Chapter XVI
The Bridge Between Two Hearts
Seifer's eyes fluttered open, coming into focus. The shocking florescent light of the Balamb Garden infirmary pierced his eyes and caused him the clench them shut again.
He felt a soft touch caress his arm lovingly, and he immediately recognized it as Zell's. Suddenly it came back to him. He'd been in this infirmary for a day now, and had just woken up from a brief nap.
"You're still here..." Seifer groaned, opening his eyes and offering a weak smile to Zell.
"I should say the same for you..." Zell said softly, stroking the wounded man's hair.
Chuckling softly, Seifer shrugged. "Doubt I'll be going anywhere anytime soon though."
After a moment of lingering silence, Zell let a loud sigh as he kissed Seifer's hand. "I'm sorry I messed up your wedding," he said, but his voice broke. He was obviously upset about the news Seifer had received just before he went back to sleep.
"Shh, it's okay..." Seifer said soothingly, stroking Zell's hair as the young man began to cry. "Don't worry, that's all water under the bridge now. After all, if I hadn't been stabbed, they wouldn't have had to operate on me…and if they hadn't operated, who knows when I would've discovered the cancer. At least they caught it in an early stage."
Zell wiped his eyes, trying to be strong. "I know, it's just…now that I finally have you, I can't imagine the thought of losing you..."
Seifer pulled Zell down to meet his lips. They kissed briefly, and then stared into each other's eyes. "I'll be fine," Seifer said. "The show must go on."
"You're right..." Zell whispered, a smile creeping across his lips.
"And speaking of shows, you'll have to take me back to that titty bar and give me a private session sometime!" Seifer joked, a wide grin on his pale face.
Zell scoffed, and made a play slap across Seifer's face. "You better not mention that. After all, they did finally let us back in the Garden, didn't they?"
"Well, it's the only local hospital. If there hadn't been as much of a commotion, I bet they would've just left me to die..." Seifer spat, his eyes wandering the familiar surroundings.
Zell didn't respond for a moment. "I think people are beginning to forgive and forget..." He said simply, his gaze wandering to the nearby window. "I have the feeling that we've put a dark chapter behind us."
They held hands in the silence for a few minutes, simply content to be together. Zell shifted in his chair nervously, suddenly aware of the question that Seifer was about to ask.
"What happened to Rinoa..?" Seifer finally asked in a subdued tone.
"She…she fled the church in the ruckus. The police are searching for her, but she's still on the loose..." Zell explained his face solemn.
Seifer looked down, deep in thought. His eyes wandered to his hand, and he held it up in front of himself. It still had the wedding band on it that Rinoa had forcibly placed there. Zell noticed this and looked worried.
"Aren't you going to take that off?" He asked with a tinge of jealousy in his voice.
Seifer didn't take his eyes off the ring. "I think...I'll take it off when I find someone I want to share it with." He said simply.
"Oh dear, it seems the morphine hasn't worn off entirely." Zell joked, unable to hide the hint of disappointment in his voice.
Seifer didn't seem to notice Zell's discomfort, however. "Hey, why don't you head back to Balamb and get a hotel room there? Once I'm able to, maybe we can hitch a train to Dollet. I heard they've almost finished construction on the over-water bridge between Balamb and Timber. Maybe it'll be finished when I get out of here and we can ride over it together..." Seifer offered cheerily.
"Heh, sounds like a plan. Are you sure you're okay with me leaving you?" Zell asked.
Seifer rolled his eyes and quickly nodded. "Sure, I'll be fine. I've already got nurses fussing over me, I don't need another one."
Zell smiled. "I love you, Seifer."
"I love you too, Zell."
Upon reaching the entrance to the quad, Zell found the gruff and bored looking attendant sitting at the front desk. The man was reading a newspaper intently, and hadn't even realized someone had walked in.
"Hello..." Zell said quietly, catching the man's attention. He squinted at Zell through thick glasses, obviously annoyed at the disruption.
