Author's note: Okay, few notes. One I promise this is gonna be a Quell, but it's definitely a more undertoned, subtle Quell. Two, I'm really sorry for taking such long breaks between chapters. Finally, Caleb Nova, you as a fellow author, you should know that a character is only a perception, a character is only what you make them in your story and what you make them in your mind. Finally, you and I both know that Squaresoft owns it, and had they wanted to, completely out of character, could have made Squall "chuckle nervously". Besides, he's a changed man as I'm sure you know. Anyway, I don't mean to bawl you out or anything, especially when you were kind enough to review, I just wanted to bring that point up. So, Everyone, thanks for the reviews. Specifically, I want to thank Tempest Child for reading ever since the beginning, and HeartOvaLion because I've noticed how you've been advertising my fics. Thanks for your tremendous amount of support. Until next time,
GrayFox
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The sun cast it's rays on her eyes slowly, lovingly and she opened them, sat up, yawned sweetly and stretched. She looked at the brown-haired man next to her. A smile crossed her lips and she thought to herself, a few more hours of cuddling couldn't hurt.
When she awoke the second time, her lover was brushing the hair out of her face, and gently kissing her on the forehead.
"mmm…Squall, I love you." Rinoa said drowsily.
"I love you too, honey." Squall said, kissing her.
"Those underwear look so good on you." Rinoa laughed. Squall smiled.
"Let's get up." Squall motioned towards the bathroom.
Rinoa swung her legs out of bed and wrapped her arms around her man. Squall led her to their dresser and grabbed her clothes and threw them to her. Squall grabbed his clothes and quickly got dressed.
Rinoa opened the door to their dorm and walked out with Squall following her. They walked hand in hand, down the hallway, they were meeting Selphie and Irvine for breakfast at 9:00. It was 8:50. As they headed towards the cafeteria, they saw Headmaster Cid walking their direction, his nose in a newspaper.
"Hey Cid." Rinoa said kindly. Cid looked up from the paper and smiled at the girl.
"Hello Rinoa." Cid said cordially. "How are you two feeling today?"
"Good, real good." Rinoa responded politely. "And yourself?"
"Wore out, I feel a little bad, and Edea feels horrible." Cid said exhaustedly.
"About?" Squall asked curiously.
"About…Zell." Cid replied.
"Oh, I feel terrible about that too." Rinoa said sadly.
"That boy. Always seemed like he was searching for something here." Cid said reminiscently.
"What do you mean?" Rinoa asked worriedly.
"In his eyes, that look of longing, quite sad really…a tragedy honestly." Cid said dejectedly.
"Yeah, well, we're looking after him." Rinoa said compassionately.
"Right, I don't mean to offend but, if nothing else, that's one thing off your minds." Cid said trying to bring out the positive.
"What is?" Squall asked confused.
"Zell." Cid said nonchalantly.
"Why would he be?" Squall asked pessimistically.
"Oh no…he didn't tell you, he told me he talked to you…" Cid rambled.
"Tell us what?" Rinoa asked urgently.
"Zell left this morning, around 5:00." Cid whispered.
"No…oh no, get Selphie and Irvine, quickly Squall." Rinoa said in dismay.
Squall took off towards the cafeteria.
"Stay here Cid. I'll go find Quistis." Rinoa yelled back as she ran.
* * *
Squall shot into the cafeteria and saw Irvine and Selphie. Their attention was drawn by the noise as Squall ran into the room.
"Come on, Zell left garden this morning." Squall yelled critically.
Selphie jumped up and ran after Squall, it took a second for what he heard to register in Irvine's ears. When it did, he leapt out of his chair and bounded after Squall and Selphie.
* * *
Rinoa wasn't so lucky, she knocked feverishly on Quistis' door. No one answered, she couldn't wait any longer and she started back towards Cid.
* * *
The four teenagers converged on Cid's location, all breathing heavily.
"Let me explain, Zell told me that he talked to you guys about leaving garden, he asked to borrow a car and I granted it without question. He also asked me to have you guys go to pick up his car from the Deling City airport, he said he was leaving something for you guys in the car."
"Forget the story, did he leave any location where he was going?" Irvine asked peevishly.
Cid shook his head.
