Note: Hi y'all! I hope you're enjoying yourselves so far on my story! Here's a short summary for those who are just tuning in or just didn't feel like reading the last chapter... Zell prepared himself for a date with Brynne, which Seifer and Irvine set up for him. A short and calm interaction between Zell and Selphie happened when Zell couldn't put his tie on right, so Selphie fixed it for him. He leaves for the date, leaving Selphie jealous for the library girl and Irvine leaves a few minutes after for training, leaving Selphie all by herself. Zell's date didn't go well as planned. He found out that Brynne wanted him drunk so she could sleep with him. He tells her that he didn't feel the same way she feels about him, turning her down as calmly as possible. Brynne leaves the date and goes to a local bar, getting drunk. Zell helps her back to her dorm room and their date ended that way. Whereas, Selphie is sitting all alone in the cafeteria, sipping a glass of milkshake waiting for Irvine to be finished from the training. Seifer makes an appearance and gives Selphie an advice, which made her angry. She storms out and bumps into Zell in the dark. Zell pleads to talk to her, but she kept turning away. This was the moment he made his move on her, wrapping his arms around her and kissed her so passionately, leaving Selphie breathless. He made her choose to either walk away or stay, and Selphie chose to leave. Morning came and those SeeDs who have been assigned on a mission to the underwater docks of Galbadia are ready to kick some ass. Where does Zelphine (three names together-thanks for the name, Siu Saki!) go from here?



Chapter 9 - The Last Resort



He loved her. It was only last night that he had made a move on her. He kissed her for the second time and for the second time, she had rejected him. Was she playing mind games with him? Zell couldn't concentrate on where he was going. It was too dark to see, but he could still see his friends. Selphie was on his mind twenty-four seven. Seifer led the way, followed by Irvine, leaving Zell to watch over Brynne. She has been quiet during the ride on Ragnarok. Zell felt guilty for what he had done. He hadn't meant to hurt Brynne that way.

Heavy footsteps suddenly got Zell's attention, especially to the Squad leader. He jerked his blond head around towards his three companions, then placed a finger to his lips. "Shhh," he warned quietly. Seifer moved towards the wall, his back facing the cold surface. The footsteps could be heard echoing from just around the corner. Irvine, Zell and Brynne quickly followed behind him. Two men, dressed in Galbadian uniforms, talked amongst themselves as they passed the two unsuspecting intruders. Seifer gave the signal. Seifer and Irvine jumped from behind.

Irvine shot the dark haired man on the back with his silencer guns he packed in case he needed it, then grabbed him around the waist before he could fall loudly on the floor. He laid the man against the wall.

One of the men tried to scream, but Seifer stepped in from behind the man, putting his Hyperion at the man's throat to prevent him from screaming. I He snapped his weapon back harshly against the man's throat and the fair haired man's face turned a slight blue colour. It took only a few seconds, until the man fell on the floor dead. Seifer turned to Zell and Brynne and nodded.

"Let's go," he commanded quietly. Seifer led the way once again. He took out the map that Xu had given them earlier from his coat pocket and examined it. He glanced over his shoulder and pointed towards a dark hallway. "We go down the hall over there. It says on the map here that we need to go right to get to the elevator."

Irvine nodded. "Fine." He looked at Zell. "Watch over Brynne, all right, Zell?"

Zell gave him a sneer towards the back of Irvine's head when he wasn't paying attention. Brynne saw it. "We're all responsible for watching him, Irvine," he said.

Irvine looked at him. "I know. I just thought-"

"Why don't you just keep your thoughts to yourself, all right?" Zell interrupted, angrily.

The Cowboy was stunned. "What the hell is wrong with you? Did you fall off your bed or something?" For some reason, whatever he had said, made Zell angry. He glanced at Zell, but all he could get from him was a cold glare towards the taller man. He gave him a shocked expression, but gave up. Whatever was wrong with him, he wouldn't be able to understand. He doesn't really understand Zell.

"Knock it off, you two!" Seifer whispered loudly. It was getting darker as they ran through the hallway. All four kept running. Seifer made a sharp turn to the first right and the other three followed tiredly. Ahead, he could see the elevator. He pointed towards it. "All right. Once we get in there, Brynne, I want you to tap on the computer and turn off all security cameras."

Brynne nodded.

Seifer turned his head towards Irvine, then Zell. "Irvine and Zell. I expect you both to watch over the elevator door and see that it doesn't open. I'll watch over Brynne, got that?"

Irvine and Zell nodded.