"Can I help you?" The man asked in a condescending tone.
"Uh, yes, I was told I could take one of the rental cars here? I'm headed for Balamb." He explained.
Without saying a word, the man walked over to a rack by the wall that held the many car keys. He bent down to retrieve one and the glasses slid off his face, falling to the floor with a crack.
"Oh, shit!" The man cried in anger, snatching the pair of glasses. He grabbed the set of keys and walked back over to Zell.
Slamming the keys on the desk, the man examined the glasses. "Oh great, the bridge is broken." The man sighed, sadly looking at the long split down the middle where the glasses sit on the bridge of someone's nose.
"Sorry," Zell uttered, taking the keys and heading towards the garage.
When Zell stepped out into the parking lot of Balamb Garden, he was immediately greeted by the surprising silence of the place. After spending so much time around the non-stop beeping and mechanical sounds of a hospital room, this newfound silence was both calm and slightly unsettling.
Zell stared down at the keys in his hand, and the I.D. number written on them; 072386.
He walked through a row of cars, paying close attention to their ID plates as he worked up the numerical order to find his.
However, just as he had reached the car with 031686 on its plate, he stopped. A deafening roar sounded from the end of the end of the line of cars. It was the sound of an engine roaring to life. Zell quickly turned around to the source of the sound, and saw a car covered in banners and shaving cream pull out ahead of him.
It was a black car done up in a "Just Married" theme. The headlights flickered on, and Zell had to raise a hand to shield his eyes from the glare. There was a hanging silence.
"Hello..?" Zell called out in a shaky voice.
"Hello, you man-stealing fuck." The voice called back.
The words hit him like a slap across the face. "It's you..!" He gasped, stumbling backwards. The headlights shut off.
"Yes." Rinoa responded. Through the windshield, Zell could make out her terrifying visage. Still clothed in her tattered and dirtied wedding dress, Rinoa's face was one of total insanity. Her eyes were bloodshot, her hair a frazzled mess, and her face shone with sweat.
"You took Squall away from me and now Seifer..." she hissed."It seems the only way to end your home wrecking ways is to end YOU!" Rinoa spat wildly, revving the engine.
"Rinoa, stop! Just listen to me!" Zell pleaded, unable to hide the terror in his voice. "To you, it seems like I've stolen everything from you! That isn't true...in reality, I've always envied you!"
Rinoa stopped revving the engine.
"What..?" She asked dumbfounded. "You…envy…me?"
Zell nodded nervously. "Yes…you always got what you wanted. Everyone envies you, Rinoa, because happiness falls into your lap."
Rinoa was silent for a moment, processing Zell's words. "I...I don't know..." She whimpered her words so quiet they were nearly inaudible to Zell.
"Please Rinoa, just stop the car and get out...we can talk about this. We can be friends. You don't have to do something reckless."
Again, silence. Eventually, Rinoa spoke up.
"I don't think I can…I'm so miserable..." Rinoa whined, raising a hand and wiping her sweaty brow.
Zell nodded, cautiously beginning to walk towards the car. He spoke in a soothing tone.
"I know things seem fucked up right now, but I promise you, there's a way through the darkness...you just need to find someone who can be your light..."
Suddenly, Rinoa's head snapped back up in a vicious glare. "Find someone, huh! Yeah, I'm sure you're an expert on finding men for yourself, and they always seem to be MY MEN!" She shrieked, putting the car in gear.
"Rinoa, wait--!" Zell yelped.
"Any last words!" The crazed woman hollered wildly.
Zell scowled. "Yeah…you're a real bitch!" He shouted defiantly.
"Yeaargh!" Rinoa bellowed, slamming on the gas. The car barreled towards Zell.
Unable to even react, all Zell could do was jump and land on the front hood of the car. He groaned in pain as his chest slammed against the metal, and he quickly reached his arms out and held on for dear life.