They all sighed.
"He could be anywhere by now…" Selphie said morosely.
They all sat on the lip of the fountain's surrounding pool. Cid sat on the bench across from them.
"Cid, start from the beginning." Squall said sullenly.
* * *
Zell's items lay sprawled around him. "I can only take my most prized items."
Zell grabbed the picture of him and his friends, taken after the defeat of Ultimecia. He grabbed his gloves, his combat kings and his gel.
"There, the rest is expendable, it doesn't matter what I take now." Zell said to himself.
He finished packing, slung one bag over his shoulder, picked up another bag and headed for the door.
He calmly walked towards the elevator, and hit the third floor button.
As the elevator doors opened, he knocked on the door to Cid's office. "Come in." Cid called.
Zell opened the door and walked inside.
"Sorry to bother you, sir." Zell said apologetically.
"Ah, must be a business visit." Cid said laughing slightly to himself.
"Why would you say that sir?" Zell asked.
"Zell, you only call me sir, when it's a formal situation and when you're talking business. So, what is it, Zell?" Cid questioned.
"I…I want to resign from SeeD." Zell said in a hushed voice.
"Why would you want to do that, Zell?" Cid asked incredulously.
"I'm leaving garden, so I wanna resign." Zell responded with a little more confidence.
"Zell, It's not left to my discretion, but are you sure you really want to leave?" Cid inquired skeptically.
"Yes, sir. I've already talked to my friends about it. I was wondering if I could borrow a car, leave it at the Deling airport and have my friends pick it up." Zell requested.
"Absolutely, I'll have Squall pick it up later." Cid promised.
"Make sure that Rinoa, Selphie, Irvine, Quistis and Seifer come with him. I'm going to leave some personal items for them in the car." Zell beseeched.
"Zell, meet me at the front gate in 15 minutes. I'm going to tell Edea and I want to see you off personally, you've earned a SeeD's farewell, but Zell, if you ever change your mind, there is always a spot here for you at Balamb Garden ." Cid divulged benevolently.
Zell nodded his head, he still couldn't believe what he was doing. He walked in silence towards the elevator. He rode it down and went to the front gate to wait for Cid and Edea.
Zell smiled slowly, a bittersweet smile, as he watched the sun rise over the plains, how many times he had seen that sight and wanted to be with his friends to watch it. His friends, how could he live without them, they were his family, he wasn't leaving his friends. He was leaving his brothers and sisters. A tear crept down his cheek as he saw the sun rise until it lit up the whole plains, and it snuck into Balamb Garden, tugging at eyelids, and hitting shades.
"Ten-hut." Cid voiced said behind him. Zell turned around to see a group of SeeDs, the early morning shift, standing at attention, in full SeeD dress, saluting Zell as he looked incredulously at them.
In front of the SeeDs, stood Cid and Edea.
Looking at these SeeDs, and Cid and Edea, he realized why he couldn't say goodbye to his friends. He looked around him, at his home and school, those around him and all he saw was that he couldn't leave his friends with a bad goodbye.
Zell's hand shot up to his forehead, in a formal salute. Cid did the same. Zell snapped his hand down, and Cid did the same.
"Zell, this is your resignation, but you always have a place with SeeD and a place at Balamb." Cid said smiling softly.
Zell looked to Edea and could see tears rolling down her cheeks. Zell dropped his bag and ran up to hug her. She threw her arms around him, kissing his forehead.
"Oh my baby, I wish you would stay." Edea said, as she hugged Zell tighter.
"It's something I have to do." Zell said and added. "I'll miss you so much, I love you."
"I love you too, Zell Dincht. You take care of yourself, and promise you'll visit." Edea rambled. Zell nodded and let go of her.
Zell turned to the man who had been his only father figure for so long.
Cid's hand went out and Zell eagerly took it, trying to regain his composure.
Zell pulled the man into an embrace, and Cid happily returned it. Despite himself, Zell started to cry, tears poured down his face.
"Cid…you've always been a father to me…I can't thank you enough for your guidance, and love…You've always been there. I'll miss you more than you'll ever know."
"No, Zell…I'll miss you more than you could possibly fathom." Cid responded.