"Good." They reached the elevator. Seifer pressed the button up and waited for a few minutes until it reached the first level. The door opened slowly. Brynne stepped in first, then Seifer, Zell and Irvine. Zell fixed his gloves, pulling it tighter on his fists, while Irvine took out his shotgun and reloaded it with more bullets. Him and Zell took a side and stood in front of the door as it closed. Brynne stepped in behind Zell where an emergency computer was and turned it on. The computers were highly secured technology that were put on elevators for reasons that the SeeDs didn't know the answer to. Seifer was the only one who knew why, but no one really questioned him about that, since there was no point. She made it quicker than any other user could. Seifer watched over her shoulder as she put a virus on the security programs. She was typing fairly quick and by the time they reached the second floor, Brynne closed the computer and stood back. Seifer stared at her, surprised by her outrageous skill.

"You are such a geek," Seifer mocked.

Brynne grinned. "Yeah, well, I learned from my father. He was a geek too!"

The blond man laughed. He paused suddenly when the elevator reached the third floor, their destination. His face became serious by the time they all stepped out of the elevator. Seifer led the way, followed by Brynne, Zell, then Irvine.

The two men taking the rear end exchanged no words from each other. Irvine had no idea why Zell was so uptight, nor would he want to know. He followed close behind though, despite the tension Zell was giving him. He glanced around him, watching fish swim by. The glass windows were the view to the depths of the ocean and Irvine was astounded by the beautiful deep sea colour of the waters. A large Blue Whale passed by, keeping as far away as it can from the man-made, underwater, submarine docks. Swimming closely behind its mother, was a baby Blue Whale. He gave it a smile, then continued walking.

All four were quiet. None of them said a word, afraid that any guard who had not left the post could hear them and could lead to an all out battle. Seifer kept glancing over his shoulder, making sure his squad were still there. Brynne gave him a small smile. He gave her a slight nod, then continued on with their quest.

Zell sighed quietly. He saw light ahead. His attention were now drawn on that particular light as all four walked silently and alarmly towards a large computer seen just ahead of them.






When they reached their destination, finally, Brynne ran ahead of the men and proceeded towards the large rectangular computer. Seifer followed close behind, making sure no one would jump out in front of Brynne and attack her. He slashed Hyperion around at his side, whereas, Zell clenched his fists, his mind focused on the surroundings. Irvine calmly strolled closely behind Zell, his shot gun slung over his shoulder.

Brynne made herself comfortable on the seat in front of the computer and began typing away. Seifer was looking over her shoulder, watching her type with the speed of light. She doesn't even have to look at the keys to type down what she wanted to say. Zell and Irvine placed themselves closely behind Brynne, looking for any Galbadian soldiers to come running at them. Zell clenched his fists harder, focusing his eyes on the dark hallway. He had to stop thinking about Selphie. He could hear the tapping of the keyboards as Brynne continued with her work.

He heard the tapping sound. Zell became alarmed. He glanced at Irvine, making sure he heard it too. The Cowboy nodded, noticing Zell's glance. He removed his gun from his shoulder and prepared for a defensive stance, weapon in hand. Zell did the same, in his usual fighting stance, fists punching the air and his body moving to an unknown beat.

"We got company," Irvine whispered towards Seifer behind him.

Seifer looked over his shoulder. He saw a flash of white, hiding behind one of the posts. He smirked, turned around and joined the other two men. "Are you almost done, Brynne?" Seifer asked.

Brynne shook her head. "No, not yet. I need more time."

The three men noticed a few more soldiers joining the original soldiers. They appeared from behind the posts and started to walk towards them, with their guns ready to shoot.

"Well, boys.... we have to buy some time for our dear Miss Hailey..." Seifer gripped his hand tighter on the handle of his Hyperion and smirked. "Let's dance!"




****************



"So... what did you do?"

She stared at her friend. This was her third question since this morning. Selphie wanted to be alone and think things through, but Rinoa had returned from her trip in Deling, bearing good news about her father recovering from his stroke. General Caraway spent his time in the hospital and Rinoa, being a saint she is, wanted to be with her father for the few days he stayed there. She returned, a smile on her usual Angelic face. She greeted Selphie with a wave and sat next to her on the cafeteria.

'So much for the alone time,' she had thought, when Rinoa sat down.

Rinoa looked at her, waiting for the petite girl to answer.

