Chapter 1: The Silver-haired Angel

A silver feather drifted down from the heavens swirling and dancing above the girl in white. Sky blue eyes watched as it drifted to her hand and when she was finally able to hold it, a beautiful smile illuminated her features. She rose it up to the air and blew on it, making it float to the air again and drifted off to the vast expanse of the heavens… as her own wings spread wide around her…

Zell looked up as something landed on his spiky hair. He touched the top of his head and found a white feather on it. He looked puzzled as he touched it, "What the….?"

"What's the matter, Zell?"

The blond-haired, blue-eyed SeeD Mercenary looked behind him to find Rinoa and Squall making their way to the balcony. Irvine and Selphie were already there, arguing a little, but talking nonetheless. He realized that aside from Quistis, he was the only who didn't have a partner. He shrugged as he turned to Squall, "Nothin'… just thinking. How 'bout you two?"

Rinoa smiled at him, "Oh nothing. Squall just wanted to steer me off a few admirers…"

Squall blushed underneath his brown locks, "Well, they were a little too close to you…"

Both he and Rinoa laughed as they saw him blush, but seeing that he was outnumbered by quite a huge crowd of couples, he made his excuses and left.

His name was Zell Dintch, SeeD Mercenary and mechanics extraordinaire. At the age of seventeen, this muscled youth has got through a lot of trouble. His Caribbean blue eyes have seen death. His spiky blond hair nearly singed from the fires of war. His fists knocked away thousands of enemies. His feet trod on thousands of miles throughout Gaia…

But, he has not changed despite of his adventures. He can still be found at Balamb, relaxing at his leisure and eating hotdogs at the cafeteria, unmissed because of his blue cargo shorts, his black muscle shirt, his red and black jacket and shoes, and the rare red Erhgeiz gloves. His laugh can be heard for miles, and his enthusiasm for his missions and mechanics has grown into his friends and relatives.

Zell walked around the halls of Balamb, his mind looking for something to distract him. He thought of going outside and look for some decent items, but as he walked towards the exit, a school faculty blocked his path.

The teacher looked at the computer in his arm and said, "Student number 41362: Dintch, Zell?"

His brows furrowed in confusion, but he made his salute and asked, "Yeah, that's me."

The man nodded and bade him to follow, "Headmistress Edea wishes to speak with you in her quarters."

He nodded as he followed him towards the Basement level of the Garden, where Cid and Edea were currently making their residence. The pods where NORG was were removed, and they made a small but comfortable office there. As Zell descended in the elevator, he wondered what Matron wanted.

The door opened with a loud swish, and Zell stepped out, looking for his Matron. He spotted her soon enough and he smiled.

She wore the black dress she had worn during the time they were kids. Gone were the feathered black dress, the horned headdress and the golden ornaments behind her back. Her long hair was now unbound and her features were now softer than before. She opened her arms for him, and he rushed to her embrace.

"How are you doing Matron?" He greeted with a warm smile.

Edea smiled as she let him go, "Wonderful, Zell. Just wonderful. But I'm afraid I have some bad news for you…"

Zell's blue eyes clouded with worry as Edea turned and returned to a small desk. She took a small folder from it and showed it to him. He realized it was a mission and he stood up straight. She smiled.

"It's all right. Just be at ease." He slouched again as she explained, "I hope you do not mind, but I want you to do a mission…"

His blue eyes widened, "Just me?"

She nodded, "This mission is top secret, and you are the only person I believe can protect her…"

At Zell's confused expression, she continued to explain, "Her name is Meiou Seishiro, a child whom I raised on the White SeeD ship. Ellone knew her very well. She is a very nice and beautiful girl… kind and understanding, and very caring." A frown formed on her lips, "Recently though, she has been very quiet and reserved. She spends most of her time alone, until I learned of her problem a few days ago." She sighed, "I never should have left her…"

"What is the matter?" Zell asked.

"Meiou… became Adel's descendant…"

Shocked and utterly surprised, Zell stepped back.

"And that is not all. Galbadia and Esthar are now after her. Galbadia wants to regain their glory using her powers, while Esthar want to contain her to prevent chaos."

His brows furrowed, "Then… what am I supposed to do?"

Edea gestured to the file; "You are to take her from my old orphanage to here, in Balamb Garden, where I can hide her until this whole mess clears up."

He nodded, "But how will I get there? That's in Centra right? It'd be really suspicious if I use the Ragnarok…"

She stood up again, "I have arranged with the White SeeD ship to take you as far as the shore of Centra, and to take you back to the fields near Timber. From there you are to take the train here."

He laughed, "Seems to me that you've arranged everything, Matron."

She smiled as she nodded, "Yes, I want to try whatever I can to keep you safe, Zell. Very well then… this is what you will need for the journey. There is worth 100,000 Gil and a few train tickets should you need it. If you need anything else, you know where to call."

He nodded as he stood up straight and made a salute, "You can count on me, Matron."

