The Five Ages of Seifer Almasy Chapter 4: Age Nine, a final fantasy viii fanfic

Zell left Matron to Quistis and Selphie, hurrying inside with Seifer's unconscious form wrapped in his jacket.

He got inside their suite and lay him down on his bed, stroking his hair gently. "Seifer? Seifer? Wake up, please."

Green eyes flickered open and looked at him with confusion. "Zell?"

"Hey, munchkin." He smiled softly and leant back again. "Are you okay?"

Seifer rolled onto his side, curling into a semi-foetal ball on his bed. Zell ran a hand over his side. "Seifer?"

The boy coloured slightly and curled up further, Zell suddenly realised the problem. "Oh, hang on, I'll get you a dressing gown."

He hurried to the wardrobe and pulled out his dressing gown, flinging it over to Seifer and keeping his back turned. "I'm not looking, Seif."

He heard movement, cloth rustling, and then a quiet, "I'm dressed," before he turned back again.

The knee length gown reached the floor, but not dragging. He was suddenly aware that Seifer was a tall boy. "You okay, Seifie?"

"Yeah." He ran a hand over his face hesitantly. Zell frowned as he tried to remember if he had ever seen Seifer when he was about nine, before realising he had left the orphanage too young to remember that.

"Zell?"

"I'm fine. Just thinking." Zell smiled and looked at the boy. "How about we get you some clothing?"

"Yes." Seifer pulled the cloth around him and looked up at his guardian. "Where's Matron?"

"She's with Selphie and Quistis. She isn't well, but she'll be fine."

"Oh." Seifer sat down, that confused look on his face. "Where am I?"

"Esthar. Remember?"

"Kind of." He blinked and looked about again. "Where's Squall?"

"On holiday with his dad."

"He doesn't have a dad. He doesn't have anyone but me 'n' Matron. We don't need anyone else."

Hurt came flooding back. Zell knew that as a young teenager he hadn't featured in Seifer's life, but now it seemed that Seifer was dismissing him from it. "Well, I'll go find Matron then. You can stay with her."

The boy looked confused and clutched his quilts. "But I live here."

"You said you don't need anyone else. I'm someone else."

"No, you're Zell. You're my Zell." He frowned and yawned slightly. "You're different from other people. Like Quistis and Selphie, only... more. More..." he trailed off, staring into space.

He's trying to remember his adult life, Zell thought to himself. Some part of him knows this isn't how it should be.

"Are you tired?"

"Kinda."

"Have a sleep. I'll wake you up in a few hours if you aren't up yet." Zell smiled and sat down by the side of the bed. "You've been through a rough day."

Seifer crawled under the covers and nodded, eyes falling closed again.

"Night, Seifie."

"Not night, Zell."

"I know. Sleep well."

Zell managed to get some clothes arranged and left in the bedroom by the time that Seifer woke up. The boy was quieter, more subdued, than he had been, but he had been similar after the last time this had happened.

Zell got him dinner and sat down to eat. Seifer would talk when he felt like it.

"Zell?"

He looked up.

"I... I don't feel right." He looked down. "Not sick, just... not right." He shrugged and went back to his dinner. "Are we going back to Garden soon?"

Zell paused before he remembered. Seifer and Squall had entered Garden at eight, since neither was adopted. "I don't know. Maybe."

"When I grow up, and I'm an adult, I'm going to be the best Gunblader ever. You know why?"

"No. Why?"

"Because then, no one will ever toss me aside again. I'll be better, so they can't just forget me."

Zell's knife clattered on his plate. Seifer looked at him, eyes narrowed. "Zell? Are you okay?"

"I, yeah, I'm fine, just, remembered something. Have to call Quistis, check on Matron." He stood up. "You can do the dishes, I made dinner."

"But, Zell!"

"No buts." Zell smiled shakily. "Just do the dishes and then I'll let you watch television."

"Fine."

Zell went out into the other room, and after five minutes he remembered to call and check on Matron.

It was getting harder. Seifer's normally abrasive personality hadn't reared its head yet, but he was always confused, trying to piece things together in his broken memory.

The nightmares were worse than ever. It was killing both of them, night after night of Seifer screaming in his sleep, unable to rest for hours on end because of whatever he saw.

And whatever it was, he was still too scared to say.

A week passed. Zell was losing sleep, Seifer was always tired and the stress was showing. Seifer would get angry at Zell over nothing, Zell would lock himself in the bathroom and cry and Seifer would storm around the suite and hurl things into the walls.

