Disclaimer: I still don't own FinalFantasyVIII- Squaresoft does. Thanks to all for your patience and forbearance with my slow updates because I know I'm a horrible, horrible person who's neglected this for quite some time ^-^;;. And Gella still belongs to Harper, who is still the beta reader.
Zell woke up suddenly. He knew there was some reason he should be anxious about this day, but his mind was still fuzzy from sleep and he couldn't quite remember what it was he'd been so excited about. . . Wait- he was going home today!
After an unbearable amount of legalities and red tape (thanks to Balamb's adoption requirements), the paperwork proclaiming the Dinchts as Zell's legal guardians had come through, and Zell was ready to be taken back to Balamb. Etta and Evan were expected to arrive at the Orphanage today, and Zell could hardly wait for them to get there. He was incredibly happy to finally be going home; home to Balamb, home to the Dinchts, and home to Gella. He felt a twinge of something at his own enthusiasm, though, nearly impossible to identify. Was it shame? Guilt? He felt like leaving shouldn't be such a joyous occasion, and yet. . . it was.
Rubbing his eyes sleepily, he padded over to his suitcase. He got out his favorite outfit, the same outfit he'd arrived at the Orphanage in nearly a year ago. It didn't fit him quite as well anymore, and it was slightly worse for wear. The only thing that looked exactly as it had in the past was the medal his grandpa had given to him, still attached to one of the straps. Zell smiled, looking at it. He'd get to see his Grandpa soon, too, he knew that his grandparents would take the opportunity to visit as soon as they could. After all, they hadn't seen him in nearly a year and a half.
After he'd changed into his favorite outfit and stuffed the remainder of his possessions into his small suitcase (Had it gotten smaller since he'd first arrived?) he began continuing the routine that he followed every day of going upstairs for breakfast, but paused for a moment on the steps. Staring at one of the beds, he contemplated Seifer's prized possession, a stuffed teddy bear named Spencer. He was dark brown with a matching bow around his neck and Seifer usually never let him out of his sight. This morning, however, Spencer lay forgotten in a tangle of sheets on Seifer's bed. Looking around to make sure no one was watching him, Zell crept over to where the bear lay, snatched it, and clumsily jammed it into his suitcase.
"Cause, ya know, Seifer got rid of fishie," Zell explained to Spencer before zipping up the bag.
Finishing breakfast, Zell decided to say goodbye to his friends at the Orphanage. He found Selphie and Irvine just out back near the clothesline, playing tag.
"Hey yoo!" Zell tried to get their attention. Irvine ran over to him, and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Tag!"
"But. . . 'm not playing!" Zell protested.
"Are now!" Irvine flashed a grin in Selphie's direction. "Run Sefie!" She giggled and crouched behind a pole of the clothesline. Zell crossed his arms impatiently.
"Guys!" Zell's outburst made Selphie frown.
"Such a spoilsport, huh Irvy?"
"Don't need him anyways."
"Tee hee- right! Alls I need's you!"
"If 'ya don't need me, I guess I'll be on my way." Zell stalked back into the Orphanage angrily.
"What's with him?"
Selphie shrugged in response.
Zell slammed the wooden door behind him. If Selphie and Irvine didn't want to say goodbye to him that was just fine. They'd miss him when he left- then they'd be sorry they hadn't said goodbye. Stomping up the stairs to his right, he was shoved out of the way as Seifer came hurtling into the room.
"Outta my way!"
"Geez!" Zell scowled at Seifer.
"Can't find Spencer! Move!" At that, Zell felt both a twinge of satisfaction and a twinge of guilt. He knew where Spencer was, of course. In his suitcase, not more than three feet away from where Seifer was frantically searching. Zell silently justified taking Spencer, reminding himself of what Seifer had done with his fish, how cruel he was, and how he deserved anything he got. Zell didn't bother saying anything more, he just took his suitcase and wandered through the main room into the kitchen. He was looking for Squall. Zell hadn't had a chance to say goodbye to him yet- hopefully this goodbye would go better than it had with Selphie and Irvine. He didn't find Squall in the kitchen; Cid was there instead. Cid smiled at Zell, but appeared preoccupied with something else. He seemed to forget that Zell was there and started muttering something to himself about gardens and seeds.
"Seen Squall?" Zell interrupted Cid's thoughts.
