A/N: Hello everyone. This is my first serious story here, so I hope you guys like it. The main focal point, beside the mission, is Seifer trying to make amends. After the game ended, I always wondered how Seifer would try to make up for what he did, if he chose to, and how everyone would react. This will be a Seifer/Quistis story, and the entire Zell/librarian story will be secondary to the main story.

Still don't own Final Fantasy

Chapter One: In The Beginning

"So, tell me all about it," a voice said from somewhere behind Zell as he finished off his last breakfast hotdog. He turned to see the obnoxious cowboy standing there.

"About what?" he asked innocently.

"About last night. Did you kiss her?"

"Irvine!" Zell said, shocked. "Geez, we just went to get dinner"

"So?" Irvine asked. "What's your point?"

"So, this was two people getting dinner. Not like a...you know, date or anything" Zell looked frightened at the mere thought.

"Zell, it has been about..." Irvine throught for a brief moment. "...three months since you guys started dating."

"You've been counting, haven't you? Your pause didn't fool me. You're jealous because I'm better with the ladies than you are." Zell smirked at him. Irvine rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, right. Anyway, it's been three whole months since you started dating."

"Don't use that word!" Zell threw his hands over his ears. Irvine grinned. Zell had just given him some more ammunition to use in their never-ending battle.

"Geez, you're such a baby. You're dating her, and you know it. So grow up."

"So?"

"You guys need to kiss. It's a tradition." Zell looked shocked at the mere thought of it.

"Says who? I've never heard of it."

"Just afraid to kiss her? Now who's bad with the ladies?"

"Hey, I said it wasn't exactly dating. It's more..." Zell tried to think of another word for it, but nothing came to mind. Damn, he's won this battle. It wasn't that he was ashamed to admit they were dating, it was just really strange. He'd never actually had a serious girlfriend before, not that he'd ever tell Irvine that. Besides, it went against his principles to agree with what Irvine said. He decided to change the subject before Irvine realized he'd won.

"Anyway, I've never heard of that tradition."

"Well, I made it up just now. And because I said it's important, it's important."

"Maybe I should tell you to go away."

"Maybe I don't want to."

"Maybe I don't care."

"Maybe-"

"Irvine, Zell, enough bickering," Squall said as he joined them with a couple pieces of toast.

"But..." began Irvine.

"No. I don't care what you're arguing about this time, I just want you to stop."

"Yes sir," Irvine said, saluting him.

"Stop saying 'yes sir'. I am so tired of it."

"Yes si..." Zell trailed off at the look on his face. He quickly changed what he was about to say. "...Squall."

"Better." he muttered.

Zell was walking the Training Center after hours. He knew he shouldn't be up, but he felt like taking a walk, mainly to reflect.

He turned into the Secret Area. Usually, it was a place to avoid after hours, but it appeared deserted. He walked up to the balcony, and looked out over the top of Garden, with its magnificent lights. Off to the side he heard a soft movement, as though someone was standing up. He turned to his side to apologize to the person for disturbing them, and was shocked to see Melissa standing up.

"Hello," he said, trying not to let the butterflies in his stomach get the better of him. He had faced Ultimecia, battled level 100 monsters, and been through Time Compression, but somehow that seemed insignificant to being right here, right now. "What are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep. And you?"

"The same, pretty much." They stood there for a few moments, each lost in their own thoughts. Zell watched her out of the corner of his eye. I guess we are kind of dating. I never quite expected that to happen anytime soon, and I don't think anyone else did. After all, I'm not exactly one of the more serious people out there, like, say, Squall. And yet here I am, the first to have a girlfriend out of us all. Unless you count Seifer and Rinoa, which I don't. She looked pretty standing there, the soft light of Garden gently highlighting her hair. She was looking down at her hands, as though she were as nervous as he was. That can't be it. She's one of the more confident people I know. Maybe she's just thinking.

"Zell, why did you become a SeeD?" Melissa asked, breaking through his thoughts. The question surprised him. They hadn't really talked about Garden or anything that was worked related recently. Why would she bring it up now? Maybe looking at Garden reminded her, he thought. He realized she was waiting for an answer.

