Zell's Heart Part 3
By: Brandon Logan
Come on.tap tap tap.where are my reviwers.
The day wasn't as abnormal as Selphie had seemed. Being on the garden festival committee was hard work. The part she dreaded most about the job was that she was always being sent out to try to recruit more students in the garden to join the festival committee, but alas, her meager pleas failed, and failed miserably. Zell had been in the training center all afternoon, which was his usual routine ever since his last mission. Zell hasn't heard much from his friend, Squall, in a while.
"Being the top notch commander of the garden isn't a walk in the park." Zell divulged to him as he sat started out of the training center towards the main corridors. Zell was exhausted and sweating. He took his towel and wiped his face as he passed the training center sign. The first floor was incredibly silent, so silent that he could only hear two people a few feet away from him.
"It's Selphie and Rinoa." Zell squatted down and contemplated if he should eavesdrop or just walk away. He was about to walk away when he heard his name, that's when he stayed and decided to eavesdrop. Was someone crying?
"It's about Zell Rinoa. I can't help myself." Selphie had been sobbing in Rinoa's comforting embrace.
"Just tell him, and you know, get these things off your chest. Calm down Selphie! I have never seen someone break down over love." Rinoa saw something out of the corner of her eye. It was Zell. She gasped, but she tried to keep him undercover. She signaled for him to come over and take over for her, but Zell laid back and waited for Rinoa to finish.
"Why don't you ask Zell to join the Garden Festival Committee, I'm sure he'd be GLAD TO JOIN!" She said in a surprisingly loud and distinctive tone, not aimed for Selphie, but to the Zell who was cloaked behind a large potted bush.
"You really think so?" Selphie raised her head to Rinoa, she had stopped crying already and already was in her spunky mood again.
"Yeah." Rinoa drifted from her embrace as she cued for Zell to step in any time he liked.
"Hey Selphie! I was looking all over for you." Zell surprised Selphie from behind, making it look like he had just come out of nowhere.
"Zell! Hi, I was meaning to ask you something all day." Rinoa slowly backed away unnoticed. Zell was angry in the inside at Rinoa who grisly strolled away leaving the two alone in the hallway.
"I heard you were recruiting people to join the garden festival committee to help out to set up the winter dance. It wouldn't be any trouble if I joined would it?" The whole while he talked he didn't realize by the end of his sentence he had Selphie in his embrace. "How did I do that?" He thought to himself, almost grinning at the fact he didn't realize he had been hugging Selphie, who on the other hand didn't mind at all.
"Oh Zell, I'm so happy, I mean I've been trying to get people all day. That was what I was going to ask you, but I don't have to ask you anymore." She was so overjoyed as she jumped up deeper into his embrace.
"Goodness, finally I got someone to join. I'm so exhausted. I think I'm gonna get some sleep now." She yawned as she patted him on the back before walking off to the dormitories.
Zell decided to hang out a take a walk. The cool brisk night reassured Zell of his endless blissfulness. He had finally become closer with Selphie like he hoped. He always wanted to bond with little "Seffie" ever since they met in the orphanage.
[Flashback]
"Zelly! Zelly!" Little Seffie had lapped the perimeter of the orphanage twice, but she couldn't find her Zelly. Her little aqua green eyes welled up with tears as she held the little stuffed bear in her arms. She had made the bear especially for her Zelly, and she knew that it would be special to him. She had only been five years old, but it didn't matter, she didn't know what love was, but it was probably what she felt at that moment.
"Little Seffie! There you are I was looking everywhere for ya." Zelly came up from behind her as she held the stuffed bear in his face. It looked like a bear with buttoned eyes and soft cotton on the inside, which sort of protruded through a loose stitch.
"Here Zelly, I made it just for you. It twook me a long time a'cuz I couldn't find anything to put it o'gether with." She blushed as she tried to pronounce the words right. Zell was already two year older than she was, and it made her feel so inferior to him.