Zell stopped embracing the man and with a wave of his hand, picked up his bag, walked off to the car parked there, he never faltered, never looked back, and he felt himself die inside.
"Oh Cid, this is so sad, I can't believe this is happening, it's like…it's like…" Edea started.
"It's like losing a son." Cid whispered. He grabbed his wife and pulled her towards him and they cried together, they had lost a member of their family.
* * *
(What am I doing. I'll miss my friends too much. I could just go back right now and talk to them about what's wrong…Am I too much of a coward to talk to my friends.) Zell thought as he drove towards Deling City.
"What's stopping me from turning around right now, a few hard feelings!" Zell yelled at himself angrily.
(…and a few ghosts that still haunt me.) Zell thought dejectedly.
He got out of the car, and walked to the terminal doors.
He sat down at a little restaurant and started to write letters to his friends. He sealed them off, walked back to the car, placed them in an envelope and put them in the glove compartment. He slowly headed for gate D6.
* * *
"That was the last I talked to him, he told me I was like a father to him and drove off." Cid concluded.
"So he told you to send us to pick up the car?" Selphie asked.
"Yes, he specifically stated that he wanted you four, Quistis, and Seifer to pick the car up." Cid remarked.
"We've gotta go find Quisty." Selphie said.
* * *
The four sped off without so much as a farewell to Cid.
Interestingly, she was with Seifer. Then hadn't left each other's side since the party last night. Seifer had given her his bed and he offered to sleep on the floor, but she insisted he sleep next to her and he did so.
Now they were sitting holding each other, in the courtyard, the sunbeams caressing their faces.
Selphie, Rinoa, Irvine and Squall stopped at the sight. They didn't want to disrupt the scene, it was completely serene. However, Zell was more important than any scene and Rinoa made sure that Quistis would know, tactfully of course.
Rinoa slowly walked and sat down next to Quistis. Quistis looked to her friend, a joyous smile on her face, and Rinoa spoke softly so only Quistis and Seifer could hear.
It took a moment, but the realization of what Rinoa had just said finally hit Quistis.
"Oh no." Quistis cried, her hand covering her open mouth. Rinoa told her what had happened and where they would be going.
* * *
The ride was filled with an awkward silence, as each person thought about their memories of Zell. When they finally reached Deling airport and saw the Balamb Garden car and parked next to it, none of them wanted to get out.
Finally, Squall opened the door and closed it as he walked over to the Garden vehicle. He opened the door and saw that the glove compartment was open. In it, were the car keys and an envelope marked in beautiful calligraphy. Squall signaled the rest of the gang over. They all got out of the car and stood in a circle and they looked at the envelope Squall was holding.
It was marked, "To My Dearest Friends".
That was when it hit them, Zell was really gone and he wasn't coming back. The shocked expressions littered their faces and the morale of the gang continued to drop rapidly as Squall opened the envelope. Inside were six letters, each with a name on it. A card also dropped out of the envelope, and Irvine picked it up.
"Anything of mine I left, is yours, you can have it, I love you guys, Goodbye, Zell Dincht." Irvine read aloud.
Squall handed out the letters to the addressed, and started to say that he thought it was best if they shared them.
Rinoa almost instantly contradicted him.
"No Squall, these are his last personal goodbyes and maybe the last thing we'll ever have or remember of him. I think it should be a personal thing, to be kept to ourselves, unless of course, you want to share yours." Rinoa commented sincerely.
* * *
Irvine looked down at his letter. Irvine looked at the marks on it, and slowly opened the letter and pulled out the note inside. He started to read:
Irvine,
I keep telling myself, this is the right thing to do
I was wasting my time, waiting on dreams that just weren't coming true
And this old highway seems to understand, leading me on to somewhere,
Somewhere where no one knows my name.
Irv, what I need to do
Is turn this car around
And drive as fast as I can
Until I see the lights of my hometown
And run to her, take her in my arms
Make her see how sorry I am,
Well, it shouldn't be so hard
But…I drive on, and on…
Knowing what I need to do.
Irvine, I'm telling you this for one reason,
Don't make the same mistake I did,
Hold Selphie tight and make sure she knows you love her
I should've with Quistis, but I was too naïve
I waited too long… don't make my mistake
Know what you need to do and do it.
