Chapter VII: Wishing Star
Rinoa stood, leaning against the wall of the balcony of Zell's dorm room. The view wasn't as magnificent as it usually was because instead of drifting around in the air, Balamb Garden had been settled at Fisherman's Horizon for some time. She let out a sigh as the ocean breeze ran its unseen fingers through her hair, silently whispering Zell's name to her. She wondered what could be taking so long, and for a moment, feared that Zell could have been killed. She stared off into space, imagining watching Seifer's gunblade pierce Zell's chest just as it had been with Squall. She was awakened from her daydream nightmare when a drop of rain landed softly on her face, on her cheek right underneath her eye, and then rolling off as though it were a tear. Letting out another sigh, she decided to turn in for the night. Just before she left, she saw a shooting star fly across the moonlit night sky. She closed her eyes and whispered, more out into the night than to herself. "Please. let Zell come back to us. back to me. alive." She opened her eyes slowly as several more drops of rain began to fall onto her body, opening the door that connected Zell's room and his balcony and walking inside, closing the curtains but leaving the door slightly open to let the air in the room ventilate.
She was just about to sit down in Zell's cushioned rolling-chair when she heard a knock at the door. "Zell!" She cried to herself, and ran towards the door, flinging it open, only to see Irvine and Quistis. She felt her heart sink and sighed. "Oh. hey." Was all that she had managed to say - she expected to see Zell, and instead there were Irvine and Quistis? Where could Zell possibly be? Hadn't he left with the two of them? Irvine looked at her with a solemn, grim look, but maintained his usual spirit. "Yeah. 'Oh. hey.' Well, gee, I'm really glad to see you too." Quistis jammed her elbow into Irvine's side and he instantly snapped his mouth shut. "Rinoa, I'm sorry, but we were knocked unconscious during our time inside Galbadia Garden, and when we came to, we were lying on the ground below the garden and we had no other way to get in. We tried to cast Float on ourselves repeatedly, but it didn't work as great as we'd hoped. I'm sorry, Rinoa, but Zell wasn't with us when we came around. Irvine was the first to get knocked out, and I was the second. I don't know if they got Zell or not. He may still be in there." Rinoa was shocked. She shook her head quickly, "No! He had to have been there, you just must not have seen him!" But then she realized exactly how hard it was to lose Zell; he would have been easier to track than a giant Behemoth. He made hard footsteps and often flipped and did tricks when he ran. If Irvine and Quistis hadn't seen Zell, then they hadn't seen Zell. She felt her heart sink. "So. Zell's still in there? I don't know if he'll be safe. What if he gets killed?" Rinoa slowly closed the door, leaving Irvine and Quistis out in the hall.
Rinoa walked to Zell's bed and sat down on the side, letting out a long, drawn out sigh. She slid back a little on the bed, bringing her legs up and hugging them against her chest. Closing her eyes, she let a few tears roll down her cheeks as she continued to try and reassure herself that Zell would be alright. She opened her eyes again towards the balcony doors just in time to see another shooting star shoot across the sky, although its light was somewhat dimmed from the rain, which gradually grew stronger over time. She slowly let go of her knees and put her feet back on the floor, standing up and walking over to the balcony doors and closing them to keep out the rain before returning to the bed the way she was. Shutting her eyes, she began to mourn even though she had no real proof Zell was dead. Zell hadn't returned, and being dead would have caused him not to return; it was all the same to Rinoa at this point.
Just when things couldn't seem to become worse, she heard the balcony doors open. Her eyes shot open as she grabbed her blaster edge, the Shooting Star, with trails of tears still apparent on her cheeks. Keeping her eyes on the door, she saw the figure slowly move in against the curtains and she readied Shooting Star. A gloved hand. gloves with the fingers cut off, reached over the curtains as a lock of blonde hair moved into view. Soon, Zell stood there, soaking wet from the rain, looking at Rinoa. Rinoa dropped her blaster edge, and returned Zell's gaze. A soft smile played on her lips as she leapt off the bed and ran into his arms, not caring that he was soaking from the rain. Rinoa hugged him tightly, and Zell put his arms around her comfortingly, smiling lightly. He whispered softly, "Sorry if I worried you." Rinoa looked up at him. "Worried? You have no idea, I thought you might have been killed!" Rinoa buried her face in his chest and Zell let out a sigh, pulling Rinoa close reassuringly. "I'm very much alive. but, unfortunately. so is Seifer." He glanced upwards from Rinoa and stared off, deep in thought. Rinoa looked up at him worriedly, a slight frown on her face. "Hey, are you alright.?" Zell shook his head, shaken from his trance, and smiled at Rinoa warmly. "Yeah, don't worry about it. I'll be fine." Rinoa returned his smile with her own, pulling herself closer against Zell's body. "Good. You have no idea how worried I was." Zell gave her a warm smile and held her closer. "Don't worry. I promise to be a little more careful next time." Rinoa laughed and grinned, looking up at him. "Now those are a few words that I never thought I'd hear come out of your mouth, Zell Dincht."
