Collision Factor: Part 4
A while later, when Yolei finally opened her eyes, she had no idea where she was. All she was aware of was the throbbing pain in her leg, and a feeling that something was wrong. A voice brought her mind back into focus.
"Holy..."
Zell. His foot. Her crossbow. Anger flooded her mind, and she did the first thing she could think of. She reached over and slapped him. Zell flinched, and blinked at her.
"Oh, so you're finally awake."
"Shut up! Weapon breaking moron!"
"What!? If it's about your crossbow, I fixed it, and I'm sorry, okay?" He handed her the weapon, and gave a cute, apologetic smile, but she was stil visibly annoyed. "..It doesn't matter now anyway."
"What DOES matter? Huh?"
"Your leg, for one."
"It's Fine! It's just a little scrape!" She tried moving her leg, and winced. "...Shit.."
If Yolei was "fine", Zell was a giant turkey. He wasn't gobbling and sprouting feathers, either.
"You're comin' with me."
"No I'm not!" She crossed her arms, and pouted in protest.
"Yes you are!!!"
"I'm fine! Listen, you doof!" Yolei's protests went unnoticed by Zell. He immediately picked her up, slung her over his shoulder, and hauled her off to the Medical Tent. Once there, he plopped her on the cot, and began examining her leg. No matter what she said, no matter how much she protested, any leg with a gash that big was in desperate need of medical attention. He told her this, and was promptly glared at.
"Well, it's true!"
"Prove it!"
"Fine then!" He lifted her leg up, careful not to glance down her skirt, and showed her the "little scrape". She paled to the point that she started to turn green, then stopped struggling. "See!? I may be blond, but I'm NOT stupid!" To this Yolei could not comment out of fear that she would get sick. Blood was certainly not one of her favorite things to look at, especially not coming out of an injurt like that one.
"..Okay...Do whatever you have to.." She gave a sigh of resignation, and pulled her boot off. "God, this is gross.." She made a face.
"Good. Next time, be more careful, okay?"
"...Speak for yourself! You're the klutz who stepped on my weapon!" Zell mimicked the last three words, and was slapped again. "Smart ass!"
"Predictable bitch.." Zell muttered as he rubbed his cheek.
"Thank you!"
He didn't mean that as a compliment and she knew it. The throbbing pain in his cheek currently disabled most of his logical thinking, so he just shut his mouth and concentrated on dressing her wound. Yolei merely sat there pouting. She was thinking, but wouldn't reveal her thoughts for all the snow in Trabia. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, her crush was blossoming into an obsession. She would never admit it publicly, but part of her didn't mind.The only thing she DID mind was the crossbow incident, but, like Zell said, that didn't really matter. She was worried that she had ruined a good opportunity for a relationship over a weapon.
By the time Zell was halfway done with her leg, his thoughts were just about as jumbled as Yolei's were. He was now willing to admit to himself that yes, the girl was attractive, but would NEVER say it out loud. In this case, that was a problem, considering that they were acting like worst enemies. Zell suddenly wanted to change this, but how could he possibly have predicted what she was going to say next?
"Umm...Sorry for yelling. And for slapping you." Sincere apology was reflected in her voice and her eyes. It was at that moment that he realized how pretty those eyes were.
"Ah, it's allright. I um, did kinda deserve it."
"No you didn't." He might have misheard, but he thought he heard a slight note of soft affection in her voice. Just in case he didn't mishear, he didn't, and couldn't, respond.
He didn't have to. As he wrapped the bandage around her leg, the girl tried to start a casual conversation.
"So, um, Zell..How long have you been in SeeD?"
"Couple years now. I joined when I was 17. I gotta admit,this test is a LOT harder than mine was."
Strangely, she found this fascinating.
"Really? No Elnoyles, huh?"
"Nope. But there -was- an Elvoret! And a huge crab monster. Wait, that was worse. Sorry."
"It's okay..." Her voice trailed off, and she struggled to end an awkward moment. "Almost done?"