"I guess it has something to do with being raised in Balamb, before I was adopted. Something about SeeD seemed...bigger than life. Like the heroes in comic books. I watched them leaving for missions at the dock and the train station, carrying their weapons confidently, walking as though they had a set purpose in life, and they just seemed so confident, so calm, so in control of their lives. And all I could think about was how I wanted to be like them, because they were never confused, going on exciting missions and seeing so much of the world. So I asked my mom. She didn't like it at first, but in the end she agreed."

Melissa was silent, digesting this information. "Why do you ask?" he questioned.

"I was just curious." They lapsed back into silence, a slightly awkward, uneasy silence. This still isn't as awkward as talking to Squall, nor do I feel as uneasy as I do when Irvine is talking to me. Although that's usually because he's about to insult me in some subtle way.

"Why are you a SeeD?" Zell asked. He just couldn't stand the silence any more. She frowned thoughtfully.

"I guess there were a lot of reasons, some not to different from your own. Mostly, the problem was I came from a poorer family. They couldn't afford to send me to a decent school. Then I heard about the SeeD program. In exchange for being a SeeD you got schooling and some money, because it's a job. In a way, one of the reasons I chose it over other programs was because they did seem bigger than life. They went everywhere, did almost everything, and that was something that I wanted to do." She was silent for a moment. "I didn't know you were adopted."

"Yeah. I don't know who my real parents are, but the Dincht's in Balamb have been great adoptive parents. We didn't know this until about a year ago, but all of us with the exception of Rinoa were in the orphanage together. Even Seifer was there."

"Really? That's an odd coincidence."

"Yeah. We're not even sure it was coincidence. Maybe it was meant to happen, like fate."

"It's possible." She thought for a moment. "Being stuck with Seifer in an orphanage?that doesn't sound like fun."

"From what I remember, it wasn't. We were always fighting over something or other. A toy truck, a stuffed animal, it didn't matter. If it was mine and I liked it, Seifer had to have it. I remember this one time, I had this great new car I had bought with my allowance. Well, Seifer came up to me when I was going down to the beach, and told me I needed to pay the toll. I didn't know what to do. He said I could pay with my car. I told him no, but he grabbed it anyway. So I was walking along the beach when I came across this dead squid. Well, Seifer was nearby, and I was mad at him, so I kind of added the two together...literally. Needless to say, Matron, the lady who watched us, wasn't happy, but it was worth it. He smelled like dead squid for a week." Melissa laughed at the mental image he was conjuring. He laughed with her. She had a nice laugh, not too deep and not too high. They both stopped, smiling, then looked back out over Garden. Melissa looked at her watch, and jumped.

"Whoa, it's after eleven. I have an early shift tomorrow at the library, so I should get to bed. See you tomorrow, in the Cafeteria for lunch?" she asked as she turned to leave.

"Of course," he said, smiling back

"Great," muttered Irvine as he sat down between Quistis and Rinoa.

"What?" Rinoa asked, looking up from the dog magazine she was reading.

"Zell over there-" he gestured toward Zell, who was in line on the other side of the cafeteria, "-stuck a frog in my room!"

Quistis began to choke on her milk. Rinoa grinned. "A frog? What for?"

"It's not funny! That thing jumped out at me, and slimed all over me!" This statement didn't help Quistis, who had recently become doubled over with laughter. Rinoa was also laughing, and she tried to hide the tears of laughter forming in the corners of her eyes.

"S-s-s-slimed?" she repeated, clutching her stomach as her laughter grew. Irvined looked annoyed at this response from his two 'friends'.

"Hey, that's a serious problem." Squall walked over just then. He looked tired. Rinoa and Quistis stopped laughing. He just collapsed in the fourth chair at the table, and leaned his head back, his eyes closed.

"What's the matter, Squall?" Rinoa asked, concerned.

"Irvine," he said.

"What?" Irvine asked.

"No, I'm explaining my problem. And my problem is you."

"What did Irvine do?" asked Rinoa.

