Seifer hadn't come back yet, and he'd promised he'd be back for lunch. The clock was ticking away and Zell was worried; worried Seifer didn't care, or that Seifer had summoned Griever or that Seifer was dead or trapped. Zell would have gone out to look for him, of course, but Seifer had tied his foot to the couch and while Zell could drag the couch, it wouldn't fit out the door, which made Zell wonder how on earth it had managed to get in this room in the first place.

He could still feel where Seifer had nuzzled him goodbye, ignoring his pleas to not summon Griever. Seifer's eyes had turned cold and the older blonde had walked out of the room, flicking the lights off. Zell had cried softly for a while after that, reminding himself that this was not his Seifer, it was simply Seifer who'd forgotten everything. He'd spent several hours just waiting; Seifer's clock now read that the time was fourteen hours, which meant it was two pm.

The door opened and Zell turned to see an angry Seifer. Zell watched as Seifer hissed angrily and pulled Zell up by the arm. "Let's go," he told Zell.

"Go where?" Zell asked, not really feeling like being helpful as he locked his legs. Seifer was hurting him as Seifer tugged the smaller blonde, forgetting about the sofa momentarily.

"We're summoning Griever before your people attack her again." Seifer angrily responded, cursing as Zell's sofa wouldn't fit through the door. "Damnit, can't you do anything right?"

Zell punched him and climbed over the sofa and blocked the door. "You're an asshole, more than my Seifer was!" he shouted. "You're just a jerk!"

"I have to do this!" Seifer called back to him. "I've got to summon her back!" There was beating on the sofa and Zell was tempted to lower it so he could beat Seifer again.

"Why? Maybe she should stay dead!" Zell kicked at the sofa and felt both angry and like crying. "You were never like this!"

"Oh, what was I? Did I put you above my mission?" Seifer yelled back, firing his gunblade into the sofa. It blew past Zell's ear, and Zell dropped, the reality startling him. Seifer never had placed Zell before a mission. It was always finish the mission and then worry about Zell. Suddenly Zell felt stupid.

Seifer never had cared. J-ran could have been lying to him and maybe Seifer felt affection, but that didn't mean Seifer loved him. He'd been forgiving since Seifer lost his memory, but wouldn't this mean this was the way Seifer would be normally?

Seifer picked up on the lack of retort and suddenly pushed the sofa down, and Zell stepped out of the way as it crashed into the floor. Seifer looked at him and then suddenly took Zell's head and Zell realized the bullet had grazed him. Seifer fell silent, thinking along the same lines Zell was as he cut the rope with his blade and took Zell by the hand and lead him to the car. Zell followed, unemotional for once. There wasn't a reason; he'd fallen in love with someone who really didn't care when it came down to it, and it hurt- badly. Seifer told the driver where to go and Zell looked out the window.

"Zell…" Seifer stated softly, but Zell didn't look back at him. This cold side of Zell hurt, and Seifer wondered if he'd just fucked things up permanently. He was afraid- he needed Zell out of the building and quickly.

The building exploded, causing the man to jump and Seifer's point to be proven. He was just in a hurry to get Zell out of the building before SeeD bombed it. He'd even seen the bomber, some girl in a yellow dress with ox-bow hair who'd been too busy playing with her explosives to see him.

Zell turned to him, and Seifer pulled an unwilling blonde into his chest. "We heard SeeD would bomb the building," he explained softly. "And if I told you they might blow it up faster."

Zell closed his eyes, suddenly regretting all the thoughts he had earlier. Seifer had saved his life again. Seifer asked a question. "Did I hurt you?" he asked, and Zell nodded.

"You almost put me above your mission once," Zell told him. "That's how we ended up bonding." Seifer bit his lip and held his little blonde closer to him. No wonder his fiery blonde had suddenly gotten a case of ice-cold.

"Zell…I want to summon Griever. I'm not sure why, but maybe not for me, maybe not for J-ran, but something tells me I need to speak to him." Seifer looked at him and Zell blinked.

"Oh," Zell stated. "Are you sure?"

Seifer nodded enthusiastically. "I'm quite sure. But it's…it's like I don't want Griever to be found." He looked at Zell, one of those deep-gazing things. "Tell me what I should do."

Zell watched, finding no trace of dishonesty in his eyes. "I think we should meet J-ran, and maybe we could…I dunno…kill him." Anger flashed through Zell's eyes, and Seifer wasn't going to question it. "But that means we'd have to play along, if only for a little while, and summoning Griever's a definite no… Gah," Zell stated, exasperated. "I'm not sure; maybe this is why I'm not a good SeeD. Too many choices…"

"Let's play along, then. SeeD will follow us soon." Seifer gave Zell one of those winks that made Zell wonder if Seifer had called them. "I'll believe you," Seifer whispered to the blonde softly, so if they were microphoned in their back compartment no one could hear. Zell squeezed his hand.

"That means a lot, Seifer," Zell told him, and Seifer chuckled, kissing Zell softly.

The car made it to the pre-ordained spot where J-ran was waiting. "Hurry, then!" J-ran told Seifer, and Seifer stepped out of the car. "SeeDs coming, they're always one step behind!"

