Disclaimer: Squaresoft's Characters. My plot.

'Woah. The colours are all swirling...and I don't think I've ever seen that colour ever before...cool. I wanna chase them...I wanna catch them...why can't I move? Eyes open.. Hrmm...eyes open...now?' Zell winced at the sudden bright light and managed to mumble something nearly incoherent about turning them off. Thankfully, someone got the idea and the bright white light designed to cause pain in Zell's brain winked out, leaving a soft yellow glow from other lights. "S'better." 'Why am I slurring my words? I didn't drink anything tonight...' "S'where?" Zell closed his eyes and waited for the world to explain itself and apologize for the inconvenience

"He seems all right now Doctor, can we take him out yet?" Hmm. Feminine voice, young, somewhat innocent...Selphie!

"Calm down and relax before I tranq you myself. Just need to give him time to adjust" Comforting voice, thats easy, its the Doctor.

"C'mon and sit down with me. Told ya we shoulda just waited for the Doctor to call us when he's awake" Slight drawl, bit of discomfort...a cranky and tired Irvine. 'Well done brain. You've not let me down yet...except for why we're HERE!'

As Zell plumbed the depths of his mind for the answer to his reason for being in the current location, Selphie began to pace and mutter angrily. Risking another burst of Evil Light, Zell blinked open his eyelids and tried to speak clearly. "Where? Why?" Zell closed his eyes, and was suprised at himself. Tired out after a few words...its just wrong. Evil. Nasty. Dark. Delicio- nope. Not that one. Hungry though. Want food...after answer.

As Zell mentally ran through things Irvine drawled from his corner. "Doctor came on shift, and there you were, bleeding all over the table. We were called to come assist." Irvine's voice held only the slightest hint of regret of what was interupted before continuing, "Doctor found gunpowder on the sword wounds, so either you were playing with ammo and knives, or dueling with Squall..."

"Se-Seifer." Weak voice. Weak voice bad. Want water. "Wat-er" Talk about service, Zell thought as a cool glass was pressed into his upheld hand. A few careful sips later, Zell put the glass down and opened his eyes fully for the first time and blinked everything into clarity.

Selphie was glaring. That was bad. Selphie almost never glares. Glaring is bad. "I'm going to find that little rat and squeeze his neck till his head pops off!" Selphie stormed out, followed quickly by Irvine. As the two left, Squall entered, and Zell realized he had been waiting outside the whole time.

"Don't worry Zell. We'll find how Seifer snuck aboard and why he assaulted you" Squall's tone was even, if a bit upset sounding to Zell

"I believe you should take my patient for lunch in the Cafeteria first. I think it is hotdog day." The doctor smiled as Zell bounced from the bed, pulled his slashed shirt on and was attempting to drag the leather-bound SeeD commander out the door.

Quistis and Selphie waved to get Zell and Squall's attention, while Irvine, taking advantage of the distraction, stole one of Quistis's cupcakes. Grabbing a pair of trays Squall told Zell to go sit and he'd bring lunch. Shrugging, pleased at the attention, Zell obeyed. At least, up until he saw Seifer sitting at another table with Raijin, Fujin and an empty chair. Moving as carefully and quietly as he could, Zell swung into the chair before any of the Disciplinary Committee could say anything to stop him. "So Chicken-Wuss, back among the living I see." Seifer's tone was calm, cool, and different from normal. It took Zell a moment to recognize what was different. There was no scorn, and the slightest bit of respect in his tone now. Zell didn't know whether to be estatic, scared, or indifferent. And then, he stammered out an affirmative as he realized he had just been staring at the table while thinking.

"Up for another training session sometime, Seifer?" Zell asked quietly, trying his best to sound indifferent (and failing completely) to what the answer would be.

"Sure, Chicken-Wuss. Soon as your all healed up again." Zell was relieved. He had half expected to be laughed away from the table. Then of course, he noticed some of the wrappings around Seifer's chest.

"Ah, did you break anything while we were...?"

"Two ribs on the right, one on the left. You hit hard for a Chicken you know." Zell couldn't help but note that when Seifer called him a name now, it was...friendly. Freaky, he thought.

"I best be going before the others see me here, they think you attac-" Zell was cut off by lightning bolt hitting the table, directly infront of Seifer.

"Leave him alone Seifer. I don't know what you think your doing back here after what you did, but..."

"Squall, he's a SeeD too. And he didn't attack me." Now that set Squall rocking back on his heels slightly, which Seifer quickly took advantage of.

"Captain Seifer, as of this morning actually. Only a few more promotions before your taking my orders." How did someone actually manage to make a sentence sound like a smirk? He'd have to ask Seifer sometime, Zell noted as he got up.

"Lets go to our table Squall, I don't want to have trouble caused over me..." His tone was quiet, subdued, none of the usual over-abundant energy overflowing into his speech. That alone was enought to get Squall to cast one more glare at the three still seated before turning and striding back to the usual table, where Zell was immedietly interrogated by his friends.

"What the hell?" Irvine hissed.

"Since when are you Seifer are talking terms with each others?" Selphie ventured...

"Since last night, when we ran into each other training."

"And you usually wake up in the infirmiry when you train?

"No, but it was an accident!" The enthusiasm was back in Zell's tone, though before last night, he never would have considered arguing for Seifer so passionately. Funny how an hour or two can change so much, he mused to himself as he absently answered the rest of the trio's questions about last night.