"Little Seffie, this is the best present anyone has ever gotten me." He bent down and kissed her on the forehead, which caused her to flush. Then she did something very unexpected; she had tip toed up and gave him a quick peck on the lips before blushing and running away.
[End Flashback]
"I always wondered if she ever loved me ever since then." Zell considered as he realized he had almost walked into his dorm room door. He stumbled back and opened the keypad to open the door.
"Let's see, 2-4-7-Z-S." He mentally read out his code as the door slid open. He remembered when he set the code, he was thinking of Selphie at the time, which accidentally caused him to put the Z and S for Zell and Selphie. The dorm was so dark and gloomy with no liveliness at all. He strolled on over to his dresser and picked out his sleeping outfit before jumping into the shower. He let the warm water run down his face as he thought about the winter dance that he was going to prepare for. His usually slicked up blonde hair was now down and wet. It always got in the way, so he liked to keep it up. He stepped out of the shower into the damp humid bathroom caused by the shower steam. He dried himself off before slipping on his pajamas, which were decorated with little teddy bears, and was light blue, but it didn't matter to Zell because it was a gift from Selphie last year.
He was about to slip into bed when the phone rang. He made his way to the phone, but a rustling behind him startled him. From under the sheets came Selphie who had been under there the whole time, obviously sleeping. She had unknowingly trudged passed a surprised Zell rubbing her eyes and picking up the phone.
"Hello you have reached the Dincht dorm room. You better have had a good explanation for why you are calling at midnight or I will hunt you down and kill you. " She said in a rather devilish tone that surprised Zell even more.
"Selphie is that you? What are you doing in Zell's room?" Selphie grumbled as she heard Squall's voice over the phone.
"Squall I have a headstone prepared for you now. Would you rather me kill you slow and painfully, or get it over with now?"
"Selphie this is no time to joke. I want you to wake up Zell and report to my office." Zell could hear Squall's voice obscurely from his distance.
"Zell! Oh, I forgot about him." She turned around and blushed when she placed the phone back on the receiver. "Oh sorry, Zell I can explain I was tired and."
"It's okay Selphie." Zell walked over and took her hand. "I was getting kind of lonely anyway. I actually got a good laugh when you threatened to kill the commander of the garden." Zell led her out the door to the elevator platform. "I can't believe Zell's office is so damn far." Zell yawned with Selphie as she rested her head upon his shoulder, with their hand still intertwined. The elevator finally opened to Squall's third floor office.
Inside the office were Quistis and Rinoa, along with Nida, Squall, and Seifer, but no Irvine.
Squall cleared his throat as he prepared to get straight to the point. Rinoa had been behind him massaging his neck to keep him less tense. "As some of you may, or may not know, Irvine Kinneas was sent on a SeeD mission not long ago." Squall cleared his raspy throat once again. "His missions as a sharpshooter was to assassinate an enemy ambassador believed to be in the city of Esthar."
Selphie stared off into Squall's general direction.
"After a follow up team was sent to Esthar, Irvine was presumed missing. The next day the follow up team came up with a startled discovery. Irvine had managed to assassinate his target, but he was mysteriously killed. He suffered from a gunshot wound to the leg and chest."
Selphie and the other almost broke down, even Zell, Irvine's closest friend, was on the brink. Irvine Kinneas was dead. Although, after a few minutes Selphie realized she had mixed emotions. She used to love him, but now, now everything is different. He had hurt her emotionally, and it took days for her to recover, but she knew it wasn't as bad as what Irvine went through before he died. Zell kept himself from crying, but remembering what he did to Selphie lowered his state of grief. Selphie looked up into Zell's eyes, which were not a pretty shade of turquoise. She smiled at him and thought to herself how much she loved to see Zell's eyes in different shades of blue. Squall sat up and dismissed everyone for the night. Selphie told Zell to go ahead and that she'll wait here for a few moments. Zell removed his hand from hers, which slightly sent a sharp pain through his body. He had gotten into the elevator and rode down into the dormitory areas as he walked down the hall to his dorm. The whole time he wondered if he should just shrug off Irvine's death, or mourn. He really didn't know. What he did know was that he was tired. Before Zell entered his code into the keypad he started to think.
