irvine was walking beside Zell, while Seifer with Brynne. Irvine put his arms around Zell and punched him playfully on the arm.
"This little guy here? I'm sure he's free for tonight," Irvine replied for him.
Zell glared up at him. He tried so hard to be nice to Irvine, but he was not helping at all.
Seifer smirked. "Yeah, I'm sure Chicken-wuss would like to go out with a pretty girl like you," he said, winking at Brynne.
Brynne blushed. She looked at Zell. "Is that true Zell? Would you go on a date with me?"
Zell looked at her, a hopeful look in her eyes. He had no choice. It was three to one. He might as well take the offer. This could be his chance to move on with his life and forget about Selphie. Zell nodded. "Yeah, I'm free tonight. What time?" He stopped walking to face her. Irvine and Seifer moved out of their way to leave them alone. They left, trying to stiffle a laugh from their mouths.
Brynne turned to face him. Her face was flushed with shyness. "Well, it is close to eight now. How about in a few minutes and we'll meet at the cafeteria?"
Zell slightly nodded his head. He wasn't really upto it, but he can't be too suspicious with his sudden urgency to turn down a girl's offer. "Sure. That would be great," he replied.
Brynne nodded and waved at Zell. She smiled and headed to the girl's dorms.
Zell watched her go. He sighed and stuffed his fists in his pockets, hating himself for doing horrible things to Irvine. Irvine was nice enough to set him up on his date with Brynne and so was Seifer, but he didn't deserve all the praises. He deserved to be buried in the sand and never get out. The best thing he could do now was go on this date and move on for good.
****************
The door was slowly closed shut. Selphie looked up from her book reading and put it down upon seeing Irvine. She grinned, put down her book on the bed and stretched and yawned. Irvine went to her and pulled her up on her feet. He looked into her eyes. He knew something was bothering her.
"What's wrong, Selphie?" Irvine asked.
Selphie's eyes widened. She was surprised how Irvine could detect her weariness. She shook her head and yawned again. "Nothing. I'm just tired, that's all." She kissed him on the lips and picked up her book.
Irvine stopped her before she left the bedroom, grabbing her hand gently and looking at her. "I know there's something bothering you. What is it? You can tell me anything."
Selphie gulped. Not too hard so Irvine could see her throat move up and down. Just enough for her to relieve the tension between the two of them. She dropped the book back on the bed and wrapped her arms around his neck, having to stand on tiptoes since the young cowboy was tall. She looked straight into her eyes and said, "There is nothing wrong with me, Irvine. If there was, I would tell you right away and get rid of the burden of having to ask me first." She moved her lips closer to his and began a passionate kiss with him.
Irvine wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back.
****************
He watched them kiss. A kiss of love and loyalty. Zell closed the door behind him slowly, careful not to disturb them and began to walk towards his bedroom. It was over. His only option now was to get ready for the date and be happy for the couple that are his friends.
GoodGurl: Sniff! Sniff! That last part was sad. Anyway, I wanted to add more conflicts into the story, other than the characters fighting with their emotions. I wanted to add that library girl Squaresoft and the other non-Zelphie fans keep pairing him up with. I tried to figure out what is up with her? Don't worry though, she's not a bad girl to be, she'll be just another one of the characters added to the story to make the plot interesting. Hold on to your seats everyone! The next chapter will have action this time!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well... sort of.
Chapter 7 - For His Love
The world seemed like it was falling on him. This feeling was getting too much of a burden to him. Why can't he just let these feelings go? Zell fixed his gloves tighter in his hands and looked at the T-Rexaur lying dead on the ground. I guess there's no point in fighting it inside now, he thought. He would have to figure it out on his own, instead of fighting his emotions. There was no turning back on his feelings for Selphie. Zell was in love with her.