"Yeah. Definately done, in fact." He patted her leg, and she winced. "Sorry...Again."
"It's alright." She pulled herself back up. "Thanks." The smallest trace of a blush could be seen on cher cheek, but he wasn't really looking. He glanced at her face, caught himself, flushed a little, and turned his eyes to her shoulder. "You're...um...welcome."
"Hey Zell?"
"...Yeah?"
"I was um, going to ask you, what kind of girls you like. I mean, uh, specifics."
Hesitantly, and still looking at something on the wall, Zell started to speak.
"W...Well, for starters, she has to be smart. I mean, speaks her mind and all that." Every word he said made Yolei blush more.
"A...anything else..?"
"She um, has to be pretty. Well, all girls are pretty, but I mean in a unique way." Poor Zell gulped nervously before going on. "like, I dunno. There's gotta be somethin' about her, like the way she does her hair.." His hand lifted to the odd curl of her bangs, and twirled it gently. Her eyes went huge, and her blush deepened. "Aa, Sorry." He tried moving his hand, but it seemed to be controlled by his rebelling heart. Yolei tried not to notice what was going on.
"I..it's okay...A...anything else?" The hand slipped down to her cheek, and both blushes deepened. Zell was now convinced his heart was leading a mutiny against him, but couldn't really stop it. He leaned closer to her, close enough to hear her heart pounding like a bass drum on the rampage. Or maybe he was hearing his own heart, pounding affectionately for the first time since the Library girl had rejected him, smashing his heart into pieces. But this time was different. His mind knew that, but his heart wanted to know how.
"...Initials. She's gotta have cute initials. And..."
"...And?"
"...And she's gotta be sittin' right in front of me.." A gasp. By now they were close enough for Zell to smell the sweetness of her breath, but he couldn't pull away.
"Zell...I...think I'm falling for you..."
"That's good, YoYo...I already have." He smiled softly at her for a moment, then kissed her. At that precise moment, his heart knew the answer.
Because she feels the same way...
A while later, when Yolei finally opened her eyes, she had no idea where she was. All she was aware of was the throbbing pain in her leg, and a feeling that something was wrong. A voice brought her mind back into focus.
"Holy..."
Zell. His foot. Her crossbow. Anger flooded her mind, and she did the first thing she could think of. She reached over and slapped him. Zell flinched, and blinked at her.
"Oh, so you're finally awake."
"Shut up! Weapon breaking moron!"
"What!? If it's about your crossbow, I fixed it, and I'm sorry, okay?" He handed her the weapon, and gave a cute, apologetic smile, but she was stil visibly annoyed. "..It doesn't matter now anyway."
"What DOES matter? Huh?"
"Your leg, for one."
"It's Fine! It's just a little scrape!" She tried moving her leg, and winced. "...Shit.."
If Yolei was "fine", Zell was a giant turkey. He wasn't gobbling and sprouting feathers, either.
"You're comin' with me."
"No I'm not!" She crossed her arms, and pouted in protest.
"Yes you are!!!"
"I'm fine! Listen, you doof!" Yolei's protests went unnoticed by Zell. He immediately picked her up, slung her over his shoulder, and hauled her off to the Medical Tent. Once there, he plopped her on the cot, and began examining her leg. No matter what she said, no matter how much she protested, any leg with a gash that big was in desperate need of medical attention. He told her this, and was promptly glared at.
"Well, it's true!"
"Prove it!"
"Fine then!" He lifted her leg up, careful not to glance down her skirt, and showed her the "little scrape". She paled to the point that she started to turn green, then stopped struggling. "See!? I may be blond, but I'm NOT stupid!" To this Yolei could not comment out of fear that she would get sick. Blood was certainly not one of her favorite things to look at, especially not coming out of an injurt like that one.
"..Okay...Do whatever you have to.." She gave a sigh of resignation, and pulled her boot off. "God, this is gross.." She made a face.
"Good. Next time, be more careful, okay?"