Your friend,
Zell Dincht.
* * *
Selphie looked at the letter in front of her and pulled the note out of it, she was worried about what it would say.
Selphie,
I'm sitting here, right next to gate D6, I'm about to get on a plane, and fly away.
I wish I could say I wasn't sad, I'll be alright but I can't.
I would say oh, I'm happy I'm leaving, it was time.
I can't write this without shedding a tear,
I want you to know how much I appreciate you.
So many times your smile would be the only thing that kept me going
I also don't think you hear that enough,
But I want you to know that, everyone, appreciates you for being you.
So I expect you to do your best to be optimistic and point out the good things about me being gone. I will miss you terribly,
Your friend,
Zell Dincht
Selphie whispered to herself as tears began to pour down her face, "There are no good things."
* * *
Seifer looked at the letter in his hands in disbelief. Why someone who he had mistreated every since he'd known him would leave him a letter, was mind boggling. He opened it cautiously, waiting for a string of expletives. But he got:
Seifer,
I have one piece of advice:
Take care of her, and cherish her.
She's the greatest gift anyone could have.
I'm happy for you two,
I'll return to see your kids, I promise.
Seifer, despite all the animosity between us,
I've always wanted to call you a friend,
So I'm hoping now we can lay that to rest
And in me leaving, finally be friends.
Your friend, (whether you like it or not)
Zell Dincht
Seifer never knew what an eloquent person Zell was and he couldn't help but smile at the letter, and something that had never happened before, happened, Seifer cried.
* * *
Quistis stared at the letter from the man she could've been in love with and she almost cried right then, but she composed herself long enough to open the letter, and started to weep uncontrollably as she read it:
Quistis,
When it comes to love, I've had my doubts
But when we met, my heart checked out,
And like a silly crush, I knew it when we touched
I'm already loving you too much…
Mind and Body, Heart and Soul
You came in and took control,
Oh, what a rush, this is powerful stuff
I'm already loving you too much
We've known each other for so long and it pains me deeply to say goodbye…
Who knows where I'll go from here
I'm too far gone to see it clear
So my heart I'll have to trust
And hope that it's enough
Cause I'm already loving you
There's nothing left for me to do
I'm already loving you too much
I love you,
Zell Dincht
* * *
Squall couldn't help but look at his letter in anticipated terror. He opened it slowly, worried of what it might say.
Squall,
Squall, we've been through a lot together
Being friends, Saving the world,
Meeting girls, Hanging out
Oh wait, scratch that last one
All the times we could've had together
Awake me all the time and after suggesting so many things for us to do
And getting shot down so many times, I realized that I must've done something wrong
Yet, I can't stop, hope upon hope, dream upon dream, thinking
That maybe in a different place, and a different time, we could've been friends
I'm sitting here with a beer in my hands, so here's a toast to us,
And the friendship we could've had,
Your "Best" friend,
Zell Dincht
* * *
Finally, as Rinoa opened her letter she couldn't help but feel apprehension. She knew that she would never get over him leaving and that scared her.
Rinoa,
You have always been kind to me, stuck up for me and supported me when I was in need.
I know now, that angels truly exist on this planet. I just can't thank you enough for your consideration and sincere like of me, despite all the others. It's nice to know, at least, one person likes me, anyway, I will miss your benevolence and gentle nature.
I try, I try to..
I pretend that I'm glad I went away,
With these four walls closing more every day
And I'm dying inside
And nobody knows it but me
Like a clown, I put on a show,
The pain is real even if nobody knows
And I'm crying inside
And nobody knows it but me
Why didn't I say, the things I needed to say…
The nights are lonely, the days are so sad
And I'm missing you
And nobody knows it but me
How blue can I get,
You can ask my heart
A million words couldn't say just how I feel
The nights are lonely, the days are so sad
I just keep thinking about the love we could've had
And I'm missing her
And nobody knows it but me
To my Angelic friend,
I love you Rin…
Your Friend,
Zell Dincht
* * *
Rinoa stared at the words on her letter for a long time and as she started to cry, she yearned for him to return, to hold her the way that made her feel special, like she was the best friend in the world, like she was needed by him, that exact way that gave her as well as him…someone to hold.