Has he been in the training centre for hours now? He glanced at his watch. It was a quarter pass seven at night, yet he wasn't really hungry. If he was, he wouldn't dare go back to his room and see Irvine and Selphie there. They might be reconcilling their relationship or something for Irvine being away for so long. Zell kneeled down to pick up the potion beside the dead beast and gulped it down. The injuries left by the Grat earlier on his arm quickly faded away, leaving only a trace of his regular skin colour. The only place he could go to now was the secret area, the place where Squall said he would go if he wanted to be alone. With another glance at the entrance to make sure no one was following him, Zell walked to the direction of the secret area.
Upon arriving there, Zell looked around and noticed that there were people there. He noticed two couples, one couple he recognized. They were kissing passionately under a shady tree, as if they needed it, since it was night time in Garden. He furrowed his eyebrows. Ignoring them, he walked passed the two and kneeled his elbows on the balcony. He looked up at the beautiful night sky. The stars were brighter this evening and the moon glowed with the same ethereal glow everytime he looked up at it. He heard shuffling of footsteps and felt two people walking to him. Each took their places from his left to his right, mirroring the same position he was in. He recognized a young man's familiar cologne to his left and a smell of strawberries from the young woman to his right.
"What are you doing here, Chicken-wuss?" Seifer looked at him. "Aren't you suppose to be sleeping by now? You do have a curfew."
Zell snorted and looked up at the older blonde. "So do you, Almasy." He glanced at Quistis. "Seems like Quisty was too busy worrying about her curfew."
Quistis looked down on him, which wasn't that much, since Zell was only two or three inches shorter than her. A hint of red shaded her cheeks, as she glanced at Seifer for help, but Seifer only winked at her, which made Quistis blush even more. She cleared her throat and straightened herself out. She placed a hand on Zell's shoulder. "Zell.... I don't want to be a bother to you, but you have to talk to Selphie."
Zell jerked his head up at Quistis. "You ARE a bother to me, Quistis. Why don't you stop being such a mom and leave me alone?!"
Quistis looked at him, hurt by his sudden outburst. Seifer furrowed his eyebrows, angry by the way Zell was acting towards his girl friend and grabbed Zell by the collar. He leered down at him, gritting his teeth and clenching his fist. "Listen, Chicken-wuss! I don't want to hit you, but talking to my girl friend like that just gets my blood boiling! Now stop bitching and apologize to her right now!" He was ready to strike Zell, when he felt a hand on his arm. He looked at Quistis, her eyes telling him not to do anything he'll regret. Slowly, Seifer let go of Zell and glared at the younger man, before taking Quistis' hand. "Let's get out of here, Quistis. Chicken-wuss wants to mallow in his defeat alone, instead of confronting Messenger girl with our help." With that said, Seifer dragged Quistis out of the area.
Zell watched them go. Seifer was right. He was being a bitch to Quistis. She was the only one who understood and this is how he was repaying her for trying to help. Zell sighed and slouched his shoulders. He didn't hear someone coming in as he closed his eyes and imagined himself standing by Selphie in the night, both of them just staring into the sky. A hand gripping his hand on the balcony startled him and he was surprised to see Selphie smiling up at him. He blinked a couple of times, making sure he wasn't dreaming.
"Sel- Selphie?" He swallowed. Hard. Was he dreaming?
Selphie smiled and rubbed Zell's hand lovingly. Her eyes were a glow of ember and her smile could shine the darkest of the night. "Yeah, it's me. I saw Quistis and Seifer leave. Seifer looked mad. What was that all about?"
Zell shrugged. "I wanted to be left alone." He removed his hand from under her and leaned more towards the balcony. He propped his elbows on the cold surface and sighed. "What are you doing here? Aren't you suppose to be with Irvine?"
The girl shrugged. "Irvine is sleeping, but I couldn't sleep, so I decided to go for a walk." She took a deep breath. "Why was Seifer mad?" she repeated.
"I said some things, which is not important." He dared not look at her. He had to get away from her, but how can he do that without hurting her feelings? He already hurt Quistis and he was glad that Seifer didn't tear him up in pieces and he didn't want to hurt anyone else, especially the girl who caused him to be so bitter after a few days. What happened to him? What made him change his mind about Selphie? He never really cared about her this way, except for being just a friend. And he never really liked her all that much. What made him change his mind?
