**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy or its characters…***All standard disclaimers apply
He sank to the ground and he tasted the mix of blood and dirt on his lips. His body ached—moving was too difficult—three of his ribs were broken and his right arm felt dislocated… His ears were ringing with the sounds of the arena crowd cheering:
"GO! COME ON! SEIFER! SEIFER! SEIRFER! ZELL, COME ON!"
From the corner of his eye, Zell saw Seifer with his gunblade high in the air, encouraging the crowd, from the middle of the arena. Pure fury raged in Zell's badly beaten body and he closed his eyes with a mixture of hate and shame. A few tears wielded up in his eyes due to the stinging pain from the open wounds on his face that was now covered in the arena grit— a mixture of fine sand, salt, and dirt made the ground they stood on.
With an amused expression, Seifer pointed the tip of his gunblade to Zell and he faced the crowd in the stands, "HEAR ME ALL! SHALL I WRAP THIS MAN IN THE SACRED FLAMES AND IMMERSION HIM WITH IT?!"
Half the crowd screamed in anticipation, while others rooted for Zell to overcome, but nevertheless, they were all feeding on Seifer's every word. Seifer knelt down before Zell and spoke low enough so, every word, reached Zell's ears only.
"See Chicken Wuss? What made you think you were a match for me, a commander of the Soldiers of Vánagandr? This isn't the Balamb Garden. There is no Squall fighting beside you— protecting you! No instructor Trepe to sweep in and save you! And to think! you actually tried to challenge me, as useless as you are…?! I find it quite hilarious that you requested this match. Did you actually think you were going to win? Now I have no choice but to have you taste fire. To teach you that I am not an opponent to take lightly and show you...how weak you truly are."
Seifer raised his right hand that was instantly immersed in flames from the Firaga spell he was casting and placed it a few inches from Zell's face.
"STOP! STOP NOW!" Shouted a booming voice from the arena loudspeakers. Zell turned his head slightly to see Squall,the referees, and a medic team run out on the arena floor.
The crowd began to protest, screaming Seifer and Zell's name... Some wanting Seifer to finish his spell and others rooting for Zell to get up and finish the fight. Soon, the audience began fighting among themselves and the arena drowned in noise. Fists were flying, people started pushing and swearing at one another until large projection screens appeared in front of them; floating in the air. With everyone's attention drawn to it, President Laguna appeared on them, in high definition. His voice boomed and echoed from loudspeakers and the crowd cheered again, crying his name.
"Hey All! Sorry for the interruptions! I hope you're all enjoying the battle arena, designed for some of the greatest warriors across the land, to stretch their legs and fight for a good cause! A lot of destruction has happen around the world, earlier this year, and the proceeds for this event goes to the towns that can not afford —"
Seeing Squall run in on his match and the emergency broadcast message Laguna projected, Zell was angrier than ever. They're trying to stop this fight! he thought, blocking the spasmodic pain that fluttered all over him. I rather go down in flames than be rescued like this!
Seifer's words echoed in his head over and over again, about him being weak and how Squall and the others needed to protect him...But...Was Seifer right? Was he weak, regardless, of all the SeeD training throughout the years? Was he a loser who constantly needed his friends to save him? These were the thoughts that came to Zell's mind as he saw Squall tackling Seifer to the ground.
It's not true! Zell's thoughts raced in a panic, it's not true! IT'S NOT TRUE!
Zell stood up and pushed the referees and medics that began to surround him with the last bit of strength he had left in his body. "STOP! I CAN FINISH THIS! I CAN FINISH THIS FIGHT! DON'T STOP IT! DON'T STOP THIS MATCH! I'LL HUNT ANYONE DOWN WHO TRIES TO STOP THIS MATCH! I SWEAR IT!"
It took ten medics to hold him down till his strength waned and he fell under the pressure, "Let go of me!"
"Quiet you!" Snapped a middle-aged woman medic. She began to injected him with some type of, pain killer sedative, in his thigh that made him instantly tired. As his whole body grew numb, the pain gradually subsided. Zell stared up at the sky, because there was nothing he could do now.
The woman medic looked down at him and shook her head with disbelief "It's a miracle you still had that much strength, in this state, but then again, you're a member of SeeD."
As his vision blurred and his consciousness fading, all he kept trying to say to the air…
"…It's not true."
"Seifer! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Squall shouted, as he tackled Seifer to the ground. The both of them wrestled around, until the referees pulled them apart. Seifer, smiled and wiped the dirt from his charcoal-colored pants and casually raised his hand up to stop the referees from engaging further.
Squall retrieved his gunblade which he dropped in the scuffle and turned to the refs, "I'll handle him. Make sure Zell is taken care of and let the President know that I'll personally handle this matter until he calms the audience..."
The refs nodded and hurried in different directions following Squall's instructions.
