Disclaimer- As mentioned previous

Took a while to get this chapter finished, it focuses mainly on Zell, before anyone says it i know he's not very angsty here but that because he has a distraction, namely Seifer. Comments and advice wanted plz : )

CYCLONES IN THE DUST
Seifer's… Nice?

"Hey! Chicken, Will you stop running away!" called Seifer, running past the lift in a flurry of leather. Zell let out a breath in relief, leaning against the cold lift wall. 'Something weird is going on, Seifer's being… nice'. Zell frowned thoughtfully.

In the past Seifer had only been nice when setting Zell up for some humiliation. 'He said it himself, he's never nice, just wants his favourite victim back'. So, there were a few reason's to stay out of Seifer's way

One, it was likely he was planning something gargantuan that would have one Zell Dintch hiding his face away in a paper bag for some time. 'It'd have to be something super humiliating, I mean he's being civil for Hyne's sake'. Two, whenever Seifer was nice to him, it made him uncomfortable, he couldn't put a name on the feeling, but it was a mixture between an adrenaline rush and needing to throw up. He dismissed his train of thought for another.

'Can't stay here too long, he'll circle back round'. Zell nodded to the voice in his head and crept out, easing his weight softly on his trainers and glancing left and right. 'Clear… now what?' Zell frowned, 'Squall usually comes up with the next step... wait… this isn't some Seed mission, Squall isn't here!' Zell straightened up, figuring the reason the cadets near the information desk were looking at him strangely was because he looked weird standing like that.

At that moment, Seifer reappeared from the way he'd come, he didn't spot Zell and continued stalking up to the cadets looking ready to draw Hyperion and sever a nice collection of heads. Zell watched amused as several of the cadets snapped to attention. Seifer stopped, standing and glaring at them, viridian eyes blazing anger and violence. Zell edged away slightly. 'I should really take this chance to get away… '

"What the fuck are you doing here?" growled Seifer dangerously. Eyes glittering with emerald malice.

"W-we Were…" started one, eyes wide and moving into a defensive stance.

"Y-You Were doing fuck-all!" snarled Seifer, managing to be both mocking an intimidating all at once. The cadets blanched.

"You run your lazy asses round the Garden Ring till I tell you to stop!" he barked. The cadets stood there staring, open mouthed, wide eyed. "Move it" snarled Seifer advancing hand going to Hyperion, but never making contact. The cadets nearly fell over each other sprinting toward Zell who jumped back out of the way.

Zell blinked, looking slowly up, sapphire blue eyes meeting viridian green. 'Oh no! There's that smirk!' thought Zell panicking, he turned and sprinted.

Unfortunately for Zell, at that particular moment a certain brunette Headmaster had stepped out of the lift and there was an abrupt collision that resulted in Zell's nose being inches from Squall's.

"…err…Hi Squall" said Zell, feeling a little blank. The Stoic headmaster had his usual indifferent, glacial expression, even if he was flat on his back with a certain blonde leaning over him.

"…Zell…get off" said Squall coldly. Zell was about to comply when Seifer crouched down beside them both.

"Interesting position there Chicken, knee between Squall's legs and all" he smirked almost manically. Zell's eyes widened and he looked down. He practically threw himself back landing on his ass, face blushing, and mouth opening and closing not knowing what to say. Seifer started laughing standing fluidly, while Squall got up dusting down his thighs.

"Running in the corridors is prohibited" stated Squall glancing at Zell. 'Oh Fuck, is he smiling? No, must be a trick of the light, he can't be smiling'.

"Speaking of that you two might want to step closer the wall, some cadet's should be running past about…now" said Seifer getting up and stepping back looking to his right. Zell scrambled up, and both he and Squall did as the tall blonde advised. The cadets pelted past, and Seifer being Seifer stuck out his foot so two of the cadets went flying, one crashing into another. They scrambled up and darted on, not wanting to face the fierce blonde.

"Gotta love cadets" Seifer said brightly grinning happily.

"It was his fault!" Zell said, finally able to speak and reverting to his default phrase whenever Seifer was around. The brunette and blonde looked at him, puzzled.

"…You always say that when I'm around" sighed Seifer wistfully, before grinning.

"…Squall, he's being nice and it's freaking me the fuck out, I just know he's planning something!" Zell glancing wildly from Squall to Seifer who glanced at each other, then back at the small blonde.

"…you're getting paranoid Chicken Wuss" stated Seifer happily.

"Shut up Almasy!" snapped Zell, tension shooting through his body fists clenched, of all things Seifer grinned. Not a mocking, arrogant smirk, but an actual proud grin. 'What is going on?' Zell asked himself helplessly.

"…Seifer are you planning anything?" asked Squall bluntly. Seifer glanced at Squall as if remembering he was there.

"Certainly, I'm always planning Squally-boy, you know that, right?" then he smirked cockily, and Squall rolled his eyes and folded his arms, recalling the blondes recent 'plan' that resulted in him loosing a battle and a lot of sleep. "And, if you must know, being the nosey-know-it-all Head of Garden, I was planning on asking Dintch if he'd come train with me" Seifer's voice was condescending and arrogant.

"Eh?" said Zell blinking dumbly from Squall to Seifer.

"…Whatever" said Squall before walking past Zell.

"Unless you want another spar Squally!" called Seifer sweetly after the Headmaster, who gestured over his should dismissively as he walked away, leaving Zell alone with Seifer.

'Oh my God he left… why did he leave? Doesn't he care of Seifer humiliates me?' Zell felt helpless and abandoned.

"Sooo, Chicky" said Seifer, stepping closer to Zell, making the smaller blonde painfully conscious of their difference in height. "You genna come train with me?" he asked. Zell looked up at him.

"…You don't need help" blurted out Zell.

"…Well, naturally 'I' don't, but rules say when 'anyone' goes training while un-juctioned they need a partner, and as astoundingly great as I may be I still come under the banner of 'anyone'" he smirked.

"…Can't you ask Fujin or Rajin?" Zell asked, getting a tad desperate.

"Nope, they're out at Balamb on a date" he said brightly.

"…Oh…well, err… no" said Zell, folding his arms stubbornly over his chest and refusing to look at the green eyed blonde.

"Aw, come on Chicky, what if I get eaten by a big bad Grat? How would you live with yourself, knowing you were the one to deprive the world of me?" Seifer said. 'Seifer is pouting at me… the world will end…,' thought Zell eyes widening.

"Eh?" he wasn't sure how to respond to this side of Seifer, he was being manipulative, Zell knew that much, but it was a definite shock to Zell's system and was getting him off balance.

"Come on, I'll even call you by your name the whole time we're training" Seifer smirked again, viridian eyes glittering. Zell frowned. He'd once told Irvine he'd do almost anything to get Seifer to stop calling him bird names, could it be the gunblader had caught wind of it? It would only be for a few hours, but still, Seifer Almasy calling Zell Dintch by name, it was too much to pass up.

"First name?" asked Zell through narrowed eyes, Seifer did occasionally call him by his second.

"Hoping you wouldn't have caught that Chicky" he smirked, "but alright, you un-juctioned?" he asked.

"Yeah" said Zell warily, eyeing the taller blonde with distrust.

"Great, bet I can kill a T-Rexataur without any help!" he said turning and walking ahead. Zell followed at a distance. 'What the hell is going on?' he asked of himself hopelessly.