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Author's Notes: Okay, few more notes. How do you like my shameless reference to my other fanfic? Anyway, don't worry this is still going to be a Quell. Finally, Rinoa and Zell are not in love like you may think. They're madly in love in the way only two extremely close friends of the opposite sex can be. That doesn't mean a girlfriend/boyfriend relationship but a very, very close friendship, because they both find something they need in each other. So, don't read too much into it. Thanks for reading.
GrayFox474
GrayFox
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The sun cast it's rays on her eyes slowly, lovingly and she opened them, sat up, yawned sweetly and stretched. She looked at the brown-haired man next to her. A smile crossed her lips and she thought to herself, a few more hours of cuddling couldn't hurt.
When she awoke the second time, her lover was brushing the hair out of her face, and gently kissing her on the forehead.
"mmm…Squall, I love you." Rinoa said drowsily.
"I love you too, honey." Squall said, kissing her.
"Those underwear look so good on you." Rinoa laughed. Squall smiled.
"Let's get up." Squall motioned towards the bathroom.
Rinoa swung her legs out of bed and wrapped her arms around her man. Squall led her to their dresser and grabbed her clothes and threw them to her. Squall grabbed his clothes and quickly got dressed.
Rinoa opened the door to their dorm and walked out with Squall following her. They walked hand in hand, down the hallway, they were meeting Selphie and Irvine for breakfast at 9:00. It was 8:50. As they headed towards the cafeteria, they saw Headmaster Cid walking their direction, his nose in a newspaper.
"Hey Cid." Rinoa said kindly. Cid looked up from the paper and smiled at the girl.
"Hello Rinoa." Cid said cordially. "How are you two feeling today?"
"Good, real good." Rinoa responded politely. "And yourself?"
"Wore out, I feel a little bad, and Edea feels horrible." Cid said exhaustedly.
"About?" Squall asked curiously.
"About…Zell." Cid replied.
"Oh, I feel terrible about that too." Rinoa said sadly.
"That boy. Always seemed like he was searching for something here." Cid said reminiscently.
"What do you mean?" Rinoa asked worriedly.
"In his eyes, that look of longing, quite sad really…a tragedy honestly." Cid said dejectedly.
"Yeah, well, we're looking after him." Rinoa said compassionately.
"Right, I don't mean to offend but, if nothing else, that's one thing off your minds." Cid said trying to bring out the positive.
"What is?" Squall asked confused.
"Zell." Cid said nonchalantly.
"Why would he be?" Squall asked pessimistically.
"Oh no…he didn't tell you, he told me he talked to you…" Cid rambled.
"Tell us what?" Rinoa asked urgently.
"Zell left this morning, around 5:00." Cid whispered.
"No…oh no, get Selphie and Irvine, quickly Squall." Rinoa said in dismay.
Squall took off towards the cafeteria.
"Stay here Cid. I'll go find Quistis." Rinoa yelled back as she ran.
* * *
Squall shot into the cafeteria and saw Irvine and Selphie. Their attention was drawn by the noise as Squall ran into the room.
"Come on, Zell left garden this morning." Squall yelled critically.
Selphie jumped up and ran after Squall, it took a second for what he heard to register in Irvine's ears. When it did, he leapt out of his chair and bounded after Squall and Selphie.
* * *
Rinoa wasn't so lucky, she knocked feverishly on Quistis' door. No one answered, she couldn't wait any longer and she started back towards Cid.
* * *
The four teenagers converged on Cid's location, all breathing heavily.
"Let me explain, Zell told me that he talked to you guys about leaving garden, he asked to borrow a car and I granted it without question. He also asked me to have you guys go to pick up his car from the Deling City airport, he said he was leaving something for you guys in the car."
"Forget the story, did he leave any location where he was going?" Irvine asked peevishly.
Cid shook his head.
They all sighed.
"He could be anywhere by now…" Selphie said morosely.
They all sat on the lip of the fountain's surrounding pool. Cid sat on the bench across from them.
"Cid, start from the beginning." Squall said sullenly.
* * *
Zell's items lay sprawled around him. "I can only take my most prized items."
Zell grabbed the picture of him and his friends, taken after the defeat of Ultimecia. He grabbed his gloves, his combat kings and his gel.