Another week of it and everyone was at their wits' end.

It was two weeks and three days since Seifer had aged to nine. Zell was sitting in the kitchen, drinking coffee, when Seifer came in, looking down. The two of them had not been speaking for two days, after Seifer told Zell he was a rotten guardian and he'd sooner be living with Matron than a stupid teenager like Zell.

"Zell?"

"Seifer, if this is about my hygiene, your sleep, my sleep, Garden or how much I suck and you wish you were back at the orphanage, I don't want to hear it." Zell turned to look out the window.

"But, I..."

"No, Seifer, listen to me." He turned back to the scruffy boy. "You've done a lot of yelling over the last few weeks, now I'm going to talk. You hurt me. You really hurt me. I've been looking after you for the last four and half months, even if you can't remember it. I put up with you abusing me through one childhood, I won't go through it again." He pulled Seifer's face up gently. "You wanted me to look after you, and I did. But I will not let you do this to me. I am the adult, you are a child. You have no right to insult anyone like that, least of all me."

Seifer stared at him, and for the first time in ages, Zell saw tears start to form. "I'm sorry, Zell. I didn't mean it."

"You did, but I know you're tired. I am too." He pushed back his chair and looked at Seifer again. "What are you hiding?"

A small package, wrapped amazingly neatly, was pushed at him. "Present to say I'm sorry."

Zell smiled. "You don't have to do that, Seifie."

"I wanted to." He shoved the present into Zell's hands and disappeared out into the main room.

Slowly, Zell unwrapped the soft gift. He wasn't surprised to see Midi in there, glassy eyes staring up at him, beak turned in a small, perpetual smile.

He went out into the main room. Seifer sat on the couch, knees up to his chest. Zell sat down next to him and handed him Midi. "It's a sweet thought, Seifie, but I don't need Midi. I know how much he means to you. Thank you for the gesture."

Seifer took Midi back hesitantly, relaxing further when he realised Zell was sincere.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while.

"Zell, you said talking about things makes it better, right?"

"Sometimes. It can't hurt to talk, can it?" Zell glanced at the boy.

"I dunno. She says she'll do horrible things if I talk, but I think..." he frowned. "I think she might be imaginary."

"Well, if anyone tries to hurt you, I'll pummel them into the ground for you." Zell smiled softly. "Remember, I'm your SeeD."

"Yeah." Seifer smiled and nodded slowly. "This lady comes to me in my dreams. She scares me. She's tall, but she seems smaller in my mind. She has white hair sometimes, other times she's horrifyingly huge with glowing red eyes." He shivered and closed his eyes. "She makes me hurt and she said, if I was bad, she'd hurt the people I love." A few tears ran over his cheeks. "She said she'd make me hurt you."

Zell pulled Seifer into his arms, drawing the boy's head to his chest. "Shh, she's gone, Seifer, she's only in your mind now. Just a bad memory, nothing more than a horrible memory."

Seifer started sobbing, so Zell held him until he cried himself to sleep.

Seifer slept for fourteen hours solid, not waking until eight the next morning. Zell had gotten breakfast ready and was waiting at the table, reading the paper, when Seifer came out with sleep rumpled hair but looking refreshed.

"Sleep well, Seifie?"

"Uh-huh." He sat down and poured a mug of coffee, sipping slowly. "I didn't have nightmares, but... I thought of something. You said I made your first childhood miserable. What did you mean?"

Zell sighed and looked away. He hadn't meant to say that to Seifer, he'd just been upset. "Four months ago you were a nineteen year old SeeD. You went into a fight, with me, against a sorceress. You took her down, but she blasted you. You were about a year old for two months, then two months of being five." He scrubbed his face. "We grew up in the same orphanage, that's why you know me. You teased me a lot, I'm not sure why."

"I used to make you cry a lot, didn't I?" Seifer looked to Zell. "I seem to do that a lot now as well."

Zell hugged him again. "You don't mean to. I know that. We just, clash sometimes. You always were good at pushing my buttons."

Seifer smiled thinly and went back to his coffee. "I want to go back to Garden. I feel, unsafe here."

Seifer had been held in Esthar during his trial. Zell felt like slapping himself. "Well, I reckon we could go back. You're old enough to be in Garden again."

"I love you, Zell. You know that, right?"

Zell blushed and ducked his head. "I love you too, munchkin." He coughed and stood up. "You should have a shower, and we'll talk to Matron about going back to Garden."

Seifer bit his lip and nodded. "Yes, Zell."