"Zell, the real reason why I'm here is...." Selphie looked up at him, which the only face of Zell she could see was his tattooed side. "To talk to you."
This was Zell's turn to glance at her. "About what?" He suddenly felt a knot in his stomach.
"About what we were talking about earlier...." She turned her face away and looked straight ahead at the beautiful lights in the back of the Garden. "Zell, was there something you were going to say to me?"
Zell swallowed. Harder. Questions played in his mind. What was he going to say? Deny it? Tell her it was just a stupid crush? If he tells her, who knows how she'll react to it. She'll probably look at him like he was strange or something. If he doesn't tell her, he'll regret it for the rest of his life. He'll live with it and end up telling his future wife about the one woman who got away, because he didn't tell her he loved her. He'll be considered a wimp. Seifer's voice, calling him 'Chicken-wuss,' echoed in his head. He was right. He was a 'Chicken-wuss!' He kept staring into the distance and avoided Selphie's face. "Like I said before, Selphie.... I can't stop thinking about that kiss."
Selphie stared at him, wondering if the words came out from his lips. She couldn't say anything. She was shocked, scared and confused. All these feelings were mixed together into one empty bowl. She looked down, avoiding Zell's glowing green eyes. "Zell.... I've forgotten about it, so maybe it's time you forget about it too." She turned around to face the entrance. She couldn't hurt Irvine. She loves Irvine! She didn't mean for the kiss to happen. She was caught up in the moment and she had made a mistake. "It was just one innocent little kiss and that one kiss shouldn't bother you, so maybe you should just let it go and let me live a happy life with Irvine." She began to walk away.
Zell watched her heading for the exit. That was something unexpected! It seemed like a million knives stabbed through his heart all at once and felt like everything around him was surrounded in darkness and no one would pull him out of it. He couldn't understand it.... What did he do wrong?
A loud booming voice of Xu came on the announcer, startling both Selphie and Zell. Selphie paused by the door, opening her ears to Xu's voice. Zell turned to face her back, listening as well.
"Could Zell Dincht, Irvine Kinneas and Seifer Almasy please go to Headmaster Cid's office. I repeat, could Zell Dincht, Irvine Kinneas and Seifer Almasy please go to the Headmaster's office immediately. Xu, out!"
Zell took a deep breath. He walked pass Selphie, holding back the hurt in his heart and followed the path towards the exit. As he glanced behind him, he was surprised to see Selphie walking a few feet behind him. It was over. Eventhough it was only a short period of time, Zell will never forget his time with the girl he grew to love. But he knew he can't live on forever loving her. He would have to move on.
****************
He glanced from the man with the gunblade and the man with the rifle. Both tall men were standing up from his left to his right, watching as the Headmaster began his speech. Cid walked around his desk and set himself down at the edge of his table. He pushed his thick glasses tighter at his nose and studied the three men that were called down, making sure they were all there. He was silent. Only silent, as if expecting for someone else.
Thanks to Seifer's impatient manner, the silence was broken by his irritated voice. It seems he was eager to go back with Quistis in the cafeteria. He had come in the office, mumbling about meeting Quistis at the cafeteria and their anniversary. He lifted his eyes up at Cid and rolled his eyes. "What is it, Headmaster? Are we just standing here for no apparent reason or is there something you'd like to say to us?!"
Cid glared at him. He adjusted his glasses once again, as if everytime he moved it would fall and shook his head. "Patience is a virtue, Seifer," he replied, calmly.
"Well in this case, I don't think patience is a virtue for Seifer, sir. You kind of called him at a bad time, since it's his and Quistis' second anniversary of their first date," Irvine replied, looking at Cid.
"It does not explain how he should act this way. Many of us have missed many anniversaries. Even I have missed a few," Cid retorted.
Seifer smirked. "How can you miss your anniversary a couple of times? Don't you love Matron?" He folded his arms across his chest.
Zell watched them as they conversed to each other as a father would talk to his sons. Why talk about love all of a sudden? Is it enough that he betrayed Irvine and lost the one girl he thought loved him? All three of them had somebody, why can't he have anyone? Why can't he have Selphie?