"Well, first there was a sharp, high-pitched scream, which I later find out was caused by a someone being scared by a frog, hidden in Irvine's room, that had jumped out and 'slimed' on him," Squall frowned at the word slimed. It just wasn't a word he used. "Next, he puts his foot under the water of his shower to clean it off, only the frog jumps back at him. He breaks the handle of the water spigot, which sprays water everywhere. Then, he disposed of the frog by throwing it in the vents. About this time I get a report of flooding in corridor 28."

Quistis and Rinoa, who had recovered since Squall had appeared in the cafeteria with his story, were back to laughing. Irvine was scowling, and Squall looked mildly amused.

"The frog was never found, and corridor 28 is off-limits," he added.

Zell came over to his table with Melissa on the other side of the Cafeteria, looking less bright than he normally was.

"What's the matter?" Melissa asked as he sat down. Even if he hadn't looked a bit unhappy, Melissa could tell he was upset, because he had about fifteen hotdogs piled on his plate. One of Zell's weird habits was to eat more than his usual five hotdogs when something was wrong.

"I'm going on a mission." She knew he was ready for a mission, after so long with no activity. He wasn't the kind to sit around and do nothing. He was just worried about her reaction.

"Well, that is your job," she said, trying not to sound too disappointed. She knew he had to do his job, hell, it was her job too, but why did it have to be so soon? They were just starting to get along better than ever.

"I know. I mean, I wanted a mission, but I was hoping for next week, not so soon?" he muttered. Melissa understood. Hell, she felt the same way.

"How long is it?" she asked.

"It's supposed to be five days, unless something goes wrong," he said. There they were, the words she didn't want to hear. She looked down at her food before he could see her eyes, but Zell noticed something was wrong. He raised his hand for a moment, then with a sudden rush of certainty grasped her hand. She looked up, startled. "Hey, I'll call you when I can. And it's not like something will go wrong. After all, I am SeeDs finest." He stood up, released her hand, started to get into a heroic pose, and tripped over his chair. He jumped up, embarrassed, as his cheeks turned a deep scarlet. Suddenly, the situation was very humorous.

"I can see that," she gasped between laughter fits. He mock scowled at her.

"Now really, that wasn't very funny."

"Oh yes it was. If only I had a video camera..."

"Well, maybe a little," he admitted as he sat back down. "Let's eat, I'm starved."

"Selphie, have you heard anything about Seifer lately?" Quistis asked Selphie as she entered the library, as Quistis typed information into the computer, searching the Deling Times archives. Selphied looked at Quistis in shock, then turned to a shelf to look for her book.

"Seifer? I haven't thought about him in a long time. I thought he died after Ultimecia's defeat."

"No, I saw him alive in Time Compression." Selphie pulled a book off the shelf, and sat down next to Quistis. She looked mildly concerned.

"Quistis, don't take this the wrong way, but are you alright? I mean, why worry about that loser? He made you lose your license. Besides, who cares about Seifer? He tried to kill us, you know."

Quistis spun to face her. "You don't think people deserve second chances?" she asked, shocked.

"Well..." Selphie trailed off. "Generally, yes, but Seifer? How can you expect to have him come back, apologize, and everything be all wonderful again? Because of him many people are dead, some of our friends in Garden are dead. He can't expect to make up for all of that."

"I don't think he's happy with what he's done."

"What about in Timber, and in D-District Prison, and the Sorceress parade, when he was just standing there, smirking? And have you forgotten about how he tried to kill Rinoa, and assist in the destruction of the world?"

"I saw him crying during Time Compression, Selphie. Crying. I don't think people who are pleased with what they've done curl up and cry."

"What about tears of happiness?" Selphie asked spitefully.

"Selphie..."

"Well, okay, maybe he does want another chance. Why give it to him?" Selphie looked utterly unconvinced.

"Because everyone deserves another chance. Wouldn't you want one, if you'd done something you were ashamed of?"

"Well, yes, true..."

"And what if he didn't do anything voluntarily? What if she possessed him, or threatened him, or..."

"Okay, okay!" Selphie sighed in defeat. Quistis may not fight many points, but when she did there was no getting her to turn back. "Fine, where does the search begin?"

"Here's the site for the Timber Gazette..."