"There, the rest is expendable, it doesn't matter what I take now." Zell said to himself.
He finished packing, slung one bag over his shoulder, picked up another bag and headed for the door.
He calmly walked towards the elevator, and hit the third floor button.
As the elevator doors opened, he knocked on the door to Cid's office. "Come in." Cid called.
Zell opened the door and walked inside.
"Sorry to bother you, sir." Zell said apologetically.
"Ah, must be a business visit." Cid said laughing slightly to himself.
"Why would you say that sir?" Zell asked.
"Zell, you only call me sir, when it's a formal situation and when you're talking business. So, what is it, Zell?" Cid questioned.
"I…I want to resign from SeeD." Zell said in a hushed voice.
"Why would you want to do that, Zell?" Cid asked incredulously.
"I'm leaving garden, so I wanna resign." Zell responded with a little more confidence.
"Zell, It's not left to my discretion, but are you sure you really want to leave?" Cid inquired skeptically.
"Yes, sir. I've already talked to my friends about it. I was wondering if I could borrow a car, leave it at the Deling airport and have my friends pick it up." Zell requested.
"Absolutely, I'll have Squall pick it up later." Cid promised.
"Make sure that Rinoa, Selphie, Irvine, Quistis and Seifer come with him. I'm going to leave some personal items for them in the car." Zell beseeched.
"Zell, meet me at the front gate in 15 minutes. I'm going to tell Edea and I want to see you off personally, you've earned a SeeD's farewell, but Zell, if you ever change your mind, there is always a spot here for you at Balamb Garden ." Cid divulged benevolently.
Zell nodded his head, he still couldn't believe what he was doing. He walked in silence towards the elevator. He rode it down and went to the front gate to wait for Cid and Edea.
Zell smiled slowly, a bittersweet smile, as he watched the sun rise over the plains, how many times he had seen that sight and wanted to be with his friends to watch it. His friends, how could he live without them, they were his family, he wasn't leaving his friends. He was leaving his brothers and sisters. A tear crept down his cheek as he saw the sun rise until it lit up the whole plains, and it snuck into Balamb Garden, tugging at eyelids, and hitting shades.
"Ten-hut." Cid voiced said behind him. Zell turned around to see a group of SeeDs, the early morning shift, standing at attention, in full SeeD dress, saluting Zell as he looked incredulously at them.
In front of the SeeDs, stood Cid and Edea.
Looking at these SeeDs, and Cid and Edea, he realized why he couldn't say goodbye to his friends. He looked around him, at his home and school, those around him and all he saw was that he couldn't leave his friends with a bad goodbye.
Zell's hand shot up to his forehead, in a formal salute. Cid did the same. Zell snapped his hand down, and Cid did the same.
"Zell, this is your resignation, but you always have a place with SeeD and a place at Balamb." Cid said smiling softly.
Zell looked to Edea and could see tears rolling down her cheeks. Zell dropped his bag and ran up to hug her. She threw her arms around him, kissing his forehead.
"Oh my baby, I wish you would stay." Edea said, as she hugged Zell tighter.
"It's something I have to do." Zell said and added. "I'll miss you so much, I love you."
"I love you too, Zell Dincht. You take care of yourself, and promise you'll visit." Edea rambled. Zell nodded and let go of her.
Zell turned to the man who had been his only father figure for so long.
Cid's hand went out and Zell eagerly took it, trying to regain his composure.
Zell pulled the man into an embrace, and Cid happily returned it. Despite himself, Zell started to cry, tears poured down his face.
"Cid…you've always been a father to me…I can't thank you enough for your guidance, and love…You've always been there. I'll miss you more than you'll ever know."
"No, Zell…I'll miss you more than you could possibly fathom." Cid responded.
Zell stopped embracing the man and with a wave of his hand, picked up his bag, walked off to the car parked there, he never faltered, never looked back, and he felt himself die inside.
"Oh Cid, this is so sad, I can't believe this is happening, it's like…it's like…" Edea started.
"It's like losing a son." Cid whispered. He grabbed his wife and pulled her towards him and they cried together, they had lost a member of their family.
