Chapter 3 - Pathos On Zell
Title: Chapter 3 - Pathos On Zell
Rating: G (General)
Pairings: Seifer x Selphie and Squall x Rinoa
Characters: Seifer, Squall and Zell
Disclaimer: The characters, items, places, etc. of Final Fantasy VIII are property of Squaresoft, Inc. No infringement is intended. Rating - PG13 (Language, Violence)
Summary: The SeeD party intensifies when the fierce rivals Squall and Seifer encounter each other. Rumor has it the two spent a whole day together at Balamb town, trying to close the gap between them. But will Seifer except Squall’s friendship? Not if Zell has anything to say about it.
Author's Notes: This chapter is shorter then the rest, as I promised. In fact, this is the most important chapter thus far, because this is where things begin to get interesting. The very reason for this story starts here, in a sense. There is a brief explanation about how Seifer returned, but there will be a chapter dedacated to that. I hope you like it. Enjoy J
At the end of your comment(s), can you please copy and paste a certain amount of "★" at the end of your comment(s). Basically the amount of stars will indicate your personal rating for this chapter. The ratings are below. Thank you so much, and enjoy. :D
★= This was horrible, excuse me while I throw up.
★★= Not bad, but it kind of put me to sleep. Needs a little more work. Sorry.
★★★= This was pretty good, I look forward to the next chapter.
★★★★= This was a awesome chapter, simply awesome. This is what I call a "good" story
So far the session was going pretty cool, everybody was socializing, having a good laugh, and peace was flowing everywhere. But it looked like things were going to heat up, now that Seifer and Squall had laid eyes upon each other. This was the moment Zell feared, but he knew this encounter would happen, sooner or later. The gloved SeeD can clearly remember Squall’s reaction when Rinoa begged him to write Seifer a letter, requesting he’d come back home. After all, Selphie, Matron, and Rinoa wrote him one; it was only fair for Squall, to do so. Even Zell found the courage to write one, an action he now regrets.
A few weeks after his friend’s request, Squall found it in his heart to write Seifer a letter. The orphanage gang assumed that Squall realized hating his rival for the rest of his life would solve nothing. Nobody knows what Squall wrote, but what ever it was…it worked like a charm since Seifer returned a week and a half later. But he didn’t return alone, because Fujin and Raijin also made a return, which was no shock to anyone. Surprisingly, The Disciplinary Committee and their former enemies made peace with one another. Well except for Squall and Seifer.
It must have been at least 3 weeks before the bitter rivals utter a single word to each other. They spent most of their time practically avoiding one another. If fate allowed them to cross paths, they would just quickly exchange cold stares and continue to their separate destinations. The only way the two of them would communicate was via Fujin and Raijin. After all, Squall had nothing against them; it was just their leader he could not stand, at the time.
Rubbing his chin, Zell tried his best to recall who it was that broke the ice between them, and then he finally remembered that it was Selphie. Teaming up with Fujin and Raijin, Selphie devised a plan to get the two scarred warriors to start speaking to each other again. They knew it was very likely that their plan would fail miserably, but it was worth a shot. After finally getting Seifer and Squall in the same room, the three of them recommend that the two rivals spend the rest of the day together.
Following endless amount of convincing, Squall and Seifer went along with their friend’s plan and hung out together at Balamb, just the two of them. For the rest of the day, many pondered what could have happened between the two that day.
According to some Balamb students who were hanging out in the halls a little past midnight, they witnessed Seifer and Squall arriving in the front gate, walking side by side, laughing.
Once again, the events that occurred between the two were totally unknown. The curiosity spawned many rumors, anything too liven the Garden, after all things were pretty dull without a threat this time around.
Being a very pokey and curious person, Zell hired Selphie to act as a spy and hang out with Seifer to find out his side of the story, while he probed Squall. Zell’s attempt to salvage information from his best friend failed as Squall caught on with ease, and rejected him outright. To make matters worse, it seemed as though Selphie abandoned her original mission as a spy, and began to help Seifer study for his SeeD exams, later resulting in the two of them getting a bit close.
Unclear of what Selphie sees in Seifer, Zell merely shook his head. The relationship the two formed made him feel uncomfortable, he still didn’t trust Seifer, and he knew he had to tell Selphie how he felt about it.