Zell surveyed the Dollet cliffs. The mission was a simple one. The Galbadians had recently stolen a secret datadisk from a Dollet dukedom transport. Dollet had decided to retrieve it themselves, and the Galbadians had come to steal it back. Dollet had enlisted Garden's aid to protect them and the datadisk, which they had hidden in the mountain area surrounding Dollet. The Dollet government had refused to comment on what the datadisk were, and Zell hadn't pressed the question. After all, they were the paying clients, and what was on the disk wasn't important to the mission. Right now, there were several Galbadian troops scouting the lower half of the cliff face. He gave the other SeeDs in his scouting party a hand signal, and they slowly crept downward.

Unfortunately for the SeeDs, the dukedom wanted all Galbadians alive so they could question them. It would have been easy to use a quick sneak attack and wipe them out. Instead, they were using sleep spells. And running out of them.

The Galbadians never knew what hit them. One moment, they were looking for hiding places in the cliff face, the next they were off into the wonderful Sleep Land. Zell grinned. The sleep spells had worked perfectly. This was too easy.

He reached for his portable phone. "Dollet command, come in." After a burst of static, the reply came.

"Dollet command here."

"We've located a group of Galbadians, and put them to sleep. You can send up a retrieval squad anytime."

"Thanks for the information, SeeD group."

"Any idea how many are out here?"

"Well, we guess about seven parties, but we don't know for sure."

"I see. And you hid the datadisks out here?"

"Yes, although the exact location is need-to-know only."

"I understand. I just wanted a feel for the mission. This is highly irregular, not knowing much about the mission."

"We understand. We're just worried about infiltrators in your groups." Zell bit his mouth back on an angry reply. After all, they were the clients. And unlike Squall, Zell didn't argue with clients.

"Of course. Call us with any new developments."

"Dollet command out." Zell turned the phone off, then signaled the rest of the SeeDs to start heading downhill.

They stumbled on two more search parties, and within minutes all were hit with sleep spells. Zell's grin was gone, and he was starting to feel nervous. This really was too easy.

Zell stopped his group at the meeting point, where all the parties were supposed to meet every hour, to make sure they were all there. After the other groups arrived, he scouted ahead with three other SeeDs, leaving the others behind. He stumbled across two Galbadian soldiers, and was about to put a sleep spell on them when he heard what they were talking about. He signaled the other SeeDs not to cast the spells.

"So, what about that datadisk?"

"The commander said we weren't supposed to talk about it."

"I know, but I'm curious. After all, we went through all the trouble to get it away from Dollet. Why shouldn't we know about it?"

"I know, but I don't want to get into trouble..."

"You won't! I will not tell on you, promise."

"Okay." The soldier looked around nervously, then leaned closer to the other. Zell also leaned in as far as the bushes would let him. "He said that the datadisk wasn't important. It was just some computer program for more efficient machines. They really want something else, an AI chip."

"And AI chip! I thought Galbadia was the only country with AI chips."

"I thought that too. Maybe Esthar gave us some."

"Why would Esthar do that? They've been cut off since the Sorceress War. They're barely starting to contact anyone else. Why should they interact this much with other countries now, going as far as to give them some of their top technology? It doesn't make sense."

"I don't know." The guard looked around, as though expecting his superior to jump out and yell at him. "Maybe we should continue searching for hiding places."

"Yeah."

The sixth sense one gains when training for battle their entire lives was starting to tingle. Zell knew that all the Galbadian search parties would never let themselves be caught this easily. They were stupid, but not that stupid. They would be careful, because failure was handled poorly by the Galbadian leaders. Unless...they were ordered to. If that was the case, then this was just a distraction. Which meant they were really searching...Zell thought for a moment. Where would Dollet have an AI chip, if not in a mountian stronghold? They would never put the town at risk by hiding it there. Unless even they didn't know they had it. Which means they're going to be in serious trouble. But where could it be...

"Byron! You're in command of this small group here." Zell pointed about a fourth of the SeeDs. They needed people to defend against the possible Galbadian backup, and Byron was a responsible SeeD. "Continue to scout the cliff and mountain area for any backup the Galbadians may send. Use force if it comes to it. My team, come with me! NOW!" Everyone frantically began to split up to go about the separate tasks. Zell had realized what the real target was.

Lapin Beach.