Selphie hestitated for awhile. This is what she gets by telling Rinoa everything about her and Zell. Now she knows how people feel when she does the same thing that Rinoa was doing now. They were both curious people, but would it really hurt to feel the same way people have been feeling about the two gossipers of Balamb? What is wrong about feeling annoyed? She had to try that feeling out, not that she was forcing herself to feel that way.

"I- walked away, Rinoa. I didn't know what to say. I love Irvine so much, but..."

"You also love, Zell?" Rinoa completed her sentence, after Selphie failed to do so.

Selphie nodded slowly. She would rather talk to Quistis or Seifer about this, rather than Rinoa. She knew Rinoa all too well. She always had a perspective in living a perfect life. Selphie would rather talk to someone who found life a living hell. Maybe she could relate. The petite girl looked at the dark haired girl and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Rinoa. I think I'd like to be alone right now."

Rinoa smiled. She understood. The dark headed girl stood up. "I'll see you later, all right?" She patted Selphie's hand gently. "I hope you make the right decision."

Selphie placed a hand over her friend's and nodded. Rinoa gave her one last glance and walked away. Selphie was once again all alone. She sighed and rested her chin on her upward palm, staring ahead of her. Students began filing inside the cafeteria, either talking with their friends or carrying books to study for a test or just to do their homework. Most of the students she has seen so far were carrying loads and loads of books in their arms.

"Quistis must be giving her students a hard time," she said to herself. She wanted to laugh, but nothing would come out. The thought of Zell telling Irvine what happened between them ran a chill down her spine. She could only imagine what it would be like to see both of them at each other's throats.

"SELPHIE!!!" a shout from across the cafeteria startled her. She looked around, perking her head up to see who it was. People stared at her and Selphie blushed red in embarrassment. Rinoa came dashing in through the crowd of people lined up for food towards her. Selphie sat there in bewilderment. Rinoa gasped for a minute, before she started to speak again. "You have to come to the front gate, quick!" She grabbed the short haired girl's hand and practically pulled her up from her seat.

Selphie was surprised and didn't have time to ask her friend what was wrong. Rinoa pulled her through the crowd, pushing people aside almost harshly and dragged her along down the main hallway. Selphie just followed Rinoa's lead and let her pull her to the front gate, where the Ragnarok had landed.

Squall was already there, waiting for the Ragnarok to open. Rinoa let go of her friend's hand to stand beside Squall and linked arms with him. She rested her head on his shoulder. Selphie stood beside Rinoa, curiousity marked on her face. Her heart began to beat, feeling something had gone wrong during the mission. She heard a clickiting sound from behind and was startled to be pushed gently aside. Quistis appeared in front of her, frantically walking towards the opened Ragnarok. In her hands she carried a box of something that Selphie could not make out. She ran inside and disappeared. Selphie got the hint. She followed the blond woman inside, taking a deep breath. She looked around the bridge and noticed Seifer sitting in pain on one of the seats. Quistis was already at his side, checking his arm. Selphie looked around some more, searching for Irvine and Zell. Brynne was seated opposite of Seifer, whereas, Nida tended to her need. She was slightly wounded on her left arm.

Seifer glanced at her, wincing everytime Quistis twisted his arm gently. "Selphie.... Irvine has already been taking inside by Dr. Kadowaki."

Selphie's heart began to pound. In anticipation, Selphie rushed out of the Ragnarok and made her way to the infirmary.


****************


He looked around, feeling groggy after the last fight he had. Where was he? Is he dead? No. He could feel something tied tightly around his wrists. His feet were also bound. He opened his eyes slowly. A light shone in his eyes and he blinked a couple of times in order to get used to the bright, swinging lamp. Faces appeared in front of him. They were unfamiliar faces. He wanted to panic, but he kept his face neutral and opened his eyes completely to get his focusing back. The faces were moslty men. Men dressed in Galbadian uniforms. One was wearing an expensive looking suit and dark rimmed glasses. His short, brown hair was the only thing he'll remember if anyone ever asked what he looked like. He was towering over him. He could tell the man was glaring at him through the glasses from his frown on his lips. The man moved the lamp closer to his face, making Zell wince.

"SeeD!" the man growled. "I've always hated that word. I don't know why you even bothered to come here in the first place to ruin our plans!" He jabbed something in Zell's ribs, making Zell grimace in pain. "Tell me.... what is the code?"

Zell looked at him. "What code?"

Suddenly, something painful shot through him. The pain seemed to have reached his head and Zell screamed in agony. It was only a couple of seconds, until the man released the weapon from his ribs. The man grabbed a handful of hair, leaned closer and pulled his head closer to him.