Seifer looked at Zell, then at J-ran. "How do you know she wants-"

"I don't give a damn what she wants! Think of her power, if you were junctioned to her!" J-ran slapped him and pointed a gun at the blonde emerging from the car. "Do it or your fucktoy dies!"

Zell cast a stop on the man before anyone could speak. Seifer continued the chaos with a sudden quake that made most followers leave, and Zell punched a hitman in the face. They were causing more ruckus than a nudist at the Oscars.

Suddenly Zell felt someone behind him, casting an areo. Zell gave J-ran a kick and watched as the man flew back. That's when the SeeD cars arrived, and Squall gave a wave to the blonde.

"Seifer?" he asked, looking at the newly appointed leader. "You're…alive?"

"No thanks to you," Zell muttered, taking Seifer's hand. "Mine." Seifer shrugged. That's the way life went, he guessed. "Now, if you can finish taking care of this misfits, Seifer and I have somewhere to be."

Seifer waved a goodbye as Zell got into an empty SeeD car and drove off into the plains. Zell said nothing for the longest time, the radio playing "eyes on me" the entire way. It was as if Julia was the only famous singer the world had.

Seifer watched the plains as flickers of his memories came back to him. An angry Zell. The lunatic pandora. Ultimacia.

But it wasn't enough, not enough to grasp who he was completely.

"Zell?" Seifer asked, and Zell turned to look at him, and turned back when his hands steered the car off-road. Seifer continued his question. "Why did you love me?"

Zell gave a short laugh, thinking on it. "I'm not sure," Zell stated finally. "I think it had something to do with the fact that you weren't such an asshole, you know? You were decent… and you kept giving me kisses in the night. You gave me support when I needed it the most, and I'm grateful for it. You knew just what to say. I mean," Zell slowed down and took a turn on a dusty road that seemed the road less taken, "I always liked you. You showed me how nice you could really be under all those…layers."

Seifer nodded, Zell's explanation making him feel happy but not really helping his case whatsoever. Finally, Zell slowed down and turned off the engine. "Think we're far enough?"

Seifer nodded as they both got out of the car, and Zell faced the clouds, his eyes glazed with concentration. The clouds grew dark and there was a chuckle.

:Well done, Uncles. You've made this much simpler than what it could have been.:

Griever appeared and Zell smiled to it. "I'd like to speak with your lovely, Griever."

Griever has a lovely? Seifer thought, completely confused at Zell's thoughts. Griever paused and nodded. :Unjunction.: Griever stated, and suddenly, a woman dressed in a simple black dress with white hair and golden eyes emerged, staring at Seifer with the saddest eyes he'd ever seen. Ultimacia, he realized, and she took a step behind Griever.

Zell sat down. "It's okay," he told her. "I don't feel like fighting, how about you?"

Ultimacia said nothing, not quite believing the small blonde. Zell sighed as he realized he was going to have to explain himself again. This was just a too much thinking day. "See, I think, in the future, people will be angry with this Ultimacia. People will hate her and fear her, and really, they should be happy, right? I mean, without you, none of this would have happened, none of this would have come through. Maybe Seifer would still have his memory-"

"Hey now," Seifer interjected.

"but we wouldn't be together like this. I'd never realize what he meant to me. So, I wanted to say thank you for being Ultimacia." Zell scratched the back of his head. "um…And it was an honor to fight you an' all, though you did kinda hurt us a lot."

There was a genuine smile on the sorceress's lips, and she leaned into the big fur-beast next to her. "Thank you, Uncle Zell," she told him. "I'm glad that someone understands." She looked at her ex-knight, and her smile faded. "And you've lost what was most precious to you, haven't you?"

Seifer nodded blankly. The white-haired woman sighed and walked over to him, her long black wings stretching to gain what light they could in the real sunlight. She touched his face and Seifer gasped, all memory coming back to him. As his eyes remembered her she junctioned herself back to Griever, perhaps feeling far too ashamed to continue talking.

:It was fun, Uncles, but now I must leave.: Griever gave a bow and Seifer sighed as he left both their minds, not a sign the bond had been broken, but that it was strong enough.

"Damnit, Seifer," Zell told him finally, "You fucking hurt me."

"I'm sorry," Seifer admitted quietly to him, "I didn't remember." He paused, and gave a smirk. "Maybe I don't remember everything…"

Zell looked up. "Wha? Like what?"

Seifer paused and pretended to think. "Like those noises you make when you come. See, I think I do, but I'm not sure, so…"

Zell got up and hit him. "You ass." He walked into the car, locking the doors.

"Hey!" Seifer called out, trying the doors. "Hey, put those clothes back…no, you can take that off." Seifer whined, it was getting darker up here and he wanted inside with his Zell and he wanted to let Zell know he was truly, truly sorry.

But that was pointless, for maybe Zell didn't always think about things, like why he should listen to Odine, or why Squall handed him papers that told him exactly what to do, but Zell understood emotion and he unlocked the doors, and there were no apologies needed.

End.

Well, that was also a bad chapter beginning. I no liked it, but it really wouldn't come out any other way. Forgive me. It is done, and I liked the end. Maybe not… hmmm… That's why I have you guys, to tell me what you think! Thanks for staying with the story!