Rinoa stood, leaning against the wall of the balcony of Zell's dorm room. The view wasn't as magnificent as it usually was because instead of drifting around in the air, Balamb Garden had been settled at Fisherman's Horizon for some time. She let out a sigh as the ocean breeze ran its unseen fingers through her hair, silently whispering Zell's name to her. She wondered what could be taking so long, and for a moment, feared that Zell could have been killed. She stared off into space, imagining watching Seifer's gunblade pierce Zell's chest just as it had been with Squall. She was awakened from her daydream nightmare when a drop of rain landed softly on her face, on her cheek right underneath her eye, and then rolling off as though it were a tear. Letting out another sigh, she decided to turn in for the night. Just before she left, she saw a shooting star fly across the moonlit night sky. She closed her eyes and whispered, more out into the night than to herself. "Please. let Zell come back to us. back to me. alive." She opened her eyes slowly as several more drops of rain began to fall onto her body, opening the door that connected Zell's room and his balcony and walking inside, closing the curtains but leaving the door slightly open to let the air in the room ventilate.
She was just about to sit down in Zell's cushioned rolling-chair when she heard a knock at the door. "Zell!" She cried to herself, and ran towards the door, flinging it open, only to see Irvine and Quistis. She felt her heart sink and sighed. "Oh. hey." Was all that she had managed to say - she expected to see Zell, and instead there were Irvine and Quistis? Where could Zell possibly be? Hadn't he left with the two of them? Irvine looked at her with a solemn, grim look, but maintained his usual spirit. "Yeah. 'Oh. hey.' Well, gee, I'm really glad to see you too." Quistis jammed her elbow into Irvine's side and he instantly snapped his mouth shut. "Rinoa, I'm sorry, but we were knocked unconscious during our time inside Galbadia Garden, and when we came to, we were lying on the ground below the garden and we had no other way to get in. We tried to cast Float on ourselves repeatedly, but it didn't work as great as we'd hoped. I'm sorry, Rinoa, but Zell wasn't with us when we came around. Irvine was the first to get knocked out, and I was the second. I don't know if they got Zell or not. He may still be in there." Rinoa was shocked. She shook her head quickly, "No! He had to have been there, you just must not have seen him!" But then she realized exactly how hard it was to lose Zell; he would have been easier to track than a giant Behemoth. He made hard footsteps and often flipped and did tricks when he ran. If Irvine and Quistis hadn't seen Zell, then they hadn't seen Zell. She felt her heart sink. "So. Zell's still in there? I don't know if he'll be safe. What if he gets killed?" Rinoa slowly closed the door, leaving Irvine and Quistis out in the hall.
Rinoa walked to Zell's bed and sat down on the side, letting out a long, drawn out sigh. She slid back a little on the bed, bringing her legs up and hugging them against her chest. Closing her eyes, she let a few tears roll down her cheeks as she continued to try and reassure herself that Zell would be alright. She opened her eyes again towards the balcony doors just in time to see another shooting star shoot across the sky, although its light was somewhat dimmed from the rain, which gradually grew stronger over time. She slowly let go of her knees and put her feet back on the floor, standing up and walking over to the balcony doors and closing them to keep out the rain before returning to the bed the way she was. Shutting her eyes, she began to mourn even though she had no real proof Zell was dead. Zell hadn't returned, and being dead would have caused him not to return; it was all the same to Rinoa at this point.
Just when things couldn't seem to become worse, she heard the balcony doors open. Her eyes shot open as she grabbed her blaster edge, the Shooting Star, with trails of tears still apparent on her cheeks. Keeping her eyes on the door, she saw the figure slowly move in against the curtains and she readied Shooting Star. A gloved hand. gloves with the fingers cut off, reached over the curtains as a lock of blonde hair moved into view. Soon, Zell stood there, soaking wet from the rain, looking at Rinoa. Rinoa dropped her blaster edge, and returned Zell's gaze. A soft smile played on her lips as she leapt off the bed and ran into his arms, not caring that he was soaking from the rain. Rinoa hugged him tightly, and Zell put his arms around her comfortingly, smiling lightly. He whispered softly, "Sorry if I worried you." Rinoa looked up at him. "Worried? You have no idea, I thought you might have been killed!" Rinoa buried her face in his chest and Zell let out a sigh, pulling Rinoa close reassuringly. "I'm very much alive. but, unfortunately. so is Seifer." He glanced upwards from Rinoa and stared off, deep in thought. Rinoa looked up at him worriedly, a slight frown on her face. "Hey, are you alright.?" Zell shook his head, shaken from his trance, and smiled at Rinoa warmly. "Yeah, don't worry about it. I'll be fine." Rinoa returned his smile with her own, pulling herself closer against Zell's body. "Good. You have no idea how worried I was." Zell gave her a warm smile and held her closer. "Don't worry. I promise to be a little more careful next time." Rinoa laughed and grinned, looking up at him. "Now those are a few words that I never thought I'd hear come out of your mouth, Zell Dincht."
