Disclaimer:whines: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII or Final Fantasy X

Chapter 3.

Zell kept walking with the others up the stairs. He heard Wakka talking to Tidus. "So, uh…they got fiends in Zanarkand too?" he asked. Tidus looked at him. "Just a few. It's a big deal when one shows up though." He then blinked. "Hey! Since when have you believed me about Zanarkand, anyway?" He asked. Zell nodded his suspicions proved. He had a feeling Wakka didn't believe Tidus' story too.

"I been thinking. Maybe people Sin gets to don't die. Maybe Sin carries 'em through time. Like a thousand years through time. And then one day, maybe they just pop back, see?" Wakka said. Zell smiled. He liked that idea. It sounded sensible a little. But Lulu groaned and shook her head. "Amazing. Simply amazing. You make up one theory after another, refusing to face the simple truth." She said. Everyone looked at her. Zell was confused.

"Sin didn't take Chappu anywhere. Sin crushed him and left him on the Djose shore! Your brother won't just pop back! Oh, and one more thing. No matter how much you want it, no one can take Chappu's place. No one can replace Sir Jecht, for that matter. And there's no replacement for Lord Braska, either. It's pointless to think about it, and sad." She said sharply.

Then she looked at Zell. "And there are no other worlds! And if there was, Sin can not travel to other worlds and bring strangers to ours! But it can mess with someone's brain and make them think things that are not true!" She said harshly. She then turned and walked away. Kimahri followed her. Yuna looked at the others and sighed as she followed the two.

Zell frowned angrily after Lulu. She didn't know anything. She tried to but she didn't know who Zell was and what he had done in the past. Wakka sighed, swooped down and punched the ground. "I…I could never be what Chappu was." He stood straight again. "Well, stuff happens. Best not to worry." He walked up the stairs leaving the two blondes looking at each other. "Who's Chappu?" Zell asked. Tidus sighed. "Chappu is Wakka's brother. He was killed by Sin." He then walked up the stairs. The blonde SeeD stared after them before looking in the horizon.

"Something must have happened between Wakka, Lulu and Chappu.
Something bad. Whatever it was, it wasn't any of my business.
Every time I got into something I shouldn't, bad things happened.
Especially what happened in Timber when Seifer escaped from the Detention block.
I had to open my big mouth.
If I don't be careful, I could say something I might regret."

Zell sighed and turned running up the stairs after the others. He paused half way looking up at the sky. "Guys, I hope your okay. If your dead, don't worry. I'll pay Sin back. He'll pay for what he did to everyone. But then again, I know your not dead. Your too strong to die." He whispered and then ran up the rest of the stairs.

He made it at the top where everyone was waiting for him. Wakka's arms folded against his chest as he watched Zell hurry up. "Something wrong?" He asked. Zell shook his head. "No. Just thinking about something. That's all." He said. Tidus nodded with Wakka and they turned towards the temple. The group began walking towards the Kilika Temple when three men dressed in purple outfits leave the temple, walking towards the Aurochs.

"You here to pray for victory, too?" Wakka asked. The three snorted. "Us? Pray? Who needs to pray? The Luca Goers always win." The leader said. Wakka folded his arms. "Oh, yeah? Then why are you here?" He asked with annoyance. The man on the leader's right side smugly smirked. "We've been praying for some competition this year." He said. Lefty nodded. "So what's your goal this time? You gonna "do your best" again?" He asked. Boss Boy snorted. "Ha! It's too bad your best isn't good enough. Why even bother showing up?" he said.

Tidus and Zell growled. "This time, we play to win!" Tidus said. The leader snorted again. "Oooh. Play away. Just remember even kids can play, boys." He shot and they walked away. Wakka waved at their backs. "See you in the finals!" He called. Tidus growled. "We'll beat them! We have to!" He said. Yuna looked at him. "You know that team?" She asked. Tidus didn't look at her. "Putting people down…They're as bad as my old man!" he grumbled.

Yuna looked shocked. "But, Sir Jecht was a kind and gentle man!" She said. Tidus shook his head. "Well, not my Jecht." He said and turned away. They began walking in. Zell shook his head. 'Those guys remind me of Seifer.' He looked after Tidus. 'This Jecht guy….was he Tidus' father? But I thought that Sin guy was…' He was thinking. He shook his head hard. "Man, I'm starting to be like Squall." He said ruffling his own hair.