* * *
(What am I doing. I'll miss my friends too much. I could just go back right now and talk to them about what's wrong…Am I too much of a coward to talk to my friends.) Zell thought as he drove towards Deling City.
"What's stopping me from turning around right now, a few hard feelings!" Zell yelled at himself angrily.
(…and a few ghosts that still haunt me.) Zell thought dejectedly.
He got out of the car, and walked to the terminal doors.
He sat down at a little restaurant and started to write letters to his friends. He sealed them off, walked back to the car, placed them in an envelope and put them in the glove compartment. He slowly headed for gate D6.
* * *
"That was the last I talked to him, he told me I was like a father to him and drove off." Cid concluded.
"So he told you to send us to pick up the car?" Selphie asked.
"Yes, he specifically stated that he wanted you four, Quistis, and Seifer to pick the car up." Cid remarked.
"We've gotta go find Quisty." Selphie said.
* * *
The four sped off without so much as a farewell to Cid.
Interestingly, she was with Seifer. Then hadn't left each other's side since the party last night. Seifer had given her his bed and he offered to sleep on the floor, but she insisted he sleep next to her and he did so.
Now they were sitting holding each other, in the courtyard, the sunbeams caressing their faces.
Selphie, Rinoa, Irvine and Squall stopped at the sight. They didn't want to disrupt the scene, it was completely serene. However, Zell was more important than any scene and Rinoa made sure that Quistis would know, tactfully of course.
Rinoa slowly walked and sat down next to Quistis. Quistis looked to her friend, a joyous smile on her face, and Rinoa spoke softly so only Quistis and Seifer could hear.
It took a moment, but the realization of what Rinoa had just said finally hit Quistis.
"Oh no." Quistis cried, her hand covering her open mouth. Rinoa told her what had happened and where they would be going.
* * *
The ride was filled with an awkward silence, as each person thought about their memories of Zell. When they finally reached Deling airport and saw the Balamb Garden car and parked next to it, none of them wanted to get out.
Finally, Squall opened the door and closed it as he walked over to the Garden vehicle. He opened the door and saw that the glove compartment was open. In it, were the car keys and an envelope marked in beautiful calligraphy. Squall signaled the rest of the gang over. They all got out of the car and stood in a circle and they looked at the envelope Squall was holding.
It was marked, "To My Dearest Friends".
That was when it hit them, Zell was really gone and he wasn't coming back. The shocked expressions littered their faces and the morale of the gang continued to drop rapidly as Squall opened the envelope. Inside were six letters, each with a name on it. A card also dropped out of the envelope, and Irvine picked it up.
"Anything of mine I left, is yours, you can have it, I love you guys, Goodbye, Zell Dincht." Irvine read aloud.
Squall handed out the letters to the addressed, and started to say that he thought it was best if they shared them.
Rinoa almost instantly contradicted him.
"No Squall, these are his last personal goodbyes and maybe the last thing we'll ever have or remember of him. I think it should be a personal thing, to be kept to ourselves, unless of course, you want to share yours." Rinoa commented sincerely.
* * *
Irvine looked down at his letter. Irvine looked at the marks on it, and slowly opened the letter and pulled out the note inside. He started to read:
Irvine,
I keep telling myself, this is the right thing to do
I was wasting my time, waiting on dreams that just weren't coming true
And this old highway seems to understand, leading me on to somewhere,
Somewhere where no one knows my name.
Irv, what I need to do
Is turn this car around
And drive as fast as I can
Until I see the lights of my hometown
And run to her, take her in my arms
Make her see how sorry I am,
Well, it shouldn't be so hard
But…I drive on, and on…
Knowing what I need to do.
Irvine, I'm telling you this for one reason,
Don't make the same mistake I did,
Hold Selphie tight and make sure she knows you love her
I should've with Quistis, but I was too naïve
I waited too long… don't make my mistake
Know what you need to do and do it.
Your friend,
Zell Dincht.
* * *
Selphie looked at the letter in front of her and pulled the note out of it, she was worried about what it would say.
Selphie,
I'm sitting here, right next to gate D6, I'm about to get on a plane, and fly away.
I wish I could say I wasn't sad, I'll be alright but I can't.
I would say oh, I'm happy I'm leaving, it was time.
I can't write this without shedding a tear,
I want you to know how much I appreciate you.