"How in the world did Selphie get in anyway? I don't remember telling her my code." Zell had to think that one over.
"Oh, it's easy." Zell heard a faint feminine voice from behind him. "The 2 are for the two of us. The 4 are the number of letters in your name. The 7 are the number of letters in my name, and the Z is for Zell, and the S is for Selphie." It's like she had read his mind.
"How did you know that?" Zell stared at her, flustered at her imminent genius.
"Well we've been friends for a long time, and I think I know you more than you know." She winked and placed a finger between his eyes as she entered the code and walked in.
She was already dressed for sleep so she just jumped under the covers. Zell had shut off the light, the only source of light coming from the moonlight through the window next to his bed. He was reaching up to grab a blanket out of the closet for the couch when Selphie sat up and glared at him.
"What do you think you doing Zell?" She shouted almost waking up the whole student population. He looked over at her in his little confused state like always.
"Zell Dincht you put that blanket back and get into this bed right now mister!"
"Geesh not so loud will ya." He placed the blanket back and slipped under the covers.
"That's better." She snuggled up closer to him. "Ah, once again I have my soft cuddling pillow." She purred as she nestled comfortably against him and falling fast asleep. Zell wondered why she liked to sleep with him. It didn't matter to him really, because they were two great friends who are comfortable with each other.
"I love you Selphie." Her quiet and subtle breathing that lost Zell in a whirlwind of happiness drowned his whispered words out. His heart was beating rapidly, but it wasn't supposed to matter, because they were only friends right? Or is there something his heart is trying to tell him. He knew she didn't hear him because she was fast asleep, so he nestled his arm around her waist a fell off into a quiet slumber, awaiting the morning to come, to wake up with his love.
To be continued.
Come on.tap tap tap.where are my reviwers.
The day wasn't as abnormal as Selphie had seemed. Being on the garden festival committee was hard work. The part she dreaded most about the job was that she was always being sent out to try to recruit more students in the garden to join the festival committee, but alas, her meager pleas failed, and failed miserably. Zell had been in the training center all afternoon, which was his usual routine ever since his last mission. Zell hasn't heard much from his friend, Squall, in a while.
"Being the top notch commander of the garden isn't a walk in the park." Zell divulged to him as he sat started out of the training center towards the main corridors. Zell was exhausted and sweating. He took his towel and wiped his face as he passed the training center sign. The first floor was incredibly silent, so silent that he could only hear two people a few feet away from him.
"It's Selphie and Rinoa." Zell squatted down and contemplated if he should eavesdrop or just walk away. He was about to walk away when he heard his name, that's when he stayed and decided to eavesdrop. Was someone crying?
"It's about Zell Rinoa. I can't help myself." Selphie had been sobbing in Rinoa's comforting embrace.
"Just tell him, and you know, get these things off your chest. Calm down Selphie! I have never seen someone break down over love." Rinoa saw something out of the corner of her eye. It was Zell. She gasped, but she tried to keep him undercover. She signaled for him to come over and take over for her, but Zell laid back and waited for Rinoa to finish.
"Why don't you ask Zell to join the Garden Festival Committee, I'm sure he'd be GLAD TO JOIN!" She said in a surprisingly loud and distinctive tone, not aimed for Selphie, but to the Zell who was cloaked behind a large potted bush.
"You really think so?" Selphie raised her head to Rinoa, she had stopped crying already and already was in her spunky mood again.
"Yeah." Rinoa drifted from her embrace as she cued for Zell to step in any time he liked.
"Hey Selphie! I was looking all over for you." Zell surprised Selphie from behind, making it look like he had just come out of nowhere.