Matron seemed to be happy for Seifer to return back to Balamb, so they packed up their belongings and were on a flight that night.

It was strange to farewell the palace after so long, but Zell was looking forward to visiting his Ma again.

He'd have to take Seifer with him. She'd like Seifer.

Garden was as ever. It never changed, not anymore, not since the war. Zell lead Seifer through the hallways, but he seemed to remember everything quite well.

They walked back to Seifer's room in silence. It was down the hall from Zell's, and he seemed uneasy to go back to it now.

Zell came in, watched as Seifer wandered through the room, brushing his hands over things that held significance as an adult but had now lost their meaning to age.

"Zell? Who was I?"

That brought him up short. "You. But older. What do you mean?"

"Was I nice? Was I mean? Did I study hard, no, I don't think I did." He picked up a photo of himself with Raijin and Fujin.

"This is the lady with white hair. Not the evil woman, the other one."

"She's Fujin, and her boyfriend Raijin. They're your friends. They moved to Fisherman's Horizon."

"Oh." He put the photo aside. "Were we friends?"

"We got on. I would have called you my friend." He would have, if Seifer had let him. "We worked together a bit."

"I see." He put aside his duffel bag. "Zell, could I, you know, have some time alone?"

"Sure. You know where I am." He stepped out. "Sleep well, Seif."

He closed the door behind him.

Tannin was leaning on Zell's door when he got back. "Hey, Zell. Welcome back."

"Thanks." He stopped when Tannin made no movement towards leaving. "Can I help you?"

"Look, all of Garden knows what happened with Seifer. I'm sorry about it and all, but wasn't taking off for four months to babysit him a little extreme?"

"I was paid to keep an eye on him by Sorceress Edea. She believed his life may have been in danger." He mussed his fringe. "I'm tired, Tannin, so thought appreciated and all, but I need sleep."

"Sure, sorry, I wasn't thinking." Tannin detached himself from the door and moved away. "Sleep well, Zell."

He watched the other boy leave before going into his own room.

Seifer adjusted into Garden life with frightening fluidity. It was almost as though he remembered everything about the lifestyle, despite the fact that he claimed to remember nothing.

Zell believed him. It was probably just instinct by now.

So, classes were hard on the boy, and he didn't fit in at all, but he persevered. Zell spent most of his time with him, Seifer often ended up staying at Zell's rooms anyway, crashed out on the couch.

No child so young should have such a burden. He knew he was hated, even if he didn't know why. He knew his scars were testimony to a life that his age could not have lived through, and that his brilliance was the result of years of trying, flunking and trying again.

Zell cried for him more than once.

It had been a month. Zell was lying in his room, just back from a two day mission to the forests near Balamb. It had been rough, he was still aching.

There was a timid knock on his door. He got up and opened, smiling when he saw a familiar blonde leaning against the wall. "Come on in, Seif."

Seifer looked up. His eye was black, his lip split. Zell sighed and ushered him in quickly. "Been fighting again, Seif?"

"Not fighting. They tried to beat me up. I hit back." Seifer sat down on the couch and hung his head. "I hate it! Just because they're bigger 'n me they think I'm easy picking! I hate them!" He stood up and shook his head. "When I get big again, I'm gonna make them regret ever tangling with Seifer Almasy!"

Zell shook his head and sat Seifer down. "That just makes you as bad as them. Sit and stay."

The boy sighed. "Zell, why does Tannin keep lurking around here?" He pouted. "You said you'd marry me when I was older, he can't be with you."

"You remember that?"

"Yep." He closed his eyes as Zell came back with an ice pack and put it against his eye. "I don't remember much, but I remember that."

"Oh." Zell cast a cure spell over Seifer, watching the lip heal and the bruise fade away. "Don't worry about it, Seifer. He's just a bit weird."

"He was in the showers today. I was in there, I remembered the code to my locker. He didn't see me. He did something really weird."

"Yeah?"

"He was," the boy coloured slightly, "running his hand over himself, and moaning your name, in the shower."

Zell went bright red. "Did you watch this, Seifer?"

"No. I just heard him so I looked and it was weird, so I looked away again and stayed behind the lockers."

"Good boy." Zell kissed his hair and moved back to the kitchen. "You got homework?"

"Yes, Zell." He moved to the table and pulled out his books, pouring over them.

Zell settled back on the couch and thought.

Seifer fell asleep at the table, slumped over his books. Zell carried him out to his own bed, smiling when the boy clung to his neck, refusing to let go until Zell prised his fingers open.

