You know I don't own them, I've said already I DISCLAIM… go team me.

CYCLONES IN THE DUST

Stupid Ass Squall

Seifer looked up as Zell walked in, walking past the tables where some random people sat talking and laughing. Zell did not look happy, he moved stiffly and tiredly, and his usual erect feathery blonde hair was mussed from a restless night. He looked even less happy when he went to the counter and discovered the lack of hotdogs.

"Yo! Chicken Wuss!" called Seifer. Zell didn't even glance in his direction, instead going for the exit shoulders slumped. Seifer narrowed his eyes to viridian slits, pissed at being ignored in front of the entire cafeteria.

"I could go get him, ya know" said Rajin with a slight grin, his teeth very white against his dark skin. Fujin cocked the eyebrow of her only visible red eye, questioningly from where she sat beside Rajin opposite from Seifer.

"We'll all go get him… and wipe that fucking grin of your face before I cut it off" Seifer snapped at Rajin getting up quickly. When Seifer's back was turned. Rajin glanced at Fujin and mouthed ' I told ya so, ya know'. The albino pursed her lips narrowing her red eye in response resisting the urge to kick his shin. They then followed after Seifer.

They caught up with him, turning into the library. Swearing under his breath. Seifer practically stormed into the library, Fujin and Rajin close behind.

"Chicken Wuss!" he yelled completely ignoring the 'shh' of the receptionist. Fujin cast the girl a murderous look, the girl quailed under the intense crimson gaze. Seifer ignored her and everyone else in the library going through to the large crescent area behind the rows of shelves. There was Zell sitting at the desk to the far side, practically hiding in a corner. He was glaring sightlessly at a book.

"FOUND?" came Fujin's loud, proud single syllable sentence.

"Yeah, Chicken's right here" replied Seifer amused. Zell folded his arms and adamantly pretended they weren't there his blue eyes fixed and unwavering on the book in front of him. Seifer grabbed Zell's arm and dragged him out of the corner and out of the library ignoring the gaping librarian and other cadets. In the corridor Zell turned on Seifer.

"Get the fuck off me!" His muscles bunched and he attacked, flowing into motion as if his muscle were liquid. Rajin stopped any blows landing by grabbing the back of Zell's shirt and pulling on it, resulting in Zell landing unceremoniously on the floor legs spread out in front of him slightly arched and hands flat on the floor behind him supporting him. Rajin started laughing as did Fujin. Seifer grinned watching Zell blush in embarrassment, then go tense from rage Then… nothing. He just sat there looking at the floor, and suddenly it wasn't so funny.

"Come on Chicken get up" said Seifer hefting the boy up. Zell didn't protest, in fact didn't do anything, it was as if he'd just completely clamed up. Seifer hated it. Rajin looked uncomfortable, Fujin glared at her dark skinned friend.

"TRAIN?" asked Fujin of Rajin. Who blinked. Then nodded looking relived.

"I'll catch you two later" said Seifer, his green eyes flashing a warning at them to go quickly. They did, jogging down the corridor Fujin in the lead as always. Seifer took Zell's arm roughly and continued his journey dragging a subdued Chicken Wuss after him. Seifer felt bad, he'd let Zell get hurt while he was at his weakest. Seifer didn't fight fair, everyone knew that, but not even he wanted to see Zell get any worse than he already was.

He wanted that vibrant blonde back bouncing and annoying, so things could be like they were before. Seifer pulled Zell after him back into the cafeteria taking him to the Almasy-table, which was always unoccupied unless he, Fujin or Rajin were there. He shoved Zell into a seat roughly.

"Sit tight, Chicken Wuss" he snapped, trying to be intimidating, and only getting a awkward sensation in his chest at Zell's lowered head and lack of response. He'd done things like this before, embarrassing Zell in front of the whole cafeteria by pouring gravy on his freakishly spiked hair or slapping a cream cake onto the back of his head. He didn't like the way Zell wasn't fighting back, it was like he was broken or something. Seifer took the plate from the dinner ladies and stalked back over to Zell plopping the plate in front of him and sitting opposite the tattooed youth.

Zell stared at the plate, and blinked looking blank, and then doubting and distrustful. His blue eyes were void of their usual sparkle. It seemed to Seifer that his eyes were pools of water, and instead of seeing the glittering surf that had been there he was seeing the murky depths, barren and beyond the reach of the light. 'God, I'm spouting poetry now, see what worry does to me?' Seifer asked Zell mentally, never intending to voice the words or reveal to anyone he could, indeed, write poetry.

"Come on Chicky, not like you to turn down a hotdog" sneered Seifer surfacing from his internal musings. Zell sat back regarding the plate with a frown.

"What is this?" he asked, his tired blue eyes didn't flicker up to meet Seifer's face remaining focused on the plate and what it held. 'He sounds so diffused' thought Seifer, 'need to get a rise out of him, just to make sure he's okay'.

"Hot-dog… you know, processed meat in a phallic shape shoved in a bun with ketchup spurted all over it" he replied patronisingly, being as nasty as possible to make up for being nice.

"What have you done to it?" he asked, narrowing his blue eyes in distrust at the item in question.

"Nothing… what's wrong? Scared? Is ickle Chicky scared?" Seifer pouted and laughed. Zell's eyes sparkled with anger finally flashing up at Seifer's face. 'There's Zell!' Seifer grinned, happy to see Zell wasn't totally defeated. Zell looked slightly worried for a moment at Seifer's grin, then steeled himself, he picked it up defiantly took a bite chewing it suspiciously.

Seifer watched the exotic tattoo on the blonds face shift in time with the muscles of his jaw, watched as the smaller blonde swallowed. Zell frowned his forget-me-not blue eyes puzzled. He looked at Seifer again.

"Why would you do something nice for me?" he asked critically, and bluntly.

"Nice? Me? Nice? Seifer Almasy is never nice, Chicken. I just want my favourite victim back, I've been so bored the entire time you were off hiding somewhere" Seifer grinned evilly.

"I wasn't hiding" said Zell quietly, glaring down at the partially eaten fast food on the stark white plate.

"Oh yeah, where were you then?" Seifer asked sarcastically, as if he didn't want to know, when really he was dying from curiosity. He shifted his coat from his shoulders onto the chair behind him.

"… I was at home…" Zell said hollowly, not removing his gaze from the plate. Seifer stared at him. 'He'd been in Balamb? He'd been not five miles away and no one had known?'. "I was sorting out the house… Ma…" Zell's voice faltered, but his expression was blank, he still hadn't looked up form the plate. 'Of course he'd been at home! After a funeral the family had to sort out the dead relatives things… oh god, Zell had done that all on his own? Ah Fuck…'. Seifer ground his teeth inside his mouth cursing Squall's stupidity.

"Stupid-ass Squall" he growled, green eyes glaring holes in the table. Zell looked up at him surprised. He looked around for the stoic brunette then looked at Seifer puzzled, obviously not finding the headmaster anywhere in the cafeteria. Shit, Seifer had said to much, if Zell found out about him harassing Squall for a specific reason, as well as what that reason was… Seifer did the only thing he could in his defence.

"Were you speaking Chicky? I was just thinking about Squall…" he said mildly, forcing an uncaring tone into his voice, only after speaking did he realize dismissing Zell's last comment about his mother was probably not a good idea.