"Zell! Hi, I was meaning to ask you something all day." Rinoa slowly backed away unnoticed. Zell was angry in the inside at Rinoa who grisly strolled away leaving the two alone in the hallway.
"I heard you were recruiting people to join the garden festival committee to help out to set up the winter dance. It wouldn't be any trouble if I joined would it?" The whole while he talked he didn't realize by the end of his sentence he had Selphie in his embrace. "How did I do that?" He thought to himself, almost grinning at the fact he didn't realize he had been hugging Selphie, who on the other hand didn't mind at all.
"Oh Zell, I'm so happy, I mean I've been trying to get people all day. That was what I was going to ask you, but I don't have to ask you anymore." She was so overjoyed as she jumped up deeper into his embrace.
"Goodness, finally I got someone to join. I'm so exhausted. I think I'm gonna get some sleep now." She yawned as she patted him on the back before walking off to the dormitories.
Zell decided to hang out a take a walk. The cool brisk night reassured Zell of his endless blissfulness. He had finally become closer with Selphie like he hoped. He always wanted to bond with little "Seffie" ever since they met in the orphanage.
[Flashback]
"Zelly! Zelly!" Little Seffie had lapped the perimeter of the orphanage twice, but she couldn't find her Zelly. Her little aqua green eyes welled up with tears as she held the little stuffed bear in her arms. She had made the bear especially for her Zelly, and she knew that it would be special to him. She had only been five years old, but it didn't matter, she didn't know what love was, but it was probably what she felt at that moment.
"Little Seffie! There you are I was looking everywhere for ya." Zelly came up from behind her as she held the stuffed bear in his face. It looked like a bear with buttoned eyes and soft cotton on the inside, which sort of protruded through a loose stitch.
"Here Zelly, I made it just for you. It twook me a long time a'cuz I couldn't find anything to put it o'gether with." She blushed as she tried to pronounce the words right. Zell was already two year older than she was, and it made her feel so inferior to him.
"Little Seffie, this is the best present anyone has ever gotten me." He bent down and kissed her on the forehead, which caused her to flush. Then she did something very unexpected; she had tip toed up and gave him a quick peck on the lips before blushing and running away.
[End Flashback]
"I always wondered if she ever loved me ever since then." Zell considered as he realized he had almost walked into his dorm room door. He stumbled back and opened the keypad to open the door.
"Let's see, 2-4-7-Z-S." He mentally read out his code as the door slid open. He remembered when he set the code, he was thinking of Selphie at the time, which accidentally caused him to put the Z and S for Zell and Selphie. The dorm was so dark and gloomy with no liveliness at all. He strolled on over to his dresser and picked out his sleeping outfit before jumping into the shower. He let the warm water run down his face as he thought about the winter dance that he was going to prepare for. His usually slicked up blonde hair was now down and wet. It always got in the way, so he liked to keep it up. He stepped out of the shower into the damp humid bathroom caused by the shower steam. He dried himself off before slipping on his pajamas, which were decorated with little teddy bears, and was light blue, but it didn't matter to Zell because it was a gift from Selphie last year.
He was about to slip into bed when the phone rang. He made his way to the phone, but a rustling behind him startled him. From under the sheets came Selphie who had been under there the whole time, obviously sleeping. She had unknowingly trudged passed a surprised Zell rubbing her eyes and picking up the phone.
"Hello you have reached the Dincht dorm room. You better have had a good explanation for why you are calling at midnight or I will hunt you down and kill you. " She said in a rather devilish tone that surprised Zell even more.
"Selphie is that you? What are you doing in Zell's room?" Selphie grumbled as she heard Squall's voice over the phone.
"Squall I have a headstone prepared for you now. Would you rather me kill you slow and painfully, or get it over with now?"
"Selphie this is no time to joke. I want you to wake up Zell and report to my office." Zell could hear Squall's voice obscurely from his distance.