She smiled at him as she embraced him again, "Good luck, my Cry Baby Zell…"

Zell looked through the papers on the desk as the White SeeD ship continued its journey to Centra. He scanned the papers again

" 'Meiou Seishiro, Age 17. Born August 7th in Timber. Parents deceased, Sorceress Wars casualties…' " He shook his head, " 'Age accepted in Garden: 4 years old. Age transferred to Trabia: 9 years old. Recorded missing at age 15. Found in Winhill Village. Currently residing: Edea's Lighthouse'…. Hmmm?"

He rummaged through the papers until he found a small black and white class picture. It was rather old, since its edges were rather torn. He turned it over and found a small writing:

'Meiou Seishiro: Age 10 at Trabia Garden'

He turned it again and looked at the picture. In one corner of the picture was a circle and he guessed that the girl it encircled was Meiou.

She sat on a concrete fence behind her friends, smiling beautifully as her hand was giving a tiny wave. Her hair was long and braided down to her waist, and from the gray tint of the picture, he guessed that her hair was blond. A wistful expression can be seen in her eyes, which looked like it was blue. She looked too beautiful for her age in the picture, and Zell instantly fell for her innocent, yet beautiful, look.

Zell smiled at himself. "She looks kind of cute. I wonder how she looks nowadays…"

A knocking sound came from the door and Watts peeped his head in, "We're nearing the shore, sir."

Zell nodded as he fixed the papers and stood up. He glanced at the picture and walked towards Watts.

"Hey Watts… you ever seen this girl here?"

Watts looked carefully at the picture, "Yes, sir. I've seen her. We were the ones who brought her to Edea's Orphanage…"

He nodded. "What does she look like?"

Watts scratched her head, "She's mighty pretty, sir. She always wears this white dress and cloak that floated around her when she stands on the tip of the ship, sir. Her hair was always hidden under a hood, but I think I saw it once… and it looked like it was a silver sir."

Zell's eyes widened, "Silver?"

Watts continued, "Yes sir. And that's not all, her eyes are weird in color sir… her irises as dark blue, but her pupils are sky blue…and…"

Zell's attention perked up when he heard about her eyes, and they perked out even more at Watt's words, "And?"

Watts looked around before whispering, "Her cape is hiding something and, I think it was wings, sir… alabaster wings…"

Zell looked around the ruined building, reminiscing his past in the orphanage. He looked all over the orphanage, not finding the girl, until he saw something fluttering on the wind down the beach. He headed down through the old stairs and looked around.

At first glance, he thought that that a white sheet was floating away in the wind. The he realized it was an actually a woman wearing a white dress and cloak. As he went closer, the figure felt his presence. She turned to him slowly, her veil covering her face. She seemed alarmed, as she raised a hand as if to cast magic. "Who are you?", she asked in a menacing voice.

He raised a hand to assure her, "Please don't be afraid… I was sent here by Matron… by Edea."

The woman reluctantly lowered her hand, "Ma… Matron…?"

He took a piece of paper from his pocket, "She brought you a letter. Here, you can read it."

The girl, whose hand was already lowered, raised it again, and the paper flew off from Zell's hand to hers. Zell's eyes widened at her power.

The girl read the letter, her clothes floating in the wind. Finally, she sighed, "Forgive me. I have been rather…"

"Nervous? Fidgety? Scared?", Zell supplied.

She laughed womanly, "Yes… and everything else. Are you here to come for me?"

He nodded and she started to walk towards him. She extended a white hand, "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Dintch."

He encased his hand on hers, realizing it captured hers entirely, and that her hand felt like warm, soft satin. "Call me Zell. Um… I hope you don't mind, but I really need to see your face. The picture they gave was when you were ten and, well…"

She nodded, "I understand." She pulled off a pin that apparently held her veil and cloak together and as the fabric fell to the ground, Zell couldn't contain a gasp.

Watts was telling the truth. Meiou was pretty… hell, she was beautiful. Her silver hair fell down to her waist, floating eerily. Her face was fair, with silver eyebrows that framed above her almond shaped eyes. Her eyes, as Watts said, had blue irises and sky blue pupils, and her lashes blinked as the wind picked up some sand. Her nose was perfect, and her full red lips completed her beauty.

However, the most striking thing about her was her wings.

They were huge and protruded from her back, and its white feathers fluttered with the wind. They moved, lifting itself from her back, as she did a majestic bow.

" My name is Meiou Seishiro…" She said as she bowed, her wings spreading to encase her white clad body, "And your gasp can clearly be explained, for I am a descendant of Hyne… and the receiver of Sorceress Adel's powers."

For a moment, Zell stared. Then he broke out to a grin, "Yeah, well… you're not the first Sorceress I had to protect."

Meiou's beautiful face seems to relax, "Really?"

He laughed, "Yup! Of course, I had to protect Matron. Then our friend, Rinoa turned into a Sorceress too. So I had to protect her with my friends and…"

Their conversation was abruptly cut off when a shot nearly missed Meiou's head. Zell pulled her down to see Galbadian soldiers floating down towards them in their machines.

