"The Moribund People"
3
"Touch of Red"
November 3
"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"
"Come on already, I can take your best shot!"
Zell's shout echoed through the streets of Balamb as his feet worked their magic; working as pistons to close the distance in between them quickly. The rain picked up a frantic pace, and the darkness ascended to the highest of skies; shrouding the stars above them.
"YOU GO TO HELL!"
"Care to join me?"
Squall stood there simply, watching his opponent draw near. Zell could see the genuine smile, head cocked sideways, hair clouding eyes, but the lips! The lips that were curled sliglthy screamed of superiority. Zell pushed the thoughts of his appearance aside and concentrated on his attack. He leaped forward, losing all gravity in an attempt to succeed in a flying kick.
Squall turned sideways and put his left foot on the ground while swinging his entire body in a full circle; during which his right foot rose and his leg collided with Zell's stomach. Zell grunted in the sudden pain, the wind was knocked out of him. Squall's leg pushed Zell on his back, to the ground.
"That was my signature move!"
"Who do you think taught me that..?" Squall smirked.
He knows my moves! This is... gonna turn out bad... Hell. You got yourself in big trouble this time, Zell...
"Come on, chicken-wuss." Squall stated, with an emphasis that only Seifer could have managed; but his was ten times worse. "Don't keep me waiting."
Zell's legs drew two seperate circles in the air, as he used his back to lift them upwards, kicking Squall's legs out of the way. Squall lost balance, but his hand helped him push his body to the wall. His feet hit the wall and he used it as a support - whilst turning his upper torso upwards, he spun his right leg and caught Zell square on the cheek; making three of his teeth fly out of his mouth alongside with blood. Zell stumbled, but managed to keep a fragile balance. Squall was advancing with a strut; slow and confident.
"You-" Squall couldn't finish his sentence because Zell's foot had collided with his nose, breaking it. Zell's next move was a powerful punch, mixed with a Firaga spell, landing onto Squall's stomach to send him crashing against the wall. Not stopping, Zell used Thundaga this time, on his free hand and punched Squall with it. Rising his foot, he landed a series of kicks, all of them to Squall's face; each time, drawing more blood and giving him more bruises, and smashing his skull against the wall.
With each kick, he screamed. Screamed out the remaining purity of his soul; FOR his soul, he screamed. For both their souls. Zell shouted and wailed and groaned and grunted and moaned and shrieked and breathed in and breathed out, all the while, lost in a prayer.
Hyne save me! Hyne save his soul! HYNE! GREAT HYNE IN HEAVEN!
"Had enough yet?" Zell asked, panting with the great effort he had spent on beating on his face. He stood there, ready to fall, but still feeling the crippling rage running through his veins. The rage brought a feverish head to him; a head lost in the sense of fury, always and only calculating the damage it can do, and whatever it can do in that moment. Zell didn't stop, he continued his spree; two punches and two kicks all in a move of spinning motion; his Tornado Combo. And then, punches to his face; two kicks knocking his head sideways, two to return and finally, a punch to crush his head between his gloves and the wall.
After which, Squall slowly slid down, his eyes were closed. He fell onto the floor, his face looking to the sky, blood staining his cheeks and lips. Zell bent down to pick him up, his hands reaching for his collar. He found the cloth, and pulled him upwards. As he did, Squall's fist rose and collided with Zell's jaw, breaking it, but furthermore, stretching the skin on his with the impact; a chin which finally threw itself away from the rest of the head with the force applied to it. Squall's diabolical smile flashed before Zell's eyes as his life started to bleed away through what once was his mouth. Ounces of blood, it seemed, was flowing.
"Was that your best shot..? I barely felt that." Squall stated, "But, then again, I believe Selphie felt much more than what you made me feel, heh. Ironic... how I did to her what you tried to do to me; the crushing of a skull. It's a beautiful sound. You should listen to it sometime. Broadens your horizons."
Before Zell's eyes, Squall approached. On her lips was the familiar words of a song he was singing; the song that was etched to the depths of his brain, the depths of his dreams and his nightmares.
"Pain... I take it all, and have some more... tonight...
Fire... it licks the skin but heart is cold...
A heart that never beats for herself..."
Zell's arms, hands, were all stained with the touch of red. His head was already swimming, his tongue swirling in the new empty space presented to him, his vocal chords moving to speak, his hands trying to cover up his upper jaw to stop the blood flow.
"But, then again, I guess I should help you with that." Squall said, "After all, we are SeeDs. Comrades." his fingers gripped Zell's head, like a ball. And the fingers started to squeeze. Zell let out an unintelligible sound through whatever mouth he had left. His fingers started to collapse the structure of bone beneath the hair and the skin, and his brain was squeezing itself inwards.
Squall was speaking.
"You see, if I crush your spinal cortex, it'll be no fun. I could have done that with a bullet; or a finger at your current state. Now, this way, you get to see what your little slave got through. But hers was faster of course."
SQUALL YOU FUCKING BASTARD! YOU DIDN'T! YOU COULD NOT HAVE!
"Sshhhh..." Squall whispered to Zell's ear as blood slowly started to leak out of his ears, "Hushh... Hush, my pretty pet. Shh shh shh... Don't scream. It's gonna be over soon. There'll be a new flower field for you to meet your friends in..."
Squall's jaw clenched to an even wider smile.
Then, it suddenly shifted to a frown, a menacing scowl as he shouted at the top of his lungs.
"...A FIELD FULL OF CYPRESS TREES! FOR THE DEAD ONLY!"
Zell's skull finally imploded upon itself; his eyes popped out of his head and fell onto the floor, rolling away in the whirlpools like marbles. His ears fell, and his head turned into an empty sack of shattered pieces of bone, with his intracranial fluid and blood leaking out through the new orifices in his body. His body fell down, empty.
"What a waste..." Squall stated.
The wind picked up a steady pace, and flowed with him; pushing him gently with his steps headed towards his promise; his sacrament which he intended to claim.
The wind blew towards Balamb Garden, and whirled around it; embracing it like a mother.
Notes: The title of the chapter is an In Flames song. Squall's compulsion of singing "Little Angel" by Charon is continuing. I have found a good outline to get through this in one piece; and not make it too far-fetched. Only two dead bodies to go anyway.