Yuna looked at him with surprise. She had been waiting for him to join them. "Huh?" She asked. Zell looked at her and blushed. "Sorry. I was just thinking too much. Just like my friend, Squall." He said. Yuna smiled and nodded for him to join her. Zell nodded and walked by her side. "So, what are your friends like?" She asked. Zell folded his arms and looked up.

"Well, Squall's the leader of our little group. He's cool when he wants to be. But he's sure quiet and hardly ever talks. He never expresses his feelings unless he's really mad. Talking to him is like talking to a wall." He said. Yuna giggled but then frowned. "Oh! That's not very nice." She said. Zell laughed. "Well, his girlfriend, Rinoa, you remind me of her. Your both nice and friendly. We like to call her The Balamb Angel. She's a Sorceress, if that made any difference." He said.

Yuna blinked. "Huh? A Sorceress?" She asked. Zell nodded. "She's very powerful with magic. Take Lulu for example. She's like a mage only bigger." He said. Yuna nodded with understanding. "Oh! I get it!" She said. Zell nodded. "Well, there's Quistis. I already told you about her." He said. Yuna nodded. "I remember." She said. Zell unfolded his arms and let them fall at his sides.

"Let's see. There's Selphie. She's very cheerful and hyper. It's like she ate too much sugar in one minute only worse. She's cute when she wants to be. But her personality just scares the hell out of me." He said. Yuna softly gasped and covered her mouth. Zell winced realizing that Yuna may have not liked swearing. "Oh, sorry." He said. Yuna shook her head. "It's alright. I'm just not used to people cursing." She said. Zell nodded.

"Then there's Irvine. He's a womanizer. He thinks he's so suave and flirts with almost every girl he sees. He's a good guy though. Soft as a teddy bear I guess you could say in girl words." He said. Yuna giggled and nodded. "I see. What about you? What are you like?" She asked. Zell shrugged. "I don't know. I guess you can say I'm a little like Tidus. I'm kind of outgoing. I like a good challenge when I meet it. My friends however likes to think that I'm annoying, a big loud mouth and hotheaded. I guess it's true. I talk a lot and some times my mouth gets me into trouble. And it can be annoying. I am hotheaded because I kind of have a short fuse. When I get angry I let my emotions take over and it can get me into bigger trouble." He said.

Yuna smiled and nodded. "I understand. You remind me of my cousin. She sounds just like you, the way you describe yourself. However, I think your nice." She tilted her head. "Tell me, Zell. What is this? Is it a birthmark, scar?" She asked lifting her hand and touching the side of his face. Zell reached up and touched his tattoo that ran down the left side.

"Oh, this? It's just a tattoo. I got it before I joined Balamb Garden. It was sort of an accident how I got it. Some of my buddies spiked my soda with alcohol one time and I was so drunk that I accidentally went to a tattoo artist and got it. You should have seen the look on my mom's face when I woke up in my room with a hangover. She was so mad. Nearly beat my butt black and blue. I've never touched alcohol again after that. She tried to scrub it off my face but once a tattoo's on, your stuck with it for life." He said.

Yuna giggled. "Your friends sound wonderful. I would like to meet them some day." She said. Zell sighed. "That is if they're alive. But I'm sure they are. They're fighters like me. Not fist fighters I mean, but they're strong and really hard to get rid of. A Sorceress one time hated us so much that she tried to absorb us into time. So that we'd be lost in Time forever. Ha! We sure burst her bubble." He said. Yuna laughed. "Your funny, Zell. I think your fun to talk to." She said. Zell shrugged. "Well, that's a relief. Quistis' boyfriend, Seifer, whose a real pri…uh, jerk, thinks I talk too much and that I need to shut up and never talk again." He said.

The young Summoner smiled. "Well, he may be just jealous then. He probably just doesn't understand you." She said. Zell shrugged. "That's what Quistis says. Seifer's kind of quick on judging people. But usually his judgements are true. He can tell if someone is real bad and not trustworthy. But then again, some of his decisions he's made in the past has led everyone to chaos." He shrugs.

Yuna smiled again. "Well, I think he should take his time judging people. If he won't learn about people first then he might not have friends." She said. Zell nodded. "That's what Squall thinks too. And Rinoa. And Selphie. And Irvine." He babbled. Again Yuna laughed.

Just then the door to the Cloister of Trials opened and two people walked out. A dark skinned woman who wore skimpy cloths and a muscular man. They both looked at Yuna and then walked over to her. "A Summoner, are you?" The woman asked. Yuna nodded. Zell saw Yuna's Guardians stand and walked forward as if to guard her from any danger. "My name is Yuna, from the Isle of Besaid." Yuna said with a smile.