"...Speak for yourself! You're the klutz who stepped on my weapon!" Zell mimicked the last three words, and was slapped again. "Smart ass!"
"Predictable bitch.." Zell muttered as he rubbed his cheek.
"Thank you!"
He didn't mean that as a compliment and she knew it. The throbbing pain in his cheek currently disabled most of his logical thinking, so he just shut his mouth and concentrated on dressing her wound. Yolei merely sat there pouting. She was thinking, but wouldn't reveal her thoughts for all the snow in Trabia. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, her crush was blossoming into an obsession. She would never admit it publicly, but part of her didn't mind.The only thing she DID mind was the crossbow incident, but, like Zell said, that didn't really matter. She was worried that she had ruined a good opportunity for a relationship over a weapon.
By the time Zell was halfway done with her leg, his thoughts were just about as jumbled as Yolei's were. He was now willing to admit to himself that yes, the girl was attractive, but would NEVER say it out loud. In this case, that was a problem, considering that they were acting like worst enemies. Zell suddenly wanted to change this, but how could he possibly have predicted what she was going to say next?
"Umm...Sorry for yelling. And for slapping you." Sincere apology was reflected in her voice and her eyes. It was at that moment that he realized how pretty those eyes were.
"Ah, it's allright. I um, did kinda deserve it."
"No you didn't." He might have misheard, but he thought he heard a slight note of soft affection in her voice. Just in case he didn't mishear, he didn't, and couldn't, respond.
He didn't have to. As he wrapped the bandage around her leg, the girl tried to start a casual conversation.
"So, um, Zell..How long have you been in SeeD?"
"Couple years now. I joined when I was 17. I gotta admit,this test is a LOT harder than mine was."
Strangely, she found this fascinating.
"Really? No Elnoyles, huh?"
"Nope. But there -was- an Elvoret! And a huge crab monster. Wait, that was worse. Sorry."
"It's okay..." Her voice trailed off, and she struggled to end an awkward moment. "Almost done?"
"Yeah. Definately done, in fact." He patted her leg, and she winced. "Sorry...Again."
"It's alright." She pulled herself back up. "Thanks." The smallest trace of a blush could be seen on cher cheek, but he wasn't really looking. He glanced at her face, caught himself, flushed a little, and turned his eyes to her shoulder. "You're...um...welcome."
"Hey Zell?"
"...Yeah?"
"I was um, going to ask you, what kind of girls you like. I mean, uh, specifics."
Hesitantly, and still looking at something on the wall, Zell started to speak.
"W...Well, for starters, she has to be smart. I mean, speaks her mind and all that." Every word he said made Yolei blush more.
"A...anything else..?"
"She um, has to be pretty. Well, all girls are pretty, but I mean in a unique way." Poor Zell gulped nervously before going on. "like, I dunno. There's gotta be somethin' about her, like the way she does her hair.." His hand lifted to the odd curl of her bangs, and twirled it gently. Her eyes went huge, and her blush deepened. "Aa, Sorry." He tried moving his hand, but it seemed to be controlled by his rebelling heart. Yolei tried not to notice what was going on.
"I..it's okay...A...anything else?" The hand slipped down to her cheek, and both blushes deepened. Zell was now convinced his heart was leading a mutiny against him, but couldn't really stop it. He leaned closer to her, close enough to hear her heart pounding like a bass drum on the rampage. Or maybe he was hearing his own heart, pounding affectionately for the first time since the Library girl had rejected him, smashing his heart into pieces. But this time was different. His mind knew that, but his heart wanted to know how.
"...Initials. She's gotta have cute initials. And..."
"...And?"
"...And she's gotta be sittin' right in front of me.." A gasp. By now they were close enough for Zell to smell the sweetness of her breath, but he couldn't pull away.
"Zell...I...think I'm falling for you..."
"That's good, YoYo...I already have." He smiled softly at her for a moment, then kissed her. At that precise moment, his heart knew the answer.
Because she feels the same way...