He decided to go to bed shortly afterwards. He grabbed his nightclothes and changed in the bathroom, coming back and curling up next to Seifer in the bed.

He was awake for a long time. He couldn't sleep, just watched the familiar profile in the faint moonlight.

Seifer looked older in the dim light. It was easier to forget the last few months when faced with the image, he could almost believe it was the old Seifer asleep next to him.

Except that it wasn't.

He rolled over, his back to the boy, and stared at the curtains. The moon made them glow a pale white.

"Zell? Are you awake?"

"Yes."

It was like a sleep over at a friend's house. He felt Seifer shift in the bed. "Is it wrong for me to want to marry you?"

Zell rolled over to face Seifer, who was staring up at the ceiling. "No, who told you it was?"

"No one, I just..." he shook his head and rolled onto his side, back to Zell. "Nothing. I'm sorry for waking you up."

"Hey, I was awake already, you don't need to turn your back to me." Zell scooted closer and wrapped his arms around Seifer. "Where did you get that idea?"

"Biology. Instructor Mants said that a man had to have sex with a woman to have a baby, and that was what nature had intended. So, is it wrong for a boy to want to marry a boy?"

The martial artist thought for a moment, his chin resting on Seifer's head. "Okay, two men can't have a baby, but that doesn't matter. Love isn't about biology. Love is... the feeling of butterflies in your stomach. Love is always wanting to be with that person, even if you just sit there and watch television together. Love is friendship, and affection and... it's love. It just is. You can love anyone you want to in any way you want to."

"How did you love me? When I was big?"

Zell bit his lip. That simple trust, that Zell had loved him, he had no doubt in his mind. "I loved you a lot, but I don't think you knew how much. You meant a lot to me, you still do."

"Did I love you like you loved me?"

No, Zell thought. "I'm sure that you can answer that better than I could." He brushed a light kiss on Seifer's forehead. "Try to sleep, Seifie. I'll be here if you have nightmares."

"Not nightmares," Seifer mumbled, "memories."

The next few days passed peacefully. Seifer managed to stay out of trouble for the most part, and Zell had no missions any further away than Balamb township.

It was a Friday night. Zell planned to take Seifer to meet his Ma the next day and spend the night down in the township. Seifer was at a late afternoon training session with Squall, who had finally returned back home.

Zell went down to the locker room, planning on grabbing his dirty training gear from earlier in the year and maybe grabbing a shower under the high pressure water heads.

He was rummaging through his locker when he felt a hand land on his butt with frightening familiarity.

He yelped and spun around, intent on knocking the bastard flat on his face.

"Whoa, easy, Zell!"

"Tannin? What the fuck are you doing?" He slammed his locker door. "Where do you get off doing that to me?"

Tannin grinned and leant over Zell. "Look, everyone in Garden knows which way you swing. It's no big deal."

"Yeah, and half the Garden have felt the butt of your swing, so I'm not interested." Zell sighed. "Look, you're a nice guy, Tannin, but you're not my type."

"How do you know if you want give it a try?" He stepped a little closer. "I can promise to give you a night you'll remember."

"Thanks, but no, really." He backed up a bit more, hit the locker. "I'm not interested, Tannin. There's someone I'm waiting for."

"Wouldn't it be better to give him a night to remember, with an experienced lover rather than an unsure virgin?" Tannin pressed closer.

"No. It wouldn't. Leave me alone. Don't make me do something we'll both regret."

Tannin backed off. Zell breathed a small sigh of relief and Tannin shrugged. "I guess you need a facial scar to get you to look twice."

"What?!" The blonde's face went red with humiliation and anger.

"Squall and Seifer. I've seen you, Dincht. I watched you watching Almasy's butt when we had our test, and the way you smile at Squall is a dead give away."

"Leave them out of it. You're just not my type." He locked the metal door and stepped past the raven haired boy. "Good bye, Tannin."

He left, jaw set, trying not to tremble at just how close Tannin had been on his assumptions.

Seifer was a lot quieter that night. They ate in the cafeteria when the boy got out from classes, keeping to themselves in a corner.

Tannin was watching them. Zell had caught him staring a few times, he had managed to keep Seifer from looking, he didn't think the boy would react so well to a possible 'threat' to Zell, no matter how trivial it actually was.

"Zell?"

"Yeah, Seifie?"

The little blonde scowled for a moment than continued. "Instructor Mants asked me some weird questions today, after class. She asked me about you."