Cid nodded. "Of course, Seifer, but I have my duties as well. It is important to keep myself busy for my wife's sake."
"Seffie and I are in good terms and never forget each other's anniversaries. How can you say that duties are much important than your loved one?" Irvine asked, arching an eyebrow at the older man.
The chubby Headmaster stared at both men. "Because it is important. It may not be to you, since you are both dedicated young men to your girl friends, but I have been Matron's husband for a long time. I have been there for her longer than you have and I see her everyday. Now, I have a job to do, protecting the students and training them to be better SeeDs, while Edea has a goal of raising orphans in her orphanage. We both have our own duties, but that doesn't mean I don't love her."
Irvine and Seifer looked at him, as if he had shed a whole a new light. They had no idea Cid could have so much knowledge about women. Seifer cleared his throat, Irvine shifted his weight from his left to his right and Zell fixed his gloves, saying nothing at all. They were silent once again.
"Hello, Headmaster.... Am I too late?" a feminine voice spoke, softly. All three turned their heads behind them. A girl with a dark pony tail, wearing a Garden uniform entered the room. She wore a belt, where two short daggers were encased between her waist and the black leather belt. Like Quistis, she had on long black boots that reached above her knees.
Cid stood up. "Not at all, Miss Kline."
The girl nodded and walked over to the three. She glanced at Zell and almost blushed, but kept her composure. She took her place, standing beside Seifer. She shook Cid's hand.
"Seifer, Irvine, Zell.... this is Brynne Hailey. She's a new SeeD so she's going to be in this mission with you."
Seifer nodded, acknowledging the girl beside him. Irvine winked at her, making the girl blush and Zell just stared at the new SeeD. This was the girl who visited him in the SeeD ball after the battle with Ultimaecia. He never really saw her after that, since they drifted apart. He never really understood why.
"What is the mission going to be?" Irvine asked, shifting his weight to the other side again. Zell noticed this. Irvine can never stand still for one minute or so.
Cid cleared his throat and went around his desk to sit down at his chair. "Your objective is to clear the underwater stations of Galbadia of the water submarines they have secured in there. I asked Miss Hailey to come with you since she is an expert in decoding the locked vaults where the submarines are kept. The turpedoes in the submarines are very dangerous to us. They can use it to attack Balamb in one attack, so that is why we have to debug the computer system that is controlling the submarines so it will keep the Galbadians from using it. Your job is to guide Miss Hailey to these underwater stations and protect her at any cost. She is very important for this mission. Is that understood?"
"But, sir... what about the air assault? They can easily attack us from air," Seifer said.
"That has been taking care of, Seifer. You don't need to worry about it," Cid replied. "Is there anymore questions?" He looked around.
No one else opened their mouths. They all nodded, accepting the mission ahead. They all saluted him. Satisfied, Cid nodded and saluted as well.
"Good. We'll meet here tomorrow morning at 0600 hours. Dismissed."
All of them shuffled out of the office. Zell thought about the mission for tomorrow. Basically, the three Senior SeeDs are just the bodyguard to the Junior SeeD? He was pretty impressed about how much of an expert Brynne is. She was just a library girl to him all that months ago and he had no idea how good she was. Zell watched at Irvine and Seifer, talking about some problems with their girl friends. He didn't mean to overhear, but he heard Seifer complain to Irvine how much he didn't have a present for Quistis, except for that dinner he planned for tonight. Irvine listened attentively, adding in some of his problems with Selphie. He said to Seifer that Selphie seems to be pre-occupied lately.
"Hey, Zell!" Brynne's voice struck in the air. Zell was startled to see her jump beside him as he walked. He looked at her and grinned, almost forcefully.
Brynne didn't seem to see it. She smiled and walked with him. "So, are you free tonigh?"
Zell listened well to Seifer and Irvine's conversation.
"Do you know what's wrong with Selphie?" Seifer asked, looking at Irvine.