Snapping back into reality, Zell decided it was time to focus on the events before him. Seifer and Squall exchanged stares as the two remained silent. Hoping the party will end with a happy note, Zell crossed his fingers, and remained on the sidelines, longing for one of the rivals to speak.
* * * * *
Seifer couldn’t help but release his trademark bloodthirsty grin, it just happens every time his eyes fall upon Squall. The sight of his rival’s scar that he gave him a while back overwhelms Seifer with excitement. The former knight’s hand began to tremble, as it had the urge to unsheathe his Hyperion, drag Squall to the deserted training centre, and fight him.
“Squall…” Seifer managed to say. As his rival’s name rolled of his tongue, it sent a shiver down Seifer’s spine. Before continuing, Seifer began scanning the younger SeeD with his green/blue eyes.
Squall still had shiny light brown hair in the same style as before, except that his thick strands that hung above his eyes has seemed to have grown a bit longer. His white vest was still partly hidden behind his trademark black top with the fur that traveled around his neck. Seifer’s eyes widened when he noticed those red buckles that overlapped below Squall’s waist were no where to be found. Despite that, his black pants were still present, along with his dark shoes.
After his quick inspection, Seifer lessened his grin, and then shoved his hands deep into his trench coat pockets.
“So you’re the one who set this party for me.” Seifer had a very hard time excepting this.
His younger rival nodded. “That’s right…”
“So what’s the catch?” asked Seifer. “The Squall I know would have never done anything like this.
Squall couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Can’t he decide to do something nice for his former comrade without there being a catch?
“There is no catch.” After folding his arms, Squall continued. “I just felt it was the right thing to do. I decided to use this party to help close the gap between us. This feud we have been having is getting old.”
Closing his eyes, Seifer began to chuckle.
“Getting old? Humph, didn’t you know that some things just NEVER get old?”
Squall remained silent.
To satisfy the urge to do battle with Squall, Seifer began to toy with his mind.
“Hey Squall, let’s ditch this party and hit the training centre.”
Squall’s eyebrow rose when he heard the words Seifer threw at him. He just could not believe what he was hearing.
“Are you out of your mind? Please tell me you are joking.”
Putting on his trademark grin, Seifer continued.
“I see it in your eyes, the temptation, the lust…the passion…don’t fight it Squall. Let your warrior instincts guide you. You don’t care about this party, and don’t deny it. You’re eager to inflict pain on me, aren’t yah?”
“Humph, I know I AM!” Zell thought to himself.
Upon hearing this, Squall buried his face in his hand, shaking it slowly. He figured he’d better clear this up before things turned ugly. Squall quickly moved away his hand from his face when he felt a hand on his shoulder. According to his eyes, it belonged to Seifer. The younger SeeD’s eyes widened when he noticed Seifer getting a bit closer.
“Look Squall, don’t think for a lousy second that throwing a party in my honor would make me go easier on you in our battles,” Seifer stated sarcastically. “With rank comes power, with power,” Seifer began, Squall clammed a hand over Seifer’s mouth.
“Please. Shut up.”
One thing Squall could not stand was Seifer ranting on about power, and being number one. It’s as if he will never realize being number one isn’t everything. As long as you give what ever you love doing your all, then that’s enough to make you satisfied. Though Seifer has been reformed, he still forgets about what battles are all about…and that’s heart.
Before replying, Squall removed his gloved hand from the lips of his blonde rival, casually pushing away the hand Seifer laid upon him, and began speaking.
“Look Seifer, this party has nothing to do with our rivalry. Headmaster Cid thought it would have been nice to start this year’s graduation a bit different, and left Zell and I in charge. He and I could have turned down the offer, but I decided to do it out of respect.”
Squall’s tone became a bit more serious.
“And besides, what makes you think this party is all for you? The beginning was just a mere joke. Yes, you were on the spotlight for that brief moment, but now it’s time to honor not just you, but the rest of the students who are now SeeDs.”
The blonde man’s right brow nearly struck his hairline in shock.
“Is that right?”
“It is right,” Squall immediately replied, not missing a beat in the conversation.