"Oh?" Zell turned back to his roast. "What did she say?"

"She asked me if I stayed in your room, and where did I sleep when I stayed. She looked really weird when I said I stayed with you in your bed, and then..." he frowned. "She asked me if you touched me in bed."

Zell's eyes were getting wider and more incredulous. "She did, did she? What did you say?"

"I told her that I know what child abuse is and if she thinks I'd ever let someone abuse me and keep their hands she had another thing coming."

The two blondes looked at each other for a moment before they both started laughing loudly. Everyone was staring, but neither of them cared.

Seifer stayed over again, his room was mostly used for storage now. Zell stayed up late, well past two in the morning, thinking about what Seifer had said to him.

Someone had obviously told Instructor Mants that Seifer was being abused by him. That sort of notion came from somewhere, and Seifer didn't have the typical abused child profile.

Was he doing Seifer any harm with this? If it were anyone else, he certainly wouldn't have let him continue sleeping in his bed, but Seifer wasn't a child.

Not really. He'd shown that a lot.

"Zell? What are you doing up?"

He turned around. Seifer was standing in the doorway, rubbing his eyes sleepily. The scars on his chest were dark in the moonlight, his pajama pants low on his hips.

Zell turned away. "Just thinking, Seifer. Go back to bed."

"I can't sleep. What if they try to take me away from you?"

"They won't. Squall knows what's going on." Zell felt a heat rise in his cheeks. "I'll be there soon, go back to bed."

"Yes, Zell."

Zell clutched his hair. He missed Seifer. A lot.

He missed time alone.

He sighed and went to bed.

Everything had changed in the morning. They were back to their usual joking about as they packed for the weekend in Balamb, Zell carrying Seifer in a piggy back down to the motorbike.

They loaded their gear, and headed into town.

Seifer loved the motorbike. He clung onto Zell's waist, yelling above the cutting wind with joyful whoops of laughter. Zell found himself laughing along, the sound too infectious to ignore.

They tore into the town and down to Ma Dincht's house.

She was standing in the doorway, beaming as they pulled up. She knew what was going on with Seifer, she smiled at him just as warmly. "Come inside boys, I have some fish fried up and ready to eat, I bet you didn't even have breakfast before you left."

Zell glanced at Seifer and winked. "No, Ma, we came straight here."

She tutted and walked over, taking Seifer's duffel from him. "It's nice to meet you at long last, Seifer, Zell's told me a lot about you."

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs Dincht." He stuck out his hand, she shook it firmly.

"Call me, Ma, Seifer, I insist on it." She smiled and ushered him inside, glancing over him to Zell. "What has my boy been feeding you, you're far too thin, you need some meat on your bones."

Zell smiled and followed them inside.

Ma fed them breakfast, twice, and had a picnic packed for the beach. It was a short walk, so they wandered down to the shoreline for the day.

It was a bright and sunny day. Ma stayed on the beach to bask, the two boys changed into board shorts and played in the surf until lunch.

They ate two lunches, Ma Dincht was determined to build them up more, and they basked for a while in the sun before going back to play in the sea.

It was the best day Zell had had in a long time.

They bought fish and chips and ate them on the sand. Ma Dincht had gone home by then, but the two boys stayed on into the night, wandering along the beach and talking about nothing.

They went home at ten, eating strawberry ice cream, covered in salt and sand and exhausted.

Ma glared at them half heartedly when they got in. Seifer looked mildly apologetic but Zell just laughed and ushered him upstairs to wash off the worst of the beach muck.

They crammed into the shower in their bathers, using the blasting water to scour away the sand. Zell retreated to let Seifer finish bathing, he stepped in when Seifer scurried out and down to Zell's bedroom.

It was relaxing. Zell washed off, trying to be quick before the hot water ran out or his Ma started to yell at him.

He got out and padded down to his room. Seifer was asleep on Zell's bed, sprawled out in his boxers. Zell smiled fondly and pulled the blankets up over the boy, tucking him in loosely.

He went down stairs for a drink. He needed a drink.

"Zell?"

He looked up and smiled wanly. "Hey, Ma."

"My poor baby. This is crushing you, isn't it?" She leant down and kissed his forehead, like he did to Seifer every night. "The man you love, trapped in a child's body."

"No, I could deal with that. It's this in between that's hard. He's remembering things, he's not a child, not really, but he is at the same time. Sometimes, he's like Seifer again, old Seifer, and I feel so sick for thinking what I do."