"Why, no, I haven't, actually." Cid seemed startled to discover that Zell was still in the room, and stared at him momentarily. Zell soon became uncomfortably aware that Cid's gaze was held by the medal Senzo had given to him, the one still attached to the strap of his shorts. "What is that you're wearing there?"
"Medal. Grandpa gimme it."
"How very curious. . . could I see it for just a moment?" Zell's brow furrowed as he warily detached the medal and handed it over to Cid. "Interesting. . . interesting. . . almost shows a balance. . . the two halves that make up one whole, the black and the white. . . both united in one symbol. . . how very fitting. . ."
Zell gave Cid a funny look. "Can I have it back?"
"Ah, yes, of course, of course. I'd just like to sketch it for a moment, if you don't mind."
"'Kay. . ."
Cid, attention still focused on the medal, scribbled a small sketch of it in the corner of a paper napkin, then reluctantly gave it back to the impatient five-year-old. Zell shot Cid another funny look as he exited the kitchen. Cid was nice enough, in his opinion, but sometimes that guy was just weird.
Zell finally found Squall in the side yard of the Orphanage, sitting half-hidden behind the large leaves of a plant.
"Um. . .Squall?" Squall paid no attention to Zell at first, continuing to stare blankly at the sky. Zell tried again. "Hey Squ-all. . .?" This time Squall blinked in recognition.
"Hm?"
"I. . .uh. . . came 'ta say bye. . ." Zell fidgeted with the handle of his suitcase. Squall's face, usually pale, lost even more color than it usually possessed, and his eyes widened in confusion.
"What?"
". . .I'm going home."
"But. . .but. . ." Squall's -expression twisted into one that Zell hadn't seen since Ellone had left the Orphanage. It was an expression of complete, unfeigned, loss.
"Yeah, but'm sure I'll see 'ya again." Zell had stopped fidgeting and was now clutching the suitcase handle like it was a matter of survival. Squall's -expression hardened. Maybe it was at the loss of the two people at the Orphanage that he cared about, or maybe he felt like everyone was making him false promises, but all the grief vanished from his face, replaced by hostility.
"No!" Now it was Zell's turn to be confused. "Good you leaving cause I don't wanna see you never ever!" This wasn't going better than it had with Selphie and Irvine. In fact, it was going far worse, if that was possible.
"Then me too! Glad I'm leavin!" Zell stomped through a door for the second time that day, suitcase swinging haphazardly behind him. History chose to repeat itself; Seifer was now searching for Spencer in the room Zell just entered, and growing more and more hysterical by the minute.
"Spencer! Spencer?!" Seifer made an odd choked noise and when Zell looked over at him, Seifer was. . .crying?
"You okay?" Zell hadn't thought Seifer would take losing Spencer so hard. What was so special about a stuffed bear?
"Leave me alone!"
"...'kay..." Zell couldn't take it anymore, he just had to return Spencer to Seifer, but how could he give it back without Seifer blowing up at him? After slipping past Seifer and down the steps into the bedroom and making sure Seifer hadn't followed him, Zell quickly took Spencer out of his suitcase and hid him under the bed. Then, sneaking back upstairs, he decided to casually mention checking in the bedroom to the still sniffling blonde.
"Hey, Seifer? Did'ja look in the bedroom?"
"Yeah. Not stupid." A glare accompanied this remark.
"Maybe, if 'ya look again, it's there?"
"I said I looked!"
"Well... not like 'ya got anything to lose."
"Fine, but just so I can prove it's not there!" Seifer disappeared into the bedroom. Zell smiled to himself- Seifer would eventually find it now.
The Dinchts arrived just then, with a knock at the door and a warm greeting from Edea. Zell, dropping his suitcase, flung himself into Etta's arms.
"Ma!"
"Zelly, we missed you so much!"
"You've gotten a lot taller, Zell," added Evan. Zell was still in Etta's arms, head buried in her shoulder. "Let's go, kiddo, all right?" Zell nodded enthusiastically into Etta's shoulder as Evan picked his suitcase up off the floor.
"Edea, thank you for taking such good care of Zell," Etta said.
"Oh, no trouble, really."
Sobbing into Etta's shoulder as she walked out the door, the last thing Zell heard before leaving the Orphanage was a joyful shout from Seifer.
"Matron! Matron! I found Spencer!"