So many times your smile would be the only thing that kept me going
I also don't think you hear that enough,
But I want you to know that, everyone, appreciates you for being you.
So I expect you to do your best to be optimistic and point out the good things about me being gone. I will miss you terribly,
Your friend,
Zell Dincht
Selphie whispered to herself as tears began to pour down her face, "There are no good things."
* * *
Seifer looked at the letter in his hands in disbelief. Why someone who he had mistreated every since he'd known him would leave him a letter, was mind boggling. He opened it cautiously, waiting for a string of expletives. But he got:
Seifer,
I have one piece of advice:
Take care of her, and cherish her.
She's the greatest gift anyone could have.
I'm happy for you two,
I'll return to see your kids, I promise.
Seifer, despite all the animosity between us,
I've always wanted to call you a friend,
So I'm hoping now we can lay that to rest
And in me leaving, finally be friends.
Your friend, (whether you like it or not)
Zell Dincht
Seifer never knew what an eloquent person Zell was and he couldn't help but smile at the letter, and something that had never happened before, happened, Seifer cried.
* * *
Quistis stared at the letter from the man she could've been in love with and she almost cried right then, but she composed herself long enough to open the letter, and started to weep uncontrollably as she read it:
Quistis,
When it comes to love, I've had my doubts
But when we met, my heart checked out,
And like a silly crush, I knew it when we touched
I'm already loving you too much…
Mind and Body, Heart and Soul
You came in and took control,
Oh, what a rush, this is powerful stuff
I'm already loving you too much
We've known each other for so long and it pains me deeply to say goodbye…
Who knows where I'll go from here
I'm too far gone to see it clear
So my heart I'll have to trust
And hope that it's enough
Cause I'm already loving you
There's nothing left for me to do
I'm already loving you too much
I love you,
Zell Dincht
* * *
Squall couldn't help but look at his letter in anticipated terror. He opened it slowly, worried of what it might say.
Squall,
Squall, we've been through a lot together
Being friends, Saving the world,
Meeting girls, Hanging out
Oh wait, scratch that last one
All the times we could've had together
Awake me all the time and after suggesting so many things for us to do
And getting shot down so many times, I realized that I must've done something wrong
Yet, I can't stop, hope upon hope, dream upon dream, thinking
That maybe in a different place, and a different time, we could've been friends
I'm sitting here with a beer in my hands, so here's a toast to us,
And the friendship we could've had,
Your "Best" friend,
Zell Dincht
* * *
Finally, as Rinoa opened her letter she couldn't help but feel apprehension. She knew that she would never get over him leaving and that scared her.
Rinoa,
You have always been kind to me, stuck up for me and supported me when I was in need.
I know now, that angels truly exist on this planet. I just can't thank you enough for your consideration and sincere like of me, despite all the others. It's nice to know, at least, one person likes me, anyway, I will miss your benevolence and gentle nature.
I try, I try to..
I pretend that I'm glad I went away,
With these four walls closing more every day
And I'm dying inside
And nobody knows it but me
Like a clown, I put on a show,
The pain is real even if nobody knows
And I'm crying inside
And nobody knows it but me
Why didn't I say, the things I needed to say…
The nights are lonely, the days are so sad
And I'm missing you
And nobody knows it but me
How blue can I get,
You can ask my heart
A million words couldn't say just how I feel
The nights are lonely, the days are so sad
I just keep thinking about the love we could've had
And I'm missing her
And nobody knows it but me
To my Angelic friend,
I love you Rin…
Your Friend,
Zell Dincht
* * *
Rinoa stared at the words on her letter for a long time and as she started to cry, she yearned for him to return, to hold her the way that made her feel special, like she was the best friend in the world, like she was needed by him, that exact way that gave her as well as him…someone to hold.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Notes: Okay, few more notes. How do you like my shameless reference to my other fanfic? Anyway, don't worry this is still going to be a Quell. Finally, Rinoa and Zell are not in love like you may think. They're madly in love in the way only two extremely close friends of the opposite sex can be. That doesn't mean a girlfriend/boyfriend relationship but a very, very close friendship, because they both find something they need in each other. So, don't read too much into it. Thanks for reading.
GrayFox474