Still speechless, Seifer just store into the eyes of Squall, trying to detect the slightest bit of deception. He sensed that his words were the truth, which was no shock to Seifer at all. Knowing Squall was about to say something, Seifer decided to remain quiet.
“As for our rivalry, you know that I give it my all in every battle, and I expect the same from you. Holding back is never a request I ever intend on asking for. You and I have had some incredible battles in our time, and I know there will be many more, just not right now.”
A smirk of agreement smeared on Seifer’s face.
“1 on 1 sounds good to me, just like old times. It was slightly unfair of you to attack me in a swarm during the war, but I suppose I deserved it.” Seifer turned his back, and took a few steps. “May our next battle be our greatest one yet, until then…my worthy rival!”
As Seifer was about to make another step, Squall began to protest.
“Hold it Seifer…I’m not finish with you yet!”
The taller man didn’t bother turning around, he just let loose a faint sigh.
“…Make this quick, will yah? I’ve got to go find my posse!”
Squall played patient for a moment. “Seifer…I” The younger SeeD was surprised by the fact that Seifer was willing to stand there and listen to what he had to say. Nevertheless, if Squall didn’t make his point soon, he’d lose this rare opportunity.
“Look,” Squall began, with his tone returning to normal, “I respect your skills as a fighter, and I enjoy facing you as opponent, but can you quit thinking of me as just a rival, and more as a friend?”
Zell couldn’t believe what he had just heard. The thought of Squall and Seifer friends made his face twist up. There was no way Seifer was going to except Squall’s invitation, and Zell knew that Squall was thinking the same thing. But maybe Squall just felt as though it was worth the try. Still, the tattooed martial artists felt a bit jealous. It wasn’t easy for him to swallow the idea of Seifer joining Squall’s friendship list, or even worse…replace Zell all together. Despite how unlikely it sounds, it was a very scary thought.
Zell was broken away from his thoughts as he noticed Seifer’s mouth opened.
“A friend…” Seifer repeated bluntly.
Squall didn’t bother repeating himself, Seifer got the message. Instead, the silent warrior just stood there, and waited for a reply. Suddenly, Squall’s mouth opened slightly in disbelief as he noticed his older rival shaking his head in rejection.
Squall tried his best to prevent his disappointment from escaping onto his face. Of course Zell was still kind of lost; he wasn’t sure what Seifer’s head gesture stated at the moment.
Even though Seifer wasn’t facing his rival, he could still picture the expression that was on his face. Surprisingly, he could not look Squall in the eyes and tell him how he felt about the whole friendship thing. Normally Seifer could reject anybody with ease when it came to friendship, but not him…not Squall. The former knight knew his head gesture screamed the message as clear as crystal, but he felt it would be best to leave him the message in words, just incase.
“It’s a nice offer, but no thanks,” Seifer’s tone became a bit serious. “I don’t need you as a friend. Didn’t you know that having too many friends is a burden? If I made an exception for you, then I would have to befriend many more, and that simply wouldn’t do. So please…keep your friendship to yourself, will yeah?”
Seifer felt a bit more confident, he was now in a position to face his rival, after laying down the law. After his verbal attack, Seifer turned around to inspect the damage, before continuing.
“I’ll admit the day we spent together was pretty cool, but WAKE UP!” Seifer yelled, swiping his hand through the air. “We didn’t go willingly, or for the intention to bond. It was only to stop our friend’s from bickering, and damn it, you know it. …All I want from you is your undying respect. You understand…right?”
Even though the words weren’t directed to him, Zell still felt a bit hurt. How was Seifer so upfront about these kinds of things? Deep down, Zell wished he had that ability, but unlike Seifer, Zell was afraid of the lack of friends it can bring. Zell could only imagine how Squall was feeling, but Seifer’s remained relentless.
Turning his head away from his rival, Squall crossed his arms.
“…Whatever,” he coldly replied.
Seifer was willing to continue, until he noticed his best friends, Fujin and Raijin across the room. Raijin was giving hand gestures for him to come over and talk, while Fujin just stood still like a statue, with her hands behind her back. Switching into his “bad boy” personality, Seifer made his way to his posse, without saying another word to Squall, and Zell.