Squall faced Seifer, murderously.
"There's no need for all that! Come on now. I was just having some fun. I wasn't gonna torch him, not yet, anyway" Seifer said laughing.
Squall drew his gunblade and took a defensive stand in front of Zell while he was getting attended by the emergency medics. Squall pointed the tip of his blade towards Seifer.
"Oh, come on Squall! What the hell?!" Seifer laughed so hard he stumbled back, "Are you serious? You can't take a joke? I know our friendship hit some bumps on the road in the past… but we trained in the same Garden for years and you're drawing your weapon at me with such malicious intentions?"
"Hasn't stop me before." Squall said, monotonously, "And we were never friends, Seifer. Need I remind you that the 'bumps on the road' you mentioned, were the many times you have tried to kill me and my friends with malicious intentions" Squall took a step forward.
"Oh, that?! Don't tell me you're still mad about that?!" Seifer raised his gunblade and slammed the tip of the blade into the ground. He reached in his back pocket and retrieved a small silver cigarette case, "It's not very mature of you to hold a grudge on such small, trivial matters like that!" He then grabbed a cigarette and placed it in his mouth and lit it with a flame that ignited on the tip of his index finger, "Get over it already."
"Seifer these events are not death matches" Squall said as he watched his old adversaries' movements carefully. "This is nothing more than a contest— a test of strength for warriors, held in good will. You were told this, when you and your men were invited to Esthar to participate. Right?"
Seifer quickly whipped the cigarette from his mouth, "What?! I was totally acting in good will! He wanted to fight me so I fought 'em! Very fair and possibly square." Chuckling at his own words Seifer brought the cigarette to his mouth and took a few drags.
"You butchered him!" Squall yelled, shaking, containing his anger.
"Excuse me! I fought him, he lost. The point of this 'test of strength' is that he must fight me with all he got and I fight him with all I got. Right? I was doing Chicken Wuss a favor. That last bit, with the fire, was to entertain the crowd! But if there is anyone to blame for Chicken Wuss' trip to the infirmary, it's his own. For not being strong enough."
"Seifer, what is this new power you have?" Squall finally asked. "I was watching your battle with Zell…How are you able to do—?"
For a moment, Seifer just smiled with traces of white smoke rolling off his lips. His eyes were darker than Squall remembered, fierce and menacing. But something was off. This was not the same Seifer he had known and fought against back when Ultimecia threaten the world with time compressing darkness, six months ago.
Since then, Squall hadn't seen or heard of him. Then last month, Seifer emerges as a 'commander' for this new 'Soldiers of Vánagandr 'organization. This group came on to the scene in Galbadia and has been taking work away from the Garden in that area.
"Geez Squall, whatever do you mean?"
At that moment a shadow appeared behind Seifer, which looked like an outline giant four legged animal, close to a wolf. The glowing yellow eyes from the shadow beast appeared on Seifer's, and both the beast and Seifer smiled in unison.
Then it suddenly vanished.
"You must mean the smoking?" Seifer said immediately after that, "I know it's a bad habit, but what the hell, right! We only live once."
Squall just stood there, stunned; "What... Has happened to you?"
Just then, a swarm of Esthar soldiers surrounded Seifer and Squall. Zell, was placed on a stretcher and heading towards the medical unit. The soldiers parted to let President Laguna Loire through with Ward and Kiros by his side.
Laguna smiled warmly at Squall then turned to Seifer,
"So, Seifer, Right?" Laguna scratched the back of his head in apprehensiveness, "I'm Laguna Loire, the President here...And I have to say: Man, you were impressive! But a tad excessive. You see, well—Wow, you know, you're scary up close like this—you didn't seem so eerie and crazy from far! I gotta get those cameras checked to zoom in more!"
Ward, Kiros and Squall shook their heads in shame at Laguna's sophomoric statement, while Seifer just stared at them, dumbfounded. Kiros cleared his throat and walked in front of Laguna, "What our President is trying to say is that your reckless behavior in that last match could have caused a death. We had asked all participants to refrain from excessive violence. Saying this, you violated our rules. We have no choice but to remove, you and the other Soldiers of Vánagandr, from our festivities. Please, leave at once or force maybe used to remove you."
Seifer, smiled and just bowed to Kiros, "I'm oh so, very sorry. It shan't happen again. The last thing I would want is a problem with the infamous Esthar." Laughing, Seifer walked over to the group of men and one woman standing on the sidelines, all dressed in dark red coats of the Vánagandr.
Looking back Seifer shouted to Squall, "I'm not mad about Rinoa! You can have my sloppy seconds, anytime!"
Ward, Kiros, and Laguna held Squall back, as he was about to charge after him.
Seifer smiled and signal for his group to leave... and they all did.
They all exited the arena without a word…