"Galbadians!" Zell hollered as he started to pull Meiou away. "We have to get out of here!"

The two of them ran to the interior of the orphanage that protected them from the bullets being fired at them. They ricocheted off the bricks as they hid.

"Dammit!" Zell cursed, "We have to get out of here! I'm sure that the Esthar soldiers are on their way too."

Meiou stood up, "Wait! I have an idea…" She took something from her belt and held it before him. "Matron gave this to me, in case for an emergency."

Zell's blue eyes lit up, "A Holy War! Great! Let's use that!" He threw the vial in the air and showered them with the liquid, and soon they both felt a wonderful feeling. They both looked down at themselves finally seeing that they were invisible.

Zell cheered up immediately, "OHHH YEAHH! Now we're talking! Let's go!"

Meiou was infected with Zell's enthusiasm as they both ran from the orphanage. The Galbadians didn't see them, but kept on blasting the orphanage with bullets. However, by the time they reached the edge of a nearby forest, the Galbadians had realized what they had done and immediately started to cast magic on the whole area. A large Quake blast rendered the ground unstable, and Meiou tripped.

"Owww!" Meiou yelled in pain as she fell to the ground. Zell immediately came to her side. "Hey are you okay?"

She nodded, "Yes, I… I'm fine. I just tripped." She tried to stand up again, but the pain in her ankle made it hard. "Ahh! Darn it!"

Zell looked down at her ankle to see that it had swollen, "Damn, a twisted ankle. Wait, I'll fix it." He raised a fist to cast a Curaga spell, but another blast rent the air.

"Tch… I can't fix it like this! We could get hit while I heal you!" He sat in silence for a while, thinking of ideas while Meiou looked at him worriedly. Finally, he stood up. "I got it!"

He stood and raised a hand, "Cast Reflect!" and soon a slightly pink barrier enveloped them and after this, he bent over and carried her. She immediately shrieked, "Zell! What are you doing!"

He continued to run, as the air got heavy with dust, not answering her question until they came into the forest. He sat her down on the forest floor, careful to keep his arms around her. "They should be exhausted from firing… we should just wait for it to stop." He tightened his hold on her as they waited.

Meiou's head was tucked tightly between Zell's powerful arms and muscular chest. She could hear his heart beat fast, feel his intake of breath and the tightening of his muscles as they waited. She raised her hand and clutched on to his arm.

The shots stopped, the air has stopped stirring. They heard the Galbadians leave on their Garden, which soon began skimming on top of the forest they were in. Zell's arms tightened around her as they passed, hoping that they weren't spotted.

The Garden passed by almost as quickly as it came, and Zell breathed out in relief, "Whew… that was close."

"Zel… If… fcan't… breefff…"

Zell's eyebrows furrowed, "Wha…?"

"I CAN'T BREATHE!"

Zell immediately released Meiou, whose face was all red and blushing. He could see the mark his arms made around her face, and he blushed in embarrassment.

"Whoops… sorry about that! I just got kinda… er…."

Meiou was rubbing her neck where his arm had held her, but she smiled sweetly up at him, "It's fine. I could understand why you wanted to protect me so much." She looked around them, "Are those… the Galbadians? Why are they so keen to find me…?"

Zell stood up and put her arm around him for support. She held on tightly as they limped to the interior of the forest. Zell marveled at the touch of her hand and the heat of her arm. An addictive scent of gardenias floated around him, and he swallowed before answering, "They are looking for you… or for your power that is." At Meiou's wide-eyed expression, he immediately explained. "That's why I was sent here. Matron said to protect you at all cost and to take you back to Balamb where she can keep a close watch on you."

She nodded as she looked around, "Well, where are we supposed to go now?"

Zell looked around and spotted a Chocobo, "We should go look around the area for the White SeeD ship. I'm sure they're around here somewhere. They must have hidden when they saw the Galbadian ship." He teased the Chocobo out of hiding and soon he was able to harness and ride it. He placed her on the animal and he rose himself up behind her. He smiled again, "Better hang on. I've never been a good Chocobo rider."

Meiou clutched on the reins tighter as Zell made the chocobo gallop. It was scary feeling at first, but as the bird's running speed grew, she couldn't contain a laugh. "Whee! This is fun! Make it go faster, Zell!"

He laughed at her childish behavior, "Nope! I can't do that. He'll get tired easily."

She looked up at him and pouted, "Pu-leazzzze! Just one gallop!"

He looked down at her and his breath was knocked out of his lungs. She was very beautiful, with the wind playing with her silver hair and her red lips pouted. He suddenly had the urge to silence her with his own lips. But he shook his head, as he said firmly, "No. He would get tired easily."

There was finality in Zell's voice that made Meiou frown and sulk in front of him. But he kept himself silent. And as they continued to search for the White SeeD ship, he made up his mind to apologize to her… as soon as they get off the Chocobo, that is.