"Zell! Oh, I forgot about him." She turned around and blushed when she placed the phone back on the receiver. "Oh sorry, Zell I can explain I was tired and."
"It's okay Selphie." Zell walked over and took her hand. "I was getting kind of lonely anyway. I actually got a good laugh when you threatened to kill the commander of the garden." Zell led her out the door to the elevator platform. "I can't believe Zell's office is so damn far." Zell yawned with Selphie as she rested her head upon his shoulder, with their hand still intertwined. The elevator finally opened to Squall's third floor office.
Inside the office were Quistis and Rinoa, along with Nida, Squall, and Seifer, but no Irvine.
Squall cleared his throat as he prepared to get straight to the point. Rinoa had been behind him massaging his neck to keep him less tense. "As some of you may, or may not know, Irvine Kinneas was sent on a SeeD mission not long ago." Squall cleared his raspy throat once again. "His missions as a sharpshooter was to assassinate an enemy ambassador believed to be in the city of Esthar."
Selphie stared off into Squall's general direction.
"After a follow up team was sent to Esthar, Irvine was presumed missing. The next day the follow up team came up with a startled discovery. Irvine had managed to assassinate his target, but he was mysteriously killed. He suffered from a gunshot wound to the leg and chest."
Selphie and the other almost broke down, even Zell, Irvine's closest friend, was on the brink. Irvine Kinneas was dead. Although, after a few minutes Selphie realized she had mixed emotions. She used to love him, but now, now everything is different. He had hurt her emotionally, and it took days for her to recover, but she knew it wasn't as bad as what Irvine went through before he died. Zell kept himself from crying, but remembering what he did to Selphie lowered his state of grief. Selphie looked up into Zell's eyes, which were not a pretty shade of turquoise. She smiled at him and thought to herself how much she loved to see Zell's eyes in different shades of blue. Squall sat up and dismissed everyone for the night. Selphie told Zell to go ahead and that she'll wait here for a few moments. Zell removed his hand from hers, which slightly sent a sharp pain through his body. He had gotten into the elevator and rode down into the dormitory areas as he walked down the hall to his dorm. The whole time he wondered if he should just shrug off Irvine's death, or mourn. He really didn't know. What he did know was that he was tired. Before Zell entered his code into the keypad he started to think.
"How in the world did Selphie get in anyway? I don't remember telling her my code." Zell had to think that one over.
"Oh, it's easy." Zell heard a faint feminine voice from behind him. "The 2 are for the two of us. The 4 are the number of letters in your name. The 7 are the number of letters in my name, and the Z is for Zell, and the S is for Selphie." It's like she had read his mind.
"How did you know that?" Zell stared at her, flustered at her imminent genius.
"Well we've been friends for a long time, and I think I know you more than you know." She winked and placed a finger between his eyes as she entered the code and walked in.
She was already dressed for sleep so she just jumped under the covers. Zell had shut off the light, the only source of light coming from the moonlight through the window next to his bed. He was reaching up to grab a blanket out of the closet for the couch when Selphie sat up and glared at him.
"What do you think you doing Zell?" She shouted almost waking up the whole student population. He looked over at her in his little confused state like always.
"Zell Dincht you put that blanket back and get into this bed right now mister!"
"Geesh not so loud will ya." He placed the blanket back and slipped under the covers.
"That's better." She snuggled up closer to him. "Ah, once again I have my soft cuddling pillow." She purred as she nestled comfortably against him and falling fast asleep. Zell wondered why she liked to sleep with him. It didn't matter to him really, because they were two great friends who are comfortable with each other.
"I love you Selphie." Her quiet and subtle breathing that lost Zell in a whirlwind of happiness drowned his whispered words out. His heart was beating rapidly, but it wasn't supposed to matter, because they were only friends right? Or is there something his heart is trying to tell him. He knew she didn't hear him because she was fast asleep, so he nestled his arm around her waist a fell off into a quiet slumber, awaiting the morning to come, to wake up with his love.
To be continued.