"Honey, it's not the boy upstairs you think about." She sat down and pulled his head to her bosom, rocking him softly. "You're thinking about a man, the man you know, not the boy he looks like. It's different."

Zell nodded and listened to the comforting heart beat until Ma woke him up and made him go to bed.

The next morning, Zell woke up with Seifer half on him, his fingers curling and uncurling on Zell's ribs.

The older boy started laughing and rolled his ward off onto the mattress again. Seifer mumbled and sat up, rubbing his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Bleh, I dunno." He peered at the clock. "About ten. Why?"

"I feel so tired." He lay down again, snuggling up to Zell. "Wake me up at twelve."

Zell smiled and ruffled the dark blonde head. "Sure."

Seifer went back to sleep. Zell watched him for a while before getting up and dressed for the day.

Sunday was far lazier than Saturday. They ate lunch, both of them, at about one, before spending the afternoon building a new cabinet for the kitchen out in the garage. Seifer was good with hands, Zell was glad to have a good student with him.

They cleaned up, promised to come back next weekend if they could and packed their gear up on the motorbike to go back.

As Garden came into view, the mood changed. Seifer became quieter and Zell found his own enthusiasm quenched by the sober child.

They stopped in the garage and unpacked in silence.

They trudged back to Zell's room in the same silence. On an unspoken agreement, Seifer went to his room, glancing at Zell before he went in.

Zell had never felt like a bigger bastard.

He went to the shower room to have a nice long soak. There was something reassuring about that room, reminded him of less complicated days.

He stepped into one of the showers, relaxing slightly under the water spray. He knew it was a bit late to be in here, but he hoped that it would stay empty. Nice and empty and quiet.

He zoned out for a bit, leaning his face up to the water.

Hands closed on his hips. He tried to spin, he was yanked against a warm body, hand closing over his mouth.

"I just want to talk, Zell."

Tannin. The crazy mother fucker. He squirmed, trying to get free, but the other boy was quite strong.

"I just saw you in here, you are so hot, you have no idea how badly I want you."

The sharp thrust against his lower back gave him an idea. He kicked backwards, smacking Tannin in the leg. The grip loosened a bit, encouraged by a sharp bite to the hand over his mouth.

He backed away from Tannin, eyes blazing with anger. "Don't ever touch me without permission. Ever!"

Tannin cussed and stood up, flicking back his hair. He was wearing a towel, he wiped his palm on it, staring at Zell.

He should have realised it was coming, but Tannin was that bit faster. He threw out his hand, a venomous black swirl engulfing Zell.

He knew this spell. This was Pain. Tannin must have bribed it off someone who had been to Esthar recently.

The world reeled. His vision was blurred, his head reeling and he could feel poison lurching through his system. He stumbled back, felt hands grab him. He swung wildly, but his wrists were grabbed.

"Let him go, you arsehole!"

He knew that childish voice anywhere. "Seifer, get out! Get Squall, get out!" Hyne, he thought, don't let him get Seifer, don't let Seifer get caught in this.

He was dropped, the poison gave another lurch, sending Zell to his knees. He saw Tannin's form advancing towards a glowering blonde child near the door.

"You. He loves you so much, and all you ever did was treat him like shit. You, the Knight, the traitor, you broke him. You don't deserve a second chance."

Zell saw Tannin throw the spell at Seifer. Seifer disappeared for a moment, and Zell could hear himself screaming for the boy.

Seifer appeared from the blackness and smiled. "I'm immune to status magic. Eat fire, arsehole."

The fireball tore from Seifer's hand and slammed Tannin backwards. The SeeD was fortunate. He passed out as he hit the wall.

"Seifer, are you okay? Seifer?" Zell struggled to his feet, reaching out to the child.

"Zell?" He heard footsteps run over, and small hands smoothed over his face. "What did he do to you, Zell? What did he do?"

"Shh." Zell convulsed as the poison searched deeper. "Get my robe, Seifie, and push the emergency button on the wall. The red one."

Seifer grabbed the robe and gave it to Zell, before hitting the button. He hurried back over, cradling Zell's head on his lap. "I'm sorry, Zell. I'm sorry."

He felt the tears fall onto his face. "It's all right, Seifie, you didn't do anything wrong."

"I hurt you. I hurt you so much, for so long. Why didn't you tell me, Zell?!"

Zell felt the shift of power this time, this close. Muscles rippled, magic was palpatable in the air as Seifer bent over and started to scream.

Zell grabbed his hand and passed out.

to be continued...