Irvine shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "I have no idea. That's why I'm going to talk to her tonight."
Seifer nodded. "That's a good idea. I hope Quisty will like my anniversary present tonight!"
Irvine patted Seifer's back. "I'm sure she will, Seifer. I'm sure she will."
"Hey, Zell?"
Zell glanced at Brynne. "Yeah?"
"I asked you a question," Brynne said, looking kind of hurt.
Zell stared into her blue eyes, feeling really bad for ignoring her. "Oh, um...." He didn't really know what to say. Brynne was a nice girl. She was the type whom most guys would definitely go out with and Zell did want to go out with her before, but now.... now was different. He wasn't paying attention as Seifer and Irvine stopped to walk beside the two. Irvine was walking beside Zell, while Seifer with Brynne. Irvine put his arms around Zell and punched him playfully on the arm.
"This little guy here? I'm sure he's free for tonight," Irvine replied for him.
Zell glared up at him. He tried so hard to be nice to Irvine, but he was not helping at all.
Seifer smirked. "Yeah, I'm sure Chicken-wuss would like to go out with a pretty girl like you," he said, winking at Brynne.
Brynne blushed. She looked at Zell. "Is that true Zell? Would you go on a date with me?"
Zell looked at her, a hopeful look in her eyes. He had no choice. It was three to one. He might as well take the offer. This could be his chance to move on with his life and forget about Selphie. Zell nodded. "Yeah, I'm free tonight. What time?" He stopped walking to face her. Irvine and Seifer moved out of their way to leave them alone. They left, trying to stiffle a laugh from their mouths.
Brynne turned to face him. Her face was flushed with shyness. "Well, it is close to eight now. How about in a few minutes and we'll meet at the cafeteria?"
Zell slightly nodded his head. He wasn't really upto it, but he can't be too suspicious with his sudden urgency to turn down a girl's offer. "Sure. That would be great," he replied.
Brynne nodded and waved at Zell. She smiled and headed to the girl's dorms.
Zell watched her go. He sighed and stuffed his fists in his pockets, hating himself for doing horrible things to Irvine. Irvine was nice enough to set him up on his date with Brynne and so was Seifer, but he didn't deserve all the praises. He deserved to be buried in the sand and never get out. The best thing he could do now was go on this date and move on for good.
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The door was slowly closed shut. Selphie looked up from her book reading and put it down upon seeing Irvine. She grinned, put down her book on the bed and stretched and yawned. Irvine went to her and pulled her up on her feet. He looked into her eyes. He knew something was bothering her.
"What's wrong, Selphie?" Irvine asked.
Selphie's eyes widened. She was surprised how Irvine could detect her weariness. She shook her head and yawned again. "Nothing. I'm just tired, that's all." She kissed him on the lips and picked up her book.
Irvine stopped her before she left the bedroom, grabbing her hand gently and looking at her. "I know there's something bothering you. What is it? You can tell me anything."
Selphie gulped. Not too hard so Irvine could see her throat move up and down. Just enough for her to relieve the tension between the two of them. She dropped the book back on the bed and wrapped her arms around his neck, having to stand on tiptoes since the young cowboy was tall. She looked straight into her eyes and said, "There is nothing wrong with me, Irvine. If there was, I would tell you right away and get rid of the burden of having to ask me first." She moved her lips closer to his and began a passionate kiss with him.
Irvine wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back.
****************
He watched them kiss. A kiss of love and loyalty. Zell closed the door behind him slowly, careful not to disturb them and began to walk towards his bedroom. It was over. His only option now was to get ready for the date and be happy for the couple that are his friends.
GoodGurl: Sniff! Sniff! That last part was sad. Anyway, I wanted to add more conflicts into the story, other than the characters fighting with their emotions. I wanted to add that library girl Squaresoft and the other non-Zelphie fans keep pairing him up with. I tried to figure out what is up with her? Don't worry though, she's not a bad girl to be, she'll be just another one of the characters added to the story to make the plot interesting. Hold on to your seats everyone! The next chapter will have action this time!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well... sort of.