The woman nodded. "Dona. So you're High Summoner Braska's daughter. That's quite a name to live up to." She looked around and shook her head. "My, my, my…and all of these people are your Guardians? My, what a rabble. As I recall, Lord Braska had only two Guardians. Quality over quantity, my dear. Whatever were you thinking? I have need of only one Guardian. Right, Bartello? She asked looking at her Guardian.

The man, Bartello nodded. Kimahri stepped forward and had a face off with the man. Yuna shook her head. "I only have as many guardians as there are people I can trust. I trust them all my life. To have so many guardians is a joy and an honor. Even more so than being my father's daughter. Of course, I would never think of questioning your ways, either. So Lady Dona, I ask of you. Please leave us in peace." She said.

Dona rolled her eyes. "You do what you want. Bartello, we're leaving." She said and they left. Yuna sighs and shakes her head. Zell smiled with pride. He thought she spoke well. He saw her look towards Tidus and smile, who was watching her. Then Yuna looked at Zell and smiled. Zell nodded to her to let her know she spoke true.

"I'm not sure what these people would describe a Guardian.
But I think of a Guardian as a person someone could rely on.
Someone I could trust.
I wonder...is that the way Yuna would feel about me and Tidus travelling with her? Would she ask me to become one of her Guardians?
Ah, probably not.
Anyone in the right mind wouldn't ask Zell Dincht to be a Guardian.
I might just screw up like always."

The group walked up the stairs and through the door to the Cloister of Trials. They could see an elevator at the end of the hallway. "The fayth is below. Let's do it." Wakka said. Tidus and Zell both looked at him. "The Fayth?" they both asked. Lulu shook her head. "But first, the Cloister of Trials. Kimahri? Wakka? Ready?" She asked. The two tall Guardians nodded. Yuna sighed. "Strength, everyone." She said. Everyone stepped onto the elevator. But Zell just stood there. He had a feeling that he shouldn't mingle with this Cloister of Trials. He would just wait right there unless they told him to go with them.

However, his guesses were right. Tidus got shoved off the elevator. "Hey! What gives?" He asked. Lulu shook her head. "You're not a Guardian yet. You must stay up here with Zell." She said. Yuna looked embarrassed. "We'll be back as soon as we can, okay?" She said. And then they went down. Tidus snorted folding his arms. "Oh, sure. Soon like 'tomorrow' soon, I bet." He muttered.

Zell smirked and leaned against the wall. "Don't worry, Tidus. We've got to wait here. In the meantime, why don't you explain a few things to me. Like what's a Summoner and what do they do. And what exactly you guys are doing." He said. Tidus nodded. "Okay." He then began telling Zell every thing of what a Summoner did and what they were doing. He explained everything that Wakka once told him when he first met the group.

That was then Dona and Bartello walked in. The two blondes looked over at them. "Where's Yuna?" She asked. Tidus nodded to the platform. "Then why are you two here?" Dona asked. Zell shook his head. "We're not Guardians. We're not suppose to go in, right?" he asked. Dona had a sly smile on her face. "Not a Guardian, you say?" She asked nodding to Bartello.

Before any of the two could say anything, Bartello picked Tidus up and shoved Zell towards the platform. "Hey! Wait!" Tidus exclaimed. Zell had to catch himself on the wall. "Hey! Stop shoving, dude!" he yelled. Bartello threw Tidus onto the platform next to Zell. "What's the big idea!" Zell growled. Dona smiled and waved. "Just a little game." She said. Both Zell and Tidus blinked in surprise as they began going down.

"This is bad, really bad!" Tidus said looking up. He jumped up and down on the platform. "Come on! Go back up!" He said. Zell sighed. "Stupid jerk and bitch! When I run into them again, I'm gonna knock that guy's teeth out." He said cracking his knuckles. Tidus sighed and began walking towards the door. "Only guardians are allowed and we're not guardians but it's too late now. We'll get discovered by them sooner or later." He said. Zell nodded and followed Tidus.

They walked through the door and went through series of halls before finding the others. There was some kind of song echoing off the walls. Zell recognized it from when Sin kidnapped him and brought him to Spira. When they entered the room, all three Guardians looked at them with shock or outrage. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Wakka cried out.

Tidus shook his head. "It was Dona and that musclehead man." He said. Lulu sighed shaking her head. "Yuna will be the one to suffer the consequences." She said. Zell blinked. "What consequences?" He asked. Wakka shook his head. "She could be excommunicated." He said full of worry. Both boys sighed and muttered sorry.