"You know what I'm talking about, you bastard!" he hissed in the blond man's ear. "This code is the only reason why you're here, Mr. Dincht! Your lady friend put a virus on our system and the only way to get rid of it is to get the code that I know you have!"

Blood trickled in the corner of Zell's mouth. He shook his head slowly. "I- I don't know the code. Honest."

The man released a horrid laugh, ringing Zell's ears. He jabbed Zell in the stomach, making Zell gag. He coughed, his face red and beaten. This time, the man did not shock him. The man frowned and turned his back on him. He clasped his hands behind him and glanced over his shoulder at Zell. "You SeeDs have always been a problem to me! If you hadn't killed Ultimaecia, then you would have all been dead!" He glanced at someone, but Zell couldn't see who it was. His face was too severely beaten to see. "Take him back to his cell!" the man ordered. He gave him one last glance and walked away, then disappeared out the door.

Zell felt someone walking up to him, removing the bands that were cutting through his skin. Like a rag doll, he was led down from the wooden prison and was carried to the cell just nearby. They pushed him down on the dirty floor. Tiredly, Zell looked up to see a bed nearby. He stood up and stumbled on the bed, then rested his head on the hard pillow and closed his eyes. Why don't they just kill him? Why don't they just get rid of the suffering and the turmoil he was facing here and back at Garden?


****************



She stared at the window, watching as a few nurses examined the injured body. Tears fell from her eyes. She wanted to run into his arms and tell him it was all right. Why was it taking so long?

A door opened. Selphie removed her arms from the window, leaving an elbow mark and looked up at the elderly Doctor.

"How is he?" Selphie asked.

Dr. Kadowaki frowned. "He was shot at on the leg. He was lucky though. The bullet did not fracture his knee completely." She gave her an encouraging smile. "He'll be fine, Selphie. We were able to operate on him and take the bullet out. We closed the wound which took at least fifteen stitches, but Irvine will be walking home alive tonight. I gave him some anesthesia to keep the pain from the leg down. Right now, he's sleeping. I'm sorry Selphie, but Irvine needs his rest, so I ask that no one must see him. However, you can see him." She placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, smiled, then left the room. Selphie stared at the window where Irvine laid with his eyes closed. He looked so peaceful. Irvine was alive. Thank God! She walked inside.



A few minutes later, Seifer and Quistis entered the waiting room. They saw Selphie just getting out of the room where Irvine was in. She greeted them sadly and sat down on one of the chairs. Quistis sat down beside her, while Seifer took the liberty of standing to lean against the wall beside Quistis.

Quistis looked at the younger girl and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Selphie glanced at Seifer. "Zell....?"

Seifer hung his head. He didn't know what to say. He took a deep breath and finally had the courage to look into Selphie's eyes. "We... we ran away from the soldiers. Brynne rad ahead. I followed closely behind. It came by so quickly, that I didn't see bullets being fired at us. We were so close to the Ragnarok then. Nida had the engine started and was ready to fly. Brynne jumped inside, then I followed. I looked out and saw Irvine running towards us, with Zell far behind. More Galbadian soldiers appeared, giving them all they've got. Irvine jumped in, but one the bullets made its mark on his knee. He let go and fell back on the ground. Zell arrived a second later and helped him out. Nida got the Ragnarok back on the ground again, but only a few inches away. Zell dragged an injured Irvine towards the Ragnarok and was able to help him up. We were ready to help Zell on board, but he did the most stupidest thing!" Seifer paused, took a deep breath, then continued. "He told us to get going, while he distracted the soldiers. The Ragnarok kept going higher and higher away from the ground. I reached out to Zell, but he insisted that we flew away. I couldn't have that! I reached out again, but one the bullets shot me in the arm. I pulled my hand away and before I could take my hand out towards him, the Ragnarok flew away completely. Soldiers caught up to Zell and the last time I saw of him was that he was beaten on the ground before he was taken away." Seifer looked at Selphie, wondering what reaction she was going to give.

Selphie stared at him for a moment, absorbing all the information in her head. Zell.... Why did he do that? A tear escaped Selphie's eye. More tears streaked down her face. Selphie looked at Quistis, then collapsed in her friend's arms.

She cried.



























Note: Please please please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!! I need to know what you guys think! *Gasp!* poor Zelly is beaten! Selphie's cryings! Irvine's been shot in the leg. I don't care it I'm using too much triangle. Hence the title, "three to tango!" I like triangles, but it'll always end up a happy ending anyway. So... what do you guys think???