* * * * *
Zell began to stare a hole through Seifer as he casually walked away. His gloved fists began to tighten, while he gritted his teeth.
“Damn that guy! He’s got some nerve, acting all big and bad. I mean…who he thinks he is anyway?!?!”
Squall remained silent, not revealing a single emotion on his face.
Zell walked up to his best friend, and placed a gloved hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t worry about that jerk; he’s just bitter because WE kicked his ass during the sorceress’s War!”
Normally, Zell’s obnoxious jokes would slightly humor Squall, but not this time. You couldn’t blame Squall for feeling this way.
The scarred warrior’s hair hung low, covering his emotionless eyes as he lowered his head, with his chin touching his chest. This was Squall’s trademark thinking position, and nobody, not even Zell dared to disturb him when he was in this saddened posture.
Out of all the people that Squall has gotten to know, Seifer is the most complicated one, yet. When the two of them hung out together in Balamb, they acted as though they were best friends, well almost. The fact that they were once on opposite sides flew right out of the window. They weren’t sharing the day as rivals, former enemies, schoolmates…but as friends, well at least Squall believed so.
It was as if there were two Seifer’s. The arrogant bully that everybody has come to know that rarely follows rules to the letter. Then there is the true Seifer, who deep down enjoys having fun, expresses how he feels, and wished he could befriend all of his childhood playmates.
Squall came to the conclusion that the real Seifer, who nobody except for Fujin and Raijin know was the one Squall, spent that day with in Balamb. But when he is around others, Seifer puts up an overwhelming defense wall, to not only hide, but protect the boy inside, who is afraid of being hurt again.
An expression of relief came onto Zell’s face when Squall’s head rose from his chest.
“S-Squall…you’re feeling ok, bud? You’re freaking me the hell out!”
“…I’m…fine,” he softly said. Rubbing the back of his head, he continued. “Look Zell…I’ve got to go find Rinoa. We’ll talk later, ok?”
Zell could not believe what he was hearing. There was no way he was going to let Squall walk away without telling him what’s on his mind. Before the scarred SeeD could walk away, Zell grabbed Squall’s arm.
“Oh NO…you are not leaving until you tell me what’s up! Got it?” Zell was serious. He didn’t mean to sound so harsh, but he couldn’t help it. When it came to his friends, Zell always made sure all was well.
Not believing that Zell just grabbed him, the antisocial warrior turned around to face his comrade.
“What is your problem? I already told you…there is nothing to discuss. Now…let me go Zell.”
Zell tightened his grip.
“No way man, something is wrong with you, and DAMN IT I want to know what it is. It’s my archenemy, Seifer…isn’t it? Something went on between you two that day in Balamb. What the hell is the big secret anyway? It’s like you two were on a date or something…why can’t you tell me what happened?” It was official…Zell was jealous.
Squall was starting to get angry. “Why can’t YOU just stay out of my damn business?”
This harsh comment threw Zell off guard, casing his grip on Squall’s arm to weaken. Noticing this, Squall used this to his advantage, and shrugged his arm free from the obnoxious SeeD’s grip.
“Listen to me; Zell…what happened to Seifer and me that day falls under the category of my business. Just like everything else I do with you, Rinoa, Selphie, and even Quistis. Incase you have yet to catch on…I don’t like talking with my friends about events that occurred that had nothing to do with them.” Squall had a very hard time believing that this conversation was even happening. He didn’t have to explain himself to Zell, or anybody.
A feeling of guilt fell up on Zell.
“Look dude…I - -” Zell began, but Squall turned his back, silencing his jealous friend.
“…This conversation is over, Zell. See you at dinner.” With that said, Squall began walking away, continuing his search for his love, Rinoa.
“But Squall…I was only trying to - -” Zell decided to silence himself when he realized there was nothing he can say to make his angered friend stop and listen. For the first time in a long time, he felt a sense of regret due to the words he stated. All Zell was trying to do was help the guy he considers his closest friend when he knew Squall needed somebody to talk to. But it looks like the gloved warrior went a bit too far, as usual. Once Squall was long gone, Zell slowly made his way to the dinner table, only this time it was his head that was hanging low.
* * * * *