Notes: Well, this is chapter three, forced to be worked upon by my dear friend Alcorest, who's account here is dead. **Mourns for it** Adding two new characters into the plot…I don't normally do this, but it's just so…..there! And their not main. So please deal with it? And review! And….a little Seifer/Zell ness, because…well, I promised Brandon. **shrugs** who am I to refuse a man who got into a car crash?
-3- What ever do you mean, Mr. Almasy?
When the two teenagers returned to the Garden later that night, a somewhat unfamiliar sight greeted them. Tanta was dragging a boy towards the Garden, a large grin on her face. "Isn't that Jacob Rison? Tanta's got a boyfriend!" Zell snickered, as the girl swung around to plant a kiss on Jacob's lips. "How cute. Now, as for you and I, let us continue this conversation…not here." Irvine stated, rather slurred in his drunken state. Zell raised an eyebrow, but giggled slightly as Irvine wrapped an arm around his waist and lead him to their room.
"We've got two new students." Tobias stated, rather dully, as she sat down beside Zell. Squall had appointed her as messenger to the teachers, and she was exhausted from running back and forth all day. "One's named Shara Munroe, and the others Alcorest Dalhart. Their not SeeD's yet, but their well on their way. One's a gun slinger, the other's into numchucks. Your first period, dear, dear Zell. I'm sleeping now." With that, the girl promptly fell asleep. "Goodie." Zell stated, "Just what I want. More students."
The red head glared as the teacher and the teacher's new aid entered the classroom. Leaning over to her long blond haired friend, she smirked. "They aren't even a year older then us, Shara! Get that! They sent us here from Deling for this?" Shaking her short hair from her eyes, she laughed, green brown eyes trailing the two teenagers in the front of the room. Shara's green eyes landed on the two as well, and she smiled. " She looks tired, Alcorest, so behave." She stated, and Tobias, who was looking over Zell's work plan, yawned. "Tanta had better be having just as much fun as I am with Irvine." She stated, prodding Zell's arm as the blond looked up. "Not my fault. You wanted to teach." She sighed, and held up a knife, spinning around quickly and holding it flat against Zell's throat. Several students in the class gasped. "Not a body is to move, or your instructor get's a clean shave, folks." She stated, a dangerous gleam in her eyes as she scanned the class. When her eyes landed on Alcorest, she smirked. " Alcorest Dalhart, isn't it? You think you can take this knife away from me without injuring your instructor?" Tobias asked, one eyebrow raised. Alcorest laughed. " Of course I could!" She stated, cockily rolling her eyes, "What do you take me for? An amateur?" Tobias motioned to herself, and Alcorest stood up. "Be my guess." She stated, and the SeeD candidate attempted to remove the knife from her hand. One swift kick, and Alcorest found herself flat on her ass on the floor. "You can't just attack without thinking." Tobias stated, turning to the class as Zell smiled, watching her tactics. "You need to plan. And if there's no time to plan, you need to think. I could have easily broken several bones in her body right then. Does anyone know where Miss. Dalhart went wrong?" A student in the back of the class rose his hand. " Yes?" Tobias asked, as Zell leaned back in his chair, smiling as his new friend taught the class he hadn't come prepared for. He was still feeling a little iffy from the hangover he had, so Tobias had agreed to teach today instead of just watching. Tanta had agreed to do the same with the other teen, and Zell wondered how they were doing. Their class was smaller; few students wished to learn about sharp shooting. As mysterious as it seemed, there was a lot of work involved in the art of assassination by shotgun. "She headed into action without conducting a plan?" he stated, and Tobias smiled, pointing the knife his way. "Exactly. Miss. Dalhart could, and would, have been cut off even before she made it to connecting with my skin. Remember, one rash thought in a battle, and you die." Dragging the knife over her palm, she smiled a rather freighting smile and gazed at Zell. " Actually, the same happens off the battle field, Ehh, Instructor? Zell blushed slightly, and went back to his work. "Now, turn on your brains, because I want an essay on why this is a stupid thing to do, rash actions." Alcorest leaned over to whisper to Shara. "She embarrassed me on my first day!" Shara laughed. " Honey, it's not too hard."
Tanta was having a great time watching Irvine teach. In his hung over stated, he was grumpy, and the fifteen students in his class noticed it off the bat. "So, Instructor! How'd your night go?" the girl asked, bouncing along side Irvine as the two headed to the cafeteria. "None of your business. Don't you have a lesson to go to? And…where is everyone?" the cowboy asked, glaring at the happy go lucky girl after looking at the table the group normally sat at. "Nope! I'm going into Balamb with Jacob. Tobias is showing around Shara and Alcorest, Selphie and Quistis are out shopping, Rineoa and Squall are off on a date. Zell's getting his hot dogs. I'm off!" With that, the girl took off, most likely to grab her boyfriend and head out. "Zell! Hey, over here!" Irvine called, as Zell, plate loaded with hotdogs, made his way towards him."Hey! Where'd everyone go, Irv?" the fighter asked, looking around. Irvine shrugged. "They went off. Left us all alone. Silly people. Trusting us alone in the Garden…" Zell grinned, a hotdog stuffed halfway into his mouth. "Was that smart?" he asked, then blinked, his eyes landing on a figure behind Irvine. "Ye- what are you staring at, Zelly?" Irvine asked, turning to look in the direction of Zell's stare. "Oh, what does he want?" the cowboy groaned, as Zell stuffed the rest of the hotdog into his mouth. "Chicken Wuss! Kinneas! So nice to see you to out and about. Mind if I sit down?" Both teens glared at him, but the scarred blond just grinned a shit-eating grin and sat himself down. "Actually, Kinneas, if you'd like to leave me and the Chicken here alone for a few minutes? I have to talk business with him." Irvine glanced at Zell, who nodded, eyes still narrowed in Seifer's direction. "Don't worry; I won't let Chickie choke on his hotdogs." Irvine glared at Seifer. "If you do anything to him…" he growled, and Seifer laughed. "Ooh, are we defending Zelly boy now?" he asked, as Zell sighed. "Leave him alone, Seifer. Irvine, I'll be fine. Go on, I'll meet you in our dorm." He stated, then turned to Seifer. "So, what do you want, Almasy?" Seifer grinned once more. "Well, you see…."
Irvine waited almost an hour before Zell, blurry eyed and sniffling, entered the room. "Zell! What happened!" he asked, as the metallic clang of Zell's gloves hitting the sink rang through the small room. "Nothing." Zell stated, quietly and somberly. "Just Seifer, talking shit 'bout me. I'm gunna take a shower." He stated, stripping off his shirt, and Irvine peered into the bathroom. The bathroom which contained no shower, of course. "Want me to come with?" he asked, blinking in surprise as Zell, noticing Irvine's prying eyes, hastily pulled the shirt back on. "No, no; I'll be alright. Be back in a few." Irvine watched as the tiny blonde stalked out of the dorm room, then hastily followed him, staying out of his sight. When Zell reached the showers, he glanced around, and making sure no one was around, stripped, wincing as he pulled off his shirt. Bruises were already forming on his pale skin from Seifer's 'warning'; he'd been on the receiving end of it more than once and knew that the bruises would last a few days. "Fuckin' Seifer, acting like he's king of the freakin' world. Just because I like Irvine and he can't handle it. Not my fault he's in love with me. Freaking…fucking…shit." Wiping furiously at his eyes, he turned on the shower, and stepping into the cool shower of water, was oblivious to the cowboy hiding in the change room.