Wakka shook his head. "Just wait." He said. Tidus looked at the doors. "So, what's in there anyway?" He asked. Wakka shrugged. "The Fayth, remember?" He asked. Tidus nodded. "Oh, yeah, that thing. Right." He said. Lulu shook her head again. "The Fayth are people who gave their lives to battle Sin. Yevon took their souls, willingly given from their still living bodies." She said.

Zell blinked. "Well…..that's not very nice." He said. Lulu blinked once. "Now they live forever, trapped in statues. But when a summoner beckons, the souls of the fayth emerge once again. That's what we call an Aeon." She said. Tidus blinked again. "All that is in this room?" He asked. Zell tilted his head. "So, what does Yuna do in there?" He asked. Wakka folded his arms. "She prays with all her heart for a way to defeat Sin." He said. Zell nodded.

"You know, these Aeons…..they sound like GFs. Is there anyway they could be related or something?" he asked. Everyone looked at him. "GFs? What that?" Wakka asked. Zell shrugged folding his arms. "Guardian Forces. They are our world's summons. They help us in battle when we need them. They also alter our strength making us stronger." He said. Wakka blinked in surprise. "You mean….your people….they're like summoners?" He asked. Zell shrugged.

"I guess you can say that. I would show you my GF, Quezacotl. But he's pretty big for this room. So I'll have to show you some other time." He said. Tidus nodded. "I would like to see this GF." He said. Lulu just looked disbelieving at Zell. She didn't believe him one bit. Zell snorted to himself though. 'She's gonna feel stupid when I do show them that I'm telling the truth.' He thought.

Just then, Yuna walked out looking exhausted. She fell to her knees still holding on to the door. Lulu and Wakka ran up to her side. Kimahri just stood there but looking worried. Tidus looked like he was in deep thought. Zell watched Yuna and her guardians.

"Man, I was ready to go home.
I was starting to get homesick.
I wanted to eat a hotdog again.
Ride my T-Board.
Beat up T-Rexaurs in the Training Center.
But I kept getting a weird feeling.
Sin wanted me to do something.
He brought me here for a reason.
I knew that.
But I didn't know that being here was going to be harder than I expected.
I had a feeling that what I saw Sin do to Kilika Port was only the beginning."

The group left the temple only to find a crowd waiting for them. They surrounded Yuna and began talking to her with big smiles. She was smiling back and talking to them. Zell smiled and looked back to the horizon. He was thinking the day he and the SeeDs finally defeated Ultimecia. It was just like this. People all around them. Smiling and patting their backs or shaking their hands. They were happy that the evil Sorceress was dead. They didn't have to fear anything anymore.

Zell frowned now thinking about it. "It's just like at home." He whispered. "What was that?" He heard. Zell blinked and turned around. It was Lulu. She had been watching him. She walked over to him and stood next to him looking at him. "I'm sorry for intruding. But you looked a little lost for a second." She said. Zell nodded. "I was. Just in my thoughts. I was thinking about home." He looked at Yuna and her smiling fans.

"It was like this when we destroyed the Sorceress, Ultimecia. Everyone was smiling, laughing. Some were crying with happiness because we had saved their future. The day we brought Gaia's future back to them….it was the happiest day of my life." He said smiling. He looked at Lulu, who was looking back. She had a small surprised look on her face then she shook her head.

Zell shook his. "You still don't believe me, do you? Or Tidus." He said. Lulu sighed. "It's not my place to not believe in anything you say. I'm just not sure if I should or not. It's strange how you believe that you are from a world like your's. I just can not see any connections in this." She said. Zell nodded. "I see what you mean. There isn't any connections, is there?"

Lulu shook her head. She turned and looked back to the others. "I don't know if you speak the truth and I respect you if you don't know it. You have great fighting skills I have never seen before. So as a mage to a fighter, let us put our differences aside and try to be more civil." She said. Zell shrugged. "I have been trying." He said. Lulu nodded. "And I have not. And I must apologize for my coldness towards you and Tidus." She then walked away.

They walked all the way back to harbor and got on a boat. Zell was a little hesitant when getting on. He didn't know if the group wanted him to go or not. He was figuring that they expected him to stay in Kilika Port. But then Kimahri stepped up behind him and pushed him up the ramp to board so that answered his question. Wakka was leaning against the side of the boat breathing the fresh air. "Off to Luca at last! The matches start as soon as we get there, so we're gonna have to test you on our way there." He said with a smile to Zell. Zell nodded smiling back.